Hi folks! First things first: still smoke-free with no backsliding and no struggling to stay on the wagon.
Ups and Downs
My weekend has been very bittersweet. My grandsons were all together this weekend to celebrate the first birthday of the youngest. This will be the last time I get to see my two oldest grandsons before they move across the country to Arizona. Frankly, I feel like my heart is being torn apart. I can't be certain, given the financial status of their mom and my own financial status, that I will ever be physically with them again. At the very best, we hope to get to see them once a year. Before they left to return to Cincinnati, my oldest grandson, my son and I were all in tears.
The sweet part of the weekend was having all three grandsons here together. My middle grandson, red-headed and 6 years old, assured me he would always be my "little leprechaun." I watched my oldest grandson comforting a bee-stung step-granddaughter at the backyard birthday party. I laughed over my youngest grandson, so like his cousins, uncle and daddy, staring at yet another step-granddaughter and sighing a prolonged "Oooooh" out loud in obvious appreciation. Despite the emotional ups and downs of the weekend, there was no desire to resume smoking. My oldest grandson is 8. He did not know, until the visit this weekend, that "Mimi" had quit smoking. He was so cute. He kept telling me how proud he was that I had quit and he worried that I might start smoking again. I assured him that quitting had not been difficult because I was able to vape and that I would not be returning to cigarettes. He is starting to sound so grown-up. *sniff*
Cartomizers
I hate these things! I've watched videos. I've tried filling with the condom method. I've tried drip filling from the top. I've done the Taryn Spin. I've tried dripping in the battery end. I've used every cartomizer in the box of the genuine Joye 510 cartomizers I ordered, thinking that maybe I had a bad cartomizer...or two, or three. When I fill these things and take the first draw, the experience is awesome: flavor out the wazoo, thick clouds of vapor, throat hit and lung-filling satisfaction. The second hit, a bit of a fall off and by the fourth hit I have a mouth full of either juice or really foul burnt atty fumes. What on earth am I doing wrong here? I'm at my wits end. I get more mileage out of a 3 to 4 drop "drip" directly on the atty than I do out of a full cartomizer. I hear others talk about heavy vaping for at least an hour, more often half a day, off a full cartomizer. I can't get 15 minutes and half of that is spent sucking hot juice. I hate these things! But I love that first drag off of them after I fill one up. Smoking was never that good. Ever! I've ordered Boge cartomizers to see if I have any better luck with them. I know it has got to be something I am not doing right. These things would not be getting all the raves they get if everyone was having the issues I am having with them. I want the experience of that first draw to last for an hour or more.
Bottles
I've placed my order for my DIY supplies. I've emptied several bottles of juice now so I spent the morning scrubbing up the empties. Dish detergent and water was pressed into service first. Old labels were soaked or scrubbed off. After thorough rinsing and a "smell test" failure, I now have the empties soaking in a vinegar solution. One thing I did make note of is that the very clear bottles (polycarbonate, maybe?) cleaned out without residual odor very quickly. The vinegar soak was not really necessary. If I still get the smell test failure after this soaking, I am going to mix up some water and baking soda to soak them in. I will update next week how well my cleaning efforts have worked on these bottles. I like the more opaque bottles better because they are more squeezable. If clearing them of residual flavor and odor becomes problematic, I will look for the stiffer, clear bottles for my DIY.
DIY
My dad fished out an old tacklebox from the shed to set up my "lab" for DIY in. It scrubbed up exceptionally well with some Barkeepers Friend cleanser. It's fairly sparkling now. It's also proving to be a fantastic set up for all my vaping supplies until my DIY supplies get here. I think I am going to keep this one (mustard-colored) for my DIY lab and go buy a smaller one that is dressier and more feminine for all my other vaping supplies. I'm also going to get a smallish plastic container with compartments to use as my "vape case" to slip in my purse or carry around as I did my cigarette case.
I've already downloaded the Breakthru e-Juice Me Up software and my mind races through recipe possibilities as I am trying to fall asleep at night. I am going nicotine-free this month. One Stop DIY Shop had an Independence Day sale and a clearance on some 30ml bottles of FlavourArt MTS Vape Wizard and some of their tobacco flavors. I picked up the Virginia and the Vape Wizard in 30ml bottles as well as 30ml bottles of the PA Flavor Apprentice menthol and every mint that PA makes. As I have mentioned before, I must have lots of menthol and mint. I also got a bottle of FlavourArt Magic Mask in the 6ml size. I will be experimenting more with my VG to PG ratios but I suspect I may end up going toward a heavy or 100% VG preference. My biggest question is just how much flavor loss is involved in giving up the PG. I have a double flavor, 100% VG, nicotine-free peppermint right now that I love. Just how expensive it will be to double up on flavor enough to satisfy my taste buds in a 100% VG vape is my biggest question at this point. I will also be feeling my way around the different flavor brands to come to my own conclusions about quality based on my own tastes. FlavourArt is pretty expensive by comparison to the Perfumer's Apprentice and Flavor West. I need to figure out if that price difference is as significant as it seems on the surface. If I need four times as much of another brand to achieve the same intensity of flavor as FlavourArt, that price difference may not be as significant. I'll just have to experiment and find out! Certainly, FA has some unique products - Magic Mask and Vape Wizard, for example. Perfumer's Apprentice has Sour. I like my fruits tart, so that will be a must. So many possibilities!!
Some Flavor Discoveries...
I ran out of all tobacco-flavored e-juice this weekend. Naturally, I would discover that I must have at least some tobacco-flavored juice on a holiday weekend. It'll be Tuesday before I get any tobacco flavoring in here. I did learn that I do like tobacco flavors that resemble Black and Mild cigars. My son used to get Black and Mild cigars and "freak" them - pull out a layer of the wrapper that he and his friends found to have a disagreeable flavor and restuff the thing. He talked me into taking a hit off of one that he had "freaked" (that's what he and his friends called the process) and it really tasted good to me. That was the only thing I ever smoked that was not a menthol that tasted good to me. I've found that I like vaping tobacco flavors that remind me of that flavor. I am going to try to tweak one of the tobacco flavorings to try to hit that same flavor. I will mentholate it once I find it.
I have not cared for any of the fruit flavors I've vaped much. I did like Voo Doo, from FS-USA, but mostly as an occasional change of pace. Most fruits taste like kids' fruity cereal or cheap hard candy to me and they really stick in the atty. I like my fruit tart. I had really not intended to pursue fruit vapes until Violet of VapeTV sent me some of her Violet's StrawPeary Chill to try. Ooohh this is yummy! As a bonafide menthol nut, I did add a bit more menthol to it but the fruit flavor was dead-on realistic and full of real strawberry character. As a result, I'm going to try some of my favorite fruit flavors with a bit of Sour and menthol added.
Well, that's all for this episode. Have a happy and SAFE Fourth everyone!
Ups and Downs
My weekend has been very bittersweet. My grandsons were all together this weekend to celebrate the first birthday of the youngest. This will be the last time I get to see my two oldest grandsons before they move across the country to Arizona. Frankly, I feel like my heart is being torn apart. I can't be certain, given the financial status of their mom and my own financial status, that I will ever be physically with them again. At the very best, we hope to get to see them once a year. Before they left to return to Cincinnati, my oldest grandson, my son and I were all in tears.
The sweet part of the weekend was having all three grandsons here together. My middle grandson, red-headed and 6 years old, assured me he would always be my "little leprechaun." I watched my oldest grandson comforting a bee-stung step-granddaughter at the backyard birthday party. I laughed over my youngest grandson, so like his cousins, uncle and daddy, staring at yet another step-granddaughter and sighing a prolonged "Oooooh" out loud in obvious appreciation. Despite the emotional ups and downs of the weekend, there was no desire to resume smoking. My oldest grandson is 8. He did not know, until the visit this weekend, that "Mimi" had quit smoking. He was so cute. He kept telling me how proud he was that I had quit and he worried that I might start smoking again. I assured him that quitting had not been difficult because I was able to vape and that I would not be returning to cigarettes. He is starting to sound so grown-up. *sniff*
Cartomizers
I hate these things! I've watched videos. I've tried filling with the condom method. I've tried drip filling from the top. I've done the Taryn Spin. I've tried dripping in the battery end. I've used every cartomizer in the box of the genuine Joye 510 cartomizers I ordered, thinking that maybe I had a bad cartomizer...or two, or three. When I fill these things and take the first draw, the experience is awesome: flavor out the wazoo, thick clouds of vapor, throat hit and lung-filling satisfaction. The second hit, a bit of a fall off and by the fourth hit I have a mouth full of either juice or really foul burnt atty fumes. What on earth am I doing wrong here? I'm at my wits end. I get more mileage out of a 3 to 4 drop "drip" directly on the atty than I do out of a full cartomizer. I hear others talk about heavy vaping for at least an hour, more often half a day, off a full cartomizer. I can't get 15 minutes and half of that is spent sucking hot juice. I hate these things! But I love that first drag off of them after I fill one up. Smoking was never that good. Ever! I've ordered Boge cartomizers to see if I have any better luck with them. I know it has got to be something I am not doing right. These things would not be getting all the raves they get if everyone was having the issues I am having with them. I want the experience of that first draw to last for an hour or more.
Bottles
I've placed my order for my DIY supplies. I've emptied several bottles of juice now so I spent the morning scrubbing up the empties. Dish detergent and water was pressed into service first. Old labels were soaked or scrubbed off. After thorough rinsing and a "smell test" failure, I now have the empties soaking in a vinegar solution. One thing I did make note of is that the very clear bottles (polycarbonate, maybe?) cleaned out without residual odor very quickly. The vinegar soak was not really necessary. If I still get the smell test failure after this soaking, I am going to mix up some water and baking soda to soak them in. I will update next week how well my cleaning efforts have worked on these bottles. I like the more opaque bottles better because they are more squeezable. If clearing them of residual flavor and odor becomes problematic, I will look for the stiffer, clear bottles for my DIY.
DIY
My dad fished out an old tacklebox from the shed to set up my "lab" for DIY in. It scrubbed up exceptionally well with some Barkeepers Friend cleanser. It's fairly sparkling now. It's also proving to be a fantastic set up for all my vaping supplies until my DIY supplies get here. I think I am going to keep this one (mustard-colored) for my DIY lab and go buy a smaller one that is dressier and more feminine for all my other vaping supplies. I'm also going to get a smallish plastic container with compartments to use as my "vape case" to slip in my purse or carry around as I did my cigarette case.
I've already downloaded the Breakthru e-Juice Me Up software and my mind races through recipe possibilities as I am trying to fall asleep at night. I am going nicotine-free this month. One Stop DIY Shop had an Independence Day sale and a clearance on some 30ml bottles of FlavourArt MTS Vape Wizard and some of their tobacco flavors. I picked up the Virginia and the Vape Wizard in 30ml bottles as well as 30ml bottles of the PA Flavor Apprentice menthol and every mint that PA makes. As I have mentioned before, I must have lots of menthol and mint. I also got a bottle of FlavourArt Magic Mask in the 6ml size. I will be experimenting more with my VG to PG ratios but I suspect I may end up going toward a heavy or 100% VG preference. My biggest question is just how much flavor loss is involved in giving up the PG. I have a double flavor, 100% VG, nicotine-free peppermint right now that I love. Just how expensive it will be to double up on flavor enough to satisfy my taste buds in a 100% VG vape is my biggest question at this point. I will also be feeling my way around the different flavor brands to come to my own conclusions about quality based on my own tastes. FlavourArt is pretty expensive by comparison to the Perfumer's Apprentice and Flavor West. I need to figure out if that price difference is as significant as it seems on the surface. If I need four times as much of another brand to achieve the same intensity of flavor as FlavourArt, that price difference may not be as significant. I'll just have to experiment and find out! Certainly, FA has some unique products - Magic Mask and Vape Wizard, for example. Perfumer's Apprentice has Sour. I like my fruits tart, so that will be a must. So many possibilities!!
Some Flavor Discoveries...
I ran out of all tobacco-flavored e-juice this weekend. Naturally, I would discover that I must have at least some tobacco-flavored juice on a holiday weekend. It'll be Tuesday before I get any tobacco flavoring in here. I did learn that I do like tobacco flavors that resemble Black and Mild cigars. My son used to get Black and Mild cigars and "freak" them - pull out a layer of the wrapper that he and his friends found to have a disagreeable flavor and restuff the thing. He talked me into taking a hit off of one that he had "freaked" (that's what he and his friends called the process) and it really tasted good to me. That was the only thing I ever smoked that was not a menthol that tasted good to me. I've found that I like vaping tobacco flavors that remind me of that flavor. I am going to try to tweak one of the tobacco flavorings to try to hit that same flavor. I will mentholate it once I find it.
I have not cared for any of the fruit flavors I've vaped much. I did like Voo Doo, from FS-USA, but mostly as an occasional change of pace. Most fruits taste like kids' fruity cereal or cheap hard candy to me and they really stick in the atty. I like my fruit tart. I had really not intended to pursue fruit vapes until Violet of VapeTV sent me some of her Violet's StrawPeary Chill to try. Ooohh this is yummy! As a bonafide menthol nut, I did add a bit more menthol to it but the fruit flavor was dead-on realistic and full of real strawberry character. As a result, I'm going to try some of my favorite fruit flavors with a bit of Sour and menthol added.
Well, that's all for this episode. Have a happy and SAFE Fourth everyone!
