Darling you gotta let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are mine
I’ll be here ’til the end of time
So you got to let me know
Should I stay or should I go?

Always tease tease tease
Siempre - coqetiando y enganyando
You’re happy when I’m on my knees
Me arrodilla y estas feliz
One day is fine, next is black
Un dias bien el otro negro
So if you want me off your back
Al rededar en tu espalda
Well come on and let me know
Me tienes que desir
Should I stay or should I go?
Me debo ir o que darme

Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
An’ if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know

This indecision’s bugging me
Esta undecision me molesta
If you don’t want me, set me free
Si no me quieres, librame
Exactly who’m I’m supposed to be
Diga me que tengo ser
Don’t you know which clothes even fit me?
¡§saves que robas me querda?
Come on and let me know
Me tienes que desir
Should I cool it or should I blow?
¡§me debo ir o quedarme?

Should I stay or should I go now?
¡§yo me frio o lo sophlo?
If I go there will be trouble
Si me voi - va ver peligro
And if I stay it will be double
Si me quedo es doble
So you gotta let me know
Me tienes que decir
Should I stay or should I go?
¡§yo me frio o lo sophlo?

The Clash

Ah, The Clash. No finer punk band in the history of Rock 'N Roll. Those boys knew their stuff. And it was a great time for me as well. When the album Combat Rock came out in 1982, I was twenty-one years old. I was a third-year pharmacy student. In the third year of my relationship with my then highschool sweetheart. And like all college kids.....I knew everything. I was rebel exemplified. In short, I was a real pain-in-the-ass.

Oh, right. This is a football related blog. Sorry about my Bloody Mary induced flashback!

As promised a few days ago, there will be topics to discuss this Vikings off-season. Probably more than once or even twice. So let's start off with the hot topic of Randy Moss even being in purple next year.

Lots has been made in the last week about a trade to Washington, or Arizona, or Oakland. We'll hear more. And I'm sure when pressed by the media the Vikings will deny that any such talks are taking place and blah-blah-blah. We all know that everyone has a price. Offer up enough in the way of defensive help and or draft picks and you bet your pierced nipple the team will listen.

Well, let me throw another possibility your way. With receiver David Terrell's Friday arrest likely to push Bears G.M. Jerry Angelo past the breaking point as to the underachieving and erratic 2001 first-round draft pick, inside word from my bud the Bear Man (Photo from 2001), that the Bears are hoping to trade out of the No. 4 overall spot, and select USC receiver Mike Williams with a lower pick.

First, of course, the Bears would need to find a trade partner. And in a year when a clear-cut top five picks might not emerge, it might be difficult for Chicago to find someone who'll make the jump for a guy who isn't head-and-shoulders above the rest, especially since the slotting process will require the team that selects from the four spot to give their pick a commensurate financial package.

The Bears also remain very interested in the Marty Booker situation in Miami. If new coach Nick Saban opts to release Booker, who was sent by the Bears to the Fins as part of the Adewale Ogunleye trade, Angelo will be interested in bringing Booker back.

The challenge, of course, will be to make Marty forgive and forget the abrupt manner in which the team communicated to him the fact that he'd been traded. Booker was very upset with the team at the time, and our guess is that he won't be inclined to return -- especially if the Vikings come calling for his services after the seemingly inevitable trade of Randy Moss.

So, Moss would be traded for some top defensive help and maybe a pick or two. And the Vikes would end up with Nate Burleson and two former Bears (Booker and Marcus Robinson) as the top three WRs. I might be able to live with that actually. Might.....as I really don't want to let Moss go.

Should I stay or should I go, indeed! I think I'll make me a batch of seafood curry using scallops, swordfish, grouper, and shrimp. Sip some imported wine. Bring out the port and select cheese for dessert. Do some pondering. You do the same and get back to me. Leave a comment. I might actually respond. This indecision’s bugging me........

From the Sidelines

If you didn't already know, I am a Licensed Drug Dealer (LDD). Licensed in four states as a matter of fact. Virginia, Texas, North Dakota (don't ask!) and Minnesota. And LDD is my funny way of letting people know that I am a pharmacist. I quit the retail racket of weekends, 12-hour days with no breaks, and working holidays waaayyyyyy back in 1997. In 1997 I became gainfully employed by the evil pharmacy benefit managers. I'm the guy who gleefully restricts the number of Viagra tablets Grandpa can get and raise your copay each January. And relish in it.

Then came THE REMODEL. Added 1200 square feet of cherry cabinets, Sub-Zero refrigerator, hardwoods floors, storage space, plasma TV, and God-knows-what-else to our humble abode. Oh yeah, about this time I decided I need a BMW also. What the hell, I was doing my part to help stimulate America's economy. Then came the bills.

So it was back to occassional relief at one of your finer retail pharmacies. I now work one to two nights a week to make ends meet. Time goes quickly and the money is good. But there are times I recall why I quit retail in the first place. Such as patient etiquette. Here is one man's tongue-in-cheek guide on how to make me feel extra special and love you, the customer, even more:

1) Be sure to stare at the pharmacist while your prescriptions are being filled. Staring at the pharmacist makes him or her work faster.

2) Never remember the name of the medications that you want refilled. By calling it "the little white pill," you are sure to receive the correct medication.

3) When calling in eight prescriptions or more, always arrive at the pharmacy to pick them up within 10 minutes. It is OK to hurry the pharmacists; if they make a mistake, it won't kill you or anything.

4) Feel free to ask the pharmacy staff for the exact price of your prescription before it is filled. The staff should know every co-pay for every insurance plan.

5) Always ask how long it will take to fill a prescription. If you're lucky, you will get it for free if it's not ready in 30 minutes or less. Also, be sure to keep asking if the prescription is ready every five minutes - pharmacists often keep prescriptions to themselves after they are filled just to tick you off.

6) Be sure to complain about the co-pay. The co-pay is set up on the whim of the pharmacist and has nothing to do with the insurance company.

7) It is not necessary to present your insurance card - or even know the name of the company. Pharmacists are psychic and know everyone's insurance.

8) Upon calling in a refill on a maintenance medication without refills, always question why the doctor has to be called when you've taken the same medication for years. It is only a myth that prescription medications have to be ordered by doctors.

9) Always question why the insurance company is so concerned about your getting Prilosec 10 days too soon. After all, you are paying $5.00 for it and that's all it costs.

10) Over-the-counter displays are put there in order to entertain your children. Please encourage them to play with any item and even open one or two.

11) Make sure you save all your old prescription cards. One of pharmacists' favorite games is to guess which one is current.

12) When you call in a prescription, just say, "Can I have my pills filled?" You can be sure the pharmacist will recognize your voice and know which medication you want.

13) Pharmacists are some of the few people whose ears work independently. So when you see a pharmacist on the phone, feel free to just start talking - his free ear will hear everything.

14) The pharmacist is the only person in the store who is really capable of writing down your refill numbers, so when you call, demand to speak to the pharmacist.

15) Try to do all of your pharmacy business on a Monday. The pharmacist will appreciate it.

16) Another pharmacist favorite is to have a patient walk up and ask, "Can I pick up my prescription?" Guessing who you are is another pharmacist game.

17) When there are several people ahead of you near the pickup counter, always stand right at it. The pharmacist will know how important you are and fill your RX first, and, if not, you can listen to juicy patient-pharmacist conversations.

18) If you are not asked for your insurance card, it means that the pharmacist wants to fill your prescription and then, after you are told how much it is, you can shout, "I have insurance!" The pharmacist will be glad to do it all over again.

19) When you need a really old prescription filled, tell the pharmacist that you have a standing order for it. This works especially well if the doctor who wrote it is dead.

20) When you get a new insurance card, make sure that you keep it a secret. The pharmacist would rather phone your old company to find out why your RX is being rejected.

21) When you drop off a refill bottle, tell the pharmacist you'll pick it up either today or tomorrow. This type of clarity helps him plan his workload.

22) When you order your prescriptions and the pharmacist asks which ones, respond by saying, "All of them." The pharmacist will know.

23) When asked for the number of your prescription, respond by saying, "I don't know, you have it there." The pharmacist will know.

24) When asking for a refill on a pain medication, make sure you wait until the last one is gone and then try to call late on Friday afternoon. It will be easy to get in touch with the doctor for a new Rx.

Next week, more on the Vikings and who knows what other rant. You'll just never know with me. It's the off-season and I have to fill my time somehow!

Posted by maasx003 at January 22, 2005 04:27 PM | TrackBack