Hello folks!

Given that we haven’t had a Free Talk Friday thread in the last time, I now take it upon myself to post our Off-topic thread for the weekend. I always enjoyed reading these threads so I don’t want this tradition to die.

Here you can post:

  • what’s currently happening in your life
  • what you’re currently reading, watching or listening to (book, movie and music recommendations)
  • Any cool projects you’re working on atm
  • Jokes, Memes and other funny stuff not fitting elsewhere.

So, I hope everyone has fun over here. Stay safe, stay healthy! ✌🏻

  • gcgallant
    4·
    6 months ago

    So, most people of my generation smoked. Mostly cigarettes. And most of us gave this up; at least here in the states. I enjoy the aroma of fine tobacco, though, like that used in pipes, cigars, and the occasional shaving soap. It occurred to me that the harmful effects of reasonable tobacco use would catch up with me long after I have shed this mortal coil. So, I took up cigar smoking; smoking hand-rolled premium cigars. I’m enjoying it. Goes quite well with a beverage and an audiobook. In yesteryear, I smoked very cheap cigars at campsites while hiking. The purpose of this was to ward of tiny biting bugs. This works, but there’s no great enjoyment in it. I’m happy to leave that experience in the past in favor of this new one.

    • DaveWave94OP
      3·
      6 months ago

      Oh, that sounds very nice. I actually also enjoy the scent of pipe/cigar tobacco a lot. Given that I used to be an occasional smoker until my consumption of tobacco and nicotine got way higher than I wanted, I actually switched to vaping in October 2022. I haven’t smoked a cigarette since December 2022, so it has actually helped me to get off cigs for over a year and switch to a less harmful alternative. I know vaping isn’t without it’s harmful side effects either, but like your cigars it has turned into somewhat of a hobby for me too. I have lots of gadgets, coils and I still enjoy nicely tasting and smelling tobacco liquids (especially those extracted from real tobacco plants). I am perfectly fine with knowing that I won’t get off of nicotine; we’re all going to die one way or another and since it gives me enjoyment, I see no reason to quit fully. So continue to enjoy your premium cigars, at least you’re off cigarettes 👍🏻

      • gcgallant
        2·
        6 months ago

        I haven’t smoked a cigarette since December 2022, so it has actually helped me to get off cigs for over a year and switch to a less harmful alternative.

        I gave up cigarettes in the late '70s. I am fortunate in that the byproducts of smoking (ash everywhere, tobacco film coating everything, etc.) annoyed me so much that I had personal motivations for quitting that were prioritized over the health benefits. I enjoyed smoking, but became disgusted by everything else about it. This made leaving it pretty easy for me and that’s uncommon. I do have some of the same issues with cigar smoking, and am working towards managing them.

        I am perfectly fine with knowing that I won’t get off of nicotine; we’re all going to die one way or another and since it gives me enjoyment, I see no reason to quit fully

        I know there are downsides to it, but nicotine does allow you to operate normally in doing typical day-to-day activities. It is quite manageable in that way.

        • DaveWave94OP
          3·
          6 months ago

          Congrats! Being annoyed by the byproducts of smoking (all my clothes smelt like ashtrays, bad breath, yellow stains on my hands) made me quit in the first place and made the switch to vaping easier. Plus, since I work in nursing, a lot of people positively noted that I don’t smell like cold smoke anymore. I hope you’re finding some solutions to enjoy your premium cigars without the side issues. My dad, who’s also still a heavy smoker, usually smokes cigars in his garage or in the garden during summer. That makes tobacco film less of a concern.

          Nicotine, like caffeine, is somewhat of a self-medication for my ADHD. I feel like it helps me focus better and even calms me down sometimes.

          • gcgallant
            3·
            6 months ago

            Nicotine, like caffeine, is somewhat of a self-medication for my ADHD

            You might consider meditation as well. A good introduction to its practical benefits are in the book Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Adoption of this practice is, perhaps, the best self-help I’ve done.

            • DaveWave94OP
              2·
              6 months ago

              Thanks for the recommendation, getting back into meditation is definitely on my agenda for 2024 and finding books without esoteric BS is hard 👍🏻

              • PorkButtsNTaters666
                3·
                6 months ago

                You might want to consider the following no BS meditation books:

                • The Mind Illuminated (for a rather hardcore howto on concentration, with 10 progressive levels)
                • The Path to Nibbana (for Metta Meditation - potentially something you should do at some stage anyway, but this book might benefit from concentration techniques shown in TMI)
                • Seeing That Frees (for later; this is not really a beginner’s guide to meditation, but it’s worth reading anyway)
                • HomeAwayFromHone
                  4·
                  5 months ago

                  I’m unsurprised to see an overlap between meditation and straight razor appreciation. After all, using, honing and stropping my straights are some of my favourite meditations though I still try to keep a more formal practice.

                  • PorkButtsNTaters666
                    4·
                    5 months ago

                    I agree that at some level, the overlap between meditation and straight razor shaving is unsurprising – now that I do it. They combine self-care and skill, and require some dedication to get it – initially, both can seem totally pointless.

                    But had you asked me 10 years ago before I started doing either, I would have guessed that the overlap between these two activities is essentially 0 (and this may very well be the case; for all I know, there are 3 of us - with @gcgallant@gcgallant@sub.wetshaving.social).

                    Let me just take a break from our habitual absence of politics here, but I would have guessed that meditators would rather come from the Guardian-reading, tofu-eating wokerati crowd, whereas I would have located straight razor shavers among the gun-toting and pick-up driving bunch (preconceptions, I know, but still…).

                    Then, there’s the fact that buddhism forbids its adherents from using not only intoxicating drinks, but also from perfumes, which is one of the great things about wetshaving. I have noticed myself that even small amounts of alcohol degrade the ability to meditate quite considerably, but I have never really tried meditating with and without wearing perfume. Also, mindfulness is rather a side-effect in straight razor shaving than an end in itself.

                    So, on a more profound level, I do find it a bit surprising. Maybe it’s just the latest hipster thing…

                  • gcgallant
                    3·
                    5 months ago

                    though I still try to keep a more formal practice.

                    As do I. I’ve been meditating a long time (over 30 years) and have tried several approaches to the practice. I continue to revert to the simplest form, being mindful of breath, but I can use that practice to be mindful of the moment (being “present” in current vernacular) and this can easily be applied to a variety of activities. Freehand sharpening (including razor honing), and straight razor shaving, are among those for me.