Hooka Tooka

What the heck is hookah? I saw the hookah shops around town, around Long Beach, actually. I assumed it was not drug related, despite some of the hookah lounges also sold drug paraphernalia. Okay people do buy rolling papers (especially homeless cats) to roll their own cigarettes. But roach clips? Lighters, usually featuring Bob Marley, and other merchandise with marijuana leaves on them? Surely if there was something illegal about smoking hookah the stores and lounges would not be in operation.

Actually the state of California is introducing legislation to stop that kind of smoking. The ban on smoking indoors (now extended to outdoors) excluded hookah. Last night I did a web search to find out if hookah smoking causes coughing. Doug told me he does not cough, just Chris. Just as I was getting ready to go to bed, a loud cough startled me, then more cough, cough, coughs. Got up, opened door to glare at Chris...

...his door was strangely shut. Could almost see me scratching my head, perplexed. Does Chris cough so loud I hear him across the courtyard and through two closed doors. Cough, cough, cough. Oh, it is Doug. Or it is Chris, down there by Doug's apartment. Was it Chris' cell phone ringing? His laughing? Do not think it was Chris' voice; maybe Jerome or some other guest visiting Doug. Dang, I want to go to sleep, not listen to them blabbing on phones, coughing, laughing.

Checking Google news headlines, ironically saw an article: Putting a Crimp in the Hookah. It explained, in part what I learned last night: hookah can cause coughing because a typical session lasts 40 minutes to an hour, equivalent to smoking a hundred cigarettes. Well, now I know; it is the hookah Chris smokes with Doug, despite Chris not being a cigarette smoker, that is causing his ceaseless coughing.

All set to complain to manager when I pay the rent about Chris' coughing keeping me awake (easily solved, I thought, if he just shut his door, evenings). Strangely, now that I know it is the hookah, less likely to do so.

PS: The old forgotten tune came to mind; now wonder, was Chubby singing about hookah?