Charlie The Unicorn

Cigars in a Box

A box of 20 CAO Piazzas (6x60) came in the mail today. I'd smoked the CAO Cameroon before a few months ago at The Rogue Manor, a cozy, atmospheric fine dining establishment in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Officially there's no smoking in Eureka Springs but the Irish expatriate proprietor was kind enough to give me a pass in the bar area which, by the way, is an excellent place to converse and relax.

The old Victorian that is The Rogue butts up against the side of the hill Eureka Springs is built on. The back wall is essentially one large glass window spanning the length of the room. Lights on the ground beyond the window illuminate the spring water trickling down the rocky hill - a peaceful enhancement to a single malt and a cigar.

Oddly, even though I was impressed with the Cameroon, it was the only CAO I'd ever smoked until two weeks ago at Silvio's midsummer backyard cookout. I guess I'd chalked up my experience with my first CAO to the fact that I'm a sucker for anything in a Cameroon wrapper, so it didn't dawn on me that the CAO brand was something I needed to explore. Also, I guess I'm inclined to stay away from cigars that Tommy Lee is purported to smoke and, even though I'm a huge Sopranos fan, I'm inclined to stay away from a brand that would have a line dedicated to the show. Apparently my loss because I was so impressed with the CAO Italia at Silvio's cookout that I wasted little time ordering a box from Famous Smokes last week, which arrived today.

I just finished the first cigar out of the box. As far as taste goes, it's fairly unique. Even though I've not read any reviews that say this, I tasted something oddly resembling Latakia, a type of smoky/spicy/soapy Mediterranean tobacco used in some pipe tobacco mixes. I would never have noticed this except that a coworker last week gave me a tin of Squadron Leader, which has a healthy dose of Latakia, to try in my new pipe.

While the appearance is impeccable, and I love the taste of the Italia, the first cigar out of the box wasn't quite as enjoyable as the one I had at the party. There were some burning problems and toward the last third of the cigar the ash began to flake pretty badly. Hopefully, all this was the result of being on the road for six days in the back of a mail truck. I'll give them some time in the humidor before I make my final judgment.

Dick in a Box

A beautiful sentiment and a thoughtful idea.

I Find this Odd...But Not Really

Last night some friends of mine were discussing a series on HBO called the Cat House. It's a documentary series that explores the life and times of prostitutes at the Bunny Ranch outside Las Vegas. Obviously curious, I thought I'd check it out from afar on the www. Looking through the photo gallery I found the above photo. There he is, the uber American, the man that stands up for all that is right and good, Sean Hannity. Where's Combs at...I mean he's the liberal with the loose morals, right?

Taking the Plank Out of Our Own Eye

Rod Dreher, author of the much talked about Crunchy Cons, wrote an article provocatively entitled Evils of Capitalism in the Dallas Morning News that nails it. Dreher writes,

...[W]e can't pretend that our prosperity does not present us with serious civic problems. Consumer capitalism contains within its unfolding dynamic the seeds of its own destruction, to say nothing of the way it chews up traditional loyalties to faith, family, community and place.

We don't talk about this much in American politics, especially not on the right, where we've been supposedly waging a culture war for the traditional values cause for some time now. But we're starting to: The American Conservative, which excerpted Mr. Barber's book as a recent cover story, is fast becoming the most interesting political magazine on the right because it recognizes a simple but radical truth: When it comes to defending the things traditional conservatives cherish, big business is as much a threat as big government.

...and this is the plank that conservatives concerned about the moral/cultural health of the country need to take out of our own eye. It's simple to pick splinters out of the eyes of those godless liberals and big government coddlers, but in the end, we need to begin to look at how we have participated and promoted a political/economic agenda i.e., unfettered capitalism, that is as much or more responsible for the deterioration of traditional values and a decline in civility as anything else.

Bachelorhood Complete

...well, almost. It's been a little over a month now since the lady friend and I parted ways, so the peculiar behavior of bachelorhood is beginning to come back to me: things like making your own schedule, taking risks, and developing new/old habits. With all the extra cash and energy not spent on trying to keep one step ahead of the next conflict, I decided to stop by Diebel's Sportsman's Gallery on my way home from work yesterday and pick up a pipe.

I've owned a pipe before back when I was freshman in college, until I lost it and found it several months later broken and thrown behind my bed. Jones, do you know anything about that? Anyway, this time, instead of picking out a $25 random pipe out of the basket, I actually decided to do some research, chat up the salesperson, and find a hand-crafted pipe located in the display case. In other words, I was primed and ready to hear all the reasons why I should spend the extra dough on a good pipe.

Without much arm-twisting and about 45 minutes later, I walked out of Diebel's with an Italian-made Savinelli Hercules series. So far so good. It's taking some getting used to but overall it's been a pleasurable experience. And besides, I figure if I'm going to write for a blog called "The Meerschaum Canteen", meerschaum being a mineral that pipes are carved from, I at least should have a pipe myself.

Fair Tax

Senator Christopher Bond
United States Senate
274 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-0001

Dear Senator Bond,

Every year, American taxpayers dread the federal income tax filing process; the endless forms and paperwork, the cumbersome rules and byzantine changes. It's time to say, "Enough already!"

As a voting constituent of yours, I support a viable and smart alternative, the FairTax, and would suggest you consider this proposal as well. The FairTax is better for everyone: Citizens, businesses, and most of all our economy, which would be unshackled from the endless volumes of regulations and rules that comprise our federal tax code today.

I urge you to consider a tax change for the better of all Americans:
The FairTax. This tax reform plan is embodied in H.R. 25, which already has 61 co-sponsors, and S. 1025. The taxpaying public - individuals, farmers, schoolteachers, seniors, small business owners, and others - will thank you for it.

Thank you for your consideration.



The above is a sample letter I encourage everyone to send to their elected officials. More can be found at Fairtax.org.

Eloquent Marine outwits CBS - Katie Couric

Katie Couric, while interviewing a Marine Sniper asked, "What do you feel when you shoot a terrorist?"

The sniper shrugged and replied, "A slight recoil."

...Brilliant!

BEST SPARKLER BOMB EVER

I can't wait to try this out this afternoon over at the Sarge's compound. Happy Independence Day!

Pluck Yew

Well, now......here's something I never knew before, and now that I know it, I feel compelled to send it on to my more intelligent friends in the hope that they, too, will feel edified.

Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow, and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous English longbow was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as 'plucking the yew' (or 'pluck yew').

Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, "See, we can still pluck yew!"

Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodentals fricative 'F', and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute! It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as 'giving the bird.'

IT IS STILL AN APPROPRIATE SALUTE TO THE FRENCH TODAY!

Farley reincarnated?

You can't keep a good man down...(sorry mom)