9 Lives - Drunk Stoned and Stupid to Happy Joyous and Free

First party with Phillipe, the Peruvian drug dealer. The one night that changed my life (and not in a good way) more than any other. The defining moment that would change the trajectory of my life for the next decade.

The Devil is not some red cartoonish figure with horns and a pitchfork. The Devil isn't red at all. The Devil is white. The Devil is cocaine.

It takes about 60 seconds to change everything. Once it hits you, it hooks you. It grabs you in its death grip and never lets go. It greets you with a rush of adrenaline unlike anything you've ever experienced before. 

The Devil is not red. The Devil is white. White powder. the Devil is Cocaine.

On the way to meet my father I plowed into a drug dealer... In a lucky twist of fate it was one of the rare times that I was actually sober.

In the rooms of AA we often say we're lucky we're not dead or in prison. This is my first legitimate attempt at getting my ass thrown in prison for at least 10-20. 

Every young man has a woman or two that they let get away, and they live with the regret. In this case it probably saved my life.

What happens when  you have no clue what the hell you're doing but do it anyway? From blatant, criminal defrauding of the Federal Government to flooding an entire block with sewage...But hey... I was just following orders!! 

Chad Hughes and his associates were slumlords, pure and simple. This is my introduction to the "Real" world. 

Here's where I go to work for Chad Hughes, my first guide into the world of charlatans and crooks. Let's start with a wide open sewer pipe draining underneath a house inside the ghetto. Fun and games...

Where my contracting career began and my virginity ended.