"Smoke Night Recap"

So, this past Friday night marked the end of smoking in public places in New Jersey. I had planned to get some people to go out for the historic night in south jersey. However, my plans didn't go as I hoped at first. I had planned to get a large amount of people to the bar and have the smokers smoke more than usual, and the non-smokers smoke cigars.

I called Duke who told me everyone was coming over to watch Dr. Who on the Sci-fi channel and had no desire to go out at all. This apparently a new version of the long running show. Think of how some of your friends are about Desperate Housewives or Lost and multiply that by two and you have the level of obsession of the show they have. They even had downloaded the very same episodes that are all seen the episodes that are airing now months ago when they were airing in England. Its become a weekly event for them.

So, that left me with my friend Rick who like myself does not smoke(well Rick does when he is majorly intoxicated). The two of us were to lazy to actually get cigars.

We first went up there at 9:30 since I had to be up early for half day of work. The night started with tons of people lighting up. I wondered if they even cared about anyone smoking that night up till last call. However, the bartender told me that the cops told them that all ash trays must be behind the bar at 12:01 or she would get a $250 fine.

There was a bit of a buzz going on in the bar that night, and the smoking pan in NJ was being talked about quite a bit. Some how myself and the dude next to me got into a discussion about it. He was from Millville in Cumberland county, which is a different world.

He kept calling himself "ghetto" and blame "punks like me" for the smoking ban. I told him, I didn't really vote for anything towards a ban so I doubt it had anything to do with me.

Before midnight approached Rick and I agree to stay till the ban went into effect. Around that time some people I knew from highschool came up. One was getting married in Jamaica in a few weeks. So, we shared a beer together. Next thing I knew a bunch of people Rick knew came up and it turned into basically a party.

Later, some dude who I found to know common people with told me he lived next to my house for years (I have no idea who he is). He even invited me to some party the next night. It was pretty random, and all the groups of people just kind of mingled for once, and almost no one was sitting at the bar, just hanging out and shooting pool.

When midnight came the last cigarettes went out and the new social scene known as outside the bar started. Now, this is a new thing for me. I mean I was playing pool with Rick, the random guy and his lesbian friend (who told me she was not of the legal drinking age) and since they both smoked it turned into a very long couple of games, stopping for their smoke breaks. Now, what is the edict here? Can a non-smoker go outside and join the smokers ?

During the game Rick wondered off a few time (I'm pretty sure he was kicking game to one girl) so a few times I went outside, since I already knew everyone there it wasn't strange. But its clear that most bars there will be socializing inside and out. Sometimes the outside was better than the inside.

The bouncer told me he was worried about having more problems thanks to the ban. He explained that many local bar owners were worried about drug dealers having a much easier job of making sales. They don't even have to enter the bar.

The cops never came to check if anyone was smoking indoors (if they need they may have seen the one guy smoking a joint outside the bar) but for the first time that I can remember I could actually see across the bar without a smoky haze.

For the last time, I threw my clothes that were worn for a mere few hours in the wash due to the reek of smoke smell.

Will the ban kill bars? Maybe. Or at least make people stay there for shorter periods of time. I know since my friends are pretty well split with smokers and non-smokers I maybe sitting there awkwardly waiting for them to return or take their next shot.

I didn't smoke cigars that night, but Rick did get drunk enough to smoke a cigarette and some drunk girl told me I should start smoking weed, so that counts as something right? Despite the fact the no one was down (or I neglicted to call them) the strange mix of characters that meshed together that night made smoke night rock.