#63. or, a half a cigar

  So, last night, i didn't eat anything after supper. EXCEPT, two strawberries, but i'm not really going to count those because......well, they're strawberries.

  Also, as i had planned, the wife and i spent a little time in the hot tub talking about things that didn't piss us off. Things like throwing summer parties and smoking meat and potato salad without creamy dressing. It was indeed relaxing and glorious.

  I'm not really supposed to be in the hot tub yet. I'm supposed to wait for three weeks after my tattoo to let everything heal and have the ink set properly. Finally getting my hot tub up and running again just before getting a tattoo was probably not the best laid out plan. It's been there taunting me for the past couple weeks. Last night we used it anyways. To be cautious, my wife let me use her throne. To clarify, it's more of a slightly elevated portion of the tub floor than a throne, but it did the job to keep my boob out of the water. I think that's probably why i like having her sit there so much? Also, while hot tubing last night, i smoked half a cigar.

  You're not supposed to smoke a half a cigar, i know that. It dramatically reduces the image of me being any sort of cigar aficionado. (which i am not) But, i do like cigars. I like everything about them. I like that if you have good ones, someone, someplace else in the world took the time to craft it by hand, then it made it's way into my humidor. (Granted, it's probably in a sweaty factory, by children, for minimum wage, but i like to imagine it's a buxom young Spanish lady in a flowing summer dress.) I like that they require attention to keep them from drying out and stay in optimal condition. By no means am i an expert, i can't smoke a cigar and tell you that it has nuances of nuts, or what type of manure the tobacco plants grew in. I do like, though, that it takes an hour or so to get through one. (A whole cigar in the tub leaves me all pale and wrinkled, mind you, i'm fairly pale and wrinkled at the best of times.) It's not a cold winter activity, they need to warm up to work they way they're supposed to. I have to pick my spots until the summer comes. The hot tub just works, but only for a half of one.

  To smoke a cigar, for me, is an exercise in relaxation. An hour of time, sitting on the deck in the summer, sipping on a glass of scotch, making my way through a cigar. Everything goes away for a while. When the world is going a hundred miles an hour, it's nice to have something that slows it down so you can step back for a bit. It's the same reason, that i switched from an electric shaver to a blade, to have some things that require a bit of  slowing down to do a good job and appreciate.

  .........i am aware, that because i used the term cigar aficionado, somebody is inadvertently going to be sent here on some google search, wild goose chase. If that happens, please keep in mind that shovelling the snow to my deck chair, and sitting there, shivering for an hour in winter boots and a heavy coat is NOT relaxing. Give me a break buddy, i'm doing the best i can.