TMI Thursday: A Cigar Story

Let me preface this by writing that this is not a Monica Lewinsky type story, so get your mind out of the gutter, people. Here’s my big reveal: I have never smoked a cigarette in my life. Here’s my second reveal: I have smoked a cigar on several occasions. This sounds like an after-school special version of TMI Thursday, but bear with me.

I have started thinking about some big picture things in my life. We are looking into moving. This involves not only searching for a new place but also selling our condo. The entire process really, really scares me even though we haven’t even started. In addition, at the behest and occasional prompting (sometimes bordering on nagging) of my parents, I recently bought life insurance in addition to what my company provides. I’m not planning on dying or anything, but I guess if something happens to me, it’s nice to know that my wife and kitten will be OK. This is way too deep considering I have written almost exclusively about the Steelers over the past few weeks.

Anyway, as part of the life insurance interview, the agent asked dozens of questions about my medical history, lifestyle, etc. One of the questions was whether or not I smoke. Innocently enough, I mentioned that I’ve had several celebratory cigars over the past few years. I’ve probably had three cigars over the past five years. The agent didn't think it is a big deal, because it wasn’t, and we proceeded to the next question. You can see where this is heading, but before that, here are some pictures of Pittsburgh Steelers* having celebratory cigars after winning the Super Bowl:




A few days later, I learned from my agent that I did not qualify for the best rate because of my smoking. So apparently, it is worse for me to have less than one cigar a year than to regularly go to a Virginia bar (smoking is still alive and well in Virginia bars) and inhale as much second-hand smoke as possible. What a joke!

The TMI portion of TMI Thursday: Either I’m an idiot for mentioning the cigar thing in the first place or Western Reserve Life Assurance Co of OH, otherwise known as Western Reserve Life, is a terrible and out-of-touch company.

Thanks for reading my rant. You’ll be happy to know that my new life insurance is not through Western Reserve Life. In addition, I’ll try to have a better TMI Thursday soon.

Please be sure to check out much more interesting TMI Thursdays through Live It, Love It.

* How cool are the Steelers' Super Bowl bathrobes? Where can I buy one?

Photos by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images for the NFL (via Charlotte Observer)

Super Bowl Champions!

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Steelers for winning their sixth Super Bowl Championship by defeating the Arizona Cardinals 27-23. I recommend visiting the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for full coverage of the game as well as any and all of the blogs listed in the links sections on the right for other takes on the game. While I remain amazed by the James Harrison interception and touchdown return and the Santonio Holmes winning catch, for now, I want to write about the Steelers in general as opposed to the specifics of the game. (I may write more about the specifics later today or sometime over the next few days.)

I feel extremely lucky to have been born in Pittsburgh and to be a Steelers fan. I was too young to remember the first four Super Bowl titles, but learned all about the Steelers history from my dad and great uncle. Six Super Bowl championships are unprecedented and the tradition of excellence starts with the Rooney family. The Rooneys are model owners in the NFL as demonstrated by the continuity in the organization. How else can you explain the fact that there have only been three head coaches since 1969? Coach Mike Tomlin is an excellent leader and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau may be the most respected coach in the league.

I linked to two stories yesterday about the legacy and history of The Terrible Towel and how all of the proceeds from each towel purchased go to the Allegheny Valley School. Every sports team seems to distribute towels or pom-poms for meaningful games, but, to my knowledge, the Steelers were the first major team to have this. I don’t think there is a curse involved with the towel, but bad things happen when you disrespect it. Did you hear that T.J. Houshmandzadeh and mayor of Phoenix?

Being a Steelers fan is easy. The team isn’t flashy and is known for tough defense and grind-it-out running game (though not so much with the running game this season). You generally don’t hear about Steelers players getting arrested or causing problems. Instead, you get great players and people like James Farrior, Troy Polamalu and Hines Ward. The Steelers work ethic reflects the city and vice versa. The Steelers are Pittsburgh. I am extremely proud of the Steelers and congratulate the team and the city of Pittsburgh on number six! Way to go Steelers!


P.S. I hope I didn't ruin this post by including a Bubby Brister picture. He was #6!