Sunday Morning Smoke

Ed's post about sheep.

As always an excellent post, Vince. What a way to end 06 and start 07. BTW,, listening to the new podcast right now. I always get a chuckle out of when you clear you throat and say you're just glad to be there.

Vince,

Finally figured out how to use this system. I met you mid-December in Pgh. It was a pleasure. Glad to hear your holidays were good! Take care.

Funny guy. My friend keeps telling me about your Sunday morning chats. I'm glad I can now also enjoy them. Want to learn more about cigars and single malt scotch...very much a newbe. Also, like to shoot the bull!? Thanks for the welcome.

No, he didn't shoot the bull. Ol' Angus McStudd used to help himself to some of Vince's cigars, but Vince was too nice a guy to shoot him.

Hired a few new employees, ehhhh Vince? :sm_angel: Hey folks, Vince is already figuring out how to put in a ten hour week.

GOOD MORNING, MR. ROCKEFELLER!!! :sm_angel: :sm_angel:

Don't forget to tell the rollers down in your little factory in Honduras to take great care making those Bloofy Blend Churchills.

Don't forget to stop by the shop every now and then Vince. New employees, any employees for that matter, have to be watched VERRRRRRRRYYYYY carefully. When the cat's away, . . .

the mice WILL play. Gotta keep that Boss's Meow in the foreground, otherwise one day you'll stop by the shop and find no cigars in the case and no cash in the register.

Having my first Freedom Press of the day, Colombian Supremo from Oren's, waiting on The Championship Games, going to try to do some straightening out and packing up here. This boll weevil's lookin' for a home, gotta have a home. Hey Axegod75, I'm goin' back to Queens, know of any two-bedroom apartments? umpkin: umpkin: :mrgreen:

Hey folks, as of yesterday, Dubya has two more years in office. Like him or not, here's the deal. Strap yourselves in, because the end is near. The one that's going to make 911 look like a rehearsal is not far off. In the meantime, I'm havin' fun. For those not enjoying that purely American sport of oblongball later today, have fun doing whatever you're doing. As for me, the first game doesn't start until 1500 hours, so I'm going back to Thursday's episode of All My Children. :rock: :rock: :rock:

Nice! Glad to hear some of the headaches from the shop may be easing up - gotta love new sales people. Who knows - when my little rugrat finally comes along in July, I may be looking for a night job - let me know if you need someone else to run things a bit. I'm not a cigar encyclopedia, but I can run a register and shoot the breeze!

Got some beef and mushroom stew cooking up in the crock pot. House smells good! Haven't had my coffee yet today (where's my head at!?!) but I think to Taz Peaberry might just hit the spot.

Don't know if I'll get a cigar in today or not but I'm keeping my hopes up!

Yes Vince, I lost the house. Too little, too late. Something may have been able to be worked out, but the mortgage company would not grant any more delays, or accept any partials. Things are also not good with my father. He is going to give me the money to get re-started back in NYC, and I am also getting some money off the foreclosure sale. I guess the bidding went high enough so that all the hands in the till got their fee, and there's still something left over. Hopefully enough for a can of sardines.

I also have to take over my father's life completely, which is a heck of a lot easier to do from Queens, where life will be WAY less expensive than up here. I needed an income of a minimum of $70,000 or the take-home equivalent when I moved up here, and I only earned that much in the first of the seven years I've been here. Those seven years, especially the last six, have been the worst years of my life. I've taken a never ending pounding of budget cuts, outsourcing, 911-effects and after-effects to the job market, asthma difficulties, four serious injuries from accidents, family difficulties, and it hasn't stopped. My income throughout that time has averaged only $45-50,000.

I don't really get that kind of paycheck, because I've had as many as two or three jobs during that time, as usual, each part time, some freelance with mostly cash business, but the annual equivalent of such a salary. However, I knew when I moved up here that making the equivalent of $70k would soon have to become $80-90k. Every time I've gotten off the deck, I've been knocked back down, and I went down swinging, but the house is off.

I am needed in Puerto Rico as soon as possible to take over my father's life completely. Those of you who know NYC, especially the additions to the transportation system, know that Puerto Rico from Queens is basically like the last stop on a very long subway ride. :mrgreen: umpkin: :mrgreen:

Sooooooooooooo, let's review, life will be cheaper, life will be way simpler, Puerto Rico at least once a month for three, four days, and hopefully getting The Family Circus finally straightened out, after the mess my well-intentioned grandmother left nearly 21 years ago when she died. I'm not going to let my father leave me a mess if I can help it, and after three recent injuries, two falls and a cinder block falling on his foot because of his playful dog, rescued from uncaring hands, he needs me to watch over his health and everything else in his life.

The plan is to end the soap opera regarding the land, get his piece accurately measured (the house, a few smaller buildings, presumably 16 acres, should be, not too far off the mark at worst), get it sold for the right price in the midst of the Guatemalan conditions in his area of Puerto Rico, and get him the heck out of there. In the meantime, I'll have gotten funds for a six month head start in a new apartment in Queens. I'll upgrade my system, XP, new Microsoft Office Suite, some study materials and buckle down at long last for some serious study. Take two or three months off to get settled, get down to Puerto Rico two or three times and get that party started.

Shuttling back and forth at least once a month to Puerto Rico, studying for a changed work place, skills which will open a multitude of new doors in the job market, and taking care of my Dad. If and when we get him up here, with the farm sold, THEN we keep the apartment as our hotel in the city, and move WAY the heck out in the middle of nowhere. I'm looking at a radius surrounding areas in upstate New York, New Hampshire, and Maine. Later on, hopefully a small getaway area in Canada. The areas in the states are all 300 miles+ from NYC. The idea is to be over 300, but not more than 400 miles from NYC in the States.

FIRST, get out of here as quickly as possible, make a smooth, quick transition back to Queens, get set up quick and get down to Puerto Rico. It's pretty much a flashing yellow, just about red alert down there for me. And THAT Vince, is the story behind the boll weevil heading back to Queens. :mrgreen: :cryinlaugh:

Bloof, I am truely sorry to hear about all of your trials and tribulations, but it sounds like you have a good game plan and will be standing tall in no time. I do sincerly wish you the best and will be praying for you and your father to get through all of this with the best. Some times we have to go through the sh&% to get the gold and it sounds as if you have been through the worst of it and the path will be smoother now. Keep your head up and eye on the prize for you will find your paradise.

Thank you. It's God's Will. I've been preparing for this time for over six years, since things first started going wrong for me, and the onset of my father's diabetes, as well as a bad foot injury he sustained, all at about the same time. It's time to lead a very simple life, which I've actually led here, but life back in NYC will be way cheaper than being the single and very short paycheck in a house where your transportation bill alone is $900 a month when you're working full time.

I've always been frugal, led a simple life, but no more huge transportation bill, 4 1/2-5 hour round trip commute to work, no average $250/mo. for utilities, and Puerto Rico virtually around the corner from Queens, and very cheap on JetBlue. I know how to have a good time and maintain mental health while handling business, and this is the right thing to do right now.

I've watched friends of mine do this going back decades, and at 50, it's fortunate I've had to wait this long. If I do this right, I'd not only be paying tribute to a father who's been better than seven fathers to me, but it could turn out very well for the rest of my life, financially speaking. If this isn't handled well, a disastrous soap opera started in the summer of '86 by my grandmother's will, will just keep on playing out. Not going to happen if I can help it.

Bloof, it is great that you can keep such a positive spirit about all that is happening, it sounds like things are turning the corner for you, and I wish you all the best brother.

It seems that we have sent winter south for a while, and my fair city is in the middle of a warm spell for a while, it makes it a lot nicer when I have to go out to the shed for a smoke, let me tell you that.

I wish everyone a great day, and a great week ahead!!

Bloof - good luck with Queens - sounds like it's a step in a better direction. If you're interested hg, Pittsburgh is only 370 miles from NYC - maybe someplace between Pittsburgh and Erie - maybe around Butler PA - that would put you fairly close to a few of us but far enough away that you won't have to worry about us showing up randomly!

Vince - I didn't know your chair was heated! I'm jealous. Have you heard from Steve at all lately? If he's available, maybe a visit to the Qtr Deck could be arranged. I'm planning on swinging by your shop on Friday if this week goes as planned. And as for the Boy/Girl question - we don't know! My wife isn't even sure she wants to find out ahead of time - I'll have to keep working on that.

I'm about 20 minutes away from serving the beef stew - my stomach is letting me know that is about 20 minutes too late!

Have a great evening everyone - stay warm!