no smoke without fire

we just had a fire drill at work.
as usual there was a lot of tutting, sighing and eye rolling. oh, and plenty of 'i'll just be a minute. just got to send this email/make this phone call/die of smoke inhallation/frazzle to a crisp' posturing. fortunately i am no longer fire officer so it is not my responsibility to chivvy people out of the office, wear a ridiculous yellow armband or wave a huge number 3 around while making sure all members of staff were accounted for (even the ones i'd happily see charred to a crisp).
it was actually quite nice to get out of the office for an afternoon breather. it reminded me of my years as a (heavy) smoker when my days would be nicely punctuated by a need for nicotine, meaning i'd get to leave my desk from time to time.
it's amazing how much 'stuff' you pick up when you're a smoker. and i'm not just talking TB and lung cancer (or smelly clothes and yellow fingers). all that 'water cooler' stuff about who's doing what or who and why so and so isn't here anymore.
and on the subject of smoking - i used to make a point of getting on the smokers' carriage on the tube. i find it hard to believe i used to actively choose to sit in a confined space with dozens of other puffers and smoke my way through the 31 minute journey from Northolt (or Northflop as someone hilariously named it) and Oxford Circus. how times have changed....