Phases and Cycles?

[kaitlyn3837]

I don't know if any of you have encountered this but I tend to go through phases and/or cycles with my hobbies. Tobacco and pipes are no exception.

Do any of you find that you slow down with a hobby/hobbies at times and at other times are super involved? I know that for some hobbyists, it depends on extra cashflow or time (like, if work is crazy then you don't have as much time to devote to the hobby). OR do any of you find that it just ebbs and flows regardless of cash/time?

For me, I work at a tobacco shop, so I get to play with and be around tobacco even when I don't have the money for personal tobacco.

Also, were any of you overwhelmed by the information about pipes and tobacco when you first started digging into it online? Some of you really helped me out when I was first getting started by giving me general definitions and directions on pipe tobacco. But even with the help, it's a little bit overwhelming to really dig in and try to digest all of the information. I mean, just this forum alone has insane amounts of information/knowledge, then I go to tobacco reviews I get a little discouraged.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist and since I do work at a tobacco shop, I want to have the best knowledge and the most knowledge to pass along to my customers. I just feel like I'm never going to have enough. In some ways, that's good, because I will never run out of stuff to learn. In other ways, it makes me feel inadequate when I can't answer a question off the cuff or point a customer in the best direction. Perhaps I'm too hard on myself, but I like to do well in everything I pursue and since it's my hobby too, I feel like I should know more than I do.

Sorry for the rambling. Any thoughts or insight would be wonderful. I figured this would go under pipe general discussion but mods can move it if it needs to go in another section

 

[DireWolf]

I have a bit of ADD.

I dig in deep to stuff that interests me and I want to learn about.  When I have learned "enough", I move on.

Tying it to pipes/vices:

I did it with beer way back.  Obsessed about reading reviews, I traveled a bit in the 90's and making it to Rogue on the OR coast was like going to Mecca.

Now?  Meh - I like good beer, I'm picky about beer at times, and I appreciate beer that is what it claims.  I can drink a $25 bottle of Belgian one night, and a $0.50 can of clearance Hamms the next.

Same with booze.

Though I tend not to go too cheap there.  

I did it with motorcycle riding.  After taking the class, and getting a license, I kept training and became an instructor part time.  Did that for a few years, and got over it. Still ride though. Buying a new bike in a couple weeks, in fact.

I am sucking up pipe and tobacco stuff.  I expect it to be like the beer thing in a few years.

 

[Brewdude]

Since coming back into pipes 5 or 6 years ago they've grown to be much more than a hobby for me. Really have enjoyed the education and camaraderie here on BoB in re-energizing my journey.

I've learned a great deal but will never be as involved as some who seem to know all the minute details about the various manufactures and details of origin, stampings, and so on. That's beyond my interest but do also enjoy reading some of that.

The pipe for me is part of my daily routine, just as much so as planning a meal or activity. And there are many here who possess a far more comprehensive knowledge of pipes and 'baccy.

I just enjoy it for what it is, and don't find it interferes with any other aspect of my life. But there again I'm single and can choose my passions without regard to compromise.

Working in a tobacco shop must be great fun for you Kaitlyn. And no doubt there are a great many ordinary encounters with customers which follow a pattern like in any other business. And occasionally there are episodes that pique your interest.  

I myself took up a vocation to which I once had an avocation, and it's worked out pretty good for me at least. If you have the passion and drive and a thirst for leaning you'll do just fine in the long run.

JMHO


Cheers,

RR

 

[monbla256]

First off, I LIKE tobacco, I like nicotine, I like the act of ingesting it so pipe smoking has never been a "hobby" for me. I have enjoyed the appearance and craftsmanship of the pipe makers craft and enjoyed the various flavors of all the myriad of blend/mixtures I've had over the 40 + of pipe smoking I've done. At first I was very involved in the acquisition of various makers pipes and mainly smoked 2 or 3 different blend/mixtures back then. As I acquired more pipes, I began to try more different blends/mixtures until I'm at a point now where all of the "collecting" and "sampling" so many folks are involved in here is really of no interest to me. I just enjoy what I have pipe wise, which is a sizeable collection of over 100 pipes and the 4 to 5 blend/mixtures I currently enjoy! Once that evil woman Lady 'N' gets ahold of ya it's hard to get loose !! But I do like her !! JMHO :twisted: :twisted:

 

[eklektos44]

Beyond some basics pipe smoking should be whatever you enjoy. Everyone is different. It's just not a hill to die on. For me it's simply part of my life, like eating, drinking (in moderation), ect. I had a next door neighbor who smoked one pipe, nothing but Borkum Riff, and was happy doing it. Good for him. I enjoy reading reviews, seeing pictures of others acquisitions, and learning a little history. I also have more time, and a little cash, to devote to it now. But I just don't see that anybody can claim there is a wrong or a right pipe, tobacco, or way to enjoy it. So enjoy.

 

[Richard Burley]

Don't sweat the details, Kaitlyn--too many are in dispute. When in doubt, wing it. That's what the experts do.

 

[Idlefellow]

I try not to over analyze anything.  I have several "hobbies" and I like keeping in touch with them on several sites.  I don't consider myself a collector of any one thing, but I do enjoy having the best selection of "tools" that I can find and/or afford to further my enjoyment, whether it be shotguns, fly rods, guitars and banjos, books, art, and yes, pipes.

One thing I notice is how some folks seem to turn enjoyment into fanaticism, obsessing over the smallest details.  IMHO when you turn anything into a science, enjoyment can go right out the window.  I use and enjoy all the things I have and I enjoy knowing about them and learning new things.  But I don't sweat the small stuff or worry about the wax and wane; sometimes my guitars hang on the wall for weeks barely being touched; other times I play every day.  Right now I'm only an occasional smoker, and if I do reach for a smoke it's more likely to be a cigar.  That may change, or it may not; whatever.

But I also know that to some folks the small details ARE the enjoyment, and that's fine; it just doesn't work for me.

Anyway, my advice (which is worth exactly what you pay for it) is enjoy, go at your own pace, learn what you can or what you want to (you'll never learn it all anyway) and see where it takes you.

 

[kaitlyn3837]

Thank you for the input, fellas. Some good points here for me to take in.

I perhaps need to not mix business with pleasure as much. I can help my customers without knowing everything there is to know, so I won't go crazy over the small stuff. I can see that's perhaps part of what I was doing.

I will just have to wing some of it as suggested

 

[RDPipes]

There's just too many things involved with pipe collecting to know everything and as far as smoking one there's so many different techniques that is just best to do what works for ya and ignore the rest. And tobacco's the same thing goes, just too many to smoke them all and know what the characteristics about all of them are, not even Jiminks has smoke everything.........yet.
My collecting does go in spurts, specially now when I have a mind set on more important things that
consume my money for the time. Life changes and moods do too, what was important in the past seems to take a back seat to what one feels is more so at the time. But, as soon as this endeavor of mine is accomplished I'll be back collecting just as I was before, maybe more so.
And as far as "Phases and Cycles", to my knowledge everyone has Phases but, only You guys have Cycles.

 

[joshoowah]

Pipes has been fairly different to me than some other things. It is a part of my life now, even if I cut down to one or two bowls a week (currently at 6-7). I love my pipes and have plans for them already after I'm gone. When I first got started in the pipe game, I was really involved, learning as much as I could about various tobaccos, briars, etc. I wanted to do it right. I was not the kind of guy to buy a cob and aromatic and see if I liked it; instead, I bought three briars and an array of tobacco. Pipe smoking always had a special place in my heart because of my grandfather, and now it is permanently ingrained in my life.

I think there will be times though where someone goes on a serious PAD/TAD run and cuts back significantly. For instance, I owned 30+ Caminettos and 40+ other pipes three years ago. I now have 1 Caminetto and 16 others, two of which I will be getting rid of this summer. Everyone goes through their crazy phase, and some never get out of it.

 

[kaitlyn3837]

Cartaphilus, you're too funny! You always make me smile with your humor

And joshoowah, that's really cool that it holds such a special place for you, it does for me too! And it's funny that you mention Caminetto specifically by name because I just picked up my first one yesterday. One of a few refurbs I will be posting soon.

 

[RDPipes]

Cartaphilus, you're too funny! You always make me smile with your humor

If I can put one smile on one persons face a day.....my job is done!

 

[stapf]

I tend to go all in on certain subjects and then at some point they just become a part of life and my obsession moves to a different focus. I've gone all in on different types of music and record collecting. Heavy Metal, then Punk, then Hardcore, then Black Metal, then Stonerrock, then Noise. Playing guitar, then playing buying experimenting with Modular Synthesizers, then building analog Synthesizer modules. Scotch, then Bourbon (including nearly every distillery tour), cigars, and now pipes. I'll get to the point where my interest is satisfied and pipes become just another part of my life. A new focus for obsession will come up, hopefully writing or playing music again, wash rinse repeat.

 

[Dottleman]

For my part, I've had a number of interests that come and go, but pipe smoking has been one things that never gets old or boring to me. To my way of thinking, my pipes are tools that keep my hands busy while I think about (or study) those other passing interests. There are times of the year when I smoke less (usually in hotter weather), but I guess everyone is different. Don't be too hard on yourself about knowing everything. No matter how much you learn, there's always going to be more you don't know. Just smile, pack a bowl, light up and hopefully by then you will have come up with some brilliant B.S. to wow 'em!

 

[Ozark Wizard]

It seems to me that change is the one constant in the universe. Phases, cycles, waves, flux...

As far as tobacco, you can grow the same type, in the same place, and do the same thing to refine it, and it can turn out different. Plants are living organisms, and they change.

As far as our tastes, I think we all are victims of the "Oooh, shiny!" complex. Different is, well, interesting. Curiosity is a subtle but compelling motivator. Also, a lot of us tend to be collectors of sorts. More "ooh shiny!".

It seems to me that in your vocation there will always be room to grow, learn, and create...

Ride the wave, rest when the tide is out......

 

[RDPipes]

"Oooh, shiny!" complex I like that! I'll try to remember it so I can use it in the future.