I'm not seen as a subscriber because my purchases aren't in effect registered with the digital world. Thus, I'm not granted unlimited digital access like they grant their home delivery people. I understand the paywall and think it's okay. But, I don't understand why I'm not given a chance to prove, through QR codes, or something, that I'm a subscriber. Letters to NYT executives go unanswered.
Regardless, there are enough ways around the paywall that I'm not too upset about things. Just inconvenienced. So, when I spotted that Maurren Dowd wrote in last Sunday's column that she was on Willie's bus getting high, I needed to research the story.
I love Willie Nelson all the time. I like Maureen Dowd, some of the time. No matter. There was going to be a way to read the cleverly headed column 'Two Redheaded Strangers.' And I did, and once again Ms. Dowd used a word I knew nothing about.
Apparently, the whole meeting with Willie on his bus home came about when Ms. Dowd wrote about consuming parts of a marijuana candy bar in Colorado and then describing the paralytic high it brought on. Lucky for Ms. Dowd she was in her hotel room when this occurred and the lousy high wore off after eight hours. Lucky for Ms. Dowd I guess was that she didn't miss checkout and didn't get dinged for another day.
Through a Rolling Stone interview Willie recounted reading about Ms. Dowd's bad experience with Willie's favorite substance and invited her to come on his bus/home whenever she could and he'd set her straight on how to handle the stuff.
Willie, at 81 has just released a terrific album, 'Band of Brothers.' It contains songs he's recently written and is superbly produced by Buddy Cannon, who is also credited with co-writing the songs with Willie.
When I first heard the album I immediately thought at 81, Willie has produced a great piece of work. The sixth selection on the album, 'I Thought I Left You' has some of the least likely lyrics you'll ever hear on a breakup song, but they are as hilarious, as they are deeply expressed.
"...you' re like the measles,
you're like the whooping cough,
I've already had you..."
Whoever thought their childhood diseases could equate to lousy love?
Ms. Dowd accepts Willie's invitation after a concert he does in D.C. On the bus, Willie points out the information needed before consumption of edible pot. Basically strength, then portion control. Sort of like milligram dosage of a traditional pharmaceutical drug.
Ms. Dowd of course uses the Willie bus interview/lesson learned, and writes a column. And she doesn't miss a chance to plop in a word that sends me the dictionary.
Colorado it seems needs to instruct people on how to consume marijuana. Not all customers are seasoned pot heads. There are novices, like Ms. Dowd in her hotel room, that are trying the stuff without knowledge of what kind of stuff they've got.
So, like any good public safety concerned state, Colorado has started campaigns to instruct the public. The Marijuana Policy Project. Ms. Dowd writes:
"Trying to prevent any more deaths, emergency-room trips or runaway paranoia, the Marijuana Policy Project has started an educational campaign called “Consume Responsibly.” Its whimsical first billboard in Denver shows a bandjaxed redhead in a hotel room — which is far too neat to be mine — with the warning: “Don’t let a candy bar ruin your vacation. With edibles, start low and go slow.”
All this reminds me of when New York introduced off-track wagering on horse racing in 1971. In a nod to the concerned clergy and social workers that the state was embarking on the creation of destructive, career-ruining gamblers, the slogan "Bet With Your Head, Not Over It." became a mainstay of Off-Track Betting advertising. A health warning like on a pack of cigarettes.
But what about that word "bandjaxed'? A stoned-out groupie? Close. "Ruin, destroy, incapacitate." So, we get the picture. In order to avoid becoming someone like Ms. Dowd after her candy bar consumption, "Start Low, Go Slow." Seemingly good advice, based on Ms. Dowd's description of her lousy high.
So, we always knew Willie was a pot guru, and now we know Ms. Dowd has been properly instructed on better ways to enjoy the weed in the future, if she decides to. We also know Willie has forsaken alcohol for the green stuff, but Ms. Dowd admits to chardonnay consumption.
The hope is that neither one will get so whacked out of their gourd that they stop writing songs and stop using words that send me to the dictionary.
No comments:
Post a Comment