OakMonster’s Den

It’s fun to have someone drive you around, trick or treating for wine.
Brandon, our friend Lee, and I have been out visiting our friends in our costumes. (Picture coming soon). Us, the crew of the Firefly class ship Serenity. Brandon = Jayne the mercenary. Lee = Kaylee the mechanic. Oakley = Inara the space whore…I meant, companion.

In our make shift “Serenity”–otherwise known as the Hyundai Santa Fe who shall remain nameless–we drove from a friend’s house to another friend’s house, soliciting company. But we ended up with a few glasses of wine and port along the way.

Thanks, Paul & Lupe! Thanks, James & Aurora!

Lush Halloween, y’all. This is the way adults do Halloween. ONLY when you have a designated driver.
On a side note: only 3 of us dressed up at work today. Celeste got into the spirit and showed up in all black so she could donn the sequinned devil’s horn, tail, and pitch fork I lended her. Rick put his “This IS my costume” t-shirt over his standard polo and slacks. And there was me in my full vampiress glory. I saw 3 more people in costumes in Downtown LA. A guy with scary skeleton mask, green & bloodied jumpsuit, and clown wig crossing 5th Street. A guy with skull paintjob on his face sitting by Koo Koo Roo on Fig. And a super Trojan fan lady in football jersey and some kind of Trojans + interlocked SC cardinal cape.

Fun. Fun. FUN!

And buzzed. buzzed. Buzzed.

With all the make-up I’ve put on my face these past two weeks, my face is going crazy. You see, I wear NO make-up except special occasions. But we had the Eddy last Monday, and Halloween today which I did a make up trial run on Sunday. So, my face is freaking out. I have a zit on the lashline of my right eyelid. What the hell…!?!

I heard Phil Collins’ One More Night for the first time in a long, long time last night on VH1 I Love the 80’s 3D–which, by the way, is how I can catch up with everyone else to the 80’s references since I wasn’t here then and Thailand at the time was about 5 years behind trends-wise. That inspires me to start this blog even though I’m dead tired and my eyes are blurry. But damn it, I just have to get this out.

It seems that with almost all of the boys I’ve encountered romantically (see 10 Guys in 20 Lines), unrequitted or otherwise, I have a song that will forever remind me of them.

Gian :: One More Night, Phil Collins
The only time we hung out alone together was at a Rocky Cola Cafe. It wasn’t a date. He lost a card game, and the loser was to treat others for cheesecake. Everyone else conveniently bailed. So, it was me and Gian, splitting a cheesecake, and One More Night came on. It was one of the songs in the jukebox. So we spent another hour feeding the jukebox, hoping to hear One More Night one more time. Different reason for him why he likes that song. Me, it was obvious.

Marce :: Because You Loved Me, Celine Dion
Our first and only official date was to see “Up Close & Personal”. And that was the movie theme.

Bruce :: Fallen, Lauren Wood (from Pretty Woman)
After I told Bruce at his going-away-to-college party that I’d had a crush on him all summer, he hugged me and told me that I should’ve said something sooner. Apparently, he liked me too! Not that anything would work out since he was going to some college up north. Yep. Another missed opportunity brought to you by the insecure Oakley of the Past. Anyhoo. I got back in my car, and the stereo came on playing “Fallen”.

Are you seeing the trend here of “the sign” being sent through the radio? Well, you ain’t see nothing yet.

Kit :: It Might Be You, Stephen Bishop (from Tootsie)
Similar situation to Bruce here. One night after hanging out with him until 3 a.m., thinking, man, I like this guy. A lot. Sure enough, this came over the radio as I started to drive home. Soon after that, I asked him out. And we were together 3 years.

Brandon :: I Knew I Love You, Savage Garden
Another 3 a.m. drive when this song came on. Only this time it was Brandon who was driving. I had grad school homework to do and since I don’t have a computer then, I was doing it at HSX when we were still in Santa Monica. Brandon happened to be working on the servers late that night as well, so he offered to drive me home since I had no car. The server ended up taking him until 3 a.m. which gave me time to finish polishing up my paper as well. So. During one of the quiet moment in the car, the song came up. Sure enough, I took that as a sign. Sure enough, I asked him out. And the rest is history.

I have a lot more songs that remind me of certain events. I’m sure everyone has those too. Probably should talk about it in the next post or something.

George Takei came out.

Good for you, George!

This November 16th is going to be the craziest day of my life.

Why? Read on.

So, the gala award dinner event is done. Finito. Will talk about that later. Gotta let that sink in a bit.

And now, the new deadline for new website launch of the 14th. I’ve sifted through the Beta site today, and I’ve grown to REALLY hate my eyes. I can surely point out the structure and inconsistency, but I sure as hell can’t help my new boss, who will now be known as the Marketing Ninja, proof-read the site. Hell, 5 is 6, and 6 is 8…or is that a B? R is S…or maybe that’s a B?

Next week is my follow up appointment with the optometrist. Hopefully, we’ll have some results. And pray to Buddha, I don’t have to go on the Restasis thing.

And the ideal deadline for the company newsletter is to go to the printer by the 9th. Perhaps we may move that deadline to December to accommodate the new website launch date.

So, the 16th is the craziest day because:

1. Board meeting. Meaning, I’ll have to be in Downtown LA by 6:30 a.m. and would have stayed until 7 p.m. the night before prepping for it. Wake up at 5:30 a.m. and going to work in a suit is not my most favorite thing.
2. We’d probably be announcing the new website (and maybe releasing our newsletter) to the board. I’d better not goof.
3. I’d have to not only haul myself to town at the crack of dawn, but also some yummy Thai food as well. It’s been decided today that we’re going to resurrect the Thanksgiving potluck tradition…since we’ve reinstated the monthly birthday party already. But it’s going to be an Internationl potluck rolled rolled in with November birthday party. The company provides dessert, of course.
4. The 16th is a full moon night which is also Thailand’s Loy Kratong festival. (Read my friend Wit’s blog entry on Loy Kratong in DC so I don’t have to explain too much right now.) Brandon and I planned to go float our own little kratong in Belmont Shore that evening…which means I’d also have to make the kratong for that.
5. It’s my 29th birthday.

Yeah. Scary.

Stephanie and Lauren, Brandon’s sister and niece, are moving into an apartment. They can’t take Lauren’s cat Mela with them. The apartment they’re moving into is a lot closer to busy streets than their current residential neighborhood. Since Mela is a mostly outdoor cat, they don’t want to run a risk of finding a Mela pancake on their driveway one day.

Mela is Lauren’s kitty. You remember her from last year when she and Lauren were visiting with us? Well, here’s her “baby” picture. She’s grown a bit more since, but still not a huge cat. And that tail, now it’s like a big bushy thing with a life of its own.
Anyways. As I said, Mela is a mostly outdoor kitty who comes home to eat and sleep, and whenever Lauren whistles for her. I don’t have her exact age but I don’t think she’s more than 2 years old.

So Mela of Norco is DESPERATELY needing a home by the 30th. If you know ANYONE who can take Mela, we can definitely work something out. Please leave a post here, or for those who know me call or email me.

I don’t know why but I’m just afraid to go to sleep tonight.

Not afraid because there’s a monster under my bed or something like that. But afraid that if I allow myself into the warm embrace of electric blanket, comforting darkness of the room, and loving arms of Brandon, I’d never ever get out of bed again. That I’d just stay there all weekend, hugging my Snoopy and never really get out.

I’m afraid to get totally comfortable because I’d love it so much that I wouldn’t want to come out and face the world. The stress. The homework. Another USC heart stopping football game. The feeling that I am the cause of all pain and suffering in the world. The feeling that I was born not to enrich life but to make everyone else’s life more difficult.

I’m afraid that I wouldn’t like the world so much once I get under the blankets and have a good night sleep.

Such pure happiness doesn’t seem last too long once that foot swings out from under the cover toward the floor.

No wonder why clinically depressed people don’t want to get out of bed. Who’d want to be out in the cruel world? Who’d want to go out to a place where everyone points their finger at you? Who’d want to go out into the world where you feel like nothing but a dust in someone’s eyes, so insignificant yet irritating?

Who’d want to go out into the world where people just tolerate you because they don’t want to be rude?

Maybe if I sit out here long enough I’d be too exhausted to think, my eyes too dry to see the screen, and perhaps I can go to sleep and don’t think too much. Perhaps I can wake up and feel like someone important. Perhaps I can feel like I matter in this big wheel of existence.

Perhaps daylight will bring me a better day. Maybe tomorrow I’ll feel better after a good night sleep.

Maybe. I can only dream.

Frenchy talked blogging with Ric Romero of Channel 7. Well, he talked to them a long while ago but they’re airing this now. Better late than never!

Today has been one heck of a day. Up at 4:45 AM to wash my hair, and catch the train to get to the office by 6:30. I had to set up the projector for the board meeting…and then unexpectedly again for another meeting next door in a mad rush (and it didn’t even work!). More work up until 12:30 when I took a break to go inhale my lunch just to get back to help set up the company birthday party (and I didn’t even get piece of cake!) AND the proejector for a meeting to preview the prototype of our new website where the beam until the table and my head made quite good acquiantance. Then I rushed out of that to try to put something on the web, but didn’t quite make it as I was trying to limit my OT. I scrambled for other things up until the minute my big boss walked out the office with me in tow at 3:30. You see, he was going to a meeting in Long Beach, and I was heading that way. It’s wonderful to be a carpool buddy for somebody sometime!

Anyhoo. I’m home. And I want to recap the blog-tastic day that was yesterday and a little bit of today. …Okay. Most of this is probably not funny now. But at the moment, it was REALLY funny.

Blogtastic #1

2 co-workers answered in perfect unison to the question “And what do you get when you assume?”. (For those who don’t know - you make an ASS out of U and ME. Get it?) Jinx!

Blogtastic #2

Coworker: Oakley, can you do this for me?
Me: Okee dokey.
Coworker: No! You have to say Oakley Dokley!

Blogtastic #3

There was a movie shoot in our area when me and Celeste left work at 7:30 p.m. last night. Downtown LA was transformed into Shanghai with all the signs and other set dressings. (The rumor has it they’re shooting Mission Impossible 3.) We were escorted to the parking structure by a film crew. The stairways were locked from the inside for some stupid reasons so we had to exit the building and looped back up around again. We finally found the elevator.

Me: What did that security guy ask you before we get in here?
Celeste: He asked if we are the movie crew.
Me: Pssshya. Yeah. We’re the movie crew for “Dude, where’s my car?”

Blogtastic #4

Celeste: (As we were leaving the parking lot) Gosh, look at how late we’re leaving.
Me: Well, tomorrow we can tell everyone that we left work so late we end up in China.

Blogtastic #5

Witnessed this in the elevator.

Girl 1: So what do you think that dude is doing in there all day if nothing seems to get done around here?
Girl 2: I don’t know, jacking off to the internet or something.
Girl 3: For him, he’s doing this. (She held her finger and thumb together as if she’s holding an invisible pea–or “I will squish you like a bug”–and then moved her hand in the up and down motion.)

I didn’t think those ladies and I were coming out of that elevator alive we were laughing so hard.

$1207.50 Y’all. The Lesser Weevils’ first time out was a GREAT SUCCESS! Over our goal by $207.50! Thank you. So much.

Exhausted. Must. Take. Bath. Epsom. Salt. Oy. Vey.

Ah…bath time’s done.

Except for one much, much delayed bad news, this weekend is the BEST weekend so far this year.

The bad news: my favorite cat in the whole wide world Thumper passed away a few weeks ago. No one told us. Lauren mentioned it and that is how we knew. RIP Thump Thump. I’m sure there are plenty of laps for you to warm and chests to crush up in heaven. I will always miss you.

Now, the BEST stuff.

Friday evening. I came home to my early birthday present from Brandon: Donkey Konga 2 and a set of GameCube Bongos. I am sooooo hooked! Left - left - clap. Right - right - clap. Both - both - clap!!!

Saturday morning. The piano mover picked up my long time friend the Lowrey upright and introduced me to my new soulmate, the beautiful oak Kimball. The mover, for some reason, maybe having witnessed my absolute joy, didn’t charge me for the $2 per step for the 15 steps up to my apartment. Just the basic rate of $85.

Saturday afternoon. USC Trojans beat Notre Dame with 3 seconds left to the game in a heart-stopping, insane ending. IN-SANE, yo. Insane! I was screaming my lungs off and continued to do so on the phone with ALL my Trojan buddies for the next 30 minutes.

Saturday night. We went to the Orange County Police Canine Association Benefit Show at Cal State Fullerton withBrandon’s coworkers Eric and Betti and her family. The show was GREAT and I finally met Deputy Steve Brown whose computer Brandon’s been working on. Steve’s partner Lycos totally stole the show last night, thoroughly enjoying himself on the field, and being the smallest K9 on the field that day, managed a heck of a suspect take down. Of course, with my yelling and some support from Betti and her family, we rallied the crowd to scream for Lycos and won him “the toughest K9″ of the evening! A handful of law enforcement helicopters flew into the stadium for a little VOGUE moment, turning around for everyone to see, and flew off. The show ended with awesome fireworks.

Saturday late night. We picked up Lauren and got to spend a few minutes with Stephanie’s brand new kitten, Winston. He’s sooooooooooo cute!

Sunday. AIDS Walk. Couldn’t have had more fun! And we raised soo much money!

Sunday evening. Dinner at Chen’s for Pops’ birthday. The Weevils’ first real meal of the day! And a great gathering of family and friends.

Sunday night. We took Lauren home. Played with Winston some more. Any more time with him we are going to pocket him and run! Escaped the Angels game traffic and got there and back with great time.

Now. A little rain and a little thunder. My favorite sounds!

1. Daniel Craig as James Bond? I don’t fricking think so. This guy doesn’t ooze sexiness like Brosnan or Connery, but gives out slimy-smarmy vibe. My pick: Gerard Butler. Smoldering wiley hotness!

2. If I haven’t mentioned, I’m still “blind”. First, the ophthalmologist. Eyes are wetter since the plugs. He measured me for glasses and determined that the glasses prescribed to me a month ago was too weak. WTF? That chick told me my original prescription was too strong! Anyhoo. So doc sent me to the optometrist he trusts. The new optometrist first declared my eyes may still be too dry for contacts, plus she also measured me for glasses and got a completely different prescription from my ophthalmologist who just did in over 24 hours ago. Something is *still* going on with my eyeballs apparently. So, another month of drops plus supplement pills for dry eyes (flaxseed oil, fish oil and vitamin E) and, glasses. If my eyes aren’t much wetter by then, we’ll be going on a 3-6 month journey with Restasis for therapy.

3. Go TROJANS. Kick the crap out of neutered dame this weekend!! And Pete. No video replay. Dude. You’ve got balls.