The Good Doctor

Oh yeah. Doc Adams is fucked. Big time. WTAJ (CBS 10) in Altoona is reporting that Dr. Larry Adams, prominant local physician and would-be hospital owner, is under investigation by PA's Attorney General.

We learned of the story on Thursday, more or less as the initial raid by PSP was in progress. A friend of ours noted on a short trip through town that Philipsburg was crawling with cops. There are busts and such occasionally (we've even had a meth lab go down in Sunny Slopes), so having most of the Philipsburg (and probably some of Woodland's) barracks in town isn't really big news.

And then came the phone call. Doc Adams' office was crawling with agents, and something big was going down. With the scanner on, we were able to hear a little, but nothing overtly important, probably due to on-scene raido silence when it came to major discoveries. We figured either he was going down for supplying pills, or his office (flush with samples and such) was broken into. A later theory also involved possible embezzlement.

A few minutes after that, we learned that both his house and his office were taped off as crime scenes, pretty much ensuring that it wasn't just a robbery, but an inside job run by the Good Doctor himself. Later on that night came word of the McDonald's bag mentioned in the WTAJ article, and we knew that he was screwed.

While the embezzlement hasn't been mentioned, it's still a very good possibility, and might just be the reason that the undercover agent mentioned. After all, Doc Adams had to get the money SOMEWHERE to buy and reopen Philipsburg Hospital. But where did that money come from? Let's take a look at that now, shall we?

First of all, Doc Adams may have a highly successful practice, but his personal life isn't the greatest. He's got a small collection of ex wives, and quite the brood of kids ranging in age from mid-teens to mid-20s. Divorces and Child Support probably suck quite a bit out of his paycheck, even on a private practice salary. Let's face it: Centre and Clearfield Counties - not to mention the State of Pennsylvania as a whole - LOVE to heap on the child support, and enforce it with jail time if you don't pay up.

Sure, he got a group of investors together, which would explain where a good majority of the money for the hospital's purchase came from. But what about the Good Doctor's share? With what has to be a personal financial nightmare straight out of a Lifetime movie, how did he get his share of the capital together, much less be able to spearhead the effort and be the public figure? Mario Lemieux he ain't, folks.

No, that money had to come from somewhere. The drugs? Sure. It's no big secret that Philipsburg and the surrounding area has a per capita pill addiction that rivals that of any major city on the map. But even if he were offing Hillbilly Heroin (Oxycontin) on top of the narcs he was nabbed with, he wouldn't be able to raise the money necessary to purchase and reopen something like a hospital.

It makes you wonder, doesn't it. If the money didn't all come from the drugs, where DID it come from? It's very possible that Doc Adams was embezzeling funds from Mid-State Medical. It's also possible that he used the practice to launder his drug profits. The fact that there's something deeper to this mystery (snigger Fred Jones snigger) is clear, and these are just some possibilities.

The reopening of Philipsburg's ER remains in doubt, which isn't good, because it's needed BADLY. With the closest ER being Clearfield, even a helicopter ride is a bit more than necessary sometimes, and not only complicates the emergency, but also ups the bill to the patient and/or their family. Local emergency medical care is an absolute must. Someone needs to step up and take the Good Doctor's place, and soon.

In the meantime, though, I'd worry more about a pillhead uprising. If I were CVS, Grattan's, and other local drug stores, I'd hire armed guards 24/7, because the supply couldn't meet the demand, even with Doc Adams' drugs on the street. What's it going to become now that the supply is WAY off?

Song And Dance

You hear about it, unfortunately, thousands of times in local media outlets all over the world every year. The sad consequence of a stupid choice. You play Russian Roulette too long and, eventually, the loaded chamber will turn up in front of the hammer. The laws of probability aren't a failsafe: They're a harsh truth. Sure, you've got a five in six chance of nothing but a click. But that doesn't make that one in six chance go away.

Kids dying of a heroin overdose.

Good kids, too. Good people who loved, cared, and lived good lives. Trouble is, they made a stupid choice, and paid the ultimate price for it. And it wasn't as if that one fatal dose was the only problem. Heroin is a problem from the moment you look at it. Once you cast your line, turning back becomes a long and painful road, one that's unfortunately less traveled by kids these days. Feeling good is alot better a prospect than fixing the problem's cause.

But, when good people who make stupid choices die, how do we remember them?

Once upon a time, a kid I knew died of an overdose. His girlfriend organized a benefit show in his memory. To benefit what, exactly?

Let's look at some cold facts. I know this is going to make me seem heartless and damn-near Arctic, but this is how it goes in the real world.

How can you organize a benefit to remember an overdose victim, when you yourself watched him kill himself, and allowed it to happen? If you loved the guy so damned much, why didn't you intervene? Had you stepped in, chances are better (but not perfect) that he'd still be with you right now, and you wouldn't need to hold a benefit. Sadly, the chances also are that you yourself were on the same juice that killed him. Drugs are commonly shared in relationships. You didn't stop him because that meant you'd have to stop, too.

Yeah, he was a good kid. But seriously. Why celebrate someone's death, caused by his own stupid choice? No matter how good you are to people, it still doesn't excuse making bonehead decisions like getting hooked on a drug like smack.

You can say that the drug has a power over people. Yes, it does. And yes, the quest for that next high drives people to do very stupid things in order to get there. But those people accepted 100% of the responsibility for their actions the first time they decided to ingest that venom. That choice sealed their fate.

And the choice they made to keep going, instead of getting help. And the choice you made by allowing him to do it. You and all of his so-called "friends." Noone stepped in. And now, you're crew is short one member. You're out the love of your life. The world is, indeed, out one good person.

Albeit one good person who made one incredibly stupid choice.

You know the risks of heroin going in. It's not like it isn't drilled into you by the the Drug War zealots, schools, and your parents, from a relatively young age. You know people can overdose and die. You know people will steal, degrade themselves, and even kill for that next high. You know what happens when you go through withdrawal...

All these horror stories. True. And yet still, people make this choice.

And you want to celebrate this choice?

If this show was to benefit anything, I'd think it'd be a rehab center or anti-heroin education.

Not just an excuse to let a few really shitty "hardcore" bands have a stage to act like they're 12 years old while you and your click, having learned nothing from this tragic loss, are in the back room, chasing that next high...

Eric's Bookshelf

For those of you interested in what it looks like these days:

March of the Penguins

It's been a great ride so far.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have come out of nowhere to be Stanley Cup Contenders. Since the All-Star Break, they've been on this unbelievable tear, swimming up from fourth place in the division to a near dead tie with the Devils. If by some miracle the Devils lose one or two and the Pens finish out with wins, they'll have the Atlantic Division sewn up.

I said it before, I'll say it again: Wait, what?

It's every fan's dream for their favorite team to do one of two things: A) Experience the glory that is becoming a champion, and B) Recapture that glory as often as possible. The Penguins, led by names like Mark Recchi, Ulf and Kjell Samulsson (no relation), Jaromir Jagr and the legendary Mario Lemeiux, danced with Lord Stanley for the first and second times in the 90-91 and 91-92 seasons. Since, that mini-dynasty is all we've really had to be proud of in Pittsburgh, until the Steelers' win last year in Super Bowl XL.

For 15 years, the Penguins have danced, not with Lord Stanley, but on the edge of a very, very sharp knife. Twice the team has come close to being sold off and shipped to some other city. The first time, Mario literally took one for the team as he deferred the salary the team still owed him into an ownership stake, keeping his Penguins (the team he played his entire NHL career with) in Pittsburgh. This most recent scare involved some clandestine meetings that have resulted in the construction of a new Arena, again saving the Penguins from packing their bags.

And hey, you know what? It doesn't hurt that this very young Penguins team, with veteran Mark Recchi back in uniform, is doing pretty damn well for themselves, either.

Last year's Caulder Trophy-winning Rookie of the Year Sidney Crosby is at it again. Not only is he the youngest player in NHL history to hit his first 100 point season, but he's doing it again! He's already over 100 points for the year, and has become the youngest player to hit the 200 point plateau as well. Is there any stopping Sid the Kid? At 19 years of age, he's already playing like a Gretzky or a Lemeiux. Eric Lindros, eat your heart out!

I don't think anyone will argue the fact that Evgeni Malkin is going to take the Caulder Trophy this year. Not only because he's at (or near) the top of damn near every rookie stat category on the list, but because of what he went through to get out of Russia and play in Pittsburgh. The culture shock alone would have been enough to have most people crying like children. Not this kid. No, he turns around an churns out an incredible Rookie season.

It doesn't stop there, either. Malkin isn't the only Penguin considered to be in the hunt for the Caulder. Jordan Staal, anyone? For a rookie playing on a team already stacked with young talent, he's certainly managing to have a breakout year. I've watched this kid make some pretty unbelieveable shots with that reach of his, and more often than physics says he probably should, he finds the back of the cage. While the Caulder Trophy will most likely be deferred to Evgeni Malkin, there's no denying that Staal should be mentioned right in there with him.

More later. For now, I've got to fix a real world problem...

First Impressions Are Always The Hardest

And in this kid's situation, he's lucky he survivied making it. This kid somehow got over a meter-high railing and fell 9 stories to the lawn below - And lived. Farker Chiam Witz sums it all up in classic fashion: It's a grass angel!

Who Are These Kids?

Yes, they're the Pittsburgh Penguins. And for some strange reason, as I write this, they're sitting atop the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference, in a tie for first with the New Jersey Devils. Also as I type this, they're leading the Washington Capitals 4-2.

Wait, what?

I don't care who these kids are. All I care about is the fact that my Penguins are back in the hunt for Lord Stanley's Cup, and it's been an incredible ride. LET'S GO PENS!

UPDATE: PENS WIN! And what's even better, they've secured a spot in the playoffs! Rock on!

Wii-tarded

It's been so long since Nintendo was at the top of the Video Game market heap. The NES and SNES ruled their respective generations (8bit and 16bit), and produced some of the most loved and enduring franchises in video game history (Mario and Zelda, and was the original platform for Final Fantasy).

But then, a disagreement with Sony over the proposed CD Drive for the SNES (to compete with Sony's SegaCD for the Genesis) doomed it to almost a decade of being second (or lower) banana. The decision - whether it should be top-load (Sony) or front-load (Nintendo, since the CD expansion port was on the bottom of the console anyway) - led to the creation of the PlayStation, and gave Sony the edge in the market for quite a long time. Nintendo's 64 seemed a bit outdated, still being cart based (though the games were quite impressive with load times much faster), and the GameCube (it'll always be the Dolphin to me, it's pre-release codename) couldn't outmuscle the PS/2's pure muscle.

Microsoft came along during this time with their XBox, but they couldn't quite take away from Sony's lead. Of course it outclassed the GameCube, giving Microsoft Sega's old position of Second Banana. Then came the XBox 360: It got the early drop on both Sony and Nintendo, and is quite the machine in it's own right.

But both Microsoft and Sony got careless. With the 360 and PS3, they focused more on the hardcore gamer market, with their graphics and bells and whistles. Sony rushed too much, and the Cell-powered Titan turned out to be more of a blinded cyclops than anything. And with both machines selling well above $300, they further limited thier market scope.

But no, not Nintendo.

Codenamed Revolution when it was announced, it was a huge gamble for the former King of Home Gaming: Focusing less on graphics and more on intuitive game play, they banked on expanding video games to a larger market, beyond the hardcore, basement-dwelling game geeks that have come to stereotype the industry. With radical controlers allowing for user interaction like never before (unless you count the Power Pad, Power Glove and U-Force) and simplistic yet engrossing gameplay, Nintendo put all its chips in with the Revolution.

And yes, a revolution was born. The Wii Revolution.

This here MSNBC Article takes a look at one front of that Revolution: Senior Citizens. Yes, your grandma and grandpa are digging on video games. Who knew, right? Before, they were just "those stupid boxes that make pretty pictures on TV and keep kids indoors." All of the sudden, they're breaking hips playing Wii Tennis and Wii Bowling, cheering and huigging when victorious, and even having friendly tournaments.

Everyone wants the Wii. And at $250, it certainly has a huge price advantage over Sony and Microsoft. College Students and Teenagers with too much time on their hands aren't the only ones buying boxes anymore.

And, after far too long, Nintendo is back on top.

I was always a Nintendo kid. I had an NES, SNES, and in College I bought a 64 so my friends and I could have Goldeneye killfests. After that, though, I was disillusioned with the game market. Never owned any Sega consoles, Playstations, the GameCube, or any handhelds beyond my old puke-green-screened Game Boy. Hell, I'm borrowing the PS2 I have now from my boss, with games coming from friends.

But I want Wii. Oh yes, I want Wii.

I've played it, and it's unreal. Remember when you used to play a racing game, and you'd catch yourself leaning into a turn your trying to make, rotating the controler as far in that direction as you can, praying to whatever game god you worshipped at the time that it would help? Well, now it does! The Wii Sports package, which comes with the system, is enough to keep any gamer entertained for quite a while. The graphics aren't all that hot, but who cares?

After all, when have you ever played a boxing game where physically punching your buddy actually made the on-screen guy punch? I can't remember ever going through my full motion bowling delivery in a living room. And I was honestly afraid I'd get overzealous and whack my opponent in the head with my controller playing Wii Tennis.

Yeah, it's that fun.

So, folks, my next major purchase is most deffinately a Wii.

Let's Get Wii-tarded in here!

DOT Fuck-Up 2: Electric Boogaloo

US Route 322 in Philipsburg, PA is currently under several inches of snow.

The town of Philipsburg, PA is in a State of Emergency, and is shutting down.

Interstate 80 is shut down.

The Clearfield/Centre County Line is a wasteland.

Thanks, Mr. Rendell.

I understand that people are getting ticketed for driving in this crap. I wonder if they'd ticket me for going out and taking pictures of this mess to post here...

Jennie won't let me go, but I REALLY wanna. A ticket I can fight. My right to be a citizen journalist if I want is worth it...

He's Like 50 Patoots

Good. Lord. I found this on Fark today, and just had to share it with everyone. Pendleton Ward is insane. Completely insane. Featuring John "Bender" DiMaggio as the dog with some seriously fucked up powers. It's the most insane seven and a half minutes you'll ever waste in this lifetime. Autotag as generated follows: Adventure Time Created by Pendleton Ward A Random! Cartoons short for Nickelodeon A Frederator Studios Original Cartoon Production Executive Producers: Larry Huber & Fred Seibert ©2007, Viacom Intl. All rights reserved.

Wrapped In Velvet

You know, for once, I had a fun night. Doesn't happen very often these days, but when it does, they often tend to be rather interesting. Last night was no exception. For starters, we had a good crowd at the Roadtrip Lounge last night. Hotties on the dance floor is what DJs live for, and by golly I had it last night.

Justin hipped me to the fact that Analog Velvet was playing at Mojo's last night as well, which is ultra-kickass, since they don't play up here that often just yet. But they're always fun to hang out with, so I went up to visit them before starting up at the Days. Later, after I was finished (thankfully, the bar clock at the Roadtrip is 13 minutes fast), I went back to Mojo's and was invited to get on stage and croon a tune. Justin was on standby with my camera, and without my knowledge he snapped this quick vid clip.

WARNING: The audio sucks. Let's face it, folks: Mojo's sucks accoustically, since it's a Poole Building, and they did absolutely nothing to even TRY and eliminate the horrid reverb caused by the large open space. So you might want to turn your bass down before you start, and your volume in general down a bit as well. Other than that, I have one question: Damnit, Jenny, who can I turn to?

I Heart Flanel

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. I'm sorry if I've been a bit bleak these past few months. Recovering from a summer like mine isn't an easy process, I promise you that. But hopefully, when the New Year arrives next week, things will get better.

2006 ranks as the absolute worst year of my life, ever, period. I highly doubt that any other year could ever be as bad as this one was. It's my fondest wish to see it die and wither, fading into a brand new year with a clean slate. With this new year comes the requisite resolutions people often make (and break), but this year, mine are a bit different.

In the meantime, my Christmas was pretty OK. For starters, I got my new computer, which FUCKING ROCKS! It's sooooooo nice to be out of the dark ages (c. 2000) and live in the now. I also made off with a three pack of Lather Thingies (But Ironhead!) and a new headset mic courtesy of Chris and Steph, though it will arrive sometime soon. They ended up printing out a picture of it and writing "Not here yet. Soon, though. Happy Decemberween, Love Chris and Steph."

But the best gift of all came from Mom and Dad, who gave me the most awesome queen size flanel comfortor in history! This thing is friggin HUGE! So warm, so comfy, I love it to death. Thanks, Mom and Dad! You guys ROCK!

Now, all I have to do is survive the New Year...

The Deathly Hallows

Not that most of the people who read my blog care, but J.K. Rowling and Scholastic have released the title of Book 7 in the Harry Potter Series: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

For the release game, go to Rowling's website. Or just read the Yahoo story here.

Hadreon's Wall

Writer's block. I hate it.

Every bit of me wants to put these events down to digital paper, to show the world the pictures in my head in plain white on black. To tell a tale about me, the people around me, and recount the details that make the whole thing so text-worthy in the first place.

But right now, I can't...

As much as I'd like to say that Friday night was great, I can't seem to do that, either. Like the idiot I am, I opened a can of worms that I can't get closed again.

Why now, when everything was going so damn well?

And why is it so goddamn hard to just find ONE?!?

Hopefully, in the coming days, I can find my writer's path again, climb over the wall, and get something accomplished with these damned blogs...

Overheard In Yahoo Chat #1

If you're dumb enough to post this in a public chatroom, then you should have no qualms about me posting it here, complete with your actual screenname:

steeltonpleasure: hi...asian f 29 in HARRISBURG...my bf cheated on me and im looking for a straight guy or 2 guys to punish him then pleasure me..looking for someone near harrisburg who's looking to meet tonight..well endowed a plus but not necessary...must have pic or cam...have pics here...

Bonus points go to Mrs. Drumline Lucky for not noticing it, even though I was pointing and making a scene in the room.

When We Live Such Fragile Lives

Most people hate it when they're left in the dark. I'm no exception. You're given little clues, tiny hints, but are never told what goes on behind the scenes, what reasons there are for you to know so very little.

And it makes you think like crazy.

This time, though, I find myself thinking the opposite. This time, I actually kinda like being in the dark.

Where do I stand? I don't know for sure, but I've been given enough information to formulate a guess. The only thing I can come up with, though, I can't confirm. Usually, that drives me damn near to madness. But this time, it makes me smile. Wait, what? Smile? Yes, smile. For once in my life, not knowing has become the most intriguing prospect my brain has ever encountered.

And you won't tell me. Why do I like that notion?

You've allowed me into a very intimate place in your world. The things you've shared with me aren't to be taken lightly at all. Its an honor to be invited into such a place, to share with you things you don't normally share with anyone else. And not knowing the real reason why you've done this... Well, let's just say it keeps me guessing, wondering...

Hoping...

All I have to go on are your smiles, your playful refusal to answer most of my questions, and of course, more of those little clues that you drop for me to pick up on.

If it's your goal to make me think about you all the time, you've reached it. But what is your next goal? How much more will I be allowed to know? And when will you fill me in on my part in this game? Questions that might not have answers right away, I know.

But why do I like that fact?

You said you want to learn about me. Well, here it is: My life, an open book, even though some of the pages are edited for public consumption. After all, who has to know, right? ;) The only ones who have to know are you and I. You already know the worst of me. Now, you have an open invitation to discover the best of me, and you can find it all on these very pages. You are forever welcome to ask me any question, no matter how personal, and I will answer with 100% honesty to the best of my ability.

An access road, an entire township, and two people in the entire world who know what that means. Just promise me that this game doesn't have a defined ending yet, and I'll be willing to play for keeps.

Don't tell anyone...