Rednecks and Airplanes

So when you think of a redneck you think of what?
- bonfires on driveways
- big fold-out lawn chairs with foot rests
- tiki-torches
- beers and margaritas
- playing UNO on a flipped upside-down recycle bin
- and (cool) cowboy hats bought from Meijer...
Yes? No? Well that was us tonight. Dan and I hung out on our back lot with our new fire pit just shooting the breeze and having a great time. Roasting marshmallows and hot dogs with a few games of UNO and all a good time... we decided we were at that time (if not all the time) rednecks...

Great News! This Saturday at 2pm I am meeting with the folks at Flamingo Air Academy to talk about my potential flight lessons. I am so unbelievably excited about this. I have for as long as I can remember wanted to do this. And now, thanks to Kroger, my dream will become a reality, so excited... seriously. It is bedtime though, past actually. Happy 21st Joe (yesterday) good to have another legal one among us. Night!

Alarm clocks...

Have you ever noticed how it is so much more difficult to get out of bed to an alarm clock, than it is to get out of bed when you just wake up. Even if it is in the middle of the night, and you wake up to go pee... I don't lay there thinking... only five more minutes... I get up and go pee. So basically, the ideal alarm clock would be something that makes you need to pee. I'll think about this one and get back to you.
But really, I wake up in the morning, usually about 5:30 and think to myself, hey, I'm feeling good, I could probably get up now. But of course, what would be the point? I fall back asleep and at 7:00 my alarm goes off. Groggy and slower than a sloth, I turn the alarm off and think about how nice it would be to keep sleeping. The mentality of knowing you have to get up is just painful. Any thoughts? Agreements?
For those dedicated readers, the new job at Kroger is going well. The team is extremely different than my last team with a much more youthful spirit about them. I'm understanding the logistics of the WIN software, basically its the system that keeps the distribution centers on track with getting the proper product to the proper truck. Looking forward to getting my hands on some code and feeling useful. All in due time though, its bedtime, I'm an old man... PS, I got a new hat. I like it.

Top 40 Online Videos...EVER...

So I watched this VH1 special yesterday about the top 40 Online Videos and the people who cam to fame because. Maybe it is just me, but whenever I watch anything on TV, I always want to do it... I watch House M.D. (maybe I should be a medical student) I watch Diggnation Podcaast (hmm... what sort of geeky project can I take on for the weekend) I watch Top 40 Online Videos... well, I quickly found myself scouring my computer looking for any videos that could overnight send my name to eternal internet stardom. You know what I found? A video of the cats giving back rubs. Funny yes... do I think David Letterman will be calling me tomorrow... probably not.
So I was thinking that for today's post, I would give a few of my favorite YouTube videos. I'm not on YouTube all too much, but I tend to find some good ones. So that's what todays post is... enjoy!

Socks giving Oreo a back/belly rub:

Pachelbel Rant

Turning 2D images to 3D

Little Girl Yodeling (Amazing!)

Later Days!

A New Look.... and pigs

Hey All -
Happy Saturday to you too! There really isn't anything quite as nice compared to waking up just before noon on a sunny spring Saturday with the knowledge that you have nothing to do all day. Well, unfortunately for me, I do have something to do today, I have to clean the bathroom... Let's just put that off for later.
So, as I am sure you have noticed, the blog has gotten a face lift. I wanted to try something a little different, a little lighter really. I'm not sure I like the header though. I might need to get something new for up there, suggestions always welcome by the way.
The game of Risk last night was a total failure on my part. 'What did you do this weekend? I lost the world...' It's true. We played mission, and my mission was to take over Asia and Africa. Those there are some pretty big continents, when others just have to eliminate a certain color player. Oh well, you win some, and if you're me, you lose lots! It was a good time though, hanging out, having a few drinks. Take note, those frozen margarita buckets that you just add 750ml Tequila to, those are quire tasty.

So for those that haven't seen my pictures page on my site, I wanted to share part of my family, well, my school family, my roommates, the prettier ones... yes, the pigs. Here's a few... King Arthur (mostly referred to as just Arthur) is black and white, while Charles is in the brown and white. They are becoming friendlier and more sociable every day... enjoy.

That's all for now folks, enjoy the weekend!

NCAA Passion

Those who know me well, know that I am not the biggest sports fan in the world. Sure, I, like any other warm blooded male with the slightest bit of testosterone enjoy the cold beer while sitting on the couch with a few buddies, watching this 'March Madness' or Monday Night Football with pizza, but I'm not obsessed. In this time of March Madness, I heard a statistic that 2.1 Billion Dollars are wasted/lost in the economy due to lack of productivity solely due to basketball. That is not pocket change my friend. But it is also true that 68.34563% of statistics are made up on the spot.

I am a firm believer that people need a passion... or rather, something they completely enjoy throwing themselves into. I know lots of people are crazy into basketball now, and that's cool, they have a passion and a desire, a sort of nationalism in the basketball world. I myself, love computers, I spend a great deal of time working on them, reading and learning about them. People are at their best when they are passionate about something. I was once told that a person is most attractive when they are doing what they do best/enjoy the most. I'd believe it. So with that ladies... you come find me, I'll be in front of my computer, with a half full beer, comfy sweat pants, maybe a sock or two, and probably no shirt... staring at a lit square, oblivious to all of everything else. Just don't jump on me too quick...

People are coming over for a nice thrilling game of Risk. What did you do this weekend? I dominated the world!!!!!

What I want to be when I grow up!

Before getting into the substance of this post, I would like to make note that I am done (at least in the development phase) with all projects relating to my current team at Kroger. I finished up my Informix 4gl program the other day, and worked up the script to execute it with options from the cronjob. It's a fine program I might say if you give me a moment to gloat. As a korn shell script the updating of the database would have taken 86 hours to run (keep in mind that the update needs to take place every 24 hours) and now that the 4gl is compiled and in place, it takes a whopping 4 minutes! The boss was happy.

Onto today's topic...
Today, I... Jason Pawlak, decided what I want to be when I grow up. I think I'm going to train seeing-eye dogs. How cool would that be, really. I was driving home from work and saw this blind lady with her dog, and two other people (who I assumed to be family) She is standing with her dog on the corner of a very busy intersection, and is calm as can be, along with her dog mirroring her lack of excitement. So many things going around, but this dog knows its purpose. Very cool indeed. Now that I'll be working normal hours at my job, I am thinking about volunteering at a humane shelter around here. More on that later though, no details yet.
No work tomorrow, meetings on Friday, then up to Blue Ash. G'night!

A little bit about nothing...

So I was going to write a post on how writing code on a Unix Box really sucks... VI is a great program and all, but I would definitely take notepad over it any day. Yes, I could copy paste, but that involves more movements of the mouse/keys. I'm learning Informix 4GL, and copy pasting after changing minute lines every 15 seconds would definitely add to the production time a few more minutes than I would care to count. But, regardless of this previous paragraph, I decided not to.
Then I thought about what else is going on in my life now... ... ... ... exactly. So I then decided to leave this post at that, not much going on with me right now, working a lot, then relaxing when I get home.
I will say though, there is nothing like a job where you sit in front of the computer all day coding, that really dampers the recreational computing experience at home.

(Current book of choice: Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis)

The Homeless Union

This morning, on the way into church, a man with nasty teeth, a need for a shave, and an even greater need for a shower was standing outside the entrance asking those coming in if they could spare a dollar so he could get lunch. Usually, I'll give a dollar to those who ask, if I do indeed (and it is rare) have cash on me. This time I thought I'd try something different.

(Reaches hand out for a hand shake)
"You spare a few dollars for food?"
(I acknowledge and return the hand shake)
"Well how about I meet you after the service and we can go get lunch together?"
"That would be very fine... I'll see you here after the service."

I was actually kind of surprised he accepted my offer. Most of the time you just think they say its for food, but then go buy some Colt45 to wash their minds away. The entire service I was thinking about him, trying to decide if he was really going to be there for our 'lunch date'. The service ended and I was quick to get outside, and sure enough he was there. We made way to Jersey Mike's and ordered some food (to go on his request) We talked a lot, he asked lots of questions about my life, my family, and actually seemed throughly interested. I in return asked him about his family and life, he was raised with 16 foster kids and loved to cook/bake and paint/draw. Quite an interesting character.

I am, however, convinced that the homeless are all part of a union. I am sure they have meetings to argue over who gets what corner at what times of day... also of course to hand out the latest cardboard sign. 'Homeless... Hungry... God Bless' 'Vietnam War Veteran - Homeless - Please Help - God Bless'
And its true, all their signs do say God Bless... but I've never seen a homeless looking person in a church service.
I think next week, if I see my homeless friend again (I wish I could remember his name) I'll take him to lunch again, but first invited him in for the service. Have a good rest of weekend, GO OSU!

DONE!!!!!! - - and some more talk of WoW

Can you say Woot!?!

I sure can now. I just got back from taking my fourth and final exam for this Winter quarter, Digital System Design, for those who are curious, and man I'm glad it is done. Starting next Monday and going all the way until late September, I will be working Full-time at Kroger. One more week at the downtown office and then its off to Blue Ash for me, at the Blue Ash Technology Center (BTC for future Acronym usage)

Before the exam began, a few of us were sitting around in the class room, myself trying to cram a little more as the seconds faded, but we were all talking about World of Warcraft. Before the exam, a bunch of the CS guys got together and studied a little bit in one of the computer labs, I have been at work all morning, and thus unfortunately was unable to attend. But they were telling me about this kid who was playing World of Warcraft on his laptop, killing the same monster over... and over... and over... and over... and... yeah (again) They were talking about how he was talking to himself a little and making sounds along with his sword, and pretty much making this kid out to be the biggest loser ever. Ya know what? I think its jolly good fun (yes, you heard 'jolly good fun') and love to play games like that. Sure it may be possibly the more anti-social activities out there... but think about it, really. You are some strange non-human form that has magical powers and goes on quests for greatest, power, and strength. You meet and see things that aren't of this world giving your imagination a freedom to explore and comprehend visuals that you can not find elsewhere. I love games like that... I don't play them all that much, but I think the entire concept is phenomenal. (i think i use the word phenomenal too much)

Really that's all I had to say... you go guy with swooshing sword, you kill those overgrown lizards with three heads... you are the bright minds of tomorrow, you are MY fantasy world HERO!!! (too far... eh, yeah probably)

As for me, I'm gonna sit here and be antisocial and work on my website for a while. House to myself for the next five hours, good peace and quiet. Later!

Kroger

Last summer, late June to be exact I was out and about interviewing for various internships, and thanks to the likes of Brian Bailey, I was able to land a job with the IS&S department of a Fortune 500 company: The Kroger Corp. Yes, it came as a surprise to myself as well... Kroger really is a Fortune 500 company.
This past Tuesday, we had our annual report meeting (I'm sure it had some more official sounding name) and basically it was all the big guys stand up on stage acting all goofy while all the associates (thousands of us) sat there wanting to hear about the yearly bonus. So there's a set bonus, then depending on how well the company did that year, you get a percent of it, this year it was about 149% (everyone was indeed a little giddy after the meeting) However, for students like myself, who could really use the bonus... well, no such luck for interns.
Here are a few interesting facts I learned at the meeting... I believe all this information was released that morning in New York... so don't go running with the thoughts of insider information.

- Kroger brought in 66 Billion Dollars over the past year (P&G brought in 68)
- Kroger made out with 1.1 Billion Dollars profit over the past year (P&G brought in around 8.8 I think)
- Kroger has 300,000 employees (P&G... who knows)
- Wal-mart is number one in the market of food sales (but only because they sacrifice service for price) Kroger at no. 2 <-- Pretty sure
- Head honchos of big corporations will do nearly anything (or so it seems) to keep the attention of their audience

I have to hand it to the guys though, it was a fairly easy going 2 hours of being squashed into a place that should have been holding about 3/4's of what it was.

I do love my job though, I am making great money while going to school full time and Kroger does everything in its power to keep me hired on. Once exams are done this week, I will be working Full-time at Kroger until late September. Then at that time I'll go back to working 15ish hours a week. I sit in my cube and program all day long... what's more fun than that??? Yeah, I know, not for everyone, but I enjoy it a lot.

I feel like these first few posts that I've been giving you are more informational on my life than entertaining. I fully expect that to change in the near future. I just want readers to have a ground base on who they're reading from, before completely blowing me off for bad grammar and awkward sentences (thanks Firefox for fixing my spelling!)

One more exam tomorrow (Digital System Design) then its St. Paddy's Day! Woot! Have a good one, and keep your stick on the ice... (we're all in this together)

Pabo: Past and Present

I have come across some saddening news. Apparently the word 'Pabo' in Korean means 'FOOL'. And those Koreans are right about everything! So this Pabo character that I found is a real clown... seriously, click that link above and see his little hat, blue hair, and completely over-sized bowling shoes! Here's a quick copy paste from the site:

* Pabo began clowning in the Republic of Korea in the early 1980's while stationed at Osan Air Base.
* Due assingments in the US Air Force, he has appeared mainly in Japan and Korea.
* While stationed in Japan, he was a member of the Kanto Clown Club at Yokota Air Base, and served as club President for several years.
* After retiring from the air force in 1993 he set up shop in Leavenworth, KS.
* After settling in Leavenworth, he joined the Abdallah Shrine Clowns, and has served as the Unit Director, President and Vice-President.
* Pabo is a member of the International Shrine Clown Association

Sure, I guess he sounds like a good guy... but I had much higher hopes for my nickname.

* * CAUTION: History of Jason Lesson * *
It has been a family legend that our last name use to be Pawlawski (pronounced: pabv-labv-ski) and this name was changed when my Great-grandparents on my Dad's side came across the pond from Poland. ( My mom's side? Well we'll just leave it at the note that I am 50% hillbilly :-) )
So on a family vacation to New York City, we visit Ellis Island for the usual touristy tour and such. They have these stations where you can view the old ship records and find certain names. We searched all over for Pawlawski, but to no avail. On trying Pawlak, we found them. You know those moments in your life that are chilling, like the past is staring you straight in the face? Well this was one of them.
This isn't to say the name used to be Pawlawski, my grandfather still swears on it, but we can't find proof. The guide said that people when getting to Ellis island would sometimes write a new last name... or it is possible that their name was misspelled/misread. All extremely intriguing and interesting if you ask me.

St. Paddy's day is coming up... I leave you with a few favorite St. Paddy's Day Toasts:


May we live to one-hundred... with an extra year to repent!

I drink to your health when I'm with you,
I drink to your health when I'm alone,
I drink to your health so often,
I'm starting to worry about my own

May God bring good health to your enemies enemies

May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future.


I, however, will give a toast for Pabo, the Clown... may he go on terrifying little children for many years to come.

Websites

You know how in the movie 'Office Space' the main guy is talking about his high school guidance counselor and the topic of your career path? 'What would you do if you had a million dollars? That answer is suppose to be what job you take...' (or something close to those lines...) Peter (the main guy) says he wouldn't do anything. He would sit around all day doing absolutely nothing. Me, well I could go for a little bit of nothing. My life isn't all too busy right now, but I think it is the combination of class being over with for the quarter, the thoughts of no class until September, and of course the nice warm weather accompanied with the desire to be no where else other than a tennis court of golf course. I'd like to take a nap, but I think I'll go to work instead.

So I'm working on updating my blarged.com website. I want to make the format myself, and I think it is kind of ridiculous how my current format only uses a fraction of the screen size. I have the new format posted in a subdirectory, can you find it?

As prompted a post or two ago, here's a run down with summary/review of a few websites I frequent.

http://www.google.com
- Does it really need an explanation

http://www.woot.com
- Every night at Midnight (Central Time) this website posts a new (usually electronic) discounted deal. They have limited for sale and are most of the time a good find. I have bought a good amount from woot over the past year or two. For each new item they have a discussion board where the cult following of woot can discuss the related prices found elsewhere along with the general use/purpose of the item. Great site to check out... if you're the person that always gets the impulse purchase of a Hershey bar at the checkout lane of Kroger, you may, however, want to avoid this one.

http://www.digg.com
- Digg is a user driven community of news articles. Their stream is mainly technology but there are sections for 'normal' news as well. Users of the site submit links to articles they have found elsewhere and Digg hosts discussion boards and the link. Those traversing the site are able to 'Digg' the article if they like it, or 'Bury' if they don't. When a profile is created you can befriend fellow diggers and see what stories they find interesting (what they've dugg). I spend a lot of time on this site getting caught up on my tech news and seeing all the neat things going on around the world.

http://www.facebook.com
- What would college be without Facebook? I would be scared to find out. Facebook is a online community phenomena that became popular at the beginning of the 2004-05 school year. On Facebook, you create a profile where you can post pictures and list personal favorites in areas like TV Shows or what activities you are involved in, where you work... (you know, all the fun stuff a stalker would like to know). I have used Facebook to keep in contact with old friends that have moved away from home after high school, and friends from Indiana University, that I have since lost other forms of contact with after transferring to UC. To those who unfortunately use MySpace... Facebook can be described to you as MySpace with morals. Check out the links on the left for a link to my facebook.

Those are my four basic sites that I use all the time. Of course I'll update with the new sites as I find them. I do frequent many others, but this post is long enough already, and well yeah, this post is long enough already. I'm off to work, Later.

Television

It is a strange phenomena... This past year of TV seasons, I have become obsessed with more shows than I think I've sat down to watch in my entire life! I blame it on the devil, well, at least that's what the preacher was talking about yesterday. Television is an anti-social event, which in turn is not good for relations. The message yesterday could be summed to the bumper sticker slogan (and I quote from the preacher) 'Love God, Love People... Go to Heaven' And that's it! Television is this anti-social activity that apparently people spend an average of 4-7 hours a day doing. Wow... who? Some folks say they watch TV with their friends and significant others, which is being social... right? Ok, well next time some of your friends are being social around a television, just take a step in front of the TV and ask how they're doing, I'm pretty sure they'll be very social at that moment in telling you to get your bottom out of the way! But hey, I think TV is still OK... in moderation that is.

Let me tell you about a few of my favorite shows now. For those who noted in the last post, the suspected topic of todays post... well... maybe next time.

The Office - Thursdays : 8:30PM : NBC
This is by far my favorite show of the moment. The word to describe is is Hilarious! I find my self laughing out loud in big ole' belly laughs more for this show than any past sitcom or anything. It takes place in Scranton, PA at a paper distributor named Dunder Mifflin. The entire show is based on the operations of the company and their disfunctional little society they have created. At the beginning of each episode there is a little blurb, or sketch mind you, that usually has nothing to do with the rest of the episode, and they are the best. 5 of 5 stars here folks, a must watch.

Smallville - Thursdays : 8:00PM : The CW
Smallville is in its 6th season I believe, and they are still trucking. It is basically Superman meets All My Children, or some other cheesy soap. Clark Kent is in his teenage years and is struggling with the discovery of his powers, his relations with peers, and his own identity. Great show, a good watch. 4 of 5 stars.

Heroes - Mondays : 9:00PM : NBC
What a show. It took me a little while to get into this one due to its graphic, sometimes extremely gruesome scenes, but the plot has drawn me. This show is seems to be a remake of X-Men sometimes as all the characters have X-Men like abilities. The plot is very good though. 'Save the cheerleader, Save the world!' Hey, whenever there is a line like that, you know it has got to be a good show. Heroes is very bloody though, not to watch if you can't take much carnage. This is the only show I am not caught completely up with yet, and it is a killer now, in exam week, to not be able to watch as many episodes as I would like. I won't tell you much about the specifics of this show, just because it could ruin plot if you are wanting to start watching this one. Highly recommended... 5 of 5 stars.

Have a good Monday, wish me luck on my exams!

Leeeroooyyyyyyyy Jeeennnnnnkinnnnnns!!!!!

Good evening all.

We were going to have people over to play cards last night... but due to something called exam week which is next week, all but one (our roommate for next year) bailed on us. So what did we do? We played Halo... naturally. In all the fun times that followed through the evening, a video of Leeroy Jenkins was brought up. What? Huh? Leeroy? My thoughts exactly. Let me explain.

In the lovely game called World of Warcraft, there are groups of players called clans. These clans work together to take down their foes. In this video (which I will post below) the character Leeroy Jenkins is AFK (away from keyboard) while their leader drones on about who is running in when and using what ability to take down the enemy. All of a sudden, Leeroy Jenkins comes back from away and yells, 'alright chums... let's do this! LEEROOOOOYY JENKINS!!!' and runs into the cave... with the entire clan left mouth agape, stunned at the stupidity. Their leader of course says... well let's go and they all run into the cave. All the monsters are of course awakened and the clan takes the beating of their life all while cursing Leeroy and his stupidity. But you see, while Leeroy was away from the keyboard, missing the lecture on the battle, he was making dinner. And so the scene ends with Leeroy's comment... 'At least I got chicken' There it is folks, enjoy



I'm not quite sure how well this will work for those folks who are subscribed to the feed. You might need to check into the site for this one.

I have been laughing at this one for the past 24 hours. I played WoW for about a month (a free trial) then I just couldn't see spending the 15 dollars a month to keep going, and of course I knew I would be wasting all sorts of time. But hey, live a little... I know that's what Leeroy would want me to do.

Thanks for stopping by. Next time I'd like to make a run through some of my favorite sites and give quick little reviews. Unless of course something better comes along. Later!

Delighted to meet you...

Overjoyed, enraptured, entranced; are we ready? Yes! Good! In we go!

Well I thought we'd start off with a classic movie quote, which I really know few of, but usually a treat when one pops to mind. (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory for those a little lost) Did you know that Rohld Dahl, the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was so upset after the production of the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, that he refused the possibility of continuing with Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator? It is quite a shame if you ask me. I wonder what he would think if he saw the not so long ago remake Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with that scary Michael Jackson-esque performance from Johnny Depp? He's rolling in his grave no doubt.

Anyway, on to more important matters at hand...

Many times over I have tried my hand at blogging, and many times over I have failed with the one reason of being too strict on topics. A blog solely on Tech news... a blog solely on my creative writing... a blog solely on my book reviews... Ya know? I then decided today, it's my blog... I can put whatever I want up there, who cares? And to make a not so long story just a little shorter, I am now typing to you.

So this is pretty much it for my welcome post, but hopefully I will find the time and energy to keep updating. Exciting times lie ahead, I know it.

I was reading today's entry from one of my favorite comic strips author (Dilbert from Scott Adams) and came across a splendid entry. From me to you (consider it a welcome present) I will paste it below for you to view,

Well that about does it folks, check back often and comment constantly! (please)
But folks . . . don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted. . . . He lived happily ever after.


The Dilbert Blog

Last night, the full moon was low and bright over the horizon on a clear California evening. It looked extra large. “Wow,” said my beautiful wife. “Look at the moon.” It was spectacular, perched above the silhouette of townhouses in the distance. One extroverted star and a wisp of night clouds completed the composition. For two newlyweds on their way to a Saturday night dinner, it was a perfect moment.

There are many romantic things that you can say when looking at the moonlit sky. I decided to go with “It looks like the moon is going to crash into the Earth and annihilate us.”

“What?” said my wife, still lost in the magic of the moment.

“The moon looks extra large. That’s either because of the refraction from the additional atmosphere at that angle, or the moon lost its orbit and its going to destroy all life on earth.”

“I think we would have heard something on the news if the moon were heading toward us,” Shelly pointed out.

“Not necessarily. The government might have decided there was nothing we could do about it, so there’s no point in ruining our weekend,” I countered.

When it comes to romance, the important thing is to win the argument. So at this point I was committed. I was going to make the best possible case I could that the moon was going to kill us. I continued, “Besides, how competent is our government anyway? It’s not as if this would be its first big mistake, or the first time they didn’t tell us the truth.”

Shelly got quiet after I made that excellent point. That’s how I know I won. And it felt good because I know she was thinking how lucky she is to have married a man who knows so much about moons and governments.