My parents came in yesterday…I am so stoked, as it’s a blast having them in town! Plus I have been eating like a champ…yesterday we hit the Ram (my parents favorite joint to eat at in the northwest), and then later hit up the Dukes on the Tacoma waterfront! Food Food Food Food!!!!! I was tryiong to eat somewhat healthy for lunch, having a 5 oz salmon…I was proud of myself…until our waitress, who was entertained by my pops, brought us a giant mud pie for free. My parents brought me up right…to appreciate people when they do nice things, so I ate that bad boy like a champ! It was the right thing to do.
So if you didn’t know…I have been on the Twitter these days. You can follow me @stp999 . There is a twitter page that I follow and that I love, it’s @howtochirp (chirping is a hockey term…basicially when you give someone crap, make fun of them, etc…you are “chirping”)…this Tweet cracked me up. Ladies…you might wanna think twice when you add an extra “y” to “Hey”:
The "New York Post" says that Angelina Jolie shelled out $1.6 million on a helicopter and flying lessons for Brad Pitt. A source says, "They've had a helicopter pad installed in the grounds of their south of France home, so Ange thought it would be nice to buy Brad a helicopter as a surprise present."
After seeing this story…we had to ask the Rock-A-Holics this…what was the coolest gift you have received or given to your significant other? Here are the texts:
Last month my oldest brother died, his wife gave me his ashes! Some ppl might think thats weird but if u ever lose a close family member u might think differently! R I P shawn sanders!!! Kevin in p town!!! Btw luv y guys!!!
Gave my wife a dyson 41 vacuum ($600) for mothers day and she loved it.
I had to sell my cello because I needed money for Rent and two weeks later my mom buys me a new one and music is my passion soo that was the greatest gift. -Becca from Kent
My 30th bday my wifey got me front row tickets to the UFC in Portland a couple years ago. $600.00 per ticket crazy ho Just kidding it was awesome . The Falcon from Woodenville
My master gave me jiff pb. Choosy pet-o-files choose jiff. Lucy
I received herpes, the gift that keeps on giving.
My wife flew me to vegas and got two women for me for the night and then joined in
My father passed away a week ago and I will be putting some of his ashes in my next tattoo. Johnny g
My wife bought me a night with Dreamtheater. Fourth row seats at moore theater, meet & greet with band members, met my drumming hero Mike Portnoy
Last night on KING 5 news, BJ was featured in a piece they did about Howard Stern being a judge on America's Got Talent. Check out the video at the bottom of the blog!..Based on this…When did you make it on TV? What were you doing? Here are the texts:
Singing the national anthem in the Kingdome for a mariners game. Used to be in a boys choir. -the DV
I was on the good ole Phil Donahue show in 1990 in Alaska. Topic: should weed be legal. Location was at the college. Phil said he'd never go back to Alaska cus of that show. Bunch of stoned college kids wanting to be on tv. I got to make a good point to the panel on the microphone though!
Running the floor security for wwe events I would inadvertent ly get on camera. My friends played spot the cajun and every time was a shot of booze. Good times!
Chad Eaton interviewed me at wrestlemania for fox news. It was awesome!! From your bro GUMP
I have had my 15 mins of fame 3 times in life. when I was 7 I was on the ranger
charlie and roscoe show with my bluebird troop introducing cartoons. then on northwest afternoon twice. asking people questions on stage from the audience.
I was on a romper room for 3 weeks when I was 5 years old
Today's Video Blog features BJ Shea on KING 5 News last night -- talking about Howard Stern as a judge on America's Got Talent.
Black Sabbath have yet to announce who will play drums when they do select dates this year, but founding drummer Bill Ward says it definitely won't be him. He writes at BillWard.com, "I am sincerely passionate in my desire to play with the band, and I'm very, very sorry that it's fallen to this... I can't help feeling some resentment towards the failure to reach an agreement, the failure to remember where we came from, the failure to be as brothers, as we once were... I'm not blaming the other guys or finding any faults with them. I would think it can't be easy for them either... Throughout this process, which began over a year ago, I have had to stand up for myself, and in doing so, realize my actions indirectly, although unintentionally, are upsetting and hurting a lot of you... I have to stand for something, and as painful as it is, I'm doing it... Even though I'm at an end with the upcoming announced concerts, I will remain with an open mind and a position of willingness to negotiate 'signable' terms with Sabbath's representatives in the future."
The first of Sabbath's three scheduled shows is this Saturday in their native Birmingham, England. They'll play the Download Festival, also in England, on June 10th, and Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 3rd.
See below for Bill Bard's full statement from his website.
Dear Sabbath Fans and Fellow Musicians,
I sincerely regret to inform you that after a final effort to participate in the upcoming Sabbath shows a failure to agree has continued. At this time I have to inform you that I won’t be playing with Black Sabbath at the Birmingham gig dated May 19th, 2012, nor will I be playing at Download on June 10th, 2012. Further, I will not be playing at Lollapalooza on August 3, 2012.
It is with a very sad heart that I bring you this news. I am sincerely passionate in my desire to play with the band, and I’m very, very sorry that it’s fallen to this. This statement is even more painstaking to write, as I was particularly excited to play alongside Tony Iommi after the recent treatments he underwent. I wanted that to become a reality.
To express my thoughts about you, the Sabbath fans, I’m going to speak to you all through an experience my brother James had recently. My brother Jimmy lives in the U.K. When speaking with him a couple of days ago, he told me that an acquaintance had stopped him on the street and confronted him, “is your brother playing Birmingham? What’s going on? I waited in line with my son and paid x amount for the concert tickets.”
The man’s son is a young drummer. He’s going to see Sabbath, and he wants to see Bill Ward play drums. Upon hearing this news, I felt horrible. I couldn’t help feeling some resentment towards the failure to reach an agreement, the failure to remember where we came from, the failure to be as brothers, as we once were. To be clear, I’m not blaming the other guys or finding any faults with them. I would think it can’t be easy for them either, but this situation is just really sad. It’s sad that it’s come to this. “This” will surely leave a mark and be unwelcome to the memory. Hopefully “this” will heal and pass in time.
My heart sank when Jimmy told me about this young boy. I know this boy is going to be disappointed, and I don’t know how to amend it, other than to put my arms around the boy and tell him I love him. Sabbath fans have a voice and a face, to me you’re human, you have families and despair. You have ferocity and emotions and graciousness, and at this moment as far as I’m concerned you are also that young boy in England. I don’t know how to amend my part in these failings other than to put my arms around you and say I love you and let you know I’m very, very sorry.
Throughout this process, which began over a year ago, I have had to stand up for myself time and time again. I have had to stand up for myself and in doing so realize my actions indirectly, although unintentionally, are upsetting and hurting a lot of you. I know in my heart I couldn’t have done these concerts by agreeing the terms suggested. I made a solemn vow after the last European and Ozzfest concerts that I would never again enter into what was, in my opinion, a totally unsatisfactory contract. I have to stand for something, and as painful as it is, I’m doing it.
Earlier in April 2012, I’d been asked to participate “minimally” in the Download festival. I believe I’d been offered no more than three songs to play while another drummer presumably played the rest of the show with Black Sabbath. I was not willing to participate in that offer. I was not prepared to watch another drummer play a Sabbath set, while I was to play only three songs.
I found out about the Birmingham gig on Monday, April 30 through the Internet ad. I was taken aback somewhat by the date, and the fact it was Birmingham. Knowing the “signable” contract negotiations were at best in shreds, I was upset by the idea that the band was going to play Birmingham and play it assumedly without me. I had no prior knowledge of the date and location, and I felt totally excluded. We contacted the representative for Black Sabbath to see if something could be worked out. In the meantime my drum crew and I, along with our US endorsers, finished all the necessary planning for a swift departure to the UK. There wasn’t a whole lot to complete; we’d all been on standby more or less since mid-January 2012. The remaining work in the UK was confirmed done by our European and UK endorsers and we were good to go by Friday, May 4 2012. There were two stress points: firstly, getting an agreement in place, and secondly, getting to England in a timely manner. Jetlag time was taken into account as well as drum practice, a drum practice room in the heart of Birmingham, accommodation, and travel arrangements were all in place to meet with any band rehearsals that may have transpired before the Birmingham show. So far everything that had been arranged was on my dime, but we didn’t move ahead without a realistic confirmation.
Communications between the representative and my lawyer continued through the weekend of May 5 finalizing on Wednesday, May 9. The offer we received on May 9 was, “come to the UK, play for free and see how the first show goes.” I was tempted. Playing for free would not have been a problem for me, but “seeing how the first show goes” left an element of risk which could have affected Download. My ideal thought was to play in full the Birmingham show, in full Download, and in full Lollapalooza.
I had notified the representative that May 10 was my cutoff day in order to have good lead-in time for England. On the night of May 9 I asked for a brief letter to be sent to the representative asking to find out if we were at an end. On the morning of Thursday, May 10, I received a reply in the affirmative. After consulting with my advisors and crew a decision was made to let go and stop.
I can’t prioritize the Sabbath fans making one show more important than the other. I can’t do that. All of you are important. It’s all the gigs or none at all. I can’t come to Birmingham and “see what happens” knowing there is a risk of not being able to play Download or Lollapalooza. Again, for me, it’s all or nothing. I had to say “no” to Birmingham on the principle of wanting to play all the shows. Saying no to Birmingham is very difficult for me. My family grew up in Birmingham. Black Sabbath grew up in Birmingham. It’s still my hometown and I resent having to arrive at such a difficult choice.
Although the statement was made that, “the door is always open” for me, as explained above, walking through that door is not always as easy as it sounds. There are many complicated issues and unseen and unspoken agendas on hand. I can assure you, my criteria for a “signable” contract is based in mindful principles, respectability, and acknowledgement of my history within the band.
I hold no malice or resentment towards the other band members. I love them; I’m tolerant of them; I’m frustrated with them, as they may be with me. My fight has never been with them. I’ll love them forever. In my opinion, nobody wins this time; the band doesn’t win; the fans for an original lineup don’t win. Nobody wins, nobody. Even the ones who thought they did.
I didn’t want to make this decision, but I have to be honest and transparent. This is the statement I didn’t want to write; it’s the last thing I wanted to do. But, I have written it, and now it can go into the universe.
Since Spring of 2011, I’ve waited patiently and hopefully for a signable contract, you know the rest. I stand for the boy in the U.K., for the coming drum student, for all the drummers, who write their parts out and get stiffed on the publishing, I stand with the Sabbath fans chanting “Bill Ward” and asking “why?” and I stand with Tony and Geezer and Ozzy.
On a final note, even though I’m at an end with the upcoming announced concerts, I will remain with an open mind and a position of willingness to negotiate “signable” terms with Sabbath’s representatives in the future.
Stay strong.
Stay safe.
With all my heart and strength, I love you,
Bill Ward
Following on a separate page is a thank you message to some very extraordinary people.
Yesterday we read a story about a man that I think is embarrassing every American I know because of his great accomplishments.
Gac Filipaj is a 52-year-old janitor at Columbia University and he just graduated with a bachelor's degree after 12 years, from the same university he works at!
Gac fled Montenegro in 1992 to escape a brutal civil war and came to the United States before he was able to finish his law studies.
He wasn’t young when he started this either, he was 32-years-old which isn’t where you want to hit reset and start all over again. It took him seven years to first learn English so he could even take the classes. Then, thanks to being an employee of Columbia University, he received 14 free credits to school which he used by attending classes before starting a janitor shift that ran from 2:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
You would think that now since Gac has a bachelor’s degree he would get a higher paying job elsewhere but that is not the case. He wants to work towards a Masters Degree and even a Ph.D. which he would use to become a teacher some day.
When asked why he’s not interest in trying to make more with his degree, he said, “The richness is in me, in my heart and in my head, not in my pockets.”
Gac’s story is amazing but I think it shows that as a collective, we have a weak minded country.
This guy is probably one of the happiest guys you’d walk into because he is free of the ridiculousness and turmoil that surrounds the rest of us.
We used to have more people like this; back when WW2 was over, the world was free and there was opportunity, people had the same vibe as Gac because they were done with the horror they had to live with.
We don’t have that anymore because we have a bunch of entitled babies who can’t understand how this guy could do something this. Without any complaining he worked an undesirable job, learned a new language and went to college all at once.
We could really learn something from men like Gac Filipaj.
This is a great story! Joyce Grendel is an 18-year-old senior at Independence High in Cleveland. Last week, just a few days before her senior prom on Friday night, her date backed out. So Joyce went on Twitter, and asked a Cleveland Browns player named Joe Haden if he would be her date. She's a member of his fan club and a regular at his autograph signings and public appearances, so he recognized her name . . . and said Yes! How cool is this guy? Joe has a $50 million contract with the team, but he enrolled in college early and regretted that he never got to go to his own prom. He said, "I was nervous. I was getting ready [and asking] 'Does this look cool?' This is my prom too." So on Friday night, Joe showed up at Joyce's house in a grey three-piece suit, and drove her and her friend to the prom in his white Lamborghini. Wow...I'm impressed with how awesome Joe is...check out a pic:
In unrelated news…another student asked Ben Roethlisberger to the prom, but the school had to shut that down because they didn’t have enough chaperones to monitor the bathrooms…waka waka!!!
Boy is my arm sore…I finished phase 2 of my sleeve on my left arm…got a lot of color done…including the skull on my arm…which is looking sick!
Big thanks to my homie Tony F’ing Mitchell from Tony’s Tried & true in Port Orchard for doing the artwork…check em’ out at www.tonystriedandtrue.com
Hey those of ya have heard about my hockey team..the Tacoma Donkeys…well, a bud of ours (and future intern for the show) created a documentary about the team for a school project…it’s called The Donk-umentary…check it out:
I love the fact that this was made for a class he is taking at Pacific Lutheran University…I bet they loved the language and content of this video!
According to a new survey, 92% of people surveyed said they get a lot of pleasure out of a new car . . . only 48% said they get a lot of pleasure from a new relationship, and 48% said they get a lot of pleasure from having a new baby. The main reason? Relationships and babies are incredible . . . but they also take work. A new car doesn't take any work . . . you just put in some gas and drive. Plus a new car smells awesome…a new baby…smells like dook. Or something! The survey also found that people say a new car gives them more pleasure than a new house, new technology, a major home improvement, or a new
Based on this story…besides sex…what brings you great pleasure? Here are the texts we received:
I do stained glass and when I make something for someone as a gift and they truly like it. It's an awesome feeling.
What brings me a lot of pleasure is playing video games with my gf. She's not really a gamer by any standards, unlike me who pretty much needs to play to live, but she likes the story, and experiencing them with me, and we'll just cuddle up and game together.
...............performing on stage!! It's unreal! Sean, LACERO
My greatest plesure besides sex is driving like a maniac. Nothin comes close the the rush I get exepts for sex lol
I like chunky peanutbutter ! signed lucy !
Shooting things blowing things up or just destroying stuff brings out pleasure for me. -Russell in Elma.
New socks end of story. Buddha in o-town
Fighting! MMA is a rush. Like a chess match with violence! --STP's recycle guy—
Riding my Harley
The Social Security Administration released their annual list of the most-popular baby names, and for the first time since 1948, Michael is NOT in the top five.
1. Jacob. (--This is the 13th straight year Jacob has been #1.)
2. Mason.
3. William.
4. Jayden.
5. Noah.
6. Michael.
7. Ethan.
8. Alexander.
9. Aiden.
10. Daniel.
--Here are the ten most popular names for GIRLS . . .
1. Sophia. (--Up from #2 last year.)
2. Isabella.
3. Emma.
4. Olivia.
5. Ava.
6. Emily.
7. Abigail.
8. Madison.
9. Mia.
10. Chloe.
Based on the list of the top baby names…finish this sentence… “I wish my parents wouldn’t have named me BLANK”…or…do you have a name that everyone else thinks is odd, but you love it? Here are the texts we received:
Malcolm. That tv show got me so much crap as a kid, then I grew up and love the show and my name
My birth name is Bambi. Imagine the teasing as a kid and the assumptions as an adult. I'm hot but not a porn star.
My name is ZAQ. My parents for some damn reason used a Q. I enjoy it. Lots of people thinks its not correct and I have to prove it with identification.
I wish I hadn't been named Bjorn. I'm proud of my Norse heritage but the years of it being mispronounced and trying to spell it for people over the phone has driven me mad. Hate my name with an effing passion. The funny part, everyone else these days seems to think its awesome. Go figure
My friend named his son atomic nexus
My mom's name is Checkie. Her grandma had a dream about that name
Hayden, Jayden, Braiden, Aiden... All the "Aiden" sounding namers need to seriously chill out.
Steve. Because I share my name with a creepy dog humper.
My redneck exhusband named our third kid Beau Hunter
My name is Keith Richards. The jokes get old but my stuff usually gets read on KISW. Fair trade.
My name is Harley and it is the coolest name but my mom always makes it awkward when people ask how I got the name and she says it was where he was conceived. Come on min ruin the moment. Harley
My first name is shadoe, I got.so much shit growing up
I love the fact that I'm probly the only white LeRoy you will ever meet. the handful of times I've been over to the east coast I had to show my ID constantly .
My name is Apprilla and i love it -apprilla from everett-
Today's Video Blog is part 2 of our chat with Josh Wolf...somehow we get into a chat about grooming habits!
Frontman Scott Weiland Back with Velvet Revolver, Band to Tour Later This Year
Good news for fans of Velvet Revolver: the band has reunited with frontman Scott Weiland. In an interview with ABC News Radio, Weiland says that he’s happy to be back making music with the band. “We’ve all grown a lot,” explains Weiland. “We’re able to put egos and differences and old…conflicts aside and so that’s really cool.”
Weiland added that VR has already begun the writing process for their third studio album. “They gave me a couple of songs and myself and [guitarist] Dave [Kushner] and [bassist] Duff [McKagan] are gonna be getting together for a song writing session next week,” reveals Weiland.
In addition, the singer says that VR will soon be hitting the road for a short tour before the end of the year once [guitarist] Slash finishes supporting his second solo album, Apocalyptic Love. “Slash’s solo album gets released [on May 22] and so he’s gonna do some touring on that and then we’re gonna go and do some [Velvet Revolver] shows in the later part of summer into early fall.”
In other VR news, the band will be releasing a new live DVD on May 25. Titled Let It Roll -- Live in Germany, it documents the band’s 2008 performance at the Palladium in Cologne, Germany for the German TV series Rockpalast.
Last week during Listeners on the Loose, a Rock-A-Holic named Beverly called in asking why some people like to screw over people.
Beverly was dating a guy who knocked up another woman and he was lying to Beverly by saying that he was no longer with the mother of his unborn child but wanted Beverly to be a step mother figure in his kid’s life.
She did eventually leave him but asked the show why someone would try to screw another person over.
The thing is he didn’t screw her over because she was smart enough to leave when things were going wrong. Everyone always has a choice, and those who get screwed over are letting themselves be taken advantage of.
That’s why it’s advantageous to have a good support system in your life to make you strong enough to make good choice..and keep yourself from getting “screwed over.”
What a fun weekend! On Friday night my wife was doing some stuff with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, so I did what any man with a “free” night would do…No, I didn’t hit Foxes…or the bars…or even a Fast Food Crawl…I stayed at home and watched WWE Smackdown! I don’t remember the last time I watched Smackdown as it was airing…usually it’s on DVR. It was a fun night for me and the pups…as you can tell:
OK, maybe Lulu is a little bored. She’s more of a WWE Monday Night RAW fan.
I needed top rest up for Saturday as it was a busy day. First off church, then the complete opposite…a trip to see Topshelf to see his new house and celebrate his birthday. Before we went to his house…we stopped at the liquor store (man those stores are gutted out), got a bottle of Vodka for the festivities….and as we were about to leave the parking lot…I saw my dream car. No…not the new Range Rover (although they are sick looking), check it out:
We get to Toppy’s place…what a fun party…I do have to say Toppy has the coolest Man Cave…the highlight is what is on the walls. He has the most random stuff framed...he has a framed collage of Crazy Shari…and then he even has a framed tribute to me…and my wife was stoked to see it…until she saw a hand written note that was framed in the there where I wrote “Toppy…Lick B****” Yeah, my wife is now confused by Toppy & I! After the party…we went to Cheney Stadium to meet up with some friends and I finally saw a Tacoma Rainiers game! Man was that a blast…the weather was perfect, the team played great, and I got to eat a jumbo pretzel. Win, win, win! I can’t wait to go to more Rainiers games…I love the ballpark!
Yesterday was mother’s day...do you like the card I got my mom for this special day?
A survey by the staffing company OfficeTeam asked 1,300 employers the most ridiculous excuses they'd heard from employees who'd quit their jobs. Here some the more interesting excuses.
A woman quit because her boss lost the dog she gave him.
A guy quit because he wanted to go watch a movie with his girlfriend during the day.
One person quit because the office building was unattractive.
Another guy quit because he said he just couldn't get up in the morning.
And finally, one guy quit because he was making too much money, and didn't feel like he was worth it.
One employee said he was joining the circus.
An employee wanted to enter a beauty contest.
One person left because she didn't want to work so hard.
An employee said work was getting in the way of having fun.
An individual did not like the sound of file cabinets being slammed.
A person quit because he hated the carpet.
So based on a list of the most ridiculous excuses for quitting a job…what was the most ridiculous excuse you or someone you know has given for quitting? Here are the texts:
I once had an employee tell me she stopped showing up to work because she was feeding a giraffe at the zoo and it swung it's head around and knocked her into a coma for a week. -​Abby, Auburn, WA
Iknew someone that quit because the turn signals on thier car wasn't working.
Once quit my job cuz I won tickets from KISW to go see Seether and audioslave
I told my boss i was going to prison for an extended stay and i would rather not get into the details
They wouldnt let him smoke pot on the job.
My roommate quit his job because he had a hangnail. He worked at toysrus.
My coworker quit her job because she said there was black mold growing in the fridge. She is not that bright....
Watched a guy quit because his raise wasn't big enough 15 min after he got the raise
My little sister quit her job cause of a broken heart then tried to file for disability.#Bld
Victoria's Secret just released its annual “What Is Sexy?” list. Oddly enough the list has a bunch of people voted as sexy…so you would think they would have called it “Who Is Sexy?” and not “What is Sexy?”, but what the hell do I know! These people were voted on my Victoria Secret models…Here it is:
Sexiest Actress: Charlize Theron
Sexiest Legs: Stacy Keibler
Sexiest Bikini Body: Annalynne McCord
Sexiest Summer Style: Blake Lively
Sexiest Smile: Jessica Chastain
Sexiest Eyes: Jennifer Lawrence
Sexiest Lips: Amanda Seyfried
Sexiest Curves: Amber Heard
Sexiest Sense of Humor: Emma Stone
Sexiest Mom: Beyoncé
Sexiest Songstress: Britney Spears
Sexiest Summer Glow: Olivia Wilde
Sexiest Cyber Star: Elin Kling of StylebyKling.com
Sexiest Up & Coming Knockout: Elizabeth Olsen
Sexiest Tweeter: Kristen Bell
So we asked the Rock-A-Holics this: Who or what do you find sexy? What is sexy? Here are some of the texts:
Eyes and smile because they tell you everything and subtle movements can turn you on. Actress example: Isabella Rossellina in "Cousins."
I find Toppy sexy!!!!! KCDennis Go Royals!
Tattoos, piercings, and confidence--basically, the Suicide Girls. -Kat in Auburn
Paulie Purett...Abby from CSI...when she sports the pig tails ...that's hot !
Being inviting, and not stupid or arrogant. Aisha Tyler's up towards the top of my list right now. That woman is smoking (and she was on the Talking Dead
The sexiest is when a girl can be goofy and have me in stitches laughing.
Women in stockings or pantyhose are the sexiest things in the world!
Will always be, Scarlett Johanson! Gotta have curves in all the right places.
The sexy legs on the back ground of the kisw rock girl Facebook page. Very very nice!
Feet. Im into feet. Gotta be petite, tan and painted...toe rings a plus....
Chest piece tattoo on A big huge rack
Sexy is a girl with NO tattoos
Babymaking hips are sexy. Ill wrap it up but hey, let's practice. Need a nice spot to grab on, not too fat and not too thin.
A nerdy girl is damn sexy! My fiancee is a lovely lady who happens to be the biggest nerd I know. Owns a Stat Trek TNG episode that was never filmed th at explains why the Klingons look different from the original series to TNG. In sure BJ and Rev can appreciate.
Today's Video Blog features our bud, comedian Josh Wolf!
Duff McKagan says Guns n' Roses induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame makes him wish he'd done more to keep the original lineup together. In his new column for Seattle Weekly, McKagan says watching the ceremony on HBO last weekend "made me sad -- for the very first time, perhaps -- that the original GNR didn't somehow stay together. It would have been a miracle if we did. If I'd known then what I know now, I would have done my part to try and rid that band of the caustic resentments and outside inputs that finally wore us down to a nub of what we once were, and what we could have come back from."
