My realistic fantasies of Portland are that it will be different from here. It will be a change. It will not be what I have become accustomed to. The weather will be different. The scenery will be different. There will be new places and new experiences. There will be more public transportation. There will be more nudity, as there is a nude bike ride every year. There will be more beer, as Portland has the most microbreweries of any major US city. There will be more professional sports games, as they have more professional sports teams than I am accustomed to here. There will be more liberal-minded individuals, as Portland is one of the most liberal cities in the nation. There will be more legal suicides there, because it's the only city in the nation that has legal suicides (which was what attracted me to the state in the first place).
I can't say for certain if it's gonna be more fun. It might suck. I can't say if it's gonna be nicer. Cuz it might suck. I can't say if I could legally smoke pot there, because now you can't (I don't think... it's hard to tell with that because it's still illegal on the federal level, but it's been "decriminalized" on states levels... I dunno... it's legal in Washington, but not if your the Feds... it's weird...). I just don't know about a lot. It is certainly more expensive to live there, which is going to be the case almost anywhere we go, because we're living in one of the cheapest places to live in the nation. And that, honestly, is one of the few attractive features about where I live now. However, living in a cheap place and being surrounded by what we're surrounded with is like being given a free steak dinner every night while swimming in a septic tank. Sure, you get free steak every night. And even while you're eating steak, you're swimming in shit.
There are too many things that I don't know about Portland, and I don't think it will be possible to learn about Portland until we move there. I visited New York before moving there, and it wasn't anything like visiting. I didn't visit Detroit before moving there, and it was fine. I certainly enjoyed living in Detroit more than I enjoyed living in New York. And Portland is different from both of those and will have similarities and differences. I moved to New York without a job and struggled. I moved to Detroit with a job and didn't struggle as much (although I still struggled). I would like to move to Portland with a job in the hopes that it will reduce my struggle.
All of that is to say I've thought about it, I've done the research I know how to do without going to the city, and I'm about as ready as I can be to move there knowing that my move there is about 5 years away. So I'm not living in a fantasy world. I know what I'm doing as much as anybody ever does. And things could suck. And if they do, I'll change.
However...
I would prefer to think of Portland like I do when I fantasize about it. It's nicer that way. Makes me smile. In my fantasy of Portland, people are kind and they don't gossip. They're loyal and friendly and open and free from judgment. They are exciting and adventurous and honest. They don't judge me or my wife or my kids or my mom or step-dad or any friends I have now or have there. They are understanding. They are accommodating and helpful. They are good people. They try to be as well-rounded as they can be, gathering as much information as they can before making up their minds. And they're open to changes. They don't allow one noisy person to influence them blindly, like a preacher or Rush Limbaugh (who the fuck names their kid "Rush" anyway?!). They aren't fanatics about anything. They are fans of a lot of things. **Time out-- a Star Wars fan knows a lot about the movies, books, comics, action figures, the next movies, etc. A Star Wars fanatic will judge you if don't convert to Jediism and constantly ridicule you if your midiclorian count is too low. Fans are okay. Fanatics suck ass. Time in.** Despite the higher cost of living, it's not as difficult to live as one would imagine. Relaxation is possible and occurs often. I like my job. Fuck, I love my job. I have a comfortable home for me and my wife, who is also comfortable and happy. My eldest lives close by, and he is comfortable and happy. My mother and step-father live close by, and they are amazed at how comfortable and happy they are, too. They were skeptical, but have quickly become converts. Weekly I meet them for beers or trivia, or just dinner. Sometimes we do something special. Birthdays are fun, because friends come over. That goes for everybody's birthday. My kid has friends come over special for his birthday, and my wife's friends drop by when they want to celebrate her, and they do it comfortably and in a way that doesn't embarrass her and makes her feel good. She doesn't feel like she's gotta vacuum the couch before she can be seen by people, because she's comfortable with who she is, vacuumed couch or no vacuumed couch. She knows she's accepted and loved. My mom and step-father have a good, loyal group of people who hang out with them and make them feel as special as they are. They go places with these friends, and randomly stop in and see me, my wife, my kids, just because they're in the neighborhood. My youngest moves to the area to go to college at a university known for it's ties with Nike (who supports their football team) so that his father will pay for it while completely leaving out the fact that his mother and I are moving there, and once he's there he completely forgets about his father and his father dies in a fire over and over and over again, every day, no matter who pees all over him and in his open mouth screaming for relief but none ever comes and he's entirely abandoned by everyone on the planet and every day he is set ablaze anew and is completely consumed with pain and torture and horse piss that doesn't put out the fire and continues to blanket his meaningless existence with pain and torture and horse piss as he continues to be the poster child for partial-birth abortions. And Portland forgives me when I get that way, because they know I'm still hurting about it, and they would like to see me without so much pain, but they know I must do that alone and they can't really do much except sit next to me while I cry in between the high school lockers. And they sit while I cry. And they're there when I stop crying. And they hug me and give me a beer and tell me it's gonna be okay and they're not going anywhere. And they mean it. And they don't go anywhere. And they don't persecute me for my beliefs, and they don't persecute my family for theirs. And the air is fresh and clean. And when we get there, pot will be legal and cheap and great. And the amount of relaxation I will experience will be unrivaled even by Jell-O. **Time out-- the band Green Jell-O had to change their name because the Jell-O corporation said they didn't have permission to use the name Jell-O. Same thing happened with Chicago Transit Authority, except that wasn't a corporation, obviously. Same thing happened with Mozart Southwestern Bell. Time in.** And my wife and I will snuggle, often and freely, in a comfortable swing, or sofa, or bed, or something. And we'll cry a lot because we're so happy. And then we stop crying and we just snuggle.
Yeah, that's where I like living.
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Monday, October 27, 2014
Random Thoughts (a little miffed)
In every religion I can think of, the central figure is usually something/somebody of enormous power. Yet it needs those it creates for some reason, usually praise and worship. That's dumb. Why would a god need that which it creates to fawn on it? Think about it. You draw something on a sheet of paper. And, just like you planned, it comes to life and starts saying things to you like, "you're awesome." Do you NEED that praise or prayer? It might be nice to hear, but it's not like the drawing is telling you something you don't already know. I'm pretty sure that whole Pray To Me and Love Me and Believe In Me thing is a construct of the folks in power who wanted to use religion as a means to control those who would let themselves be easily lead. Or not so easily led. It's hard to tell people today that you don't believe in their god-- or any god, for that matter-- for fear of retributions, some of which might involve death. It's always been tough to think for yourself, I would imagine.
Also, gods typically separate themselves from those they create. Mt. Olympus and heaven and the like are all away from the regular humans. Gods up, humans down. That, too, is stupid. If you created a drawing, and it came to life (again, as you planned), would you go back to your room where you're just gonna masturbate and watch Netflix, or would you rather hang out with your drawings and be god-like to them?
If I only get psychokinetic powers only in one room of my house, that is the room I'm gonna hang out in most of the time.
Gods of the underworld or demons or whatever are always placed in really crappy places. Those gods don't scare me, cuz they can't even get themselves out of crappy places. It's like a guy trying to get out of a bad neighborhood but just can't seem to save up enough money to get his U-Haul truck. Not scary.
And all gods are, despite their extraordinary powers and abilities, ALWAYS bested by man.
And you want me to blindly devote my life to a being that needs me to praise it, needs me not to put my penis certain places otherwise I destroy heaven (thank you, Mormons, for that one), and can be beaten by me and my buddies?
Um... no.
I'm going to create a new way of thinking about these myths.
Gods win. Period.
They don't need people. They don't really care about people. And they always win.
If a human goes up against a god, he dies. Period.
Gods live with people. And people don't know they're gods until the god decides to let the people in on it.
Gods might actually have been people at one point, until they learned to think for themselves and not blindly follow what others told them. Like stories of false gods.
Gods don't like the name "god" when it's used as a form of praise. Because gods don't give a shit about your silly little praise.
Gods don't die, but they do retire. Like Norse and Greek gods. They're not really first-string gods right now, but they're chillin' in the bar, watching these other gods, seeing what's gonna happen.
Shit's dumb, yo.
Especially the dumb shit we come up with.
Laws are dumb. Laws are dumb because they have no power other than what somebody else gives to them. You can follow a law or not, but if you do it's because you agreed to follow the law. So the law has no power, only the person who follows or doesn't follow the law.
In our current society, we have collectively decided that there are people who won't follow the rules (or laws) of our society. That's why we have cops. And once we hired those people to make sure that there are rule enforcers, we gave them the power to not abide by those rules. Police run red lights, speed, and carry weapons into areas where weapons aren't allowed. Police routinely do not follow the rules in the execution of their duties as police. And we, as a society, are okay with that. We are also okay with elevating these people above certain laws while paying these people wages that aren't much above what fast food workers make.
Our system is fucked.
And we did it.
We're so stupid.
Also, gods typically separate themselves from those they create. Mt. Olympus and heaven and the like are all away from the regular humans. Gods up, humans down. That, too, is stupid. If you created a drawing, and it came to life (again, as you planned), would you go back to your room where you're just gonna masturbate and watch Netflix, or would you rather hang out with your drawings and be god-like to them?
If I only get psychokinetic powers only in one room of my house, that is the room I'm gonna hang out in most of the time.
Gods of the underworld or demons or whatever are always placed in really crappy places. Those gods don't scare me, cuz they can't even get themselves out of crappy places. It's like a guy trying to get out of a bad neighborhood but just can't seem to save up enough money to get his U-Haul truck. Not scary.
And all gods are, despite their extraordinary powers and abilities, ALWAYS bested by man.
And you want me to blindly devote my life to a being that needs me to praise it, needs me not to put my penis certain places otherwise I destroy heaven (thank you, Mormons, for that one), and can be beaten by me and my buddies?
Um... no.
I'm going to create a new way of thinking about these myths.
Gods win. Period.
They don't need people. They don't really care about people. And they always win.
If a human goes up against a god, he dies. Period.
Gods live with people. And people don't know they're gods until the god decides to let the people in on it.
Gods might actually have been people at one point, until they learned to think for themselves and not blindly follow what others told them. Like stories of false gods.
Gods don't like the name "god" when it's used as a form of praise. Because gods don't give a shit about your silly little praise.
Gods don't die, but they do retire. Like Norse and Greek gods. They're not really first-string gods right now, but they're chillin' in the bar, watching these other gods, seeing what's gonna happen.
Shit's dumb, yo.
Especially the dumb shit we come up with.
Laws are dumb. Laws are dumb because they have no power other than what somebody else gives to them. You can follow a law or not, but if you do it's because you agreed to follow the law. So the law has no power, only the person who follows or doesn't follow the law.
In our current society, we have collectively decided that there are people who won't follow the rules (or laws) of our society. That's why we have cops. And once we hired those people to make sure that there are rule enforcers, we gave them the power to not abide by those rules. Police run red lights, speed, and carry weapons into areas where weapons aren't allowed. Police routinely do not follow the rules in the execution of their duties as police. And we, as a society, are okay with that. We are also okay with elevating these people above certain laws while paying these people wages that aren't much above what fast food workers make.
Our system is fucked.
And we did it.
We're so stupid.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Marijuana Will Make You Psychotic and Kill You
I'm trying to get medical records from a marijuana dispensary in Arizona, where medical marijuana is legal. I'm doing this for my job, which happens to be in a state where medical marijuana is not legal. I'm told that I cannot request records from the place in Arizona because we don't request records from "these types of vendors".
Which pisses me off. One of the things I was trained in when taking this job was how to help people in other states, where laws differ from the laws of our state. Being told "no" based on ignorance is very frustrating.
So I go off, looking for... I dunno... marijuana information. And I come across a forum about how long THC (the active drug found in most marijuana) stays in your system. It's a forum of Internet users, and their expertise needs not be any deeper than they navigated to the page and started typing. In other words, they, too, are ignorant.
However, I'm fascinated with communication and how we communicate to each other. This forum provided some anger/entertainment for me, and I wanted to share it.
Here's the address for the forum:
http://www.drugs.com/answers/how-long-does-marijuana-stay-in-system-53067.html
Here's the original question asked in the forum:
aquanaut
There were several answers from people who don't know. Some sound better than others. Some people claim to have firsthand knowledge. Some say that it's based on the way your specific body interacts with that drug, as well as your metabolism rate and other factors specific to you as an individual (I tend to believe these answers more than any others). But this was an answer that stuck out to me, as posted by "Anonymous":
hi there I´m 41 years old i have been clean for 8 years now, and was addicted to almost every durg out there ... started with the occasional joint, the problem is not how long it stays in your system, the problem is that in time you are killing brain cells( becoming a walking
zombie), and the worse is the mental dependency ( first twice a week ... then believe me everyday and more than one joint... tolerance) and the worst is that it opens the doors for more hardcore drugs. I wasted 20 years of my life 2 wives my children ... MY DIGNITY.
My advice to you as you seem young is to stop now, while you have time and stop worrying about how long TCH (is what gets you high) stays in your system.
Shuey001518 Apr 2011
So here's my first beef: the initial question was, essentially, "How long does THC stay in your body?" And Anonymous answered that question with, "Don't do drugs." Actually, the answer Anonymous gave was "Don't do DURGS," but that's really just me being a little bitch about the typo in Anonymous' response. This answer isn't helpful, in any way. The question asked might insinuate somebody is using drugs, especially when paired with the question about taking a drug test, but nobody has admitted to using drugs or stated that somebody is using drugs. So telling somebody to not do drugs is pointless for this question. Secondly, Anonymous goes on to state that he became a walking zombie, lost two wives, his children, and his dignity. This has nothing to do with the question being asked and simply lets us know how completely fucked up Anonymous is. Also, Anonymous says "you seem young". This indicates that Anonymous is an idiot, as there is not even the slightest indication as to how old the asker of the question is based on the question. Anonymous, therefore, has proven himself to be a person not to be listened to or given access to a computer with Internet. Also, the argument of marijuana leading to other drugs is absolutely ridiculous, as this puts blame on marijuana for the sins of other drugs. It's like blaming steak for obesity, or Hitler's parents for the actions of Hitler. "They came first, so they're the gateway dictator! Don't be their child!" Asinine.
The response from Shuey0015 is interesting, as well. Shuey0015 first asserts, without citation, that there is no proof that THC kills brain cells.
So I went searching.
I found, according to one source, that THC causes more cancer than five regular cigarettes smoked one right after the other. I found this to be, at face value, entirely inaccurate. Cigarette papers from all major cigarette manufacturers contain ammonia and gunpowder in them, and those two ingredients alone make this assertion ridiculous. This website also goes on to say that marijuana has 50-70% more cancer causing agents than cigarettes, causes rapid heartbeat, psychosis, disorientation, depression, anxiety, changes in the brain and semen. However, this information comes from the following website:
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/marijuana/the-harmful-effects.html
With a name like "Drug Free World", I can see how their website might be askewed. It saddens me, though, knowing that I have navigated to this page, so others can navigate there as well and potentially believe what they read there. By the way, there are no citations on any of the claims made on this website. No journals, doctors, specialists, addicts, junkies, hustlers, peddlers, fry cooks, ampidextrians, benches, free radicals, or politicians were noted to give any information on this page. It might as well be a work of fiction.
So I went searching more.
This site seemed a little more reputable than my first site...
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana
...only because it's got a ".gov" suffix. But in all honesty, when has the government really been concerned with honesty? As I read through this site, I also noted a lack of citations, even though they made some claims completely opposite of those made on the first site, like marijuana smoke had not yet been determined to have a link with lung cancer. They also state this:
"Although the federal government considers marijuana a Schedule I substance (having no medicinal uses and high risk for abuse), two states have legalized marijuana for adult recreational use, and 21 states have passed laws allowing its use as a treatment for certain medical conditions (see “Is Marijuana Medicine?”, below)."
While they say that marijuana affects the brain, there is no indication that marijuana kills brain cells. At the very bottom of the page, there is a link to find out more about NIDA's marijuana research. If you click that link (I'll include it here...)
http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/marijuana/marijuana-research-nida
you find that the second question asked is about the benefits of marijuana. To which the site responds yes, there are therapeutic benefits to marijuana:
"Research suggests that THC and/or other cannabinoids (chemicals that act on the same receptors as THC in the brain and body) may have potential in the treatment of pain, nausea, obesity, wasting disease, addiction, autoimmune disorders, and other conditions. NIDA has provided and continues to provide funding for research related to therapeutic uses of cannabinoids, as it pertains to its mission, including studies on the use of THC and cannabidiol, another chemical constituent of marijuana, for the treatment of pain (as an alternative to opioid pain relievers), addiction, and other disorders. For example, one currently ongoing study is examining the antipsychotic effects of cannabidiol which may lead to new treatment options for people with schizophrenia. View the list of current NIDA-funded projects related to the therapeutic benefits of cannabis or cannabinoids. ...A few medications derived from THC, however, are now FDA approved for relieving nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy and stimulating appetite in patients with wasting syndrome that often accompanies AIDS."
This quote is weird, because I had just read (just one page earlier!) that marijuana was considered to have no medicinal uses and high risk for abuse according to the federal government, research suggests otherwise. Weird, huh? But is it going to kill my brain??!!
I went searching more.
http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/2009/MarijuanaBrain.htm
Ah, finally an education website! Except this seems to be a paper written by somebody who (to me) seems to be pretty pro-marijuana, so this paper is probably going to be in favor of marijuana and downplay any negatives. However, there are citations. There's a big section about how marijuana affects the brain in terms of damaging brain cells! And it says that marijuana does damage brain cells! In doses up to 200x the psychoactive dose in humans. Huh. So, essentially, somebody would have to smoke dope until they were high, and then smoke 200 times more than that to damage their brain cells. This paper also states that MRI of the brain can't detect a difference between those who smoke marijuana and those who do. MRI has shown alcohol shrinks the brain (http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa63/aa63.htm), but MRI can't see a difference between a brain that has smoked marijuana and a brain that hasn't.
I went searching more.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-facts-teens/want-to-know-more-some-faqs-about-marijuana
Back to the government websites, as well as the original question of how long marijuana stays in your system. It says that standard urine tests can detect traces of THC several days after use, and if you're a heavy user (it doesn't define "heavy user"-- one joint a day, or one joint every 15 minutes?) a urine test can detect THC in your system for weeks after you stop using.
So there's no clear answer, really.
Except that there is a lot of misinformation on the Internet. You gotta be careful where you look and who you listen to (didn't use "whom" and ended with a preposition-- I'm on a roll!!).
But going back to Anonymous, this cat really bites my grapes. Telling me that he ruined his life by smoking a couple of joints when he was a kid. Fuck you, Anonymous. I'm sorry that you smoked a few joints and jumped right in to dealing meth outta your bunghole, but that's atypical, and just as I would caution anyone from planning on becoming an NBA professional by going to University of North Carolina and majoring in cultural geography because it's atypical, I would caution anyone from being fearful of becoming addicted to every drug on the planet simply because you did. Your experience is atypical, and it's a form of fear mongering to go around telling people to stop smoking weed (when they may not have even started) because it's going to do things that it doesn't do and have affects that it doesn't have and lead to things that it doesn't lead to. There is no direct cause-and-effect between smoking joints and doing any other drug. George W. Bush said that his response to the attacks of 9-11 were successful because there hadn't been any more terrorist attacks since starting the war in Iraq. While this statement is true, it's also true that there have been no terrorist attacks since I masturbated this morning. There is no cause-and-effect behind my statement, behind Bush's statement, or behind your statement, Anonymous.
**Time out-- I never used to have any difficulties with "affect" and "effect" until my wife went on a huge rant about how it's one of her pet peeves when people use these two words incorrectly, and now I have no idea which word I should use, because either word could end my marriage. Time in.**
What was I saying? Oh yeah. Personally, I think everybody should use drugs if they need to, and they shouldn't use drugs if they don't need to. Also, if you think drugs might be fun, maybe you should try them in a safe way, unless you think you'll get addicted or hurt somehow, and then it's probably not worth the risk. But you should really know yourself better than me or anybody else, for that matter, and you are going to make the best decisions for yourself. And if you don't, hopefully you'll learn from those mistakes and make better decisions for yourself in the future. I'm also a big fan of sushi. It's delicious.
Which pisses me off. One of the things I was trained in when taking this job was how to help people in other states, where laws differ from the laws of our state. Being told "no" based on ignorance is very frustrating.
So I go off, looking for... I dunno... marijuana information. And I come across a forum about how long THC (the active drug found in most marijuana) stays in your system. It's a forum of Internet users, and their expertise needs not be any deeper than they navigated to the page and started typing. In other words, they, too, are ignorant.
However, I'm fascinated with communication and how we communicate to each other. This forum provided some anger/entertainment for me, and I wanted to share it.
Here's the address for the forum:
http://www.drugs.com/answers/how-long-does-marijuana-stay-in-system-53067.html
Here's the original question asked in the forum:
aquanaut
How long does Marijuana stay in your system?
Details:
How long do you need to wait before you are clear to take a drug test?
There were several answers from people who don't know. Some sound better than others. Some people claim to have firsthand knowledge. Some say that it's based on the way your specific body interacts with that drug, as well as your metabolism rate and other factors specific to you as an individual (I tend to believe these answers more than any others). But this was an answer that stuck out to me, as posted by "Anonymous":
hi there I´m 41 years old i have been clean for 8 years now, and was addicted to almost every durg out there ... started with the occasional joint, the problem is not how long it stays in your system, the problem is that in time you are killing brain cells( becoming a walking
zombie), and the worse is the mental dependency ( first twice a week ... then believe me everyday and more than one joint... tolerance) and the worst is that it opens the doors for more hardcore drugs. I wasted 20 years of my life 2 wives my children ... MY DIGNITY.My advice to you as you seem young is to stop now, while you have time and stop worrying about how long TCH (is what gets you high) stays in your system.
There was a response to this post:
Shuey001518 Apr 2011
There is no proof that it kills your brain cells. Scientist experimented with monkeys by putting a gas mask over their whole face and pumped 30 joints a day, but the weed didnt kill their brain cells the gas mask suffocated them causing no oxygen to get to the brain (i found this info in the movie "The Union: Business Behind Getting High.") Great marijuana documentary and will change your beliefs about marijuana.
Behind Getting High.") Great marijuana documentary and will change your beliefs about marijuana.So here's my first beef: the initial question was, essentially, "How long does THC stay in your body?" And Anonymous answered that question with, "Don't do drugs." Actually, the answer Anonymous gave was "Don't do DURGS," but that's really just me being a little bitch about the typo in Anonymous' response. This answer isn't helpful, in any way. The question asked might insinuate somebody is using drugs, especially when paired with the question about taking a drug test, but nobody has admitted to using drugs or stated that somebody is using drugs. So telling somebody to not do drugs is pointless for this question. Secondly, Anonymous goes on to state that he became a walking zombie, lost two wives, his children, and his dignity. This has nothing to do with the question being asked and simply lets us know how completely fucked up Anonymous is. Also, Anonymous says "you seem young". This indicates that Anonymous is an idiot, as there is not even the slightest indication as to how old the asker of the question is based on the question. Anonymous, therefore, has proven himself to be a person not to be listened to or given access to a computer with Internet. Also, the argument of marijuana leading to other drugs is absolutely ridiculous, as this puts blame on marijuana for the sins of other drugs. It's like blaming steak for obesity, or Hitler's parents for the actions of Hitler. "They came first, so they're the gateway dictator! Don't be their child!" Asinine.
The response from Shuey0015 is interesting, as well. Shuey0015 first asserts, without citation, that there is no proof that THC kills brain cells.
So I went searching.
I found, according to one source, that THC causes more cancer than five regular cigarettes smoked one right after the other. I found this to be, at face value, entirely inaccurate. Cigarette papers from all major cigarette manufacturers contain ammonia and gunpowder in them, and those two ingredients alone make this assertion ridiculous. This website also goes on to say that marijuana has 50-70% more cancer causing agents than cigarettes, causes rapid heartbeat, psychosis, disorientation, depression, anxiety, changes in the brain and semen. However, this information comes from the following website:
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/marijuana/the-harmful-effects.html
With a name like "Drug Free World", I can see how their website might be askewed. It saddens me, though, knowing that I have navigated to this page, so others can navigate there as well and potentially believe what they read there. By the way, there are no citations on any of the claims made on this website. No journals, doctors, specialists, addicts, junkies, hustlers, peddlers, fry cooks, ampidextrians, benches, free radicals, or politicians were noted to give any information on this page. It might as well be a work of fiction.
So I went searching more.
This site seemed a little more reputable than my first site...
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana
...only because it's got a ".gov" suffix. But in all honesty, when has the government really been concerned with honesty? As I read through this site, I also noted a lack of citations, even though they made some claims completely opposite of those made on the first site, like marijuana smoke had not yet been determined to have a link with lung cancer. They also state this:
"Although the federal government considers marijuana a Schedule I substance (having no medicinal uses and high risk for abuse), two states have legalized marijuana for adult recreational use, and 21 states have passed laws allowing its use as a treatment for certain medical conditions (see “Is Marijuana Medicine?”, below)."
While they say that marijuana affects the brain, there is no indication that marijuana kills brain cells. At the very bottom of the page, there is a link to find out more about NIDA's marijuana research. If you click that link (I'll include it here...)
http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/marijuana/marijuana-research-nida
you find that the second question asked is about the benefits of marijuana. To which the site responds yes, there are therapeutic benefits to marijuana:
"Research suggests that THC and/or other cannabinoids (chemicals that act on the same receptors as THC in the brain and body) may have potential in the treatment of pain, nausea, obesity, wasting disease, addiction, autoimmune disorders, and other conditions. NIDA has provided and continues to provide funding for research related to therapeutic uses of cannabinoids, as it pertains to its mission, including studies on the use of THC and cannabidiol, another chemical constituent of marijuana, for the treatment of pain (as an alternative to opioid pain relievers), addiction, and other disorders. For example, one currently ongoing study is examining the antipsychotic effects of cannabidiol which may lead to new treatment options for people with schizophrenia. View the list of current NIDA-funded projects related to the therapeutic benefits of cannabis or cannabinoids. ...A few medications derived from THC, however, are now FDA approved for relieving nausea associated with cancer chemotherapy and stimulating appetite in patients with wasting syndrome that often accompanies AIDS."
This quote is weird, because I had just read (just one page earlier!) that marijuana was considered to have no medicinal uses and high risk for abuse according to the federal government, research suggests otherwise. Weird, huh? But is it going to kill my brain??!!
I went searching more.
http://healthpsych.psy.vanderbilt.edu/2009/MarijuanaBrain.htm
Ah, finally an education website! Except this seems to be a paper written by somebody who (to me) seems to be pretty pro-marijuana, so this paper is probably going to be in favor of marijuana and downplay any negatives. However, there are citations. There's a big section about how marijuana affects the brain in terms of damaging brain cells! And it says that marijuana does damage brain cells! In doses up to 200x the psychoactive dose in humans. Huh. So, essentially, somebody would have to smoke dope until they were high, and then smoke 200 times more than that to damage their brain cells. This paper also states that MRI of the brain can't detect a difference between those who smoke marijuana and those who do. MRI has shown alcohol shrinks the brain (http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa63/aa63.htm), but MRI can't see a difference between a brain that has smoked marijuana and a brain that hasn't.
I went searching more.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-facts-teens/want-to-know-more-some-faqs-about-marijuana
Back to the government websites, as well as the original question of how long marijuana stays in your system. It says that standard urine tests can detect traces of THC several days after use, and if you're a heavy user (it doesn't define "heavy user"-- one joint a day, or one joint every 15 minutes?) a urine test can detect THC in your system for weeks after you stop using.
So there's no clear answer, really.
Except that there is a lot of misinformation on the Internet. You gotta be careful where you look and who you listen to (didn't use "whom" and ended with a preposition-- I'm on a roll!!).
But going back to Anonymous, this cat really bites my grapes. Telling me that he ruined his life by smoking a couple of joints when he was a kid. Fuck you, Anonymous. I'm sorry that you smoked a few joints and jumped right in to dealing meth outta your bunghole, but that's atypical, and just as I would caution anyone from planning on becoming an NBA professional by going to University of North Carolina and majoring in cultural geography because it's atypical, I would caution anyone from being fearful of becoming addicted to every drug on the planet simply because you did. Your experience is atypical, and it's a form of fear mongering to go around telling people to stop smoking weed (when they may not have even started) because it's going to do things that it doesn't do and have affects that it doesn't have and lead to things that it doesn't lead to. There is no direct cause-and-effect between smoking joints and doing any other drug. George W. Bush said that his response to the attacks of 9-11 were successful because there hadn't been any more terrorist attacks since starting the war in Iraq. While this statement is true, it's also true that there have been no terrorist attacks since I masturbated this morning. There is no cause-and-effect behind my statement, behind Bush's statement, or behind your statement, Anonymous.
**Time out-- I never used to have any difficulties with "affect" and "effect" until my wife went on a huge rant about how it's one of her pet peeves when people use these two words incorrectly, and now I have no idea which word I should use, because either word could end my marriage. Time in.**
What was I saying? Oh yeah. Personally, I think everybody should use drugs if they need to, and they shouldn't use drugs if they don't need to. Also, if you think drugs might be fun, maybe you should try them in a safe way, unless you think you'll get addicted or hurt somehow, and then it's probably not worth the risk. But you should really know yourself better than me or anybody else, for that matter, and you are going to make the best decisions for yourself. And if you don't, hopefully you'll learn from those mistakes and make better decisions for yourself in the future. I'm also a big fan of sushi. It's delicious.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Not helpful
My wife told her co-worker about the court situation, and the co-worker told my wife that she knew a man from a long time ago who was a family law attorney in our city whom my wife should call and talk with.
My wife called the stranger. Let's call him Steve. She fought her own anxieties and called yet another stranger, knowing she would have to tell this story to yet another person who might say really unhelpful, hurtful things. Steve gave her a favorable first impression. Answered her call even though he was driving. Pulled off the road to be able to give her more attention. He said that he would talk to my wife the next morning. His cost: my wife's co-worker would bake him cookies. My wife got off the phone and sobbed, feeling some relief that somebody was willing to help her.
Today she met Steve at 10am. I was at work. At 10:21, I got this text from her: "Not helpful".
She said that Steve hadn't listened to her about her son and his special needs. Steve said that was a "done deal". He didn't listen about incorrectly calculated child support from 2013. He didn't listen about incorrect current child support calculations. He said my wife was making a mountain out of a molehill. He took less than 20 minutes of not listening to her and told her to pay the incorrect child support payments and deal with their demands. Today.
Not helpful, indeed.
In fact, worse, in my opinion.
And that was, seemingly, my wife's last bit of energy.
She's got nothing left. So she's going to agree to incorrect child support payments that she needs to make. Because she doesn't have the energy to do anything else.
And that's a terrible tragedy, in my opinion. And it makes me so very sad. More sad than I've felt in a very, very long time.
My wife called the stranger. Let's call him Steve. She fought her own anxieties and called yet another stranger, knowing she would have to tell this story to yet another person who might say really unhelpful, hurtful things. Steve gave her a favorable first impression. Answered her call even though he was driving. Pulled off the road to be able to give her more attention. He said that he would talk to my wife the next morning. His cost: my wife's co-worker would bake him cookies. My wife got off the phone and sobbed, feeling some relief that somebody was willing to help her.
Today she met Steve at 10am. I was at work. At 10:21, I got this text from her: "Not helpful".
She said that Steve hadn't listened to her about her son and his special needs. Steve said that was a "done deal". He didn't listen about incorrectly calculated child support from 2013. He didn't listen about incorrect current child support calculations. He said my wife was making a mountain out of a molehill. He took less than 20 minutes of not listening to her and told her to pay the incorrect child support payments and deal with their demands. Today.
Not helpful, indeed.
In fact, worse, in my opinion.
And that was, seemingly, my wife's last bit of energy.
She's got nothing left. So she's going to agree to incorrect child support payments that she needs to make. Because she doesn't have the energy to do anything else.
And that's a terrible tragedy, in my opinion. And it makes me so very sad. More sad than I've felt in a very, very long time.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Poor foolish fucks
My wife just sent me a text.
I didn't read it all.
I was able to make out a little.
"Everybody else will WISH they had worked overtime. Poor foolish fucks."
She called everybody "poor foolish fucks" for me.
I love her so much.
James Says Diane Types Fast
James says Diane types fast.
He sits next to her and hears her type.
He's amazed.
He didn't know that kind of speed was possible.
James says Diane types fast.
He said he thought she was just drumming on the keys.
But then he went to her office.
And she was actually typing.
James raves Diane types fast.
I'm pretty sure he wants to have sex with her.
He's cheated on his wife before.
They're both black.
And Diane types fast.
I saw Diane's work today.
I could barely read it.
There were so many typos.
I was almost unable to understand it.
But James says Diane types fast.
And James can't stop talking about it.
And Diane just got promoted.
And I'm stuck cleaning up her work.
While James revels that Diane types fast.
He sits next to her and hears her type.
He's amazed.
He didn't know that kind of speed was possible.
James says Diane types fast.
He said he thought she was just drumming on the keys.
But then he went to her office.
And she was actually typing.
James raves Diane types fast.
I'm pretty sure he wants to have sex with her.
He's cheated on his wife before.
They're both black.
And Diane types fast.
I saw Diane's work today.
I could barely read it.
There were so many typos.
I was almost unable to understand it.
But James says Diane types fast.
And James can't stop talking about it.
And Diane just got promoted.
And I'm stuck cleaning up her work.
While James revels that Diane types fast.
Monday, October 13, 2014
I can't rage enough
We lost in court.
Ex-husband's child support for the oldest child ceases.
Mother's child support to the ex-husband continues.
Payments from ex-husband to ex-wife were approximately $400 a month.
Payments from ex-wife to ex-husband will be approximately $200 a month.
Ex-husband makes over 4x what the ex-wife makes.
We are dealing with child support in the first place because of our most recent attorney, who said that it was important to calculate this. We aggreed because we thought it would make the fighting stop. It didn't. And now, looking back on it, we received less than a year of child support and no tax break for the oldest child. And we will be paying over 5 years of child support to the father.
I can't rage hard enough to get all of this out of me. I can't fucking take it anymore. It's too, too, too, too much. I can't fucking rage hard enough.
My mother is broke because of this.
I am broke because of this.
I continue to support the oldest child and my wife, and this won't change.
So I'm paying the bill for this.
I'm getting hugely fucked.
No hope.
No way out.
Nothing.
Just gotta keep my head down for the next five years and work as much overtime as I can.
Because I'm all alone with this tab.
No Christmas.
No birthdays.
No anniversary trips.
Ex-husband's child support for the oldest child ceases.
Mother's child support to the ex-husband continues.
Payments from ex-husband to ex-wife were approximately $400 a month.
Payments from ex-wife to ex-husband will be approximately $200 a month.
Ex-husband makes over 4x what the ex-wife makes.
We are dealing with child support in the first place because of our most recent attorney, who said that it was important to calculate this. We aggreed because we thought it would make the fighting stop. It didn't. And now, looking back on it, we received less than a year of child support and no tax break for the oldest child. And we will be paying over 5 years of child support to the father.
I can't rage hard enough to get all of this out of me. I can't fucking take it anymore. It's too, too, too, too much. I can't fucking rage hard enough.
My mother is broke because of this.
I am broke because of this.
I continue to support the oldest child and my wife, and this won't change.
So I'm paying the bill for this.
I'm getting hugely fucked.
No hope.
No way out.
Nothing.
Just gotta keep my head down for the next five years and work as much overtime as I can.
Because I'm all alone with this tab.
No Christmas.
No birthdays.
No anniversary trips.
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