FRIDAY, October 17, 2008
Getting up early sucks. Russ and I both had to get up very early to move all of the sound equipment from the fourth floor of the convention center to the first floor ballroom, located near the lobby. This meant moving stuff all the way across the hotel. If you think this is fun, then you are delusional. We managed to set our stuff up in a relatively nice space in the room, right in front and to the left, where the panel’s desk and podium were located. And the rest of my day was spent filming panels!
I won’t go into detail on each panel and what they talked about, but I will say that they were all incredibly informative. Part of the reason, I think, why so many people in our country are still afraid of marijuana legalization is that they don’t get to see these kind of panel presentations. They just aren’t educated about it, in other words. And I don’t mean just the medical qualities or even the amount of arrests over the course of a year. Those are important facts, of course, but I think the average person would be more interested in seeing the cohesion of intellect and wisdom that occurs at these presentations. These people aren’t here to just get high. They’re here to educate, and to help you and each other. I’ve never heard so many eloquent people in one room. A lot of attorney and lawyers and medical practitioners and people with salaries. Not kids smoking pot in the alley. And the “young people” who were at the conference weren’t idiots. These kids were fucking smart. And prepared. And ready to respond to people, not with bland talking points or prepared speeches, but with real, honest answers both from their heart and from their head. They truly are activists, in the root meaning of the word – they are active.
I wouldn’t consider myself a marijuana activist. I’m more of an advocate, if anything. But I wasn’t even that before I went to NORML Con. I was just a guy helping with sound equipment.
Anyway, blah blah blah NORML Con changed my life, yada yada. I don’t want this to be one of those type of blogs. I’d rather it be about me, and how socially awkward I am.
Friday night was the NORML Awards banquet thing. I don’t know anymore about it because I didn’t go. “Didn’t go?” you say. “What are you, some kind of loser?” Well, yes, Blog Readers, I am. I don’t know what my deal was. I had some more anxiety or something. I went back to the hotel, took a nap, ditzed around on the hotel computers again, then watched Ellen or something. When Russ came to the room to get ready for the awards he was with Cindy and Marcia and I was thinking, “Big Pimpin’, spendin’ cheese…” They hung out for a bit and then went off to the awards and I didn’t even think of going with them. Honest to god I have no idea what my problem is sometimes. I think part of it had to do with my lack of any money whatsoever. It’s not very fun to go places where you can buy drinks and not have money to buy drinks.
So I was being a sad sack of shit in my room while everyone else hung out and partied. It reminds me a lot of my high school days…
I should mention that we had another roommate, Ryan, who was starting a Fayetteville NORML chapter, and was pushing a “Sensible Fayetteville” measure that would make marijuana the lowest priority for police officers. He was pretty cool though he talked a bit too fast. That night he and Russ came back to the room together. Ryan looked pretty hammered. We only had two beds in the room and Ryan insisted on sleeping on the floor. As we all went to bed Russ and I started talking about something, I don’t remember what, and then as we drifted off to sleep Ryan started making these horrible noises. I immediately thought he was overdosing or something, and had to think to myself, “People don’t overdose on pot, idiot.” In the end I think Ryan was just talking in his sleep. Russ tried to calm him down and he went to sleep and then an hour later Ryan made the noises again, but this time instead of a weird guttural groan it was more … orgasmic. That’s the only way I can explain it. Russ didn’t hear it but I did. And it was very funny.
