The Elvis Syndrome

42 is an interesting age just like 27 is. Of course, 27 is the age when many famous rock n' rollers died and also when my best friend, Frank Kaul, died (that's for another blog & yes, L12, I'll write it). But 42 was the age when our youngest president ever assumed office and, no, it's not John Kennedy, but rather Teddy Roosevelt. He assumed the presidency when Leon Czolgosz shot the 25th Pres. William McKinnley in 1901.

42 is also the age when Elvis died. Towards the end of his career, Elvis was taking a lot of pills. He needed pills to wake up. He needed pills to go to sleep. He needed pills to take a shit (in fact, he died taking a shit brought on by something called the vasovagal reflex). THe bottom line is he was taking a ton of pills towards the end of his life. Of course, all that medication led to his untimely demise.

Now, I don't think I'm near the end. I mean I'm overweight but I can still walk 6 miles in under an hour & a half. I walk 3 miles to work and back through a rough neighborhood. (THat's a far, far cry from 25 yrs. ago when I ran 2 miles in under 12 min) But still, I'm a little apprehensive because, like Elvis, I am taking a lot of, shall we say "medication" (or pills if you will). I need to stay up at night because the time between 3-5 am is very tough mentally & physically to stay up so I down about 6 cups of coffee during that time. I take Adderall for the same reason. Then, if I don't take sleeping pills when I go to bed @ 8 am. or if I don't take a Clonipin then I wake up after only 2 hours of sleep.

Today is a rough day. I went to bed at 7:45 am. I woke up before 11. I scheduled myself to work at this part time paralegal job & I have to catch a Metra train & be @ downtown Chicago @ 3 pm. THen I have to preside @ our condo complex's monthly meeting at 7pm tonight in our hourlong meeting.

I used to smoke Cavendish tobacco several times a year. Now here I am writing this blog, smoking my pipe as I have several times a week, now. I gotta make more money but I feel like U2's song on the Joshua Tree album that I'm "Running to Stand Still". The whole idea that I have devised is to do a "flip around".
Now, I'm working full time at the hospital and part time at a law firm. I need to "flip it around" and work full time at a law firm and part time at the hospital like I did back in the early summer of this year. I can't now because this firm I'm at now doesn't offer health insurance. I need a firm that will offer health insurance to a paralegal. A firm that is personal injury and can take unique advantage of my medical background as I can write and explain how car accidents and other "sue-able" injuries have hurt plaintiffs physically.
My wife & I are divorced, but because we have to raise 3 young kids, we are, to a certain extent, "joined at the hip". Since we have joint tenancy ownership of the condo, our plan is to have her be financially well off to have her move out of the condo and into a house. Obviously, a house is a better place to raise 3 kids than a 2 bedroom condo. THen I would pay her to get 100% ownership of the condo and certainly, 2 bedrooms is enough room for me. & Oak Forest, IL is a nice neighborhood. But some of that dream is getting back to the money I was making earlier this summer. Just remember one thing: I've lived up to my end of the divorce decree so the fact that I make less now than before has not meant that she & my kids get less child support. It has only hurt me financially. But that's ok; less money has meant less food. So with the smoking and the hellish hours, I've lost about 10 pounds.

I sure as hell won't be doing what happened last Holiday/Winter Season and gain 20 pounds. I figure if I lose another 25 pounds, I'll be in decent shape. & pipe smoking over the years isn't as addictive as cigarette smoking, so by the time I get a better paralegal job, I'll have kicked that habit too.
Well enough daydreaming, I gotta pick the bones out of my salmon, eat it & catch a train. I hope I don't end up like Elvis!