#smoke shisha in texas

[zodiachookah]

The Increase in Popularity of Mediterranean Cuisine in Texas

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the popularity of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine in America, and this increase speaks volumes regarding the way that people like to eat. It is becoming more and more commonplace to see restaurants, and even fast-food hubs, embrace Mediterranean cuisine, in Texas as much as the rest of America, in order to satisfy the demand from their customers. Mediterranean food has always been a popular cuisine, but it is set to become one of the fastest-growing food trends in America and this is largely due to the nature of Mediterranean food. Mediterranean cuisine should be fresh, vibrant, colorful, and healthy. This type of food is very enticing and this is also largely the reason why it has seen such a drastic increase in popularity.

Most people already know and love certain aspects of Mediterranean cuisine, even if they may not fully be aware of it. Hummus, pita, and falafel are some of the most common Middle Eastern type foods, and every American has likely tried all three of these at some point or other in their lives. Nowadays, as America is embracing the Middle Eastern trend, spices like cardamom and harissa are also finding their way into US kitchens, and items like za’atar will become commonplace on various restaurant menus.

Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food are two separate cuisines, but they share a flavor palate and various spices, and that is why the word “Mediterranean” is usually used as an umbrella term to describe both Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine.

Another reason why Mediterranean food is becoming increasingly popular, particularly where it concerns the youth and young adult market, is due to its nature of focusing almost exclusively on fresh vegetables, whole grains, and protein. It is a very healthy diet and crammed to the brim with fresh vegetables and flavorful spices. This is especially appealing because Americans everywhere, particularly in the state of Texas, are starting to focus more on living a healthy lifestyle and incorporating balanced meals into their daily lives. It is so much more enjoyable to go out for a night if you don’t have to worry about the food you’re going to be served at any given restaurant. In the past, the healthy options on restaurant menus were few and far between. 

You had the option of the classic All-American burger and fries and a soda or milkshake, and if you didn’t feel like that, you could enjoy waffles, fried chicken, or a number of other unhealthy, albeit delicious, options. The amount of food in Texan restaurants that was carbohydrate-heavy or deep-fried was astounding. And if a patron was on the hunt for a healthier option, it was usually always only a salad. However, Mediterranean cuisine is changing all that. Mediterranean food is rich and vibrant, yet healthy and wholesome, and that is why so many people are gravitating towards it and why so many restaurants are adding Mediterranean options to their menus.

Additionally, as chickpeas is a staple protein in Mediterranean cuisine, this type of food also has the benefit of being able to satisfy the cravings of anyone that might be looking for plant-based alternatives on a menu. As this type of diet is so rich in vegetables, spices, and healthy whole proteins, including the plant-based chickpea, it makes sense that those looking for plant-based alternatives would enjoy a plate of Mediterranean food.

Restaurants in Texas are picking up on the American population gravitating towards Mediterranean food as a menu option, and are incorporating it in various innovative ways. Mediterranean food is one of the healthiest cuisines in the world, and thanks to its colorful and flavorful nature, it is becoming increasingly popular in not only Texas but America as a whole.

About Us:  The Zodiac Hookah Lounge prides themselves on their authentic Hookah experience with special events including entertainment like belly dancers. They provide a unique ambiance with a wide selection of authentic, flavorful Hookah tobaccos and the best Hookah pipes for a traditional experience. They also offer an extensive menu highlighting Mediterranean foods like Kusahri and Feteer meshaltet to savor in their Hookah lounge. They invite customers to join them for a relaxing evening out with the best Hookah selection in North Texas, a wide variety of food and drinks, and special events that will make this Hookah lounge a soon-to-be favorite place to balance your yin and yang in Texas. For more information on the Zodiac Hookah Lounge, please visit https://zodiachookah.com.

[shopcloud89]

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[yokamis]

texas chainsaw massacre, the shining, hereditary, alice sweet alice - hiii lia!! omg also let me say that wolf tattoo looks sooooo amazing!!! akakslsks I love wolves 🥺💖

hi diana!! thank you so much 🥺 wolves are my favorite animals i just think they give off such a strong but still graceful feeling 🤍

the texas chainsaw massacre: what’s ur favorite food?

beef fillet. nothing compares to a well made medium cooked beef fillet, i would kill for that 🥺

the shining: do u prefer warm weather or cold weather?

warm weather, i’m 1000000% summer child!! (winter tends to depress me a lot)

hereditary: do u drink, smoke, or do drugs?

okay kids now close your eyes, drinking, smoking and drugs are bad and i don’t want y’all to do it. but i drink occasionally, i also like some wine or beer after work, and smoke shisha from time to time. 

alice, sweet alice: what would u describe ur style as?

mhhhh casual i guess? sometimes wannabe sporty or a mix of sporty and casual. sometimes really a “i don’t care about anything anymore” style lol. 

let’s get spooky!

[carthago-smokeshop]

📍 CARTHAGO SMOKE SHOP 7112 Main ST. The Colony TX 📞 (469)579-4195 📧 carthagosmokeshop@gmail.com #thecolony #thecolonytx #lewisville #lewisvilletx #prosper #prospertx #carrollton #carrolltontx #plano #hookah #hookahshop #planotx #frisco #friscotx #smokeshop #cbdhealth #smoke #itsart #420community #carthago #carthagosmokeshop #shisha #glassblowing #CBD #tobacoo #pipe #waterpipe (at The Colony, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkJKEGlOeZ-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[letsvapesmokeshopkc]

Haze Shisha Tobacco is an awesome company out of Richmond Texas that makes loads of creative and well made shisha blends. Haze is one of the most well known brands of hookah tobacco sold in head shops around the US.

LETS VAPE & SMOKE SHOP KC +1 816-753-8100 3745 Broadway, Kansas City, MO 64111, USA

https://www.kcheadshop.com/haze/

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[mistyandmatt]

It’s winter and it’s hot here…Dubai travels

In preparation for this ‘round the world journey, I spent a great deal of time researching and preparing for this leg of the trip. I say that because 1. I’ve never been to the Middle East and 2. There are a lot of social and religious rules that have to be followed when visiting the area. You see, being a caucasian, American woman most certainly has it’s advantages on any given day, but when traveling to a middle eastern country, the situation is just not the same. I did a lot of internet searching, watched a lot of You Tube videos on how to correctly tie a headscarf, and ensuring my clothing (which you know I had to be highly selective of on the trip due to the totally different climates we are going to) was socially and religiously appropriate. I told Matt we would just see what it was like when we got there and then I would adjust as needed.

Leaving Tokyo on one hand was a bit sad, as we were just getting to know Matt’s family and somewhat adjusting to the ways around town, but on the other hand, I was starting to get antsy and was ready to move on towards Dubai. Maybe it was the weather (it was cold, and mainly cloudy while we were there-that’s depressing for me), maybe it was all the strange food I’d been challenged to consume over the past 10 days, or maybe I was just seeking some bit of normalcy somewhere since I clearly was the outsider on this leg of the trip. Want a slice of humble pie? Go to a country like Japan with 127 million people where you are one of only a few who can’t read or speak the language. You’ll realize your place in the world real quick. I guess I don’t know why I thought I would get normalcy in Dubai, but my instincts (and research) implied Dubai was supposed to be like the “Las Vegas” of the Middle East (more on this in a bit), that seemed like something I knew and could understand.

We switched over to Emirates Airline for this trip, as I wanted to see how the service and quality were compared to other airlines we had taken. I know, I know, my instinctual quality assurance/continuous quality improvement personality is on all the time, even on vacation. The airline was nice, but Japan Airlines still seems to rank higher on my “best airline to fly.” What’s comical about that though is that when we were talking with the Emirates Flight Attendants, they report that the girls who work for JAL have a lot of “work drama between each other.” Workplace environments around the world seem to be the same everywhere, always some kind of drama going on. I was hopeful that was just an American thing, nope, totally universal. Our twelve hour flight seemed quite quick as we slept most of the time, so we were ready to go when we arrived in Dubai at 5:00 am local time.

We only planned four days in Dubai, as we had just a handful of things we wanted to see and do before moving on to our next destination. The weather was 75 degrees and sunny when we got there(hallelujah), so we were looking forward to a brief warmup before we head back into the cold again. Since we were only staying a few days, we decided to splurge a bit and stay at a fancier hotel. You all know that we never do that, in fact, it’s really against our vacation morals and values to do so, but knowingly and willingly(and maybe telling Matt I got a good deal on it), I booked us a few days at the Waldorf Astoria out on the Palm (palm tree shaped man-made island outside of Dubai proper). Between the nice hotel and the warm weather, my normalcy meter finally shot up. We then found a place for breakfast that served actual eggs and other breakfast foods, we had a another win!

Our first stop for the day was to the Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding” for a tour of the remaining “old town Dubai,” and for our first visit to a real operating mosque. I loved this as our first experience here, as no question was off limits and the center prides themselves on being an open space for people to come learn and understand the culture and religion in a safe space. I got the chance to not only learn more about the Islamic religion, but also the social, family, and religious norms that go along with it. Our tour guide was fabulous and did a great job explaining everything to our eclectic group. I now understand the prayer schedule and commend all the Muslim men (and women) who are fully committed to their religion because they (the men) literally have to go into a mosque building 5 or 6 times a day to pray and be present with God. I mean, I can’t find the time to go to the bathroom that many times a day, therefore, I could never make it as a Muslim on that principle alone. I realize the societal norms here are arranged on this schedule, but that just seems extremely excessive (not to mention time consuming). I found fewer differences and more similarities in their religion and lifestyle of those practiced at home. In the end, everyone seems to be seeking the same things, its all just interpreted and practiced a bit differently. We had the chance to drink coffee (which has a process and is different than American coffee, as is the art of drinking it-anyone have a “silent server” at home?), as well as had the chance to eat dates and luqaimat(donuts), just as you would if you were a visitor in a Muslim home. So much about the home structure, the male and female role in the household, and the openness to welcome visitors was rather intriguing. We would highly recommend doing this experience if you have the chance to go to Dubai. It was a great way for us to start off our trip here.

We then moved on to see what the Dubai Mall was all about. This place is known for all the high end shopping, vending machines that sell gold, and a place to find just about every super car you could imagine, but also includes an ice skating rink, a huge aquarium, and these choreographed fountains (similar to the Bellagio Fountains in Vegas) that put on quite the show. This was a chance for us to get in some walking after being cooped up in the plane so long. We finished the day by having dinner poolside at our hotel, where I could soon slip away for some good sleep in a super comfortable bed (remember, we’ve been sleeping on a small mattress on a tatami floor for the past 10 days, so this was going to be like sleeping on the clouds).

The next day we got up and headed to the traditional spice, textile, and gold souks to see what kind of interesting finds we could muster up. I tell Matt, just keep walking, these people will haggle you, so you just have to keep going. Why are we not even three stores in and Matt starts “making friends.” Dammit Matt. So Matt’s new friend wants me to buy gold from him and proceeds to personally escort us around the souks. That was very nice of him (he had alternate plans), but unfortunately what he didn’t realize is that he hooked up with a real nice guy an and then me, whose middle name is “likes to mosey.” Hours later we’d visited all the souks (still with this personal escort) and I spent way too much money on tea, silks, gold, and saffron (even with haggling with them) then I want to admit. It’s fine, I hope people are up for a tea party when we get home, because I have several years supply now. Needless to say, Matt (who really doesn’t even want to be at the souks) ends up back behind one of the souks (we all know you aren’t supposed to go back there-hasn’t he seen any movies at all?), as they are trying to sell him fake watches. Again, Mr. Naivety isn’t clueing into my “we have to go because we have a tour we have to get to,” and proceeds to continue talking with these guys. I laid down the law, said we were leaving and escaped yet another crazy situation Matt got us into. Thanks Matt, thanks a lot.

We really did have a tour to get to, as the most exciting part of the trip for me was just about to happen. Since we decided to come to Dubai, I wanted to ride camels in the desert. I mean, when else am I going to get to ride a massive animal through the Arabian desert? So, I booked us this camel riding tour that also included a night of activities in a Bedouin camp. These are the traditional camps that desert travelers would set up when searching for water in the desert. Our tour guide from Viator tours picked us up at our hotel and drove us an hour and half into the middle of the Arabian desert. During the ride, he gave us all the inside details about Dubai (including things they probably don’t want others to know, but oh well). Once there we got loaded up onto our camels (my camels name was Simone, and Matt’s camel’s name was Goad. He was making groaning sounds, which I later found out that meant he was grumpy. Go figure, Matt is used to me, so working with a grumpy camel-he should be a pro! Our camel guide was from Pakistan and laughed at my off the cuff, socially and politically incorrect jokes, so I think he had a good time with us. Don’t mind these pictures of us on camels, my legs looks like the size of Texas (who would have thought on an animal so large I would look so big as well) and well Matt’s shorts now have a bit of a racy look to them-looking good Matt, nice legs there. After the camel ride (which is way harder than it looks, and definitely harder than riding a horse), we arrive at our Bedouin camp to watch some falconry and settle in for an evening of traditional Arabian music and cuisine (yes, this includes eating camel, but not the one’s we rode out on and al harees, which are foods traditionally served at weddings). Matt smoked shisha and I got henna done, all while we made new friends from France and South Africa. Again, we would highly recommend this tour above all others if you want a real authentic experience in the desert. Seven hours later, we returned to the hotel totally exhausted, but had a wonderful experience.

After sleeping in a bit, we spent the next morning and early afternoon exploring Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi was about an hour and half drive from Dubai, and is one of the more conservative emirates of the UAE. We went to the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (which is absolutely beautiful by the way), as well as had a chance to see the Emirates Palace Hotel (also very beautiful) and Etihad Towers. We finished the day having afternoon tea and pastries at the Desert Palms Polo Club of Dubai. I know this is a bit out of the norm for desert life, but it was recommended so we went. I’m glad we did because the pastries were phenomenal, the polo fun to watch as well.

Dubai was a great place to stop for a few days, rest a bit and see some of the massive structures, unique modern architecture and historical character this place has created. Dubai has many characteristics that resemble that of Las Vegas (big structures and buildings, fancy fountains, big, flashy everything-it’s their goal to have the biggest of everything in the world), yet there is virtually no crime, everything is automated (the police don’t even pull you over, they just ticket you from cameras everywhere), and there is minimal debauchery anywhere. I think they said that Dubai is the third safest city in the world. Who knew? And definitely not what I expected. So, imagine a very conservative Vegas, without gambling and drinking, then you have Dubai.

In many ways we came here seeking a variety of different cultural and lifestyle experiences that would push us completely out of our comfort zone and with some things it did. I mean, before I struggled to understand why women would want to wear the full abaya, but after doing it a few times during this trip, I can totally get behind wearing it with the headscarf on any given day. It’s really like a comfortable nightgown, and that headscarf did wonders to conceal my double chin-#Winning The women do it both out of respect, but also because they want to bring back tradition to their culture, similar to what women are now doing in Japan by wearing kimonos, and not just for wedding or special occasions. I mean, you never have to do your hair, figure out what you are going to wear, and you can go “full ninja” as they refer to it (full face covered except your eyes), say at the grocery store, when you don’t want to be recognized). Overall, all the people we interacted with were extremely friendly and very helpful. Although 80% of the people that live here are from other countries, we still found that we got an authentic experience none the less.

Overall, we found that Dubai is in more ways than just one, a lot like Oklahoma. A country, rather than just a state, dependent on the “black gold” of the earth to fund their sheer existence. If they haven’t seen how well that’s worked out for us, they should probably check that out. The one thing I can say is they at least they continue to build their infrastructure and economy on tourism as their “Plan B” because when the well becomes dry, as it inevitably will, they might actually be able to make it as a civilized place of existence. Come see the place if you haven’t been, it’s worth three or four days as a stopover city. We don’t recommend coming in the summertime, as apparently you can fry eggs and bake cookies on the concrete, as it gets so hot (we heard close to 120 degrees during the day). It’s wintertime and we saw 75-80 degree days.

As we continue our journey west, we are excited to explore the U.K. for the next several days. I’ve finally found a destination I might actually not stick out like a sore thumb. I’m also secretly hoping for a spotting of the Royal Family, let’s hope my years of stalking them on the internet will provide me some insight on the best location to do so!

See you all in London!

[utterlywasted]

The Girl I Like

The girl I like Can’t roll her tongue Biting her lip to Hide her laugh

The girl she likes Has tender touch With bright grey eyes And silly smile

The girl he likes Has bright red lips Sunglasses on And dimples shown

The girl you like Wakes up at one Pizza for brunch And messy bun

The girl I like Loves shisha smoke Never commit Never move on

The girl she likes Lends her Lipliner and a Contour brush

The girl he likes Owes him one Dinner and a Kiss goodnight

The girl you like Drools in her Sleep with grey Bra unclasped

The girl I like Dreams of Disney Endings and Suicides

The girl she likes Stands tall With confidence And pumps

The girl he likes Broke his car Windshield with Her home run ball

The girl you like Reads Christie’s, Tolkien’s for Six days straight

The girl I like Hides hickeys, scars Under oversized Sweaters

The girl she likes Once drove three Days from Texas To LA

The girl he likes Bakes his little Sister a Birthday cake

The girl you like Eats sea salt ice Cream, tacos And ramen

The girl I like Once held me tight Before kissing Me goodbye

The girl she likes Comes first in Astrophysics And marathon

The girl he likes Puts his Number on her Speed dial

The girl you like Wished to be A vet, advocate, And technician

The girl I like Loves me more Than she can Ever love herself

- As Our Hearts Begin To Touch//utterlywasted

[agermanbetweenscots]

Megan.

My bestie, my endless source of good music and my only friend where I wouldn’t be surprised if I ever have to bail her out of jail. 

Megan was one of the first people to just take me we away from Tahlequah and do something outside of my bubble that was studying and dorm rooms.  More than once I got kidnapped without knowing where Megan and Lois (her car) would take me today. Megan is so lovely country that it is almost a stereotype. She introduced me to Max’s, cowboy boots, backroading, Red Dirt Country Music (the ones that didn’t sell out), her slight pyromaniac tendencies when we made a random fire near a lake in the middle of the night and to ‘merica. She is the first person to have gotten me drunk (and I mean drunk). The other night at Max’s, as I promised her, I got drunk. The room spun, I had problems anticipating doorframes and entering pick-up trucks. She also got me drunk the following week because I didn’t eat before going out. Clearly that was a mistake. Two Gin and Sprite killed me that evening. She taught me line-dancing and two-stepping, is totally to blame for me buying boots, introduced me to my first taco (thanks to her brother Cody who brought them when he was the DD). With her I had my first s’mores, shot my first gun, drove a tractor and went fishing. She takes ages getting ready and when she says ‘ill be there soon’, it will still take ages for her to actually show up. She would probably not survive in Germany. Her humour cracks me up. She is so wonderfully sarcastic and you truly have to get to know her, otherwise that humour paired with her resting bitch face will make you believe she doesn’t like you. (I thought that for a very long time). She improved my country playlist – added artists like Jon Pardi, Cody Johnson and Turnpike Troubadours on there. Every time I would step into her car, I would leave with another 10 songs to add to my playlist. With her, I had my two roadtrips. A short one to Henryetta, that was so spontaneous, I don’t even know how that happened, and a long one to Denver, Boulder. Bristen, Megan’s friend went to school in the panhandle of Oklahoma. So when her friends’ graduation rolled around, we all got into Betsy (Bristen’s car) and were on our way.

The panhandle is strange. When you imagined Oklahoma as empty, rural and boring, the panhandle is the same but multiplied by 10. It is flat, dry and emptier (if that is even possible). The landscape doesn’t really help, as it’s a desert. Going on an exchange there would drive me crazy. Even I could not handle being there with no car. The uni is smaller than NSU, full of cowboys (students of agriculture), and because it is so close to Texas, the people identify with Texas more than they do with Oklahoma. We stayed with a friend of Bristens for the night, went to a party in a barn. The tittie-bar. And that was totally not what I expected. The barn was more of a hangar, some weird furniture in it and a bunch of drunk 20 something year olds. The drinks were two or three kegs (including keg-stands). I am happy I got to experience this, even though it was totally not my crowd. But this was Bristen’s thing anyway. The next day we were on our way to Colorado. We drove through Texas and New Mexico, fully complete with stops as soon as we would cross the border to take a picture at the state sign. A road trip in America is weird. It is this thing that has this taste of ‘wow, the great American road trip, freedom, endless roads and states to discover’ and I know that I really wanted to do that for as long as I could think. (Probably enhanced by Supernatural) But I don’t know whether it is the roads of the states we drove through – the great American Road trip would be awful if I had to do it by myself. The roads are mostly straight, there is nothing to see left or right, and all you do is drive for miles and miles past cows, farms and grasslands. The distances in America are incredibly different, and nothing changes. I am so glad I had Megan and Bristen to keep me going. But as soon as you see the rockies in the distance, the landscape changes and it becomes worth it. Even in May, they are still covered in snow and just really majestic. The first night we stayed in Denver and went bar hopping. Denver seems like a really nice city, and totally worth a visit. I had never been to that many bars in my life. We went from a German Brewery, to a champagne bar, to a shisha-club, to a roof terrace. The weather was unfortunate, as it started to rain but meh. Who cares, if you got alcohol, music and friends? After Denver we kept driving to Boulder and that was amazing. So young and vibrant. We had a really good breakfast in a hipster-café (although everything seems hipster-ish) before doing some shopping and some driving into the mountains. Sadly, it was really foggy and so I didn’t even see the mountains. Which is unfortunate because it was kinda the reason we came – to go hiking. Anyways, we drove up the curvy, steep roads, took some pictures at a lake before turning around and going back down. When exiting the car however, we noticed smoking tires. And Henriette, who has so much knowledge about cars, noticed something dripping from underneath the car. Making an executive decision – she was so sure it was the brake fluid. (What even is brake fluid?) After getting Bristen’s heart rate up and freaking everyone out, the brake fluid turned out to be the condensation of the AC, and the girls went back on their way. Luckily, the car and brakes and AC were fine. Betsy clearly just wanted more attention. The last adventure of the girls in Colorado was the visit to a dispensary. Weed or marijuana (don’t ask me to say this word out loud – the German accent comes out. Or make me say this, if you wanna crack Megan up. Me saying this word has actually become such a hit with her, that she makes me say this word to strangers when she’s drunk.) is legal is Colorado. And although I did not want any, I was very interested to see how buying some would work. Sadly dispensaries are racist and don’t accept foreign IDs. Unless it’s a passport. So I was kicked out after 2 minutes of staring at a poster listing the positive effects of THC. The next day was spent driving through Kansas for 10 hours. If you ever wanted to drive through Kansas – don’t. I understand now why Clark Kent learned to fly. To get away from there. If you think Oklahoma is boring – think again. There is truly nothing Kansas until you reach Wichita. Doing this for 10 hours was such a stretch. Even the internet is spotty. So I couldn’t even distract myself from the boredom with the social medias. The road trip was amazing though. Not only did I get to leave Oklahoma and had a blast with two of my besties but also I got to scratch of 3 more states. Which now puts me to 9/50 or 18%. Almost a fifth! Hurray. And it only took us three days and 1704 miles or 2742 km. When can we go again? I owe Megan so much. She easily became my best girl friend here, because she was so wonderfully uncomplicated and I think she enjoyed having me around to introduce me to the country ways. I can’t wait to return the favour in Germany, Europe or wherever. And – I am truly excited to spend the 4th of July and the epitome of ‘merica with her.  

[zodiachookah]

Where to Smoke Quality Hookah Tobacco in Texas?

Ladies Smoke for Only $12.99 on Wednesdays at Zodiac Hookah Lounge

A hookah is a waterpipe that is used to smoke flavored and sweetened tobacco. This pipe houses separate champers for the tobacco and water, with one having more flexible tubing stems from which consumers inhale the tobacco smoke. Today, there are countless hookah flavors on the market that you can choose from and quality lounges feature several of these. If hookah is something you have ever been interested in, visiting a quality local lounge is the best way to partake smoking.

An amazing hookah location in Carrollton, Texas is the Zodiac Hookah Lounge. This lounge is not in the deep hustle and bustle of the bigger cities but offers everything you need to enjoy a night or day out smoking. The Zodiac Hookah Lounge provides an ambiance that you will not get anywhere else that is welcoming and the perfect chill. Everyone feels welcomed at the Zodiac Hookah Lounge, from experienced hookah smokers to those who are just now trying it out.

The Zodiac Hookah Lounge offers a wide selection of authentic, flavorful hookah tobaccos with the best hookah pipes for a traditional experience. Along with this amazing hookah smoking capabilities, the lounge also offers a variety of food choices from Mediterranean to Italian to traditional American dishes. You can also choose from over 30 beverages that you can sip during your trip to this amazing lounge. If you want a nice, relaxing evening with a wide variety of foods, drinks, hookah, and special events, the Zodiac Hookah Lounge is your best option.

If you want to spice up your trip to the Zodiac Hookah Lounge a little more, they do offer special events that you can partake in that are great for those who want to make their trip even more fun. They have DJs and special events on weekends that are a little more upbeat. Through the week, they also have Hookah and Chill Mondays and Whatever Wednesdays. If you are a lady and would like to save, you can smoke hookah for only $12.99 during these Whatever Wednesday events.

A representative from Zodiac Hookah Lounge, commented, “We want to make your hookah smoking session as amazing as possible, which is why we have everything you need to create the perfect experience. We have enough room available to accommodate parties, should you want to bring friends along with you for an experience to remember but we are also romantic enough for a date night. Reservations are never required, just show up when you want, and we will do our best to accommodate you. To learn more about our lounge, please visit our website today.”

About Us: Zodiac Hookah Lounge is your one stop for the perfect event or night out. They have everything you need to enjoy a great smoking session, with a variety of flavorful hookah tobaccos to choose from. They carry traditional pipes for those who want to have a simple, quality experience. While visiting, you can also enjoy some delicious Mediterranean cuisine, sandwiches, desserts, and more. They also offer accommodations for special events, making it a great choice for your next party. They even have DJs and belly dancer performances on weekends. To learn more about visiting the location, check out their website today.https://zodiachookah.com

[troydarr]

Part 8: Down Periscope!

Or ganging up on the poor Meerkat

Two months ago, I wrote in my introductory post that I was planning to explore Periscope. Most of the digital media platforms I listed in that post came from Dreamgrow’s Top 15 Most Popular Social Networking Sites and Apps. As I was reviewing the list for this week’s analysis, I wanted to check where Periscope is on the list. What? It was nowhere to be found. I remember now. I found it on a list of apps. It was purchased by Twitter and ultimately defeated Meerkat, a very similar social networking platform. I like the name Meerkat, and since I cannot explore a dead network, I put Periscope on my list.

I am so embarrassed

I guess I am not a Media Maven like some people. Until two months ago I had never heard of Periscope or Meerkat. Apparently Meerkat was the star of the South by Southwest Conference of 2015. Then along came Periscope purchased by Twitter at a high price, and 18 months later the Meerkat had officially expired. Anyways, this blog is about Periscope.

Your mileage may vary

I could not log on with my desktop computer so I broke out the tablet. Tried to log on using my Twitter account. I could get on the site, but I had to create an account if I wanted to post anything. Downloaded the app and the first thing I found was a live concert of a band named, Phish. The next live video was of an attractive Spanish speaking woman playing the piano. Most of the comments were about her physical appearance, and she seemed to be enjoying the comments. The top 20 or so live posts were people performing music. As I was scanning the list of musicians, a breaking news story popped up live from Minneapolis where a policeman apparently just shot someone.

Map View

I switched to the map view and zoomed in on Fort Polk. There was one post two days ago from Fort Polk. Scotty Bullock  was rapping a song. Mr. Bullock may be the only soldier from fort Polk who uses Persicope. Not a good sign. I skipped to my hometown, Southlake, Texas. Only one recent post from a church service. Let’s jump across the ocean to my favorite city in the world, Heidelberg, Germany. Nothing in Heidelberg. The closest post was from Friedrichsfeld about 10 miles away. A short video of IceCube smoking a shisha or Turkish water pipe. Enough of the map.

Trending

There are some buttons along the bottom of the screen. No idea what they do. It’s like opening a treasure chest. The button that looks like a crowd of people is for trending posts. They do not seem to be in order of most trending to least trending. The top post is Senate Republicans. I really do not want to click on it, but I feel obligated to do so. It is a press conference on health care. Next! I am really not finding much of interest. I see Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert. Surprise! It’s a post on how to solve America’s health care problems. I don’t want to get too political here, but he is putting forth a radical idea. Let the people solve the health care problem rather than relying on Congress. Let’s check out one more before we move along. It’s ZDF, the second public television channel in Germany. The top story is What is it about Isis that fascinates young German women?

Who is periscoping?

Data is tough to come by as Twitter is apparently not releasing much on the platform, but Omnicore comes through again with stats on Periscope. As of Jan. 22, 2017, Periscope had 1.9 million daily active users and 200 million broadcasts. Top three countries where Periscopes are live are the United States, Turkey and Brazil. Many of the “normal” people on Periscope seem to be far out on the edge of what I would consider normal. Not the musicians, but the people who talk to the camera while other people make inane comments.

Great Brands on Periscope

Google has multiple accounts but not much content as does Coca-Cola. Toyota USA has 15,881 followers and four posts since the account was created six months ago. Microsoft has 19 official accounts with not much activity. IBM also has a lot of accounts, but those accounts have a lot more activity than Microsoft including an entertaining video of their robot, Pepper, performing at a convention. McDonald’s has an official account with 67, 000 followers and no activity. Number 94 on the list of the Best Global Brands of 2016 has a direct link to music, MTV. The official MTV account has 279,000 followers and 11 posts starting a year ago and ending four months ago. Seven of the 11 posts are from the Video Music Awards.

Troy’s Tantalizing Tidbits

I am seeing a lot more trending stuff from Europe than I see in my Facebook trending list. That is most likely accountable to Facebook targeting and not that Europeans use Periscope more. The Los Angeles Lakers have 99,000 followers and Senate Republicans have 12,000. That probably makes sense.  Here’s a great article, How a Singer/Songwriter Doubled Her Income From Periscope, about a talented young musician who is making a living performing on Persicope.

Conclusion I was not initially impressed with Periscope’s offerings. The individuals who hang out on the platform seem to be on the edge of acceptable social behavior or perhaps over the edge. On the other hand, I was very impressed with the musician, Clare Means. My wife stopped in to listen to the live concert as I wrote this last bit. As to using the social networking site for Fort Polk’s social media program, I see no value.

[manaboutfood]

Italian Coffee.  Chapter 1: Jet-Lagged in Rome.

There’s a romantic misconception that you can wander into any café in Italy and find a perfect (if not decent) espresso.  This is entirely false. 

Fifteen years ago, before the Great Awakening of American coffee culture, that might have been true, but we now live in a (snooty) world of flat whites and single origin cold brew.  The barista at my local coffee shop can draw an identifiable portrait of me in the foam of my cortado.  The day after Hillary lost the election, the only thing that could lift my spirits was the loving embrace of two foamy lesbians traced into the top of my afternoon joe.  

Standards high, yet with an open mind, my Italian coffee experience got off to an auspicious start. Fighting off jetlag in Rome, I walked the streets with my friend until I could no longer continue without chemical assistance.  Just outside of the Villa Borghese, I noticed heavy smoke wafting from a collection of tables on the sidewalk.  A collection of Arab men sipped and spewed shisha from large pipes balanced on glass tables.  This was perfect.  Where shisha is smoked, Turkish coffee is served.  

My travel companion was a California friend living in Qatar, so he struck up a conversation with the table next to us while I ordered a Turkish coffee.  If you’ve ever had one, you’ll know that it’s cocaine mixed with battery acid.  I would be up for days.  When the coffee arrived, I took the long handle and poured the thick, black liqueur from the golden bell shaped vessel into the tiny cup and took a hearty sip. All praise to Allah. Things would be okay.  Until…  a small coffee bean floated on the surface of the coffee.  Huh.  Strange.  Continuing further down the rabbit hole, I fished it out with my spoon only to realized with horror that I was looking at a decent size cockroach.  Not a huge Texas roach, but an adult cockroach, entirely in tact.  I could only surmise that he had recently suffered a rare yet brutal death by coffee. Swallowing my urge to vomit, I got up and handed the cup, saucer, and dead cockroach to the waiter.  My thought was that if I didn’t make a scene, I could get a replacement coffee more quickly, which turned out to be true.  

My replacement coffee arrived shortly.  It was larger and served without cockroach.  My subtlety had worked.  My friend only learned about the cockroach when the waiter refused to give us a check. 

Was a free cup of coffee and plate of dates worth the experience of sipping on roach infused Turkish coffee?  Absolutely.

[smokeenvytx-blog]

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[carthago-smokeshop]

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[shisha2u]

Candlelight #hookah smoke bubble gum, watermelon and mint #shisha #shisha2u (at Richardson, Texas)