Coffee & Cigarettes

I am a caffeine addict.

I can't help it... I can't get through the day without my fix of tea or coffee. Preferably skim, preferably well made, preferably in a bucket. No sugar, thanks. I don't really see the point of drinking it if it doesn't appear like a lake in front of you; if it's good, you can't get enough of it. And anyway, it can often be a cost-effective (if wickedly unhealthy) meal-replacement option for us poor students, and hey, if it gets me through my lectures, I'm not going to complain.

Being at Uni, I come across a variety of people with a mix of views every day I go in. Most of these relate to the availability of computers, lecture clashes or gay marriage, but another major issue of constant contention is smoking. I belong to a minority, in that I am a non-smoker, but do not mind other people smoking around me. From what I have noticed, most people tend to be either staunchly (and vocally) opposed to smoking, or totally in favour. My friend T (a smoker)the other day raised what I thought was a valid point: that if, in Australia, we still have the right to smoke, then there should be designated areas (including certain pubs and institutions that have lost some of their ambience since the ban was introduced) where people are free to smoke, and non-smokers can avoid. My other friend B (non-smoker) thought this was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard, because the Government introduced the ban to give incentive for people to quit, so why on earth would they allow people to smoke inside?

While B does raise a valid point, every time I see an anti-smoking campaign funded by the Government, it makes me a little angry inside. Not because I feel as though it is infringing upon the rights of smokers, but more because everyone who chooses to smoke in Australia today is making an educated decision. It's drummed into us at school, for one thing - the side-effects are no secret. So if they choose to smoke regardless of risks, another ad campaign is hardly going to make them stop. To me, it feels like the Government is wasting precious taxpayer dollars making themselves look proactive about contemporary issues, while really doing nothing. It makes me angry.

But back to my original point. I remember when I was in primary school, and everyone thought smoking was seriously uncool. I maintained this view until I was maybe 17 and started watching foreign films - and was affected by the notion of experimentation and rebellion. Since then, I'm still not a smoker, but I have been known to dabble. The thing is... even though bogans and drunkies look incredibly foul when lighting up and make me sick to my stomach, every so often you notice the impossibly cool indie girl, or the tall dark stranger with a cigarette casually resting between their fingers and a trail of smoke dancing in a trail from the tip, and I realise: smoking is sexy. So as much as I don't want to get emphysema, I can never be anti-smoking for the simple reason that when done well, it is one of the most attractive looks on the planet.

One of my favourite film directors, Jim Jarmusch, got it pretty right. In 2003, he made a movie called 'Coffee and Cigarettes'. And quite frankly... I'd be happy to live in that black-and-white wonderland for the rest of my life.