If you have read any of the previous entries, you'd realize that I am somewhat of a devotee of the cigar. Now, that by no means makes me a connoisseur..oh how I wish that were so! However, usually every month or so I settle back to a glass of scotch and a nice cigar. I make no exuses for my dalliances of vice.

Today I was reminded of something that makes me wonder if I am, in fact, a hypocrite. Earlier today, I had the happenstance to view a particularly fetching specimen of the female form. Now, being male, I have a particular appreciation for the beauty of feminine wiles, so of course I paid some attention to this display. Not glaring attention, but the subtle admiration one would give to, say, the paintings of the great Renaissance masters. In the midst of said appreciation, and sadly not to my surprise, she raised a cigarette to her mouth for a long pull.

To borrow a quote from Bill Paxton in Aliens, that simple act for me was "Game over, man. Game over!!". By my sensibilites it didn't matter that she was stunningly picturesque. She was rather tall for a woman (one of my particular favorites!), possessed of a lithe stature, with a long mane of soft, chesnut hair, and piercing blue eyes. She was about 10 pounds beyond the body type usually seen on magazine racks (no, not THOSE racks, gutterminds!), which is again one of my preferences (I tend to prefer my women to look like women, rather than beanpoles, no offense to Keira Knightley intended). All that drained away the moment the cigarette hit her lips. I lost any interest whatsoever. It made me ask myself....am I a hypocrite for this?

I find the habit of smoking cigarettes to be simply disgusting, vile, and about ten other adjectives that all mean the same thing, ESPECIALY when practiced by the female of the species. She could have been the most warm, funny, intelligent, and kindhearted woman I would ever meet...but I would never actually meet her. I simply could not find it within myself to look past the cancer sticks. And yet there I stand, on a near regular basis, cigar firmly betwixt my fingers, smoldering.

Now, before you proceed to eviscerate me, this view is strictly limited to women in which I have both an appreciation and a possible interest. A few female friends of mine, including the wife of one of my friends, partake of the cigarette. I neither judge them nor think less of them because of this...but as far as romantic interest, it's a deal breaker. Period.

Double-standard? Maybe. Elitist snobbery? Possibly. But hypocrite?