HeyChristine.com

Saturday, November 4th

On a rainy Saturday day...

Today was a relatively uneventful day aside from the evening activities at HOOTERS. I was very focused on finishing the content of the index page of this site and really just want to get it OVER with.

I cruised over to Amy's desk to see if she was around during lunch, and sure enough she was, so we went out for a bite to eat. We seem to frequent this mom and pop dine-in place across street that makes the best hong yo chaw so. Okay I've never taken formal Chinese lessons so use your imagination if you can't figure out what I just said. Amy commented on how much better my eye makeup looked today (we went to lunch yesterday as well). Normally I would have appreciated that comment except that today, I wasn't wearing any.

I also met two guys sitting next to us who were from the Orange County Register, Mark Avery and John Gittelsohn. Nice guys. They were here to cover the Singapore Airlines crash. Mark used to live in China for five years I think. He needed to be ORIENTED, so of course I gave him my card.

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Evening Affairs...

Hooters was a riot. Mike had to run around the restaurant with the Hooters "babes", do the hokie pokie and turn himself around. They also made him stand on a box in the middle of the restaurant and do the hula-hoop to a clubhouse song. It was great. It's always nice to see my lawyer make a total fool of himself.

One very funny conversation between two people...

I also ran into BONE. Bone has quite a reputation amongst the foreign community here in Taipei. I've met him twice before though I never really sat down to talk with him until tonight. I should rephrase that by saying HE sat down to talk to ME. And I haven't laughed THAT hard in ages.

You know how some people get when they're really drunk, where they stare into your eyes, talk very slowly, show no emotions at all and are very, very, serious? Well that was Bone this very evening. We had a conversation. Keep in mind that I am full of energy and rather hungry when he begins his little speech with,

"Christine."

Long pause...

"I want to tell you something."

Another long pause.

"Now I have always, always, admired you. Ever since the first time I met
you at the Q Bar."

Long pause. In the meantime I'm stuffing my face with chicken fingers, curious to hear what he has to say.

"And you know why? ... It was because... of your metallic, blue, toenails.
Yes. That's what it was... your toenails."

He reflects to himself.

"I even wrote you an email the next day, expressing how much, I admired you."

I was thinking... people sure do have a kick-ass memory when they are drunk. That was over a YEAR ago. Amazing. So I said,

"Well uh, thanks Bone!"

I don't think he heard me because then he says,

"You wrote back and said you had a boyfriend."

At this point, I'm thinking to myself, man, those chicken fingers are a LOT better than I thought they'd be, and I reached out for another one. He continues,

"I think what you're doing is WONDERFUL, Christine. Just... just... wonderful."

He is watching me very carefully as he says this. In the meantime, I'm thinking, Bone thinks my eating chicken fingers is wonderful? COOL BEANS.

I quickly discover that I have misunderstood the man. He goes on to clarify,

    "Now ORIENTED... is a kick-ass name. What you have there..... is a GREAT...
     idea. All the work you've put into it is going to really pay OFF... I mean
     REALLY pay OFF... you'll see... one day."

This made me smile. So I politely thank him again. Then, still 110% focused on me, he proceeds to say in a Jessie Jackson sort-of-way,
"Now Christine. The thing is... WHAT it needs... is a kick in the BUTT!"

He almost tries to slap Barbara in the butt who had stepped into the middle of the conversation, and at this point, I completely lost it. My eye makeup, which I had bothered to put on for this special occasion, starts running right about now. And he's not nearly done.

"And I... want to help you do it."

I am rolling with laughter and could barely keep from falling off my bar stool. I replied,

"Well Bone. That sounds GREAT. What can you do for me?"

Bone, with a twinkle in his eye, says,

"Baby. There's a LOT I can do for you."

I am now 110% in my business mode, because if anyone is making me an offer about my company, he or she gets my undivided attention. Clearing my throat, I turned to him and with my professional voice said,

"Bone, I need details. Give me details."

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Bone's not happy...

For some odd reason, Bone gets upset at my statement. He doesn't respond for the longest time and I'm thinking he's just drunk, so I take another stab at the chicken fingers and am chomping away, patiently awaiting his reply.

Bone: "Christine. You're scaring me."

Me (confused): "Huh?"

Bone (sternly): 'You're scaring me, Christine."

Me: (amused): "Why's that, Bone."

Bone (with conviction): "You have such HIGH expectations in people. Verrrrry HIGH."

I had to put my half-eaten chicken finger down at this juncture, turn to him, look him in the eye, and say,

    "Bone. You came up to ME tonight and made ME an offer. I did not
     come to YOU with a request. I am merely asking you to be more
     specific about what it is that YOU are offering to do for ME."

Bone, still staring right into my eyes, slowly but clearly says,

    "Christine. You cannot do this to me. All I am trying to say is that I
      really LOVE what you are doing. I think it's got a LOT of potential,
      and... I... EYE... would like to be a part of it."

OH I SEE. That night, I went home in absolute hysterics. Bone is quite a character. He is also the new head of the Asia Online offices in Taiwan. I'll be hittin' him up for sponsorship for HeyChristine.com just as soon as he's sober...

Here's the one picture that we tried to take together when Barbara cruised by to join the conversation. Bone just couldn't help himself. He was doing the best he could.

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