Old Ideas and New Beginnings

Lord Stirling

Entry 1

      Though it may be my first blog entry in a long, long time, it is not the first writing I have done, nor the first 'return' entry I have done. At least three entries were written for this blog, just not using this media. For those of you who are back to visit, welcome back! To you new people, come on in and sit down.

     As a quick update: Still single, still smoking both cigs and bud, still working a farm, and still without a published work of any kind. I had written an article for Hightimes, a comprehensive run through of what it is like to be a stoner in Pennsylvania... but as yet I have heard nothing, and time has not allowed me to do much in the way of such projects for a very long time. I possess six active pieces, and have since made a game of picking which one to use by rolling a six sided die. Each number corresponds to a piece, and the numbers are designated by the order in which I acquired said pieces. Commodore Barry and General Wayne you know, however, after a cleaning mishap that put Wayne out of action, I purchased General Morgan. General Knox was a gift for watching a friend's pets, and while attending Mayhemfest I purchased my first bubbler, Lord Stirling (General Alexander). The last of my active pieces is General Lafayette, a bowl not one month in my possession yet I love it all the same and endeavor to use it more frequently than the others due to its hit characteristics.

     All the bowl news aside, not much has changed. Which is both comforting and alarming. The true reason for my renewed sense of obligation to the blog is not to continue it per say. Instead it is to alter the initial idea. I started this as a way of sharing my thoughts, ideas, and opinions on the smoking culture as I viewed it. Now, nearly a year later, and following an extended absence, the wheels have begun to turn again. A new idea has been formed. All due to the events of the day that just passed (September 12).

     While preparing for my workday, aka packing a work bowl, a car pulled in and parked at my work. With Massachusetts plates, my first thought was that some Yankee had gotten himself lost and somehow ended up in my small corner of the world. Instead, it was friends of a friend of mine who lives on the farm property. Shortly after introductions, as I set about the business of preparing my bowl, one of the gentleman handed me a nice ball of hash... out of nowhere! After a chillum of straight hash, and a few hits from Gen. Knox, I set about my workday mowing a field. The entire time I could not help but be impressed with the gentleman, a Pennsylvanian by birth, Massachusian by choice, who embodies the same philosophy of stoner that I myself abide by. Willing to share, not asking for anything but company and conversation in return, enjoying the refreshments and relaxations of a bowl in good company. I wondered just how many of us hold these views, and there an idea came into being.

     Instead of being the only contributor to the blog, I intend to recruit friends and acquaintances from different parts of the country. The specific subjects of the entries will be entirely up to the author, or in response to another post, etc etc. The main point being that we create a forum of ideas and observations from which to ponder questions great and small, and help bridge those many gaps between the various types of smoker and those who choose not to smoke. Unlike HighDEAS where everyone can post anything in a rapid fire procession of unorganized stoner intellect, there will be designated contributors who hopefully will produce one or two entries a month. Letters to the editor would be a great addition, though just as with those famed magazines these letters would need to be screened and approved. Knowing the stoners that I do, it would not surprise me if the choice of such letters would be an arduous undertaking based upon content alone. All that remains is to set the whole idea into motion. Who knows if this new adventure will be a success, the only thing I know is that it is worth a try.