My Great Unknown

Politics

2006-04-01T22:11:00.000-08:00

You are a
Social Liberal
(60% permissive)

and an...
Economic Conservative
(73% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Libertarian

Link: The Politics Test on OkCupid Free Online Dating
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

...And there it went again

2006-03-21T13:41:00.000-08:00

Well, both of the jobs that I was called and asked to apply for turned up bust. So once again I am back to the drawing board. I am almost ready to stop even trying to get an engineering job, what the hell is the point anymore. I will keep socking money away to open my coffee shop, but that is still a few years off.

Here we go again

2006-02-27T12:56:00.000-08:00

Here we go again. It is time for more job interviews. I got two calls last week from headhunters looking to set me up with some companies. The first one was wanting me to work as a field engineer for an oil company. That job will be stateside, but I will have to move out west. The second job is for a company in Alcoa. They make airbags for cars. The first one pay much more than the second, but it will take me away, but I am going to check out both places and decide from there. Who knows maybe that job out west is what I need right now...

Fuck You World

2006-02-19T08:07:00.000-08:00

Thats right I said it, FUCK YOU WORLD!

How much more would you like to shit on my life now? Is this a hobby of yours? I must be a great amusment to you. There were only two things I wanted in life, a family and the career to be able to support them with. Lets see, yep I'm twenty six and don't have either, and you keep shitting on any chance for me to have them.

Lets start with the most important one to me, family. I would just like to personaly like to thank you for nothing. Not only am I one of the most socialy inept people you created, you keep sending me situation where I am doomed to fail from the start. All I asked for was to meet the right person and have a chance, but no, I guess that would take away your amusment at my failures.

On to point number two. A career, I spent six years in college working on an engineering degree just to be told that, "sorry we only want people with experience". What the hell, I try to make the best out of my situation, but it is kind of hard when I am constantly reminded of what a failure I am delivering pizza with a degree in engineering. And then when I get finaly get an idea for my own business you tease me with an engineering job, but then wait, I would have to leave everything I care about and go work in an oil field. Thanks a bunch.

So I have spent most of my life trying to help others, caring about their problems, being a friend when they needed one, and trying to do the right thing. So when the hell does it become my turn? Or is that too much to ask?

So on a closing note let me reiterate, FUCK YOU WORLD!

:edit:
Upon reading this later in the day it has come to my attention that it seems a little harsh. But this is what I really felt when I woke up this morning. To some extent this is what I have been feeling for the last two years, but this morning I decided to get it off my chest.

DON'T SQUAT WITH YOUR SPURS ON: A COWBOY'S GUIDE TO LIFE

2006-02-13T11:22:00.000-08:00

-Don't never interfere with something that ain't botherin' you none.

-If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.

-Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.

-There's more ways to skin a cat than stickin' his head in a boot jack and jerkin' on his tail.

-Some ranchers raise pigs and some will even admit it. Either way, they're raisin' pigs.

-The easiest way to eat crow is while it's still warm. The colder it gets, the harder it is to swaller.

-Never smack a man who's chewin' tobacco.

-If it don't seem like it's worth the effort, it probably ain't.

-It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.

-The biggest liar you'll ever have to deal with probably watches you shave his face in the mirror every morning.

-Never ask a barber if he thinks you need a haircut.

-If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.

-Don't worry about bitin' off more'n you can chew. Your mouth is probably a whole lot bigger'n you think.

-Always drink upstream from the herd.

-Generally, you ain't learnin' nothin' when your mouth is a-jawin'.

-Tellin' a man to go to hell and makin' him do it are two entirely different propositions.

-Generally speakin', fancy titles and nightshirts are a waste of time.

-Trust everybody in the game, but always cut the cards.

-If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.

-If you're gonna go...go like hell. If your mind's not made up, don't use your spurs.

-Never kick a fresh cowpie on a hot day.

-After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: when you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

-Never drop your gun to hug a grizzly.

-When you give a lesson in meanness to a critter or a person, don't be surprised if they learn their lesson.

-The best way to have quiche for dinner is to make it up and put it in the oven to bake at 325 degrees. Meanwhile, get out a large T-bone, grill it, and when it's done, eat it. As for the quiche, continue to let it bake, but otherwise ignore it.

-There's two theories to arguin' with a woman. Neither one works.

-When you're throwin' your weight around, be ready to have it thrown around by somebody else.

-Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier 'n puttin' it back.

-Always take a good look at what you're about to eat. It's not so important to know what it is, but it's critical to know what it was.

-The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket.

-Never miss a good chance to shutup.

Jonathan Was Killed By...

2006-01-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I know this one is kind of morbid, but some of the responses were really damn funny. This is another google trick. Just type in "(your name) was killed by" and see what comes up.

"Jonathan was killed by"...

a mysterious man called "The Shadow Master"
treachery in 143 BC
a rocket-propelled grenade
a ruse by the men of Acre
a schizophrenic
Sampson after he offered Sampson a ride
a Hizbollah rocket seven years ago
an IRA bomb
a band of highwaymen
police gunfire

and my personal favorite...

Hunter S. Thompson, who attacked him without provocation as he was typing this message

To all the women who say they can never find a "Nice Guy"

2005-12-27T14:16:00.000-08:00

A quick note before you begin:
I did not write this, I found it on the net, but I think it give an accurate depiction of real life (at least through the eyes of us nice guys).

Tribute to Nice Guys.....vindication for us at last!

This is a tribute to the nice guys. The nice guys that finish last, that never become more than friends, that endure hours of whining and bitching about what assholes guys are, while disproving the very point. This is dedicated to those guys who always provide a shoulder to lean on but restrain themselves to tentative hugs, those guys who hold open doors and give reassuring pats on the back and sit patiently outside the changing room at department stores. This is in honor of the guys that obligingly reiterate how cute/beautiful/smart/funny/sexy their female friends are at the appropriate moment, because they know most girls need that litany of support. This is in honor of the guys with open minds, with laid-back attitudes, with honest concern. This is in honor of the guys who respect a girl’s every facet, from her privacy to her theology to her clothing style.
This is for the guys who escort their drunk, bewildered female friends back from parties and never take advantage once they’re at her door, for the guys who accompany girls to bars as buffers against the rest of the creepy male population, for the guys who know a girl is fishing for compliments but give them out anyway, for the guys who always play by the rules in a game where the rules favor cheaters, for the guys who are accredited as boyfriend material but somehow don’t end up being boyfriends, for all the nice guys who are overlooked, underestimated, and unappreciated, for all the nice guys who are manipulated, misled, and unjustly abandoned, this is for you.
This is for that time she left 40 urgent messages on your cell phone, and when you called her back, she spent three hours painstakingly dissecting two sentences her boyfriend said to her over dinner. And even though you thought her boyfriend was a chump and a jerk, you assured her that it was all ok and she shouldn’t worry about it. This is for that time she interrupted the best killing spree you’d ever orchestrated in GTA:Vice City to rant about a rumor that romantically linked her and the guy she thinks is the most repulsive person in the world. And even though you thought it was immature and you had nothing against the guy, you paused the game for two hours and helped her concoct a counter-rumor to spread around the floor. This is also for that time she didn’t have a date, so after numerous vows that there was nothing “serious” between the two of you, she dragged you to a party where you knew nobody, the beer was awful, and she flirted shamelessly with you, justifying each fit of reckless teasing by announcing to everyone: “oh, but we’re just friends!” And even though you were invited purely as a symbolic warm body for her ego, you went anyways. Because you’re nice like that.
The nice guys don’t often get credit where credit is due. And perhaps more disturbing, the nice guys don’t seem to get laid as often as they should. And I wish I could logically explain this trend, but I can’t. From what I have observed on campus and what I have learned from talking to friends at other schools and in the workplace, the only conclusion I can form is that many girls are just illogical, manipulative bitches. Many of them claim they just want to date a nice guy, but when presented with such a specimen, they say irrational, confusing things such as “oh, he’s too nice to date” or “he would be a good boyfriend but he’s not for me” or “he already puts up with so much from me, I couldn’t possibly ask him out!” or the most frustrating of all: “no, it would ruin our friendship.” Yet, they continue to lament the lack of datable men in the world, and they expect their too-nice-to-date male friends to sympathize and apologize for the men that are jerks. Sorry, guys, girls like that are beyond my ability to fathom. I can’t figure out why the connection breaks down between what they say (I want a nice guy!) and what they do (I’m going to sleep with this complete ass now!). But one thing I can do, is say that the nice-guy-finishes-last phenomenon doesn’t last forever. There are definitely many girls who grow out of that train of thought and realize they should be dating the nice guys, not taking them for granted. The tricky part is finding those girls, and even trickier, finding the ones that are single.
So, until those girls are found, I propose a toast to all the nice guys. You know who you are, and I know you’re sick of hearing yourself described as ubiquitously nice. But the truth of the matter is, the world needs your patience in the department store, your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile. For all the crazy, inane, absurd things you tolerate, for all the situations where you are the faceless, nameless hero, my accolades, my acknowledgement, and my gratitude go out to you. You do have credibility in this society, and your well deserved vindication is coming.

Happy Thanksgiving All

2005-11-24T00:57:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, I hope you are all enjoying a great Thanksgiving with your friends, family, and loved ones. Eat lots of great food, enjoy the time together, and I will catch you all later.

Jonathan needs...

2005-11-16T22:02:00.000-08:00

Thank you Brooke for the idea.

The idea behind this is to type your name into Google and the word needs. Take the top ten results and share with everyone.

"Jonathan Needs..."
1) an experienced, skilled family that is understanding of his special needs
2) to go! This on was followed by I love that Cassie is trying to get rid of Jonathan.
3) a tray to position his arms properly so he can anchor himself for fine motor control
4) to find a pit filled of punji sticks
5) to draw up a business plan to demonstrate to potential backers that his idea is a sound investment
6) to restructure his portfolio
7) to start drinking more beer
8) some help with healthy eating and exercise
9) to have the shit beat out of him
10) to move on from Tammy and get with Ava

Aparently my needs are all over the place.

A Job

2005-10-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

Well guys and gals, I am once again employed. Unfortunately it is back delivering pizza. I am running pies out in Farragut at Mario's Pizza. It is not too bad, I know the owner, and some of the crew there already. The money there is not as good as it was over at Pizza Hut, but at least I still have some money coming in. I am probably going to go out and get another job anyways, because I don't want to stay at this one long. I will keep you all updated as thing progress.

Cleaning

2005-10-20T15:16:00.000-07:00

A note to my future wife, who ever she may be.

Please I am begging you on my knees, don't make me clean the bathrooms. I will take any other cleaning duty than that. If I ever have to scrub a bathtub again I think I will kill myself. Anything but this I beg of you.

You loving future husband.

Updates on the Job market

2005-10-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

It sucks!

The interview in Athens was a wash, and the application with KUB turned up nothing. I have almost decided to get a night job for now, and go back to school and get my masters degree. This bachelors has done nothing for me. Well my emergency fund is almost empty and I have to get something, so it looks like I am back to the crap jobs.

Wish me better luck than this.

"Borrowed" Questionair

2005-10-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

Since a few of my friends and blog mates are spilling their guts with the questionair I thought I would reciprocate.

1.First grade teacher's name: Mrs. Jarbo

2. Last person you kissed: been to long

3. Last word you said: you (coming right after Thank)

4. Last song you sang: Oh Fortuna

5. Last person you hugged: been to long

6. Last thing you laughed at: radio

7. What's in your CD player: Carmina Burana

8. Who is your favorite star/s: despise them all

9. What socks are you wearing: grey

10. What's under your bed: boxes

11. Current status: At my desk

12. Current taste: sweet tea and red meat

13.Current Hairstyle: too long

14. Current clothes: tshirt and jeans

15. Current Hate: unemployment

16. Current longing: start a career and a family

17. Current desktop picture: Dogbert

18. Current worry: no job

19. Current Love: none at the moment

20. Story behind your username: which one?

21. Current favorite article of clothing: sweat pants that I sleep in

22.a. Favorite physical feature(s) on yourself: height

22.b. on opposite sex: hair

23. Last CD that you bought: buy CDs?

24. Favorite place to be: In bed

25. Least favorite place: surgery

26. Time you wake up in the morning: ~11:00 am

27. If you could play a new instrument, what would it be? Violin

29. Current favorite word/saying: “I like to con people, and I like to insult people. When I put that together I get consult.” Dogbert

30. Favorite book: The Belgariad

31. Favorite Movies: Boondock Saints

34. One person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to: Dennis Neel

35. Favorite day: currently Friday

36. Where do you want to go: Alaska

37. What is your career going to be: Good Question

38. Who is your best friend/s: Ed Morse

39. What kind of car do you have: 2004 Hyundai Tiburon

40. A random lyric: “Lift your head up high and blow your brains out.”

41. Eye Color: blue to gray to green

42. Hair Color: Brown

43. Righty or Lefty: Righty

45. Zodiac Sign: Libra

46.Innie or Outtie: Innie

47. Your heritage: Mutt

48. The shoes you wore today: tennis shoes

49. Your hair: too long

50. Your weakness: public speaking

51. Your fears: being alone

52. Your most recent secret?: don’t know, haven’t had any secrets to keep

54. Your thoughts first waking up: maybe my life will turn around this morning

55. The first feature you notice in the opposite sex: hair

56. Your bedtime: 1:00-4:00

57. Your most missed companion: Jimmy

58. Your perfect pizza: Chicago style

59. Sweet and Chewy or Salty and Crunchy: sweet and chewy

60. Single or group dates: dates period

61. Dogs or Cats: cats

62. Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: sweet tea

63. Chocolate or vanilla: Chocolate

64. Cappuccino or coffee?: cappuccino

65. Smoke: not a chance

66. Curse: sometimes

67. Sing: when I am alone

68. Take a shower everyday: most of the time

69. Have a crush: not at the moment.

71. Think you've been in love: yes

72. Want to go to college: been there, will probably have to go back

73. Want more than what you got: Doesn’t everyone

74. Want to get married: YES!!!

75.Type with your fingers in the right place: asdf jkl;

76. Think you're attractive: hopefully, but not relying on it

77. Think you're a health freak: the meatlovers pizza I am eating says no

78. Get along with your parents: Yes

79. Play an instrument: trombone

80. drink: rarely

82. Done a drug: only what the doctor made me take

83. Made Out:

84. Go on a date: yes

85. Eaten an entire box of Oreos: oh yes

86. Eaten sushi: no

87. Been dumped: yes

88. Made homemade cookies: yes

89. Caused a fire: yes

90. Gone skinny dipping: no

91. Dyed your hair: no

92. Stolen anything: from my brother

93. Had too much to drink: most definite yes

94. Been caught cheating: yes

95. Been called a tease: nope

96. Gotten beaten up: no

97. Changed who you were to fit in: no

98. Cried at something beautiful: no

99. Spent too much money on something you didnt need?: yes

100. Cried when someone died?: no

Happy Birthday

2005-10-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me.

Twenty-six year on this planet, and I still have not:
*killed anyone
*gone completely insane
*been to jail
*started a career
*married
*gone bankrupt
*found true love
*come down with an incurable disease
*run for president
*bought a house
maybe next year.

(Before you call the police and mental hospital, this is a list of good and bad things.)

Marching Band Goodness

2005-10-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

Now I did not get to stay the entire time, I missed the scores so I don't know how each band actually did. Here are my comments on each of my friends/acquaintance’s bands did.

Rachel: Johnson County – Good all around show

John: South-Doyle – Excellent show, I thought your group of kids had the best show in their class

Ed: Gibbs – I loved this show, the music selection was great, and it was a fun show

Adam: Lenoir City – I enjoyed the music selection for your show

Brooke: Greenville – Great show, your kids looked like they had a blast out there

I was also glad to hear Bearden play this year. I thought they had a phenomenal show. Personally I thought they earned first place in their class. I might be a little biased, but they really impressed me.

Now for some irritations that I am having with marching bands lately.

1) Quit using props. Let your bands be the show, you don’t need props to give a good show. With good music, and good drill your kids won’t need props to add flare.

2) Flaming batons. Too many majorettes are using flaming batons, they are overrated.

3) Sabers/swords. If you are going to have the guard tossing around sabers/swords, don’t have them catching them on the blade. That defeats the purpose of the saber, and just turns it into a stick. Have them treat them like live blades, and do all their tosses and tricks on the handle.

4) Use more of the field. These bands need to move around more. You have a football field to work on, use more of it. I don’t care how big of a band you have you can still use most of the field. For the smaller bands you can stick together, but bounce back and forth across the field, don’t just stay in the middle. For the bigger bands, form your patterns using the entire field. Play for the entire audience, not just for the people sitting between the 40-yard lines.

Once again I would like to thank Brooke for her hospitality. I can’t wait till next year’s competition, but this time I think I will bring some sunscreen (sun burn hurts). I hope to see all of you again, and good luck with the rest of your marching season.

Another Meh Job Interview

2005-09-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

I hate job interviews. It has been a year and a half since I graduated college, and I still can't get a job. I wish they had told me that I have to have co-op experience to get a job. Every single job I interview for tells me that I don't have enough experience, what the hell, how do you expect anyone to get experience if no one with hire them. It is bad enough that I can't find that many employers around here that are hiring, but the ones that are all want experience. I can do the damn job; I spent six years in college learning how to do the damn job. Just give me a chance to prove that I can do it, is that too much to ask?

Major Life Changes

2005-09-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I last posted here, and a lot of things have happened.

To start I lost my job two Fridays ago. Nine years at this place, and the current manager gets a wild hair up his ass and decides that he doesn't like me so he gets me fired. If any of you did not know I have a handgun carry permit. This permit allows me to carry a gun on my person, so I carried my gun on deliveries. The manager has known about this ever since he started there. It is technically against the rules, but he never cared, until now. So ten months after he started there, he calls up the area manager and tells him about it. Well, he then lies to the area manager and tells him he knew nothing about it, and I can't contradict him on it, because the other managers knew about it and I don't want to get them in trouble as well. Damn the catch-22. Well, to make a long story a little shorter, I have known the area manager for a while, and he only wanted to write me up, but Human Resources told him he had to fire me. So now I am looking for another job.

Loosing this job has made me reconsider my plans in life. It has forced me to relook at my priorities, and consider paths that before would have been ridiculous to me. I am now applying to Halliburton to see if I can get a contract job over in Iraq. The pay there is superb, and the positions I am applying for are ones back in the bases doing engineering or logistics, not out in the field driving trucks, or construction (those are the people getting kidnapped and their heads cut off). I still have to find a part-time job here in Knoxville to hold me over until some of the resumes and applications I have put out have a chance to get responses.

This is also putting a strain on my apartment hunting. My current lease runs out in November, and my roommates are leaving. This is forcing me to find another place (that and I hate this current place). I was really hoping to find at least one roommate by this time, but I haven't. It is looking like I will have to get a place by myself, and that is going to be a little more expensive than I am used to. I have found a decent apartment complex (just ask the Masked Mayhem), and the rent there is only $500 for a one bedroom. This is the best complex that I have been able to find for the money. I am going to take the rest of this month and try to find a roommate, but by then I will have to put in the deposit and application.

I hope all of you will keep me in your thoughts and prayers while I work my way through this period in my life. I hope I can have better news on the next update.

A New Job... Maybe

2005-08-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I think I might have found a job relatively close that was worth applying for. Texas Hydraulics in Athens TN is looking for a new engineer to help with facilities planning and layout design. According to their help wanted description they are looking for someone fresh out of college. Hopefully this will be me. Everyone please pray that I get this job, and things start to turn around for me.

Thanks everyone, I will update you as more information comes in.

Another Great Clinic

2005-08-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

My last post seemed a bit negative, and I was asked to post something a little more upbeat this time. It took me a little while, but something good finally came around.

I finally got to meet John Saylor on Saturday at a clinic he had put together here in Knoxville. I have been studying his form of jujitsu, Shingitai, for the past three years. He was a great guy, and was a lot more friendly and open than I imagined. The clinic was only for five hours, but it was a great five hours. We went over some ground fighting and submissions, then later towards the end we went over knife defense. I was a little disappointed that more people from our class at the University of Tennessee did not show up, but I had fun non the less.

Reminiscing and Regrets

2005-07-30T23:21:00.000-07:00

I am finding that I am having too much time at work alone, and it is starting to make me reminisce about my life, and I am finding out that I have a lot of regrets. Why is it that we tend to focus on the negative aspects of our past, and continuously beat ourselves up over mistakes we made in the past? I know I have done many good things through out my life, and not just good for me, but things that helped out other people. But for the life of me, I keep dwelling on the bad things I have done. I think about the wrongs I have committed on my friends that they have since forgiven me for. I think about the people I have hurt that have since absolved me of my crime. But it does not matter how much they forgive or absolve me, I can’t seem to forgive myself. Why is it we beat ourselves up so much over the petty stupid things we have done that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things? I keep thinking about how I would have changed what I did, but it doesn’t really matter. You can’t go back and change the past, you can only learn from your mistakes and don’t repeat them in the future. I know I have learned from most of my mistakes. I don’t do the same stupid things I used to do. But why can’t I stop thinking about it.

I guess what I am trying to say is, don’t get a job where you have too much time to sit around and reflect on your past. Find something to keep your mind busy on the present, or you will drive yourself crazy.

Life Plods ON

2005-07-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

Another day, and still no changes. It is days like these I wonder when my life will take a turn for the better.

What Kind of Coffee

2005-07-19T18:53:00.000-07:00

I am going to jump on the bandwagon and follow the path of some of my fellow bloggers, and tell the blogworld what kind of coffee I am.

You are a Black Coffee

At your best, you are: low maintenance, friendly, and adaptable

At your worst, you are: cheap and angsty

You drink coffee when: you can get your hands on it

Your caffeine addiction level: high

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

You know, I almost agree with this, except I must have sugar, lots of sugar in my coffee.

Ninja or Pirate

2005-07-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that some people are choosing pirates over Ninjas. This is a grossly maladjusted way of thinking. What are you people smoking? The Ninjas are much better than a lowly pirate.

Now to refute The Masked Mayhem’s reason:

1) “Pirates have adventures, ninja creep around alone.”

Ok, now where do I start with this. First off, ninjas work in squads. Sending one person out to do a mission is suicide. Each member of the squad has his/her job to do, to complete the mission successfully. Second, pirates just rob people. Once you break it down, that is all they do, woop-te-do. Ninjas get to assassinate dignitaries, kidnap royalty, you know the exciting adventures.

2) “Pirates ravage the opposite sex, ninja assassinate them.”

It is true that ninjas assassinate the opposite sex, but they don’t discriminate. Pirates also murder the people after they ravage them, so what makes it so great for them? A ninja has better class than to ravage someone before killing them.

3) “Pirates get swag (love this word), ninja get the thrill of killing.”

What, do you think that ninja do their jobs just for the thrill of killing? They do get paid for their missions. They also get to keep whatever valuables they find on their target that the customer did not specify they wanted, if they wanted anything off the target at all.

4) “Pirates get the day, ninja get the night.”

Now that is only partly true. Pirates only get the day, ninjas can work in both the day and the night. They have to be versatile, they need to be able to work at anytime, and in any conditions.

5) “Ninja blow poison darts, pirates get blown by ()#$&*@%NEVERMIND.”

Yes ninja get to blow poison darts at people, but as for the other version of blow… Have you ever seen the hot Asian women. Pirates just get stuck with the skanks they find onboard ships. Ninjas get to hunt down the princesses and harem women.

6) “Ninja throw stars, pirates sleep under them.”

Big deal, ninja get to sleep outside if they want to. Anyone can sleep under the stars. Throwing stars are just bad ass.

7) “Pirates have cooler swords.”

Wrong again. The katana is the coolest sword out there. Who would want some beater sword mass produced in Spain, when they could have a katana that was hand folded hundreds of times. One katana could cut through an entire ship’s worth of pirate swords.

8) “Pirates rock!”

No, pirates sink like rocks!

Till next time.

A Public Service Announcement: Pizza Delivery Drivers

2005-07-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

A Public Service Announcement: Pizza Delivery Drivers

Guys and Gals out there in blogland please treat you Pizza Delivery Drivers better. These guys are some of the most ragged on, under appreciated people out there.

They rag out their cars every night trying to get you your pizza on time, only to get to your door and be treated like shit. 98% of the time it is not their fault your pizza is late, or your order is wrong. It is usually the guys back at the store who can’t get things right.

The delivery drivers are paid like the waiters. They make a low hourly wage, and are expected to make their money off tips. Many people don’t know this, but the IRS expects the driver to claim a minimum of 8% of the price of your order as our tip. Therefore when you stiff the driver you are actually taking money out of his or her pocket.

The drivers pay for their own gas and car repair out of pocket. The store does not pay for this. If you think the delivery charge on your order goes to the driver, think again. That is just a gimmick that the corporate people use to pad their bottom line.

Another problem that keeps coming up is when people expect the driver to carry all the extras in their car. Think about it people, they can’t carry a cooler of drinks in case you decide to add one to the order. They also cannot carry parmesan cheese and red peppers in the car either. They will go bad sitting in a vehicle. If you ask for it when you place the order, and if the person taking the order is not an idiot and forgets to put it on the ticket, then you will get it.

So everyone, please treat your drivers well, show them some courtesy and respect. And please give them more than a buck, at least tip them 10%.

Happy Independence Day

2005-07-04T17:49:00.000-07:00

I would like to wish everyone out there a happy Fourth of July.

I would also like to wish a happy and safe fourth to my friend Spc. Shane Bellis over in Iraq. I hope you and your company finish your jobs, and return home safely. I am proud of you and what you are doing for this country.

I hope everyone remembers why we celebrate this day, and we all continue to support our country.

God bless the United States of America

Emotion or the lack there of

2005-07-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

I have come to recognize a trend developing in my nature. I am starting to feel stronger emotions in relation to the movies, anime, books, or game stories that I watch, read, or play, then I do towards actual events in real life. I cannot seem to remember the last time I cried over some event that happened in my life, but I get teary eyed over a tragic ending in a show I am watching. I realize that I am burned out at work, and need a new direction in my life, but I still think that there are enough other events in my life to make up for that emotional black hole.

Oh well, just felt the need to write out something that was rattling around in my brain. Till next time…

LANs and why we go.

2005-06-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

We guys and gals, I got back from Million Man Lan 4 and it was a blast. As usuall there were over 1000 fellow LANrs at the event this year. We were honored to have Intel be one of our sponsers the year. They were very generous and gave out many of their new high end processors as prizes.

I now have five or six new games to play. This is one of the best parts about a LAN, playing the games. I didn't take part in any of the tournements, I am not that good, but there were plenty of open server there. I will have to say that Battlefield 2 is the nicest game out on the market. The gameplay and graphics are supurb.

I have decided that it is time for a new computer. I am starting to have problems running the newer games. I have to turn the setting way down on Battlefield 2 to get it to run. But what can I say, this computer has lasted me since Lanwar 17. It is definatly time for a new one. I am thinking of making the switch over to AMD this time and trying one of their new Athlon 64 processors. Oh well, what ever I decide it is still a month or two off.

Now for the bad part of the trip. Travelocity.com overbooked our motel and we got screwed. We were supposed to stay in the Days Inn, in a nonsmoking room with two beds. When we got there, they only had smoking, single rooms. To make a long story short, after spending two and a half hours on the phone, and talking to four different people at Travelocity, who by the way got worse each time, we got moved to the Hilton Gardens right next to the convention center. I will never use nor will I recomend Travelocity.com to anyone. The second person, Adam, that we talked to was nice and tried to fix the problem, but once we were transfered to the booking department everything went to smash. The top person that we ended up talking to refused to admit fault, and was very rude, yelling at us, and almost didn't get us another hotel. Not very good customer service.

Oh well that is enough ranting and raving from me, till next time.

It may be time for a job change

2005-06-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

Well this is interesting. I just read an article that said according to the Department of Labor statistics that delivery-sales jobs (i.e. pizza delivery) which I am one of. Is the fifth most dangerous job in the United States of America.

I am thinking it is time to really start looking for another job. Lets not get confused, I am already looking for an engineering position around the Knoxville, TN area, but now I think I might want to get another place holder job while I am one my search.

Well guys and gals wish me luck.

The Greatest Camp on Earth

2005-06-19T16:52:00.000-07:00

Wow, all I can say is wow.

This has been a fantastic five days. I just got back from "The Greatest Camp on Earth", a martial arts camp in Mathews, North Carolina. We were honored to have Olympic Judo bronze medallist and World Champion, Jimmy Pedro, and World Masters Judo Champion, Igor Yakimov there to train us. There were many other instructors there, and I enjoyed their training very much. I particularly enjoyed Sensei:

Pete Perkish
Ken Nazemetz
Gerard Trawinski
Ed Byers
Michael Brown

I earned a offensive knife certification while I was there, and had a good introduction to many other martial arts. The styles I enjoyed most were:

Sambo
Jeet Kun Do
Kuntao
Hopkido

I still have not decided which part I enjoyed the most, and may never reach that conclusion. The camp has convinced me to branch out and start a striking art. I hope that it will complement my Shingitai Jujitsu training, and make me a better around martial artist. I will thank my Sensei Dr. Tyrell for taking me and the other that went to this camp. He has been the best instructor that I have ever known.

Five days of martial arts

2005-06-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well fellow readers, I am about to embark on a five day quest to the "Greatest Martial Arts Camp". Yes that is what it is called. I shall see if this is true or not, but it definatly sounds interesting. Nine of us from the University of Tennessee Knoxville Judo/Jujitsu class/club are headed to somewhere in Carolina. Don't ask me where, I don't know (good thing I am not driving). The camp is Wednesday through Sunday from 8:00am till 9:00pm. There is going to be five mats, and over twenty different styles of martial arts covered at the camp. The lessons are supposed to be around an hour long, and you just go to which ever one you feel most interested in. Well everyone wish me luck, and I hope I survive. Talk to you when I get back.

Hello to the start of my future

2005-06-13T03:20:00.000-07:00

Well it has come to my attention that I need to start my own blog. I am not sure about this format, but I am going to give it a shot. I will be using this blog as a spot to comment on things that I think will have some impact on my future, or things that interest me in the present. I will welcome any comments and suggestions that the readers may have for me. Well that is all for now, just remember that your have the biggest impact on what your future holds. (Doesn't that just sound so cliche)