My ode to narcotics

Finally, the Jeff has come BACK, to blogging.

A week, and several medications later, I am back and up and running at the office. Also with a three day, excruciating detour to New York City in between. Let's just say, it was a tough recovery process. Let's start at the beginning. Last Wednesday morning I head into the dentist's office, sit down, and immediately hear the recovery process for another patient who was about to leave. Next thing I know I am whisked into the back and am fed laughing gas right away. Didn't seem to do much for me until they started to put the IV in and I started to crack a joke about driving in Boston. Who knows why but check out the bruise the IV gave me and this is 8 days after.

Next thing I know, I am super groggy and in a ton of pain. Wait, is it over, dear God tell me it's over. I have a whacky ice pack contraption wrapped around my head, sorry, no picture of that, that I know of! And I am out the door. Took no more than an hour and a half. I informed my wife she was driving too fast on the way home and she enlightened me that we were sitting at a red light. Good times. Spent the next few days whacked out on Super Percocet. Stronger than what they give C-section patients. Next thing I know, it's the weekend and I am still not feeling well. Called the doctor and the doctor said, no more monkey's jumping on my head. Not exactly, but they did give me a clove paste to inject into the gaping holes in my gums which started to help and gave me a prescription for my new best friend Mr. Vicodin.

Monday roles along and I had to drive to Manhattan for the Publishing Business Expo and Conference. Of course the hotel couldn't get my companies credit card to work and check in took two hours. But I did have this fabulous view from my hotel room:

The conference was interesting and thanks to Mr. Vicodin again, and the clove paste, I was able to survive and do my job. So today, I am choosing "Sweet Pain" by Blues Traveler as my song of the day. Because with my drugs the pain became somewhat sweet and tingly, at least part of time.

"Can you feel what I feel?

So we can establish that the pain is real

Don't be afraid and I'll do the same for you

And we'll just hang on and we'll make it, make it through

There's got to be a reason it works out this way

And there's something deep inside me

That makes me have to play

For you

For you

In no position to give advice

My heart it spoke and I wrote it down

And you know every wisdom has its price

My head up in the stars

And my feet planted firmly on the ground

When will I embrace this life I see?

I've been wondering for so long

Thinking back, the truth may be

I've been unaware but I've been living it all along

And it didn't cost a dime

And it did not come for free

It just would not let me be

But it never conquered me

Just a doorway and a key

And I think that we both agree

Sweet pain

Is sometimes what you need

Sweet pain

It allows the blood to bleed

Sweet pain

From the moment of your birth

Sweet pain

You know it keeps you here on Earth"

Ode to Steve Martin

Ok, so today will be the last post for a while as tomorrow I am going to have all my wisdom teeth out. Not looking forward to it as I have gotten so many opinions on how it will feel afterward. From "You'll be fine," to "It's excruciating," to "At least you'll have good drugs." Well, I do know the last one is true as the prescription for Percocet is already in my possession. So today I am going with the Little Shop of Horrors classic, "Dentist"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOtMizMQ6oM

[ORIN]
When I was younger, just a bad little kid
My mama noticed funny things I did
Like shooting puppies with a B.B. gun
I'd poison guppies and when I was done
I'd find a pussycat and bash in its head
That's when my mama said

[CRYSTAL, RONETTE, CHIFFON]
What did she say?

[ORIN]
She said, "My boy, I think someday
You'll find a way to make your natural tendencies pay
You'll be a dentist

You have a talent for causing things pain
Son, be a dentist
People will pay you to be inhumane
Your temperament's wrong for the priesthood
And teaching would suit you still less
Son, be a dentist
You'll be a success

Let's hope my Doctor is a little bit better than Mr. Martin. Wish me luck.

What kind of parent am I???

I'll never forget it. It was August of 2006, right around my birthday. Driving down to the Jersey shore. My daughter was only 2 and half months old. We pulled off into a McDonald's to change her diaper. I have her on the drivers side seat and who but Eminem comes on the mix CD playing. Not the nicest song, but it had a good beat. Lyrics? Hell, I wouldn't play the song in front of her now, but back then it didn't matter. So I am changing her diaper and Marshall is rapping about chicks and hos and all kinds of unmentionable things. What does Avery do?? She starts cracking up. Yes, my daughter laughed for the first time to f-bombs and sexually explicit lyrics. What does this all have to do with today? Well, I am choosing to use Eminem's probable masterpiece of a song, "Lose Yourself." Let me make a quick tangent here, 8 Mile, the road, not the movie. I know it well. I grew up right off what should have been named 3 Mile Road, instead it was Joy Road. I played golf on 8 Mile Road far, far down from the slums of the movie. But the movie itself, was surprisingly good. I mean Eminem did a respectable job acting. Maybe it was just Curtis Hanson's direction, but the movie is worth seeing and should definitely not be dismissed. But now to the song:

"Snap back to reality,
Oh there goes gravity
Oh, there goes Rabbit, he choked
He's so mad, but he won't give up that Easy, no
He won't have it , he knows his whole back's to these ropes
It don't matter, he's dope
He knows that, but he's broke
He's so stagnant that he knows
When he goes back to his mobile home,
that's when it's Back to the lab again yo
This this whole rhapsody
He better go capture this moment and hope it don't pass him

You better lose yourself in the music,
the moment You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo "

This song is really an inspirational song that speaks to me. It's all about taking control of your life and seizing the day. Not to go all "Dead Poet's Society" on you, but that is what I really need to change in my life. Hopefully I have started taking those steps with entering this screenwriting contest next month and entering the 48 Hour Film Project as well. In the past, I was too afraid to go after the things I wanted, I just let them pass, figured I wasn't good enough or worthy of these things. It is ok to fail at things, but you have to keep trying. Here's to trying to reach your dreams, again and again, until you make it happen.

Deep Cuts

So next week, I am going under the knife again, with four wisdom teeth being extracted. Not exactly a fun time, but hey, at least I'll get good drugs. So today, I am quoting Cat Stevens, not Rod Stewart, or the horrendous Sheryl Crow version of "The First Cut is the Deepest"

"I would have given you all of my heart
but there's someone who's torn it apart
and she's taken almost all that I've got
but if you want, I'll try to love again
baby I'll try to love again but I know

The first cut is the deepest, baby I know
The first cut is the deepest

'cause when it comes to being lucky she's cursed
when it comes to lovin' me she's worst
but when it comes to being loved she's first
that's how I know

The first cut is the deepest, baby I know
The first cut is the deepest

I still want you by my side
just to help me dry the tears that I've cried
cause I'm sure gonna give you a try
and if you want, I'll try to love again
but baby, I'll try to love again, but I know

The first cut is the deepest, baby I know
The first cut is the deepest

'Cause when it comes to being lucky she's cursed
when it comes to lovin' me she's worst
but when it comes to being loved she's first
that's how I know

The first cut is the deepest, baby I know
The first cut is the deepest"

Where's my island?

So I am a full fledged LOST geek. I love the show and have since it debuted on television. Definitely one of the most intelligent and articulate shows ever created. But it isn't on tonight for some reason. So I am going back in time, much like the Losties, and bringing the J Geil's Band out of retirement with their classic, "Musta Got Lost."

"Never thought about tomorrow
Seemed like a long time to come
How could I be so blind, baby?
Not to see you were the one

I let you slip on from me, honey
I let you walk on by
I refused the love you had for me
I refused the love and let it die

I must of got lost, I must of got lost
I must of got lost somewhere down the line
I must of got lost, I must of got lost
Give away the days you're mine

Love can be a sweet thing
I just don't understand
I made a game of lovin' you
And now I hold the losing hand

So I must of got lost, I must of got lost
I must of got lost somewhere down the line
I must of got lost, I must of got lost
Give away the day that you were mine

I just can't understand it
I just can't understand it
I just don't understand it

And I must of got lost, I must of got lost
I must of got lost somewhere down the line
I must of got lost, I must of got lost
To give away the day you were mine

I must of got lost, I must of got lost
I must of got lost somewhere down the line
I must of got lost, I must of got lost
Give away the day, you were mine, oh yeah

Well, I must of got lost, I must of got lost
I must of got lost somewhere down the line"


So I may have chosen this song because of my favorite TV show, but it definitely applies to my life right now. I got lost from myself and now I am trying to find my way again. I am not a cardplayer, but right now I am definitely holding a losing hand. But as they said in Good Will Hunting, "You gotta have the sack to ante up again." I'm ready to be dealt a new hand.

Under the knife

So anyone who knows me knows that I am about the whitest person on the planet. And as such, if I make it out into the sunlight, I turn as red as a tomato. Through the years I have been burned, blistered, and beaten up by the sun. And over time, I had some moles form on my back that were becoming larger and more annoying by the day. So today, I finally went and had them removed by my doctor. So my song for today will be the classic 80's track, "Cuts Like a Knife" by Bryan Adams for the three moles that were removed. Speaking of Mr. Adams, what was the last hit song he released. I mean, are we talking "Everything I do, I do it for you?" The guy was a hit machine and then just died. I think we need to come up with a new classification of artist. He definitely wasn't a One-Hit Wonder, but he just fizzled out completely. Maybe we should just call artists like this, "The Fizzlers." Anyway, here are the lyrics to the song.

"Drivin home this evening
I coulda sworn we had it all worked out
You had this boy believin
Way beyond the shadow of a doubt

Then I heard it on the street
I heard you mighta found somebody new
Well who is he baby - who is he
And tell me what he means to you

I took it all for granted
But how was I to know
That youd be letting go

Now it cuts like a knife
But it feels so right
It cuts like a knife
But it feels so right

Theres times Ive bin mistaken
Theres times I thought Id bin misunderstood
So wait a minute darlin
Cant you see we did the best we could

This wouldnt be the first time
Things have gone astray
Now youve thrown it all away

Now it cuts like a knife
But it feels so right
It cuts like a knife
But it feels so right"

And ideas for other "Fizzler's" out there???? Yes, I am trolling for some comments.

The power of music

So I am still feeling like crapola today and decided to take a "Work from home" sick day that actually doesn't use one of my sick days. But I did venture out to my local pizza joint for some lunch, and while I was there a song was playing. A song that will forever be linked in my mind and the minds of many to a single movie. The song is "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John and that movie is Almost Famous. For those uneducated folk who have never seen this film, you are definitely missing out. But the scene takes place after a huge fight within the band and the "Charismatic Guitarist with mystique" runs off and gets totally wasted on booze and drugs. Needless to say, the band finds him and puts him back on the tour bus. Nobody wants to talk about the fight or discuss anything that was said. But the power of song, and particularly Elton's crooning in this melody, brings them all back together.

So why is this so prevalent in my mind? Well, I signed up for a screenwriting competition yesterday, and I am forming a team to compete in the Philadelphia 48 Hour Film Project, and maybe, just maybe, I'll get back to working on my screenplay.

"Hold me closer tiny dancer!"

Feelin

So I am officially under the weather. I have a sinus cold going on probably from the up and down weather we had. 20 degrees, then 60 degrees, then 6 inches of snow, and 0 degree wind chills. And for the fact that talking to my mother the other day, I mentioned that I hadn't been sick in a long time. Next day it starts. Fate is a fickle bitch. So today I am using a little known Van Halen, or Van Hagar song if you will, called "Feelin":

"Outta touch most the time
Got a lotta things on my mind
Kickin' down, but where to start
It's the hardest thing, oh Lord
Grow it long, shave it off
Life is hard, never soft
I need a change, I need it quick
Before it makes me sick
That's what's on my mind
(Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah)
Now pay attention, watch your back
Pay your dues and stay on track
Got no room to second guess
Puts me under stress, oh Lord
(Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah)
If I were you, if you were me
Wonder who I'd wanna be
With just one wish ya can't refuse
I wouldn't know what to choose
Yeah! Feelin'
No I don't like what I been told
I'm feelin'
Feelin', what no one else will ever know
I'm feelin'
Ohh, now! Black is white and white is black, ah!
Got politicians smokin' crack
And John Paul's all bullet proof
And it puts me through the roof, and yeah!
If I were you, and you were me
I wonder who I'd rather be
And if I had one wish I, uh, I'd take it
Feelin', oh I don't like what I been told
I'm feelin'
And I'm seein' what no one else will ever know
I'm seein'
Come on! Feelin', hey I don't understand these things
I'm feelin'
Nooo!
Yeah!
(Guitar Solo)
Yeah!
Oh, yeah!
Oh, yeah!
Uh!
Outta touch most all the time
Got too many things on my mind
Shuttin' down, I gotta stop this thing
Yeah! Feelin', no I don't like what I been told
I'm feelin'
And I'm bleedin', like no one else will ever know
I'm bleedin'
Whoa! Dealin', I'm dealin' with these things
I'm feelin'
Oh, I'm dreamin', I'm dreamin', I'm dreamin' things that show me
What I'm seein'
Yeah! Seein', I'm seein' things that don't know
What I'm feelin', yeah
Lord, I've been feelin', I'm feelin', I'm feelin' things thatI don't, I don't know, I don't know!
Lord, what I'm seein'"


Yeah, this song really does it all for me right now. Feeling sick, feeling lost, don't know what I'm dreamin' of. "Shuttin down I gotta stop this thing!"

Cool as ice

Ok, I am going there. I am using "Ice, Ice, Baby" by the one and only Vanilla man today. There are a lot of reasons to use it. The NHL Trading Deadline being tomorrow. The fact that it was so slick driving to work this morning that it took me twice as long to get here. That my laptop screen died on me yesterday and I wanted to throw my computer out into the storm. But mainly, I am using this classic schlock of a song because I took my daughter ice skating for the first time this weekend.

Now the thing you have to know about my little girl, is that she is not so little. She's in 5T clothes and isn't even 3 yet. And well, she kind of has some chubby feet. I wanted to have her in hockey skates, but they didn't have small enough skates that would still support her ankles. I put her in figure skates and had to move up three sizes just to get her piggies into the boot properly. Needless to say, it took forever and we only got around the ice a couple times. Sidney Crosby she is definitely not, but hopefully I can have her back on the ice soon.