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Subway - Sandwich Chain
Management, training the staff, and supervision is everything with these chain shops. If all that isn't strong, the food quality sinks to zero.- mso489
- Post #40
- Forum: General Discussion
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Savinelli St. Nicholas - 2023
The white band with the blue stem doesn't work so well, on second look. It looks mismatched somehow, holiday theme aside. -
Best Bulk Tobaccos for Aging
Truisms that may sometimes be true are that Virginia is most likely to improve; that burley doesn't improve much but keeps exceedingly well; and that aromatics don't age particularly well, but if they have good Virginia leaf as a base, the leaf may improve and the flavoring may back off, which...- mso489
- Post #23
- Forum: Pipe Tobacco Discussion
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Bonehead Move
It is an inexpensive pipe, but if you like it a lot, a stem replacement is not an expensive repair. I had an estate pipe fixed up with a new stem, because the old Vulcanite stem oxidized almost as soon as I polished it. Also, it was a bulky P-lip I didn't like. Now it is a snappy tortoise...- mso489
- Post #16
- Forum: Pipe Repair and Maintenance
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To Rub or Not to Rub?
I'll vote with storing as-is. Flake, coin, rope, and plug hold some moisture and also allow the blend to age with all of the blend pressed together for future melding and mellowing. I think you will be well pleased with the results.- mso489
- Post #26
- Forum: Pipe Tobacco Discussion
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Savinelli St. Nicholas - 2023
I like some colored stems, but blue doesn't whet my appetite for tobacco so much. I do like that particular rustication. Rustication either works for me or it doesn't, and that does. The lack of a Christmas color scheme is notable. But I'd want a holiday pipe that can be smoked any time, so... -
"New" Mailbox ideas!!!
I'm not crafty in that way, but what comes to mind is to sacrifice one of your less good pipes and attach it solidly to the top of the mailbox as a sort of hood ornament. You might want to spray paint it uniformly one color and also to make it look not smokeable to avoid theft. I think if...- mso489
- Post #2
- Forum: General Discussion
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Subway - Sandwich Chain
I too have a rank order of sub shops here in central N.C. based on the particular franchises located here. This may not correspond to anyone else's experience. Before I retired, I had a Jimmy Johns near my workplace and enjoyed that as a quick substantial lunch with pretty good sandwiches...- mso489
- Post #38
- Forum: General Discussion
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Happy Man on the Moon Day!
The planetarium in Chapel Hill at UNC is proud of its role in training early astronauts on aspects of celestial navigation that they could use to supplement all of the electronics that did most of that. They give great shows to the public on a regular basis too. But they often mention their...- mso489
- Post #15
- Forum: General Discussion
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Happy Man on the Moon Day!
I saw the moon-landing on a TV in a Navy service-school barracks, upgraded from boot camp to four-man rooms. We were scrubbing and waxing the decks and watching the landing on TV. We were watching the creme-de-la-creme of the military, the U.S. astronauts, as scruffy little enlisted worker...- mso489
- Post #2
- Forum: General Discussion
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"The God Abandons Antony", C. P. Cavafy; Dodge Challenger Hellcat Edition
I grew up with American cars vastly predominating the market. By age five or so, I knew all the brands including long-gone ones like Desoto, Hudson, and Packard. I loved the U.S.-made Crosley, the first U.S. sub-compact pre-dating the VW in the U.S. by a decade. I am still in shock to know...- mso489
- Post #6
- Forum: General Discussion
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Freehand Pipe Blemishes
The pipe in the original post seems elegantly finished to me. But if feels off to you, it is probably not for you. I'm not much attentive to variations or even flaws in pipes. My ethos seems more in line with the Japanese attitude toward tea set pottery, for example. I'm not educated in... -
Armellini
I'm assuming this pipe is straight. Many bent pipes don't pass pipe cleaners; I love it when they do, consider it an important quality point, but I don't expect wire to make a U-turn through every bent pipe, and the ones that don't pass a pipe cleaner do just fine, clean up well, remain with...- mso489
- Post #42
- Forum: General Pipe Smoking Discussion
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***What Are You Smoking, July 2023?***
The last few puffs of yesterday's Newminster #306 English Oriental in a Johs straight semi-rusticated saddle stem bulldog, the largest chamber of my several bulldog shapes. Attended an interesting discussion of AI last evening with one professional in the field and other interested participant...- mso489
- Post #1,545
- Forum: Pipe Tobacco Discussion
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A generous Gift
Frog Cellar, one of my all-time favorites, a truly sophisticated blend.- mso489
- Post #6
- Forum: Pipe Tobacco Discussion
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Return to Pipe Smoking
Hey from central North Carolina. Years ago on Forums, aromatics were thought of as beginner tobaccos and not so much appreciated. Eventually, one of the more sage members talked up aromatics in general and Mixture 79 in particular, and effected a serious reconsideration of the genre, so now...- mso489
- Post #25
- Forum: New Member Introductions
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What White Lies Were You Told as a Child or Have You Told Your Children?
No outright standing fibs. I doubted Santa when I was about five. However, my dad was good at sales pitches. When I was prescribed a particularly foul tasting liquid medicine for a chronic cough, my dad would prepare it in a special little glass, hold it up with bright eyed pleasure and...- mso489
- Post #28
- Forum: General Discussion
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H.I.s. Pipes
I've never had a H.I.S. but I have always appreciated a good smoking pipe at a modest price, in their many permutations. Some of mine include Kaywoodie, Ropp, a selection of MM cobs and two hardwoods, and Dr. Grabow. I have some up-market pipes I treasure for their artisanal glow, but some...- mso489
- Post #8
- Forum: General Pipe Smoking Discussion
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Kinda Embarrassing 🫣, But You Folks Are. . . .
macaroni, what a fine testimonial. Kudos to you for putting it so well, to Kevin our landlord here, and for a long string of moderators who have kept things on an even keel. This is a rare corner of the internet. Maybe it's the interest in pipes, or maybe it's just wild-ass luck, but Forums...- mso489
- Post #13
- Forum: General Discussion
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New Canine Friend
My sister's good friend from grade school sixty years ago adopts puppy mill Stratforshire Terriers, also known as pit bulls. As with many fans of these dogs, she has found a succession of them sweet natured and companionable. When she lost one of them to old age recently, she went ahead and...- mso489
- Post #39
- Forum: General Discussion