Whoah, I thought I'd already posted in this thread, but evidently not.
I cannot even imagine where my life would be without OCR.
I'd taught myself to play a few VG tunes on piano long before I found OCR, and even threw together a few half-assed MIDI arrangements, but nothing more serious than that. I figured that was all there was to do.
I first found out about it in '03, when somebody mentioned it on the Starmen.net forums. First mix I listened to was Radical Dreamers Angelic by Kaijin, and that moment, in all seriousness, changed my life.
The idea that music on this level could be made by some amateur with his computer at home was completely inspiring to me, and I spent the next couple years honing my musical skills. Somewhere along the line I started playing guitar, and later irish whistle (my first submissions to OCR were made long before I learned to play either one -- these early subs were all rejected).
But this community has effected my life in far deeper ways than simply inspiring me to become a better musician and producer: this site has introduced me to many of my closest and dearest friends. I don't even keep in touch with most of my highschool friends anymore, but the friends I have made here I'm positive will be friends of mine for life.
Dave, you have created something truly wonderful that has brought together people who thought they were freaks, outcasts, misfits, into a community of wonderfully close friends, and for that I cannot thank you enough.