Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Find someone who loves you the way trump and maga love traitors.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

President Musk and Trump are both poorly raised, coddled 8 year old boys.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Human rights are not a matter of opinion!

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

This is dead girl, live boy, a goat, two wetsuits and a dildo territory.  oh, and pink furry handcuffs.

You passed on an opportunity to be offended? What are you even doing here?

When I was faster i was always behind.

I would gladly pay you tuesday for a hamburger today.

We still have time to mess this up!

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / No, This Is Not a Good Town for Psychedelic Drugs. Reality Itself is Too Twisted.

No, This Is Not a Good Town for Psychedelic Drugs. Reality Itself is Too Twisted.

by | 126 Comments

This post is in: 

I’ve gotten over my obligatory 12-15 hour period of post travel hate and acclimation to new things (“Fucking hell, shit is different here. I hate change.” – me, the first 12 hours I am anywhere new) and am now settling in on the part of the trip that I actually enjoy. Hit the conference and registered and got all the crap they handed out, plotted my day of events tomorrow, and feel ready.

Did some tooling around- picked up some fruit (lots of good apples and pears), a lot of water and other assorted drinks, and on the advice of the valets and the cleaning lady, drove 15 mins out of town to a taco stand in a gas station and ate some damned fine tacos. Note- when the sweet Mexican woman has a concerned look on her face and tells you “only use a little bit of the hot sauce,” you should listen up, Gringo.

My travel partner is stuck in Omaha. Apparently her plane caught fire and had to be emergency landed. At first the reports were that someone had been smoking in the bathroom, and I’m pretty sure there would have been a lynching on the plane if that had been true. Turns out they were actually legit on fire. They’ve deplaned and the airline ordered pizza for everyone, so I told her to just call me tomorrow and I will pick her up at the airport then.

I forgot my shirts (figures, the one town I go where they wouldn’t notice or care if I wore pants I remember them), so I am heading to the outlet mall on the outskirts of town to pick up a couple polo shirts size fat, then heading to Lotus of Siam for dinner. Turns out one of my fraternity brothers is also in town, and we have not seen each other for 20 years so we are going to meet up and hit the town.

*** Update ***

Dinner was pretty good. Had the green papaya salad at a 7 out of 10 on the heat scale, and then had crispy prawns with drunken noodles, which was tasty but a bit mild. I think tomorrow I may go back and get the Panang curry with crispy duck.

At any rate, I didn’t forget all my shirts. I brought button down short sleeve shirts for the conference and some grey t-shirts for bumming around the room, but not the Polo shirts I like to wear around at nightish.

Reader Interactions

126Comments

  4. 4.

    Baud

    drove 15 mins out of town to a taco stand in a gas station and ate some damned fine tacos

    At first I thought this was a euphemism.

  8. 8.

    Cacti

    How you know you’ve found a good Mexican eatery:

    There are as many or more Hispanic customers as there are gringos.

  10. 10.

    Roger Moore

    Maybe you need a travel checklist to make sure you pack everything. It should also probably involve checking suitcases for sleeping pets before closing them; I’ve heard about cats getting unexpected vacation trips that way.

  12. 12.

    raven

    Travel partner?.Didn’t you get enough of that shit in the Green Machine. I’ve made it clear with my people, no fucking roommates.

  18. 18.

    The Pale Scot

    No, This Is Not a Good Town for Psychedelic Drugs. Reality Itself is Too Twisted.

    But what about the bats?

  19. 19.

    BruceFromOhio

    My travel partner is stuck in Omaha. Apparently her plane caught fire and had to be emergency landed. At first the reports were that someone had been smoking in the bathroom, and I’m pretty sure there would have been a lynching on the plane if that had been true. Turns out they were actually legit on fire. They’ve deplaned and the airline ordered pizza for everyone, so I told her to just call me tomorrow and I will pick her up at the airport then.

    Only in a Cole* world. Glad she’s okay.

    *C’mon, seriously. You can read sixteen jillion posts on a million other blogs and never hit a ‘graf like that one.

  20. 20.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I am infamous for forgetting prescription medications when I travel, so my dear spouse has gotten to see pharmacies in Kauai and Illinois that he didn’t plan to visit.

    When I was in Florida, I was 100 percent convinced that I forgot a prescription and drove out to the 24 hour CVS to refill it (early, at a charge). Then I found it in my bag when I got back to the hotel.

    Turned out that what I’d actually forgotten was socks.

  21. 21.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    @BruceFromOhio:

    Also, too, stories like that one are why I make sure to have my phone, ID, and credit card in my pocket when I fly. That way, if something weird happens and I have to abandon my carry-on, I can still call people to say I’m okay and buy a drink.

  23. 23.

    Corner Stone

    I forgot my shirts

    This is fucking impossible. It’s like DougJ trolling a Young Conor with a fantastic reader’s email or some shit. It.Can’t.Happen.
    Listen. Unless your house is on fire while packing this is fucking impossible unless you really need help & daily assistance.

  28. 28.

    NotMax

    Two steps to better packing.

    1. Print out a short list of essentials.

    2. Affix it to the inside of the lid of the suitcase.

  29. 29.

    Anna Granfors

    DUDE. The Lotus Of Siam…I envy you. Very possibly the best Thai restaurant in the US–their Isaan dishes, especially, are to die for.

  30. 30.

    redshirt

    @NotMax: I always imagine scenarios, and pack for that; morning, evening out, sleeping, swimming, skiing, etc.

    First I lay it out on the floor and evaluate. Enough socks? Enough underwear? Swimwear? Shoes? Etc.

    Then I pack. And to 48 pounds like a ninja pro.

  33. 33.

    geg6

    Jeebus, Cole. You forgot your shirts? Seriously? How the fuck do you pack? Blindfolded in the dark with rubber gloves on?

  36. 36.

    Roger Moore

    @Corner Stone:

    Unless your house is on fire while packing this is fucking impossible unless you really need help & daily assistance.

    It’s easier than you think. If you pack in a big hurry, it’s easy to forget something important. I’ve never forgotten shirts or pants, but I’ve forgotten socks and underwear.

  37. 37.

    gene108

    John, your folks live close by. Ask them for help while packing. Or at least to make out a check list for you.

    1. Clean underwear for ‘X’ days.
    2. Dress Pants for ‘X’ days at conference.
    3. Shorts / Casual pants for ‘Y’ days not at conference.
    4. Dress shirts for conference
    5. T-Shirts while not at conference
    6. Socks for ‘Z’ days, as needed.
    7. Toothbrush
    8. Toothpaste.
    9. Shampoo

    It helps.

    My problem is I tend to want to over pack, which is a big no-no with airline travel these days.

  38. 38.

    Exurban Mom

    I think we should come up with a travel/packing list for Cole and have it made into a dry erase board or notepad form. Top of list: pants.

  41. 41.

    redshirt

    @gene108:

    John, your folks live close by. Ask them for help while packing. Or at least to make out a check list for you.

    1. Clean underwear for ‘X’ days.
    2. Dress Pants for ‘X’ days at conference.
    3. Shorts / Casual pants for ‘Y’ days not at conference.
    4. Dress shirts for conference
    5. T-Shirts while not at conference
    6. Socks for ‘Z’ days, as needed.
    7. Toothbrush
    8. Toothpaste.
    9. Shampoo

    It helps.

    My problem is I tend to want to over pack, which is a big no-no with airline travel these days.

    John should also probably have his name, phone number, and support person’s phone number pinned to his clothes. Or maybe stitched on so he can’t tear it off and eat it.

  43. 43.

    schrodinger's cat

    How can one forget to pack shirts, the mind it boggles.

    ETA: If John were a woman I would suggest that he wear dresses. One piece and you are done. Add a jacket or a shawl for cool nights.

  44. 44.

    Corner Stone

    @Roger Moore:

    It’s easier than you think. If you pack in a big hurry, it’s easy to forget something important. I’ve never forgotten shirts or pants, but I’ve forgotten socks and underwear.

    I’ve also forgotten things, but they were usually like peppermints for on the plane while taking off/landing. That kind of thing.
    First, he wasn’t in a hurry or should not have been. There was a 200+ comment thread up after he said he had to go to LV in a couple days. And even if he got distracted with work or some other thing, packing goes like this – undies, shorts, shirts, socks, medication, what am I wearing on the plane.

  48. 48.

    Corner Stone

    @redshirt:

    John should also probably have his name, phone number, and support person’s phone number pinned to his clothes. Or maybe stitched on so he can’t tear it off and eat it.

    He should have it tatted on his body like the lady on Blindspot.

  50. 50.

    Goblue72

    @Omnes Omnibus: Maybe his subconscious does it to force Cole to periodically buy new clothes

    Cole: My polo shirts seems to have a lot of stains and holes…Oh well, whatever.

    Subconsciousness: Note to self – forget polo shirts on next trip.

  53. 53.

    Germy Shoemangler

    @Corner Stone:

    John should also probably have his name, phone number, and support person’s phone number pinned to his clothes. Or maybe stitched on so he can’t tear it off and eat it.
    He should have it tatted on his body like the lady on Blindspot.

    But the support people are constantly resigning and being replaced. You’d have to keep adding new tattoos.

  58. 58.

    Right to Rise

    Campaign fundraising figures for the last quarter are going to come out soon, and when people see Jeb’s haul, their eyes are going to light up!

    All capped off with a series of high dollar fundraising dinners hosted by Columba, George P., and even Old 43 George W. in varying high dollar locations.

    They’ll need brinks trucks to get all the money in.

    Brinks. Trucks.

  59. 59.

    redshirt

    @Right to Rise:

    Campaign fundraising figures for the last quarter are going to come out soon, and when people see Jeb’s haul, their eyes are going to light up!

    All capped off with a series of high dollar fundraising dinners hosted by Columba, George P., and even Old 43 George W. in varying high dollar locations.

    They’ll need brinks trucks to get all the money in.

    Brinks. Trucks.

    Thanks for the UPDATE, friend!

  61. 61.

    Right to Rise

    @redshirt:

    No problem, it’s great keeping the other side informed about the next President of the United States.

    After Jeb gets the nomination you’re going to listen to me more because you’ll wonder how I nailed this back in September when everyone was beginning to wonder if Bush was dead in the water.

    It’s the Benjamins.

    The Benjamins.

    That’s what matters.

  62. 62.

    fordpowers

    @johngcole
    I said it on the last thread, but i thought that freemont street wasnt that terrible.
    Check it out if you get a chance
    :)

    now, for some reason, i’m reaaaaal hungry for breakfast buffet
    HA

  63. 63.

    Germy Shoemangler

    Medications going through airport x-rays and porno-scanners: do they lose potency, or do they mutate into a more powerful drug that causes one to sprout extra limbs and eyeballs?

  68. 68.

    rikyrah

    hope you get to see some shows, Cole.
    Go see the Bellagio night light show.
    The Pirates show.
    Go look at the Venetian.

    The casinos themselves are spectacles to behold.

    and, go see some shows..the shows in Vegas are terrific.

  69. 69.

    Mnemosyne (iPhone)

    @Right to Rise:

    That’s what Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina thought, which is why they won their elections in California.

    Of course, I think you’ve already admitted by default that Californians are smarter than the rest of the country because we figured out that Whitman and Fiorina were empty suits no matter how much they spent. Meanwhile, national Republicans are making Carly “Golden Parachute” Fiorina into their front-runner.

  72. 72.

    Roger Moore

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone):
    I try to avoid packing too far in advance because it upsets my cat. Forgetting stuff isn’t something that happens to me a lot- I forgot socks once and underwear once- but I understand how it happens. IMO, the hard part about packing is deciding what to bring; actually getting it and packing it is quick. That’s where a checklist comes in handy; it lets you do the thinking part well in advance, so you can do the physical part quickly when the time comes.

  76. 76.

    Thoughtful David

    @redshirt: I’m always amazed to see the people who have spent so much time learning Klingon. It’s something I’ve just never been able to do.

  78. 78.

    PurpleGirl

    @NotMax: I used to do that when I was packing my Peekskill friend for his business trips. He claimed that the way I rolled up his clothes meant they didn’t get wrinkled and he looked better in the business meetings. Then I began to pack him and his wife for their vacation trips — again with lists of what they needed to take with them.

  80. 80.

    Right to Rise

    Sorry my cat walked on the keyboard.

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone):

    Fiorina got fired in a boardroom brawl. Plenty of people have been fired and they will relate.

    Carly Fiorna would make a great VP for Jeb. A real attack dog who can rip the bark the fuck off Hillary and not come across as a sexist. It would be fantastic to watch.

  81. 81.

    joel hanes

    when the sweet Mexican woman has a concerned look on her face and tells you “only use a little bit of the hot sauce

    Ah.

    I’m guessing either La Yucateca or Yucatan Sunshine.

    Yes, those are actually hot.

  83. 83.

    PurpleGirl

    @Thoughtful David: I once went to science fiction convention and walked around all day Saturday in a Klingon forehead/wig. People tried to talk to me in Klingon and I told them “Please, English. I’m on vacation and here to practice my English.” People thought it was a great answer and the Klingon look was cool.

    ETAS: I never did try to learn Klingon but I borrowed the forehead/wig from a friend for fun.

  84. 84.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    @Right to Rise: I’m sure Barbara Boxer would be more than happy to share her notes on her run against Carly with Hillary.

    ETA: I think they’re actually related by marriage.

  85. 85.

    Denali

    My strategy for packing is to pack and then to make the list. Then I can check off the list because the packing is already done. Also, I pack light and never check bags.

  90. 90.

    BruceFromOhio

    @Right to Rise: Hmmm, let’s review. Jebbie’s state horked the vote count that put his bro in power to appoint the Supreme’s that opined on Citizens United that made those Brinks. Trucks. perfectly legal. Strikes me as positively Rovian in its elegance.

    I believe this chapter ends with guillotines, or some political semblance thereof. See also, history, presidential elections, Romney, Mitt. Because guess what being prez means? Having the stones. The real ones, not the kind you can buy with Brinks. Trucks.

    Think of America as a great topiary, where the real, honest, hard-working folks trim the Bushes. See you November, 2016, friend.

  91. 91.

    gogol's wife

    I’m sorry, but I cannot pack enough clothes for a three-day trip into something that would be a reasonable carry-on bag. I am not going to be one of those people we all have to wait for who have ginormous suitcases they’ve crammed into the overhead bins. So I check a bag. But my husband reminds me that they managed to lose my bag on a nonstop flight from Hartford to Cincinnati. And this week’s flights are not non-stop. I am dreading it so much.

  93. 93.

    trollhattan

    @Mnemosyne (iPhone):
    Interesting note about Fiorina: Boxer mopped the floor with her without we California voters knowing half the shit about her that we do at present, and also, too, her “personality” was significantly throttled compared to the venomous Skeletor circa 2015.

  94. 94.

    Donut

    @Right to Rise:

    Wow. That’s really awesome how you keep repeating pieces of phrases and stuff. Great writing technique, friend.

    Scintillating.

    Really awesome. Great technique.

    Do you want a cookie? When my gifted six year old acts that cloying, he usually is after a cookie.

    .

  95. 95.

    Corner Stone

    @gogol’s wife: I just don’t get the obsession with going only non-checked bags. Much easier to check something. I know it costs more now on some flights but it’s just the cost of doing business, IMO.
    ETA, how am I supposed to bring two suits, multiple dress shirts and two pairs of shoes in a carry on?

  96. 96.

    asiangrrlMN

    Cole, you are hilarious. I would love to travel with you sometime. You’d be a mix between someone’s cranky old uncle yelling at the kids to get off your lawn and that guy who’s dancing on the table with his shirt wrapped around his head at three in the morning. Though, probably not so much the latter now.

  97. 97.

    Calouste

    @gene108: If you travel more than a couple of times a year, spending $20 or so on an extra set of toiletries, comb, toothbrush and whatever you need to just leave in your carry on, is a serious time saver.

  98. 98.

    Paul T

    “Deplaned?”

    Get off the bus: “debus”.

    Get out of the car: “decar”.

    Get off your bike: “debike”.

    Get off the plane: get off the damn plane!

  99. 99.

    Aleta

    How to forget shirts: Put your favorite ones in the wash the night before leaving. Switch to dryer and go to bed. Forget to go get them in the morning.

    But of course all JC has to do by now is pretend he forgot something or tripped and be entertained by the horrified response.

  100. 100.

    gogol's wife

    @Corner Stone:

    Only by bringing something too big and cramming it into a too-small compartment.

    Usually the checked bag gets there with me, and I don’t mind the fee.

  101. 101.

    trollhattan

    @asiangrrlMN:
    Hey you, long time no read.

    And yeah, after the DNC chronicles with AWB I think JCole could become a misadventure tour guide. Or have his own reality show.

  103. 103.

    BruceFromOhio

    @gogol’s wife: Curb check with a skycap and tip him/her $5 a bag. Your luggage will be there when you arrive, unless you are flying Frontier, in which case you are kinda out of luck anyway. You could also UPS all your stuff to your hotel ahead of time – that’s what the golf/scuba/motorcycle kids do.

  106. 106.

    satby

    @gogol’s wife: I always check a bag, but I carry my purse in a larger tote that fits under a seat and I carry an extra shirt, socks, and underwear rolled up in it. And I always wear pants on the plane made of a travel friendly material. Airlines lost my luggage twice, but I had a change of clothes and stuff I could wash and dry overnight in the hotel. You can last for a few days and still have clean, though boring, outfits.

  109. 109.

    Central Planning

    @Corner Stone:

    ETA, how am I supposed to bring two suits, multiple dress shirts and two pairs of shoes in a carry on?

    Apparently you’re supposed to roll your clothes to fit more in the carry on.

  112. 112.

    J R in WV

    When we visited Santa Fe, NM we just drove around one morning, and found a little restaurant in a working class part of town, South American / Central American food, wonderful! We had to wait a few minutes for a table, which is how we knew it was gonna be good.

    Not like Mexican at all, but still kind of a little similar… then we couldn’t find it again!! Only open for breakfast (really early!) and lunch, tikl 2 or 3 maybe. People were getting carryout for supper by the time we were finishing up. Very reasonable.

    That’s our favorite, to find a local place with different style and try it out. We ate in a really nice Indian place in Toulouse, FR, very interesting, small modest place in what was almost an alley behind the fancy hotel the group was staying at.

  120. 120.

    Susan K of the tech support

    Posted a coupla museum recommendations in the previous thread. I’ll mention them here, Just Because:

    The Neon Museum
    The Nat’l Atomic Test Museum (because hey, Nevada Test Site is in these parts)
    More deets elsewhere.

  122. 122.

    mclaren

    “We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like ‘I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive . . .’ And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about a hundred miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas. And a voice was screaming, ‘Holy Jesus! What are these goddamn animals?'” [Hunter Thompson, Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas]

  123. 123.

    kdaug

    @Thoughtful David: One time (I was about four) my mom and her friend decided to take us kids, six of us total, to the state fair. Made it all the the way to the parking lot, ballpark two hour drive.

    Forgot my little sister.

    Saw mom a couple weeks ago, spent a week with her. 45-odd years later, it came up at some point…
    she’ll never forget or forgive herself.

  125. 125.

    dianne

    Another side trip (if you can rent a car and have a few hours to spare) is north of Vegas up in red rock country. We saw amazing petroglyphs and a tiny canyon with a spring which was a hideout – Mouse’s Tank??? – I think.
    I always insist on side trips. Gambling is worse than watching paint dry but way more expensive.

Comments are closed.