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ifallapart said:
Do me! I

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ifallapart said:
Do me! I trendal

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Enter said:
Upclose & Personal with Phluck

/sends the Humvee out to Phluck's pad and we head for the highway and cruise...

Q. How are you, sir?
A. Pretty damn good, and you? I've never rode in a humvee before...

Q. I'd like to start this interview a bit different than normal. Let's talk about Canada. I personally have lived in the U.S. my whole life. I've visited Canada one time for skiing but that's it. Canadians, particularly the French, seem to be known for bad-mouthing Americans constantly. Is this tale true? What causes this division?
A. Well, I don't think it's entirely true, I don't think that the french are any worse than the rest of Canadians in their bad mouthing of the US... if anything, I'd say Americans are known for bad mouthing the french. There is, however, some negativity. Canadians resent the fact that we're largly ignored by the US... despite our size, there are lots of americans who couldn't even point us out on a map, and don't realize that we're not all snow and wilderness. We have a distinct culture, with our own movies, music, television, literature, and unique institutions like the CBC. There's also the political differences that cause certain rifts. There's a general feeling that the american government holds us back from behaving politically the way we'd like.

Q. If you could conveniently move down here to the U.S. and forever leave Canada's cold weather, would you do it?
A. God no! It's not all that cold up here, really, it gets plenty hot in the summer. In the parts of Canada where most people live, the climate is pretty much the same as the northern US. My hometown, London, Ontario, is further south than New York City. Plus, the low priced pot that you can smoke without *too much* fear of the law is certainly a bonus.

Q. What is Canadian culture like? Tell us about your nation - the good, the bad, the ugly and anything in between.
A. Well, like american culture, it varies a lot. In rural Quebec you'll probably see the most distinct differences from the US, where you'll find people who can't even speak english... and you'll get to eat great things like poutine and tourtiere. One of the best things about Canada is the CBC and Canadian content laws. The CBC is our well funded public radio/television system. Not only are they an excellent and well established facet of journalism, they provide us with all kinds of arts. They've produced some great TV shows (Kids in the Hall, The Newsroom, Davinci's Inquest)... and some not so great ones which I'll refrain from mentioning. They also expose us to all kinds of interesting music... not only Canadian, but from around the world. For a good sample of how great the CBC can be, check out cbcradio3.com, they play a really hip selection of underground music, combined with some interesting articles. Canadian content laws, which require our media to broadcast a certain amount of locally produced media have allowed our music industry to thrive... I'd recommend people checking out hip-hoppers like K-OS, and The Pocketdwellers, as well as older rock bands like I Mother Earth, and The Tragically Hip, I could go on and on....

Q. How old were you when you first sampled fungi? What happened?
A. I was 16... I'd tried LSD once before, but had always wanted to take mushrooms, and someone sold me a single gram for $10. I stupidly ate them during my lunch break, and ended up failing a chemistry quiz as a result, it was fun, but not exactly a bright idea. My later experiences were a lot more powerful and well planned.

Q. What do you like most about this site?
A. The people! I've met tons of really cool people, and made lots of great friends. It's also a wonderful place to dicuss and debate politics and philosophy, as there's such a wide variety of viewpoints here.

Q. Do you have an entheogenic garden at your place? What'd'ya got?
A. Nope, I don't. I've grown mushrooms, and a bit of marijuana in the past, to varying degrees of success, but at the moment I live in a small apartment in downtown Toronto, which doesn't make such things very feasible.

Q. How old are you and how educated are you (formally speaking)?
A. I'm 22, and I'm currently going to college for arts. I'd like to get a university education, but that will have to wait. I'm also looking into attending film school... I just got back from an open house for that actually.

Q. Have you ever dated any of the nice Shroomery girls here? Lay down the details, brother. 
A. Ha! I wish I had some wild stories for you, but it hasn't happened. There are some great girls around here though, aren't there?

Q. Since you are one of the oldest members that remain active, I think it would be entertaining to ask you this: What is the most insane thing that's happened on these boards since 1999? What is the most noteworthy memory you have of the Shroomery?
A. Well, Ripper's death, and the ensuing media attention is the first thing that comes to mind, but that goes without say. But a few things from the past, like P-nut's death (which resulted in the IRC bot being christened Pnutbot), drama with Hippie3 and alt.drugs.mushrooms, the incident when a certain member named Wasted Spores posted photographs of his wife, Angel... which turned out to be pictures lifted from a porn site, plus all the drama with 3DSHROOM. Then there are tons of good memories, PsiloKitty taking bong hits on her webcam way back when, Ythan and Suffer's ferret running around on their webcam, chatting with Ped and LittleShroom on IRC, going to my first gathering, WEMF 2000, etc...

Q. What do you do to stay physically fit?
A. Well, it being the end of the winter, I'm a bit out of shape, but I love to bike long distances, and I can't wait to start again. I also run regularly... well, when the weather is better, it just started to warm up here, and I've gone running the past few days, which has made me realize how out of shape I am.

Q. Live with your parents, roomate(s), or are you flying solo these days?
A. Living on my own right now, but I'll be back home starting next month so I can save money for school next year. Hopefully I'll have a roommate then, living on your own is a little bland sometimes.

Q. What do active mushrooms do to a human at the 2g amount in your opinion?
A. Well, I suppose that depends on the person. I'd say that for me, that's just about the right dose for exploring, laughing, and being creative. Perfect for making up jokes and stories, and playing with thoughts ideas without having to come to grips with the overwhelming experience a large dose brings on.

Q. What is the best strain of crypto that you've come across (where you actually were told the name of it)?
A. Is crypto marijuana? I recall some great stuff that had a very distinct grapefruit taste, and was extremely potent, I was told it was Juicyfruit. Definitely the most delicious pot I've smoked. Some of the most potent was likely g13xHash plant that someone I knew got from the Compassion Club (medical marijuana centre) in London, Ontario. It didn't taste bad, but the flavour wasn't particularly special. One tiny joint, however, left five of us staring off into space for hours.

Q. Married/single?
A. I'm starting to date someone, and she's awesome.

Q. What was the last concert you attended? Was it worth the cash?
A. Well, the last concert I saw was a hardcore band, Bane, and I got in for free, so it was certainly worth it. Definitely a lot of fun. The last concert I saw before that was The Pocketdwellers, and it was certainly worth everything I paid. They're a funk band with a great MC, everyone should check them out. http://pocketdwellers.com/

Q. Tell us one thing you know the Shroomery should do in order to improve itself.
A. That's a tough one. I see the Shroomery as two things, an ecelectic community that caters to all kinds of people, and a great drug/mushroom resource. It does both things really well, but both aspects probably interfere with one another. Finding a way that they can coexist more peacefully might be a good goal, if a little complicated.

Q. How do the French feel about Austrians? You do know Anno is from that place, righ? 
A. Hah! I really have no idea. I visited France one time, but didn't think to ask... I'm not sure that the Quebecois have a solid opinion either way.

Q. Tell us if you've ever had a religious experience. What occurred?
A. Well, the first time I took acid, I was listening to music, and I felt the world merge into an array of grainy colours. The more I focused, the more crisp and clear the colours became, and the more comfort and satisfaction I felt. Then I reached a barrier, I the colours would not become any more clear, even though there was a long way to go. I suddenly had a revelation; for the colours to become truly clear, I would have to die, which I certainly didn't want to do now. For a few years I felt like I had discovered something important about the nature of death, but I now believe that what I really learned was more about the nature of belief. I feel that sometimes what the mind insists is true often isn't, no matter how convincing the experience may be. This doesn't mean I don't seek out and benefit from such experiences. On one of my highest dose mushroom trips, I remember feeling myself melt into the fabric of the universe, and split off, sending out happiness and healing to every person on the planet. It was a very uplifting and positive experience, but I don't believe that I actually helped anyone directly in the process. I do, however, feel that the emotions I felt then have helped inspire me to try and act in such a way that I can help others in my day to day life.

Q. One final que for now: If I'm not mistaken you do follow the news. Do you believe China will attempt to invade Tawain within the next few years?
A. Good question... but I don't think it's too likely. China's been a bit more moderate lately, and has, for the most part, made attempts to remain on good terms with the US, particularly after 9/11. There certainly is tension there, but I think they're smart enough to know what a huge disaster it could cause if they did. If Taiwan does decide to declare independance, it's hard to saw what would happen. The US is dealing with quite a few things as it is... they're certainly hesitant about dealing with North Korea, most likely for fear of nuclear strike (although they might be hoping that NK will suffer economic collapse on their own, which seems pretty likely), so I don't think they'd jump into military conflict with China without some heavy consideration. It would be extremely risky. If China is feeling particularly bold, they might wait for the US to become involved with Iran, and then move in, but hopefully we'll see further political reform in China over the next few years that will influence more cautious and reasonable action... in short, I dunno.

/Enter hands Phluck shiney keys. The Humvee parks next to a brand new BMW. Phluck gets in and drives off into the horizon. (If only he knew it was stolen...)

Thanks man.

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