urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir Babbling, Bilging Boy Omenvoir 2009-05-02T06:52:34Z urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:3865 2009-05-02T06:52:34Z 2009-05-02T06:52:34Z <table width="350" align="center" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2"><tr><td bgcolor="#EEEEEE" align="center"><font face="Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif" style="color:black; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>You Are An ISFJ</strong></font></td></tr><tr><td bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><center><img src="http://www.blogthingsimages.com/whatsyourpersonalitytypequiz/isfj.gif" height="100" width="100"></center><font color="#000000">The Nurturer<br><br>You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal.<br>A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways.<br>In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music.<br>You find it easy to be devoted to one person... a partner who you do special things for.<br><br>In love, you express your emotions through actions.<br>Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well!<br><br>At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time.<br>You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist.<br><br>How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented<br><br>When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut</font></td></tr></table><div align="center"><a href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourpersonalitytypequiz/">What's Your Personality Type?</a></div> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:3645 2008-10-30T04:15:57Z 2008-10-30T22:52:05Z <a name="cutid1"></a><br /><br />[ ] 13 Going on 30<br />[x] 21 Grams<br />[x] 28 Days later<br />[ ] 28 Weeks later<br />[ ] 50 First Dates<br />[x] A Beautiful Mind<br />[ ] A Bronx Tale<br />[ ] A Cinderella Story<br />[ ] A Walk to Remember<br />[x ] Airplane<br /><br />Total so far: 4<br /><br />[x] Along Came Polly<br />[x] American Beauty<br />[x] American History X<br />[ ] American Pie<br />[ ] American Pie 2<br />[ ] American Wedding<br />[ ] American Pie Band Camp<br />[x] AnchorMan<br />[x] Anger Management<br />[x] Animatrix<br /><br />Total so far: 10<br /><br />[x] Army of Darkness<br />[x] Bad Boys<br />[ ] Bad Boys 2<br />[ ] BASEketball<br />[x] Bedazzled<br />[ ] Best Bet<br />[ ] Big Trouble in Little China<br />[ ] Blazing Saddles<br />[ ] Blood Diamond<br />[ ] Boogeyman<br /><br />Total so far: 13<br /><br />[x] Boondock Saints<br />[x] Bourne Identity (the original one)<br />[x] Bourne Supremacy<br />[x] Bourne Ultimatum<br />[ ] Bride of Chucky<br />[ ] Brokeback Mountain<br />[x] Butterfly Effect<br />[ ] Calendar Girls<br />[ ] Catch Me If You Can<br />[x] Chicago<br /><br />Total so far: 19<br /><br />[ ] Children of the Corn<br />[ ] Child's Play<br />[ ] Christine<br />[x] Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe<br />[x] The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian<br />[ ] Club Dread<br />[ ] Coach Carter<br />[ ] Crash<br />[ ] Cruel Intentions<br />[ ] Cruel Intentions 2<br /><br />Total so far: 21<br /><br />[ ] Cujo<br />[ ] Curious George<br />[ ] Darkness Falls<br />[ ] Dawn Of the Dead<br />[x] Deep Impact<br />[ ] Devils Rejects<br />[x] Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story<br />[ ] Dumb &amp; Dumber<br />[ ] Dumber &amp; Dumberer<br />[ ] Eight Crazy Nights<br /><br />Total so far: 23<br /><br />[ ] Elf<br />[x] ET<br />[x] Event Horizon<br />[x] Ever After<br />[ ] Evil Dead<br />[ ] Evil Dead 2<br />[x] Fight Club<br />[x] Final Destination<br />[ ] Final Destination 2<br />[ ] Final Destination 3<br /><br />Total so far: 28<br /><br />[x] Finding Nemo<br />[ ] Finding Neverland<br />[ ] Flubber<br />[x] Forrest Gump<br />[ ] Freaky Friday<br />[ ] Ghost Ship<br />[x] Gladiator<br />[ ] Gothika<br />[ ] Grease<br />[ ] Grease 2<br /><br />Total so far: 31<br /><br />[x ] Hannibal<br />[x] Harry Potter 1 <br />[x] Harry Potter 2<br />[x] Harry Potter 3<br />[x] Harry Potter 4<br />[x] Hellboy<br />[ ] High Tension<br />[x] Highlander<br />[ ] Highlander II<br />[ ] Highlander III<br /><br />Total so far: 38<br /><br />[x] Hook<br />[ ] Hostel<br />[ ] House of 1000 Corpses<br />[ ] How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days<br />[x] Hulk<br />[ ] I Am Sam<br />[ ] I Spit on Your Grave aka The Day of the Woman<br />[x] I, Robot<br />[x ] Ice Age<br />[ ] Ice Age 2: The Meltdown<br /><br />Total so far: 42<br /><br />[ ] Ice Castles<br />[x] Independence Day<br />[x] Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark<br />[x] Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom<br />[x] Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade<br />[x] Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull<br />[ ] Indochine<br />[ ] Jeepers Creepers<br />[ ] Jeepers Creepers 2<br />[ ] Joe Dirt<br /><br />Total so far: 47<br /><br />[ ] Joy Ride<br />[ ] Just Married<br />[x] Kill Bill vol 1<br />[x] Kill Bill vol 2<br />[ ] King Kong - The original<br />[x] Kingdom of Heaven<br />[ ] KingPin<br />[x] K-PAX<br />[ ] Krippendorf's Tribe<br />[x] Kung Fu Hustle<br /><br />Total so far: 52<br /><br />[x] L4yer Cake<br />[ ] Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events<br />[ ] Lilo &amp; Stitch<br />[ ] Little Black Book<br />[ ] Lone Star<br />[x] Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring<br />[x] Lord of the Rings: Return Of the King<br />[x] Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers<br />[x] Lucky Number Slevin<br />[ ] Magnolia<br /><br />Total so far: 57<br /><br />[ ] Maid in Manhattan<br />[x] Mars Attacks<br />[x] Meet The Parents<br />[ ] Meet the Fockers<br />[ ] Million Dollar Hotel<br />[ ] Miracle on 34th street - The original<br />[x] Monsters Inc.<br />[x] Monty Python and the Holy Grail<br />[ ] Mortal Kombat<br />[x] Mothman Prophecies<br /><br />Total so far: 62<br /><br />[ ] My Bosses Daughter<br />[x] Mystic River<br />[x] Napoleon Dynamite<br />[ ] Never Been Kissed<br />[x] Neverending Story<br />[ ] Night Watch<br />[ ] Nightmare on Elm Street<br />[x] Ocean's Eleven<br />[x] Ocean's Twelve<br />[x] Ocean's Thirteen<br /><br />Total so far: 68<br /><br />[ ] Old School<br />[ ] Orgazmo<br />[ ] Passport to Paris<br />[ ] Pay it forward<br />[ ] Phantasm<br />[x] Pirates of the Caribbean<br />[x] Pirates of the Caribbean 2<br />[x] Pirates of the Caribbean 3<br />[ ] Practical Magic<br /><br />Total so far: 71<br /><br />[x] Predator I<br />[x] Predator II<br />[ ] Re-Animator<br />[x] Red Dragon<br />[x ] Reign of Fire<br />[x ] Remember the Titans<br />[x] Resident Evil 1<br />[x ] Resident Evil 2<br />[ ] Resident Evil 3<br />[ ] Robots<br />[ ] Rocky Horror Picture Show<br /><br />Total so far: 78<br /><br />[x] Rush Hour<br />[x] Rush Hour 2<br />[x] Saw<br />[ ] Saw II<br />[ ] Saw III<br />[ ] Saw IV<br />[ ] Scary Movie<br />[ ] Scary Movie 2<br />[ ] Scary Movie 3<br />[ ] Scary Movie 4<br /><br />Total so far: 81<br /><br />[x] Scream<br />[ ] Scream 2<br />[ ] Scream 3<br />[ ] Secret Window<br />[ ] Seed of Chucky<br />[ ] Shaolin Soccer<br />[x] Shaun Of the Dead<br />[ ] She's All That<br />[x] Shrek<br />[x] Shrek 2<br />[ ] Shrek 3<br /><br />Total so far: 85<br /><br />[ ] Sideways<br />[x] Signs<br />[x] Silence of the Lambs<br />[ ] Sixteen Candles<br />[ ] Sky High<br />[x] Spider-Man<br />[x] Spider-Man 2<br />[x] Spider-Man 3<br /><br />Total so far: 90<br /><br />[x] Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace<br />[x] Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones<br />[x] Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith<br />[x] Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope<br />[x] Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back<br />[x] Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi<br />[x] Starsky and Hutch<br />[ ] Surviving X-MAS<br />[ ] Swimfan<br />[ ] Taxi Driver<br /><br />Total so far: 97<br /><br />[x] Team America: World Police<br />[x] The 40-year-old Virgin<br />[ ] The Cider House Rules<br />[x] The Day After Tomorrow<br />[ ] The Deer Hunter<br />[x] The Departed<br />[ ] The Fog<br />[ ] The Godfather<br />[ ] The Godfather II<br />[ ] The Godfather III<br /><br />Total so far: 101<br /><br />[ ] The Grinch<br />[ ] The Grudge<br />[ ] The Grudge 2<br />[ ] The Hills Have Eyes<br />[ ] The Hot Chick<br />[x] The Insider<br />[x] The Jacket<br />[ ] The Last House on the Left<br />[x] The Last King of Scotland<br />[ ] The Life of David Gale<br /><br />Total so far: 104<br /><br />[ ] The Lizzie McGuire Movie<br />[ ] The Mask<br />[ ] Son Of The Mask<br />[x] The Matrix<br />[x] The Matrix Reloaded<br />[x] The Matrix Revolutions<br />[x] The Notebook<br />[x] The Passion of the Christ<br />[ ] The Piano<br />[x] The Princess Bride<br /><br />Total so far: 110<br /><br />[ ] The Princess Diaries<br />[ ] The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement<br />[x] The Ring<br />[ ] The Ring 2<br />[x] The Shawshank Redemption<br />[x] The Skulls<br />[ ] The Terminal<br />[x] The Terminator<br />[x] Terminator 2<br />[x] Terminator 3<br /><br />Total so far: 116<br /><br />[x] The Usual Suspects<br />[x] The Village<br />[x] The Wedding Singer<br />[x] The Whole Nine Yards<br />[ ] The Whole Ten Yards<br />[ ] There Will Be Blood<br />[x] Titanic<br />[x] Top Gun<br />[ ] Universal Soldier<br />[ ] Waiting for Guffman<br /><br />Total so far: 122<br /><br />[ ] Walk The Line<br />[x] War of the Worlds<br />[ ] Waterworld<br />[ ] White Chicks<br />[ ] White Noise<br />[ ] White Oleander<br />[x] Willard<br />[x] Wizard of Oz<br />[ ] Wolf Creek<br />[x] X-Men<br />[x] X-Men 2<br />[x] X-Men 3<br /><br />Total: 128<br /><br />jeepgirl, you win!<br /><a name='cutid1-end'></a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:3537 2008-09-30T00:29:03Z 2008-09-30T00:29:03Z <img src="http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i203/Barnacle_Ed/112-fatherly-love.jpg" alt="" /><br /> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:3087 2008-05-08T04:45:09Z 2008-05-08T04:45:09Z Finished my "Business Plan" - supposedly our mock plan if we were going to start up our own recording studio - and it was 16 pages long.&nbsp; And yet, it still feels woefully underdeveloped.&nbsp; But I'm DONE.<br /><br />Now, all that remains:<br />- A paper for my mix due tomorrow at 10am<br />- My session mix<br />- A paper for my session mix<br />- A take-home test for Studio Business<br />- Study for and hopefully test out of Music Theory (since I have my minor already)<br /><br />All due by Friday afternoon.&nbsp; Eep!! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:3054 2008-05-05T22:48:20Z 2008-05-05T22:48:20Z roomates I am extremely stressed out right now.&nbsp; Please, add more classes and make more things due by Friday, because I have only had a small portion of my "make more things for Josh to do/pay for with money he doesn't have" desires filled today!<br /><br />I'm taking a nap, even though I should be writing my 2209381028 page paper that's due tomorrow. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:2643 2008-05-02T04:13:11Z 2008-05-02T04:13:11Z I saw a tornado that dropped debris in my yard a few years back - that was... exciting/horrifying.&nbsp; And I've been having tornado dreams lately... I guess it's appropriate after a day like today!&nbsp; I was sitting at work washing a car when the sci-fi alien-invasion chorus started up - and it seriously sounded like some NPR new-age - when Amanda called to make sure I was doing okay. (aww how sweet!) The lighting was eerie yellow and omnidirectional, and I felt strangely indifferent to the danger it posed.&nbsp; I guess more than anything, I was pleased that the weather meant I got to leave on time from work for once!!! urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:2386 2008-04-29T03:21:13Z 2008-04-29T03:29:03Z big band mix i just finished Here it is... not sure if it's 100%, but it seems decently close :)<br /><br /><br><b>My Personality</b><br><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td></td><td><div style="width:155px; height:15px;"> </div></td></tr><tr><td style="width:145px; padding-right:5px; text-align:right; border-right:1px solid rgb(150,0,0);"><div style="white-space:nowrap; overflow:hidden; font-size:12px;">Neuroticism</div></td><td style="padding:0px;"><div style="float:left; height:18px; text-align:right; background-color:rgb(255,0,0); border-bottom:1px solid rgb(150,0,0); border-right:1px solid rgb(150,0,0); border-top:1px solid rgb(255,100,100); width:23%; filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Gradient(GradientType=0, StartColor=16777215, EndColor=2130706432);"><div style="float:right; color:white; padding-right:2px; margin-top:2px; font-size:10px;">23</div></div></td></tr><tr><td style="width:145px; padding-right:5px; text-align:right; border-right:1px solid rgb(0,0,150);"><div style="white-space:nowrap; overflow:hidden; font-size:12px;">Extraversion</div></td><td style="padding:0px;"><div style="float:left; height:18px; text-align:right; background-color:rgb(0,0,255); border-bottom:1px solid rgb(0,0,150); border-right:1px solid rgb(0,0,150); border-top:1px solid rgb(100,100,255); width:46%; filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Gradient(GradientType=0, StartColor=16777215, EndColor=2130706432);"><div style="float:right; color:white; padding-right:2px; margin-top:2px; font-size:10px;">46</div></div></td></tr><tr><td style="width:145px; padding-right:5px; text-align:right; border-right:1px solid rgb(0,90,0);"><div style="white-space:nowrap; overflow:hidden; font-size:12px;">Openness to Experience</div></td><td style="padding:0px;"><div style="float:left; height:18px; text-align:right; background-color:rgb(0,128,0); border-bottom:1px solid rgb(0,90,0); border-right:1px solid rgb(0,90,0); border-top:1px solid rgb(85,159,85); width:65%; filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Gradient(GradientType=0, StartColor=16777215, EndColor=2130706432);"><div style="float:right; color:white; padding-right:2px; margin-top:2px; font-size:10px;">65</div></div></td></tr><tr><td style="width:145px; padding-right:5px; text-align:right; border-right:1px solid rgb(144,115,0);"><div style="white-space:nowrap; overflow:hidden; font-size:12px;">Agreeableness</div></td><td style="padding:0px;"><div style="float:left; height:18px; text-align:right; background-color:rgb(251,212,0); border-bottom:1px solid rgb(144,115,0); border-right:1px solid rgb(144,115,0); border-top:1px solid rgb(255,241,170); width:94%; filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Gradient(GradientType=0, StartColor=16777215, EndColor=2130706432);"><div style="float:right; color:white; padding-right:2px; margin-top:2px; font-size:10px;">94</div></div></td></tr><tr><td style="width:145px; padding-right:5px; text-align:right; border-right:1px solid rgb(80,0,80);"><div style="white-space:nowrap; overflow:hidden; font-size:12px;">Conscientiousness</div></td><td style="padding:0px;"><div style="float:left; height:18px; text-align:right; background-color:rgb(128,0,128); border-bottom:1px solid rgb(80,0,80); border-right:1px solid rgb(80,0,80); border-top:1px solid rgb(149,99,151); width:66%; filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Gradient(GradientType=0, StartColor=16777215, EndColor=2130706432);"><div style="float:right; color:white; padding-right:2px; margin-top:2px; font-size:10px;">66</div></div></td></tr></table><center><table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div style="width:300px; height:15px;"> </div></td></tr><tr><td>You are a calm person who is considered almost fearless by some, however you are not generally self conscious about yourself. You lead a leisurely and relaxed life. You would prefer to sit back and smell the roses than indulge in high energy activities. You prefer familiar routines and for things to stay the same. You can tend to feel uncomfortable with change. You find helping other people genuinely rewarding and are generally willing to assist those who are in need. You find that doing things for others is a form of self-fulfillment rather than self-sacrifice, however you are willing to take credit for good things that you do but you don't often talk yourself up much. You have a strong sense of duty and obligation, and feel a moral obligation to do the right thing.<br><br></td></tr><tr><td align="center"><nobr>Take a <a href="http://www.learnmyself.com" target="_blank">Personality Test</a> now or view the full <a href="http://www.learnmyself.com/personality.asp?p=wpa-628330&amp;x=PIx1x188264-189824xf949Bx1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Personality Report</a>.<br><br> The best <a href="http://www.pulseware.com.au/site_pi.asp?p=wpa-21613/">Myspace Layouts</a> </td></tr></table></center><br> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:2048 2008-04-28T20:24:21Z 2008-04-28T20:24:21Z Today was the first day in recent memory that doing what I love didn't make me feel better... but I know it's temporary.&nbsp; A nap and some kitties should do the job!&nbsp; And I'm done with all my homework until the end of the week, giving me time to prepare for all my other bigger projects and tests, so yay! :-D urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:1837 2008-04-15T00:04:01Z 2008-04-15T00:40:52Z Short version: Shoot me.<br /><br />Slightly-longer-but-still-short version: It went a lot more bumpy than I anticipated, and it got a lot more complex than I could have imagined.&nbsp; It was by far my worst session - and I haven't felt that frustrated in a long time.&nbsp; Apparently overall it wasn't a *bad* session per say, but it definitely wasn't a good session.&nbsp; Given my high standards - and more importantly, Bill's high standards, I feel like it was a bust.&nbsp; And to top it off, the guitar track is completely trashed - I found this out today *after* the session when I went in to mix it, and, of course, when I can't just have the guitarist re-record it..&nbsp; I can *kinda* fix it, but it'll take hours, and it won't completely get rid of the noisy anomalies that somehow got recorded into the track (basically, somehow some drum cracks bled into the track, which should have been electronically and physically impossible, it even puzzled one of my teachers!) <br /><br />Oh, then I find out I have 2.5 weeks to finish learning 42 scales and 2 songs for my piano class (which need to be played at 120 bpm in eighth notes), 3 weeks until I have a 12 page report due, and I *still* have to do at least 2 mixes a week, and my session mix from last night still.&nbsp; <br /><br />Needless to say, I'm rather stressed... but I'm feeling a bit better this afternoon.&nbsp; Thank goodness for Guitar Hero 3!&nbsp; It was my first real serious go of it, and I got all the way down to the Slash duel in one sitting.&nbsp; Then I got my ass handed to me like 6 times in a row, lol.&nbsp; But it was still a good way to relieve some stress!! :-D<br /><br />Now, to leftover chinese!!&nbsp; urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:1727 2008-04-13T17:37:22Z 2008-04-13T17:37:22Z I have my 3rd session as a head engineer today, and I'm nervous.&nbsp; I've been so busy lately that I just feel under-prepared, even though I probably am not.&nbsp;&nbsp; Given I've had very smooth sessions in the past, I don't see why this one will be any more difficult, but it's still nerve-wracking.&nbsp; I am anxious to get in there and get everything set up - hopefully my assistants will get it all right the first time, including, y'know, actually showing up.&nbsp; ;)&nbsp; The group I'm bringing in are all good musicians, and one of them is my classmate, so I am not anticipating too much problems from there, even if the style of music isn't quite my thing.&nbsp; (Soul rock maybe?) It will also be ceruleansoul's first visit to the studio, so that will be fun, assuming I don't mess it up real good!&nbsp; :-/&nbsp; 2 more hours.... urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:1407 2008-04-04T06:18:18Z 2008-04-04T06:26:00Z <p class="MsoNormal">One thing I will say about working blue-collar: the people are infinitely more interesting than the bland personalities of the corporate world, whose charisma blended right into the stale gray cube walls.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Take Jerry, for instance.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>I met him on my 3rd day of work, his toothless-yet-warm grin and somewhat stiff canter greeting me in a grandfatherly fashion, except for the fact that he's closer to my dad's age.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>His slightly disheveled, salt-and-pepper hair (mostly salt, I might add) parted from the far left side of his head, almost as if it were a comb-over, except he showed no signs of balding.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The faded tattoos scattered on his tanned arms couldn't hide the poor artwork of the "artists", but it did reveal a bit about his past: they were mostly military icons, if my interpretation of the skin doodles were correct.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Already, there was more "life" to this man than the whole of NPH.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I learned some interesting things about Jerry that day - one of which was that he viewed himself as looking "young" for his age.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>I internally disagreed, but I will say, he seems to be a hearty fellow, strengthened by many years of manual labor from various companies.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>His voracity was affirmed today through hours of hearing him tell stories from his past, all of which I found fascinating and entertaining; in no particular order, he has been shot twice (one in which he was protecting his ex-girlfriend from a house burglar), his skull cracked open, his arm broken in 3 places, had back-to-back heart attacks in 2 days, lost most feeling in both his arms and hands since his early 20's, had multiple gashes of multiple inches in various parts of his body (one from his afore-mentioned ex-girlfriend, months after the afore-mentioned shooting) , been in a car wreck which tore the car in two and left his friend unable to walk for 3 years, and much more than I can possibly think of.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>And yet, he still lives.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yet despite his seemingly rough exterior, he has a big heart.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>He immediately set to training us "new guys" with a warm, fatherly kindness that even our friendly boss, Noah, couldn't match.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>And he seemed to take special interest in me, evidenced by when he would come to me and tell me specifically about how something would be done before going over and telling the others, along with the many stories he would, and continues, to share.<span style="">&nbsp; </span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The stories involving his 2nd wife really struck a chord in me.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>While Jerry's luck with women has been rather limited, Jerry believes in something that he spent over 30 years denying: love at first sight.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>The story starts some 20 years ago, where he and his buddy drunkenly stumble into Shoney's, when up walks a cute waitress.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Already knowing the menu inside out, his friend is ready to order, but Jerry exclaims, "It's not on the menu!!" After several repeated tries to get him to tell her what it is he is looking for, he finally exclaims, "You're not on the menu!"<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Yes, queue, the eye-rolling and laughter - I know for sure that we did - but, for some reason, because it was Jerry saying these words, it was more than just cheese.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>And it apparently worked - a few more "interesting" dates and a year later, they were married<span style="">, which as you probably already guessed by now, didn’t exactly go as he had hoped for.</span><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">While his first wife left him for her boss - whose company she now runs - and her second wife left him for some younger fellow right in the midst of several tragedies that left her confused, AND his third wife hasn't talked but a handful of times to him in the last 3 years, I can somehow trust Jerry when he says, he only had one argument with his second wife, ever.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Why?<span style="">&nbsp; </span>When a man walks out of a hospital shortly after having a heart attack because the doctors are doing a poor job of helping him, and when he talks about his unwillingness to take on a new, and potentially better, job opportunity because his current job deserves his loyalty and expertise, AND when he fully admits to having had arguments with all other women in his life, there's just something about his character that makes you believe he has no reason to be dishonest.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Exaggerating?<span style="">&nbsp; </span>Maybe, but then all you have to do is look at his scars, his teeth, and his smile.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jerry, the seemingly indestructible cat with nine lives, believes in soul mates.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>And he'd take his soul mate back in a heartbeat, no questions asked, all forgiven, years and years after she left him.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It's people like Jerry that remind me of what it really means to be human, and if for no other reason, he has made this job worth the time spent.</p> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:1041 2008-03-31T17:15:56Z 2008-03-31T17:17:11Z The trees screamed today, howling fiercely as unseen, swirling eddies desperately yanked at the hood of my coat.&nbsp; Dark gray clouds ominously hung above me, moving with haste, effortlessly and continuously changing timbre and shape, save for the eerie patch of blue sky that simply did not belong. Though unintelligible, the message was clear: "BEWARE! BEWARE!" urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:960 2008-03-26T19:37:15Z 2008-03-26T19:50:15Z <b><br />THE WISDOM OF BEING BLUE COLLAR</b><br /><i>or, How a stick shift humbled the proud man<br /><br /><br /></i><b>Me</b>: Hi.&nbsp; My name is Josh Grondski.&nbsp; I have my B.A. in computer science with minors in math and music.&nbsp; I also have 5 years of professional application development experience.&nbsp; I'm studying again to become an audio engineer, and I feel I have a very good chance at excelling in this field.&nbsp; But I'm running short on cash after 2 years of unemployment and no financial aid to speak of, so that's why I'm now working here with you, mr. stick-shift car!<br /><br /><b>Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car</b>: Fascinating.<br /><br /><b>Me</b>: I know, isn't it?? My buddy Rob, who is the finance manager, is awesome for basically getting me a job without me having to even really try, even though I'm *clearly* overqualified for the position.<br /><br /><b>Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car:</b> Lucky you! By the way, how's that van you clipped backing out of the port doing?<br /><br /><b>Me: </b>... it's ... fine.... *wrinkles nose*<br /><br /><b>Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car:</b> Yeah... I hear you already have a nick-name.&nbsp; "Crash", is that about right?<br /><br /><b>Me:&nbsp;</b> Ummmm yeah, I guess...<br /><br /><b>Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car:&nbsp;</b> I hear most people who do damage to cars like that on their first day are fired on the spot.&nbsp; I guess it's a <i>good thing</i> for you that you are butt-buddies with "The Pope", whom everyone loves to hate.<br /><br /><b>Me:</b>&nbsp; So what if I'm not allowed to be me on my own terms and that I'm just "Pope's friend who crashed a car on his first day?"&nbsp; It's just a job, right? And watch your cheap aluminum hood bub, I'm as straight as an arrow, and -<br /><br /><b>Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car:</b> - and in need of a friggin' hair cut.&nbsp; Or that's what I keep hearing.&nbsp; Oh, and the parts manager wanted me to remind you that the jumper kit needs to be unplugged before you go yanking it around with your soft, feminine hands, you clumsy oaf.<br /><br /><b>Me:</b> !!!!<br /><br /><b>Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car: </b>And stop calling your butt-buddy every time you have a stupid little question.&nbsp; He actually has an <i>important</i> job to do, unlike you.<br /><br /><b>Me:</b> B... but, it's not MY fault they didn't plan but 2 seconds ahead and had me working by myself for half a day, on my first AND second days!&nbsp; No one was there to even show me what the crap I was supposed to doing!&nbsp; Like, where to drop cars off, what chemicals to use, what a c-wash was compared to a delivery...<br /><br /><b>Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car: </b>I thought you were "overqualified" for this job!&nbsp; Did you ever find your Social Security card even so you could finish your paper work?<br /><br /><b>Me:</b>&nbsp; HA!&nbsp; Yes I did, take that you undersized, underpowered Toyota-wannabe!!<br /><br /><b>Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car:</b> Small words from a guy who drives a girly Hyundai Tiburon!&nbsp; It's not even a stick shift!<br /><b><br />Me:</b>&nbsp; ... at least it's pretty...<br /><b><br />Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car: </b>Yeah, maybe <i>before</i> you dented it up!<br /><br /><b>Me: </b>...that was YEARS ag-<br /><br /><b>Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car:</b> Oh, hey, I have a GREAT idea, stop arguing with a stupid car and drive me into that port and do your job!<br /><br /><b>Me: </b>... uh...<br /><b><br />Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car: </b>*revs* What now??<br /><br /><b>Me: </b>It's... it's just that I haven't driven stick since I was 16...<br /><b><br />Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car: </b>...<br /><b><br />Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car:</b>&nbsp; BWAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAA<br /><br /><b>Me: </b>*scowls*<br /><br /><b>Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car:&nbsp;</b> HAHAHAHAHAHAHA<br /><br /><b>Me: </b>You done yet?<br /><br /><b>Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car:</b>&nbsp; HARHARHARHARHARHAR<br /><br /><b>Me:</b> *taps finger on the dash impatiently*<br /><br /><b>Shawnee Mission Kia Stick Shift Car:</b> LOLOLOL Maybe you can get one of the techs to come down and drive it those 10 yards for you! LOL<br /><br /><b>Me: </b>I hate this job already... urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:omenvoir:715 2008-03-03T09:43:06Z 2008-03-03T09:43:06Z whirring computer fan Been here a long time, but have never posted.&nbsp; But today(yesterday?) has been a rather strange day, (barring good company and a good movie) and deciding to customize and post a journal entry is somehow a fitting way to end it.&nbsp; And yes, it really is almost 4 am.&nbsp; I am really all out of sorts... I should have been in bed at least 4 hours ago.&nbsp; Stupid weather.<br /><br />Maybe future entries will be more significant... we shall see.