1/29/98 -- It's official: I'm sick.  Yeah, yeah, I know I've been whining about it enuff.  Normally, I'm not a whiner, but when I find something to whine about I moan and bitch and groan enuff to make people want to leave the room.  Or the country.  The worse is when I'm in a car with somebody -- no one's tried shoving me out of a moving car, yet.  And they haven't been mean enough or crafty enough to ditch me somewhere, like Hemet, where I'll never find my way home.        But whining isn't my big problem now.  It's my cold.  Actually, it's my cold and likely ear-infection that's the problem.  Or problems, whatever.  My ears are clogged up, especially my left one, and it hurts like hell at night.  This morning I found BLOOD in both my ears.  I think I may have bled all over the pillow on the bed in Ray's bonus room.  Oops.  Good thing he doesn't surf the net.  I called my parents, and got them worrying.  I was a little scared until I checked and found out that Student Health here is free.  Word.  According to what I found on the net, it's probably not serious -- hopefully some ear drops'll clear it up, along with vitamins and a positive attitude, and crap like that.          Last nite was Phil's going away....something.  It wasn't really a party or bash, we just drove around C-Town and Garden Grove doing the same unoriginal stuff we always do -- pool, darts, NGAS seizures,  going to a noreban.  Actually, the noreban was really fun, even though there were only a few songs I liked/knew, like "Glory of Love" and "Livin' on a Prayer".  Yes, I'm a closet cheese-rock fan.  But who cares when you're among friends, and you realize that everyone is a closet cheese-rock fan.  Except for pretentious dorks and black people.  But black people are cool, so it's OK.  Oh man, I belted those two songs so much I couldn't sing the rest of the night.  Especially on the "WaaaaaaaaOW! Livin' on a prayer!" part.  Dogs all over OC were whining.          Tried some hash-laced spliffs.  Got fucked up.  What the hell, you only live once, right?  Actually, I'm going to quit smoking out.  I actually resolved this last weekend, but figured I'd give it another shot when someone got hash.  But yeah, I can totally appreciate how butt-lazy weed makes me, plus how expensive it is -- not only the weed, but the food.  The food makes it doubly expensive.  I remember I used to eat two or three whoppers, get some weed, and an hour later be eating chorizo burritos.  Expensive and fattening.  Bad.  So yeah, rather than risk falling into my smoke-weed-every-day phase again, I'm quitting -- for the most part.  I won't smoke buy myself anymore, and will try not to encourage it as a "something-to-do" idea.  Last year it was the same ole' thing every night, and all day on weekends: what should I/we do?  Let's smoke up.  I used to worry I was addicted; I was in a way, I guess.  But after seeing the Bob Saget scene in Half-Baked ("I used to suck dick for crack!  Would you suck dick for marijuana!?"), I don't think I was too bad.  It was fun and all, just amazingly unproductive, and partially responsible for my current state-of-affairs w/regards to school, work, life, etc. I still enjoy it and everything, right, but I don't wanna end up looking like Jim Breur.  Yeah, it's a tuff call, a real tuff call, and when I get some money, it'll be even tougher than getting me to ice skate, but I'll do it.  Word.  Maybe I'll expand on my weed-smoking some other time (and I can expand on it a lot.  Could make a multi-volume set on it, except that I think I forgot most of what I did, heh.  Damned weed.).        Love that Mono song, "Life in Mono" on the Great Expectations soundtrack (the one they play during the preview).  Doper than, uh, me.  So rhythmic and relaxing.  Everyone I know who's heard it likes it.  It'll be the biggest song of all time at this rate...of course since I don't know too many people, it'll take it a while for it to get big.  But like Phil was sayin', it's gonna be big.          My old boss never e-mailed me.  Damn!  Hoping to hear back from her one way or another by today.  Burn!  Now that I'm sick, I won't be able to look for work elsewhere, either.          Aw-ight, I'm falling asleep in here.  Haven't gotten anything done, either, and won't, now that I'm Mr. Sleepyhead.    Hopefully, I'll get Ray's pics and develop em' soon, so that there'll be more jpgs to clog up bandwidth with.