The 3 Stooges and Fried Eggs

OK, what does the story I’m about to tell about the 3 Stooges and fried eggs? I’ll get to that in a moment. But in an earlier story I gave an account of my first only experience of “dropping acid”, or taking LSD in August of 1973. At the time, I had never done a drug of any kind and drinking alcohol was minimal. But one of my Navy buddies offered this tiny little piece of paper to stick under my tongue. I had no idea how much this blotter acid would effect my brain and thinking. It wasn’t a “bad trip”, but it wasn’t exactly great the whole time either. After that experience I promised I would never do it again. I have learned in life to never say “never”.

Fast forward a little over 2 years. In the fall 1975 I was sent to Oakland, California to attend US Navy Lab School.

I lived in the barracks and by this time my tolerance to drinking had gotten pretty strong, but I  had not done any drugs since the 1973 instance. One night me and my roommate (Lupe Gonzalez) were just hanging out in our room and one of the other guys came in and out of the blue offered us some LSD. It was exactly the same kind I had taken 2 years earlier…a type of blotter acid. Yeah, I know I said I would never do it again. But I thought I would give it one more chance since I knew more of what to expect during the experience.

So Lupe and I took the tiny piece of paper and stuck it under our tongue and waited for the effects to come. Just like the first time, first a really mellow sensation came over us, then a more surreal experience with some hallucinations and colors and then finally the last phase…it was more of an irritable phase with some of the residual effects of the first two phases. Regardless of the phases, it was near impossible to sleep so were up all night long.

Come morning, both Lupe and I were hungry so we headed down to the chow hall at the hospital. I remember as we got in front of the hospital I looked up and it seemed like the hospital reached into the heavens and to a point…strange, but that’s what I saw.

We finally got to the cafeteria/chow hall and there was a line. There were several servers behind the chow line to take orders, fix your plate, make waffles and cook eggs. Lupe and I were just making small talk while we stood in line and when it became my turn, the guy behind the counter asked me what I wanted. I looked up at him and I SWEAR on his face was two fried eggs with the yellow yolks in the area where his eyes were supposed to be…just like on the 3 Stooges show.

I nudged Lupe to tell him about the guy with the “fried egg face” and I was laughing so hard I could barely get any sound out. I could NOT stop laughing and every time I’d look at that guy, EGGS WERE IN HIS EYES!!! I punched Lupe again, and I’m still laughing so hard I could barely catch my breath…Lupe never found it funny. I finally figured out later he wasn’t laughing because I was the only one seeing the “fried egg face” guy.

And I ain’t done no acid since!

(NOTE:  Funny thing is that now they are experimenting using LSD for people with depression and anxiety…especially hospice patients).