It took a few folks to get me on the slope. In this order:
Dad - Dad's been a cigar smoker since I was a kid. He started gifting me the occasional stick ever since I turned 18.
Friends/neighbors - Talking cigars a little with these folks, and having the occasional stick with them. Then I took the plunge and walked into a B&M...
Mikey Burr - Didn't even know he was a gorilla. He worked in the B&M I walked into and he asked me, "how can I help you?". He set me up with my first purchase and steered me in the right direction.
NCRadioMan - I found CS, posted a little, and he sent me a PM asking for my address
Darrell - Found we live in the same hood. Invited me to my first herf, has gifted/bombed me 30+ sticks, gave me a 100 stick humi, gave me a briar pipe
I have no hope of ever recovering now. I have a cooler, I'm ordering beads for it next week along with my first ever box purchase. I've got one foot on the pipe slope too.
There's a black hole at the bottom of this slope, I tell ya.