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Today was a good day.
It started off like any other, wake up ten minutes before I'm out the door, First, second, and third period, drive back home. But the first thing that made today a good day happened in the parking lot, as I was walking to my car to go home. One of my friends drove into the parking lot as I was getting ready to drive out. She pulled up next to me, rolled down the window, and handed me a grocery bag full of Hershey's chocolate nuggets, out of the blue.
SCORE!
So I carried my treasure trove of diabeetus to my car, tossed it in the passenger seat and drove home. I then took it in to my bedroom and carefully selected a hiding space (aka my closet) for my candy. I was thinking about how much money this huge sack of candy was worth, and wondering why my friend just decided to give it away, when I remembered my other plan for the morning.
(Flashback mode engaged)
Ever since I was a child, I've had this idea of myself being a pipe smoker. I don't really know or remember how it came about, but most of my childhood heroes smoked a pipe, and therefore I always saw older versions of myself smoking a pipe. I remember spending time with my grandfather, he had this wooden two person swing, and we would sit there, he with his pipe, me with a sippy cup of apple juice, and we would just swing. He would tell me stories, and I would just sit and listen. But I digress.
(Back to the present)
I've been looking around my area for a good, legitimate tobacconist since I turned 18, but all I've been able to find was a sketchy-ass smoke shop across the street from my school, that doesn't sell any pipe tobacco more palatable than captain black. So when I was driving to my friend's house one day and say a sign that said "Cigars", I was extremely interested. I went back about a week later, and when I walked inside, I met a man named Paul, who was busy wiping down a poker table. I asked him if they sold pipe tobacco, to which he responded, "No, we only sell cigars here, but if you've got some time I'd be glad to show you what we do have". I've always seen cigars and pipes as two halves of the same thing, and I did have some time, so I decided I would have a look around. He asked me if I'd ever smoked a cigar before, and I told him how I'd tried shitty gas station cigars and stuff, that heavily flavored shit that just kind of makes you feel sick. He told me about the difference between machine-rolled, gas station cigars and hand-rolled, premium cigars, and he told me all about the different shapes of cigars, and the different colors of the wrappers, he told about how cigars are made, and all sorts of interesting stuff I didn't know. Before, a cigar was just a cigar, but now, I knew all kinds of things about the differences in cigars, but I still felt like I didn't know enough to pick out a first cigar for myself. So he pointed me towards a humidor full of Connecticut shade wrapper cigars, and showed me a box of Carlos Torano Casa Torano in robusto (which is 5.5 inch by 50 ring gauge (aka 50/64ths of an inch diameter) and told that next week, if I came back he would teach me all about cutting, lighting and smoking it.
(This is the cigar I smoked today http://www.smokingpipes.com/cigars/Carlos-Torano/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=39151)
So today, I was already feeling good about getting two pounds of delicious chocolate for freesies, when I pulled up to the store. I walked inside, and noticed immediately that Paul, the man who I'd spoken to the week before, but instead there was the owner, a man named Morgan, and another man who was sitting in a chair, smoking cigars and discussing the finer points of getting fucked by the corporate bigwigs they both used to work for. It was an interesting conversation, and not one I was prepared to interrupt, so instead I decided to peruse the rest of the store's selection while I waited for an appropriate moment to interject. Eventually Morgan noticed me hovering, and asked me if there was anything he could do for me, at which point I explained how I had been in the store the previous week, and that I was there to purchase a cigar and learn about the fine art of smoking it.
We went through the whole conversation of have I ever smoked a cigar before, explaining to me the different types of cigars (this time a bit more in depth, as Morgan was quite a bit bore experienced, and having been in the cigar industry for a significant portion of his working life, knew a good deal more about specific aspects of growing, rolling and general producing of cigars. I found all of it incredibly interesting, and was twice as excited to be getting into the hobby. He handed me my first cigar, took me to the counter, rung me up and went over the cutting and lighting of a cigar.
(It seems as though i've hit the limit for this post, and I'm really tired, so If I'm feeling it tomorrow, I'll continue my story, but if not some time later this week.)
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sounds like a good day. I am not at all for smoking but whatever if your happy. Always good to have great days.
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On February 22 2012 10:01 Golbat wrote:
Today was a good day.
It started off like any other, wake up ten minutes before I'm out the door, First, second, and third period, drive back home. But the first thing that made today a good day happened in the parking lot, as I was walking to my car to go home. One of my friends drove into the parking lot as I was getting ready to drive out. She pulled up next to me, rolled down the window, and handed me a grocery bag full of Hershey's chocolate nuggets, out of the blue.
I don't know why but I read this part of the blog with Ice Cube's voice. (He has a song called "It Was a Good Day")
Just waking up in the morning gotta thank God
Oh yeah and I don't think there's anything wrong with smoking. I use to smoke a pack of Newport occasionally while I'm drinking in the club atmosphere. It relaxes me.
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Hey. just dont forget to make a blog when you get cancer or hearth atack ok? The fine art of die.
If you are going to insult someone you can at least know something about the subject... Cigarette smoking is the kind that causes cancer and other health problems (they inhale into the the lungs) while cigar/pipe smokers let the smoke roll on the tongue as they experience the flavor. The fine art of idiocy.....
Lol, so you just get cancer in the MOUTH. Anyway, not trying to insult any1, just saying what i have experience with family members. Anyway, your choice.
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On February 22 2012 11:10 Silentness wrote:Show nested quote +On February 22 2012 10:01 Golbat wrote:
Today was a good day.
It started off like any other, wake up ten minutes before I'm out the door, First, second, and third period, drive back home. But the first thing that made today a good day happened in the parking lot, as I was walking to my car to go home. One of my friends drove into the parking lot as I was getting ready to drive out. She pulled up next to me, rolled down the window, and handed me a grocery bag full of Hershey's chocolate nuggets, out of the blue.
I don't know why but I read this part of the blog with Ice Cube's voice. (He has a song called "It Was a Good Day") Just waking up in the morning gotta thank GodOh yeah and I don't think there's anything wrong with smoking. I use to smoke a pack of Newport occasionally while I'm drinking in the club atmosphere. It relaxes me.
Cigarettes are definitely unhealthy, as almost everyone today knows, being filled with carcinogens and all kinds of bad shit I don't want inside me, but seeing as cigars (and pipes) are not (generally) inhaled, but only brought into the mouth to taste the smoke before being expelled back out the mouth or "retrohaled" through the nostrils to pick up even more flavor, they are significantly less unhealthy for you when compared to cigarettes.
Smoking anything is 100% a personal choice however, and while I may or may not choose to smoke some things myself, I respect anyone's informed, adult decision to smoke.
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On February 22 2012 11:19 Golbat wrote:Show nested quote +On February 22 2012 11:10 Silentness wrote:On February 22 2012 10:01 Golbat wrote:
Today was a good day.
It started off like any other, wake up ten minutes before I'm out the door, First, second, and third period, drive back home. But the first thing that made today a good day happened in the parking lot, as I was walking to my car to go home. One of my friends drove into the parking lot as I was getting ready to drive out. She pulled up next to me, rolled down the window, and handed me a grocery bag full of Hershey's chocolate nuggets, out of the blue.
I don't know why but I read this part of the blog with Ice Cube's voice. (He has a song called "It Was a Good Day") Just waking up in the morning gotta thank GodOh yeah and I don't think there's anything wrong with smoking. I use to smoke a pack of Newport occasionally while I'm drinking in the club atmosphere. It relaxes me. Cigarettes are definitely unhealthy, as almost everyone today knows, being filled with carcinogens and all kinds of bad shit I don't want inside me, but seeing as cigars (and pipes) are not (generally) inhaled, but only brought into the mouth to taste the smoke before being expelled back out the mouth or "retrohaled" through the nostrils to pick up even more flavor, they are significantly less unhealthy for you when compared to cigarettes. Smoking anything is 100% a personal choice however, and while I may or may not choose to smoke some things myself, I respect anyone's informed, adult decision to smoke.
Nah you are right smoking cigarettes is bad for me. My wife gets mad at me if she catches me smoking so I stopped all together. Funny part though is she smokes, but she tries to "save" me from doing it. She said she'd quit if she gets pregnant, but she loves smoking so I don't know how she will quit. You think she could try cigars? It's worth a shot *shrugs*
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I think you should try smoking a pipe. I've heard of lots of cigarette smokers smoking pipes to kick the cigarette habit. You can find a nice, cheap pipe at your local tobacconist's (called "basket pipes, because they are usually kept in a basket of pipes with minor flaws in the wood, nothing that will hinder it's ability to smoke, but enough that the pipe maker can't sell it at full price. This can be things like a ding in the wood, or an exceptionally poor grain pattern, or any other imperfection that makes the pipe look a little "off".
But after you get your pipe, just ask your local tobacconist what he would recommend as a good starter blend. As I think I stated in my blog, I started smoking Captain Black in my pipe, which I find to be decent pipe tobacco, but not premium at any stretch of the imagination. But really, anything that comes in a tin is generally good. I suggest not buying anything in a cut other than a straight ribbon cut until you understand the basics of packing and lighting, but your local tobacconist can point you in the right direction better than some random guy on teamliquid can.
Unless of course, we have a secret tobacconist in our midst.
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Cigars are nice. I usually just have a bowl or two in my pipe when I feel like a smoke (don't usually have enough time for a full cigar, and pipe tobacco's cheaper anyways), but there's nothing quite like sitting around with good friends, enjoying a good cigar together.
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On February 22 2012 12:14 Janaan wrote:
Cigars are nice. I usually just have a bowl or two in my pipe when I feel like a smoke (don't usually have enough time for a full cigar, and pipe tobacco's cheaper anyways), but there's nothing quite like sitting around with good friends, enjoying a good cigar together.
I agree, but today I had a few hours free and some extra money in my pocket, so I decided to take the leap into cigars, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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On February 22 2012 11:18 Chaves wrote:
Hey. just dont forget to make a blog when you get cancer or hearth atack ok? The fine art of die.
If you are going to insult someone you can at least know something about the subject... Cigarette smoking is the kind that causes cancer and other health problems (they inhale into the the lungs) while cigar/pipe smokers let the smoke roll on the tongue as they experience the flavor. The fine art of idiocy.....
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Glad you had such a pleasurable experience at your cigar shop, and a good read too. I smoke a pipe and the occasional cigar is nice.
Just some random helpful info: If you haven't found this youtube channel yet, I found it's information invaluable for both cigar and pipe smoking.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SmokeRingsPipeDreams
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Taken from a factsheet of the National Institute of Cancer. For those who are interested.
"1. How are cigars different from cigarettes?
Cigarettes usually differ from cigars in size and in the type of tobacco used (1–3). Moreover, in contrast with cigarette smoke, cigar smoke is often not inhaled.
2. Are there harmful chemicals in cigar smoke?
Yes. Cigar smoke, like cigarette smoke, contains toxic and cancer-causing chemicals that are harmful to both smokers and nonsmokers. Cigar smoke is possibly more toxic than cigarette smoke (3). Cigar smoke has:
A higher level of cancer-causing substances: During the fermentation process for cigar tobacco, high concentrations of cancer-causing nitrosamines are produced. These compounds are released when a cigar is smoked. Nitrosamines are found at higher levels in cigar smoke than in cigarette smoke.
More tar: For every gram of tobacco smoked, there is more cancer-causing tar in cigars than in cigarettes.
A higher level of toxins: Cigar wrappers are less porous than cigarette wrappers. The nonporous cigar wrapper makes the burning of cigar tobacco less complete than the burning of cigarette tobacco. As a result, cigar smoke has higher concentrations of toxins than cigarette smoke.
Furthermore, the larger size of most cigars (more tobacco) and longer smoking time result in higher exposure to many toxic substances (including carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, ammonia, cadmium, and other substances).
Cigar smoke can be a major source of indoor air pollution (1). There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. If you want to reduce the health risk to yourself and others, stop smoking."
Your adult choice to smoke, however I believe in fully educating yourself about what you deliver to your body before making a choice. Even just in the mouth, the body absorbs it, just like putting creams on your skin.
A family member died of second-hand smoking induce cancer. She never directly smoked herself. She was young and left a 4 year old behind. So also consider the people you may care about that may be inhaling your smoke too. 
Hope you may have many more good days ahead of you!
References for the science types:
1. Baker F, Ainsworth SR, Dye JT, et al. Health risks associated with cigar smoking. Journal of the American Medical Association 2000; 284(6) : 735–740.
2.Kozlowski LT, Dollar KM, Giovino GA. Cigar/cigarillo surveillance: Limitations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture System. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2008; 34(5):424–426. [PubMed Abstract]
3. National Cancer Institute (1998). Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph 9: Cigars: Health Effects and Trends. Bethesda, MD. Retrieved October 21, 2010, from: http://www.cancercontrol.cancer.gov/tcrb/monographs/9/index.html.
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On February 22 2012 14:58 Isolath wrote:Taken from a factsheet of the National Institute of Cancer. For those who are interested. " 1. How are cigars different from cigarettes?Cigarettes usually differ from cigars in size and in the type of tobacco used (1–3). Moreover, in contrast with cigarette smoke, cigar smoke is often not inhaled. 2. Are there harmful chemicals in cigar smoke?Yes. Cigar smoke, like cigarette smoke, contains toxic and cancer-causing chemicals that are harmful to both smokers and nonsmokers. Cigar smoke is possibly more toxic than cigarette smoke (3). Cigar smoke has: A higher level of cancer-causing substances: During the fermentation process for cigar tobacco, high concentrations of cancer-causing nitrosamines are produced. These compounds are released when a cigar is smoked. Nitrosamines are found at higher levels in cigar smoke than in cigarette smoke. More tar: For every gram of tobacco smoked, there is more cancer-causing tar in cigars than in cigarettes. A higher level of toxins: Cigar wrappers are less porous than cigarette wrappers. The nonporous cigar wrapper makes the burning of cigar tobacco less complete than the burning of cigarette tobacco. As a result, cigar smoke has higher concentrations of toxins than cigarette smoke. Furthermore, the larger size of most cigars (more tobacco) and longer smoking time result in higher exposure to many toxic substances (including carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, ammonia, cadmium, and other substances). Cigar smoke can be a major source of indoor air pollution (1). There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke. If you want to reduce the health risk to yourself and others, stop smoking." Your adult choice to smoke, however I believe in fully educating yourself about what you deliver to your body before making a choice. Even just in the mouth, the body absorbs it, just like putting creams on your skin. A family member died of second-hand smoking induce cancer. She never directly smoked herself. She was young and left a 4 year old behind. So also consider the people you may care about that may be inhaling your smoke too. Hope you may have many more good days ahead of you! References for the science types: 1. Baker F, Ainsworth SR, Dye JT, et al. Health risks associated with cigar smoking. Journal of the American Medical Association 2000; 284(6) : 735–740. 2.Kozlowski LT, Dollar KM, Giovino GA. Cigar/cigarillo surveillance: Limitations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture System. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2008; 34(5):424–426. [PubMed Abstract] 3. National Cancer Institute (1998). Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph 9: Cigars: Health Effects and Trends. Bethesda, MD. Retrieved October 21, 2010, from: http://www.cancercontrol.cancer.gov/tcrb/monographs/9/index.html.
Haha, you see it's funny because no one is interested.
Maybe you should post this information here: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=114083
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EPT
