Spreading Holiday Cheer With Fine Cigars

Fine Cigars Make Wonderful Gifts!  

Courtesy of SXC.hu

As the gift-giving season approaches, you may be hard pressed to find the perfect gift for the difficult to shop for people on your list.  If some of those people on your list happen to be cigar smokers, you may have already considered getting them cigars as a gift but then discarded the idea for fear of choosing the wrong kind.  Perhaps you know that your father-in-law loves to sip cognac and smoke a fine cigar in the evenings but you just aren't ready to risk looking like an amateur in the tobacco department when the cigar the discount tobacco shop clerk sold you is a flop. While there are many different varieties of cigars on the market today, knowing a few simple rules of thumb will help you find great gift ideas. Before you opt to just buy another boring necktie for a Christmas present this year, take a few minutes to learn how to choose the perfect gift for the cigar smokers on your list.

Know Your Recipient

The great thing about gift-giving is it demonstrates our respect and feeling for the recipient.  Gifts are a sign that the giver took the time to consider what the receiver would value.  When more thought goes into choosing the gift, it shows this respect in an even greater degree.  Knowing the smoking habits of the person you are buying for can be incredibly helpful in choosing the proper gift.  For example, new smokers tend to prefer milder flavored cigars while those who have been smoking for several years might prefer a bolder choice.  If the individual on your list is a cigar aficionado, they may even have a favorite brand or type of cigar.  Knowing these details makes it simple to choose a tobacco product that your recipient will appreciate.

Be Willing To Ask Questions

If you are shopping for a holiday gift, it is likely that you don't want to give away too much information to the person the gift is for by asking them questions about their favorite cigars.  Luckily, there are plenty of other ways to find out the information you need to know.  For instance, most fine cigars have a paper ring around them that is usually discarded by smokers and displays a variety of information about the cigar.  This information often includes the manufacturer or brand name, the wrapper type or the tobaccos origin and the size of the ring is the gauge of the cigar.  Even if you don't understand the words on the ring or what a cigar ring size is, the salespeople at finer tobacco shops will most likely be able to help you find the exact same type of cigar or one that closely resembles a favored brand if you can bring one of these discarded cigar rings to the shop with you. If you can't get your hands on one of these cigar rings, these salespeople may still be able to offer some fine suggestions for gifting cigars.  Simply provide as much information about your gift's recipient as you can procure and then be open to the suggestions they offer.

In some cases, the salesperson may suggest a sampler pack of several different cigars as an option and this is a perfectly acceptable gift to many cigar smokers.  The variety offered in a sampler may even give your favorite smoker the opportunity to sample a cigar that they have been interested in trying but turned down in loyalty to a familiar brand.  By purchasing such a thoughtful gift, you may help your gift recipient find a new favorite that they may have otherwise missed out on.  In addition, samplers are often packaged in reusable cigar safes or come with smoking accessories, such as cigar cutters or collectibles,  making these gifts something that your recipient will value for years to come.

Quality vs. Quantity

Not all cigars are created equal.  Sure, you can buy a cigar for less than a dollar at your local convenience store but you should understand that giving a gas station cigar as a gift isn't going to earn you any respect.  Choose a reputable tobacco shop for fine cigar purchases and don't be afraid to choose a few higher priced cigars (or even a single cigar with an accessory as a gift), rather than a large bundle of low quality generic cigars.

Accessories Are Always Welcome

Cigar smokers tend to be people who prefer the finer, more eclectic things in life.  With that being said, anything that adds pleasure to their smoking experience is appreciated.  If your gift's recipient likes to enjoy a drink with their cigar, there is nothing wrong with purchasing a decorative flask as an accessory or presenting a bottle of a favored spirit with a single cigar or a small sampler.  Other accessories the cigar aficionado on your gift list might appreciate are cigar cutters, wind-proof lighters, ashtrays or humidors.

For the smoker on your list, cigars and smoking accessories make the perfect gift choice.  By following these simple guidelines, you can choose gifts that will be truly appreciated in this holiday season and earn a reputation as a thoughtful gift giver.

Looking to get your favorite blogger a Christmas present?  I love fine liquor, cigars and cash.

We're Back....

After an extended hiatus, I have returned.  I hope to have some new and interesting posts up soon, as well as links to some great places for those seeking to get involved in freelancing as a career.  Keep an eye on this blog to find out what's coming up.

As always, I am also available for hire.  Contact me for more information

Think about this carefully

In life, it is easy to get angry. We all get hurt. Usually, the injury comes from those closest to us.

Before anger makes you say something you will regret later or miss an opportunity to repair a broken relationship, wouldn't it be wise to take a moment to think about the message in this quote?

Second chances aren't promised to any of us. Make today count.

posted from Bloggeroid

Congratulations to QZ "Tha Leader" & J-5ive on signing with TMG/E1 Records and a call for beat producers... http://bit.ly/bQEgkp

An Interview With Najasism; A real force in the music world

An Interview With Najasism; A real force in the music world

Posted using ShareThis

This was a recent interview I had with the recording artist, Najasism.  This guy is simply an awesome performer and you really owe it to yourself to check this performer out.

How you know when you did your job right

How you know when you did your job right

I'm so proud of my kids tonight. I want to share the story with everyone, so, check out the link. Thanks, Larry Ray Palmer.

The Freelancers Schedule... or Does anybody have an extra hour I can borrow?

I wake up in the morning about 7 A.M. and rush to get the kids ready for school.  3 kids, 1 Dad, Moms already at work.  I'm outnumbered and outgunned most of the time.  All but one of the kids will eat breakfast at school so that takes a little bit of prep time off the morning routine.  Fix the remaining kid something to eat and pack his lunch while all of the kids are supposed to be getting dressed.

Medicine Time -  Both of the boys take medicines on a daily basis.  On a good day, all you have to do is remind them to grab a drink and assemble for their pills.  On a bad day, I listen to "He got to go first yesterday.", "I can't find a water bottle"(which was in his hand the whole time) or they dance around and drop their pills on the floor three times before they hold still long enough to get them into their mouths.

Coats and shoes-  Now it's time to get everyone in a coat, shoes on, and watching for the bus or Grandma to come pick them up for school.  It is at this point every morning, I look around to find the 3 year old is missing.  She has decided she would rather go back to bed, usually somewhere in the process of getting dressed.  So now I have a 6 year old obsessive compulsive following me around screaming "TIE MY SHOES." a 9 year old control freak yelling "Can I go outside and wait for the bus? " and a half naked 3 year old contentedly sleeping in some corner of the house.   KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK....  Oh damn, we're late.

"Hi Grandma, Come on in...  Travis put your shoes on the right feet and I will tie them...  Marc, you are riding with Grandma today...  Loree, get up and put your clothes on.  Grandma is waiting."

They Leave -  This is the point of the day where things should calm  down.  The kids are in the car with Grandma as it pulls away.  Bye, you little heathens.  I stop to have a cigarette and as step on the porch, I look down... a lunch box?  WTF?  Why is there a lunch box on my porch?  The question is quickly answered as Grandma comes around the corner.  "He forgot his lunch... again."

I get to work now.  Go in the house. Close the door and open my computer.  Check the emails I missed during the 3 hours I was asleep and see if there are any new projects or payments posted to my accounts.  I open my documents folder to start work for the day and RING...RING....RING.  "This is the doctors office reminding you that the boys have appointments this week.  Marc Anthony's appointment is Tuesday at 3pm and Travis' is Thursday at 1pm.  Thank You."

Ok... Now I can get to work.  Let's see, where is my Jarte shortcut?  RING...RING...RING.  "Hello?"
"Yes, this is Magazine Central.  We want to give you some free magazine subscriptions and all we need to know is what credit cards you currently hold."
"I thought you said it was free?"
"It is."
"If it's free, why do you need to know what credit cards I have?"
"Because you have to pay the shipping."
"Then it's not free?"
"Yes, the magazines are free.  You just have to pay the shipping."
"Wow... what a deal!  Do you think you would like to buy some free websites from me?  I will only charge you shipping."


Now I'm going to work.  I'm really going to do it this time.  KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.  "Hello, we are Jehovahs Witnesses and we want to share something with you..."
"Umm.  Sorry to interrupt.  I was raised a Jehovahs Witness.  You might know my parents and my sister.  I was disfellowshipped almost 12 years ago."  (At this point, they rush to get off my porch.)

Aww Hell, I'm not getting anything done and it's almost 10am.  Let's have a quick smoke and a soda.  Oddly enough, when I'm shirking responsibility, the phone never rings.  Occassionally someone shows up on the doorstep and engages me in long conversations but usually, I get left alone until I sit back down to work.

Ten minutes later, I open the laptop again and start to type a new article for one of my regular customers and DING DONG...  Yahoo Messenger alerts me that a client is trying to reach me and apparrently they have been waiting a while because they are just hammering away on the buzz button.  I handle that situation, being as polite and professional as possible, and get back to work.

By now, it's close to noon.  I have written a couple of articles and answered a few emails.  Time for another quick smoke and a stretch.

A few minutes later, I go back to work.  I might be able to knock out one more article before my wife gets home in an hour.  Then she gets home and we visit for a few minutes.  I listen to her tell me about her day.  I tell her about the free magazines and the Jehovahs Witnesses  and then I try to get one more article squeezed in before the kids get home at 3.  Why?  Because if you aren't finished by the time the kids are oout of school, you are better off not to try until they go to bed.  If I have to work when the kids are out of school, I plan to answer emails and work on no brainer stuff while they are awake.  Because of this, I am awake until 4am most days.

At about 245pm, I run around the house and start fasting things down.  When three hurricanes blow through your front door, you want to make sure your valuables are secured.  As I super glue my knick knacks to the shelf, my wife ask what I am doing. 

"Well, baby, those kids are coming home...  I want to be ready...."
"Only one of them is.  The other two are going to Grandmas.  Marc has counseling tonight."
"Oh, I forgot...  Shouldn't we be getting ready to go?"

We drive an hour to take Marc to his counseling appointment, wait an hour and then drive back an hour.  Three hours for one appointment... It's now close to 630 pm.  We pick up the other two kids and go home.  We sit down to eat dinner and RING...RING...RING.

"Hello?"
"Hey what's going on?  Are you busy?"
"A little.  We are eating dinner."
"Hey, I know you're working from home now, man.  It must be nice.  You got like time to do whatever you want.  So I was wondering could you go pick up something for me tomorrow?  They got this sale going uptown but I got to work, man."
At this pont, the nice side of me is wearing thin...  I quickly shoot back "So do I." and hang up the phone.  An hour later, I will feel bad and call to apologize.  I will probably even go run the errand tomorrow. 

Bedtime for the kids is supposed to be 730pm on school nights.  The boys have no problems with this one usually.  The three year old however is a night owl.  She will stay awake until 2am if she thinks she can get away with it.  Once they all go to sleep, I can finally get some work done.  I write a few more articles, knock out some blog posts and check on my websites and its close to 3am.  I go start the car so my wife will have a warm ride to work and I have a quick smoke because it's freezing out there.

I walk Gigi out to the car and see her off.  Then I go back in the house, shut things down and get ready to catch a little sleep myself.  It's almost 4 am and I am just getting into bed when I hear "Daddy?" and a soaking wet 3 year old climbs up in my lap...  "I pee'd."