OakMonster’s Den

I don’t recall exactly the details of the conversation but I caught the new coworker looking at me funny.

“It’s okay. I’m weird, I know,” I told her.

“Oh, no, no.  You’re not weird,” she sputtered.

“Oh, no.  It’s okay. I’m okay with weird.  I embrace the weird.  You’re not insulting me.”

“No.  I didn’t mean you’re weird.  You’re not weird.”  The girl was still trying.
“Sweetie. It’s okay. I would be offended if you think I’m normal,” I ensured her.  “Because normal is fucking boring.”

I think the cowroker was a little startled at the F bomb, but she’ll get over it.  That’ll teach her to stop patronizing me again when it comes to embracing my quirks.

A while ago I wrote a mini manifesto on coming out of the geek closet.  Since then, I haven’t made an excuse for being a blogger/Tweeter/gamer.  But I found myself having to defend my other choices that Normal People call “weird”.

Like dressing and talking like a pirate.  Like doing Thrill the World.  Like loving chicharone (fried pork skin).  Like knowing there is such a thing as bacon of the month club.

Blogger friend Pond has raised the question on weird recently as well.  I told her I was drafting up a manisfesto on the war on Normal.

I started writing it, and it’s pretty much the same as the Geek’s Declaration of Independence I just wrote.  Substitute geeky for weird and there, you have it.

I must admit it’s a bit sad that I’ve been out of high school 13 years and I just now realized that John Mayer was half right, there is no such thing as the real world.

The “Real World” is actually High School 2.0.

And I’m done being in high school.

Again I will say, fuck Normal.

*Warning: Gross Girly Girl Content*  Out of respect for my manly man readers, ladies, please highlight the following content to continue.  We’re discussing navigation of the crimson waves here, fellas.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

So, ladies. Ready to give me some girly advice?

I’ve just switched up my Pills for the past two months.  The side effects so far have been minor weight gain and, to my husband’s rejoice, a little bit of boobage.  Also to Brandon’s rejoice, the mood swing is gone.However, the cramps have gotten worse.

It used to be a mild pain, enough to let you know it’s there and be irritable about it, even before the Pills.  An Aleve would have taken care of it.  It’ll go on the day before and be done within 36 hours.

But now, it’s a hard hitting come-and-go squeezes that, while not completely dehabilitating like some of my friends have, it was a lot more than I was used to.  If contractions are 10 times worse than the pulses I’ve been getting, I’m seriously happy I’m not planning on having kids.  Last month, the pain came and went within 12 hours.  So far, it’s been 24 and hasn’t gotten all that much better.

Oh, and I never crave chocolate like this before.  I held out the best that I can before giving in yesterday and had me some chocolate ice cream.

Brandon said that he is willing to do anything to help me with the pain and to get the chocolate as long as the mood swing stays away.  As much of an inconvenience and, well, how fucking hurts it is, I actually have to agree.  The mood swing afflicts both of us while the cramps only affects me.  It’s better for everyone involved.

So, this morning I’m armed with 2 Aleves, a ThermaCare heating my belly, and grande soy green tea latte.  I know it’s a little late to throw in the soy PMS therapy, but it feels/tastes good.  It’s down to the nagging bit, but that makes me question what it would have been without the 2 Aleves.

Is it really going to be worth it, trading this for a mood swing? I really don’t want to lose the mood-swing free…nor the boobs. LOL.

What’s your strategies to deal with your cramps?

…figuratively and literally.

It’s been a crazy week at work that ended with Talk Like A Pirate and bridal shower Friday in the office.  I threw some mean party, y’all!

Pirate by day and zombie by night, later on on Friday night, I trekked down to Irvine to practice with Thrill the World OC at Atomic Ballroom.  They have a big group going.  LA Team: We have to catch up!

My right shoulder-neck muscles hated me.  So did my thighs.  (Lots of squats and deep knee bends in this dance!)

Saturday, off to Brenda and Jon’s reception at Astor Classics.  Awesome collection of everything from antique phones, model trains, to classic cars. It was a low key, super casual event.  Pretty much it’s a big family gathering with food and wine not cooked by the bride and beer not brewed by the groom.  No dancing. No pomp.  It was fun just sitting around and yapping with our friends.

Sunday, Brandon and I vegged in a grand style.  The usual hefty breakfast and the rest of the day foraging for snacks in the fridge and the pantry to call a meal.  Hehe.

Monday, we worked.  I started with a few sneezes around the office.  The inner ears didn’t start itching until I got back from lyrical jazz with Sizzle.  Since Debi wasn’t there, it was a one-on-one class.  Much awesomeness! We did Martha Graham style choreography to Lion King theater show soundtrack.  Lots of twisting and jumping.

Both sides of my neck and shoulders now hate me too.

But this morning, I could barely opened my eyes.  My nose started to stuff up around 3 a.m.  I didn’t get much sleep.  And my entire body ache in a way that I can’t really tell it was the Martha Graham’ing or something else.  I decided to stay home.

Here I am, giving you guys a catch up post as I’m slowly waking up from the Benedryl long nap and still fighting the haze.  It seems to be a horrible allergy attack than a cold.  I’m so drowsy right now so I can’t really tell…

Excuse me.  I think the couch is still calling.

Brandon’s gone for the week.

It’s wawy wawy qwayet it the house.

Why is it that when your significant other goes away, suddenly you just don’t know what to do with your time?

I mean, I still have the same stuff I have to do when he was here.  There are plans with friends and other people that I could have done on my own with him at home or not.

But then, once he’s out, suddenly the same amount of time that I have seem to multiply even though if he was here, we would be doing pretty much the same thing.  But now I feel like I have more time to do more thing.

Same amount of time. Minus one person. Suddenly it seems twice as much.
Doesn’t make any sense, does it?

And a whole lot of friends and activities come out of the wood works.  Let’s go get dinner. Let’s go get lunch.  I mean, couldn’t you just call me anyway even when Brandon is here?  Not that I’m complaining but, really, you guys can make plans with me even when he’s here.  I don’t have to be at home with him all the time.  And he knows that.

Actually, he likes it that I go out and see friends once in a while.  LOL.

Just because we’re married, it doesn’t mean that we can’t hang out separately.  I’m sure everyone knows that, but you couldn’t help yourself anyway.  I believe I’ve done that to some other friends too.  But I have gotten better at calling up Aurora just to hang with her without James.

It’s one of those unwritten rules everyone seems to follow instinctively.  Perhaps it’s time we all start to change that.

Married couples are individuals too! 

Coworkers congregated in my cubicle over some chocolate covered almonds.

“Have you seen Oakley’s article in the Daily Breeze?” Coworker #1 referred to my 15 seconds of fame.

“No,” Coworker #2.

CW#1 continued to tell CW#2 about Temple of Fresh & Easy blog.

CW#2 snorted.  “Who has time for that kind of thing?”

And of course, CW#2 ranted on about how he doesn’t have time to do the Facebook or “such nonsense” because of his busy social schedule, implying along the way that folks who do those things don’t really have a life.

That did it.

Seriously, I am getting tired of the whole implication that because I put my life online that I have nothing better to do with my time.

Do I talk down on your hobby of fixing up classic cars, pimping rides, antiquing, woodworking, gardening, or, in CW#2’s case, hanging out at bars and clubs?

You choose what to do with your free time.  You make time for your hobby.  Mine happens to be blogging, social networking, and video gaming.

Yet, these “normal people” constantly talk down to us geeks.

I used to just laugh it off and went with the “Oh, I know. I don’t have a life,” as a reply.

But I’m not going to do that any more.

Fuck you and your “normal life”.

I *do* have a life.  It’s not the same one you live or the one you think it’s “cool”.

My life is online, digitized, and pixelated.  But it’s a life I’ve chosen to live.

I find my meaning in writing and sharing my thoughts with the world, whether the world wants it or not.  I find my meaning in sharing my life with other I don’t know as a window into some new experience that is not my day-to-day.  I find my meaning in squashing the bad guys in my games with my controller until my hands cramped up.

Like I discussed with fellow Twitter-ette SallieB before, some of us have the ability to build relationships both online and off.  Some of such relationships only get better with the reinforcements from the other source.

I have human interaction with my local friends, and even better relationships with my long distance buddies.  I actually get to “meet” new people across the world I would never would have met in a bar like Rude Cactus, Steve and Richard of Thai-Blogs, Chef House, and many readers that I have come to “talk” to like Irish Cousin Robert and Amy of the Q Family.

And there’s also the new circle of friends we built around Brandon’s World of Warcraft guild and occasion gathering of the geeks at James’ house.

I put my life online originally because half of the people I know live half the world away.  Blogging was the best way to keep everyone in touch.  Not that they really swing by here often either, but I give them an option to be updated.  I know going in that if I put this online, everyone gets to see it.  I know that since I started my first website back in college.

My blog and other social networking media is a newsletter or a zine that happens to be online.

I’ve always “printed” some kind of zines since I was in 3rd grade.  It’s the same concept with a new medium.

Still my hobby.  Something I love to do and make time for.

So, go on out with your cool kids to the hip bars, “normal people”.  I’ll be right here with my computer and game console, enjoying my own life my own way.

Muhammed from Torrance Daily Breeze was in my home office on Friday night to interview me about the Temple of Fresh & Easy blog–you know, my store obsession blog.

Then came the questions about why I blog about a grocery store. Why especially would I give a business free publicity and get nothing in return? Do I feel like I was taken advantage of?
I know that it is his job to ask the questions and get to the bottom of why some random person would start blogging about a grocery store and expect nothing in return.

The fact that he asked me that question got me thinking.

Have we as a society become so jaded that we question people’s motive for saying nice things about others?

With Web 2.0, we as consumers can now raise our voices like we could never have done before. We can band together to cheer on for the restaurant we love. We can link our arms in verbal protests against a salon that wreck our hair and rape our wallet. We can rate the deodorant we bought yesterday so others may use our input to make a better decision before they buy.

As consumers, you are no longer alone in the dark. Many of us are out there with you.

Sure, floating out there are also people who are professional promoters and endorsers. I can see why some folks, including Muhammed, would question my motive.

I did tell Muhammed that I just like telling people about things that I love. There’s nothing in it for me. I don’t do it for the glory. I don’t do it for fame. I don’t even know if anybody else would drop by any of my blogs at all.

But just in case they do, now they would know about something good they can pick up or a product they shouldn’t try.

For those who know me in person or from this blog, they know that I’m just, well, too damn quirky to have a motive.

I am passionate about things that I love and hate. I will rave about things I love and rant about things I hate. Mediocre stuff just doesn’t really get the mention because, well, it’s not worth the time.

Look at my Yelp! reviews. It’s either love or hate. I don’t do in-betweens. When I love a restaurant, I get everyone to go there. When I hate a restaurant, I will tell anyone who’d listen. I have a coupon for places I love to shop, I pass it around too.

Heck, just last week, I hauled cupcakes from Charmed Cupcakes in Long Beach on the bus to my office Downtown because I love their cakes and want everyone to try them and experience the joy. I could have easily ordered the cupcakes from Silver Lake where we usually do. But we’ve done that. This LB place is new, and it’s good. I feel obligated to spread the word.

See? Here goes the link and the shout out. Haha. Can’t help myself.

Do I get free cake from the shop? No. Just the pleasure to know that now people will enjoy something yummy.

Is my desire to spread the joy I have experienced considered a motive?

Well, heck. I guess I do have a motive after all.

Where am I going?

Brandon inadvertently made a hakaw dumbling out of our fresh laundry as a way to transport them.

I must apologize for the lack of posts these past few days.  There is a LOT to say but I haven’t the moment to actually sit down and write.  I promise to write over the weekend, okay?

On Tuesday, I was on Sony Studios lot, helping Celeste put on an event.  That was our last together.

Last night, we were out at the largest going away party I’ve thrown so far.  Celeste brought a herd of friends on her own and about a third of our office was there to celebrate.

Today is Celeste’s last day.  I promise not to cry, but between Mother’s Day the other day and my mom’s anniversary next week, I’m a bit of an emotional wreck right now.

The Olympics had begun, y’all.

I was at Katie’s wedding last night so I missed most of the celebration during the first broadcast.  However, I did catch the US and Thai national teams marched into the stadium.  And I tivo’ed the rerun to watch again this morning.

“Cousin” Nicky is reporting prolifically from Beijing on their adventures so far.  And tonight, May takes the court.  So please tune in on the computer at 9 p.m. PST (California time), Thais and Americans everywhere, to cheer her on.

LA Times Olympics Blog also got to talk to May a bit as she recap Uncle Noi’s harrowing near “great fall down the Great Wall” as well as her experience so far.

Now, back to the opening ceremony.

Holy. Mackerel!  As Brandon summed it up best, “Nobody can out-pomp the Chinese!”

The LED screen on the floor is amazing.  Performers, brilliant and are you sure they’re human?  I mean, that kind of precision for that big a group is INSANE!

This would mark the 2nd Olympics of my life time that I actually would remember how the torch was lit.  There’s the 1992 Barcelona with the archery and then this running up the wall thing in Beijing.

Suddenly, I think I heard the Londoners let out the resounding, “Aw, shit. Now we have to top THIS?”  You poor, poor Brits.

As much as I enjoyed the ceremony and I quietly accepted the delay broadcast, I must say that someone should slap a piece of tape over Bob Costa’s mouth.

The tidbits about each country marching out is great.  Good to know. Thanks, guys.  The cultural commentaries about the ceremony are also helpful.  Again, thanks.  But Bob’s “Hey, I’m a witty sports commentator guy! Hear me make what I think is hilarious injection!” not only wasn’t funny, it was disrespectful.

There were too many moments to count but notably, as the 2,008 Tai-chi masters ran into formation around the stadium, he blurted out something along the line of one misstep and that’s a cranium wreck.  Come on.

And there was more of those little comments that he made that would’ve been funny during an NFL game, but seriously, not here at the Olympics.

Talk about comments, I was also bothered about the politically laden commentaries throughout the broadcast. I understand that there are a lot of controversies. I’m sure everyone see this differently, but I thought all the political analysis and comments from Tom Brokaw before the show started was enough right there.  But not for NBC apparently.

They kept saying that the Olympics opening ceremony is one of those moment when you put everything aside and celebrate the world coming together.  But throughout the show, they kept throwing in the political tidbits.

Oh yes, here’s Sudan.  Oh yes, here’s Thailand where President Bush made that speech the other day (instead of talking about the fact that Thai female athletes won first medals in the country’s history, a fact they pointed out with other countries).  Oh yes, here’s Iran and its nuclear program.

How is this supposed to be a UNITY event when the newscasters keep bringing up the controversies every few minutes?

Oh, whatever.  We’ve all moved on by now.  After all, that was so 12 hours ago.

At this moment, it looked like the Chinese already out-gold-medaled the U.S.  NBC is keeping tabs on the total medal count, but to me, the only medal count that matters is the gold.

Thailand is coming in pretty strong this year with returning champs.  Let’s see if we can beat our records last year!

What a whirlwind week I’m having so far!

This weekend was shock full of activities with the bike shopping and the bike riding. Work has been just nuts.  I just now realized that I have to do 3 Christmas duties BEFORE the end of October.  And then all the stuff I postponed because of the conference last month started to pile up.  I was knee deep in stuff to do.  And then there’s this business of Celeste leaving the company.

Did I mention that she’s leaving my office for a greener pasture?  Well, she is.  I am extremely happy for her, but of course I’m sad too.  She has told me not to pull some sentimental stunt like we did for Amy when I made this slide show to Bette Midler’s “One more for the road” and made everyone cry at a goodbye gathering in the office.

Instead, I made her a little slide show to Toy Story’s “You’ve Got a Friend In Me” and sent it out to everyone as an invite to her farewell party outside of the office.  So everyone can cry at his/her own desk.  Haha!

Next week, I’m helping Celeste at our event at Sony Studios, our very last thing to work on together.  Then a few days later we party with her and then she’s gone.  Not far though. Just across the street.  We’re not going to be complete strangers, I know that.

Tonight is Off the Bus party part 2.  Did you know that Cheesecake Factory won’t even take reservation for a large group?

“Are you kidding?” I asked.

“What do you mean?” Cheesecake Factory girl replied.

“I have a party of 14. FOURTEEN!  And you won’t take a reservation?”

“We don’t take a reservation after 5 p.m.  You have to come in and put your name down.”

“And let me guess, you won’t seat us until all 14 get there.”

“Right.”

We’re taking our business to Buca di Beppo instead.  Screw you, Cheesecake Factory and your overpriced food and cheesecake!

Let the power of the internet takes over again.  Anyone is thinking of doing a big group thing at Cheesecake Factory, you’d better change your mind and take it to Buca where they’re REALLY friendly to big groups.  I think I might just have to Yelp this one…

Water on Mars!  WATER ON MARS!

I am such a geek.

Oh, and the alien in my eye also hatched today.  The corner of my eye by my nose is still swollen and red but virtually painless at this point.   Yeah, tear duct infection turned out to be more of the infection of my eyelid by the same alien that used to live in my nose, it seemed.

Let me see how many times I have been on antibiotics this year.  There’s the the original nose alien in January, but I actually didn’t go to the doctor for that.  Then there’s the February flu and sinus infection.  And then another nose alien in April.  I’m starting to wonder if I have a weird bacteria living on my skin or something.

Anyhoo.  I’m off to be a third wheel at Beachwood BBQ with Paul and Lupe unless Aurora shows up with Dresden, that is.