10  I don’t get too many headaches any longer, and I don’t drink, so it was pretty alarming that the headache just stationed itself inside my the overworked machinery in my head. My eyes welled, and I was in so much pain that I had to go to 7-11 at 3 a.m.  I wound up staying home from work yesterday with an ice pack and a hammer.

11  My plan was to rest the head entirely, sleep, drink liquids, and if that didn’t work to go to the doctor. If THAT didn’t work, I was just going to conk myself on the head with the hammer so I could keep the ice loose, and lie around like a cartoon on crack.

12  What I didn’t count on was my daughter Nicole’s car going down again. She called mid-morning. It took half the day to get it repaired, even though all I wanted to do was to get home and rest my head for today’s work day.

13  Anyway, on the way home, my other daughter Caitlin let me borrow her I-Pod in order for me to practice the song Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison.

14  So around 4 p.m. we began reviewing that song, which was fun, by really trying to perfect it. The headache still lingered, but nothing was going to stop me from creating the exact right notes, timing, and rhythms of that great song.

15  Caitlin kept me practicing over and over and over until I had it, and nailed it.

16  I had thanked her and then hopped in my car to perform, perhaps for the last time on the YB stage.

17  I met Al-Bob Russell backstage and we immediately fell into some great hilarity, enjoying all the years, good, bad, and mostly goofy.

18  We performed after a bunch of pretty talented kids had performed.

5  The cost of living is significantly cheaper and by association, so is the local Salvation Army. When I went in there a while back, I came out with a $12 vacuum cleaner in mint condition, and three books that cost 50 cents each. I still have all four items.

6  One of the books I purchased that day was Dr. Wayne W. Dyer’s fun little lark about synchronicity, You’ll See It When You Believe It.

7   Because of my absolute infatuation with the significance of coincidences,  I found myself  quite pleased finally to have happened upon an easy reference book to the one thing that has haunted me for much of my adult life: having utterly incredible coincidences happening to me with unfathomable regularity.

8  Just yesterday, for example, I had a few minor coincidences thrown my way.

9  Yesterday morning I talked with someone about dry ice for an event. Later in the evening, I saw a TV show that had dry ice in it. Ealry in the evening I satched a news report about counterfeit money. They had a bunch of faded bills all lined up and faded in on the bills. I later watched an unrelated DVD that showed counterfeit money, almost at the same exact angle. In both instances, the money was blanched. For a second I thought it was the same exact footage. It wasn’t. Not much, but a coincidence.

10  San Jose became pretty cold and windy last night, enough so that I walked over to turn on the heater. Just as I touched the thermostat, a commercial on TV said, “Turn on the heat!”  This isn’t voices mind you, it’s just a head turn to the TV and a smile from me. I’m more a comical character in a Vonnegut novel than anything else. My glasses slid down my nose, and I just gave a bemused look. I’m used to this.

11  The main DVD I watched was from this insane TV series called The Shield, about corrupt cops with hearts and badges of gold. They were trying to keep the goombahs off the streets, and it’s pretty mindless, but a zany, horribly disturbing show, which is just perfect if you’re trying to relax a little.

12  AnywayZ, they kept referring to the goombahs as “one-niners”.

13  In fact, I thought they were talking about the 49ers for a while, and when I heard they were saying “one-niners” I again smiled.  The numbers one and nine have also been a part of the entire coincidence thing.

14  I could go on. I loved Dyer’s book. One morning last year I was still spinning from the time I couldn’t remember the ending I had thought out for a play I was working on called Lovebirds.

15  I had put the project down when I went to Camp Everytown, and when I returned I couldn’t remember what my plan was for the ending of the play. I had already put it into rehearsal, so the students needed me to get an ending written so they could begin memorizing. And I had thought of a good ending, but forgot it after Camp E.

16  The night I got home, my internet was down. I picked up the hard copy of the play, which I brought with me to the camp, and re-read what I had written. I got to the point where a couple was arguing and then pulled up a blank.

17  Couln’t remember the ending. I decided to click on the television and curl up with my notebook and relax in hopes the ending might come back. When the television clicked on, up came an immediate picture, all blurred. At first I thought there was something wrong with the set, but it turned out to be the 3D episode of a show called Medium. Within seconds, I became stunned.

18  Vincent Van Gogh came on, talking about murder and stuff, and Starry Night started flashing in and out. Instantly I remembered that the ending to Lovebirds involved a scene in which Van Gogh’s Starry Night came up in conversation with the two characters.

19  My ending instantly came back because the entire ending centered around that conversation. I began writing like a madman, inserting comments like “OMG this is AMAZING!” I still have the notebook.

20  A few weeks later I looked around for Dyer’s 50 cent book. I couldn’t find it anywhere.

21  It was a Sunday morning, and peacefully early. I just wanted to read a bit from it, almost for a Sunday inspiration.

22  Well, I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I did my usual default. Ijust sat back and clicked on the trusty old TV.

23  It popped on, and Dr. Dyer was instantly on the screen, giving a lecture series on PBS.

24  I was astonished. They cut to a pledge break, and when they returned, Dr. Dyer stood in fort of a backdrop.

25  The backdrop was Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

26 

27  This all really began as a means of discussing the SECOND book I had bought at the Salvation Army in Chico, a book called Future Shock by Alvin Toffler, an incredible piece written almost forty years ago.

35  They trailed 42-3 at half time. The coach brought his team into the locker room at half time and asked, “We are trailing 42-3 at half-time. Doesn’t anyone have anything to say?”

36  There was a huge silence.

37  “42-3 at half-time, and nobody has ANYTHING to say?”

38  Eddie knew when people were uncomfortable, and almost said something, but got quiet.  It was bcoming quite awkward for all the players, as well as for the coach, and the silence was deafening. Finally, Eddie smiled his somewhat wry smile and raised his hand.

39  “Well,” said the coach. “Eddie has the intestinal fortitude to share HIS thoughts with all of us. Ed, it’s 42-3 at half-time. On behalf of your team, what do you have to say? “

40  Eddie broke into a huge smile. “Coach,” he said. “Did you bring anything good to read?”

41  Thanks my wonderful friend, for all the laughs and spirit. You are very much a part of me, and a part of anyone you touched. You will be missed.

42  Welcome back, and have a great day everybody.

43  Peace.