"Mile High Club" Confessions by: Jerry Pritikin

Back in the winter of 1971, I was making a trip from San Francisco to Miami Florida. I booked a flight on National Air Lines. It was about the time that airport security first set up metal detectors. In the beginning, they only used a wand to check you out, and did not provide a basket for keys and change. As it happened, the only metal I had on me was a metal cigarette case. Be that as it may, I did not have any real cigarettes inside, just 5 hand rolled joints. So as I was about to pass through the metal detector, I asked the security officer to hold my cigarette case... and when I got to the other side without any bells going off, the security officer handed me back my cigarette case. It was a day before National Air Lines were suppose to have a strike, so the plane was only half filled. About a couple of hours into the flight, I decided to go into the toilet and light up a number. Back then, it was still O.K. to smoke real cigarettes inside the john. I waited a few moments and then came out. I walked over to a window near the back entrance and looked out. It was a beautiful day, and there was bright blue sky with puffy white clouds. A stewardess walked over to me and said "YOU KNOW, WE ARE FLYING AT 38,000 FEET, AND I THINK YOU ARE AT 39,000!"

My 7 minutes POT Time Capsule- By Jerry Pritikin

Before the Senior Moments. I have thought about posting some of the stories left over from the 1960's and 70s and the POT connection. I used to read the Want Ads in newspapers for jobs that I didn't want. Today I prefer the WWW and CRAIGSLIST.com. In both circumstances my life changed because I was stoned on pot, and looking for jobs I did not want! I actually found a few gigs that way. The latter was looking for an Actor, and my reason for the POSTER.

Back in 1981, I was involved with the play 'Bleacher Bums' after seeing it on S.F.PBS/KQED. The next day I noticed an ad for actors for the S.F. production of the "BLEACHER BUMS". It was suppose to be a 6 week run that ran well over a year. I was hired for special promotions and PR. When the run ended, I continued doing Cubs an Bears tie-in promotions whenever they were in the Bay Area. I was tabbed by the media as the Bay Area's Resident Cubs Fan. From that, I evolved into the "Bleacher Preacher." I moved back to Chicago in the late 1980s. I spent most of the next 25 years roaming the cheap-seats of the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field, and I became part of the fabled fans in the Bleachers.

Update:

A few weeks ago, after a long, long drought(no 420) and survived liked the message in the song "I'LL GET BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS". A month ago I happened to see an ad on CRAIGSLIST. A director was looking for marijuana stories for his Marijuana-Rama Show and I have a 30 year supply. I have made a commitment to do a 7 minute monologue at the EEK Theater. I plan to put it all together this week. Is this that stage that Shakespeare had in mind when he wrote about the"Idiot"that struts and frets upon the stage? Anyway, if you happen to be in Chicago... My first one night stand(on a stage). Follow the instructions on the leafy green poster, and buy some tickets. Maybe instead of getting some flowers tossed at me at the end of the 7 minutes... it might be samples.