12-31-02

My new years eve plans just went to Kansas, without me. Fuck you zios for making me work. Hopefully I can crash someone else's party at the last minute. Anyway, the new LOTR flick is quite tight. LONG, but very good. I wish I was an elven prince. I mean, Legolas is a PIMP in that flick. Just look at this image, see what I mean? How can you not respect that? HUH? (thanks to little Zach for the link to that image, and thanks to whichever SA forum goon made it in the first place).
Well, yeah, I still miss my girl, like a WHOLE LOT. I got to talk to her the other night, she woke up at 6am to call me from London so she wouldn't wake me up by calling later, which I thought was one of the coolest things that anyone has ever done for me. The sad thing is, it just made me miss her worse. Ok, well, Happy New Year to Kat who will be celebrating it in Paris in about two and a half hours, and Happy New Year to everyone else who reads this, who will be celebrating in about nine and a half hours. Don't drink and drive or I'll kick your ass personally. Go listen to the new Foo Fighters cd, its really grown on me. I'm out, gotta go get ready for work, but drop a line in the forums if you're reading this, I'm curious who all reads this anymore, especially with the recent deaths of several of the blogs that I read, such as Joe's.

Now go, discuss amongst yourselves in the forums.

12-29-02

I miss my girlfriend. It hit me hard the past few nights, because I'm used to coming home from work and immediately talking to her online, and whatever shit has gone down, it always makes me happier just to know she's there. If she's not online, then she's in town, and I'd be at her house, or she'd be here. If she's in Norman (OU) though, she's online. If she's at her dad's house, she's online. It just always made getting off work that much sweeter. It was the reward at the end of the long shift. However, in Europe, she doesn't exactly have access to AIM all the time. No contact at all with her for several days now, and that's just TOUGH. I hope she's having a blast though, I'm glad she went. She'll remember this trip for the rest of her life, its not everyday you get to go backpacking across Europe, but I still miss the hell out of her. Anyone out there reading this, give me someone to talk to, it would be appreciated.

Now go, discuss amongst yourselves in the forums.

12-26-02

So, apparently I still have a soft spot for Jet Li movies. I still remember watching a badly dubbed Jet Li movie for the first time with my friends about a year ago and just... not getting it. Just didn't enjoy it, couldn't appreciate it, I totally admit it. I don't know when it happened, but now I love the cheesiness of it, I love the bad dubbing, I love the fight scenes. I think its totally a guy thing, watched "Twin Warriors" with my dad, and loved it. I need to pick up Fist Of Legend on DVD, its always been one of my favorites. I mean, I love the "finished" feel to his American movies, but for just plain great Kung Fu, check out Fist Of Legend. But honestly, I'm not entirely sure WHAT the appeal is to a Jet Li flick. The stories generally suck, the acting is horrid, and the budget is usually like four hundred bucks total, but DAMN that boy can fight.
You know, Kat just got on a plane this afternoon, and already I miss her. I swear, she has the best setup ever, she always leaves me wanting more every time I see her. 16 days. I won't see her for 16 days. Two weeks from this coming saturday, at 11pm, she flies back from Europe. I have seen her in person at least once a week since October, and I've talked to her every day on AIM or the phone since like June, I have no idea how I'm going to handle not having any contact with her for over two weeks. I mean, she says she'll call, but it could be damn difficult AND expensive to try and call from Europe, so I doubt it'll be much. I mean, I miss her already, and there is no doubt in my mind its going to get worse. It kind of scares me just how deeply I care for this girl, and how much she cares back. I mean, honestly, the only thing that I genuinely want is to see her everyday. I don't care about much of anything else. If I get fired from work, I'll get another job, most of my favorite people have left already. If I flunk out of TU, I go to OU, big friggin' deal. I mean, pretty much anything else that happens to me, I can work around, I can bounce back from. But I don't want to lose this girl. She brings out a side of me that noone has ever really brought out... a caring side. She has single-handedly made me soft, and she hasn't even done anything besides smile at me. I'm just a happier person due to her. When I get around her, I'm never angry, I never have that "core of angry" that I feel like I've run off of for years. I know for a fact that you can back to the beginnings of this blog and read the entries, and you will see a STARK difference. Everything I posted back then was me being angry at something, bitching about something, or coming down pretty hard on myself for one reason or another. Now the only thing I seem to want to write about is just how much I love this girl. I know I'm falling hard here, probably too hard, but I don't care. I really don't, because she feels the same way. She's unlike any girl I've ever met, and I'm just not going to let her get away.

Now go, discuss amongst yourselves in the forums.

12-25-02

Merry Christmas to everyone reading this. Kathrin made mine the best ever, and I hope you guys all had equally good times. Take care.

12-24-02

Holy shit, its been a week already since I updated, and WHAT a week its been. Lets see.... in two and a half days I spent 25 hours on the clock at Zios. I've been at the airport before 5am. I've traded Christmas presents with Sharon (she got me a TIGHT shirt, and a toothbrush with a naked girl on it!) I've taken two cumulative finals, and gotten my grades back on the other four. Speaking of.... I have FOUR A's so far, with two classes to go (calc3 and philosophy). Do you remember way back when I started this blog, I said I would have to leave TU after this semester because I wasn't going to make 4 a's and 2 b's in my classes? Well, somehow, I did it! I'm extremely proud of myself for that one, and I feel like bragging. I took 18 hours at TU, as a commuter, worked 20-30 hours a week, and spent nearly every weekend with Kathrin, and I STILL made at least four A's. Boo-yah! Yeah, I'm an arrogant prick, but on this one, I feel I deserve it.
You know, I'm really not looking forward to Christmas this year. But Zach, you say, what about all the christmas spirit? No tree, no family coming in town, no lights on the house, no special food, no decorations inside, even no stockings. We made a fire today, does that count? Plus I've already bitched about how the people that are important to me are leaving, I'm really not pleased about that one. Actually, I'm just in a plain bad mood right now. I'm tired. I'm tired of being busy 24-7, I'm tired of my job, I'm tired of fighting with my folks, and I'm tired of not seeing the girl I love. Speaking of, she got in town tonight, which makes me happy, but I can't go see her cause of the roads, which makes me VERY unhappy. At least I get to see her tomorrow.
Little Zach hooked me up with a GREAT song, Evanescence- Bring Me To Life. I dig it a lot, give it a shot. I've also still been listening to a lot of Chevelle, which I also dig a lot. Sorry its been a week, I'm sure I'll update more after Christmas, I won't have much else to do. I'm sure I'll be in a better mood then, too. Later.

The forums are nice, try giving them a shot.

12-17-02

Chevelle - Wonder What's Next = AWESOME CD. Thanks to Rocky for recommending the band to me, and thanks to little Zach for having the CD on his ftp. I'm going to have to legally buy this cd after Christmas. I know I've explained this before, but if I respect a band, and they aren't MASSIVE, I will actually BUY the cd.
"But Zach, why buy it if you can burn it?"
Good question you ask, my money-deprived friend (or one of my "voices," I dunno which one for sure, hehe). Anyway, the basic reason is this: if you don't buy the cd's of the smaller bands, they won't make another one. For a band like Incubus, U2, any of the BIG bands, they don't need your money. They'll keep make music until their ego's get too big. But bands like Chevelle? TRUSTcompany? Apartment 26? Caroline's Spine? The All-American Rejects? Well, hell, if you enjoy their music, BUY IT! Some things are worth paying for, and the possibility that they will make more, and the fact that they deserve to be rewarded for what they HAVE made, is motivation enough for me. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm on a limited budget here too. The last CD I BOUGHT was Blindside's Silence, I think a few months ago, and I don't regret it one bit. I had been holding off on new music simply because there wasn't much that I wanted. Now, there finally is. And there is LOTS: Audioslave, the special edition of P.O.D.'s Satellite, The Notwist, TRUSTcompany, new Foo Fighters, new Spine (if it exists, I'm still not entirely sure it does), etc.
"But Zach, why wait until after Christmas?"
Also a good question, and I don't have nearly as good of an answer, because, honestly, no one I know will give me much of anything. Heh, my parents just last night finally asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and only because I asked them what THEY wanted, and I couldn't tell them, beyond the P.O.D. DVD, because I felt bad having them spend money on me, cause they don't have any for themselves. Christmas this year is gonna suck. We're a week away and there is no tree, no decorations whatsoever, and I believe I'm the only one who has even done any Christmas shopping. I guarantee my little sister hasn't, and since my folks just now asked, I would seriously doubt they have either. The only grandparent I have left pretty much stopped with the gifts once I turned 18, and for some reason we're estranged from my aunts and uncles. Plus my older sister recently declared Bankruptcy (long story), and the only one of her kids old enough to buy anything for me has already agreed we aren't getting anything for each other this year, so family gifts prolly equals one DVD. Yeah, lack of money=lack of gifts, but its cool, I'm not left wanting for anything. I know it sounds cheesy, but I'm happy with what I have. I mean, I'd LIKE a few more CD's, but I can always download them until I can afford them. But when I think of things I would REALLY want, right NOW, only one comes to mind, and I'll see her in two days. Granted, its only for a few hours, but hey, at least I get to see her. Jeez, I'm depressing myself here, I started writing this in a great mood, and the gifts thing didn't bother me, it was something I had accepted a long time ago, but I'm just realizing that the WHOLE Christmas experience is gonna suck this year, my dad even leaves town on Christmas Day (for several days), my girlfriend leaves the day after (for 16 days), and my best friend leaves this Friday and won't be back in town until New Years. Shit, I gotta go study some Calc before I bum myself further.

I feel like waxing poetic today. Or maybe nostalgic. Or maybe just lazy and not wanting to study calc 3. Meh.
I miss programming class. Senior year of high school programming class. Take my favorite teacher ever, stir in all of my friends at the time, cover with computer games, and bake for an hour, every day. It was a can't-miss recipe. I remember Joe and I dominating at counterstrike every day that Paul Sheckarski didn't play. Then the days when he did, and eveyone cussing at skippy cause he was just so damn good. I remember Elliott Poston skipping his fourth hour to come play with us, and us all getting pissed cause he kept sniping. Unless he was on your team, THEN he was your best friend. I remember us all cheating on the programs so we could play more counterstrike. I remember half the class getting caught, and getting a slap on the wrist. I remember stealing Fisher's administrator password, and using it FAR too frequently. I remember bringing multiple copies of counterstrike to reinstall every week when Fisher wiped the computers. I remember knowing the name of every kid in there, both their real names and their in-game names. I remember getting a B instead of flunking. I remember Fisher being lazy and sending us around the building to fix all the broken computers during class time. I remember Joe and I starting a counterstrike clan to pay homage to Mr. Fisher, and everyone wanting to be in it. I remember that class being the highlight of my day. On the whole, I don't miss high school a bit. I hated the majority of my classes, and hated Ms. Panke with a passion, and it was boring, But I miss that programming class. I miss the fact that noone will ever get to do it the same way we did, since Fisher now works in the administrative building instead of teaching. I have been back to Jenks once since I graduated, to enroll my little sister, and there was only one thing I wanted to make sure I did while I was there. I had to stop by and shake Mr. Fisher's hand.

The forums are nice, try giving them a shot.

12-15-02

Word association!
Kathrin=The only person who when I'm not touching I feel like less of a person.
New Star Trek movie= The shiznit. and yes, I may be seriously biased here.
Sharon=A good friend, who should never feel bad about calling me.
Olive Gardem=mmmmmmmm.
Get Fuzzy=My current fave comic, web or otherwise.
Little Zach=very much a younger me, and just a good kid. Stay strong man.
Stuart Turner=The most annoying little son of a bitch I've ever met. I will NOT miss him when I'm at OU.
Chevelle and Orbital=Two bands to which I owe a debt of gratitude for helping me stay awake driving home.
Joe Puma=Possibly the most inventive giver of Christmas gifts I've ever seen in action.
Quote of the weekend=This one I witnessed walking out of the Star Trek movie, and there was this group of young black women in front of us, and one of them took of running, yelling at someone to give her back her cell phone, but in a very stereotypical way. At which point one of the women asked the group "What exactly is she doing?" which was followed by "Showing how black people act in public." by another lady in the group.
Me=Not racist, I swear. I guess you just had to be there.
The drawing on my hand that says "I (heart) U" followed by "Do U?" with boxes for Yes and for No= the best reminder of fifth grade I've ever recieved.
Robert Welch=Winner of the "car" contest. I have no idea what he won, prolly nothing, but hey, thanks for playing!
Matt McDonald= A good guy, who I'm glad I got the chance to kick it with this weekend.
Assember=A dirty bastard of a course, which I have to go study for.

Lets get the forums going, they are DEAD.

12-12-02

Ok, I fixed the "where" on the picture, it came from friends of little Zach and Tyler, and little Zach is a fucking pimp, cause his FTP is where I got almost all that music. We should all bow down and worship him. Happy now, Brunno? Anyway, on a side note, you know times are tough when you realize you no longer have the soft TP.

Ahhhh.... the modern anti-smoking campaigns. Gotta love it. This picture actually came to me through Tyler, one of his friends made it. Ironically enough, I am very strongly anti-smoking, both my parents smoke, and there is something about the smell that makes me nauseous(sp?). Anyway, a topic for another day, I have something else to bitch about instead:
So, I think there is something VERY ominous about having my toughest (or second toughest, its kind of a toss-up) final at 8am on Friday the 13th. Anyway, its in CPL, and I know I've mentioned just how much I hate that class, and that its the only class I've ever had to retake, EVER. I'm just having a very hard time studying this shit, cause its straight memorization, and I do much better when I can apply it and see how it works.
I'm really slacking as far as updating, but I've been busy. Noone reads this anyway, so its not like I have a legion of people demanding an update. Actually, I don't think I've had anyone EVER ask when I was going to update again. Hmm... somehow I doubt that's a good sign. Anyway, a big thank you to Jeffrey, who has hooked me up with coupons for two free Tall ANYTHINGS at the new local Starbucks, I'm going to wait until Kat comes into town to use them though, cause I'm a cheap date.

SO MUCH MUSIC. I've gotten my hands on more music than I have time to listen to right now, and that's an AWESOME feeling. I have acquired the new Crystal Method Remix CD (damn good), the new Chevelle (also damn good), Hoobastank (meh), The Best of James Bond (I like this a LOT), Stone Sour (meh, not anything like Bother), The Sublime Greatest Hits CD(this is actually pretty cool, a great change of pace), and The Vines (dummo yet, haven't really listened to it). I've also been told to try out VAST and Flaw by Jeff, and WILL, just not tonight. Finally, I've been listening to TRUSTcompany and Audioslave a whole lot recently, and I'm having a hard time tearing myself away from those to try out the new stuff. So, after all of that, what am I listening to right now? Orbital - The Alltogether (disk one and two). Yeah, its good study music, great in the background. I'm going to leave you now with a song I think EVERYONE should give a shot, Propellerheads - On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Its inspired by the Bond song from the movie of the same name, but its redone slightly techno by the same guys who did Spybreak on the Matrix, remember that? Anyway, its a GREAT song, cause it blends old and new very well. I dig it, Kat digs it, even my DAD digs it. I'm out, gonna try and study.

Lets get the forums going, they are DEAD.

12-09-02

Relaxation is good. I spent the evening just kicking back, watching some TV, eating some cookies, and it was beautiful. On the down side, I kept wishing I was around Kathrin.... all night. I did hear an interesting quote though, in regards to being around her. I hate to steal it, but it fits, perfectly. To paraphrase, every time I'm around her, its like I'm being split in half. Half of me is on fire, feeling like the only way to put it out is to be touching her, holding her. The other half is entirely still, just perfectly happy to realize, every day, just what it is that I've found. Yeah, I'm a mushy mother fucker, but what can I say. I see things, hear things, think of things, every day, that make me think about her. That make me miss her.
Yeah, here, go test your reflexes.

December 7th was Pearl Harbor's 61st anniversary, and I didn't even realize it. I don't recall seeing it publicized, I don't recall anyone making a big deal of it, and it kind of bothers me. I wound up watching Pearl Harbor Saturday afternoon and never made the connection. The only way I realized what day it was was when a waitress at work told me. Is this the way that September 11th will be remembered in 60 years? "Huh? When? Why do WE care?" This bothers me, and I'm not sure why. I'm not an overly patriotic, or an overly sentimental guy, but I believe certain things NEED to be remembered. Pearl Harbor was a HUGE fucking deal. It changed the course of the world, brought the US into WWII, and cost a lot of lives. No, this isn't because I watched the movie, even thought it was the first time I'd seen it, its because it actually is important. I honestly think 9-11 was less of a turning point than Pearl. 9-11 was a tragedy, to be sure, but did it change the face of the world? No. Did we become involved in a major war? Heh, the "war on terror?" what a fucking joke. We created a new nation where Afghanistan once stood, but big deal, we blow up a new middle eastern country every couple of years. Kosovo. Serbia. Iraq. Twice. So, yeah, I think its important that we remember Pearl Harbor. Its the kind of thing that DESERVES to be remembered. And yeah, I think a lot of this comes from my respect for people in military service, cause I'm too much of a pussy to actually enlist, and chances are, if you're reading this, you are too. So be greateful that there are people out there willing to fight for YOU.

Lets get the forums going, they are DEAD.

12-07-02

Yeah, I'm still up. My excuse is that I'm waiting for my sister and her kids to arrive (sometime in the next hour or two) but in reality its because I can never go right to sleep after taking Kathrin home. Dunno why, just can't. Anyway, I was glad to see Rocky getting back into the updating habit, his page is always an entertaining read. I can't believe how ghetto my car is becoming. I've only had it for about 18 months, I bought it brand new, and there is so much shit I need to fix. My left rear tire has a patch in it from the nail I ran over X months ago, my front right tire is now missing a hubcap, I STILL need to replace my windshield cause it has a HUGE crack across the entire right side, and now my drivers side door lock has frozen shut. Not to mention the fact that it desperately needs to be washed. I try to take care of my car, I really do, I keep the inside pretty damn clean, but its hard to justify spending hundereds of dollars replacing these things that do not really need to be replaced. Meh, I shouldn't bitch, just decide to either buy them or not.
Kathrin's mom and her fiancee brought Kathrin into Zios tonight to see me, and I thought that was just really cool. They showed up right as I was going off the clock and they invited me to eat dinner with them. So, after finding a different shirt to wear (long story), I got to eat dinner with Kat's family, who bought me dinner. I am just damn impressed by that. Kat's family is embracing me with open arms, and I have no idea why, but I'm digging it. I'm finally getting tired here, so its time to crash, tomorrow is prolly gonna be a long day.

Lets get the forums going, they are DEAD.

12-06-02

I remember when I could write in here multiple times a day, and always feel like I had something to say. I have no idea how I did that now that I look back on it. I guess its just that this has been the week from hell, everything has sucked, but its about done, so this is a good thing. Been locked out of my car four times, my god damn car door has had its lock frozen, I've had to crawl in through the trunk when I couldn't get the passenger door to open, and somehow I lost a hubcap today. Plus I bombed my assembler test today, and I have homework due in there tomorrow, and I'm running on about 3 and a half hours of sleep. Yeah... bad day. However, I think about tomorrow night, and the fact that I get to see Kat, and it really doesn't seem nearly as bad. I know, I'm sappy, and I'm repetitive, but I have never written something in here that I didn't believe to be true, and right now I'm deliriously happy because of how in love with this girl I am. I love it when she calls me at one am just to hear my voice. I love it when I come home from a long day of school and work to find a simple IM from her saying "I miss you." I love the way her hair smells. I love the fact that she puts up with my insecurity and immaturity, and never once has complained. I've known this girl very well for at least six months now, and I have NEVER had a single argument with her. I'm bone tired, and I can't think straight, and I hurt all over, but I'm happy, and I don't give a flying fuck if its pathetic or not, and I don't care who knows it.

Lets get the forums going, they are DEAD.

12-03-02

Dave Grohl. I'm pretty impressed with the guy at the moment. Think about it, right now, this guy has FOUR albums selling well, all with different bands. The new Foo Fighters CD, Queens of The Stone Age (drums), Tenacious D (drums), and even the new (ok, yeah, its a decade old, but new to us) Nirvana. I gotta say, it seems like whatever he touches turns to gold at the moment. Not to mention the three previous Foo Fighters albums and all the old Nirvanva which are prolly all getting a sales spike at the moment. I wonder just how much that man is worth. On the topic of music, Rocky dropped a band on me out of the blue, Chevelle, and I'm duly impressed. I love hearing bands I haven't heard before, and Chevelle is just quality rock. The Transplants are also a band I've been introduced to over the past few days (Thanks Kat), and they are quite unique. Its the guy from Rancid along with Travis from Blink182/Box Car Racer on drums, and some rapper vocalist. Its unique stuff, alternating between punk, rap, rock, piano influenced, and even a little electronic help. Check out Diamonds and Guns, if you like that, you'll prolly like their cd.

Anyway, anyone who can hook me up with a good C++ compiler would be greatly appreciated, I have a program due Thursday in C++, and I haven't written in C++ since high school.

Work sucks, I hate the economy. People don't seem to understand that the only way to revive a sagging economy is to put money back into it, instead of hoarding what little we all have left. It drives me nuts, its cyclical. People don't spend money, so people don't buy products, so companies need less people to make these products, so people get laid off, so people have even LESS money. Yeah, I'm aware of the fact that that is vastly oversimplified, but its the principle of the thing. I like to think of the restaurant busniness as a fairly good indicator of the economy. People spend less during tight times. Hence- eat out less. I'm kind of scared, cause its supposed to be the busiest time of the year, but business has actually been slower than summer, and MUCH slower than last year.
Okay, this is getting pathetic, noone has posted in the forums since November 14th. Anyone who has just read this, just click here and say hi. You don't even need anything important to say, I'm just really curious who reads this. I'm out.

12-01-02

God, I SO don't want to do homework, I'm struggling to stay awake. Mountain Dew ain't helping, so I'm doubting coffee will too, cause coffee will just make me warm and content. I need some sort of aid, something chock full of caffeine or heroin or something. Meh, I'll put it on my shopping list.
1. Wal-Mart. For soda and cereal.
2. State Bank. For banking. And stuff.
3. Pedro. In the ghetto. For the "happy pills."
Yeah, I don't know what I'm saying either. Anyway, I dropped all the November posts in the archive, so if you missed a few days, and actually care what I wrote, you'll find it there. I have tons to talk about, but yet I have nothing to talk about. I have tons of quick little links I've found amusing, I have done so many fun things with Kathrin over the past six days, I only have like two weeks left at TU, and I'm digging Audioslave, The All-American Rejects, and TRUSTcompany at the moment. Go read Get Fuzzy. Check out a very odd article on The Shroud of Turin. Little Zach has a small site up, and there isn't much there yet, but you can gaze longingly at pictures of the kid, if that's your thing. Which is ok. If that's your thing, I'm not judging. More power to you. Everyone should have someone that gazes longingly at them. (freaks). Finally, I can't remember if I linked this before. Its something Tyler sent me, its all about Ricing. Ricing is essentially the principle of tweaking out your "ride" in the most gaudy way possible. The humorous thing about this site is that its done with a model car and action figures. The one of the "boyzzzz" on the right in the fifth picture makes the site worthwhile by itself. Also on the note of Ricing, Tyler has issued a challenge to point out the make/model of the following car.

I'm curious how many of y'all can guess it. We're going to have a little contest, it will run about a week, with a prize to be determined later. First person to tell me the right car, will win SOMETHING, I'm not sure what. Mebbe some space on the site, I dunno. Ether drop a line in the forums or email me.

I got to see Kat for six straight days. You have any idea how awesome that was? How happy it made me? How badly I procrastinated EVERYTHING else for the past week? Hehe, well, everything has tradeoffs. I, however, wouldn't trade this past week for anything in the world.

Ok, its only a matter of time now before I go into Kathrin withdrawl. Right now though, I have a shitload of homework that I've procrastinated all week.

Lets get the forums going, they are DEAD.