Unrelated notes:

I picked up the hobby of smoking cigars last summer. I've put

restrictions on smoking that limit me to outside. It makes me to have

to unplug from DVRs, TVs, Video Games, and block out about an hour to

doing nothing but smoking, drinking a beverage, reading, and enjoying

the outside. I find it very refreshing and recharging when I can get

to that relaxed state. I expect to 'save' money buying ebooks and

reading them on the iPad while smoking. There's a company that made a

good glare reducing screen film for the older ipads, and say they're

working on one for the HD. It might help my outside use. I've read

for hours with my Sony 505, but can't imagine reading that long on my

Droid. I'm not sure my stuffed nose and burned out palate can really

enjoy the cigar experience. It's taken me 20 years to get my head

around micro beers, and tackling cigars is akin to doing the same with

the world of wines. For now it's try everything and figure out what I

like, and I've already noticed my tastes changing as I experience more

flavors. Tried my first Cuban cigar last week, and it wasn't as

peppery as expected (after smoking a few central American based cigars

said to be Cuban style sticks). Very smooth and flavorful, a

wonderful smoke. Wish I could easily get more, but a whole range of

new flavors have come on the market since the cigar boom and bust in

the 90s.

There are two new Mechwarrior games this year: Mechwarrior Online is a

multiplayer simulator, free to play. I'm most likely skipping this.

The one that interests me is Mechwarrior Tactics. It's turn based

(asynchronous), hex based, browser based, free to play, and even if

you spend money, it's still 4 on 4 so you can't buy wins, just choices

of what to play/ how to equip your mechs. Both games claim to

overcome the 'play the biggest mech to win' strategy. We'll see. I

mention MW Tactics, as I should be able to play this via the iPad web

browser (unless it uses Flash?).

I'm going to Gencon this year. It's been a few years, as it's also the weekend of the Denver Knife Show that I

attend. They scheduled Gencon the same weekend as the Motorcycle GP,

and I'm dying to see the clash of cultures downtown after dark. I may

also try and attend some moto events, especially the flat track race

at the fairgrounds.

I may try and make the Pikes Peak Hillclimb in July. They say it

might be fully paved this year. Last year with it mostly paved, the

10 minute barrier finally fell to 'Monster' Tajima in the 900hp

'Suzuki' (purpose built for Pikes Peak's Unlimited class). It's

expected that may records will fall this year, and many tarmac

vehicles will make a run up the hill. Expect superbikes instead of

dirt bikes. Indy cars instead of Rally cars.