The Full Montage

I was sitting at my desk thinking about Half Smokes. A friend of mine calls it "doing the full montage" because I get this glazed look and a big smile; you can tell I'm thinking about something far, far away.

mon·tage:

1) A single pictorial composition made by juxtaposing or superimposing many pictures or designs.

2) The art or process of making such a composition

She was the first person to mention that I did this. I knew I was thinking and smiling on the inside, but I never knew anyone else could tell. Anyway, I'm thinking about Half Smokes: Why do we call them that? Are there any Full Smokes or All Smokes or Whole Smokes? I figured Wikipedia would know, but there seems to be some doubt there:

Wikipedia on Half_Smokes

I grew up with Half Smokes never realizing they were a regional thing. The rest of the world seems just a little poorer to me now.

Then a co-worker comes along and breaks my reverie, "Be careful what you say to me, I'll put a hex on you." So I asked her why she thinks she has the power to do that, and she shows me the palm of her hand: "I've got the mark." She points to a place on her palm where the lines make an X. I look at my hands and the lines make a sort of M, but on her hand - between two lines of her M - there is also this X that I don't have. Then she says her powers are weak because she only has the X on one hand. Does anyone know if this is true? I don't believe in that sort of thing, but - for people who do - does the X really mean that?