Well, I've gotta say that is the most responded post I've ever had on eBaum's.  I guess I must have hit a central nerve of eBaumers.  Thanks to everybody for your comments.

There were two themes running through the comments I received.  One was "Quit while you can".  The other was "I hate smoking but I love what it does".  Those are exactly the kind of reactions I get at work.  That's where I do most of my smoking, because it's more convenient, I won't do it around my kids, and, most importantly, my wife doesn't know.  Or at least I don't think she does.  I think she suspects, but she also knows that I work with smokers.  Oh well.

I work with two very vocal former smokers who are shocked and almost angry that I started smoking.  I even smoke the brand that both of them smoked, Marlboro Lights.  Marlboro because everybody has them, and Lights because I figured they wouldn't be as bad for me or turn me off with the supposed "Full Flavor" effect.  To me the "flavor" of a cigarette always seemed about as appealing as the flavor of a dog turd.  But I digress. 

These two women are constantly getting on me about smoking.  One has gotten past the "OMG" phase and just gives me a hard time, the other always tells me that she is disappointed and I need to stop now.  And you know what?  I know they are right.

So what was my excuse to keep smoking once I started?  Fucking Christmas.  Yep, I lit up for the first time on Halloween, October 31.  I stopped at the gas station on the way home from work, still in full costume as the Hulk, green face and everything, and bought a pack and a lighter.  By the way, the 99 cent Bics that are about half as long as your thumb suck a lot of ass.  If you can't hold it and light it with one hand, it's not worth it. Anyway, Thanksgiving was roughly 3 weeks later, and that period is the second most stressful time of year.  I was committed to finishing the pack because I'm too cheap to throw away 17 cigarettes, and after a week I decided that I needed that 21st cig.  So I bought another.  And another.  At that point, I knew that I would not be able to quit before Christmas, which is the most stressful time of the year.  So I kept going.

Now Christmas is over and I have no excuse.  The good news is that I have not had a Marlboro Light since December 24.  The bad news is, I am now on my second pack of Djarum clove cigarettes.  And you know what?  I really, really like them.

More to come.