Well that's my first year out of the way.

[WaitFor1t88]

Congrats on the year mate

 

[SirLugg]

Awesome post Mart. You're a good man buddy, and with all that shite going on you've done really well.
I've thoroughly enjoyed our interactions- on here and in person- and you're one of the many that helped me out when I was greener than your average spruce.
Hope your Dad starts to pick up a bit buddy. And well done on the not twatting someone- you're a better man than me [emoji6].

 

[eyeball kid]

Today is the first day of my 2nd year as a vaper, which has now developed into a bit of a hobby. A colleague sold me a brand new Aspire clero thingy attached to a 20w Eleaf jobby, with an 18mg bottle of blueberry wotsit, which proved to be very effective in getting me off my 1 1/2 - 2 pouches a week (*imported*) roly habit, plus a daily cigar or two. A few day later I made my first big mistake though, green as grass I entered a vape shop just before my juice ran out. Ooh shiny, what's that, how much is that, what's that do, oh I can actually try that before I buy it After about an hour I left with a Nautilus mini (about £26), a few bottles of more expensive juice (Perino Gold), some spare coils, and advice on priming etc. and apart from a bit of a pg reaction, all went swimmingly and I've never touched a fag since.

My second mistake was starting to research vaping in more detail, and seeing what other shiny stuff I could acquire. I was a little surprised to read about the potential risks with these new batteries vapers were using, but being an ex RC Pilot it all started making sense, so I read deeper.

A month after starting I made my 3rd mistake, namely discovering this wonderful place Lots of new terminology, pictures, advice on safety etc. (and how to get myself into the poor house with more gear) offered by some great guys and gals here. I tried not to make myself look too much of a noob with too many nooby questions, I just spent a hell of a lot of time reading all the other noob questions first (thanks guys), and this is how I discovered there were many of the other aspects of vaping to try. Then I started sampling the wares of the many juice vendors on here, and my taste buds came alive. I'd dabbled with a few other brands beforehand, many that ended up down the sink, and I also started lowering my nic strengths to the level I'm pretty comfortable with.

I now sub ohm, super sub ohm, squonk, drip, use mechs, make my own coils, and I'm also rediscovering MTL. I've yet to diy ejuice, make my own fancy wire, dabble with mesh, is there anything else? My man cave is starting to resemble a small vape shop, but I'm still looking for that next must have purchase.

My Mrs was on the verge of resuming smoking, after stopping for about 8 months, she now vapes instead. My step daughter is a dual fueler now, gradually reducing the stinkies with the help of a Serpent Mini/Pico combo, and her none smoking partner seems a lot happier now.

This hasn't been a particularly good 12 months for me, mainly on the work front though. Power struggles, character assassinations, lies, all the usual shit from people with delusions of grandeur, has made things difficult for me if I'm honest. It looks set to continue until I either prevail, quit or get the sack for twatting someone, coupled with the fact that my dear old Dad has been in hospital for 3 weeks now. He's borderline critical with as yet undiagnosed problems, and my family that just can't give the back biting a rest for the sake of my distressed Mum.

I guess my point to that last waffling paragraph is that vaping is working for me, when all else has failed. I've never been known as a particularly mild mannered or patient type of guy, usually speaking (or acting) before thinking when faced with idiots. The fact that I haven't raised a hand in anger over the last 12 months, instead usually nipping outside and getting a massive lungful of loveliness, while screaming obscenities to the wind, proves that this means of getting my 3mg (6 on mtl) is more effective than any gum, patch, tablet, or ciggy I've tried in the past. It may be perceived as a crutch to rely on, but I couldn't give a fek what the naysayers think. At least I don't have religion

I've been to 2 vape festivals, numerous local vape meets, I attempt to spread the word at every opportunity I can, am I a bit of an anorak now?

If you've reached this point you're a star. Thanks for reading, thanks for helping, and thanks for contributing to make POTV great

Beautiful post mate. I recognized all the mistakes.
Hope work gets better. But don't put up with more than you have to. And best wishes to your dad. It's a humbling and frustrating time for a son.

 

[Moley]

Fantastic post, you've done brilliant.
Here's to another year, and my sincere hopes your dad is on the mend ASAP.

 

[nialb79]

Well done mate. Sounds like you're having a tough time with the work/family stuff so I hope that all sorts itself out for you.
All the best buddy

 

[Ment]

Nice one Martin, it was a pleasure meeting you at VF.

 

[tootingyoda]

Thanks every peeps, I feel all warm and fuzzy now I still can't decide what to get as a treat yet. The Halcyon Squonker nearly ended up in my basket last night, until I read that it only takes a 900mah battery. Oh well, no rush.

 

[varentyne]

Congratulations on the quitting dude, I've been 18 months off the stinkies myself. Also, hope your dad recovers.

 

[Greebo]

Congratulations @tootingyoda. You've got to get a new shiny. It's the law. My best wishes to your dad.

 

[tootingyoda]

I'm still looking, though I haven't had much time to myself of late. Too much choice