Ah, those weird Lazy Summer Days (LSDs) in Boston. What to do on them, so as not to go out of your head with boredom? Slide down the escalator at Porter Square? Wade naked through the reflecting pool at the Christian Science Center? Have tantric interactions with the flora at the Arboretum? (Is that last one even possible?)
Do any
one of these LSD activities, and the cops are likely to get a call. But for a jail-free menu of mind- and consciousness-expanding diversions, we suggest the following options.
Turn on, tune in, sign up
You can smoke a joint in Massachusetts now without fear of arrest, but though it's been de-criminalized, it's still not legal. And this ticketable offense will cost ya 100 clams. But MassCann is organizing a petition campaign in all state-rep and Senate districts to put non-binding resolutions on the November ballots that will, if passed, send a strong signal to politicians to legalize cannabis. You can help PETITION FOR POT. There's nothing like asking total strangers in front of Foodmaster to help you embrace marijuana. It's an experience — unpaid hours, standing in the sun — but at least you'll be right outside a supermarket when the munchies kick in.
Light for your rights
Pot's your thing, but doing stuff isn't? What if you were to SMOKE THAT SPLIFF IN PUBLIC? Call it a civil disobedience. Throughout the summer, citizens of Massachusetts will spontaneously gather on Boston Common to smoke marijuana, in protest of prohibition. Thanks to the passage of Question 2 — the 2008 ballot initiative that de-crimmed the weed — you might be asked to put it out, or be subject to a fine, but an arrest is unlikely. (That is, if you have less than an ounce on you. Leave that pound and your triple beam at home!) Still, be careful. Ongoing all summer . . . follow your nose!
Rolling stoners
Yes, they are two ganja-loving geezers old enough to be your grandpas, but CHEECH & CHONG are surely the coolest AARP members in their assisted-living center. On their "In Bud We Trust — Get it Legal" tour, this dynamic duo of pot pioneers is reuniting for the first time in more than 25 years. If you're reading this and asking, "Dude! Who're Cheech and Chong?," then cue up your Netflix account for Up in Smoke to refresh your memory (before you inevitably forget why when it shows up in your mailbox). Remember, light up before you head into the Wilbur Theatre on Thursday and Friday nights, July 8 and 9, when their tour hits town.
Age of aquarium
Some people will go whale watching this summer. But you . . . you're different. You spend your LSD by going hippie watching! The simultaneously revered/much-maligned jam band PHISH'S REUNION TOUR is coming to the Comcast Center in Mansfield on June 22. See how tree-huggers have evolved! Be amazed by grilled-cheese sandwiches! Mourn Jerry! Sit Trey side! Jam out for hours and hours! But do not ever look in the bathroom mirror. Ever.
