SOMBODY GET ME A DOCTOR!

The doctor says "MRI reviewed, small full-thickness rotator cuff tear seen over anterior aspect of rotator cuff. No anterior labral tear seen. Possible SLAP from 10 posterior to 1 anterior. Recommended injection of subacromial space with PT to decease pain and improve ROM. If no improvement occurs 6 weeks following above plan, consider dx scope with rotator cuff repair and possible biceps tenodesis vs SLAP debridement vs repair." What that means is I have two problems not one. The injection referred to in his recommendation is meant to relieve the pain (boy would I love that!) but it contributes nothing to the healing. I'll see the doctor in a couple weeks at which time I'll push for immediate surgery. Hey, ski season is just around the corner and I've got to have some time to recover!

The essence of life
Resides within this vessel
Fragile flesh and bone

Cranked up the tunes at my usual secluded roadside party spot and popped in "Rocks The Beer Hall", Van Halen playing first in Toronto, Canada on August 18/19, 1995, with the second half of the second disc taking place in London, UK on June 24, 1995. Absolutely great sound, in that they were in top form and the recording quality was A+! Two hours of rockin and rollin! Sammy does all his songs for the first 3 quarters of the concert, followed by classics from the Diamond Dave era. The difference between their lyrics are dramatic: Sammy puts a lot into the words such that there is a coherent theme to the songs, while with Dave its all about how it sounds. Reading Dave's lyrics often make little sense. Great concert!

Sings anothers words
Sammy recites Dave's poetry
Kicks ass either way

Dave is visceral
While Sammy is so thoughtful
But Eddie's the Man

A beautiful night, warm and largely clear skies, lightning flashing in distant clouds to the north.

After getting through this 2 CD set (at the end of which the truck battery was drained), I popped in another CD and listened to Weezer in an effort to gradually come down off the Van Halen "high". On February 12, 1995 they appeared in Paris, on France International Radio, playing six of their most popular songs at the time. This radio gig is referred to as "The Black Sessions". These guys were contemporaries of Van Halen and the music is very different, rock vs punk, both good to my ears. Based on listening to both of these 1995 sessions, Van Halen clearly played like well seasoned pros, confident and with gusto, another number 1 album having been released. They were near the top of the heap while Weezer was just emerging on the music scene. But the music scene was rapidly changing and the an apt analogy would be the dinosaurs and mammals just before the end of the Cretaceous Period. 1995 was a high water mark for Van Halen, after which the tide retreated ever since.

New generation
They grew up with the old rock
Take it up a notch

Upstarts on the rise
Snatch the crown from the big boys
Junior takes the stage