Thoughts regarding newbs, old stagers, and pesky rules...

[Kyle Weiss]

,,,,stuff and puff, you'll figure out what works for you as you go.

Thanks, mark. It has a certain ring to it now. :mrgreen:

We all know you're a genius.

Only after I have a few drinks. Suddenly, I'm better looking in my own mind, too. :lol:

...

I tried pretty hard to take a new pipester's immersion into the wide, opinionated and info-saturated world now available to him and sort of be on his side, especially with the crotchety stance some guys that were taught by Moses how to smoke a pipe that can happen, but another thing occurred to me. My generation, let alone place in the "pipe world," is caught between the current one and one long past, and has partly been raised by the ideal that you get served your information on a platter rather than learning how things are done or being actually taught. Experience seems to be an uncouth practice or at best, for many who are younger, something that can be looked up on the Internet. In a pre-Internet world, maybe it was the realm of the B&M store and folks there, a neighbor or a family member that helps out, demonstrates and guides.

I guess modern day pipe culture is doing the best it can.

 

[George Kaplan]

My generation, let alone place in the "pipe world," is caught between the current one and one long past, and has partly been raised by the ideal that you get served your information on a platter rather than learning how things are done or being actually taught. Experience seems to be an uncouth practice or at best, for many who are younger, something that can be looked up on the Internet.....I guess modern day pipe culture is doing the best it can.

That's a good point, Kyle. In my short time as part of this forum, I've been rather amazed by the number of "new guys" who seem to show up every day, making the internet their first stop on the journey of discovery. I'm a little envious of how easy they have it; not needing to pry the secrets from scary old men, often learning bad habits to be broken by trial and error. At the same time, I imagine the sheer flood of (often contradictory) information can be overwhelming, even intimidating to the novice. Once, research was the skill of FINDING information. These days, the skill one needs is FILTERING the information so readily available.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

That's sort of been the whole point all along, but I guess I didn't realize it had two sides until now. It's easy to get complacent in the face of the exact thing (which you're staring at along with me as I type this) that also may have a hand in the process of learning something.

Well, now the only thing that's as scary as the old men giving out their secrets is their typing skills. They might seem frightening, but if you only saw them hunched over their keyboards in a dark room, monitor glaring off their scalp, squinting at the keyboard, index fingers extended downward searching for and clacking individual letters, pipe jutting from a corner or their mouth muttering "Just smoke the f**king pipe you impatient little sh*t..." :lol: ...poor guys. 8) May we all learn from you, and may we all become you.

 

[mark]

,,, if you only saw them hunched over their keyboards in a dark room, monitor glaring off their scalp, squinting at the keyboard, index fingers extended downward searching for and clacking individual letters, pipe jutting from a corner or their mouth muttering "Just smoke the f**king pipe you impatient little sh*t..."

just to be clear, I have a light on in the room,,, :cyclops:

 

[monbla256]

Well, now the only thing that's as scary as the old men giving out their secrets is their typing skills. They might seem frightening, but if you only saw them hunched over their keyboards in a dark room, monitor glaring off their scalp, squinting at the keyboard, index fingers extended downward searching for and clacking individual letters, pipe jutting from a corner or their mouth muttering "Just smoke the f**king pipe you impatient little sh*t..." :lol: ...poor guys. 8) May we all learn from you, and may we all become you.

I now use 3 fingers on each hand and have a lamp on

 

[Kyle Weiss]

You guys are too much. :lol:

8)

 

[danindayton]

"monitor glaring off their scalp"

I have all my hair, thank you. :lol!:

danindayton
ilurkalot

 

[puros_bran]

That's sort of been the whole point all along, but I guess I didn't realize it had two sides until now. It's easy to get complacent in the face of the exact thing (which you're staring at along with me as I type this) that also may have a hand in the process of learning something.

Well, now the only thing that's as scary as the old men giving out their secrets is their typing skills. They might seem frightening, but if you only saw them hunched over their keyboards in a dark room, monitor glaring off their scalp, squinting at the keyboard, index fingers extended downward searching for and clacking individual letters, pipe jutting from a corner or their mouth muttering "Just smoke the f**king pipe you impatient little sh*t..." :lol: ...poor guys. 8) May we all learn from you, and may we all become you.

Eff you Kyle. Your going to get bald too!

 

[Rob_In_MO]

Eff you Kyle. Your going to get bald too!

:lol!: :lol!: :lol!:

Somebody's gonna get Dead Fish in the mail, I can see it already... :twisted:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I am indeed going bald, and I'm also cantankerous and crotchety! :cheers: I really am subject to my own curse laid before me...

May we all learn from you, and may we all become you.

8)

 

[KevinM]

The single most useful course I took in high school was Typing I with Miss Novak, even though at the time I was accused of looking for an EZ A, which was true, but who'd have guessed how it would turn out

It's interesting how the Internet has altered the rules of discourse. I detect a trend that tolerates views that are fairly nutso, but is less tolerant of opinions that are stated dogmatically. Yr 'umble servant recently had his posting privileges revoked on a well-known automotive site where the accepted mantra is "Cars are definitely NOT mere appliances." But yours truly is a great fan of utility, likes dependability, three-box designs and the ability to muscle througth NE weather. I don't see the point of electronic gadgetry installed as solutions to basic design flaws (backup cams, for example). So my mantra is more like, "cars are definitely machines, and the better they fulfill my need, the more I like 'em. I have no neet to attract admiring glances from passersby, which is demonstrated, I'd say, by my affection for pipe smoking."

It wasn't that I attacked anyone or was snotty in stating my POV. They just thought it ran counter to the board's general notions, I guess. Well, no matter. Young fellas can be cranky, too.

When I started this post, I thought it had something to do with the thread, but now I might be just free associating . . . Which means it's time to take the missus to lunch.

 

[George Kaplan]

Wait...this thread is about cars and internet discourse? I thought it was about sex and Tiamat. My bad...

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Sex with Tiamat in the back of a perfectly tuned, all-original '55 Chevy pickup (with a few dents and rust spots, of course) on a summer's night. Or a randomly winter night in July, as Tiamat likes stiff nipples. 8)

 

[George Kaplan]

:shock: ...And you think it's entrenched dogma that scares off the new guys? It's you, Kyle. Now that I've got that picture in my head, I can't un-see it. Ever.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Apparently I need to quit the forum in a huff again. That's twice this week. Heartless goobs.

 

[Rob_In_MO]

Sex with Tiamat in the back of a perfectly tuned, all-original '55 Chevy pickup (with a few dents and rust spots, of course) on a summer's night. Or a randomly winter night in July, as Tiamat likes stiff nipples. 8)

All I can say is 'Wow, what a post!'

I'd have never thought of it that way. :shock:

 

[George Kaplan]

Don't encourage him, Rob. I still can't sleep!

 

[Rusty]

I laughed reading this thread. :lol:

The old days were so much different than today. I think you're mildly complaining / teasing about a bunch of fanatics (or hobbyists) sharing their fascination. And the amount of info might be a little overwhelming. And there are myths that refuse to die too. But what do you expect?

In the old days there was precious little discussion nor information. No reviews nor pipe smoker comments on anything. Instead there were Socratic questions and mysteries. We'd run the gauntlet of old codgers who hung out in the local B&M. We probably made their day. They'd observe a young 'long hair' pleased as punch with a new freehand and ask "Why do you need a pipe shaped like a Kidney? Huh, tell me that?" Those of us that were reasonably articulate would explain that classic shapes were smoked by Nixon and his ilk who were an anathema to an entire generation and who wanted to be mistaken for them? That would usually provoke a political flame war so we weren't exactly welcome in most B&M's with codgers.

Or we'd ask about the contents of a mysterious tin and be told that "It's some modern froo froo that no real pipe smoker would touch." So of course we'd ask what do real pipe smokers smoke? And the response depended upon the codger but it was usually something that drooled tar like Condor or a Twist or it was an American Burley mix. They'd serially smoke their tar monsters and harass the young long hairs like a sport. If one wanted info you had to ask your father or grandfather who was also a pipe smoker. They knew about pipes but had a peculiarly one dimensional view of tobacco that usually amounted to knowledge about their blend and that was it.

There was no tobacco reviews and it was a time of questions. So we tried tins and it was often surprising. They were nothing like the descriptions. Of course you have realize that things you take for granted, eg a basic understanding of tobacco categories, was mostly missing info. We learned by experience or sometimes a knowledgeable tobacconist would explain the basics. But it took years to learn things that most new to forums learn within a few weeks.

The other very significant difference is that we saw other pipe smokers every day so simple obvious things, like packing and relighting, were things we observed. Today it's comparatively rare to see another pipe smoker (unless you belong to a club or you can smoke in your B&M) so some misunderstandings develop that never really had a chance to germinate in the past. The whole issue of relighting is a topic among newer pipe smokers who simply lack visual models ie other experienced pipe smokers. But other than these sorts of things you learn a lot more much faster than we did.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Rusty, maybe a little teasing, but not complaining. Just observations. If one puts too much stock into what happens on the Internet they either become part of the problem or they simply go mad. Since I'm already more screwy than a pool full of light bulbs, I'll just mention you did a great job adding an experienced view to what I was already pretty much saying. :lol:

The long-hair visiting the B&M and baiting the old farts isn't too dissimilar to what happens here--we just hang out on computers. 8) The difference is, the old farts are now the formerly long-hair kids, and know a thing or two about baiting themselves. I figure that since the fathers and grandfathers aren't around to turn to when the tight-jeaned, crazy-print jacketed brats of today want to learn to smoke pipes, we might step off the pedestal now and again for their sake.

8)

 

[kieveryuu]

I think that's why I like this hobby. It begs for thoughtful people. They're an eclectic bunch. It's social but antisocial. It's a weird balance of simplicity and complexity, which seems to go either direction at any given moment, especially when new. Every day can yield a new experience.

I like those sentiments: Keep on smoking, have patience, be flexible.

For several days I have had this forum thread open in a window, waiting for a little time to read it. Yes, it is wordy, but having been hanging around here for a while, and it being an interesting topic, I give Kyle the benefit of the doubt. :suspect:

So, finally, after an involved and busy week I find not just that I have enjoyed the topic (and the many great responses 8) ) but an urge to contribute.

You see, I have only been smoking a pipe since Guy Fox Night 2011. (Nov. 5th for the possibly one person here who does not know). I my find cigs to be a blight on humanity, have a perhaps unreasonable hatred of other drugs, and yet have always been somewhat enamored of the pipe. An uncle shared a cigar with me on occasion and I learned to appreciate them. Still do. But it is the pipe to which I am drawn (just forked out the most $$ yet for a new pipe) and enjoy.

Now, I give you that last paragraph to say that the reason I did not pick up the pipe earlier was my understanding of the difficulty. Always I had heard, in part from my father who's own father (dead long before I was born) was an occasional pipe smoker, that piping is hard. Hard to stay lit, steep learning curve, burns your mouth until you get used to it, etc., etc. Enter Dreadgerbil, the two of us had established a friendship early in the year, and he invited me to his Guy Fox Night party where I complimented his pipe, and relayed that I always wanted to try and the reason why not. Well, he kindly offered me a pipe, I accepted and have never looked back. What made it easy, was his telling me that smoking a pipe is like smoking a cigar. You taste the smoke and you go slow and steady. Just a few simple words, then he offered me a packed pipe and a lighter.

I quoted what Kyle said at the top of this post because it reflects several things that I really enjoy about this hobby and is reflected in this forum. A nice hobby, both simple and complex, for people who think deeply and who (usually) share carefully. There is sometimes as much said with silence as with words. A rare thing in this world. Like Kyle, and being someone who does genuinely suffer OCD, I approach everything with a degree of order and with the compulsive need to know and understand as much as possible. In another thread with Kyle I mentioned the return to doing what worked, I had let my OCD get the better of me (something I am always working against) and had to force myself to take an easier approach with my packing. What I have learned here, and from Dreadgerbil has given me a lot of data point with which to build my information framework. I continue to learn, to enjoy and because of that am able to improve. For instance, last night I used a pipe I have not for several weeks, because it always gurgles, even with the very dry tobacco I smoked in it this last time. However this time, I was able to identify why and will, with a file, be able to correct the issue in the stem.

There is a lot of information, not all of it relevant, not all of it good, and certainly in no short supply. Thankfully, we have a place like this one, and are reminded every now and again to step back and see the forest with the trees.

Oy, apparently Kyle is not the only one who can write on a bit much. :roll: Something of a stream of consciousness, but, at least, mostly on topic. Now, back to it. 8)