Non-Smoking

There's an essay floating around that is probably bait, but here we are. It speaks fondly of smoking. The thing is, I lived through the same period the author did and it, in the way nostalgia often does, leaves out some things. Smoking was allowed many places. Not schools, but that was kind of it. Restaurants had sections. There were fans or ventilation to try to keep the smoke contained. 

If you went somewhere like a concert, you had to plan for your clothes, your hair, your coat, your pores to reek of smoke. They sold basically hair Febreeze that you could spritz in your hair. Sure you could wash your hair. But sometimes, arriving home at 3am, I wanted to sleep first, but the smoke smell of my hair would be distracting while I was trying to fall asleep. I had a washable coat I wore to concerts, because I didn't want to go to work smelling like smoke all winter. 

Sure I had friends and coworkers who smoked. Sure, sometimes it was nice to dip outside with them and chat while they smoked. Unless it was rainy, or windy, or cold. 

And here's the thing. I didn't smoke. But smoking was so pervasive, that I had to plan my life around it. 

So the indoor smoking bans changed my life completely. My asthma got better. I didn't have to buy scent neutralizer for my hair. I didn't have to shower more often just because I'd been to see a concert.

Now, I assume most people are familiar with the possible dangers of smoking, to themselves and others. But it is worth noting that smoking can help with ADHD. 

But honestly, the thing I really miss from those days is not smoking. It's going to concerts for $20. Nowadays that's the surcharge tacked onto your concert ticket. 

And if what you really miss, is having an excuse to step outside of work or parties, I have great news. You can just do that. 

7 Things About the Kennedy Center

First,  disclaimer. I am not related to anyone the theater is named after.

1. Like many theaters, it is really multiple theaters. There's an opera house, concert hall, millennium stage, the terrace theater, the theater lab, a family theater, and a jazz club, all with different capacities from small to large.

2. I have had the chance to be backstage in the rehearsal areas too, and there is so much behind where the average visitor goes. 

3. Some things there are quite fancy, and some are very much not. Also some things are quite pricey, and some things are free and or cheap. 

4. Having grown up in the area, my first memory of going there I think I was about five. My aunt and uncle took me and my cousin to see "Peter Pan". 

5. "Shear Madness" was the second longest running non-musical in the US, until it recently had to close. (The longest was also "Shear Madness" in Boston. DC could have overtaken it since the Boston one closed, if recent events hadn't forced the closure of the DC run. I had every intention of dragging people to it, because I have a new group of friends I have not yet dragged to it. (In my defense, the last person I dragged to it, came with me to see it like three more times.)

6. The rooftop has a truly gorgeous view of both the city and the river.

7. DC has a lot of theaters compared to some other locales. But the loss of any is still a loss. Not every venue is suited for every kind of show. They put on things that won't all easily fit somewhere else. And the ecosystem is better and healthier with more options, not less. 

Don't Leave

One of the interesting things with the rise of so many websites employing an AI chat bot who follows you around the site offering to help, even though typing up your question is not often faster than just clicking through the pages, is they attempt to mimic sounding human. They attempt it by being overly polite and friendly. Imagine if you entered a store and a store employee offered to help and you said no I'm fine, and then you turned the corner around an aisle and there they were again. It would be weird. You would consider leaving the store without your items. 

I also once asked the chat bot to help and it told me my question required a human, which it then offered to summon for me. That summoning took so long the chat session timed out and kicked me off the site. 

One of my friends has bemoaned the ride of every site on earth asking you if you forgot something when most times you knew you hadn't checked out. Had intentionally not checked out.

Today I woke up to an email with the subject line, Don't leave. First, it was weird because it was a website I had not logged into. Of course I know they track you more ways than that, but I had hoped the social fabric was such that we could pretend they don't know who I am. Second, I found the answer to my question. I left because I was done. I'm not mad at anyone or anything, but our interaction has come to an end. But apparently now the clingy chat bot will follow you off the site to, to beg you to come back. 

I really hope stores start to re-evaluate how obnoxious and hard they've made using their sites for anything. Full disclosure, the site that followed me was my vet's site. A site I am usually not required to make any transactions on, short of arranging a vet appointment. 

Modern day shopping. Full of chat bots coded to be clingy and annoying. 

Went to See Some Trees

I know the popular saying is: Touch grass. But I, allergic to grass pollen, tend to enjoy going to see some trees. (Okay, fine, I'm allergic to tree pollen too. But I don't touch the trees. I just admire them.)

The beauty of a three day weekend is you have time to get some chores done, get some baking done, watch an absolute crapton of sports (tennis, and a dash of soccer), and also go for a long walk. We should do these all the time. I know there's a country in Europe trying it, and I am all for it. 

I read a study that looking at trees lowers stress levels, and I'm sure that's partly because we keep the trees outside so to look at them you are likely stilling outside a bit. 

But I love going for a stroll and seeing what there is to see. How blue is the sky today? What colors are the trees? Are there flowers? Construction? Signs? 

We are mid-election here and there's a ballot initiative about recycling and seeing where the pro and con signs are is a fun exercise. 

Of course a walk can just be a walk. It doesn't need a goal or a checklist. But I like going to see some trees.