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Kozeman

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 4, 2020
295
876
Woodstock, Illinois
Hi guys,

I’ve been lurking on this forum for a while and finally found a time to introduce myself. My name is Mark Koziol and I live in Woodstock, Illinois (home of Bill Murray’s groundhog day).

I had my first Pipe experience about thirty years ago. It was quite enjoyable, but I was never really able to duplicate that enjoyment until recently. When I stumbled on your forum it kicked off a new round of exploration with the hobby. I realized after reading all your posts that pipe enjoyment wasn’t just a matter of liking it or not, having it grow on your or not, but rather it’s a hobby with a ton of variables in the materials and processes that are just waiting to be harnessed for my personal taste enjoyment.

This process of attempting to master variables (I’m an Engineer) has driven me to many a hobby obsessions. When I took up shooting, I was obsessed with seeing bugholes on each group of shots. I eventually started reloading my own ammunition to shake out every last bit of accuracy from my guns. When I started brewing beer, I brewed obsessively trying to get to a point of being able to construct any given beer taste profile just on descriptors alone. In fact my beer obsession lead me to opening a brewpub in Woodstock so I can share my love for brewing with others. I enjoy welding, sausage making, coffee roasting along with my other past times described above. All share the traits of understanding the variables and controlling them to my satisfaction.

You guys have a wealth of knowledge on the subject of pipe smoking and I appreciate having this forum as a resource as I learn about this most enjoyable past time.

Cheers,

Mark
 

cortezattic

Lifer
Nov 19, 2009
15,147
7,637
Chicago, IL
Welcome to the forums! I think you're well suited for the pastime by temperament and personal attributes. Until very recently, my many and diverse interests characterized me as an "eclectic", but Mrs. Cortez (aka Shoe Lady) claimed it was simply a lack of focus.
 

Kozeman

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 4, 2020
295
876
Woodstock, Illinois
" Mrs. Cortez (aka Shoe Lady) always claimed it was simply a lack of focus. " Hah! Not sure if it's lack of focus or too much focus on many different things. I occasionally try to focus on things that please the wife so that she is understanding about all the rest.
 

scloyd

Lifer
May 23, 2018
5,938
12,031
Welcome Mark,
I'm from Marengo and I know Woodstock well. All three of my kids live in Woodstock. Sorry, I have not stopped in your brew pub yet...I will soon.

To all of our Illinois members, check out Mark's brew pub Shadow View Brewing.
 

Kozeman

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 4, 2020
295
876
Woodstock, Illinois
Welcome Mark,
I'm from Marengo and I know Woodstock well. All three of my kids live in Woodstock. Sorry, I have not stopped in your brew pub yet...I will soon.

To all of our Illinois members, check out Mark's brew pub Shadow View Brewing.

Thanks. My brother has been scheming to work a smoking lounge into the facility. Not a very large place so I'm not sure exactly how he plans on pulling that off.
 
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Kozeman

Starting to Get Obsessed
Feb 4, 2020
295
876
Woodstock, Illinois
I'm still navigating my way through a variety of tobaccos. I particularly like Connoisseur's Choice for it's fruitiness. Nightcap's flavor's are very intriguing. I find the toasted cumin taste to be really enjoyable. I assume that's the Latakia. I've ordered some Virginia flakes to explore.
I really need to get more pure tobaccos of the different leaf types to familiarize myself with each one's attributes. Like brewing a SMASH (single malt, single hop) to understand what each brings to future blends.
 
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chilllucky

Lifer
Jul 15, 2018
1,091
2,715
Chicago, IL, USA
scoosa.com
Don't neglect the knowledge and generosity of your local pipe club! The Chicagoland Pipe Collector's Club meets at least once a month in Villa Park, and often just down 14 in Arlington Heights. You could take the metra there if you wished.

PM me if you would like to meet up at Arlington. I'm trying to make it a once-a-week habit to get there.
 
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mso489

Lifer
Feb 21, 2013
41,210
60,433
Welcome from central N.C. from a native Chicagoland guy who remembers Woodstock, Illinois, well. The family used to go out near there for Mother's Day dinners at the Union Cafe which had stellar Yankee pot roast and French fries much better than any fast food fries. It was a long wait on Mother's Day, but good eating, with my dad's mom and my own mom as honored guests. Also nearby was the Palwaukee private airfield, good for a few minutes of Piper Cub watching, and a friend of my dad's who had a cattle ranch and raised Airedale dogs. We didn't do all this on Mother's Day but on other visits to the Union Cafe. If you don't go back that far, you may not know about the Union Cafe. I think it closed decades ago.
 
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