Old man jokes and comments due to pipe

[jeepnewbie]

I'll sometimes smoke out in town usually while driving. Never really noticed if anyone looked at me or not, to busy enjoying the day. As far as smoking in places like a park I never really go to them, but about to change that, and start walking with the dogs at a park when I get home.

While up in TN at Gatlinburg I smoked outside while walking around, I do recall getting some odd looks from folks. Probably due to me dirtying "their" air, other folks smiled as I walked with my wife and kids. I ran into another piper setting on a bench packing his pipe. I walked right up and asked what blend he was smoking and if there was some nice stores around that weren't head shops.:lol!:

 

[Fr_Tom]

I spent 32 years teaching, so I was officially "old" from day one there. At my first school, I was asked by the principal if I smoked, and I said I smoked a pipe mostly but had an occasional cigar. I was told I could not smoke in front of students. I spent my teaching career as a closeted smoker.

Now that I am in the parish full-time, I smoke in the car, have pipes and tobacco in the office, sometimes retire to the patio by the office to have a pipe with someone who has dropped by (when the weather is good). Every now and then I will walk to the post office or the coffee shop and have a smoke on the way. The pipe smoking priests in the diocese get together at clergy retreats for a smoke.

If people have thought my pipe smoking was unusual, they have not said anything. It does not seem to bother anyone. I think there are various Christian groups who view smoking as 9th deadly sin (dancing is 8th?). I am reasonably certain these folks don't consider Episcopalians to be Christian, so if one of them wanted to talk to me, it would probably not start with the pipe conversation.

 

[BigCasino]

I have an all-purpose reply for yinz --

The person commenting is almost always a member of the female persuasion. Whether the comment has to do with age or whatever, you reply:

"Yeah, I was told pipes are chick magnets."

If she makes a benign, friendly response to this, you are open to say:

"It seems to work pretty well."

But if she makes an unfriendly, judgy response, you are free to just grunt and ignore her . . . or you can say:

"But I was hoping for younger, slimmer chicks."

I have only ever gotten positive from women, and men are usually the ones who say "people still smoke those?"

Kevin YINZ??? are you from pixburgh? never heard folks who werent from the western pa use that

 

[zonomo]

^-^ Ha ha Kevin. Most of the people I know would say cigars are stinky (including my wife) but say pipes smell soooo good. But I dont see a stigma with cigars. I wonder if they're perceived a hipper, cooler or more manly?

 

[KevinM]

Yinzer?

Yep. Spent my first 13 years in the 'Burgh and a few years in my 20s. I've only been a New Englander for the past 40 years or so, so maybe my neighbors will stop classifying me as a newcomer sometime soon Too late, because I consider myself a Pittsburgher, based on family ties and general outlook.

Gender --

The only time I've had negative comments about pipe smoking, the editorialists have been females, but they've been mostly good natured -- exaggerated coffing while clutching their throats, that sort of thing. Guys around here seem to follow the adage, "Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but you're not required to state it unless asked." Maybe I should have a response ready should the opinionator be a guy. "Oh, yeah?" might be good.

Fact is, I avoid firing 'er up in public places. I think of pipe smoking as enhanced P&Q.

 

[rothnh]

Yep. Spent my first 13 years in the 'Burgh and a few years in my 20s.  I've only been a New Englander for the past 40 years or so, so maybe my neighbors will stop classifying me as a newcomer sometime soon

LOL, that's a funny thing about New England, folks are all "from away" if not born here, no matter how long it's been since they moved to the area.

 

[BigCasino]

Yesser I'm a yinzer tried and true!, live about 25 miles north tho just south of Butler

you can take the boy out of pixburgh, but you can't take the pixburgh out of the boy!

 

[Fr_Tom]

As far as I know, there is now only one other person who smokes a pipe at my University while on campus -- one of the grounds/maintenance supervisors.  If I'm out walking and he drives by I wave at him, but he usually only waves back if I'm smoking my pipe.

Most common comment when someone notices the pipe rack in my office "Wow, do actually smoke those?"

When I think back to my college days, it seemed like everyone smoked. I had professors who smoked in class. I realize this dates me. Some semesters it seemed as if half of them would be smoking in their offices if you went by. There was one guy - a former dean who kept the title after going back to the classroom. He was ancient and had taught my father back in the late 40's. He seemed to smoke the same pipe 24-7, and it had considerable stem oxidation. He kept it in the same place in his mouth, and his lip had a permanent indentation to accommodate it. He was reported to be a remarkable History teacher, BTW.

 

[zonomo]

Humm. This gives me an idea. I think I may get a small 3 pipe rack and put them in my office with a nice tin of Boswells Berry Cobbler tobacco so people could smell it. (Of course, Boswells doesn't actually come in a tin but I'd get one for this purpose). I may be on to something here!

 

[idbowman]

I'm still in my early 30s, and most of the comments/questions that come my way are related to whatever illicit substance I must be smoking.

 

[Blue Max]

I'll go outside at my school and smoke my pipe and I only get positive comments or no comments at all. I teach adults at a technical college so everyone can do as they please. The "no comments" are almost always people who smoke cigarettes and don't care, and even like, that I'm smoking a pipe. My students are great people and go by the "live and let live" motto and mostly like that I am smoking a pipe and think it's pretty cool.

 

[RDPipes]

I'll go outside at my school and smoke my pipe and I only get positive comments or no comments at all.  I teach adults at a technical college so everyone can do as they please.  The "no comments" are almost always people who smoke cigarettes and don't care, and even like, that I'm smoking a pipe.  My students are great people and go  by the "live and let live" motto and mostly like that I am smoking a pipe and think it's pretty cool.

You would happen to teach at SCIT would you?
The reason I ask is you look familiar, but that was 15 years ago.

 

[flyguy]

Zono, It doesn't seem fitting that you would be called an old man for smoking your pipe...now if they said that to me it would be entirely true! :mrgreen: 

 

[SPUD 15]

+1

 

[Natch]

Over here in SA the black people especially are amazed, according to them only "madalas" (old men) smoke pipe.

Live long enough and you'll prove them right! :lol: 

Natch

 

[PlateauGuy]

"Here's a novel idea, maybe because most or a lot of us have Grandchildren"

:lol!: 

 

[dshpipes]

I'm still in my early 30s, and most of the comments/questions that come my way are related to whatever illicit substance I must be smoking.

I'm coming up on the big 3-0 and whenever someone finds out I make or smoke pipes, the first question without fail is, "What kind of pipes?" :lol: 

 

[PozzSka]

Except from my wife, who teases me and calls me an old man, I've gotten mostly positive responses in public. I don't smoke in restaurants or what not because Ohio has the smoking bans in place (which don't bother me, mostly, because I don't want to eat while 80 cigarette smokers are puffing away, I digress...). But, when I'm at an outdoor market, or walking down the sidewalk in the city (I say city because I live in a small town with very few sidewalks), I usually get "cool pipe" or "my grandpa/dad/uncle smoked a pipe"

 

[Blue Max]

[q[/quote]You would happen to teach at SCIT would you?
The reason I ask is you look familiar, but that was 15 years ago. [/quote]
Nope. I've taught at different training facilities around and now at ITT Tech. Just teach 2 nights a week though and that's enough. What is SCIT?

 

[BriarFox]

This is an excellent topic, and I am glad I'm not the only one that has gotten "stares" or "looks" from some people. I have gotten very positive remarks from other people. I figure if someone wants to give me a negative opinion, then they are someone I really don't want to associate with anyway.

I was at a conference in Fort Worth earlier this year and we went to Billy Bobs one night. I took out my pipe and got some looks from some guys around my age (late 30's). I explained that I quit smoking cigarettes several years ago and I have found that the pipe tobacco is not addicting to me like cigarettes were. The one guy later commented on how good it smelled. I think it is a stigma of it's something "old people" do and when I was smoking a pipe it made them feel old.

Since I have started smoking a pipe I have learned that my Grandfather and great Grandfather smoked pipes. Something I didn't know until I took up the hobby. My granddad smoked half and half, my gr. grandfather smoked prince albert.