OakMonster's Den

Dear Uncle Pete,

So, you’re finally leaving us.

Yes, I am hurt.  And disappointed.  I mean, don’t you love US?  Don’t you love college ball?  I mean, you’ve said it over and over and over again that here is where you want to be.  What changed, Coach?  Have we not loved you enough?

I know that you deny any bad blood between you and Mike Garrett or your departure has anything to with the looming NCAA ruling.  But I think we all understand how much suck it could be to work for an asshat and to get out before the heat is unbearable.   (On that note, Reggie, I hate you.  And that goes for you too, Joe McFlashy.  All I can say to you is that karma does exist, boys.  You watch out now.)

At the end of the day, Team Carroll has to come first.  It’s only human.  We would’ve done the same thing for the money and the escape.

But of course, we have expected so much from you, Coach.  We didn’t think you’d leave us.

Well, that’s all I have to bitch and moan about it.  We can throw a tantrum all day and hold vigils all night.  It’s all done now.

Now that I get that out of my system. .. *exhale*

Thanks for a one hell of a run at USC, Uncle Pete.  You have turned the Hackett Horror Picture Show around into something beyond our imagination.  You have spoiled us rotten with all the wins.  This past rebuilding season has been quite hard for all of us, but you got us through it much better than anyone could have expected.

You changed the face of Trojan football forever, Coach.  We haven’t had this much fun since, well, I don’t know when.  (I came in toward the end of Robinson’s era.)

Your charity, A Better LA, is really making a difference out there.  You weren’t just here to coach and get your paycheck.  You were a part of the  community.

Many bandwagon fans had boo’ed when we lost, and they are probably are cursing at you right now for your departure.  The Coliseum may be half empty under new management.  But hey, good riddance.  And better yet, I might actually have a chance to get in on some forfeit season tickets.  But I digress.

Us TRUE Trojan fans appreciate what you’ve done for us all these years.  All the championships and Heisman.  The Bush Push.  The surprise that was Sanchez.  The pranks you pulled on the team.  Ah. The memories!

I don’t know if Seattle folks can love you like we do.  Just sayin’.  But hey, I’m sure you will wow and charm them like you did us.

Wish you the best in Seattle.

Fight on.

Dances with Wolves in space, James Cameron even admitted that in his interviews.  And Avatar was exactly that.

And I love every moment of it.

Sure. The story is predictable.  And a little sappy.  And had been told many times before.

But it was told with a completely different visual representation.  A seamless integration of digital animation and live action.  For the first time, the CG characters don’t look like they were fresh out of a botox clinic.  Their big yellow eyes say something.  Their blue faces had nuances that the entire train full of Polar Express or (from what I saw in the trailer) A Christmas Carol didn’t have.

I mean, I *love* Sam Worthington going in.  But who knew I would also fall for his big blue avatar too!  I mean, the Na’Vi were ALIVE.  It’s so totally awesome!

Some critics have issues with the movie’s mix of live action and computer animation.  They said it felt like they were watching someone else playing video game for 2 hours.

Maybe because I am also used to the game graphics, and many of us are, we didn’t have the problem with the blending of digital and live action.

Also, surely, those critics do not play video games.  I mean, seriously, gamers (and game spectators like myself) wish our video games look as good the as Avatar all the way through,  not only just during the cut scenes.

Can you imagine how great Mass Effect, Halo, or even Final Fantasy would have been with Avatar level of facial movements and overall animation?  But I digress.

Most importantly, Avatar is one of the movies in a very long time that I got lost in. I was willing to overlook all sorts of discrepancies and cheesiness so I can stay on that planet with them.  Get lost in the adventure.  Fall in love along side Jake and Neytiri.  And root for the home team.

Okay, fine.  I did crack up when Neytiri told Jake that “You have a strong heart”.  But I guess nobody else got the Terminator accidental reference.

But the rest was pure escape. I would see this over and over again, the way I do with Dances with Wolves.

For almost 3 hours, I was running around Pandora.  And I don’t care about anything else.

I did get my $10 worth.  That is a LOT to say about movies these days.

Is it Oscar Best Picture worthy?  Nah, I don’t think so. But did it steal my heart?  Yes, it did.

Will Avatar make a pop culture impact like Titanic or Star Wars?  I don’t know.  The “I see you” thing is going to make it, I’m sure of that.  But the rest, I don’t know.  Will people take up learning Na’Vi (which, by the way, according to Professor Paul Frommer, a USC professor (Go! Trojans!) is being developed further)?  I definitely see blue, scantily clad bodies showing up at Comic Con though.

Finally, don’t get me started on a waste of Leona Lewis’ voice on that theme song.  My heart cannot go on with that gimmick.  Sorry.

Oh, and final note here for Sam Worthington.

Dear Sam,

Please show some teeth when you smile at movie premieres.  You smile a plenty in the movie and light up the screen with your cute dimples and lovely teeth.

But all the pictures I managed to find from your premieres, you only grinned…and smirked.  I don’t know if you were going for the Russell Crowe tough guy look, or you were trying to keep that piece of gum you were chewing in check.  But I must say that just doesn’t work for you quite as well.  Trust me, we are not going to complain if you break our hearts a little more by flashing us your full smile.  We’d actually enjoy that.  Very much.

Yes. YES. YES!!!

No. Not so much.

Please don’t pull a Posh.  Your mouth is too pretty not smile.

Hope to see you soon on my DreamBoat(tm).

Love,

Oakley

P.S. I watched the LA Times interview of you with gum in your mouth. Sweetie, lose the gum too while you’re at it. Okay?

The Trojans escaped again last night from the grip of the Sun Devils.

Gridiron Goddess said on her FB status: “thinks USC is TRYING to lose this game”.

It sure looked like it.

It seemed every time I blinked we would be 1st and 10. Blinked and it’s 3rd and long and there went the punt. Same thing coming back from Arizona State.  It started to resemble a tennis match.

Our ball. Their ball. Our ball. Their ball. Oh hey, a score here and there.

Actually, I watched quite a bit of in on Catalina Express on my way back from my friends Zak & Alex’s wedding there.  My friend Irena woke me up just in time to witness the spectacular interception which was returned for an awesome dive for a touch town.

Another couple of chickens were sacrificed for yet another narrow escape.

Can hardly wait until next season so we can get past this one. *sigh*

USC’s last week loss to Oregon could be blamed on me. The Trojan superstition was in full swing on Halloween night.

Hey, all a Princess Leia Zombie have on her were booty shorts and a bra. I surely cannot go without the bra!

But then again, Bill Plaschke of the LA Times finally threw a big ass bucket of cold, hard reality at Uncle Pete and his Trojans this morning.

What’s he’s saying here…and has been saying…is something I’ve been feeling since the start of this year.

We have not been the Trojans we know. However, we have been doing pretty awesome for a rebuilding team.

Why is it that some people are afraid to admit the fact that we ARE in a rebuilding year?  They expect the whole new coaching staff and a brand new team to perform like past years?

What brand of delusional crack are you smoking?

I mean, we lost the entire coaching staff and a butt load of great players. Our new QB, although he’s proven to be quite an ace for all the 3-minute period that he’s on fire, definitely needs seasoning.

Our defense wasn’t turning anything over.  3rd down is now a horror picture show.  Our kicker probably has more field days than any past years.  Our offense wasn’t going anywhere fast most of the game except for a few spurts when they all decided to wake up.

Oh, and the MAJOR noticeable downturn for the Trojans: we are no longer the 2nd half team.

We used to come out of that locker room after half time ready to kick ass and eventually take names.  Now, we come out and flail all over the field, holding on to dear life and possible sacrificing a few chickens somewhere behind the benches for Jobu to grant us more lucky breaks  to escape the disaster just one more time.

We are not the Trojans we were.

This year’s team has surprised me long enough with the lucky escapes.  The loss to Oregon definitely pulled the curtain off the masquerading Wizard of Troy.

It’s the loss that humbled everyone.  The team. The fans.

Have I lost faith in my Trojans?  Never. Have never done that even through the Hackett years.  I might not have been so proud then, but I for one have never boo’d my own team unlike some of these bandwagoning, fair weathered Trojan so called “fans”.   (I did yell “Suck it, Hackett!” a lot, but never once boo’d the players.)

I still have faith.  This year may not be a championship year, but hey, we didn’t do so bad so far.

Get it together, Trojans and Trojan TRUE fans!  We have the year to finish.  Finish off this season and work through the year to find your groove.

Next year, come back better, stronger. Asses will be kicked.  Names will be taken.

Fight on!

Halloween night? Massive fun. My team of Thrill the World LA and OC kicked ass at Halloween on Pine. We literally rocked the stage. I mean, the fucking thing was swaying with our every moves! Not once, but TWICE! It was complete and total rockage.

Brandon was a complete trooper, escorting me up and down the street and once again played photographer and roadie to our rag tag team of zombies.

Obviously, I barely watched USC…and even more obviously, I had a bra on.

Sorry, team. My bad. Moo. Moo…

Sunday came easily. First Sunday with zero schedule. No Thriller. No meeting.

Holy shit.

I had no plan.

I took it in stride and parked on the couch for the first half of the day, picked myself up to go get a massage, took luxurious long shower, and went out to dine stress-free at James & Aurora’s.

A normal Sunday, I quit you for so long. It’s so good to have you back!

How was your weekend?

Drupal Camp LA weekend was AWESOME.  I hung out with Annette and Nick from Twitter and Matt from my dot com days.  Meanwhile I met new people and made some new friends and found some new people to follow on Twitter.  And yes, I learned a TON about Drupal and got myself signed up with both LA and OC Drupal Groups.

I can hardly wait to get going with my first site.  Well, I kinda did…but not really.  LOL.  Need a full geeky weekend, I tell ya.

UCI Engineering quad is an awesome venue for what we had (despite the distance from refreshments and the mystery of hidden bathrooms).  Free wifi everywhere was perfect.  We didn’t even mind that the best lecture hall they had–every seat equipped with power source, great stadium seating, big ol’ screen–was actually inside a freezer.  Well, mild onset of hypothermia might messed with our memories a little.

Oh, a case of nostalgia came free.

We had lunch in the Pippin cafeteria along with their students.  We hauled our stuff from classroom to classroom, our brains exploding along the way.  Annette and I sat together in a few session and we broke out into giggles here and there, writing “notes” to each other via twitter AND actual note paper.

It was like going to college all over again.

There was even an on campus party afterward.  LOL.  (We didn’t make it there, but a lot of people did.)

That got me thinking about how far I have come since college.

Obviously, I’ve gotten a lot geekier than when Frenchy taught me HTML back in 1996.  I am married, living a good life.  Sure, I’m not the high level executive rolling in money, but I love what I do.

Frenchy himself has become an Ubergeek, a swing dancer, and a husband and dad.  Other college friends have become a lawyer, a nurse, and a mom.  One did achieve his goal of getting out of California and doing fine up in Portland.  Another is about to get married for the second time to a fantastic girl.

Look how far our lives have taken us.

Christmas Eve this year so far has been a mix bag of emotions.

A few days ago, my Trojan “brother” Joel announced his engagement to his girlfriend Zoe.  Huge news!

Yesterday, I was giggling at Rude Cactus’ video of his little girl Mia singing “Police Navidad” and giddy over 50% Christmas decoration sale at a flower shop in downtown.

I also took the bus home after week of being shuttled around by my carpool buddy and got to say Merry Christmas to my other bus buddies.

My cousin Nicky called to ask if I want to go the Rose Bowl with him.  Because I’m saving my dough for the Billy Joel/Elton John concert.  And I’m going to take James with me!

But then Brandon called.  James and Aurora’s house was broken into.  Aurora left the house with Dresden for mere half an hour, returned to find the back door pried open and bedroom tossed.  The thieves took their game consoles and Aurora’s jewelries including her engagement ring.

They suspect the gardener.  Aurora was waiting for him but he was late.  That’s why she left.  When she came home, not only the house was burgled, the lawn was mowed.  Curious, isn’t it?

Now this morning, I’ve learned another good news. Our beloved Mazing Amy, my Trojan “sister”, is engaged.

Tonight, we’re going over to Nora’s family for good ol’ Christmas dinner.  I haven’t seen her folks or her siblings for a while.  As a matter of fact, I have never met her little niece, 2 years old by now?  And I will get to meet the new niece.Oh god. I need to go buy some gifts for the little girls.

You see what I mean?

Well, Merry Christmas to all!  (There’s an embeded Windows Media file under the banner that should play automatically.)

Dear Mark,

Obviously, you also have not learned from the past, my darling Sanchez.  USC has a Quarterback Facial Hair Curse, don’t you know by now?

(Picture from the LA Times)

Last year, John David Booty tried to grow some and we barely escaped.  Previously, it has never been good for either Matt Leinart or Carson Palmer.

Scruff amounts to bad.  All the QBs under Uncle Pete has suffer such fate.  If you’ve studied the history of our team, you might not have pondered the option.

I am sure you’re thinking that we’ve won by a giant landslide.  So what of this so called curse?  But sweetie, is that worth your twisted knee?  Seriously.  I mean, DUDE!

Besides, sweetie, the stereotypical mustache you are trying out doesn’t look good on you.

(Picture from the LA Times)

So please, for the love of Troy, listen to this uberfan…who has since banish her husband from watching ANY and all USC games because everytime he pays attention to it, we lost.  I KNOW what I’m talking about when it comes to supersition.

Fight on and get REALLY healthy soon,

- The OakMonster

Two things I love most about October: Halloween and beer.

So far it hasn’t been a cold “fall”.  Heck, it was like 78 when I got to work at 7:30 a.m. this morning!  I think I will survive in my Princess Leia gitup after all.  Then again, I still have the Jedi cloak from last year to keep me warm and still in theme.

October is building up to be a busy one already.  The Bus Party tomorrow is cancelled in lieu of the debate, so that free up a bit of time.  Hopefully my newsletter will go to print on Friday.

Thriller practice this Saturday and of course, the Trojans are on and pissed off.  Watch out Oregon!

DMV Downtown on Monday…that ought to be interesting.  Haven’t been to that DMV since college!  The girls’ monthly dinner on Thursday and it’s our anniversary.  Another Thriller practice on Saturday on the beach followed by the K9 benefit show back in Fullerton.  Too bad I will have to miss the Long Beach Tweet Up!  Thrill the World LA barbecue on Sunday and, thank god, Columbus Day off.

Wednesday early board meeting.  Saturday USC at Washington and “Octoberfest” at a friend’s house who is a brewmaster.  Probably more Thriller practice in there somewhere through out.  A few Tuesdays at the Irvine practice probably.

Thrill the World on October 25 in the morning at USC at Arizona at night.

And finally, Halloween.

And after that, the Big Gala.

And after that, Thailand.

And after that, company’s holiday party I have to throw.

Not to mention my Monday dance classes.

Holy crap.

I’m a busy girl!

Friday, the Downtown goats.

Saturday, Brandon returned and the Trojans kicked the Buckeyes’ butt up and down the field 35-3.

Sunday, catching up on TV and dinner with James, Aurora, Dresden and Lee.

Good weekend.