Have You Ever Been to Eclectic Ganjaland?

Just a magic carpet ride to the new Eclectic Ganjaland, Roll-a-Bong Games new expanded store!  Featuring the biggest selection of cannabis smoking games anywhere and our new games and collectibles store.  Board games, dice games, old favorites, hard to find books, gear for gaming, and more!  The Roll-a-Bong Store is an eclectic ganjaland, the place to find the perfect gift.  We also feature limited inventory items like POP figurines for Fortnite and Harry Potter.  Our game store also has dozens of non-cannabis games for all ages and tastes. 

Our store is located at www.rollabong.com and we are also on Amazon and on eBay.  Each store has great deals and always promises great service and customer support.  Roll-a-Bong is the rolling and smoking game for the whole joint and is dedicated to all cannabis enthusiasts.  We are always searching out partners of the like mind who are looking to build their business and find a way to profit off the billion-dollar cannabis industry.  Our philosophy is to share the wealth, so we use keystone pricing, allowing our partners to make the same amount of profit on the sale as we do.  This is not the industry standard, but it is the only way we work with others.

Roll-a-Bong Games has a Chinese partner who does all of our printing.  This allows us to get the most competitive prices for superior quality.  Through this partnership, Roll-a-Bong Games has helped many game makers come to market by facilitating the printing and shipping of their products.  Over the last year the delays in shipping have made getting materials out of China a longer process, but we have successfully received several packages this year with little delay.  We are here to help your printing needs, just ask for a price!

Roll-a-Bong Games is also a design company, with several games to its credit.  We are always ready to help design, do the artwork, arrange for printing, and consulting.  We can be contacted through Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or at www.rollabong.com.   Ask how much, or how long it takes to create and produce a game? Get an estimate on shipping time?  This year we produced t-shirts, stickers, and a vast array of support gear that would help sales of your product.  Don’t wait, your dream project might be the next pitch on Shark Tank and we can help make your dreams come true.

Hulk Smash!  Yes, here at Roll-a-Bong Games “Hulk Smashes!”  A collection spanning 50 years of love for the most incredible and Hulkiest antihero of the all The Incredible Hulk.  Statues, action figures, Monopoly, all featuring the Hulk are now available for purchase.  Like they were sealed in a time capsule, these collectibles are both unique and rare.  The Bowen Hulk statues will soon be available for purchase but if you want something amazing, please contact me and I will sent you pictures of some of the finest Hulk statues Bowen Design Studios have ever produced.  

The best thing about the Roll-a-Bong store is that it’s right here! You don’t need to search around to get a great variety of presents for the holidays, plus, we always have our Eclectic Ganjaland of Funk-tacular games and gear for your weed loving mates.  So… Happy November! 

BE EXCELLENT TO EACH OTHER AND PARTY ON DUDES!

The Best Stories are Always in Books!

I didn’t learn to read until much later than my classmates.  I struggled to write complete sentences or read a paragraph with any kind of retention.  The summer between 7th and 8th grade, I went to a special reading program while my friends went to camp.  Five hours a day, five days a week, for five weeks.  By mid-August my brain was spent.  Adelphi’s program helped me, but I wouldn’t see it for many months.

I come from a family of readers and I was always embarrassed about my illiteracy.  My Aunt had given me a birthday gift - a book!  I picked it up and started to read it.  It was an easy book to read “The Adventures of Doctor Doolittle.”  I read it cover to cover in less than 2 hours.  I read a book? I sat for two hours??  Maybe this reading thing wasn’t so bad.  I reached for another book that I kept in my room.

“Hosea Globe and the Fantastical Peg-legged Chu” by Graydon Beaks.  Another young adult book, at an easy reading level, and I read it cover to cover.  I loved it!  Somehow I became a reader at that moment. Retaining the story became easy and I was reading near the grade level.  The books we read in school got better just from the fact that I could read at a good pace to keep the story moving along.  I still was looking for my next book to read.

I had been collecting comics for a few years and I started going back and reading them, not just quickly reading as I looked at the pictures.  I was amazed how good the Hulk comics were.  Each issue was better than the last.  I was excited that I had all these comics to read.  I remember an issue where the Hulk traveled around with a hobo, Cracker Jack Jackson.  I smiled when the Hulk ate baked beans and liked them, and I cried when the hobo was killed by his jail-breaking son.  I had never been moved like that by a comic before.

“The Sword of Shannara”, a 726 page sword and sorcery adventure, became a life changing book.  I was intimidated by the length of the book, but the pictures by the Brothers Hildebrand were so magical, I had to try!  Over the course of a weekend, I read the book.  I dreamed about it when I closed my eyes, I was immersed in the world where the story took place.   I had recall the events in the book and this burden from school became my favorite hobby.

Starting at the age of 15, I dedicated myself to reading 50 books a year.  I find it harder now to read as much because I write a great deal and it hijacks my thinking.  That doesn’t stop me from feeding my desire to read.  I recently reread one of my favorite books, “Neuromancer” by William Gibson, the father of Cyberspace fiction.  The jargon in this book is still being used to describe the internet and virtual reality.  Add Malcolm, the space Rastafarian and you have a memorable and definitely one of the ten best science fiction books ever written.

The best science fiction book I ever read was “Man in a High Castle” by Philip K Dick.  The first PKD book I read was “Blade Runner” and I read it because I loved the movie.  The book was much darker, but made more sense.  I was fascinated and wanted to read more from this author.  30 years later, I believe I have read every book, short story, and non-fiction novel by Philip K Dick.  “Second Variety” is my favorite short story by PKD and could be my favorite piece of fiction.

I started reading the translation of “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu and was amazed at the practical nature of this book.  Each statement had far reaching implications in one’s life and the use of the General Sun Tzu logic is incredibly effective.  The book is full of statements of wisdom for leading an army and winning battles.  This book has been read by generals and leaders of state throughout known history, and it’s principles were used effectively in the first Gulf War by General Schwarzkopf.  “The Art of War” is no beginner’s book, and patience and reflection are needed to read this book.

“How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie was a book my son had to read for his High School English class.  I was aware of the book and had always thought it was written by the Dale Carnegie, the industrialist.  Boy was I wrong!  Written in the 1930’s, this book gave instructions to those who were interested in becoming an executive, a new type of job in the industrialized world.  When my son was finished, I read the book.  I wrote down many of the sayings and started practicing many of its ideas.  I truly believe this is a book every student should read and use.

My wife loves to read, too.  Her favorite author is Stephen King.  I had read a few of King’s books, but was never a big fan.  That changed when my wife and I read “The Gunslinger” novels.  The journey of Roland to the Dark Tower took eight really long books, and I loved everything into the very end.  These books were a perfect mix of fantasy, science fiction, and horror.  The characters were real and I enjoyed reading about their journey.  It was cool to enjoy new Stephen King books with my wife, we shared our thoughts and questions about the story. 

I’m a big fan of “How To…” books and have a favorite one.  “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way” by Stan Lee and John Buscema.  I’ve used this book hundreds of times over the years and still go to it when I’m having difficulty drawing hands or action poses.  The step by step instructions are easy to follow and allow any artist to achieve a level of proficiency when drawing comic art.  Recently, I found a video on YouTube by Stan and John covering the book, I was extremely excited to watch!

Finally, the book I use as much to this day as when I received it over 30 years ago.  Sunset, a cooking magazine, put together recipes from China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia.  “Oriental Cook Book” is an amazingly solid book of recipes.  Great pictures, easy explanation of techniques, and tasty recipes makes this book a needed addition to any cookbook collection.  The Hot and Sour Soup recipe is the best I’ve come across and rivals the soup made at the best Chinese restaurants.  The step by step guide on how to make sushi is the best I’ve seen, and I still use many of the book’s techniques and recipes.  Truly a great cookbook.

The Heroes That We All Are

I got beat up at the bus stop when I was in second grade. The incident would change my outlook for the world.  I became unmanageable and prone to rage attacks.  I lashed out at everyone!  My cousin Roger came to my rescue one Passover.  We were at my aunt’s house in Larchmont, and I had gotten into another fight with my sister (14 months older than me).  I got screamed at and was told to go into my aunt’s basement to cool off.  I cried so hard that I hurt my ribs.  My cousin Roger, a giant of a teenager standing at 6’4”, came downstairs and talked to me.

Then he took out his old comic collection.  He had a box of comics from the 50’s and 60’s, I stopped crying that second.  He pulled out an Incredible Hulk comic and had me look at it.  I was a weak reader, but I found it easy to follow the dialog and story.  The Hulk was kind, but when he was mistreated or attacked, he “Smashed!”  His rage gave him power and make the bad guys fear him.  Roger gave me all the comics and told me that things would be alright, I believed him.  I returned upstairs and behaved, but I sensed a change inside.  Roger had given me something I never experienced, the complete and unadulterated love of reading!  He also introduced me to my spirit guide, The Incredible Hulk, and he would be there to defend me from evil for the rest of my life.

My sister broke my nose when I was 11 during the ice storm that gripped Long Island in 1977.  A tree fell over my parents’ car and my sister and I were playing on top of it.  My sister pulled a branch back and let it go.  The branch whipped across my face, shattering my nose.  The drive to the hospital was dangerous and scary with the ice-covered roads.  They did their best to set my nose and deal with the impact.  The damage was so severe that I was required to stay in the hospital for several days.  I was terrified!  Breathing was difficult and the crying made my condition life threatening. 

My mother never left my side, she even slept in the chair next to my hospital bed.  By the time I was released and allowed to return home, my mother was a wreck.  Naomi Schwartz, my mother, was many things, none of them were kind or loving.  Somehow in that moment, she became a superhero. She endured so much to allow me the feeling of safety.  She became more in that moment, she became “Super Mom!”  I would only see that person a few more times before her death, but I cling to the moments where my angry vicious mother became more, she was my hero.

The heroic spirit can be there, but needed a situation to allow it to come out.  My home was damaged by the flood after Hurricane Sandy, and the flood insurance company was fighting with us, so my home was in a state of post-flood.  Enter my old friend and cannabis enthusiast, Ed. He had heart surgery and other medical problems, but he showed up at my house one day with his giant crowbar.  For hours we did demolition and he did everything possible to cheer me up.  Even with no feeling in his feet and being 15 years my senior, he stayed for the whole day, and he kept working.  Like “The Thing” from the Fantastic Four, he clobbered one wall after another.  He still is my hero!

My favorite hero was my Grandmother.  She was a gym teacher when she was younger and worked with the slower kids.  Ida May was five feet tall and the classiest woman you would ever meet.  My sister and cousins were all very smart and did well in school and life.  Then there was me, the slow kid with emotional difficulties and a love of sports.  To punish me, my parents would take away privileges, like allowing me to play little league.  I loved baseball as a kid, and not being able to play little league with my friends was a massive blow to my young mind.  My Grandmother would not hear of it!  She came out to my house one weekday, surprising my mother, and she took me to get a ball, bat, and glove. 

She signed me up for Little League and practiced baseball with me, teaching my the correct way to throw, hit, and play baseball.  My grandmother was the greatest hero I ever knew, she always did the right thing for me, no matter what the consequences.  The baseball situation took weeks to resolve, and I started attending practices without my parents knowledge.  The fights between my parents and grandmother were epic, but it was my change in behavior that convinced my parents that baseball was benefiting me.  The Superhero inside my grandmother needed a situation and a loved one in danger, but when needed, “Captain Grandmother” to the rescue! 

Thor, Captain America, Superman, and the countless others are fictional embodiments of the finest qualities in humans.  Courage, Valor, Honor, Defending the Weak, and other noble qualities are shown on a daily basis, but not by costumed heroes, by normal folks doing the extraordinary.   Movies are setting new attendance records, lifting the humble superhero serial into a high art form and making ungodly amounts of money.  Maybe this can be a catalyst to transform a society of victims into empowered heroes ready to save the day!  I’m ready!