I used to be a smoker; it’s true. And those little nicotine receptors in my brain are alive and well and still trying to get me to find a way to satisfy them. They are devlish little bastards, but I think I might have found a compromise solution. I purchased a pipe recently at Grant’s Tobacconist on Market st. right near my office. The store is over 150 years old and still has it. Here my new roommate/old friend Harold and I are smoking pipes and considering what to do in his garden:

Helps us think (Photo credit to Kate)

Now, I”m not saying anyone should go out and start smoking. Smoking is a terrible habit that will eventually kill you with cancer. But, if you do smoke, I suggest dropping the cigarettes and picking up a pipe. Pipe tobacco can be purchased from a place like Grant’s which carries them in jars and can then be transfered to your own jar. This means when you buy tobacco you don’t need to touch plastic or create waste. In addition, when you smoke a pipe, there is no butt leftover to collect in the pacific trash gyre. And finally, pipe tobacco and smoke smells great. It’s not at all like the ashtray stink my delicious Camels used to render. But, just to reiterate, pipes still got that whole they-will-kill-you-thing.