Celebrating My One Year Hookahversary!

[Hojo]

I was visiting my friends at their university yesterday when one of my friends noted that it had been one year to the day since I took my first pull of a hookah. Oddly enough, he said this as we were smoking Nakhla Mizo Mint outside his dorm. I never would have noticed this, but it got me thinking. One whole year since that camping trip I took where one guy brought a hookah and we smoked Al Amir Mixed Fruits out of a cheap hookah that produced small clouds and little flavor off of a Golden QL disc. If only that guy had known that he would be creating the biggest hookah monster that Shreveport, LA has ever seen...

One year and six hookahs later I have risen to the rank of "hookah master" among my friends, and every time we hang out they expect a hookah session from good ol' Hojo. It was a rough start for me, and I think I may have come close to death with my first session out of my own hookah. I was smoking Romman Ivory Coast out of my very first hookah, and I was excited to try it out. I was using Golden QLs (No.) and a steel screen (No!), and I thought I could conserve shisha by vastly underpacking the bowl (...just no.). I didn't know that you had to let the coal ash all the way before putting it on the bowl, so I just let a little bit of the side get red before I put it on and started puffing. I got the most sickening buzz ever, sweated profusely and came dangerously close to throwing up. I remember talking to my dog for support and saying the words "this can't be legal" before almost swearing off of hookah entirely. To this day I can't smell Ivory Coast without getting sick to my stomach.

Then I found the forum. This place has helped me get from "doesn't even deserve to own a hookah" to "friends come from all around just to smoke with him" in just a few weeks. Through you guys I have discovered the majesty of the phunnel, and learned how to master Tangiers so that me and my friends don't lose lungs trying to smoke it. Without the forum I would be nowhere, and would not have the two beautiful Mini Phunnels I have with my stash. This place is amazing, and I just want to give out a few thank-yous to those who have helped me along the way:

To mushy, for running this circus on a daily basis. Even though we get our fair share of spammers and riff-raff, you have stuck with it and run this place even though it would be really tempting to just give up. It's truly a thankless job, and I'm sure I don't even know the half of what you have to go through to moderate the board and run your own lounge at the same time. Thank you so much for giving me a home.

To Hookah Kings, our sponsors, for keeping this forum ad-free and eating most of the cost themselves. I didn't even know we had sponsors until recently, which means you don't go out of your way to shove "HOOKAH KINGS YEAH!" down our throats at every turn. That's really respectable, and it makes the Premium Membership worth it just to know I can help out even a little bit. Everyone else should consider going purple to help these guys out.

To the mods, for helping mush keep this place a safe haven for legal hookah smokers. Without you mush would have climbed the nearest bell tower with a rifle by now, I'm sure, and I know your jobs are thankless as well. Keep up the good work, all of you.

To GNR, for welcoming me with open arms on my first day. You sent me a PM right after my first post welcoming me to the board, and that's when I knew that this was much more than just an internet message board. The regular members here are like a family, always willing to listen and give advice not just on hookah-related issues, but emotional problems as well. To this day you are my best friend on the board, and I really appreciate you taking me under your wing when I was just a lowly noob looking for hookah tips.

To IV, Click, and the rest of The Oatmeal Cult, for letting me in on the Mini Phunnel buy even though I had only been here a few months. Especially IV, for taking the buy on himself, despite having loads of stress at school and all of that. You stayed positive through all of this and gave me two genuine collector's items, and I feel honored to be a part of the Mini Phunnel owners and The Oatmeal Cult as well. Every time you are on chat you always greet me with a "Hey buddy," and you always seem so interested in how everything is going even though most people on the internet could not possibly care less about some stranger. It means a lot, really.

I know I am missing a bunch of you who have helped me with packing, foiling, shopping for hoses, hookahs, coals, shisha, etc., but I appreciate it all the same. You guys have been nothing but helpful to me, and in turn you have given me the knowledge so that I can help other new members in maximizing their hookah enjoyment. All of you guys are awesome.

The Chat has helped me through many a boring, lonely hookah session, and I find myself always wanting to drop in just to see how everyone is doing. So this has been my first year as a hookah smoker, and I look forward to many, many more. Thanks to all of you at Hookah Forum for giving me a home and a place to learn.

[r1v3th3ad]

glad to have you man, stick around, pack up a bowl of tangiers for me

[Giant Ninja Robot]

Oh Hojo-jojo, you class act. Glad you decided to stick around dude, you're a great part of the forum and it helps that someone else has a bizarre and abstract sense of humor to share with me Thanks for being a positive force in this here place. And I gotta thank you for opening my eyes to thinking out of the box when it comes to reviews. I've really enjoyed writing them because of your journalistic inspiration lol.

Pretty soon this place will be teaming with tiny little evil monkeys and giant robots. Our plan will not fail. ARRRRGGGHHH!!!!!!

Smokey smokey!

*vanish*

[ilikemyusername]

wow, i like your positivity. thats cool man.

[TheShishaDoctor]

Nice post Hojo, I really liked it.

I have to admit, I've learned over half of what I know just by browsing the forum before I even signed up. This place is filled with all kinds of really knowledgeable people. Without HF, I wouldn't have a phunnel and I would still be ordering Hookah Hookah and Al Sultan.

Thanks guys

[Canon]

congrats on your year mark. i think im coming up on my 3 year mark soon.

this forum always gives, there is always something new to be learned and i dont think you can ever know everything there is to know about hookah.

[wsu54]

Great post. I have been doing it for about 2 years now and lemme say Hookah is definitely one of the best things ever. I helped get some friends hooked on it who lived in my dorm at Washington State U. Keep smoking

O by the way. this is my first post ever so i think this was an appropriate thread

[fineout]

good post, this place definately ends up feeling like family after a while..