Happy F*#king New Year (part fourty-eight)!

Happy Fucking New Year! Here I am, in my boxers, just got in from work. Good day. Fun people. You listen to Pink Floyd and you chop down Cannabis flowers. It's a very interesting business.

And I'm here in Denver. Things are progressing well so far.

It's 19:10, Mountain Time, and I might fall asleep. After I shower. But I like like the work. I like being active. Horticulture. Farming. I was shocked today to be able to go in so late as 9:00. When I woke up, the sun was up and I was sure I had overslept. I usually drive to work in the dark.

 3 Sisters Trail, 10/15

Salty Bitch

You say good-bye
I say hello
-The Beatles



Today, December 30th in history:
1972 - Pres. Nixon halts bombing of North Vietnam & announces peace talks. He refused to exit Vietnam while running for his second term. Tricky Dick.

Good-bye Meadowlark Lemon. Good-bye Scott Weiland. Good-bye to the great BB King. Chris Squire will be missed. He was one of the greatest musicians ever. Good-bye Connecticut. Good-bye sales. 

Hello Colorado. Hello farming life. Hello 2016, you salty bitch!

In the Green Room

Trimmed cannabis all day long. Some of the strains, one of them Princess Leia, had perfectly formed buds. It was so sticky that a pair of gloves only lasted an hour.

The year is ending. What the hell? I just got here. Didn't I just get laid off?

Rib Eye

From 12/26/15

It's been another great day. I just cooked and ate a 14oz bone-in, rib-eye. It was amazing! It was like $8. Oh, welcome to the land of carnivores! I had a nice bottle of pinot noir as well, because people from Jersey have class.

I have been cleaning and listening to some great albums. We lost some amazing musicians in 2015. We lost Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots, the blues king, BB King, and Chris Squire, bassist extraordinaire, of Yes. So I've been listening to all of them today. BB and Squire has long, full lives. Weiland's was short but full, musically. With his brand of drug addiction, it's amazing he lived to be 48. I read his autobiography, and he was a train wreck and then some.

Boxing Day

It is cold! It's 23F at 2:00pm! And the East is in a heatwave.

I saw the new Star Wars yesterday. It was very good. I dug it. The theater was jammed with all the Buddhists and the Jews going to the theater on Xmas!

I am organizing my room, doing laundry and digging having some time to myself as James and Kara are visiting his folks in Nashville. I am also still trying to find a place to live.

Enjoy your Boxing Day!

Christmas Out West

Merry Xmas my dear friends and family. I miss you all, but it was not sensible to fly back after only arriving on the 9th. Besides, I've been up to my ass in work, sometimes literally. I've met some very nice, interesting and intelligent people at work. I know I made the right choice when I decided to do this.

My right toe (arthritis) gave me a lot of trouble last night and today.  I think it's just a weak point and I worked 5 of the last 6 days. I took what the doc always prescribes and I have 3 days to rest.

I cooked a rack of lamb and had it with a nice Mark West Pinot Noir. Then I watched the last three episodes of Into the Badlands, which were awesome.

It's 8:08 here. 10:08 back east. It's 14:00 in Madrid. They are sitting down to Xmas dinner right now.

So kiss a baby! Hug your siblings! Call someone you've been meaning to call! Have an extra glass of wine AND a piece of cake! Thin about all the cool things in your life! Peace on earth.

Joe Buck Yourself

I m so tired. One more day of work mañana, at the packaging place. The last few days we've harvested such strains as Bruce Banner (hysterical,) Jelly Roll, Blue Dream, Gray Ghost Haze and Joe Buck! What happens when you smoke Joe Buck? You get high and then say "I'm friends with Troy Aikman," every 30 seconds? No thank you.

Beat

Worked today and will work again tomorrow, long ride. Too tired to write. But it was fun. Mañana.

Back to Work!

Well, I worked 5.5 hours today, packaging edibles, earning money other than unemployment for the first time since the beginning of July. I packed Cannabis chocolate bars and breath mints (also with marijuana,) who knew such things existed. Not I. Not I.

And then one of the full-timers offered Rob and I some ganja tea. It's very mild, this guy, Dylan, told me. Sure. Why not. I didn't feel anything much, but still. We're through the looking glass on this one, people. I've met some very interesting people here. All types. It's kind of mind boggling, but it's cool. A lot of people have similar stories to my own. They came out to experience it.

In 1859, Colorado experienced a Gold Rush. In 1879, they experienced a Silver Rush that lasted until 1893, when the price of silver collapsed. On Nov. 6, 2012, Colorado Amendment 64 passed, which started the Green Rush, of which I am a fortunate participant.

It's a new world. I'm just living in it.

A New dawn

I've got two weeks to find a place. 14 days. I won't be out on my ass, but I need to feel settled.

- - -

I still don't feel settled.

Went with James and saw the Avalanche beat the Islanders 2-1. Great seats. Great company! We'll be back April 1 when Washington comes in.

From today's Craiglist:

newly built house. would love a bossy big booty woman to move in free (denver)

my name is tanner. im 28. very easy going. i own a roofing business with my dad and in school for engineering. i have a beautiful newly built 3 bedroom 2 bath home to myself. as u can see in the pic of the house there is still work that is being done to the outside of it. but the inside is beautiful and complete. i am looking for a beautiful bossy big booty woman or a woman who has a bf or is married. whether she is single or has a man in her life it doesnt matter to me. nothing sexual of course has to happen at all. i just want a beautiful bossy woman to move in and make me be her houseboy servant. no need for rent bc i make good money. its something i enjoy doing is being bossed by a woman i cant have who has a big booty. i just want someone who will be the queen of the house and order me to clean do errands laudnry dishes wash car cook massage if possible.

Wow. I could have lived my whole life without knowing that. For that reasons, I 've started using some sites other than Craigslist.

xxx

Got to wake up tomorrow and be to work by 6:00am for my first paying job. I knew the farmer's hours were coming.

NE and OK Can Bite My Shiny Metal Ass

http://www.ganjapreneur.com/obama-administration-calls-dismissal-cannabis-lawsuit-against-colorado/

Tow the line and play their game
Let the anesthetic cover it all
Till one day they call your name
You know it's time for the hammer to fall.
-Queen




Nebraska and Oklahoma have just followed a federal lawsuit against Colorado. They claim it is draining their police forces. Kansas is thinking of joining and they can bite me too. NE has 1.2m people, Kansas 2.9 and Oklahoma 3.9. That's 6 million people. New York City alone has 8.4 million! Legalized recreational marijuana in CO has cut drug related crime by 80% in the first year alone. The state has saved a minimum of $3m in court costs and the tax revenue from year 1 was $68m! This is a no brainer. If these people weren't getting weed from CO, they'd be getting it somewhere else.

PS.

Dear Nebraska, Oklahoma and Kansas!

That's why nobody actually wants to live your state! You guys are as much fun as a poo covered stick.

Cross-Country Crap

Stuff accumulated along my five day trek across this great country. And big. So, so very big. Damn thing never ends. Why is the Steelers lighter I got in PA purple? I have no bloody idea. The Rush disc and DVD, I got in Grand Island, Nebraska, in an attempt to keep my driving sanity. I'd been looking for a back scratcher and didn't know where to find one. The answer is at a truck stop in Iowa. Who knew?

When I saw Dan O in Chicago, he talked about getting some of the gang together who are out west. Besides me being in Denver and he in Chicago, Bernie is in Idaho, and Fagen is in Montanna. I don't know of a place equidistant. I'd have to look at a map. +++ I just did. I have no idea what would be central. Hopefully, they'll decide they want to come here since cannabis is legal. Everyone is eager to see what that's like.

After the Storm

I am officially an employee of Trim Jobs. They email us the night before if they have work. I will most likely not get anything until the weekend, or Monday.

Xmas fast approaches. I will be alone and will cook a steak. I will curl up with a book or a movie and forget that the planet even exists. I also might go see Star Wars. Boo yeah! Maybe go to the local pub on Xmas Eve (I know a lot of waitresses now.)

I went home with a waitress
The way I always do
How was I to know 
She was with the Russians too
-Warren Zevon

It's sunny and the snow is melting. It's 25 and we will not get above freezing, but that hight altitude sun will melt it.

It's like I now live on another planet.

But it's exciting. It's been a while since there was any REAL excitement in my life, other than bad shit like fear of bankruptcy and starvation.

I want to learn how to snowshoe. I also want to go see the Stanley Hotel, which inspired Stephen King's The Overlook Hotel in The Shining. Also, Cheyenne, Wyoming is just 2.5 miles away. That would be fun too.

Let me tell you, that storm yesterday came out of nowhere. And quite formidable it was.

Training Day / Snowstorm

Today, I harvested marijuana for the first time. I came home a bit sticky and reeking of it, but I had my badge and my case in the car in case I got pulled over.

But it was fun. I fanned out the water leaves of some of the big buds, then these are discarded and the buds are put away to dry or cure.

Then, with some of the little buds, you pick the sugar leaves off of them. These are leaves that have deposits of resin on them and can be saved for use in extractions and such.

It was a long day on my feet, but fun.

The measure of the moment
In a difference of degree
Just one little victory
A spirit breaking free
One little victory
The greatest act can be
One little victory
- Rush

Tuesday

We got a foot of snow today. Schools closed, which is a rarity here.  But the crews did not get a jump on the storm because so much snow was unexpected. The healthcare insurance guy called at 9:30. I was just getting up. I told him I'd be there at ten. He said, "I just wanted to check with the snow."

Snow? There was not supposed to be much. I looked out the window and there was at least eight inches of snow. The roads were a disaster, because most things had been closed, so Arapahoe, our main road/highway, was nothing but slop and people skidding and accidents. Luckily, my first thing to do was at ten.

So I knocked the snow off of the car and pulled out onto an unplowed road, on the grounds where we live. But the Toyota pulled through. I used 2nd gear a lot! I got there and got new health insurance, dental and vision. Woo hoo! Then I had to create an online account, so that I could cancel the account in CT. But fine, I jumped through the hoop and it got done. So thank you CT. Thank you, Northeast. I leave you with a heavy heart.

But things are exciting here. There's a vibe and a pride to being the first state to legalize it recreationally. There's also people out there who like to cut off people, just because they have Connecticut plates. A local told me some of the people don't like newcomers, like me, because the price of everything has gone up. Yes, there is a bit of a boomtown feel, because this is Denver, and it's where all the big players and growers have set up shop. But the economy is booming. The boom will thin out a bit as more markets open. I think they'll be some sweet positions opening up in the next five years or so.

So that's the past two days. It's been an adventure! First day on a weed farm. Then first day in a Mile High snow storm. It dropped about a foot in the span of four hours. That's nuts. Denver has already broken the December record for snowfall.

Looking for Somewhere

growing up
(growing up)
looking for a place to live
-Peter Gabriel

Looking for a place. Haven't gotten much of a response yet. It's snowing here. My first snow in Colorado. One of many to come, I'm sure. But it's not so bad, talking to you, sipping a Goose Island Pale Ale, with some old Pink Floyd playing.

I got big snow boots and Gor-Tex gloves. I'm ready for the snow. I am trying to stay one step ahead but it's never that easy.

- - -

Wow, people ask for some very specific things in a roommate:

- must be man without facial hair and adores Martha Stewart.

- must love seahorses.

-looking for non smoker (will consider pets if they are reptilian.)

-prefer someone who is not a dwarf (above 4 ft.)

A lot of people have big issues.

Logistically Speaking

Much to do.

+Talk with unemployment at 12:30. Fuckers.
+Go yell at people at Wells Fargo, then pay credit card.
+Clean Car.
+Get Clothes from storage.
+Get sanity checked.
+Wait to hear from people I emailed about place to live.

Blind man runnin' through the light of the night
With an answer in his hand
Come on down to the river of sight
And you can really understand
-Neil Young

Vapor Trails

It's good to be here. I feel like I'm in the right state at the right moment. The right state of mind, too.

It's quite beautiful out here. And it has a way cooler vibe than other parts of midwest. There always seem to be cool cloud patterns over the Rockies, and the most amazing colors at sunset. And that's why you will have to come out and visit!

Vapor Trails Over Iowa 12/5/15

December 9th

Today I went down to the temp agency and took a course on harvesting and trimming. I passed the test and I start a temp job on Monday. I am thrilled. 

So here we go, down the rabbit hole. I can't wait. I promise to keep blogging.

Journey's End

The sun sets in Eastern Colorado as I near the end of my journey.

Dec 8

After five months of laying the groundwork, I have moved to the Denver area. Woo hoo! Thanks to the many who helped along the way. And thank you to my Toyota! 202,000 miles! To me, my 1997 Toyota Corolla like Tony Stark's Iron Man Suit.

I had a 20 ounce, bone in rib-eye in Nebraska. There are more cattle than people, and they taste better too. It's beautiful country out there, and there's so much of it. Farm after farm after farm. But I hung out in a dive bar in Grand Island (it's not an island, it's Nebraska) and it was a cool crowd. The older ones were cool, the younger ones were alcohol soaked.

One guy asked if I wanted to play darts, loser buys drinks. I agreed and annihilated him in about ten rounds. Then I found a free Miller Genuine Draft in my hand.

Having done the East Coast to Denver thing twice now, I can finally conceptualize just how vast our country is. The space goes on forever and ever. As do the cattle.

Delicious.

3:34am

Still can't sleep. After driving for almost 9.5 hours, I thought I might drop as I fell in the door. But, after that long of paying attention, it's never easy to come down.

Take a little trip back with father Tiresias,
Listen to the old one speak of all he has lived through.
I have crossed between the poles, for me there's no mystery.

-Genesis

Sleep is beckoning from across the street. “Not yet,” she says, but whispers, “...soon.”

“That'll do sleep. That'll do."

2,000 Miles to Denver

I got here safely. Thanks for all the well wishes. It's good to be back. The trip was fantastic and I'll fill ye in mañana. I have tales to tell from PA, Chicago, Des Moines and Nebraska. I drove 2,000 miles in 5 days. It was a whole lot of driving, but an amazing experience. Sleep well. I know I will.

CowMageddon

Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder. I was delayed 2 hours, leaving Jersey, because my of credit card, which was below it's limit. I couldn't even buy gas! Mum helped me out and saved my ass, yet again.

Then I was cruising across New Jersey and Transylvania (I mean Pennsylvania,) and it was fun. There was snow on the ground in PA in the western Poconos.

Then, as I was less than an hour from the Ohio border, where I figured I'd stop and get a hotel room, we were suddenly at a standstill. It was obvious there had to have been an accident up the road.

I called Mum and as we were talking, I suddenly yelled, "What the hell?" Three cows had just walked past my car on the shoulder (going east on 80 west, no less!) I was like, "That really happened!" Turned out that a tractor trailer, filled with cattle, had flipped. Cows were running around on route 80! It was madness! The rescue crew was trying to retrieve them, but the cows could climb up the embankment! It was a bizarre 2.5 hours. There were 40 something cows. And a lot had to have died. I remember screaming, "Oh, the Bovinity!"

But it didn't stop me from ordering a steak later on.

D-day

Tomorrow is moving day. Kevin helped me pack a lot of kitchen up yesterday. I don't think I'll get much sleep tonight.

And the Seahawks moved into a playoff spot for the first time all year, with a record of 6-5. Still up:

@Minnesota
@Baltimore
Cleveland
St. Louis
@Arizona

The key is to try and get up to the 5th spot, the highest wild card. That would meaning playing the Giants or the Redskins in the first round.

And the Pats lost! Hooray! But Gronk was hurt, which is a bummer for them. And the Seahawks lost Jimmy Graham for the year. Boo!

Gotta go to the bank and dump off stuff at Big Brothers and Sisters. And the town dump.

- - -

Okay, tied up a lot of loose financial ends. dropped of clothes. Changed my address at the bank and got new checks.  Have to get to the dump mañana.

After 5 months of planning, I am finally leaving CT and going to CO. It was a long time coming.

Slash and Burn

Time to clean. It seems endless, like a black hole. Then up early mañana and drive down to Jersey (with the Doctor) for Thanksgiving. Speaking of which, he is in the recliner purring up a storm. He's pretty calm, considering all of the ceaseless activity.

You know how that rabbit feels
Going under your speeding wheels
Bright images flashing by
Like windshields towards a fly
Frozen in the fatal climb
But the wheels of time 
Just pass you by
-Rush

One week from today, I begin my long journey west. My friend, Vicky, said, "1800 miles! Bloody hell!" She's from Wales, a tiny country. Europeans often forget how massive the United States is. 

Laundry is washing. The dishwasher is empty. Got to pack a bag for the weekend. It's going be very warm in Jersey mañana - 64 degrees! That El Niño is screwing up the weather. Little bastard.

Mapping It Out

Looks like I'm going to have to drive for about 455 miles a day, for four days. I begin Dec 2 and arrive on Saturday, Dec. 5. I start off in Jersey and go through PA, OH, IN, IL, IA, NE and then finally, CO. I've never been through Ohio, Iowa nor Nebraska. I'll go past Cleveland, South Bend, Des Moine and Omaha on the way to Denver. Looks like I'll sleep in Ohio, Iowa and Nebraska.

The 'Kiss My Shiny Metal Ass Good-bye Tour', Part 1

We each pay a fabulous price
For our visions of paradise
But a spirit with a vision is a dream
With a mission
-Rush


It was great to see everybody at The Adults gig on Friday with Smith. Then I got to see Jim, Dean and Kevin on Saturday, and the wives and kids

I am very grateful to my family and friends for all of their support in this endeavor. It's a huge step and you have all helped me immensely.

Next stop -> New Jersey for Thanksgiving and to say good-bye to the family. There's a good chance I won't be back til July.

The Path is Clear

The path is clear
Though no eyes can see
The course laid down long before.
And so with gods and men
The sheep remain inside their pen,
Though many times they've seen the way to leave. 
-Genesis

JB and K said they that I can stay with them for the month of Dec. and that I'll just pay for a third of everything. Hooray! Also, as an Xmas present, I bequeath unto Mum, Dr. Wu. It's perfect timing really, with Mully now gone. This way, I don't have to worry about having a cat when looking for a place. Doctor loves Mum and will be very happy there. And I'll get to see him when I come back east.

The Transition Game

Eleanor Rigby, died in the church
And was buried along with her name
Nobody came
Father McKenzie, wiping the dirtFrom his hands as he walks from the grave
No one was saved
-The Beatles

My list gets longer and longer of things I need to do before I leave. Each day the picture gets a little clearer. And then it gets murkier. That's just life in the transition game.

Once a Decade

I've been doing this once a decade. In 1990, I went to Jamaica. 1998 we moved to DC. In 2007, I went to Madrid. Now I'm leaving for Denver. So Friday was the first of what will be several good-bye parties. I stayed by Mark and Mary's for the weekend saw a lot of our crew. Thanks for the hospitality!

Fifteen days before I leave CT for good.

Getting it Sorted

No sleep, no sleep, no sleep
And no mad video machine to eat time
-King Crimson

Probably because of the impending move and it's unending impact on my here and now, I have not been sleeping well and then want to fall asleep at 7:00am. But I'll get it sorted.


photo by Rob Gonsalves

Looking for housing. Dr. Wu spotted a fly and is going batshit crazy, stalking it. I heard from Kevin and Facebook that Sue got engaged this weekend. She's been with her guy for four years now, so good for them. And Annie will have a father figure. I am very happy for them. I hope he's everything I wasn't for her. 

My life as been such a fustercluck that past 3 years that I haven't even thought about dating. Maybe once I get settled in CO. Or maybe not. Life on my own is cool and uncomplicated. Except that I've had horrible job problems, which = not a lot of spare money. But this move is going to be good. 

Life as I Knew It

photo by Rob Gonsalves

Life as I knew it is over. By the 30th of November, I need to be out of the house.

• I need a place to live.
• I need a job.
• I need health insurance for Colorado.
• I need to drive my car to Colorado OR put it on a flatbed. 26 h (1,849.2 mi) via I-80 W, going through NY, PA, OH, IA, NE and then CO
• I need to pack up and find movers
• I need to find storage for my stuff in CO.

Fuck me. That's a lot of shit to do in 23 days. But I just got a quote r0r over $1,000, so looks like I'm driving! Doc will temporarily live with Mum. I guess I should get started.

Leaving Colorado

Coming home mañana to Mum and Doctor Wu, who I believe has won her heart.

Sometimes you 

just need to go home.

In Transition

More CVs sent out.

Mets win!

Come on Steven Matz in game four!

Going to see La Hija mañana in Denver.

If you ever wondered if it's possible for someone to eat too many chilis, you're both wrong and right.

Door to door

Well, the interview went well. They are a temp place and they will teach me to trim buds at $9 an hour. Any way I can get my ass in the door works me. There's a course every Wednesday.

I've been dropping off my CV and a copy of my Badge all over. Boulder and Denver are all covered. I've also applied for jobs in Fort Collins, which a nice area towards the Wyoming border.

I have a heap of logistics to sort through in the next few days. And more CVs to send out.

Let's go Mets!

Badge

I got my Medical Marijuana Badge today! Just in time for the interview mañana! Thanks to Kay and JB for helping make this possible.

Interview

The Mets lost in the 14th. Familia blows a save and wright makes an error.

I have an interview on Fri. No, it's not with a vampire. No, it's not a sex worker job. It for trimming buds, which is at least a foot in the door.

Game 2 starting now. Good-bye.

La Hija Returns

Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’
- BOB DYLAN

Well, things just keep surprising me here, and again it is for the better. Kristen, who I knew from the TEFL class in Madrid and was my housemate, is living in Boulder! I totally forgot she was going to school to be a witch doctor (some alternative medicine whose name I can't recall.) 

She always called me "Pops," and I called her "Hija (daughter,) because of our vast age difference.

I pinged her to say I was moving out here, thinking she was still in California, and then remembered she was out here now. We're going to meet in Denver this weekend, eight years after we first met; a witch doctor and a cannabis grower. The times, they most certainly are a-changin'!

The Green Wave

Out of the port of Liverpool
Bound for the North of Ireland
The wash of the spray and horsetail waves
The roll of the sea below
And Easter here again
A time for the Blind to see
Easter, surely now
Can all of your hearts be free

-MARILLION

It's a new day. A new career. A new state. A new life. Leaving it all behind. Twice, I have abandoned my past life and started over. I went to Jamaica and left everything behind. Then Madrid. Now Colorado. I plan for this to be the last time. Maybe it will be the second to last, as I hope to move back to the east coast as the green wave eventually washes over New England and the Mid-Atlantic states.

Incredible

The past 4 weeks have been incredible. Now that I will soon have my Badge, I can send out my CV like crazy. I love it here, but the altitude is taking its toll on my sinuses. I think it will pass, or I'll just find an allergist out here. When I spoke to Mel, she suggested the same thing. Smart women.

Thanks to all of you, even friends who don't read this blog (and why wouldn't you read it, you tools?It's awesome!) The swell of support has been invigorating. And thanks to Mum for taking care of Dr. Wu while I'm away.

Meanwhile, I grow greener every day.

The New World

There's only one direction
In the faces that I see
And it's upward to the ceiling
Where the chamber's said to be
Like the forest fight for sunlight
That takes root in every tree
They are pulled up by a magnet
Believing they're free

The carpet crawlers heed their callers
You gotta get in to get out

-GENESIS

Will Forte

I finally was able to qualify for a CO driver's license on Thursday, and then went for my Marijuana Badge on Friday. The fingerprinted me and will run a background check that takes about 24 hours, then they'll mail it out. With some luck, I might have it by Wed. However, I even now have my license number so I can include that in my cover letter.

Woo hoo! One step closer. It just so happens that there are a lot of steps in this process.

What an incredible cast of characters were there, over twenty of us. There were people with;

- Unruly hair and beards like Will Forte's character in The Last Man on Earth.

- Nose rings

- Suspenders ( I shit you not)
- Pink hair, Red hair
- No makeup and bell bottoms. Bell Bottoms!

Compared to the rest, I was a fucking bore. But the people I did talk to while we waited for the office to open, were nice. It's a new world, so it's time to embrace it.

The World Series

The Mets are going to the World Series for the 1st time in fifteen years! Yeah baby! In other news, the sun still rises in the east and sets in the west.

The mercury dropped crazily last night. It's 48F in the middle of the afternoon. Damn!

Have to send out more CVs today. Dispensaries have told me they are hiring. I should have what I need to get my CO driver's license by next Monday. I opened two bank accounts, so that should be coming. Last night was a cold and rainy wait for the light rail out of Denver after the game. The flashes of lighting were insane. It was Forbidden Zone from the Planet of the Apes lightning. The weather here turns on a dime.

Mets Mania

The mighty Mets take the third straight game from the Cubbies. Apologies to Aunt Vivian and my estranged cousin, Anthony Rizzo, but I know you will win one some other year, when the Mets aren't in it.

I've walked into a bunch of cannabis dispensaries and they are all eager to see my CV, which I email off to them. We'll see. I have been pounding the pavement, much as NY has been pounding CHI.

Amazin' Again

l

Daniel Murphy put the Mets on his back with two solo home runs and a great steal of third. Jacob DeGrom did not have his best stuff, but gutted out the win. The Amazin's are going back to the NLCS!

Mystic Rhythms

So many things I think about
When I look far away
Things I know -- things I wonder
Things I'd like to say
The more we think we know about
The greater the unknown
We suspend our disbelief
And we are not alone

-Rush

Things are starting to come together. Thanks for all of the support. My friends and family have been huge through all of this.

Things to Know When in Denver

ver

3 Basic Rules for Denver:

1) Never refuse a glass of water. The altitude dehydrates you and you can never drink too much.
2) Never pass up a chance to use the toilet. The altitude weighs on your digestive systems and can cause a lot of flatulence. And cause the occasional photo finish to the restroom.
3) Always carry an inhaler with you. While I haven't wheezed, the air is thin and the rescue inhaler helps you catch your breath and breathe easier.

- - -

We hiked the Three Sisters trail on Monday at an altitude of 8,000 feet, so that's 1.5 miles.

It's my goal to someday hike a Fourteener (a peak with an elevation of 14,000 or higher.) Today was a start.

Directory

On Saturday, I went into Denver and found this directory of all of the dispensaries in Colorado. Very helpful. I have been looking up all of the one's who grow their own cannabis and will stop in and say hello. Things are going well. Kay and I went for a hike on a nice peak. It was beautiful. October is great out here. It's warm and dry.

Good-bye Mully

We lost Mum's cat, Mulligan, on Sat./Fri. He was 16 and a half. We was one of my best buddies. Well loved he was.

- - -

M.S.

This has been a very interesting time. It's so great to see JB again. And while the disease has taken the toll, his spirit is intact. Kay takes very loving care of him. It's very moving. JB is a fervent supporter of me growing cannabis.

JB always says, "You're going to do this!" 

And I say, "Yes, I am."

I've been called brave.

I've been called insane.

It doesn't matter, either way, as long as I am fortunate enough to pursue my dreams.

But I have seen enough to say that I will say that I will be an advocate to stop MS from this day forward. Cannabis is very effective for people who have MS.

My Uncle Ronnie died from this disease. I hadn't seen him in years. He was a good man. I never understood how much MS is a horror.

Denver

Comin' down the mountain, one of many children
-Jane's Addiction




Today was a good day. Go Cubs! 

I went to a George Washington University mixer in Denver tonight. I met some very cool people. I took the light rail in, which isn't bad, but I think I walked about 5 miles. In this thin air, I may really feel that mañana.

WISE COMPANY

I am watching the Smithsonian channel. It's 1:15am. I just saw a three minute commercial for the Wise Company which sells freeze dried food that can last 25 years for the apocalypse. AND, it comes with a 30 day guarantee. So if the worlds ends and you have to eat this stuff, and you don't like it, you can get a refund. IF the Wise Company still exists. Hysterical. The only thing I've ever heard that was funnier than that was the Rapture. 

Buying cannabis legally is awesome. It's so civilized. 

I tip my hat to Aldous Huxley. He foresaw SOMA, a drug that made you happy. We step closer to his vision every day. It's a dystopian saga, but maybe today we can get it right. At the very least, give it to medical patients so that it relieves their pain. That's just being a humanitarian.

Is that so wrong?

Intentional Batting

I can't hear you
You're talking to yourself
And what you're used to
It don't work on no one else

I wanna teach you
Keep you for myself
Gonna take you by the hand
I'm gonna walk you to my house
So I can hear you
-The Dead Weather

Seattle won an UGLY one last night, thanks to Kam Chancellor and an NFL official who did not think Wright intentionally knocked the ball out of the end zone. The official was wrong, and therefore Seattle still has a shot at the postseason.

NFL Fans, Please Smoke Some Pot

The Denver Post has an entire section called, The Canabist. It's a great resource.

This article is hilarious. I have been saying this for years.


http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2015/10/01/opinion-stops-49ers-attacks-lawsuits-replace-alcohol-with-marijuana/



I remember teaching this article while in Spain.


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/sports/baseball/05disco.html


The one spokesman talks about how the kids were all stoned all left rather peacefully.

Mountain Time

from Mt. Evans

Mountain Tine is so messed up. The Mets game started at 11am. WTF?

Be safe, all of you in the path of Hurricane Joaquin (obviously named in honor of the late, great pitcher, Joaquin Andujar.)

Yesterday we went up Mt. Evans, but not all the way to the top as it is above 14,000 feet (they call them 14ers.) The views were unbelievable. However, we had a lot of smog yesterday. The smoke may have been from forest fires north of Denver. 

Colorado is a gorgeous state.