February 20-21: First official meeting of the NY Social Cigar/Gilbert & Sullivan Society

A few words of introductory explanation are called for here. While I have continued writing elsewhere around the Internet, I have regrettably been neglecting this blog. So I thought it would be good to share some blogging materials from elsewhere, so that hopefully it might enjoy a wider or just different audience.

This entry documents a weekend of hanging out with my cigar smoking friends here in New York City. Most of these people I know through www.socialcigar.com, but some were new to me. And my friend Therese who I've been dating for more than a month now came along, and had a great time, even though she doesn't smoke. So here it is:

What an incredible revelation it was to us when we, New Yorkers who met through Social Cigar, all discovered that we also shared a love for Gilbert & Sullivan. So we decided to get together at Cigar Inn, to discuss our first production, "Pirates of Penzance," which we thought we could put on in the spring at a Manhattan location tbd.

Well, we even got some talent to come join us from out of town: Clay Hawley, well-known to Maryland residents as Danny in the recent Baltimore Parochial Junior High School production of "Grease" and Fred and his friends Mike, Hollywood and Jimmy, who had no previous theatrical experience but thought that this venture might get them out of the house now and then.

We were just a few minutes into our meeting, when it became clear that, in spite of the fact that W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan were known to be devoted smokers in their day, none of us really had any interest in Gilbert and Sullivan after all, and that we would much rather eat, drink, smoke and be merry, and anybody who didn't like that idea could go to hell. A vote was taken, and there was only one dissenting vote, that of yours truly, who really dissented only because it made me feel good.

So there we were, on a rather cold winter night in New York City warming ourselves in the good fellowship of our well-attended gathering. I have mentioned already our guests from out-of-town. Hailing from our fair city were yours truly, aka Charming Karl, Kevin aka Senor Cigar, Ade, Sandi, my friend Therese (the one non-smoker in the bunch who was a tremendous good sport, always loving to hang with the smokers or "the cool kids"), and various other folks who popped up as the night progressed, like Timothy the tea-lover.

Kevin brought Jack Single Malt, Ade provided Hennessy Black, and Therese contributed Courvoisier, so if anyone's cheeks were rosy, there was good reason. There was also Jamaican Rum, which appeared seemingly out of thin air, which often happens when Sandi is around. To off-set the libations, there was a batch of my cookies and Clay brought hand-made sushi, which was mm-mm good.

Assisting us that night as Cigar Inn's hostess was Tsveta, her usual sweet and helpful self, and we rewarded her with cookies and sushi. The poor thing was very hungry so it was all very much to her liking. It turned out to be her last night working at Cigar Inn, and speaking only for myself, I am sorry to hear that, since she has always added an element of cheer and serenity to every event where I have seen her.

I cannot begin to describe what sort of frivolity took place that evening. In my little corner of paradise, Therese was talking to Tsveta, and later we talked to Jimmy about his dog, who is very cute, and then Timothy came and we talked about tea. But that doesn't begin to capture what a great time we had.

As the evening drew to a close sometime after 1am, I personally was encouraged by the thought that there was more fun to be had, since the very next day we were planning to meet in Brooklyn for sushi and another cigar lounge invasion. In the back of my mind, I secretly hoped that someone might still break into a Gilbert and Sullivan tune, but I knew that that was pretty unlikely. Clay and Sandi both made noise about not making it the next day, but we hypnotized them, dressed them in each other's clothes, made them bark like dogs and bleat like lambs and sent them on their way, nearly certain that they were under our control and would show up in Brooklyn the next day.

The next day, which was really the same day, came all too quickly. And lo and behold, brunch was attended merely by me, Therese, Kevin and his wife Belinda. Clay replied to my text to say he was not coming to brunch or the cigar lounge, and it was then that it became apparent that whatever suggestion we had planted in his mind, Clay's wife definitely had a more powerful joujou at work. I couldn't compete with that, nor did I even try. Clay would return home by dinnertime, or be replaced by an automated husband purchased from Sears Roebuck using box tops from Wheaties and Post Toasties.

So the four of us had a lovely brunch at no. 7, and then proceeded around the corner to David's Brooklyn Cigar Lounge. The day was so warm that David had opened the doors wide, but I preferred to think he was opening wide his arms to greet us, which he was doing also! An unknown smiling fellow stood by his side, who turned out to be John from Long Island! John's joy at seeing us was entirely put asunder when he discovered when he discovered that Clay was not coming, and probably not Sandi either. We felt so disrespected at being less valued than Clay - what were we, chop-liver? - that we briefly considered leaving at that moment and taking the first train to Coney Island to spend the afternoon playing Skeeball. But John's smile of greeting restored our good humor like a chocolate fudge sundae after a meal of asparagus, and we couldn't help but settle in for an afternoon of good company, good cigars, more good drinks, and good, well something else, I don't know what, you tell me.

I brought more cookies, Therese brought the Courvoisier, and John surprised us with a bottle of Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or, my favorite single malt! Dallas was working the bar as always, sweet and lovely, and David was doing everything else (mostly hanging out and being friendly towards everyone). As the afternoon progressed, more and more people came into the lounge, and were offered cookies and joined in the conversations. Belinda and Therese sat near the back and talked amongst themselves, which surely had Kevin and I quivering in our boots wondering what schemes they were cooking up. But a surreptitious glance or two in their directions was all I needed to restore my confidence that they were merely getting acquainted (or were they?).

The afternoon mercilessly rushed on and became early evening, and in time I had to say goodbye to John, Kevin, Belinda and Therese. Sandi teased and tantalized us into thinking she might show up at some point, when really she was getting a transfusion of tequila and baby oil in an undisclosed uptown location. I pulled out my crossword puzzles, which Therese helped get me started on, and when they all left, I persisted, seeing a new bunch of revelers and cigar smokers come to the lounge.

They were all disappointed when they heard who and what they had missed (especially the cookies). I told them that next time they had better arrive earlier. And a next time there will be, of that I can assure you, my friends, and those of you reading this who have the fortitude and bravery and derring-do to find yourselves among the gathering throng here in New York City will count yourselves as lucky, well-tended, enlightened, and just slightly worn around the edges.

I bid you good evening.

P.S. I will be heading to Florida for two weeks, Tampa and Miami to be specific, starting March 5th, to visit friends, hang out in various places, explore more cigar stores and lounges, smoke cigars, and just sit and stare at sand and oceans. I will undoubtedly blog about my adventures there, and don't be surprised if some of those entries don't end up here!