Everyone who rides a skateboard, reguardless of their ability, smokes. False, but true in that it is a major stereotype. 

Yesterday two of my classes were cancelled and since I still don't have a car, I was waiting outside the building because my mom was picking me up at 10. Well, I sat on a bench and wished I hadn't. I suddenly remembered it was one of those five "designated smoking areas"  on campus. What if someone walked by and saw me? Would they take one look at my shoes and assumed I smoked? Would they mistake the pen in my hand for a cigarette? But I sing. I'm a soprano. But they wouldn't know that.

The bench leads about four feet out to a few steps. This girl, around my age sat on the step and pulled out a cigarette, lit it up, and began smoking. Of course, the wind was flying right at us, so I got a few great whiffs of it. I wanted to tap her on the shoulder and say, "You know lady, I'm not a big fan of watching people commit suicide, but at 4000 fatal chemicals in that, the time it takes you to finish smoking and crush it into the ground and litter the Earth is how much time it takes off your life.: So while I'm not a big fan, I sat watching her do it anyway.

Then her friend came up and of course, began smoking as well. And it's then I think. You know, I'm completely capable of picking one up and not being able to put it down. But if you know me at all, even if you don't, you know that I'm in choir. Duh. I've had asthma since I was a little kid. It's not so bad anymore, now it's just seasonal. But you know, if you're a smoker, you might wanna try inhaling Albuterol and holding it for 10 seconds twice. It doesn't feel all that great.

Needless to say, I got sick of this bullshit and moved to a different bench, closer to the parking lot. And then I realize, thinking back to the whole badass skater stereotype. You only think you look cool. You'd look about as cool as if you had a gun to your head or a razor to your wrist.

With as much extensive knowledge as my dad has on cardiology and neurology, being a naturally brilliant guy, and having worked for the American Heart Association, I better know better than to even hang around that stuff, much less put it to my lips and take a breath. Your lungs? Forget a healthy pink, they're black. Your throat? Forget it. 

Now how many skateboarders and snowboarders engage in these kinds of pointless activities? Don't you WANT to keep doing what you do? And alcohol is only a catalyst. Isn't the adrenaline enough? And Birdhouse Skateboards, my God, thanks for ADVERTISING it on one of your decks, the colors of one of the largest organizations working to to cure people who partake in that behavior. You can change the stereotype. I know I want to.

I mean, at five minutes a pop, how much sand is really left in your hourglass? Get your neck out of the noose. It's just not worth it.