To JGH27:

Thanks. Any snippet of information I can get is helpful. Over the course of this week, I plan on making some phone calls to various [regular] hospitals in the area. The Fairview Hospital is a lot closer, but the VRMC seems to have a far better staff. More courteous, too. I had an MRI there in 2008, and they put a pair of headphones on me (as the machine is so loud), and let me pick what I wanted to listen to. They didn't have a lot of music I like (probably because most would consider my music to be "tensing"), so I opted for Dean Martin. Fairview; well, they stick you in the tube, and that's it. I've never had an MRI at Fairview Hospital, but most say it's just no good. I have thought about inpatient care at the Mayo Clinic, but my family would be awfully far away. Yet at the same time, I've read rave reviews about them. (Well, it is the Mayo Clinic, afterall.) Oh, and get this: the back-up drug the psychiatrist wanted to put me on can…I'm not joking…cause a man to have an orgasm every single time he yawns! Could you imagine how bad that would be in public??? Worse than that, what if I were at some sort of gathering, and there were young girls standing in front of me when that happened??? I would be branded a pedophile for life, and it would've been caused by something not of my own doing.

To Pster:

I got a box of Prilosec OTC. It says on the box it may take…2 or 4 days to really feel the effect, but I'm already seeing a little improvement. But, NO Chef Boyardee canned food for a long-ass time!

Interesting read! Here, I had just thought BMG died because of iTunes the way my local video store went bankrupt not too very long ago because of the convenience of Netflix. Cool, I just "stuck it" to big business!

Also, I dug out my old notebook where I documented the prices of things I bought. This bundle BMG offered was well over $300 (in Oct. 2005).

Here's what was included:

"New" Slim PS2 (Includes "new" slim PS2, one controller, A/V composite cable, AC adaptor+power cord to plug into wall.)

Crash Bandicoot 2 (PS1 game)

Ford Racing 2 (PS2 game)

Off-brand starter kit which includes a translucent purple controller, little remote control, and an infrared sensor for older, non-slim PS2's.

I don't remember what the PS2's actual retail price was in 2005, but even with these extras, it shouldn't have cost that much. "Crash 2" was an old PS1 game, and at retail (if you could find a store by then that even carried PS1 games), it'd be something like $9.99. A friend of mine bought Ford Racing 2, and it was $20 for both XBox and PS2 versions. "Starter kit" wasn't all that dazzling either. The controller was a bit clunky, and instead of the standard "+", it had the damn rounded "+", so trying to play a game that required the use of direction buttons could really be a pain in the ass. Also, the instruction sheet that came with this starter pack failed to mention that slim PS2's already had a built-in infrared sensor, yet it stated on the package, "fully compatible with all PS2 consoles including the new slim model." In the beginning, I couldn't figure out why buttons were "double-clicking". I'd try to pause a DVD, and it would unpause right away. It was when I took a closer look I discovered a sensor right on the PS2 itself. Remote was very stripped of function. Buttons included Circle, Cross, Square, Triangle, play/pause, menu, skip back, skip forward, search backward, and search forward. On top of that, the remote used one of those stupid coin-sized batteries that always seem to be discontinued when you go to a store like Radio Shack or Best Buy to buy a new battery. About the only good thing from this was the 6' extension cable.

Eventually, I ordered a "proper" Sony remote for PS2 from Amazon. Had everything the above-mentioned one did, plus L1, L2, R1, R2, and number keys. Hmm…I wonder if I can direct-link a pic here from Amazon. Well, I'll give it a try, or I'll upload the pic from PhotoBucket…or not. I have to laugh; chances are you've all seen these a million times.

So, in addition to your info (thanks, Pster) I can rest well knowing I'm not so bad. BTW, are you still a part of the G.A.P? I am, but it's been forever and a day since I was active.

There's so much I want to point out to Sony that maybe it's time I write something down in my blog about some glaring issues I have. For one thing, the Playstation Store has a nice variety of downloadable PS1 games. I have quite a few downloaded. But there's a couple games they've put up for sale/download that should've been either replaced or in addition to what's for sale. For one thing, they have Wipeout (the first one), but not the vastly-superior and well-received Wipeout XS(?), and they have fucking Jumpin' Flash, but no Doom! Yeah, there could be issues with third-party companies maybe not wanting to sell digital downloads on the PSN Store, but I don't know for sure. It'd be wonderful on the PSP. It was released long before the Dual Shock™ controller was released, so it would control perfectly on the PSP. Actually, the PS1 version was what some considered the "definitive" version to own. Only problem was there was no excuse to use password system in place of save-data.