My humble apologies to my faithful readers for the prolonged absence of late. It was my intention to write this blog on a regular basis, at least weekly, but sometimes life gets in the way. Nothing so dramatic as the adventures of last summer; just busy with work and family.
I was AWOL last week from The Tobacco Hut as I was having cataract surgery that Monday and the doctor advised that I not smoke for a few days before or after the procedure. So it was with relish today that I arrived and loaded up an Ascorti Pepino with my favorite tobacco, Tinder Box Reserve 1928.
The tobacco didn't disappoint, but the attendance of the regulars did. Where was everyone? No Joe K, Peter G, Paul V, Sue Ann, Tom L, Ed, Scott, Steve, Barry, etc. Wait, wait - who's that but Barry crossing the threshold! Turns out Barry's hours have changed so he's not able to visit with the same frequency as before, but here he is - the man, the myth - sitting down and enjoying a cigar with Lou and me.
Barry was wondering where Peter was, but decided that he could sense Barry's presence and didn't want to have to eat crow because of the recent Yankees World Series win. Any truth to that Peter? :-)
Speaking of a regular, or irregular as the case may be, I received a lovely note from Mike G in Tennessee yesterday remarking about the blog's absence: "Hey where is your blog? You get me started reading it, then you stop writing it. Maybe you should stick to selling crack. I hope you are doing alright. MIKE." Not to worry, Mike, all is well in the blogosphere.
Lou related a funny story that happened to him a week or so ago when he was closing the store for the night. He locked up and was heading to his truck when he realized that the neon "Open" sign was still on. Thinking that he still had time to re-enter the store and turn off the alarm, he went back in punched in the alarm code. But it didn't shut off; it was still beeping. He tried again, and again, to no avail. Then all hell broke loose. The very audible alarm was now sounding when he realized what he had done - he was punching in the alarm code on the telephone keypad (the phone is mounted next to the alarm). Oh Lou...
Since I just embarrassed Lou a little, I have to tell one on me now. A couple weeks ago at the Hut, I tried out a little mind reading experiment with Joe and Lou. I wrote down a prediction and folded it up, then had Joe deal out ten playing cards after some shuffling and then triumphantly opened the piece of paper to show how the order of the cards matched my prediction - and, in fact, the prediction was completely wrong. I'm glad I didn't have a larger audience for my magical debut at the Hut, but I am proud to say that I successfully entertained Peter the next week with some legerdemain.
For a modern twist on an old classic, check out this Online Mind Reader. (Click on the little speaker in the lower left portion to turn the music off). Prepare to be amazed!
Before I forget, Lou is having a Rocky Patel tasting on Saturday, Dec. 12th, from 12-4pm. Spread the word and help make it a big success!
That's all for now. Until next week...
- Bob
