Well, I guess it was inevitable that The Artists would end early. After a nine month hiatus, strings become frayed and some brake unexpectedly. There just didn't seem to be sufficient need to go on because it could've gone on. The story was setup to go on for at least the four years the freshmen, Six and Casey, had ahead of them. But, it wasn't to be. Sometimes life just gets in the way of what you're doing.

So why give Casey HIV? I suppose to kill him off, too, so that future stories, if they are to occur, will center on stories around the Six character.

Was Casey expendable in the beginning? Probably, deep down in the subconscious, the obese kid was doomed to a horrible end.

The new story is up to chapter 2 and won't start posting until I have quite a few more considering my current state of mind.

I went to the shrink on Monday and we upped the antidepressant. Then, on Tuesday, I went to my GP for my age 60 physical and she gave me Gabapentin to control the arthritic pain I'm experiencing in my knees. Unfortunately, some of the side effects of this drug are depression (got it already), suicidal thoughts (don't want them), and arthralgia (joint pain). I don't have much faith in this drug doing anything, but doing me a great deal of harm.

Primarily, Gabapentin is a seizure drug, but one of its side benefits is easing nerve pain. Of course, no one knows how this drug actually works, since human experimentation is somewhat limited due to legal and ethical issues about killing lab humans for immediate dissection. From what I read Gabapentin is structually similar to some of the neuro transmitters, but doesn't seem to interact with them. Also, it isn't metabolized by the body. It easily slips through the renal system in its original form as if unused by the body. However it does seem to calm the brain and provide relief for pain. Somewhat like most of the antidepressants I've taken. All you have to get through the side effects.