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I have not posted in awhile. There may be times when understatement is a slight tendency of mine.
You may reckon that in the middle of final exams for law school is not a time to resume blogging, and you may be right. On the other hand, getting a little air now and then is good for the brain. Only so many words can go in before a few have to trickle back out. Space is limited between my ears.
I have three more exams to go. I have Business Associations tomorrow, then Constitutional, then Administrative. I will be finished next Wednesday, and then we are looking forward to visiting family and beginning my summer externship with a judge.
I recently read about a pervert suing a Christian business owner who refused to take her business. The Christian owns a video reproduction company, I think, and the pervert wanted him to reproduce some videos extolling the pervert lifestyle. Apparently, the Human Rights Commission for the County ordered him to take the business, but so far I think he has refused. A similar case occurred in Canada, and that Christian business owner was ordered to pay a massive amount in legal fees, plus damages, and ordered to print letterhead for perverts and their pervert associations from now on. I do not know how he has responded.
When we sleep while government encroaches one tippy toe at a time, we often wake up too late to get the monster out of the bedroom. This is why the little things do matter, and “being unreasonable” is often the most reasonable thing to do. You have to look a bit further down the road when innocuous-sounding ideas present themselves, such as not discriminating based on sexual orientation, or creating Human Rights Commissions. Who could be against Human Rights? Ahh, yes, who indeed. These men (and others) now face a mountain of legal fees, obedience to an unlawful and wicked order, or feeding their families.
On the other hand, you would think that they would learn that persecution is not a good way to stamp out the Church, militant and victorious.
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In fact, persecution is THE way Christ’s church grows.
I would add the Gov isn’t tip-toeing anymore, they are strident and quite upfront now.
From my blog to you:
By the way, thunderscot, (you wouldn’t happen to be a “son of thunder” would you?) as God’s providence would have it, I have been searching for a good starter pipe and tobacco. This very week in fact. I enjoy cigars but I have caved under the pressure to snobby Pipe purists.
God speed with your studies.
Comment by .357 May 4, 2006 @ 12:40 pmThunderscot is a little tip of the hat to John Knox, born in 1505 and often referred to as the “Thundering Scot.” He despised ecclesiastical and civil tyrants, as I’m sure you know, and that’s why I like him.
Starter pipes: My favorite smokes are Petersons. I have more expensive ones, but none I like as well as my three Petersons.
Petersons has some pricy ones, but they have some reasonable ones, too. If you’re not sure you’re going to stick with it, get something in the $30 range. If you’re pretty sure you’re going to stick with it, go for the $50-75 range. At that range, you’ve got a well-made bowl, but with more cosmetic flaws than pricier ones. No real smoking difference, though, probably. Most of mine are in this range. I only have one that was close to $200. Tall cotton right there.
As for tobaccos: I started on English blends, and I stuck with them. They tend to be a little stouter than aromatics. Aromatics, though, tend to smoke a little hotter (the aroma comes through the application of a sugar-based flavoring, and the flavoring ferments slightly, and when that fermentation finds fire, it burns). If you’re smoking for others’ enjoyment, aromatics may be best.
English blends smell like shoe leather in the tin (or jar). If you go with a heavy Latakia blend, it will smoke cooler, but some do not like the smell of it in a room. My wife likes it though. I tend to smoke wet, and so the cooler, the drier. I smoke English blends, a little heavy on the Latakia side.
One problem for newbies and Latakia is that the coolness makes it a little harder to keep lit. If you are like most mortals, keeping a pipe lit will be your first frustration with pipe smoking. It took me two years to be able to smoke through a bowl without relighting. Now I rarely have to relight…when I do, it’s usually because I’m running my mouth too much. A relight is a reminder to me to shut up and listen.
There are great articles and info in this magazine: http://www.pt-magazine.com/ I recommend subscribing with the extra dough you save from not buying cigars.
It has articles that address newbies issues without condescension. You may have to search some articles, but they have a good bit of “how-to” type help, as well as advanced nuance material.
I smoke pipes and cigars, but pipes are by far my preference. After the initial investment, it is far more cost-effective.
If you’re looking for a brand for tobacco, I smoke any of the Frog Morton blends regularly. G.I. Pease is good, and most Esoterica blends are good, as well. Esoterica “Penzance” is exceptional. It is a flake, which you have to crumble to get it into your bowl. I smoke mostly Frog Morton on the Bayou, and a bulk blend from my local tobacconist.
If you don’t have a good local tobacconist, check out this site: http://www.uptowns.com/ If you’re ever in Nashville, visit. It may be one of the best tobacconists in the country.
One more bit of advice. When I get a new pipe, I break it in as follows: I dip my finger in honey and rub it around the inside of the bowl. Then, I only fill the bowl 1/4 full and smoke it. Wait a couple of hours, then go 1/2. Wait a couple of hours, then 3/4. Then the full thing. You can go longer, I was offering a minimum wait.
This will cure the briar and begin the formation of a “cake” inside your bowl. The “cake” is crucial to a good tasting, comfortable smoke. It is a sort of flavored insulator. It takes a while to get it to the proper thickness (about a dime’s thickness), but the honey will get it on its way, plus it protects the raw wood from those first embers. You can’t really taste it after the first smoke.
One more tip. You probably won’t do this with your first pipe, but once you get the swing of it, it is best to use one pipe for each type of tobacco. You wouldn’t want to smoke an aromatic and an English in the same pipe. That’s a finer point, and not necessary as you first strike out, but you may find you enjoy both for different occasions, at which point you may consider purchasing more pipes.
I hope all that helps. Unfortunately, I recently had some dental surgery, and I am having to abstain to prevent “dry socket.” I’m told it is unpleasant.
Comment by ThunderScot1505 May 4, 2006 @ 1:25 pmYou need to transfer your blog over to WordPress. Your blogger blog is acting weird and it’s bothering me. I’ll do it for you if you want.
Comment by Pattie May 4, 2006 @ 1:58 pmJohn Knox = 1 of my top 3 favorite men of God. You were right to assume I was aware of him…maybe my blog?
All this country would need is a half of John Knox to set it straight again.
Your pipe info is very helpful, thank you. I am eager to start shopping. And then start puffin’!
Gotta run I’ll check in from time to time.
Peace and Grace to you,
Comment by .357 May 4, 2006 @ 3:47 pmChris
One more tip…I prefer a vulcanite stem over some sort of acrylic (Lucite is the most common acrylic). In the store, they all look pretty shiny, and are sometimes hard to tell apart. Lucite stays shiny and pretty, and vulcanite looks worn after a while if you don’t polish it. The reason I prefer it, though, is that I find the vulcanite far and away more comfortable to hold in my mouth. It is a hardened rubber material, and therefore a little softer and easier to sink your teeth into. If you’re not worried about it looking a little ratty after a while, the vulcanite is the more comfortable smoking choice. Vulcanite can be polished up from time to time, but I rarely do. But, then, I’m not trying to look pretty smoking my pipe.
Comment by ThunderScot1505 May 4, 2006 @ 4:25 pm