George, George, George

Oh, dear father. Just as I expected that you would comment on that post from Melissa, so you must expect that I will return the volley. (Even though it's more likely an issue that we should just agree to disagree on.)

For those who didn't see the referred to comment as yet:

Well, seeing how you're expecting it...
As for the scotch, a little leads to a lot. I can get you a cushy assignment on the Blue Route Crew when Uncle Walter picks you up some night.
And the pipes? Pink lungs are a terrible thing to waste.
Have a great day!

Posted by Dad who you didn't learn that from.

First things first, a little does not always lead to a lot. Some men abuse women, but that doesn't mean that we all will and should consequently swear them off all together. Some men work too much, but that doesn't mean that we should all remain unemployed. There must be some allowance for personal discretion, self-control and peer accountability.


So far as the community service remark, I think we're safe there for two specific reasons:

a) 1/8th of a glass of Scotch consumed over the course of a couple hours would probably register on a breathalyzer in much the same way that a mouthful of Listerine would.

b) I've, luckily, not yet run into a DUI checkpoint walking down the stairs from the attic to the kitchen. (Come on, do I seem either social enough to go out drinking or stupid enough to drive after doing so?)


And lastly, yes, I do agree that pink lungs are a terrible thing to waste. That's why it's a good thing that both cigar and pipe smoke are intended to be savored in the mouth, not inhaled into the lungs. The point (for me) is the taste, not the nicotine rush that most cigarette smokers tend to seek. Inhaling the smoke causes a more thorough and expedient absorption of nicotine into the blood stream via the exchange of gases in the alveoli. I don't even drink caffeine but 2 or 3 times in any given month because it makes me jittery, and the same goes for nicotine. If I smoked every day I would never get any sleep. Which is just one of the reasons why I basically only smoke a pipe or cigar a few times a month, mostly when hanging out with other boys.

Again, as I began, arguing about these topics isn't likely to achieve anything, since we both believe ourselves to be right. Paul wrote something about this in Romans (Chapter 14, vss 5-7):

One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone.

This concludes my contentiousness for today.

Posted by the son who occasionally has a drink or smokes a pipe and yet is still going to heaven. (Okay, so I guess I wasn't completely done yet. But I am now. Honest.)