Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Smoke-Free Tennessee

The great state of Tennessee went smoke-free yesterday. (I know GFTS is doing a big Whoopie! up there in DC.)

Since the bill passed most restaurants and bars began to comply before the official Oct. 1st date. I love going to restaurants, pubs, and local dives and being able to breathe while I dine or have drinks. It's especially nice for me as I have severe allergies and asthma so a couple of hours in a smoke environment and I wheeze for days.

In college you should have visited White Columns on a Sunday. GFTS and I would have been out at some fraternity party, sorority mixer, or pub crawl and invaribly hack all day Sunday (in the midst of our hangover). Our quaint, historic apartment sounded like a TB ward. Well, it quietened down mid-afternoon when we took a trip to Sawyer's for some great chicken and fries to sop ourselves up. Oh, and if we couldn't (find/drive/remember) the car at said location the previous night and had to (walk/bus/?) home and then returned to (find/pick-up/locate) vehicle. Then there were the week nights we partied like rock-stars and somehow managed to stumble ourselves to class donning hat, glasses, and starbucks making every effort to just get. through. the. day. Then we took our TB ward show on the road.

Ok, enough of that. What was supposed to be a celebratory post about a Smoke-Free Tennessee has now turned into retreiving closet skeletons of sorority days (sorry Addy, but fun memories, right?)

Back to the original subject, I love the smoke-free laws. Hubs and I enjoy going to a local microbrewery and when we were out there last Saturday night I could enjoy my (one, two, several) Downtown Nut Brown Ale with clean lungs. It made the (potato skins/pretzels with beer cheese/pizza) taste better too.

What do you think about the smoke-free laws and is your state smoke-free?

(Ahem, GFTS, no need to bring out photographic evidence of any of the above. My husband still will not put away that picture of the little "hoola-hooping-on-the-bar-while-singing-madonna-in-hot-pink-sneakers-and-cocktail-dress" episode from New Orleans.)

5 comments:

laurenjean said...

the great commonwealth of massachusetts is a smoke free state and has been for years and years now...and i love it! when i go to other states that you can smoke it restaurants and stuff, i feel gross and eck after leaving...i like my clean air, thank you!
GOOD JOB TENNESSEE!!!!

Zoe D. said...

I'm not a smoker myself seeing as how I also have sever allergies and asthma, high five, but I think it should be up to the restaurant, not the government. I won't complain though, I can drink my beer and breathe at the same time! YAY!

Kas said...

Arkansas went smoke free summer before last I believe. If it is an establishment that allows people under the age of 21, you cannot have any smoking. My mom owns a restaurant and she had a very hard time getting customers (and employees!) to comply! It was a struggle for her and I'm sure for most locally owned mom-and-pop restaurants, but I LOVE IT. I can't stand being around smoke.

Emily said...

I am glad Tennessee is now Smoke-Free. I would almost smother from the inconsiderate smokers where I work while they smoked like there was no tomorrow. Just tonight I noticed a girl who I think was sneaking a smoke in at her work area. How childish in my opinion.

To me I think that if a person can't go 8 hours or from break to break without smoking then I don't think its very healthy to let something have so much control over you. I don't smoke and I don't know what the addiction feels like nor do I want to... but really, why let something so nasty have so much control over you?

girl from the south said...

Given a hearing on the Hill last week on tobacco-related subject, I'm just catching up with the Interenets. Thanks for a laugh on Monday morning!

How did we do it in college?

I remember puffing away on the inhaler before heading out to the frat house/bar/club/random apartment in the Fort. I guess the buzz from the inhaler masked my initial buzz from beer.

So psyched to get home over Thanksgiving and celebrate a smoke-free TN! There are a few loopholes in the law that we hope to tighten up in 2008.