"Lady, I love my cigar too, but I take it out once in a while."

I don't know if I have an anecdote for 'smoked a cigar' other than I have smoked a few cigars in my adulthood. I probably smoked more of them with my friend Niambi when I lived in Memphis than I have any other time because she liked them too. I believe she told me that she smoked them more when she drank.

I guess there was the fad a few years back where everyone and their gynecologists' fishes smoked cigars. The magazines. The clubs. The celebrities. The President and the intern. So fashionable that it made me never want to do it again. Eh. Peer pressure.

I do think of one of my favorite movies when I think of cigars. I think there is a trend here which shouldn't be surprising. I've loved movies and books and windows to other existences since I was a babe and they made me do and believe some stupid things. Remind me to tell you about cartoons and rubbing alcohol. But I digress.

Gigi.

Anyone else love that movie other than my sister and me. "Sank hev-ven for leettle gurls." There's a scene where Gigi is learning how to be a courtesan from her great-aunt. She's clumsy and awkward and in that stage before Gaston realizes he wants to scoop her up and eat her on a thin slice of a baguette. Gigi takes a cigar between her thumb and fingers. She follows her aunt's lead and pretends to smell the subtle hints of flavor. Then she rolls it with disastrous results besides her ear and stupidly gives a face that denotes embarrassment and apology. Of course, after the big "Gigi's the shit" sung by our princely Gaston, those weeks and weeks of lessons where Gigi sucks as a girl pay off and she pulls the cigar trick off with grace and comehitherness.

Boy, those pushers of the tobacco industry sure know what they're doing. Hooking in young, innocent, naive children into a life of addiction, smelly clothes and lung-hacking coughs. I wanted to be just like the beautiful people in the movies; and cigars, though very bad for you, boys and girls, make me smile because they (and little edible fowl like cornish hens) remind me of sitting with Jenn watching that movie repeatedly.

By the way....anyone know who said the quote in my title and where?

Comments

[Shala Ohms]

It's important to take everything in moderation, especially if you think you're hooked for life. My husband use to smoke a full pack of cigarettes, but when I got pregnant, he reduced it to just half a pack. He also smokes outdoors now. I loved him more for that. At least he tried.

[no milk]

i would day that if i were the tobacco industry, i would make ads that make smoking look really rebellious and bad-ass and that will bring in the kiddies tuit de suite.