OakMonster’s Den

I decided to start a new categories on the blog, “Hobbying”.

Then I got to thinking, just exactly how many hobbies do I have? Does anyone have this many hobbies? I mean, if they define what I do as a hobby.

Ah! Dilemma from the weirdest corner of my mind!

MSN defines hobby as “enjoyable activity: an activity engaged in for pleasure and relaxation during spare time”.

For sure, I do have a few honest to goodness hobbies:

#1 Blogging.Duh! I blog here, there, over there, and now there too. I love it! I mean, I get to write about whatever and however. Not quite whenever, but whenever possible. If I can do this for a living, that would be kind of cool.

#2 Cooking. I mean, outside of the usual dinner of the same ol’ repertoire, cooking would be considered a hobby of mine. I am certainly enthusiastic about it!

#3 Playing the piano/guitar and singing. Although I can’t guarantee that it is pleasurable for everyone else. LOL.

#4 Geocaching. A new obsession.

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But then there are the other “enjoyable activities” that I can’t quite categorize. I mean, these wouldn’t fall into a traditional “Hobby” definition. But then again, they ARE things I engaged for pleasure during my spare time.

I don’t consider “reading” as my hobby because I don’t read religiously or consistently (except for Harry Potter and Harry Dresden!) like Rude Cactus. But then again, by having a book bedside to read when the mood strikes is more than most people. So, some may consider that a hobby.

You know what I mean? Where do I draw the line of something being a hobby and when it’s just, well, something that you do?

Like…

?? Drinking. LOL. I love me a glass here, a pint there. Does that make it a hobby? Or do I have to know all about the wine and become an enthusiast / wine snob or do I need to have consumed beer from 80 different countries to consider “drinking” a hobby?

?? Photography. I am no Ansel Adams, obviously. But I like taking pictures. All kinds of pictures. I don’t go out on a weekend searching to just take pictures but I will bring a camera along just to see what may happen by for me to take a picture of. I don’t go into a dark room to develop film. I don’t go to gallery to study other people’s works. But pointing a camera at someone and capturing the moment, now that’s pleasure during my spare time. But is it a hobby if I’m not all into it though?

?? Geeking Out. I am not a gamer like my hubby but I can talk about that. I dabble occasionally with my oddest choice for games but I don’t live and die by it like I do with my #1-3 hobbies. I go crazy with all the geeky stuff but I don’t employ that full time like many other full-blown geeks. I mean, they’d look at me as Geekdom’s village idiot, or worse, a wannabe. I am interested but I am not 100% immersed. Does that make geeking out a hobby? Or I’m just a geek, period?

?? Sewing. Well, I do own a sewing machine. I have made costume pieces in the past. And I am picking them up again now. It has become a Halloween tradition, I guess. But I don’t sew on a regular basis like folks who, you know, REALLY sew. Will this count as a hobby or as a temporary lapse of judgment…I meant…a project?

?? Getting People Together. At least once a month I get my coworkers out drinking. Like tonight! We even invited a few strangers into the group and turned out to have a great time over all. I grab people to go do group things like Ren Faire or seeing a movie or having dinner. I can do it and I do it well and I love doing it. But is that a hobby? Or is that just another bit of OakMonster’s magic ability or is it to be filed as a personality disorder?

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Okay.  Too much thinking for my own good.  I’m going to bed.  But you guys get to think on this some more and help me define my own tangled thought.

2 new ones for yours truly.

First, following the footsteps of Pondering Mumbling, I started a blog at the Nation website. That’s Thailand’s English language newspaper I used to write for a long, long time ago. I’ll be about life in the US v.s. in Thailand for a Thai expat. It’ll be more impulsive than my entries at Thai-Blogs, but ought to be entertaining.

We’ll see just how long I can keep up with that one. So, I’m not going to put it on my blogroll just yet.

Secondly, I have purchased the fabric for my Halloween costume.

Yes, my darlings. I will be a Jedi this fall.

Sure, everything costs more than what I would pay if I was to just buy a kid’s costume. And the efforts! But hey, if I ever have to go to a Con, I am not going to embarrass myself all that much.
And no, I am NOT aiming for 100% accuracy. Just getting by with what I’ve got is all.

So I am making the top and the robe. The pants will probably be a pair of sweats or khaki pants which I need anyway. The boots? I will have to girl up the Jedi and just wear my trusty knee-high boots. It worked for me as Captain Bubbles…

Pretty much just trying to fill idle time with something busy. You know me, idling means thinking too much. And that never works out really well for me.

YES! Busy with hobbies! Busy is GOOD!

I dreamed that I was in Las Vegas on a school trip. My room actually had an upright piano in it, apparently by the school’s request, and overlooking the Strip. As I was settling in for the night, someone knocked on my glass door.

I peered around the curtain, and there stood Fred and George Weasley.

They weren’t tired and apparently they were also piano student. They wanted to hang out in my room since I had the piano AND the view. Everyone else’s room was facing the other direction.

The next thing I knew, my room became a common room. Everyone was just hanging out.

And then outside my door, I saw the light went out and the emergency light came on. People were passing by the door in somewhat of a panic. My room didn’t seem to be affected at first but then the lights also went out.

I wandered over to the window and it was all dark outside. Buildings are dimly lit by the moon and emergency power. Black out in the entire Las Vegas. Wow.

The hanging out in my room with the Weasley twin and fellow students supposedly continued for another hour or two because with the power out, no one can get back into their rooms. Once the power came back, everyone went back out and suddenly it was morning and we had to pack up and leave.

Out of nowhere, my maid Pueng showed up to take my bags to the bus. I had one carry on and a backpack to re-pack so I told her I’d be right down. Suddenly I found myself packing my bag on the steps of on of the older classrooms at Mater Dei. Everyone was packing their stuff and getting ready to leave too. The Weasleys came by to try to get me to hurry up so I wouldn’t miss the bus.

The last thing I remembered of this dream is settling on to the back of the van, not a bus after all, with Fred and George and one other kid.

Gotta love my dreams, huh?

Well, at least it wasn’t too complicated to deconstruct the dream.

1. Mazing Amy wrote about a black out in Malibu.
2. I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix in IMAX 3D last night. I mean, how could you NOT have the images of the cutie pies Oliver and James Phelps plastered in your brain! Those boys left some impression.
3. The piano. Duh.
4. Las Vegas, now that one is a bit out from the left wing. I think it’s contributed to a few moments of Austin Powers on TV a few nights ago.
5. Finally, this is something I talked with Brandon a few days ago. It seems that at least once a week, I would dream about Mater Dei, either the school ground and buildings themselves, all of my friends, and/or the concept of being back at Mater Dei. Hogwarts reminds me a lot of my school, so it was a natural choice.

Interesting huh?

Also, for those who have finished HP7, I’d recommend seeing HP5 once more, in IMAX 3D or otherwise.   Any Potter fans should see HP5 in IMAX 3D.  It’s only 3D for the final battle but oh my god is it worth your money!!  Nora’s sister Sara had already seen HP5 once and just finished the book as well.  She and I were nudging each other through the movies.  Once you read HP7, you definitely have a different appreciation for all the nuances in the movie.

For example…SPOILER GALORE below…

You see Hedwig at the beginning and you already miss her. You try to catch Tonks and Lupin’s reaction to each other, but it’s not really here just yet. I think you’ll have to wait for HP6 to see that blossom some more. But the most pleasant surprise is when Hermione, Harry, and Ron walked into Hog’s Head. You now know who the bartender is…and the significant of the goat! You also get to see Neville progress on the path to become a hero. And Snape’s bit of memory that we thought we knew what it means but in actuality it holds an entirely different meaning. He didn’t remember being tortured by the 4-some but what he said to Lily at that moment that broke them apart.

You know, that kind of thing. :)  Oh, and on that note, Kuri discussed HP7 - spoilers a plenty.  Go read and even join in if you’d like.

My day off from work (to make up for the 8-hour of OT from last week’s event) was spent mostly up and down Palos Verdes Peninsula. Brandon and I went for a drive, stopped at Gaffey Street Diner, and geocached all afternoon. We didn’t do too well with finding the caches, but we did enjoy our hike. We’ll be going back there, a bit more prepared next time!

And tonight? We dine with our friends at Naples Rib Company.

‘Tis a good day.

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Originally uploaded by theoakmonster.

Starbucks is such a wonderful place to hear random conversations. This guy, we’ll call him UberGeek, was telling a story that goes like this.

Ms. DumbAss pops out of her office as UberGeek walks down the hallway.

Ms. DumbAss: Hey, Computer Guy! (From the gist of it, dude’s a programmer, not even an IT support guy.) Can I ask you a question?

UberGeek: Sure. (Being awfully nice) What can I help you with?

DA: What size monitor is this?

UB: That would be a 17-inch flat panel monitor.

DA: Oh, I bought this glare reducing screen and it doesn’t fit.

UB: Well, with a flat panel you really don’t need a glare screen since they don’t reflect light like a regular monitor.

DA: Yes, it does! I ordered one for a 17-inch monitor and it doesn’t fit. I just need to know what size monitor I have.

UB: Well it’s a 17-inch FLAT PANEL.

DA: But that’s what I ordered and it doesn’t fit!

UB: You ordered a glare screen for a REGULAR monitor. Those are the TV tube looking ones. You won’t find one in a catalog for a Flat Panel because Flat Panel monitors DO NOT reflect light. My only suggestion if you REALLY want one is to possibly buy one for a 19-inch monitor and let it hang over the edge.

DA: But you just said I had a 17-inch monitor.

UB: Yes, yes I did. [Pause … apparently being glared at by DA] Is there anything else I can help you with?

DA: I wish you would stop messing with me and tell me what I need to know.

UB: I’m sorry, but I have an issue with a circular logic processor that’s not working right that I have to get back to. Good luck on your glare screen issue.

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In general news, I had lunch with my coworkers and Rose yesterday. It was nice of her to come out to town. We all wish her the best when she’s off to Cornell for the next few weeks!

And if I haven’t mentioned yet, my former colleague Tiffany is back in Downtown LA, across the street from us! It was like old time all over again because we can do lunch and meet for coffee. She’s adjusting to the new environment, so send her some good vibes.

Also, if you haven’t checked out my friend Olaina’s blog yet, you should. And you should help us make more requests to see her pink flamingo picture!

See? I’m not always THAT crazy. Occasional dabble in insanity is healthy. I think…

I felt like cereal this morning. I was going to pack a little baggy of Mini Frosted Shredded Wheat, but I didn’t feel like shredded wheat. So I got the little breakfast cup from downstairs. Raisin Bran Crunch beat out Honey Nut Cheerios.

And now I realized that I do like Raisin Bran Crunch…except for the raisins. Not really liking the raisins. Is that wrong?

What’s your favorite cereal?

I completely lost my mind last night.

I guess after reading Harry Potter with [spoiler…highlight if you’re ready] all the people dying (and for crying out loud! Rowling, do you REALLY need to kill off Hedwig?? Dammit woman!!!)[/spoiler] and all the emotional rollercoaster-ing I did, a fuse in my head went *poof*.

I burst into unreasonable fountain of tears. Like Australian barn mice Steve Irwin busted into, my emotions ran amok.

I was pissed off. I was paranoid. I was pessimistic.

After much yelling, crying, and sifting through the rubbles, I found out what it all was.

I was scared. Correction. I have been and am scared.

This whole time of acting tough, putting on the armor and fighting life stuff, it all boils down to one fact.

I am scared.

I’m scared for my family. I’m scared for me. I’m scared what life will be without mom in it. Given, she’s not in it much nowadays, but she’s still the center of it all. I’m scared of what will become of my family when she’s gone. I’m afraid of what will become of me when she’s gone. I’m scared that me then wouldn’t be like me now. I’m scared that me then may screw things up with my life in the US.

I’m scared that somehow with my impending experience, I would totally fuck everything up. My family back home. My little family of two here. My own sanity.

I’m just plain scared.

And I didn’t want to acknowledge it. And it has been eating at me. For a very long time. I couldn’t figure out what it was. I thought something was wrong with me. I thought I did something to piss people off. I started to blame everything else around me. I started to blame myself. It was a total downward spiral until last night.

Guilt. Fear. Sadness. Anger. All rolled into a small bundle, put under pressure and much like a homemade concoction, it eventually exploded.

It took a break down to have a break through, I guess.
At least now I’m back to my normal self. Well, still a little off, but at least I know to address my feelings instead of putting a lid on it.

So, that’s enough about me. How are ya?

Okay. I’m done.

*sigh*

*sniffle*

*sigh*

The best in the series for sure. Order of Phoenix is still my least favorite so far. Whiny Harry just wasn’t becoming.

It seems Kuri finished as well. Haven’t heard from Demi-Boss or Mazing Amy just yet. I’m sure they are not far behind.

Email me if you’d like to discuss.

Harry Potter arrived about 2 hours ago. I had one break so far. This is my second.

At some point I’ll have to make dinner so I might as well take a breather now before I get in too deep.

Will still avoid all internet and email contacts until I finish…hopefully maybe tomorrow morning. I’m a slow reader so sue me.

‘Mazing Amy is doing the same thing right now I am sure.