Words of Wisdom #108

Words of Wisdom #101

"I'm not supporting their economy, I'm burning their crops." 

- Kinky Friedman, about smoking Cuban cigars

Words of Wisdom #100: Mel Brooks because...Mel-freakin'-Brooks!

If you don't adore Mel Brooks and every word he's ever written and/or spoken, we can't be friends anymore. Sorry, not sorry.

 

He directed three of American Film Institute's 100 Funniest Movies: Blazing Saddles (1974) at #6, The Producers (1967) at #11 and Young Frankenstein (1974) at #13.

 

Go watch all his works and then report back.

If you still don't agree with me, we're breaking up for realz.

 

 

 

 

Words of Wisdom #99: Thomas Mann

"I never can understand how anyone can not smoke.

It deprives a man of the best part of life.

With a good cigar in his mouth a man is perfectly safe,

nothing can touch him, literally."

-- Thomas Mann

Words of Wisdom #98: Charles Dickens

"Ah, if only I had brought a cigar with me!

This would have established my identity."

-- Charles Dickens

Words of Wisdom #89: George Sand

[source]

"A cigar numbs sorrow and fills the solitary hours with a million gracious images." 

-- George Sand

Excellent article from the New York Times about George Sand.

Words of Wisdom #88: G. Cabera Infante

[source]

 

"Cigarettes are for chain-smoking, cigars must be smoked one at a time, peaceably, with all the leisure in the world. Cigarettes are of the instant, cigars are for eternity." 

G. Cabera Infante, Cuban novelist 

Here's an interesting Q&A with him from The Paris Review.

Words of Wisdom #87: John Galsworthy

Learn more about
Nobel prizewinner Galsworthy here.

 

"By the cigars they smoke, and the composers they love,

ye shall know the texture of men's souls."
—John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga

July Cigar of the Month: Perdomo! (Thanks, Two Guys Smoke Shop for the story)

First and foremost,

Congratulations to Miguel and Jon, pals from the Twitter,
who were chosen by the almighty Rafflecopter

and will soon receive a bunch of goodies from us and Ashton Cigars!
(And yes, we said we'd have something for a random commenter.
We're working on that! Don't worry!)

Second and secondmost,
You're going to have to read the story to find the link to the contest.
Bwah hahahaha!

Did you know this is the 12th monthly giveaway? Did you know that means we've been forcing our words upon you for a year? You're welcome. Or: We're sorry.

One of my all-time best friends Jack (also known as J. North Conway), recently signed a deal for some Hollywood-types to make his book Queen of Thieves into a television series.

Jack's most recent book.

Jack's also a fan of Perdomo Cigars, so I thought it apropos we bundle his book with some of his favorite cigars:

 

The four cigars on the right came from a Perdomo event
held at Cigars International in Hamburg, PA before CigarFest.
The other one, I swiped from the humidor when Valentino wasn't looking!

This match-made-in-delicious-cigar-smoke is also very very serendipitous, as a couple of weeks ago we headed to New Hampshire for a Perdomo, Pistols, and Pizza event, organized by David Garafolo, head honcho of Two Guys Smoke Shop.

I know we've chatted about how awesome and gracious Nick Perdomo and his family are, but I'm going to repeat it and you can't stop me: Nick Perdomo and his family are some of the most kind and gracious people on the planet.

So even though we were literally* out of our element, being in a different state and all,** he and David and Barry Stein (Hi Barry!) made us feel super welcome. We'd wanted to actually go to the sponsoring shop, but the day got away from us and we went running running running to be there in time. That means we're going to have make another trip north. Oh, the things we do for you in the name of research and semi-truth*** in reporting.

[Pretend there's a really cool video here highlighting the event. I tried and tried and couldn't upload it and then decided it was causing more stress than I could handle. So I moved on with my life. Of course that means you don't get to see the video. Sorry!]

And then we shot things on a shooting range. (Yes, we brought part of our arsenal to shoot as well.) And then had pizza. Soooo...awesome day!

(L to R) Perdomo Rep Roy Kirby,
Two Guys Smoke Shop Owner David Garafalo,
and Man of the Hour Nick Perdomo.
[photo swiped from David's Facebook page]

For realz, Two Guys Smoke Shop has tons of fantastic events. Before you go check them out, though, enter this month's contest: a Rafflecopter giveaway

You'll be glad you did! <---Because then we'll be internet BFFs.

And check out Jack's other books, one of which has been optioned (to be made into a movie) by Jeremy Renner. You'll be glad you did! <---Because then we'll be book BFFs.




*

Oh Archer, why must you be so awesome?

**Although technically we were about 15 minutes from the state line.

***Look, I write fiction (that's the made-up one, not the true one). Anything for a good story (which is why I decided to stop writing for an actual newspaper--back in the day when truth was key to reporting).

Words of Wisdom #84

Words of Wisdom #78

[source]

 

"[Cigars are] the only realized ambition which has not brought disillusion."

-Somerset Maugham, Writer

That's what friends are for (helping me fill blog posts when I'm brain dead)

First of all, friends from the mighty, mighty internets are real friends.

 

Twitter pal @doc_wil posted this picture (which you have to wait for because I do go on...) and I love, love, love it for many reasons, including:

• Flowers, which equals sunshine and spring and... Huzzah!
• Apparently, his chores were done, and that's the best feeling of all!
• Fuente! Hemingway Signature! (I have a special fondness for the Hemingway series because of this guy, obviously)

 

Oops. I rambled on a bit, as I am wont to do. You came for a picture! And here it is:



 

Loooovely...

Okay. As you were. In fact, I'll play you out with this:

The plight of the writer. Sometimes we need transfusions from life.
Cigars help a lot.