Cowboy Take Me Away

Next Friday, Brandon and I will have been married for 10 years. Instead of celebrating on our actual anniversary weekend, we had to do it this past weekend instead.  Brandon’s certification course begins next Saturday. A while back, I bought a Groupon for a horseback riding and wine tasting package with Wine Country Trails by Horseback at Wilson Creek Winery. Now that Brandon is learning to enjoy wine, we thought we’d make a weekend in Temecula out of it. Besides, with my current employment situation, we can’t quite get ourselves to Hawaii like we wanted to do originally. We spent...
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10 Goals for 2012

OakMonster.com - Oakley Boren

2011. The year of changes. So much so that I pretty much forgot that I had set goals for the year. Someone asks why I set goals. Well, I’m trying to set a habit-forming goals instead of something I know I can’t attain.  Whatever I did well, I’ll keep up with for the years to come. Goal #10 has been a growing list, and I would like to keep it growing each year. Now, let’s first look at what a failure I have been in 2011 before we move on to set goals for 2012. 2011 Recap: 5 out of...
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2011: An Oakley Odyssey

It’s about gone, kids. 2011. All done. 2011 has been a serious roller coaster for me professionally and personally. It seems like it was just yesterday when I was updating the 2010 end of the year list! Golly. 2011 in Pictures Jan – March: Welcome to the family, Robin Hood the Hyundai Sonata! / Custom made truffles from Drago Centro / Got laid off April – June: New Zealand vacation / Cochon 555 / The Nerd Machine Slave Leia PSA July – September: 4th of July at the Los Alamitos Base / Camping on Catalina / USC football season October...
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A Thanksgiving Ode to Matt

Sure, sure. People give the lip service how how thankful they are around Thanksgiving all the time. But I, for one, really am thankful this year for my friend Matt. Without Matt, I wouldn’t be working at this contract, making new friends, learning new skills. I surely wouldn’t have found a work environment I truly feel at home in. Without Matt, I wouldn’t have the budget to continue to host a Thanksgiving feast for my “orphan” friends as I have done for the past few years. I would say that I owe Matt my first born for his help, but...
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One Year Shy of Three Cycles

The TARDIS

In the western world, you celebrate Sweet 16, your becoming legal at 18, your legally drinking age at 21, and then when you turn 30, 35, 40, 45 and what not. Us Thais, we traditionally celebrate every 12 years.  It’s a complete cycle in the Chinese zodiac. These years are supposed to be your milestones in life. At 12, you’re not little kid any more–you’re becoming a teenager.  At 24, you’re now becoming a responsible adult. At 36, you’ve got stuff to show for now that you’ve been an adult awhile. At 48 and onward, you’re just celebrating having been...
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Beginning of the End

This past Sunday last year was the last time I saw my friend Gregg healthy. Gregg, Brandon and I went to the Los Alamitos Wings, Bolts,and Something show for a photographer day out.  Gregg had said he’d been a bit under the weather but he thought going out for a nice day of walking would be good.  So we walked down to the base to look at planes and classic cars. We split up to get lunch.  When I came back to see Gregg, he was holding a bottle of water in line for his food.  He motioned to me...
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