Hello From Australia

[martinr]

Hi All,

Thought i should introduce myself. Really knew to this hobby, like 2 weeks now. So in that initial stage of information overload (which i enjoy). How did it all begin?

Well i have always been a non-smoker, cigarettes never held any appeal to me, though cigars always had that air of .... something..... refinement, sophistication, elegance, the realm of the gentleman, i dont know, at the same time a ruggedness, or manliness. Kind of a mix between a James Bond sophistication and a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western manliness, its hard to really describe, but it has a certain appeal.

well 10 years ago my first child, a son, was born and i had a cigar to celebrate. roll forward 10 years, a divorce, a 2nd marriage (this is what the first one should have been, and to a truly amazing woman), We now have a son together (my second), who's almost 3, and just recently we had a second child together (my third) ,my first daughter, and to celebrate i bought some cigars that my father and i shared over a glass (or two) of father port, a thoroughly enjoyable occasion.

From there I was just curious about cigar smoking and so started some research, and came across a random post on a google search by Rob, after email back and forth with Rob for about a week, i found out that he is the owner of this forum. WOW. so that lead me here.

Firstly thanks to Rob, for taking the time to help me out, answer my questions, and help out a true newbie. He didnt push anything on me and was really helpful. Thanks to Rob's advise, i have now set myself up with a Tupperdor, very basic but its a start, a perfect start.

Not 100% sure why i want to start up in cigars....? i dont smoke so its kinda strange, but for some reason i really love the smell of an unlit cigar, i enjoy holding a cigar, and i enjoyed smoking a cigar. Im a little unsure due to the health risks and implications, thats one thing im unsure of, but im deeply intrigued by the hobby, im not sure i will ever get to the point of smoking multiple cigars a day (apart from anything else, its kinda costly), but its something im keen to do for special occasions, birthdays, christmas's, and to be honest, perhaps even semi regularly, whether that be monthly or weekly on a saturday night, once the kids are in bed, its a chance to really sit down with my wife, relax, have a drink and spend some quality adult time time chatting and enjoying each others company.

Life if great! i really couldnt ask for more, but as im sure alot of you know it can be busy, 3 kids keep things interesting, i couldnt imagine life without them, as they are each a real treasure and blessing each in their own way, they make you laugh and fill your life with alot of joy, but its nice when you can get some time to yourselves, we're always around each other, and everything we do, we do do it together and as a family, but to have 1 on 1 time is something else.....its a time when our kids are all tucked into bed and fast asleep. Modern Life and its technology is great, but its just nice to be away from all that for a couple of hours and Cigars seem to give me that distraction. Its a hobby i can do whilst still being social, particularly with my wife (my best friend, yeah i know ahhh! but its the truth). Most of my hobbies are more tailored for 1, or more something my kids find interesting. This one though is different. My Wife isnt against cigar smoking, and will even try them with me, but she is concerned about the health risks of regular cigar smoking, which i must say i am too...id be keen to find out how often the risks crop up around here.......but for the moment, im enjoying all the research and the journey so far, lets see where it goes.

wow ok so.....quite a long introduction, hope you dont all mind. Just new to this all, excited, intrigued, some slight concerns, but overall just looking forward to experiencing something completely different.

Thanks for you time! Look forward to chatting and hanging around.

Martin

[soutso]

Welcome Martin,

Whilst that was an impressive introduction it doesn't give me any indication as to wether I like you or not so please answer the following so that that you may be judged accordingly:

1. What football code/s do you support if any?

2. If you do support any of the codes, which team/s do you barrack for? Note: massive judgement coming your way with this answer

3. On a scale of 1 to 10, whereby 10 is "the highest", how much do you hate, Nick Kyrgios?

[martinr]

Hi Soutso,

ok preparing to be judged....

answers are as follows:

1.a. AFL

b. English Premier League Football

c. Moto GP (ok i know its not a football code, but i watch it)

c. Formula 1 (again i know).

2.a In AFL im a general fan of the game, love watching any and all games, but i follow GWS Giants as they are my local team (previous to this i followed the Swans, for the same reason, but supported the Giants when they came into being).

b. Liverpool FC

c. Jorge Lorenzo

d. Daniel Ricciardo

3. 10

Cheers,

Martin

[PuffDaddie]

Welcome Mate to FOH

[martinr]

Thanks Puffdaddie!

[MIKA27]

Hello and welcome to the forum Martin.

What a brilliant introduction mate, I've been enjoying cigars now for many years, I have NEVER been a cigarette smoker and wouldn't compare cigar enjoyment in the same field either.

Everything has a risk I guess for health, moderation I suppose is the key.

You like Formula 1 so that's a plus!

This forum and community has it all, topics on cigars, pipes, football, NFL, Formula 1 and everything that life has to offer. Massive wealth of knowledge far and wide. Most of all, this truly is a welcoming community so feel free to post and look forward to seeing you on the forum.

[soutso]

Hi Soutso,

ok preparing to be judged....

answers are as follows:

1.a. AFL NOT GOOD

b. English Premier League Football EXCELLENT ANSWER, OUTSTSANDING

c. Moto GP (ok i know its not a football code, but i watch it) NA though I respect your choice

c. Formula 1 (again i know). 'as above'

2.a In AFL im a general fan of the game, love watching any and all games, but i follow GWS Giants as they are my local team (previous to this i followed the Swans, for the same reason, but supported the Giants when they came into being). BETTER GIANTS THAN SWANS SO OK

b. Liverpool FC WONDERFUL, BRILLIANT ANSWER 10/10 YNWA

c. Jorge Lorenzo NA but respect etc

d. Daniel Ricciardo as above but who cares you go for LFC

3. 10 EXCELLENT, I think he goes for United

Cheers,

Martin

Hi Martin,

Please see above for results/comments. Perfect score!

Cheers,

Nik

[martinr]

Hi Mika27,

Thanks! just wanted to put something up as a little more detailed intro....... im thoroughly enjoying reading the posts, so much to learn and take in.....Rob pointed me to some interesting reading on some of the C&C threads.....which helped me put a list together for my first order of cigars, which a little birdie (ok online tracking) tells me is waiting for me at home. Looking forward to that! :-)

Good to know there are other formula 1 fans on here....Certainly looking forward to the season starting!

Thanks again for the welcome!

:-)

[martinr]

Hi Nik,

Always great meeting a fellow LFC supporter! YNWA !

Amazing moment in my life was touring Anfield, tapping the "This is Anfield" sign above the exit , walking through the tunnel, and stepping out into the stadium and touching the grass! Amazing! :-)

only shame is not getting any Premier League on Free to Air in Oz.

[jat]

Welcome martinr and don't forget to log onto the *****A sub form and make contact with the local (OZ) folks. What state you in, geographically I mean.

[soutso]

Hi Nik,

Always great meeting a fellow LFC supporter! YNWA !

Amazing moment in my life was touring Anfield, tapping the "This is Anfield" sign above the exit , walking through the tunnel, and stepping out into the stadium and touching the grass! Amazing! :-)

only shame is not getting any Premier League on Free to Air in Oz.

That's something I will definitely do in future and one of the reasons I am happy they are renovating Anfield as opposed to leaving for a new stadium. Don't know what the future holds with Optus as of next season. Perhaps it will be more accessible - we can only hope. Pray we do well Friday morning.

[martinr]

Welcome martinr and don't forget to log onto the *****A sub form and make contact with the local (OZ) folks. What state you in, geographically I mean.

Hi JAT, Thanks!

where do i log into the *****A sub form ?

and im in NSW, Sydney to be more precise.

[martinr]

That's something I will definitely do in future and one of the reasons I am happy they are renovating Anfield as opposed to leaving for a new stadium. Don't know what the future holds with Optus as of next season. Perhaps it will be more accessible - we can only hope. Pray we do well Friday morning.

whats happening with Optus in regards to next season?

i use to love when we had the weekly preview show.....long time ago now.... but back then we watched all the games on foxtel anyway. Hard to warrant paying for Foxtel just for the premier league... and yes the Anfield trip is something well worth doing! mind you i have relatives in England so it makes the trip a bit cheaper....still its more than 10 years since i went there....

[soutso]

whats happening with Optus in regards to next season?

i use to love when we had the weekly preview show.....long time ago now.... but back then we watched all the games on foxtel anyway. Hard to warrant paying for Foxtel just for the premier league... and yes the Anfield trip is something well worth doing! mind you i have relatives in England so it makes the trip a bit cheaper....still its more than 10 years since i went there....

Optus have won the rights to broadcast the EPL as of next season. They have not yet announced just how they'll be doing that though. One suggestion is that it will be shown via Netflix. I only have Fox to watch the EPL and NRL. Optus have really created a problem for people like me!

[Overproof]

Great intro. You sound like a awesome dad. Awesome dads smoke cigars and spend their kids future school funding on here!

Enjoy

[Fuzz]

Hi JAT, Thanks!

where do i log into the *****A sub form ?

and im in NSW, Sydney to be more precise.

You do not have the requisite post count or time on the forum to yet qualify for the regional sub-forums. Requirements are 30 posts and 60 days membership.

Being a fellow Sydneysider, it is bad enough to hear you are a fan of that poncy AFL game of grab-ass (worse still, you support GWS), instead of Rugby League/Union. If you say you also support the Wanderers, I do believe that is automatic grounds for banning!

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

[joeruby]

Welcome Martin, Hope you enjoy this great cigar adventure.

Nothing beats enjoying a great CC while also watching Liverpool at their best.

I also like you also loved the cigar smell initially and that's what drew me too.. Never smoked cigarettes

As to health concerns, I had this conversation with an Ear Nose and Throat specialist I visited on a non smoking related matter some years ago. I asked if smoking a couple cigars a month would do any harm, (I smoke just a few more a month now) he looked at me in amazement and he replied, "I smoke more"..

I agree with others here however, moderation in everything in life is key.

Enjoy the forum.

[martinr]

Optus have won the rights to broadcast the EPL as of next season. They have not yet announced just how they'll be doing that though. One suggestion is that it will be shown via Netflix. I only have Fox to watch the EPL and NRL. Optus have really created a problem for people like me!

ah i see.... i can imagine that is going to cause quite a lot of issues for existing subscribers. though it will be interesting if its done through netflix....to be honest it would be great if you can pay for just EPL.

[martinr]

Great intro. You sound like a awesome dad. Awesome dads smoke cigars and spend their kids future school funding on here!

Enjoy

Thanks Overproof ! :-)

It looks like it would be very easy to spend alot in this hobby! :-)

[martinr]

You do not have the requisite post count or time on the forum to yet qualify for the regional sub-forums. Requirements are 30 posts and 60 days membership.

Being a fellow Sydneysider, it is bad enough to hear you are a fan of that poncy AFL game of grab-ass (worse still, you support GWS), instead of Rugby League/Union. If you say you also support the Wanderers, I do believe that is automatic grounds for banning!

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

Thanks Fuzz! i guess we cant all support the same codes and teams.....otherwise there would be no friendly rivalry! :-)

I must admit as a kid i was a Tigers supported in NRL (as it was then). But lost interest in league through high school. Once i had access to Foxtel and English Premier league soccer, it was all i watched. These days i cant justify foxtel just for the premier league, and so i needed some other sport(s) to watch....saw a few games of AFL and was hooked, so much action, and alot of goals. and really well covered in press, it gets the kind of coverage that Soccer(football) gets in England with alot of news and stories daily. Also got into watching Formula 1 around the same time, and Moto GP, as a rider, its amazing to see what these guys can achieve on their bikes. Oh and Wanderers would be my team.....Sorry, but i do live at the foot of the Blue Mountains, so .... again its the local team. Though i cant say i agree with alot of what goes on with the crowds.

Looking forward to my three sports seasons to start.....AFL, Moto GP and Formula 1.

Out of interest what do you support and what codes?

[martinr]

Welcome Martin, Hope you enjoy this great cigar adventure.

Nothing beats enjoying a great CC while also watching Liverpool at their best.

I also like you also loved the cigar smell initially and that's what drew me too.. Never smoked cigarettes

As to health concerns, I had this conversation with an Ear Nose and Throat specialist I visited on a non smoking related matter some years ago. I asked if smoking a couple cigars a month would do any harm, (I smoke just a few more a month now) he looked at me in amazement and he replied, "I smoke more"..

I agree with others here however, moderation in everything in life is key.

Enjoy the forum.

Hi JoeRuby. thanks for the reply.

Id love to have a CC and watch Liverpool, actually id love to sit indoors and watch any of my favourite sports and have a CC, but im worried about smoking indoors.....perhaps one day i'll have some sort of mancave setup in which i can smoke in without worrying about the health effects on everyone else, especially the kids, and also not to make the house smell permanently like cigar smoke..is the any way around that, or am i consigned to enjoy my cigars outdoors, until said mancave becomes a reality?

and i love that quote from your Ear, nose and throat specialist! :-) i'll have to tell that one to my wife :-)

[Fuzz]

Out of interest what do you support and what codes?

Who do I support and what codes? Oh I don't know... Hoyo de Monterrey, Por Larranaga, Ramon Allones... codes MUO, ARG, EML....

[Habana Mike]

Greetings and welcome Martin!

Great intro and interaction. Glad to have you

[Ozzy]

Welcome Martin!

[martinr]

Who do I support and what codes? Oh I don't know... Hoyo de Monterrey, Por Larranaga, Ramon Allones... codes MUO, ARG, EML....

Nice Fuzz i like it ! im sure i will supporting some of those down the track! :-)