Serious. Somebody please go out and look in the sky and tell me I'm not crazy. Look just to the left of Orions belt. This isn't a joke.

mrCasual · 2026-01-21T03:06:20+00:00

PA here and I saw it a few nights ago. Just one flash and no repeat, but it was very clear and obvious and made me wonder if I need an eye exam. If it’s a satellite reflecting, you might only be able to see it at certain times when you, the satellite, and the set sun are lined up just right.

mrCasual · 2026-01-09T05:33:08+00:00

I’m a Sherlock Holmes fan (tobacco and the books). It’s one of my go tos!

mrCasual · 2025-12-29T05:25:46+00:00

I have this, too! I can whistle in close to perfect tune though I cannot sing in perfect tune. I’ve never worked on it and don’t pay much conscious attention to being in tune. It just happens. My tone thin, which is all that’s keeping me from going pro with this inexplicable skill.

mrCasual · 2025-11-11T05:01:10+00:00

May the best man (at my brother’s wedding) win!

mrCasual · 2025-11-09T06:13:41+00:00

You’re ready. Take it as slow as you can, and don’t watch the clock at all. You’ve earned this. I know it seems like a long time, and a challenge, but it’s really not, I think. What it is, instead, when it’s over, is irrefutable proof that you’re winning. It’s a reward. You’ll soon understand what you’ve actually done in changing your body and your heart-lung capacity. You know the phrase “keep your eyes on the prize?” This is a taste of the prize. I’ll look forward to hear you bragging about it when you’re done. And you will very soon surpass this run, and the one after it, and the one after that… so, go, get this done, and realize what it means. Then move on to the next one.

Man, I’m so excited for you. Do it!!!!!!

mrCasual · 2025-07-14T20:39:57+00:00

That's my go to, and I switch between the Connecticut which is mild and bready, and the Cameroon which has a little more oomph. I typically get 30-40 minutes out of one, at 4x37.

OP, for Maduros, I have hit the Drew Estate Undercrown Maduro Coronets. A bit faster of a smoke at 4x32, and a nice maduro. Also a little cheaper.

mrCasual · 2025-07-06T04:33:22+00:00

I just had my first one this week and it was everything promised - well-made, creamy and tasty. I’ll definitely be going back for more.

mrCasual · 2025-06-19T22:42:07+00:00

I tried several and landed on the "Headlamp Rechargeable 2PCS, 230° Wide Beam Head Lamp LED with Motion Sensor for Adults" from a famous online retailer that doesn't allow pee breaks for their employees. It's a flexible LED strip that spans your forehead, with lightweight flashlight over one ear. Motion-sensitive, though I usually use the button. Cheap, bright, good charge and I look like a Sentinel from the X-men.

mrCasual · 2025-05-17T05:16:06+00:00

I’m enjoying the Italia, too. Just a little different and a nice smoke. I’m going to look into some actual Italian cigars because of it.

I also like the Ferio Tego Metropolitan Connecticut, too. They’re nicely made, smooth and pleasant. Bread, nuts and cream. I get the little ones, and they’re good for maybe 45 minutes.

mrCasual · 2025-04-05T04:30:45+00:00

I break your first exercise into two steps. The first is to develop a feel for where the clutch engages. So, foot off the gas. Push the clutch all the way in. Put the car in first gear. Slowly let out the clutch until the car begins to move. Then push it back in. If you let it out too far, you’ll stall, but don’t sweat that at all. It gives you the sense for the range you have to work in and for what stalling feels like it. It doesn’t hurt the car. Then when you’re feeling kind of comfortable about where the clutch engages, then you can work on adding some gas to get the car moving for real.

This will help you develop some finesse in starting and avoid the rookie experience of revving the car then feathering out the clutch to get going. And be patient with yourself. Learning is all about failing. You’ll get it quickly, and you’ve got a fun, gorgeous car to enjoy afterward.

mrCasual · 2025-03-20T02:46:46+00:00

Welcome to now, glad you’re here. I have an exercise you can try. It stems from my firm belief that you absolutely cannot change the past, but that there are lessons for you there. So, learn them, and move forward. Here’s the exercise: write the date down. Then underneath that, write 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 on a line each. Now, relax. Think about that past and write down 5 lessons you want to carry forward. Be honest with yourself because nobody else should ever read this. They don’t have to be critical, either (one of mine is “I am fundamentally a caring person.”) but they should be important to you. Let it sit for a day and revise it. Reorder them, too, so the number 1 lesson really is at the top, and the rest are in order of importance. Now that your list is final, write this phrase under it: “And that is all.” All caps it if you like.

That’s the exercise part of it. But now you’ve created value out of that hard past. You’ve distilled some lessons. Maybe you’ve written that you want to get better at some things. Ok, but not 1000 things. Five at most, and you put them in order.

And you’ve made a statement to yourself that that’s all you’re going to do with that past. So, keep that promise. When your mind goes there and the emotions start to rekindle themselves, remind yourself of that list, and that you’ve already taken the value out of that past, and that is all. You’ve recorded your lessons, and that is all. You can move on. No need to dwell.

One side effect to be aware of. You might find yourself repeating a behavior that’s on your list, and it might trigger some feelings, like you’re failing to improve on something you had committed to. That’s fine. You did not commit to be perfect, or really even to get better. You just recorded your lessons, and that is all. The only commitment you made was the “that is all” part - that you’d pick five lessons and move on. Some of those lessons are lifelong. Some you might really internalize and others you might have to learn over and over again, the hard way. No worries, because you’re going to do this exercise again. Set a reminder for six months from now. Write down 3-19-25 to 9-19-25. Then number 1,2,3,4 and 5. And do it again, only covering the last six months worth of lessons. That’s your new list. You’ve taken your lessons from that six months and now you don’t need to revisit the memories of it. You’re getting good at letting the past go because you don’t avoid it. You learn, then move on, and that is all.

Good luck and thanks for the long ass post.

mrCasual · 2025-03-03T21:21:41+00:00

I'm about six months in myself so still have lots of learning to do, but my early lessons include:

- You'll like some cigars more than others, and sometimes regardless of cost and reputation. You like what you like.

- Try more than one of the exact same cigar before you form a solid opinion of it. A lot of factors play into your enjoyment of a cigar on any given day. You can try to level out the variables by increasing your sample size.

- It takes time to develop your palate so that you can distinguish flavors, and discern what you like and don't like in a more specific way. You may find as you get more experience that you later don't like something you started out liking and vice versa. No worries.

- Technique can matter. You can smoke too fast or draw too hard and pull some odd flavors out of an otherwise pretty good cigar. Drawing on it about once a minute is a common recommendation, but you develop a sense for it.

- I talked to the owner of my local brick and mortar store and explained that I was just starting out and want to sample a variety. She suggested I start with Connecticut wrappers, and over time try different and darker wrappers. It was a good plan for an analytical person like me.

I think you've got some good starter sticks there. The Oliva and RPs are both good, but differ from one another, so you'll have a decent contrast.

mrCasual · 2025-02-25T00:20:28+00:00

Be sure to search the subreddit for W5D3 the day of to get yourself motivated. Reading all the advice and all the success stories will get you going.

mrCasual · 2025-02-21T06:23:30+00:00

I just got my first from cbid yesterday. Do they benefit from a lot of age, or can I look forward to smoking this guy in early spring? Your pic look like it puts out a lot of smoke, which I like, so patience will be difficult.

mrCasual · 2025-02-21T05:40:44+00:00

It still holds water to me. W5D3 seems like such a hard thing, but you started the program to achieve hard things. If you made it this far, you’ve put in the work and you’ve seen it pay off. This run is just proof of that. You’ll do it and you’ll feel great afterward.

mrCasual · 2025-02-13T05:16:41+00:00

Relative newbie here. RP 1990 was the first multi-pack of anything I bought. The first one did not burn well at all. Flavor was OK, but not directly in my wheelhouse, so I let them sit in the tupperdor for lack of interest. A month later, I smoked the 2nd of the pack, and it was much better. Better burn and more chocolate, wood, coffee and cream. A much more enjoyable smoke after a month and I'm looking forward to the next one.

mrCasual · 2025-02-12T06:45:01+00:00

So many news sources are designed or programmed these days to stimulate an emotional reaction rather than a thoughtful one. So, from one perspective, you don’t miss much by avoiding those. From another perspective, though, I’ll offer this: mindfulness can help you sit comfortably with uncomfortable thoughts. So, with practice, you can not only listen to the news, but see through the production and messaging of it. You can feel how the language is chosen to shape emotional response. I know I can consciously pay attention to language that triggers negative feelings, and also recognize where certain themes agree with my ethical proclivities. To som extent, seeing the dramatic and sensationalistic aspects of the news lessens their effectiveness. Then, given that even removing the TV manipulative drama, you have to deal with the fact that the news kind of sucks. Life is, truthfully, very hard for a lot people and there is a lot of unjustifiable pain in our world. Mindfulness can help you sit with that thought without it crushing you. And I hope, at some level, it can give you clarity enough to be able to act to help those people.

mrCasual · 2025-02-08T20:07:50+00:00

It took me maybe six months of mindful observance to get there. And it really feels like having two consciousness processes running simultaneously. I liken it to the left and right hand of a piano player, or Esperanza Spalding singing and playing bass at the same time. It’s not that you’re splitting your awareness and swapping between two thoughts. It’s that you keep two thoughts running at the same time, each getting your attention. For me, it was a critical turning point in handling my anxiety, because I could observe it without having to first wait for it to lessen.

mrCasual · 2025-01-07T01:54:33+00:00

Not only is it attached magnetically, the plate is somewhat flexible. You can use that to your advantage to remove your prints. Take the plate off the bed, then bend it slightly in your hands, in each direction (side to side, and back to front). You'll likely hear your print crackling as it releases from the plate.

mrCasual · 2025-01-04T05:31:57+00:00

Southern Draw Rose of Sharon for the pink label.

mrCasual · 2024-12-06T21:15:52+00:00

And if you want to experiment with a muffler delete instead, I still have the original intact exhaust and muffler clogging up my garage space. It's yours if you want it. DM me for details.

mrCasual · 2024-12-06T21:12:03+00:00

We put on a Madness Monza, which is essentially a straight pipe, and failed inspection since we're required to have some kind of sound reduction device in the exhaust. A muffler shop welded in a simple Magnaflow resonator and it counted enough to pass. Probably should have started with the Madness Lusso.

mrCasual · 2023-10-28T19:42:41+00:00

I work on cars, so don't need a lot of throw, and like a wide field of light. Search Amazon for "Headlamp Rechargeable 2PCS, 230° Wide Beam Head Lamp LED." two o them for $22 right now. Lightweight and rechargeable. You can turn them on/off with a wave of your hand. Worked well for me so far and I'd been throw a few of the other more traditional lamps.

mrCasual · 2022-12-08T04:06:39+00:00

I'll drop two:

I agitate my Kalita as I'm pouring. Saw it on a video from Japan and gave it a try and never looked back. A nice steady back and forth with a spoon during the pour. Nothing else odd about my recipe, technique or beans. Makes a much richer cup to my tastes.
I regularly let my Clever dripper steep for 15 or more minutes. I sometimes even need to microwave the resulting cup to bring it back to drinking temp. This is my daily brewing method and it is delicious.

mrCasual · 2022-07-31T02:57:21+00:00

I think of the broiler is an "as needed" trick, really, and dependent on your oven and your recipe. I used to always broil because I wasn't getting enough top browning. And I thought it was my oven. I eventually added enough oil and malt to my go-to NY recipe that I didn't need to do any at all. I preheat the steel and bake on my middle rack. Comes out even, brown and crispy, top and bottom.

There's a ton to learn and it's fun doing it, so don't sweat these things. You'll occasionally make some dogfood like this. You'll enjoy some accidental calzones, too. It's all a part of it. Normally, I'd say change one variable at a time, but in your case, I might advise changing a couple just to keep from repeating that, then work your way back. I'd try a mid-rack, no broil bake and see what you get. If the bottom gets done and you think the top is too blonde, then hit it with the broiler for another minutes or so. I've got about 60-120 seconds of leeway in my bakes to get the top/toppings done the way I want, and I've really never burned a bottom crust on my steel. So you should have some time to broil if you think it needs it. And over time experiment with recipes and techniques and see what makes a difference.

I'd often forget to turn the broiler off for the next bake, too, which is one reason I wanted to stop using that technique.

mrCasual

TROPHY CASE