Last Thursday I went to three cigar events back to back, and I have to say I enjoyed every minute of it. But Friday I felt like a zombie; I think my body was trying to tell me something, but who is listening?

First I stopped by MJM in Palm Harbor, where I haven't been in a while, and it took me an hour and a half just to get there because of the traffic, but once I got my RP burning and a glass of wine to go with it, I was able to start relaxing and enjoying the good company and camaraderie of the fellow cigar aficionados hanging out just outside the door of the shop. For a while we discuss the best and worst cigar experiences we all had, and at the tail end of the discussion Eric Espinosa (representing RP at the event) joined us, and from there on we were treated to a plethora of stories from Eric, covering al kinds of interesting topics, mostly cigar related, although Eric's stories from his pre-cigar days at UPS were quite hilarious too. Congratulations to Mike, owner of MJM, on putting together this event!

Around 8 p.m. it was time to say goodbye and continue on to the next event, a couple of miles down the road at Smokers Den for "La Flor Dominicana". This was my first visit to the Den and I was quite impressed with the shop and its nice owners. Angelo and Emilio Vera were very friendly hosts and my only regret was that I got there so late Brad from La Flor was already gone. We had a nice chat and partake of their excellent libations. Time does fly when you?re having fun!

It was around 10 p.m. when I finally finished the LFD Mysterio that Angelo so graciously provided for my smoking enjoyment and so I left on my way back to Tampa ready to call it a night. But I decided to check with Carlos Escalona at his Camacho event in the Cigar Outpost of Valrico, and to my surprise he was still there! So we headed that way hoping to catch him before he left. I shouldn't have worried, since the party was still in full swing when we got there and as soon as I got through the door Carlos put a Camacho in my right hand, and voilà, I was in Heaven again!

It was close to 1 a.m. when I finally headed home, tired but satisfied that no matter how tough things get, there is always a cigar out there to bring back that joie de vivre, surrounded by good friends and new acquaintances to remind you how great life is. Hope to see more of you at the next events!