Since it’s almost Thanksgiving, I thought I’d just write a post about something I recently realized that I’ve been taking for granted over the years….!
Along with my health, family, still having a job, etc. I am very thankful for the friends that I made in College.
These were the people that I spent a lot of time with, drinking at the parties that we used to throw (after I was 21, of course).And if there was one thing that I was not very good at during those days, it was holding my liquor.
……actually, I’m still pretty bad at that.(Damn you, Asian genes!)
(I know, I know, I'm adorable...!)
Anyway, during those occasional drifts in and out of consciousness, they made the effort to look out for and take care of me.And I don’t think a lot of other “friends” would have done that.More often than not, things like this had a tendency to happen:
So basically what I'm saying is "I’m thankful that my friends aren’t dicks," .......because a lot of guys have friends who are and they put up with it because.......that's just who their friends are.
I guess it’s not that great of a thing to be thankful for, so lemme rephrase: I’m really grateful for the people I became friends with in College and I just thought I would post this so they would know.
You know what word I’m hearing a lot of these days?
AWESOME
Maybe it’s just me, but I hear that word tossed around waaaaay too frequently….and I think it’s due to the popularity of CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother”
Particular blame, though, goes to Neil Patrick Harris’ character – Barney Stinson. (who’s also responsible for bringing “legendary,” “suit-up,” & all sorts of “high-five” variations back into the pop culture vocabulary.
Now I don’t find anything wrong with the word, “awesome;” I think it’s a great word when appropriately (and sparingly) used.But a word like that – or any word, really – starts to lose its meaning when used too much.
So here are a few synonyms for the oft-spoke word which I hope people will use to help expand their not-so awesome vocabulary:(I’ve highlighted some of my favorites)
I sort of have an “Evil twin” who works in the department next to mine. (Marketing)
I say “sort of” because this guy – let’s call him “Spock” – is not really evil; and he’s not really my twin, either.
We don’t really look alike; We don’t really actalike; He’s also a little bit older (and a little more successful) than me, so it’s not really that difficult to tell us apart.
He’s not even Asian….!
But he’s short (5ft 7in) with dark hair (like me) and I guess our heads are shaped the same way...so if you’re looking at both of us from behind, it’s very hard to tell us apart…….
…….because he always manages to wear the same outfit as me.
Every time I decide to wear my blue, long-sleeved shirt to work, he wears one that’s the exact same shade of blue.
Same thing with my striped, white long-sleeve shirt – he manages to wear it the exact same day that I do – EVERY SINGLE TIME.
I even went out and bought a few new shirts once, specifically to avoid this problem – didn’t help.(Guess we both shop at Target)
It’s uncanny…!
Now this should be creepyenough in and of itself, but lately, people have been mistaking me for him.
I’ve been tapped on the shoulder three times in the past week, only to hear “Sorry – I thought you were “Spock”.”
Now I don’t really talk to the guy very much (there’s not too much interaction between my dept. and his) so I’m not really sure how to approach him about this.“Hey – don’t shop at the same stores as me!” just seems rude, you know?
Guess I’ll have to go clothes-shopping again – this time at Macys….!(Although I hear Ross has some good deals!)
Just a quick plug today about a show a friend of mine turned me on to called "The IT Crowd."
It's a show on the BBC that depicts the crazy lives of two nerdy IT technicians and their lovely, non-nerdy boss who knows absolutely nothing about computers.
This show reminds me a lot of The Big Bang Theory (one hot girl, two nerds) but I have to say that I like "The IT Crowd" better, mostly because of how surreal the show tends to get.
I know I said I wouldn't post a new blog until next week - but what are you, my mother?
I passed by a Halloween shop on my way back from lunch and was surprised to see that it was still open, selling everything they still had at 50% off. I thought:
"This store is still open?" "Why is this store still open?" "Wouldn't it be smarter to just shut it down and open again next year? (like these stores usually do?)"
Curious, I took a look inside and briefly skimmed what was left of their once-ample selection. I was one of maybe three people in the store.
And this is when I asked myself what has become the reason I'm blogging right now:
What kind of people would shop in a Halloween Costume store AFTER Halloween??
I seriously pondered this question for a good five minutes and came up with the following list:
People getting an early start on NEXT Halloween
Costume Designers with no budget.
Live-Action Role Players
People who attend a lot of “Themed-Parties.”
Amusement Park employees
Drag Kings / Queens
Vigilantes (like Batman)
People who like to role-play “in the bedroom”
Renaissance Faire-goers
Fans of the "Rocky Horror Picture Show."
........and that’s all I could think of at the moment.
Can you add to this list, Xanga? Who else might shop for Halloween stuff AFTER Halloween?
As part of that things-I-should-do-now-that-I-live-in-Los-Angeles idea that I blogged about earlier, I decided to check out West Hollywood on Halloween night instead of my usual tradition of “Halloween party w/friends.”
And while I’m glad I went for the experience, I have to say that West Hollywood on Halloween was not as exciting as I imagined it would be.
For one thing, it’s a HUGE ordeal that you apparently need to start planning once the sun goes down.My friends and I got there around 6pm…..and still couldn’t find parking.
The other thing is that there are a LOT of people there – so it’s very easy to get separated from friends.It’s like trying to maneuver through a crowded elevator.
And not to say that I didn’t enjoy seeing all the very creative costumes out there, but that seemed to be all there was to do.Sure there are some booths set-up for buying food and stages built for dancing / DJs to spin music…..but not much else.
I’m not saying I didn’t have a good time (I did have a good time) but I was just constantly comparing how my night would’ve been if I had just gone to my friend's (Andrew & Nico’s) Haunted (Red) House party instead.
Anyway, check out these pictures!!
"Barbie in a Box"
I'm on the left - the other 2 are a "polar bear" (carrying an iceberg) and "C02" causing all the global warming.
That's a vulture on my neck. It's carrying my right eye. (Left eye is held by a rat in my pocket)
One of the Creatures from that movie "9" (dunno which one, though) Beer Pong Table
Chun-Li (obviously)
Cruella Deville & her Dalmation
E.T. & that kid who found him
Facebook
"FOX" News - get it??
Freddy Kreuger
Albus Dumbledore & Hermione Granger
Hunter S. Thompson & some S.W.A.T. Guy.
Saw a lot of "Where the Wild Things Are" costumes
And a LOT of Mario / Luigi Costumes, too!
Someone told me this was supposed to be Lady Gaga?
I expected more people to dress up like Michael Jackson - but this was the only one I saw
I think these two made a better "Up" Duo than the couple I saw on Thursday.
This post covers my updates about the Costume Contest I bitched about.
Since I was already in the Halloween spirit from last night, I decided to go to work in costume on Friday.
(I was a “mad zombie scientist”)
Turns out I was the only one in my department who dressed up that day.Later I learned that only a dozen or so (Out of over a hundred who work in that office) dressed up for work at all.
Extremely lame, amIrite?
I thought so, too.
But then I figured that I might be a shoe-in for the Costume contest so I entered it at the last minute.Here were some of the entries.
The Old Woman who lived in a Shoe
a Band of Gypsies
Goldilocks
"Freaky Fairy Tales"
Alice (in Wonderland)
Another Alice in Wonderland + White Rabbit
This guy was just there.
60's dude.
I lost to “60s dude” for Most Original.
That night, I took off my costume and went to my friend, Phil’s drag show at CSUN. He went as “Big Mamma” from “Chicago.” (played by Queen Latifah in the movie)
It was a pretty good show – unfortunately I forgot my camera.Nico was there, though, and he brought his.Hopefully I can steal some pictures and add them to this post if he uploads them to his blog.
Yup, this will pretty much be a picture-post. Hope you have a pretty good band-width!
Thursday night was the Lindygroove’s Annual Halloween Ball. And in my opinion, the people who come here have some of the greatest Halloween costumes that I’ve ever seen.
It was difficult to figure out what kind of costume to put on (to get my $2.00 discount at the door) but I finally decided that my “One of the Crazy 88” costume was the most comfortable.(Except for the mask – which was kind of tight around my face)
Anyway, here are some pictures.
Me & a few of my dance partners "regulars" @ the Lindygroove
"King Max" & "Carol"
Zoltar will tell your fortune!
He didn't have any real booze, though
The old man & kid from "Up" - I thought they did a really good job here
I can't imagine how hot this must've been.
I'm pretty sure they're each an individual character from "Top Gun"
This "dead paper-doll" in the front is Kennly (best picture I could get of her - sorry!)
If you ask me, these guys won Halloween - BEST COSTUME OF THE YEAR.
All in all, it was a pretty great time!
I do have one complaint about that night - the Lindygroove’s Halloween Ball is a pretty big event, so a lot of people (dancers & non-dancers alike) show up.And with all the large costumes and non-dancers trying to boogie/take pictures/socialize in the middle of the dance floor, there’s not a lot of space or sympathy for people who are just trying to enjoy a good dance.I was bumped into, stepped on and whacked in the face about a dozen times that night.
One of the cool things about the lindygroove on Halloween (besides the costumes) is that they teach a special “Thriller Shim Sham” for the dance lesson that night and then play it around 10:30pm.
Here’s a neat video of last year’s performance (didn’t get one this year)
It’s that time of year again….!The time when we all need to switch on the ole imagination and ask ourselves:
“What am I going to be for Halloween this year???”
I’m sure this is a common question that we’ve all asked ourselves at one time or another.After all, costumes play a pretty big part in this most important holiday of the year; it’s the one time a year where we’re judged positively on how ‘outrageous’ our outfits are.And while some may already have their costumes laid out to wear, the rest of us are scrambling for an ensemble that says “Hey, we’re cool too.”
I’m one of those people that have been scrambling this year.And I’m stressing out a little because there are a lot of factors to consider in a good Halloween costume.
A good costume should be at least one of the following:
Well-made
Clever/original
Sexy
Easy to identify.(Bonus points for being ‘a timely reference’ in popular culture)
But there are also a lot of other factors to consider, such as:
What will I be doing?
Trick-or-Treating?Walking the streets in some Halloween Parade?Dancing?If so, your costume should be light with comfy shoes, don’tcha think?
House party?Hopefully your costume isn’t too big to fit through some narrow doorway or too large to fit somewhere with high ceilings.
What’s the weather going to be like?
Is it going to be hot that night?Raining?Make-up might be a bad idea for both these scenarios.
Will it be cold?Might wanna re-think that “I’m-just-wear-my-underwear” costume….!
Do I have to wear this costume more than once?
Going to more than one party this year?Gotta make sure your outfit’s sturdy / long-lasting.
Maybe you want to wear an R-rated costume this year, but don’t feel like sharing that with your parents/co-workers/kids you baby-sit.A PG-13 back-up costume would be nice in this case?
And if anyone ever asks you “What are you supposed to be?” you might as well pack it in early this year, because having to explain your costume a dozen times probably means you didn’t even try.
So yeah…..picking a Halloween costume may seem like an easy task to some, but to others, not so much.
Now I could just go out and buy a costume.They’re a little expensive, but they provide a rather permanent solution to the problem. (I can just re-use it year after year) It’s like an investment of sorts.But I’m one of those people who believe that making a costume is half the fun.
Plus, it’s cheaper.
But I’m out of ideas this year.I had one earlier, but it doesn’t really work as a costume.Plus, my last costume got a few hushed whispers of disapproval from some of the people in my office (which I don’t think I deserved) so now I’m feeling a little pressure to censor my costume this year.
I was "Ahmish." Some people thought it would be offensive to
fellow co-workers who were Jehovah's Witnesses.
I thought these other costumes were a lot more offensive.
Zombie (w/meerkat bursting through chest)
Cannibal Chef eating baby
Fortunately, my friends have had a lot of themed parties over the years, with which I have already "made" a costume for. So I think that’s what it’s going to be this year – a re-hashing of an old costume.
Member of the "Crazy 88" from Kill Bill Vol. 1 for the "Kill Bill" party.
My version of a Mad scientist for the "Mad Scientist party."
What's everyone else planning to be for Halloween?
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