baby I'm a firework

(This picture originates here and I don't own it. I just didn't take any of my own photos on NYE)

Yesterday, I inadvertently gave Andrew the impression that I was afraid of us as coming off too serious. I won't say how because, well, just because but I will say that that wasn't my intention. I don't know where for sure our relationship stands but I know that I want to keep it working. We've never gone on two dates two days in a row. New Years Eve seemed like a good time to start.

Tonight, we went to Sapphire and got two excellent seats in the back of the bar. I had the butternut squash enchiladas and the Dr Diego drink which was very spicy for a chocolate drink. Since we were up so late last night, we didn't head out to another bar to ring in the New Years but we did hear fireworks later on. It was a damn nice New Years Eve!

dj tophurious

After J256, Sophia, Martin, Tim and I went to brunch at Delta Cafe. At the Delta, Sophia was reading an article in the Mercury which used the term, "tofurious" to describe an angry vegetarian. I fell in love with the word and applied it to my nickname to come up with my DJ name: DJ Tophurious.

Tonight, we had Victory's birthday party. The theme was Budget Recessionista. Basically, she wanted everyone to dress nice but to feel comfortable coming with thrift store dress clothes if necessary. I had been asked to DJ the party and I have been practicing for over a week now, just prepping my tunes. I had mentioned it to Andrew before Christmas but I remembered yesterday that I had been meaning to invite him even though he's never really met my friends. I was surprised but pleased that he said he'd love to go. Ack, pressure!

I don't know why I have avoided introducing him to the others. I suppose I would go back to Willow logic, from Buffy, Season 4. I just want to keep him as mine. However, I did want him there and he wanted to come so I brought him and it ended up being great. He's very charming and intelligent so I shouldn't be surprised that it went so well. I think what I was really nervous was my friends (and co-workers even) cluing him into a little more about me and he might not like something that he hears. I don't know what because I'm tactlessly upfront with him about almost everything but I was still worried. My worries turned out to be unfounded. He was very impressed by my friends and I think they reflected very well on me.

And DJ'ing went exceptionally well. People were fabulous about dancing. Once I figured out that everyone pretty much wanted to dance to pop, I had it down. I hit a especially magical stride at 128 beats per minute when I played my new favorite song, Hello. Having a wonderful party with my fabulous friends and co-workers meeting my guy, DJing an awesome set and getting much kudos for it, and having it on the Friday before a three-day weekend made for an almost perfect night.

Leave it up to me to screw that up by myself later.

hanukkah 2011

When I was leaving for Nebraska the other day, my neighbor saw me and asked me if I was going to do anything to celebrate Hanukkah. I was a bit surprised because I didn't think that they were Jewish but I just told her I was going back to Nebraska for the holidays. Then she again said that I should have a happy Hanukkah. I'm pretty sure that she thinks I'm Jewish. I couldn't figure out why until Ashes reminded me that we have a menorah in the window of the house. Yeah, I guess that's logical then.

I liked the idea that someone was presuming I was Jewish rather than just assuming I'm Christian. I don't consider myself either but many people will say, 'Merry Christmas,' which actually does presume Christianity. I don't generally get offended but I'll counter by saying I hope they have a good solstice which typically throws them off.

Tonight, Bastard, Ashes, Victory, Lyra and I played drunken dreidel as we typically annually do. So I did indeed have a happy Hanukkah.

What else?
My new thing today was having the beet salad at the Red and Black cafe. I gained a few pounds while over the holidays so I'm going to lean more towards salad for the next few weeks.

I also gave positive reinforcement to a client for not repeating a pattern of bad behavior that he has had in the past. He was given the opportunity to exhibit this behavior in front of his supervisor but said that it wasn't appropriate and chose not to do so. The supervisor is relatively new to working with him in her direct supervisory role so she was more concerned with how he was given the opportunity. I chose to celebrate his proper decision not to engage in said behavior and made certain to tell him I appreciated him making the right decision. He acted like it was no big deal but then he took off his work glove and made a point of shaking my hand which he has never done. It was a small gesture but I told several of my co-workers about it because it was a gesture of appreciation which is a huge move for this guy to make. He was basically giving me positive reinforcement for my positive reinforcement. It made my whole workday worthwhile.

at the ass end

Today, on my way back to Denver from Kearney, I rode in the back of the 17 passenger plane for the first time. It was a terrifying experience due to the turbulence. I was in the very back with only one other person and she was sleeping so nobody else could see the whole plane shift and slide and bump and then drop like I could. It may make me rethink ever flying in a little plane again.

christmas 2011

Happy holidays!

speaking my language

Eric and Alyssa went back to Lincoln today so I got to babysit my nephew Oliver (pictured above) until they return tomorrow. My mom, my dad and I took Oliver to see my mom's side of the family today, including my aunts, my grandma and my uncle Hank.

Hank lives in an assisted care living facility in a smallish town near the rest of the family. He doesn't work anymore but he's only 49. He has Down Syndrome and a speech impediment. He also speaks in a low voice so he's relatively difficult to understand. Despite the fact that I work with a number of people who have Down Syndrome, I still had a good amount of problems understanding Hank. Many of the people I work with reference names or places with which I am familiar or they repeat the same phrases consistently so I can generally get what they are saying. Being unfamiliar with Hank's general life, it made it more difficult for me. However, I then realized that he would use sign language when he would talk occasionally and suddenly I got it. I don't know a lot of signs but I know enough to get a general understanding of people.

I've been second-guessing my job lately as one can probably surmise from my tone in my posts concerning work. However, seeing my skills put to use in a situation outside of work really affirmed my sense of purpose. I still have some issues with the way my job handled firing my friend. However, I do love working with people with DD and I'm going to be doing it for a while longer while I am still in school so I may as well make the best of it. I already started to turn my attitude around right before I left for vacation (primarily because I got called out on texting during meetings). I'm going to continue on with that and reinvest myself in the work, if not for the agency, then for the clients.

What else?
We took Hank and my grandma to the Pizza Palace for my first visit there since the sandwich shop that I went to last time I was in town was closed. Sigh, no hippie for me. ;)

family game time

Playing card games is a tradition in my family. On my mom's side, most of the aunts, uncles and cousins would play poker in the basement for change. They would also play cribbage quite a bit. On my dad's side, we played pitch. Also, my aunt Diane taught my cousins and I how to play hearts so we would frequently play that. I really look forward to seeing my family just because I miss them but the prospect of card games is a wonderful bonus.

For Christmas, Eric and Alyssa bought my the game pictured above: Wizard. It's a game so fun that they actually didn't wrap it and they gave it to me early so we could play when I woke up this morning. It involves a regular deck of cards but there's the addition of four wizards and four jesters. Basically, you try to guess how many hands you can take based upon your cards, the trump suit and how many points the other players think they can take. It's easy when you start playing it and very addictive. Needless to say, we played it a lot!


What else?
We went to Dona Mary's tonight for dinner. It's a Mexican restaurant established in the back of a Mexican Grocery store in Gibbon. The food was okay but the drinks were amazing and amazingly cheap. My favorite was called Paradise. It was amaretto, midori and some other things mixed together. Just sweet enough and refreshing!


On the episode of Dexter where he goes to Kearney, he goes to visit an old acquaintance who works in a hardware store so a couple crucial scenes take place in hardware stores. Today, I went looking for a Christmas present for someone and had to hit several hardware stores in Kearney. I just thought it was a funny coincidence.

planes, delays and mechanical ordeals

This was the most unorthodox group of flights I have been on. I headed back to Nebraska yesterday for the holidays. I was supposed to arrive in Kearney at 9:40pm. I ended up getting there at 3am.

I was supposed to fly out of Portland at 2:40. We actually flew out closer to 3:30. The ticket agent told me that there was a possibility that I would miss my connection in Denver. However, he said if I didn't risk it, my next opportunity to leave Portland wouldn't come until Christmas day so I decided that I would just go for it. When we touched down in Denver, I ran to my next gate and made it 15 minutes before our scheduled departure time. Our departure time came and went and then disappeared on the monitor. The ticketing agents there assured me that the flight was still planned. An hour later, we boarded our plane pictured above. Denver had a large amount of snowfall earlier in the day and was bitingly cold. The plane needed a good deal of de-icing so we had to sit in the plane freezing while they de-iced it.

We eventually took off and almost made it McCook where we were going to drop one guy off and then continue on to Kearney. I would estimate that McCook is 3/4's of the way to Kearney from Denver. Before we could touch down in McCook, they announced that they were having some minor mechanical issues which were forcing us to return to Denver. It was unbelievable. We got back to Denver and were greeted again by the people that were still there waiting for their flight. They ended up being told that their flight was cancelled. Some people had been there since 3pm the day before, waiting. So, even though I was greatly delayed and left to freeze on a plane twice, I'm just grateful that I could make it home for the holidays.

ave maria

This is Andrew's cat Maria. I wasn't really expecting to see Andrew before Christmas so I hadn't planned on getting him a gift. However, when he asked me yesterday if we could go out today, I decided that I should at least get him something...for his cat. Andrew and Maria moved to a new apartment this month so I got her a housewarming/Christmas gift. Yeah, I probably should have gotten him something as well but it all worked out because it was a small but thoughtful gift and he didn't get me anything either. I'm glad we don't feel obligated to do that kind of thing. I think that we're both Billy Goats.

What else?
On Monday, 12/19, I went to Stone Cottage for the first time. Sophia has some pink Himalayan rock salt when I moved in and we've gone through all of it. However, I became addicted and had to restock. Stone Cottage is pretty much filling the shoes of Limbo since they went out of business. I rather like it and I'm sure I'll go back for more spices someday.

On Tuesday, 12/20, I bought a bunch of Christmas gifts, going into all sorts of shops that I normally don't frequent. However, I can't say that any of them were particularly new. What was new was the dinner I had by myself at Hedge House. I don't like dining alone, especially in a place like Hedge House which is more of a restaurant than a bar but I was craving their Sockeye Cream Stout.

Tonight, Andrew and I also went to the Sweet Hereafter where I had their Shepard's Pie for the first time. Meh, I'll stick with the Buffalo Sub from now on.

testing...one...two

I don't normally care for personality tests (that's one thing I really don't miss about MySpace) and I'm not interested in OKCupid anymore but for fun, Jesse and I took their personality test today with Sophia encouragement. He was less satisfied with his results than I was with mine. I think that it pegged me pretty well. I'm a Billy Goat!

What else?
On Friday, 12/16, I made an important phone call regarding work. I can't go into it but hopefully something will come of it.

On Saturday, 12/17, I went to my co-worker Lindsay's house for the first time for a Christmas party. Below is a picture of some of what I wore. I ended up wearing black pants instead of red, I had red and white striped socks and a green elf hat on.

right down peacock lane

Every month for work, I have to find an activity outside of work to give to the clients as an option to do for integration purposes. Every year in December, I print off something about Peacock Lane. It's reputed to be quite an attraction in town but I had never been to it. It seems too family-oriented for my taste but, since I've moved only a few blocks from Peacock Lane, I decided that I had to see it this year.

Peacock Lane stretches a handful of blocks between Belmont and Stark Street. Every year, they make a spectacle of their street and practically every house puts up a crazy amount of lights. My high school best friend's dad used to do the same thing and everyone would look forward to seeing his display (except his neighbors, I imagine).  But this is more than just one house, it's one street. Tonight was the first day that it was on display and it was closed to vehicle traffic so we got to walk in the streets. Sophia, Ashes, Victory, Tim, Raven and I all walked around, half of us with hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps in a mug.

I enjoyed the displays that were homemade, specifically the hand-painted Muppets display pictured above and then the interactive Peanuts display as well. Also, the caroling group of pirates were fun. I'm just largely in favor of shutting down a street to traffic, no matter what the cause. I'm glad I finally got to experience this though. It got me in a festive mood.

doggy massage

Last Friday, I was out at karaoke when Sophia gave me a call. Dean had rolled on the ground in Xbox's coat due to the smell or whatever. He then whimpered and was unable to stand up properly. He injured his front left leg and his back right leg was already hurt. When I came right home, he insisted on greeting me and it was one of the most saddest and most endearing things I have ever seen. Sophia and Xbox were calling to him to stay down but he hobbled his way down the hall. I made him stop and I carried him to my room.

I spent all of Saturday and some of Sunday babying him. I put his socks on him to provide extra traction and then carried him around the house. On Saturday, when I took him out for his walk, he was only able to walk halfway around the block before he refused to go any further. It sucked. I hate seeing him this way.

By Sunday, he was moving a little better but was still limping a little. I e-mailed my friend who has gone to school for dog physical therapy. It turns out that she was schooled in Reiki but knew of a good massage therapist. I didn't really care how much it cost. I scheduled the appointment for as soon as I could.

Today, Laurie came over to give Dean a massage. I spent the first half of my workday nervous about how he would react and the second half bragging about how well he did. She was great enough to do a house call which made Dean more at ease. Then, she had me setup the house to get him to relax more. I then rubbed his ears while she gave him a good massage. He was mostly calm, only reacting slightly when she rubbed his hind legs. Not only did she give me some good tips about how to massage him but she told me about different natural meds, grooming tips, and home decor to benefit him.

This evening, Sophia and I headed to Ikea to buy an area rug. We bought one and he seems to love it. I've had a runner in the living room for a while but it doesn't provide a lot of area for him to lounge on. I've been meaning to buy more rugs and this was good motivation since it was just what the doctor ordered. It's a nice rug and it matched the curtains nicely. However, I'm going to have to go back tomorrow to get another one because it doesn't cover as much room as we thought it would. Hopefully, these small changes will add up to Dean doing better.

What else?

Speaking of dogs, on Sunday, my new thing was going to Hamburger Mary's for a bingo benefit for Fences for Fido. I want to work more with this organization, especially after watching the video of their first operation. Unfortunately, nobody else showed up, even to host the event. I still had some good food, read my book and had a drink before heading back. After a weekend of staying home with Dean, it was nice to get out even if it wasn't for a benefit.

sexiest sport ever

Today I watched my first bit of rugby at 442 after a soccer game. Not only are the guys extremely hot but they toss each other up to catch the ball like cheerleaders!

getting the monkey off my back

Months ago, when Occupy Portland started, I ended up talking to my friend Kim about my work situation. Basically, it went something like this: They unjustly fired my friend at my work but I can't quit because they're paying for my school and I'm only half-way through the program. I've tried to move past it and focus on the little bits of pleasure that my job gives me. I do love working with the clients but it's hard when I'm working within the confines of an agency with which I don't agree. I've tried applying for other jobs but I'm not pursuing it as hard as I should so I just sit back and begrudge my job for keeping me.

Last weekend, I found out that a store manager transferred one of the supervisors who work with the clients I manage. I was pissed for her because it was really unfair. She was at the store for seven years and has been doing client supervising for more than ten years. This manager was at the store for two weeks and decided that this long-time supervisor had an attitude problem and needed to be transferred. Argh, it makes me so mad.

At work today, we had our staff holiday party. I made some cinnamon raisin granola cookies (for the first time) and I also did a training on Motivational Interviewing for the first time. Still, we were all expecting to get to leave work a little early as we generally do on in-service day. When that didn't happen, we declared that we needed a happy hour. We ended up at the Gold Dust Meridian where I had their Death In the Afternoon for the first time (pictured above) as well as their homemade potato chips which were awesome. As is typical when you get a bunch of co-workers together with drinks, we began discussing work. I ended up kind of boiling over and I went off on the unfair budgeting practices of my agency. I need to keep by cool if I'm going to stay here. Really, I need someone like Kim readily available that I can talk to but it's unfair to burden my co-workers, friends or family with this all of the time. Maybe I do need therapy.

my favorite party

Typically, the client party at my work is the greatest party ever but this was my first year doing it without my partner in crime. Sigh. Even before he began to work in my department, I had arranged for him to DJ the party. Now, due to the stupid stupid nature of everything, he's not here and I have to be dancing on my own.

Despite the fact that he wasn't here, it was still a fun time. Work typically sucks but this is pretty much a day that can't fail. I DJ'ed the party for the first time and a co-workers' friend brought all of the equipment and set it up. Also, for the first time, I played a High School Musical song during a DJ gig. D, the guy who likes High School Musical, not only has all of the songs memorized but all of the routines as well. He was doing one of the routines in the workplace the other day and started teaching staff the moves. I researched it a little and found the song and the routine on youtube. So I played it. I thought I would lose everyone at that point but a good amount of clients knew it and a bunch of other people were willing to dance to anything. D was a rockstar tho. Everyone sort of gathered around him in a circle, cheering him on as he went through the motions of the choreography. It was spectacular.

Really, if I'm going to work here, I need more days like this.

What else?
On Monday 12/5, I ate dinner at the Long Haus. I miss the family meals. While it's not a new thing, trying Victory's new pasta sauce was.

On Tuesday, 12/6, Arturo came over to the house and we decided that we should look at the plumbing so we took pipes off of the sink. I've never done any plumbing other than fixing the toilet tank. It seems rather easy but something that can be initially intimidating.

On Wednesday, 12/7, I sort of didn't work. I can't go into detail though here. :)

tabor trip

 

I finished my last school assignment early and turned it in yesterday so today, I took a long walk.

I love walking. I think that is part of the reason that I'm somewhat depressed about Dean being injured is that I lost my walking buddy and my motivation to get out to a park. Hiking up to Tabor was something that I really valued this summer, mainly because I got to do it with him. However, today, I really just needed to get out and walk. He wasn't up to it and Sophia was going to hang around the house with him so I went tripping around Tabor on my own.

Honestly, I still loved it. I had twinges of regret and second-thoughts as I got started, feeling like I was betraying him. I thought about the class I just took on Old and Frail adults and thought it was hypocritical of me to learn about how we should value older adults and here I am, enjoying an afternoon without my dog. But then I thought about how maybe I should reframe our time together. As he gets older, I need to just value little walks around the block with him and chilling out with him in the house while I read a book or watch some Breaking Bad.

Comforted by the idea that I wasn't abandoning him, I proceeded to enjoy the serenity of walking just to walk. It was a beautiful day and, when I got above the #6 reservoir, I heard a guy practicing his trumpet through an otherwise tranquil early afternoon. I walked up to the top of Tabor and then back down through the dog park (which I realized I had never been to before) and then over to Rain or Shine for a mimosa.

When I got back home, I got Dean in the car and headed back to the dog park. He found a Doberman Pincher named Duke to play with. However, Duke then started to rough play with a shaggy black dog. He lightly bit the dog on the ear, like puppies do when they play. Then he brought the shaggy dog to the ground and put his mouth over the dog's throat. I was a bit concerned but then I lost focus when I saw Dean run behind Duke and start air-humping. Inappropriate, although funny. That's my dog. It was a fun ending to a fabulously chill day.

What else?

I saw the above sticker on a fence post leading up to a stairway...

bikecraft 2011

l

Today I got to experience two of my new favorite Christmas season holiday traditions (both of which I began last year): The House Spirits open house and Bikecraft. If I'm going to go to fairs and holiday events, I want them to involve chocolate, cheese and alcohol samples or bikes. A group of us did the House Spirits thing today (after I went to the Belmont Bunk Sandwich shop for the first time) which was wonderful. It's awesome to have someone hand you samples of White Russians!

Later on, Andrew and I met at Bikecraft where I bought the above calendar (with the proceeds going to a charity), hel-muffs (which I tried to unsuccessfully make last year) and some reflecting stickers for my bike. If only everyone on my Xmas list wanted bike stuff, I would be done with my shopping.