From cigarettes to pipe and roll-ups

I went to the Tobacconist the other day, elitist that I am, for the express reason of saving money on my smoking habit.

I spent less than $70.00 to stock myself up with enough tobacco lasting for at least two months. I bought a pipe, two sample bags of pipe tobacco, a pack of 100 pipe cleaners, a three prong gadget for manipulating the tobacco in the pipe bowl, a cigarette rolling machine and cigarette paper. I laughed when the salesman showed me the cigarette rolling machine. It bought back so many memories of the 60’s as I thought cigarette rolling machines had become more sophisticated. “This is all I’ve got” he sheepishly apologized, still a bit stunned by my outburst of laughter.

I was paying over $60.00 for a carton of cigarettes that lasted me less than a week so when I found I no longer needed my useless cell phone unless I bought a new one in order to go to another cell phone company and the money I was saving on that, going to the Tobacconist was “no big deal” as the man says on television.

Each month I am saving a little more to make contributions to political candidates and other causes. I have become hooked on the difference my few dollars make to the receiver and makes me feel. I never knew that before. Even $5.00 is appreciated and makes a difference. I am amazed, truly amazed!

Now the touchy part. I am not downsizing my budget to support “down ticket Democrats”. A recent diary I read has vindicated me in my resolve and I may be hung up in the “crazy old uncle” syndrome but be that it may, that’s the way it is and I may be here for a while. As far as up-coming races, I trust people will know who the good guys are this election cycle, tightened their belts and get him into office. For my immediate contributions, I am waiting to hear of the 50 state people opening up an office in my area so I can send pizza over to them and maybe a pack of cigarettes or two and I hope some future Obama wannabe’s are there. I very much like that super idea and will support it until the election. Pelosi, Reid, Conyers et. al., can go to hell, now where’s my walker at. Hester, HES-TER! (Mumble….flush….mumble….)
Fighting for the dignity of my Ancestors,
God bless Bill Gates, WPFW, C-Span and the spirits of the unborn for the help,
BB
P.S. Couldn’t do this without my SS and Retirement checks. It wasn’t as easy for a Black man to get those as you may think. Most of the poor whites and Neo-cons tried to get me to "loose my cool" but Dunbar High School and Howard University had prepared me. Go forth and "Be a credit to your race" was our marching order. (Smile) At Dunbar, Ms. Thelma Huston, maiden sister of Charles Huston was my senior English teacher. I vividly remember her excusing herself from the class to go to the office to listen to the radio. When she came back, she announced that her brother and his team had successfully won the Brown Vs. Board of Education case. As I remember, the repor in the class was no different then before she excused herself to go to the office; listening and learning. Right afterwards, the Principal had an emergency assembly wherein he made the formal announcement to the entire school body. "Ah, I remember it well!" I am so glad whites and the new arriving Jews did not go to Dunbar. That would have disturbed the whole dynamics of the school as it does today. White students and white teachers? Jewish students and Jewish teachers? I know I would have been a drop-out. That's the kind of guy I am. The curriculum? The attitude of the teachers towards me? No thank you!!