Ok, newbie alert.

I've recently got into smoking a pipe...a little....anyway, what's everyone's procedure for loading up a bowl and smoking it?

This is what I do, sofar:

I start by getting the tobacco into a broken up state. Some is already in that condition, others require some work in the palms, razor blades, etc. Then, I just start stuffing it in there with my thumb until it's about full.

Next, I fire it up with a torch lighter, while giving it a few drags to draw the flame down in. I usually get some billowing smoke at this point, and some strong shots of flavor.

Next, I go do whatever I'm going to do, like a walk with the dog. Very early on, I would puff the thing like it was going out of style, get a lot of smoke, and a lot of tongue bite and go till it's gone. Now, I try to puff sparingly trying to just keep it lit. This usually ends up with lots of relights during the course of the bowl. It tastes alright, but I'd like some pointers on keeping it going so I don't have to relight so much.

Lastly, when I get down to a "gurgling" point, I figure it's finished. However, I almost always have maybe a 1/4" of "good" tobacco left in the bottom of the bowl when I dig it out with a chec tool.

Does this sound remotely correct? Am I totally fucking up?

Will