I GOT A CAR ON FRIDAY!!! It's all mine... not the banks... MINE! Check it out!










I still haven't made any friends yet... but I've only been here a month or so... Having a car will make things a lot easier...

We went to Atlanta this weekend... we went to an big irish pub in Buckhead... They had a 90's cover band... the place was packed... good times good times...

Atlanta is so HUGE... I feel so lost... I need someone to guide me through the city... show me the cool stuff... any takers?

Date:	2005-02-18 00:13
Subject:
Security:	Public
Mood:	bitchy

Car shopping sucks... I hate car shopping... I just want a car... Every day that we don't come home with a vehicle is another day of riding my bike... which, as Kris pointed out, is still better then if I hadn't gotten this check and had to work for the money to buy a car... but it's like the last days of high school, they just seem to drag the closer you get to the end. So I'm in impatient mode right now... and it sucks!

I "thought" I was buying a car this Saturday from a guy in FL... but he decided to trade it in after agreeing to sell it to me. What a dick. So hopefully it doesn't take me to long to recover... this money is burning a hole in my pocket... and I'm really sick of being car-less..

Howie is sleeping on my chest.. he is too cute.

Date:	2005-02-12 18:41
Subject:
Security:	Public
Mood:	chipper

We got a kitten today... His name is Howard... He's about 7 weeks old. It's cool to have this new addition to our apartment... Here's some pics...












Isn't he CUTE?!?

Anyhow... things have been working out for me lately... My job is pretty cool... I'm about to get a car... and to top that... last night Tim asked me to come play with Captain #1, his musical endeavor. This is very exciting... I really miss playing music... and I'm going to get an opportunity to play around with all my instruments... The only down side is that Tim lives in Athens, 2 hours away... but he's going to make me some tapes and I'm going to see what I can come up with. I AM SO EXCITED!

Just Me Records is currently on hiatus... but we will soon be back in business... probably around May, when Athens has it's music festival. Until then I plan on getting some research done and practicing my instruments.

Date:	2005-02-09 11:11
Subject:
Security:	Public
Mood:	relieved

So my check came in yesterday... and you know what that means! I'M GOING TO BE DRIVING SOON!!! I now realize how much I used to take having a car for granted...

I went to open an account at the bank yesterday... and apparently all the banks close at 4 m-th... that's lame. Hopefully I can get a ride up there before 4. I NEED MY CAR! Especially since it's been raining for the past 2 days, which makes riding a bike quite unbearable.

I hate car shopping... I always feel like I'm getting screwed... even if I don't get screwed on the price... I feel like I'm going to get screwed in the long run by a mechanical malfuntion of some sort. Cars SUCK for just that reason... it's a love/hate thing.

Anyhow... I hope I start making friends soon.

Date:	2005-02-01 13:34
Subject:
Security:	Public
Mood:	bored

Thankfully the snow has dryed up... and from what I hear we should be expecting anymore for the rest of the season. Which is a damn good thing because riding my bike to work is hard enough. I can see it now... telling my grandkids, when I'm old and wrinkled, how "Kids these days got it easy... I had to ride my bike up hill -- BOTH ways -- barefoot -- and IN THE SNOW!"

So today was my second day at work... yesterday was just filling out paperwork... I was done in an hour... and today I followed someone around the restaurant... I was sent home at 1:00...

This job is going to be a cakewalk... all I have to do is memorize the menu and get used to carrying a tray, which is something I'm not used to... and the best part about it... is I don't even have roll silverware!!! I HATE SILVERWARE! Only people who have served before can really understand what a relief that is.

I start serving my own tables on Monday... hopefully I'm not stuck with too many lunch shifts... I don't think the money will be worth the bike trip. Knowing my luck I'll get a bunch of doubles... then I'll be stuck there all day... cause I sure ain't biking my happy ass all the way home just to go back an hour later. At least they have yeast rolls... those make a perfect (free) lunch while I'm waiting for the night shift to begin.

We stayed in Newnan last night... due to this HORRIFIC weather situation... Sense the sarcasm? Anyhow, Kris and I went out to "Cheeseburger's" house last night... He's a guy Kris met at work... His real name is Chris so luckily he has this nickname... or things could have been confusing... especially with how drunk I was last night...

We played Halo 2 last night... and afterward we decided to go to Hooter's since in was the only place still open... after everyone was snowed in in the Great Georgia Blizzard of '05...

By the time we left to go to Hooter's I'd probably had about 9 beers to myself and I was feeling rather good... and I was reminded very quickly that I have absolutely no tread left on my shoes because as I took my first step off the porch steps, with an open beer in one hand and an near empty 12 pack in the other, I fell straight on my ass. But don't worry... I didn't feel a thing! Until this morning... Ouch!

We were going to go to Atlanta last night but the news was talking about a huge ice storm coming so we opted to stay in town... We went to a local bar called Loco's Deli and Pub... ended up paying 24 bucks for two pitchers... because apparently Amber Bock isn't concidered a domestic beer... even though it IS.

There was a country cover band playing.... yee haw! I was suprised at how many of the songs I actually knew... I'll rephrase that... I was discusted at how many I knew. I put all the blame on my father... him and his damn mullet!

Anyhow... woke up to seeing snow everywhere... which at first was a wonderful sight until we decided to go pick up lunch which entailed the 20 min process of scraping the thick ice of the windows... trying to drive in the snow/ice covered streets... and then finding a place that was open... Georgia obviously isn't prepared for this shit.

But I'm not complaining... YET. This is the first I've EVER had to deal with this kind of winter stuff... so I'm not permitted to complain yet... and hopefully it'll all dry up and I'll never have to. Because the first day that I have ride my friggin bike up that god damn hill to work in THIS shit, I may not show up. I can't wait to get a car!

Speaking of cars... it should be about a month before I have one of my own. I miss owning a vehicle... and this one is going to be out right mine! I'm finally getting my college IRA money from grandfather... I can't believe it's been two year since he died... two years of legal battles with that gold digging BITCH... finally over. I'm splitting the money with my parents and the rest should be just enough to buy a decent car. And just in the nick of time.

We might be going to Atlanta tonight... if the roads clear up any. I really hope so because it's my last weekend before I start a job... and then my free weekends will be far and few between.

I know this may sound a bit pompous... but my friends list is a little out of control and I know how some peoples friends list work... many a people just sit there collecting dust... so I think it's about time to do some spring cleaning... Comment if you want to make sure I keep you. Sorry, again, for sounding so pompous.

Still haven't found a job... I've got a lot of "We'll call ya's"... which I usually take as a no... but I've recently receive two calls for "We'll call ya's"... Unfortunately they were both jobs I applyed for a month ago in Cape Coral.

I've got a million things running through my head right now and I don't quite know how to spit them out.... It's pretty sad when you can't even understand yourself.

Date:	2005-01-19 14:06
Subject:	A day in Atlanta
Security:	Public
Mood:	excited

We are going to Atlanta today! I like big cities... Newnan is nice and quaint but gimme the hustle and bustle of big city life any day... So I'm excited. We are going to Little Five Points Atlanta that has a ton of cool shops and restuarants... Then we are going to a mall in Atlanta so I can spend my gift card. Newnan, unfortunately, has no mall. Not that I'm a mall rat or anything but it's nice to know it's there when you want one. Then we are meeting Tim and Marissa in Marietta right outside Atlanta for a show with Paulson. I'm soo glad we are close to Tim and Marissa.

I saw Sarah yesterday... Unfortunately she hasn't been feeling well. We hung out in her miniature apartment and reminisced of old times. Primarily Jager Night One. We need to have Jager Night 10(?) sometime if she can make it to Newnan. It's only like 20 minutes from us... hell it used to take 20 minutes to get from Cape Coma to her apt in Ft Myers. So it's not much different.

Well we were suppose to leave 15 minutes ago... But I got sucked into LJ again. Damn you LJ.

Gotta go. Atlanta here I come!

The apartment is starting to look more like home. We had our housewarming party yesterday. Unfortunately Sarah couldn't make it... but she's only 15 miles away so I know I'll be seeing a lot of her.

Jorel and his friend Jen called about 11:30 to say they'd be here in 2 hours so it was a mad rush to do as much as we could do to finish putting together the apartment. We didn't finish but we should finish tonight. Once they got here we went out to this restuarant called Vinnie R's - good, cheap, Italian.

Tim and Marissa arrived around 6 and we played Scene It. Which is a pretty cool DVD board game... the only problem with these DVD board games is that once you've played the game a few times the questions are begin to repeat themselves. Luckly Tim and Marissa were honest about the ones they had previousely had. They still won. But me and Kris weren't to far behind.

So as I said our plans for today consist of finishing all the apartment set up including the grocery shopping. Then tomorrow it's time to start looking for a job. I'd like it if I don't have to start until next Monday when Kris starts his job but I get a job and they want me to start sooner then that so be it. I need moolah.

So I have officially left my parents house. We are in Gainesville right now. The movers just finished packing everything into the truck... It was a little weird just sitting in the living room watching TV while 2 guys pack up all your worldly possessions. At first, I felt like I should be helping. I got over that really quick though. I'm such a lazy ass.

We are going to Newnan tomorrow night and we are staying in a hotel for the night. We move in on Thursday, but we may not get our stuff til Friday. So once again we will be sleeping on the floor. But at least we have an air mattress. And we'll have the internet on Thursday too. Kris doesn't skip a beat. We don't even have the water set up yet but the internet has been done for a week. I'm glad we have our priorities straight. :)

I'm going to miss Ft Myers. I never thought I would say that. Ft Myers is huge compared to Newnan, but atleast Atlanta is near by. Whew. Ft Myers is filled with great memories.... and further more filled with great friends. But things can never go back to the way you left them. It's my time to start anew. Grow up a little. Live on my own. I know I will cross paths again with some of my good friends. YOU COULD NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. But I need to see what else is out there.

So where do I begin... life is taking some twists and turns in the past month. It's hard to believe that so much has changed in such a short period of time. I'm currently unemployed... my last day at the Post Office was Friday. I'm currently in Pencacola at Kris's dad's house. We just got back from signing a lease in Newnan, GA and doing a little job hunting... My best job prospect happens to be Hooter's. How ironic, huh?

Well in lieu of all this, I had to quit the band which fell apart shortly after... I wish I could say I didn't see that coming... but whom I kidding. Tom is auditioning for Salem and dabbling with some new projects. I hope I can get involved in something musical up in Georgia... we'll see. Newnan isn't exactly a musical hot spot. But it is a 1/2 hour from Atlanta so I'm not too far from civilization. I'm going to be within 2 hours from Dan and Jorel, and Tim and Marissa, and I'll be 15 miles from Sarah, my Fat Camp companion.

I'm a mixture of excited and nervous about this major change in my life. A brand new life with Kris. Our original apartment idea turned out to be a flop. The pictures looked nice but in actuality the place would have probably been a bit more of a pain then it was worth. It was an old warehouse that was turned into lofts. They had 20 ft walls with 15 ft windows. Very open and spacious. Downside was the old wood or concrete floors. The musky smell. And we can't forget the active train tracks within 20 yards of the complex. Among other small annoyances. So we ended up in a brand new complex called the Villas. It's not as eccentric but I have a feeling we'll be a bit more comfortable. I can't wait to move in. Our move in date in Jan 13th.

Anyway... Kris and I are going to the beach. I'll keep ya'll updated. As Mallory would say. =P

Date:	2004-11-09 09:26
Subject:	Up late (early?)
Security:	Public
Mood:	blah
Music:	The Postal Service - this place is a prison

I'm at a point in my life where everything is in limbo... It's the great waiting game. and in my case I have no idea how long I'm waiting and what I'm waiting for? It's like fog... you can only see so far ahead. So things seem to be on pause in my life.

I just got home from my overnight job. I'm working at the Post Office now... talk about monotonous work. I found myself repeating random Zip Codes in my head, while my mind is a complete blank. That's kinda creepy.

I'm suppose to get mad overtime during christmas... up to 84 hrs a week. Which would mean a huge paycheck. Maybe enough to get me out of this God damned town.

I've been getting my insomnia again. Which is good and bad... good because I'm getting a lot done. But bad because sleep is good... I like sleep. So I'm back to the melatonin... I have really vivid dreams on that shit. Also, could also be a good or bad thing.

Well that's enough out of me...

Date:	2004-09-29 10:55
Subject:	I'm still alive... see you again in January. =) ha
Security:	Public
Mood:	optimistic

Where do I begin... it feels like forever since I've updated this thing... but I only like updating when I have something to say... so to start off...

I'm in love... I'm currently in Gainesville with my significant other. It's a long distance thing which is about the only downside I can find. We've been spending as much time together as possible. For the past few weeks you couldn't slap the smile of my face.

The only exception to this was the end of last weekend, when we met for the first time in Orlando... We stayed at Mallory's for a few days and then we went back to Ft Myers for a few days. It was the last day of the greatest weekend of my life... I was riding on a such an emotional high... AND... I GET FIRED FROM MY JOB. Talk about shitty luck. I was fired because apparently I am "not committed to my job". Well I'm sorry... but outside of making food for old people... I have a life... I've come to realize that there's so much more to life then work... And I am happy with mine... FINALLY!! So screw Gulf Coast Village for wanting every bit of it to revolve around them. SO THERE!

Anyway... The initial shock and depression only lasted a brief hour or so... I've become much more of an optimist recently. I really missed that. It really is a great asset to have... I forgot that.

Now I'm currently collecting unemployment. Which gave me the opportunity to spend a week up here. =) AND the chance to find a better job. I think I'm going to end up working for the Post Office with my dad... I turned in my application before I came up here. Now I just wait for a letter in them mail that tells me where to go when, and if, they need me... I'm pretty sure I've got this job in the bag... My dad's nickname at the plant is the "Dock Nazi" because of his impeccable, yet irritating, work ethic.

But there's always a yin to every yang... The good news is, providing I get the job... I'm going to making a TON of money. Which I need to bank for my move to Orlando this summer and for my inescapable credit card debt. It's a seasonal position so eventually they'll let me go and I get to go back onto unemployment which, if things work out the way I want them to, will carry me until I have a new job in Orlando.

The bad news... I'm going to be working between 60-70 hrs/wk which is WHY I'll be making tons of money... All this work is most definately going to interrupt both my love life and my musical career... But I can't just drop 'em for a while and pick 'em up again later... these things don't work like that. They obviously require maintenance... Sooo, in conclusion, this means I shall be sleeping A LOT less often then I'm accustomed to. I think I can handle it... it was only a couple years ago that I was surviving on next to no sleep sometimes none for days at a time... but, none the less, I ain't getting any younger.

It's going to be a rough time but I think it'll worth it... and if it's not... I can always quit. Like my cousin reminded me... Nothing is ever set in stone. But until I have to buckle down and bust my balls... I'm just going to enjoy my little vacation...

Thank YOU, Uncle Sam.

Check out the new website... it's still the old URL for the moment.

www.owtrock.net

I'll promise an update soon... but I gotta go to work now.

Date:	2004-08-13 02:11
Subject:
Security:	Public
Mood:	annoyed

Great! A hurricane is about it hit us and I still have to go to work! Damn the nursing home industry all to hell... I just wanted to enjoy the show from the comfort of my own living room.... getting drunk... but instead I'll be cooking for old people... with the possibility of getting stuck there longer then my scheduled shift if it's too bad for me to leave. I hope not.

Good night... Happy hurricane day!

Date:	2004-08-12 11:45
Subject:	The grass is always greener.
Security:	Public
Mood:	cynical
Music:	The Scholars - I'm In A Band... Why don't I get chicks?

Why is it much easier to point out the bad then to point out the good? Even when I was an optimist it took a bit or thinking to stay on the up...

I for one am sick of trying to swallow all this picture perfect ideaology the world feeds us. This sense of always needing to strive for more then what you have at any given moment. We're never satisfied. Then we die after years of being consumed by the corporate world. So what's the point, if the grass is always greener on the other side?

Date:	2004-08-10 02:32
Subject:
Security:	Public
Mood:	drunk

So tonight was the first (and last) time I went out to a bar with my dad. It didn't go too bad... but all in all... it just wasn't that fun... but I feel like I owed him this one time. That father/son bonding struff is really important for fathers.

We don't see eye to eye on a lot of things... he respects my opinions... but he doesn't understand them. Hell... he doesn't understand ME. But he loves me none the less, and that's all that really matters anyway.

I will always love my dad... even if we never go out to another bar together EVER again.

=P

Date:	2004-07-16 00:44
Subject:	Change is nessasary... not easy.
Security:	Public
Mood:	determined
Music:	Ben Folds Five - Brick

For the first time EVER I feel like I may be playing somewhat of a positive impact in my little brothers life... I just got done talking to him about his future goals and I talked to him about quitting smoking pot... which is something I could never really talk to him about because, before, I wasn't exactly leading by example... he seemed very receptive to this conversation... I ended up giving him my Edison catalog so he could look at the classes offered there... he also told me he wants to try quiting smoking & over-drinking... which I know is much easier said then done... but it's a start... I now realize I don't just need to change these things for myself because, as much as I want to deny it, I am a role model for my brother and I need to lead by example... I feel really good about myself tonight.