Did you know that Bob Marley had 3 kids from three different women in 1972?
– Mike
It’s been a long, long time since I’ve got you on my mind
and now you are here.
Oh, will you quench me when I’m thirsty?
Come and cool me down, baby, when I’m hot?
dimethyltryptamine
Last week a friend of mine made a connection between DMT, the substance responsible of causing hallucinations on Ayahuasca, and the very same substance allegedly being released into the brain while dreaming.
So fascinating.
« yes, man… » He said « there is a cactus in central america that produce the dream substance. true story ».
– Sascha
I’m a sucker for this kind of things. I also don’t quite like being the one spreading urban myths though, so I decided to look into it…
Dr. Rick Strassman conducted clinical studies of dimethyltryptamine (DMT) inside the human body during the 1990s and hypothesised that it is produced in the pineal gland and released during REM sleep.
The pineal gland, otherwise known by some as ‘the third eye’, is responsible for regulating our sense of time, and is found in practically every vertebrate species.
Neurobiologist Andrew Gallimore (2013) suggested that while DMT might not have a modern neural function, it may have been an ancestral neuro-modulator once secreted in psychedelic concentrations during REM sleep, a function now lost.
Sections of Banisteriopsis caapi vine are macerated and boiled alone or with leaves from any of a number of other plants, including Chacruna or Chaliponga. The resulting brew may contain the powerful psychedelic drug DMT.
The traditional making of Ayahuasca follows a ritual process that requires the user to pick the lower Chacruna leaf at sunrise then say a prayer.
« The guy didn’t have any cash. He’s one of these Satanism freaks. He offered me human blood – said it would make me higher than I’d ever been in my life »
He laughed.
« I thought he was kidding, so I told him I’d just as soon have an ounce or so of pure adrenochrome – or maybe just a fresh adrenalin gland to chew on. »
I could already feel the stuff working on me. The first wave felt like a combination of mescaline and methedrmne.
Maybe I should take a swim, I thought.
«They nailed this guy for child molesting, but he swears he didn’t do it. ‘Why should I fuck with children?’ he says; ‘They’re too small!’ »
He shrugged.
« Christ, what could I say? Even a goddamn werewolf is entitled to legal counsel… I didn’t dare turn the creep down. He might have picked up a letter-opener and gone after my pineal gland. »
« Why not? » I said.
« He could probably get Melvin Belli for that. »
I nodded, barely able to talk now. My body felt like I’d just been wired into a 220-volt socket.
« Shit, we should get us some of that stuff » I muttered finally. « Just eat a big handful and see what happens. »
« Some of what? »
« Extract of pineal. »
He stared at me.
« Sure, that’s a good idea. One whiff of that shit would turn you into something out of a goddamn medical encyclopedia! Man, your head would swell up like a watermelon, you’d probably gain about a hundred pounds in two hours… claws, bleeding warts, then you’d notice about six huge hairy tits swefling up on your back… »
He shook his head emphatically. « Man, I’ll try just about anything; but I’d never in hell touch a pineal gland. »
– Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (film)
The pineal gland produces melatonin, a serotonin derived hormone which modulates sleep patterns in both circadian and seasonal cycles.
There is no evidence that DMT is produced in the human brain.
« It seems to me like that is a myth, or at least something not yet proven to be true. […] Trying to understand where this association between dreams and DMT comes from (apart from the hallucinogenic nature of both), DMT is structurally similar to serotonin and melatonin, which are both known to play an important role in regulating sleep, so it’s reasonable to assume DMT would have an effect on sleep regulation too. Serotonin does a lot in the brain, and DMT can affect some of the same receptors in the brain as serotonin, so this leaves just enough wiggle room for my favourite game in science: wild speculation. »
Author Hunter S. Thompson mentions adrenochrome in his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The adrenochrome scene also appears in the novel’s film adaptation. In the DVD commentary, director Terry Gilliam admits that his and Thompson’s portrayal is a fictional exaggeration.
Adrenochrome is synthesised by oxidation of adrenaline in the adrenal glands. It may create mild euphoria, but there really are no psychoactive effects documented from this drug.
The confusing arranging of information in this post is deliberately intentional.
WORD OF THE DAY [de]: Quatsch (Nonsense)
lanottesatutto
La notte sa tutto…
– la donna nascosta
eviction
« Hey you. So… how was your day?
« Man, I got a bad day, but I wanted to stay positive, so I decided not letting my day to ruin my day. »
– Theresa
(bla bla bla)
« you know, all this pub hopping and clubbing is not actually that inspiring »
« mhh »
« I mean, you can still have even just a few minutes talk with a super interesting person, and that thing alone can make your day… but it’s more likely an exception »
« right »
« maybe be outgoing more with cultural stuff? »
« mmh… it is actually a while since I’ve been in a museum last time »
« oh… but his house is a museum! »
« this shithole… »
« yes, look! The dust accumulated on this cabinet for decades! It’s all so sticky and fat, but if you scratch it you can basically go back in time. Check this out, I am scratching it right now, you see? this layer here… this is when they torn down the Berlin wall. Oh, check it again, this is now when they erected it! »
« dude, seriously, we gotta find better places to live in »
WORD OF THE DAY [de]: Abmeldung (deregistration of the German address of residence)
movie night
I really have a very bad memory for movies. I can watch them ten times and still be surprised to see someone dying.
– Theresa
[ ]
la cultura dominante insegna che i giovani eterosessuali devono essere monogami (perché il sesso è una cosa importantissima) e che nel scegliersi il partner non devono tenere in considerazione la compatibilità sessuale (perché il sesso non è importante).
E con questa mi inchino a Dan Savage
the1stwworld
« How do you call the skin that covers the head of the dick? »
« Skinhead. »
I jump in the metro and I occupy the only seat left by three ladies travelling together. On the other side there are two guys. The one close to the window is shamefully drunk, his eyes and cheeks vividly red. He swings left and right, now babbling some words to keep himself into reality, and his pal has just answered the phone.
« YOU called me, sir. Who’s this? »
I turn to the ladies. The one in front of me is a actually a guy dressed like a woman. Despite his unshaved hairy legs, he’s definitely the one with more style, something between a rockabilly and a housewife pin-up. Red curly wig and black eyeliner.
Now a homeless jumps in the train. I recognise her before she starts speaking, for she standing in front of the door looking left and right, checking the place. She moves like she’s the queen of the underground and each of us is just one of her lucky guests.
« good morning, I’m asking you money, uh, to eat or…
She widen her eyes.
« to drink »
I like the way she said that last word, making it sound like an exclamation and a weird question together. Her eyes shined while doing so.
Nobody reacts. She turns her head to the guy biting a kebab, then to a girl typing in her pricy phone. Who has not ignored her, now lays with the head down, humiliated and embarrassed.
« pigs. »
I hear this while she walks down the corridor. A whisper, like a spit insult.
« freaks. »
Finally a third one that I don’t quite get.
At last she leaves the train.
I slowly turn my head following the direction of my sight. I stare at everybody.
Anything is secondary when you don’t have a roof over your head.
Above the passenger sat in front of me, a long and narrow window reflects my own figure. A body, squeezed against the train floor.
SONG OF THE DAY: DJ Koze – Mariposa
#berlino
Io: « Ciao… piacere di conoscerti »
Lui: « Oh, dì soltanto ciao… il piacere viene dopo, zuccherino »
Genio.
ich bin zu der erkenntnis gekommen
In quel Dicembre a Berlino, nella tua casa di Köpernickerstrasse io volevo tutto. Ma era tutto, o solo qualcosa, o forse niente?
Io volevo tutto, ma mi sono sempre dovuto accontentare di qualcosa.
da dove comincio? dall’ultima cotta? dalla vitamina D che ha sostituito il Sole? da mia nonna che, poveretta, le hanno appena diagnosticato l’Alzheimer? mah, niente di tutto questo, l’unica cosa che mi rode è che nonostante tutto ancora fatico a tenermi seduto a scrivere, a renderla un’abitudine come Anne Lamott ripete tutto il tempo.
L’attitudine prima di tutto, confidenza ed esecuzione. Se quel qualcosa c’è da coltivare (lo “it” di Kerouac), il resto viene da se.
Scusate l’ermetismo, nemmeno io ci capisco più molto, ma mi sembra una buona cosa. Ho imparato a diffidare della coerenza.
FRASE DEL GIORNO (de): ich bin zu der erkenntnis gekommen… (“sono arrivato alla conclusione…”)
Yes
There is this guy,
he always says yes.
I call him by name…
« yes »
I ask him the time…
« yes »
and so on.
« yes »
what?
« If you work too much you’ll get used to it. »
Nice joke…
« It is not a joke »
« yes »
« It’s my life »
« yes. »
SENTENCE OF THE DAY (de): Viele Köche verderben den Brei (lit. “too many cooks spoil the broth” …if too many people participate in a task, the task will not be done very well)