I'm going to admit something that will, I'm sure, annoy and shock some of you. My name is Steve and I'm a cigar smoker. (Hello, Steve!)

Yeah, I know..."It's a disgusting and nasty habit. Don't you know that smoking is bad for you?" All true, I suppose, but then I've never really concerned myself with what others think of me.

I personally enjoy smoking a cigar every so often, a habit I took up after stopping for years. When I first entered the Navy, back in 1969, I would occasionally smoke cigarettes, but since I was never more than a 'social smoker' it wasn't hard to drop. I took up cigar smoking and continued for several years, stopping in the early 1980s.

When I went back in the service in '84, Elayne and I began dating. As she was anti-smoking it just never became an issue, since I only smoked when I was with some of my fellow shipmates in a bar or overseas. I stopped completely once she and I started living together.

It was probably juvenile, but when she and I split I started picking up cigars again, generally buying a pack of Dutch Masters or other machine rolled cigars at the local bodega (which is what most New Yawkers, call those small, corner stores in local neighborhoods). It was only natural, I guess, that I would eventually start hitting some of the specialty stores which sold a higher brand of smokes.

Long story/short, I actually own a small humidor and carry a traveler pouch which holds three-four cigars. I don't smoke in the house, nor in the car, although Donna has never made an issue of it in the house. Even I know that the smell will begin to permeate the place and I'd rather not have it around. I restrict myself to a couple of cigars a week and always outside when the weather permits.

Anyway, I've posted a link to the Internet Cigar Group over on the left. They have tons of information and links to just about everything you could want to know about cigars (smoking, storing and manufacturing), there's even a message board so you can swap stories and hints to new finds with like minded folks.

Feel free to ignore the link, since it's all the way at the bottom. Hope nobody thinks the less of me after this confession, but it feels good to get it off my chest. :-)