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Where it all began:
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[ The General Me Rant ]
Since people ask and I'm bored with responding, I'll dump it 
here.

This rant will be constantly evolving as my desire to spew 
random things grows.  Check back when you're bored, and reread.  
Additions will be interspersed throughout the length of this 
text.  Random thoughts as they occur.

"All I know is you've got to run to win, and I'll be damned 
 if I'll get hung up on the line"
 -Van Halen

I'm a 20something male.  I grew up and live in Southern 
California.  No, not Los Angeles.  I hate LA, and LA hates me.  
We avoid each other; it's a nice little arragement.  No, I had 
always been in the shadow of DismalLand.  DL and I also hate 
each other, and keep a safe distance.  Lovely also, that 
relationship.

I've traveled throughout the U.S. in my earlier years, both 
vacationing and as a roadie for a some-kind-of-punk band.  
I've seen some truly cool places, places I don't think I'd 
have ever been to were it not for working for a band.  Small 
hole-in-the-wall outta the way places, and some truly grand 
locales.  I had met all sorts of people during that trek, from 
average to insane and everything in between.  Unfortunately, 
the cliche applies:  Nice places to visit, no places I'd really 
care to hang my hat in, tho.  Boils down to the long and short
of it: I like Orange County.  Sure, it's an oppressive, stagnant, 
stifling place to be.  I like that.  Gives me something to work 
against, and any attempts at rebellion are real low effort.  
Nice.  Nifty little story to add here eventually about an old 
aquantance and a girlfriend of his, and the traveling they did.  
Eventually...

"A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., M.D., or Ph.D.. 
 Unfortunately, they don't have a J.O.B."
 -"Fats" Domino

College.  Schooling.  Never went.  Spent a few months of night 
school for network engineering. Never got certified.  Never 
bothered to.  Certs, at the time, were rapidly becoming devalued.
Every yahoo that had ever touched a mouse was getting them, and 
still not having a freaking clue as to what they were supposed 
to do when plopped in front of a console.  Yeah, I wanna
be considered one of them.

"Don't waste your time, Always searching for those wasted 
 years"  -Iron Maiden

I'm into tattooing and piercing.  I have taken both to what I 
consider "conventional" extremes, but have also managed to 
touch into extremes that are, well, extremely extreme.  Maybe 
not even "extreme" by typical definition, maybe just pushing 
the envelope in regards to what is conventional vs. what I 
actually do.  Despite this, tho, I find both steel and ink to 
be more of a pasttime for me than anything.  I've encounted far 
too many people that are much, much more obsessive about either 
than I am.

I counsel troubled teenagers at the local community center.

I counsel troubled adults at the local watering holes.

I feel bad for people so fucked up that they can't even realize 
or comprehend their own dysfunctions.

I feel worse for those that know their dysfunctions, and don't 
care.

And I hate those that enjoy their dysfunctions, and drag others 
down with them.

"Ugly, you and me.  Pathetic we cling, we think that 
 we're free"  -Rollins Band

Know what I mean?

Yeah, I'm bitter.  What part of "bitter" don't people understand?

Outside work, I shoot pool, ride my motorcycles (pix linked 
below) and hang out with the local crew.  Thursday's I'm 
rolling with the scooter club, so if you intend to run me down,
Thursday is an OK day for me to die.  Just do me a favor and 
don't hit anything Italian.  That would really, really suck.  
I don't club as much as I used to (six nights a week at the 
peak), but if I feel the need, one dose of Rubber does me in 
pretty damn well.  

I perform covert paramilitary exercises for the CIA (tho I 
can't talk about these, so don't ask).

I'm slowly getting back into mountain biking.  Pix of my Mantis 
Pro-Floater will be up shortly, also.  I can't seem to find a 
single picture of one anywhere on the web, so I might as well...

I hate people.  Waste of oxygen, I swear.  Can't drive worth 
a damn, can't accept responsibilities for their own actions, 
can't fucking think for themselves.  Stricter licensing for 
driving needs to be implemented.  And licensing for 
reproduction.  Preggers and no license?  Sorry, it's gotta 
go.  Oh, and CCW permits should be more widely available.  
Massive points to Sherriff Mike Carona for getting the ball 
rolling on that at least.  Worked well for Florida...

I hate politicians.  For being public servants they 
certainly seem to have forgotten that they aren't the ones 
in control.  And yet the public, idiots they are, continue to 
allow their lives to be controlled by a few select individuals 
far out of touch with the society and reality the rest of us 
live in.

"But I still haven't found what I'm looking for"  -U2

I hate messed up chix.  'nuff said.

People I actually like:  

o Noid & the local crew.
o Dan, Lauren, and Bret from LA: Ubercool 
  people that are truly a charm to hang out with! 
o Skippy, down south of here.  
o Bill and Emmy, recently 
  transplanted from LA to NY.  Miss them both.
o Gilbert, the big brother I never had.  
o Dean.  He's a Dean.  Enough said.
o Mikey M and Eddie Bean, and Mr. Finger as well.
o The people from cDc, and the NHC folks up in SF, as 
  well as the bulk of the l0pht guys (a few of whom I still 
  haven't met).  It's indeed refreshing to come across 
  technically apt people who still are able to socialize like 
  regular human beings.
o Karin, whom I will miss eternally.
o Richard Thieme.  His wisdom has torn through the haze.  In 
  addition to keeping me on an even keel, along with Ralph L. 
  (and if I haven't said it yet, thank you, too, brother), 
  he has given me the insight though just about anything life 
  can throw at me.
o The intensely mellow people of the MMSC, who manage to exist 
  beyond the petty shit that others can't seem to digest.

"I fell on black days"  -Soundgarden