The Thousand Yard Stare

I’m taking a break from fighting with my recording software. I think I’ve won the battle, although not necessarily the war.

In high school, I purchased my first Zippo lighter. I’m pretty sure this is it:

Although I just looked at the date code on it, and it dates to 1992. Which strikes me as kind of strange. It was purchased in 1990 or possibly mid 1991. Anyway, I’m not quite sure why I bought it. I’ve never been a smoker – although lighters definitely are not exclusive to the need to smoke. Not knowing that specific fluid was needed, if I recall I loaded it for the first time with some weird fuel (that didn’t work). After I figured out what to load it with (Ronsonol) and replaced the wick and wadding, it seemed to work fine. At the time, a bunch of my friends also purchased Zippos and we commenced to learning some of the “Zippo Tricks” that can be performed. I think I’ve only got two tricks down. And I’m not good at them.

Oddly enough, none of my friends smoked either.  Maybe it was a “man’s quest for fire” or something. It just seems like something a guy should have.

I’ve held on to this Zippo for a long time. Several other Zippos have floated in and out of my possession (barely used), but I kept this one since it was my first. I used to carry it in case I needed to light a pretty woman’s cigarette out at a bar or poolhall.  It traveled along as my “lucky lighter” even though it never visibly lucked me into anything. As a homeowner, I’ve burned plenty of things with it, but never throughout the years did the occasion arise for the chivalrous action of lighting a cigarette for a lovely lady.  Actually, I don’t find smoking a particularly attractive hobby although recently I’ve been dating a knockout who manages to make me forget how much second-hand smoke I inhaled at the pool halls throughout the years.

So far, she’s the only gorgeous woman that has used my lighter for the most often expressed use of a lighter: lighting up a cigarette.