as one gets older it really is the case, i have discovered, that the quite simple things in life make everything seem all better. this proved to be the case when, look you see, a dear friend brought me a most kind gift. an irresponsible, "bad for you", etc sort of gift, i confess, but the one thing in this world that i covet the most and yet find too costly to get for myself.
oh yes, Marlboro Red. the pinnacle of all that a cigarette can be, dear reader, for there is no finer one in this world. yes, sure, they are all bad, it's irresponsible to smoke, very bad for you, etc. these are not matters i shy away from and deny. everyone, however, has that one thing (at the least) which is bad for them, and this be mine.
throughout the years thus far i have had the delight of having some, of course, thanks to the kindness of Spiros. on the instances i have seen him in London he has made certain that i have not been able to move for them, which is wonderful. and now another friend, sympathetic to my plight in not being able to have them on a frequent basis, has brought along these.
which friend? well, it's not for me to reveal too much of their identity, for they work in quite a secretive emissary role. yes, i do know quite a few people whose specifics and movements can't be revealed, but please don't think my life is all that interesting; it's just the way it is from time to time. they know who they are, i know who they are, and they know how very grateful indeed what i am for these.
and these are, as you've probably ascertained yourself by looking at the pictures rather than my horrid writing, more than usual. whereas a "standard" carton of cigarettes would feature 200 (20 across 10 packets) here we have 210, which is 21 in each packet. so that's ten more than i would have optimistically hoped for a best, making this all the more a happy event.
for those unaware of the way it is in England - and presumably the whole of the UK - it's rare to get a traditional pack of 20 cigarettes any more. they sell them in packs of 17, 18 or 19. i suppose i could look the reason for this up, but speculation is more fin. i suspect, then, that it's to avoid a higher tax charge and thus keep the price as low as possible for us smokers.
this is borne out by how much Marlboro cost on the shelves here, for a pack of twenty of them these days is just slightly south of £10, as in you would only get pennies in coins of money as change off of a tenner.
how do they get 21 into a packet designed ostensibly to hold 20 as an optimum? good question. my suspicion was that the Marlboro in the packet would be smaller than standard. this proved not to be, as you can more or less see clearly in the comparison with a Sky Blue Benson & Hedges above.
them B & H come in a pack of 17. that all changes next May, of course, unless the British government decides to abandon the change in light of that whole Brexit thing. as of next May, i think, cigarettes must be sold in a minimum packet of 20, have plain packaging, etc.
anyway, for those interested, here we go inside the pack of 21, so that you may see how they are organized and packaged. in a quite uniform way, i suppose.
you know what, up until now my feelings on Scottish Independence have been that it is for Scotland to decide what's best for them in the face of for and against arguments. Should the SNP get their wish, however - which is independence and membership of the EU - i say then go for it. the Scottish border is just slightly south of 120 miles away from me. boss if on the border they set up one of them "fags and booze" warehouse things, like what they have in Belgium. i'd take a monthly or fortnightly drive up to stock up at about half the price what they are here.
unless, of course, the Scottish government doesn't play ball and keeps the tax high. hope not, as my understanding is that Marlboro Red are as good as half price in Belgium; less in even more progressive nations across Europe.
another look at the 21 Marlboro Red packaging in Commodore 64 mode? absolutely.
i'd like to think that this has been covered here, but just in case - yes, smoking is bad for you, no i do not wish to encourage anyone to do it and quite right i probably should be considering all this stopping / cutting down considerably business. i have every reason to suspect that will happen as and when all them changes come in. well, the "when" part would seem to be May 2017.
now that i think on, yesterday as i was enjoying a cigarette someone waved a pamphlet at me, suggesting i try one of them vaping / e-cigarette things. i just looked at them with a kindly "please go away" look about me, but i suppose i shall have to accept the next time.
for the here and now, then, a recent image of me enjoying one of those most splendid Marlboro Red. there are some of you who actually don't mind me - tolerate me, even - and so you will i trust be happy to see me happy.
indeed i am doing some interesting things with my hair at the moment. the hair care products and styling gels tend to gravitate towards a styling of their own choice rather than what i want. it seems that by the middle of any day my hair looks like how one of them off of a boss 70s band would have their hair. i am thinking of the likes of Boston, Chicago and of course Detective. might get some flares to go with the hair look.
anyway, let me go and cut into the Marlboro Red supply what i have. thank you very much indeed again, emissary like friend who brought them.
be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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