only as straight as the A's

Since when did I start to care about grades so much?  In undergraduate school, the point was just to make it through with a passing grade.  I really didn't care if it was an A or a C.  Now, I need an A.

Actually, I need an A or a B but I want an A.  I got my final back from my policy class and it was a B+.  I'm not arguing that it was wrong or I deserved better because upon looking at it from my teacher's POV, it was indeed a B paper.  However, that means that I am either getting an A- or a B+ in the class based upon attendance (I've been there every class), the midterm (A-) and the final.  I know in my other class I'm getting an A because it's all self-evaluation.  Now, I just want to get through my first semester of grad school with straight A's.

I wasn't too sad to see my policy class end.  However, my culture class, which I think I may have written about almost every Monday for the past nine Mondays will be missed.  I'll miss talking about cultural considerations in such depth and with such guaranteed sensitivity but I will mostly miss my classmates.  I went out for Hot Lips pizza with some of them and tried the Waldorf (blue cheese, apples and walnuts on an olive base) for the first time.  It was outstanding and had blackberry soda on tap.  Mmmmm.

What else?
I had to take another stab at the tech problem from Saturday because apparently it wasn't working right.  However, it didn't take a lot for me to see what was wrong and get it fixed.  Go me!


Portland had an outbreak of e-coli over the weekend in the water on the westside.  Fortunately, I live and work on the eastside.  Unfortunately, school is on the westside.  While over there, I was cautious of washing my hands and drinking the water even though they said it was all better by Sunday evening.

I found out that the guy I sat by in each culture class is also going to be in one of my classes next quarter.  Hooray!

reconnection's made

It appears that a lot of friends are in a transitionary stage right now.  I feel that I'm there too so it's good that we all have each other.

This afternoon, I went on a long walk with a friend that I have not seen in a while and have not had the chance to really talk with for a while.  Dean and I then walked home from Mt Tabor (not new but still significant).  Then later on in the evening, I went and had a few drinks at the pub with another friend that I have lost touch with over the past few weeks.  While at the pub, I sampled "Hemp Ale" which tasted like PBR.  Still, it was my new thing.  More importantly though, I got to experience some not-so-new but recently forgotten moments with friends.  With as busy as we all are, I think that it's important to really dialogue with valued friends from time to time, if for no other reason than it helps you connect the dots and see what your life is looking like at the time being.

tech skillz

Today, I explored a little new realm as far as tech work goes.  I have learned html by going through other's work before me and applying it to what I am doing.  In other words, I copy.  Today, I worked on the imc radio archive.  It may not seem like much but it's been completely foreign territory to me so it definetely counts as my new thing.  It's also something that I've been meaning to do for some time and, since I've finished the last of my papers last night, I figured it was time to start on my out-of-school-to-do list.  Next, I think I'll work on my loft.

What else?
I watched the movie, "The Music Within."  It stars the star of Office Space and it's about people with disabilities so it's been on a co-worker's radar for a while now.  After seeing it, I'm disappointed with myself for not having watched it sooner.  It's a funny, heart-warming and honest true story.  Plus it's set at PSU.

harvest dinner 09

I took the easy route this year with Harvest Dinner.  Last year, I made a (s)ham log and cheesecakes the four years before that.  But I've noticed that we're always missing staples of a typical harvest dinner: Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy.  Sounds difficult but I went all instant (while still vegan) and made it all within 15 minutes. :)

It was a good turnout.  I'm estimating that we had between 35-40 people here and it wasn't the same people that come every year.  I was a little disappointed that I didn't see everyone I usually do but the point is that everyone has somewhere to go. 

prep work

Throwing a harvest dinner together may seem easy but, man, is it stressful...usually.

This year, I'm not feeling the stress.  I headed out tonight, at the next-to-last minute to get something to make both for dinner tonight and as my part of the harvest dinner.  Normally, the grocery stores on this night would be enough for me to curse humanity but it was all easy this year.  I was completely sober but also completely patient.  I really didn't care if I had to wait in long lines.  I guess that's the joy of buying instant food to make for tomorrow.  There's no worry about prep work.

Anyway, for tonight, I bought some new fake chicken patties at New Seasons.  It's not a great new thing but the name of the blog isn't just one great new thing, now is it? :) 

man in motion

You know, I'm gonna miss this.

Erick, one of my classmates, invited me to Hot Lips Pizza (for my 1st visit) across the street from our two classes for a beer.  We also invited Ang, other girl I like but can't remember her name and Sammy.  We sat at a round table over our pints and juices and talked about classes and such.  It was like St Elmo's Fire except I was the only identified-white guy at the table, at least two of us were queer and nobody there is hooking up. :)

I come from a small school so it's only natural that I would want to circle the wagons and knit a tight group together so we can survive the next two-three years together.  However, there are over a hundred freshman and we all can't be in the same classes.

Am I over-sentimental?  At least it bodes well for my recovery from misanthropy.  I like these people and I haven't really known them that long.  I think there's hope for me yet. :)

sundays in November

With my paper out of the way, I spent the day taking it easy.  When you see sun in a Portland November, it's something special too.  There was no way I could spend the day inside studying.  I took Dean for a walk to Trader Joe's with no other purpose than to drink their coffee samples.  As I said, it was an easy day so there was no need for vast amounts of caffeine.

I also went along on an errand run with Ashes that led me to Bamboo Grove where they were having an herbalist workshop.  And I thought I was mellow. :)  Anyway, that was my new thing, going there.

the t-virus

Virus's suck!

I woke up this morning to a loud alarm siren.  My computer had a virus.  I opened it up, told me anti-virus software to take care of it and went back to bed.

When I got back up, my computer was playing an interview from one of the actors in the new Twilight movie.  However, I didn't actually have any browser open at that time.  I finally saw that there were a hundred or so of the damn interviews open!  Argh!  Stupid teenage vampires!  When I tried to close it and shut down the software, it froze my computer and I had to start it in safe mode.

After lamenting about what I was going to do if it tried to take all 12 gb of my music, I started to fight back tonight.  I restored my system and disabled my internet explorer so it wouldn't open again.  It's the first time I've fought back a virus on my own (with some help from Yahoo answers).  Take that, undead douches!

What else?
So I realize that I'm not blogging as much because my new thing isn't always that fun to write about or take pictures of.  However, I update facebook and twitter at least daily.  Therefore, I must have something else to say.  I've decided to add a 'what else' section to my blog so I use it more and the social networking sites a little less.

Tonight, I also finished my Policy paper!  YAY!  I got an A- on the midterm which was basically a simplified version of the final paper so I think that I was off to the right foot.  I had a co-worker read it yesterday and I made the appropriate changes.  It's done!

Also, while I stayed home and worked on saving my computer from the virus, I watched 'Into the Wild.'  If I didn't have a dog, school and a job I like, I'd be right there.  Loved it.

MAXimum efficiency

Today is a good day.
I was up til 1AM last night, working on my policy paper. I intended on calling in "sick" today but there are a few things I need to do first. Then I'll go home early. One of those things is ride the green MAX line for the first time.
As far as Portland November days go, it's a beautiful day so I biked into work. I them headed downtown to visit my store there. Originally, I planned on taking my bike on the bus & going to the Powell store from there but then I remembered the Green line.
The new MAX line picks up downtown and has a drop-off point a few quick blocks from the Powell store. Hell, it goes all the way out to my Clackamas store if I want to ride it that far!
Despite my tiredness, the thought of biking and using mass transit to do all four (my Broadway site too) store visits has invigorated me! I'm also writing this post via BlackBerry on the MAX. Oh happy day!

the question of emphasis

Excuse the bad picture but it wasn't really the place to whip out the camera.  It was a forum on the criminal 'justice' system that was required of all policy classes.  There were four speakers that again solidified my passion for social work and at the same time made me wonder what the hell I'm doing here.

I'm not questioning if I belong in this program but I'm questioning where exactly I belong.  There are three emphasis's an MSW can choose from: Community organizing, Direct human care or Administrative.  I originally came into it thinking that I would go into direct human care.  I love working one on one with people so it just makes the most sense.  However, you can affect more change by doing working with the policy (the administrative side).  I haven't really given much thought to the community organizing because that's what I do in my spare time.  Wayne Ford was on the panel though and he spoke passionately about community organizing and a former Queer Rev ally is also thinking of going with the community organizing emphasis.

The good news is that I don't have to declare my emphasis until my second year so I have some time to think it over (and change my mind over and over again.)

homomentous

Tonight was the second installment of Homomentum. I liked it better than the last Homomentum and perhaps as much as Homo's Got Talent. (Really, they're not that different though.) Cattitude was again one of my favorite performances. One of their members recently lost a cat so they did a tribute to them, again with one of them dressed like a human and the other like a cat. This time, they had a routine to "My Heart Will Go On," complete with using a hair dryer to convey the wind-blown 'King of the World' moment. I love queer culture sometimes.

The other performance of a repeat troupe was the people who did the dinosaur rave last time. They performed an ode to the original lesbians, using a Xena costume and an axe guitar. It was outstanding. I didn't get a good pic of it because I was cheering so hard but I did somehow get a small small video clip of it.

However, like I said, this really wasn't new. My new thing was the after-party and the celebration of my co-worker Greg's birthday at the Basement Pub. They have a lot of board games there for patrons to play. I think I'll head back with some people one of these days in search of a low-key afternoon/evening.

the search party

Last night, I went looking for my friend's friend who I mentioned yesterday.  It turns out that there was newly found evidence that indicated he may be alive still after missing for three days.

I know the man in question.  I've met him at various holiday functions at our house and others' houses.  He's greatly involved in the biking community.  While I've known him for years, I'd really only consider him an acquaintance.  However, I'd like to get to know him better, especially after reading his letter.

Without knowing what else to do, several of his friends got together tonight to brainstorm what to do.  It ended up with me going out with some friends to look for him.  Trying to find someone in town with very little clues is like searching for the proverbial needle.  He was the needle and the section of the haystack we chose was Kelly Point Park.

Kelly Point is the convergence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers just outside Portland.  Apparently, it's bike-accessible and it'd be a symbolic place to kill yourself.  We were out past midnight.  After eight of us went to Kelly Point (and were unsuccessful) we headed back into town to search the bridges.  We went home with only the reassurance that he wasn't at one of those few places.

Today, I got a message, saying he had returned home safe and sound.  It's shocking.  I'm surprised but absolutely thrilled that there was a happy end to these events.

give me something to sign about

I found out yesterday that one of my friend's friends left a suicide note on his blog and went missing.  I read it today.  It's more like a suicide manifesto.

While I agree with most of the things that he said (cars suck, the planet's going to hell, we're all doomed), I still don't see suicide as an option.

I admit that it's crossed my mind a time or two but so does using a sonic blast to blow out all of the windows in my work's hallway while I fight off an evil superhero.  Lots of things go through my mind.  It's when thoughts are dwelt on and carried to action that people need to be concerned.

This guy's note was pretty much accurate but it had a different impact on me.  It made me want to do more.  If everyone who was socially aware, believed we needed to recycle more and ride our bikes instead of drive gave up out of despair, there would be no hope.

Personally, if it gets to that point for me ever, I will just pack up my bags and start anew somewhere.  This world holds a lot of messed up people and scenarios but there is also a whole lot of new precious experiences out there.  If this one's not working for you, change your environment literally.

Today, I found a lot of beauty in the little things that I usually overlook.  I wish my friend's friend had had the opportunity to see things this way.

intro to protests

Today I met four new guys.  They happened upon a video showing at the Red and Black of the G20 protest footage.  It was nice because we are so often preaching to the choir, especially at the Red and Black.  However, these guys had never been to a protest, especially a protest-gone-bad so it was nice to be able to contribute to their education.  Who knows if they'll actually pursue activism but at least they have a new perspective now.

The house of cards was Raven's work during the meeting.

we're in this together

I hope that the next two and a half years are as welcoming as school is now, particularly with my classmates.  There's this great feeling of comradery there.  We can relate to each other even though we are all coming from different places and pursuing different interests in the broad spectrum that is social work.  It's nice.

Today, I walked with some classmates from one class to the next while we discussed problematic theories in SW.  I know it sounds like a weak new thing but it was really cool.  Normally, after my first class, I run off and do some errand or have some alone time for 40 minutes until my next class.  However, today we carried  a conversation to the next class.  Academia can be a real snoozer for me but we brought up some interesting ethical dilemmas which I love processing through with people.

Also, I went to a new thai cart today because I had a mad craving for veggie spring rolls.  I was actually hungry for Vege Thai's fake ham spring rolls but Thai Express on 4th had tofu spring rolls for just a buck.  I know I'll be heading back there!

breakfast at bob's

I had breakfast of biscuits and gravy at Bob's Red Mill.  Not much to say about it.  It's my new thing though.

port city

This is my life now.  I work in social work services, I go to school for social work services and now, I spend my Friday evenings going to hear about social work services.

Helping people with developmental disabilities is something that I am very interested in.  To paraphrase the military, it's more than a career.  Port City was having art showing and speaker tonight.  Port City runs a program that I am really interested in, Project Grow.  Project Grow is their Alternative To Employment but they don't do what we do at my work.  They garden, they raise goats and chickens and do great art projects.  It's pretty amazing.

I want my work's program to do better.  I've made no secret to my boss that I want to eventually be running that department.  When it's mine someday, I will use Port City as an example to gradually build up our program.

Also at tonight's event, there was a speaker from a self advocacy group for people with developmental disabilities.  It was great to hear someone speak up for themselves and declare what they want and how others can help them.  They also had a panel discussion about services for people with DD need improvement.

It's great to see these agencies in place and it's cool that people are questioning the existing systems.

school gays

When I got accepted to school, I hoped to meet some good people in my classes and perhaps some good gays.  Today, I thought it was more likely to happen as we had a LGBTQ affinity group for the social work program.  However, like most other queer groups I've been involved with in Portland, I was a little disappointed.

In Queer Revolution, I was often the only gay guy there.  Initially, there were more gay guys but, after its initial inception, there was only one other identified male and me.  There were always a lot of lesbians, some gender queers and then a gay guy or two.

Portland's weird.  There is definitely a greater lesbian than gay population here.  However, there are more gay bars by far.  It's cool though since I generally feel more comfortable around lesbians and, generally speaking, the lesbians I know tend to be a lot more radical than the gay guys.

At the meeting today, I met some new people, ran into some old comrades from QR and found out some people that I had met in orientation and class are queer (to be more accurate, lesbians).  It was nice to feel even more comfortable in school.  I just wanna know where the boys are.

P.S. The picture is from Ground Kontrol.  I was looking for a really gay picture on-line but I realized that I already had one from the side of one of their games.

three fish for fish, i want more fish

Pressed for one new thing before I settle in for the night, I elected to get the Three 'Fish' dish at Vegi Thai. I miss fish. Being raised catholic, I ate a lot of tuna.  One of the first things I learned how to make for myself was a tuna salad sandwich.

Tofuna sucks though and actually this meal didn't really remind me of fish either. I could be piscatarian if I wanted to but I can't stomach the idea of eating white fish, especially after what Wendy told me.
 
Years ago, she lived in a fishing community & saw a lot of fish laid in the sun by fishermen. The fish were still wiggling so she thought they were alive. It turns out that all fish have worms in them that have to die off. Eww. I'll take my bad fish knock offs, thank you.