Bookends- still telling stories with new PICS Sept/Oct 2011

[cattales1960]

did I read that right. James scowled because customers came in?!?! Seems like some of the people that got shot down for complaining about rude service in here could have been justified?!?!

Great report though

Seriously, you take my story and go there with it?

I don't really think it means that at all.

Thanks for the input though. Is anyone actually enjoying this, or should I just stop?

Dang it!!!! I meant to reply to this before. Of course, we love your stories. I thought the same thing when I seen that response. What guy wouldnt sigh when he has a lovely lady he is talking to and has to top FOR ANYTHING. I cant speak for the people who had bad experinces but james didnt know me from adam when I first met him and he was always cordial and nice to both me and my husband. Please dont let this person deter you from writing geeky. I just love reading your stories along with others who are great trip writers. Heck I enjoy all of them and try not to heckle any of them knowing how much effort goes into a trip report.

[Hotdog]

did I read that right. James scowled because customers came in?!?! Seems like some of the people that got shot down for complaining about rude service in here could have been justified?!?!

Great report though

Seriously, you take my story and go there with it?

I don't really think it means that at all.

Thanks for the input though. Is anyone actually enjoying this, or should I just stop?

Dang it!!!! I meant to reply to this before. Of course, we love your stories. I thought the same thing when I seen that response. What guy wouldnt sigh when he has a lovely lady he is talking to and has to top FOR ANYTHING. I cant speak for the people who had bad experinces but james didnt know me from adam when I first met him and he was always cordial and nice to both me and my husband. Please dont let this person deter you from writing geeky. I just love reading your stories along with others who are great trip writers. Heck I enjoy all of them and try not to heckle any of them knowing how much effort goes into a trip report.

I'm not attempting to deter anyone from writing whatever they want, and clearly stated I was enjoying the trip report, it's there in the quote you took from me. I read a line about James scowling at an arriving group of customers and questioned it for one reason, that being I didnt think James would be that way (regardless of who he is talking to, lovely lady or not). I'm not defending myself, but to the O.P, geekymonkey, i'm sorry that my imput has been taken the way it has, it was never meant to upset or 'tick off' anyone. Opinions, arseholes and all that. OH and do keep the reporting up its a great read, very personal but involving writing style, thank you.

[cattales1960]

good for you for clearing that up hotdog. I can picture James now sighing as he has to leave the side of the wonderful woman. I do not think he took it out on the customers. Its just James way. Oh and this might be the time to throw in that if you dont like the way James ran basjoes, dont EVER go to jamaica. All the service is like that. CHeers and to continue to the geeky adventures.

[geekymonkey]

Thanks Catt, for putting into words a lot of what I was feeling.

And thanks Hotdog, for the further clarification. Honestly, if I had been having a better day your comment probably wouldn't have bothered me, but at that time it felt like dragging shit from a place on this forum where it belonged (to me, a heated debate on a coffeeshop has every place on their "Coffeeshop Review" page) to a place where it really didn't.

My mea culpa is that I did include that detail in the narrative convey exactly what you took from it. I wanted to help give people some insight into why being a bud tender might suck. I think a lot of us view it as getting to hang out and smoke weed all day, but the reality of it is more like 12 almost continuous hours on your feet while having to be nice to a bunch of crazies and jerks, while occasionally cleaning up some puke and some bathrooms. So, Hotdog, your reading was perfectly valid (except that James happened to be ridiculously nice to those particular customers- I watched). edited to add a specific apology for the really bitchy thing I said about your abilities as a reader. Not a good moment for me. I'm sorry about that Hotdog.

It probably didn't help that writing a travelogue beside Luvtick's is a recipe for breeding insecurity. This thread feels like a ghost-town, so when I saw someone new had responded I was genuinely excited, which made what you wrote seem like more of a slap than it actually was.

Obviously I need to have a thicker skin to be on an internet bb. At least that's what my mr tells me. Honestly, it's probably the wrong venue for my James/Water story and other more extended stories. I'm thinking that I'll just finish up describing weeds and save the stories for another outlet because my skin is terribly tender about the things I care about, it's just the kind of geek I am.

OldT and Strictly- Thanks for your nice words and encouragement. Your timing was particularly good, as I was feeling pretty low about all of this.

[Weed-o]

Such an answer shows that you are not only a great report writer (and photographer), but also a great person.
PLEASE keep up the story (and I mean not only the weed stuff).
And BTW, I'm enjoying your report AS MUCH as luvtiks'one.

[vinyl]

Simply poetic writing style geeky, really feel how much love you feel for basjoes/James. Looking forward to the next instalment!

+1 +1 +1 +1...

[FriendlyEdgar]

The only good thing about James selling Basjoe (for us of course) is that it inspired this burst of new old stories from geeky! I love your reporting as always! I hope you are forced (I know, your arm would have to be twisted pretty hard! ) to take a trip to Amsterdam in June! I would love to have a chance to burn one (1, 100, whatever ) with you

[FriendlyEdgar]

It probably didn't help that writing a travelogue beside Luvtick's is a recipe for breeding insecurity.

I know how you feel sister! That is one reason I'm glad I cranked my complete report out in rather a hurry- there weren't any major new entries from luvtick and yourself while I was writing to intimidate me and inflate my already major sense of insecurity!

[grateful deb]

Geeky, I swear I can smell the buds through my screen. I am loving the descriptions and please don't stop!

And I know how James must have felt, to stop what he was doing to wait on people for the millionth time with his usual chill attitude instead of hanging with someone he cared about. Sometimes it's hard to walk the line of owner/operator and friend at the same time.

Love the Walt Whitman reference. He was born in the town I live in so there are quite a few places with his poetry inscribed.

And thanks for sharing your private stories. While some folks don't get the fascination and reverence James has been afforded to on this site, I do. He was always super nice and chill to me even though he did not know me. And when I showed up a year later, he def recognized me and was so sweet and kind.

Have some great memories of sitting in Basjoes..... (And I love the table outside. One of my fav places to smoke in the Dam).

I don't post much anymore, working at my photography business as much as I can.
Keep it up fellow photographer! Love your style!

Enjoy California. Only been once, but I think I left a bit of my mind and soul in the North..... (But that's another story....)
XXX & OOO
-GD

[Cisco]

@hotdog have you ever worked in a public job ? Cause I can guarantee you've done it yourself , someone you know is in the bar/shop your having a chat and a customer walks in , scowl gos on face . That doesn't mean your going to treat that customer differently to anyone else but it human nature for us to be momenterily perplexed when disturbed from doing something we enjoy

[SloWhite]

I'll just finish up describing weeds and save the stories for another outlet

Please dont!! Your story is what draws me in!! keep on keepin on..

[geoffk]

Keep on writing, I've been enjoying your reports and pix. I generally don't post comments on many reports, except first timers and those who rarely post, because I don't like wading through pages of comments to get to the report.

[TwoCanucks]

I'll just finish up describing weeds and save the stories for another outlet

Please dont!! Your story is what draws me in!! keep on keepin on..

this geeky, this.

[Lamont]

This is a great trip report, perhaps the best I've read. The detailed descriptions and pics are fantastic but it's the personal details that make it so great. Thank you so much for taking the time to write it.

You will love Santa Cruz, right in my area (most of my family live there) and plenty of top quality weed to be had...

[geekymonkey]

Thanks so much everyone. I'm flattered and touched by everyone's response and will respond to your individual comments really soon.

I'm still embarrassed by the public evidence of my no good very bad horrible week, but we all have them I suppose.

I will keep it up with the stories here then. I'm trying to get the next part of my James/Water story ready before I have to head to the market this morning (damn swiss markets that end at 11am and while i am cursing things damn the swiss fetish for early mornings in general.) That is to say it is starting to look doubtful that I will get it done before I leave, but at any rate look for it soon.

Since my public hissy fit has drawn eyes here already, I'm going to attempt to use it for good by making the following geeky public service announcement:

Please take the time to comment on travelogues when you read them. A lot of us writers (or at least me and my imaginary friends) are shockingly insecure under our brash exteriors. Also, everyone who reports here is doing it as a labor of love to help fellow stoners. They are taking time and effort to put themselves out there, and it feels bad when that sort of gesture is met with crickets. So please, do feed the writers. We rarely bite, but will often humiliate ourselves for attention, which is fun for the whole family.

Keep rolling my party peoples.

Peace,

Geeky