Althouse: At the Glass Pipe Café...

May 27, 2012

At the Glass Pipe Café...

... you can talk all afternoon.

51 comments:

pm317 said...: Ann, you got the 'Choom' post out of the way from the first page very quickly yesterday by filing more and more posts in quick succession. Was that intentional? Just curious.; 5/27/12, 9:33 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Was that intentional?"

No.

Just putting up a lot of posts.

BTW, we were just checking out the new hookah store on State Street. We don't choom.; 5/27/12, 9:38 AM
Wince said...: So, this has actually been used in puberty rituals?

"Yea. And you put your weeed in there."; 5/27/12, 9:38 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: The fish appears to be some sort of tang.; 5/27/12, 9:39 AM
edutcher said...: The hookah store has everything you might need if you meet a hooka.

Ann Althouse said...

BTW, we were just checking out the new hookah store on State Street. We don't choom.

Figured.

We detect almost no "Uh"s or "Um"s in your speech.

Or blogging.; 5/27/12, 9:47 AM
David said...: It's 11 o'clock.

Bong, bong, bong, bong, bong, bong, bong, bong, bong, bong, bong.; 5/27/12, 9:50 AM
lemondog said...: re: Hawkcam, speculation of an early demise of the smallest hawk seems baseless at this point.

The little loner seems to be doing quite well.; 5/27/12, 9:54 AM
lemondog said...: ps....Happy 75th Birthday Golden Gate Bridge.; 5/27/12, 9:57 AM
pm317 said...: @lemondog, is something wrong with its leg? It didn't seem to put weight on it.hawk cam; 5/27/12, 10:16 AM
lemondog said...: I just watched him/her grooming with one foot up, then with feet down and then stretch standing on both feet.

Hopefully nothing is amiss.; 5/27/12, 11:04 AM
pm317 said...: @lemondog, yeah. I also watched the cam for a while. He seems to be OK. But he does seem diffident (as I watched while feeding). 'Get in there, little one.'; 5/27/12, 11:52 AM
Wally Kalbacken said...: Do they still sell "black light" posters?; 5/27/12, 11:57 AM
Robert Cook said...: Talk, or toke?; 5/27/12, 11:58 AM
pm317 said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/27/12, 12:04 PM
ndspinelli said...: Wally, I've seen some black light posters for sale in California.; 5/27/12, 12:18 PM
ndspinelli said...: Glass blowers would flourish if this country ever got its head out of it's ass regarding cannabis. I'll bet glass blowers are a big contributor to Ron Paul.; 5/27/12, 12:20 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: Just got out of the hospital where I've spent the last three nights for a collapsed lung. I crashed my 12-speed going down hill at about 30 mph when the front tire blew out. Also broke my pelvis in two places. I was riding to improve my health.; 5/27/12, 1:28 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: I'm surprised no one's said "Put this in your pipe and smoke it," but then it might have been too obvious.

Choom, baby!!!!; 5/27/12, 1:41 PM
Jim in St Louis said...: On a purely technical question- is it still called phallic imagery if there is more than the phallus represented? Some of the pipes seemed to also have a scrotum attached.

Titus would know.....I would not.; 5/27/12, 1:42 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: Glass dildos.; 5/27/12, 2:03 PM
lemondog said...: Yeeeeow...girlfriends, cousins... what a way to run a business....

Ex-NY Times CEO clashed with chairman's girlfriend: report

Declining advertising revenue, a plummeting stock — Times Co shares dropped 80 percent during Robinson's tenure - and the three-year absence of a dividend eroded Robinson's job security.

The girlfriend; 5/27/12, 2:09 PM
David said...: Didn't shatter your sense of humor, Tyrone. Isn't there someone you can blame for this other than yourself? Bush? Obama? Nixon? Hope you are not in too much pain.; 5/27/12, 2:42 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: Dust Bunny sees it first.
Striped glass dildo bongs on the top shelf. Or you can go with the fallopian tube bongs below. Take your pick.; 5/27/12, 2:48 PM
traditionalguy said...: The church was running its Memorial Day tributes on a large screen this morning to the military. Some were very moving.

In one segment a man in uniform was telling some things, and behind him was huge a granite memorial of military battles in wars.

The one behind him was headed Afghan War followed by a lists of battles, such as Kandahar and its date, Helmand Province and its date, and then my brain glitched when I noticed that the First battle on the list for the Afghan War was New York City...and next to that battle was the date September 11, 2001.; 5/27/12, 2:56 PM
Simon Kenton said...: Tyrone:

"I was riding to improve my health."

6 weeks ago, the $20 leg-break. I knew you fell one tree and clean it up completely before felling the next. Instead, I put them all down into a nasty jackpot right in the bottom of the gully, so I could cut them all up at once and get the chainsaw back early. Cut the wrong limb, the tree rolled on the right limb, and I was pinned against the wall with a tibia plateau fracture. It has ranked high enough on the pain/embarassment axes to make me really sympathize with you, who have real injuries. Wait until you fall into the hands of the physical terrorist. There is just .. . something .... about them that makes you give them a teutonic name, if they don't already have one. "Ah. My name is Brunnhilde, Exercise Nazi. Really, Mr. Slothrop. You could not have hoped to deceive me. You thought you could do the exercise with 2 lbs? Two pathetic pounds? And I would accept this travesty? Hah! Let me lash 3 other weights on you." All this awaits you. Be of good cheer.; 5/27/12, 3:03 PM
traditionalguy said...: The red tailed hawks mother has her chicks sheltered under her wings until the chicks seem not to be there, until one pops a head out for a few seconds.

I wonder if she is sheltering them from the sun's heat?; 5/27/12, 3:08 PM
Paco Wové said...: As November looms, the L.A. Times does its quadrennial panty-bunching over the existence of the Electoral College:

For years, opinion leaders* have railed against this quirk of American politics, calling it a historical anachronism and a vestige of slavery.

Got that? ELECTORAL COLLEGE = SLAVERY! Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

*(Insert derisive snort here.); 5/27/12, 3:20 PM
Palladian said...: FOR TOBACCO USE ONLY; 5/27/12, 3:36 PM
wyo sis said...: Tyrone
Hope you're much better. It's a wonder all these things we do for our health don't kill us.
I'm impressed that you even got on a 12 speed. I stay off of bikes since an infamous event my family calls the Great Mother's Bicycle Race of Doom. No injuries except to my pride.; 5/27/12, 3:37 PM
Sue D'Nhym said...: I'm high, just looking at them.; 5/27/12, 4:20 PM
pm317 said...: From 2005, the pic will make you cry... There is such a finality in death but I hope she has made peace with it.; 5/27/12, 4:49 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: Tyrone Slothrop, that is a total bummer. I never understood what a collapsed lung is. I thought lungs were like balloons but my brother said, no, they're more like sacks of bubbles. I still cannot get what's going on there that makes it impossible to inflate by itself or even how it does that. Like a sponge that's squished and won't come back, but why? and how? It all sounds horrible. I'm glad you're out of the hospital, and here's to your recovery *drinks chocolate milk*.

There's always a good side that's overshadowed by the obvious bad side that is almost amusing were it not so pathetic and dire. Ed said he was happy to finally ride on a Lear jet but was miserable the occasion was for surgery. Bill said he finally had his first helicopter ride but the situation was so extreme there was no way to enjoy it. I too always wanted to be in an ambulance with the sirens blaring and everybody getting out of our way but I didn't think about it hurting so much.; 5/27/12, 5:21 PM
Pastafarian said...: Damn, Tyrone, that sucks. Hope they give you some decent pain killers. The stuff they gave me for a herniated disc probably won't cut it for a fractured hip. That sounds magnificently painful.

What the he'll were you doing going 30mph? That's crazy fast on a bike.; 5/27/12, 5:34 PM
Bob R said...: Tyrone -

Damn! That's awful. Get well soon.

DBQ -

My reaction exactly. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Sometimes it's a big dildo.; 5/27/12, 6:11 PM
sakredkow said...: @pm317 Thank you.; 5/27/12, 6:56 PM
pm317 said...: @chip ahoy: I too always wanted to be in an ambulance with the sirens blaring and everybody getting out of our way but I didn't think about it hurting so much.
-------------------

I am too embarrassed to admit it but chalk it up to ex-immigrant (aka did not grow up here) background. We had an accident a few years ago -- a stupid immigrant driver decided to take the left turn wandering into our lane hitting us as we drove on the lane left of his. I hit my head on the side of the window and there was bump and a bit of pain. The off duty cop who stopped by said he should call the paramedics and I said OK thinking (stupidly) that they would just examine me there and let me go. Next thing I know I was strapped on a gurney and lifted into an ambulance with sirens blaring and taken to Suburban. The embarrassing part was that the doctor could not find anything serious. So I know what it feels like riding an ambulance with sirens blaring.

Tyrone, wishing you speedy recovery.; 5/27/12, 7:25 PM
Rabel said...: Lotta wing-flappin' and hoppin' going on over in Hawkland.

Also much pooping.; 5/27/12, 8:14 PM
Carnifex said...: Damn Tyrone...much speedy recovery. Have the Professor ship you a choom bong and some choom (available from her link to Amazon(I want a royalty)). That'll make your pain go "Up In Smoke". Just lay off the Labrador.

Ahhh, head shops. There was one in Austin I'd go to to purchase Simpson memorabilia. Step daughter is a big Simpsons fan. Even entered a contest once to put her in a episode.

I wonder if chooming is anything like chooglin' ala Creedence Clearwater Revival?

I was gonna' inform the "truth squad" that someone is saying Zero was born in Kenya...but then I remembered that it was himself, and the Zero is never wrong.

Something is wrong with the WV...I can actually read the words.; 5/27/12, 8:23 PM
Carnifex said...: ewww... "to to"? Apologies all.; 5/27/12, 8:26 PM
Michael Haz said...: Dang, Tyrone, I hope you heal quickly!

DBQ - Yep. Same thought.; 5/27/12, 8:28 PM
Petunia said...: Geez, injured guys, I hope you both heal quickly!

The problem with being the patient in the ambulance is that if the lights and sirens are going, you're usually too sick to appreciate it.

We got tail-gated on the interstate transporting a patient from a small town hospital to a bigger hospital. She was not in immediate danger but she needed to see a specialist. So we were ticking along at a good speed, but no lights or sirens.

Mr. Obnoxious Driver first refused to get out of the left lane to let us pass, and then when he finally did move over and we passed him, he pulled right in behind us and started to tail-gate. He was literally less than one car length behind, at about 80 mph.

Too bad he was so close to us that he didn't notice Mr. State Patrol Officer in the right lane until he'd passed him. Much Schadenfreude in the ambulance when Mr. State Patrol Officer pulled Mr. Obnoxious Driver over. :D; 5/27/12, 8:52 PM
Petunia said...: Chip, here's a pretty good introduction to collapsed lungs.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pneumothorax/DS00943; 5/27/12, 8:57 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Tyrone Slothrop,

I was riding to improve my health.

Well don't do that!

Geez, guy, that's gotta suck. A speedy recovery to you, man. All I really got:

Focus on the pain and you'll learn to avoid it.

All the best, brother man,...; 5/27/12, 11:00 PM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: Thank you all for your kind wishes. As I understand it a collapsed lung, or pneumothorax, occurs when the lung tears a little bit,i and air leaks into the space between the lung and the chest wall. Once this happens you can't fully inflate your lung. The treatment is to have a tiny hole poked in between your ribs and having a special catheter inserted. The catheter is put under a slight vacuum (-20cm H2O)and the offending air is drawn out. They have to leave it in for several days to make sure all the bad stuff is gone and the leakage stops.

Now I'm going to do something that I actually think is pretty low rent-- I'm going to ask for opinions on what you folks think I should do on the legal question.

Here's what happened. I normally ride my 18-speed mountain bike about five miles a day. I had an old Nishiki 12-speed road bike hanging in my garage, and when my son needed a bike for transportation I decided to fix it up for him. I ordered new tubes, tires and liners on eBay from a place in New Jersey. I installed them last Sunday and went for a test drive. I headed down hill at, yes, 30 mph. I hadn't got a quarter of a mile when I heard a loud "crack". I actually thought someone had thrown a firecracker at me. Instantly the front tire whipped sideways and I was thrown hard down on my right side. My right shoulder hit first, followed by my helmeted head. My helmet shattered, but I suffered no injury to my head. I'll bore you with the rest of the details some other time. When I inspected the tube, it had clearly failed not because of any flaw in my installation, nor because of any puncture to the tire, it had just split open for about 3/4".

I'm inclined to think that it would just be too much of a pain in the ass to sue some guy 3000 miles away in New Jersey over some tires made 7000 miles away in China. But I need something to dampen my bile, as it were. To be crystal clear, I'm not asking for legal advice, more of a what would you do. What would you do?; 5/28/12, 12:26 AM
jungatheart said...: Thank your lucky stars you're still alive and your son wasn't driving :)

Notify the NJ man of possible defects in his product.

Get a follow-up MRI (X-ray, CAT scan?)in 6-8(?) weeks to check for a slow subdural bleed/hematoma.; 5/28/12, 5:44 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: I'm with deborah - what else you got?

Shit happens, and you could've died, but you didn't. I'm not going to tell you you've got to be all grateful and shit, but the fact you survived, to face more of the same again, is about the best you're going to get.

I find ice cream is good for times like this. Who doesn't like ice cream? Ice cream makes life worth living.

Also, if you're laid-up, it might be time to start that Tony Soprano marathon. His insights during recovery, after getting shot, are apt and comedy gold ("Everybody says 'life is a gift' but why's it always gotta be socks?")

So how long do they say you'll be out of commission? The fact you're looking for a fight already is good. Take it out on the kid:

He's the one who got off easy [kidding]

Take care,...; 5/28/12, 7:12 AM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: My daughter got kicked in the chin by a horse several years ago, shattering her jaw. She was taken to the local hospital, who decided to send her along to the big city hospital that was more than an hour away. They gave her a bunch of meds for the pain, and sent her off in the ambulance. The meds were enough that she could not move, and was pretty unclear as to how she had ended up where she was. However, she could still see and hear. So she spent an hour looking at the ceiling of the ambulance, listening to the paramedics talk to each other, but not to or about her.

She spend the trip believing that she had died. She did not enjoy the experience.; 5/28/12, 8:16 AM
Simon Kenton said...: Tyrone, did you check the correlative point inside the tire? I've sometimes found a protruding nail that slit the tube; and sometimes a goathead. (For that reason I use thornproof tires with Slime. It's a tough neighborhood for bike tires.)

WRT suing, my experience has been that you can't win, you can only afflict. It's like the children's story where Simple Hans has the magic stick that can beat anyone. It turns on him after a while, and he can't remember the stop command. After a while you realize your own attorney is bruising you and you can't stop him. Now it may be that afflicting the guilty is worth afflicting yourself. Maybe. I'm wondering is there a direct way to afflict? Is there a complaint procedure on eBay? When I discovered my attorney had suppressed a settlement order so he could charge me for an extra year, I grieved him, and crafted the grievance so it would cost him about as many biillable hours to respond as he had charged me. There was never, of course, any possibility whatever that other attorneys would sanction one of their own; this could not win, unless I defined "win" as costing him in lost income as much as he had drained from me. That, and leaving a small indelible blotch on his reputation for others to find if they looked. My advice would be, "Sue? No. Apply a just torment? Yes."; 5/28/12, 9:13 AM
Tyrone Slothrop said...: I'd pretty much come to the conclusion that suing the guy would just not have been worth it. I don't think he acted with any ill will, and shit happens. I think those tubes just spent too much time on the shelf in Taipei or New Jersey. I asked him for (1) An apology (2) A full refund (3) A replacement set in a higher quality (4) A new helmet. I think that's fair.

@Simon Kenton

I could not detect any sign of a puncture.; 5/28/12, 1:44 PM
Unknown said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/13/13, 12:37 AM
Unknown said...: The caliber of information that you're offering is merely wonderful. Hawaiian mushrooms; 7/5/13, 7:24 AM