Just letting you all know that I'm back home and everything's fine. Turns out the worst of the storms went mostly north of us (even though we had a close call while we were packing to leave). We stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Gainesville, Texas between Dallas and the Oklahoma border. We booked 2 rooms; one for me & my older nephew, and the other for my mom, sister, niece, and younger nephew. We left roughly around 5 PM and got to the hotel just before 10 PM. The hotel was nice and we had dinner on Saturday at a Cracker Barrel next door where I had what I believe was the most incredible blackberry cobbler I've ever tasted. While there I also got a souvenir; a toy flintlock pistol. Also turns out that there was a special event honoring Medal of Honor recipients (the actual award, not the video game) being held in Gainesville and there were several recipients staying in the hotel with us, quite an honor to get to see so many heroes in one place. There were some storms late Saturday night, but nothing worse than a few thunderstorms. We started back home around 11 AM Sunday and got back into town around 1 PM and thankfully found everything just as we left it.

Hey all, just a quick message to let you know me and my family are preparing to evacuate in preparation for a major severe weather outbreak being predicted for the central US this weekend. The last time the National Weather Service talked about a severe outbreak the way they are about this one was just before Joplin, Missouri got hammered, so we're not taking any chances. We've booked a hotel room in Denton, Texas and providing everything goes well, we should be back sometime Sunday. I'll post updates from my phone when I can but for now, see you all later.

As of 7:51 AM US Central Time, I became an uncle for the third time; my sister Erin gave birth to my first niece, Kimily Janelle. Kimily weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces. Due to the baby's size and some minor issues encountered during pregnancy, a C-section was performed instead of a normal birth to avoid any complications during delivery. Both mother and child are doing well. Will give more details as they become available.

Alright, so I've been getting pestered right and left about MLP: FiM and seen it plastered over practically every corner of the internet. As such, I ended up hearing some bits and pieces about some of the characters. One of them in particular, Luna I think she's called, has a story that sounds very similar to the legend of Razgriz from the video game "Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War". According to the legend, the dark demon Razgriz spreads death and destruction across the land, then is slain. After a period of rest, Razgriz rises again, this time as a hero. From what I understand of Luna, she starts off evil, then becomes good after being defeated. Now, for the challenge, I'm challenging anyone to draw a picture of Luna flying in formation with an F-14A Tomcat in the colors of the Ghosts of Razgriz from Ace Combat 5. If anyone can pull this off, I will give MLP: FiM a chance. This is an open art challenge; anyone who thinks they have what it takes to pull this off is welcome to give it a shot. I look forward to seeing what people think about this, and wish you all well.

Had an earthquake here overnight; a magnitude 4.7 with an epicenter almost 50 miles east of me. I actually felt it even at that distance. I was sitting in my room when stuff started shaking. No damage though; didn't even knock anything over. There's been aftershocks reported, but I haven't felt any yet. Here's a link to the USGS with info on it (I'm in 'Oklahoma City' on the map): http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthqua.....36.-98.-96.php

UPDATE: Had a second quake just before 11 PM Saturday evening, this one even stronger than the last one. USGS put it a 5.6, strongest ever in Oklahoma history. This one was actually a bit scary, and I had to hold onto my computer monitor to keep it steady. I'm gettng word of damage to roads and buildings near the epicenter, but no reports of injury at this time.

Just a random thought I had; would fighting Amaterasu (from Okami) in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 be considered animal abuse? :P

I'm starting to think it might not be such a bad thing if the world ended, given what a fucked-up pile of shit it is now. Might actually be an improvement.

Despite all the tragedy coming out of Japan, the one thing that I've found to be truly touching and heartwarming about this is how the Japanese people have conducted themselves while enduring such great hardships. There has been no looting, no crime waves, none of the anarchy you typically see in other places after a major disaster. They are actually going out of their way to help each other, even people they don't even know. A recurring example is people in evacuation shelters dividing up food equally amongst themselves instead of hoarding it for themselves. People around the world could truly learn a thing or two from this.

Just thought I'd let you all know how my 31st birthday went down (which, contrary to what DA says, happened on Monday, March 14). I started getting well-wishes the day before due to DA telling people the wrong date for my birthday.

I woke up around 11 AM or so Monday and then went to lunch with my mom & sister at Red Robin. The waiter was a nice guy, but kept getting our drink refills mixed up, but I found it more amusing than annoying, myself. Afterward, my sister left for work and my mom took me window-shopping at Target before we went to Homeland to pick up my birthday cake (I've posted a pic in my gallery here).

After that we picked up my nephews and came home. End of the story? Nope! Not long after we got home, I got a call asking me to come in for a job interview at Academy Sports & Outdoors that very evening! I was caught offguard by it, but seeing as I've been out of work for two years as of last month, I leapt at the opportunity without hesitation! I believe the interview went well, and was told to expect to hear from them in about a week for a second interview. I'm really hoping I get this, as I'm frankly quite sick of being unemployed for this long. After returning from the interview, I went online and purchased the Battlefield 2: Special Forces expansion pack off of Amazon.com. Overall quite a nice birthday, and hopefully a very fortuitous one as well.

I've been waiting 30 years for this, but I finally have my own vehicle! Just got a 2000 Chevrolet S-10 extended cab pickup truck from Dub Richardson Toyota. Actually managed to get it for a bit under Bluebook; the Bluebook value on it was stated around $6400, but we managed to get it down to around $5500 not including the warranty. It's quite a nice vehicle, and I'm really glad to finally have a vehicle I can call my own!

Edit: Here's a link to a video of it sitting at the dealership:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZxu4HG4yE8

Just got back from an interesting dinner outing with my family this evening. We went to Golden Corral (a buffet-style restaraunt chain for those of you not familiar with it), and it turns out they were filming a commercial there at the time. Not sure if I made it on camera or not, but next time you see a commercial for that restaraunt, look for a guy wearing a green & white striped shirt, blue jeans, and an ACU boonie hat.

As stated in my previous journal, I'm bringing my Star Fox Assault: Star Wolf Edition fanfic out of hiatus now that I have a Wii and can play the game again. As the first part of this endeavour, I have posted revised chapters at FanFiction.net with corrected grammar and paragraph structure. I tried to post the revised chapters here, but apparently FA doesn't like Word 2007's .docx file format. I plan to try posting them to my DA site, but since I've already posted them at FF.net and in case DA doesn't accept .docx either, I'm including a link to the FF.net version of the story.

Star Fox Assault: Star Wolf Edition at FanFiction.net:

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2520869.....r_Wolf_Edition

Finally got a Nintendo Wii yesterday. Was quite an ordeal getting it; EVERY store around here that carries them was out of stock, even their websites, so I put a down payment for one on Gamestop's reserve list. The employee estimated a 2 week wait, and true to his word, I got the call that it was ready to be picked up this past Thursday. I got the console, a black MotionPlus controller & matching Nunchuk, and an Energizer induction charger (went with the induction charger because that plastic sleeve on the controllers now makes them unable to fit standard chargers). I had also ordered Super Smash Bros Brawl in advance of the Wii's arrival and it arrived a few days before I got the call that the Wii was ready. Setup was pretty easy, though I couldn't get the Wii to connect to my wireless router for online play (the router uses WEP security, I couldn't remember the passkey and the passphrase wouldn't work). Online problems aside, the offline play is pretty awesome, and the backwards compatibility is working great so far. In other news, I'm planning to restart my Star Fox Assault: Star Wolf Edition fanfic now that I have access to the game for reference material again. I'm starting by revising the existing chapters (correcting typos, revising paragraph structure and grammar, etc.) so keep an eye out!

Just wanted to give a recap about how my Christmas went this year. Spent Christmas Eve watching a blizzard that was part of a large winter storm that hammered the midwestern U.S.. It started off as freezing rain, then sleet, then heavy blowing snow with 50 MPH winds that wreaked havoc with the decorations in my front yard. At one point, I could barely see my neighbor's house across the street! Thankfully my power held out, but not everyone in town was so lucky. I would find out the next day that one of my cousins who works for EMSA (the local ambulance service) suffered a broken hand when she got caught in a multi-vehicle accident on Interstate 40. Thankfully she's okay aside from the hand and she was able to help her partner carry out their duties at the accident site. News of the accident aside, Christmas day went relatively well. I didn't get a whole lot since I'm still hard-pressed for money, but my haul was still respectable. I got several Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen-themed gifts, namely the 2-disc special edition DVD with transforming Bumblebee case, PS2 video game, and 2010 calendar. I also got Sonic Unleashed for the PS2, a Logitech PC headset (which I hope lasts longer than the headset I got last Christmas), and a TRENDnet TK-207K KVM switch. Hope everyone else had a good Christmas (or whichever other holiday you celebrate this time of year), and have a happy New Year.

I just recieved word from my mother that my father, James G. Teet, has died. Details are still sketchy, as the nursing home he was at is not being entirely forthcoming with information at this time. I know that he had been suffering from Parkinson's since at least the mid-1990's. He was a retired senior NCO with the U.S. Air Force and served in the Vietnam War. He loved motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidson and Indian. He had two children and two grandchildren.

R.I.P. James G. Teet
1947 - 2009

EDIT: I've found out that he died on Thursday the 17th. He will be cremated and his ashes spread over the graves of his parents.

I noticed the latest meme fad going around FA is to submit photos of yourself IRL. Well, I already have several such pics in my gallery posted months before this buisness started, so I guess there's no need for me to get involved in this silliness (not that I'm a fan of memes anyhow :P).

Woke up to some bad news today. Found that my computer had a black screen even though it wasn' shut down or in sleep mode. I rebooted it only to find that I had to keep turning the monitor off & on in order to see anything for more than a few seconds. At first I though it was my video card going on the fritz, but a call to one of my friends,  kitwriter, revealed that it was actually the monitor dying. The monitor in question is a 15" IC Power LCD monitor I got for my 27th birthday back in 2007. Luckily, we had a spare monitor I was able to use. Downside is that this spare monitor is a 16" IBM E74 CRT, so it's a bit of a downgrade going from an LCD to a CRT. Better than nothing, I guess. :/

Had a bit of a medical emergency today. Was tearing down a dilapidated part of a roof overhang on an old shed in my backyard, and a 2-inch rusty nail penetrated clear through the sole of my shoe and into the ball of my right foot. Thankfully the nail went in at an angle and didn't go too deep into my foot, maybe about a quarter-inch or so, but still enough to break the skin and draw blood. Lucky for me my mom, who's a former EMT, was home at the time and was able to render first aid (swabbing with alcohol, and applying antibiotic gel & a bandaid), but we went to a local clinic just the same since my sister had a similar incident happen to her years back and she ended up getting osteomyelitis. The doctor gave me a combination vaccine for tetanus, diptheria, and whooping cough as well as a perscription for antibiotics. I'm doing ok right now, aside from some soreness and swelling at the site of the wound. The first thought that went through my mind when it happened was the scene in the movie Home Alone where one of the robbers steps on a nail stuck to one of the steps leading out of the basement when he's trying to break in.

I just had something quite unusual happen. Apparently a Carolina Wren managed to find a way into my home. Me, my mom, and my sister just spent the last few minutes chasing the blasted thing all over the house before my mom finally managed to trap it on her bed and release it outside. I've had bugs get into the house before, but never had a BIRD get in! Just glad we were able to get it out without it being hurt.

Just thought I'd give an update to my previous journal. It appears that the local job prospects I mentioned for me & my mom haven't panned out, and it's looking like a 90% or better probability that we're going to be moving to Houston, the question is when. Could be as early as August, or as late as September. My mother's even compiled a list of apartments down there. It's also looking like my sister and her two sons will be staying here in Oklahoma, so it'll be just me and my mom. I'll keep you all informed, and post updates as the situation develops.

As some of you who know me are aware, I've been having poor luck with employment recently. My mom is in a similar predicament, though she's recently recieved 2 offers, one here in Oklahoma City and another in Houston, Texas. Before I continue, a bit of a history lesson is needed. Me, my sister, and my mom initially moved away from Houston (where me and my sister were born, by the way) in fall 1997 because my mom was laid off and couldn't find any other jobs there so got a job in Little Rock, Arkansas. She lost that job and then got another one here in Oklahoma City resulting in another move on 12/31/98. She then lost that job a couple years ago and has been looking ever since. Here's where the irony comes in; the comapny offering her the job is pretty much the exact same company that originally laid her off and started this whole nomadic quest for employment over a decade ago! I'm incredibly overwhelmed by these developments; while it would be good to return to my birthplace, there's all kinds of hassles, hurdles, and obstacles me and my family would have to overcome, not the least of which would be moving me, my mom, my sister, and my sister's two sons, the oldest of which is only 5 years old. Part of me is all for this and hopes she gets it, but another part of me hopes she gets the local job instead, especially since I too have a local prospect; presently waiting to be called in for a second interview with Best Buy. I don't want to end up getting it and then have to turn around and hand in my 2 weeks notice because I'm moving...

Hey all, just had one of the coolest nights ever. I just got back from watching an advance screening of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. My sister won 2 tickets to it from a local radio station and was generous enough to bring me with her. I won't give any spoilers, but suffice it to say, this movie effing ROCKS!!! There were tons of Transformers in this one, easily double what the first film had. Everyone who can should DEFINITELY check it out when it's released this Wednesday. If you have ANY interest in Transformers at all, you will NOT be dissapointed!

For those of you that don't know yet, I just scored a new PC custom-built by a friend of mine who was also generous enough to throw in almost 20 games with it. The PC has an Intel Core 2 Duo, overclocked Nvidia GeForce 9600 GT, twin 320 GB Hitachi SATA hard drives, and uses WinXP DarkLite 2008 with SP3 (basically a hybrid of XP and Vista without all the excess bloatware). The games I got are Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Star Wars: Republic Commando, Star Wars: Rogue Leader, Grand Theft Auto 3, Rainbow Six: Vegas, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Metal Gear Solid 3, Wing Commander 3 & 4, Battlefield 2, Call of Duty, Call of Duty: United Offensive Expansion Pack, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, Medal of Honor: Airborne, Sonic Gems Collection, Sonic Adventure DX, Shadow the Hedgehog, and a demo for Crysis. A VHS copy of Con-Air was also included. I'm quite impressed with this PC so far; it runs Second Life with NO lag at all. The coolest thing about all of this was that I didn't even have to ask him to do any of this, and he did it all out of pocket, even paying for shipping which was over $50.

Well, just completed my 29th birthday, thought I'd let people know how it went down. I didn't get up until almost mid-day, and then it turned out I'd missed seeing it snow during the morning, but none of it accumulated as it was too warm. Once I got up and about, I was surprised with my first gift of the day from my family: Call of Duty: World at War: Final Fronts for the PS2. I then went to lunch at TGI Friday's with my mom, sister, and my sister's two sons. After we got home, I was surprised with my birthday cake with chocolate ice cream to go with it (a picture of the cake can be see at the link below) and another gift: WALL-E on DVD. I was also given a box of Thin Mint girl scout cookies. I then got to watch The Empire Strikes Back and Commando on TV. The only real downside to all this was that I'm presently recovering from surgery on my feet from a week or so ago. I can walk around unassisted and everything, but both big toes are still bandaged up and I have to wear a funky-looking sandal-like shoe on my left foot. Hopefully once the recovery's complete I'll finally be able to resume the process of enlisting into the Army. Well, that's all for now, talk to you all later, take care.

Pic of my birthday cake (with some already eaten, sorry :P) : http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2089949

Just thought I'd drop a line telling how my Christmas went, hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday. Christmas eve wasn't really all that pleasant for me. I had to go in to work at 10 AM in the morning as opposed to my regular 4 PM since the store would be closing that evening (Christmas is the ONLY day of the year the Walmart Supercenter I work at closes), and I'd contracted a cold a couple days prior from having to help push shopping carts in the parking lot in sub-freezing weather and was dealing with a horrific toothache all day which ibuprofen and orajel were having no effect on (which was even worse since they had a free Christmas dinner for associates working on Christmas eve and I wasn't able to fully enjoy it). Between the cold and the toothache, I was a wreck, and by 2 PM it became obvious I wasn't going to be able to make it to the end of my shift so the managers made me go home early, which upset me because I felt I was letting down the rest of the crew I work with. The day wasn't a total loss, as I gt to see the live-action version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" on TV which I hadn't seen in a long time. Come Christmas morning, I woke up to find that my 4 year-old nephew (who has a habit of waking up before everyone else in the house) had taken it upon himself to unwrap not only his presents, but everyone else's too! Despite the faux pas, the day went pretty well, with me scoring a decent array of gifts including "Transformers" on DVD, a Cyber Acoustics HS-600 behind the head PC headset to replace my GE over the head headset which was on its' last legs, a $15 Walmart gift card, and a Kodak EasyShare M763 digital camera. I had also recieved another gift about a week or so prior, namely an LG "RUMOR" cellphone which was a free upgrade to replace my Samsung A560 flip-phone. Of all the gifts I got, the camera was probably the most unexpected, since my new phone has a digital still/video camera built in (although it's only 1.3 megapixels as opposed to the Kodak's 7.2 megapixels). I'll likely use the gift card to buy a 2 GB microSD card & SD adaptor set I saw at work so I can upload between the phone & camera and the computer. At least I won't have to mess with those cheap disposable cameras anymore, and will likely be posting more pics here too. I've already got a couple pics of some of the local cats that frequent the neighborhood who happened to stop by for a visit today. Again, I hope everyone else had a safe and enjoyable Christmas, and has an equally pleasant New Year.