Tony's Treehouse Blog

Friday Five - Halloween

1. What was your first Halloween costume?
Spiderman. I went trick or treating in a mall in Pasadena with my mom and one of her friends and kid. I have a pic of it and Tobey Macguire had nothing on me! lol
2. What was your best costume and why?
That would be my pimp costume a couple of years back for a Pimps and Hos party in Santa Barbara. There are pics in the photo gallery. It was my best costume because, along with the pimp attire, my friend Andi came up and was my ho for the night. She was quite skank!
3. Did you ever play a trick on someone who didn't give you a treat?
Nope.
4. Do you have any Halloween traditions? (ie: Family pumpkin carving, special dinner before trick or treating, etc.)
Not yet.
5. Share your favorite scary story...real or legend!
Late one night on our block, I walked down the street to this big tamarind tree. Tamarind trees look and grow much like fig trees. Anyway, lore had it that if you looked up into a tamarind tree�s branches late at night, you would see the creature who lives there. On a dare I did it. I walked under this tree which was easily 3 stories tall and its braches went out so far it could shade the trailer of an 18 wheeler. I looked up and didn�t see anything. Feeling brave I walked around the tree, looking up and dared anything up there to show itself. After a few minutes of this, I said fuck it and started to walk away. At that moment I heard a rustling in the branches above not far from my head. I turned and looked up to see 2 large, glowing red eyes staring at me. Those eyes blinked slowly and deliberately. I turned and ran home as fast as I could, never once looking back.

Parking Gestapo

Alright, so I haven�t been totally consistent in updating this. I have had other things on my mind and been really distracted. Last week Friday ended my workshops with my networking group and I left it feeling a ton better about doing the whole search. Nathaniel came along and I brought a stack of my old comics to keep him occupied. True to form, he sat there and read and didn�t make a peep. I was so proud of him. As expected everyone thought he was my son �Epsyche!! After my meeting I took him to lunch at Burger King and we sat, ate, laughed and talked crap. It was awesome!

So today (Tuesday) I have resumed my job search in earnest. Using the book, What Color Is Your Parachute?, as guide I have been doing a lot of soul searching about what I like to do and would want to do later on. Part of the process is really thinking about one�s passions and how one accomplishes those passions. For example, I love to cook. Well to be a good cook, and I believe myself to be a good cook, one has be creative, able to follow directions (deviate when need be), research skills, be able to know when things taste/smell right, etc. Although I am firm believer that if one can read, one can cook. That isn�t totally true. The talents and skills we take for granted are more apropos to job situations than I ever thought. Will I become a chef and open a 4 star restaurant? First things first�E
Oh yea, the parking Gestapo in Oakland all need to be shot! On our street, one side is done the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month and the other side, the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. Well the mofos are confused! They did the streets 2 weeks in a row and thankfully I listened to my gut and moved my car. Some poor schmo left their Honda parked on that side. They would be greeted by one of those annoying bright green parking tickets envelopes.

Coral from The Real World

Ok, so I am jumping back and forth from this whole journal thing. I woke up today from this really funny dream about Coral from The Real World. Coral is from second time the show went to New York and her claim to fame was telling people what she thought of them, oft times not in the most diplomatic way. See my speel about reality shows in my rants section. Anyway, one of the things I loved about Coral (or the �Coral�Ethe producers let viewers see) was that honesty. It seemed (operative word) that she never said one thing to a person�s face and something different to their back. She also didn�t seem to do that double-speak that I have come loathe when people want to say something on their minds, but are to chicken shit to say it. Personally I do keep a lot in. When I do have something to say, I do try to be tactful. However when tact fails, you get what you get. Professionally, I am lot more consistently frank with people.

So in this dream, me, Coral and I think about 5 other people were staying in this beach side villa. The place was bangin�E It was may be 3 stories and each level that faced the ocean had a veranda big enough to 7 or 8 big wooden lounge chairs with room to spare. Oh yea, the view was spectacular! It was no typical beach. It was a sheltered harbor that looked like a big crescent. Mountains rose to both sides, enclosing a perfect white sand beach, crystal clear waters with a reef off shore. This is sort of how my favorite beach back home looks like.

So in this dream we are all talking and getting to know each other. I don�t think we were on an MTV style mission, because we all seem to know each other already. I get the sense in the dream some of the people there are having some friction for whatever reason. People talk and nothing is getting resolved. Then I have the image of Coral sitting on a ledge, leaning back looking all fine in a white 2 piece halter swimsuit and sarong. Why? Because she looks fiiiiiiiiine! And I remember her laying in on people for being such asses! She totally doesn�t hold back and let�s everyone have it. It was great! Everyone was really dumbfounded, but knew she was right.

Another scene in the dream, the whole group is on the beach and someone disturbs this huge manta ray that was hiding in the sand. Someone on the sand yell to stay away from it, but the guy who bumped walks up to in the water and pets it. The ray jumps in the air and swallows him whole! Everyone busts out laughing like this isn�t abnormal to see. So the girl on the sand who gave the warning, walks over to the ray and grabs it by the wings and throws it on the sand. She walks over to it and hold it by its wings with the mouth facing the sand and starts shaking it. After awhile the guy inside plops onto the sand and ray is thrown back in the water. The girl who saved the guy just shakes her head.

Yes, I do dream in this much detail. It happens quite often and is kinda freaky when it does happen. Sometimes the dreams will be really cool and uplifting. Other times the dreams are dark and totally suck ass.

Queer Eye for the Employed Guy

Coming home after workshops and passing out has become a regular occurrence. However it is wreaking havoc on my sleep patters! Today we talked about salary negotiations. Dude. DUDE. It was awesome. I�m going to get some more books on the subject. Like a good job hunter, I stayed in and worked on my resume, rather than going to Game Night over at Tasha�s. It sucks trying to be responsible.

And the Marlins are fighting back baby! The Yankees are going to have to earn their World Series the really, really hard way. I hope they stomp their asses.

Counterpoint to baseball, I am really digging the show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. I don�t know how long it has been on, but dammit all to hell I have been missing out! The really sad story is, I am a poster child for that show with the exception of the area of cooking. I rock in the kitchen. If I don�t know how to make something, with good directions I could confidently do it. However in the area of d�cor, clothing, et al I am woefully lacking there. I have 4 pairs of shoes: my New Balance (which are now jacked up from painting), my Skechers black casual dress (old and cruddy), my white K-Swiss (which aren�t white anymore), and my black dress shoes. As for wardrobe, we won�t even go there. I am determined to revamp my style; at least the stuff I wear to go out.

Raider Haters Unite!

Today was a good day. The workshop my networking group held was awesome. I took copious notes and will have no shame to my game in implementing some of the tactics they proposed. There will be workshops all week and I look forward to each of them even more so now. The group is pretty eclectic, with people spanning many stages in their career and what they intend to get out of it.

Oh, today was a good because the Raiders lost! Woohaa! Yes, I am a Raider hater and if you don�t like it pick an ass cheek and bite me! Why don�t I like the Raiders? Two words: overzealous fans. However the way they played tonight, you�d never have thought they went to the Super Bowl. The fans didn�t do them in tonight; it was their play that sucked ass. Their last play of the game was a fake spike. WTF were you thinking?! They were marching the ball up the field, eating up the clock and making good progress towards tying the score. But no, they had to try some dumb ass asinine move on MONDAY night football! I�m glad ESPN ripped them a new one.

Kim came over and we had dinner and talked most of the night. There is something to be said for actual conversation, versus mind banalities used to fill silences. Or hell just silences. After dinner we were both craving ice cream and we booked it to the store and got some. We watched the game, ate ice cream and she taught me how to play Uno. We both got pint size Ben and Jerry�s and ate almost half. I am going to be hating life tomorrow. I can actually feel it all now.

There is a new layout in the works. I�ve been saying this for dog years, well ok months, but it is about that time again. I don�t know if I�m going to actually strip the site down to its barest components or leave what I have up there while I work on the next layout. We�ll see.

It just hit me. Today was a good day. And today was a Monday. Whoa.

::Praying for a good day tomorrow::

Treehouse Reloaded...ahem, Matrix Reloaded.

This is going to be a triple entry of sorts, because I don�t have energy or inclination to fill in the last several days! Friday I got high speed internet back at home. Thursday I figured out what was wrong with my computer and kicked myself for not checking it. Granted the problem was pretty random. The problem was somehow my CPU became unseated (read that as, �got jiggled loose�E. Who woulda thunk it? Anyway, now that I have I-net back at home, Treehouse journal entries frequency should go up.

Saturday night, I hung out with Tasha and Kim as a belated birthday get together for Kim. Kim who is moving and who I will miss terribly. Frankly, I miss her already. Anyway, we watched Matrix Reloaded and had cake. Kick ass cake I might add from Merritt�s! If you are ever this way, run quickly to the nearest Merritt�s and look at their bakery and try not to drool all over the glass case. Pastries are my kryptonite. I can do without candy (candy bars or hard candy) and some of the other usual suspects. Donuts, pies, cakes and the rest are all evil.

Today (Sunday) Tasha and I ran around doing errands for her. It was good to get out of the house and hang with her. Hanging out with her gave me the added bonus of showing me where some of the home d�cor places are around here. It is one thing to wonder what x item will look like in your place based on a picture from the web. It is a complete other, to see and touch the thing. May be there is a bit of Martha Stewart (anti-Christ!) in me after all.

During the drive, Tasha took me to where part of the freeway chase scene from Matrix Reloaded was done in downtown Oakland. However the filmmakers neglected to put that in the end credits where they thank organizations, cities, et al for helping make the film possible. Tasha was the one who noticed it and we drove by and low and behold she was right. Look at the scene were the Cadillac CTS and Escalade EXT are jumping out of the underground parking garage till where the truck strikes the BMW in rear, nearly severing it. All that is downtown Oakland and perhaps a bit after that part. Granted the �freeway�Ethey did it on was constructed by the filmmakers, but getting to the freeway was Oaktown baby!

Time for me to pass out.

Back to the future

Gee that was a catchy entry title. Nothing really new to report. I was bummed this weekend and Tasha took me out to Treasure Island. The drive and being near water cheered me up big time. Having a really supportive friend doesn't hurt either. I don't know what it is about being near water that makes me feel better.

Oh yea one thing that does stand out and works my nerves: there is a Zales commercial where this lady is presented with this 3 diamnond ring from her husband, and after seeing the ring she is suddenly overwhelmed with emotion for the fellow. What a crock. You mean, that before that moment her feelings for him were ho-hum? It took a $5000 ring for her to 'renew' her love for him? Grrr.

Oh yea, the Florida Marlins are fighting back! Woohhaaa!! I was thinking that if the NYY didn't make it, that would be enough. No, I'm thinking that is the Marlins and the Yankees met up and the Marlins devastated the Yankees, that would poetic justice right there. I effin' hate the damned Yankees. My loathing may have something to do with a heinous person I used to know who liked them. Oh yea, I hate them for all of the money they throw around to get players.

Oak-town Update

Thank you to everyone who has come back to the Treehouse and checking in on me. I still do not have Internet access at my place yet, so the updates will remain sporadic for the time being.

So let's see...I've discovered a lot of cool places around town, but lack the fundage to really indulge in them. This period of looking for a job totally sucks ass, because the first few weeks of my being here I was doing something productive, that is fixing up my place. Now my place is coming together, but I am relegated to applying for jobs (and other things) and just waiting. Waiting sucks.

In the mean time, I look for jobs and whatever services out there are available for people in my situation. Oh yea, I am also playing thought games about how to decorate my place. It occured to me that with all of my pictures, and actually having a place to hang them I should pull them out! I sat down and sorted through the hundreds of pictures in my box and picked out some cool ones. I broke them up into categories: family, friends, landscape, hot chicks (yes a seperate sextion, pun intended) and misc.

Also one of my very close friends up here is going to be moving away shortly. The idea had been discussed prior, so it was always a possibility, but now the idea is very real. They need to do it and it will be good for them. However, I will miss them terribly.

I did my first real shopping yesterday and cooked my very first meal: spaghetti and meatballs. I wasn't really feeling up to company, but wanted to at least share the meal with my mother and little brother. It was the first meal I cooked at my place, and it felt great! I go into kitchen withdrawal when I go without cooking for a long time. Eating out/ordering in often was never my forte.

That's all for now! I'll try to update more often, but I make no promises.