How quickly we evolve (basically meaning how quickly I change my mind about things).  Below is the original intro page to this site (viewable while I was putting the finishing touches on this version of the site engine).

Makes you wonder what the hell I was thinking, huh?  Needless to say, I decided to merge my idea for [my .net domain] with the idea for this site, greatly simplifying my initial web design work and allowing me to go live more expeditiously.

I also decided to drop the Egyptian religion idea since I couldn’t possibly have much to say about it that hasn’t already been said in a thousand other places.

Finally, I also lost interest in the attitude I originally attempted to portray. Rather than affecting it, I decided to just be myself and let my natural sense of superiority shine through.

.::Navigation::.	.::Welcome::.
Home [my .net site] Jay Strange slackercentral.com	Hey, hello and howdy! I’m Jason, and this is one of my spots on the web.  It’s intended to give me an outlet for my personal interests and endeavors (as opposed to my professional side). If you’re wondering what in the hell I’m talking about, let me ‘splain you.  Here’s what this site is for… working out/weightlifting and getting buff (well, getting a better body and hoping buff is the end result) tattoos (I already have six and am working on ideas for more, but all things in moderation) body piercing (I have six of these as well and have a few more ideas) personal politics (you’ll learn I’m quite outspoken and expect people to use common sense [meaning I’m always disappointed], so my politics normally end up being pleas to stop the general stupidity that drives America’s political machinery) news (whatever I find interesting) my cats (you’ll come to know them as my kids) ancient Egyptian religion (something I’m entirely fascinated with) For those of you who lurk about trying to find your next fix of eye candy, yes, you can expect a gallery with pictures of my tattoos, my pierced body parts, my cats, and my workout progress, to name a few subjects.  I’m looking at digital cameras now and hope to have one in the next weeks. You should also expect to see anything else of interest that might pop up from time to time.  Yep, that’ll likely include a blog (in some manner of speaking, although it may just be my rants about whatever). You can bet your ass I’ll be exercising my First Amendment rights.  If I insult you from time to time, don’t expect an apology, as I strongly believe I should be able to speak my mind without worrying about the stupid politically correct establishment taking me to court for bruising someone’s ego or offending some idiot’s sensibilities.  As I always say, I may not agree with (or may entirely abhor) what you’re saying, but I’ll absolutely defend your right to say it (just remember that I’m always right). Basically, expect the unexpected as well as the expected.  I am adaptive and evolving and always learning, so expect this site to be the same (except for the learning part, I suppose). If you’re interested in my more professional persona (yes, I do have a professional side), take a trip on over to [my .net site] (the site’s not up right now, but it will be once I get my act together).  There you’ll find news and information concerning my professional endeavors, including technology and computers, science, the Internet, development, national security, terrorism, and anything else that seems at least somewhat related. I’m working diligently on getting this site rolled out as quickly as possible.  This is my first web development endeavor, so it should be an interesting journey if nothing else.  It’ll always be under construction, so check back often. – Jason
The obligatory fine print:   · Best viewed with a browser.   · Optimized for 1024×768 or higher resolutions and 32 bit color.   · Looks good in IE 5 and above.   · Probably looks good in Netscape.   · Who the hell cares if it looks good in Opera?   · Did someone say Godzilla?  Oh, you said Mozilla.  Whatever…   · Same for AOL.   · Copyright © 2002-2003 Jason

Someone sent this to me today.  Although I don’t believe it’s a profound elucidation of our lives as Americans (it’s difficult to miss the cheese factor), it does cause one to pause and contemplate our obtuse and blundering pursuit of fleeting satisfaction at the expense of real happiness and things that matter.

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven’t thought about it, don’t have it on their schedule, didn’t know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back.

From then on, I’ve tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn’t suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed?  Does the word “refrigeration” mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched Jeopardy on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, “How about going to lunch in a half hour?”  She would gasp and stammer, “I can’t.  I have clothes on the line.  My hair is dirty.  I wish I had known yesterday.  I had a late breakfast.  It looks like rain.”  And my personal favorite: “It’s Monday.”  She died a few years ago.  We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches.

We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect.

We’ll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Stevie toilet-trained.  We’ll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet.  We’ll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older.  The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer.  One morning we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of “I’m going to,” “I plan on,” and “Someday, when things are settled down a bit.”  When anyone calls my “seize the moment” friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips.  She keeps an open mind on new ideas.  Her enthusiasm for life is contagious.  You talk with her for five minutes, and you’re ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years.  I love ice cream.  It’s just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process.  The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker.  If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now…go on and have a nice day.  Do something you want to…not something on your should do list.

If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say?  And why are you waiting?

Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round
or listened to the rain lapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight
or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask, “How are you?” do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
with the next hundred chores running through your head?

Ever told your child, “We’ll do it tomorrow.”
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die?
Just call to say, “Hi”?

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift…Thrown away…
Life is not a race. Take it slower.
Hear the music before the song is over.

— Unknown

This was the “coming soon” page seen on the site for the first few weeks it was online.  Yes, it was that simple.

Coming soon…

I’ve decided to go live with this site and continue the development work on it simultaneously. My ego-driven opinions simply can’t be bottled up any longer.

This site is intended to give me an outlet for my personal interests and endeavors. That includes working out/weightlifting and “getting buff” (well, trying to get a better body at least), tattoos, body piercing, personal politics, science and technology, news, The Kids (the four cats who run my life), terrorism and national security, my opinions on everything I feel is worthy of a response, and anything else of interest that might pop up from time to time.

Don’t worry, it’s not going to be a blog about the doldrums of my life, although such things will be included from time to time even as I bedazzle you with my outspoken points of view on everything under the sun.

This site will be adaptive and evolving, as I don’t stay content or satisfied with anything for very long. It’s still under construction right now, and it’ll likely be that way as long as it’s up and running.

Expect the unexpected and be prepared for my rants and raves about anything of consequence.