Things going on....

Not much going on, but a few things are going on.

I have some more responsibilities at work now. I'm not in charge by a long shot, but I'm kept "in the loop" for this new equipment we're getting and have some say so about how things ought to be. So that's good.

My wife (as stated below) has a side business with taking furniture and repainting it. "Repurposing" she calls it. I thought that was when you made a bed frame out of old lamps and things, but who am I to disagree with her?

My boys are growing up so fast. They're going to be TEN this December. Just reminds me that I am getting old.

When something is worth commenting on in the news, and doesn't want to make my head explode, I'll post. I always mean to, but I never write things down so I come here and post them.

So, I'll post later. Time to check out for the night.

Wife's blog

My wife has started repurposing furniture. She's started a blog here on blogger, and when she posts, if you or your significant other are interested in that, I'll link to it.

...But a good cigar is a candle???

(This is totally my opinion. I have not been paid or compensated by Valor Candles in any way.)

I'm a cigar guy. I have been a cigar guy for over 20 years. Being such, when I found out that Valor Candles came into existence, and was making scented candles for men (seemingly a paradox if there ever was one), especially a cigar scented one, I was excited, but somewhat skeptical.

That skepticism didn't keep me from buying their cigar-scented candle, aptly called "Humidor" (shown above). What I was expecting and what this candle actually is are two totally different (but not necessarily bad) things.

What was I expecting? Well, I was expecting to get drawn into the world of Drew Estates, La Flor Dominicas, Dunhill, CAO, Arturo Fuente, Don Pepin Garcia, and the like, all different unique tobacco blends melding together in their Spanish cedar-lined boxes calling to be smoked, while indulging in one's favorite beverage (adult of otherwise) and letting the cares of the day or week dissipate like the smoke of a good cigar.

What did I get? Well, instead of the above (which could be, for some, overwhelming to the olfactory nerves and cause sensory overload), I got a very pleasant candle of cedar with just enough tobacco aroma to cut the sweetness. It is a great blend. No over-"floweriness" (or sweetness) of the plain cedar (which Johnny, the owner, sent me for comparison), so it won't smell like your grandma's house, but no overpowering tobacco smell, either. In my honest opinion, Johnny and the folks at Valor did a great job with this scent.

In fact, one of my twins likes to take huge whiffs of it while it's lit, and has declared it manly enough for a 9 year old boy.

In my opinion, Valor candles has, in fact, made an aptly named candle that men shouldn't be ashamed to light while enjoying a good cigar, or to make their offices or man-caves smell better.

There are even more out there waiting to be discovered, like "Fairway" (fresh-mown grass), "Parlor" ( old-fashioned barber shop), and "Leather" (which is self-explanitory), and many more to come.

The Arena

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

-Theodore Roosevelt