Is there a smoker in the house?

I never thought I would be asking this question!

After growing up as the only non-smoker in a house full of smokers (both my parents, and my grandfather, who lived with us, all smoked throughout my childhood), I have never regretted moving out of home to a smoke free environment.

However, the other night I attended a formal dinner at Queen's College, and on every table there was a candelabra, complete with candles... but the candles were not lit. My companions and I thought this a little absurd, and even moreso when we asked one of the waiting staff whether they were going to be lit, and she responded by saying that they were not allowed to light the candles, because it would create too much heat in the dining hall. Yeah... right...

So, being the anarchists that we are, we decided to hang the consequences, and light our candles ourselves... being members of the chapel choir, who all have a healthy respect for our voices, of course none of us smokes, and so didn't have any matches, so we asked the students around the rest of our table if any of them were smokers who could give us a light.

I'm not sure whether I was annoyed or impressed that in a group of ten or so first year engineering students, not a single one of them smoked. Obviously the health messages, and those grisly ads on TV depicting gruesome tumours and amputations must be working! The Health Minister will be pleased! :-)

However, this meant that we were stuck with our unlit candles all evening. In the course of my studies, and regular leading of morning prayers in the college chapel, I have occasionally found it hard to find a match to light the candles in the chapel, and so had decided that I should always carry a box of matches with me in my bag, just in case... so I cursed the fact that I had not gotten around to acting on this decision yet!

(of course there wouldn't have been an issue if a certain Jesuit Scholastic of my acquaintance had been present at this dinner... I have decided that I need to go a bit Utilitarian* on him, and make his life miserable until he gives up the fags)

* Utilitarianism is a type of ethical framework that makes judgements on the basis of what will produce the greatest good/pleasure and least pain, and I figure in this case, the negative of my nagging will be well and truly outweighed by the overwhelming good of smoking cessation, both for his own health, and the health and wellbeing of those around him)