Harleys, Cars, Girls & Guitars

Pot Vacations in Colorado and Washington State?

New York State continues to stall on legalizing marijuana. A State Senator from Midtown Manhattan has announced she will be introducing a legalization bill into the State Assembly. 

“It is my intention as a New York State senator to soon introduce a law that would actually decriminalize, regulate and tax marijuana in New York,” says Senator Liz Krueger.

Now that Colorado and Washington state have legalized the sale and distribution of pot, the remaining 48 states face a dilemma. Will they pass on the tax revenue pot would create? If they do, then smokers will simply fly to Colorado and Washington to buy their weed. I’m already considering a trip out to Denver for next year’s 4/20 celebration.

Weed will still be illegal under Federal law. And, President Obama’s DEA continues to bust medical marijuana dispensaries and growers in California.

The price for pot in Washington and Colorado is expected to be about $200 an ounce. This is dramatically cheaper than illegal pot in New York State, which costs about $60 an eighth of an ounce.

Below, an interesting YouTube video about pot production in Colorado:

Is pot prohibition about to end? Hard to see how the other states can continue with enforcement. I suspect a lot of the weed legally sold in Colorado and Washington will make its way out of those states into the black market. The states that continue prohibition will have to sit by idly and watch CO and WA rake in all that tax revenue.

Seems to me just a matter of time until the other states line up for their share of the take, as they almost all have done in respect to casino gambling.

Garden Almost Planted! Bear Cub Visit!

I’ve been spending much of the day outdoors for the past week. 10 miles on the bicycle in the morning, and then 10 miles again in the evening. In between, planting the garden. I’m about two-thirds of the way through the process.

Lettuce doesn’t mind the cool evenings up here on the mountaintop in Woodstock. I planted a deep red lettuce and a butter leaf lettuce. Within four to six weeks, I’ll be taking a few leaves from each of the plants to make a salad.

Tomatoes are all in. The Karaoke Queen suggested that I plant the sets deeper this year. Doesn’t think I’ve been planting them deep enough, and that that is making for weak stems and branches. I’m willing to try everything and anything when it comes to tomatoes. If you know of any YouTube videos on the organic care and feeding of tomatoes, let me know.

Here's one I found:

Still to plant… habaneros, jalapenos, red spear peppers, cucumbers and zucchini. At the Karaoke Queen’s suggestion, I’m planting some red and white swiss chard from seed.

While I was out gardening, a black bear cub took a stroll through my front yard. As soon as it spotted me, it shied away out into the forest. By the time I grabbed my iPhone for a picture, the cub was headed deep into the forest.

Worries me a little that we have a cub. That means we’ve got a very protective mama bear around, too. Black bears usually are no problem. They’re terrified of people and they run as soon as they see a human. But, they will attack to defend their cub against any kind of perceived threat.

Better be careful and make some noise when I’m out in the back yard.

Stop the Killing. End Marijuana Prohibition!

I watched the documentary The Union: The Business Behind Getting High last night on Netflix. It’s a propaganda film, for sure, but it’s still mostly on target. Marijuana prohibition is and always has been a disaster. Prohibition has created a monster crime syndicate, incited the drug wars in Mexico, and driven thousands of people into prison.

This documentary examines the pot growing and distribution business in British Columbia, Canada. Some of the best scenes in the movie are visits to small and huge scale grow operations. The entire movie is available on YouTube:

My only problem with the propaganda was the movie’s insistence on marijuana’s health benefits. I’m skeptical that smoking of any kind is good for the human body, but I might be wrong.

One of the more surprising stats from the movie is the assertion that 4/5 of the anti-drug law enforcement budget goes toward pot prohibition. What a waste of money! Even as we edge toward decriminalization, we continue to prohibit the growing and distribution of pot. Our prisons are full of people who did nothing more than buy, sell or possess pot. Silly.

The Mexican drug wars probably won’t stop entirely if marijuana prohibition ends, but the number of bodies might decline. Alcohol prohibition lead to the development of massive organized crime gangs in the U.S., and pot prohibition has produced the same outcome in Mexico. The only way to bring the slaughter to an end is to legalize pot.

One of the most interesting scenes in the movie was the interview with Tommy Chong, who was busted and sent to prison for… well, for no reason at all. You’ve got to hear this story to believe it. The paramilitary tactics employed against Chong and other pot users are just plain nuts.

Pot prohibition must end. The killing has to stop. We just can’t continue to be this stupid. (Well… against stupidity we are helpless.)

Although the ire of The Union is primarily focused on Republicans in the U.S., Democrats have proven to be every bit as stupid about pot prohibition. President Obama continues to try to suppress pot dispensaries in California. Pot prohibition has been a bi-partisan botch from its inception. If you don't think so, try watching the Weed Country series on Discovery.

Journey to the Center of Uranus!

Tomorrow, I’m off to the gastroenterologist for a colonoscopy. My pooper seems to be working pretty good, but it’s time for the periodic checkup. So, today, I have to prep. This means going hungry, taking laxatives and sitting on the toilet all day.

I stole the above pic from an advertisement for a show by the Cockettes, a drag queen theatrical group popular in San Francisco in the 60s. 

The Old Dawgz sounded great last night at the Harmony Café in Woodstock. Bulldawg Brian Okie debuted as our drummer. He’s a huge shot of energy. What a Dawg! Joe Vaccarino, Jr., manned the sound board. That guy is an artist. So, I had a good time last night. Now, the piper must be paid.

The worst part of the colonoscopy routine is the prep. One full day of starving and emptying your bowels. The procedure is a piece of cake. Demerol is a great drug. Last time, the medical crew drugged me just short of unconsciousness so that I could watch the show on a TV screen. Quite entertaining!

I’ll lose a couple of pounds extra this week, as a result of the purge. That’s a bonus!

The downside is that I’m stuck in the house all day so that I can run to the toilet on demand.

Oh, well! Maybe the doc will give me some pictures. If so, I’ll be sure to share them with you, dear readers.

Fat Dawg Ass News!

Down 10 pounds in three weeks! Got weighed on the scale at the doctor’s office yesterday. I’m surprised at how fast I’m losing weight. I expected to lose a pound a week. The bad news? I’ve still got 40 pounds to shed.

The plan has been pretty simple. I’ve tripled the time I spend exercising and cut the amount of food I eat in half.

Today, I’ll take two 10 mile bicycle rides through the mountains. And, I’ll do a 60 minute set of yoga. I’ll be working in the garden, too, but that doesn’t really count.

I’m eating three meals a day. The meals range from 600 to 800 calories. Once day a week, I give myself a break, increase the size of my meals and treat myself to a sweet. Last week, that was a bear claw from Panera. Over 600 calories in that pastry. God, it tastes great when you’re really hungry.

I haven’t experienced a sense of deprivation. When I get really hungry, the sensation is almost like nausea.

Ain’t America great? We’re so rich that our biggest health problem is that everybody is eating themselves to death!

Happy 4/20 Day!

What do you plan to do today at 4:20 p.m.?

I’m keeping my plans to myself.

I am attempting to have far fewer opinions. Opinions are a pain in the ass! If you state them out loud or in writing, people want you to defend them.

But here’s one opinion that I can stand behind. It’s time to end weed prohibition. Keep your hands off of my weed! Gotta write that as a country & western tune.

Weed prohibition seems on its way out. About time. Best thing to do would be to encourage people to grow their own in their backyards.

4/20 is a day to celebrate! Get in the spirit of 4/20! And…

Keep Your Hands Off Of My Weed!

Out of the Office! Free at last!

I probably shouldn’t crow. Life has taught me that as soon as I start crowing about how great my life is, fate kicks me in the ass. But, here goes anyway. I’m having a great time! I’m a bum!

Good Day Sunshine! No job! No office! No assholes!

I get up in the morning, surf the web for an hour or so, then I do my morning practice on the piano. I run through the hymns for upcoming Sunday Mass, and work on a few basic skills. I’m trying to hone my rudimentary boogie woogie left hand. It’s tougher than you think. The boogie woogie part isn’t so hard, but playing along and keeping in time with the right hand is a bitch.

Next up, working on my body. For an old fart like me, this is serious business. Now that I need to lose 50 pounds, I’m even more focused. Today, it’s raining in the mountains above Woodstock, so I’m headed off to the gym. Two hours on the exercise bike! Not as much fun as two hours on my bicycle out on the road. Then, 35 minutes of weights. I need to build my weigh regime up to 45 minutes.

My day is my own to do as I please. Money… eh? I’m not rich and I’m not poor.

My granddaughter, Ava, will be arriving on the scene in a couple of months. I’m really looking forward to being a granddad. I’ll be on babysitting duty two or three days a week.

So, I’m just enjoying myself and trying to get back into being a full time musician. I really look forward to the weekly rehearsal with the Old Dawgz. I’m not going to get rich. So what?

My Big Fat Ass!

Went to the doctor yesterday for the annual physical. The nurse asked me to step on the scale… and… Oh, my God! What a fat ass I’ve become! I’ve got to lose 50 pounds. This just can’t go on.

In my semi-retirement, I’ve been taking naps, eating ice cream and sitting on my ass in front of the computer and TV. It’s been fun, but I’m getting sluggish and slow.

So, I declare an end to the fat fest. Big Joe is my hero and role model here. He lost over 100 pounds through bicycle riding and calorie counting. So, I can do it, too. I figure it will take me somewhere between six months and a year to shed the excess poundage.

I was so upset by the news that I jumped on my bike as soon as I got home from the doctor and rode 20 miles in a very light rain.

So, here’s the exercise part of my weight loss program. I’m gonna ride by bike at least 20 miles a day, sometimes more. Off to the gym three times a week for 45 minutes of weight lifting. And 45 minutes of yoga every day.

I figure I can manage on a 2,000 calorie a day diet. Last night, I had the soup and half sandwich at Panera. Calorie count = 700. This morning, two slices of bacon, two fried eggs and a banana. 700 calories.

The Karaoke Queen likes to love me up by cooking for me. Every weekend she’s in Woodstock, she leaves behind cookies, scones and cakes. I love sweets, but I’m going to have to restrict my intake to one treat per week.

I’ll get up some before pics soon. I’m sick of being a fat ass! Skinny Shouting Thomas, here we come!

Will New York Pass Medical Marijuana Bill?

New York is one of the most liberal states in the Union. So, why hasn’t medical marijuana become a reality? The State Senate is considering legalizing medical pot. State Senator Velmanette Montgomery introduced a bill to accomplish that on January 9th.

Steve Katz, a state assemblyman made news a couple of days ago for being busted for pot when he was stopped for speeding.  That's him in the pic above. The amusing part of this story is that Katz voted against a previous bill to legalize medical marijuana.

Penalties for pot possession are already just about non-existent in New York. First time offenders caught with a little under an ounce of pot face a $100 fine. First time offenders caught selling less than two ounces face a three months jail sentence and a $500 fine. I doubt whether that jail sentence is commonly imposed.

I watched an interesting movie on Netflix last night, How Weed Won the West. (I’m linking to the YouTube version below.) It was produced by a pretty wacky guy, Alex Jones. He’s one of those “political activitists,” of which we have plenty.

The movie chronicles the rise of pot dispensaries in Los Angeles. It’s an interesting story. I’ll have to take a trip out to La La Land one of these days to check out that scene.

I gotta write me a pot song!

Laughing Filipino Baby Boy!

I'm an uncle! Well, Filipinos call every male related at any distance to a child an uncle. So, while I'm not related by blood to this little boy, I'm his uncle because I'm the Karaoke Queen's boyfriend.

Happy baby! Just putting up this picture in the hope that it will make somebody smile. Everybody... Smile!

There are clouds in the sky today, but we'll get by.