I introduced a special guest yesterday at The Tobacco Hut. All the way from Seattle, my brother-in-law Mark was in town for business and was able to extend his visit to spend time with Paula and me. I couldn't let the Saturday go by without a stop at the Hut for a cigar and a pipe, so we hit the store around 1:30 or so and he got to meet Lou and Joe.
As I filled my Ascorti Pepino pipe with some Tinder Box Reserve 1928 (I must say that this tobacco made exclusively for the Tinder Box by McClelland continues to impress - never harsh, great flavor and excellent room note), Mark picked out a Fuente and we settled in. Joe reminded us that he was heading for the north country on the 21st (Erie, PA) so we probably won't see him 'til the following Saturday. Stay warm, Joe!
I was hoping that Joe's son James "Two Kidney" Koker would call in like he usually does on Saturday afternoons, but he must have been too busy pouring vodka in his ears.
A short time later, Peter arrived and I introduced him to a fellow Bostonian. Mark and Peter compared notes and Boston history, and I think Peter was finally glad to be able to share his love of Beantown (or Tremontaine as the city was originally called) with someone with as much appreciation and love of the town as him. Not that the rest of us don't care, but some of the recondite and arcane points of Boston's history are lost on non-natives.
Barry came in toward the end of our stay and after the introductions and pleasantries were out of the way, the talk turned to baseball, specifically Yankees vs. Red Sox. Barry staked out his position as a Yankee fan and apologist early, defending their numerous championships and maintaining that, with one or two exceptions, his players are squeaky clean. He is quick to point out how juiced the Sox players are though. Mark diplomatically made the point that, like corrupt politicians, athletes using performance enhancing drugs are rampant on every team.
Mark congratulated Barry on the Yankees' 2009 World Series win, making a reference to how their gigantic payroll probably played a not so insignificant role in their win. Barry disputed this, of course, claiming that the payroll between the Yankees and Red Sox wasn't so far apart - maybe $10-20 million. So I did some research. According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, the 2009 opening day payroll for the Yankees was $201.4 million. Opening day payroll for the Red Sox was $121.7 million, a difference of almost $80 million. I'll let my reader decide for himself if, and to what degree, money makes a difference in winning MLB championships. Just an aside, the San Diego Padres' 2009 opening day payroll was $43.7 million. 'Nuff said.
I had hoped for a more vigorous, and logical, fact-based defense from Barry concerning Yankee steroid use and "bought" championships, especially in the face of a united Mark/Peter front, rather than ad hominem attacks accusing the two of a budding "bromance." He did tell the entertaining story of when he met Derek Jeter in a Tampa restaurant a couple years ago. His veritable lust for Mr. Jeter seemed a bit like a "bromance" as well, and Barry unashamedly admitted to it, claiming it would be "just sex."
On that note, Mark and I took our leave. I'm not sure if my advanced hype of the Hut lived up to expectations, but I hope Mark had a good time nevertheless and will consider joining the gang again the next time he's in town.
Until next week...
- Bob
P.S. How did Dallas do in their playoff game, Barry? Sorry, man, had to do it. Still friends...?
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Saturday at the Hut - 1/2/10
Unfortunately, I was forced to stay home from the Tobacco Hut with a nasty cold I picked up last week. So no pipe for me and no reporting on what transpired.
I did however send my intrepid correspondent, Joe K, to the scene. From past e-mail exchanges with him, I know Joe to be concise and succinct. So I doubt that you'll be subject to the loquacious and verbose reporting you have grown accustomed to from my writings over the years.
Here's Joe's full report now:
Well, then, there you have it. Thank you Joe for that fine bit of reporting!
And, by the way, happy birthday to our correspondent! Sorry I couldn't be there to hoist a pipe in your honor. Hope to see you next week.
Cheers!
- Bob
I did however send my intrepid correspondent, Joe K, to the scene. From past e-mail exchanges with him, I know Joe to be concise and succinct. So I doubt that you'll be subject to the loquacious and verbose reporting you have grown accustomed to from my writings over the years.
Here's Joe's full report now:
We smoked.
Well, then, there you have it. Thank you Joe for that fine bit of reporting!
And, by the way, happy birthday to our correspondent! Sorry I couldn't be there to hoist a pipe in your honor. Hope to see you next week.
Cheers!
- Bob
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Saturday at the Hut - 12/26/09
Hey, look at this, two blog postings in a row without missing a week! I arrived this Saturday at The Tobacco Hut around 12:30 and filled the Stanwell freehand that I had gotten from Lou a year or two ago with some Frog Morton and shortly after I lit up, Tom L arrived. Good to see him twice in as many weeks. He gave Lou an Opus X from stock that he had purchased from the store in 1996. Fortunately, he hadn't stored them in his glove compartment and they both enjoyed a perfectly aged and mellowed cigar.
Close to 1:00 Joe K and his entourage came in: his son James K, his brother Jimmy from Tennessee, and his son-in-law Laith from Texas. It didn't take long for James to make fun of my affliction with jokes about being minus a kidney, but no worries - I could take it. I had some ammunition of my own to share with the group, like reminding James about being routinely over the limit on his father's credit card while at college, having to pour vodka in his ear after swimming across a sewage-infested retention pond, and of course - the coup de grâce - James calling his father collect from Mexico after having a cigar stolen from him by a monkey. You just can't make this stuff up.
We were all enjoying our respective smokes when a disheveled, smelly wayfarer appeared at the store's open door. James, apparently overcome with the spirit of the season, welcomed the man in and he (the vagabond) proceeded to stumble and mumble around the store creating a bit of a scene.
Without wanting to appear rude, but still mindful of the group's desires to be free of this miscreant, Joe announced that we all..."played for the other team". Everyone snickered (except Tom, who I don't think appreciated being "outed") but the man didn't seem to mind. Laith had gotten up momentarily and the hobo took the opportunity to plant himself in the now vacant chair. He proceeded to make even more inane comments than James was capable of making and proved himself most irritating.
Finally, when he asked Lou to buy a soda and protested the asking price of $1, Lou finally advised the man to leave. Incredulous, the man exclaimed, "I'm getting kicked out of a smoke shop?!" Yes, Mr. Tramp, you are. And with that, and a few choice words mumbled under his breath, he exited the store. Phew!
We went back to the general frivolity of the day, mostly poking fun at James (there's so much material!) and listening to tall tales from one another.
A little while later the vagrant walked past the shop's open door. He looked in, but we all made a conscious effort just to be quiet. Even when the man yelled in something about the "Homo Hut". Except Joe. Joe just couldn't leave well enough alone. The guy had stepped off the curb, but Joe yelled out, "I love you man!" And that brought Mr. Tramp back in, incredulous again that he had been kicked out of a smoke shop. We assured him that he had, but he could come back tomorrow. We neglected to tell him that the store is closed on Sundays.
You know, something just occurred to me...Lou said that Mike G was in town from Tennessee. I wonder if Mr. Smelly Pants was actually - no, it couldn't be. Never mind.
Happy Holidays everyone!
- Bob
Close to 1:00 Joe K and his entourage came in: his son James K, his brother Jimmy from Tennessee, and his son-in-law Laith from Texas. It didn't take long for James to make fun of my affliction with jokes about being minus a kidney, but no worries - I could take it. I had some ammunition of my own to share with the group, like reminding James about being routinely over the limit on his father's credit card while at college, having to pour vodka in his ear after swimming across a sewage-infested retention pond, and of course - the coup de grâce - James calling his father collect from Mexico after having a cigar stolen from him by a monkey. You just can't make this stuff up.
We were all enjoying our respective smokes when a disheveled, smelly wayfarer appeared at the store's open door. James, apparently overcome with the spirit of the season, welcomed the man in and he (the vagabond) proceeded to stumble and mumble around the store creating a bit of a scene.
Without wanting to appear rude, but still mindful of the group's desires to be free of this miscreant, Joe announced that we all..."played for the other team". Everyone snickered (except Tom, who I don't think appreciated being "outed") but the man didn't seem to mind. Laith had gotten up momentarily and the hobo took the opportunity to plant himself in the now vacant chair. He proceeded to make even more inane comments than James was capable of making and proved himself most irritating.
Finally, when he asked Lou to buy a soda and protested the asking price of $1, Lou finally advised the man to leave. Incredulous, the man exclaimed, "I'm getting kicked out of a smoke shop?!" Yes, Mr. Tramp, you are. And with that, and a few choice words mumbled under his breath, he exited the store. Phew!
We went back to the general frivolity of the day, mostly poking fun at James (there's so much material!) and listening to tall tales from one another.
A little while later the vagrant walked past the shop's open door. He looked in, but we all made a conscious effort just to be quiet. Even when the man yelled in something about the "Homo Hut". Except Joe. Joe just couldn't leave well enough alone. The guy had stepped off the curb, but Joe yelled out, "I love you man!" And that brought Mr. Tramp back in, incredulous again that he had been kicked out of a smoke shop. We assured him that he had, but he could come back tomorrow. We neglected to tell him that the store is closed on Sundays.
You know, something just occurred to me...Lou said that Mike G was in town from Tennessee. I wonder if Mr. Smelly Pants was actually - no, it couldn't be. Never mind.
Happy Holidays everyone!
- Bob
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Saturday at the Hut - 12/19/09
Again my humble apologies for taking so long to write a post - even Joe is finding it hard to defend my neglect of the blog. I shall endeavor to be more attentive in the future.
We all had a good laugh at The Tobacco Hut last week, December 12th, when the preacher man, Jim C, discovered that he had a new mission for conversion, namely me. He, Joe, Lou and Peter tried mightily (Joe even offered to take a knee with me) but alas I'm still enjoying the company of fellow nontheists such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, Bertrand Russell, Carl Reiner, George Carlin, Carl Sagan, and Kazimierz Lyszczynski (who was executed in 1689 for his beliefs - or rather, non belief).
This past Saturday I brought a special guest - my son Ryan was in town visiting for his winter break from school. He just finished up his first quarter at Ohio State, getting all A's, and was spending a few days with the family. It didn't take him long to join Lou, Joe, and Peter in taking some shots at the ole' man. He would fit in quite easily with our little Saturday afternoon group, just as Joe's son James did.
We couldn't stay long as we were headed up to Spring Hill to visit my mother who is recovering from a rather long stay in the hospital. She's doing better now and is on the mend.
Some more good news on the medical front, I had my six month scans last week to see if any more cancer has reared its ugly head and everything was clear - yippee! Or, as Joe would say, "Thank ya Jesus!". There was one little spot on the bone scan, but the oncologist said it wasn't cancerous at all, just a little arthritis in my hip. Can't wait to play the arthritis card on Paula now..."Sorry Honey, can't cut the grass, my arthritis is acting up."
Oh, one more thing, I made a grave error regarding the spelling of a certain word when I was building the shop's website. Lou has a pipe tobacco called North Star and it contains nougat flavoring. I spelled it incorrectly ("nuget") and somehow, a year later, Lou noticed it and brought it to my attention a few weeks ago. He asked me then how it was spelled and I replied, "N-U-G-E-T", compounding my error.
This Saturday at the Hut, he brought it to my attention again and Ryan consulted his iPod Touch, verifying that is indeed spelled "N-O-U-G-A-T". Of course, Ryan (and everyone else) had a good laugh over the fact that Mr. English Degree had misspelled a word. Ryan even remarked that he would make sure not to take the same English courses at Ohio State that I did.
Anyway, to Lou and everyone else, I now take this opportunity to down a hefty slice of humble pie and freely admit my mista-, my mis-, my mist-, my mistak-, my...mistake. There, I did it. And I'll now go and correct the website.
Merry Christmas everyone! (yes, the irony of me wishing you a Merry *Christmas* is not lost on me).
Cheers!
- Bob
We all had a good laugh at The Tobacco Hut last week, December 12th, when the preacher man, Jim C, discovered that he had a new mission for conversion, namely me. He, Joe, Lou and Peter tried mightily (Joe even offered to take a knee with me) but alas I'm still enjoying the company of fellow nontheists such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, Bertrand Russell, Carl Reiner, George Carlin, Carl Sagan, and Kazimierz Lyszczynski (who was executed in 1689 for his beliefs - or rather, non belief).
This past Saturday I brought a special guest - my son Ryan was in town visiting for his winter break from school. He just finished up his first quarter at Ohio State, getting all A's, and was spending a few days with the family. It didn't take him long to join Lou, Joe, and Peter in taking some shots at the ole' man. He would fit in quite easily with our little Saturday afternoon group, just as Joe's son James did.
We couldn't stay long as we were headed up to Spring Hill to visit my mother who is recovering from a rather long stay in the hospital. She's doing better now and is on the mend.
Some more good news on the medical front, I had my six month scans last week to see if any more cancer has reared its ugly head and everything was clear - yippee! Or, as Joe would say, "Thank ya Jesus!". There was one little spot on the bone scan, but the oncologist said it wasn't cancerous at all, just a little arthritis in my hip. Can't wait to play the arthritis card on Paula now..."Sorry Honey, can't cut the grass, my arthritis is acting up."
Oh, one more thing, I made a grave error regarding the spelling of a certain word when I was building the shop's website. Lou has a pipe tobacco called North Star and it contains nougat flavoring. I spelled it incorrectly ("nuget") and somehow, a year later, Lou noticed it and brought it to my attention a few weeks ago. He asked me then how it was spelled and I replied, "N-U-G-E-T", compounding my error.
This Saturday at the Hut, he brought it to my attention again and Ryan consulted his iPod Touch, verifying that is indeed spelled "N-O-U-G-A-T". Of course, Ryan (and everyone else) had a good laugh over the fact that Mr. English Degree had misspelled a word. Ryan even remarked that he would make sure not to take the same English courses at Ohio State that I did.
Anyway, to Lou and everyone else, I now take this opportunity to down a hefty slice of humble pie and freely admit my mista-, my mis-, my mist-, my mistak-, my...mistake. There, I did it. And I'll now go and correct the website.
Merry Christmas everyone! (yes, the irony of me wishing you a Merry *Christmas* is not lost on me).
Cheers!
- Bob
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Saturday at the Hut - 11/14/09
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
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
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Saturday at the Hut - 9/19/09
Today's headline at The Tobacco Hut: "The Pot Calls the Kettle Black". Let me explain. Joe K was talking with Lou and I about a new suit that he had purchased last week. The three of us were having a nice conversation about how Joe was inspired by Lou to accessorize his suit with a pair of suspenders. Lou often wears them and Joe thought a pair for his new suit would look spiffy as well. I then got to musing that maybe I should wear a bowtie instead of the traditional necktie. Joe said that I had the right "look" for a bowtie and that it might look nice. Lou then said abruptly, "Yeah, bowties look good on fat people!".
So, it would seem that we've moved from "Grumpy Lou Day" (see last week's post) to "Abusive Lou Day." Not that that's a particularly special day by any means mind you, but the zeal with which Lou insulted me kind of caught me off guard. As an aside, I like to think of myself as "chunky" or "husky", thank you.
And to the "pot calling the kettle black" point, don't worry Lou, I think you would look good in a bowtie as well! Any bets as to when I'll receive an apology from Lou?
Well, once we got that little unpleasantness out of the way, the day progressed nicely. Jim C arrived and told us a little about the renewing of the vows between Lou and Dotty that he officiated over a few weeks ago. Apparently Lou isn't as gruff as he likes to pretend, but I won't go into details here.
Peter came in and he and Jim discussed some of the finer points of Biblical history and theology. Quite an interesting conversation, even for me.
Steve B arrived with his friend Brian and we began kicking around ideas to help Steve market his landscaping business online. We talked about search engine optimization, starting a blog, Google AdWords and other ideas. A lot to think about, eh Steve? I'll send you some links that I think you might find helpful.
Today I smoked a bowl of Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in a Viking Crown Winslow freehand. It's got a very nice room note and a great, smooth taste. Poul Winslow does a nice job with his entry level pipe series. I have a few that I've bought from Lou and all look and smoke terrific.
Before I sign off, I found a great collection of old pipe and tobacco magazine ads online. I'll be posting them from time to time. This one is from 1932 for Granger pipe tobacco - click on it for a larger view. We won't find ads like this anymore. Just the fact that tobacco advertising was allowed plus the ad depicted smoking around a child. I'm really into vintage advertising anyway, so this appeals to me in several ways. Enjoy!
Until next week...
- Bob
So, it would seem that we've moved from "Grumpy Lou Day" (see last week's post) to "Abusive Lou Day." Not that that's a particularly special day by any means mind you, but the zeal with which Lou insulted me kind of caught me off guard. As an aside, I like to think of myself as "chunky" or "husky", thank you.
And to the "pot calling the kettle black" point, don't worry Lou, I think you would look good in a bowtie as well! Any bets as to when I'll receive an apology from Lou?
Well, once we got that little unpleasantness out of the way, the day progressed nicely. Jim C arrived and told us a little about the renewing of the vows between Lou and Dotty that he officiated over a few weeks ago. Apparently Lou isn't as gruff as he likes to pretend, but I won't go into details here.
Peter came in and he and Jim discussed some of the finer points of Biblical history and theology. Quite an interesting conversation, even for me.
Steve B arrived with his friend Brian and we began kicking around ideas to help Steve market his landscaping business online. We talked about search engine optimization, starting a blog, Google AdWords and other ideas. A lot to think about, eh Steve? I'll send you some links that I think you might find helpful.
Today I smoked a bowl of Tinder Box Reserve 1928 in a Viking Crown Winslow freehand. It's got a very nice room note and a great, smooth taste. Poul Winslow does a nice job with his entry level pipe series. I have a few that I've bought from Lou and all look and smoke terrific.
Before I sign off, I found a great collection of old pipe and tobacco magazine ads online. I'll be posting them from time to time. This one is from 1932 for Granger pipe tobacco - click on it for a larger view. We won't find ads like this anymore. Just the fact that tobacco advertising was allowed plus the ad depicted smoking around a child. I'm really into vintage advertising anyway, so this appeals to me in several ways. Enjoy!Until next week...
- Bob
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Saturday at the Hut - 9/12/09
This was my first visit to The Tobacco Hut in a couple weeks. My son Ryan was visiting from Ohio, and try as I might I just can't get him to take up pipe smoking. The photo of Ryan with a pipe was him goofing around while getting his senior pictures taken last year. Ryan is headed off to Ohio State in a week, my alma mater. He's kind of excited and nervous at the same time, but he'll do fine I'm sure.
Joe K and I arrived at the Hut at roughly the same time on Saturday and - Wow! - were we in for a treat. It was "Grumpy Lou Day" at The Tobacco Hut. Well, more so than usual. He did show us pictures from the store's anniversary party as well as when he and Dotty renewed their vows a couple weeks ago and that seemed to cheer him up slightly. But it was short lived.
Joe commented on how his Padron 1964 wasn't smoking well and Lou about bit his head off. I was about to ask if we could adjust the air conditioning by a degree or so, but thought better of it.
Joe's son James called on Joe's cell phone and as soon as Lou knew it was James he grabbed the phone and let fly with a burst of obscenities that would make a longshoreman blush. Then he simply handed the phone back to Joe. Of course, this is nothing out of the ordinary.
I didn't speak to James, but he said he was sorry he couldn't be there in person to see me and rub it in that he had two kidneys versus my one. Ouch!
I bet Lou was even grumpier after Ohio State's loss to USC Saturday night. You know, to be fair, Lou did say he wasn't feeling the greatest, but it's more fun to not cut him any slack and just call it "Grumpy Lou Day".
Peter timed his arrival perfectly as Joe was just leaving, but soon afterward Steve and Barry arrived. Barry just happened to be wearing a football jersey that sported the USC colors, in sharp contrast to Lou's OSU shirt. Congrats to Barry for surviving the round of layoffs at the county and it sounds like Steve has a solid marketing plan in place for his growing landscaping business.
Speaking of business [shameless commerce plug alert], my online t-shirt business, The Erudite Outlet, had its best day over the weekend! In one day, I sold over $200 worth of t-shirts and other merchandise.
And on another business note [shameless commerce plug alert], Paula has begun to ramp up her jewelry making for the holidays. The latest creations coming out of HeartStone Jewelry can be seen at her shop on 1000Markets.
At the Hut I smoked a bowl of Frog Morton in my Ascorti Canadian. Another pipe smoker came into the store and we had a brief chat. Always nice to see another pipe smoker as we seem to be a dying breed.
I did watch a movie Saturday night that featured two - count 'em - two pipe smokers. I had recorded Manhandled (1949) from TCM a couple weeks ago, starring one of my favorite actors, Sterling Hayden. In the film, two police detectives are questioning a suspect and both are smoking pipes. Pretty rare to see pipe smokers in movies these days.
Until next week...
- Bob
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