celebration of life

I could write a post about this:

It was my first time as a pall bearer.  It's odd.  There's a body in there.  That becomes so much more real when you are one of the people hauling it away.  It was quite nice though that us six grandsons were pall bearers.  I couldn't bring myself to view the body.  I did so with my grandpa on my mom's side.  It was in the early eighties so I'm sure that they've gotten better about making the bodies look lifelike but it forever changed how I view him.  I didn't want a made-up image to skew my memories of Grandma.

However, this is how I choose to write about today:

This is all my grandma's great-grandchildren.  This was the first time that the entire family (save an in-law or two) were all gathered together.  It was great to see everyone and to talk about what an amazing woman my grandma was with others that loved her just as much.

It was the usual church ceremony during the funeral.  However, the closing music for the funeral was polka.  That's what Grandma loved.  When I stayed at her house during the winter vacations, I would usually wake up to the sound of polka and her two-stepping around the kitchen.  I'd get up so I could be one of the first ones to pick out a polish sausage to be cooked.  I'd later have to skin in (or Grandma could do it if I talked her into it) and she'd cut it up.  I'd eat it with a combination of ketchup and mustard.

That's what I like remembering and that's what I came back for, to celebrate the memories of her life.

first day of school

It's my 600th post & my first day of school.

I have to take off soon to Nebraska for my grandma's funeral so I had to get a lot of work stuff wrapped up today. After all that, school was a relief.

College was kind of like I expected, long classes, professors speaking to students on an even level, not talking down to us.

My 520 policy class will probably be challenging. I don't excel in the administrative side of things. Plus it's gonna be writing-intensive. The professor seems really nice though.

My 539 diversity (social justice) class seems just like I thought it would. We put our chairs in a circle & talked casually about privilege. I'm really looking forward to this class.

Anyway, I'm not going to work Monday mornings before school anymore. I think it'll require a lot more of my attention.

Mr W's party

Throughout my retail career, I used to get unjustifiably pissed at people who didn't have to work a weekend day.  I thought of it as elite of them and not sympathetic with 'working' people.  However, I have a slightly different view now that I hold 'banker's' hours.

Today, I did several tasks for work.  The one problem was it's Saturday and I wasn't getting paid.  The first thing I did was participate in the Kiwanis walk.  One of my co-workers organized a work team so of course I had to do it.  Besides, he does the AIDS walk so I owed him.  I could've said no but I like Kiwanis and I think he's pretty awesome for doing this for them.

I also went to a client's birthday party.  One of my guys, Mr W, had a birthday party and invited me and several of other staff members.  This is the first social event I have went to for one of my clients that wasn't really work related.  It threw me off for a bit.  His mom offered me a beer and initially, I refused because work policy dictates we don't drink.  However, I quickly came around to the idea that this wasn't work, I wasn't getting paid and I wanted a beer.

The party was great.  Mr W enjoyed himself quite a lot, has a great supportive family and got a lot of money.  Some of our other clients were there so we all got to hang with them outside of work too.  After he was done opening up his gifts, Mr W told everyone to be quiet because I was going to make a speech about him.  It was completely unexpected but he's a great guy so I had a number of good things to say.  I think he appreciated it.  I hope he did.  Anyway, it was a great time and I wouldn't have taken a paycheck for going to it.  It was too much fun (and I wouldn't have been able to have a beer!).

grandma psota

I just found out that my Grandma Psota died.

I got a call on Wednesday from my mom.  Grandma was in the hospital and had taken a turn for the worse.  Coincidentally, it was 14 years from the day that her husband, my grandpa had died.

Her health hasn't been good for a while and I know that she's been lonely since Grandpa has been gone.  Maybe it's because I hadn't been home for such a long time but it seems like this was more of a sudden change in her health, like it had just gotten really bad a few weeks ago.

I had the chance to say goodbye to her as my dad put the phone up to her ear.  How do you say goodbye forever to someone?  Everyone was pretty certain that she was going to die, even she was.  On Monday, she apparently said that she was ready to go.  She also stopped eating so we knew it was just a short matter of time.

My grandma was amazing.  Throughout my childhood, she was one of the major maternal influences in my life, right behind my mother.  When I was in high school, I would spend a week or two at the farm with her and Grandpa, usually just to get me out of the house during the summer.  I loved helping her out, watching soaps with her during the afternoon and eating with her and Grandpa during the evening (and then watching Wheel of Fortune).  We'd play pitch and she'd make root beer floats.

After Grandpa died, I was surprised Grandma continued as well as she did.  She lived on a farm on her own in the middle of Nebraska for over a decade.  She was an incredibly strong woman.  However, it was also apparent that she was lonely.

During the last few years of her life, Grandma's health began to deteriorate and it began apparent that living alone on the farm was no longer an option.  She moved to an assisted living home but was never really home there.  Grandma's livelihood had been the farm.

I believe that she was greatly suffering in the end so it's almost a blessing to have her at peace.  She was the matriarch of the extended family and it will never be the same with her gone.  I loved her dearly, didn't know her as well as I should have, didn't let her know me as well as she should have and I can't ever really fix that now.

izzy b

 

After a weekend of camping, I needed to spoil myself.  I did so with my favorite dinner (Eggplant and Tofu in Garlic Sauce from Than Thao) with one of my favorite people while meeting Izzy B, the dog she's been housesitting.  She is surprisingly active for an 11 year old dog but she's also less than half the size of Dean.  Hopefully when he gets that old, he's still as active as she is.

historical perspective

I think that I've learned more about the history of an area on this trip than I have on any vacation ever.  I had no idea what went on 56 million years ago here.  I'm bad with history, especially really ancient history but it's still significant...perhaps more significant than us right now.

You think about the grand time-line of things.  Things (mammals, reptiles, birds, etc) had been walking this spot tens of millions of years before humans were a concept.  Human history, in comparison, hasn't been that long, especially any history that we consider to be above prehistorical, aka 'civilization.'  Yet, despite the fact that we are a blip on the grand scale of things, we are still bringing on the next major extinction event.  That's man's legacy.

Today, I went to the last of the three John Day Fossil Bed exhibits (yesterday's was the Sheeprock Unit/Blue Basin), the Clarno Unit.  Each unit is very distinct, not only in appearance but also in regards to the participation level allowed to the visitors.  Painted Hills was pretty but without a lot of substance.  Sheeprock was very educational but there was a BIG emphasis on the "don't touch!"  Clarno let us walk amongst the rocks and find fossils on our own.  We pretty much stayed on path, only venturing slightly off to look at the sides of boulders which have fallen from the Wile-E rocks above.  They had exposed fossils of leaves and branches in them and, in some cases, whole tree trunks.  It was pretty awesome.

It got me thinking to what we're leaving behind.  Tens of millions of years from now, when maybe the lizards (or aliens) have evolved to excavate the earth, will they find the fossils left by tropical lava flows, consisting of cokes cans and remote controls? 

I'm not trying to be too down on humanity but I don't want to let us off the hook either.  We're really screwing up this world.  It's pretty evident when a state-run tourist attraction admits as much.

Still, I'm really glad I came out this way.  It was a great experience with a good friend that I will treasure.

woke up this morning

My day in pictures...

Last night, I fell asleep underneath the stars.  I made six wishes on falling stars, each one unique.

I woke up at 6:40 am because I can't sleep in tents and the sky was ablaze with vibrant energy.

In the middle of nowhere, between small and smaller towns, there was a leaf-barren tree that was decorated in old shoes.

I took an educational tour while out camping.  It reminded me of something that my parents would force me to do when I was younger.  Now it's my choice.

I walked through a blue canyon and held the cast of a creature that is a kin to saber tooth tigers.

I saw several herds of deer, each pausing too long to stare back at me from the side of the road.

I dipped my hand in a mountain lake, surrounded by cat-tails.  I haven't seen cat-tails since I used to visit the Missouri River as a child with my best friend and his dad.

I watched the sun go down in a different forest than I started the day in. 

Everything is new.

painted hills

How can I be sick of rainforests?  How spoiled am I?

Actually, I'm not sick of rainforests, beaches or mountains.  I was just ready for a change of scenery.  Oregon has such a wide variety of environments that it seems a shame not to visit all of them at least once.  This weekend, I decided to go with more of a desert feel.

I wanted to take a good three day vacation for a while now but especially before school started.  Arturo and I were originally talking about camping at Bagby Springs by Mt Hood but then he brought up the idea of the going to the John Day Fossil Beds which intrigued me.  A co-worker then verified that it was an awesome place and urged me to go so I did.

The John Day Fossil Beds are divided into three main sites.  Today, we drove out east and visited the first site, the Painted Hills.  They were pretty but also kind of boring.  There just wasn't a lot there besides uniquely colored hills.  However, the drive out there was fun and Ochoco National Forest, where we camped at, was also pretty and scenic.  It was odd too because there were cows in the forest and, unfortunately, hunters all around. 

We drove around the forest quite a bit, didn't like the camps that we saw and settled on a meadow with a unofficial campsite to the right of it.  It was perfect.  I like car camping because it allows you easy access to everything and you don't have to feel like dying before dark like I did last time we went out.  However, the coolest part and the whole reason for going out camping was the stars.  It was really all the scenery I needed to see.

re-orientation

When I agreed to go back to college, I thought, "Okay, this will be a fun experiment.  It might not go well but I can at least give it a shot since work is going to pay for it."  It was basically a work assignment.  There was very little pressure.  I wanted to get in (to feel accepted) so I was excited when that happened but I have been less compelled to prove myself after having a University validate my worth.  However, now that it's the eleventh hour and school is just about here, I've got to say that I'm a bit more nervous.

Honestly, throughout my entire educational history, I'd say I studied maybe half of what I was supposed to do.  I was a solid B- student simply because I test well.  At community college, when I figured out that you could skip classes and nobody cared, I was closer to a C- student.  However, thanks to some friends forging a letter from the Dean of Students, saying that my shoddy attendance would be reported to my parents, I began going to classes again and finding things that interested me.

But now I'm in a Masters Program and feeling more than a little pressure.  First off, I want to succeed because I really love this field of Social Work.  I'm quite passionate about it and would like to think that this is where my future lies.  Second, my brother and sister both have Master's Degrees.  Since everyone in my family knows that I'm going back to school, I can't quit if it gets too hard.  Third, work is paying for school but only after I get an A or a B.  I have to pay for my books and tuition initially and will only get reimbursed if my grades are worthy.  Wow, pressure!

At pre-orientation, I was with other part-time students who are going through the program in three or four years.  Today, I got assigned to a table with a whole lot of two year students who were talking about where they were interning already.  Crap, it took me an extra fifteen minutes just to find the building where the orientation was taking place.  Plus my advisor didn't show so I felt an even greater sense of not-belonging.

However, after lunch, I was placed with the other part-timers and felt a lot more comfortable.  After a library tour, I made a point to take up the MSW Director of Student Affairs and the MSW Program Director (who, BTW, announced in his address to incoming students that he is an openly gay man and wished to especially welcome all GLBTQ students!!!).  I actually had some legitimate questions about my course of study but I was also just wanting to make sure they knew who I was so I could be sure my needs were being met.  They were both very friendly, helpful and approachable.  They gave me some really good insight into the avenues I should pursue to fit my interests.  They even talked me into taking an additional class on supported employment.

I hope that I'm able to balance this all.  I hope that I can keep my job, my schooling and my sanity.  I hope I can reorient myself into study mode and actually pull it all off.

weapons of mass transportation

I think that I can do it.  I think I can get rid of my car.

My job requires that I have a reliable form of transportation.  For most, that translates to 'have a car.'  However, I like pushing the envelope and finding the loopholes.  The biggest, broadest understanding of that requirement could mean, 'at least have a bus pass,' but they could argue that a bus would take to long between the switches and the waiting.  However, they don't have a problem with a zipcar.  I've talked to my boss about it and the company lawyer to see if there would be any legal issues.  Zipcar is insured (better than my insurance actually) so there's really not a thing they can site wrong with it.  They did ask if I would have access to it in case of an emergency.  It turns out that I will.  Today, I was planning on borrowing Ashes' car to run to one of my sites.  However, something came up quick and it wasn't available.  Within minutes, I had logged into Zipcar's website and reserved a car.

This was my first time taking a Zipcar out for work purposes and the first time I've driven a Honda Civic Hybrid.  I don't recommend it.  It's too damn uncomfortable.

When school starts at the end of the month, I won't do the clothing donation pickups anymore.  Since that's one major use for my car gone, I figured it will be a good time to get rid of it.  I'm not sure if I'll sell it on Craigslist or not.  I know I just don't want to pay insurance on it anymore.

The picture above is the new green MAX line that runs along I-205.  I also visited the Powell stop for the MAX today which one of my new clients will be using to get to their new store.  No car for them either.  Yay!

the rom-com

I worked in as a video store snob for several years.  How come is it then that I never heard of the term 'Rom-Com?"

It makes sense.  Sci-fi = science fiction & Rom-com = romantic comedy.  I get it.  I just can't believe I haven't heard it used before today.  Maybe that's because I have little to no interest in seeing most romantic comedies.  However, I am a sucker (complete and utter sucker...I didn't mean it like that) for independent films though.  (Look, you can tell it's an independent movies by the funky layered clothing, glasses, beard and the arty shot on the moving airport sidewalk.)  For the most part, I think that they have a higher level of comedic and dramatic value.  Also, I just like movies with a small budget and bigger heart.

'Away We Go' will not be the worse movie I've seen but it could've been a lot better.  There are just so many deep and dramatic scenes towards the end so you forget that it used to be a comedy.  Plus it's real heterosexist.  It has several straight couples and a few single people just looking for that perfect person...of the opposite gender.  Still, Jim from the Office is pretty adorkable in it.

Anyway, that was my movie for the night.  My new thing was going on a different route for this year's Diabetes Walk and hanging out with different co-workers out of the office.  However, I just couldn't bring myself to blog about it because this movie was considerably more interesting.   That's a sad reflection on my lazy Sunday.

quasi-art

 

 

  

I think that my musical taste has gone awry.  When I see bands like Quasi, I have to stop and think, "Why don't I listen to more bands like this more often?"  I've been cheap and lazy, getting any new music ideas from casual internet searches, radio paradise or the clubs.

Needless to say, I loved this show.  It was too short but it was good.  The show took place in an abandoned school in the middle of Portland.  What does Portland do with old, empty schools?  They start serving drinks!  I've never really been into the art scene but I did enjoy this Time-Based Art exhibit.  Besides the show, they did a light show on the outside of the building and had several art exhibits instead.  Being at a music show at an abandoned building with drinks being served reminded me a little of the Kopi in Europe.  It was cool that it happened in my town.  Now if I could just get better schooled in local music, maybe I'd appreciate it even more.

the benefits of intimacy

I think that, too often, we measure life incorrectly. We determine ahead of time how an event, a story, an action, a day is supposed to go and then when it doesn't live up to those expectations, we consider it a failure.

It's an overused phrase but life is indeed what happens when we're busy making plans...and assumptions and expectations. Events and evenings can be written off as loss just because they didn't go according to plan. If everything went according to plan, it'd all be painfully predictable and monotonous. It's nice if things work out for us but it doesn't have to a total loss just because they don't.

Tonight, we had a benefit for our friends Sara and Dan. Sara used to work with Ashes and I until she, her husband Dan and their daughter moved to the heart of the Huskers, Lincoln, Nebraska. You can take the people out of Portland but you can't take Portland out of the people so, despite their new surroundings, Dan and Sara continued bicycling.

One evening, a drunken cyclist who was moving quickly without a headlamp in the dark collided head on with Dan. Dan's face smashed into the handlebars and he broke every bone in his face. He was hospitalized and had almost his entire blood supply tranfused.

Luckily, Dan's medical insurance kicked in a few days before the accident. However, complete reconstructive surgery, hospital time and loss of work has added up and presented them with big financial troubles. So we did what we do and we held a benefit for them. We've all been working on this since we found out about the accident. We used Balam's space, Circadia which is coming along very beautifully. Our neighbor, who is someone of significance at Fat Tire donated two kegs when he heard that it was for bicyclists. We also had three awesome bands drop everything to play a benefit for complete strangers to them and were spectacular in doing so!

The Goodbye Party, Naming Names and Lindsey Walker (pictured in that order above) were awesome. Each had a beautiful sound. One of them even cancelled a previously scheduled show just to play this benefit. I didn't know quite what to expect because I'm too used to punk shows but I and everyone I talked to that night was blown away by their music and energy.

What was initially disappointing was that not a lot of people showed up. We put out a LOT of publicity for this. I made a flyer, I put up flyers, we littered facebook, twitter and e-mail list serves with it. Sophia put it on biking blogs and yet, I think that I knew just about everyone there, aside from the bands. Still, I think that it was totally worth it.

Aside from time and energy, the benefit was not a loss at all. We could have made more money since we had all of the key ingredients there (beer, bands, a good space and even karaoke) but it didn't happen that way. Still we did make some money and I got to experience a great musical event in a rather intimate setting with several of my favorite friends and even some of my co-workers. I got to meet new people, smile, laugh, dance & sing and wear my pink fuzzy leopard print vest. :)

Even as anti-capitalists, I think that we sometimes judge value in monetary means. I left the show last night, thinking that it was a bust but then I had a good talk with a friend on the way home and realized the real value of the benefit. Yes, money may have been the main motivator and driving force for this benefit but nobody was in it just for the money. The bands didn't get paid, the space went into the event knowing they weren't going to make a lot of bank and the volunteers weren't looking for something to put on their resume. We all did it just because it should be done and it was. I don't have any regrets. In fact, I'd chalk this up as a wonderful success.

sandwich heaven

I love sandwiches and I've developed a taste for fake meat done well so I was very very impressed with DC Vegetarian. It was pure heaven.

When I first became vegetarian, I went strictly vegetarian, eating veggies, fruits and breads (ok, and some cheese) but completely cutting out the meats and meat substitutes. It was a while, maybe six months or so before I really started to delve into the fake meats, giving me enough time to forget how they really tasted.

I don't think that what I had today tasted like an attempt at meat. The steak and cheese sandwich didn't have the consistency of steak but it did have the flavor of absolute delight! A friend and I split sandwiches so I also had half of the chicken salad sandwich. This one probably did resemble chicken somewhat (but then again I'm not a very good judge) but it was also very very delicious. This is probably my favorite place for sandwiches in the world right now. I will be visiting my clients downtown more often just so I can go to this place!

lack of common cents

Bureaucracy is basically the substitution of forms for common sense. I experienced a heaping rotten pile of bureaucracy at the social security office for the first time when I took one of my clients there. She is supposed to be working independently (I've blogged about getting her a community job before) but now she might not be able to because then she would make too much money and risk losing her social security and, more importantly, her Medicaid.

I understand that with a mutant version of capitalism comes an unholy amount of hoops, obstacles and mixed messages in the form of bureaucracy but it's damn frustrating when it all goes against exactly what people are working for. Argh!

the alberta I used to know

I walked down and up (and then back down) Alberta Street today, flyering for a benefit show that we're going to be putting on in Northeast Portland on September 11th. Other people stayed to clean the venue. I opted for the introvert's choice and decided to be the lone flyerer. Doing the work wasn't hard for me. Actually, I enjoyed it. However, walking the neighborhood was a bit of a challenge. It's changed so damn much. I went into SO many places tonight that did not exist a few years ago, looking for room to flyer. Even Vita Cafe, which I am usually headed to if I go up that direction, has moved...across the street but still, they've even become trendier.

If I hadn't been here seven years ago and I hadn't seen Alberta for what it was, I may like it up there. There are a lot of fun bars, neat coffee/tea shops (yay Star-E-Rose!) and other businesses I'd be interested in. However, everything up there is now tainted for me. All of the funky fun places that are both funky and fun helped to usher in the great tide of gentrification. Now the neighborhood is hardly recognizable.

I've blogged about Alberta before. However today, I got a lot bigger taste of what the neighborhood has become. It's really hard to enjoy which is a shame because it seems awful fun. I even gave way and went into the Nest for the first time for my first Laura Palmer. It was good and so was the bar (and the dj). If I'm in the area again and thirsty, I may stop in again. But I'll still feel like part of the problem.

dean's new defenses

I love this guy but it's getting difficult to take him anywhere. He has developed the habit at home of following the neighbor's dog along the fence, waiting until the little yapper stops, lifts his leg and then pees on the little thing. Today, while on a walk, we passed a yapper tied up by their front door. It ran up, near its front hedges and began yapping at Dean. His response was to lift his leg near the hedge but aimed for the dog. I pulled him back quickly though so he would miss. Then this evening, we passed another yapper by on a walk and I pretty much decided I wouldn't trust him not to pee on the little guy so we crossed the street.

Then, at the park, I let him run off leash quick while I used the park's trashcan. I called him back to me when I was ready to go. He runs up to me on the sidewalk next to the playground and I hear three boys, all between 11-13 or so, yelling at us. I took off my headphones and asked them what they said. One kid was saying, "We don't want your dog to chase us." An older kid said, "Yeah, I got a hurt ankle." I assured them that he wouldn't chase them and told them he's too shy for that. Then the third kid yells, "Here doggy, doggy, doggy! Come here, boy!" Dean goes running to them then and all three kids run screaming and scrambling to climb up playground equipment.

So that was my new thing, talking to these kids and having to pull Dean away from three screaming kids. I don't blame him for any of it. I would pee on the yappers to shut them up too if it was socially acceptable and he just wanted to play with the boys. He's a good dog...he really is. He's just socially akward. I know how that goes. :)

just one new layout

Since this is a blog about new things, I decided that I needed to change it up a bit and update it. I looked around at new layouts but I wasn't really sold on any of them. I'm more of your basic black with accent colors anyway. I have been wanting to get labels on the front page though so the page will be easier to navigate. It's something I've seen on other blogs and I like it. However that meant doing a lot of work on previous posts.

I went back over each post and categorized it. You can see that I have several categories. I took some liberties with some of the assumed definitions of the labels too. "Food" also encompasses new drinks. "Family" can include close friends and pets but not Dean (who surprisingly on has 17 posts about him). "Holidays" can include birthdays. Home maintenance includes lawn maintenance. "Stores" includes new businesses. Actually, maybe that's what I'll call it.

Not surprisingly, "Work" had the most posts so far with 62. I spend the majority of my waking life at work and my work isn't typical from day to day so it provides me with a lot of source material. Proudly, I can see that "travels" was second with 42. I love traveling and almost every European post was labeled as such. Food and "Local bars" tied for 3rd with 40 posts each. Again, that wasn't surprising. "Transportation" (planes, trains, autos, scooters, bikes, ferries) and "music shows" (mainly Riot Cop Europa 2007) came in fourth with 37 posts each.

There were also some items like "plants" (working with my houseplant) and other items like "games" (Mafia [not the facebook version]) which sadly only had one post each. I like games. Maybe I should try new games more often.

Anway, it was a relatively weak new thing but it was nice for me to reflect. I actually do really like this blog. Sometimes it may feel like a chore but I basically use it as a source of documentation, not as revealing as my journals used to be but it's still good to look back on how I've been spending the last two years and three months.

going with a theme

Despite my many posts about karaoke, I really don't like it that much. Particularly at the Galaxy, you get the same people coming in and doing the same songs. Throw in a bunch of drunk party-goers (wedding party, birthday party, etc) and you've got a typical night there. So last night, when we settled on going there, I wasn't really thrilled. However, we made it our own and it was wonderful.

I sang four new songs due to the fact that we went with three different themes. The first theme was smooth and mellow (possibly depressing) songs from the seventies and eighties. I went with Heat of the Moment (although I didn't do it as good as Cartman). The next theme was obscure showtunes. Dominic did one from Chorus line, Ashes did a lesser known one from Rocky Horror and I did Stockard Channing proud by singing There Are Worse Things I Could Do from Grease which I surprisingly absolutely loved! Next was the Donnie Darko set. Dominic sang Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division), Ashes sang Gary Jules' Mad World and I sang Under the Milky Way by the Church. What was wonderful was that the KJ then unexpectedly finished the set with singing Head over Heels by Tears for Fears. It was fabulous!

My final new song (Whitesnake's Here I Go Again) wasn't in a theme, besides the general theme of having a silly fun time.

swifts

Since the 1980s, the swifts have been descending upon the chimney in the Chapman Elementary School in the fall, usually around late August and throughout September. The swift is actually the most aerial of birds, hardly ever choosing to voluntarily land on the ground but instead opting to roost in vertical structures.

The city of Portland has embraced this small but mighty natural wonder and encourages people to come roost on the lawn of the school and watch the swifts. They come from all over the horizon and begin to circle this chimney. When they are all moving together, it's a chirping funnel cloud that drifts and changes shape. It's like watching a 3-D painting, one of those ones from the 90's that make you cross your eyes to see the image. It's like that but in motion and gigantic.

The swifts probably start gathering in the mid to late afternoon but they don't start flocking around the chimney in a noticeable demonstration until around 7pm. By 8pm, they begin to funnel into the chimney, like the opposite of smoke, in the most natural of displays.

This was my first time seeing the swifts. I was enthralled by them but I was also awed by the crowd. There was a light murmur throughout the swifts' hovering over the chimney but there was a gentle cheering when they began to descend. It reminded me of watching fireworks with a large crowd of folks. However, this time there was no unnatural loud banging, there was not smoke and startling flashes. It was the calm drifting of a flock of swifts on a beautiful September dusk.

ramona age 8

I was commissioned yesterday to make a birthday cake. Hell, I remember when not burning frozen pizzas used to be a chore for me. Now, people are paying me to bake for their children's birthday parties.

I went with my standard Rocky Mountain Cake recipe with my new favorite frosting recipe from VegWeb. I also put strawberries on it because why the hell now. I think I overdid the strawberries but Mo (the birthday girl) seemed to enjoy it.

Really, it's become quite easy for me to put this all together and the fun part was I got to enjoy a kid's birthday party at an arcade. Raven and I played a new Gauntlet and we did well for our first time. It's a Saturday morning and I'm at an arcade with a seemingly endless amount of quarters in my pocket. When I was eleven or twelve, if I could have one wish for when I was older, this probably would have been it. Well, this and a dog and, hey, look, all my dreams are coming true. :)

safest-way

The first place I went to in Portland, aside from the motel, was the Safeway near Portland and Columbia. I got a Safeway card then even though I never gave them my name or number and bought some groceries.

Shortly after my arrival, Safeway was boycotted for using GE products or for labor issues. I'm not sure which. Anyway, it meant I wasn't going there anymore. The fact is, I still don't. It also meant that an acquaintance of mine destroyed my card to make a point. I like their glass bottle recycling (since their machine accepts more things we drink) but their prices are too much and they are hardly vegetarian friendly. However, I do now think highly of Safeway, just because they're helping to better the life of one of my clients.

I have a guy that works at a Safeway factory. He's been having muscle pain lately and hasn't been able to easily do his normal job which involves heavy lifting. I had a meeting with him and his bosses today and I was all ready to plead with them to give him different tasks instead of the heavy lifting work. However, they surprised me by taking it upon themselves to restructure his job into something that doesn't cause him physical pain and will allow him to keep his hours.

There's a lot of reasons to dislike a lot of places. However, if you look hard enough, there are also reasons to not dislike them so much. I doubt I'll be shopping there. It's just not convenient or practical for me, but I definitely have a rebuttal for people who are hating.