4/28/2014

My previous post was not an implicit nod at smoking herb

I'm aware it was a "420" post, and I said explicitly DO NOT SMOKE SYNTHETIC WEED, and then I proceeded to describe how spice is basically catnip and twigs sprayed in chemicals.... without mentioning anything about weed/herb/ganja/marijuana/cannabis.


So there's an implication that can be made there... UNLESS I explicitly address that implication!


So.... NO, by saying DON'T SMOKE SPICE, I am NOT implying GO SMOKE WEED.


In fact, I usually don't think it's good to smoke weed! NOT THESE DAYS! More important things to handle! My days for that stuff been fading... no pun intended, they just happUN. ha ha ha. I still prefer it over alcohol, for relaxing and reflecting, but I got bigger priorities now than I did before, so very little time to waste.

To weed defenders:
So what if it's natural? What's more natural is our childhood physical state, pristine, unspoiled, and undisturbed by the physical nature of reality. Reality, by the way, is not limited to the physical, but that's another story altogether. I'm trying to get back to my younger, virginal self.

So what if there's no tobacco or nicotine? It still burns and leaves tars and resins in a smokers body!

So what if it's not chemically addictive? It's psychologically addictive, and that can be just as bad! I would know, I've been! I kinda still am! It's a struggle for me still. What keeps me sober is my gf... and my mom... and the thought of my future children.

Truth is, weed damages. Socially, financially, physically, emotionally, and psychologically. And professionally. I could write at least a paragraph on each of those points, but the essay's not worth the effort (essayer means "to try" in French, right?).

I've seen weed damage minds, bboys, careers, health in people I know... some are just lookin not healthy!

Now I say "usually" I don't think it's good, because I found some things that it IS good for.
All of which you can do fine on your own without it, so go do that.


I should note that I'm a very functional partaker. Meaning I prefer to do stuff, or create stuff, while some prefer to watch TV, eat, or do nothing. That's not for me. I like to be active. I don't like to call myself smart, but mathematically, I could say I'm probably on the above average side of intelligence... maybe a standard deviation or two above the median. I've been driven, hungry for knowledge, and well-educated, so my experience with the stuff is REALLY different from people on the other end of the spectrum.

There are a lot of dumb smokers out there. They're not reading this though, cuz I know my audience is smarter than that. But I bet a "high" number of weed-smokers would not be even able to spell "cannabis" properly without a spellchecker.

If you need tutoring, hit me up.


Damn, 2 weed-related blog posts in a row.. Mostly anti- though, so I probably won't get fired from my job. Kids... don't smoke! Drink tea, caffeine, and derive inspiration from the earthen nature, space, family, and the simple beauties of the universe.

4/20/2014

Don't Smoke Legal/Synthetic Weed! 4/20

Legal weed is bad!

What's THAT??
It's also known as Synthetic Weed, Spice, spices, herbal incense, has a lot of fancy names, Head Trip, ... you can get it at smoke shops in California if you're over 18. And it's DANGEROUS!

People overdose and go to the hospital from it.



The reason this topic came up is because.... I have a cat, here in New Orleans. Really nice pussycat. And I went to buy some catnip, thinking he'd enjoy it. PetCo ran out of ordinary catnip, so I bought the higher-grade organic stuff. $5 for a nice bag. Cuz Cats love catnip, I learned from National Geographic... But I was looking at my bag of catnip... and it looks JUST LIKE THAT LEGAL WEED I BOUGHT FROM THE STORE on NEWPORT BLVD off the 55!!




They just spray that shit with chemical (JWH-###) and it burns easily, so it makes for easy "Herbal Incense."




Dammit! I knew it. Shit is poison. Catnip combusts easily, but you're not supposed to smoke it.

It's not NORMAL weed. It's not natural. There's no THC. It's some flammable shit that they spray a chemical on. It's some shit called JWH-number-number. Not safe. People have overdosed and had terrible experiences. Only a little bit gets you as high as a lot of weed. And when people with high weed tolerances smoke spice/herbal incense/JWH in large amounts, they pass out! They get owned!

Why do people smoke it?
It doesn't show up on drug tests, though I think the drug test facilities are catching on.


I knew when I tried it, the stuff is terrible for you!


Turned out I was right:

CNN: Synthetic Drug Raid Reveals Scary Reality


Happy 420. Play safe.




4/04/2014

Great. Another poor representation of my dancing got popular.

So first it was the "breaking teachers are everywhere" (nutcrackers) video, which had no real dancing.
Then my power trailer, which really didn't have any dancing.
Then this shuffle video, and I don't even shuffle.

That, to me, is mad silly.
I'm flabbergasted.
In fact, I'm quite bewildered. 
Life is funnyweird.

Why doesn't this happen with what I consider my 'GOOD footage'?
-Like this July 10, 2012 session
-Or this November 2011 session
-And this November 2012 session

Why does this happen with what I consider 'EASY footage'?

"But Tom, it doesn't look easy to me," one might say.
I know, but it IS easy, you just need to practice.

I'm from the pre-YouTube era of animated GIFs and text guides

Windmills are pretty easy, you just have to put in a little time and work to learn it.
Shuffling is super easy. I used to hate on that style, but there's no sense in hating now. I'll still battle any shuffler though.

The more difficult part (see above links, under "GOOD footage"), which I think goes under-appreciated, is the freestyling aspect, and the intricate, creative, musical, and expressive stuff. That aspect of dancing is way cooler to me, compared to a flare>windmill>nutcracker. Basic combo.

I prefer to just dance to my heart's content.
That's what I learned to prefer over my 11 years of doing this.

Closing Points
My videos that catch on more popularly are poor representations of my dance... basic power, nothing unexpected... shuffling...simple, easy... Is that the price of mass appeal? I prefer the real shit, but the "real shit" doesn't catch as much attention.

Unless it's live. Then it's really crazy and nasty. Especially powerful styles. Dancing is best when it's live and in action, not on video or GIF or text. Not even on a performance stage.

If you're in "the scene," stay there. The world needs you.
If you're not in the scene, come to a jam! Cop some merchandise. Support local artists!