I was speaking at the On Demand Show in 2002 and decided to drive down from Boston to the Javitts Center where the conference was being held. By the time I hit Hartford, it was snowing, but not enough to make the driving a hazard.

Sometime earlier that week I had hurt my back. For some reason, it is far easier to walk ten miles than to stand in a two foot area for 90 minutes while giving a speech. I was not sure how I hurt it, but I did know that it was certain to tighten up in New York. So, while I was driving I decided to pop a couple of Advil. Having finished most of my coffee, I had only a mouthful of cold grounds at the bottom with which to ingest the pills.

Now, I keep Advil in two places: one set is in my overnight bag and the other in my leather bag pack (Tumi, thankyouverymuch). I had my bag in the front with me and, while navigating the snowy conditions and trying to avoid hitting the other idiot drivers on the Merritt Parkway, I went fishing for my medicine bottle. Finally coming up with it and while keeping my hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, I opened the bottle one handed, slid out a pill, popped in my mouth and washed it down with disgusting cold coffee. The mixture hadn't hid bottom when a horrible thought came over me: Advil isn't the only thing in those bottles. There is Melatonin as well! Melatonin, in case you not know, is an herb and our bodies release it naturally. It is what tells us to sleep. Adding Melatonin to your system speeds the process. It is a natural sleep aid and one that does not make you groggy the next morning. Anywho, here I am doing automotive battle with Connecticut drivers and I might just have taken a friggin' sleep aid!

The next 2 hours were spent asking myself the same question over and over again: "Do I feel sleepy now? No. How about now? No. Now? No." It was quite a ride. Apparently, I took the right pill because my back felt better and I stayed awake for my presentation.

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