Lord Vader

Sorry to hear that. I'm glad you had your priorities in line and I hope only an airplane was lost.

Yeeeeeeah... maybe. But it ain’t gonna be fast and it ain’t gonna be cheap. You’re definitely going to need a bit of sheet metal work on the tail. Tornado get ahold of that poor Cessna? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

I earned my private certificate in 2003 and an instrument rating in 2004. I earned my A&P certificates in 2009. It's going to cost more than you expect, and it's probably going to take more time than you expect. Do it anyway; it'll be worth it. - Find a mechanic who is willing to show you more about your aircraft than you can learn from your CFI. This doesn't mean your instructor isn't knowledgeable (he probably is) but spend some time with the guy who fixes them. You don't have to learn to fix the thing yourself, but it's worth understanding exactly what it means when your alternator fails or whether you should be concerned about the puddle under the nose wheel strut. You will be a better pilot for understanding your aircraft instead of just knowing your aircraft. - Don't bother with the tricks of the trade. Learn the trade. All of it. Every detail. - Get a copy of the FAR/AIM and read it when you aren't in class. Ask your instructor what something means if you don't understand a rule. Understand the significance when they use the words "may" and "shall." Become an expert on this book. - Pay a LOT of attention to your simulated instrument training. After you finish your private certificate, consider getting an instrument rating. Even if you don't finish the instrument rating, get some additional training under an IFR hood. It may well save your life. There's no big deal about getting ATC vectors to let you down through a cloud to get back home when the weather changes on a day when you expected perfect VFR conditions and you ended up on top of a layer. It is a big deal if you go at it blindly and end up in a spiral into the side of a mountain because you listened to your body telling you you were in a turn while your instruments said you were straight and level. - Become a weather expert. Learn to look at charts and readings and decide for yourself whether you think the crosswind is going to kick up five hours from now at your destination, even though the forecast is for light and variable all day. - Listen to that inner voice that tells you today isn't the best day for flying. It's there for a reason... mainly to make sure you're still here tomorrow.

My experience with aging cigars for multiple years is hit-and-miss with whether or not the stick's flavor improves. I think the ones that I perceive as improved with age is marginal at best, and all in my head at worst. That said, I have found tremendous value in resting cigars for 3-6 months... Cubans even more than non-Cubans. There's certainly nothing wrong with smoking them right off the truck. But with at least a couple months of resting to get them to my preferred RH improves draw, decreases bitter flavors, and helps to get a steady, even burn. The next time you order a box, smoke one right off the truck (or a day or two later, makes no difference really). Note whether you get any sour or bitter flavors. Make a mental note about how tight the draw is and how many times you have to relight. Remember how badly (if at all) it canoes or caves and how wonky the wrapper burns. Then put them in storage at your preferred RH. A lot of people, myself included, find that Cubans respond well to lower RH. Try one after a month of storage and make a note about the same things above (burn, flavor, draw). Then try one after three months and observe the same qualities. You'll likely find that instead of looking at it as "Geez, I can't smoke this yet?" you'll start looking forward to what rest has done for your stash. If you like your results, you may get into fine tuning your RH. I like mine at 65%, but a lot of people prefer their Cubans at 62% or 60%, occasionally even lower than that. If you like it enough, you might even get into the real long-term aging and draw your own conclusions as to whether the tobacco improves much between 6 months of rest and 6 years of age (or much longer). Of course, if you find that sticks with some rest are not your thing, there's nothing stopping you from enjoying them before the mail truck pulls away. It's just an endless hobby of pursuing the "perfect smoke" and trying to replicate that experience. I'm not sure anybody has actually found perfection. If they did, they probably set it on fire.

Hi y'all. I'm Lord Vader and I find your lack of faith disturbing. Outside of the internet, I'm called Steve, and I'm from Alabama.I do product development and sales for a 9-5 job, which is every bit as mundane as it sounds. Outside of that, I shoot competitively, make wood furniture, and have a thing for old junk vehicles. I had my first Cuban cigar in 2009, a Romeo y Julieta Churchill that I bought from a resort in Mexico. That solidified my love of cigars and sent me on a lovely trip into exploring the cigars from that one particular island in the Caribbean. Cheers