this year's wreck

Today was the wettest day in recorded history for Portland. It seemed like a hard rain but it didn't seem that bad so I decided to bike in it.

On the way to work, I was driving and dropped Andrew off near the MAX stop so he could head into work that way. It works out well cuz it's technically on my way to work & the traffic would be ridiculous around his office. Anyway, my car made a couple of new noises which made me real nervous. This weekend, it didn't want to start while we were out running errands. We opened up the hood and determined it wasn't a glaringly obvious problem that could be fixed by two mechanically disinclined gay guys so we closed it. I tried starting it and it miraculously worked. I'm not a complete idiot tho so I know there are problems just waiting to surface. So, when I went home at noon to let Ava out, I switched car for bike.

At first, it was a great ride. There was a definite solidarity with the few other cyclists I saw and the warm rain felt great on my face. I was making good time and headed down the incline on Lincoln towards 50th. The light was still green but I saw it was going to turn soon so I sped up to make it but so did an SUV that I could see out of the corner of my eye. I think he made me nervous or my foot slipped off the pedal. I knew I lost control before I hit the ground. I yelled "Oh shit!" and bounced off the pavement with my ribs and thighs taking most of the blow. I wasn't wearing gloves so it was fortunate that I didn't slide & tear up my palms. My right leg got trapped between my frame & my handlebars tho so I took my bike with me.

Somehow, my left shoe flew off and I got up quickly and hobbled down the road to pick it up. There were a few cars around but nobody stopped. I sat down on the step on the side of Yoga Union and caught my breath. I put my shoe back on and did a quick visual inspection of my bike. The seat was crooked and the bell (pictured above) was busted but it otherwise escaped unscathed. I continued on slowly to work and put in a couple more hours. My supervisor offered to drive me home but I knew I could make it, even if I did have to go very very slow.

I think I may have fractured or bruised my ribs. I don't think they're broken. My right thigh also hurts as my keys were in my pocket when I landed flat on the pavement. I also managed to scrape the skin off the side of my big toe on my left shoeless foot. I've had worse falls and worse injuries but I'm really too old to keep banging myself up like this.

biking tilikum

 

I was ready to go back in to work today...yesterday. However, when today actually came around, I thought I may as well enjoy this one final day of my leave. I met Ashes and Dom downtown for lunch while Andrew worked from home. To get there, I used the Tilikum Crossing. I had biked it before but never functionally, always as a tourist. Also, I have never taken the upper path that goes north on the westside from the bridge. It's really quite nice as it pulls you away from the pedestrians and the restaurants on the southern waterfront.

Also, Andrew and I ended up trying out Nakhon Thai on Hawthorne. While I was in Nebraska, Nakhon opened up where the Hawthorne Cafe used to be. It's surprising that yet another Thai restaurant would open up on Hawthorne but this place has a Southern Thai menu, a good cook, and a nice space inside so I think it will survive.

all the trimmings

 

Years ago, this would have been inconceivable. I once paid $200 for 2 oz of shittier pot. I didn't buy it myself but a friend knew some people and he did it for me. He came back a bit frazzled from the purchase. The dealer was there with some of his friends and they had a gun on the table. Fortunately, in all my misadventures with pot, I've never personally experienced that and now I won't have to.

Legalization is the way to go. Not only do you eliminate the criminal aspect but you also get rid (or significantly reduce) the possibility of dealers trying to push something else onto the kids that find them. Plus, I heard that Oregon brought in 11 million (!!) dollars it's first week of legal pot sales. That's a significant amount of taxed revenue!

However, I didn't need to contribute to that at all and I might not be for the foreseeable future. That 2 oz of pot lasted me over 2 years. Since legalization, my intake amount may have increased but I'm still a lightweight and now we can have 8 oz in our house which we have thanks to our three legal plants. Andrew harvested it today and I helped him with the trimming. It's really sticky which is really good except for the scissors. It's still got a month to dry out in a jar but after that, I have no idea what we'll do with it all. I'm going to try making tinctures and edibles. I love this future.

What else?

I really missed my bike while I was gone so we took a bike ride out to Gresham via the Springwater. It is so gorgeous out there right now with the leaves turning colors! 

labor day love

Three years ago on Labor Day, I got in the worst bike accident I've been in. I don't really remember Labor Day 2013 (that's why I started blogging again) but last year's was rough for reasons I won't go into here. However, I've come a long way in a year and this was the best Labor Day weekend I've had in a while.

On Friday, Andrew and I met with some friends to celebrate our friend Jason's birthday at Prettyman's General which was unique and fun. I like the fact that their "coffee tables" are really just blocks of wood which they can manipulate to figure all sorts of pertinent designs. Also, they have cocktails on tap and they were pretty tasty.

On Saturday, I saw Avengers 2 with Ashes. I thought it was fun but I was also on a THC lozenge. Afterwards, Andrew and I walked up to 82nd to try Stein Haus which had a nice selection of German beers on tap and a great back patio. We also tried Canton Grill in order to find a suitable Chinese restaurant near us. I think it will do.

On Sunday, I didn't do too much but we did walk to Division for pizza and ended up at Lauretta Jeans later for dessert. I tried this Jamesons and ice cream concoction which was way too strong.

On Monday, we walked to Toast where I tried this onion tart thing. We also biked up to Marine Drive. It was a beautiful day for a ride and it's been too long since we've gone for a notable bike ride. I really need to get Ava a cart so we can take day-long rides.

So it was nothing monumental but it was all pleasant. Next weekend, Andrew's going to be out of town and then we'll only have another weekend together until I leave for Nebraska for a month so I'm really happy that we could have a relaxed and loving weekend together (with no major bike accidents).

diy rack fix

 

When I have a bike problem, the first thing I do is mentally review Seven Corners Cycles schedule to see if I can get my bike in. Yesterday, when I was biking home, my bike started to make this awful rattling noise but Seven Corners recently changed their hours and they are now closed on Tuesdays. I looked it over a few times and figured out that the bolt at the bottom of the right side of the rack had fallen out so the rack was rubbing against the chain. I managed to tuck the rack in, sling the pannier over my shoulder and make it home.

However, rather than take it in for one screw, I simply stopped at the hardware store today and bought a replacement screw. After I fixed it, I saw that top screw on the left side was missing as well. This was slightly different screw but there are a number of unused screws in the frame (for putting a rack on the front of the bike or an extra cup holder in) so I used one of those and fixed it. It's a simple simple new thing but I am so happy that I did it on my own.

And again, it serves as a perfect example of why a bike is so much more preferable than a car. With a car, if it makes a funny noise, I turn the stereo up. I would have almost no way to diagnose it on my own, let alone fix it. Yay bikes!

why i bike naked

 

I've had body issues for a while. Actually, I've pretty much always had body issues: too pale, too hairy, too fat in the gut, too skinny in the arms, etc.  I've gone in and out of cycles of what I don't like about my body but there's almost always something. I can think of very few times in my life where I've said that I'm happy with how I look. But that's the aim of the mass media and their advertisers, right? We're not supposed to feel happy with how we look. We're supposed to feel unsatisfied and willing to make purchases to either make ourselves look better or at least feel better.

Within the last several months, I've put on about 10 lbs. I could say that it's muscle but I know I'd just be lying to myself. I blame the car and Ava for needing me to use to the car to get home on my lunch and let her out daily. I blame my apathy and pizza and my relationship for being so comfortable and stable that it's made me lazy and complacent about how I look. I'm glad I don't have to try to impress others to attract them in hopes of finding a mate but I do want to feel better about myself so I bike naked.

Last year, after the World Naked Bike Ride, a friend of mine said that he would have gone but he's been having some body issues. And he's in great shape! I told him that the ride is the best way to help you with body issues and I had to remind myself of that recently in preparation for going on the ride. On the WNBR, you see people of all genders, ages and body types with varying levels of mobility get out there, strip off their clothes (to whatever degree they feel comfortable) and say, "This is who I am!" I saw people heavier than I am, with less muscle than I have. I saw bears hairier than I am. I saw kids and the elderly. And I saw joy and pride in them all. I quickly stopped comparing myself to others and just enjoyed the moment. If they can all be proud of their unique bodies, why can't I? 

Yes, there were some people that looked like Abercrombie models but there was many many more people who did not. And I found most of those people to be attractive because confidence is sexy. It should also be noted that I do not find Abercrombie models to be sexy. I like my fellas older and fuzzier. :)

It was a great ride. The spirits were high and the route was easy. I do wish we hadn't taken Division St but it ended up being okay. Jesse and I were ride buddies so I wasn't alone. The ride ended on the waterfront but we saw people still going back up Salmon and decided to join them. They tapered off here and there and then, around Salmon and 35th, we lost most of them. We rode for a few more blocks and Jesse turned around to go home. I pulled over on the corner of Taylor and Caesar Chavez to get my clothes back on but a naked couple biked up behind me, talking about riding the same way I was going so I biked naked in front of them. They turned away on 50th and Lincoln so I rode just two blocks to 52nd naked on my own before I pulled over to put some clothes on.

Normally, as soon as I've left the ride, I usually put on underwear at least if not get fully dressed but it was hot and I was comfortable naked which is a pretty awesome state to be in.

pedalpalooza kickoff ride 2015

They're predicting hot weather from here on out. It's gonna be in the 90s over the weekend and then in the mid-80s after that. While I don't like it any hotter than 72, I am glad that it's going to be nice weather for Pedalpalooza this year! I don't have any plans to attend a lot of rides. Really, it might just be WNBR which is on the last day of Pedalpalooza this year.

I wasn't planning on going to the kickoff ride but our friends Alex and Jude were going and Andrew mentioned going. Then I figured out what to wear and I started to get excited about it. It's the biggest ride of the year following WNBR bike by quite a margin but still, there were hundreds of cyclists in various costumes or street wear. It got slow in parts but spirits were light and it was well organized. We went through the Lone Fir Cemetery (my first as part of a group ride). While I've enjoyed many of the kickoff rides over the years, this was probably one of my favorite as of late because I did it with friends.

Back in the day, we all used to bike. Every one of my close friends had a bike. Very few of us had cars. We would ride to parties and occasionally do Critical Mass rides or Pedalpalooza rides together. I miss that. More bikes, less cars.

from fireworks to bubble baths: memorial day weekend 2015

I planned to do a post every day and it's even easier for me to post since Andrew fixed my computer last weekend. However, time got away from me and I decided to do a wrap up of the weekend. Here we go:

On Friday, May 22nd, it was the start of the Rose Festival so that meant fireworks! Andrew and I bussed to the waterfront from our house and then met others there. The fireworks show was, as usual, awesome but that wasn't my new thing. My new thing was sitting in a bench I haven't sat in before at Nayar Taqueria. Nayar is one of my neighborhood joints and I've been there quite a bit. However, I've never sat on the bench. It wasn't life-changing but it was a different perspective and really, that's what this whole "one new thing a day" idea is all about. Change it up. It doesn't have to be earth-shattering, just different.

During my class of my graduate program, I wrote a paper on how I will avoid burnout and cited doing one new thing per day. I didn't mention the blog because I hadn't written that favorably about the class here but my professor liked the idea. He said that if I don't "run with the idea" and write a book around it, he may just steal it. I don't think that it's worth a book but I do think that it has validity. We get stuck in ruts and fall into familiar patterns way too easily. This is a way to shake things up, even if it just means finding a new seat.

On Saturday, Andrew wanted to plant our tomatoes and peppers in the garden and I felt like helping. I recently listened to a Joe Rogan podcast with Ron Finley about gardening and it made me want to get into it more. But I had another assignment. Since we have our bike shed in the backyard, we needed a good path to get from the back gate to the bike shed. Andrew had moved some flagstones there but wasn't happy with it so he bought some proper path stones (and moving them from Home Depot to the house was my new thing on Thursday). Being the Tetris fanatic I am, I instantly took to playing with them to derive a pattern that would meet our needs and came up with our path design. It came with its initial frustrations with the stones having to be under the swinging gate but not too low that it was a big drop-off at the start but I eventually found my groove. I didn't quite finish it on Saturday since we ran out of stones and we had friends coming over to visit so I had to clean up but I finished it on Sunday.

On Sunday, I also worked on our dingo-proof fence. My hammock rigging is on the front porch but I really want hang out with Ava while I'm in the hammock so I came up with the idea of a barricade on the porch. I was going to buy a bigger piece of lattice, trim it, and then frame it but Andrew suggested the smaller, pre-framed style which worked out perfectly. I was able to finish the path and get the fence installed all before heading over to Muffin HQ for some board games.

I love gaming on a three day weekend. I love gaming anyway but it can eat up most of a day and then I have guilt but when I've got three days, it's all good. We played Agricola which I love and did a fairly good job in this time. We also played Samurai which was new to me. It's a challenging and unique game which I will play again.

On Monday, I used the stain that was left with the house from the front porch and I stained the fence to match it. It may have well been my first time staining anything since shop class in high school. It looks so good now. We also went for a bike ride down the Springwater Corridor to Sellwood where we went to the Muddy Rudder for the first time. Andrew had been there before but for some reason, he just now introduced me to the place. It's right off the Corridor and I love it. I will definitely be more eager to go for a ride knowing that this place is there. At the Muddy Rudder, I won our first annual Memorial Day cribbage tournament although no drinks were won. Still, I have bragging rights now.

And then I ended the weekend with a bubble bath. I haven't been sleeping great. I will stay up later and then wake up pretty much as soon as it gets light out. Sometimes I can fall back asleep but not always. A combination of some manual labor, a bike ride, a few drinks, a light meal, and then a lavender salted bath had me so relaxed that I'm sure I'll be fine tonight. It was a fabulous weekend. There are things that I could have added on like dancing, a hike, shopping, etc. but right now, I'm completely content.

1000 acre park

 

A big perk of my job is having extra holidays off (as well as following the school schedule for cancellations due to weather). Today, I had Presidents' Day off so I took Ava to 1000 Acre Park. I have been there a number of times before but this was the first time with Ava and the first time that I realized it's all an off-leash park. There should be more off-leash areas like this around. It was so wonderful to let her run and not have to worry.

What else?

Yesterday, when I was biking back from playing Lagoon at Muffin HQ, my left pedal fell off, arm and all. It was wobbling slightly before it fell completely off so it didn't take me by complete surprise. However, I've never encountered that issue before so it gave me the opportunity to try something new: riding a one-pedal bike. It can be done. You just have to do it Flintstone style with the missing pedal side, propelling yourself forward with small kicks while your other foot pushes the pedal down and then catches it to bring it back and push it down again. I actually had it going so well that I passed the turn-off to my house by a block.

I tried to put it back on myself today but I didn't have the right wrench size so I went to Lucky 13 bike shop and the guy there tightened it up for me and gave me a lot of free advice on it. He seems like a cool guy who knows what he's talking about and it's not too far from my house so I may use it as my new bike shop.

looking forward

I've been in a rut for a bit. That's part of my excuse for not updating my blog. The rut mainly consists of school and work and the rainy weather. However, we had a semi-dry weekend, I'm skipping school this week to watch the election coverage and I got caught up on my work last Thursday so here's a blog update.

Today, I had a great day, working out in the morning, getting a latte around noon at Powells while I read the latest Walking Dead comic, walking around the hood with Arturo and eating vegan milkshakes at Dick's. I also booked the Gearharts beach house for Christmas with Andrew since I'm not going back to Nebraska until my new nephew's born in January. The beach house is what I'm going to be the light at the end of this school quarter's tunnel.

What else?
I thought about going back to update October but for the most part, my new things consisted of new foods or new experiences at my internship. Here are the exceptions and/or the things that stood out.

On Saturday, October 6th, I went to the last night of the PLGFF in which they showed Cloudburst, a lesbian road trip movie with Olympia Dukakis. I can't recommend it enough. Afterwards, Andrew and I went to the afterparty at Crush which was fun but I liked the kickoff party better.

On Sunday the 7th, I watched the Timbers game at Long Haus on a projector in the back porch which has been nicely redone. Also, I joined Bastard and MLE at Ship's Ahoy afterwards for birthday drinks and good conversation.

On Wednesday the 10th, I woke up to the sound of scratching in the drywall behind my bed.

On Thursday the 11th, I met a new guy, the exterminator named Jason.

On Friday the 12th, Xbox and I had a great conversation about the house. Also, I went to see Margaret Cho who awesome as were her opening acts. So so so funny. I also went to Bare Bones bar with Jen, Ashes and Victory and later Justin and MLE. While we were there, we saw Chris Chandler from OCF. When I stopped him to tell him how much V and I enjoyed his library show at the last fair, he sat down with us and chatted for a while.

On Saturday the 13th, Andrew and I went to Brews for New Avenues. My old internship is really good at fundraising and they almost always incorporate booze into it. :)

On Sunday the 14th, I went to the Walking Dead season premiere at the Academy with Jen. It's a series that's really meant to be seen in the theater! Andrew and I also gave Dean a bath!

On Monday the 15th, I downloaded LibreOffice, a freeware version of Micro-shaft. I like it a lot more and I won't go back.

On Saturday the 20th, I took the day to work on my first paper for the term. I finished it in good time. Sophia made vegan chili so we ate that all day and, after I finished my paper, we played a new game which ended up being a D&D game. Yes, I have crossed that threshold.

On Sunday the 21st, Andrew and I went to see Blood Simple, the Cohen Bros first movie. It was great! We also went to Pastrygirl, the bakery/coffeeshop for the first time.

On Thursday the 25th, I biked to Clackamas for work for the first time since my accident (where the top pic comes from).

On Saturday the 27th, I DJ'ed Ashes' 33rd bday party. Since it was his 33rd, it was a Jesus/religious theme. I went as Lot's Wife (a salt shaker). I was one of only four or five people in costume but I still had fun.

On Sunday the 28th, Andrew and I went bar-hopping up Belmont during the afternoon, lightly drinking and snacking while playing cards. We ended up at Hob Nob Grille for the first time where I taught Andrew how to play Backgammon...and he beat me two times. It was also the 10th anniversary of my coming out. 10 years ago, my friend Joe directly asked me if I was gay and he was the first person I said yes to.

On Halloween, I didn't do a thing except go out to eat with Andrew. I really feel that I failed Halloween this year.

On Friday the 2nd, Ashes and I walked to a client's home on NW 23rd as part of my internship. I love working in the same building with him and getting to do breaks together. It was a lovely day for a walk too!

On Saturday the 3rd, Andrew and I went to the Republic downtown where I ordered a new dish. He's never been there and I haven't been there for years. We also went to Seven Psychopaths which sucked so hard.

And that's it. I'll try to update more often and to take more pictures.

an internship in three parts

Second week at my internship and I'm still loving it.

Since I'm going by bike again, I was able to bike in to the first time (pictured above). They have two bike rooms on the first floor of the building and more bike parking in the basement parking garage as well as several sets of racks out front. The commute was pretty much a straight shot from my house although I don't like biking over the Morrison Bridge that much due to the incline(s).

At my internship, I had three distinctly different contacts with three different clients of my supervisors. One lives in a nursing home and has been diagnosed with "Failure to Thrive." She's 90, unresponsive and only weighs 82lbs. It's jarring to hear the nursing home staff talk about her impending death.

The second person that we saw was a young woman with profound DD that lives in a group home. We were there mostly to check in on the group home and talk to the manager. We looked at the facilities and I realized that I knew one of the other residents there from my real job.

The third person was a client in her 60s who lived independently. She has some mental health issues so we bring her medication to her to take. I guess that will be one of my responsibilities soon which is cool by me.

It really interesting seeing all the variety that this job encompasses. I have to admit that I was out of my element with the nursing home situation but I think I can learn to be okay with it. It'll just take some more time and experience.

saddling up once more

I haven't worn my bike hat since I crashed on Labor Day.

It's been so long since I've ridden my bike that it almost feels like a new thing. I've been running this week every direction to catch the bus (I'm soooooo tired of the bus) and it didn't really hurt my tailbone so I figured I could start riding again. It was a short ride but I felt great in doing it. I feel whole again.

What else?
My new thing was taking the HIPPA test at my internship today. It was silly but a nice set up for the test and a lot more educational as a course on information releases than I have ever had.

getting back on that horse

While transferring buses for work, I stopped by my bike shop yesterday to see if my bike was done. They had originally told me it would be done on Saturday but I was in no hurry to pick it up so I figured it could wait. However, it felt weird to walk by the shop today and not at least stop in. They told me it was ready and started to get it for me but I hesitated and said I'd be back for it later. I didn't return for it that day.

Back in the fall of 1993, I rolled my parent's car. It was a jarring wreck for me and the first time I realized just what damage those big machines are capable of doing. Afterwards, it was months before I drove again. Around six months later, my aunt Jeanne was driving my cousins and me from my grandparent's old farm house to their new one. She pulled over on the side of the country road and told me I was going to drive. She didn't reason with me and she didn't ask, she just told me that this was enough and it was time that I drove again. I always appreciated that.

I felt like I needed that kind of push with my bike. It's only been a little over a week but I have noticed how I pause at cyclists now, wondering how they can be so care-free and if they know that their bike can turn on them and cause them great pain. However, I couldn't leave my bike at the shop forever and I knew that I wouldn't get back on it again for quite some time if I just didn't go for it, like jumping in the deep end of the pool. I just needed to ride again without putting too much weight into the situation.

Fortunately, I found it emotionally easy to do. Once I was back on, it felt so very natural...until my tailbone started to hurt. Physically, I'm not ready for it yet. I left work early today, putting my bike on the bus and heading to the pharmacy to refill my pain pill prescription (for the first time. I've never renewed a prescription.). I hated not being able to ride the bike to the doctor's office but at least I know that emotionally, I'm ready. I just wish my body would hurry and agree with my mind.

damage report

This week has primarily been me recovering from Monday's accident. On Tuesday, I went to the doctor to get some pain meds. I saw a new PA, Ms Sellers who took good care of me. She said I may have broken ribs but they couldn't really do anything about it anyway so there's no point in getting x-rays. This is the third instance in which I have broken at least one rib so I'm familiar with not getting x-rayed. They did x-ray my thumb though which was not broken. I got my pain-killers which is what I came for.

I didn't sleep at all on Monday night. I was in too much pain and when I did start to nod off, I would envision my bike tire skidding off the road or hitting a wall. It was terrifying and I absolutely hated it. Therefore, I was not only busted up but also sleep deprived and felt no shame about only working for two hours.

Today, I took my bike in to Seven Corners. Corey gave me an estimate of $160. I need bike insurance. I also tried a new med that the doc recommended.


I'm looking forward to feeling well again one day.

the wreck

 And things were going so well.

Andrew and I were on a long bike ride, heading towards the Canby Ferry. I found the route online but the route led us out of the way. I thought I was being smart by finding a road that cut out a lot of the excessive mileage. The road was SW Petes Mountain Road. We couldn't bike up it because it was just too steep and a little treacherous. Going down felt awesome for a while. I should have been a little more cautious when I saw the "Slow. 10MPH" curves. I looked for a second off to the countryside and thought, "This is gorgeous," and then thought "Oh shit, pay attention to the road." Right then, my back tire fishtailed to the left and my front tire went to the right and I flew off Superman style onto the side of the road.

It happened in a matter of seconds but it felt like 15 minutes or so to me. I hit the ground facedown with my hands and arms in front of me. Somehow my bike tumbled in front of me and crashed against the fence. I lifted up my head and saw the front bike tire pop and my bike collapse a little more. I looked down and saw a small puddle of blood in front of my face. I could see though so that was good. I could also move my fingers and toes and that was good too. I couldn't breathe easily though. Andrew biked up shortly afterwards as I had gotten ahead of him. My priority at that point was conveying to him that I was okay.

Some time later, a physical therapist biked up and was able to assess me. He determined that I was okay to roll over eventually and I knew that I wouldn't need to go to the hospital since nothing seemed to be broken except some ribs. I used my phone to pinpoint my location and I messaged that to Ashes, asking him to pick me up. I eventually and painfully stood up but I needed to not be laying in the dirt anymore.

Ashes came and picked me up and drove me home. Xbox stayed with me while I cleaned my wounds, offering to help but really was helping just by talking to me while I was doing it. Andrew ran out to get more medical supplies. My knees and elbows were the worst. I was worried about my face and head but I ended up with a small mark on the bridge of my nose and a half-inch cut on my forehead. Luckily, I was wearing my bike gloves which completely saved my wrists (and I was also wearing my helmet). The hydrogen peroxide stung a bit but I feel 100x better after I cleaning myself up.

My bike is screwed up pretty bad. My front tire is taco-ed and I think my back tire might also be a bit bent. Also, my pink bike bell was shattered. However, my new-ish solar-powered front light was unharmed. I'll be hurting tomorrow but I still plan on going to work because I have a lot to do. This wreck wasn't fun but it wasn't as bad as it could be. I'll be thrilled if this is the worst bike accident I ever have.

it'll be anarchy

Andrew's going on vacation in a few weeks and I'm going to watch Maria while he's gone. I'd like to be able to hang out with her more but I have my own needy pet at home so I figured I could put those hands together by bringing Dean to Andrew's place to visit now while Andrew's still here. Dean likes cats that don't run from him or attack him and Maria luckily isn't one of either of those. She backed up into the attic and held the stairs by growling at him. Then she slowly creeped into the living room, making his roaming area smaller. Eventually, Dean just sat between Andrew and me. When he tried to get up, Maria would growl and he would sit back down. It reminded me of when Loki used to put Dean in a corner and they lived together successfully for 7 years. I'm not saying that Dean and Maria (and therefore Andrew and I) are going to live together anytime soon.

What else?
We went for a small bike ride down to Sellwood and biked around the Waverly neighborhood which is the oddest little gated community around. It's very suburban and fancy. 

the gang at the game

When we all went to Oneanta, Andrew had mentioned that he had a friend years and years ago who was always taking pictures of all of their friends, almost to an annoying level. However, many years later, he started uploading those pictures and was able to share those moments which all of his friends thought were lost and they were very grateful to be able to relive those times.

Tonight was one of those nights that I knew I'd want to capture. I don't think Jesse has been to a game before and I haven't been to a MLS Timber's game with my friends (except for the reserve games) ever either. Plus it was an awesome game that we won!

I also walked back downtown with Bastard from the game so he got to show me his work at the courthouse while we retrieved his bike.

What else?
On Tuesday, August 28th, I helped Victory haul her art project from PCC to Al's studio and then I helped haul Al's band equipment to Laughing Horse Bookstore where Dominic repaid me for the favors. It was fun just to hang out with everyone and to be able to help.

On Wednesday, August 29th, I ate a the Denny's in Wilsonville and I felt like I needed to shower afterwards. Yes, I'm a food snob but that crap was gross.

On Thursday, August 30th, I contacted people through Craigslist about getting tickets for the game. I also wrapped my brake-line around a pole in the Corridor because I spaced out while listening to the Nerdist podcast (my new favorite podcast). I know I said earlier that it was safe and I will pay a little more attention now. Still, it's an easy fix and Corey fixed it already for me.

I ended up getting onto the Facebook page Timber's Ticket Exchange which was a lot easier than trying to contact and wait for a reply from Craigslist posters.

the word of the savage

I typically listen to music when I bike. Some people consider it unsafe but then again, some of those people will talk on their cell phone while they drive so I don't care. Instead of music today, I listened to the Savage Love podcast while biking 40 miles round trip to one of my stores for work. Since 95% of my ride is on bike paths, it's safe and very entertaining. I've never downloaded podcasts onto my phone before since I didn't have the available GBs. However, my new phone has a lot more memory so I have room for delicious new material. Jen mentions Dan Savage enough that I decided I could try his podcast. I think I ended up listening to four of his shows just today while riding around everywhere. I love the idea of not just listening to music (although there is a time for that) but listening and learning at the same time.

The above picture is from a debate that he mentions on his podcasts wherein Brian Brown challenged him to a debate about the word of the bible. Brian Brown got his ass stomped. Watch it here.

What else?
We didn't get a package delivered today but Dean still decided to turn down my bed by evenly pulling down my sheets and quilt halfway down my bed and taking the pillows that I put on a shelf every morning (so he can't get fur all over them) and setting them properly side by side on my bed. Oh, then he took half the shoes out of my closet. What an odd fellow. Because I was a little bewildered by him,  I made him pose for a dog-shaming picture which I submitted to the site.

national dog day

Since I gave up my car months ago, I've been meaning to get Dean into the bike cart. Really, he's been doing well walking so it hasn't been an issue to get him to places. Also, Bobby the cat will most likely beat him up if I take him back to Long Haus so there hasn't been a need for him to travel far. However, today was the SouthEast Sunday Parkways and the path passes close to my house. Also, it's National Dog Day (they only get one day?!?!) so I thought today's the best possible day to try to get him to ride in the cart again.

If I had to grade it as a pass or a fail, we barely passed today and that's only because he redeemed himself at the end. He jumped out of the cart maybe 14 or 15 times, nearly injuring himself a few times. I have to say that I think it's the hills. He hates riding up or down a hill. On the flat roads, he was remarkably good. But for the hills, he was frustratingly impossible. Another cyclist recommended getting a Burley cart for him which I will probably do. However, I think that he really just needs to be able to see me so a cargo bike would probably be best but a cart's cheaper. I will make this happen though, one way or another.

What else?
Andrew and I walked around the Hawthorne Street Fair which was delightful. On the walk, we saw this sign which I kind of loved:

the orchard ride

Laying in an apple orchard on a late summer evening after biking sounds as delightful as it was. I love this time of year.

We biked to Powell Butte today and walked our bikes up to the top from the Springwater Corridor. There, we played our card game and sat and talked. It was just beautiful.

Afterwards, we biked down (which was a bit steep at parts but very thrilling). It could have been the French countryside by the looks of it in parts. We ended up craving margaritas so we went to the closest place (thank you, Siri) which was La Costita where we had gigantic margaritas which were much more sugar than booze. Surprisingly, the food was pretty good.

We concluded the fun day with an awesome ride through the Springwater Corridor at night. I've never ridden it at night before and it was the perfect night for it. The air was just crisp enough to be invigorating and the crickets were singing and all of the other people who I'd normally have to navigate around on the trail were non-existent. It was fabulous!

What else?
On Wednesday, August 22nd, I made up for my jerkishness the day before and met Andrew for a nice dinner at Circa 33. I had the drink A Drop of Poison for the 1st time.


On Thursday, August 23rd, I homemade a new veggie pizza with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, and goat cheese in an olive base. It was okay but I should have let the dough sit out longer. I also fixed the screen door latch again by switching the handle with the old screen door and getting creative. It works now!

On Friday, August 24th, I invited Andrew over to the house so we could watch a movie on Xbox's TV while X and Sophia are in Boston. We've been dating for 16 months now and this is the first time we've watched a movie at home together. It was nice but I kept falling asleep because that's what I do.