make it a good day

Yesterday, my new thing was going to be Mediterranean Stew. To make the stew, I went and bought a slicer like my mom had in Nebraska. It's a little inclined plastic shelf with a blade in the middle for slicing veggies. However, I got a little careless with it so my new thing was going to the ER at Portland Adventist.

Since I've been in Portland, I've only had Kaiser Insurance until I started this job. Since I've been at this job, I've just been to the doctor once when I had an ear-ache and they did nothing about it. At Kaiser, ER visits were only a $20 copay so I thought that it would be worth it since I couldn't get my thumb to stop bleeding. I didn't cut too much off of it; it was only about 1/8 inch round circle. I bandaged it up 3x and put some blood clotting powder (which stung like holy hell) and it persisted on bleeding through. I got worried enough to go in and they cleaned it up a bit and put a little band-aid on it and billed with 10x what my copay would have been at Kaiser. So I was extremely pissed off at myself. I was upset that I did something as stupid as slice my thumb when the slicer even gives you a tool to hold the veggies (but in my defense, it doesn't work so well for eggplant. I was upset that I went to the ER in the first place and then that I didn't just walk out when they said it would be a $200 copay. So, I was determined to have a better day today.

I had coffee with Andrew, walked Ava to Tabor, took a THC lozenge, deep-cleaned the house, trimmed the bedroom curtains (my new thing), started watching the last season of Continuum, got a bubble tea, read comics in the hammock, met Andrew at Dove Vivi where he bought me dinner, and then met up with friends to watch the new Black Panthers documentary. Mission accomplished.

What else?
Earlier this week, I finally finished the complete Civil War in the Marvel series. I remember a friend telling me about it years ago as it was coming out. Since I've been getting comics on my Kindle, I've been interested a lot more in DC than I have in Marvel but I did enjoy this, mostly because it introduced me to a batch of new characters with whom I was previously unfamiliar. My favorite of these was Jessica Jones (pictured above) so I also got the Jessica Jones:Alias and Pulse series which I finished tonight. I'd highly recommend the series, even to someone who is less than familiar with comics and Marvel in particular. She stands alone enough to make it understandable and it's just fun.

time keeps on slipping

When I decided to come back to Nebraska, I had the momentary idea that I would put blogging on hold during my stay here because I was going back to little town Nebraska where new things would be harder to come by but then, I thought, that's kind of the point. I'll admit that my new things are often new eateries/bars/menu items/drinks so staying in a town where the dining and drinking options are much more limited (especially for a vegetarian), I knew I would have to be more creative with my new things. We've kind of had an agenda for the past week: getting adjusted, visiting Grandma, my sister and her kids visiting, going to the bridges, and visiting the new baby. Yesterday was our first lull in activity with no real plans on the near horizon. Today was even moreso with my parents both working all day out of town so I was here with Ava.

I thought about heading to town to get some routine maintenance on my car or driving to a spot where Ava and I could go on a long hike but we've been driving every day. So instead, I ate half a THC caramel and chilled at the house, watching Orange is the New Black, sorting through my 1000+ iPhone pics, making lunch, doing dishes, laundry, etc. My new thing was walking down some different streets with Ava. I've pretty much explored a different route every day but that will only get me so far. After a while, one runs out of streets and the new things become something that you have to actively work towards.

In cleaning up my iPhone pics, I came across this excerpt that I took out of the Shell Collector by Hugh Howey. When I read it months ago, it resonated with me and this blog. This is why I'm determined to keep on doing new things. Not only do I want to sample so much of what life has to offer but I also just want to slow it all down. When I reflect back on my vacation here in Nebraska, yesterday and today (and probably tomorrow) will all blend together and be categorized as "and then I just chilled," but I like telling stories to friends and family and I want to be able to tell them something fresh all the time which is why I've got to keep doing new things. Keep it fresh...yo.

derby day 2015

We went to the Portland Adult Soap Box Derby today. This is my second year attending it. Last year, we brought Ava which turned out to be too much for us and her. This year, we brought a flask which was a much better idea.

This year, we didn't move around either which made it much more relaxed. We just sat back and watched the cars go by. I filmed a lot of them in slo-mo on my iPhone which made it easier afterwards to really appreciate the cars. Most of them went by more than once so I was able to enjoy it outside of my iPhone as well. My favorites were the Spaceballs RV, Ecto 1, Steampunk R2D2, the Duff Balloon, and the Racing Snail, shown in the movie above. My new thing was getting Duffed by the Duff Balloon. In the video below, you'll notice that the balloon was spraying. With six of us sitting there on the sidelines watching, I was the one that got all of the spray. It was shocking but very enjoyable.

What else?

Since we weren't taking Ava to the derby, we took her to coffee, brunch, two parks, and a pet store first. At one of the parks (actually a school yard), we met Moby who is a St Berdoodle. I have never met a St Bernard/poodle mix but he was huge, adorable, and full of energy. He and Ava got along splendidly!

I also finished Armada, Ernest Cline's follow-up novel to Ready Player One. It wasn't a sequel but it was similar in theme and pop culture references. I would recommend it.

On Friday, my new thing was trying the Kale Salad at Fressen. It was okay.

phone sleuth

On our walk with Ava this morning, we found an iPhone 5. It had no charge so the find-my-phone feature wouldn't work so I took the phone home, charged it, saw the Instagram photo notifications that popped up, tagging the phone's owner in pics. I looked up the Instagram photographer on my phone, and discovered that the phone owner was a heavy metal dancer at the 'gluten-free strip club' so I went to the tattoo shop next door where the photographer's husband worked and dropped the phone off with him since DV8 wasn't opened yet. I felt like an amateur Veronica Mars.

PS I hate this holiday. Our animals are terrified & I'm afraid that an overly-patriotic neighbor is going to burn our house down.

What else?

Ever since I've figured out how to get comics onto my Kindle, I've been reading mostly comics and graphic novels. Earlier this week, I finished the DC Comics' series Flashpoint which was pretty good although I didn't care for the ending. Today, I finished the Sculptor by Scott McCloud which was just beautiful. 

conversations on the higher order

Sometimes synchronicity is quite obvious. Last night, I started reading Dan Savage's latest book, American Savage and in particular his chapter on his mother and Catholicism. That night, I dreamt about going to communion and feeling slightly guilty about it since I haven't been to church in a long time but I was given a large communion wafer. Then today, I received an email from a nun. I have a distant family member who is a nun in Chicago I believe who occasionally sends out mass emails. Usually it's about the meaning of holidays or reminders to keep disaster victims in our prayers. Every year, I get a birthday email from her. It's never personal. I don't believe that we've ever met but somehow, from some relative, she got a hold of my email address. I haven't really given any of the emails much thought until yesterday when she sent me a prayer pledge regarding the Supreme Court's decision on same sex marriage.

In the email, it states that the fight against same sex marriage is a fight for truth, for our children, and our country's future. There are times where I ignore this kind of hate because I feel that the person isn't worth appealing to or that it could damage our relationship if I challenged them. However, I don't have a real relationship with this nun and I would be interested in hearing her side and having her hear my side so I wrote back. I remained civil but was quite clear that I thought that the fight against same-sex marriage was more damaging to children than same-sex marriages could ever be. I got a little personal in it, relaying my own experiences with the church's hate but again, I kept it civil.

As of yet, I haven't heard back from her and I'm not sure that I will. But I can sleep easier knowing that I tried.

lost love in translation

Today, I had two meetings in which the primary people I was meeting with from whom I needed information did not speak English. In one of the meetings, I needed professional translation services to help them understand the complexities of divorce, custody, and the legal mumbo-jumbo. I barely understood what was in English so I can't imagine what it's like for them. Still, I feel like I got something accomplished and we're on a good path now. Go me.

However, the talk of the complications of divorce have really got me second-guessing marriage as a viable option. When marriage became legal in Oregon, I was thrilled that it was suddenly an option but I wasn't holding my breath for a marriage proposal. As I worked on the campaign and got signatures, Andrew stated that he agreed that everyone should have an equal right to debase their deepest affections by registering them with the government. We joked that he should write Hallmark cards.

Earlier this year, when I found out that I was going to have to pay over $1000 in state and federal taxes, Andrew asked if there's anything he could go. I jokingly stated that he could propose. Yes, I've dreamed of getting married but that was when I was a kid, watching Days of our Lives. Since then, I've become a lot more cynical and now look at marriage as a tool. It's not necessary for me to declare my love by registering it with the state but it would have it's benefits. One could access a lot of those benefits through individual legal means but marriage quickly gives you the right to all of it and also a tax break. But now I see how messy it can become if it doesn't go well so I'm not so sure.

What else?
I finished 100 Miles Sideways while flying back from Mexico on 4/22/15. However, now I am without a book to read and it's throwing me off. I read Unnatural Creatures by Neil Gaiman but only read some of the short stories. I highly recommend it as a vacation read though. I'm going to try Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle from the Mountain Goats. I got to say that having books on my Kindle has made them seem less substantial and therefore easier to dismiss.

buy the book

Last year, at the end of the year, I wanted to reflect on the year based upon the books that I finished. However, I couldn't recall all that I had read so this year, I've decided to keep better track. Today, I got up at 5:20am and read that last few chapters of the book The Shell Collector. It was written by Hugh Howey who wrote the Wool series which I really loved a year or so ago. I thought it seemed like it would be dystopian as well with the seas rising and marine life dying but, it was actually a romance novel set in the not-too-distant future. It wasn't bad tho. I just wasn't what I was expecting. I like his narration style which is critical in a book for me.

So that left me adrift (!) without a course or destination in mind so I took to wandering through Powells. I should know better than to go there so aimlessly. I think I spent two hours just browsing the shelves. After much deliberation and four different choices in hand, I settled on The Outlander by Gil Adamson. I hope it doesn't disappoint. It's not sci-fi fantasy with a funny narrator so it's not my usual bag but I've trying to expand my horizons.

My new thing was actually just having the vegan skillet at Bar Carlo which was really good. Also, Andrew's had a little bit of trouble coming up with a birthday gift idea for me. I've had his for a while but he told me over breakfast just to tell him what I want. It's not the most comfortable thing for me to do. I tend to think of myself as more independent than that. If I want something, I save up for it and buy it myself. However, I don't want this process to be uncomfortable for him so I said a Kindle. Price-wise, it's comparable to what I got him and I know that I'll use it. It would be nice to be able to store a number of electronic books right in a little tablet. But because I love the recommendations and the treasure hunt of it all, I'm sure will still go to Powells and the library on occasion.

the catalyst

On Memorial Day Weekend 2010, I took Dean for what was really his last significant hike. During the 4.3 mile hike to Dry Creek Falls and back, he fell down and had trouble getting back up. At 9 yrs old, his legs were no longer able to go for such distances, especially off-leash. He could hike more when he was on leash but we pretty much stopped doing big hikes after that.

Today, I went back to Dry Creek Falls with Andrew and Ava. This was Ava's first hike primarily off leash and she did really well. We figured that she hikes at least 3x what we do. Andrew and I have each been feeling the need for more exercise and I think Ava's ability to hike in the woods will be a great catalyst for the change we are looking for. She's so young and energetic. I couldn't help but reminisce about how much I loved hiking with Dean while he could do it. I did end up getting to the point where I loved our couch time as much as our hiking time but I'm excited for all of the potential hikes that we can go on with Ava. And it's still so early in the year! It was gorgeous today and it's supposed to be nice for at least a week before the rain starts in again.

Since the hike itself was a repeat, I will count going to Cascade Locks as my new thing for the day.

What else?
Yesterday I finished the book Grasshopper Jungle. It was a deceptively clever book and really well done. I found myself laughing out loud more than once and would definitely recommend it.

skunk drink

 

Three years and three days ago, Andrew and I play our first game of cribbage. Since then, we've played countless games and come up with new ways to make it interesting. As of right now, we have 6 different ways to earn drinks in the game, one way to earn a meal, and two ways to earn a paid trip to the coast (which nobody has done yet). Additionally, we have recently stipulated that earned drinks should be collected at local venues as a way to force ourselves to try each and every local place. Today, it was my turn to collect a drink and I chose NWIPA as the venue.

It has a few beers on tap and a great selection of bottled beers, mostly (if not all) local. I tried a good cider with quince and some other things in it. Andrew had a riot cider which is made by a friend of a friend. We'll definitely be headed back there when we just need some good quality beers (and possibly even when it's not owed thanks to skunking our opponent at cribbage).

What else?

I just finished the last book in the Magicians series by Lev Grossman. I loved it. It was about a guy who never really outgrows his obsessions with fantasy novels, relying mostly on using the Narnia series for inspiration (followed closely by the Harry Potter series). I could definitely relate to it and the author had a great voice for each individual narrator. I'm going to miss it though but I'm ready to move on. I have a long list of books I want to read in 2015 and I can't wait to get started.

saga

Nothing extraordinary today but I started a new comic series, Saga. It's written by Brian K Vaughan who did Y the Last Man which is my favorite so I'm giving it a chance. I saw the first volume when I was at Powell's yesterday but didn't buy it. Today I was meeting Andrew at happy hour directly after work but wanted to read while I waited for him so I went into my work's store and found the first issue for 99 cents! Score! I liked it. I'm hoping it will grow on me more.

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.

chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool

It's too damn hot. I wouldn't have been drawn to the Pacific Northwest if I wanted to live in hot weather. Fortunately, it's not going to last that long...hopefully.

It's only been in the high 80s but it supposed to reach the mid 90s this weekend. Really, that's not too bad when I think of the 100 degree days that I used to spend in Nebraska, specifically the times when I didn't have air-conditioning. I remember once sitting around our shack of a house with Brian. We were just both in running shorts and nothing else with our door propped wide open to try to capture any breeze at all as we watched the Simpsons. Neither of us were moving for fear of bringing on the sweat when a rottweiler strode into our living room like he owned the place. Again, we didn't move and he just stood there looking at us, not wagging his tail but not growling either. He eventually left and we were able to then shut the door. I can't exactly remember what we did then but I'd guess we went to Hastings where our friend ran a movie theater where we could just hang out all day and watch movies for free.

It doesn't get nearly that hot here but when you're not used to it at all, these days can be dreadful. Sleeping is particularly difficult. After going without sleep for a few days now, I decided that I wasn't doing a damn thing today and it felt awesome. Also, my hammock in back is a lot better setup than a hot living room.

What else?
My new thing today was buying wine from a vendor at the Buckman Farmer's Market and also buying a loaf of bread. I started reading the Hunger Games yesterday because Sophia has a copy and recommended it. It's really good and it made bread sound like a delicious idea so I discovered a fresh bread vendor at the Farmer's Market which was delightful.

My new things yesterday and the day before were both work things. I had to do a training for new staff on Tuesday. We present a full day of training as a team every other month and normally, I train at the end of the day but due to scheduling conflicts, I went first today. I like going last better because then I get to let the class go a little early. Still, I met some new people, in particular, one new guy who I'm going to be working with at one of my stores.

Today, I toured a store in Beaverton with one of my participants and then met her skills trainer. She asked me a bunch of questions about the clients' work ability and I was impressed by how knowledgeable and professional I sounded. Go me!

guard dog

Dean's an awesome awesome loyal dog and smart as a whip but bravery is not among his strengths.

When I got home from work today, I opened the door and he wasn't there to greet me. I looked on my bed and he wasn't there either, nor was he in the office on his pillow or the loveseat. The baby gate was still up in front of Sophia's room so I knew he wasn't in there and his leash was still home so nobody was taking him for a walk. I panicked for a second, calling his name. Then I noticed the bathroom door was closed. I pushed it open against some towels that were laying in front of the door along with an upside down trash can. Dean came running out.

Here's what I assume happened: The mailman came by, approximately at 1:30pm and opened the screen door to drop two packages in between the screen door and the wood door. Dean barked at the mailman as per usual. However, he became frightened when he thought the man in uniform was coming into the house so he ran to the bathroom, pushing the door closed behind him and then barricading himself in with towels and a trashcan. That's my protector.

This is all speculation but it's also the most logical conclusion. (Obviously, I have been watching too much of the BBC show Sherlock.)

What else?
Sophia, Xbox and I tried the relatively new Thai Dish Cuisine near our house. It used to be Thai Thai but it changed owners. Anyway, it has some of the best Pad Thai I have ever had. I love this neighborhood!

Also, I finished the DMZ comic series today. I loved it but not as much as I loved Y: The Last Man. Still, I would recommend it highly to almost anyone.

that other reality

Last week, while we were enjoying the beginning of Country Fair, one of our friends passed away. Since I've been in Portland, I've only had to attend two funerals. One was for my co-worker's child and the other was for my grandma. I consider Portland to be a wonderland of sorts and death doesn't belong here. Today, I had to face that, even here, death is a reality that will still find us eventually.

I can't say that I knew Syd very well. We had only met a handful of times but I was more acquainted with his partner, Cat. Syd has faced a long and grueling battle with cancer, only to pass away due to the doctors' denials that it had returned. Cat's been with him for over 20 years. I can't imagine what she's going through.

Yesterday was Syd's funeral which was referred to as a celebration of life. It was hard for me to view it that way when I didn't know him very well and I could see that my friend was so clearly suffering. Despite the imposing religiousness of the ceremony and sermon (Syd wasn't a church-goer) and the meat at the reception (Syd was an animal rights activist), it was nice to have such a large gathering of people there to honor Syd's memory. It was also a lovely setting, on the marina on Hayden Island.

Afterwards, Cat wanted to go to the beach so we made that happen. Ashes, Victory, Josie, Jesse, Lori, Cat and I all headed to Manzanita at sunset. We didn't really have a plan other than to get to the beach. Normally, I would have had to bow out of the trip due to Dean but Sophia was able to care for him. Cat also had her little dog Buddha so I bought some treats for her.

 

It was a long drive but it was also nice to be with friends. We got to the beach after dark. None of us were really prepared for a beach trip so we didn't even have jackets, except for Cat fortunately. Initially, Lori was going to rent us a hotel room and told us to buy some food. When we found out all of the hotels were booked, we just sat on the beach by a campfire. The beach was calm and beautiful and not too cold or windy. Sometime after midnight, we decided to head back to Portland. I drove Ashes' car and he drove Lori's since hers was a stick shift and she was too tired to drive. We didn't get back until this morning at 3am.

I love my friends. I love that they would be up for going to the beach at the last minute at the wishes of a friend in need without any attempt to dissuade her or push their own agendas. We're a special bunch and I don't want to lose any more of us.

What else?
In witnessing Syd's ceremony, I would like to get out of making a will right now and instead opt to do the cheap version by posting my wishes on my blog. I don't want a priest there, especially one who doesn't know me. I haven't gone to church in a long time and that's been a conscious decision. To have my funeral be overtly religious would be to dishonor my memory. If I change my mind one day down the road, I will update this. I would have the people from the Spirit Booth at Community Village do their thing but that's not a requirement. Also, I don't want meat served but dairy is fine. I want whatever animal I may own to be there and I want to be cremated. There's a cliff outside Manzanita where my ashes could be dumped but don't pull a Lebowski and let them fly back in your face.

I haven't been taking a lot of pictures lately so I haven't been updating my blog this week but here's what's happened:

On Monday, July 16th, I woke early in the morning at camp and registered for classes on my I-Phone. I got into the class with my instructor that I had for my generalist class which went along with my internship two years ago. I'm thrilled about that. Also, on the ride home, Tomas taught me how to play Backgammon. I was exhausted and not in the right state of mind to learn the game but I think I got the concept down.

On Tuesday, July 17th, I was hit by a car on my bike. I was and still am 100% fine. I was biking in a crosswalk that pedestrians were in as well on Powell and 28th by the McDonalds. The eastbound traffic stopped and a car was slowing in the westbound traffic but she didn't hit her brake all of the way. I was in front of her when I noticed she wasn't actually going to stop but I couldn't speed past her because I didn't know if the cars in the right lane were going to stop or slow down at all. She tapped by back tire and my bike stopped so I jumped off. I cussed at her and then saw she was maybe in her mid-80s. She pulled over and gave me her info. I released the quick release on my tire and it fell back into place. She told me to get it looked at and I had to spend a good amount of time consoling her. Maybe I should have called the cops because I don't think she should be driving still but I'm hoping she'll realize that on her own.

On Wednesday, July 18th, I got my bike checked out. Corey at Seven Corners had to true the tire but it was fine other than that and he didn't charge me anything because he's super-awesome. I bussed out to Clackamas for a store visit for the first time.

On Thursday, July 19th, I went to Veggie Grill for the first time. I also picked up a book on defending animals called the Bond. I like it so far but it makes me want to quit my job and devote my life to animal activism. Later on, Ashes and I picked up the door for Sophia's room from the store and I bought a spring which I used to fix the front screen door. I also went to the Hunger Games with Jesse. It was okay but a bit long. I'm impressed that I managed to stay awake through it all since it's almost a three hour movie and it didn't start until 9:15pm.

On Friday, July 20th, I made chocolate walnut cookies for Syd's service. I was also thinking that I would bring them to a BBQ that Andrew and I were going to at his friends Mark and Emily's house but they weren't cooled in time.

the road home

I'm back home. It was a long journey but I think I liked it just as much as flying because A) I had my dog & B) I didn't have to put up with airport crap. It's too bad it's really not feasible in the winter because I'd do it all again for Christmas.

Another reason I liked driving was due to the car. This little Focus was fuel efficient and intuitive as far as the controls like cruise control are concerned. When I got in it last week, I was initially concerned because it was so nice and I had declined the additional insurance that they offered, although I did opt for a $7/day minimal insurance offered by the third party agency that set up the rental. However, I managed to return the car without any damages and with 15 minutes to spare before the end of my reservation! Yeah!

I stopped at a few new places (rest stops and gas stations) for my new thing(s), in addition to returning a car to Alamo. While I was a bit concerned with having a deadline of when I had to have the car back, the drive was relatively easy and pretty. Again, I just listened to the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood audio books, making it through the 4th book. The audio books were another reason that the long journey didn't seem so daunting. Maybe I'll do it again next summer!

biomimicry

 I went to a speech tonight at Science Pub, a bi-monthly event that OMSI puts on, usually at McMenamins' pub theaters. Today, Richard Louv was speaking about biomimicry. I don't have any particular interest in this and, really, I didn't even know what it was before going to the speech but I was looking for a new thing to do and Sophia's talked up the Science Pubs quite a bit so I decided to give it a shot.

It was very educational and right on with my line of thinking. To sum up what I learn, we as people have pretty much assigned ourselves to either sticking our head in the ground and not thinking about the future or we've accepted that the future will be some post-apocalyptic wasteland where true nature (a vast diversity of flora and fauna) will be a distant memory. I guess I subscribe to the latter category. However, assigning ourselves to a shitty fate is making us lethargic about being able to do anything to change it. It's become a self-fulfilling prophecy now.

Sustainability really isn't the key either as it implies just maintaining an equilibrium with nature which is a difficult balance to keep up. Instead, we need to be more creative and look to nature to model our dwellings, our habits and our lives after. Ignore the hippie connotations of this concept but we need to become one with nature. We also need to get our kids back into nature. Kids are lost in a world of technology and ADHD diagnoses. By making nature a more relevant part of our kids lives, nature will become more valued and incorporated. I think that's about it.

Anyway, I think that I could spend days at this guy's seminar. I should probably just buy his book. However, I've got too many other books to read right now and it's summer. Biomimicry isn't exactly light reading.

What else?

Speaking of summer and school, I got my grades back yesterday. Another A. That's another whole year of solid A's!

my future car

One of the greatest conversations I can remember having was between a handful of other sophomores at McCook Community College one fall evening in 1995. I was in Bryan and Nate's dorm room with a few others while we reminisced about the 1980s, specifically about cartoons from our childhood. The power of our brains to reconnect with a time over 10 years old and reproduce the emotions that went along with that time is truly spectacular. That night was one of the first times I had realized that I just found my new two best friends in college and that's what happened. We were pretty much bonded after that.

If you didn't experience childhood in the eighties, it probably seemed like a pretty shitty decade with Ronald Reagan and the onset of AIDS and more. However, all of that was background noise for me at the time, drown out by Intellivision, He-Man, Rubix Cubes, Sixteen Candles, Care Bears, Space Invaders, Girls Just Want to Have Fun (the movie which I can still recite line for line), Cyndi Lauper, Pac Man (both the game and the TV show), the Never-Ending Story, Burgertime, the Karate Kid, Nerds candies, and Revenge of the Nerds. My friend Teddy and I spent what seems like a lot of time in Ed's Drive, especially when we discovered Mario Bros (the original) and Q-Bert. I was a lot better at Mario Bros. It was Shangri-La but that's because it was an innocent time for us as people. Talk whatever smack you want about the politics, health care, fashion mistakes, or overly synthesized music but I loved the 1980s and I always will.

Dominic recommended a book to me over a month ago and I checked it out from the library last week. It's Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Once I started reading it, I realized that I didn't want to do anything else. It's set in the future but in a future preoccupied with the 1980s so it packed with wonderful references, both blatant and obscure. It's like reliving my childhood or at least that conversation I had back in September of 1995. My only problem with the book is that I'm going to finish it way too soon and then I'll be stuck looking for an adequate summer book to follow it. I'll probably just do what Dominic did and I'll read it again.

I went home for lunch around 3pm today and walked Dean so I didn't need to head home right after work. Since Ready Player One, I've been itching to spend some time dorking out on arcade games while eating mediocre pizza so I planned to go down to Ground Kontrol and kill some time there. Fortunately, I checked my twitter feed first and saw that Powells in Beaverton was hosting Ernest Cline tonight for the tour of the paperback version of Ready Player One. I biked downtown, bought a copy of the book to replace the library's copy I had been reading, grabbed some pizza at Sizzle Pie and jumped on the MAX.

I hadn't biked in Beaverton before and I was quite unprepared for the suburbs but it was going to be worth it. The Beaverton Powells is even in a mall which made even more 80s sense, although I loathe the mall. Ernest's presentation was great. Fortunately, he didn't give away the ending because I haven't finished it yet but he did talk about the work he had to do to get his screenplay Fanboys made and how he came to write Ready Player One. He also introduced me to his contest that he is doing in which he has mirrored his book by placing a hidden easter egg in the book that leads to a video game. The first person to solve all three riddles and games will win the DeLorean pictured above. I don't know if I'm going to compete but I might give it a shot. Really, it was just enough for me to sit in the DeLorean and then bike back the the MAX with a big grin on my face while listening to Huey Lewis sing about the Power of Love.

door it yourself

Our screen door has been a constant problem since I moved in. The top two hinges were broken so we've had to lift the door up slightly when we close it. I've been trying to fix it for a while now, putting more screws in here and there but it's never lasted. On Friday, Dean ran up to bark at the mailman when the screen door was closed. I wasn't too worried about it but then Dean threw his shoulder into the door and it opened. Fortunately, he came right back. Yesterday, I came home to find the door off of the hinges and leaning against the front porch railing. Now the problem was undeniable and needed to be fixed.

Sophia and I took my first tour of the Rebuilding Center after I measured the door frame. We found several doors that we liked but only one that would fit and had the hinges on the right side of the door. We managed to fit more than half of it in my trunk and Sophia tied it down. When we got it home, I took the old hinges/frame off, took the spacers out of the doorway, and screwed in new holes. The latch wasn't at the right height and wasn't the right width so I had to mess around with that for a little bit but I managed to get it installed. I then bought some white spray paint to take care of the rust color on the mesh pictured above and a few more screws to set the door in properly.

Overall, the door cost $10, the can of paint was $3 and the screws were $1 but the satisfaction of having put a new/old door onto the house (that I like a lot better than the previous door) is priceless.

What else?
To celebrate, I checked out a new comic DMZ from the library and read it on the front porch. I also have a set of solar-powered Christmas lights on the porch so I had a little more light and was able to read past sunset. I'm sooooo ready for summer.

dyi coffee

I've been working in this building for 1908 days since 1/8/07 (excluding weekends, holidays and vacations). In that time, I've frequented every coffee shop within walking distance but mostly the in-house cafeteria here. Recently, I've found the coffee to be unbearable so I've been frequenting the coffee shops around the area instead. The only benefit to the coffee here is that is only costs 84 cents. Spending anywhere from $2-4 a day on coffee really adds up so I just decided to do it myself today.

Sophia has a crazy amount of french presses at the house. She wisely picks them up whenever she sees them at garage sales. She suggested that I take one to work this weekend so today I grabbed the coffee that I've had in our freezer for months, a carton of soy creamer and the french press. We have a hot water spout here so it was really simple and really good. I was the envy of the office! If I got nothing else accomplished at work today, I would still consider today a victory!

What else?
Matt 'Matilda' Sycamore had a reading for her latest anthology today at Powells entitled, "Why Are Faggots so Afraid of Faggots?" I was initially afraid of going to the reading because I was concerned that I was flaming enough. However, the book doesn't chastise people for not being being overly femme. It just critiques the main-streaming of gay culture and the "battles" that we fight for like marriage and military service while there is still bashings going on and queer youth have to endure abuse after abuse just to wait until 'it gets better.' I'm looking forward to reading it and challenging my own perspectives.

heal thyself

Today, I took a mental health day (a non-sick sick day) and focused on mental illness by reading the "DSM [diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders] Made Easy." Over the weekend, my teacher emailed out the syllabus for the intensive class which begins this Friday. It's intensive because it's going to last for eight hours on a Friday. I've considered backing out of the class, focusing on my Wednesday class and then just taking an extra class next quarter but I really like the subject matter for this class. In this class, we look at the process behind which people use the DSM to identify conditions that people have. I'm not big on labels but I do love the idea of trying to diagnose someone in hopes that you can then begin to help them.

For the first time, I looked into the DSM which brought some new diagnoses to light and I gave myself a quick diagnosis which I won't be sharing here. I just need to complete my Wednesday class which is about the intervention that is to be used once a diagnosis is given so I can help myself.

What else?
Additionally, I tried the Coconut Milk Mocha at Common Grounds for the first time. It was nice and it gave me the little kick I needed to start wading through such thick material. I will say that I normally begrudge the readings I have to do but this one really interested me. Maybe I am cut out for this work. That, combined with getting to hang out with Dean and listen to trance music in the background while it snowed slightly outside made for a pretty good sick day.