MetaChat - My wild saturday night. . . .

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10 March 2008

My wild saturday night. . . . (not really)→[More:]

As I said last Friday, I went to the birthday party. It was a woman who is in a lesbian couple, and it was also the bday of the son of her partner, her step son.

It turned out to be a blow-out. They have a pretty big extended family, and a couple of the kids play in a band, which was there. Lots of sexual and racial diversity, at least on the left of the political spectrum. Lots of dancing. Lots of food and alcohol. Lots of pot. Lots of loose hormones floating around. A fun time.

At one point I mentioned to the partner of the celebrant that, in the 18 years of my daughter's life, I had had marijuana twice, and it really had tailed off years before that. She said, "we'll have to fix that," and led be through the kitchen, through the laundry room, through the shed, to the back yard, and she told her son, "Hey *son*, dan here has only had pot twice in the last 18 years! He needs some!" To which the son said, "well I have had pot twice in the last 18 minutes."

So, a bong hit. Which was interesting because, earlier in the night, there was a circle around the fire, and I had stepped into it, thinking that I'd have a hit, but then no one in that circle knew me and the bong disappeared. Oh well.

On the way back into the house, it started to kick in. The woman who set me up with it had already gone in and told my wife how it had gone down. Everyone thought it was cute.

I was reminded why I had not gotten stoned very much in the recent phase of my life. Every issue that I have instantly magnified itself, and started to come crashing down on me. How do I really pay for my kid's college, what if I have a heart attack right now, I know that work is going to bust me for spending time here, etc. etc. etc. I was able to maintain, but had to work at it.

So I walk around and end up in this ramshackle laundry room (the whole house is like that. . .) and I notice a buttload of unused flower vases. There were like 50 of them. I was just tripping out on the vases, and imagining all the time these folks had gotten flowers in these vases from friends, etc. There were too many to count.

The next morning I did an inventory of our vases, and came up with 2 being used and 5 in the cupboard.

So, if you have read this far. .

1. When's the last time you got stoned, and is it a regular part of your life?

2. How many vases, used or unused, do you have around the house?

post by: danf at: 10:19 | 39 comments

1. Never. Not for any reason other than it never really appealed to me. Drink does me just fine. :)

2. 3-5?

posted by misskaz 10 March | 10:30

1. All the time in college, but near the end I started feeling the same way you did - "Why aren't I doing well in my classwork? Do all my profs know I smoke? People don't like me because I'm a stoner. Everyone's laughing at me because they think I'm pathetic, etc. etc. etc." My social anxiety is a lot more manageable when my brain isn't racing 100 miles an hour. Now, some of my old school friends bring up the possibility from time to time, but we don't know anyone who does it, and furthermore I like not getting ridiculously paranoid and introverted about stuff for 4-6 hours every night, like I used to.

2. 4 vases - 1 holds growing bamboo shoots; 2 I bought in Sweden of which 1 is holding a bunch of my knitting needles; and 1 that came with my V-day flowers last year, sitting unused on top of our fridge.

posted by muddgirl 10 March | 10:32

1. The last time I got stoned was at a Greg Allman concert on New Year's Eve in Orlando. I was in my early twenties. I had the opportunity to smoke pot about a month ago. I declined. My job can random drug test. I'm not about to lose my license or job for a hit on a joint.

2. I have probably three or four empty vases. I broke a very heavy purple glass vase two weeks ago. My pasta water was boiling over. I grabbed a ladle and ladled some water into the empty vase, since it was the nearest container. The next day I picked it up to wash and it split perfectly in half. The boiling water must have cracked it. Dumb move on my part.

posted by LoriFLA 10 March | 10:33

1. When's the last time you got stoned,

Heh. About a week ago. Me and Hugh Janus were at the Remote. Even though it was a Saturday night, there was just a few people in the bar, including two regulars Jerry & Jimmy, both retired civil servants and and Jerry's girlfriend Winnie. We were listening to old 70's hard rock and having a good old time getting drunk.

A few hours in, Jimmy asked if we 'knew where to get some weed.' I made eye contact with Hugh and 5 minutes later we were in Jimmy's Oldsmobile puffing away. I don't think they were that used to modern marijuana since after a few hits Jimmy passed me the bowl and I said 'Nah, I'm good.' "I was waiting for you to say it first,' he said and we went inside. (Note: Jerry is a retired Corrections Officer. I felt vaguely corrupt.)

When we got back in we were even looser than before and Winnie looked at Hugh with a scowl and said 'Don't give them anymore!'

posted by jonmc 10 March | 10:52

Gah. I hate pot. The last time I smoked was about 20 years ago, and within minutes I remembered how much I hate the way it made me feel (it was an "oh crap why did I do this" moment) and decided never to do it again.

I have 2 regular vases. Everyone knows that I like arranging flowers myself, so when I get any, it's a loose bouquet or a box of wildflowers. My favorite impromptu vases are a chipped teapot (see my photo below? that's a close-up of my kitschy teapot and I love it to death) and a rusty old can that I keep under the sink.

≡ Click to see image ≡

posted by iconomy 10 March | 10:54

1. Hmm, I plead the fifth as to absolute dates and times. ;-) I will say that I was a complete and total stoner in high school - wake and bake and, like, fail chemistry, dude, fucking classes, what a drag - and onwards through college, but then in my early 20s it started making me all paranoid, so I quit for many years. As a medical reference, though, I must say that since early 2007 or thereabouts it no longer seems to make me completely paranoid. I think it's because I don't have little kids anymore - I used to totally freak out about the kids when I got stoned and now that's just not an issue. So I'm quite enjoying my chemical renaissance.

2. I have like 2 hideously ugly cheapass florist vases that I should really toss. Then I have a decanter, two oddly shaped wine bottles and two pitchers - one glass, one ceramic - that I use for flowers. And then I have two teeny blue glass artist made handblown vases with bubbles in them that I adore, keep out in the living room and occasionally put 3 or so flowers in.

posted by mygothlaundry 10 March | 11:06

I had 3 vases, but they're all bongs now.

posted by Hellbient 10 March | 11:07

1. Two years ago at the first Bunnystock. Obviously it's not a regular thing, and never was. I enjoyed some recreational drug use in my younger days, but was never a big fan of pot.

2. We've got about 4 or 5 vases that we rotate between for our dining table. We keep cut flowers from the grocery store on the table, and change the vase according to the size of the bouquet.

posted by BoringPostcards 10 March | 11:12

1. I used to be quite the wild child in college. My girlfriends and I would sit around and get high, and rationalize why we were going to be the ones to get our kids, then our grandkids high for the first time. It was gonna be so freaking awesome. Then grad school came along and kicked my ass, and my pot use tapered off. I haven't smoked for years because it just makes me uncomfortable and paranoid. Not long ago, at the occasion of one good friend's wedding, my 'pot circle' reunited for the first time since we were all undergrads. Four out of the five women feel the same way I do, pot just doesn't do anything good for them anymore. Long gone are the days of the feel good high. Now if we smoke, we fear the phone will ring, with horrible news, or the cops will knock on our door, demanding to see our 'papers'. Shit like that. Shame, too. It woulda been cool to smoke out my grandbabies some day.
2. Half a dozen vases, two in use.

posted by msali 10 March | 11:16

1. Oh god, probably Homecoming (October 07). I'm such a paranoid person wihtout any outside influences and when you introduce something like that, I basically hide in bed.
2. As far as vases are concerned, there's not too many of them at my parents house. Personally, I think I might own one. Maybe.

posted by sperose 10 March | 11:20

1. Last September (October?) or so. Actually it was the day I got back from England, the afternoon after a London meetup. I was incredibly tired, jet-lagged, and went to my friend's bachelorette party. Her husband (mr. gaspode's best friends) had made a load of his delicious pot cookies. These are often a problem for me because they are so yummy I eat 2 of them, and then get seriously fucked up.

2. 3 vases. I'm always trying to get rid of them.

posted by gaspode 10 March | 11:21

Umm, well. Last summer, my nephew got me stoned with his sister and mom at the beach ... the first (and last so far) time I'd ever smoked with my sister. It was beautiful, man.

3 vases, if you count the really squat kind.

posted by danostuporstar 10 March | 11:32

I had 3 vases, but they're all bongs now.

Haaah. I love you.

posted by iconomy 10 March | 11:32

I hear you ico. When I became a parent, there was just no way in the world I could do it stoned.

And, interestingly (or maybe not) I came in here after I got home and had a hard time even getting on the net, and had no clue about posting something that was readable.

It was, like, I had no practice at operating a computer or communicating online while stoned.

It did lead to an interesting conversation with my wife. When me met, I did have the habit, and, before sex, she would ask for some, almost every time. She has NO memory of that fact, but I stick by my story.

posted by danf 10 March | 12:03

When me met, I did have the habit, and, before sex, she would ask for some, almost every time.

Oh god, weed sex ... Yeah, I think the opportunity for stoned sex would be worth whatever paranoia occurred beforehand.

posted by muddgirl 10 March | 12:08

danf, I felt exactly the same way after becoming a parent. I just couldn't do what needed to be done; I never felt like I was all there after smoking. I couldn't drink when my kids were little for the same reason. There was always that nagging in the back of my brain that I wouldn't be able to react quickly enough in an emergency situation and it just wasn't worth it.

Oh god, weed sex ... Yeah, I think the opportunity for stoned sex would be worth whatever paranoia occurred beforehand.

Yeah, it is pretty great. I just wish you could turn off the high whenever you wanted. The worst feeling was that "oh crap why did I" 5 minutes into it, and knowing you were going to feel that way for at least 5-6 more hours.

posted by iconomy 10 March | 12:13

I agree with pretty much all of the posts above. I really hate pot. I smoked a fair amount in college, until it occurred to me that just because other people claimed to enjoy it, the same was not necessarily true for me, and I should listen to my body and not do things I didn't like. It's been at least five or six years now. I'd rather chug purple drank than do pot again. At least for the novelty value.

I have two vases and both are in use.

posted by pieisexactlythree 10 March | 12:22

1. Never.

2. Six.

posted by essexjan 10 March | 12:28

1// Never. Just not interested.

2// None! My mother has a billion vases in her basement, and I've never liked any of the vases that have come with bouquets I've received. And I don't want to get into the habit of saving ugly vases because you just never know when you'll need one. I do have a few flower pots, though.

posted by rhapsodie 10 March | 12:44

1. Never.

2. One, I think, but we usually just use empty wine bottles.

posted by Daniel Charms 10 March | 13:07

1. I ~might~ have partaken of the sacred herb last night. I'm not a parent so I kinda do whenever I feel like it, but not daily.

2. 4 or 5 I'm pretty good about migrating them down to moms basement though

posted by meeshell 10 March | 13:19

1. Let's just say it's a regular part of my life.

2. Two, maybe three?

posted by box 10 March | 13:28

1. Not since my band broke up

2. I have quite a few ceramic vases and planters (most thrown by my mom, who's a potter). A few are empty. I have one hung (in the window) with macramé; my aunt's work from the early '70's.

posted by rottytooth 10 March | 14:00

1) It's around me a lot. I find I partake periodically. I know a bunch of folks roughly my age who feel that it's prolly safer than SSRIs and helps them shut off the brain a bit after a long day. And, I will admit to having some pretty fun weedsex in the last few years. I have had a couple brownouts though, and they aren't ANY fun. I didn't smoke any for about 20 years though, in between. Went from major pothead in Gr 10 to NO pot in Grade 11. I found it made me hungry and horny, and well, as a 17 year old boy, I didn't really need help with that.

2) Man, I dunno. Maybe 2? Currently unused? I dunno.

posted by richat 10 March | 14:05

1) Heh, whenever possible :) I find that taking a small dose at night regulates my sleep better than the benzodiazepine sleeping pills my doctor prescribes me, and helps my arthritis quite a bit.

2) None. I love gardening, but I'm not very fancy and if I had cut flowers would probably put them in a pint glass or whatever else was available.

posted by jtron 10 March | 14:24

1) Never, so no.

2) I'd guess about a dozen or so.

posted by eamondaly 10 March | 14:34

1. A couple years ago. With both tobacco and pot, I was a social smoker and could pretty much take it or leave it. Now that I don't hang around a lot of people who smoke, I don't smoke, and I can't really imagine picking it up again.

2. Three, I think. Two really beautiful crystal ones, both from ikkyu's mother. Another very plain glass one with straight sides that I love; it's very simple and clean and makes me want to buy irises. And I've been holding on to a glass milk container because I like filling it with daisies (or, at least, I like the thought of filling it with daisies; haven't gotten around to buying the daisies yet). But I tend to get rid of vases that I don't like -- they pile up and take up so much room and I find them depressing.

posted by occhiblu 10 March | 14:50

The smell of pot makes me want to throw up. Vase, not so much.

You are all dirty hippies!

posted by Eideteker 10 March | 16:33

1. Never stoned. The only time I've imbibed was a pot brownie when I was eight (it was an accident, really). I remember people teasing me, but not feeling any different than I normally did.

2. Three or four I think. They're never used because the cats like to eat flowers.

posted by deborah 10 March | 16:40

1. Rarely, considering I have unlimited access. If I do, I am either about to:

a. - have sex
b. - go see a non-scary movie in the movie theatre
c. - look at Christmas lights

While I am perfectly willing or more so to have sex or see a movie straight, you can bet your boots that if you are dragging me out in the cold to see shiny things, I will be stoned.

2. Five

posted by rainbaby 10 March | 18:19

Okay, i had to get high first.
And the Adventures Of Old Christine is on and it's hysterical.
i don't know how a lot of people watch telly unstoned but this show if just funny anyway.
i only got high very recently for the first time in a long while because the opportunity came up, and i wanted it. i prefer it to booze any day, just physically, and i find it relaxing and refreshing. But then i don't usually do it with strangers and in strange lands at strange times.

Vases? That i use as vases?
3?

posted by ethylene 10 March | 20:02

You are all dirty hippies!

I'm not a hippie. The rest, well...

With both tobacco and pot, I was a social smoker

Pot, maybe, but there's no such thing as a social tobacco user. Maybe you fidled around with a cigarette after a few drinks, but you weren't smoking...

posted by jonmc 10 March | 20:21

I dunno, jon. What's the difference between smoking cigarettes for a buzz, but only in social situations, and smoking weed for a buzz, but only in social situations? What about cigars? Let's say I only smoke cigars once in a blue moon, and only with friends, yet I'm really smoking it, not just "fiddling around" with it? Can I be a social smoker then? I guess I don't really get the distinction between tobacco leaves and pot leaves.

(Although, I was never a social pot smoker, at least after the first week or so).

posted by muddgirl 10 March | 20:54

Yeah, I have a really annoyingly weird inability to get really addicted to nicotine. I was smoking six or seven cigarettes a day in Italy, because everyone smoked and it was fun (and to me, that was heavy smoking), then when I moved back to the US I cut down to a couple a few times a week just when when I was out with friends, then the smoking ban hit Boston and I was tired of freezing my ass off, so I just pretty much stopped smoking, with the exception of one every few months when the mood struck. Then the mood just stopped striking.

I have plenty of other addictive traits, so I have no idea why tobacco doesn't do it for me. And I am totally aware that my experience is so *not* the case for most people.

posted by occhiblu 10 March | 21:06

1. not for a while; I went off (tapered down? stopped taking? I have no idea what term to use here.) SNRIs recently after a year and a bit, and the ones I was on interacted badly with pot (I took a hit, had some water, then curled up on the couch and fell asleep in 30 seconds, according to friends) but now that I am off them and certain friends are aware, there's a bit of a blowout being planned.
It was always a social thing at parties for me, though; there were a few months in third year where it seemed like I got high once every couple of weeks but that was the most frequent.

2. Vases? I dunno; my mom has at least ten.

posted by heeeraldo 10 March | 21:07

1. A few years ago, but it made me violently ill. The previous time was a few years before that and it also made me ill. It didn't used to do that when I was in high school, but maybe it's the potency of modern weed that does me in. Won't be trying it again.

2. Who knows? Maybe we have about 3 or 4, none currently in use.

posted by dg 10 March | 21:36

1. Maybe 12 years ago? I was hanging out a lot with some people who smoked regularly; if memory serves, we took their daughter (then about 3) to see Toy Story. Every now and again I get a craving (fairly often, lately), but I'm pretty sure that it would just remind me why I quit in the first place.

2. Uh, 4? None in use at the moment, I don't think. Maybe I'll pick up some flowers on the way home, though.

posted by bmarkey 10 March | 22:11

occhi, I can't get addicted to cigs either. . .I used to buy a pack of sobranes (sp?) and a few months later find them in a cupboard, most of them in the pack.

posted by danf 10 March | 22:58

1.In Amsterdam 15 months ago...it confirmed that it's best for me to only get high with people with whom I'm completely comfortable. There were also mushroom shops, but I've read that psychedelics enhance one's mood and this was right after my father had heart surgery, so I didn't try them.

2. two

I wouldn't drive high.

posted by brujita 10 March | 23:47

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