Bite me, Dentist!

What's going on y'all? How's it going? I know last time I didn't have anything too exciting to talk about, but this time I've got something interesting I believe. Let me know if you think so.

So, today I went to the dentist. I was having some pain in a lower right molar. I knew I was going to have a root canal, but they still suck. I knew what to expect, but I definitely had some surprises today. First, my root canal took nearly 5 hours! I had to get the anesthesia twice. At the very beginning of the appointment I got a shot and I didn't go completely numb, so they had to double the dosage. About two hours in I could start feeling the drilling, so I told them and they put more anesthesia in. I went numb again, but for the last hour of the procedure I could feel the drilling and it was getting progressively more painful. I told the oral surgeon, but they just said it was almost done and they wouldn't reanesthize me.

It was definitely one of the worse moments of my oral hygeine life. But, that's not quite all that happened. I have to go to a specialist sometime next month, and they are going to go in and scrape away some of the bone in my mouth so they can put a crown in. So much damn oral surgery! Fuck this. I don't really mind the whole root canal thing, but if I could have gotten it all done in one day, I would have really appreciated that. I am going to need 3 different appointments. I'm pretty unhappy about this right now. I can't even open my mouth more than a quarter of the way because I'm so sore.

"How long is it going to take? I have class at 12:30"

"This is going to take about an hour and a half. Two hours max."

That's an actual quote from one of the dental assistants. What she should have said is; "The anesthesia is going to wear off in 2 hours max and then there will be a lot of pain."

But, oh well... I just wanted to rant about this because I have been stewing about it pretty much all day. I figured I should write about it, and I think this is pretty fucked up. What do you guys think?

Ramblin' Sean

Short Story

Hey guys, I don't really have anything too extreme on my mind, so I'd like to put a short story that I wrote on here. If you guys could read it, and let me know what you think, I would really appreciate it. I'm going to try to turn it into a book. 

Thanks,

Ramblin' Sean

Anger Management

            “Thank you for allowing me to talk.  My name is Phillip Stevenson, and I have an anger problem,” I said.

            “Hi Phil,” the anger management class responded with a well-rehearsed reply.

            I began my testimony about that fateful day which pushed me over the edge.  The issues that came to the attention of the justice system that day began when I was much younger.  Ever since I was a young boy, I have had a lot of different obstacles that have been placed in front of me throughout my life.  With all of the changes going on in my life, my fuse has been whittled down until it is nearly invisible.  Even the tiniest spark at the wrong moment can catch the fuse, and blow the bomb that lies just under the surface.

At age 8, my parents got divorced, and I moved away from my father and all of the friends I’d had since I was born.  They were my support group for when things got bad, such as when I thought my parents were being unfair to me.  My friends and I were each other’s support system.  When I was younger I did not understand what was going on, and I accepted these events.  I still lived close enough to them that I could see them every other week, because that is what the court granted my dad for visitation rights.  A couple of years later, my mom decided that I should not be allowed to see my father anymore.

“He is a bad influence on you and your little brother, Philly,” my mom said every time I asked her about it, “I don’t want you to grow up to be like him”

 I moved to Colorado and that is when I developed my problem with anger.  I was an outsider, and the new kids did not like outsiders coming into the system and potentially changing it.  I went to school with my head held high and I was determined to make some friends and try to recapture the life I had when I was living in Kansas City. My first day at the new school I was bullied and made to feel like a terrible person

            It was during my third period class, social studies.  Some kids who sat by me started calling me fat, and obese.  I left the room without asking for permission.  My teacher came out of the classroom and started talking to me.

            “Phillip, you have to go back in the class room.  The lesson isn’t over yet,” my teacher said.

            “I don’t care.  I don’t want to go back in there, the kids are making fun of me for being big,” I said, looking at her through teary eyes.

            “I will tell them to stop, let’s go back inside, okay?”

            “I don’t want to.  I didn’t do anything to them.”

            “I know you didn’t. Tell me who it is, and I will send them to the Dean’s office after class.”

I told her who it was who had been making fun of me, and she told me to sit through it for this class, and she would talk to them afterwards.  I told her okay and went back to my seat.  Everything went well for the first ten minutes I was back in class.  I ignored the kids, but after a while it got to be too much for me to ignore.

“Hey fatty, your belt size is the equator,” one kid said.

“Did you go steal some kids’ lunches out of their lockers? Is that where you went fat ass?” another kid said.

“I’m surprised the chair is still holding him because he’s so fat,” a third kid said to his friends.

I turned around and told the kids to shut their mouths and quit talking about me.  After each person spoke I felt my fuse getting shorter and shorter.  They were playing with explosives that they should have been prepared to have blown up in their faces.  They said they have freedom of speech, and they could say whatever they want.  They kept calling me fat, and I lost my self-control.  I hit the two boys, and my teacher ran over to us and held me back from the last one.  I was done playing games with them.  I was going to stand up for myself; I did not care what the consequences were.

I had to go to the Dean’s office with the kids. I was suspended for three days for fighting.  The other kids had a week of in-house suspension for talking trash to me.  My mom got a call to pick me up from school, and she told me when we got out to the car that she was not mad at me at all.  She was proud of me for standing up to the bullies. 

After that incident it was noticeably easier to make me angry.  My fuse had been whittled down, and it was easier to light it.  I did not want to lose control like I did then.  I talked to the counselor and she said it is easier to keep control of your anger if you let it out in little bursts rather than keeping it all bottled up.  I did as she told me, and whenever something made me angry, I would yell about it and that made me feel better.  If it didn’t, I would go to the gym and that would help me.  That little bit of advice about releasing my anger did wonders for me.  I was able to keep it under control, for the most part.

My new strategy of anger management did wonders for me in the world of high school sports.  I played offensive and defensive line on the football team, I was the heavyweight wrestler, and I was the top thrower for the school on the track and field team.  After the kids in school got used to me being there and quit teasing me about being fat and an outsider, life went fairly well for a while.  

My senior year of high school I was dating a girl, and I went over to her house to surprise her for her birthday.  Due to a wrestling tournament I was unable to see her on her birthday.  I called her house and her mom answered the phone.

“Hello,” her mom said.

“Hey, it’s Phil,” I said, “I can’t see Regina tomorrow because of wrestling, do you think I could come over and surprise her?”

“Absolutely, we’re having a family dinner tonight if you want to join us.”

“I’ll be there. That will give me enough time to go get her some flowers.”

  I showed up to their house at 6:30.  Her mom let me in the house, and told me that Regina was downstairs in her room.  I walked down the stairs and into her room.  I had her flowers behind my back.  They were her favorite, but I dropped them when I saw that she had another guy in her room with her.  Neither had any clothes on either.  The fuse I had tried so hard to build back up vanished.  I could not control myself anymore. I punched the guy in the face until he looked like he had been hit with a baseball bat.

            I did not stop until there was more blood than skin showing on my hand.  My girlfriend’s brother came into the room and pulled me off of the guy I had just beaten up.  I struggled against him until he kicked my knees and I was put down on the floor. He was my partner in wrestling, so he knew my weaknesses.  Once he had me in a choke hold I quit struggling and he felt it was safe to let me go.  I just looked at my girlfriend with tears in my eyes.

            “I’m sorry Phil, I couldn’t help myself,” Regina said.

            “I don’t care that you wanted to have sex,” I said. “I don’t care that you wanted someone different, but you are a bitch.  You could have at least had the courtesy to call me and tell that we were over before you went and fucked this douche bag. Goodbye.”

            Just then Regina’s mom came downstairs with two police officers.  She looked around at the boy on the bed, the blood on my hands, and her semi-naked daughter.  The police officers grabbed me and told me I was under arrest.  They read me my Miranda rights, and put the handcuffs on me. 

            “Let’s go,” the male cop said. 

            “Yes sir,” I said.  I turned to look at all of the people in the room, Regina, her brother Alex, her mom, and the boy lying on the bed.

I was put in a juvenile detention facility for those waiting for their court dates. I was in the facility for 2 days and I made my bail.  My bail was set at $2,500. My court date was two weeks after my incident, and I was found guilty of assault and battery.  While I was in the detention facility I turned 18 but I stayed because I was a minor when the incident occurred. I waited for my court date, and I talked to my attorney nearly every day about my case.  He said we had a good chance to win based on the circumstances. 

“The absolute worst sentence that you could get is third degree assault,” my attorney said, “that could put you in jail for three years and you would also have a $10,000 fine.”

“Do anything to make me not have to go to jail,” I said. “I freaked out, sure, but I don’t deserve to go to jail. I’m a good person.”

“You won’t go to jail. We’re going to win this thing.”

“Can I have that in writing?” I said while laughing.

My attorney had a way of making me feel better, like he had everything under control. My court date came, and I was nervous, but I was also confident that I would leave with nothing more than a fine.  I knew that I would have a pretty substantial fine, but with the constant assurance from my attorney I was confident that I would not go to jail.  Since I was 18 at the time of my court date, I was tried as an adult.  The trial took about four hours, and the jury was out for even longer.  The jury was talking so long that we had to reconvene the next day to finish the trial.  Finally the jury came out of their assembly room, and the verdict was in.

“In the case of Robert Browning vs. Phillip Stevenson the court finds you guilty of assault in the third degree,” the judge said. “There will be a sentencing hearing in a week, until that time you will sit in county jail and await your court date. Court is adjourned.”

I turned and looked at my attorney.  He looked back, uttered a quick “sorry” and left the courtroom as quickly as he could, his briefcase trailing along behind him.  The bailiff came and put the handcuffs on me again and led me through two sets of doors and into a hallway. We walked for a while, and we came to a jail cell.  He opened it up and walked in with me.  He took the handcuffs off of me and turned around and walked out.  The only thing left behind was the ringing in my ears from the slamming of the jail cell door. 

While I was in the jail cell I did a lot of thinking.  I thought about what I had done, what was going to happen to me, and about my life outside of the jail cell.  I reflected on my previous relationship, and how I never wanted to see her again. While I was incarcerated I read a law book to attempt to gather some information about my possible sentence.  I came to the realization that I had no idea what I was going to get.  It all was determined by what the judge thought. 

“Welcome to the sentence hearing for Robert Browning vs. Phillip Stevenson,” the judge said, “Would the defense like to say anything on their behalf?”

“I would your honor,” I said, “I know that I messed up, and I can’t take back what I did to Mr. Browning. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing, and I did not mean for that to happen. If I could, I would definitely take back what happened, and not because I am standing in a court about to be sentenced to jail time.  Please sir, I did not do this to harm him, I merely lost control of myself.”

“Would the prosecution like to make a rebuttal?” the judge said.

“We would your honor,” the prosecuting attorney said. “How can he stand there and say that he did not mean to harm my client, Robert Browning, when he did not stop hitting him until another man pulled him off? Your honor, this is simple, Mr. Stevenson deserves the maximum penalty as outlined in statute 18-1.3-501.”

“Now that I have heard both sides, we will take a 15 minute recess while I make my decision,” the judge said.

I waited with a couple of my friends who wanted to be with me while I was going through this. My mom was also there. We talked for fifteen minutes and the whole time they were trying to convince me that I was going to get the minimum sentence and they would help cover the fine I had. I had tears in my eyes as I hugged all of them. I gave my mom a kiss on the cheek, and turned and sat back down in my chair.  The judge came in to tell everyone what his decision was.

“In the case of Robert Browning vs. Phillip Stevenson, I have come to my decision,” the judge said. “You will receive the maximum, three years in prison, a $10,000 fine to be paid after this hearing, and after you are released you will have to attend a minimum of 10 anger management classes and you will also have to do 50 hours of community service. We are adjourned.”

I stared at him in disbelief. I could not believe what I was hearing; I was going to be in prison for 3 years and had to pay $10,000 to the court system to cover the court costs, and the hospital bill for the kid I beat up. My life had taken a definite turn for the worse in the past couple weeks.  I looked back at my friends, and they all said they were going to raise the money to pay my fine. I told them thank you, and the bailiff led me through the double set of doors to the hallway where I was going to sit in the cell while I awaited my transport to a prison facility.

“Thank you for listening to my testimony,” I said to the group of listeners at my anger management meeting.

 They all began to clap for me and said it took a lot of guts to talk, especially since it was the first meeting I had been to.  I thanked all of them and the last person who came up to me was the last person I had expected to see.  It was the man who was in the room the day of the incident.  He told me that he felt I deserved an explanation, and he had been thinking about this for three years.  He started telling me what was on his mind as he shook my hand.

“Good to see you’re out of the joint,” he said.  “I had no idea she had a boyfriend. I never would have done anything with her had I known.   I’ve been cheated on before. It sucks, I know.”

“Why the hell are you here? I’m sorry about what happened, but I just want to get on with my life now.” I said.

“I wanted to talk to you face to face.  That is why I didn’t go visit you in prison.  I didn’t want to talk to you through the glass.”

“Well, talk.”

“Okay. The reason I came is because I felt bad. While I feel like you should have paid my medical bills, that’s all you should have had to do.  After I got out of the hospital I called Regina about ten times before she finally answered.  I talked to her about that day, and she didn’t seem like she was upset about it at all. She already had a new boyfriend and she seemed like she was just able to forget everything like it never happened.  I was kicked to the curb, and she told me she never had any feelings for me.  I talked to her brother on Facebook a few times, and then we started hanging out.  He is the one who kept me updated on how you were doing in the joint.  He is actually a very good friend of mine now.”

“I’m glad you wanted to tell me this, and I’m sorry about what happened, but we can’t change it now,” I said.  “The past is the past; the future is what we should be focused on, and no offense I don’t really want my past that put me in prison for three years in my life. I don’t need a reminder.”

“I understand,” he said, “If you don’t want to see me again, I understand. But, I think what happened to you is not fair. It is a very extreme circumstance that acquainted us, and I’d like to start over fresh.”

“Why do you want to be my friend so badly?”

“I figure I am the reason you lost a big portion of your life to prison. I wasn’t aware of the circumstances, but that doesn’t make it any less my fault. Ultimately, I want to be your friend to get back at Regina. Can we let bygones be bygones?”

“I see. We couldn’t really do anything because I’m still on probation. I can only go here and to work.”

“How about I bring over some beers and we’ll kick it?”

“I’ll take a six-pack of Guinness.”

Problems in Kansas City

Okay, so, the Kansas City Chiefs are 0-2 right now. They have given up 75 points in their last two games. What needs to be done to fix this? I, personally, have my own opinion of what is wrong. It can't be blamed on any one group (players, coaches, front office), but I will point the finger at two of them.

First, the players.

Everyone always jumps right down Matt Cassel's throat, but he isn't the only problem. It's the entire offense that isn't producing (except when the other team's backups are in and the game is out of hand). With the acquisition of Eric Winston this off-season, this offensive line should be among the best in the league. They should be firing on all cylinders already.  It has too many playmakers to be this anemic. The offensive line needs to block better, and give Cassel more time. When Cassel has time, though, he makes poor decisions. Matt Cassel is not the answer to having a winning team. Find a better quarterback and watch the winning seasons come.

Second, the coaches.

I think it all starts with Romeo Crennel. Romeo has bitten off more than he can chew being both the head coach and the defensive coordinator.  The only reason he looked so promising last season having both responsibilities is because the players were, simply, glad Todd Haley was gone.  To put it simply, we need a head coach.  Romeo Crennel is a great defensive coordinator, but he's shown that is all he is capable of being in the NFL. My opinion, if anyone really cares, is to hire a new head coach.  Put Crennel back where he belongs, in the DC position. The Chiefs need someone who can inspire the players to come out and play! The fact that the defense has given up 75 points in two weeks is disheartening, yeah, but sometimes that's how it is in the NFL. Not everyone can steamroller the opposition like the '72 Dolphins, or the 2007 Patriots. What it comes down to is this: If everyone does their job, the Chiefs will be fine. They have the talent to be competitive with everyone in the league. The team as a whole just has to perform to their potential. 

Uproar Festival

          I know it's been quite a while since I've updated this thing. I probably wouldn't have done it tonight if I had been feeling well. Due to the lateness of the hour, and my sleep deprivation, this will most likely be short and sweet.

          I was at Uproar Festival today. The headliners being Shinedown and Godsmack. I was not very enthused about Shinedown. The thing that made me extremely unhappy when I arrived though, was there was nobody at the venue.  There were maybe 3,000 people at a venue that can pack over 20,000 people into it.  Once the starters on the main stage started, it was just a nightmare for them.  The show lacked energy, and nobody really seemed to be into it. I know, for example, I spent more time looking at my friends and acting like a total goofball than watching them perform.  I like the band, but I just wasn't feelin' it today.

I apologize for jumping all over the place... I am very tired.

Godsmack always puts on a fantastic show. They did not disappoint this time either. There was a lot of energy coming from the band.  The crowd was very enthusiastic about the performance, as well. The only disappointing part of their set was their lack of new material. Every time I have seen them perform (which has been like 4 times now) they have had the same set list. Well, maybe not identical, but it's pretty much the exact same. Godsmack has plenty of other great hits, they should play a few of those.

I'm going to try to update this a little bit more frequently. Hopefully it works out the way I anticipate it will. Y'all have a great night.

Peace,
Ramblin' Sean

People piss me off

You know what? I hate people, but not all people. I just hate stupid people. I just hate how they are so stupid. At work, for example, we have signs hanging everywhere saying the prices of the games, what the rules are, and the way the prizes break down, but every day, at the very least 100 times a day, I am asked if the games are free, or if the person can have a free prize. They think they're being so original and funny, it pisses me off. Are you fuckin' kidding me? Of course the games aren't free! Nothing in life is free! We're a business, and without us, you wouldn't have an amusement park to go to in the first place! In case any of the 5 people who read this are interested, I'm a supervisor at the theme park in Denver in the games department.

Mostly the ones who piss me off are the little wanna-be gang-banger 14-17 year olds. They think they're hot shit because they have a girl on their arm who won't be there in two weeks (and that's being generous). Well, newsflash for you fuckers, you're not any better than anyone else who has a flaky bitch on their arm. You know what? It's not just the people who go to the park for fun who piss me off either though. It's also the people who work for me. 

"It's hot, can you get me some water?" "I don't feel like doing anything, it's too hot outside." "They don't want to play the game, if they did they would come up to the counter." "Don't put me in that game, I won't try if you put me in that game."

All of those are legitimate quotes that I hear on a daily basis. First, let me address the heat problem. YOU FUCKIN' CHOSE TO WORK AT AN AMUSEMENT PARK IN THE SUMMER!!!! They knew it was it going to be hot, right? Or are they just that fuckin' stupid? I know it's hot! But, you know what? Get the fuck over it! You applied there, you got hired there, if you don't like it, leave and don't come back! Also, it's your job to get guests over to the counter and try to persuade them to play the game. It's not hard. All you have to do is stand and talk to people all day. That's it. That's what you're paid to do! If they paid on commission, I bet you anything everyone would try a lot harder! There isn't any incentive to work hard because everyone is paid hourly (and above minimum wage)! Everyone just needs to get their shit together and quit being a bunch of whiny bitches! If the park would just give me the power to send them home and fire them, then we would all be happier. I'd probably be happier because I wouldn't have a staff, but if I could hire the people that are going to be working for me I feel like I would do a much better job! Lastly, if I put you in a game, fuckin' work it! Do your best to keep business steady all day and two things will happen. First, I won't be pissed off at you without the ability to do anything because I have to ask permission from my boss to do anything, and secondly, the day will go by a lot quicker because you'll stay busy. 

Basically, you know what your job entails, so quit bitching about it. If you don't like it, quit. I promise, you won't hurt my feelings. You know, I would have fired about 85 percent of my staff already if I had the opportunity/power to do so. So, consider yourselves lucky. 

Sorry about the rant, but people just piss me off. 

Ramblin' Sean

Mayhem Festival 2012

Well, this is my first ever blog, so I am really excited to get started on this. I went to Mayhem Festival, one of the best annual tours that I've ever been to. It has featured such bands such as Slipknot, Disturbed, Marilyn Manson, Lamb of God, Five Finger Death Punch, Rob Zombie, Korn, Slayer, Motorhead (which is one of the main reasons I started this blog), and a whole ton more.

As soon as Motorhead began to play I was excited to hear them. Their most popular hit "Ace of Spades" was on my list of songs I wanted to see live. As soon as the lead singer began to sing though, I was disappointed.  It was the beginning of the tour, but his voice sounded like it was gone. Needless to say, years and years of cigarettes and other drugs will do that to someone.  The rest of the band sounded phenomenal, but unfortunately, Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister just wasn't up to snuff with the rest of the band.

On the other hand, the two bands who performed after Motorhead, Slayer and Slipknot, both gave fantastic performances, and saved the show.  The crowd was energetic, singing along with every song, and there were mosh-pits a-plenty. Slayer, who is basically the definition of "thrash metal" gave a great show.  Everyone was energized. The band sounded great, and the sound carried throughout the whole amphitheater.  Slipknot stole the show in my opinion though.  They did a tribute to Paul Grey, their bassist who passed away in 2009.  This was their first tour since his passing, and they did a phenomenal job of showing that they missed him. Their guitarist Jim Root missed the show because of a ruptured appendix as well. With only 7 of their 9 members they still put on a great show. During their tribute to Grey it began to rain, and that energized the crowd even more. The singer couldn't even be heard above the singing of the crowd during the tribute because of the passion the fans have for Slipknot's music and the love they have for the band. It was a moving concert, and it was touching that 3 years after his passing Grey is still in the minds/hearts/souls of every one of the maggots.

The show was a definite success, and there were only two negative points in the whole show. I spent entirely too much money, and Lemmy's voice. It sounded like cigarettes were having sex in his throat the whole time he was singing.

That's about all I got for tonight, thanks for reading, y'all!
Ramblin' Sean