The Salvia Divinorum Experience

My friend, Swim, finally got around to trying out some Salvia Divinorum. He came over to my house and so I was there to watch over him and make sure he was safe. Overall, he enjoyed his experience.

He got two different kinds of Salvia from a random website, 5x and 10x, which are measures of their strength. He wasn't sure which would work best so he figured he would get both, start out slow with the 5x and if necessary try the 10x.

I cleared a spot on the floor where he wanted to sit when he smoked, and I moved away things he could bump into like the coffee table. I also turned off most of the lights in the room and turned off the TV so that it was completely silent. I didn't want to interfere with his experience unless he got up and started running for the door or something.

He sat down on the floor and took a hit of the 5x, inhaled for close to 30 seconds then exhaled. He told me that he sort of felt pins and needles throughout his body (like when your arm falls asleep.) He also noted that it felt as though a wave of 'tingles' were flowing through him, pushing and pulling him and trying to lift him. He told me that he wanted them to lift him, but they didn't. At this, he figured he didn't take enough, so he went in for another hit.

His next hit was much larger and he tried to hold it in even longer too, as far as I could tell it worked. After he exhaled, he laid down on his back and stayed there for about 4 minutes, barely moving, occasionally he would silently mumble and then suddenly he opened his eyes, looked around and just kept exclaiming, "Wow... I understand it now, Holy Shit!" He had a huge smile on his face and he kept looking around trying to gather himself. "I understand, I get it now." He also started humming some sort of melody that I didn't recognize.

Once he gathered himself a bit more he told me that he heard the melody play and then heard someone say 'come right there' or 'get right there' over and over again. He also said there weren't many visuals but he remembers something like staring at the top of a red umbrella as it spun. For some reason he said it felt like a Disney ride somehow, going around and around.

He went outside and smoked a ciggarette as he tried to gather himself further.

When he came back in, he told me that he felt like he was right on the edge and although he definitely heard things, saw things and had the feeling that he was on a Disney ride of some sort, he wanted to try out the 10x strength Salvia to become fully emerged.

Swim loaded up the water-bong with the 10x strength substance, took a big hit and held it in as long as he could. When he exhaled, he laid back down on the floor and stayed there for about 4 minutes again, pretty motionless. He suddenly sat up and I figured he was coming out of it. Without me saying a thing he said, "Yea." and he was looking around, totally out of it, kind of like a blind zombie. He mumbled a few other things but just kept looking around the room. I asked him if he was OK, he mumbled something else incoherently, picked up a water bottle, put it down, picked it up again and put it down. Then he laid back down on the floor. A few times he shifted his legs and a couple times he moved his arms around, just reaching into air.

About 3 minutes later he starting rolling around and going "Whew" and "Wow." He sat up again, looked around and this time I could tell he was taking in his surroundings and trying to figure out what just happened. He asked me how long he was out and I said that it was about 7 minutes since he took the hit. He seemed shocked at this, "Wow," he said again.

He was still smiling like a fool and seemed overwhelmed, but overjoyed. Later he told me that it was like a dream, he said that he definitely was gone and not in this reality. He related the experience to a Disney ride again, he just said he had the feeling of being on an amusement park ride but couldn't really explain how it felt and that it was like nothing he ever experienced before.

He definitely felt the presence of other people in his 'vision', and it wasn't fearful but the feeling of acceptance. He remembers that he was trying to open a door of some sort (not like a door in a house, but like a door on the side of an amusement park ride.) He remembers the 'other people' telling him that he just had to pull it up (the door) and they told him over and over how to pull the door open. Swim aknowledged that he knew how to open it up and just when he went to open it up, that's when he came back to reality and found himself back in my living room.

It took him another couple of minutes to fully come back to his senses. He told me that he had no recollection of those 7 minutes, he didn't remember sitting up, mumbling and grabbing the water bottle twice. He couldn't recall exactly everything he experienced in his vision, but remembered clearly the part about opening the door right before he came back to reality. He said it was a lot like waking up from a dream and you can only remember the last couple of seconds of the dream.

Overall, he told me that it wasn't a bad 'trip' and he will do it again. He said that he wants to try it out with music on the next time, or maybe the lights on and try to stay conscious throughout the trip. He was glad that he did so much research about Salvia and knew what he was getting into before he did it. He wouldn't recommend it for anyone trying to replace marijuana, or anyone who just wants a quick 'high.'

Salvia Divinorum

Salvia Divinorum... a plant, mostly just called Salvia. Grown in Mexico and possibly dating back to the Aztec culture where it was used for shamanistic rituals or for healing ceremonies. People often chew it or smoke it. The effects from intaking this substance vary from person to person, but many relate it to the psychedelic nature of mushrooms or lsd. Unlike other similar drugs, Salvia is absolutely legal in most countries and states.

Although potentially dating back to ancient cultures, Salvia has not received the attention of similar drugs such as marijuana, lsd or mushrooms. It is, however, becoming more well-known recently as it has become popularized by Youtube and celebrity usage (i.e. Miley Cyrus.) Many states have recently passed or tried to pass laws making this substance illegal, mostly pressured by negative media attention. Many people tend to think of Salvia as a substitute for marijuana, which is easier to obtain because of it's legality.

I have a friend named Swim, and it has been a long time since he has partaken in any kind of drug use, and he admitted that he experimented quite a bit in the past with various drugs, and hearing about Salvia has his mind very curious. He definitely wants to try this substance before it becomes completely illegal, so he is planning on purchasing some, either online or from a local head-shop and testing it out for himself.

Swim has done plenty of research regarding Salvia, has read countless online posts about people's experiences and has also watched numerous Youtube videos of people smoking it (although the Youtube videos are filled with a majority of idiots who do not respect their experiences and are using it like a recreational drug, which it certainly is not.) He will probably be going on his Salvia Trip soon, and I will be sure to post his experiences on here.

Happy Trails.

Job Interview Follow-Up

OK, so yesterday I had the job interview with my brother's boss. Got there a little before 3:00, before the snow got really bad... had the interview and was out of there.

The interview went pretty good, and according to my brother, it seems that they will hire me. I am now just waiting for the official word. I don't know the pay or when I would actually start, but things are looking good. The position he described seems pretty easy to me... working on the computer mostly, some phone work, etc, etc... Will keep you updated when I know more.

Job Interview

Today I have a job interview at 3:00... It is really a favor from my brother, he talked to his boss and apparently they are looking for a new hire, so I figured I would give it a shot.

I don't know much about the position, and in all actuality, signs seem to be telling me this isn't going to be the job for me. It has been about a month of my brother's boss and me trying to get together, but something always seemed to get in the way.

First, I couldn't get in contact with him, either he was out or I was out, so it was constantly me leaving messages on his voicemail, so we never connected. My brother talked to him a bit and eventually scheduled a meeting between us, and on the day of that interview, I got a horrible stomach bug and had to go to the hospital so I had to call it off.

Now it's two weeks later and I am scheduled to meet him today at 3:00 and of course we are being hit with 5-8 inches of snow, the worst falling between 2:00 - 5:00... great. I will indeed go to the interview, but it doesn't seem like this is supposed to happen, if nature is anything to go by.

Well, I'll see what happens.

Apple TV Review

I got Apple TV for Christmas, so it's been almost a month that I've been using it... figured now was as good a time as any to write up a little review.

The form factor is a plus, the device itself is a small black box which resembles a hockey puck and has ports in the back for the power cord, HDMI, optical audio, ethernet cable and a micro-usb. The only two I need is the power cord and HDMI.

The only other thing in the box is the remote control, which is a small, flat, metallic controller which has three simple buttons... unfortunately, the controller isn't the best and it's much easier to download the iPod/iPhone remote control app and use that.

Setup was hassle-free. It easily found and connected to my wireless internet. I signed on to my iTunes account as well as my Netflix account and within minutes I was testing it out.

Netflix worked well, the interface was easy to use. I watched through a couple movies and shows and although it worked great 90% of the time, every now and then it would stop and buffer, which is something that rarely happened when using my PS3. It seemed to happen more frequently on the Apple TV, so I'm hoping it was simply a case of slower than usual internet connection... I'll have to test it a bit more.

I also tried out the TV Shows/Movies feature by renting a free TV Show. The process was incredibly simple. I selected the show, waited for less than a minute for it to load, hit play and I was then watching a TV Show in HD quality. It couldn't be easier. I believe the prices may be a bit too high... a TV Show seems to generally be $0.99 for a rental and the movies are about $4.99. Figuring that RedBox and Blockbuster Express are just $1 a day for movies and websites like Hulu, ABC.com, etc... are free for TV Shows, it's hard to justify the prices. I guess if I'm really lazy it'll work out fine.

Apple TV also has Youtube built in, which is nice to have on my TV, but I've noticed that it takes a long time to load up videos that are over 3 minutes long... I got impatient waiting for a video that would probably load up instantly on my computer. Oh well.

Another great feature, which I'm hoping they expand in a future update, is AirPlay. Basically AirPlay allows you to instantaneously project a movie, tv show, music or photos directly from an iPod, iPhone or iPad straight to the TV. This is an amazing feature and I've already used it a ton to watch shows and listen to music I have on my iPhone and iPad. It lets you show your photos, but not your own videos, which is something I hope gets updated soon. It also doesn't allow you to stream 3rd party content, such as website video, etc... All in all though, it is a very nifty feature.

There are some other features of Apple TV which I haven't messed with too much like podcasts and Flickr, so I can't speak too much of those. I am hopeful that Apple will open up the software a bit and allow apps to be downloaded. It has been a much speculated feature that would make Apple TV a million times more powerful. [fingers crossed.]

Overall, I am very happy with Apple TV, if just for Netflix and AirPlay alone.

Woman Falls in Fountain While Texting

OK, just this morning I saw a news story about this Youtube video involving a woman, Cathy Cruz Marrero who was in a mall, texting while walking and she accidentally falls into a fountain. Pretty friggin' hilarious, right?! You bet your ass it is!

Well anyway, this woman apparently has no sense of humor whatsoever and is on tv crying and whining and threating to sue the individuals responsible for posting this online. Wah, Wah, Wah...

This lady ran into a fountain because she was foolishly in her own world, texting on her phone. Sure it could happen to anybody (well, maybe,) but what happened, happened... she should just swallow her pride and laugh at herself. These actions are making her look really bad, the fact she can't own up to what she did and is now on the media circuit crying about it is pathetic.

This is pure comedy, ripe for America's Funniest Home Videos... maybe someday she will see that and loosen up a bit, but for now, everyone just watch the Youtube video and laugh your ass off.

UPDATE:

Apparently this woman has just gone to court for separate reasons, facing five felony charges including theft by deception and receiving stolen property. Something that involves using a co-workers stolen credit card to purchase up to $5,000 worth of goods.

And so the story unravels further... interesting.

Dexter

Thanks to Netflix, I've finally had a chance to watch Season 1 of Dexter, which I've been dying to see since the show started, but I didn't have Showtime.

I must say, Dexter is an amazing piece of television... executed beautifully in writing, acting, directing and cinematography. Michael C. Hall was a wise choice to play the lead character, his creepy look with the subtle hints of sympathy play well together. The rest of this ensemble cast are perfect as well, from Dexter's sister, to his girlfriend, to his co-workers.

The stories are well written and the season arc of 'The Ice Truck Killer' is perfectly balanced within each episode. Of course these are based on the books written by Jeff Lindsay, which was the inspiration for the show, and unfortunately I have not yet read them, so I don't know how much of the books is preserved on the show, but if anything, it is very well adapted for television.

Watching through the first season has only gotten me more excited to watch season 2, and 3 and 4 and 5 and, and, and... well, however far it will go. Never in my life have I been rooting so much for a serial killer to succeed.

My Rating:
4 out of 5... damn near perfect...

Two More Movie Reviews

I have two more movies notched on my belt that I will give mini-reviews...

Cop-Out :

The reason I was tempted to see this movie was because Kevin Smith was the Director, something that I didn't even realize at the time of the movie's release... It wasn't written by Kevin Smith, however, so I had to keep that in mind.

The movie is OK... not horrible, but definitely not great. It seems to me that the movie is paying homage (pronounced 'omage' lol) to 1980's cop flicks, and it would have fit perfectly next to Beverly Hills Cop or 48 Hours. It is chock full of goofiness, corniness, and plain old stupidity, but there is just enough laughs to keep me watching through to the end. The movie doesn't feel much like Kevin Smith was involved at all, but like I said, he didn't write it, so that may be why.

If I had to start using a grading scale... I would say this movie ranks 2 1/2 out of 5.


A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010):

This is a remake I was very anxious to see because I'm a big fan of The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. I have every movie from Nightmare 1 to Freddy vs. Jason on DVD and I even watched most of that dreadful Nightmare on Elm Street TV series when it was on. My curiosity piqued when I first heard of this remake, so I'm glad I finally got a chance to see it.

This movie was good and will start off a new generation of this franchise nicely. I enjoyed how it didn't try too hard to be something new and different, it stuck to the same formula of Freddy's origin and I also enjoyed how they remade some of the same moments from the original. The characters could have been more fleshed out, but other than that it was a good horror movie to reboot a franchise and I'm excited for the sequel.

My Rating for this movie is 3 1/2 out of 5.


I have about a hundred more movies sitting in my Netflix que that I hope to watch sometime soon, plus 20-something more that haven't come out yet and a handful of TV shows that are on my bucket list... so I better get back to it. See Ya!

Another Boring Day

Today was a pretty uneventful day. I did wear myself out by shoveling snow from the driveway and walkway, but other than that, I didn't do anything too productive.

I read a bunch of Wikipedia articles about the history of literature, the history of Jesus and browsed a bunch of ancient world maps. I felt like absorbing some knowledge, what can I say.

I watched a few more episodes of Lost... I am almost finished with my 're-watch' of the entire series... only have 2 episodes left actually.

My plans for the rest of the night involve finishing Lost and then maybe watching a movie, reading a book or playing a video game... not sure yet, I'll probably just wing it.

That's all, I'm actually hungry so I might make some mac and cheese or something. Peace!

Snow Blows

Last night we were hit with a small amount of snow, perhaps an inch or two, but flowing into this morning there was about a half inch coating of ice on all the snow. Not too bad, we've been hit with much, much worse in recent years, but still.

Anyway, I just got done shoveling the driveway... which is bullshit, because we are supposed to have a crew come and shovel up the driveways and walkways for us since we are part of a HOA, what the hell are we paying dues for if they don't even come and do what they are supposed to?

Oh well.

Catching Up

Hey Now!

It's been a long ass time since I posted anything on here, but I figured I would start it up again since I have recently been freed up of some time.

As far as life goes, things aren't going the greatest, but they could always be worse. I lost my job and am in recovery mode from a nasty stomach bug that had me wrenching in pain for two days.

The good news is that in between sending out my resume and looking for work, I've been hella busy wasting my time by catching up on a bunch of movies, tv shows, video games and books that I've been meaning to dive into, which is mostly what I wanted to write about.

MOVIES:

Kick-Ass - I read these comic books a while back but never had a chance to see the movie... Well, I finally did and the movie lives up to it's title splendidly... the movie is absolutely kick-ass! I can't wait for a sequel.

The Human Centipede - Oh man, this is one sick movie. It's a good movie, but it's sick. Basically it involves a mad scientist who kidnaps three people and makes them into a ''human centipede'' which is sewing their mouths to their anuses. They are working on a sequel to this as well, not as excited to see that one but will definitely see it anyway.


TV SHOWS:

Larry Sanders Show - This is an older show, but when it aired I didn't have HBO, and since it has recently been offered up on Netflix, I decided it was time to check it out... breezed through 4 seasons like they were nothing, great show!

Lost - Yes I've already watched all of Lost, but the show is phenomenal so I wanted to watch it all again, in as few sittings as possible. I'm already up to episode 8 of the final season and would definitely recommend a re-watch for any Lost fan who has the time.


VIDEO GAMES:

Fallout New Vegas - A vast amount of time gave me plenty of opportunity to play a vast game like Fallout New Vegas and although I already plan to replay it, this game was just as great as Fallout 3.

Lost: Via Domus - My re-interest in Lost and the fact I found this game for 12 bucks got me playing through this very short game. The gameplay straight up sucked balls but the story and a few other elements and references were worth playing it. Like I said though... It was very short.


BOOKS:

I am perpetually reading through Stephen King's Dark Tower books and I just recently got through the third book, The Wastelands. I am excited to read through more, especially since this book has quite a cliffhanger at the end.

Harry Potter - Another saga of books I am reading... for the second time, that is. I am just finishing up book two, Chamber of Secrets.

Wayside School Trilogy - Sure these books are for children, but they are clever and entertaining. It took me about as long to read all three books as it took me to play through Lost: Via Domus... 3 hours, but regardless, I enjoyed them again.


Well, that's about it for now. I have a lot more planned to watch and read, so I better get to it.


-- Posted From My iPad