I just realized...

This is going to be the last year I can say, "I'm in my 30's". Boy dont that suck!

Where has life gone? How did I get to this moment so fast? I remember running across the coral beds in Colonial Drive where the houses were being built behind Jay Padron's house.
I remember walking down through the block in front of Colonial Drive Park past Eric Perron's house. I remember walking to elementary school through Colonial Drive Park though the field in the cool mornings and looking back at my foot prints in the wet grass. I remember a couple of girls who lived in the neighborhood who I had crushes on growing up. I remember when I was five or six and a little girl dressed in a yellow Easter dress showing up on my door step and asking my parents if I were home.I remember jumping off the slide on Cory Thompson's pool in his back yard and going all the way to the bottom of the pool...head first. I looked like a unicorn for a few hours and had a bad headache. Hell, looking back, I may even have brain damage, lol.

I remember waking up to a black lady with her hands tucked in her shirt, standing at the door way of my bedroom at noon! She had broken in and not realzing someone was in the house until I answered the phone. I remember watching shoot outs between cars out in the street in front of my house at night.

I remember the art work my dad had hung throughout the house, not just his, but the families. I remember his famous picnic benches he built. The other furniture he built as well. Working out in the yard. My friends I had growing up. The places I rode my bike to with friends. The times I got in trouble with my parents. The things they never caught me doing. The funny stories I tell friends and family.

I miss my dad. I miss the phone calls I would get from him simply to tell me a new joke he had heard. I miss playing cards with the family, Hearts and Spades. I miss playing Scrabble with the family. I miss playing poker with Michael, Uncle Robby, Dad, Billy, Randy, and who ever else showed up. I miss my mom (although she simply just lives far away from me) and my brother and his family.

I miss Hot Wheels believe it or not. And the time I spent there with good friends. The shit we got into and the things we did. I miss Michelle Moore alot. And I miss my friends from that time in my life.

I miss alot. I'm just thankful I have my memories of all those times and events.

Growing older needs to friggin slow down damn it!

Jas-

Taxes...

I hate tax season.

As usual, I've finished my taxes on the last day of the normal season. I wont be getting any of my returns because I still owe the IRS. Now, if I owe them, and they do know how to prepare taxes, couldn't they just prepare mine and help relieve some of the hassle in my life? I mean they are getting it all. It would take them a few minutes and 'tada'! Its all theirs.

They can take the money and jam it....

Officially done with tax season.

Open source software (OSS) began as a marketing campaign for free software.^[1] OSS can be defined as computer software for which the human-readable source code is made available under a copyright license (or arrangement such as the public domain) that meets the Open Source Definition. This permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form. It is very often developed in a public, collaborative manner. Open source software is the most prominent example of open source development and often compared to user-generated content.^[2] A report by Standish Group says that adoption of open source has resulted in savings of about $60 billion per year to consumers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source_software#Open_Source_Definition

I started off this blog with the definition of Open-Source. Below the definition, there is a link to the wikipedia.org page where I got the definition. This page has the history, rules, ideas, etc for what Open-Source truly is and why its around. There are more links below.

I have been interested in ‘Open-Source’ software for awhile now. My interests, to be honest, are to simply save money when looking to acquire a program that does what I need it to do. Granted, some open-source programs aren’t at the level where closed-source programs are. But there are some, such as Fire Fox’s web browser, Songbird’s media player, etc.

I’ve found a few websites, programs, operating systems, office suites, etc that follow the open-source idea. I’ve downloaded or ordered CD’s for programs that I’m interested in. I’ve used them, and I’m completely happy with the outcome. I’ll try to either leave information here or give website links to where you can go to read up and make decisions on your own as to whether or not this is something you are interested in.

I’ve simply become interested in this movement. I’ve found a huge list of programs/software that are comparable to programs/software that you would normally pay hundreds of dollars for in stores or off the internet, but open-source for the most part is free.

Most, not all, open-source programs/software are ‘cross-platform’. Cross-platform, for those who don’t know, means you can download the software and use it on either a Mac computer or a Windows based system. So whatever you are using, take a look and see if there is something you like.

The first link is for a program I just recently downloaded, and I must say, I love it to death. Songbird is a cross-platform media player that can be prettied up like a browser can with ‘Themes’. Changing colors, etc. You can download add-ons to further change the appearance as well. Free to download, free to use. You can even get free streaming internet radio. Currently I’ve got over 150 radio stations. Everything from Christmas music to Country, Rap, Trance, Energy, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and Today. Just to name a few.

The link to Songbird http://getsongbird.com/

This next link is for an entire operating system. An operating system would be Windows XP or Vista, to name a couple of examples. Ubuntu is a free, fully packed operating system similar to what Mac and Windows offers. Ubuntu comes with its own fully operational office suite. It can read and understand Windows Office programs such as Word, Excel, etc. Matter of fact, if you go and update ‘Java’ on your computer, you will get prompted to try ‘Open-Office’ which is the same suite that comes with Ubuntu.

http://www.ubuntu.com/

Here are more interesting programs and sites that I’ve bookmarked myself.

http://synfig.org/Main_Page - Two-dimensional animation has long been the domain of proprietary software. That changes with the introduction of Synfig, a free software/open source tool for producing feature-film quality animation with fewer people and resources.

http://www.nch.com.au/index.html - Just about anything dealing with Audio, including a file switcher/changer. For example, changing a .wav file to a .mp3 file. But before downloading, be sure to see if you can use it on your Operating System. Also, some of these programs on this website offer a ‘professional’ version which you do have to pay for. But, even though you are paying for it, you aren’t paying the huge prices that some of the other more mainstream programs cost.

http://www.getmiro.com/ - This little program is very nice. You want free internet tv? Take a look here. You can also save YouTube videos with this!

http://www.getpaint.net/ - You say you cant afford Adobe’s Photoshop Program? Why even try? Go check this site out. And while you are there on the home page, look at all the awards this Windows based program has won! Unlimited Undo’s…there it is, two words. Wow! FREE!

http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php - Any Mac users out there? NeoOffice is a full-featured set of office applications (including word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, drawing, and database programs) for Mac OS X. Based on the OpenOffice.org office suite, NeoOffice has integrated dozens of native Mac features and can import, edit, and exchange files with other popular office programs such as Microsoft Office.
NeoOffice is one of the most stable office suites for Mac OS X. We have created an office suite that is adapted to the unique needs of Mac users by taking the features in Sun Microsystems' OpenOffice.org office suite and adding improvements. Stop by this site and check them out.

http://www.openoffice.org/ - The Windows based Free and Open productivity suite. It does everything Microsoft Office does, including import, edit, and exchange files with other popular office programs such as Microsoft Office.

http://sourceforge.net/ - You wanna find Open Source programs? Head here First!

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ - Audacity® is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems.

http://www.gimp.org - GIMP is the GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a freely distributed piece of software for such tasks as photo retouching, image composition and image authoring. It works on many operating systems, in many languages.

http://imgv.sourceforge.net/ - Imgv is a unique and feature rich Image Viewer. It is released as free software with full source code. Imgv is portable and can run on Windows, Linux, BSD, OSX, and other operating systems.

Features include a GUI that doesn't get in the way of viewing your images, a file browser, slideshows, zooming, rotating, on-the-fly Exif viewing, histograms, fullscreen support, wallpaper setting, the ability to view 4 images on the screen at once, adjustable thumbnail sizes, playlists, view and download images from Web sites, movie playing, file searching/filtering, multiple directory loading, transitional effects, image hiding and more.

http://www.osalt.com/ - This site should be one of the first places you go if you know already what you are looking for. Find open source software alternatives to well-known commercial software! You pick the Commercial software and the site will give you alternatives, that simple!

Why pay ALOT of money for a program when its almost surely out there for free just with a different name and built, most of the time, better. Check out the websites, take a look around and dont be afraid to try something.

Jason
Thanks for listening.

Back In Perrine

The green house on the corner.
The sheds, the picnic benches, the pine trees.
Mowing the grass, pulling weeds, edging the yard.
I close my eyes and can see every one of these.

Friends in the neighborhood, playing at the park.
Walking through the field on the way to school.
Taking the path through the 'woods' afterward.
Growing up and learning how to be cool.

Payday Friday nights were our family night out.
McDonalds and a movie, or a game of cards around the table.
Being a family, doing things together, and having fond memories.
It seems now a days things like that are just a fable.

The eighteen years I spent there were always good.
Of this place I have nothing but bright memories.
I miss the people, the friends, the innocence.
Sometimes I just wish I could be...

Brothers, But Not By Birth

To know what I've been through, good or bad.
Knowing how I feel about it, happy or sad.
Knowing just as much about my life as Justin does.
He cared for my dad.

He is the one person I can count on, without a doubt.
I can start a sentence, and he knows what I'm talking about.
He's calm, cool, and collected...never seen him fight.
To be totally honest, I've never even heard him shout.

I've known him since third grade.
Not becoming best friends though until after twelfth grade.
I would do anything for him, even if it cost life or limb.
I know how much this friendship is worth, and its something I try to repay every day.

Gene has never judged me, yet he knows my worth.
If I have a problem, I go to him first.
He has been there for me the most and never let me down.
We are brothers, but not by birth.

For Gene R. John

I Hope She Knows

Realizing the strength in the silence.
Remembering the presence.
Not knowing this until needed.

Looking back at the love and time spent.
Wondering where it all went.
I cherish the fond memories.

Raising two that were more than a handful.
Being stern and loud and still making life wonderful.
I love her dearly, and I hope she knows.

Never Got To Tell You

I always told you how I felt.
I never held things back.
I shared my love with you openly.
A hug, a kiss, even a peck.

I told you how my days went.
I told you things others never heard.
I called you up to just share jokes.
I told you every word.

Before you left, I used to have this same dream.
Over and over, it played like a rerun.
I told Mom what it was about, and how it scared me.
She told me, "You need to tell him Hun."

Days went by, and turned into weeks.
I still didnt think it would happen, but it did though.
I've always felt this way about you Dad, but never got to tell you.
You're my best friend, I love you with all my heart, and you are my hero.