Saturday, December 29, 2007

Smoke and shopping

Today The Colonel and I ventured out on a little adventure together. We started out by trying a newer Mexican restaurant not too far from our house.

Before I tell you what happened, I have to tell you that one of the BIGGEST things we miss about California is the "no smoking" law they have so wisely adopted. It's so nice to come home from a restaurant or anywhere and not smell like smoke. Well, Kansas seemed to have been trying to catch up to the rest of the modern world, as this topic was being discussed by our city council this month. For whatever lame reason, they decided to table the topic for now. SO, The Colonel and I have decided that the only restaurants who will earn our business are those that are smoke-free (and there aren't too many of those around).

Ok, back to lunch today. The restaurant was pretty empty when we got there, but after we were seated, a guy by himself walked in and was seated in the bar. All was well until the bar dude finished his meal and lit up a smoke. Although he was about 50 feet away from us, there was no divider between the smoking and non-smoking area (makes you wonder why they even ask you when you get in there, huh?), we could smell his smoke...and we were still trying to eat our food.

I know I just said that we weren't going to frequent smoking places, but we made an exception to try this place out...plus, we had a coupon.

When we went to the front to pay for our meal (which ended more quickly than it would have if no one would have been smoking), the guy asked how we liked our food. We said it was good. He asked if it was our first time in the new restaurant, and we said yes. THEN, I opened my mouth and told him that we probably would NOT be coming back because the smoke was so irritating. He said, "what smoke?" We said the smoke from the bar, duh! He didn't get it...but we kept talking and told him that we had decided to only frequent non-smoking establishments until the smoking ban is in place. Either he didn't understand me (language barrier??) or he just wanted me to leave, but we didn't really feel like we got through to him.

The Colonel and I have decided that we will go into restaurants and if they ask us if we'd like "smoking or non", we will say "NEITHER, we won't eat where smoking is allowed" and turn around and walk out. We could just not go there in the first place, but then how will they know that people are staying away because smoking is allowed?



C'mon, if FRANCE is adopting a no smoking policy, what the heck is wrong with Kansas?? It seems like almost everyone in France smokes!

After lunch, we headed over to Lowe's to use The Colonel's Christmas gift card on some black, brown and green paint for the nursery...here comes camo! While we were waiting for our paint to be mixed, we had the following conversation:

The Colonel: I hope I didn't bring my sunglasses in here, because if I did, they're gone.

Me (looking over at my loony husband): They're around your neck, ding dong.

The Colonel: Uh...oh, yeah.


I always give hubby a hard time when we go into stores because he leaves his sunglasses on as we wander around shopping. He is tall and intimidating and stoic, and I always say he's trying to be The Terminator or something...so this time he says that he took off his glasses to please me. Yeah, right...he just said that so he could have an excuse for why he had NO CLUE that his glasses were around his neck and not lost somewhere.

I'm STILL laughing about it! And he's not even pregnant!

7 comments:

Jayme said...

I can't wait to see the paint job!

Elyce said...

I am sad to report that yesterday, outside Babies R Us, we saw a pregnant woman smoking! We were aghast, and frankly I didn't really mind if she saw me staring. I just don't get why you wouldn't do everything possible to create the healthiest environment you can for your defenseless little baby. I know what it is to be addicted to cigarettes, but I quit eight years ago, long before I had kids, and I'm sure it would have been easier if I knew I had to for the sake of my baby's health.

suezque said...

That is one of the "cons" on my "moving to Kansas list"... it can make me so sick! Yuck. Yesterday a guy came into church and sat down behind us- he smelled so bad like smoke I thought I was gonna be sick! My eyes were watering and everything...

Billy said...

Classic. Doesn't suprise me about the restaurant. Was the food any good? I know you have been looking for a restaurant. I can't wait to see the baby's room!

Love Bears All Things said...

Tennesse just recently passed some pretty strict codes as to where people could/couldn't smoke in public. It is so nice to go out and not have to deal with it. Hope you have results soon, too.
Mama Bear

Sally said...

I'm sure that the smoking ban will come to Kansas...we'll just look like blubbering idiots if we're the absolute last to adopt it, but oh well.

Daisy - that's terrible! A lady at work was just telling me the story of giving birth to one of her kids and how when she went to the hospital, they told her she wasn't ready yet, so she went outside to SMOKE a cigarette and wait for her doctor. What??

Abbagirl - the food was pretty good even though the "flauta" they brought me was made with a corn tortilla (making it a taquito) and not a flour tortilla. The chips and salsa were yummy!

suezque said...

Effective yeaterday Colorado has even banned smoking in Casinos!!! :-)