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Never-again Land: J. M. Barrie's My Lady Nicotine (1896)
- smogcutter 3y agoThis is a wonderful find! Something in the first chapter that hits home for me: how much better smoking is in retrospect than reality. The memory of the perfect cigarette never goes away: on the porch on a sunny day, with a book and coffee/a cold beer; outside at the party, talking and trying to get laid; 2 am at your desk, one more smoke and this sentence will say what I mean. Then as soon as you break and light one up, the romance vanishes completely.
- geraldhh 3y agoalmost like getting laid
- ltbarcly3 3y agoThe first cigarette after quitting for a long time is thankfully awful. The 5th or 15th is everything you dream of.
- hereonout2 3y agoUnfortunately they don't just sell singles, so you quite often get to number 15!
- geraldhh 3y agosaw a convenience shop selling bottles of (soft-)drinks bundled with a single cigarette, so there's that
- 13of40 3y agoI smoked on and off for about ten years, and eventually stopped because I realized that no matter how nice the anticipation of it was, immediately afterwards I felt dirty and depressed. I quit for good almost twenty years ago, and the interesting this is now the dirty and depressed feeling is still palpable when I think about it, but I only remember the anticipation as a symbol. I remember *that* the anticipation happened, but not what it felt like.
- ipnon 3y agoNicotine is a wonderful antidote for insomnia, not by putting you to sleep, but to be present with your own thoughts while the world is snoozing. I’ve lately had a 2mg piece of nicotine gum around midnight each night. It’s a surprisingly productive hour in this routine. It pairs well with a contemplative stroll around the block perhaps with some stargazing if the clouds are gone. It’s remarkably easy to focus when the whole world is asleep!
- 11235813213455 3y agocorrect, nicotine is great as long as it's not smoked, what's extremely bad, and I can feel it everyday with my smoking neighbor are the smoke compounds. It hurts my eyes, throat, nose, head..
- cobertos 3y agoI do find the same great productivity and focus at the same hour (usually). However, this happens from my sleep schedule sliding to where I end up nocturnal, not from something like caffeine or nicotine. Waking up at 11PM and staying up until the late AM of the next day.
- ltbarcly3 3y agoThe way he gradually reveals the sarcastic tone is masterful.
- PlasmonOwl 3y agoI was taught by J. M. Barrie’s nephew. A wonderful person that had a great impact on my desire to become a scientist despite my earlier failings and shortcomings. He was so well regarded.