What it's really like

I know that we are the worst blog slackers ever, but I really have plans of posting shit. Here is an adorable drawing for the blog from a good friend, check out her blog at nobonesleft.com.

I love this.

Weekend in Europe One: Breda, The Netherlands

Wow, I just want to apologize for the fact that we are a couple of blog bums. But what do you expect? We're two stoned bitches trying to get stuff done, not necessarily getting stuff done. However, in my defense I have been doing other fun stuff. I enjoyed a fantastic month in Europe where I visited The Netherlands, France, The Czech Republic and Spain. Needless to say, it was unbelievable.



I'd have to say that The Netherlands and Spain were my favorite spots. I visited Amsterdam and a smaller town called Breda while I was there. Both cities were adorable with the cutest vertical architecture and canals. I arrived in Amsterdam in the morning where I spent the day until my late afternoon train ride to Breda. I met an English couple and hopped between coffeeshops with them. It was chilly outside so we just had lunch and enjoyed beverages at the various shops. We would each buy a gram and smoke the variety that we'd purchased. Walking around was lovely because the layout of the city is really easy to maneuver and everyone was friendly and helpful.

The train ride was full of typical dutch things, tulips
and windmills. The train stations were surrounded by massive bicycle parking lots and I wondered how you could possibly find your bike in all of them.










In Breda, there was a jazz festival downtown composed of small stages nestled in the narrow cobblestone streets. The sun set and everything glowed blue, which perfectly complimented the laid back and fun atmosphere of the festival. We danced and enjoyed beer, wine and vodka until we headed indoor to the bar and where we continued to dance to the DJ's who spun lots of fun vocal house and some familiar tunes too. We stopped at a coffeeshop where we picked up some joints to smoke at home later, mine was puur (without tobacco) and both of my friends had mixed spliffs. Before we got on the bike home (I pedaled, Sally rode on the back) we snacked on turkish pizza, a wrap of rotisserie meat (maybe lamb) with lettuce, tomatoes and a "spicy" sauce.

One of my favorite aspects of this weekend was that I got to spend some time with a friend I met in Thailand last summer, Sally, who hosted me at her apartment. We mostly just hung out and relaxed before we went to the festival each night. She made me a typical dutch breakfast of a baguette with various toppings like meat, cheese, and a raw meat spread with onions that was delicious. It was really nice to hear the language and her impressive knowledge of English. We talked music and cultural differences as well and marijuana culture in our two homes. It was really nice to talk to like minded people my age from a different part of the world. Sally's friend Malou was a traveler as well and we talked about the places we had visited and what school was like in both places. I was only in Breda from Friday night until Sunday morning but I have to say, when I got on the train I was sad to leave such a welcoming and beautiful place.

Edited Wikipedia!

As a huge fan of Wikipedia, I know that they are adamant about correct information and citations. There are more people fact checking than there are defacing the articles on the online encyclopedia. Incorrect information is often removed before anyone sees it.

That's why I got so excited when I saw the above. I checked Sidney Crosby's Wikipedia page immediately after he scored the game winning goal for Canada in the US v. Canada Gold Medal hockey game and saw this. "Sidney is THE MAN!!! HECK YEA SIDNEY!!!!!!!!!!!!"

It just tickles me. Note the top right hand corner where the page has already been locked.

- Jane

Ranting and Raving...

Ok, so I'll admit, when I first began researching Medical Marijuana (MM) and the marijuana community, I did have the normal stoner thought, "Cool, an easier/legal way to get pot". But, after being around it on a very personal level, I have a completely different perspective on the subject.

I believe the entire legal marijuana industry needs somewhat of an overhaul. I whole-heartedly believe that MM should be legal. In fact, I believe that marijuana should be legally available for anyone over a certain age interested in using it, much like alcohol or cigarettes. For the sake of this blog post, I'm speaking mostly for the importance of medical usage. Conservatives like to pretend that medical marijuana and recreational marijuana are the same thing.

I think that the medical marijuana community gets a lot of flack for being "mostly white males, ages 18-34" (which is the conservative's way of implying that most medical marijuana patients are potheads). In reality, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) reports that average patient age is 40.

I've met patients of all varieties. Sure, you may find the occassional pothead-with-a-card trying to get some high quality buds. But, you will also certainly see a slew of medical patients with literally nowhere else to turn.

I have seen a number of people who are completely desperate to find a solution for an otherwise untreatable medical condition, and I relate to them.

When my condition was at its worst, I was only 12. I couldn't do too much for myself, but luckily, my parents sought out EVERY viable option. Literally, we tried everything. I've been poked with needles, contorted and cracked, I've boiled and drank herbs that taste like stale horse crap, and at one point, I was taking over 20 doctor perscribed pills daily. At that point, I think if someone would have told my parents that robbing a bank had medical benefits, we would've tried it.

The harder you fight for your health, the less vigor you have left to keep fighting. Believe me, it's exhausting.

For me, at age 12, the solution was accupuncture. It had such positive health effects on me that if someone had told us it was wrong or illegal, my dad probably would've decked them in the face. It was literally my ONLY option. Over time with accupuncture, I lowered my count of doctor-prescribed pills to ZERO.

I have seen MM patients that face this same struggle, and with nowhere else to turn, I have seen MM save their lives.

I've seen cancer patients, otherwise unable to eat anything due to nausea from chemo who said that their meds enabled them to gain five pounds. I've seen an HIV/AIDS patient speak about his last 20 years with AIDS who finally has a glimmer of hope as his life takes a turn for the better. I met a patient with Muscular Distrophy whose medical doctor said he'd be in a wheelchair within 5 years who still walks 8 years later with little to no sign of his disability.

These people NEED MM the same way people need their prescription meds. They use MM the same way people use prescription meds. These people feel that they owe their health to this plant.

Taking away real, necessary patient rights because of a silly worry that a bunch of potheads are abusing the system is the WRONG solution.

Instead, why doesn't the government try to restructure the medical industry? If a bunch of potheads are getting their cards, why don't we enforce stricter guidelines for the prescribing doctors to prevent this?

Closing dispensaries and limiting true patient access will only risk the lives of the patients who have come to know a new way of life with marijuana.

Sometimes, I find it annoying that people are abusing the system and giving the industry such a bad reputation. Still, I believe that everyone should have the right to access, so if that is their only legal option for access, maybe it's not such a bad thing. Anyone with "chronic pain" can get a hold of percocet fairly easily from a medical doctor. Why can't they use that same "chronic pain" to obtain their Medical Marijuana license?

To say that finding marijuana on the street is an easy task is an understatement. I've had people walk up to me on the street more than a few times trying to sell marijuana. That doesn't mean that it's safe for patients to buy this drug on the street. Shouldn't the government be concerned with offering a safe and LEGAL option for these patients (and potheads) who will inevitably obtain medicine anyway? What are they REALLY concerned about? Clearly, they're not worried about our safety or rights.

Geaux Saints!

Congratulations to the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS on their NFC Championship Win and their upcoming Superbowl appearance!

WHO DAT! Good Luck!


Photo: AP Photo, David J. Phillip

My Very Strange Dream

I will try to make this as clear as I can, but it was a dream and dreams are weird, this one in particular.

I was hanging out with a friend, who morphed between three people including Ms. Mary. We were in a park sitting on a blanket when suddenly there was this kinda strange dude lingering around us, but I got the feeling he wasn’t just a man. Mary and I hanging out on a blanket smoking a bowl when someone told us that we had awakened some sort of ‘pot demon’ and that we had to send him back.

We were told that we had awakened him through smoking a lot of weed and partying and that to bring him back around us we would have to do just that(I can’t remember who told me this in the dream). Once he was back we would have to have sex with him and that would send him back to wherever he came from (I know, it’s so weird).

I looked over and saw two boys I knew (I think one may’ve been my brother) who were in the park but had just seen a cop drive by and had run away. I went to where they were and found two huge blunts, one short and really fat (like some kind of larvae or something) and one that was longer and leaner like a cigar. Both were still lit so I brought them back to our blanket, thinking that this would be a great head start to smoking all the weed we would have to in order to re-summon this “demon.” On the walk back to the blanket I found ANOTHER large blunt and was thinking how we had plenty of weed to get going and then I woke up.

Really, this was one of the strangest dreams I’ve ever had but it was so realistic and kinda fun. I don’t know that marijuana has ever played such a huge role in one of my dreams, but I thought I would share it.

Bad Fans!

Denver - What is the deal? You don't stay when we're winning, you don't stay when we're losing, even in close games the stands begin to empty toward the end of the game.

Why don't you try... Sticking it out! Support your team, enjoy the game. Is it so much better to save a couple of minutes sitting in traffic than to finish out the game? Where is the passion of the fans? I just want to see a little more genuine support from the fans.

The Saints (whom I also love) have a packed Superdome from start to finish. The city stands fully behind their team. It is a real and loving relationship between the Saints players and their fans, even as the 'Aints the city stood behind and loved them.

All I'm saying is show your teams a little more love and they will show it back eventually. If you're going to go to the games show a little passion for your team.

- Jane

Mary's story...

Here's my story, cross-posted from my personal blog:

I smoke marijuana.  

I have been smoking on and off for the past 10 years, and it has been a fairly significant part of my life. I do not smoke cigarettes.

First, let me say that I am a legal medical marijuana patient, and a huge advocate for legalizing medical marijuana. I have done a very good amount of research and feel completely confident saying that marijuana is much safer than alcohol, and can be extremely beneficial for many people.  

Certainly, most people don't even realize why marijuana is illegal. I'd like to give a bit of history, which will perhaps shed some perspective:  

Marijuana has been used medicinally and recreationally for centuries, going back to the Chinese Emporer Shen-nung in 2737 B.C. (almost 5,000 years ago). It has been used throughout modern history, even into the 1930's. It was available over-the-counter until 1937. The plant which grows marijuana is a hemp plant. Hemp has a number of uses- from paper to clothing to even (oil replacing) fuel.  

Around the 1920's-1930's (roaring twenties into the great depression), The Hearst Corporation was rising in power. Hearst was a newspaper tyrant, logging company owner and major WOOD-based paper advocate. Hearst began replacing hemp paper (a quickly renewable and more earth-friendly resource) with wood paper in order to satisfy his own interest with his logging business. In order to build his business empire, he had to come up with a way to decrease hemp's popularity.  

This is when the smear campaign against marijuana began. Eventually, what happened is that Hearst basically cuts a deal with the U.S. government, and they begin to spread his anti-marijuana propoganda without medical proof. Hearst basically created the idea that marijuana was harmful only for his own personal gain. He was able to convince people of the evils of the plant without any real, unbiased, medical evidence.  

If you'd like to read a bit more detail, this site is a good reference.  

Obviously, knowing this alone isn't enough to convince someone that marijuana is safe. Want to hear some more truths about it?  

Nobody has EVER died from a marijuana overdose; not one recorded death has been attributed to marijuana. People die from overdosing on Tylenol. Studies show that it would require ONE THOUSAND times the regular dose to die from marijuana. In 2001, there were 331 alcohol overdose deaths and 0 marijuana overdose deaths. Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Here's a chart comparing marijuana to other drugs:

From Saferchoice.org  

The biggest risk involved in marijuana use is the possible lung damage from smoking the drug. Fortunately, there are many other ways the drug can be administered, including through foods (cookies, brownies, candies), or vaporizers (devices which extract the THC for you, causing no damage to the person inhaling). Regardless of possible lung damage, there has NEVER been a case of lung cancer documented in a cannibis-only smoker. In fact, recent studies find NO cancer-marijuana connection.  

They have linked cancer to such common products as deodorant. People still use possibly cancer-causing deodorant, it's still legal and FDA approved.  

If you want to read more about marijuana history and facts, SaferChoice.org is a good place to start.  

I would not engage in an 'illegal' behavior without adequately researching it. I think I have proven that I didn't just choose to use cannibis without being certain of the risks. Now that I have briefly explained the history and health aspects of marijuana, I'd like to explain why I choose to use it. I use the drug both medically and recreationally. Judge if you'd like, but I urge you to do some research of your own before you pass judgement.  

Medically, marijuana is legal in Denver, and has been for nearly 10 years. My perscription was written by a medical doctor. My medical marijuana card was issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. This drug can be perscribed to assist so many serious conditions, including: Cancer, Glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, mussel spasms, seisures, severe pain/nausea, IBS/IBD/Crohns/Colitis, Muscular spasticity, and many more.  

I have had my condition for 16 years. It is a chronic condition that doesn't "go away", and most times, patients are on strong and invasive medicines for their entire lives. At age 11, I tried every invasive medicine and treatment including extremely harsh steroids. Eventually, I stumbled upon Eastern medicine (accupuncture and chiropractics). Just months short of a life-altering surgery, I fell into remission with strict accupuncture treatments.  

I consider myself infinitely lucky that I didn't have to have the surgery, and have been able to keep myself in remission for nearly 14 years now. I will occassionally experience symptoms again, which is part of what inspired me to pursue medical marijuana. I had already used marijuana recreationally on and off since I was 16 when I finally got my medical card last year. Honestly, it makes me feel SO much better, and it also helps my neck and back, where I most likely suffer from Arthritis. On top of those, it also helps to quell my anxiety, which had gotten progressively worse in the past 5-7 years.  

Really, I can't even put into words what this drug has done for me medically.  

Recreationally... well, basically anti-pot commercials are ridiculous to me. When I use marijuana, I don't just sit on the couch like a big lump, ignoring my friends and responsibilities. I function as a normal human being, minus the high anxiety and stress I'm usually dealing with. I run errands, have a job, get work done, clean my apartment... I'm well-spoken, not uneducated or poor. I don't commit crimes. I'm not a meth addict, nor do I abuse other illegal drugs. Basically, what society wants you to believe about marijuana simply isn't true.  

I'm ME. The same "me" I've been for 27 years. Maybe even a better "me".

Jane's Top 50 Songs of the '00s

I tried to keep this list fair by remembering stuff I really loved at the beginning of the decade; however to be included in the list I had to still like it. It is still skewed toward the later part of the decade when I was listening to real music versus what I was listening to as a youngin'. They are in a somewhat significant order (but not entirely). Without further adieu, I give you...



My top 50 Songs of the Decade

1. The Yeah Yeah yeah’s – Y Control

2. Arcade Fire – Haiti

3. Soulwax – Krack

4. The Blow – True Affection

5. Peaches – Fuck the Pain Away

6. Hot Chip – Boy From School

7. Band of Horses – The Funeral

8. TV on the Radio – Staring at the Sun

9. MGMT – Kids

10. Metric – Combat Baby

11. The Rapture – Love is All

12. Interpol – Untitled

13. Justice – Genesis

14. Daft Punk – Television Rules the Nation

15. Santogold –LES Artistes

16. Andy Caldwell – Warrior (Claude Von Stroke Sharp Toof Mix)

17. Interpol – NYC

18. The Mars Volta – Inertiatic Esp

19. Arcade Fire – No Cars Go

20. The Roots – The Seed 2.0

21. Chromeo – You’re so Gangsta

22. Simian Mobile Disco – It’s the beat

23. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy

24. Fedde Le Grand – Put Your Hands Up for Detroit

25. Cicada – Falling Rockets (Just a Band remix)

26. Bassment Jaxx – Where’s Your Head At (Klaas Remix)

27. Green Day -Whatsername

28. Bloc Party – This Modern Love

29. Metronomy – A Thing for Me

30. The Hives – Come On, Come On

31. Tiga – Good as Gold

32. Hot Chip – From Drummer to Driver

33. Jay Z – 99 Problems

34. MIA – Paper Planes

35. At the Drive In – One Armed Scissor

36. Digitalism – Pogo

37. Outkast – Hey Ya!

38. LCD Soundsystem – Daft Punk is Playing at My House

39. Jurassic 5 – Quality Control

40. Benny Benassi - Time

41. M83 – Don’t Save Us From The Flames

42. Ghostland Observatory – Sad Sad City

43. Twista – Celebrity Overnight

44. Peter, Bjorn and John – Young Folks

45. The Postal Service – Such Great Heights

46. Arcade Fire – My Body is a Cage

47. Solid Groove – This is Sick

48. The Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – Date with the Night

49. The Strokes - Automatic Stop

50. Gorillaz – Clint Eastwood

Perceptions of Denver

A fantastic perspective of Denver - the city we love - as reflected in Invesco Field.