Year: 2024

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I Wrote Articles for The Hemp Connoisseur in 2016

July 4, 2024

And you can still read them online over on Magzter…

Disclaimer: When you go through the affiliate links we get a commission.

You can also read and even listen in audio on Medium.com/goshdarnblog

You probably did not know this, but I used to write for The Hemp Connoisseur out of Denver

It was the best magazine gig I ever had in my entire life and I’ve worked for a few.

They had both a national magazine and a Colorado edition

I got in the national magazine once or twice, but mostly I was in the Colorado edition, every single month, while I worked for them.

The print magazine scene is still around, even to this day because all you need is a sales team to collect advertising money, someone to make the ads in photoshop, a printer and a bunch of people with cars to drop off fifty magazines in a bundle at a time, around all the shops around town, and then you can even distribute them through Barnes and Noble on the magazine shelf, too.

And lastly you will need some talented writers to write articles for you like I did, haha!

I had wonderful experiences at this magazine and I got paid!

Weed became legal in Colorado in 2012, so by 2016 it was still going strong

I interviewed so many cannabis celebrities and CEOs it was insane!

One woman included cannabis as a lifestyle in her match-making service and I interviewed her. Another man included CBD in his dog walking and dog sitting service and I interviewed him.

My first interview was with Dennis Kitchen, Dope Comix legend, and that was like a christening into this career called interviewing other people.

One month I got three whole articles in one issue and this was definitely a highlight of my writing career!

Then I wrote Budtender Horror Stories and that was pretty cool

There was an unadvertised party for industry people only, budtenders and trimmers, every month, and I got to go once.

I’m sure I signed away my first born at the door and then preceded to walk around a big party with a DJ and MJ vendors — everybody was high and smoking joints provided by many rec dispensary companies that were local — so I went around with my hand-held recorder asking random industry people if they had any budtender horror stories to share.

Of course I decided to not include any names in the article. All anonymous. Weed is still illegal at the federal level as you already know!

And I swear this is true — after the article was published online, I saw that only VICE had done this idea first, before me and The Hemp Connoisseur had! I saw it in the Google Search data because I looked at the publishing date.

Then, I remember at an editorial meeting at the office how my editor said it was the best article I had done for them (and I wrote a lot of articles for them! Haha!).

Now, what I would like you to do, since you’ve read this far, is to go over to Magzter and join so you can read all the articles I wrote over there, on your own time.

The print magazine is not around anymore, but it is pretty cool you can read old editions just by joining Magzter!

I was probably hired in 2016, so that is when you can start looking for my articles in those months and editions

I don’t make that much money when you go through this link and pay for a subscription, but every little bit helps me on this ride I’m on called independent/DIY publishing! So thanks in advance.

3 more things we have been ruminating about...

3 more things I’ve been ruminating about…

My Short Story Collection

Live DJ Mixes

Jill The Treasure Huntress Comic Book

KITTY LITTER: How to Make A Concealed Kitty Litter Box out of A Dovetail Dresser

May 27, 2024

Or build your own cat litter box furniture

Disclaimer: When you buy though the affiliate links GoshDarnBlog get a commission.

Read this blog post over on medium.com

Are you ready to build a concealed kitty litter box out of an old dresser drawer?

Do you want to hide and conceal your litter box because it’s so unsightly and smelly?

How many times have you cleaned up after your cat who slung kitty litter against your wall? How often do your other pets mess around with your cat’s litterbox?

No fun there, so if you are so inclined, you can make your own kitty litter box furniture yourself in your garage or workshop.

We suggest you use a sturdy wooden drawer with dovetail joints and not plastic or particle board.

We also think you could easily find one for sale of for free over on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace, if you look.

Here are the deetz…

All you will need for this project are some tools and a dovetail dresser drawer, so just keep reading to figure out how to do this all on your own without buying one.

Tools you will need:

skill saw

drill

square

tape measure

Step One

First take that second drawer from the bottom and pull it out completely.

Now, you will have to use the saw to cut it in half. This drawer will now become the “perch” so your cat can get in and out.

The bottom drawer will be where the kitty litter will go.

Ideally, you will need to find a wooden drawer that allows the bottom drawer to come completely out to make it easier for you to dump out the the kitty litter when it’s been used.

Prepping the Dresser Drawer

You will discover that some drawers have a space between each already, but some will not and you will have to saw out the wood to make a space for your cat to crawl down into the bottom drawer, from the second one from the bottom, which will become the perch or the entrance and exit.

Some dressers have metal slides, guide rails, and if you find these get in the way of the cat’s movement or your ease of use, then you will have to unscrew these and remove them from the second from bottom drawer area.

The Perch

You are going to need to cut the perch in half basically. Now, your cat will have a way to go down into the bottom drawer, where the kitty litter has been placed to do it’s thing.

So saw the second from the bottom drawer completely in half.

Now, take this half drawer with handle side out and place it above the bottom drawer (where the kitty litter will go) making sure it sticks out and is open.

This second from the bottom drawer will stick out all the time so the cat can get in and out.

Now, let’s brace the perch

You will need to cut two small pieces of wood from the extra wood from the other half you sawed off.

They will become a brace to make sure the half drawer stays in place.

Measure the drawer space, from top to bottom, to make sure these two small pieces of wood fit tightly on each side of the drawer.

Now, screw them in with a drill, from above, into the dresser drawer frame.

Remember, you don’t want your cat falling off the the perch you create because it’s wobbly, like a diving board bouncing up and down.

Drilling the braces, the wood pieces, into the half sawn drawer is going to make a great entrance and exit for your cat to use.

The Bottom Drawer

*Entrance and Exit to the Concealed Litter Box.*

Fill the bottom drawer with kitty litter and close the bottom drawer.

Now, you kitty litter is concealed.

Place your kitty on the perch

Really, it should be easy for your cat to realize it needs to start doing it’s thing in here, now.

Extra Space

Now, you can use the drawers above, that are not in use, by putting all your cat accessories, bag of litter, collars and leash, cat toys, medicine, food and other cat related items up in those drawers.

How convenient! Now, you will always know where all you cat stuff is.

Pretty neat, huh?

Now you and your cat are both happier

There are all sorts of ways to make cat litter box furniture, so if you are feeling creative and want to veer off these instructions, go for it.

For example, you could add a drawer extension on the bottom drawer and you can easily find these on amazon.

We also bet you could easily buy some material to make a cat scratch and line it up and paste it on the side of the dresser, so your cat can dig its claws in there.

Now, go get started!

We wish you lots of luck on your concealed dresser drawer litter box project.

Feel free to post your questions and pics in the comments, so we can see what you did.

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Anyone Serious About building a house, cabin, garage or barn…

Erika Grapes: A Dark Pop Music Artist

May 23, 2024

You need to hear

Source: Erika Grapes Music, Cristiano Miretti. Layout design by Allan Raible.

This interview first took place as a conversation over Twitter (X) back in September of 2022.

No too long ago GoshDarnBlog caught up with Italian singer and all around rock star Erika Grapes.

During the interview we talk about relationships, roller blading, espresso, but most importantly her music.

In August of 2022 Erika put out a cover of “Titanium” by Sia. Her cover has a slow, alluring mysterious vibe, with wonderful keyboard/piano by producer Andrea Del Miglio.

“People are Strange” is another cover she’s done with New York singer songwriter The Slums of Mediocrity.

GoshDarnBlog:

So what’s the story behind (your) “Nothing’s Going to Hurt You Baby” song?

Erika Grapes:

It’s a cover from a beautiful song by Cigarettes After Sex, my first single as a solo artist. When I decided to cover it, collaborating with producer and composer Lorenzo Montaná (Tying Tiffany, TTL, Pete Namlook), I wanted a “liquid sound”.

It took us ages to have it done, for some reason. We started it just a little after the pandemic started here in Italy and during those long months, across 2020, my dear mother caught Covid and …well, she couldn’t survive it, so there are some layers in my singing parts (those recorded before) which were recorded with a romantic intention and some others that are set deep into pain and tragedy and a strong connection with the universe.

I’m a very spiritic* and spiritual person so this song is, in a way, part of my mourning process and partly and expression of the material, sensual survival to tragedy.

*I don’t know if it’s a word

GoshDarnBlog:

What’s going on in Italy today?

Erika Grapes:

Hi! Well, it’s complicated

GoshDarnBlog:

What happened?

Erika Grapes:

There are some problems going parallel ways.

GoshDarnBlog:

You’re very poetic.

Erika Grapes:

Poverty increasing due to wild privatization and sharky markets. At the same time energy bills have doubled, many local companies will shut down soon, including restaurants. At the same time, we have a war in the heart of Europe that doesn’t seem to be willing to end via diplomatic ways any soon. The international tensions are increasing and citizens are worried by the poor decisions made by politics (Meloni is not different than Draghi or Letta in this sense).

Politicians, not politics

We have a big NATO base not too far from here

GoshDarnBlog:

I’m a writer so I’ve been writing about my fears.

Erika Grapes:

Aw I never show up in video calls etc

I suffer from dysmorphophobia

GoshDarnBlog:

Hey. Life’s good. You have a great cover out of Titanium. If I was I Italy I’d buy you an espresso.

How do you like United Masters?

Erika Grapes:

Yay, I’d take you somewhere where they make good cofee.

Coffee

There are bars called “torrefazione”

They grind fresh coffee, different varieties

And the espresso machines work properly

All perfectly set

GoshDarnBlog:

Cool. We could be bff.

Erika Grapes:

Sure!

I use UM and it’s ok

A bit expensive though

GoshDarnBlog:

Oh.

Erika Grapes:

But I don’t feel like changing my distributor

GoshDarnBlog:

Y it’s pain.

Erika Grapes:

Because then it might end up with different artist’profile to manage and so on

Profiles

GoshDarnBlog:

Where did you go to school for music?

Erika Grapes:

They taught music in school when I was a child

So I was the main voice, a soprano in a chorus at the age of 12

GoshDarnBlog:

Very cool!

Erika Grapes:

The teacher was so proud that she begged my parents to have me go to Conservatorio, but they said that I was roller skating already

I hated skating lol. I wish I did figure skating, but I did races instead

GoshDarnBlog:

Do a roller skating video!

What races?

Erika Grapes:

I’m still not healed from my psychological disease, when I will accept my appearence, I will make a video

Skate races

Wait

Race skating

GoshDarnBlog:

If I was hanging out I’d secretly video tape you and upload on YouTube.

Erika Grapes:

Roller blades etc

Italian championships

GoshDarnBlog:

So this is why like Sia? Hiding you face?

Did you go down a mountain? Skating?

Erika Grapes:

I don’t know Sia’s story, but maybe it’s similar

GoshDarnBlog:

Do you have pics of championship?

Erika Grapes:

I posted something from that time (10 years) somewhere in my facebook profile

Wait

I was 10 years old

GoshDarnBlog:

That’s real cool!

Erika Grapes:

Well

I broke teeth, an arm

Got injured many times

Plus I’ve never been the competitive type

GoshDarnBlog:

I hear ya. Wow.

Erika Grapes:

I couldn’t care less about winning

GoshDarnBlog:

I had my front tooth replaced six months ago. Makes me happy.

My modeling career was out on hold!

Put

Erika Grapes:

Yeah, during my teenagehood i always smiled with my mouth closed

When I fixed it at 18, I was smiling all the time lol

To catch up with the times I couldn’t

GoshDarnBlog:

It helps a lot for entertainment careers.

Erika Grapes:

What?

GoshDarnBlog:

I can’t find DJ gig lately in town. I need to try again. I like clubs.

Teeth

Erika Grapes:

Uhm well, it depends

GoshDarnBlog:

It’s fun to make the crowd party.

Erika Grapes:

If you’re a trapper or in a punk band

I bet!

GoshDarnBlog:

I’m more “trapper” but house techno for sure.

Erika Grapes:

I have a friend here in Italy who’s a famous dj

GoshDarnBlog:

Nice! Get your song played!

Erika Grapes:

Be loves my music, but he works for a major network

We had a project together

GoshDarnBlog:

Very cool

Erika Grapes:

Months ago

A dance cover of Torn

But it was too difficult, it injured my vocal box

GoshDarnBlog:

Holy cow

Erika Grapes:

I couldn’t sing for months

GoshDarnBlog:

That’s traumatic.

Erika Grapes:

Never happened with any song

Well, I went to a vocal osteopath

GoshDarnBlog:

Is it on YouTube?

Your playlist on Spotify is pretty rad. I haven’t heard a lot CB of those songs.

Erika Grapes:

Here in Milano, who’s also working with Madonna and other big artists, and she fixed it!

The cool thing is that we found out being penpals when we were 14

What’s CB?

GoshDarnBlog:

Accident

Erika Grapes:

That Dj is on Sporify sure, wait

GoshDarnBlog:

Tell more about this. I also chord incident and this DJ you were working with.

Vocal

Erika Grapes:

https://open.spotify.com/track/3shPyqaRtM5pisiQMjsx0I?si=npIzjbwlR06S6kA9-n3d5g

GoshDarnBlog:

Erika Grapes:

We never recorded anything together after that accident

Who knows, maybe somewhere in the future

I don’t push

GoshDarnBlog:

You never hurt your voice before?

Erika Grapes:

I like things to happen, like in a natural flow

Never hurt my voice before, no

But maybe it was my fault

GoshDarnBlog:

Don’t push. Very good philosophy! We have so much in common! Lol!

Erika Grapes:

I kept trying those notes with my throath voice

GoshDarnBlog:

Why was it your fault

Explain

Erika Grapes:

While I should sing with my “head voice” instead

But it’s good, in a way, because I discovered my limits and that I must be careful with my voice

I never did warm ups etc

Before

You sent

I see

Even on “challenging” songs

I did them when I was a child in a chorus of course

Or when I studied a bit of solfeggio in my 20s at Ricordi

My teacher told me that we had also been the teacher of Mina, an Italian superstar

But I don’t know if it’s true

He seemed too young to me to be her teacher

GoshDarnBlog:

He lied?

Erika Grapes:

No idea. Maybe, maybe it was true

GoshDarnBlog:

I meet a lot of fake accounts on dating apps lately. I’ve been writing about that. I like meeting people on the street and when I’m out better.

Sorry I hit wrong button.

Erika Grapes:

Do you use date apps?

I never met anyone from a dating app

GoshDarnBlog:

I don’t like ‘em.

Erika Grapes:

But I dated a guy I “met” on Kittyradio music forums (hole.com) years ago and it was a beautiful experience

GoshDarnBlog:

You won’t like en either lol!

Wow!

Erika Grapes:

We remained friends for years, also because we lived in different parts of the country.

It was maybe a poetry thread having us talk privately at first

GoshDarnBlog:

It’s good.

I just don’t like long distance relationships either. Haha!

Erika Grapes:

I’m a demisexual, or somewhere near that definition

GoshDarnBlog:

Cool.

I’m a man. Traditional AF!

Just kidding.

I’m pretty easy going.and chill

Erika Grapes:

Demisexuals are persons who feel attracted physically by a person only after being attracted spiritually or mentally by them. After a certain bond has been created

They can be eterosexuals or otherwise

GoshDarnBlog:

I like that.

Erika Grapes:

It’s something like Amelie, the movie

Or the romantic vision of love in the victorian era

GoshDarnBlog:

Wow!

Amelie had a profound affect on me.

Erika Grapes:

That’s why I was never interested in dating apps, when I was single

GoshDarnBlog: