My office is on the top floor of my building, where we all have to wear a business suit. I am right across the hallway from the room where the executive IT support staff sits. They offer real-time, face-to-face support, so it's high-traffic area, with folks going there all the time who have problems with their login or need to exchange their broken iPad or need a new blackberry battery. When I'm in my office and someone I know is waiting by their door for a resolution to her request, we'll engage in smalltalk. I don't mind the interruption, because I consider it networking.
The guy in charge of all the international dealings is a hell of a great guy -- 40-something, nice looking, slender, sense of humor, outgoing with a booming voice. When he's waiting for resolution from the support staff across the hall, he and I will frequently talk about the issues he's resolving in other countries, how they relate to my IT programs, or his crazy travel schedule. He's also a rather heavy smoker.
So the other day, I'm sitting in my office answering emails in between meetings and vaping away on my Smokeless Image Volt, and he comes barreling into my office: "You vape right here in your office?" Turns out he got a starter kit for Christmas from his wife. From what he describes, it's sounds like an RN4081. He's been using it to cut down on his smoking. Last week of December, he was stuck in a smoke-free room in Holland, and he loved how could vape without going outside. He found that being able to step into the lavatory on an 14-hour flight and grab a vape was a life saver (though he knew it was, strictly speaking, against the rules.)
I think he had been dropping his laptop off to be scanned after an overseas trip, and they gave him an ETA for completion before we had time to talk in detail about his setup. I'm hoping to turn him on to some better vaping equipment, but that will likely have to wait a couple weeks until he's back from his next trip.
And as soon as I starred vaping (2nd week of December 2012) I discovered that guy 2 offices down has vaped on and off for some time, but never told anyone. He's been struggling to substitute it for cigarettes. Since I started vaping, he's renewed his efforts and become more open about it.
There was a thread a while back asking whether vaping is "hipster." There was another thread about Miss Manners saying, "To those who recognize electronic cigarettes, you would appear to be someone struggling to give up smoking and therefore relying on a crutch. We have come to the point where that is considered pathetic, at best." This or that comment that vaping is dorky or pathetic can shift someone from being unsure to being ashamed.
There's definitely something going on with vaping in the misperception area, and it's not just due to anti-vaping propaganda. It's also because vaping is novel and different. Whenever anyone hides their vaping, their silently assenting to this misperception. Finding appropriate ways to vape in public is important, because putting ourselves forward as an example of someone who vapes shapes people's perception. It makes vaping less novel, less different. Furthermore, vapers come from all walks of life, and it's incredibly easy for us to demonstrate that.
It's not like I'm a vaping evangelist, because I'm not. Nor am I single-handedly changing the world or doing anything heroic. It's just incredibly easy to change people's perception and self-perception about an activity. I remember when I lived in Boston, and I'd take the subway to work before its Big Dig tunnel project made my drive to work a breeze (reduced 45 minutes of traffic to 15 minutes). I’d occasionally see this short, balding man reading comic books hidden behind a recent Sports Illustrated. One day, I sat next to him and began openly reading the latest Powers compilation volume (Powers is a comic book series written by my favorite comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis). He and I began talking about comics, and we had a great conversation. Next time I saw him, he was reading his comic book in the open. Because comic books aren't just for kids and nerds.
So yes, I do vape in my office. When I have meetings in my office, I usually vape during the meetings unless there's a need to close the door. I do not vape anywhere else in the building or in any of the other buildings in the office complex (yet).
When we talk about vaping in public, we're not just talking about individual choice, we're talking about creating a perception. Sure, it sometimes means putting yourself out there a little, but as long as you're not violating a workplace rule or an express standard of conduct or instigating a confrontation, you can improve the way that people look at vaping and change the way that vapers look at themselves. Choosing the right place to vape makes a statement about all vapers.
The guy in charge of all the international dealings is a hell of a great guy -- 40-something, nice looking, slender, sense of humor, outgoing with a booming voice. When he's waiting for resolution from the support staff across the hall, he and I will frequently talk about the issues he's resolving in other countries, how they relate to my IT programs, or his crazy travel schedule. He's also a rather heavy smoker.
So the other day, I'm sitting in my office answering emails in between meetings and vaping away on my Smokeless Image Volt, and he comes barreling into my office: "You vape right here in your office?" Turns out he got a starter kit for Christmas from his wife. From what he describes, it's sounds like an RN4081. He's been using it to cut down on his smoking. Last week of December, he was stuck in a smoke-free room in Holland, and he loved how could vape without going outside. He found that being able to step into the lavatory on an 14-hour flight and grab a vape was a life saver (though he knew it was, strictly speaking, against the rules.)
I think he had been dropping his laptop off to be scanned after an overseas trip, and they gave him an ETA for completion before we had time to talk in detail about his setup. I'm hoping to turn him on to some better vaping equipment, but that will likely have to wait a couple weeks until he's back from his next trip.
And as soon as I starred vaping (2nd week of December 2012) I discovered that guy 2 offices down has vaped on and off for some time, but never told anyone. He's been struggling to substitute it for cigarettes. Since I started vaping, he's renewed his efforts and become more open about it.
There was a thread a while back asking whether vaping is "hipster." There was another thread about Miss Manners saying, "To those who recognize electronic cigarettes, you would appear to be someone struggling to give up smoking and therefore relying on a crutch. We have come to the point where that is considered pathetic, at best." This or that comment that vaping is dorky or pathetic can shift someone from being unsure to being ashamed.
There's definitely something going on with vaping in the misperception area, and it's not just due to anti-vaping propaganda. It's also because vaping is novel and different. Whenever anyone hides their vaping, their silently assenting to this misperception. Finding appropriate ways to vape in public is important, because putting ourselves forward as an example of someone who vapes shapes people's perception. It makes vaping less novel, less different. Furthermore, vapers come from all walks of life, and it's incredibly easy for us to demonstrate that.
It's not like I'm a vaping evangelist, because I'm not. Nor am I single-handedly changing the world or doing anything heroic. It's just incredibly easy to change people's perception and self-perception about an activity. I remember when I lived in Boston, and I'd take the subway to work before its Big Dig tunnel project made my drive to work a breeze (reduced 45 minutes of traffic to 15 minutes). I’d occasionally see this short, balding man reading comic books hidden behind a recent Sports Illustrated. One day, I sat next to him and began openly reading the latest Powers compilation volume (Powers is a comic book series written by my favorite comic book writer Brian Michael Bendis). He and I began talking about comics, and we had a great conversation. Next time I saw him, he was reading his comic book in the open. Because comic books aren't just for kids and nerds.
So yes, I do vape in my office. When I have meetings in my office, I usually vape during the meetings unless there's a need to close the door. I do not vape anywhere else in the building or in any of the other buildings in the office complex (yet).
When we talk about vaping in public, we're not just talking about individual choice, we're talking about creating a perception. Sure, it sometimes means putting yourself out there a little, but as long as you're not violating a workplace rule or an express standard of conduct or instigating a confrontation, you can improve the way that people look at vaping and change the way that vapers look at themselves. Choosing the right place to vape makes a statement about all vapers.
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cheers to ya!
