a beautiful lamp

I've got two events coming up, so I'm working on building inventory.  I took my mother down to Harwin Drive with me, which is always kind of fun when you have time.  I didn't really have time, I just had to make it.

I was looking for items to add to my inventory when I decided that we needed to stop at a 'Novelty Shop Wholesale'.  Which was kind of cool.  Lighters, cigarette cases, knives and the like.  

My mother wanders up while I'm looking at some beautiful hand blown glass pieces and says excitedly, "I love the lamps!  I love the color of the lamps!  Why don't they turn on the lamps?"

Please, let me insert the *headdesk* right there.

My mother is from the eastern parts of Asia (another Asian chewed me out once, "We're not oriental....oriental is a food...."), so I figured that she would recognize a hooka.  So...of course, I'm like, "Mom....it's a hooka."

"What?"  Confused look creeps across her face.

All I can do is laugh.  (Have I mentioned that the world fascinates me?  Amuses me?)

So I try to whisper really quietly, "Mom....you smoke pot out of those things..."

She starts laughing too.  I'm very quietly trying to shush her while we're giggling and the little Indian guys are just kind of ignoring us.  "Man....I need to pick one of those up for a friend's birthday...."

The harder you try to repress your mirth, the more out of control it starts to get, so we decided to leave then.  The minimum purchase of $150 prevented her from getting one for her friend, but always a team player and willing to take one for the team, I told her I'd buy enough to make that $150 minimum and let her get a beautiful bong if she wanted it.

I think she was almost tempted. Heh.

I do have to say that some of the creations were amazing, particularly the hand-blown glass.  Everything from multi-chambered water pipes to pinch hitters.  They were cool.

But it makes me wonder....do I have to have a license in Texas to carry those kinds of things or can I carry paraphernalia without having licensing for tobacco?  Curiouser and curiouser.