Tonight I was really pleased to meet up with some friends and colleagues. It was nice to get out of the house, even if only to my local pub. It was good to chat and catch up, better still they were good listeners.
With Cancer you do get very much "Me, Me, Me" syndrome because, well it is happening to you, you don't get out much and you don't have adult company all that often nor do you get a sympathetic ear.
So it was very kind of every one to listen to me and ooh and arr in all the right places. Also not a "sorry for you" in the whole thing so also much appreciated.
As a complete aside, my jacket absolutely stinks of smoke. Until recently, even not smoking, I wasn't quite so sensitive about it, but now, knowing that it may well have been a contributory factor in my illness, I appear to be almost hyper sensitive to the smell of smoke. However, I notice it more on my clothes than in the pub itself. We were in a non smoking area but were only in the main bar for a final drink. In the 20 minutes or so that was happening my jacket and clothes really stink.
Next year all things will have to change and I can see that it may well improve sales in places like pubs if the air is clean. I really hadn't noticed it was bad until now and funnily enough I am quite OK with people smoking around me. I used to years ago and I don't want to appear a holier than though reformed smoker even though I could yell from the rafters that bladder cancer is a smoker's disease!
It would make no difference as no one there knows me. I try not to have a dig at my friends about their smoking but I do offer them the ability to read this blog and see whether it strikes any chords with them.
