"I guess the retard had a point..."

Aside from at least one co-worker making the ill-advised choice to take my clerical abilities for granted at work, I had the opportunity to talk with some naive young African-American women who, in spite of their clothing, afros and heavy make-up, decided to smoke in my face by the bus stop after my class. I told them, "Hey, can you move aside. You're smoking, and I would like to see some courtesy from you." One of these two, presumably twins (which bring up the question of how they were raised, et al.), said, "No, you step aside." "This is America. Everybody smokes," said the other. "Not everyone wastes away from lung cancer, ladies," I replied tersely. So as I got on the bus, flabbergasted from their ignorace and naiveness of the situation, they come out yappering about, "This guys is mentally ill," and all that sort of stuff. It's shocking to know that these undergrads (presumably freshman) from DeVry (or wherever, maybe even high schoolers or dropouts) have the courage to paint an MBA student from Keller with the "mentally ill" brush. This is a stigma that I have had to deal with, so I found it refreshing to know that they are talking out of their arses, and they don't even know it. "Your wombs will be garbage cans," I said. "Just let the local gangs come and blast you." I was referring to the health risks they put in from smoking cigarettes, and the gangs of carcinogens that come from it. Obviously they haven't a clue of what I'm talking about, because they think they can try to outtalk somebody who actually has common sense to know that quitting would be the best option for them, and that they place health risks on themselves and the people around them. Or rather, they choose to tune out this mentally ill guy wearing a orange polo with a green and blue sweatshirt, a black cap from his alma mater, Long Beach State, and olive slacks, not knowing that this unassuming fellow has a point. The bus driver has to come over to the back and let them know that there are others on the bus (me included) who would do better without their conversations. I don't wish the worst upon them; I am a person that doesn't see anything bad about them, except for their image and the fact that people who breathe secondhand smoke are ignored by these two girls. But at thre same time, I don't feel the least bit sorry for them if a situation like this occurs: years down the road, one of them finds out she has cancer, and they are trying to start a fund to pay for something that wouldn't have happened if they didn't smoke, or if they did, started quitting. And they are in the hospital dying of cancer, and they recall the day a long time ago, when they mocked the advice that this mentally ill MBA student wearing a orange polo with a green and blue sweatshirt, a black cap from his alma mater Long Beach State, and olive slacks, and they find out, that here they are, dying of cancer, and they start to wonder, "That guy we made fun of...I think he had a point." At this point in my life, I am putting my MBA to use, having swithced jobs to something that pays better, and maybe in spirit I'll say, "I told you so." But I probably won't. As far as I know, those two girls don't exist, and most likely, they won't if they follow the path they are walking. And there are millions of chain smokers out there who don't believe in the facts about smoking, and these two are part of that long line of people who follow that same wrong path. And while that brings closure, that becomes an afterthought with a snap of the fingers, and a click of the mouse. === Other stuff going on. Whoa. This day was just flat-out crap. Not only do I not get any raise in pay, but the Dodgers win while the Angels lose. Even things up, Ervin Santana.