tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40378319974581890082024-02-19T00:07:40.912-08:00Pipe SchoolPipe Smoking, Collecting, and Appreciation from a humble university student and Piping Pupil. Now located at: www.qualitybriar.com/blogthefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-42371903568813220892013-01-01T11:02:00.001-08:002013-01-01T11:02:30.712-08:00A Glimmer of Hope<br />
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First of all, a delayed Cherry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Safe Solstice to all. May your days be merry and bright. Now, let’s jump back a couple of weeks.</div>
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Sunday morning on December 2<sup style="border: 0px; font-size: 11px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">nd</sup>. It was a beautiful day; 70 degrees outside. As I put on a short sleeve shirt, I temporarily thought about global warming, but decided just to enjoy the side effects in my Led Zeppelin shirt.</div>
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Around noon, I strolled into The Scottish Arms, a pub where I worked for four years and my fiancé, Lauren, still works as a hostess. Kissing her on the cheek, I settled into a corner booth with an Irish Coffee and papers to grade.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">*thud*</strong> Lauren drops a local magazine in front of me, open to a specific page with the title “Holiday Gift Guide”. I sighed as I waited for her to point out the item that had caught her eye and prepared for mental calculations of how much of my holiday budget I currently had remaining.</div>
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Despite my initial cynicism, my eyes fell on something beautiful, though I did not fully appreciate it at first: a picture of six Vauen pipes from a local pipe shop.</div>
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<a href="http://www.qualitybriar.com/2012/12/a-glimmer-of-hope/magazine1/" rel="attachment wp-att-1882" style="border: 0px; color: #a84800; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-1882" height="300" src="http://www.qualitybriar.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/magazine1-291x300.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(197, 197, 197); display: inline; float: left; margin: 6px 8px; max-width: 460px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="291" /></a>I don’t know if it was because I was too focused on all of the grading I had to do or if I was simply groggy from the previous evening, but my first reaction was simply to say: “Yeah, those are pretty good pipes.”</div>
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Lauren looked at me with surprise and I stared back at her with what I am sure must have seemed complete idiocy.</div>
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“But it’s a pipe advertisement in a magazine.”</div>
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She was right. The beauty of this advertisement was not the brand of pipes being advertised, but the fact that pipes were being mentioned at all. I had not seen something like that outside of specialty shops, hipster-style “ironic” stores, and old, faded catalogues.</div>
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Feel free to read my complete analysis over at Quality Briar, a wonderful website where my blog is now hosted! The website is listed here: <a href="http://www.qualitybriar.com/blog/">Pipe School</a>.</div>
thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-27775015696674548372012-12-06T09:47:00.003-08:002012-12-06T09:47:59.446-08:00On Santa, Censorship, and PipesSo, did you know that there is a publisher in Canada who is releasing an updated copy of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas? There is only one change in the entire edition: the removal of Santa's pipe, both from the poem and from the illustration. To read the entirety of this lunacy, feel free to check out the whole story on my new blog location: <a href="http://www.qualitybriar.com/blog">Pipe School at Quality Briar</a>. <br />
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Thank you and keep on puffing!thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-33215211278568099092012-05-07T12:55:00.003-07:002012-05-07T12:55:38.340-07:00In Case You Didn't Know...Just a reminder, since I still see a good deal of traffic coming to this site, the blog is now located at www.qualitybriar.com/blog<br />
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I am still working on getting as many of the old pieces over onto the new site as possible, but all new stories will be posted there.<br />
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Cheers,<br />
Ethanthefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-56441534348148348402012-03-21T08:39:00.003-07:002012-03-21T08:39:29.965-07:00My First Pipe: Reborn<br />
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<a href="http://www.qualitybriar.com/2012/03/my-first-pipe-reborn/cutty2/" rel="attachment wp-att-667" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #898958; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-667" height="253" src="http://www.qualitybriar.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Cutty2-1024x603.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-bottom-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-right-style: solid; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; display: block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 460px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="430" /></a></div>
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It was a slow evening at the pub. Through the blue and grey smoke diffusing through the room, I smelled something familiar. It smelled like my music teacher’s leather jacket; it smelled like his trumpet and my piano and avoiding my lessons.</div>
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Four, college age men sat at a table and one of them was holding a long, clay pipe. Like some sort of mystic ceremony, they passed it around the table, taking a puff, savoring the flavor, and passing it to the next.</div>
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Within a week, I found myself at a small, old tobacconist with a statue of an Indian chief standing on a block with the word “TOBAK” written on it. I remember circling the tourist area a number of times before I even worked up the courage to park. It took me even more time to walk inside.</div>
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I was completely out of my element. Large glass jars were filled with different types of tobacco, all of which looked so similar, aside from the one in a porcelain jar with a portrait of a Middle Eastern man painted on it; I later discovered that this was the one English tobacco that the establishment offered.</div>
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I am sure that I lingered too long in my attempt to blend into the woodwork, but I eventually asked to purchase the same pipe that the guys at the pub had been smoking. I work at a Renaissance Faire during the summers – yes, I’m lame like that – and I justified the purchase to myself by thinking that, if I didn’t take to the pipe, I could at least use the clay one as a prop.</div>
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<a href="http://www.qualitybriar.com/2012/03/my-first-pipe-reborn/pipe-smoking/" rel="attachment wp-att-676" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #a84800; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-676 alignleft" height="362" src="http://www.qualitybriar.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Pipe-smoking.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-bottom-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-right-style: solid; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 8px; margin-right: 8px; margin-top: 6px; max-width: 460px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="272" /></a></div>
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I remember taking the long box that contained the pipe and my two plastic bags full of bulk tobacco back to my dorm room and hiding them in the bottom drawer of my desk. I wasn’t hiding it from my roommate, since I didn’t have a roommate. Perhaps I was hiding it from the memories of my parents telling me how evil tobacco is. What I could not hide, however, was my excitement: a slight feeling of butterflies in my stomach, smiling like an idiot, and anticipating my first experience.</div>
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To say it was not the best of experiences might be an understatement, and, much like most bad first-pipe-experiences, it was entirely my fault. I was trying to use flimsy matches to light a pipe that was poorly packed and around a foot-and-a-half long on a cold, windy night, while perched on a ledge of a dormitory building. I think it might have been easier if I had been trying to juggle eight rabid pit bulls while trying to light my pipe.</div>
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Eventually, however, I got my pipe lit. I liked it. I lit it again – not too surprisingly, my pipe went out continuously – and I liked it even more. Every time I lit my pipe, I burned away my hesitance and realized that this was going to be a passion. I had been baptized by fire.</div>
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<a href="http://www.qualitybriar.com/2012/03/my-first-pipe-reborn/">Read More...</a></div>thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-75461742695705048332012-03-19T08:45:00.001-07:002012-03-26T14:51:34.943-07:00Transforming Stereotypes<br />
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<a href="http://www.qualitybriar.com/2012/03/breaking-bad-stereotypes/lauren-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-562" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #898958; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="" class="size-large wp-image-562 aligncenter" height="405" src="http://www.qualitybriar.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Lauren-2-696x1024.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-bottom-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-right-style: solid; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; display: block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 460px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="276" /></a></div>
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We all use stereotypes. Every single one of us, every single day. For example, someone at a restaurant hands you something in glass that is liquid and perfectly clear, has no aroma and no fizz. You assume that it is water based on your stereotypes of the world. Some stereotypes are useful; some are harmful.</div>
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One particular stereotype out there concerns our hobby, my friends. For an example, take a look at this picture:</div>
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<a href="http://www.qualitybriar.com/2012/03/breaking-bad-stereotypes/old-man-pipe/" rel="attachment wp-att-639" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #a84800; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" title="www.AlastairHumphreys.com"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-639 aligncenter" height="640" src="http://www.qualitybriar.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/old-man-pipe.jpg" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-bottom-style: solid; border-color: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-left-style: solid; border-right-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-right-style: solid; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(197, 197, 197); border-top-style: solid; border-width: initial; display: block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; max-width: 460px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="423" /></a></div>
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This is clearly a phenomenal photograph displaying a pipe smoker who has many stories to tell. However, it is also the image that most people get when they imagine pipe smokers. This is the pipe smoker stereotype, specifically a white man over the age of fifty-five (if only he would have had tweed on!). In fact, this stereotype was recently mentioned on a pipe forum that I frequent. Its validity was questioned, along with whether or not it was a helpful stereotype and, if not, what can be done about it.</div>
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This stereotype does not actively work towards changing the demographic of pipe smoking, which is a necessity if pipe smoking is to survive. What we need is a stereotype that moves us progressively forward.</div>
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To read more, check out my blog's new location <a href="http://www.qualitybriar.com/blog/">here</a>.</div>
<br />thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-22867450720622976282012-02-29T21:07:00.000-08:002012-02-29T21:07:02.752-08:00Do You Aspire to Own a Bo Nordh?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXosUM34EYNSPQYPRPdaWTxNXei8gVofLfst-jU5k0RnU9cJ4aqwQyXVR-IuKE4rXODbfwM0Gin6AYtZXZhLbSKBwr63RM_P3W1j7Iav-X-uY3tQNsjmkXu06BGwH2lQxi7YD4xw9bld1F/s1600/Nordh3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXosUM34EYNSPQYPRPdaWTxNXei8gVofLfst-jU5k0RnU9cJ4aqwQyXVR-IuKE4rXODbfwM0Gin6AYtZXZhLbSKBwr63RM_P3W1j7Iav-X-uY3tQNsjmkXu06BGwH2lQxi7YD4xw9bld1F/s320/Nordh3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This question was recently posed on a particular pipe-smoking forum on which I am an active member. I thought it was an interesting question from the outset, and the result of the conversation was both unexpected and fascinating.<br />
<br />
Do I aspire to own a Bo Nordh pipe? Yes, I do.<br />
<br />
Bo Nordh is an incredibly important figure in the pipe world, not only creating one of the most beautiful shapes, in my mind, but also carver some incredible works of art. His dedication to quality over quantity and his desire to work with the briar resulted in pipes that would shine in even the greatest of collections.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLOoyXb7DffdX02-tdy7r6UaeHiGxfuv0gKr9xIZbjs6q3I4QfUO_uXJ0-kGAsq9aAxwNRBhcLF_JxoNqGQJeEnQLYeBWM2KDeJbYwcmpJODvG0hiFaiHRU4ZOX_UcatWkTeGQ25Cn-H8/s1600/Nordh2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCLOoyXb7DffdX02-tdy7r6UaeHiGxfuv0gKr9xIZbjs6q3I4QfUO_uXJ0-kGAsq9aAxwNRBhcLF_JxoNqGQJeEnQLYeBWM2KDeJbYwcmpJODvG0hiFaiHRU4ZOX_UcatWkTeGQ25Cn-H8/s320/Nordh2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I was surprised to find that I was in the minority when I expressed this opinion on that particular online forum, and it seems to me that a lot of people got caught up by the word "aspire".<br />
<br />
I hate to do this, but my time in my many college English classes leaves me no choice: I have to go to the dictionary. Merriam-Webster defines "aspire" as "to seek to attain or accomplish a particular goal", while some synonyms are: crave, desire, hope, venture, want, yearn.<br />
<br />
With all of these, I find myself returning to the same answer: I do seek to attain a Bo Nordh pipe; I do want one, crave one, desire one, hope that one day I can own one. I was perplexed by the fact that this was not the overwhelming answer.<br />
<br />
To read the rest of this piece, please check <a href="http://www.qualitybriar.com/2012/03/who-aspires-to-own-a-bo-nordh/">here, at Pipe School's new location on Quality Briar.</a><br />thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-23540251580534654362012-02-26T12:33:00.001-08:002012-02-28T10:15:54.388-08:00Same Blog, New Face<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZ7B-ApPRcn356mi8aB_0GNqfFU1Z8YgKBYXs40n7ES0qakQbQViNXZIEn1Nbwx6LriZptJHynKzePaQWUbJtNxsQfgKQh0IosZyRplmztyAdbXWIesReFlpQOAYqOVlmCT-an0kIstdc/s1600/quality_briar_medium-300x240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZ7B-ApPRcn356mi8aB_0GNqfFU1Z8YgKBYXs40n7ES0qakQbQViNXZIEn1Nbwx6LriZptJHynKzePaQWUbJtNxsQfgKQh0IosZyRplmztyAdbXWIesReFlpQOAYqOVlmCT-an0kIstdc/s1600/quality_briar_medium-300x240.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
"Hey, why don't you give me a call sometime? I always like to get to know my customers by voice."<br />
<br />
I saw this message on an e-mail from Nick Miller, the man behind Quality Briar, after we'd been dealing with each other for a while. His website provides great value for high-quality pipes and is one of the few that carries a good number of Russian carvers, so I had become a frequent denizen of Quality Briar.<br />
<br />
At first, I figured that Nick was just wanting to connect with a customer, as he seemed to me to be that kind of guy. I meant to call him, I truly did, but school and work and everything just got in the way, as life tends to do.<br />
<br />
A couple of weeks later, I placed another order, for this pipe in particular:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqg2W6dabI4H7DhP97Trr9EBpWT7u9qDKFNAGIrBFpJLxp9eZx5tncfXPLQhQm5CgbgCouzhuQwoQ0qbU4xtdsqlB7pICB6je3cNgIQyCifQjCC3fZoTZyY-tAtodvGvcrwgQaErAos1e9/s1600/Angeled+pipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqg2W6dabI4H7DhP97Trr9EBpWT7u9qDKFNAGIrBFpJLxp9eZx5tncfXPLQhQm5CgbgCouzhuQwoQ0qbU4xtdsqlB7pICB6je3cNgIQyCifQjCC3fZoTZyY-tAtodvGvcrwgQaErAos1e9/s320/Angeled+pipe.jpg" width="143" /></a></div>
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(Michael Parks Pipe with Deer Antler, Photo by Ethan Brandt)</div>
<br />
<br />
Along with a confirmation from e-mail from Nick came another, slightly more insistent, appeal: "Hey, man. Call me when you get a chance."<br />
<br />
This contained no questioning tone and seemed to leave me no wiggle room. I picked up the phone and called him within a minute of getting the e-mail.<br />
<br />
"Whoa, I didn't expect to hear from you so fast," Nick said on the other end of the line.<br />
<br />
Since that time, I have gotten to know Nick quite well. He's a call-them-how-he-sees-them type of guy, who often says exactly what he thinks and what he thinks is very often right. He's quick to crack a joke or break into an anecdote or explain something casually, as if it were the most basic concept, that I had been unable to grasp after trying relentlessly.<br />
<br />
The result of that initial phone call, and the many that have followed, is exactly what you are reading right now.<br />
<br />
For a long time, the "Blog" section on Quality Briar went unused, gathering cobwebs. It was very much like Val Kilmer's acting career: the pieces that were on there were good, but there just weren't enough of them. That is what Nick called me to change.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVceQYVko3dd9HFSYuWUUlrlxL2HXHoQ3bofXcIoIxyYl6DDot_vlvc0aWsoHE8g0QrDlEXbpQ8SI_bxZCMwH-93AfhDPAuAei1qbNZAwd5v1yaAsXnTuuMVoFwgoccRe7y7iiQ2V8zMJ/s1600/pipeschool+logo3+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVceQYVko3dd9HFSYuWUUlrlxL2HXHoQ3bofXcIoIxyYl6DDot_vlvc0aWsoHE8g0QrDlEXbpQ8SI_bxZCMwH-93AfhDPAuAei1qbNZAwd5v1yaAsXnTuuMVoFwgoccRe7y7iiQ2V8zMJ/s400/pipeschool+logo3+copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Pipe School is now going to be continuing on the blog page of Quality Briar. It will still be Pipe School and will still feature the same content, along with some additional writers pitching in every now and then. The main difference is the URL. I know, change is scary, but this is good change, have no doubt about that.<br />
<br />
I have enjoyed what Nick has done with Quality Briar, much as I have enjoyed the process of making Pipe School a reality. I am excited to announce that the two will now be coming together, something that I have no doubt will make each of us even more valuable to you, the piping community.<br />
<br />
I just recently posted my <a href="http://www.qualitybriar.com/2012/02/new-guy-ethan-brandt/">introductory post on Quality Briar</a> and I am working on my second one as we speak ("Do I Aspire to Own a Bo Nordh?").<br />
<br />
Thank you very much and look for the first real entry on Quality Briar within a week!thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-15226093777628762302012-02-23T15:13:00.002-08:002012-02-23T21:18:27.871-08:00Ask, and You Shall Receive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2Va9MrViYCTNK9LaPFoYUSL7paJLenLnkfIa0Bv5teE4aygu8o-yfMdQeNjQf29rfv7UwtFYvEx6lrHuh9IuQ8dsgLzZjO_LPorQyG0kJijuoPhyphenhyphenl_JfMj2ZKM7EQKGy13RXZ8FRFkl1/s1600/blowfish1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2Va9MrViYCTNK9LaPFoYUSL7paJLenLnkfIa0Bv5teE4aygu8o-yfMdQeNjQf29rfv7UwtFYvEx6lrHuh9IuQ8dsgLzZjO_LPorQyG0kJijuoPhyphenhyphenl_JfMj2ZKM7EQKGy13RXZ8FRFkl1/s400/blowfish1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
What do you expect from a pipe called a
“Strawberries and Cream Blowfish”? Probably a very interesting,
and possibly deadly, dinner experience, for one thing. However,
despite the interesting images conjured up by such a moniker, the
title is a perfect descriptor for one of Chris Askwith's most recent
creations.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGZYNTvp8evosqJRRaG_wZrz2Zm9gZQ6SI1s-hb4L-WYDyIA13UuzwKHxQHgLSK0mUzBE0FkH0K6L9LGy2fycERNek9o8O5Ul1dk4xU3gJpVWgZXPp8sDTDbGw2UegQ6zs7bgEL63kZVj/s1600/Askwith+blowfish2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgGZYNTvp8evosqJRRaG_wZrz2Zm9gZQ6SI1s-hb4L-WYDyIA13UuzwKHxQHgLSK0mUzBE0FkH0K6L9LGy2fycERNek9o8O5Ul1dk4xU3gJpVWgZXPp8sDTDbGw2UegQ6zs7bgEL63kZVj/s400/Askwith+blowfish2.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
I have recently found myself drawn to
the Blowfish shape in a surreal way. It's an unusual shape to the
eyes of the uninitiated, and even to many who are experienced with
pipes. It is often lopsided and fits much better in one hand than the
other because of its shape – in my experience, most Blowfish pipes
tend to favor our Sinister compatriots.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The Blowfish is also one of the many
shapes that was brought into existence from the Danish revolution of
pipe making, from names like Sixten, Lars, and Nanna Ivarsson and
Jess Chonowitsch. It is always fascinating to find a shape that can
capture a liminal moment in the history of pipes.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquXljfBvlTYU4tuFrwML6VPvhjd6lYb6CU-eElT4nvf0SsS6A27FJUnB8UFRiwzB7hOSoXnyKkMlqAQquc3gwGy9AlQs63CzcKlWJyfJJBqhnrPiLg_MFc2szwssA6DDM54Ye0v70-WUJ/s1600/blowfish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiquXljfBvlTYU4tuFrwML6VPvhjd6lYb6CU-eElT4nvf0SsS6A27FJUnB8UFRiwzB7hOSoXnyKkMlqAQquc3gwGy9AlQs63CzcKlWJyfJJBqhnrPiLg_MFc2szwssA6DDM54Ye0v70-WUJ/s400/blowfish.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Perhaps what I love most about the
Blowfish from a scholarly perspective is that it is an extremely
difficult shape to pull off well. A lot of carvers less familiar with
the shape will simple hack off one side of an apple or tomato pipe
and call it a day. That's not enough, though, as anyone who has seen
one of these ugly ducklings can attest. These attempts are important
in their own right, as they are testimonies to the skill required to
make this shape.</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The unfortunate part for me, as someone
who has never attempted to make a pipe and probably would end up
cutting off at least one limb in the process, is that I have
difficulty describing exactly what makes a successful Blowfish. One
day, I hope to have a better grasp of what the exact aspects are –
and when I do, expect another post! For now, I have no choice but to
fall back on the phrase <i>je ne sais quoi</i>
to describe it, or maybe the United States Supreme Court Justice's
definition of pornography: I'll know it when I see it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When I
pulled up Chris Askwith's website about a month ago, I saw it and I
knew it.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I had
only just started to put my interest in the Blowfish shape into
action, and with Valentine's Day just around the corner, a
red-and-white pipe was too good to pass up. Additionally, my lady
informed me that she had not gotten me a Valentine's Day present, so
I considered this my present to myself – sometimes things to work
out.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBGNJHRQm9p7DPZC01ZlVsM7K8LWESzhegTGphr5PJwIy8G7QziTuK6gCE4oXwJPk9VwsSKDpkA38v8TcCxa6KtQbS_39HNvp_T6gwKvS5DPQ7UcrQcNDSr82bTunvo8Pg3UeNZkz_L6e/s1600/Askwith+Blowfish3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBGNJHRQm9p7DPZC01ZlVsM7K8LWESzhegTGphr5PJwIy8G7QziTuK6gCE4oXwJPk9VwsSKDpkA38v8TcCxa6KtQbS_39HNvp_T6gwKvS5DPQ7UcrQcNDSr82bTunvo8Pg3UeNZkz_L6e/s400/Askwith+Blowfish3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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(Askwith Strawberries and Cream Blowfish)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When I
ordered this pipe, I had no idea how huge the pipe was. It is hands
down one of the biggest Blowfish pipes I own and easily the largest
Askwith pipe I have had the chance to enjoy.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It is
comfortable in the hand, the colors work beautifully together, and it
is balanced – as much as a shape that is intentionally lopsided can
be.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
For
those of you who don't know Chris, he is a young pipe artisan out of
England who has made quite a splash lately. One of his designs that
he is well-known for is he “weathered-bone finish”, which is a
pale, unvarnished exterior that allows the briar to naturally color
like Meerschaum.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9m5SpYYhk4OVnhFmVGF_5AXbAe6xZM1pRaeFnd1_tLzOWjBZeKUBW0mfObf_3QJFjEiKV-EsfzZHO5cwQ2BWkQEo6WWIOcWpv-xiIU1I9dw1k8oFBwP-C_WoFykOxYBOjk2boBsqj_b6/s1600/askwith+weathered+bone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9m5SpYYhk4OVnhFmVGF_5AXbAe6xZM1pRaeFnd1_tLzOWjBZeKUBW0mfObf_3QJFjEiKV-EsfzZHO5cwQ2BWkQEo6WWIOcWpv-xiIU1I9dw1k8oFBwP-C_WoFykOxYBOjk2boBsqj_b6/s400/askwith+weathered+bone.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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(Askwith Weathered Bone Bamboo Blowfish)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Chris
is an amiable guy who loves to crack jokes. For example, when I was
discussing a commission with him, he offered to make me a pipe with a
hot-pink, glittery stem...at least, I hope he was joking.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Yf0UeGTktYDr8fPT8eJa4-HudVq5l2A3MO50vxur6As6ENC6ZSulqPedV1dpdyUleX2NEPheLVAPyGLs9movJIhVaMY2cbuCxIHkk0_mpPkm5tZEIf1W3oR6C0fitH0KY3gl8CEhxOD3/s1600/Chris+Askwith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Yf0UeGTktYDr8fPT8eJa4-HudVq5l2A3MO50vxur6As6ENC6ZSulqPedV1dpdyUleX2NEPheLVAPyGLs9movJIhVaMY2cbuCxIHkk0_mpPkm5tZEIf1W3oR6C0fitH0KY3gl8CEhxOD3/s320/Chris+Askwith.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Chris Askwith)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The
different colors of his stems is something else that sets Chris
Askwith apart from other carvers. The vast majority of artisans use
almost exclusively black stem materials, perhaps being so adventurous
every now and then to make a pipe with an amber stem. Chris, however,
is constantly trying out new color combinations between pipe material
and stem: pink, teal, red, tye-dye, and yellow are quite common in
Chris's creations, with bright yellow being the most frequently used
unorthodox color. One morta pipe that I have from Chris is equipped
with a yellow stem, a color combination that I had never thought of
before, but is unusually beautiful, emphasizing both the black of the
morta and the vibrancy of the stem.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigj2wPrHNFOKV5HC82YDCD_63gWPfeVDC-DNdoVCF3pmX_bRCMoJxHJHNCZOm5B3gzBx8D08xErYfKg3meh4I5BoBdrz4OEH83pLXQjh4kwbzoE0bKTAbsuMcOzzYJnt5S51mATlQjyFNm/s1600/Askwith+morta+55.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigj2wPrHNFOKV5HC82YDCD_63gWPfeVDC-DNdoVCF3pmX_bRCMoJxHJHNCZOm5B3gzBx8D08xErYfKg3meh4I5BoBdrz4OEH83pLXQjh4kwbzoE0bKTAbsuMcOzzYJnt5S51mATlQjyFNm/s400/Askwith+morta+55.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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(Askwith Morta 55)</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
While
Mr. Askwith's career is still in its infancy in comparison to some
other artisans, his creativity, personality, and innate talent give
me great reason to expect his name that the pipe-world will continue
to hear for years to come.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photos by ndnbrunei, Ethan Brandt, davinci daniel, Ethan Brandt, Chris Askwith x3)</span></div>thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-26981089839351632702012-02-20T08:29:00.000-08:002012-02-20T09:11:11.101-08:00A Day of Our OwnIt's here. It's finally here. After weeks, if not months of waiting, International Pipe Smoking Day is here!<br />
<br />
For a lot of pipe smokers, every day is Pipe Smoking Day, but there is something different about today, something special, something transcendental.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsYlLCnGHAddtJkXSqnuqVjh6MjWvRw2gO2vBmKB8WCoksWxkGGALzJmLgGpmAKX_zdTwJlqUblR_3_v4JENr2oIYD7dTGOO3CXHXR0LEELnW5TXmzEBbrTAS9ABGLEThTTonAe_JUbYt/s1600/ipsd2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsYlLCnGHAddtJkXSqnuqVjh6MjWvRw2gO2vBmKB8WCoksWxkGGALzJmLgGpmAKX_zdTwJlqUblR_3_v4JENr2oIYD7dTGOO3CXHXR0LEELnW5TXmzEBbrTAS9ABGLEThTTonAe_JUbYt/s400/ipsd2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
In my opinion, the important part of IPSD isn't that you smoke your pipe (though that is a big part!), but rather that those of you who are closet-pipe-smokers, those of you who hide inside of your house while you puff away, should get outside and smoke at least once today.<br />
<br />
By making ourselves visible, we ensure that we are not forgotten. With certain legislation in the works these days, it is important that the world doesn't forget that we exist and doesn't imagine that we are all the caricature of the white-haired grandfather. We are a large and diverse crowd.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXrD-6uejDurNZoma3rCs9QZZGia6ENT5qmJGMhKeN65g2grAM7XiJdNq-p6RBlM0x6gIsUxSnXI4NerNt6K-x3yh4jBDONRqoM2XAJbDc2n-MgFIBJql2ntHBVY9m7dyqYcjIY0-cghP/s1600/ipsd3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXrD-6uejDurNZoma3rCs9QZZGia6ENT5qmJGMhKeN65g2grAM7XiJdNq-p6RBlM0x6gIsUxSnXI4NerNt6K-x3yh4jBDONRqoM2XAJbDc2n-MgFIBJql2ntHBVY9m7dyqYcjIY0-cghP/s400/ipsd3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
For the most part, pipe smokers are humble and quiet people. If we start to smoke our pipe outside and someone looks offended, we will often put our pipe away out of respect. That's a good thing. It is a good thing to earn the reputation of a kind and thoughtful people.<br />
<br />
While I am not encouraging you to tarnish that reputation, I would say that you should feel entitled to smoke where you feel fit today, as long as it doesn't break any laws, of course. If someone gives you a sideways glance while you are smoking at the park, I encourage you to respond to by saying that it is an international holiday devoted to the humble pipe and that you must smoke out of obligation.<br />
<br />
I would recommend that you select a special pipe and a special tobacco and enjoy the day to the fullest. For those of you who smoke only occasionally, today is a day to puff away happily and without any guilt. This is a special day for us.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUvA984cuWYg55D5UuszxwiNI60Ac7u89lpQJHwuFCglLlNBu0pYoMu4UYR3ga3bK7h2pff1KvsL1j0t7LdfwsjTTfsmvehZBsMfvVJBjMtVl6JShpIQ-mNpwGzf_vnMuFnnTUkYR8e0x/s1600/ipsd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSUvA984cuWYg55D5UuszxwiNI60Ac7u89lpQJHwuFCglLlNBu0pYoMu4UYR3ga3bK7h2pff1KvsL1j0t7LdfwsjTTfsmvehZBsMfvVJBjMtVl6JShpIQ-mNpwGzf_vnMuFnnTUkYR8e0x/s400/ipsd.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
While you are happily puffing, I would ask you to do me a favor. Contemplate exactly what it is that makes you love this hobby some much, then come back on here and tell us about it along with how you decided to celebrate.<br />
<br />
Finally, allow me to wish you a very happy and healthy International Pipe Smoking Day!thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-1430648491802094582012-02-14T12:34:00.000-08:002012-02-14T13:14:13.611-08:00Loved Ones and Pipes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1MlkfnS4v48JH770UKfxHa6rmBBDBiiYHEhqG2enYEL63KaJVNaSuQKpO0pjaJjeJ-zdjDZTdwhOZIil5gA7OJOIKGOKN2k8wYZMAGPm0mlvBkwYv69JO3P2hULB53At9uMeb-eiXoLw/s1600/friendship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1MlkfnS4v48JH770UKfxHa6rmBBDBiiYHEhqG2enYEL63KaJVNaSuQKpO0pjaJjeJ-zdjDZTdwhOZIil5gA7OJOIKGOKN2k8wYZMAGPm0mlvBkwYv69JO3P2hULB53At9uMeb-eiXoLw/s400/friendship.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I'm sure that you're all aware that today is Valentine's Day. Don't worry, this is not going to be a discourse about how important love is or how annoyingly commercialized Valentine's Day is (thought that's true).<br />
<br />
There is something very important about Valentine's Day, however, and that is that it gives us a day dedicated to contemplating some of our most important relationships.<br />
<br />
I remember that pipes used to be a point of slight contention between me and my girlfriend when we first started going out. Lauren came from a family that smoked cigarettes heavily and had come to despise them. Perhaps because of the success of the anti-tobacco propaganda, she had come to associate all tobacco products with cigarettes, as a lot of people do. Thus, because of the negative impact that cigarettes had on her family, she was concerned when she found out about my love for pipes.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLndTpvV9D03h0gBpRydJUtGEsezSFAt0IOflfIPVT_7PnLfJcAWkJ0urs_K2kbTIFiz6dCzSFDwUKkYxHtPorgO8GhKzVp_19FFwdSXzQPcnRPOJftRs4CwO9no6yDrfOiY5dn0HrpER7/s1600/Disney,+Lauren,+and+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLndTpvV9D03h0gBpRydJUtGEsezSFAt0IOflfIPVT_7PnLfJcAWkJ0urs_K2kbTIFiz6dCzSFDwUKkYxHtPorgO8GhKzVp_19FFwdSXzQPcnRPOJftRs4CwO9no6yDrfOiY5dn0HrpER7/s400/Disney,+Lauren,+and+me.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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(Lauren and me on her first trip to Disney World)</div>
<br />
Her fear concerned me as well, as I didn't want to give up pipes, though I didn't want to cause her grief. Naturally, smoking my pipes would have been the one to go if it had to, but I took this as an opportunity for discussion. I talked with her about the medical differences between pipes and cigarettes (as discussed more in depth in <a href="http://pipeschool.blogspot.com/2011/10/pipes-and-health.html">a previous post</a>) and let her know exactly why I love pipes as much as I do.<br />
<br />
After hearing the differences, including the fact that pipes are smoked less frequently (typically) than cigarettes and are usually not inhaled into the lunges, she completely changed her tune about pipes. She encouraged my hobby and has done her best to learn more about pipes because she knows how much they are a part of my life.<br />
<br />
Recently, Lauren did something that revealed her radical change in opinion of pipes.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
We were attending a staff holiday party for the pub where we work and were both having a great time. It was a cold evening in December, but the heating lamps and fire pits made the back patio quite pleasant. Since the majority of the staff and friends of the staff were cigarette smokers, the majority of people spent their time on the patio, drinking and smoking and having a good time.<br />
<br />
Along with my bottle of mead, one of my favorite drinks, I brought my IMP meerschaum and a bowl's worth of Boswell's Christmas Cookie.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahk_FNEGi8br0KF-SSJJEo1JAEAkNO7r7OX6g4RJzuLh4_pqKMPGi6RTD0qd4fb7PApSN9bFu2g2rxw4tPLT2YQQyO2_7xNCDObI_CY4q3ykYV_aguIOdz16HHQtemilnTUclO7cx02Y_/s1600/Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiahk_FNEGi8br0KF-SSJJEo1JAEAkNO7r7OX6g4RJzuLh4_pqKMPGi6RTD0qd4fb7PApSN9bFu2g2rxw4tPLT2YQQyO2_7xNCDObI_CY4q3ykYV_aguIOdz16HHQtemilnTUclO7cx02Y_/s320/Me.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(Me and that same meerschaum pipe)</div>
<br />
When I pulled my pipe out, Phoebe, a server at the pub, said in her too-adorable British accent, "That looks like a whale bone!"<br />
<br />
I kind of agree with her. It is a freehand design with a plateau-style finish at the top, which will look absolutely fantastic once it starts to color further. It was a present from my brother two Christmases ago and it has been my go-to meerschaum ever since.<br />
<br />
Once I settled in by one of the heating lamps, with Lauren by my side, I lit up and relaxed. I truly adore Boswell's Christmas Cookie, as you might have noticed with how frequently I have mentioned it. To me, it is absolutely the perfect aromatic, with nothing too overwhelming, but still perfectly light and sweet. It both tastes and smells like an oatmeal raisin cookie.<br />
<br />
Once I had been puffing for a little while, I asked Lauren how it smelled. Being someone who is still allowed and able to smoke indoors, I find her opinion on the aroma of a given tobacco to be one of the biggest factors of when I choose to smoke what tobacco. There are certain 'baccies that I reserve strictly for smoking indoors, as I know that she we like them. Mac Baren's Honey and Chocolate comes to mind.<br />
<br />
She heartily approved of the room note -- who wouldn't?<br />
<br />
A couple of minutes later, as I slowly exhaled a wisp of smoke, I looked over to her and smiled. She smiled back and then made a strange face.<br />
<br />
It looked like she was trying to suck on a straw that wasn't there. I cocked an eyebrow, channeling Spock.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ-2JMp1FOEHGBgQhSG_f0KCqW4V-DRiUPBI35hfbAqVs8Wq6ILZ_MwrAL4STe4H1zcVqBhHAVlPDVrXVLeAfC_XNEu-R6XPevsJcy2nyvM3VJk-4Xr3WtgQ_A1Cw9LHBxXNnjf_7UMC8/s1600/spock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ-2JMp1FOEHGBgQhSG_f0KCqW4V-DRiUPBI35hfbAqVs8Wq6ILZ_MwrAL4STe4H1zcVqBhHAVlPDVrXVLeAfC_XNEu-R6XPevsJcy2nyvM3VJk-4Xr3WtgQ_A1Cw9LHBxXNnjf_7UMC8/s400/spock.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Using her lips to gesticulate, an impressive task while still having them pursed, she motioned towards my pipe.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
I couldn't believe it. Surely, she didn't mean...<br />
<br />
"You want to try?" I asked hesitantly. I felt like a child approaching a deer, not wanting to move too eagerly for fear of disturbing it.<br />
<br />
She nodded.<br />
<br />
Astonished, I handed her my pipe, which she delicately held by the stem like she had seen me do in an attempt to not get grime on the meerschaum itself.<br />
<br />
She took the slightest of puffs and let it drift out of her mouth. It was gorgeous.<br />
<br />
Smiling as a trail of smoke still drifted from her lips, she took another puff and handed the pipe back to me.<br />
<br />
This continued through the evening, with me taking five puffs or so and then handing it back to her.<br />
<br />
I cannot express how much this event meant to me. It felt like she had finally fully embraced a part of me that I had always been slightly afraid would offend her. It wasn't until a year-and-a-half into our relationship that she saw me actually smoke for the first time.<br />
<br />
Since that night, Lauren has treated my pipes like an extension of me, showing them respect and deep interest. She has even spontaneously suggested that I smoke a pipe. I'm not sure if it was because she thought I was stressed, but I think it was just because she knows how much I enjoy it.<br />
<br />
It is amazing how much of a difference the acceptance and encouragement of my loved ones make in my ability to enjoy my pipes. I have never been one whose actions have been dictated by the whims of others, but those who get close enough to me to earn the title "loved ones" are people that I work hard at making happy.<br />
<br />
I know that Lauren's initial resistance to the pipe was out of concern for my health. Now, after she has learned more about pipes, she sees them for what they are and embraces them for how happy they make me (not that they make me happier than her, of course!).<br />
<br />
But that's the thing about loved ones. They are happy if you are happy. That's why they are loved ones.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85GjtikZ5TkI6FAog4fSuQTA5L1enGF0z3RYITv7vNGqiRudgduGA-UmIMMWt3t-0B54w9_Mh38nOPMogGDtRQI6JXZkxeG7v17W1JFrCXVDQliB1SHfQ3ifhMfNIcF-tmZYW5TruSXke/s1600/rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85GjtikZ5TkI6FAog4fSuQTA5L1enGF0z3RYITv7vNGqiRudgduGA-UmIMMWt3t-0B54w9_Mh38nOPMogGDtRQI6JXZkxeG7v17W1JFrCXVDQliB1SHfQ3ifhMfNIcF-tmZYW5TruSXke/s320/rose.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photos in this piece by "isoteemu", Lauren Ewart, Lauren Ewart, and Partha Sarathi Sahana, respectively)</span></div>
<br />thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-81365043438411672642012-02-11T18:57:00.000-08:002012-02-12T20:27:58.875-08:00Shameful Aromatics<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismW1vNbHvD4ys7pvegYuvjJrrMrGoj__v7DZLSqF7Nbdv-iUpAzu3ZSPZdOjdByAC-IOYtB2qSgKL_JGjvQq0P9cvGm-wD2dGDnxsDesnbCm53VE5k9-BwtI5PDvdL7pdCjXtTGBvAxoE/s1600/Fruit+by+Valentinian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismW1vNbHvD4ys7pvegYuvjJrrMrGoj__v7DZLSqF7Nbdv-iUpAzu3ZSPZdOjdByAC-IOYtB2qSgKL_JGjvQq0P9cvGm-wD2dGDnxsDesnbCm53VE5k9-BwtI5PDvdL7pdCjXtTGBvAxoE/s400/Fruit+by+Valentinian.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by Valentinian)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I've talked before about my friend,
Jeff, a bartender at the pub where I work. I recently made a gift to
him of a pipe-starter set, complete with pipe, tobacco, and all the
necessary accompaniments (see the whole story <a href="http://pipeschool.blogspot.com/2011/11/giving-thanks-pipes.html">here</a>).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A week or so after I gave this to him, we ran into each other on the patio of the pub. We were both dressed for work, in our kilts, and enjoying the fire-pits that were roaring outside. I asked him how he was enjoying his new pipe and he seemed to light up when asked
about it, indicating that he was liking it a lot.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“I'm really liking the Altadis Night
Cap. It just smells and tastes great!”<br />
<br />
“Oh, absolutely,”
I said. “Aromatics are always a crowd-pleaser.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“I do have a question about
aromatics, though.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Uh-Oh.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Is there
anything wrong with liking aromatics?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“No,” I
responded instantly. I did feel obligated to discuss the issue of aromatics further with Jeff, as I feel the need to do now.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
First of all, to
say that a particular pipe tobacco is aromatic is a sort of an absurd statement. Of
course it is aromatic. It has an aroma, usually quite distinct, and
is thus aromatic.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The term “aromatic”
when being used to describe a subsection of tobacco means something
slightly different, however. It refers to sweeter blends, frequently
featuring artificial flavoring, such as cherry, chocolate, and
vanilla through the addition of syrups.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbh5LrmPL2DD9ZoX99ZtyJk-kPcKqMW0QSFgq3vIiCn2V6SEA0-FPlNokcASHM4ZY-fosflxo64iqpGEmg2_N570hmiJBuwCaxFY8mf2lXi4TfOmCtrWBEPhhJbDtuCARt-zuKn-4VuvU/s1600/fruit+by+wmliu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbh5LrmPL2DD9ZoX99ZtyJk-kPcKqMW0QSFgq3vIiCn2V6SEA0-FPlNokcASHM4ZY-fosflxo64iqpGEmg2_N570hmiJBuwCaxFY8mf2lXi4TfOmCtrWBEPhhJbDtuCARt-zuKn-4VuvU/s400/fruit+by+wmliu.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by wmliu)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Other tobacco blends that
feature Black Cavendish as a primary component are also often
referred to as “aromatics”.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4RrzJkWgPUhPn_oQMi6QrgjdtZvb4zPNi2eBQFjVA-zpTfAf2s6sCpF8TSxA6vpP0yq-EJkTHV8K9H_PPMp0QaWTD3btlWOyXwb8VNv-_Jkc8ddujDJSkJ6oUEcnlbqR6NVFfnCmtSh4/s1600/captain+black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk4RrzJkWgPUhPn_oQMi6QrgjdtZvb4zPNi2eBQFjVA-zpTfAf2s6sCpF8TSxA6vpP0yq-EJkTHV8K9H_PPMp0QaWTD3btlWOyXwb8VNv-_Jkc8ddujDJSkJ6oUEcnlbqR6NVFfnCmtSh4/s320/captain+black.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Let me blunt, much
blunter than I often am about issues concerning taste: there is
absolutely nothing wrong with liking aromatics.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As I have said many
times before and I am sure I will say many times again: we smoke
pipes for our enjoyment, to do what makes us happy. If aromatics make
you happy, then smoke them! If they're not your bag, don't bother
with them.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Here is one thing
that you should not do if you don't like aromatics: do not make fun
or insult those who enjoy them.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I lament that I
even have to say this, but it happens far too frequently. In fact,
there seems to be something inherent within aromatics that causes
people to think they are shameful, as indicated by Jeff's spontaneous
concern.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There are several
reasons that we should not scold those lovers of the rum and berry
tobaccos. First of all, our hobby has a very small following and it
is often difficult to find a group of pipesters with whom we can
converse and share our enjoyment. Thus, it does us and our hobby no
assistance to upbraid one of our members for his preferences.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by dogfaceboy)</span></div>
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Imagine the newly inducted pipester who attends his first pipe-related gathering (I only use the example of someone new to the hobby to prove a point, not to imply that only novices smoke aromatics). He brings along with him his pipe, which he nervously and lovingly choose from the meager selection at his local tobacconist -- and by local, I mean the one still remaining in his entire city. Additionally, he brings a bag of his favorite tobacco, flavored like a blueberry pie.</div>
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Once he finds an inconspicuous location in the room where the meeting is taking place, he struggles to load his bowl and finally manages to light up.</div>
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"Who is smoking that?" he hears from one of the grizzled veterans.</div>
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The novice doesn't respond, as he doesn't know what the man is talking about that.</div>
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"Who is smoking that aromatic tripe?"</div>
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Naturally, the young man is crushed and finds an exit from the meeting as quickly as possible, never to return again.</div>
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What good has been done through this interaction? Our hobby has lost another member due to nothing but cruelty and self-righteousness.</div>
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This is obviously an extreme example that I would expect never to witness from my fellow pipe-lovers, but this is how it could feel to someone towards whom the ire is directed.</div>
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Another reason to avoid mocking the sweet-tasting tobaccos is that there is simply no justification for such an opinion concerning aromatics. Yes, they are delicious; yes, they are flavors that we often grew to love as children (with the exception of rum, I would hope). This, however, gives no real reason for such opinions. It would be like insulting someone for liking ice-cream that had a sweet flavor instead of ones that did not.
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Or perhaps a better example is condemning someone for putting ketchup on a hamburger instead of leaving it plain. Honestly, does it do you or anyone else any harm at all?
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I am a big fan of aromatics at certain times, specifically during the extremely hot and extremely cold weather. It is also a go-to style when I am smoking indoors with other people, as it pleases those around me and thus makes them encourage me to do it again. Always a good thing!</div>
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One of the first intense aromatics I ever had was "Devil's Holiday", by Dan Tobacco.</div>
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I cracked my first tin on International Pipe Smoking Day of 2010 and then reviewed it online. Here is a sample of my review:</div>
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<i>Upon opening the tin, I was hit by the powerful aroma of berries, sweet and ripe. I really enjoyed the nose, though it did smell a little overly synthetic.</i></div>
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<i>The leaves came out of the tin after a little over a month of having the blend at basically a perfect smoking quality: still slightly moist, but dry enough to be lit well, with limited relights.</i></div>
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<i>The sweetness of the tin aroma transferred to the smoke, though not nearly as overpowering, to my taste. Don't get me wrong, it was sweet, very sweet, but not enough to stop me in my tracks.</i></div>
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I can certainly understand those people who devote their entire pipe-smoking existence to aromatics. I can also understand those who perceive them as overpowering and not very enjoyable. </div>
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We all have our personal preferences, and if we choose to share them it is not to be ridiculed or to ridicule others; it is to share and to start conversations, so that we can enhance our enjoyment through shared experience.</div>
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I am sure that I am preaching to the choir for many of you, but it is something that I feel is worth discussing. This is a specific way of reemphasizing a general motif: do what you enjoy and let others do what they enjoy. After all, variety is the spice of life. The pipe world would be very boring if we all liked exactly the same thing, wouldn't it?</div>thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-16653594258470744362012-02-06T08:05:00.000-08:002012-02-06T08:05:34.872-08:00My Father's Gift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77eWuuf4_hwg3uoBznaU2C61_Nt93CPrXZAgdOK25ft_opjin49Ife0KCQP73gqICbYjPhhThxAvSw2lOjePgUMUCsTZKyCkD7VDOWLBhgcWaQ8XjRMruM79VOgjFXHmlz_RgcjEYXrBe/s1600/dad3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77eWuuf4_hwg3uoBznaU2C61_Nt93CPrXZAgdOK25ft_opjin49Ife0KCQP73gqICbYjPhhThxAvSw2lOjePgUMUCsTZKyCkD7VDOWLBhgcWaQ8XjRMruM79VOgjFXHmlz_RgcjEYXrBe/s400/dad3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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(My father, Jay Brandt, on the Playboy Jazz Cruise in 2009)</div>
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Like a lot of children, I loved to be told stories when I was growing up. Honestly, stories, both fictional and true, still play a large part in my life, as I am an English major and aspiring poet. </div>
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Unlike most children, however, my father never regaled me with stories about fairies and princesses and castles. I grew up hearing about Krishna and Ganesha, Parvati and Durga.</div>
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When he didn't feel like recalling a classic Hindu or Buddhist story, he would tell me one of his own. In his younger years, my father traveled through India and Iran, Russia and France, Afghanistan and Tibet. He tells me that he left the USA with a backpack and $2,000. Mind you, this was in the early 70s. One my favorite stories involves that fact that, while traveling through Afghanistan, he saw "a line of trucks and jeeps, miles long". Apparently, he had no idea what was going on until many years later, when he realized that that was the Russians invading the country.</div>
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(My father riding a donkey with children in Iran)</div>
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To this day, my habit of living vicariously through my father has not changed. </div>
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This summer, my father, stepmother (affectionately known as 'Smom'), and my two younger siblings traveled to Myrtle Beach on a family vacation.</div>
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When they told me where they were planning on going, I nearly started drooling. "Myrtle Beach as in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina?" I said over the phone to my father.</div>
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Don't mistake my intentions. I have no interest in beaches or lengthy periods of exposure to the sun and shirtless people who really should be wearing shirts. My drool-reflex was inspired by something else residing in Myrtle Beach, specifically something residing less than two miles from the condo in which my family would be staying: Low Country Pipe & Cigar, the physical location of Smokingpipes.com.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNU8Q919Gx9Db0laS-VXQhsIVxIFINSJcKqcj-IzhHxPnt18X098ogx_l4_XPiE51StpvG2w8swBK8bEHsXPQnt0Q-_1on5hxEbjWJnlFtteOmnI-0jG4dlQA2S4Lt6BnfyM0nZhp0CZ8a/s1600/smokingpipes+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNU8Q919Gx9Db0laS-VXQhsIVxIFINSJcKqcj-IzhHxPnt18X098ogx_l4_XPiE51StpvG2w8swBK8bEHsXPQnt0Q-_1on5hxEbjWJnlFtteOmnI-0jG4dlQA2S4Lt6BnfyM0nZhp0CZ8a/s320/smokingpipes+logo.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Image courtesy of Smokingpipes) </div>
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Needless to say, I attempted to rearrange my schedule, to no avail. College does not let you reschedule your classes so easily as one might like. </div>
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So, while my family was enjoying the sunshine of the beach and I would have been whiling away the hours eyeballing extremely expensive pipes, I was forced to learn about basic Political Theory and the writings of Daniel Dennett, which, for the most part, I enjoyed.</div>
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A couple of days into their vacation, I received a phone call from my father. "Do you have the Mark Twain pipes from Peterson?"</div>
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<i>He's there</i>, I thought to myself, <i>he is standing in my Mecca</i>.</div>
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I hesitated to tell him that I did already have that series, as I didn't want to sound selfish or ungrateful. I also hate lying, however, so I told him that I did.</div>
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"Okay, hold on," he said.</div>
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"Hello, Ethan?" I heard over the other end. I didn't recognize the voice. "This is __________ at Smokingpipes." I have a blank there because I cannot remember the man's name (sorry, sir).</div>
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We talked for a couple of minutes, talking about a few pipes that I did and did not have. Eventually, he wished me well and handed me back to my father. </div>
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I heard nothing more about the subject until Thanksgiving, when I drove to Union, Kentucky to visit my dad. I had not, however, forgotten about his visit.</div>
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I asked him what Low Country was like, both because I was curious and as a not-so-subtle way of inquiring about the pipe.</div>
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"It wasn't what I expected," he said. "It was just a tiny place."</div>
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"Tiny?" I asked, surprised. Mind you, I hadn't seen the place in person, but I had seen the pictures many, many times. Quickly, I whipped out my computer and found a particular image. "Was this the place you went?"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNqhGgY3Gn_L-FWulU1uUeu9F5pSq09T_4VEPemC6gWk7hLyKJXM9k0dXNBkyDpVWFfNFe_Fs2Qw0TJ72RJxE-JzYI65a1TJskwo_9i03I2to-aSAzF3j2XJr0Rs9NaYc9V-AQ-q-crYY/s1600/Low+Country.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNqhGgY3Gn_L-FWulU1uUeu9F5pSq09T_4VEPemC6gWk7hLyKJXM9k0dXNBkyDpVWFfNFe_Fs2Qw0TJ72RJxE-JzYI65a1TJskwo_9i03I2to-aSAzF3j2XJr0Rs9NaYc9V-AQ-q-crYY/s400/Low+Country.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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(Image of Low Country Pipes & Tobacco, courtesy of Smokingpipes)</div>
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I showed him the image you see above.</div>
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"Yeah, that's the place," he said.</div>
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I couldn't believe my ears. To me, that is the image of heaven: pipes, tobacco, leather chairs, wooden decor, and warm lighting. Had I been able to go to Myrtle Beach, I would have spent all of my days in this place of holy Pipedom. </div>
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It reinforced to me how unusual our hobby is. We find beauty and enjoyment in areas where most people would just see a piece of wood, just see a room with boxes and tins. We appreciate the under-appreciated. </div>
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After I explained, exasperated, how much beauty I found in that place that referred to as diminutive, he told me to follow him upstairs, dug a box out of his closet, and handed it to me.</div>
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I recognized the generic pipe-box that Smokingpipes uses instantly. It seemed a lot fuller, a lot larger, than I was used to. </div>
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Opening it, I first pulled out a T-shirt with the Smokingpipes logo on the front and the Low Country building on the back.</div>
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"The gentleman working there threw that in for free when I told him about you," my father explained. This was an extremely generous act on the part of the Low Country staff, one which I truly appreciate.</div>
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Beneath the shirt rested a generic Smokingpipes pipe sock. The pipe I pulled out was perfect.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1khUA3aYZy1tfUYUACR9IG3NSrGoLBGURjo5RnwJwMK7yEacRyRzomt7FmikzkxU22Y0qknDQKDW3xFpSW__9gUOZkWOY2hJc8QGval8h9hGnrhbMRR4FPmE3kNvzTcB1gXwJiUOmFtRe/s1600/Savinelli+Clark's+Choice2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1khUA3aYZy1tfUYUACR9IG3NSrGoLBGURjo5RnwJwMK7yEacRyRzomt7FmikzkxU22Y0qknDQKDW3xFpSW__9gUOZkWOY2hJc8QGval8h9hGnrhbMRR4FPmE3kNvzTcB1gXwJiUOmFtRe/s400/Savinelli+Clark's+Choice2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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(Savinelli Clark's Choice, photo copyright of Ethan Brandt, 2012)</div>
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I have owned my fair share of Savinellis, but this is by far my favorite. It is not only my favorite because it is the perfect length between standard and churchwarden, it is not only my favorite because the blast is beautiful; it is my favorite because it was from my father.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Copyright of Ethan Brandt, 2012)</span></div>
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He went to my holy-land and brought home a piece of it that he found to be significant, in which he saw beauty. He took the time to think about my obsession and think about how he could add something to it in a meaningful way.</div>
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I have not yet smoked the pipe, as I have been waiting to photograph it first, but I have held it and looked at it many times. Every time I hold it, I think of my father and the stories that he has told me, stories that occurred before I was alive on travels far away. This is my physical connection to one of my father's stories. Admittedly, it is not a trip to a small village in India, but it is a story with which I feel a deep connection, both to the event and to my father.</div>
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<br />thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-27695312147453884672012-02-03T11:12:00.000-08:002012-02-03T11:12:58.597-08:00Video Killed the Blogosphere<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by Bella Luna Toys)</span></div>
<br />
It wasn't that long ago that I heard the term <i>blog</i> for the first time. I laughed to myself and thought it was a ridiculous word and and even more ridiculous concept. Certainly, there was no way this could catch on.<br />
<br />
Well, here I am with a blog of my own, frequently reading other blogs and wondering what I would do without them. It just goes to show what a Luddite I was being.<br />
<br />
However, despite the growing popularity of blogs, they are still, for the most part, written word. Written word has had a single nemesis for years that it has never been able to defeat: video.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__EHJDNMnQEh7g8KI4rxS6vKIoK5EiDtJYFb7VIM1z7U_5rAxIk8p8tsAlLWVNUmZY_ZCh2mKYT0t5nii2wpYF7W8yIJXOBSxrAV_iI69smsV0J9BeGtLmZmJTjIux6zLYELkqAncXaed/s1600/writing+by+deathtiny42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__EHJDNMnQEh7g8KI4rxS6vKIoK5EiDtJYFb7VIM1z7U_5rAxIk8p8tsAlLWVNUmZY_ZCh2mKYT0t5nii2wpYF7W8yIJXOBSxrAV_iI69smsV0J9BeGtLmZmJTjIux6zLYELkqAncXaed/s320/writing+by+deathtiny42.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by Deathtiny42)</span></div>
<br />
Video is a quick, effective form of communication with so many great uses. Trust me, I am not complaining about the proliferation of video making and watching capability.<br />
<br />
As someone with a desire to continue providing useful, entertaining information on the subject of pipes, however, it would seem to behoove me to expand my area of expertise.<br />
<br />
To that end, I have been heavily contemplating starting a YouTube channel devoted to pipes. The videos could be anything from explaining techniques to tobacco reviews to just a one-minute long show-and-tell of a new pipe I acquired.<br />
<br />
The purpose of this channel would be to provide <i>you</i> with the information and entertainment that <i>you </i>want. For that reason, I pose the questions to you, and I really do want answer:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Would you be interested in watching such videos?</li>
<li>What topic would you like those videos to cover?</li>
</ol>
<div>
I want to hear your responses and input before I take this step so that I can be sure to provide you with the best possible videos and information.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thank you ahead of time for your help in what I view as a very exciting possibility!</div>thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-47032205747977091962012-01-30T11:01:00.000-08:002012-01-31T14:41:49.406-08:00Play Those Briar Blues<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ygqp16BVM2V4RC5RFNqFuYbIlikC9CX0m1BfMt6R3EBilBReehZivWBd4iaBqGaK_-aiVxSky8VhUwZj73ehsnzoOZzTqtzmbo_EAMWqoYJ48O97SXexDYqlzioUgp87rlglXZMcCtcq/s1600/briar+blues.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2ygqp16BVM2V4RC5RFNqFuYbIlikC9CX0m1BfMt6R3EBilBReehZivWBd4iaBqGaK_-aiVxSky8VhUwZj73ehsnzoOZzTqtzmbo_EAMWqoYJ48O97SXexDYqlzioUgp87rlglXZMcCtcq/s200/briar+blues.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What makes a great business man? Knowledge, resources, experience? Of course, these are all exceedingly important for providing excellent service. To take the step step from good to great, however, you need a little something extra. Mike Glukler has that something and I knew it from the moment I first spoke with him.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He takes an intense interest in your passions, making it his mission to help you achieve your pipe collecting goal, be it finding your first good pipe or completing an incredibly rare and complex collection. More than anything, he is a genuine and disarmingly kind man.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the best examples of the type of business man he is, in my mind, is that he starts almost every single e-mail update with something along the lines of, "Good evening. Please excuse this intrusion into your busy weekend", despite the fact that his pipe updates are one of the <i>highlights</i> of my weekend!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Recently, Mike took the time out of his busy schedule to answer a few of my questions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRi38TiX4kQHiwgosGScD3Uw9nghK9paU8wxIBQJCrv4zXvmNFKHdUA6wy-WfoUNkxAX5oFXiATuInnloUBcRxJygBo78o7FeMIbBFk4_4XSzsj-PIxF60vyLGfaZTdIV7NqjrAhq6WQVu/s1600/mike+glukler.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRi38TiX4kQHiwgosGScD3Uw9nghK9paU8wxIBQJCrv4zXvmNFKHdUA6wy-WfoUNkxAX5oFXiATuInnloUBcRxJygBo78o7FeMIbBFk4_4XSzsj-PIxF60vyLGfaZTdIV7NqjrAhq6WQVu/s1600/mike+glukler.JPG" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Ethan Brandt</b>: When did you smoke your first pipe? What made you start? Can you describe that experience?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Michael Glukler</b>: </span></span>Many years ago. I was 14 and began with cigarettes. My parents, being of solid European stock, said no to cigarettes, and they bought me a pipe. A straight burgundy pear shaped Yello Bowl. I was given a package of Borkum Riff. I filled the pipe, smoked it to near the bottom. My tongue was raw. I emptied the bowl and the yellow tobacco chamber liner fell out. I did not touch a pipe again until I was 18 years old!</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>EB</b>: How did you first get into the pipe business?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>MG</b>: </span></span>I guess it sort of began in the early 80s. I started to enjoy a pipe, seriously, and ended up working part time in a few of the local pipe shops. In 91, the last real “pipe shop” in this area closed and shortly</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">after I went back to cigarettes. A few years later a friend came over ( a pipe smoker ) with a tin of</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">McClelland’s tobacco and suggested I bring out an old pipe and have a bowl. From then I switched</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">back to a pipe. The more I returned back the more I realized that my income was not sufficient for</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">my “needs” in pipes and tobaccos. In 1995 I began to dabble a bit in selling pipes for friends on E-Bay.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In 1996 I decided to take it to the next level. Built a web site. Listened to a lot of others in the business</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">on what to do and what not to do, and the business has grown.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>EB</b>:
What do you look for when deciding what you will sell on your
website?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>MG</b>: </span></span>In estate pipes, I have no criteria. It is what my clients send. I will not sell pipes that have been “abused and resurrected “. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In new pipes I am open to working with most carvers or factories. I do not go out of my way to bring in new pipes though. There are a few that I currently sell, such as Castello. I have long wanted to become an authorized Castello dealer and this year we made it happen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2spkAihUG81xVGxi8IoRG8-lCqy-KKCTFqZ6QpFMQSZcKPjiqO8JYNyUXq3RpCQtz3G8x2MphkxV4NSpW32PmimNm_peEn3vsGc5EJ2cnw_WHc0_AAKRVFLpmxuLqioC7sAkHOusZSWqR/s1600/castello+55+collection+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2spkAihUG81xVGxi8IoRG8-lCqy-KKCTFqZ6QpFMQSZcKPjiqO8JYNyUXq3RpCQtz3G8x2MphkxV4NSpW32PmimNm_peEn3vsGc5EJ2cnw_WHc0_AAKRVFLpmxuLqioC7sAkHOusZSWqR/s400/castello+55+collection+2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(A Castello 55 acquired with help from Mike Glukler)
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Briar Blues has also dealt with Le Nuvole, Radice, Peter Heeschen and a few others. We try and be a</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">little selective and not try and sell the same lines or as many lines as others. It is not that we couldn’t,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">but Briar Blues is not like other retailers. This is not my income and as such, every sale that we do in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">new pipes takes away from someone else that may be earning their living on pipe sales.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">What we do prefer is working with lesser known carvers or new carvers looking for an avenue to show</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">their pipes and get a start. Then once they get a solid foundation of clients they can find other retailers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">or sell directly from their own site.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>EB</b>:
What do you feel sets your business apart from others? Give me your
sales pitch!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>MG</b>:
That is a loaded question. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>EB</b>: Maybe just a little bit (evil smile).</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>MG</b>:</span></span>That is a loaded question. I suppose the biggest difference is the way the estate pipes are priced. I do</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">not set the prices, unless specifically asked to do so by a client. The majority of pipes are priced by the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">clients themselves. That may sound odd, but I am pretty fortunate to have a client base that knows</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">allot about pipes and most have an excellent grasp of the pipe market. They know what a pipe should sell for and many track what they paid for any given pipe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Briar Blues offers sales through E-Bay or a web site. Each pre smoked pipe gets gently cleaned and</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">polished and presented on the site. We do not take pipes and flip them on E-Bay as they arrive in the</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">condition they arrive in, nor do we resurrect / refinish / repair / or alter pipes. We do not sand and re</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">coat tobacco chambers. What comes in goes out in “ready to enjoy” condition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of our clients have become friends over time and with many we work closely to locate specific</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">pipes for their collections, as you well know. Or need I say … Castello shape 55? If we find a pipe that</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">may interest a client, that happens to be on another retailers site, we will contact our client and point</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">out the pipe.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKwuNOcQavg6nXZ0ZydtPJ_dMCjnncHdxVKrpvzJVJ6M9LDNVCW4Rf1WvpUEQLU_IOh1tiW-gTEBFtkV7YzBCNJ5EFw9ForuAt9_ZUFx-DAG8f1AX4v2uiIgBQsJfHeSh2PSwuSnRDRXy/s1600/castello+55+flame+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKwuNOcQavg6nXZ0ZydtPJ_dMCjnncHdxVKrpvzJVJ6M9LDNVCW4Rf1WvpUEQLU_IOh1tiW-gTEBFtkV7YzBCNJ5EFw9ForuAt9_ZUFx-DAG8f1AX4v2uiIgBQsJfHeSh2PSwuSnRDRXy/s400/castello+55+flame+2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Another Castello 55 acquired thanks to Mike)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>EB</b>: Thanks for that little mention about my Castello 55 hunt. And thanks for all the help! Sorry, I interrupted you.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MG</b>: We will also advise clients on their pipe sales avenues. Recently a client asked us to sell the balance</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">of his items on E-Bay. I suggested , that if he’s going to pay me my normal fee, he’d be far better off</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">sending the pipes to a different seller that will charge him the same fee and garner him a better return.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So we sent the pipes to Rodrigo Garza of treasurepipes ( on E-Bay ) and the pipes sold very well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As we get to know our clients tastes we may also steer them away from pipes they are interested in</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">that may not best suit their needs / wants. Last week, I would not accept an order from a fellow for</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">a couple of pipes that would have sold for near $3000.00. He is new to collecting pipes and the two</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">he asked about are more “art” pieces as opposed to real smoking pipes. Sure I’d love the sale, but I’d</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">rather have the fellow buy from Briar Blues for a long time and be his go to retailer, as opposed to a one</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">hit purchase and not return.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We are also able to work with buyers in China in Mandarin, Cantonese and Hubei dialects. Either</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">spoken or written. No, not me ….
(Mike stops here and laughs in a self-deprecating fashion) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have only a very basic working ability in Cantonese, but Xia ( my cohort in crime ) is more than able to communicate with our Chinese clients. For these buyers, we can accept Pay Pal or direct bank deposit to a bank in China.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally, I’d say that our goal is what really sets us apart. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>EB</b>: Which is?</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>MG</b>: </span></span>Our goal is to put more money back into the hands of collectors, so they in turn will use the money to purchase more pipes and tobacco.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>EB</b>: Not a bad goal at all! So, you've been working in the pipe business for a while: what pipe makers continue to amaze you?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>MG</b>:
There are so many extremely skilled pipe carvers today. The
ones that amaze me most are not their skill set, but their
personalities. The carvers that “amaze” me are the
ones I’d like to break bread with. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9ZPuYfHuyCMMe4hrI-JEJcduRgA7f2ae5ZaWRBgYvp5oHChg4fBOH_mD6EZp2SqVTq0x0O9FYfLxNQCcMtbTPRVycZi-AkhWxwrAjwHyAkU7VU6sxTsdIpbU5NoreioQodtK47Ht9XLr/s1600/Bread+by+Moyan+Brenn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9ZPuYfHuyCMMe4hrI-JEJcduRgA7f2ae5ZaWRBgYvp5oHChg4fBOH_mD6EZp2SqVTq0x0O9FYfLxNQCcMtbTPRVycZi-AkhWxwrAjwHyAkU7VU6sxTsdIpbU5NoreioQodtK47Ht9XLr/s400/Bread+by+Moyan+Brenn.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Photo courtesy of Moyan Brenn)</span></div>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The ones with that twinkle
in their eyes that show their minds are always working. The
ones with the quick wit and big smiles. The ones that are
serious about what they offer, but also understand in the scheme of
things pipes are only a small part of the world. And the
ones that go out of their way to do what is right and not always for
their own benefit.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>EB</b>:
With what pipe makers would you say you have the best relationship
and why?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>MG</b>:
I have never really thought about this question at all. I
think I have decent relationships with most carvers. None
I can think of that I am at odds with. I am sure there
are a few that would prefer I keep some of my opinions to myself,
such as tobacco chamber coatings…. Yes, I know I’m flogging a dead
horse. (Loud laugh) But all in all I try and get along with everyone, as
best I can. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>: You mentioned a little disagreement about tobacco chamber coatings. What is your opinion on this?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>MG</b>: I will try and answer this as diplomatically as possible. Personally, I do not like tobacco chamber coatings. I will not add pipes to my collection that have a chamber coating. Why, some might ask, and I’ll tell you. I suppose I may be a little “sensitive” to the “flavors” that some coatings have. I will readily admit that the majority of pipe buyers do not notice any flavors in the coatings. I however can, and as such, avoid coatings with a vengeance.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are a few carvers that use recipes, which to my taste buds, are acceptable as they are flavor neutral. What I mean by “flavor neutral” is that the chamber coatings to do alter the taste of tobacco, do not mute the flavor or tobacco, and offer no bitter taste when smoking. These carvers use recipes which contain natural edible ingredients, and may easily be removed with a damp cloth.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlp4Wzz8SW3sV9m_ZmPbvhgzdw_VMb4lXyHfVuDg1Hw3aL4_dOC4K0BmDildyjxso95wX4swmzf3zr6XicBYJwgKTvM3dkQ4BeUOsT5ku5j0GaQzYKQ8FYRgZGYrcP9m0L2ghE7GpC9kJ/s1600/neutral.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlp4Wzz8SW3sV9m_ZmPbvhgzdw_VMb4lXyHfVuDg1Hw3aL4_dOC4K0BmDildyjxso95wX4swmzf3zr6XicBYJwgKTvM3dkQ4BeUOsT5ku5j0GaQzYKQ8FYRgZGYrcP9m0L2ghE7GpC9kJ/s1600/neutral.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">(Futurama's Neutral President. "I have no strong feelings whatsoever!")</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I understand why many carvers use chamber coatings. One school of thinking is that a coated tobacco chamber offers a pipe that looks more finished. I guess I can accept that, but at the same time then must ask, that if a coated chamber looks better or more finely finished, does that mean that the carvers that do not coat the chambers are offering pipes that look less finely finished? If so, then we’re putting some pretty well known, highly thought of carvers on a list that says …… you pipes do not look well finished. I am not saying either is correct, I am just offering the reasons.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another group believes that a chamber coating offers a protective layer,which may help prevent </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">a burn out. My belief is that unless the carver is using asbestos, the coating offers no protection and </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">may just do the opposite. The </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">only</i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> two pipes that I have ever had burn out on me both had chamber </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">coatings and both burned out within the first two bowls. Both burned out through the sides. I am sure t</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">hat in the wall of the bowl was a small ( or maybe large ) non visible piece of sand that once heated, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">expanded and created the burn out. A coating may have retarded the process for a few bowls, but the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">end for each pipe would have been the same. Maybe if the chambers had not been coated the sand s</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">pots might have been able to expand inwards and thus not burn out at all. Of course that is speculation </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">on my part. Above this I am sorry, but no amount of chamber coating can protect any pipe from the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">aggressive use of a torch lighter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally there are those that believe a chamber coating aids in the break in process. I would bet that for some pipe-enjoyers this is true. Not for me, however. I prefer the virgin chamber to be broken in with only the tobaccos I choose to enjoy. On new pipes I tend to be quite careful. I puff more gently and try not to heat up the chamber too much. Let the smoldering tobacco do the work, so to speak. I also do not mind the slightly woody taste at the end of a virgin tobacco chamber. Some people cannot stand this taste, and I understand that, and for those folks, I strongly suggest they stick with pre-coated chambers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The issue really boils down to personal preference and getting the maximum enjoyment out of your pipes. I know what works best for me and that is the path I have chosen to follow.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I know that some buyers see the coating chamber issue differently. Some believe that carvers use a chamber coating are trying to hide flaws. This is an issue of honesty and integrity.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s look at this seriously. Any carver foolish enough to use a chamber coating to mask flaws will find their reputation sullied quite quickly. Or at minimum the way the buying public views their offered items will drop in stature and thus command less than acceptable prices. Of paramount importance to carvers is their reputation. It is their names stamped on the pipes. Each and every pipe that leaves their shop carries with it, their guarantee of them doing the best possible with each piece.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The hidden / hiding flaws issue is just like the fills issue. Some carvers and factories fill bowls. Some do not. Those that say they do not, and the reverse has occurred have found their market diminish quickly. The same would hold true for any carver knowingly using a chamber coating to mask flaws.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>EB</b>: That is quite an answer! How about a question that shouldn't stir up as much controversy: What type of pipe/tobacco do you smoke for your own pleasure?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>MG</b>:
If you were to look in my cellar you’d find mainly Virginia’s or
Virginia’s with Perique or Orientals, with only small amounts of
Latakia. Until recently I pretty much stayed to only a
few blends and brands, but due to a recent gift I am now exploring
another line, which I had avoided due to my own lack of research. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>EB</b>:
What is your go-to pipe?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>MG</b>:
I collect one brand mainly and that is Castello. Being in
the business most people think I have a large collection of pipes,
however currently I have under ten pipes: six Castellos, two Le
Nuvoles, and a Stephen Downie. I can say that I can
choose any one of the 9 and have an excellent smoke. So
really I have nine “go to” pipes.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>EB</b>:
Who is your favorite author?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>MG</b>:
There are two that when I have time to read, which I rarely do, they
would be Brian Jacques and Regis McCafferty. If and when
I do get any “free time” you will find me plugged into an
amplifier with a guitar in hand. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>EB</b>:
What is your favorite book, when you're not rocking out on your
guitar?</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>MG</b>:
I have two favorite books. Shibumi by Trevanian and Rakkety Tam
by Brian Jacques. Neither are heavy reading and some may
even say they are light reading to the extreme. I read to
let my mind wander / relax. My little blonde brain does
enough thinking on work days. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPx_Wp7iaUPvZmJzZIECfenBD4THCeiNkc-I_gx3ygPkk_X0R8fKsw1WotnwAjjeKH3LjAgw-miFPcUs0jlZydloPyRteMsyi-TJNJ5n4Eax7Nt3JFgqKZ3zuwotcLsuvNu4xdVTM21-U_/s1600/Rakkety_Tam_UK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPx_Wp7iaUPvZmJzZIECfenBD4THCeiNkc-I_gx3ygPkk_X0R8fKsw1WotnwAjjeKH3LjAgw-miFPcUs0jlZydloPyRteMsyi-TJNJ5n4Eax7Nt3JFgqKZ3zuwotcLsuvNu4xdVTM21-U_/s400/Rakkety_Tam_UK.jpg" width="253" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Fair use of Rakkety Tam cover, the 17th book in the Redwall series)</span>
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>: Mike, thank you so much for your time and all that you've done for the pipe world...and my collection personally! </span></div>thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-82943051404137668292012-01-25T09:39:00.000-08:002012-01-25T14:53:48.067-08:00New Sherlock Holmes Makes Pipes Cool...Again...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUVhBdJGD1hLQYToUx8ZYiaxAz4EIWlx_l067zlVPGU8nJ7YSdikGpvC_LNkhUpIihT9VoPvfkCgqGJORAIB7xD4yqZMc6tO70bb10xpyxtE0V8vpZHFsWN_tef_vkK1c269f2P3EPWZW/s1600/pipes+magazine+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUVhBdJGD1hLQYToUx8ZYiaxAz4EIWlx_l067zlVPGU8nJ7YSdikGpvC_LNkhUpIihT9VoPvfkCgqGJORAIB7xD4yqZMc6tO70bb10xpyxtE0V8vpZHFsWN_tef_vkK1c269f2P3EPWZW/s400/pipes+magazine+logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Recently, I was given the opportunity to start writing periodic pieces for Pipes Magazine, one of the largest and most trafficked pipe websites out there. I was thrilled and nervous, to say the least.<br />
<br />
I had a lot of ideas for articles, some of which were good and some which simply wouldn't work for Pipes Magazine. In fact, a recent post on this blog, entitled <a href="http://pipeschool.blogspot.com/2012/01/come-togetherright-nowover-pipes.html">Come Together...Right Now...Over Pipes</a>, was my first attempt at an article for the magazine.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdOTZpqiNu-tS_LFD3Y_MNXcIgTHeH0xriuGtEEwNw4oA-YelHz5aatgFSEugSqv6QN7Vzeo6n6whJgbHMxx1w6MRED4o3Z_afpAtNWb9iD7Z-QjN5KNmvmwZdGn38g277Z-GXxS29EnK/s1600/kevin-godbee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCdOTZpqiNu-tS_LFD3Y_MNXcIgTHeH0xriuGtEEwNw4oA-YelHz5aatgFSEugSqv6QN7Vzeo6n6whJgbHMxx1w6MRED4o3Z_afpAtNWb9iD7Z-QjN5KNmvmwZdGn38g277Z-GXxS29EnK/s1600/kevin-godbee.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Pipes Magazine Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Kevin Godbee)</span></div>
<br />
<span id="goog_1909164219"></span><span id="goog_1909164220"></span><br />
Eventually, the editor of Pipes Magazine, Kevin Godbee, and I decided on a topic: the new Sherlock Holmes movies, starring Robert Downey, Jr., and their impact on pipes.<br />
<br />
It was a challenging project. I consider myself linguistically acceptable, capable of pumping out a fifteen page research paper on a topic that I know nothing about within a couple of hours and receiving a very good grade. However, this was my first time writing for a real magazine.<br />
<br />
I have worked on Washington University's newspaper, Student Life, doing restaurant reviews, but that was nothing compared to this.<br />
<br />
After thinking and working and deleting and slamming my head against my desk, I managed to produce what I feel is a decent analysis of these movies in relation to the older films and the pipe world as a whole.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWu4tgqNCB-5zKPDObDAaH8oCfVhF82md9Gu5YL9mLv2A3-QzoBtoF0tAkhmOxIpgd9a0D9tNNnmOBHjQmOrBWd6jxg0o6-D4pYQqUKMWeytXP8wZC5CfPo-P3jMMMHLO5twEiQczIKoZ/s1600/sherlock+statue+by+shining+darkness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWu4tgqNCB-5zKPDObDAaH8oCfVhF82md9Gu5YL9mLv2A3-QzoBtoF0tAkhmOxIpgd9a0D9tNNnmOBHjQmOrBWd6jxg0o6-D4pYQqUKMWeytXP8wZC5CfPo-P3jMMMHLO5twEiQczIKoZ/s320/sherlock+statue+by+shining+darkness.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by Shining Darkness)</span></div>
<br />
"So, imagine that there is a chain gun
blasting away about 20 feet in front of you. Its target: you. How do
you respond? By lying down and calmly smoking a pipe, of course! At
least, that's what you would do as Robert Downey, Jr.'s rendition of
Sherlock Holmes.<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Naturally, this is quite a new
situation for Sherlock Holmes, as is easily recognizable by even the
most casual of fans. However, no matter which Sherlock Holmes we are
discussing, be he played by Robert Downey, Jr., Jeremy
Brett, Basil Rathbone, Benedict Cumberbatch, or even if he is simply
a character on a page, we can be sure that he will have a particular
item: a pipe. The pipe, even more than the hat, coat, and magnifying
glass, is a signature of Sherlock Holmes. It defined him. The
question that is rarely asked, however, is how did Holmes define the
pipe?"</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
To read the entire article, check out my piece on <a href="http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/put-that-in-your-pipe/new-sherlock-holmes-makes-pipe-smoking-cool-again/">Pipe Magazine</a>.<br />
<br />
Let me know what you think about any part of it: the pipes, the movies, the acting, anything!<br />
<br />
Cheers.</div>thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-63069467314882139102012-01-20T20:41:00.000-08:002012-01-31T14:42:15.062-08:00Back to Basics, Part II.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_H_pcRVeVH8OLzooRstwVPtT6gguZZC7HAj6RS1jUkpamoTdCN5uHu0-7aYrjskxoS6ZHOwlYL9fPPMYZThvlUgltEfUFx1UpzPhh2i2XEXTzSn8baL8FMJC-0XKqnyJDvI5P4K5VfX1k/s1600/chalkboard+by+patrick+hoesly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_H_pcRVeVH8OLzooRstwVPtT6gguZZC7HAj6RS1jUkpamoTdCN5uHu0-7aYrjskxoS6ZHOwlYL9fPPMYZThvlUgltEfUFx1UpzPhh2i2XEXTzSn8baL8FMJC-0XKqnyJDvI5P4K5VfX1k/s320/chalkboard+by+patrick+hoesly.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by Patrick Hoesley)</span></div>
<br />
All right, class. I know it's been a while since I've taught your section, but I hope that you have taken opportunity to practice what we talked about last time.<br />
<br />
Who here remembers what we talked about before? Yes, you in the second row.<br />
<br />
That's right: how to select your first pipe. Now, how many of you have that pipe with you? Good! I see a lot of briars and corncobs. Oh, there are even a couple of meerschaum pipes in the class. Very well done.<br />
<br />
When we last met, I was about to discuss how to select your tobacco. Let's talk a little about that now.<br />
<br />
Bear in mind, this is how to select your <i>first </i>couple of blends, not how to select a tobacco once you've gotten the hang of pipe smoking. By that time, you will have ideally figured out what you like and how to select a new blend to try.<br />
<br />
For now, let's worry about how to select those all-important first blends.<br />
<br />
I am not going to tell you the one option that you <i>must</i> do, but rather show you your options, with their positive and negative aspects.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
A lot of people out there recommend starting with so-called drug-store blends, such as Half & Half, Prince Albert, and Captain Black. These blends are all extremely popular and are enjoyed by many and smoked exclusively by some.<br />
<br />
There are two principle components within your classic drug-store blend: Burley and Cavendish, typically black Cavendish.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Burley is a common blending component within other types of blends, used frequently to add a little depth and a lot of nicotine. This is a slow-burning tobacco with a mild flavor and a slightly aromatic room-note.<br />
<br />
There are many benefits to starting with a Burley-based blend. The flavor will typically be mild and those around you often have nothing but positive things to say about the aroma.<br />
<br />
With the benefits in mind, there are a few downsides. First, it has an extremely high nicotine content, so much so that many experienced pipe smokers still find the "Nic Hit" to be too much to handle. Additionally, the slow burning qualities of Burley means it is prone to bite those who try to smoke too quickly. As new pipesters tend to smoke faster than they really should, they are likely to experience tongue-bite, which very well might turn someone off of pipe smoking.<br />
<br />
If you do want to start with Burley blends, I suggest Boswell's Premium Burley.<br />
<br />
Next we come to Cavendish, the primary component of blends such as those from Captain Black.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvcbPZwsPA4mykAtviAwbyxA1x5ArVt4lbPWCkbkdmx3eO5dutGa4N0oHb4aYfdPvvqwRjWoaSmKi0uWJk-O1lIOeaCr8hLvUODmQHBN42zBnfreD0F0atuWO0JML9FUvwQCiUSdMbZlB/s1600/captain+black+pipe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvcbPZwsPA4mykAtviAwbyxA1x5ArVt4lbPWCkbkdmx3eO5dutGa4N0oHb4aYfdPvvqwRjWoaSmKi0uWJk-O1lIOeaCr8hLvUODmQHBN42zBnfreD0F0atuWO0JML9FUvwQCiUSdMbZlB/s200/captain+black+pipe.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
For clarification, Cavendish is a method of preparation of tobacco, not a particular genus. The tobacco is pressed and then heated, so that it can ferment ad become sweet.<br />
<br />
Cavendish is very similar to Burley in its benefits. It smells great to passers-by and has a sweet, yet mild, flavor. It also does not have the same amount of a Nic Hit as Burley.<br />
<br />
It still has its downside. Cavendish, particularly black Cavendish, tends to be moist, which means that it can be difficult to keep lit if not properly dried and packed. Also, it has the potential of biting, a big downside for any beginner.<br />
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Allow me to say that the very first blend I smoked was composed primarily of Burley, though it was from a tobacconist and not a drug-store or supermarket. I enjoyed it very much, but it might not have been my first choice if I could choose again.<br />
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Another common starting point is the stronger aromatics. These, too, can often be found at drug-stores and often flavored with cherry, chocolate, or some other intense sweetener.<br />
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Here is where I am going to make my strongest recommendation to you, class. Avoid these for your first blend.<br />
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A lot of people assume that aromatics are perfect starting points because the smell sweet and taste a little like candy.<br />
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That's great and all, but the downsides so heavily outweigh the benefit that it truly isn't worth it. First off all, aromatics tend to be a lot wetter, which means that it will take a lot more lights to get the tobacco burning properly. This can lead to intense frustration, scorching the bowl of your pipe, and some serious tongue bite.<br />
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Aromatics also encourage people to smoke quickly, since they taste so sweet, which means your tongue will get burned. Bad news bears.<br />
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Finally, those cheaper and stronger aromatics will leave a serious ghost in your pipe. Ghosting is a pipe term for flavor left over in the bowl from a previous smoke. A lot of blends leave a little ghost, but some aromatics will make their presence known for dozens of bowls afterwards.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUzMlI-kmwfdUBzYjH0KAo9Isv0bYCxPSF6SmHdkOmABUaKid09WHLm-8uqka1HzN9dDm8kHi0c4eAwpbpU-egSBNI-ocHVBI5y3YywRGBvhZxUAjz4xjFB0X01jKWWNXvL1o8e_PFeJ3/s1600/ghosts+by+johnxfire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUzMlI-kmwfdUBzYjH0KAo9Isv0bYCxPSF6SmHdkOmABUaKid09WHLm-8uqka1HzN9dDm8kHi0c4eAwpbpU-egSBNI-ocHVBI5y3YywRGBvhZxUAjz4xjFB0X01jKWWNXvL1o8e_PFeJ3/s400/ghosts+by+johnxfire.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by Johnxfire)</span></div>
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Please, stay away from those aromatics during your early days. Remember, however, to take everything I say with a grain of salt. Pipe smoking is done to make you happy, and if you won't be happy without smoking aromatics, then, by all means, smoke them to your heart's delight!<br />
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If you want to go with aromatics, I would suggest Boswell's Christmas Cookie or Wilke No. 191.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvRXpS0bvU8YdMzSUorV4pfe5isCAGEQnCo0NdbRvovt0pkp4slOm6QCEC3UmUV8l2d_tnhQnmy_zi0qGR7ktUBb5UBXdqjPZDf0BQijLoH9i3_Q5jTRIgLcGji8ykI878KqZo5_J644H/s1600/cookie+by+compujeramey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvRXpS0bvU8YdMzSUorV4pfe5isCAGEQnCo0NdbRvovt0pkp4slOm6QCEC3UmUV8l2d_tnhQnmy_zi0qGR7ktUBb5UBXdqjPZDf0BQijLoH9i3_Q5jTRIgLcGji8ykI878KqZo5_J644H/s400/cookie+by+compujeramey.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by compujeramey)</span></div>
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Another option, rarely mentioned, is to start with what are considered the more difficult styles of tobacco: straight Virginias and Englishes.<br />
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Virginias are wonderful. Their tastes are sweet; they are simple; they are straightforward; the are aromatic in their own right, yet sophisticated.<br />
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One caveat, class: avoid flakes. For now, take care to only get ribbon or shag cut Virginias.<br />
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Ribbon style tobacco is tobacco that hat been cut into very, very thin strips, normally between 1/16" and 3/32" wide, and literally look like little ribbons of delicious flavor. Shag cut tobacco is an even finer version of a ribbon cut (I mean "fine" as in "thin", not as in "good").<br />
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The reason I advocate avoiding plugs, flakes, cakes, plugs, and ropes Virginia at this point is an issue of difficulty. First of all, tobacco in the above forms has to be prepared, something that normally involves cutting, rubbing, slicing and dicing, or some method that is more time consuming than most novices care to do. Additionally, these forms lend themselves to smoking hot and giving a nicotine kick.<br />
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If you want to go with a Virginia for your first tobacco, I recommend McClelland 5100 or McCranie's Red Ribbon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthRw-xARIeM_f5vgZzRRsElwBErgJuUA5W-GPhyVz6f0P0KY9S4r4X6f8PAHLkfCdzgEcOt6PWh_trlDDNRzg4FIrTPqQLq6OXtBxIbOb4rFtCWFspyIGOWiyrCwuEfFZGfx1Qx_t199i/s1600/mccranies+red+ribbon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthRw-xARIeM_f5vgZzRRsElwBErgJuUA5W-GPhyVz6f0P0KY9S4r4X6f8PAHLkfCdzgEcOt6PWh_trlDDNRzg4FIrTPqQLq6OXtBxIbOb4rFtCWFspyIGOWiyrCwuEfFZGfx1Qx_t199i/s400/mccranies+red+ribbon.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Now come English blends.<br />
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Let's start with the downsides of English blends. Well, isn't that the damnedest thing? I can't really think of any!<br />
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Okay, fine. I don't want to sound biased.<br />
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Englishes do not have the most pleasant aroma for some people, and the acceptance of close friends and family can be a big factor when you first start smoking. Also, the flavors tend to be more subtle and complex; it takes more thought, more examination, and a slower pace to fully appreciate the blends.<br />
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Once you get past those small issues, however, Englishes are wonderful. They tend not to bite as often as other styles, they don't get boring as quickly, since their flavors continue to change as your taste-buds improve, and they are perfect for around campfires.<br />
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You can probably tell where my bias lies and what I would suggest starting with. It is controversial to suggest starting with Englishes, as they are often thought of as the most <i>advanced</i> style of tobacco. I say to go for it! If you start learning to appreciate the complex blends early, then you will be able to be a far more discerning pipe smoker.<br />
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Once again, though, I return to my familiar mantra: do what makes you happy.<br />
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All of my advice could be perfect, which I'm sure it isn't, but it still comes down to personal preference. You have my suggestions, now enjoy your pipe!<br />
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That's your homework for today. Enjoy your pipe. Maybe write down a couple of notes about what you taste in your tobacco, what you experience.<br />
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Are they any questions, class?<br />
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Yes, you.<br />
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Ah, great question: accessories for pipes.<br />
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<b><i>BRRRIIIIIIIIIINNG!</i></b><br />
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Oh! I guess I'm more long winded than I thought. That will have to wait for next time!thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-53838579089864172582012-01-13T09:29:00.000-08:002012-01-31T14:28:09.169-08:00The One That Started It All<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjPjsupGWUTtRt0-7R0pslW_WmdvVTllK-kjDQN5Bep1P-IQLFogRZOpb1f7JbJ0ty1-h7kcL1zm4yIhkVdIQMRHny8oe8ne5fN7fMoNrDmEv0U87drb_Nl-1oZv47vOZQ_sZoTEaYsgv/s1600/11+Rubens+Rhodesians+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkjPjsupGWUTtRt0-7R0pslW_WmdvVTllK-kjDQN5Bep1P-IQLFogRZOpb1f7JbJ0ty1-h7kcL1zm4yIhkVdIQMRHny8oe8ne5fN7fMoNrDmEv0U87drb_Nl-1oZv47vOZQ_sZoTEaYsgv/s400/11+Rubens+Rhodesians+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: xx-small;">(</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Image: Ethan Brandt, © 2011 Ethan Brandt, All Rights Reserved</span><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: xx-small;">)</span></span>
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I have written extensively about my obsession with the Rubens Rhodesian shape design by Greg Pease and Luca diPiazza. To see the level of my fascination, check <a href="http://pipeschool.blogspot.com/2011/12/neverending-hunt-rubens-rhodesians.html">here</a>.<br />
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Recently, I have made a breakthrough in that particular passion.<br />
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After the publication of my most recent story concerning the stout, bulky, beautiful shape, I was contacted by Neill Archer. As some of you might recall, I recently wrote about how it was upon seeing the Rubens Rhodesian depicted on his blog that my craze was sparked.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKcWoGY-p2TZi5PiKYL2dXdW3DSNvXhoaY3GUC3AMPV_rNFotBuviLFJ9oVSbU8CrzhQhi6okutSsw3_xbI9k3F69VEE_zoQOAoWu4fWnkuIrzz1A4bqbqEltcdFlsQqXtx9wEWsnWrVO/s1600/Rubens+rhodesian+NAR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQKcWoGY-p2TZi5PiKYL2dXdW3DSNvXhoaY3GUC3AMPV_rNFotBuviLFJ9oVSbU8CrzhQhi6okutSsw3_xbI9k3F69VEE_zoQOAoWu4fWnkuIrzz1A4bqbqEltcdFlsQqXtx9wEWsnWrVO/s400/Rubens+rhodesian+NAR.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: xx-small;">(</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Image: Neill Archer Roan, © 2009 Neill Archer Roan, All Rights Reserved</span><span style="background-color: #fafafa; font-size: xx-small;">)</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">That was the photo I saw. This was the photo that called me and created a fervor in my pipe world that has yet to be matched or even rivaled by any other aspect of tobacciana.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I attempted to sate the desire by setting my aim on any other Rubens Rhodesian I could find. Believe me, it was intensely satisfying to see my collection grow and mature. Still, it was not finished.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I said all of this before, and I rehash only to help you all understand why the message that I received from Mr. Roan was such a bombshell.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">He started off with some advice for my blog and photography, an area where he obviously has extensive knowledge. Eventually, however, the topic changed.</span></div>
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He told me that he had seen my most recent article concerning Rubens Rhodesians and he made me an offer.</div>
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Trades and purchases are frequent within the pipe world. Sometimes one of the collectors involved comes out on top, sometimes it is an even trade. This offer, however, was nothing that I ever expected.</div>
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What was this offer, you might ask.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBYE0eFr-lftmPLvQ-9ojbpO1dvsu9j95Z_GxRpuRRvOgodRld9xPwST3Dv4SqsUue-aeC84FIF72N9fI1ee03Aa9lzs5J2NJ7rHb3tNuGpQVL7i95BMNJNEwshTuNcms6nPsUV0FyjZW/s1600/Rubens+Rhodesians%252C+two.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBYE0eFr-lftmPLvQ-9ojbpO1dvsu9j95Z_GxRpuRRvOgodRld9xPwST3Dv4SqsUue-aeC84FIF72N9fI1ee03Aa9lzs5J2NJ7rHb3tNuGpQVL7i95BMNJNEwshTuNcms6nPsUV0FyjZW/s400/Rubens+Rhodesians%252C+two.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span class="il" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">(Neill</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> Archer Roan, © 2009 </span><span class="il" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Neill</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> Archer Roan, All Rights Reserved)</span></span></div>
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Two, count them, <i>two </i>beautiful example of the Rubens Rhodesian, one from each generation.</div>
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Do you see what I see? That top beauty, the one with the darker finish and the curved stem, is the very same pipe that I had seen a little over a year ago on Mr. Roan's website.</div>
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I could not believe it. My heart rate increased and I could swear I literally started salivating. In the pipe world, this is like getting a date with the pin-up girl whose picture you hung up in your locker.</div>
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Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity like a dog begging for a treat.</div>
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I was so excited that I stayed up far too late that night, considering I had such an early morning, so that I could respond instantly to his messages.</div>
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This offer came just a day after I got a message from another pipester on <i>Tamp and Puff</i>, a pipe forum that I have only recently discovered. He let me know that he had found another unsmoked Rubens Rhodesian on an online retailer. I was extremely grateful for the early warning, as I had not yet received the e-mail update alerting me of its presence. Thank you, PapaBear!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEDZ-tdBmeu5PQ3ob7YDmadTyHKKTJjLJLDg0QUpymRgKFpT90-2FUGyyaRMmFj8dy8nxv0P8OyIaCMWvCtkGYdscPXX8zy6IbYUu1AlrWSzIYtEPyEWjJJjtlj3KPbTrqX7MrWXNfuJT/s1600/black+rubens+rhodesian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXEDZ-tdBmeu5PQ3ob7YDmadTyHKKTJjLJLDg0QUpymRgKFpT90-2FUGyyaRMmFj8dy8nxv0P8OyIaCMWvCtkGYdscPXX8zy6IbYUu1AlrWSzIYtEPyEWjJJjtlj3KPbTrqX7MrWXNfuJT/s640/black+rubens+rhodesian.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Photo Courtesy of Smokingpipes)</span></div>
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To say that this was an amazing week would be an understatement of epic proportions. Not only has my collection grown to fifteen of the two-hundred pipes ever made (7.5% of the total), but one of those is the pipe that started the entire infatuation. </div>
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Pipes, and life's little serendipitous moments, never cease to amaze me.</div>
<br />thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-33838117495216117242012-01-07T21:01:00.000-08:002012-01-31T14:44:47.592-08:00A Pipe Contest: The Verdict<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdYkseRzKImfDoi-kMvne_coiJMcSKMufn4fazfinTOvRYPVVn28tI9lbsmAG7S2XaNelAJLEfPgjPY7lXTBBxipiGoDTbQ0Ps6Bgti3odDz-AD7MJWWS-V-C50cyFO3yJ76Id-wby1EL/s1600/writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: #fce5cd; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEdYkseRzKImfDoi-kMvne_coiJMcSKMufn4fazfinTOvRYPVVn28tI9lbsmAG7S2XaNelAJLEfPgjPY7lXTBBxipiGoDTbQ0Ps6Bgti3odDz-AD7MJWWS-V-C50cyFO3yJ76Id-wby1EL/s320/writing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by Vince42)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">I know that this has been a long time coming. So long, in fact, that there might be those of you who do not even remember the contest. To read about the rules and to see all of the fantastic entries, please refer to the entry entitled <a href="http://pipeschool.blogspot.com/2011/10/pipe-contest_26.html">A Pipe Contest</a>, or just use the link provided.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Before giving the name of the winning author and the story itself, I would like to thank my two fellow judges: Richard Friedman and Tom Welsh. Both of these men were more than generous with their time and effort. I am extremely grateful to you both.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">In an effort to be as transparent as possible, here are the criteria upon which each entry was judged: <span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Each entry can be awarded up to 25 points for creativity, which includes overall originality and the creative use of the pipe names, 30 points for the amount of pipes used within the story, and 45 points for the quality of the story as a whole. So, this is a total of 100 possible points for each entry.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">Now, without further delay, the winning story:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">More than anything, William Tell wanted to be a Knight of the Royal Order. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; line-height: 18px;">But there was a problem, while his father was from <u>Liverpool</u> and his mother came from <u>Dublin</u>, William was, inexplicably, Hungarian. So, he approached Sir <u>Calabash</u> of the queen’s court, a <u>diplomat</u> and the <u>author</u> of a good deal of her policy for help and advice. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“How can I, a Hungarian, become a knight?” William Tell asked.</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">Sir Calabash replied, “Knights pretty much have to be of the British Empire. If you were <u>Canadian</u>, that would be one thing, but Hungarian, wow, that’s a problem. Sir Ethan, a <u>churchwarden</u> from Jersey is a spin doctor of the first order. If anyone can figure this out, he can.”</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“We’re giving you a <u>freehand</u>,” Calabash said to Ethan, “How do we make William a knight?”</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“The queen loves winners, “said Ethan from Jersey. “Youse really good with the longbow, right? Do something spectacular? She’ll <u>lovat</u>!”</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“William could shoot arrows into the bull’s eye from far away,” said Calabash.</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“Too common,” replied Ethan. “How ‘bout he shoots a <u>bulldog</u> on the run?”</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">William wouldn’t go for that, so Ethan said, “How ‘bouts we put something on top of his kid’s head and he shoots that?”</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">They assembled a <u>panel</u> to figure out what to shoot.</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“He could shoot a pumpkin,” someone said.</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“Nah,” said Sir Ethan, “Too big, how ‘bout an <u>egg</u>?”</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“How you gonna sit an egg on the kid’s head?” said Calabash. “Maybe a <u>pear</u>?”</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“What’d really impress the queen is if he could shoot <u>strawberry</u>. Maybe he could shoot an <u>acorn</u> or a <u>hickory nut</u> off the kid’s head,” said someone else.</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“I don’t want the knighthood that bad,” said Tell.</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“Hold on, hold on,” said Ethan, “ A <u>tomato</u>!”</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“Too messy,” said Calabash, “But maybe an <u>apple</u>?”</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">Everybody agreed that apple it was. “How far away?” was the next question.</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“I can do 300 meters easy,” said William Tell.</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“The queen doesn’t understand metric, Bill,” said Sir Ethan, “I can call you Bill, right? <u>Billiards</u> or feet or inches is what you’ll have to use.”</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">So they assembled a big festival. There were street vendors selling <u>tankards</u> of <u>brandy</u>. There was the usual unsavory group selling <u>pot</u>. All in all, it was a jolly event. Even Robin Hood and his Merry Men showed up to watch the festivities. Little John, Friar Tuck, and the lesser known Zen master of the group, <u>Oom Paul</u>.</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“Up the Thames,” someone shouted, “On her boat, here comes the queen!” And sure enough it was, captained by her Royal <u>Yachtsman</u>, a <u>Zulu</u> prince.</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“You’ll need to meet the queen,” Calabash told Tell, “But be careful with your arrows when you bow. You don’t want to <u>poker</u>.”</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">With no trouble at all, William Tell shot the apple off his son’s head. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIopsK9y2KyM6zeiBjXPEsZ-uMmdFPn16ZfG69H5jWztH2yPfP7KUd5LlWH7jJdhegK0beZu6yox8BzRce3zTgRZ6AoGDbVB7xl5H0eMy_lrw5Ojb7LP5cPDQ6zwhK5edWWZxSkocn03l/s1600/apple+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: #fce5cd; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIopsK9y2KyM6zeiBjXPEsZ-uMmdFPn16ZfG69H5jWztH2yPfP7KUd5LlWH7jJdhegK0beZu6yox8BzRce3zTgRZ6AoGDbVB7xl5H0eMy_lrw5Ojb7LP5cPDQ6zwhK5edWWZxSkocn03l/s400/apple+shot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by nebarnix)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">The queen was so impressed she walked right over to William Tell with her sword and began the knighting procedure. As our story ends we hear her say,</span><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><br style="line-height: 18px;" /><span style="line-height: 18px;">“Kneel, Archer.”</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;">This wonderfully creative story was written by Toby. A giant congratulations to him and a big thank you to everyone who participated.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-family: inherit;">Keep your eyes peeled for the next such contest. Don't stop writing!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd; font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by Nenyaki)</span></div>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-39614930795503332682012-01-04T09:45:00.000-08:002012-01-12T11:59:27.987-08:00Come Together...Right Now...Over Pipes<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_ON_H7tkO8CCqh7KzIPQocBImDOi7gotPU18HvnmFfXue3GExDhJBx0e2KBI6ZULnfvbVa9OK0na9zWZD6QyM2VzNa-28qBKiItMAG3e9ERK0B7bCTDSHlIg-ZYiHfaXfYIllU35ZQIJ/s1600/Beatles+at+Kingston+Bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_ON_H7tkO8CCqh7KzIPQocBImDOi7gotPU18HvnmFfXue3GExDhJBx0e2KBI6ZULnfvbVa9OK0na9zWZD6QyM2VzNa-28qBKiItMAG3e9ERK0B7bCTDSHlIg-ZYiHfaXfYIllU35ZQIJ/s400/Beatles+at+Kingston+Bridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by Gary Birnie)</span></div>
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There's something beautiful hidden
within that piece of briar or meerschaum or corn or clay that you are
holding. Beyond the external beauty, beyond the physical properties
that allow it to turn dried leaves into mystical experiences, beyond
the hard work that went into its formation, there is something
bigger, yet invisible. That pipe represents a form of global unity
rarely found today. You are holding proof that man can come together
out of love, out of a shared passion.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvvl3IiJOuu2Y4GB6fVdrJr5-_1ekvFhOXGqSs7bWpPS65F33vNf1SQNasxLMnmjxF62oAxLp9qAkgolZjkfHXaaRWB1_tdTzd149GiFF3c0r4ugYjTOwrh6oGDwc_r0o4otWTRkRd48r/s1600/Thoreau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuvvl3IiJOuu2Y4GB6fVdrJr5-_1ekvFhOXGqSs7bWpPS65F33vNf1SQNasxLMnmjxF62oAxLp9qAkgolZjkfHXaaRWB1_tdTzd149GiFF3c0r4ugYjTOwrh6oGDwc_r0o4otWTRkRd48r/s320/Thoreau.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by "psd")</span></div>
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If I am sounding a bit transcendental,
cut me some slack, since I have spent the last four years of my life
studying religion, philosophy, and literature (<i>hurray</i> for a
liberal arts degree!). If you give me a bit of leeway, I hope I can
illuminate what I find so amazing about the pipe.</div>
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When I picked up my first pipe, not
even four full years ago, I knew nothing about the differences
between given schools of pipe making, nor did I have any conception
of the history of the wondrous object that I had just purchased. I
just knew that I put tobacco in the hole, lit it on fire, and puffed,
and even that I did not fully understand.</div>
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Once I started to widen my gaze and do
a little research, I saw some of the most beautiful works of art I
had ever seen. The first one that made my jaw drop was shown to me by
my older brother, Tommy, who I had also brought along with me in my
exploration of pipes.</div>
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Sitting at home, puffing contently on my Neerup apple, I saw a message pop up on my computer from my
brother, reading something like: “You
think your pipe is pretty? Look at this!”</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsO2jS5LpJ3B6eGETIP8H814n2-VqoMxkzIMqB-3ozweiXljHIxWoMTbL_pfQRqTPBdL49Iwjo-j76aMASGh3tsIMutc72qySzgxVcNm-A0u5viLbWsKXdsSm6-nmvP2MkswXK_gfAYR_/s1600/kei%2527ichi+gotoh+freehand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsO2jS5LpJ3B6eGETIP8H814n2-VqoMxkzIMqB-3ozweiXljHIxWoMTbL_pfQRqTPBdL49Iwjo-j76aMASGh3tsIMutc72qySzgxVcNm-A0u5viLbWsKXdsSm6-nmvP2MkswXK_gfAYR_/s400/kei%2527ichi+gotoh+freehand.jpg" width="186" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo Courtesy of Smokingpipes) </span></div>
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To say that I
thought that this pipe, carved by Kei'Ichi Gotoh, was magic is an
understatement. I was expecting a jinni to slither out of the pipe at
any moment. Fascinated, and disappointed by the red SOLD OUT next to
every pipe made by Gotoh, I looked for other Japanese carvers, to see
if there was any similarity between this carver and his countrymen.</div>
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The pipes I found
were organic and breathtaking, their curves flowing more naturally
and more perfectly than a super-model's. Since then, I have learned
that this is one of the signature qualities of the Japanese carvers:
natural, organic shapes that push the boundaries of the pipe-making
world, while simultaneously showing respect to the traditional form.
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<i> This is it</i>,
I remember thinking to myself. <i>These are the top of the
line pipes</i>.</div>
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While there are
those out there who would agree with this assessment, the Japanese
style is but one jewel in the crown of pipes.</div>
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My
piping education continued. I eventually discovered more online
resources beyond the retailers, including <i>A Passion for
Pipes</i>, the revered blog of Neill
Archer Roan. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7rVyVInEstt02DLeYTeQgf8ENJ3fes6OWM9Qmk1IUmqK-S48RQtkh4V0xJRTpfeRjzHpYzvJU0iRUlfXZIbaZdbec-O_0Xuya3DW_pUvuN3qMH2aY5Co6mYDjQs8IJ5HmdnvA-w7IlWc/s1600/Neill+Archer+Roan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7rVyVInEstt02DLeYTeQgf8ENJ3fes6OWM9Qmk1IUmqK-S48RQtkh4V0xJRTpfeRjzHpYzvJU0iRUlfXZIbaZdbec-O_0Xuya3DW_pUvuN3qMH2aY5Co6mYDjQs8IJ5HmdnvA-w7IlWc/s400/Neill+Archer+Roan.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">(</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Image: Neill Archer Roan, © 2008 Neill Archer Roan, All Rights Reserved</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;">)</span>
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My very first visit to this website brought me
face-to-face with an Eskimo, by Tom Eltang. At the time, I was
unfamiliar with both the shape and the carver, so, like a good little
student, I did my research.</div>
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With a few
keystrokes, I discovered that Mr. Eltang is a contemporary artisan
based out of Copenhagen. I may be American, and thus horrible at
geography, but I knew enough to know that meant he was from Denmark.
My curiosity piqued, not least of all because I found it intriguing
that a Danish man would make a shape called an Eskimo, I determined
to find out about other Danish carvers.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWqyvkQKBu16J91eALobpg_dQNSS37hqMF8FdlvNEq29OSOGfDTB4y4f7EXEzmKjDKNQWNEmdAdCk5HBjn5oxHgK7AnxhPWXDss7mMwxSGzI9TFfooWscpqxKkm-V8BCpmD1YI4QGy0Ji/s1600/Esimo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWqyvkQKBu16J91eALobpg_dQNSS37hqMF8FdlvNEq29OSOGfDTB4y4f7EXEzmKjDKNQWNEmdAdCk5HBjn5oxHgK7AnxhPWXDss7mMwxSGzI9TFfooWscpqxKkm-V8BCpmD1YI4QGy0Ji/s400/Esimo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by Ashtyn Renee)</span></div>
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To this day, it is a mystery to me how
I went a single day in the pipe world without stumbling onto the
wealth of information concerning the Danish pipe-makers. Images of
stunning caliber flashed across my screen, filling my hard-drive and
my mind with shapes unbeknownst to me previously. These shapes came
equipped with titles like tulip, bent egg, elephant's foot, blowfish,
and, most commonly, freehand.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by slynndesign)</span></div>
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Had I been a more casual collector, I
may have paused for a moment to admire the stunning prowess of these
carvers and then been on my jolly way. Instead, I dug deeper. Soon, I
found out how much I owed to the Danes.
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Back in the late 50s, a man by the
name of Sixten Ivarsson – a name now on the same level to me as
Michael Jordan and Jimi Hendrix – did something practically unheard
of: he left the bark on the top of a bowl he was forming, rather than
removing it, as the classic doctrine dictated he should. This simple
decision led to the creation of what we now know as freehands.</div>
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Before this innovation by Mr.
Ivarsson, pipes looked mostly like what are today called classic
shapes: billiards, dublins, princes, maybe a bulldog or zulu or two.
The undisputed master of the classic shape was, and is still widely
thought to be, England.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DF_BETjIpRsO8D5Om8F0uS7ufw7J-IYjC9p4YvpRBOFvbeLoLGvjtuidl0u5UOxa0obCega3LeqcKb7z7nzy8x70ypf1ZZM3TJ0lIVwvEBFBLVHc8UUr1Fc8EuEbek0DQapTaGU1fpHc/s1600/bridge+by+David+Salafia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DF_BETjIpRsO8D5Om8F0uS7ufw7J-IYjC9p4YvpRBOFvbeLoLGvjtuidl0u5UOxa0obCega3LeqcKb7z7nzy8x70ypf1ZZM3TJ0lIVwvEBFBLVHc8UUr1Fc8EuEbek0DQapTaGU1fpHc/s320/bridge+by+David+Salafia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by David Salafia)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Ashton, Barling, Comoy, oh my! ABC,
one, two, three, you've got three incredible companies who have been
putting out reliable, handsome pipes for years. Beloved by many,
revered by some, these pipe markers have stayed close to shore and
have not adventured as far as others in terms of shape innovation.
However, when you know how to do something pretty close to perfectly,
why change?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the
biggest English name of them all, the big-daddy, the Goliath of
pipes: Dunhill. The name itself is still enough to send shivers down
the backs of some pipe collectors – in a good way!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
During its time, the Dunhill company
has helped to reshape the pipe world, creating some new shapes and
transforming the meaning of a quality pipe. When Alfred Dunhill
opened his first tobacco shop in 1906, he found the quality of pipes
coming in from France to be below his required quality level: he saw
fills and did not seem to think the pipes smoked as well as they
could.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Like a true entrepreneur, Alfred
Dunhill set out to fix the problem himself, opening a small factory
that followed a simple motto: the best briar at the right price. The
rest is history.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Dunhill and the rest of the English
pipe-makers have ever since enjoyed a well-deserved reputation for
producing handsome, elegant pipes of high quality. They were the
undisputed gold standard of pipes, and still probably would be if it
were not for little man in Copenhagen by the name of Sixten.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The Danish artisans did not rest on
their laurels, however, and have since continued to innovate and
create some of the most popular and exotic shapes available today,
using some of the highest quality briar available in the world. I
actually discovered that a lot of those Japanese carvers whose work I
had fallen in love with had studied with some of the great artisans
of Denmark, including Sixten and Lars Ivarsson and Jess Chonowitsch.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>Okay</i>,
I said to myself, <i>I was a little hasty in my conclusion
before. This is really the top of the line, the best of the best.</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I was so convinced
by the superiority of the Danish pipes that I messaged Neill Archer
Roan, since his website was the springboard for this whole
investigation, to ask him his opinion as to whose work I should focus
on in the Danish market.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Helpful as always,
he directed me to several of his favorite artisans. He then said
something that caught me totally off guard: “Have you looked into
Russian carvers?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>What?</i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Photo by Marc Veraart)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
How many different
countries could possibly produce great pipes? Sure enough, I did my
research and was once again wildly impressed. In fact, Russia has
recently become my country of focus in terms of pipes. The Russian
artisans show a vast awareness of the organic possibilities within a
pipe, as well as the simple beauty of the classic forms, and are not
afraid to mold the two worlds into one piece of art, creating
something new and yet, at the same time, timeless.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The pure talent
coming from everywhere in the world is mind-boggling: Turkey is home
to the master Meerschaum carvers, who come the closest to making
actual sculptures of their pipes; American carvers are some of the
world's rising stars when it comes to pipes, reinventing the notion
of sandblasting and turning it into an art-form of its own; German
artisans seem to have taken the best of both worlds from Japan and
Denmark and turned it into something new and heart-stopping.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The list simply
does not end. Every country bears its particular perspective on pipes
and brings something unique to the table. While each is unique, none
is an island (even though some of the carvers literally live on
island). Every tradition relies on another and somehow, despite
physical, ideological, and language barriers, they all come together
to form something beautiful: the pipe. </div>thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-78004863881485009022011-12-29T18:56:00.001-08:002012-01-12T11:56:42.342-08:00The Neverending Hunt: Rubens Rhodesians<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5R_QR_N8y6SxJJvelR0ccH5qAhevnNGefJqJpeoJipUbehfv6-Vgh8lvnYmpcgQPyGX9jOcGmSW-425iVgOJoyEAKtTQ2ilwpw4Ou2FJ6R-EHcoSfa35Ds6Vdgbw9-I_C8byYo2rCcleu/s1600/hoarding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5R_QR_N8y6SxJJvelR0ccH5qAhevnNGefJqJpeoJipUbehfv6-Vgh8lvnYmpcgQPyGX9jOcGmSW-425iVgOJoyEAKtTQ2ilwpw4Ou2FJ6R-EHcoSfa35Ds6Vdgbw9-I_C8byYo2rCcleu/s320/hoarding.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
In every type of collection / obsession / hobby, there are those objects that take one's understanding of the subject and morph into something different, something better, something new. The first and most powerful of those transformative experiences for me, in terms of pipes, was only a little over a year ago.<br />
<br />
I had only really started collecting pipes in earnest in the later half of 2010, though I had been slowly building a modest lot for a year or so before that.<br />
<br />
I remember this particular day quite vividly: I was sitting in Washington University's coffee house, known as Whispers Cafe, in a chair covered with worn, green leather. I had a cappuccino in one hand and was scrolling through the archives of <i>A Passion for Pipes</i> with the other.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2xx2lgiJstylnvJGsUlZjT9to8Ys7JsHf24kXPO8FBDKZnnM5uaI7QGF2T9P4MjAOHnv6DUhas0uXwSvHqrmmzxN9EcYjUhWFKxj3aaEmT7SepRXDXdNccoQwGXnmPu_koPIfXf8W3BY/s1600/whispers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2xx2lgiJstylnvJGsUlZjT9to8Ys7JsHf24kXPO8FBDKZnnM5uaI7QGF2T9P4MjAOHnv6DUhas0uXwSvHqrmmzxN9EcYjUhWFKxj3aaEmT7SepRXDXdNccoQwGXnmPu_koPIfXf8W3BY/s320/whispers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Whispers Cafe)</span></div>
<br />
Eventually, I stumbled upon a post entitled <a href="http://www.apassionforpipes.com/classic-blog-posts/the-pipers-dozen-neills-top-12-for-2009.html">The Piper's Dozen</a>, an entry discussing Mr. Roan's top choices in several categories, including Best Accessory, Best Estate Pipe Dealer, Most Promising Emerging Pipe Artisan, and so forth. All of this was written back in 2009, though I, being new on the pipe collecting scene, was only then reading it in 2010.<br />
<br />
At this point, I feel inclined to mention the incredible accuracy of Neill's picks back in 2009; since expanding my knowledge, I cannot help but agree with nearly all of his choices. One example is who he chose for Most Promising Emerging Pipe Artisan: Bruce Weaver. Since the time Neill chose him, Mr. Weaver has shown himself to be a force to be reckoned with, garnering incredible respect throughout the pipe world for his wonderful work and his out-of-this-world sandblasting.<br />
<br />
Back to the story. I eventually found myself at the bottom of the list, reading a selection called "Smoker of the Year". There it was: a pipe that I had never seen before, but that called to me like Cthulhu calls from R'lyeh. (What? What do you mean they don't get that reference? Oh, fine!) *Ahem* ...that called to me like a siren's song. (Better?)<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy63hzyPNQRxPVSzXN0Fp4xXtziQ-0gXQ1FX7G6qBzEPcBt1yLHF8xyeZtJGlQbCiSN0eA-ZcGLaqiLzVm5DLXeJwaQtC8aqZnDlfN8V4AOJETnY2xT0-SdTiFz64jkKNLp76uXJyLb_qm/s1600/RubensRhodesian++586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy63hzyPNQRxPVSzXN0Fp4xXtziQ-0gXQ1FX7G6qBzEPcBt1yLHF8xyeZtJGlQbCiSN0eA-ZcGLaqiLzVm5DLXeJwaQtC8aqZnDlfN8V4AOJETnY2xT0-SdTiFz64jkKNLp76uXJyLb_qm/s400/RubensRhodesian++586.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Image: Neill Archer Roan, © 2009 Neill Archer Roan, All Rights Reserved</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">)</span></span></div>
<br />
It wasn't a classically beautiful pipe; it was rotund, squat, and had abnormal proportions. But it was the pipe for me. I knew it at that moment and I still know it to this day.<br />
<br />
Causing myself to be late to class, a decision that I still do not regret, I furiously typed away on my computer, trying to locate a similar pipe to the "Rubens Rhodesian" I saw before me.<br />
<br />
I knew from Neill's description that it was factory made, so I assumed it wouldn't be too terribly difficult to find another specimen. Through my research, however, I found out that this was a limited edition pipe. Specifically, I learned that there had been two generations of the Rubens Rhodesian, the first generation having a bent stem, such as in the picture above, and the second having a straight stem. Further, I found out that each version <i>only had one-hundred pieces produced</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVGTvhij20_OUKLfL5jOpsNqBLafuqWJnSU9De9KAxEVopg5qvz8guhwaJADQAu64xInuOdiAR-iW2tEdfl0otoYrQD9Z0Z4iSKVQ_7SCRKLKHlG4e01F16aJ5DnZkWtwdm4fPrKdR9uM/s1600/200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeVGTvhij20_OUKLfL5jOpsNqBLafuqWJnSU9De9KAxEVopg5qvz8guhwaJADQAu64xInuOdiAR-iW2tEdfl0otoYrQD9Z0Z4iSKVQ_7SCRKLKHlG4e01F16aJ5DnZkWtwdm4fPrKdR9uM/s200/200.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
This complicated things.<br />
<br />
I stopped looking for any other pipe, and focused all of my energy on finding one of those Rubens Rhodesians, ideally the first generation. For those of you who don't know, the Rubens Rhodesian is a collaboration between Gregory Pease (known to many as G.L. Pease) and Luca Di Piazza. The pipes themselves are made by Radice, so the quality is nearly guaranteed.<br />
<br />
Prior to this, my sources for pipes had been limited to the larger online retailers, such as Smoking Pipes and Pipes and Cigars. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with those retailers; in fact, both still remain favorites of mine. When one is attempting to find a specific pipe, however, one must needs widen one's gaze.<br />
<br />
I eventually found a place called James Island Piper, and there it was in all its digital beauty. A "Clear" finish Rubens Rhodesian, second generation.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzbyaJSUuK9U8-yx7j5u2RVxkkmjw4nRWkZ157UAgLBDySa6j6LZmxvtMEJQXM-X7s8JD_3yp8EfCkb-OW2KPkY82qlimtdPKqMdSB-Df6ulNlG7O17cEggww4uq4ONmNAy3s119LGOSS/s1600/rubens+rhodesian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzbyaJSUuK9U8-yx7j5u2RVxkkmjw4nRWkZ157UAgLBDySa6j6LZmxvtMEJQXM-X7s8JD_3yp8EfCkb-OW2KPkY82qlimtdPKqMdSB-Df6ulNlG7O17cEggww4uq4ONmNAy3s119LGOSS/s320/rubens+rhodesian.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(The picture that changed my world)</span></div>
<br />
While I had been intent on finding one of the pipes from the first generation, this little beauty seemed too perfect to pass up.<br />
<br />
It arrived at my doorstep just a couple of days later. I was as giddy as a school girl.<br />
<br />
I opened the little white package from the United States Postal Service, the shape of which I have come to know and love very well since then. Inside was, naturally, packing peanuts and a small, charcoal box, graced with silver letters reading:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> Pease</span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> Di Piazza</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"> --Design-</span><br />
<br />
My breathing was already a little heavy upon seeing the box. Inside of that was a short, shorter than I expected, pipe sleeve, inside of which the treasure rested.<br />
<br />
The grain was phenomenal; the size, perfect; the draw, unfairly unparalleled.<br />
<br />
Yet I found myself unhappy for some reason. I was young (well, young<i>er</i>) and was displeased by the tarnish on the silver band on the pipe. In my mind, pipes were pieces of artistic perfection that could not fade, could not be tarnished.<br />
<br />
If memory serves, I even called Don Seatter, the man behind James Island Piper, to ask for an explanation. In retrospect, I extend my deepest apologies to Mr. Seatter and offer my heartfelt thanks for putting up with the naivete of a young enthusiast struck blind by the curvaceous beauty of a pipe.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTIlBLwRU-2MKe0Y3rS9MmoDCVT08MICDXLu8-q0CeY99hmgnnVS4eUPv6PDroPT7MkvCX1gMQT_qCVaFPfjc01y59fw_KFHMPDKVx7g6Xu8UfgfY7KdSozQzNMO1fXHuEB0NycMuX6RQ/s1600/james+island.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCTIlBLwRU-2MKe0Y3rS9MmoDCVT08MICDXLu8-q0CeY99hmgnnVS4eUPv6PDroPT7MkvCX1gMQT_qCVaFPfjc01y59fw_KFHMPDKVx7g6Xu8UfgfY7KdSozQzNMO1fXHuEB0NycMuX6RQ/s1600/james+island.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Don Seatter)</span></div>
<br />
In the end, I found my mother's silver polish and cleaned the ring up. Once I finished, I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at the pipe anew.<br />
<br />
It truly was perfect.<br />
<br />
I was in love.<br />
<br />
All of this goes without mentioning the remarkable smoking qualities of the pipe. It handles any tobacco put in it like a champ, though I have yet to try an aromatic in it. Virginias are sweet and light, while Englishes are complex, while simultaneously letting the individual actors shine.<br />
<br />
Truly, I regret telling you all of the wonderful qualities of this pipe, for fear that you will only harden the competition for finding one of the two hundred out there. Silly me, they are hard enough to find already.<br />
<br />
One might think that I would be satisfied with the one pipe. While extremely happy, I find myself itching for more, as I knew that this was my shape, my pipe. No matter what else I collected, from then to now to the future, my collection and my pipe smoking as a whole will be defined by the Rubens Rhodesian by Mr. Pease, Luca Di Piazza, and Radice.<br />
<br />
Soon, I had my first interaction with Mike Glukler of Briar Blues and located my second Rubens Rhodesian.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PIpFfOTWJROWvdZ72Tay8RsJORb9p0wI9CZpafFTP6zy1twCxKIxfPuX8_yGwh_JELstXbOQq-FnQsHjIMDaGHMqG03iM2pMNGOys2kmYTlhh7pwbdRaBwC_4sgmhwkL8eIf7vaZYQpp/s1600/mike+glukler.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PIpFfOTWJROWvdZ72Tay8RsJORb9p0wI9CZpafFTP6zy1twCxKIxfPuX8_yGwh_JELstXbOQq-FnQsHjIMDaGHMqG03iM2pMNGOys2kmYTlhh7pwbdRaBwC_4sgmhwkL8eIf7vaZYQpp/s1600/mike+glukler.JPG" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Mike Glukler of Briar Blues)</span></div>
<br />
Though much hunting and searching and searching and hunting, I eventually managed to complete a seven-day set of Rubens Rhodesians.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifv3XXE8f8MInDgr3YhXj-nimPW6R7OFzJgOeoVZaFc6aKfnO4s31QQXI7U_hxsMNijPINrWH8ATW5E0MnwVYZ7wKbiLp3lMLU_uPlxIMi8Xcf22Fd1GxsE8G7jWCTR92HunxjOBmb-DqK/s1600/seven+day+set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifv3XXE8f8MInDgr3YhXj-nimPW6R7OFzJgOeoVZaFc6aKfnO4s31QQXI7U_hxsMNijPINrWH8ATW5E0MnwVYZ7wKbiLp3lMLU_uPlxIMi8Xcf22Fd1GxsE8G7jWCTR92HunxjOBmb-DqK/s320/seven+day+set.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I could not have been happier. I had seven of my favorite type of pipe in seven different finishes. It was beautiful; it was satisfying; was it complete?<br />
<br />
Since that time, my collection of this pipe has expanded exponentially. My appreciation for it has done likewise and it is still one of my go-to pipes. The question is which of the twelve I will reach for!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVPzeikqoOwnHqS41VzJzddtqSj9vhkAlV9nsp910q-N25OaMOkEzQoFE9MfL7zBn4hBqjxzzcD_HvHko4kz1i_BMq8S-NmlpJOyRzoA-saULd2lBRTiU9DvAPH7-jc2JzZoRU_6C03-l/s1600/RubensRhodesians11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVPzeikqoOwnHqS41VzJzddtqSj9vhkAlV9nsp910q-N25OaMOkEzQoFE9MfL7zBn4hBqjxzzcD_HvHko4kz1i_BMq8S-NmlpJOyRzoA-saULd2lBRTiU9DvAPH7-jc2JzZoRU_6C03-l/s400/RubensRhodesians11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(My collection and photography skills have both increased! I have added one Rubens Rhodesian to the collection since this photo was taken.)</span></div>
<br />
I will never stop hunting for more of this amazing shape. Once I reach fourteen, I will consider than another milestone, but I won't stop.<br />
<br />
This story is not simply intended to show you the sheer madness that love and obsession and passion can create, but rather to show you the happiness that comes along with it. I encourage every single one of you to be passionate. It can be a specific shape, a specific brand, a specific carver, a style, a country, a finish, or anything at all. Just live life passionately and intensely, even when it comes to the humble pipe.thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-35027514909508154412011-12-26T14:58:00.001-08:002012-01-12T11:57:25.847-08:00Creature of Smoke<br />
As I have said many times, and will say many times again, I am a geek. That's why it is no surprise when my jaw dropped when I first saw this pipe:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZDNeI6hemUSi_5eaun5FfPKRQy6PK8lWQ5l08fjHfY4zmk9KQy-GHihEdA-jiB5ljwNNyjVXrqP9SW8Q1DX8Og_RQPxm-7ysapDFQIUUK1HtTfzMxIRG6VYhS2R-H0O-XEjoNVFVo0Vw/s1600/balrog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLZDNeI6hemUSi_5eaun5FfPKRQy6PK8lWQ5l08fjHfY4zmk9KQy-GHihEdA-jiB5ljwNNyjVXrqP9SW8Q1DX8Og_RQPxm-7ysapDFQIUUK1HtTfzMxIRG6VYhS2R-H0O-XEjoNVFVo0Vw/s1600/balrog.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Balrog, by Stephen Downie)</span></div>
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I don't know how I first stumbled across the work of Stephen Downie, though I think it was from a link on another pipe related website. Since that fateful spotting of the Balrog, Stephen and I have been in frequent contact, discussing projects, games, book, music, and everything else. His work is phenomenal, appealing to more than just geeks, specifically to anyone with eyes.</div>
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I have discovered that Stephen is not only an incredible artist and a first rate pipe-carver, but his is also a great guy, fantastically intelligent and hilarious. Here is a little interview I conducted with him recently.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ethan Brandt</b>: Pipe carving isn't the usual avenue for the artistically inclined. How did you first get into making pipes?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAU6tDbqaz478zap4S_sYSCstF_RNllhgng8C2_6r-1-PRaRadUNHvtteTsvKF5yEn1PQsAa87GIBHQHDrDyve9WuhohDfU7GWfBOeY3zLxtlZm32d1EhS2WFTXvNZ5ppM1mAwvA83BK8/s1600/Stephen_Downie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbAU6tDbqaz478zap4S_sYSCstF_RNllhgng8C2_6r-1-PRaRadUNHvtteTsvKF5yEn1PQsAa87GIBHQHDrDyve9WuhohDfU7GWfBOeY3zLxtlZm32d1EhS2WFTXvNZ5ppM1mAwvA83BK8/s1600/Stephen_Downie.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Stephen Downie)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Stephen Downie</b>: Pipe making was something that I fell into through an odd series of events. I was working in the film industry here in a bunch of different jobs as needed. I was location scouting, Production Assistant on set and getting into the editing side of things as an assistant editor. I got into the film industry because I wanted a job where I could be creative, and in reality anyone who has a lick of creativity should stay far away from the entry positions in the film industry. There is very little creativity involved for the majority of the people employed in it and working your way up to the point of actually having any sort of creative input is the work of decades. As a PA I didn't often get asked about shot composition, dialogue delivery or lighting. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What I did get as a PA was long, long hours sitting in the rain and staring at trees on location. By this time I had been smoking pipes for a while and one night I decided I wanted to make myself a tamper out of an Alder stick. I did and the next night I made a second one. Soon I was bringing Rosewood and Cocobolo blanks to work and leaving little piles of wood dust behind me. The idea that I had got into my head was that once I made enough tampers and developed some skill in shaping wood, maybe I would graduate into pipe making as something to do on the side. At the time I was living in an apartment and one birthday my good wife, Lexa, consented to let me bring a drill press into the livingroom. After that pipe making became a hobby. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">After that the film industry went through one of its Phoenix impressions and self-immolated, leaving a lot of us in the field scrambling to find work. To make matters worse, we just found out that Lexa was pregnant with our daughter, Helaina. Film industry hours are not normal hours and 15 hour days were the norm rather than the exception, especially while working on set. Spending that amount of time away from one's family didn't strike me as a balanced way to be a good father or husband. Thankfully I had paid a good number of hours into employment insurance at that point and was eligible for a course on how to set up and run your own small business. I was accepted to the course and pipe making became a full-time pursuit. Being able to hang out in a warm workshop with my wife and daughter close by is a much nicer way to spend my time! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>: You are very well known for your "Creatures of Smoke". What first inspired that series and what do you enjoy most about it?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0FMkaJGir5xCa0PD9yAFSA3pWCF34WGJzOrEIMBiXLD0yJJH7sZLoez_hHKgglv1xgXOS2uH61eDNfQ4tjEk9-xRNEzKtn-90sqwnH9bz7TnHZUgpAi3C8IhKu0875NJjFl_CtVLInOI/s1600/greenman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0FMkaJGir5xCa0PD9yAFSA3pWCF34WGJzOrEIMBiXLD0yJJH7sZLoez_hHKgglv1xgXOS2uH61eDNfQ4tjEk9-xRNEzKtn-90sqwnH9bz7TnHZUgpAi3C8IhKu0875NJjFl_CtVLInOI/s1600/greenman.jpg" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SD</b>: Truth be told the first creature of smoke was half a publicity stunt, half something I had wanted to do for a few years. It sounds horrible, but that's how it started out. I was attending my second or third Chicago show and I wanted a pipe that would draw some attention to my table. I always liked some of the carved Meerschaum pipes and wondered if it would be possible to do something similar in briar. Trever Talbert's Hallowe'en pipes also probably had something to do with it, I was and am a big fan of his work. It was a big risk because these pipes take weeks instead of days to complete, but I decided to take the plunge and after that more commissions came slowly rolling in. I was actually surprised when they did and I eventually had to come up with a separate grading system for them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think what I like most about these pipes is that they are something you need to approach with a sense of respect for lack of a better word. I know that I'll be investing a ton of time and being paid a fair bit of money for these pipes, so I had better get it right the first time. There is a definite series of steps to be followed, it's sort of like the anticipation and enjoyment of going on a long road trip. The design, materials, time and creative energy need to be all there before I can begin. When I finish a more conventional pipe there is always a nice sense of completion, Creatures of Smoke are that times ten. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>: What inspires your pipe creations today, aside from commissions?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SD</b>: The great thing about pipes is that there are so many avenues to being inspired. You can be inspired by the elegance and balance of a classic shape. You can look to nature for organic shapes. You can look at what other artists are doing, not just in pipe making, but other professions like knife making, sculpture, architecture, artistic movements, whatever there is out there. Sometimes the inspiration is just to outdo what I've done before. I've been inspired by the shape of a toilet flush, it's often more difficult not to find inspiration.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>: What do you feel sets your pipes apart? Give me your sales pitch!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><b>SD</b>: When I make a pipe I make it to smoke and smoke well. Engineering is the base that everything else is built on. A pipe should smoke well no matter how crazily the briar is shaped around it. When you get right down to it a pipe is a couple pieces of wood and plastic with holes drilled in. Even with great engineering I could probably make three pipes a day. It is building something on top of the engineering that I think sets my pipes apart. What I try to do when I make a pipe is to make a common object extraordinary. A box with a door can be a building, but so can the Chrysler building. </span><span style="color: black;">I'm not saying what I do is anything so grand as that, but I think today there is too much emphasis placed on manufacturing things quickly with an absolute minimum of quality to keep costs down. I understand this, but in my way I think I'm trying to make pipes that go beyond a simple smoking instrument into an object that can be appreciated on many different levels. I think a world with just boxes and no Chrysler Buildings, </span><strong><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sagrada Familias, or Taj Mahals</span></span></strong><span style="color: black;"> would be a much more dreary place.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTymCg_QwFD9jxhmkvbx1dThvHO6xJBjG-quSaMjsTv376PNXH-tK3lmu70xJlGJfQZ5tWS-mmKubFEfZbrJ-20O1L2vQuNzq2CLmV9BRTTom_cNPPtENHQn3Duaznh1Q17dIZreUhUZn-/s1600/Sagradafamilia00002482731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTymCg_QwFD9jxhmkvbx1dThvHO6xJBjG-quSaMjsTv376PNXH-tK3lmu70xJlGJfQZ5tWS-mmKubFEfZbrJ-20O1L2vQuNzq2CLmV9BRTTom_cNPPtENHQn3Duaznh1Q17dIZreUhUZn-/s400/Sagradafamilia00002482731.jpg" width="291" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>: How do you like to go about making a pipe? Is there a certain process you follow, including the environment in which you work?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><b>SD</b>: I can't really say that I have a strict process per se. With commissions I like to sketch out some concept thumbnails before I start cutting briar. It lets me work out some design ideas and also helps avoid confusion later on. With some of the more complex pipes I use modelling clay to figure out how it will work. There is nothing like being 28 hours into a Creature of Smoke and still not really have a clear idea how the final shape will turn out.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">As far as my approach to the wood, a lot of what I do is commission work and that means that I'm looking for a specific shape in the grain of a block of briar that will accommodate the shape. When I make a pipe for the site I generally grab a block of briar that looks interesting and fit the shape to the briar. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">When I'm working I'm usually listening to an audiobook or music on my MP3 player. I find this a bit odd since I'm not usually all that great at mufti-tasking. I've found about the only thing I can't do with a set of earbuds in is to write. Something else I've found is that when I'm listening to something I like I spend more hours in the workshop.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZweRVu0WJtMu_PV5m3PVcXnem6bRRsoE2CABtJoOPFVzt9rttjGp2eCTAZjB7jRkJrgMbXhBOes5murK4hYItWw3_R3sh62Zmu2r4O2qefZIcupQNkh1Ha69zQl100MOlR5Z6Po0EhKs/s1600/multitasking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioZweRVu0WJtMu_PV5m3PVcXnem6bRRsoE2CABtJoOPFVzt9rttjGp2eCTAZjB7jRkJrgMbXhBOes5murK4hYItWw3_R3sh62Zmu2r4O2qefZIcupQNkh1Ha69zQl100MOlR5Z6Po0EhKs/s320/multitasking.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>: What pipe carvers have been the biggest influence on you?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><b>SD</b>: I think without a doubt Trever Talbert was initially the pipe maker that showed me that a pipe didn't have to be just a pipe. It could be something to admire outside of being simply a smoking instrument. Outside of that I've tried hard to not be influenced by specific carvers -at least as far as design is concerned technical aspects are a different matter. It is too easy to be seen as being derivative and even unconsciously bring elements of another carver's work into my own pipes. If I see elements of pipe design that I like I try and put my own spin on it, but I try not to study individuals. </span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">That said, there are carvers that I certainty admire. Rolando Negoita for instance deserves a lot more notoriety than what he has. He has developed a specific look to his pipes where most other pipe makers rely on tweaking the designs of pipe makers that have come before them. I find that incredibly compelling. Michael Parks does some really awesome stuff as does Will Purdy, Rad Davis, Jeff Gracik, Todd Johnston, Adam Davidson, Nanna Ivarsson, Bruce Weaver, there are a ton of others too.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>: Outside of the pipe world, who would you say has had the biggest influence on your work?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SD</b>: <span style="color: black;">Without a doubt my wife. Every pipe I make gets a critique and gets looked over before it is finished. It's easy at times to not see flaws that are staring right at you when you have been working on a pipe for 10 hours. She finds them. It is invaluable to have a fresh set of eyes and thankfully she is mine.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>:<span style="color: black;"> Do you have any particular plans for the future, both in and out of the pipe world?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SD</b>: <span style="color: black;">I have a few things in mind with pipes, but no hard plans just yet. I'm pretty happy with what I've got on my plate. I'm always looking to streamline production though and next year I'm hoping to experiment in planning out my production schedule so I can take better advantage of overlapping projects.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">I've slowly been studying and tooling up for knife making over the last few years and that is another avenue that I'll be exploring in the future. Thankfully there is a lot of cross over in tools and techniques between the two crafts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>:<span style="color: black;"> What is your favorite type of pipe to smoke?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SD</b>: <span style="color: black;">I like to smoke pipes made by people I know and have spoken to. I have a bunch of factory made pipes that are great, but there is something nice about being able to light up a pipe that was made by a friend.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>:<span style="color: black;"> What is your favorite type/blend of tobacco?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SD</b>: <span style="color: black;">If I had to chose I would say straight Virginias. I do also like English blends, non-goopy aromatics, and Orientals.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>:<span style="color: black;"> Other than pipes, what are your other interests that you are passionate about?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SD</b>: <span style="color: black;">My family, playing the Mandolin, long distance running, online gaming, music, reading, coffee roasting, making the perfect cup of coffee, local beers and wines, cigars, always learning something new.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTMiConnTfl75nMvms3iGrCjHHxUOEuKTbP_TnQ215ISFy_SmTFiGfC_EVkDN85YtMfcoWUd8WnNtAN_4YHDREUhFYfAi8V2P3WdUPaDvSdxLLsPynHQmJES6Pt5UjlzdXoMFgEiWbAC3/s1600/mandolin.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTMiConnTfl75nMvms3iGrCjHHxUOEuKTbP_TnQ215ISFy_SmTFiGfC_EVkDN85YtMfcoWUd8WnNtAN_4YHDREUhFYfAi8V2P3WdUPaDvSdxLLsPynHQmJES6Pt5UjlzdXoMFgEiWbAC3/s320/mandolin.gif" width="169" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>EB</b>:<span style="color: black;"> What is your favorite book and who is your favorite author?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SD</b>: </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ye Gods and little fishes, there are so many great works out there. It really depends on my mood. Lovecraft, Poe, Tolkien, Jim Butcher, Patrick Rothfuss, Shakespeare, Edmund Spencer, George RR Martin, Neil Gaiman, Robert Jordan, Vernor Vinge, China Meiville, Phillip Pullman, Douglas </span>Adams, Terry Prachett are all names that spring to mind. How could I possibly chose just one?</span></span></div>
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<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></div>thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-43675521742704262642011-12-25T07:45:00.001-08:002011-12-25T07:45:36.962-08:00Happy WinterTo everyone out there, no matter how you spend your Winter: I hope you are healthy and happy.<br />
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For those of you who celebrate a holiday or two, take advantage of the time with your family.<br />
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I want nothing but health and happiness for all of you.<br />
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Happy Winter Solstice.thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-21712185379554500552011-12-20T22:00:00.000-08:002011-12-21T12:34:02.632-08:00A Smokin' Present<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you're anything like me, there are those people that you try to shop for this time of year who just stump you. You know so much about the person, but finding a present seems like a challenge worthy of Sisyphus. Should I get her a new scarf? What color? Does she even like scarves? You know how it goes.<br />
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Also, if you are like me, there are those people in your life who want to get you something for Christmas or Hanukkah or the Winter Solstice or just because they love you, but have almost no knowledge about pipes. Luckily for them, we are a lot easier than people give us credit. For that reason, I humbly request that you turn over the computer temporarily to that dear loved one so that I may pass some simple knowledge to him or her.<br />
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I'll wait.<br />
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...<br />
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Hi, my name is Ethan. I write a blog totally dedicated to pipes, because I am obsessed, and your loved one who just handed you the computer reads this blog occasionally. Be sure to thank him for doing that, by the way.<br />
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Anyway, I know that Winter is a time for giving and that you very well might be contemplating giving your loved one a pipe or something pipe related as a present. This can be a very daunting task, much like a man trying to buy shoes for his lady. One reason that this can often be so difficult is that the pipe smoker might be hesitant to tell you what pipes he has his eye on, since they can sometimes be quite pricey. This humble nature is quite the virtue, but can clearly make your job more difficult when it is time to go shopping.<br />
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If you just read on for a little, I will do my best to help you get the best possible present for those pipe smokers who haven't told you exactly what they want.<br />
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First of all, you need to decide whether to get him a pipe, tobacco, or an accessory.<br />
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Accessories included everything from pipe cleaners and tampers to pipe stands and tobacco jars. A simple fact to accept is that every single one of these will prove extremely useful to the pipe smoker in your life. Pipe cleaners are a necessity, as are pipe tampers. Additionally, there are many artistic pipe tampers out there, made of everything from copper to bone to bamboo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpxwLV165XA5fsF7DN-95pZwAouPEyYwkOdFUTATqPPvOBI87bypgHOJT4Z907z0eGalGlb_tz6D43lWhvaJ00T14T3-QfmE3Xa6mEZBua2GWTwcHnAzFsEB7E4QxW6Wt0XpR9i_oM-mn/s1600/time+is.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizpxwLV165XA5fsF7DN-95pZwAouPEyYwkOdFUTATqPPvOBI87bypgHOJT4Z907z0eGalGlb_tz6D43lWhvaJ00T14T3-QfmE3Xa6mEZBua2GWTwcHnAzFsEB7E4QxW6Wt0XpR9i_oM-mn/s320/time+is.gif" width="58" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Time is Endless tamper, by Yashtylov)</span></div>
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Pipe racks are always a good choice, since, let's face it, there are more pipes in his future than what he currently has, and unless you want to see them haphazardly placed all over his dwelling, he will need more storage space.</div>
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Moving on to pipe tobacco. This is, in my opinion, not an area to get creative. Unless you find a tin blended by Mark Twain and J.R.R. Tolkien themselves, I would suggest sticking with those tobaccos that you know he loves. This may sound boring, but look at it this way: he is not bored by those tobaccos, as evidenced by the fact that he still smokes them, so don't worry. If you feel absolutely inclined to get him something new, make sure it is along his line of interest. This, however, requires a little more effort on your part.</div>
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If you can sneak a peak at what he likes to smoke while he's not around, look for certain key words in the description of the tobacco: "Latakia", "Oriental", "Cyprus", "English". If any or all of these words appear, then you should find him another blend known as an English. Some of the most popular and highest rated Englishes include <i>Penzance</i>, by Esoterica, <i>Northwoods</i>, from Boswell Pipes and Tobaccos, <i>Three Oaks Syrian</i>, from McClelland, and <i>Westminster, </i>from G.L. Pease. It's hard to go wrong with any of these.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oxbFYeXDXfZMFOg0I4iWgHcnAEZqMArJFUM6YtaTNXxa2B8wEydjjtuaXYvlE3T5VvTAPcaaPuZkdQUVzvOTVlw_HYw866IFAMe7fUu5IqGRx9d5aa1G6OYO-ZGzW8jw2aaTC3JZDzWA/s1600/three+oaks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5oxbFYeXDXfZMFOg0I4iWgHcnAEZqMArJFUM6YtaTNXxa2B8wEydjjtuaXYvlE3T5VvTAPcaaPuZkdQUVzvOTVlw_HYw866IFAMe7fUu5IqGRx9d5aa1G6OYO-ZGzW8jw2aaTC3JZDzWA/s1600/three+oaks.jpg" /></a></div>
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If, on the other hand, the only words you see on the back of his favorite tin are "Virginia", "Virginia", "Virginia", then it is probably a safe bet that he likes straight Virginia blends. Some good names to look for include <i>Full Virginia Flake</i>, from Samuel Gawith, <i>Blackwoods Flake </i>and <i>5100</i>, from McClelland, McCranie's <i>Red Ribbon</i>, and <i>Jack Knife Plug</i>, by G.L. Pease.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFB-XcNtJgn4x4I8VBGaX6hKv2oHBLKWFJq0KLMpYIJijpvajLitmK8_pJfXnkXmJ0yrT1xFIaHHaGVCpaItYoehytnoKml8hboPx1tC1FToJ-n58ESGWN3OO6FWn1bAmV5XzMYBtW1GJ/s1600/JackKnife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFB-XcNtJgn4x4I8VBGaX6hKv2oHBLKWFJq0KLMpYIJijpvajLitmK8_pJfXnkXmJ0yrT1xFIaHHaGVCpaItYoehytnoKml8hboPx1tC1FToJ-n58ESGWN3OO6FWn1bAmV5XzMYBtW1GJ/s1600/JackKnife.jpg" /></a></div>
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If you happened to notice, along with the word "Virginia", the word "Perique", then this changes things a little. This type of blend is affectionately known as a Va/Per, or VaPer, and is a little spicier than the blends listed immediately above. Try to find some of this blends, and he will be very grateful: Reiner's <i>Long Golden Flake</i>, <i>Scottish Flake</i> and <i>Scottish Cake</i>, by McConnell, G.L. Pease's <i>Triple Play</i>, and Rattray's <i>Hal O' The Wynd</i>.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_viIkD3EDgpjMeTtWVSSFOrN4efAWMmom08R2-9h2lEefLTxylqSThxxPnes-9JNwNxyZz3TUOa1Oojv74aFupEmPYd5k8zFWXRt0p758w7V7I9TmFNepyzsxM1xpm-aaZZDz_hGNgqp/s1600/Hal+o+the+wynd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP_viIkD3EDgpjMeTtWVSSFOrN4efAWMmom08R2-9h2lEefLTxylqSThxxPnes-9JNwNxyZz3TUOa1Oojv74aFupEmPYd5k8zFWXRt0p758w7V7I9TmFNepyzsxM1xpm-aaZZDz_hGNgqp/s320/Hal+o+the+wynd.jpg" width="243" /></a></div>
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You might also find that the pipe smoker loves those berry, chocolaty, delicious smelling tobaccos, which is wonderful for everyone else in the room. Here are some blends that are perfect for the holidays: Boswell's <i>Christmas Cookie</i>, <i>Holiday Spirit</i>, from McClelland, Mac Baren's <i>Honey and Chocolate</i>, and Dan Tobacco's <i>Devil's Holiday, </i>all sure to please the sweet tooth. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ymJyf4Z1Xh9UKXSBf-FKTSNY982x7Vq-yTNWRMnvJJh83q-ZHveHeUuQn83FqPgZC8Uz1lDf5_N49oR3XLw_-hJKJsLPWfbhXpfgUyBM6Dau9KIFazdlp_w8ekb4AAdh1t_mkip4V3O7/s1600/devils-holiday-thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ymJyf4Z1Xh9UKXSBf-FKTSNY982x7Vq-yTNWRMnvJJh83q-ZHveHeUuQn83FqPgZC8Uz1lDf5_N49oR3XLw_-hJKJsLPWfbhXpfgUyBM6Dau9KIFazdlp_w8ekb4AAdh1t_mkip4V3O7/s1600/devils-holiday-thumb.jpg" /></a></div>
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This basically covers the main four areas where your pipe smoking loved one might fall. Now comes the difficult area: pipes.</div>
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First, let me make a suggestion: unless you are buying a corncob, try to spend more than forty dollars on the pipe. I know that economic times are hard, but listed above are a number of great, thoughtful options for much less money. While <u>a high price does not guarantee a great pipe</u>, it is <u>likely</u> a better pipe than one found for twenty dollars. Think about it this way: a doctor who charges $300 a visit is not necessarily better than one who charges $30 a visit, but I'm a little nervous to trust discount doctors.</div>
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With that disclaimer out of the way, let's take a look one more time at the pipe smoker in question. You can learn a lot from looking at his pipes, such as what material he prefers, whether he likes big bowls or small bowls, long stems or short stems, smooth pipes or sandblasted pipes, etc. This is all extremely helpful information.</div>
<br />
Surprisingly, I am here going to stop giving advice as to how to pick a pipe. This is why. The very fact that you have been thoughtful enough to want to get him a pipe, along with taking a minute or two to see what kind he tends to like, is enough to make any pipe smoker happy. That pipe that you get him, even if it is a $40 pipe among his $500 pipes, will hold a special place in his collection and in his heart. Even if you found out that he likes smooth, long-stem Meerschaum pipes, and you get him a short, sandblasted briar pipe, he will love it just the same.<br />
<br />
There are dozens of extremely helpful establishments, including <a href="http://www.smokingpipes.com/">Smoking Pipes</a>, <a href="http://www.pipesandcigars.com/">Pipes and Cigars</a>, <a href="http://www.cupojoes.com/">Cup O' Joes</a>, <a href="http://www.iwanries.com/">Iwan Ries</a>, <a href="http://www.4noggins.com/">4Noggins</a>, to only name a few. Not only do their websites have incredible selections of pipes, but the people themselves are extremely friendly. Give them a call, tell them what you know about your pipe smoker, and they will probably be able to help you out.<br />
<br />
Just remember that whatever pipe you get him is the right one. He will love it, because it is from you. It will be one of the few pipes in his collection that he will never trade, because it holds a far deeper meaning that many of the others.<br />
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I hope that this short guide has helped. Be confident in what you buy and have a very happy and healthy Winter season.thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-45231562293644391452011-12-19T13:05:00.000-08:002011-12-19T19:25:40.544-08:00Smoke on the Water<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJU_KeS_1w3WK0yBiKuYUzm1_7cr67wXHhMzTZqbh3TD96nqwCepTg23dO-_PkZyxTWnHP8G0hFzl8FplM4JnUCXGP36EuVgCabtbf83nLoM1rXAXGWoE2vTi2KODHhf3aiLafW17sruP4/s1600/smoke+on+the+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJU_KeS_1w3WK0yBiKuYUzm1_7cr67wXHhMzTZqbh3TD96nqwCepTg23dO-_PkZyxTWnHP8G0hFzl8FplM4JnUCXGP36EuVgCabtbf83nLoM1rXAXGWoE2vTi2KODHhf3aiLafW17sruP4/s400/smoke+on+the+water.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm a college student. I'm not starving or living off of Ramen noodles every night -- not that there's anything wrong with that -- but I do have to be concerned about finances. I watch my spending on a lot of things, with a few exceptions, pipes and my lady friend being the top two expenditures.<br />
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Recently, however, I received information about an opportunity that made me tempted to forgo all other spending.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Klq3mgnPBvsu7zW37rWeTql-FI5A7OpoXbmaKRtJ6rTEU0ha7Ek-Sv6Z6MC2QWPo6j62qmOMpyJ1EADlnXfFCQ-efGV-MudJTa0ivUuB4OnxEOZ9W_n5tLeC4IoT7aXi5c6n08Se3zSO/s1600/Richard+Friedman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Klq3mgnPBvsu7zW37rWeTql-FI5A7OpoXbmaKRtJ6rTEU0ha7Ek-Sv6Z6MC2QWPo6j62qmOMpyJ1EADlnXfFCQ-efGV-MudJTa0ivUuB4OnxEOZ9W_n5tLeC4IoT7aXi5c6n08Se3zSO/s320/Richard+Friedman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Captain Richard Friedman)</span></div>
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Richard Friedman is one of the examples of a great pipester. He is knowledgeable, warm, giving of his time and energy, and a Renaissance Man. I feel that this last quality should be a requirement of pipesters, as we have embraced the notion that life is enhanced by a myriad different experiences and that knowledge relating to these experiences only serves to amplify their effect.<br />
<br />
One of the many pleasure of life that Richard has devoted himself to, and perhaps the only passion of his that rivals his love of pipes, is yachting. In an attempt to combine those two passions, and to enhance the pleasure of other pipe smokers through friendship and experience, Richard has put together a Pipers' Cruise on Alaskan Song.<br />
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This is an incredible opportunity to meet other passionate pipers, enjoy fantastic food prepared by Nancy Friedman, and smoke a pipe on a yacht of phenomenal proportions. To make the pot even sweeter, master pipe artisan Tonni Nielsen will be on board!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZDCcb4diO9ZswGaUpTP7-Rtsy7AXUuKKKyEH5fHQznDqCwyeJy9oTmKLZdMxi2W1K5JM28Tu8PyskeYwAWqUDs-M8Dw1Aq3NtaWhohEgXzf_qZjGVRyd9zSLj27X7sC445k8XbFNl2WZ/s1600/tonni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ZDCcb4diO9ZswGaUpTP7-Rtsy7AXUuKKKyEH5fHQznDqCwyeJy9oTmKLZdMxi2W1K5JM28Tu8PyskeYwAWqUDs-M8Dw1Aq3NtaWhohEgXzf_qZjGVRyd9zSLj27X7sC445k8XbFNl2WZ/s1600/tonni.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Artisan Tonni Nielsen)</span></div>
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For more information on this exciting expedition, check our <a href="http://www.yachtexplorer.com/pipecruise.html">Richard Friedman's website</a> and <a href="http://www.apassionforpipes.com/neills-blog/2010/9/2/listening-to-the-alaskan-song.html">Neill Archer Roan's experience</a>.<br />
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Once you see the offer that is in front of you, you very well might be as tempted to put everything off for a little while as I am!thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4037831997458189008.post-55288504279432938912011-12-14T11:21:00.000-08:002011-12-14T11:28:45.391-08:00Teacher! I Know the Answer!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uQdJ5-ZKKwCoLK029UzKIRWx1d9KBbXMnt6lu0Htl7HOmWKzAKrK1nAjPEUfNIvfBwr9trp2ir4gVsTpiYZUAD1t4BNMRVWyWERq92xn00sT8osTcFTsy2mi0tUdOY8o6zexVKD4stSo/s1600/cartoon+mold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uQdJ5-ZKKwCoLK029UzKIRWx1d9KBbXMnt6lu0Htl7HOmWKzAKrK1nAjPEUfNIvfBwr9trp2ir4gVsTpiYZUAD1t4BNMRVWyWERq92xn00sT8osTcFTsy2mi0tUdOY8o6zexVKD4stSo/s320/cartoon+mold.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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CL had just clocked out when I got into
work.</div>
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I was carrying my Archer PipeFolio in
one hand and my Amazon Kindle in the other. It was a beautiful Monday
night, to my eyes, with a steady rain and grey sky. I knew that this
meant the night would either be extremely busy or extremely dead. A
selfish part of me was hoping for the latter, as I had just gotten to
an exciting part of <i>A Dance With Dragons</i>,
by George R. R. Martin, and I was looking forward to trying out a new
tobacco.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ComK9BTdrPR4qmO6U7676Eq2beVPRK8WAEZOwME8tKDW38KJsUaoHKf2FcvkMHCjfQnFCveUuo8ui4h8zbJmPJfg4hQTewWBMR7f8P_DA7NhoPXlhyphenhyphenjmkvCd6-OqsanbHp3GcFz907Jg/s1600/dance+with+dragons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ComK9BTdrPR4qmO6U7676Eq2beVPRK8WAEZOwME8tKDW38KJsUaoHKf2FcvkMHCjfQnFCveUuo8ui4h8zbJmPJfg4hQTewWBMR7f8P_DA7NhoPXlhyphenhyphenjmkvCd6-OqsanbHp3GcFz907Jg/s320/dance+with+dragons.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After I clocked in,
I strolled back often to the host's station, which is simply a small
counter with a phone and calendar next to the bar. Rainy weather
always puts me in a good mood, that night being no exception.</div>
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Twenty minutes into
my shift, no one had walked in. About that same time, CL dropped his
backpack next to where I was standing and leaned against the counter
with a glass of red wine in his hand.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
One of the things I
really admire about CL is his ability to appreciate a plethora of
flavors, a skill that has made him an aficionado on wine, beer, and
scotch, and he is working on adding pipe tobacco the list.</div>
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“So, I had a pipe
question for you.”</div>
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<i>Wonderful</i>,
I thought, putting my Kindle down in anticipation. It is a rare that
a young man gets to help educate the bar manager where one works, so
I was not going to pass the opportunity. Plus, as someone who helped
spark his fascination with pipes, I feel like I have a stake in his
continuing enjoyment, as, indeed, all pipe smokers have in the
continued proliferation of our community as a whole.</div>
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<br /></div>
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“I recently
snagged some Full Virginia Flake –“</div>
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“Hold on,” I
interrupted, probably sounding ruder than I intended. Digging around
the poor excuse for a host's station, I found a piece of crumpled
paper with some information about a reservation to have taken place
weeks ago. I scratched out the old writing, wrote down a few words,
folded the paper, and slid it towards CL.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“What's that?”
he asked.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Nothing. Sorry, I interrupted. You were saying something about your FVF. Good
stuff, by the way.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“That's what I've
heard. I traded someone online for it and it came in a mason jar, so
I figured it would be okay. But when I opened it, there was this
stuff all over it.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“Stuff?” I
asked, channeling my years of acting in high school and college to
sound as befuddled as possible. “What color was it?”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
CL paused. “White,
mostly. White and light grey. I didn't know if it might be mold.”</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I smiled and tapped
the piece of paper that I had slid towards him earlier.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
He picked it up,
unfolded it, and read what I had written: <i>It's not mold. It's
called bloom.</i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
After reading it,
he cocked his head at me, laughed, and said: “Smart ass.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I proudly smiled.
“Absolutely! But notice that the first word in that insult was
'smart'.”</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This is a common
question with pipe smokers, and cigar smokers, as a matter of fact,
and can often cause some overly wary people to lose out on a very
good smoke.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A lot of online
forums have questions concerning tobacco and mold, most frequently
with Virginia flakes, such as Samuel Gawith's Full Virginia Flake.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When people unseal
their tobacco, they are sometimes greeted with this sight:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwqvMcPoJ-LUnDiIO2nSA0PAOo8-PYZIUzpXA2cnd238nB2No2b4oLanTYScGy8SI6QlDoTukG673yHTfPZ_nsAEPb6Kb5tuJ3HrjvpYHJ-wVNW21v-F2V7vjrlKA4Qjk70SpQ_gu8N-l/s1600/fvf+%2527mold%2527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgwqvMcPoJ-LUnDiIO2nSA0PAOo8-PYZIUzpXA2cnd238nB2No2b4oLanTYScGy8SI6QlDoTukG673yHTfPZ_nsAEPb6Kb5tuJ3HrjvpYHJ-wVNW21v-F2V7vjrlKA4Qjk70SpQ_gu8N-l/s400/fvf+%2527mold%2527.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This can,
understandably, cause alarm in those who are unaware of this natural
occurrence of tobacco, known as 'bloom'.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
In most of those
online conversations, the more experienced pipe smokers, who have
encountered this before, will attempt to reassure the novice, by
telling him that what he is seeing is, in fact, sugar. This is easy
to believe, as what appear to be crystals can be seen in the
white/grey substance under just a little light. While this is a nice
thought, and is plausible with such a sweet tobacco, it is,
unfortunately, a myth.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
This substance is
known as 'bloom' or 'plume' – I, personally, prefer 'bloom', as it
sounds like the tobacco has blossomed, which is quite accurate.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
When tobacco ages,
the oils in the tobacco will sometimes come to the surface in the
form of crystals. This is nothing to be concerned about, and is
actually a sign that your tobacco has been aging well.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It is pretty easy
to tell the difference between mold and bloom once you know what
you're looking for: bloom is always white or light grey, should rub
off very easily, leave no stain, have crystals, and should have no
odor. Mold, on the other hand, can be different colors, including
yellow, will not contain crystals, will often be hairy, and will
probably smell.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
With renewed faith
in his tobacco, CL left the pub determined to try one of the most
highly rated smokes of our time. I highly encourage you to do the same!</div>thefoolishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07381643121079932633noreply@blogger.com6