Life with the Beatles

I grew up on the Beatles. When your parents were both educated in England during the 1960s mod era, those would be the records they brought home. (Well, dad did.) There were also Elvis Presley and the Carpenters, but the mainstay was usually John, Paul, George, and Ringo. My parents were so Anglophile-posh with their musical choices that I didn’t know the hippie period of the Beatles until much later on in life. That also means that I also had no idea who the Rolling Stones or David Bowie was. Elton John was introduced into the pool just enough to get us...
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Day 25: Easy Like Sunday Morning

OakMonster.com - Reach for the sky

5 Thoughts It’s Sunday. Why am I up at 7 a.m. without the alarm for no reason at all? Oh right. I started coughing. So much for going to bed without Nyquil for the first time in a week. What a beautiful day outside and pleasant inside. It’s a great day to do whatever! And so we went mattress shopping. And it was virtually painless (except for when I cut my thumb on the laminated price sheet). We were in and out of the store in less than 30 minutes. Our new mattress arrived within a few hours. TV Binge...
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Five for Friday: Saving Lives, Running with Wings, and Breaking Up with Glee

OakMonster.com - Running with Wings

Five for Friday is a weekly (well, almost) series about the five new things I learned each week. (Hey, it’s still technically Friday! Sorry I’m late. Hee.) Actually, I should call this as Five for January. I haven’t written on of these since Christmas!  Well, having the year end recap, my 2013 goals, and Race on the Base updates did throw me for a loop.  We’ll just go with whatever I fancy for the past month, alright? I’ve Learned CPR Oh yes. I now have a CPR card. I just have to remember exactly how many compression (30) and how...
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10 Goals for 2013

OakMonster.com - Win with Oakley

Brandon suggested that I shouldn’t call these “Goals” but “Aspirations” since they’re more of a guideline of what I want to accomplish rather than what I’m driven to achieve. Well, lack of the drive is my fault. Not the goals. However, having setting up goals every year, I have an average of 50% success rate and many of those successes become a part of my regular ritual.  For examples, Veggie Tuesday is now permanent, also made easier with being more meatless than almost vegan.  Reading through the magazines as they come in is also now a habit.  So, it’s not...
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2012: Oakpocalypse

OakMonster.com - 2012 Year In Costumes

Father Time apparently drives a Bugatti Veron in 2012. Varrrrpphhhewwwwssshhh… Gone. Anyway. Here’s my obligatory 2012 year in review. I’ve changed a few categories from the past years but you’ll still get the idea. 2012: Year of Costumes Instead of giving you 12 pictures from the 12 months, I’m giving you the pictures of all the cosplays I’ve done and costumes I’ve worn this year instead! Row 1: 5-minute Zombie make-up for REI Zombie Preparedness class Wolverine for a Halloween which we showed up more or less after the fact due to a miscommunication. Steampunk TARDIS at the Renaissance Faire’s...
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London Delayed Air

This is what I have to say about the Olympics Spoiler Hysteria

(See what I did there?) Welcome to the OakMonster’s traditional Olympics rant!  I’ve ranted about Athens. I’ve ranted about Beijing. And now, my dear readers, I shall rant about London. The opening ceremony? I watched a portion of it live over the internet and then I watched the whole thing through–well, almost the whole thing through–with my fellow west coast residents and tweeted my way through the time delayed broadcast.  So very British and so very Danny Boyle. And I love it. (And yes, I *did* catch the TARDIS “parking brake” noise during that crazy British pop medley. Not my...
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