News

What Are You Currently High On?

Week of December 1, 2004

By Wm. Stage 

Willie Zep
Medicine Man/Shaman
"I really do feel high these days. I've had lots of emotionally high experiences; matter of fact, I've been crying a lot. Right now being alive is a nice high. I live every day as if I could die any moment, and this year I chose to paraglide, because it was time to experience something with that kind of life-and-death quality -- you don't wait any longer when you have the opportunity. And that keeps me high to have that kind of freedom, to say yes to life."

Terina White
Tattoo Maker, Cheap TRX
"My job does it for me. And the biggest thing is, like, when you just get done with a tattoo, and they look in the mirror and their face lights up and they're all excited and sometimes they jump up and down and get real giddy. I really like that -- especially knowing that I did it, it was between us, and every time they see it...it's there forever, you know."

Antwon Reneall King Jr.
Junior, Roosevelt High School
"I'm high on knowledge. I'm not focused on the streets anymore. I'm focused on school and my teacher is pushing me to do my schoolwork; he's trying to line me up for college so I can make bigger and better plans. And if the teacher is trying to help me out, then I've got to help myself out and work to get all that knowledge -- 'cause if you don't get knowledge, why are you here?"

Susan McBride
Author, Blue Blood, The Good Girl's Guide to Murder
"Actually right now I'm high on chocolate. I really like that sugar high; it gets me through the day. It's how I get through writing my novels. The best fix is probably those Ghirardelli chocolate squares with the caramel in the middle -- those work great! They're super-fast. Dunkin' Donuts do the trick, too."

Blake Watkins
Owner, I and I Gallery
"Our Jamaican fruit incense gives me a crazy, euphoric, galactic high. The actual high comes from when we're making it, and we make it from scratch using mango, watermelon, black coconut, papaya, plumeria and all those delicious scents come together and it really does give you a buzz. It is a tropical rain forest in my head when I make that incense."

Dan Willey
Color Commentator, 44th annual River des Peres Submarine Races
"Nothing right now. I mean, it's only noon, man -- it's too early for that."