NO NO-SMOKING BANS IN PHILLY?

Today, instead of writing about a news story, like the death of Korean leader Kim Jong Il, which I could care less about, I need to rant about something that happened over the weekend. You see, this past weekend, I had to perform with my new band BlackOcean at a venue in Philadelphia. I won't name the venue, as I am not a rat, but as we were setting up on stage, I noticed that there were ash trays on the bar and on the tables. That can only mean one thing. Smoking was permitted in this bar, but after investigating further, it seems there's been a smoking ban in the city of Philadelphia since 2007. Now, why wasn't this club adhering to the non-smoking laws? Being a smoker of 20 years, I used to dislike the ban on smoking in establishments, but I have been smoke free for the last four years without even a puff, which kind of made me disgusted with even the smell of cigarette smoke. Now, to me, the ban is the best way to keep an establishment clean and the best way to keep people healthy.

 I have to say that being in a club that allowed smoking made me see many things differently. For instance, it made me feel like a piece of crap knowing that back when I did smoke, I had no regard for the people around me. I would smoke in front of them, without even thinking about their health or the way they felt about smoke being blown in their faces. In this club, it seemed nobody cared if you smoked or not. Not to mention, there were no windows open or any ventilation in this place, so the smoke was just trapped in there. It was absolutely disgusting!

Another thing that made me feel like crap was that back when I used to smoke, I could care less about the fact that the cigarette smoke just made your clothes smell really bad too! Well, this weekend I was a victim of that, as a non-smoker. I came home smelling like a Marlboro factory, and it totally disgusted me. As soon as I got home, I threw my clothes, all of them, into the wash to get the smell off of me. I never thought I'd say this, but I couldn't stand the cigarette smoke and smell, and it made me wonder what the hell I was thinking for the past 20 years. My one regret goes out to all of my non-smoking friends, whom I used to smoke around. What an asshole I was, and I need to say I am sorry! For those of my friends who still smoke, it doesn't make you a bad person, but please be mindful of the people around you because not everyone smokes, and not everyone likes to be around cigarette smoke.

Back to my rant about this club; so how did this club slip through the cracks as far as the smoking ban goes? How strict is the smoking ban in Philly? Apparently, health inspectors are imposing $300 fines on local eating and drinking establishments in violation. Has this place already been fined and could care less about it? Are there more clubs out there that are permitting smoking in their establishment like this place? If this were New York City, they would've been shut down already or fined more times they can imagine.