eljefe's journal

Just I guess saying hi to all ye olde guarde. It's been way too long since I've visited (I've been lurking for a while and started posting again a couple days ago). For all of you who pretend to possibly think about careing, status update!

I'm in college, making mediocre to good grades, got a job doing web development, my webdev skills improve (still havn't exceeded my target ... skill range *glances at Jaz* but I'm working on it). All in all pretty decent.

I've kinda run through and looked at some old posts but I was wondering how everyone else has been doing in this place called the real world.

Except for you Aynjell, I already know about you.

I checked the temperature when I woke up today (a wonderful 2pm CST) and it was 65 degrees fahrenheit (18.3 celsius).

Normally I'm not a big fan of the cold. Growing up in Texas I'm used to summers ranging from 90 to 110 degrees fahrenheit, and am quite comfortable in those temperatures. I would always enjoy a good laugh when I heard about heat spells in Europe driving the temperatures into the 90's, only to cease laughing when they shrug off a 50 degree day like it's nothing.

Like I started earlier, even though I'm not a fan of the cold, today marks the first day I can finally pull out my leather jacket and wear it. My lamb-skin leather jacket. If you've never felt lamb skin, lets just say it's one of the softest things I can think of (next to a down comforter, which I need to get my hands on fairly soon). The smell and feel of my jacket just makes me feel good. That all probably sounds womanish, however I love this jacket.

Currently I'm listenign to Wynton Marsalis play Tomasi: Trumpet Concerto (1. Allegro). Somehow this song fits the day very well, would even better if it was snowing.

Over the past few days and weeks, I've had a Come-To-Jesus meeting with myself on a couple issues. Some concerning stuff about myself, some concering other people.

Something I came to was my innate drive to try and please people. Now mind you I can be extremely passionate about a couple topics, but on the outliers I become very pliable to whatever the trend is. Sometimes this is a good thing, but mostly the values it changes are not so good. Think of it like being in the popular crowd. I'm swinging to the fads and I've started to allow myself to notice this fact.

But, more alarmingly I found that I've been going against one of my most firm and ironed principles in my being: reciprocity. I believe in returning everything that is given to me, and add some "nice" to it on the way out. If someone does me a favour, I'll do likewise only do more or do a bigger favour or allow myself to be a guy that one would want to call on. However if someone does me wrong, I might give them a chance but I will do no worse than what was done to me.

Lately I've noticed that I've been going against reciprocity. Certain people and events (*cough*) have cause me to realize that I am more leanient to people who in turn keep taking and taking. Not only in the physical manifestations, but politically. I've found that as a conservative, giving away any ground in the forms of a compromise (which I do very much so believe in: we can't please them all) or in the forms of respect, I find that more becomes demanded of me politically. I give one inch of ground in deference, like the acknowledgement of equal rivals, and immediately the opposing (liberal) party scrambles upon this space and demands more and more until I view them as gods and their word as scripture.

When I try to debate many an inane argument a liberal can make, or positions to hold (I swear to God in heaven if I ever see another car with the sticker "Noone died when Clinton lied," I'll trash it and beat the owner within an inch of their life and turn them over to a Christian Scientist for medical care), rather than presenting me with logical points A, B, and X proving Z and Y, they yell and scream and fuss and call me a liar or, yes, I have been called a fag. Amazing, the group that supposedly loves the homosexual community (and diversity and the rights of others) invokes a euphamism repesenting them as a derogatory statement (and supposedly a very insulting one at that).

If it wasn't for NAO I would be utterly convinced a liberal did not know how to form an argument or open their goddamned eyes and make decisions for themseleves (not made by Ted Kennedy, the fucking drunk womanizer murderer beacon (havn't been in the game lately, should it be former?) of the democratic party).

So I've made a promise to myself. Fucking political correctness (again), I have decided to be unyielding (stubborn as some might call it) in my beliefs. I have made a pact that I will not debate a liberal unless they proactively prove themeselves to know how to work google.com and research, in unbiased or opposing-political-spectrum sites. I will not grant any moral ground to the left-wingers, and though they dont' have any moral ground, I figure this is a capitalistic society and they can work their way into it, like you are supposed ot. I will not concede nor will I compromise with a left-winger unless they do so on a point of mine at the same time or before myself. And I am determined, at every possible instance, even if it means obssesed planning and research, to expose the innate hipocricy of the left (right wing conspiricy? For christs sake conservatives are not organized and Fox is barely hanging in there).

And since I know how NAO works, I'll kindly ask that if you feel strongly for or against my views or opinions, please do not rate it. If you are "eeh" neutral, feel free to rate my syntax and or delivery.

This time of year, this year, is the most perfect it has ever been. It has been warm, let me tell you what. Just a week ago I was driving down broadway with my windows down. Who does that in December? East Texans do.

Wierd weather, but being cold-natured I love the heat. I laugh when I hear of "heat spells" in Europe hitting almost 95 degrees farenheit! A normal, and enjoyable, summer for moi is 95 degrees, well, perhaps less, but I can enjoy 95-100 degree temperatures..

I finally caved this last weekend. I installed Windows XP (Pro, good god not home). I never ever thought I would see the giant blue and green interface on my computer, but here I am typing away on it. Just so you know, I only did it to run Adobe Premier.

Today is such a wonderful day, for my first day as a Senior and the last first day of High School arrives. Many things excite me about this upcoming year, prospects of seeing old friends, meeting new, sadly enough enjoying some of my classes, etcetera. Of course, some dismay me, like AP homework and more homework, and not to mention homework.

I also have high hopes I can revamp (well, more like kick-off) my social life. Before this year I was pretty much the generic band/computer geek, had many friends, but was never really sociable. I probably went out and did stuff with said friends maybe ...2 or 3 times out of the whole year. Last year marked the first year I got over a partialy serious case of shyness and self-deprecation and managed to work up enough courage to start asking chicks out (yeah it's wierd, but I just can't bring up the nerve to ask... I start to, then self-deprecation kicks in and I talk my self out of it...). That was good except for after I asked them out, I realized I made some minor mistakes, aka picking the wrong person.

I hope that maybe I can overcome some of my anxieties, cast off those shackles and enjoy my last year in this cultural black hole of East Texas. I started working out this summer, and started doing things on time, so who knows, maybe this year I can make a whole new me (and maybe I'll come back to being active here on NAO).

This I saw browsing around A&M Viz Lab Site just looking at stuff. In a student page under projects, he was developing a news feed news service manager, etc. etc., and I thought this in the settings was quite excellent.