Archive for the ‘Stopping Smoking’ Category

Nov 9, 2009

The Return of My Wine Sniffing Nose

A big concern of mine when I chose to stop smoking two weeks ago was that sometime about now I'd find myself balled up in the corner of my office, sitting on the floor combating withdrawals. My biggest concern was that I'd give in and start smoking again. Turns out neither of those things have happened. But something has happened on the way to Ex-smokerdom. I got my sense of smell back. Or at least my nose's last few forays…

Oct 30, 2009

The Choices We Make

Most people understand the cost of smoking. These costs tend most often to be measured in years taken off a smokers life. For reasons I think you can understand, I prefer not to think of the costs of my 20+ years of smoking in these terms. However, there are ways to appreciate the cost of smoking that not only I but my wine loving readers CAN appreciate: The financial outlay. Let's assume I'm cheap and buy a pack and a…

Oct 28, 2009

The Wine Of My Dreams

Dreams. The kind you have when slumbering. I can say without equivocation that one of the effects of having quit smoking so very recently is an enhanced vividness of my nighttime dreams. I know they are vivid because even now, a couple hours after waking up, I can still recall the brand, varietal and vintage of the wines that were in my dream last night. This is for me, to say the least, unusual. 1997 Peter Michael "L'apres Midi"1990 Foppiano…

Oct 27, 2009

The Coming Taste of Wine

Over the years there were some people who, upon learning that I was a smoker, became very interested in getting me to quit. When they learned I worked in the wine business, they almost inevitably crafted a "stop smoking argument" that looked like this: "Tom, you're in the wine business and really NEED to be able to taste and evaluate wine. How can you do that when you are layering smoke over your palate. If you quit, just imagine how…

Oct 26, 2009

Wine Tools and Otherwise

The implements and tools associated with the simple act of drinking wine are so varied and so numerous, you'd think it a complicated thing, when in fact, it's merely a matter of opening a package, pouring a liquid into a vessel and lifting that vessel to one's lips. A simple corkscrew will do. A glass of any kind will hold the wine. And any functioning mouth and throat will deliver the wine to its destination. Still we apparently need 600…