TO MY PIPE CABINET
TO MY TOBACCO JAR
Living a bachelor life has many good sides and one bad side. I'll not go into the goodies, all you ringed hubbies out there are suffering enough already, without me rubbing it in. The downside of living alone is that no one awaits me at the end of a weary day at work. No loving wife with housecoat, slippers and a prepared meal ready for this boy (but then again, how many married blokes can expect that anyway?). If I want to find a warm welcome in the evening, I'll have to take care of it myself. So in the morning I prepare my set-up.
The following pages will tell about pipe smoking, and my pipe smoking in particular. On this page I'll talk about pipe smoking in general. There's a link to my pipe cabinet where I ramble on about my pipes, and there's a link to my tobacco jar, where I give some information on my favourite fuels.
There's more to smoking a pipe then just cramming some dried leaves into piece of wood and setting it on fire. Anyone who has emptied a full box of matches on an attempt to finish just one pipe -and had a blistered tongue to show for it afterwards- will agree that it takes knowledge, skill and practice to smoke a pipe with pleasure. And there's even more to it. Smoking a pipe takes a certain mental attitude, a peace of mind, to offer any chance of reward. Zen and the art of pipe smoking? That's a bit steep, but a stressed out or distracted person won't be able to enjoy a pipe. In order to keep a pipe lit, and at the same time prevent it from burning hot and biting the tongue, one needs to smoke with care and tranquillity. A pipe demands full attention while packing and lighting it. And after that it still takes a certain amount of attention all of the time. It's this demand for attention that makes smoking a pipe such a fulfilling and useful activity. Whether I'm pondering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or just trying to figure out how to fit 40 students into a 30 person classroom, when I decide to light up, it takes my mind of the problem for a moment. And after lighting it, it still occupies part of my brain and thus enables my subconscious neural network to launch brilliant solutions I would have never found otherwise. Smoking, and especially smoking a pipe, is more then just nurturing a addiction or giving in to an infantile urge to suck on something...
A pipe smoker loves his pipes. Understandable; a pipe is a lot more expensive then a pack of cigarettes or a box of cigars, and a pipe is not discarded after one smoke. But there's more to the love of a pipesmoker to his paraphernalia, much more. People, living with a pipe smoker, see how he cleans his pipes while the house is falling apart, and they accuse the pipe smoker of some obscure form of fetishism. They notice his rack full of pipes and still see him wandering off to find new pipes, so they expect some uncontrolled urge to collect. But pipes are part of a pipe smoker, like hands and feet. Once I lost a dear pipe, and 5 years later I was still missing it. My hand remembered the pipe, there were actual moments when I really longed for that specific pipe. With 60 pipes lying around, no other pipe could really fill it's void. After all those years I still could draw it exactly from memory. Finally I gave in and wrote a letter, accompanied by that drawing, to the manufacturer. They recognised it, the model was still available and I ordered it. Upon receiving it, it felt like the return of an old, long lost friend and it made me smile for a month.
There are several reasons for this collecting madness and the unconditional love a pipe smoker holds for his pipes. One reason might indeed be plain lust for collecting:
And who can resist the urge to have a pipe like grandfather used to smoke?
Naturally a pipe like Sherlock Holmes allegedly smoked is a must for any pipe smoker who likes the private consulting detective (Yes I know, look in my pipe cabinet for the full load down on this matter).
So sorry, but that's just the beginning. One needs another pipe, specially reserved for that light Virginia tobacco with it's delicate taste.
Or even 2, if he want's to smoke that tobacco twice a day.
And then there is that pungent English blend, rich with Latakia and Perique, you can't seriously suggest we smoke that from the same pipe as that sweet tasting Danish mixture, now can you?
And of course one needs that huge bowled pipe to curl up on the sofa, with a good book, in the evening.
But no one can do without a small pipe, just a short smoke to start up a day, after breakfast, can one?
See, there's a system to this madness...
TO MY PIPE CABINET
TO MY TOBACCO JAR
