Smoking

I hate smoking! I hate it and this is my area to rant about it; we all need a rant every now and then. Perhaps what I hate the most is not so much the cigarettes themselves, but how when and where people smoke them. If you want to smoke, fine go ahead and kill yourself, but why are you dragging me and every other healthy lung into your cancer quest? If you want to smoke, go off in some corner where there isnt the chance of another person to inhale it or better yet, dont smoke in public at all!

I can't stand it when I see someone light up in public, in places where it is nearly impossible to not inhale smoke, in particular while walking along the sidewalk. To me this a selfish act and a form of force, the fact that I am being forced to breath someone's poor choice in life. What is even more appalling is when I see parents smoking around their children (we're not even gonna touch women who smoke while pregnant) who otherwise seem like somewhat decent people. I understand it is an addiction, but it doesn't change the fact that you are still forcing others to inhale your addiction.

Since this is a blog dedicated to Napoli, I must mention that smoking here reminds me of how things were in America when I was child and probably resembles America back in the day when smoking was even fashiobable. I don't understand at all why napoletani smoke so much. Italians in general are people who pay a lot of attention to their health and know exactly what is good and what is bad for them. How they ignore all the modern day health warnings and dangers of nicotine is something that really illudes me. It's such a shame when I see young people with cigarettes in their mouths. One thing that seems to be the same all over the world are the anti-society people, metalheads, anarchists or just people who are against the grain; they all smoke. They try to be different from society yet the majority smoke!

Some people say they could never date a person who smokes. I'd like to say that's true in my case but it isnt. Giovanna, my gf, is a smoker unfortunately and for as much as hate her addiction, I can't bring myself to tell her "o smetti o ti lascio......either I quite or we break up". I put up with it because it doesn't ruin 100% the times we spend together but if she did anything more than smoke cigarettes then that is where I would draw the line.

I remember once, my Aunt's husband (he doesn't feel like an uncle to me) complaining about having to defend his smoking. Well he should! If you smoke these days, there is absolutely no logical argument that I can think of which justifies what you do and the health risk that you pose to the general public and furthermore every smoker should be held accountable for what they do. Typical smoker justifications are that it helps them relax or it helps to slow down their metabolism and the classic "it doesn't always cause cancer". I do believe that smoke causes a physical reaction which is what the main attraction must be to smoking (I dont feel anything except nausea), but there are many other ways to relax and lose weight. There is always an alternative to lighting up. As for cancer, it is not a guarantee that you will get cancer, but why risk it?

Aside from the risk of lung cancer, the immediate effects of smoking that I personally find revolting are these: the absurd cost for a pack of smokes, the yellowing of the teeth and the overall smell that remains on your breath and clothing.

I do my best to avoid smokers, and perhaps I did not come to the right part of the world to teach English. But I will never back down or feel guilty about expressing my opinons about smoking.

First post of 2011

At the suggestion of a friend, I will keep this blog alive and attempt to add to it once in a while.

I find myself at a crossroad here, one I didn't really expect myself to be at, but it isn't necessarily a bad thing. What brought about this fork in the road is due to the fact that Inlingua canned me and thus I had to re-evaluate my situation here in Naples. In summary, I was let go from Inlingua for 2 reasons, one being my own damn fault and the other I give to the school. I had become lax in my job and it showed when they observed one of my lessons. But what I don't like however about Inlingua is they have a policy of not telling the instructors when a complaint is made about them or any kind of negative feedback for that matter. So it's impossible to know if you are doing a bad job as they tell you nothing!

But life goes on. My last link to Inlingua is my last check which no no doubt will make me cry due to the shortened month in Dec because of the holidays and my working with the British in Marano. I also got hired by the Wallstreet Institute here in Napoli and I should start with them soon. I do offer private lessons and they should resume soon and hopefully with some new students.

Life observation: In the USA, I often saw immigrants and people from other countries, some were even my friends. I was used to them being in my house and me having the upperhand linguistically. Here, it's somewhat different. I see immigrants every day from all over the world, mostly Africans, Arabs and Asians and in a way we have something in common being that Italy is not our first and primary country. As I have mentioned in past blogs, I feel right in between both countries, the USA and Italy so my being here is not without some logic or reason. Why people from other countries choose Napoli I'll never know! Perhaps it's due to its rather pleasant climate and the fact that people here are lax on the rules.