Daily "Check In" Thread For Us

[Mark Leavy]

A room with a view.

Four nights.

tower.jpeg (166.96 KiB) Viewed 5503 times

[Smith1776]

A room with a view.

Four nights.

tower.jpeg

Rusty Ryan: You'd need at least a dozen guys doing a combination of cons.

Danny Ocean: Like what, do you think?

Rusty Ryan: Off the top of my head, I'd say you're looking at a Boesky, a Jim Brown, a Miss Daisy, two Jethros and a Leon Spinks, not to mention the biggest Ella Fitzgerald, ever. Where are we going to get the funding for this?

[barrett]

- 35 pull ups
- 35 dips
- 35 chin ups

How many sets of each are you doing to get to 35? More than one, right?

[Mark Leavy]

I'm going to guess. That photo looks like it was taken from north and west of the main strip, so Trump International Hotel? I can't see you staying at Palace Station, and even if you did, I don't think it's tall enough to get that angle.

Good guess! I was here in 2016 and it was quite the party. We'll see about this year.

[Mark Leavy]

A veal porterhouse. Never heard of such a thing before. Crazy 1/4 the size of a normal porterhouse.

My congratulations to all of the cheese eaters that are murdering calves and lambs so that I can eat veal and chops and clean up their destruction! Bon appetite!

Mark

veal.jpeg (147.63 KiB) Viewed 5683 times

[Smith1776]

Haven't been around in a few days, and just wanted to check in. So, in keeping with my promise to myself to experience new things:

- Always listening to new music/podcasts
- Watching new shows
- Getting into wine and gaining knowledge of vineyards and such
- Hired a trainer/nutritionist and doing new workouts and diet
- Met new people and not turning down social opportunities
- Tried my first "spiritual journey" a few days ago (think Steve Jobs in his teens)

That last one. I feel profoundly enlightened, profoundly happy, and profoundly sad all at the same time. I can see why people say it's one of the most important things they've ever done. Because it was.

[Tortoise]

- Tried my first "spiritual journey" a few days ago (think Steve Jobs in his teens)

That last one. I feel profoundly enlightened, profoundly happy, and profoundly sad all at the same time. I can see why people say it's one of the most important things they've ever done. Because it was.

I'm assuming you're referring to a mind-altering drug. Do you mind sharing which one you tried? I went on a psilocybin mushroom "journey" many years ago, and it was quite the experience.

[pp4me]

- Tried my first "spiritual journey" a few days ago (think Steve Jobs in his teens)

That last one. I feel profoundly enlightened, profoundly happy, and profoundly sad all at the same time. I can see why people say it's one of the most important things they've ever done. Because it was.

I'm assuming you're referring to a mind-altering drug. Do you mind sharing which one you tried? I went on a psilocybin mushroom "journey" many years ago, and it was quite the experience.

I did psilocybin once and it helped me to recover from PTSD. It's hard to describe what it was like. Best I can say is that I died and it was very colorful and felt REALLY good.

Strangest thing about it was that right at the point where I died I heard an audible voice that felt like it was forcefully expelling me from wherever I was going with one word. That word was "GO".

Stranger still, when I shared the experience with others who had taken it and started to tell them about that word, they all said it before I did.

Go figure!

[Tortoise]

I did psilocybin once and it helped me to recover from PTSD. It's hard to describe what it was like. Best I can say is that I died and it was very colorful and felt REALLY good.

Strangest thing about it was that right at the point where I died I heard an audible voice that felt like it was forcefully expelling me from wherever I was going with one word. That word was "GO".

Stranger still, when I shared the experience with others who had taken it and started to tell them about that word, they all said it before I did.

Go figure!

Wow... sounds like you took quite a bit more than I did! That's amazing.

[yankees60]

- Tried my first "spiritual journey" a few days ago (think Steve Jobs in his teens)

That last one. I feel profoundly enlightened, profoundly happy, and profoundly sad all at the same time. I can see why people say it's one of the most important things they've ever done. Because it was.

I'm assuming you're referring to a mind-altering drug. Do you mind sharing which one you tried? I went on a psilocybin mushroom "journey" many years ago, and it was quite the experience.

I did psilocybin once and it helped me to recover from PTSD. It's hard to describe what it was like. Best I can say is that I died and it was very colorful and felt REALLY good.

Strangest thing about it was that right at the point where I died I heard an audible voice that felt like it was forcefully expelling me from wherever I was going with one word. That word was "GO".

Stranger still, when I shared the experience with others who had taken it and started to tell them about that word, they all said it before I did.

Go figure!

The summer when I was 20 years ago it almost seemed like I was doing acid every Saturday. Not quite but it seemed like that was my schedule.

Without analyzing it too deeply I'd say I did acid about 20 times around that time period. Mescaline? Once or twice.

Only had 2 bad trips. I analyzed that each of them were due to doing them in locations completely foreign to me in all ways. I think that the only thing that kept me hanging on during each of those two bad ones was that I KNEW that they WOULD each end by the passage of time.

I never liked, though, that it seemed like most of the acid I took must have also had speed in them as invariably they'd keep me awake all night and I'd not be able to get to sleep until about 6 AM the next day.

Doing that acid was never looked upon by me as being any kind of spiritual thing. It was definitely a fun thing with the music sounding way better when I was under the influence.

I cannot restrain from passing on this related...

One of the days I did it with the person who I shared the bedroom with did two hits. Then he went to sleep before the effects starting happen.

Meanwhile I'd put on a Bloodrock record to listen to.

He wakes up, fully tripping, and he is hearing their hit song playing: D.O.A.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV5AtQJ9XTY

For those of you who never heard it the singer is describing being in a car accident where he and his girl friend are killed in it. Complete with the sounds of ambulances and police cars.

He is hearing the lyrics, "Blood is running down my body...."

Now this friend was a heavy smoker, over 300 pounds, and was laying on his stomach when he wakes
up fully tripping. Due to his overall condition at that time, he's not normally an easy breather and this is what he hears!

I counseled him afterward that one thing you don't do after taking a hit(s) of acid is go to sleep!

Vinny

[pp4me]

I did psilocybin once and it helped me to recover from PTSD. It's hard to describe what it was like. Best I can say is that I died and it was very colorful and felt REALLY good.

Strangest thing about it was that right at the point where I died I heard an audible voice that felt like it was forcefully expelling me from wherever I was going with one word. That word was "GO".

Stranger still, when I shared the experience with others who had taken it and started to tell them about that word, they all said it before I did.

Go figure!

Wow... sounds like you took quite a bit more than I did! That's amazing.

I'm actually not sure if it was psilocybin. I know it was one of either psilocybin, mescaline, or peyote - some kind of natural thing. Not sure if there is any difference between them.

Also did LSD, which isn't natural as far as I know, and have even weirder stories to tell. MDMA, Ayahuasca, DMT, and other hallucinogens weren't making the rounds back then but I'm sure I would have taken them if offered. Stayed completely away from opioids in any form. Haven't done any of the others since I was 20 years old but I have returned to smoking pot in the last few years.

[pp4me]

- Tried my first "spiritual journey" a few days ago (think Steve Jobs in his teens)

That last one. I feel profoundly enlightened, profoundly happy, and profoundly sad all at the same time. I can see why people say it's one of the most important things they've ever done. Because it was.

I'm assuming you're referring to a mind-altering drug. Do you mind sharing which one you tried? I went on a psilocybin mushroom "journey" many years ago, and it was quite the experience.

I did psilocybin once and it helped me to recover from PTSD. It's hard to describe what it was like. Best I can say is that I died and it was very colorful and felt REALLY good.

Strangest thing about it was that right at the point where I died I heard an audible voice that felt like it was forcefully expelling me from wherever I was going with one word. That word was "GO".

Stranger still, when I shared the experience with others who had taken it and started to tell them about that word, they all said it before I did.

Go figure!

The summer when I was 20 years ago it almost seemed like I was doing acid every Saturday. Not quite but it seemed like that was my schedule.

Without analyzing it too deeply I'd say I did acid about 20 times around that time period. Mescaline? Once or twice.

Only had 2 bad trips. I analyzed that each of them were due to doing them in locations completely foreign to me in all ways. I think that the only thing that kept me hanging on during each of those two bad ones was that I KNEW that they WOULD each end by the passage of time.

I never liked, though, that it seemed like most of the acid I took must have also had speed in them as invariably they'd keep me awake all night and I'd not be able to get to sleep until about 6 AM the next day.

Doing that acid was never looked upon by me as being any kind of spiritual thing. It was definitely a fun thing with the music sounding way better when I was under the influence.

I cannot restrain from passing on this related...

One of the days I did it with the person who I shared the bedroom with did two hits. Then he went to sleep before the effects starting happen.

Meanwhile I'd put on a Bloodrock record to listen to.

He wakes up, fully tripping, and he is hearing their hit song playing: D.O.A.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV5AtQJ9XTY

For those of you who never heard it the singer is describing being in a car accident where he and his girl friend are killed in it. Complete with the sounds of ambulances and police cars.

He is hearing the lyrics, "Blood is running down my body...."

Now this friend was a heavy smoker, over 300 pounds, and was laying on his stomach when he wakes
up fully tripping. Due to his overall condition at that time, he's not normally an easy breather and this is what he hears!

I counseled him afterward that one thing you don't do after taking a hit(s) of acid is go to sleep!

Vinny

I never had a bad trip on LSD, at least as far as I could tell, but I helped a few other people have them. Something about it just unleashed an urge to fuck with other people's minds and I was very good at it.

Having returned to smoking pot I do have what some people might call a bad experience now and then but only when I get some really good stuff. I actually like it when that happens because it feels to me like it's cleaning shit out of my mind. Makes you stop and think about why you are having those feelings and where they are coming from until the rational part of your mind convinces you that you just need to let go. Joe Rogan talks about the same thing.

I don't know that I would ever do the hallucinogens ever again but I'm well convinced that pot is very good medicine if you use it wisely (and I know people, in my own family, who don't use it wisely, IMO).

[Smith1776]

I'm assuming you're referring to a mind-altering drug. Do you mind sharing which one you tried? I went on a psilocybin mushroom "journey" many years ago, and it was quite the experience.

I didn't do any drugs. Possession is a felony, so I would never do that and have never done so. However, hypothetically, if I ever did decide to then LSD would be my choice.

Again, hypothetically, it would have also been the most profound and meaningful emotional experience I've ever had. Yes, you can say it's not "real" because it's chemically induced. However, that raises an arresting thought: that all of your emotional experiences are chemically induced. So who are we to say what experience is real and what is not? Likewise, my whole spiritual trip has me questioning all of reality and everything that I thought was solid fact.

Funny enough, my experience seems to have reset my brain. My lingering feelings for the Alberta girl? Totally gone after my trip. Instead it seems those feelings switched targets towards my sitter for the day. They have largely subsided in the ensuing couple of days.

The spiritual journey was crazy. I saw my sitter as God and wanted to worship her as such. I felt levels of emotion I didn't know were possible. I cycled between laughter, crying, awe, and every other emotion constantly. Objects in paintings were moving. I felt like I could travel to other universes and control time at will. It was scary in the best way, and I don't regret it one bit.

[Hal]

I'm assuming you're referring to a mind-altering drug. Do you mind sharing which one you tried? I went on a psilocybin mushroom "journey" many years ago, and it was quite the experience.

I didn't do any drugs. Possession is a felony, so I would never do that and have never done so. However, hypothetically, if I ever did decide to then LSD would be my choice.

Again, hypothetically, it would have also been the most profound and meaningful emotional experience I've ever had. Yes, you can say it's not "real" because it's chemically induced. However, that raises an arresting thought: that all of your emotional experiences are chemically induced. So who are we to say what experience is real and what is not? Likewise, my whole spiritual trip has me questioning all of reality and everything that I thought was solid fact.

Funny enough, my experience seems to have reset my brain. My lingering feelings for the Alberta girl? Totally gone after my trip. Instead it seems those feelings switched targets towards my sitter for the day. They have largely subsided in the ensuing couple of days.

The spiritual journey was crazy. I saw my sitter as God and wanted to worship her as such. I felt levels of emotion I didn't know were possible. I cycled between laughter, crying, awe, and every other emotion constantly. Objects in paintings were moving. I felt like I could travel to other universes and control time at will. It was scary in the best way, and I don't regret it one bit.

To add to that, Prescription Cannabis is legal in some states here as an alternative to opioids. The fellow I know who is on it, reported much better eyesight and the GP confirmed that is a side-effect. Also made his mind much calmer and sharper, but not sure if I would want to get a crushed spine just to be able to use it legally

Happy everything is working out for you now Smithy.

[Xan]

Funny enough, my experience seems to have reset my brain. My lingering feelings for the Alberta girl? Totally gone after my trip. Instead it seems those feelings switched targets towards my sitter for the day. They have largely subsided in the ensuing couple of days.

The spiritual journey was crazy. I saw my sitter as God and wanted to worship her as such.

To show you how uncool I am, I thought you were talking about a babysitter.

[Mountaineer]

Funny enough, my experience seems to have reset my brain. My lingering feelings for the Alberta girl? Totally gone after my trip. Instead it seems those feelings switched targets towards my sitter for the day. They have largely subsided in the ensuing couple of days.

The spiritual journey was crazy. I saw my sitter as God and wanted to worship her as such.

To show you how uncool I am, I thought you were talking about a babysitter.

I'm even uncooler than you Xan. I still have no idea what a sitter is in the context Smith1776 used. ?

i am going to guess that a sitter is a off shoot of the 1960 "set and setting" guidelines for safe tripping. and would be a sober person that keeps an eye on travelers during there journey...

[dualstow]

[Xan]

Funny enough, my experience seems to have reset my brain. My lingering feelings for the Alberta girl? Totally gone after my trip. Instead it seems those feelings switched targets towards my sitter for the day. They have largely subsided in the ensuing couple of days.

The spiritual journey was crazy. I saw my sitter as God and wanted to worship her as such.

To show you how uncool I am, I thought you were talking about a babysitter.

I'm even uncooler than you Xan. I still have no idea what a sitter is in the context Smith1776 used. ?

I looked it up on Wikipedia. The first entry is "babysitter", and the one after that is "trip sitter", which seems to be what applies here.

[WiseOne]

Smith, not trying to be judgmental but when I hear a long list of "spiritual journey" activities, it makes me translate this as "not gainfully employed or otherwise engaged in an occupation." Is that the case?

If my guess is right, I suspect you will need to add these things to your todo list. Employment gaps are serious issues for a CV and will follow you for your entire working life. If you can't find employment at least document that you're job searching or taking classes or whatever. Or maybe a volunteer gig will help.

If all this is happening in your spare time, my apologies.

[Smith1776]

I looked it up on Wikipedia. The first entry is "babysitter", and the one after that is "trip sitter", which seems to be what applies here.

Correct!

Smith, not trying to be judgmental but when I hear a long list of "spiritual journey" activities, it makes me translate this as "not gainfully employed or otherwise engaged in an occupation." Is that the case?

If my guess is right, I suspect you will need to add these things to your todo list. Employment gaps are serious issues for a CV and will follow you for your entire working life. If you can't find employment at least document that you're job searching or taking classes or whatever. Or maybe a volunteer gig will help.

If all this is happening in your spare time, my apologies.

Hehe. No worries and no offence taken. I am employed by a Canadian founded Megacorp. and also in school. Your concern is more taken as good faith and caring than anything else.

[Smith1776]

To add to that, Prescription Cannabis is legal in some states here as an alternative to opioids. The fellow I know who is on it, reported much better eyesight and the GP confirmed that is a side-effect. Also made his mind much calmer and sharper, but not sure if I would want to get a crushed spine just to be able to use it legally

Happy everything is working out for you now Smithy.

Yes! That happened to a friend of mine in college. He went to his ophthalmologist and noted that his eyesight seemed to improve and that his total number of floaters decreased.

This new thing I'm doing where I'm going out and trying new experiences has definitely added new texture and depth to life. Thank you for getting me into wine!

[Mountaineer]

To add to that, Prescription Cannabis is legal in some states here as an alternative to opioids. The fellow I know who is on it, reported much better eyesight and the GP confirmed that is a side-effect. Also made his mind much calmer and sharper, but not sure if I would want to get a crushed spine just to be able to use it legally

Happy everything is working out for you now Smithy.

Yes! That happened to a friend of mine in college. He went to his ophthalmologist and noted that his eyesight seemed to improve and that his total number of floaters decreased.

This new thing I'm doing where I'm going out and trying new experiences has definitely added new texture and depth to life. Thank you for getting me into wine!

Smith, you said no drugs involved with your trip, right? So, you were drunk? Wine? My apologies for prying; hope I am not too inquisitive. Just trying to understand what you are describing.

[Xan]

Mountaineer, I believe the whole description was a (wink wink) hypothetical. Sort of like the unfortunate boating accidents that keep claiming all our gold.

[Mountaineer]

Mountaineer, I believe the whole description was a (wink wink) hypothetical. Sort of like the unfortunate boating accidents that keep claiming all our gold.

What’s a boat? What’s gold? What’s a Smithers? What’s a trip on the wild side? I’m getting a better understanding of Schroedinger’s cat given this discussion.

[Smith1776]

Smith, you said no drugs involved with your trip, right? So, you were drunk? Wine? My apologies for prying; hope I am not too inquisitive. Just trying to understand what you are describing.

Mountaineer, I believe the whole description was a (wink wink) hypothetical. Sort of like the unfortunate boating accidents that keep claiming all our gold.

I'm looking forward to many more (safe, responsible, and legal) spiritual journeys!