leaving lake oswego

Today, Ashes and I helped Atomic move out of Lake Oswego. I'm not hurting for moving karma but I think that Atomic was my most displaced friend in that he didn't fit in at Lake O, not to mention the fact that he didn't drive so he was pretty much isolated. I'm really hoping this can be a fresh start for him.

What else?
I've decided to give up foursquare. I've been checking into places on foursquare since the first day I got my droid in 2010. It just seems silly at this point. Between twitter and facebook, I think I broadcast enough of my life events. Still, this will mean that it will be difficult for me to remember what I've been doing if I don't keep my blog up to date.

cardio weekend

One of the many things that I enjoy about dating and specifically about dating Andrew is that he likes to get out and exercise. I can pretty much bank on at least one long bike ride during any given weekend. Yesterday, we biked up to Forest Park and then hiked up to Pittock Mansion for my first visit there. It costs to tour through and we weren't that interested in going inside but the view from the hill was wonderful.

On the way back down from the hike, I found out that Jen was going to see Wanderlust. I didn't know anything about the movie other than Jennifer Aniston was in it and I tend to like her in movies so we biked across town to Montavilla with enough time to grab some food at Ya Hala before meeting Jen and Donald at the movie. It was really good and funny. I enjoyed how it wonderfully illustrated my recurring nightmare about being forced to live in suburbs.

Today, for exercise, we biked 33 miles today in an effort to find the end of the I-205 bike path. It took us along the Clackamas River and we ended up biking back up river road. We stopped in at Duffy's Irish Pub for my first visit there and had a pint or two and then went into Sellwood. To reward ourselves for a lot of cardio exercise over the weekend, I made Andrew stop at Sock Dreams then and we each bought fun socks to reward ourselves for our adventurousness. (Pictured below. I got the Ape socks.)

 

What else?
On Friday, 4/27, my new thing was trying Herb's Mac & Cheese food cart which opened up not too long ago near me. It's a good thing that I'm exercising because I could see this being a habit. I had Mac & Cheese with spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and Gorgonzola cheese sprinkled on top. Sooooo good. There goes my dream of getting abs before country fair.

teaching the ice queen

I haven't written much about the worst boss I ever had but I've written a little. Anyway, about five and a half years ago, she made every day for me suck. I don't think she had it in for me specifically but she just had no people skills and hence, everyone hated her. However, I had to work directly under her as her assistant and she was the store manager. She was irrational, a perfectionist, too sensitive and a cut-throat. She yelled at a donation attendant for a while because he raised his eyebrows during a meeting. She yelled at me for two hours because I had let everyone come in 30 minutes early and leave 30 minutes early on Christmas Eve, I sent out a "Happy Holidays" from our store and I ordered donuts from Krispy Kreme instead of Winco. It was ridiculous.

Since quitting on her, I went through a transition period where I had to see her weekly but after a few months, she was transferred and I haven't seen her in years. Today, she was at a class I had to teach. I only had to teach the last hour of it but I swear I wanted to call in sick rather than be in the same room with her, even for an hour.

However, I stuck with it and taught the class with her sitting right in the front. I refused to make eye contact with her although she did ask questions so I had to address her then. And really, it wasn't that bad. Actually, I'm relieved. I think that the memory of her had manifested into this monstrous Ice Queen but really she's just a person with no people-skills and more than a touch of OCD. I still don't care for her but at least I faced down my demon.

What else?

In Andrew's absence, I've feeding his cat Maria and spending time with her. Yesterday was my first day at his place without him. It was odd. Today I took a quick cat-nap with her while I attempted to read an article for school.

Also, I cashiered with one of my clients for the first time today. I'm pretty proud that I have the first client in my company's history to work on a register!

the romantic in me

A few months ago, I got an e-mail from PSU, saying they were selling discounted tickets to Cirque Du Soleil's Ovo. Going to Cirque Du Soleil has been an item on my to-do list ever since I first heard about them years ago so I decided I would go ahead and get two tickets...in the front row!

It just so happens that I got them for today on the one year anniversary of me and Andrew's first date. It was AMAZING. It's kind of like how I just didn't even bother putting it into words when I saw the ocean for the first time. It's just an event that's hard to describe. However, I'll give it some effort. The costumes immediately caught my eye as amazing. Bugs were the theme for Ovo and bugs never looked so fabulous. The athleticism was equally astounding and it was funny too. After the show, they set off a few air cannons filled with butterfly confetti. I felt a youthful bliss as I reached out and plucked a few of the yellow and orange and gold paper butterflies drifting in front of me.

He leaves town tomorrow for a couple of days so we lucked out that he didn't leave today. I had a Country Fair meeting in the afternoon but I proudly declared that I would be leaving early to celebrate my one year anniversary and I did. We took the MAX out there which made it pretty stress-free. Also, they prohibited photography (which they announced after I got the above picture) so I was able just to sit there without worrying about getting the perfect shot. Afterwards, we took Dean out to Circa 33. It was pretty much the perfect weekend.

Below are some publicity pictures from my favorite parts of the show. The Grasshopper/rock wall was outstanding!

good clean fun

Six months ago, before I went to ZomBcon, I gave Dean a bath, he fell in the tub and he sustained a knee injury which was horrible for both of us. He hasn't had a bath since then and Sophia hasn't said that he stinks at all but he felt dirty to touch. Plus, I got in the mood to clean the house yesterday and quickly surmised that Dean was the dirtiest thing in the place so I took him to Pawsitively Clean for the first time today and Andrew was happy to join us!

I'm a dork but I loved this. If we were characters on an 80s or early 90s sit-com, footage of washing the dog and us laughing while he shook off would be in the opening credits montage. It was a good setup too for Dean. I think he'll be getting a bath more often now.

What else?
On Tuesday, 4/17, Andrew and I ate and drank at the Delta.


On Wednesday, 4/18, I had my interview with next years internship at the county. I think I'll be working in the public guardianship department. It should be interesting although I'm a little nervous about the overwhelming cubicle culture there.

Also, I went to my class and forgot to lock my bike up. I came out of a class after 2.5 hours to find that my bike was still there. That, my friends, is a miracle.
 
On Thursday, 4/19, Jen, Donald, Andrew and I went on our first double date to see Cabin in the Woods. I love Joss Whedon and I'm so glad that he's finally able to demonstrate his full talent, outside of the television realm.

On Friday, 4.20, I went to Salem again to help them interview a case manager to hire down there. While there, I got to eat vegan calamari. They didn't get the shape right but the texture and flavor was close to what I remember.

And today, after the dog bath, we went to a BBQ at Andrew's friends' house where I got to meet more of them. I have a lot of friends so I think that it's important that he does too. It fosters a good sense of independence for each of us.

picking up where i left off

 Yikes. I don't think I've let my blog go by without updating it this long before. No, I haven't given up on it. School-boyfriend-work-life just got in the way. School is pretty much taken care of now and work has slowed down immensely so I'll be able to be a lot more up-to-date soon. I'm gonna proceed by doing weekly summaries until I am up to date.

I think part of the reason for me hesitating on updating the blog is that I don't really want to write about this next thing but I'm just going to sum it up. I went to the hospital on Friday, 4/13, with chest pains and shortness of breath. I biked to Long Haus, went into a mild panic attack and called 911 cuz I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me and I had just attended a CPR class yesterday in Salem so 'heart attack' was the first thing on my mind.

Really, I am a hypochondriac but the words of the CPR trainer surprisingly stuck with me, "It's free to call 911. It only costs when they transport you." I was hoping the 911 responders would just diagnose me with "Definitely Not a Heart Attack" and I could put it out of my mind but they didn't. They said that I should go to the ER.

Ashes & Victory drove me to the ER and Sophia (via my neighbor) came to meet us there. Andrew saw I checked in there through foursquare and asked for an update. He also later texted me the "L" word for the first time (not lesbian).

I had to go in and out of several rooms and have those sticky monitors placed on my hairy chest several times. I also had my first IV. In the end, they said that it almost surely wasn't a heart attack but recommended I take some heart relief medicine, although I'm pretty sure it wasn't heart burn.

As a result, I have been taking easy this weekend. On Saturday, 4/14, I met Andrew at Sound Grounds where I had yogurt and granola in determination not to eat any food which may have affected my heart and I said the "L" word back. Later on that night, I went to karaoke with Dom.

Today, I took it easy for the day and bought an expansion pack for Munchkin, a game Sophia and Xbox have got me into. It was silly and fun. Later, Andrew and I went to dinner, I pretty much realized it wasn't a heart problem and I got to end my weekend knowing that I was fine. So, I guess all's well that ends well.

What else?
On Thursday, 4/12, as I mentioned, I went to CPR class in Salem for the second year in a row. I went down with the same two co-workers that went down with my last year. This time, we ate at Super Pho which has fake calamari so I will definitely be back to try that.   

50 mile road

Happy easter. Andrew and I celebrated the holiday by biking to Oxbow Park. I've never really appreciated this park before but biking to it makes you realize how close in and far out it truly is. It's amazing that this beautiful expanse which contains some of the last old growth resides shortly outside of Gresham.

All and all, it was about 50 miles ride + hike. In heading down into the park, we were rewarded by a tremendous downhill. While I loved the ease of it, I knew right away that I wasn't going to bike back up it. Instead, I suggested to Andrew that we hike up a quick path with our bikes to cut through back to the start.

Well, what goes down must go up. The path may have not been that long but it hiked up a steep hill/mountain. In retrospect, it probably would have been a lot more efficient just to walk our bikes back up the road. However we did get to immerse ourselves in some beautiful woods.

The ride back was nice too. We cut back through a shorter way, hitting Division and then later Stark. To top the night off, we went to Flying Pie Pizza. It made for a wonderfully, well-deserved meal. Best easter in a long while.

What else?
I was able to do the ride today because I spent yesterday in a ridiculous cleaning mode in preparation for Sophia to get home. I think I did an awesome job, being more thorough than I have since moving in last year.

department departure

Today I took my first class at PSU outside of the social work department. This quarter, I'm taking a class with the counseling department. It's odd because everyone in my class has been going through this full school year together so they are all quite familiar with each other (As a side note, I am disturbingly reminded of the cast of the 80s TV show 'Head of the Class' by this group of students. I;m not sure why.) When the professor walked in, he immediately identified me because I was the outsider. After he reviewed the syllabus, I began to realize I was outside of my element and my comfort zone.

When he agreed to let me take the Psychosocial Aspects of Disability, the professor added that I may find it difficult because I didn't take the Bio/Medical Aspects of Disability even though it's not technically a prerequisite. However, I felt that I would be fine with the other classes I've had through work and with the social work classes. During the first break though, I went to the computer to look for other social work classes I could take instead but I didn't find any that I would like.

After returning from break, we dove into the actual teaching and material that we were going to look at and I realized that I got this. I know this stuff. I definitely think that I will learn a lot but these concepts are not foreign to me. Plus we can write about any psychosocial aspects of any type of disability for our final paper so I can focus in on my area of interest, adults with DD. This is going to work out after all! Plus, a few of the students were eager to meet someone new and one guy offered me tips to understanding what the professor was referencing. I think I made the right choice in sticking with the class.

topher's got a brand new bag

A month ago, I ordered new panniers for my bike. I had a pannier but I didn't care for it that much because the top handle on it broke and even before that, it wasn't convenient to carry. So I shopped around for a bit and wasn't happy with any of the factory made bags. Black Star Bags, which is located with Double Darn custom makes bags so not only could I get the features I want but I could also get them in the colors. Of course that means that the bag was going to have some pink it it.

After I picked them up, I realized that they looked a bit like my client's high school musical backpack but oh well. They're fabulous and I love them. I was hesitant to spend the money on them but I got a considerable tax return this year and I would be supporting a local company and getting something uniquely Topher.

What else?

I notice that most of my posts have been about biking lately. It's just that the weather is getting so nice here and there that it's very pleasant to bike and I usually take more pictures in biking situations. This morning, I decided to get there 20 minutes early so I could make coffee before our morning meeting. In doing so, I was able to bike to work the whole way heading underneath a full rainbow. Less than five minutes after I arrived, we got a nasty downpour. Yay for fabulous timing!

tweed ride 2012

I love this ride. Each year and each ride has been distinctly different. This year, Sophia, Tim and I continued our tradition of going. Andrew joined us though and the ride started at Kenilworth Park for a change. It was windy and damp in the air but it didn't really rain on us. I've complained about group bike rides having too many stops before but this ride could have done with one or two. We just kept going though until the four of us bailed on the ride downtown. It was a lot of fun but surprisingly tiring for how slow the pace is. The start of the day may have been what wore us out though.

To begin with, I changed my tire from last night only to have the new tube explode on me. I then drove around to several places to look for a new tire only to discover that no bike shop in the Portland area opens before 11am on a Sunday. Fortunately, Andrew had an extra tube so I changed that up quick (thanks to my training) and put the finishing touches on Andrew's wardrobe. Then we biked downtown for our annual Bijou brunch before the tweed ride. The only problem was they were really busy so we biked back to the Doug Fir and brunched there.

Like I said, there were no stops so it was a fairly uneventful ride. I was ever so grateful though to Justin for meeting us at the park to take the first two pictures above. Also, it was nice to see familiar faces from rides past. It's a smashing tradition that I am pleased to take part of.

What else?

It's getting serious. After close to a year of dating, Andrew and I had the relationship talk. I won't go into details but I was glad it finally happened and happy with the talk. Mystery is fun but there's something to be said for being upfront.