Hey All,
So its been like eons and I'm sure ya'll are wondering what I've been cooking. Well, I went into hibeanation around october, only to arise in May with all sorts of fun and delicious things. Hibearnation was its usual, nothing especially noteworthy, except maybe a new plaything. Out of respect for his life ambitions, I'll spare details and simply say, finally Husbear and I agree on something :)
The love letter part of this is for my friend Tao. She's amazing! I love my lesbians but this one is quite simply one of the best when it comes to finding that right moment to say, "Hey, I'm really glad you exist". Recently, we had a rather deep conversation that pushed me to figure some stuff out.....it was a gentle nudge :) We also talked about our efforts to quit smoking, we've both suffered some pretty harsh setbacks and she is daunted by finding a good nicotine free solution, in the form of vaping aka the ecig. I do owe her a phone call, but wanted to get it down on electrons while my brain was thinking about it.
So here goes, my attempt at quitting smoking:
Rule #1: Quitting smoking is hard! Among the myriad of chemicals included in that tasty cigarette are MAOIs and other potentiating chemicals that make a nicotine replacement just not quite the same. That being said, I've had good success by not getting pissed off at myself if I do smoke. I finish the pack and don't buy another. The worst part was the day I found myself without a pack of smokes and had to really work through some of the most intense nic fits of my life. Also, realize your body is going to do crazy things. I've had neuropathy (to the point of dropping me to my knees), mood swings, general aggressiveness, body aches, and a downright shitty mood. The good news, after I've conquered these I've been semi-manic.
Now onto the nicotine replacement end of things:
This time around I decided to use a combined therapy. Patches work, kind of....welbutrin really wasn't for me, Chantix made me nuttier than shit to the point of a relationship failure, and cold turkey was simply out of the question. Thankfully, technology has figured out a nifty way to allow one to "smoke" in the form of a nicotine mist, aka the ecig! That being said, the ecig is a daunting creature with many varieties and variations. Word of caution: vaping (that's what ecig users call it), can become habit forming in its own right due to the myriad of devices, flavors, nicotine strengths, etc. Here are some general highlights of what I've learned so far.
I started with the Green Smart Living (GSL) ecig. It was readily available at my local head shop and started me into this foray. It comes with pre-filled cartomizers which quite frankly suck and comparatively cost a buttload of $$$. It'll due to get you started on your pathway to cutting down, but poor vapor output and nasty assed flavors will leave you wanting a real cig after about 6 hours. The battery isn't all that bad, but it is a "shortie".
Up next, I discovered 888 cigs (888). The battery is an impressive long one. The carts still sucked donkey, but I was eternally grateful to have a second battery compatible with my existing cartomizers that when combined with the other one would get me through the day. I found myself with one on the charger that would be ready just in time when the other one died.
It is worth noting at this point, the GSL and 888 are higher voltage batteries (5V) and the chargers are not compatible with many others. Joyetech, I'll talk about them in a bit are a 4.2 V battery and will readily fry and be useless if attached to a 5V charger.
Now that I had made it this far.....I'd been dramatically reduced in my smoking for a good 2 months by now, a pack a week and a pack on the weekends, but I wanted to take it further. I'd heard of this mystic thing called eliquid that one could use to reload their cartomizers and get extra mileage out of them. The folks over at Vapor Kings have a great tutorial about how to do this with existing cartomizers and "blanks". The best deal I've found on blanks so far is over at Vapor Beast. If you are using the GSL or the 888, get Boge standard 3.0ohm cartomizers, anything less will make the battery freak out and dramatically reduce your vaping experience. So I ordered a bunch of 18mg eliquids from Word Up Ecig. Little did I know I discovered a gold mine. Laurin over there mixes the most amazing eliquids I've tried so far. They cost a bit more, but are totally worth it, no harshness, no "off" flavors....she nails every blend she puts up for sale!
Once I got acquainted with vaping, I discovered there is a whole community in the Salt Lake area that enjoys it. It has actually prompted Electronic Stix in Ogden. They specialise in the Joyetech series. This is a much cooler smoke, flavor will be true, but if you are a hotboxer like me, you'll have to adjust your vaping style dramatically. Unfortunately, the GSL and 888 are still my favs when it comes to a satisfying vape in the evening. So far, I've been kinda disappoint with their e liquid, but the "Otter Pop Grape" is tasty, tasty! These guys also have the most amazing 510 passthrough I've tried yet. It runs at 5V, producing tons of warm vapor, truly satisfying from my experience. I'm not knocking on them, I think they've got some great ideas, the Joyetech series, so far has failed to satisfy :(
There is so much to this I could write a novel, but it is 1am in the city of salt and I'm beat. Let me know if I should write more....I certainly will.
Lotsa Love,
Jacob/3 Day Chef
