Journal Entries
Cigar Journal '05
Posted Apr 7, 2005
6/4
I am so far behind; I knew this would happen. I've been having a Fumita almost every day for two weeks now at 1:30 break. Right now I'm having a little vanilla thing my brother gave me when he gave me the Toranos sampler. It looks like a Backwoods only smaller. It doesn't taste bad but is a little hot because it's dry. Everything is because I keep forgetting to buy distilled water.
At 1:30 break I've been reading the Hitchhiker books again or listening to Tom Waits--sometimes both. If it's too windy, I skip the book because the wind flips the pages. I lay it on the bench next to me and weigh it down with my keys or something; it's too big to hold in both hands. This also frees up a hand to hold the cigar.
Yesterday was the part wher Arthur finds Fenchurch again after losing her phone number and the flying sex scene. His description of the giddyness and intensity of a new love is just so dead on. I know that I have felt this way at times in the past but I had forgotten what it was like; Adams has this amazing ability to make me feel all these things again. Today was the end of the book with the creator's final message and the death of Marvin. So bittersweet.
So Long and Thanks. . . is very different from the first three books. They're a lot of fun and full of laughs but don't have the depth of the fourth one. It's been a long time since I've read it and I enjoyed it immensely
Discuss this Journal entry [3]
Latest reply: Apr 7, 2005
Cigar Journal '05
Posted Mar 16, 2005
3/15
At 3:00 the Law and Order that came on was the one I watched last so I decided to try a smoke. The temperature was up to 39 degrees, the sun was shining, and the wind was mild so I considered taking a risk by having a Gran Corona (6” X 46 ring, Honduran, Maduro wrapper; $.90 ea.). The risk was that it meant a 45-60 minute commitment, which is fine is the sun stays out, but if the wind picks up, or if clouds come in front of the sun, or both, it gets a little nippy on your fingers. I looked in the box and saw one that I had clipped back in the fall and then had decided not to smoke. That clinched it. I sat on the front stoop which faces west and gets the afternoon sun. Earlier today I had taken a walk for about an hour and began to think about the fact that I might have a smoke later. It occurred to me that whatever I would think would end up as a journal entry and therefore had to something worthwhile. Did this not make the whole procedure artificial and pointless ? By observing the process, I had influenced the outcome. I thought more about this as I smoked and then decided not to worry about it.
I got up and crossed the road to check out the parking lots. I thought that maybe the Grounds guys only worked till 3:30 and so would be heading back to the shop and I wouldn’t run into any of them. The lots were picked clean but I did find two miles and a penny. I reached the far side of the paved lot when I saw Boyd coming toward me. “You guys cleaning up this week?”
“Yep.”
“How long are you working ?”
“Three o’clock.”
“No, I meant which day.”
“Friday.”
“Monday through Friday, huh.”
“Yep.”
We production people have the week off but the Kitchen Laborers and Managers have to work; well, the K.L.s work but I can’t vouch for management. Boyd is a strange man with many problems that I don’t care to go into now. I feel bad for him but I’m glad I don’t have to work with him on a daily basis any more.
The cigar is smoking well; not too hot and with a good draw. I was afraid the box might be getting dry because during the winter, I don’t watch it closely and may go six weeks without adding moisture. I used to keep it too wet and then wondered why the draws were so hard. Now, anything between 65 and 70% is fine. I think it’s a little drier than that now and I’m all out of distilled water because I put it all on the houseplants.
I continued on toward the north side of Grant when who do I see pulling around the corner in his truck ? John. Busted.
“Stop stealing my money !” he yells when he gets within earshot.
“I’ll give you what I got.” I walk up to the truck sporting my most sheepish grin. “It’s a fair bust.” I hand him the miles and the penny which he takes.
“So you guys work till 4, huh ?”
“Yeah, they changed it a while back.”
We chat for a while and he gets a call on his cell. I wait for him to finish and l find another penny on the ground. When he’s done, I hand him that penny too. Another truck pulls up; it’s Guy and Bob. Bob used to be John’s partner but now he is with Guy. I ask him about this and he says he will probably be back with John in the fall. I ask him if he remembers Steve who is the new guy they hired to replace me at Douglas. Steve used to be a janitor and remembers working with Bob. I don’t know Steve’s last name so Bob can’t place him. It’s time for them to go so they take off.
My cigar has gone out so I continue across the street and relight it in the shelter of the front of Grant. I decide to walk around a little more and head for the lot between the back of Grant and married student housing. As I feared might happen, the sun has not been reliable and the wind has picked up; my fingers are getting cold. I’m in a little pain but what of it ? It’s not a gall bladder attack, a bad toothache, or a migraine. I head toward the East side of Douglas, the west side of Lincoln, and then the front (South) of Lincoln. I don’t find much, just a mile and a Newport. The butt has about 10 minutes left so I head toward home via the road. I walk around to the back and survey the small ruin of my garden--the ruin of my small garden. I look at the skeletons in the hanging baskets across the front and the remains of the chenille plant and the strepto carpella hanging by the wall. I just left them all hanging. I was thinking of bringing the strepto carpella inside but as winter came on, I just let it die. I can’t imagine cleaning it all up and re-planting in two months but I know I will. In the same way that I collapse when the weather does, I am rejuvenated in the spring. What would it be like to live in the tropics or farther north ? The butt is pretty far down now and is tunneling. I toss it and go inside. It’s 4:10; just about an hour.
Discuss this Journal entry [7]
Latest reply: Mar 16, 2005
Cigar Journal '05
Posted Mar 16, 2005
3/14
I had the idea today to make an entry every day that I smoked a cigar during the season for this whole year. I would include the basic information for each cigar: color, ring gauge, country of origin &c. Also, I would give my opinion of each cigar and then any musings of note that came to me as I smoked. Pretty pointless and probably of interest to no one but myself. I might not even follow through with it, if I know me, but we shall see what we shall see.
I've really already had two this year--one on Feb. 12 and one on Feb. 19--while on break at Douglas. They were the small (38 ring, 4 1/4"), natural wrapper, Nicaraguan Factory Corojos that I got from J.R. They come out to $.44 each with shipping. I'm on my third (I think) wheel of these; I got them just to smoke on break because they take about 25 minutes which is just perfect for a half hour break. There will be a lot of these over the next couple weeks so to save time, I will just nickname them "breakers". I will create nicknames for all the ones that I have a lot of; it will be a little ritual for the first day of each one.
I don't remember thinking anything profound at the time. At one point, two coeds came out and sat on the porch. One of them made a comment about being warm except for her shins--she had capri pants on. I chimed in, "Go sit over there", indicating the bench on the eastern side, "see how the sun is hitting the bench ?" She actually did it and I didn't say anything but let it rest there in spite of the great satisfaction I felt for having had my advice followed. Saying anything more would have ruined it. I was rather proud of myself.
Addendum: I now recall that these were called “Fumitas” in the catalog. I like that better; screw the nickname stuff.
Discuss this Journal entry [1]
Latest reply: Mar 16, 2005
Cigar journal for the '05 season
Posted Mar 14, 2005
3/14
I had the idea today to make an entry every day that I smoked a cigar during the season for this whole year. I would include the basic information for each cigar: color, ring guage, country of origin &c. Also, I would give my opinion of each cigar and then any musings of note that came to me as I smoked. Pretty pointless and probably of interest to no one but myself. I might not even follow through with it, if I know me, but we shall see what we shall see.
I've really already had two this year--one on Feb. 12 and one on Feb. 19--while on break at Douglas. They were the small (38 ring, 4 1/4"), natural wrapper, Nicraguan Factory Corojos that I got from J.R. They come out to $.44 with shipping. I'm on my third (I think) wheel of these; I got them just to smoke on break because they take about 25 minutes which is just perfect for a half hour break. There will be a lot of these over the next couple weeks so to save time, I will just nickname them "breakers". I will create nicknames for all the ones that I have a lot of; it will be a little ritual for the first day of each one.
I don't remember thinking anything profound at the time. At one point, two coeds came out and sat on the porch. One of them made a comment about being warm except for her shins--she had capri pants on. I chimed in, "Go sit over there", indicating the bench on the eastern side, "see how the sun is hitting the bench ?" She actually did it and I didn't say anything but let it rest there in spite of the great satisfaction I felt for having had my advice followed. Saying anything more would have ruined it. I was rather proud of myself.
Discuss this Journal entry [5]
Latest reply: Mar 14, 2005
cigardener Night Manager--How May I Help You ?--***ASK*ME*ABOUT*OUR*FRIED*PICKLES***
Researcher U1379865
Write an Entry
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a wholly remarkable book. It has been compiled and recompiled many times and under many different editorships. It contains contributions from countless numbers of travellers and researchers."