I 100% agree with your first two choices...but the Simpsons game had one big issue that prevented me from playing any further than the 3rd level: It has, without a doubt, the most frustrating camera I have ever seen in an otherwise decent game (the Wii controls are crap too, the epitome of tacked-on waggle)
I can tell you exactly why there haven't been more fighting games on the 360...because second only to every playstation controller, the 360's controller has THE WORST d-pad ever concieved. I love the 360 controller to death, but the d-pad appears to have been designed by someone who had their mushroom tea spiked with GHB...
Porno no, Slasher flicks yes. Halloween was (ironically) my first R rated movie, and it was indeed right around that age.
There were no restrictions meaning that if we asked to watch something, they would sit down and watch it with us. Naturally, at that point, porno wasn't really on my mind. They never OFFERED to show us things that most parents would think were inappropriate, but they never said no if we asked either. Besides, my family has always been rather...open about sex. I got "the talk" when I was 12, and was always allowed to have girls stay over...we had a silent agreement. If my door was closed and they knew that a girl was over, they stayed downstairs.
They probably taught you the difference between Road Runner & Coyote's antics and real-life, but I seriously doubt that's all they did! They also shielded you from seeing and experiencing inappropriate things!
Yes, they did exactly that actually. There was one thing I wasn't allowed to watch, and that was the news. That's right, the news. Why you ask? Because of the way it was presented...done up so as to get ratings, not inform people. I got updates on what was happening in the world every week. My mom would put together a little two page thing that had all the major headlines on it. If I found something that I wanted to know more about, she would tell me exactly what happened. Nothing like "oh, well a bad man went into a bank and he wouldn't let the nice people leave", she would say "a man with a gun tried to rob a bank, and held the people inside hostage. The police got him, but unfortunately one of the hostages died." Straight, to the point, no bullshit, no opinion, no childish talk, just exactly what occurred (they got all their news from BBS's in those days, before you ask.)
I am quite happy with what they did when I was young, and I turned out to be a very well mannered, responsible, reliable, and happy person. As I said before, what more could parents want out of their child?
Actually, I didn't need to. I used to smoke a pack and a half a day back when I was a mechanic. One day two winters ago, I suddenly realized that I was addicted to the action, not the cigs. I realized this when it suddenly hit me that I never got "the urge" for a cig...ever. Not once. I sometimes wanted one, sure...but I never felt like I NEEDED one. So, continuing this thinking, I decided to see what would happen if I stopped smoking ciggs.
Guess what. In the two years since, I haven't had nor wanted a single one... and I didn't even WANT to quit (at least not at the time...I'm glad now that this happend, however)
It's the truth. Come to the realization that it's the action and you will see. In fact, if you want to test it out, buy some shredded Damiana root, some empty filter tubes, and a tube filler. The whole thing will cost you 20 dollars. See if it satisfies your "need" for a cig when you smoke one.
Pretty much anything else is horribly, horrifically selfish.
I don't know about that...I got into the same things my parents did...video games, drugs, etc. As far as video games were concerned, they knew I could just go over to a friend's house and play whatever I wanted (which I did), so instead they would buy those games and then play them with me. If something violent or something sexual in nature came up in said game, they would pause it and talk to me about it.
Ditto with drugs. When I turned 14, my dad sat me down (this was after finding pot in my room) and said "Well, you've been bit by the drug bug...don't worry, your mother and I were bit by it too. Stay safe, don't do it ANYWHERE but at home or at someone's house who you trust implicitly, don't do anything that you have to snort or inject, and above all...enjoy yourself."
I smoke cannabis almost daily, and have since I was about 16 (smoked it daily, that is) I have done shrooms, LSD, you name it. Just like he said, nothing that has to be snorted or injected. I've never lost a job, I've never not payed the rent (it's actually budgeted into my finances just like as if it were a car payment), I have never been arrested, and I have never done dumb shit (gotten injured, stole, etc.) I have a full time job that pays well and has good benefits, I have my own car that I payed for with money that I earned, and am generally well liked by all those that know me.
My parents taught me how to work hard and play hard...but above all else, they taught me to work and play SAFELY.
Now, I've grown up to be just like them...successful, VERY happy, reliable, and safe. What more could a parent want out of a child?
I suppose the best way I could explain it is like this...because I was exposed to virtual violence at such a young age (watched my first R rated movie when I was 7, played doom when I was 9) I learned to recognize that it was fake very early on. When I was 13, a friend of mine broke his leg when we were playing (American) football one summer. Bone sticking out and everything. EVERYONE was going crazy, cause...well, cause it was nasty and most of them hadn't been exposed to something like that before, real or virtual.
Because I was desensitized to violence (i.e. I could look at it objectively and for what it was without being sidetracked by the EW NASTY GROSS feelings most people would get) I was able to keep him calm and get help...I didn't hesitate for a moment when it happened, and at no point in time was I distracted by bone protruding from his leg. (Something similar happened when I was a mechanic and a coworker lost a couple fingers from a metal radiator fan...I believe I've posted that story on here a couple times)
I know it seems funny to try to get someone to objectively view real world violence by using fake violence, but fake violence is MUCH easier to get used to at first. Being used to fake violence makes real violence all that much easier to deal with.
My girlfriend and I were discussing this a couple days ago, actually. We are both avid gamers (and also both 23). She is more of a classic gamer (Atari, NES, etc.) and prefers platformers, puzzle games, and horror-style FPS (her current favourite to watch is Bioshock...she doesn't like playing scary games, but LOVES watching them be played). I am more of an "in the now" gamer (although I've been going through my back-catalogue of N64 games lately) and prefer RTS, RPG, and RPG/Shooter hybrids.
Both of us have no problem (and quite enjoy) violent video games. What happens when we have a kid?
The same thing that happend to us when we were little. Both her parents and my parents would ensure that we could discern the difference between the fantasy in a game and the reality in life...as long as we did that, there were no restrictions insofar as what we watched or what we played.
I imagine I'm going to do the same with my kid. Naturally, since both of us are regular gamers, we would prolly know what is in their games because we will have played them. Don't get me wrong, they aren't going to be in a Dukematch when they are five, but if at age 12 they want to play GTA7 and can prove to me that they know it is fantasy (and that they know what would happen if they did such things in real life), then they can play it to their heart's content. I would rather my kids be exposed to sex and violence early on in life enough to be able to look at it objectively and not be suprised when they are older and suddenly see something violent and react in the same way that most of the sheep do. I don't want them to be sheltered, I want show them that the world is a violent place, but I don't want to have to show them using national media or ogrish.com or some place like that. Video games make for the perfect medium to introduce children to modern day real issues while not succumbing them to all the bullshit that usually goes along with it.
After all, would you rather your kids learn about sex and violence WITHOUT you by their side?
For what it's worth, DXM may be absolutely HORRID for you (which it is...worse for your liver than alcohol) but you know what? I have learned more and have experienced more using DXM than I have using either LSD or mescaline. In fact, I would venture to say it is one of the best tools you can use to learn, insofar as drugs are concerned.
Oh, and excuse me for not wanting to type out Dextromethorphan. DXM is way easier.
Ah, I see. My family doesn't really have much of a history with addiction (my grandmother was the only one that ever smoked ciggs) however I think every person on both sides of the family still living today has done illegal drugs on a regular basis at some point in their life...no one ever got arrested, no one ever got in money problems (that I know of, anyway), and no one ever had to goto rehab...drug use (not abuse) runs in my family (and you can tell...we are some crazy folk. Hard working, funny, very caring, and all a little bit spacey, heh)
Still, I went on my little rant because it bothers me if people (my ex's mother is a perfect example of this) loved talking about how bad things like marijuana and shrooms are, and how they are destroying our culture, and all of this...and yet is prescribed no less than 4 medications (two of which are for depression) AND plows through any painkillers whenever she gets injured (which is frequent, since she is a total klutz). I cannot stand the hypocrisy in that.
Back to your original point. I fully agree that this "Vaccine" should be reserved for usage by detox and rehab clinics...beyond that, I think that it should be a volunteer-only vaccine. This shouldn't ever be pushed on someone, it should only be given when asked for.
I've never felt any urge to. I've never felt any urge to smoke in my life(family was nonsmoking, mom forced dad to quit back when they were dating). I've been drunk once in my life, didn't like it and haven't repeated it.
Sounds like a good reason to me...stuff like that definately isn't for everyone.
I have nothing against thost that simply 'do' drugs, on the other hand I don't think drugs are an excuse for anything - as far as I'm concerned if you get into a fight while drunk it should be just the same as if you'd gotten into a fight while sober legal wise.
I couldn't agree more. There is a big difference between a drug user and a drug abuser. My dad was your stereotypical hippie back in the day, and when I got around to the age of having "the drug talk", he basically said "if it isn't snorted or injected, I won't ever get mad at you for doing it. If you are going to do drugs, there are plenty out there that will help you, be it by providing happy memories, allowing you to expand your mind, or strengthening bonds with friends. If you are going to do drugs, make these words your mantra: Be a user, not an abuser."
His advice has helped tremendously...never been fired from a job, never not payed any bills because of drugs, nothing. Other then the money I spend on it (which I actually have marked down in my budget as misc...that's right, if you budget for it just like anything else, it won't ever cause money problems), I haven't had any negative experiences. I am careful about what I do, where I do it, when I do it, and who I do it with. In addition to that, many VERY good memories have come about from nights that I have spent with friends...Watching the sun rise in Miami on the beach, slightly cloudy day, just as you start peaking from mushrooms with five lifelong friends surrounding you? Amazing experience. Within a few hours, it was gone, and I went to visit my grandparents as if nothing had happend.
As Bill Hicks once said, "Laughed my ass off, then went about my day."
Out of curiosity, what are you reasons for not doing illegal drugs? (I'm not prodding at you, I'm genuinely curious...every person has a different reason, and I enjoy listening to those reasons)
I have to call BS on that. I had some pretty 'polluted' feeling experiences with mushrooms and cannabis (it will be a long while before I eat pot cookies again).
I don't think you get what I mean when I say polluted...I will use DXM as an example. When you dose with DXM, you can literally feel the checmical going through your bloodstream. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true...you can feel it going through your circulatory system, and you can tell by how it feels that it is NOT supposed to be there. You can tell it's something that isn't doing your body anything but harm. It makes your insides feel heavy, engorged almost.
THC is quite different. It has a light, airy feeling to it. It doesn't make you feel nasty, nor does it make you taste/smell nasty things that aren't there.
As far as special brownies go, be careful how many you eat...ingesting THC takes 30-40 minutes for onset effects, as opposed to 10-15 seconds by smoking it...it's really easy to eat too much;-)
Quitting smoking is the easiest thing in the world to do. People make one fundamental mistake when they try to quit.
They think they are addicted to cigarettes and Nicotine. They are not. They are addicted to the physical action of smoking and the mental pleasure that comes with making the motion. Holding the cig between your fingers, the slight wheezy sound they make when you take a drag off them, the way it feels when you exhale (especially if it's cold out)
Quiting is easy. Just realize that you aren't addicted to the cigs. You are addicted to the action of smoking, not to any chemicals therein. Trust me.
I realize that half of what I'm about to say doesn't have much to do with what you actually wrote in your post, but your post seems like a good place to write this response, seeing as you have a somewhat skewed view on what a drug is or is not.
What do you think painkillers are? NOT drugs? Tell me, how is it that cannabis or shrooms (which grow ENTIRELY without human intervention) are considered drugs, and yet you wouldn't consider something manufacturered by a human in a laboratory to be a drug?
Pain killers are drugs. DXM is a drug. Viagra is a drug. Anti-depressents are drugs. Novacaine is a drug. Nicotine is a drug. Alcohol is a drug. Hell, even caffeine is a drug. You can't honestly sit there and be ok with something made in a lab and not call it a drug, but be against something that grows naturally, has less side effects, and call it a drug. That's just insane.
There is one thing you should realize...there is a big difference between a drug USER and a drug ABUSER. Be a user. Don't be an abuser.
I can tell you exactly why. Manufactured drugs do not "feel" like they belong there. LSD, DXM...doesn't matter. Both LSD and DXM provide amazing experiences, but both of them make you feel polluted. Shrooms and Cannabis feel extremely natural (and that's because they are) when they are in your bloodstream.
We don't need new drugs, we need to decriminalize (and in some instances legalize) the ones that are already out there. Marijuana alone could turn our economy around. Hemp can be used as a Bio fuel (you know, instead of burning all of our food up), can be used to make paper (save the trees and our oxygen), and marijuana itself has a HUGE number of medical uses. Plus, the plants are super pretty and would look awesome in everyone's gardens:-) Call me a tree hugger if you want, but planting hemp everywhere would be far more beneficial to our economy and our environment than using corn for fuel or putting all of these battery packs into our cars. Not to mention the amount of money brought in from taxing it...
The reason you will never see natural drugs like Psilocybin, THC, Mescaline, etc. made legal in the US is because the Pharma companies are in bed with the government way too much. There is actually a documentary that looks at what would happen if big pharma developed the next big "entertainment" drug, and did so with the government's blessing...I think it's called "If Drugs Were Legal", or something like that...check it out, good stuff.
Coke is ok...you gotta watch out for getting crap, though. Crappy (i.e. really cut) coke is REALLY crappy. As a drug, coke is decent, but it lasts for a very short time...minute for minute, it's extremely expensive (and, in my opinion, it's effects do not warrent the high price of entry.)
For the price of an eight-ball, you could get enough shrooms for yourself and a few of your friends...much better experience. You have the opportunity to learn things by taking substances like shrooms, weed, salvia, etc. Coke is kinda like having a shot after work. You won't have any life-changing experience, but you'll feel real nice for a little bit.
Just remember. There is a HUGE difference between a drug USER and a drug ABUSER. Be a user, don't be an abuser.
I've got a better idea, how about we legalize every drug out there (with the exception of GHB, PCP, Crack, and Heroin) Or at the very least decriminalize it...
In fact, decriminalization is why me and the missus plan on moving to Colorado once we get some savings up...caught with an ounce or less of green? 100 dollar ticket, go about your day sir. Not to mention they have some SICK strains out there....
Maybe I am buying into their crap, or maybe I'm right...who knows. But out of all the companies in the past 20 years that I have seen making huge mistakes, Microsoft is one of the few companies I have seen that is actually at least ATTEMPTING to correct their problems. They are still going about things in a very asshatish way, but I think they are realizing that they are not the invincible juggernaut that they once thought they were.
Of course, the other problem they have is that even when they do make good gestures, many in the IT industry still see them as dicks. Can't please everyone, I suppose...
I've noticed that an argument that people frequently make is that the 360 is doing horrible in Japan but good in America...what I want to know is, what is so bad about this?
Japanese gamers and American gamers are quite different insofar as what the "average" one enjoys...just look at the majority of games that come out over there compared to what comes out over here. Is it such a bad thing to have a console targeted towards our market? If anything, I would say that's a plus. Now, I'm one of the few that enjoys all genre's of games (including jRPG) so I like it when a console has a wide variety of games available for it (Dreamcast, PS2, etc.) I still don't understand what is bad about having a console tailored for North American players, though.
After all, Microsoft is an American company and as such I would expect it's products to be primarily made with Westerners in mind...::shrug:: I don't think Microsoft is getting ready to leave the console-gaming arena, I think they are just learning their lessons.
I will say that if Microsoft DID leave the console arena, that would be the perfect time for Sega to make their comeback (unlikely, due to all the agreements they have with Nintendo now)
That's what I've been doing...it does work fairly well. Still, I suppose it's the idea of it more than anything else. I know there really isn't any good reason for Nintendo to have released DVD playback in the Wii, it's just that it seemed odd not to do so (kinda like how it would be strange to continue using cartridges)
I actually do not...my 1st-gen DVD player died a little while ago, the 360 looks great as a DVD player but can't play half of the discs that I own (I primarily collect c-horror movies) and I cannot stand using the PS2 as a DVD player...Considering the interface of the Wii, Nintendo could likely make a very pretty dvd player out of it. Just seems a little strange that at this point, they would release a console that doesn't have DVD playback (or dolby digital support, what the hell is that? Some of us still have older amps that don't have Pro Logic II support)
The integration between a PS3 and a PSP (both abilities available at launch and things that have been talked about coming around int he future) is what made me want to get a PS3...it has maybe acouple of good games for it, and getting a Blu-Ray player is kinda cool I suppose (never use it), the different things I can do with my PSP and my PS3 was enough of a selling point for me.
But I digress. This would certainly be awesome, as there are plenty of possibilities. As someone has already mentioned, the ability to either play or even store and play VC titles on a DS would be awesome. It sounds silly, but Nintendo definately needs to get DVD playback on the Wii going (I heard something about them planning on doing this for North America, although I don't know any details.) DVD playback and first-party rechargable batteries are what Nintendo should (in my opinion, of course) focus on getting out there next.
Oh and Tetris on the VC. I mean, Bubble Bobble didn't even make it until a couple days ago, that was a bad enough travesty...but not having Tetris in any way, shape, or form on the VC is downright blasphemy.
Slashdot Mirror
Come on EA, dip into that huge bank account you have and fully fund Baldur's Gate III!
I 100% agree with your first two choices...but the Simpsons game had one big issue that prevented me from playing any further than the 3rd level: It has, without a doubt, the most frustrating camera I have ever seen in an otherwise decent game (the Wii controls are crap too, the epitome of tacked-on waggle)
I can tell you exactly why there haven't been more fighting games on the 360...because second only to every playstation controller, the 360's controller has THE WORST d-pad ever concieved. I love the 360 controller to death, but the d-pad appears to have been designed by someone who had their mushroom tea spiked with GHB...
There were no restrictions meaning that if we asked to watch something, they would sit down and watch it with us. Naturally, at that point, porno wasn't really on my mind. They never OFFERED to show us things that most parents would think were inappropriate, but they never said no if we asked either. Besides, my family has always been rather...open about
sex. I got "the talk" when I was 12, and was always allowed to have girls stay over...we had a silent agreement. If my door was closed and they knew that a girl was over, they stayed downstairs.
Yes, they did exactly that actually. There was one thing I wasn't allowed to watch, and that was the news. That's right, the news. Why you ask? Because of the way it was presented...done up so as to get ratings, not inform people. I got updates on what was happening in the world every week. My mom would put together a little two page thing that had all the major headlines on it. If I found something that I wanted to know more about, she would tell me exactly what happened. Nothing like "oh, well a bad man went into a bank and he wouldn't let the nice people leave", she would say "a man with a gun tried to rob a bank, and held the people inside hostage. The police got him, but unfortunately one of the hostages died." Straight, to the point, no bullshit, no opinion, no childish talk, just exactly what occurred (they got all their news from BBS's in those days, before you ask.)
I am quite happy with what they did when I was young, and I turned out to be a very well mannered, responsible, reliable, and happy person. As I said before, what more could parents want out of their child?
Actually, I didn't need to. I used to smoke a pack and a half a day back when I was a mechanic. One day two winters ago, I suddenly realized that I was addicted to the action, not the cigs. I realized this when it suddenly hit me that I never got "the urge" for a cig...ever. Not once. I sometimes wanted one, sure...but I never felt like I NEEDED one. So, continuing this thinking, I decided to see what would happen if I stopped smoking ciggs.
Guess what. In the two years since, I haven't had nor wanted a single one... and I didn't even WANT to quit (at least not at the time...I'm glad now that this happend, however)
It's the truth. Come to the realization that it's the action and you will see. In fact, if you want to test it out, buy some shredded Damiana root, some empty filter tubes, and a tube filler. The whole thing will cost you 20 dollars. See if it satisfies your "need" for a cig when you smoke one.
If it does, there is your proof.
I don't know about that...I got into the same things my parents did...video games, drugs, etc. As far as video games were concerned, they knew I could just go over to a friend's house and play whatever I wanted (which I did), so instead they would buy those games and then play them with me. If something violent or something sexual in nature came up in said game, they would pause it and talk to me about it.
Ditto with drugs. When I turned 14, my dad sat me down (this was after finding pot in my room) and said "Well, you've been bit by the drug bug...don't worry, your mother and I were bit by it too. Stay safe, don't do it ANYWHERE but at home or at someone's house who you trust implicitly, don't do anything that you have to snort or inject, and above all...enjoy yourself."
I smoke cannabis almost daily, and have since I was about 16 (smoked it daily, that is) I have done shrooms, LSD, you name it. Just like he said, nothing that has to be snorted or injected. I've never lost a job, I've never not payed the rent (it's actually budgeted into my finances just like as if it were a car payment), I have never been arrested, and I have never done dumb shit (gotten injured, stole, etc.) I have a full time job that pays well and has good benefits, I have my own car that I payed for with money that I earned, and am generally well liked by all those that know me.
My parents taught me how to work hard and play hard...but above all else, they taught me to work and play SAFELY.
Now, I've grown up to be just like them...successful, VERY happy, reliable, and safe. What more could a parent want out of a child?
Believe me, I know the irony is there:-)
I suppose the best way I could explain it is like this...because I was exposed to virtual violence at such a young age (watched my first R rated movie when I was 7, played doom when I was 9) I learned to recognize that it was fake very early on. When I was 13, a friend of mine broke his leg when we were playing (American) football one summer. Bone sticking out and everything. EVERYONE was going crazy, cause...well, cause it was nasty and most of them hadn't been exposed to something like that before, real or virtual.
Because I was desensitized to violence (i.e. I could look at it objectively and for what it was without being sidetracked by the EW NASTY GROSS feelings most people would get) I was able to keep him calm and get help...I didn't hesitate for a moment when it happened, and at no point in time was I distracted by bone protruding from his leg. (Something similar happened when I was a mechanic and a coworker lost a couple fingers from a metal radiator fan...I believe I've posted that story on here a couple times)
I know it seems funny to try to get someone to objectively view real world violence by using fake violence, but fake violence is MUCH easier to get used to at first. Being used to fake violence makes real violence all that much easier to deal with.
Pussy. Learn to take your bingers better! /karma
My girlfriend and I were discussing this a couple days ago, actually. We are both avid gamers (and also both 23). She is more of a classic gamer (Atari, NES, etc.) and prefers platformers, puzzle games, and horror-style FPS (her current favourite to watch is Bioshock...she doesn't like playing scary games, but LOVES watching them be played). I am more of an "in the now" gamer (although I've been going through my back-catalogue of N64 games lately) and prefer RTS, RPG, and RPG/Shooter hybrids.
Both of us have no problem (and quite enjoy) violent video games. What happens when we have a kid?
The same thing that happend to us when we were little. Both her parents and my parents would ensure that we could discern the difference between the fantasy in a game and the reality in life...as long as we did that, there were no restrictions insofar as what we watched or what we played.
I imagine I'm going to do the same with my kid. Naturally, since both of us are regular gamers, we would prolly know what is in their games because we will have played them. Don't get me wrong, they aren't going to be in a Dukematch when they are five, but if at age 12 they want to play GTA7 and can prove to me that they know it is fantasy (and that they know what would happen if they did such things in real life), then they can play it to their heart's content. I would rather my kids be exposed to sex and violence early on in life enough to be able to look at it objectively and not be suprised when they are older and suddenly see something violent and react in the same way that most of the sheep do. I don't want them to be sheltered, I want show them that the world is a violent place, but I don't want to have to show them using national media or ogrish.com or some place like that. Video games make for the perfect medium to introduce children to modern day real issues while not succumbing them to all the bullshit that usually goes along with it.
After all, would you rather your kids learn about sex and violence WITHOUT you by their side?
For what it's worth, DXM may be absolutely HORRID for you (which it is...worse for your liver than alcohol) but you know what? I have learned more and have experienced more using DXM than I have using either LSD or mescaline. In fact, I would venture to say it is one of the best tools you can use to learn, insofar as drugs are concerned.
Oh, and excuse me for not wanting to type out Dextromethorphan. DXM is way easier.
Ah, I see. My family doesn't really have much of a history with addiction (my grandmother was the only one that ever smoked ciggs) however I think every person on both sides of the family still living today has done illegal drugs on a regular basis at some point in their life...no one ever got arrested, no one ever got in money problems (that I know of, anyway), and no one ever had to goto rehab...drug use (not abuse) runs in my family (and you can tell...we are some crazy folk. Hard working, funny, very caring, and all a little bit spacey, heh)
Still, I went on my little rant because it bothers me if people (my ex's mother is a perfect example of this) loved talking about how bad things like marijuana and shrooms are, and how they are destroying our culture, and all of this...and yet is prescribed no less than 4 medications (two of which are for depression) AND plows through any painkillers whenever she gets injured (which is frequent, since she is a total klutz). I cannot stand the hypocrisy in that.
Back to your original point. I fully agree that this "Vaccine" should be reserved for usage by detox and rehab clinics...beyond that, I think that it should be a volunteer-only vaccine. This shouldn't ever be pushed on someone, it should only be given when asked for.
His advice has helped tremendously...never been fired from a job, never not payed any bills because of drugs, nothing. Other then the money I spend on it (which I actually have marked down in my budget as misc...that's right, if you budget for it just like anything else, it won't ever cause money problems), I haven't had any negative experiences. I am careful about what I do, where I do it, when I do it, and who I do it with. In addition to that, many VERY good memories have come about from nights that I have spent with friends...Watching the sun rise in Miami on the beach, slightly cloudy day, just as you start peaking from mushrooms with five lifelong friends surrounding you? Amazing experience. Within a few hours, it was gone, and I went to visit my grandparents as if nothing had happend.
As Bill Hicks once said, "Laughed my ass off, then went about my day."
Out of curiosity, what are you reasons for not doing illegal drugs? (I'm not prodding at you, I'm genuinely curious...every person has a different reason, and I enjoy listening to those reasons)
I don't think you get what I mean when I say polluted...I will use DXM as an example. When you dose with DXM, you can literally feel the checmical going through your bloodstream. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true...you can feel it going through your circulatory system, and you can tell by how it feels that it is NOT supposed to be there. You can tell it's something that isn't doing your body anything but harm. It makes your insides feel heavy, engorged almost.
THC is quite different. It has a light, airy feeling to it. It doesn't make you feel nasty, nor does it make you taste/smell nasty things that aren't there.
As far as special brownies go, be careful how many you eat...ingesting THC takes 30-40 minutes for onset effects, as opposed to 10-15 seconds by smoking it...it's really easy to eat too much
Quitting smoking is the easiest thing in the world to do. People make one fundamental mistake when they try to quit.
They think they are addicted to cigarettes and Nicotine. They are not. They are addicted to the physical action of smoking and the mental pleasure that comes with making the motion. Holding the cig between your fingers, the slight wheezy sound they make when you take a drag off them, the way it feels when you exhale (especially if it's cold out)
Quiting is easy. Just realize that you aren't addicted to the cigs. You are addicted to the action of smoking, not to any chemicals therein. Trust me.
I realize that half of what I'm about to say doesn't have much to do with what you actually wrote in your post, but your post seems like a good place to write this response, seeing as you have a somewhat skewed view on what a drug is or is not.
What do you think painkillers are? NOT drugs? Tell me, how is it that cannabis or shrooms (which grow ENTIRELY without human intervention) are considered drugs, and yet you wouldn't consider something manufacturered by a human in a laboratory to be a drug?
Pain killers are drugs. DXM is a drug. Viagra is a drug. Anti-depressents are drugs. Novacaine is a drug. Nicotine is a drug. Alcohol is a drug. Hell, even caffeine is a drug. You can't honestly sit there and be ok with something made in a lab and not call it a drug, but be against something that grows naturally, has less side effects, and call it a drug. That's just insane.
There is one thing you should realize...there is a big difference between a drug USER and a drug ABUSER. Be a user. Don't be an abuser.
I can tell you exactly why. Manufactured drugs do not "feel" like they belong there. LSD, DXM...doesn't matter. Both LSD and DXM provide amazing experiences, but both of them make you feel polluted. Shrooms and Cannabis feel extremely natural (and that's because they are) when they are in your bloodstream.
We don't need new drugs, we need to decriminalize (and in some instances legalize) the ones that are already out there. Marijuana alone could turn our economy around. Hemp can be used as a Bio fuel (you know, instead of burning all of our food up), can be used to make paper (save the trees and our oxygen), and marijuana itself has a HUGE number of medical uses. Plus, the plants are super pretty and would look awesome in everyone's gardens:-) Call me a tree hugger if you want, but planting hemp everywhere would be far more beneficial to our economy and our environment than using corn for fuel or putting all of these battery packs into our cars. Not to mention the amount of money brought in from taxing it...
The reason you will never see natural drugs like Psilocybin, THC, Mescaline, etc. made legal in the US is because the Pharma companies are in bed with the government way too much. There is actually a documentary that looks at what would happen if big pharma developed the next big "entertainment" drug, and did so with the government's blessing...I think it's called "If Drugs Were Legal", or something like that...check it out, good stuff.
Coke is ok...you gotta watch out for getting crap, though. Crappy (i.e. really cut) coke is REALLY crappy. As a drug, coke is decent, but it lasts for a very short time...minute for minute, it's extremely expensive (and, in my opinion, it's effects do not warrent the high price of entry.)
For the price of an eight-ball, you could get enough shrooms for yourself and a few of your friends...much better experience. You have the opportunity to learn things by taking substances like shrooms, weed, salvia, etc. Coke is kinda like having a shot after work. You won't have any life-changing experience, but you'll feel real nice for a little bit.
Just remember. There is a HUGE difference between a drug USER and a drug ABUSER. Be a user, don't be an abuser.
I've got a better idea, how about we legalize every drug out there (with the exception of GHB, PCP, Crack, and Heroin) Or at the very least decriminalize it...
In fact, decriminalization is why me and the missus plan on moving to Colorado once we get some savings up...caught with an ounce or less of green? 100 dollar ticket, go about your day sir. Not to mention they have some SICK strains out there....
Maybe I am buying into their crap, or maybe I'm right...who knows. But out of all the companies in the past 20 years that I have seen making huge mistakes, Microsoft is one of the few companies I have seen that is actually at least ATTEMPTING to correct their problems. They are still going about things in a very asshatish way, but I think they are realizing that they are not the invincible juggernaut that they once thought they were.
Of course, the other problem they have is that even when they do make good gestures, many in the IT industry still see them as dicks. Can't please everyone, I suppose...
I've noticed that an argument that people frequently make is that the 360 is doing horrible in Japan but good in America...what I want to know is, what is so bad about this?
Japanese gamers and American gamers are quite different insofar as what the "average" one enjoys...just look at the majority of games that come out over there compared to what comes out over here. Is it such a bad thing to have a console targeted towards our market? If anything, I would say that's a plus. Now, I'm one of the few that enjoys all genre's of games (including jRPG) so I like it when a console has a wide variety of games available for it (Dreamcast, PS2, etc.) I still don't understand what is bad about having a console tailored for North American players, though.
After all, Microsoft is an American company and as such I would expect it's products to be primarily made with Westerners in mind...::shrug:: I don't think Microsoft is getting ready to leave the console-gaming arena, I think they are just learning their lessons.
I will say that if Microsoft DID leave the console arena, that would be the perfect time for Sega to make their comeback (unlikely, due to all the agreements they have with Nintendo now)
That's what I've been doing...it does work fairly well. Still, I suppose it's the idea of it more than anything else. I know there really isn't any good reason for Nintendo to have released DVD playback in the Wii, it's just that it seemed odd not to do so (kinda like how it would be strange to continue using cartridges)
I actually do not...my 1st-gen DVD player died a little while ago, the 360 looks great as a DVD player but can't play half of the discs that I own (I primarily collect c-horror movies) and I cannot stand using the PS2 as a DVD player...Considering the interface of the Wii, Nintendo could likely make a very pretty dvd player out of it. Just seems a little strange that at this point, they would release a console that doesn't have DVD playback (or dolby digital support, what the hell is that? Some of us still have older amps that don't have Pro Logic II support)
The integration between a PS3 and a PSP (both abilities available at launch and things that have been talked about coming around int he future) is what made me want to get a PS3...it has maybe acouple of good games for it, and getting a Blu-Ray player is kinda cool I suppose (never use it), the different things I can do with my PSP and my PS3 was enough of a selling point for me.
But I digress. This would certainly be awesome, as there are plenty of possibilities. As someone has already mentioned, the ability to either play or even store and play VC titles on a DS would be awesome. It sounds silly, but Nintendo definately needs to get DVD playback on the Wii going (I heard something about them planning on doing this for North America, although I don't know any details.) DVD playback and first-party rechargable batteries are what Nintendo should (in my opinion, of course) focus on getting out there next.
Oh and Tetris on the VC. I mean, Bubble Bobble didn't even make it until a couple days ago, that was a bad enough travesty...but not having Tetris in any way, shape, or form on the VC is downright blasphemy.
Isn't it obvious? It's training you for the night where you mix Psylocibin and LSD.