8th-grader suspended for buying Skittles in school

SKITTLES?! God no, not Skittles! What the hell is happening to the education system, for crying out loud. Kids are dealing Skittles in school!

8th-grader suspended for buying Skittles in school

It's not like there aren't more important things to deal with, like... umm... cigarettes... or drugs...

Pain

I decided to write about my shoulder problem for the comedians who enjoy linking my Guitar Hero and Rock Band addiction to my shoulder. Hopefully this will clear up a couple of assumptions and/or misconceptions once and for all. :)

First... imagine not being able to raise your arm more than, say, a 60-70 degree angle in front of you. Imagine not being able to raise your arm out to your side more than shoulder height. Imagine not being able to reach behind you -- ever tried tucking your t-shirt in without reaching behind you? And if you DO try to go beyond these "limits" you are treated to a burning, cramp-like pain in your shoulder, that travels down your arm, increasing with intensity by the second, lasting for about 30-60 seconds (if you're lucky)

I can't describe how much this can hurt. There's nothing that I've experienced to compare it to. If I were to make an assumption, I suppose the closest would probably be like hitting your thumb with a hammer. Not a gentle tap. A full swing, capable of driving a railway spike into solid concrete. And you'll feel that pain a few times every day, if you're not careful.

Although my doctor is not sure what is wrong with my shoulder, and I do not recall exactly when it all started, what I AM sure of is that it was NOT caused by my addiction to Guitar Hero or Rock Band. In fact, my shoulder problem began two or three months before I even had the Xbox 360 that I play these games on. My shoulder feels fine, most of the time, within the "limitations" I mentioned above. This means that I have absolutely no problem playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band, as long as I'm not trying to imitate Pete Townshend or Neil Peart.

To date, I have had an X-ray and a cortisone shot. The X-ray showed no signs of any bone damage or calcium build up. The cortisone shot helped a little, but not as much as we had hoped. I am currently taking anti-inflammatory drugs and awaiting the results of an MRI that I had last Saturday morning.

My doctor suspects that it could be bursitis, or some kind of shoulder cuff injury. We'll hopefully know more after the MRI is done.

There are two incidents that I suspect either caused, or contributed to, the pain and the limited mobility of my left arm.

At the end of the summer, we participated in a small volley ball tournament held in our community. I recall that my shoulder was a little sore after that day, but not to the degree that it is now.

The other possibility was when I spent a couple of hours helping to move appliances about 3 or 4 months ago. Although it didn't hurt as much the following day, it did seem to progress from that point to where it's at now.

Could it be "old age"? If being over 40 is "old", then sure. I'm 42. My doctor said that shoulder problems can usually start at around 40. If you're nearing 40 and not having shoulder problems, your day will likely come... and if you think this is funny now, we'll see how funny it is then. :)

So much for being alive...

Too funny.

I post back in June that I was going to start writing here again, and then.... nothing.

Way to go me.

Ok, now I'm going to make an effort.

Really.

I promise.

I think.

I just need something to write about.

While you're waiting, drop on by Popcultini and have a read.

I'm still alive...

I just haven't much urge to type. I will return.

It's kinda coinkydinky that I returned two months to the day though.

Spooky.

Drinking & Driving & Littering

My wife and I went out this morning to pick up garbage off the highway as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program. Aside from the numerous Timmy Ho's coffee cups that littered the highway, you would be amazed at how many beer bottles, beer cans, and other assorted alcoholic bottles we picked up along the shoulder of the highway. And we only did ~2km stretch of the highway. There are no houses anywhere in sight, so the only place that these could come from would be passing cars.

Of course, maybe not everyone who drank them was driving at the time -- they could have been a passenger -- but even if 1/10th of them were consumed by the drivers, that's pretty scary stuff.

Senators 6 - Penguins 3

What an incredible game! I've been to quite a few games over the years, including some playoff games, and the crowd at tonight's game had to be the loudest I've ever heard. It was amazing.

One thing that did bother me is the number of people who left before the game was over. During the last 10 minutes or so of the game, at every whistle, more people would leave. Yeh, the game was pretty much a done deal, but WTF? People are so worried that they're going to be stuck in traffic.

STAY UNTIL THE END!

My throat is sore now from yelling and cheering so much. I've nearly lost my voice.

My Fine Is... $420.50

I found this one on the net.

Your life acts can cost you. How much are you fined? Tally up your fines for each of these acts.

1. Smoked pot -- $10
2. Did acid -- $5
3. Ever had sex at church -- $25
4. Woke up in the morning and did not know the person who was next to you -- $40
5. Had sex with someone on MySpace -- $25
6. Had sex for money -- $100
7. Ever had sex with the a Puerto Rican -- $20
8. Vandalized something -- $20
9. Had sex on your parents' bed -- $10
10. Beat up someone -- $20
11. Been jumped -- $10
12. Crossed dressed -- $10
13. Given money to stripper -- $25
14. Been in love with a stripper -- $20
15. Kissed some one who's name you didn't know -- $0.10
16. Hit on some one of the same sex while at work -- $15
17. Ever drive drunk -- $20
18. Ever got drunk at work/school, or went to work while still drunk -- $50
19. Used toys while having sex -- $30
20. Got drunk, passed out and don't remember the night before -- $20
21. Went skinny dipping -- $5
22. Had sex in a pool -- $20
23. Kissed someone of the same sex -- $10
24. Had sex with someone of the same sex -- $20
25. Cheated on your significant other -- $10
26. Masturbated -- $10
27. Cheated on your significant other with their relative or close friend -- $20
28. Done oral -- $5
29. Got oral -- $5
30. Done / got oral in a car while it was moving -- $25
31. Stole something -- $10
32. Had sex with someone in jail -- $25
33. Made a nasty home video -- $15
34. Had a threesome -- $50
35. Had sex in the wild -- $20
36. Been in the same room while someone was having sex -- $25
37. Stole something worth over more than a hundred dollars -- $20
38. Had sex with someone 10 years older -- $20
39. Had sex with someone under 21 and you are over 27 -- $25
40. Been in love with two people or more at the same time -- $50
41. Said you love someone but didn't mean it -- $25
42. Went streaking -- $5
43. Went streaking in broad daylight -- $15.50
44. Been arrested -- $5
45. Spent time in jail -- $15
46. Peed in the pool -- $0.50
47. Played spin the bottle -- $5
48. Done something you regret -- $20
49. Had sex with your best friend -- $20
50. Had sex with someone you work with at work -- $25
51. Had anal sex -- $80
52. Lied to your mate -- $5
53. Lied to your mate about the sex being good -- $25

Tally it up and Title it..."My Fine Is..."

One interesting thing to note is that there are only 3 acts on the list that have cent values, leaving two possibly combinations that will give you with a 60 cent value on your total.