It certainly wasn't teen spirit

The other day I went over to my parents’ house to pick up the mutts and my father said to me, “Can you smell the pollution in the air?” It was really hot and humid out and I replied with, “I work downtown and walk a half mile in bus fumes and God knows what else to get to the train station. It smells fine out here.”

So as I took a stroll at lunch time yesterday I decided to actually pay attention to what things smelled like. And let me tell you, roses were not a scent I smelled.

Here is what I smelled:

Really cheap cologne sprayed liberally
Urine
Bus fumes
Diesel fumes from a University of Pennsylvania police car
Sewage
Cigarette smoke
Coffee
Steam grate stench
Hamburgers
Really cheap perfume
Baby powder
Chinese food
Chanel Number 5
And pipe smoke.

At the pipe smoke I stopped smelling everything else and I followed the guy three blocks out of my way. I LOVE the smell of pipe smoke. I’ve followed pipe smoking men before too. I have no shame I just love the smell.

I know when I fell in love with the smell of pipe smoke too. I was an infant. Seriously. My pediatrician growing up in Connecticut smoked a pipe. He would do the exam and then we’d go into his office and he’d sit behind his huge desk and light up his pipe. I still find that hysterical. What kind of a Doctor, and a PEDIATRICIAN at that, would SMOKE within a 3 foot radius of his patients?!? He also always had a bowl of pretzels on his desk too but I’m sure I would have loved those regardless of his early influence.

Coincidence #1 between me and Train Guy: We were born in the same hospital in Connecticut 7 years and 9 days apart.

Coincidence #2 between me and Train Guy: We went to the same pediatrician.

Coincidence #3 between me and Train Guy: He, too, loves the smell of pipe smoke.

Comment his Mother said to me when we realized we went to the same pediatrician: “How funny! He’s seen you both naked!”

My response: “Uhhhhhhhhhh……… more wine?”