For the past couple days homesickness and joblessness have been wearing on me. I've been feeling down about the fact that I can't seem to find a job that I couldn't have gotten without 4 years of expensive education. I had small hopes in the fact that I was going to get my alternative teaching certification and become a teacher. Today though, I found out that the teaching job I was gunning for seems to have been filled. This means that even if I get into the program, it means nothing. I can't get certified. I can't get a job teaching. Basically I would pay almost $400 in testing and application fees for nothing. This was completely disheartening.
Tonight I didn't have the urge to play videogames or even write. I found myself reading "The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith." (The director of some of my favorite flicks, Clerks (I and II), Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma as well as the creator of the well known Jay and Silent Bob characters.) This is basically his day by day blog put into a book. Most of it is a behind the scenes look at Hollywood and film making as well as some great rants against some famous folk. Each day usually starts with him taking his morning crap and ending with him watching Tivoed Simpsons while playing online Poker. However at one point in the book, he discusses one of his best friend's (Jason Mewes AKA Jay) heroin addiction because of an inaccurate portrayal and belittling of the events by a magazine.
Jason Mewes (and Kevin Smith, Smith's family, and the duos friends) went through hell during his battle with addiction. Jason promised many times over that he would become sober, and many times over the demons would take the best of him. Jason came from a fatherless, heroin addicted mother, household and was mostly on his own for much of his childhood. He was straight edge (no drugs, no booze, no cigarettes, and no girls, but mostly because he'd freeze up around them according to Smith) until he was somewhere around 18. Smith went to film school in Canada and came back to find a partying Mewes.
Mewes was arrested, went through various rehabs (thanks to Kevin Smith and Ben Afflect fronting the money for it) but nothing ever stuck. It wasn't until, but the advice of one of Jason's counselors, Smith let him hit rock bottom. Rock bottom was living in an apartment with no electricity fighting over a twinkie with his junkie girlfriend. Mewes went to Jersey, where there was a bench warrant for his arrest and turned himself in. The Judge gave him six months in rehab or two years in jail. Ever since Mewes has been sober and hasn't wanted any sort of drug.
Why did this make me feel better about myself? Because my demons are as insignificant as not finding a job right away to my liking. I still have 50 years of life to get my job eventually. Granted, I wanted it sooner rather than later, but this will allow me to pursue at my own pace. Its not like not having the great job I dreamed is going to land me on the street without any teach, snorting cocaine or Oxycotins. So thank you Jason Mewes. Through your triumphant overcoming of drugs, I feel better about my post degree life. I look forward to the next Kevin Smith film (which I assume Jason will be in) where I will laugh and love these two people that I somehow feel I've become close to thanks to the movies, podcasts, and books that I constantly devour by Kevin Smith.
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