emodx People on Cigar Pass know you as Moki. For the record, what is your name?
moki Andrew Alan Welch
emodx So why did you choose the handle Moki?
moki Moki is the name of my evil cat. I have a good cat (Nala) and an evil cat (Moki). Not really sure why I decided to pick this handle for online use; perhaps I've always wanted to be a bad pussy?
emodx ROTFLMAO...TFF
emodx So I take it that you have a mischievous side then?
moki I decline to answer on the grounds that I'd incarcerate myself.
emodx You are in the position to send yourself to jail? I think you are want to use incriminate
moki Don't you put words in my mouth, you descrupulous media mongol
emodx Moi?!?!? I am so anti media moguls it is almost scary!
moki MONGOL
emodx touché'…So how long you been into cigars?
moki Well, I've been smoking cigars on and off for probably 10-15 years -- but for most of that time, it was more off than on.
emodx So what brought you back to the dark side?
moki I'd purchase a box of Cubans (usually RyJs or Montes) while on vacation somewhere tropical, and smoke them now and again. I couldn't figure out why they tasted good when I got them, but then started to taste like ass after I'd have them at home for a while. Do you think it might be because I thought a humidor was just a fancy box for keeping cigars in, and that I didn't need such contrivances? Still, for me it was pretty rare to smoke cigars -- usually only on vacations or special events.
moki Then when on vacation in Puerto Rico, I picked up a cigar I'd never heard of called a Padrón 1964 Anniversary (as well as a couple of Padrón 1926 Serie). I literally had no idea what they were. I was hooked. I didn't think a cigar could taste like that.
emodx Sucker! Right now, what cigar can you not smoke enough of?
moki hrm, well, I am only **allowed** to smoke once, at most twice a week, so I have to pick and choose what I smoke carefully. If I could get as many of them as II'd like, I'd almost always turn to an Opus X Maduro cigar. Thing is, I like variety -- different days I pick up different cigars because I'm interested in a specific taste, or in trying something new.
emodx Is Fuente making Opi maduro's now, or are you referring to the Anejo's?
moki They only grow the Opus X wrapper leafs in a specific part of the farm, and only on the side of a hill do they grow the wrappers that will be used as Maduro wrappers. It gets more sunlight there, which is needed for the leaves to produce the extra oils... he said in addition to the area they can grow it being rather small, the yield is also lower than the regular Opus X wrapper (which no one thought could be grown in the DR to begin with)
emodx So a different wrapper than used on the Anejo. It is probably closer to a Sungrown than a true maduro as the opus wrapper is pretty delicate.
moki This is because it's subjected to the elements longer, bugs get a longer chance at the tobacco, the fermentation process can be hard on the leaves, etc. Yes, the Añejo uses Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper -- aged in cognac barrels. Añejos taste very different from Opus X Maduros
emodx Besides Cigar Pass, are you a member of any other BB’s?
moki Yep, I'm on a bunch of 'em. It allows my OCD to stretch its legs and reach full stride.
emodx Explain OCD to the newb's on CP.
moki Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I don't really have it, but given the amount of cigars I've bought/traded/bombed over the past 6 months or so, I think I might be developing an acute case of it.
emodx Or just a passion for your hobby. Do you have any hobbies outside of cigars?
moki yep, I have a number of hobbies -- I do origami, I scuba dive, I travel, I run marathons from time to time, and I used to weight train for years rather religiously -- just now getting back into it after 2 years of being lazy. I'm trying to learn Mandarin -- I've learned some Malay, that's a LOT easier.
emodx I used to do triathlons when I was young. I am also getting back into lifting now that I have more time on my hands.
emodx Got any good stories about one of your trips abroad?
moki Nice. My first marathon, I only trained 9 weeks for it -- kinda rushed it: http://people.ambrosiasw.com/~andrew/mara.html. I feel like an old ball player or something (I did used to play football in high school), talkin' about what I used to be able to do. Hell, I used to be able to bench 350lbs (about 2 years ago) -- not anymore, it'd crush my chest and I'd die. The tough part about Mandarin is that 4 different tones are used. For instance, Mao(1), Mao(2), Mao(3), Mao(4) -- some said with flat tones, some rising, some rising and falling, etc. They all mean different things. One of them means "cat" -- not sure which one.
emodx ouch
moki There are also sounds made that we're not used to making -- just like in Spanish, people who speak English aren't used to making the "J" sound in Spanish... Mandarin has many sounds like that as well
emodx Why Mandarin...practicing for an upcoming vacation?
moki well, I figure it's a pretty interesting and useful language to learn, given the number of Chinese people out there
moki and don't even get me started on all of the different Chinese dialects. Right now I'm about on the level of being able to say "please", "thank you" and "monkey" in Mandarin -- and that's about it.
emodx Go figure, out of all the animals, you would pick monkey!
moki and also it drives me nuts when my girlfriend says something to her friends in Mandarin, then they look at me and start laughing… thing is, she knows English, Mandarin, Malay, Cantonese, Hakka, and a couple of other dialects. I think I'm just screwed, she can always switch to another one to make fun of me.
emodx So tell us about Ambrosia.
moki Ambrosia is my software company; we make mostly games and utilities -- primarily for the Mac, but we have ported a couple of games to Windows as well -- http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/games/. I started running my own company when I was 15 or so -- then I went to college for Photojournalism, and had to decide what I wanted to do. Thankfully I knew someone who was a very successful photo journalist for National Geographic (Rick Smolan -- he did some of the "Day in a Life" series)... essentially, doing PJ meant starting from scratch, and I already had something good and enjoyable going with the computer biz, so I stuck with that. Now I just take silly point and shoot pictures when I travel, though I do have a B/W darkroom in my basement, I don't use it much.
emodx So, are you a big fan of Mac, or did you go that route out of demand for software?
moki Well, I'd been using computers since I was a kid, and when our school got their first Mac, I was blown away. No computer worked like that. It seems like nothing big now, but back in 1984/85, we're talking about the dark old days of DOS -- and Windows wasn't even an evil plot in Bill Gate's mind. Perhaps because of my visual nature, I was very drawn to this strange new beast of a computer -- and my curiosity took over, and I wanted to uncover how it worked. So I taught myself C and Pascal, and started writing my own software.
emodx Pascal...That was a 1 paragraph mention in my Electronics course. If I remember right, wasn’t most a lot of Apples based around SCSI?
moki Apple was the first to adopt SCSI, yes -- but the original Mac in 1984 didn't even have a hard drive (no computers other than workstations at the time did). I mean, it wasn't until a few years later that Microsoft came out with the awful Windows 1.0, and then a couple of years later with Windows 2.0... and then finally with Windows 3.0, it was actually usable. This was years after Apple intro'd the Mac.
emodx You know what’s scary? The Navy and the Coast Guard use an app that runs on 3.0 that trains us how to fight in a wartime situation.
moki I'm not surprised. If you ever saw Windows 1.0 or 2.0.... god, what a mess they are. Windows XP is the first Windows I'd call usable... but even it I don't really like many things about. Besides, I don't have to worry about the next Slammer worm infecting my computer. I don't run any virus software; I don't need to. There is no spyware or viruses for MacOS X.
emodx So are you a Democrat, Independent, or Republican?
moki Originally I was a registered Independent -- then I realized it was utterly pointless, because I had no one to vote for -- so I switched to republican. I don't necessarily vote party line though.
emodx I really am an independent that is stuck in a Democrats body...LOL
moki I'm conservative on many policy/economic issues, but liberal on many social issues. In other words "If you want to smoke pot, go right ahead, but I'm not paying for your ass" And no, I'm not voting for Kerry -- I'm gritting my teeth and voting for Bush
emodx I am probably similar to your political views then
emodx So to wrap it up, tell us about Moki in 3-4 sentences.
moki Well, she likes to eat, sleep, crap, and cause trouble -- like meowing at 3am.
emodx When I asked to tell us about Moki in 3 sentences, I should have said, tell us about Andrew in 3 sentences.
moki I'll be learning and doing new things until the day I die; I won't necessarily be good at 'em, but I'll be trying!
emodx Anything else bro?
moki You're the interviewer. If it sucks, I blame you. :
emodx LOL...I'm not skured!
moki thanks for the interview!
emodx Thank you for taking the time to let CP know a little bit more about one of the most prolific posters on CP... LOL… Good night.
moki Andrew Alan Welch
emodx So why did you choose the handle Moki?
moki Moki is the name of my evil cat. I have a good cat (Nala) and an evil cat (Moki). Not really sure why I decided to pick this handle for online use; perhaps I've always wanted to be a bad pussy?
emodx ROTFLMAO...TFF
emodx So I take it that you have a mischievous side then?
moki I decline to answer on the grounds that I'd incarcerate myself.
emodx You are in the position to send yourself to jail? I think you are want to use incriminate
moki Don't you put words in my mouth, you descrupulous media mongol
emodx Moi?!?!? I am so anti media moguls it is almost scary!
moki MONGOL
emodx touché'…So how long you been into cigars?
moki Well, I've been smoking cigars on and off for probably 10-15 years -- but for most of that time, it was more off than on.
emodx So what brought you back to the dark side?
moki I'd purchase a box of Cubans (usually RyJs or Montes) while on vacation somewhere tropical, and smoke them now and again. I couldn't figure out why they tasted good when I got them, but then started to taste like ass after I'd have them at home for a while. Do you think it might be because I thought a humidor was just a fancy box for keeping cigars in, and that I didn't need such contrivances? Still, for me it was pretty rare to smoke cigars -- usually only on vacations or special events.
moki Then when on vacation in Puerto Rico, I picked up a cigar I'd never heard of called a Padrón 1964 Anniversary (as well as a couple of Padrón 1926 Serie). I literally had no idea what they were. I was hooked. I didn't think a cigar could taste like that.
emodx Sucker! Right now, what cigar can you not smoke enough of?
moki hrm, well, I am only **allowed** to smoke once, at most twice a week, so I have to pick and choose what I smoke carefully. If I could get as many of them as II'd like, I'd almost always turn to an Opus X Maduro cigar. Thing is, I like variety -- different days I pick up different cigars because I'm interested in a specific taste, or in trying something new.
emodx Is Fuente making Opi maduro's now, or are you referring to the Anejo's?
moki They only grow the Opus X wrapper leafs in a specific part of the farm, and only on the side of a hill do they grow the wrappers that will be used as Maduro wrappers. It gets more sunlight there, which is needed for the leaves to produce the extra oils... he said in addition to the area they can grow it being rather small, the yield is also lower than the regular Opus X wrapper (which no one thought could be grown in the DR to begin with)
emodx So a different wrapper than used on the Anejo. It is probably closer to a Sungrown than a true maduro as the opus wrapper is pretty delicate.
moki This is because it's subjected to the elements longer, bugs get a longer chance at the tobacco, the fermentation process can be hard on the leaves, etc. Yes, the Añejo uses Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper -- aged in cognac barrels. Añejos taste very different from Opus X Maduros
emodx Besides Cigar Pass, are you a member of any other BB’s?
moki Yep, I'm on a bunch of 'em. It allows my OCD to stretch its legs and reach full stride.
emodx Explain OCD to the newb's on CP.
moki Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I don't really have it, but given the amount of cigars I've bought/traded/bombed over the past 6 months or so, I think I might be developing an acute case of it.
emodx Or just a passion for your hobby. Do you have any hobbies outside of cigars?
moki yep, I have a number of hobbies -- I do origami, I scuba dive, I travel, I run marathons from time to time, and I used to weight train for years rather religiously -- just now getting back into it after 2 years of being lazy. I'm trying to learn Mandarin -- I've learned some Malay, that's a LOT easier.
emodx I used to do triathlons when I was young. I am also getting back into lifting now that I have more time on my hands.
emodx Got any good stories about one of your trips abroad?
moki Nice. My first marathon, I only trained 9 weeks for it -- kinda rushed it: http://people.ambrosiasw.com/~andrew/mara.html. I feel like an old ball player or something (I did used to play football in high school), talkin' about what I used to be able to do. Hell, I used to be able to bench 350lbs (about 2 years ago) -- not anymore, it'd crush my chest and I'd die. The tough part about Mandarin is that 4 different tones are used. For instance, Mao(1), Mao(2), Mao(3), Mao(4) -- some said with flat tones, some rising, some rising and falling, etc. They all mean different things. One of them means "cat" -- not sure which one.
emodx ouch
moki There are also sounds made that we're not used to making -- just like in Spanish, people who speak English aren't used to making the "J" sound in Spanish... Mandarin has many sounds like that as well
emodx Why Mandarin...practicing for an upcoming vacation?
moki well, I figure it's a pretty interesting and useful language to learn, given the number of Chinese people out there
moki and don't even get me started on all of the different Chinese dialects. Right now I'm about on the level of being able to say "please", "thank you" and "monkey" in Mandarin -- and that's about it.
emodx Go figure, out of all the animals, you would pick monkey!
moki and also it drives me nuts when my girlfriend says something to her friends in Mandarin, then they look at me and start laughing… thing is, she knows English, Mandarin, Malay, Cantonese, Hakka, and a couple of other dialects. I think I'm just screwed, she can always switch to another one to make fun of me.
emodx So tell us about Ambrosia.
moki Ambrosia is my software company; we make mostly games and utilities -- primarily for the Mac, but we have ported a couple of games to Windows as well -- http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/games/. I started running my own company when I was 15 or so -- then I went to college for Photojournalism, and had to decide what I wanted to do. Thankfully I knew someone who was a very successful photo journalist for National Geographic (Rick Smolan -- he did some of the "Day in a Life" series)... essentially, doing PJ meant starting from scratch, and I already had something good and enjoyable going with the computer biz, so I stuck with that. Now I just take silly point and shoot pictures when I travel, though I do have a B/W darkroom in my basement, I don't use it much.
emodx So, are you a big fan of Mac, or did you go that route out of demand for software?
moki Well, I'd been using computers since I was a kid, and when our school got their first Mac, I was blown away. No computer worked like that. It seems like nothing big now, but back in 1984/85, we're talking about the dark old days of DOS -- and Windows wasn't even an evil plot in Bill Gate's mind. Perhaps because of my visual nature, I was very drawn to this strange new beast of a computer -- and my curiosity took over, and I wanted to uncover how it worked. So I taught myself C and Pascal, and started writing my own software.
emodx Pascal...That was a 1 paragraph mention in my Electronics course. If I remember right, wasn’t most a lot of Apples based around SCSI?
moki Apple was the first to adopt SCSI, yes -- but the original Mac in 1984 didn't even have a hard drive (no computers other than workstations at the time did). I mean, it wasn't until a few years later that Microsoft came out with the awful Windows 1.0, and then a couple of years later with Windows 2.0... and then finally with Windows 3.0, it was actually usable. This was years after Apple intro'd the Mac.
emodx You know what’s scary? The Navy and the Coast Guard use an app that runs on 3.0 that trains us how to fight in a wartime situation.
moki I'm not surprised. If you ever saw Windows 1.0 or 2.0.... god, what a mess they are. Windows XP is the first Windows I'd call usable... but even it I don't really like many things about. Besides, I don't have to worry about the next Slammer worm infecting my computer. I don't run any virus software; I don't need to. There is no spyware or viruses for MacOS X.
emodx So are you a Democrat, Independent, or Republican?
moki Originally I was a registered Independent -- then I realized it was utterly pointless, because I had no one to vote for -- so I switched to republican. I don't necessarily vote party line though.
emodx I really am an independent that is stuck in a Democrats body...LOL
moki I'm conservative on many policy/economic issues, but liberal on many social issues. In other words "If you want to smoke pot, go right ahead, but I'm not paying for your ass" And no, I'm not voting for Kerry -- I'm gritting my teeth and voting for Bush
emodx I am probably similar to your political views then
emodx So to wrap it up, tell us about Moki in 3-4 sentences.
moki Well, she likes to eat, sleep, crap, and cause trouble -- like meowing at 3am.
emodx When I asked to tell us about Moki in 3 sentences, I should have said, tell us about Andrew in 3 sentences.
moki I'll be learning and doing new things until the day I die; I won't necessarily be good at 'em, but I'll be trying!
emodx Anything else bro?
moki You're the interviewer. If it sucks, I blame you. :
emodx LOL...I'm not skured!
moki thanks for the interview!
emodx Thank you for taking the time to let CP know a little bit more about one of the most prolific posters on CP... LOL… Good night.
