Today was the first game of the new season of Timber soccer. Despite my last experience at a Timber's game, I decided to give it another go. It was good as far as a lack of homophobic and misogynistic comments go but a lame game overall. However, the company was good.
My friend just got a job at a brokerage firm that some of my clients are funded through. Without going into detail, she now works with people that I have to maintain a professional relationship with. Therefore it was weird when we went to pick her up for the game tonight and she brought along one of her co-workers and my client's personal agent. I guess it wasn't that weird. It was just unexpected but it actually was a good way to build rapport with her and at least I don't feel like I wasted my night, waiting for the Timbers to score (which they didn't).
I moved to Portland thanks to unemployment checks and credit cards. I got a credit card shortly after starting at the UNK years ago and initially, I was paying off my entire balance each month. However, upon moving to Portland, I got further and further into debt. At one point, I was living off a package of veggie dogs a week and the rest of my money was going to credit card companies (and the bars).
However, I called my dad who knows a thing or two about finances and he told me to keep transferring my balances to one card and then try to transfer that balance eventually to a card that had a 0% APR on balance transfers. As soon as that introductory offer runs out, move onto the next card. And that's what I've been doing. And today, I finally paid the fuckers off.
We watched a documentary about the secret history of credit cards tonight and it made me feel like a dolt for even having one card so I checked what I had in the bank and determined I could get it all paid off tonight.
I still have debt due to student loans and eye surgery but now I have one less bill to pay each month for the first time in a LONG time. Wooo-Hooo!
As I'm sure I've said before, my favorite part of the Riot Cop European shows was the disco party after the show. That's something that has consistently been lacking from the Portland shows. However, tonight, we disco'ed.
I went to my first show at the Union Hall downtown which is a great space in a good location. We got there late but Riot Cop was playing last so we were actually there just in time. Riot Cop put on a great show. Al burned a pic of Uncle Sam, then he burned his shirt and then a piece of his art. His shirt is on fire above. That's Al. He'll give the shirt off of his back (and burn it) for a good performance.
They had a DJ who was all about staying later so we danced til 3 or so. It felt really really good. It was probably my favorite R.C. show since Europe.
Today was a great example of why this blog is good for me. I've never given acupuncture much of a thought. I don't fear needles but I'm not that excited about them either. However, the Brooklyn Community Acupuncture clinic was offering free acupuncture sessions and I decided that I didn't really have anything to lose.
I do believe that it has it's value. As my vet said when she recommended it for Dean, the fact that it works for dogs is proof that it's not just a placebo effect. I don't know that I necessarily felt a lot better afterwards but then again, I just went in for neck and shoulder tension. They also said that it sometimes takes three to four sessions to see results. I would strongly recommend the place just for the atmosphere. They had some crouching tiger music going on in a dimly lit room while I sat in a recliner and there was a fountain behind me. I think that if I developed major pain (knocking on wood now), I'd definitely know where to go.
Cheers to me! I was just accepted to Portland State University's Masters of Social Work program! Yay!
I was nervous that I wasn't going to get in. One of my co-workers heard from PSU yesterday and they denied her. She said they had over 600 applicants and only take less than 200. I don't know why but they chose me!
When the computer freezes and is thinking too hard, the solution is usually to push ctrl-alt-delete and shut down a few of the tasks to try to help it push through the one important task. Usually this is where people criticize computers and curse them for not performing properly but who wouldn't love these keys. I think that sounds like a marvelous idea. I want some of these buttons, readily accessible.
In sharp contrast to Sunday, I've been having minor panic attacks since yesterday. I've begun growling at people when they try to give me new assignments. I've been trying to come up with more hours during the workday. Finally today, I hit those three buttons and told my boss I had to leave.
For my training class, I need to complete a homework assignment. It's supposed to be done during work and is supposed to take 6-8 hours. I don't have 6-8 hours to give. I left an hour and a half early today and got it done. It was the only way I could do it, by shutting down all other functions right then and focusing on the most pressing. I think multi-tasking is overrated. I'm so fucking overwhelmed right now that multi-tasking has meant everything gets performed at a half-assed level at the same time. It's better if I stop and shut down any unnecessary jobs to focus on the vital ones or else I may just shut down altogether.
I had a perfectly gay weekend. On Friday night, I hung out with one of my few gay friends. On Saturday night, I went to Silvers and a drag show. On Sunday, I went to That's So Gay trivia and won! (by default) Then today, I went to gay skate.
For a while, I thought, "Gresham was gayer," but that was before the DJ really got going and before the drag queens showed up. I had a roller derby friend there as well so it ended up being a lot of fun. My right heel quickly started burning and I developed blisters within an hour though. Damn rental shoes. Next time, I'm getting my own skates. Also, I'm going to wear a skirt because, fuck it, why not and it gets hot spinning in circles!
Today was an easy easy day, just the way I like it. Hell, my only real task today was to joy ride my scooter so I could run the fuel injector all through it. It works now. I can't let it idle too long or it dies but it will always restart so YAY!Even though I love riding my scooter on a beautiful day, it was still hard to get motivated to leave the sunlit living room where the animals were napping. They definitely had the right idea.
The smoking ban in Portland bars has changed how they are viewed. For example, take the Horse's Brass on 44th and Belmont. That used to be the smokiest bar in Portland. Now it's just the bar with the yellowest walls (seriously bad). And then there's bars like Roadside Attraction, which I have passed by numerous times but now is appealing to my friends because of their smoking patio.
The inside of the bar does look like several different interiors designs waged war on each other and the patrons are left looking at the remnants of the war. It doesn't even mis-match properly but the patio is nice anyway and the happy hour is good. It was a beautiful day for an outside drink but I think that the vast majority of the people there were smoking and there were no patrons in the bar so it looked as though everyone goes there now to smoke. I guess they can be the smokiest bar now.
Today I went to the Puma Store with some friends so they could by Fast Kitties (or Speed Cats, as the Puma Store calls 'em). Maybe it's because I don't shop for clothes so much anymore or maybe it's because I only go to second-hand places if I do shop but it was weird. The place was clean and had a lot of bass and the employees all had headsets on. I feel like I've been in a coma for a while and just woken up and found that mass retail is completely different than I remember it being.
And to think, thirteen years ago, I used to love these types of places. I think I'll stick to my free boxes and thrift stores.
This cannot be natural. The flus and colds this year have seemed especially strong and persistent. I blame the gov't. It's a conspiracy, I tell ya!
Whatever the cause, I need to sleep. Last night, I had crazy-ass dreams and kept waking up because my nose was all stuffed up. My sister mentioned, through Facebook (See, it has it's applications) that she uses an organic, natural version of vic's vapor rub. The stores didn't have exactly what she said she uses but hopefully this will work. I've never used a vapor rub before so anything it does will probably impress me. Wish me luck.
Alright, I did it. I signed up for Facebook. I wearing my non-membership proudly, like the fact that I have never seen Top Gun. But I bet there's a lot more people I know that aren't on Facebook than people that haven't seen Top Gun.
Anyway, I signed up for this additional social networking site at my mom's request. Being the good son I am, I sucked up my pride and did it. And I really don't regret it.
Quickly, I was able to find over a dozen people that I went to McCook Community College with. These are people that I completely lost contact with, especially after I graduated from UNK. It's made me realize that I really do miss them, wherever they may all be now. Facebook is an awful, time-sucking device but it's great to see what they're up to and how many kids everyone has. It's weird to think that it's been 13 years since I left MCC. It feels like just last year I was roasting in the detention camp that passed for the boys' side of the dorm.
I'm going to try to limit myself and not spend too much time on Facebook and I'm only going to use it to stay in contact with those not in Portland. It makes sense that way.
Besides, through Facebook, I was able to find this picture of my niece Marley. She's the cutie on the right.
It's weird to have a queer dance party night at a queer bar. I wish that more of the queer bars would just have people dancing regularly. But I guess that's too much to hope for. Hey, the last time I was at the Eagle, the place was virtually empty so this is a vast improvement.
I love the queer dance parties though just because they aren't like regular bar cruising nights. People may be cruising but some people are just there to dance. Also, they are an anomaly because they're not all about body-image. In fact, it's about being comfortable with what you got. Honestly, I credit the lesbian-influence for that. There are definitely lesbians that are body image snobs but it's not as prevelant as it is in the gay male camp. So when the lesbians and the gays get together for a dance party, everybody's welcome. It was a mixed crowd too, queers and a few straights, but it doesn't matter because everyone was just there to have fun!
(Incidentally, I was having so much fun that I didn't take a picture of the place and had to find a picture on-line. It wasn't from last night but it was from a Blowpony previously. Whoever took it owns it and has my appreciation for fine photography.)
This year, instead of just attending the Oregon Country Fair, I'm going to work the fair. I'll be working at Community Village in the Doors of Expression booth which means I get to camp overnight there. I'm looking forward to this primarily due to the people who were so friendly and accepting and just generally good folk.
Today, I went to my first OCF meeting. I was glad to meet everyone that I'm going to be seeing for a week solid in July and it gave me more to look forward to. However, I double-booked myself today. A co-worker's daughter was having a fashion show for her senior project and I was supposed to go. I was looking forward to it but the meeting landed at the same time so I knew I would be late. Well, then my scooter refused to start.
I was relatively close to the Scooter Street so I pushed it down there where the shop owner basically said I'm going to be looking at an increasing cost of repairs soon enough so I should consider putting down money for a new scooter because I'll probably end up paying for one, bit by bit, over the years with repairs on my current scooter. That sucks. Scooters should last more than three years.
Anyway, I was all dressed up, not the OCF people but for the fashion show I never got to. Sigh, all dressed up and no way to go.
This morning, shortly after I arrived to work, my boss called me into her office. Right away, as she usually does, she said, "Don't worry. It's not a bad thing." This time she was lying.
My company hosts a recognition luncheon annually for people that have been with the company for 15, 20, 25, etc years. This year, my friend Connie was being recognized for 20 years. My boss was scheduled to speak about her and instead chose me and a co-worker to sing about her.
At the bottom of almost every job description I've ever signed, it says, "Other Duties As Assigned," leaving the boss fully open to exploit you proper when the time comes. This was that time.
She said she was going to read a paragraph about Connie and, every now and then, she would make a reference to a song. For example, she talked about how Connie had to work with blowtorches so my co-worker and I had to sing the chorus to "Light My Fire." When she would say things like Que Sera Sera, we had to sing, "Whatever will be, will be."
My boss enjoys being the kooky one and she makes work fun so I usually don't mind. However, most of the people I work around were at this meeting and I hadn't had anything to drink so how was I supposed to sing? Well, I did it anyway. Ashes took a video of it for her but I'm not going to include a link to that. His audio was bad because it was with his cellphone and it was just embarrassing anyway.
I have a love/hate relationship with my scooter. Love it when it's working. Hate it the other 75% of the time. Technology like this makes me agree with Sarah Conner about how machines will be the death of us all. Today, I pulled the battery out of my scooter. It wasn't something I necessarily knew how to do and I tried to get out of it but the guys at the Auto Store forced my hand. I went into Mike's on Woodstock with the voltage and amps needed for my make and model of scooter and the dick behind the counter told me in an exasperated voice that would do me know good and I needed to know the numbers on it. I thought that was stupid but I went home a little butt-hurt about how the guy seemed frustrated with my mechanically-challenged self. I decided I'd pull the damn thing out myself, bike it back there and show him exactly what I needed. It turns out that it cost $50 bucks and, upon switching it out, I realized that it wasn't even the problem with the scooter. It still won't start. I hate technology.
I hate buying into hype. That's why I'm kicking myself for being disappointed in the Oregon Vortex. I shouldn't have been expecting much in the first place. It reminded me of a place that I visited once in the Black Hills in South Dakota. There's a shack with the floor not level where a tour guide demonstrates how things roll the opposite way you think they should. There, they used a tennis ball. Here it was a golf ball.The visual distortion is interesting and there were a few other demonstrations which made you go 'Huh,' but overall, it was too far to drive for a half hour of slight-of-the-eye tricks.
Two weeks ago, one of my co-workers announced that she's changing jobs and going into another department. This particular co-worker is the only other person who is at my job level and she's the only person who's been doing the case manager job longer than I have. Today was her last day and now I'm the senior guy. So, you're probably wondering what this has to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Well, I'll tell ya...
This co-worker did a bunch of things that are going to fall on my shoulders. One of those things was managing a client that we have at a milk plant. Like many other responsibilities, I've got him now so I took a tour to the milk plant today to see him. Like the prospect of taking all of these new tasks on, the milk plant was overwhelming. I was expecting a grocery store sized place or, at best, a warehouse. No, this place is a plant and a very very well organized one at that. It was cool to see and I guess I'll get to see more of it as I am going to start making weekly trips out there.
Since today was my first day there, I didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable by whipping out my camera and I love Buffy. Hence, the Buffy milk ad.
Excuse me sir. There appears to be a mermaid in my drink.
Years ago, I think in 2003, I worked a block away from Milo's City Cafe for about six months. I walked by the Cafe several times a week, thinking that the place was too upscale and I wouldn't have enough time on my 1/2 hour lunch break to eat there. Well, today I had 75 minutes and my work was paying so I decided to pay them a visit.
It was great. I didn't pay more than $10, had a great soup and a lemonade containing a mermaid. The food was decent but the staff was what really made the place stand out and what will ultimately make me go back there.
After my last training today, I walked back to work to meet a co-worker for a drink. I paid and it felt weird not to keep a copy of the receipt to expense later on. It's going to be hard going into work tomorrow. Fortunately it's Friday and it feels like I've had a whole week of Fridays.
Yesterday, while at the Doubletree, I used Lokiloka to find veggie restaurants in the area and came up with Mudai. However, I hesitated because I've never eaten Ethiopian food on my own. That's been a lot of the appeal was using the Injera bread and having everyone at the table pick up a bite-sized portion with their fingers. It's a great community experience. Luckily, today, I overcame the stigma that Ethiopian couldn't be done alone and made it to Mudai.
Unlike yesterday's lunch, today's was wonderful. The food was great. The service was great. The atmosphere was even nice. And it was actually quite enjoyable to be able to eat the whole damn thing by myself!
Today was the first game of the new season of Timber soccer. Despite my last experience at a Timber's game, I decided to give it another go. It was good as far as a lack of homophobic and misogynistic comments go but a lame game overall. However, the company was good.
