the beginning of the end

This is it.

I have 9 more months to go.

Today, I started my last year of higher education. I can't believe it's almost finished. I've got to not get ahead of myself and actually settle in this year and focus. I'd be lying if I wasn't tempted just to keep my head low, get the papers done and graduate so I can be done with it all. However, I'm not one for biting my tounge.

I had a new instructor today. He was my first white straight male instructor at PSU. I kind of enjoyed the fact that I was always taught by someone who wasn't a white straight male because that's the oppressive class but he recognized that today which was cool. I did call him out on his outdated teaching material (he had a evolutionary chart of theory which showed how it has evolved from 1970-1990 and then just stopped) but I'm willing to give him the benefit of a doubt. He has many years in practice so he's not all academic which is nice.

My main issue with the class is it appears that a large chunk of it is going to be family therapy. I don't want to be a therapist and I definitely don't want to be a family therapist. I'm hoping that's just my initial impression and it will be more varied as we move along.

Anyway, the above clip is a video that he used to start the class. I already have senior-itis. Starting the school year by showing what is essentially a commencement speech is not going to ground me any quicker. :)

when it all falls apart

Today was rough.

I found out last Friday that the teacher that I was planning to take my next year's classes with had quit. This threw my plans into a small frenzy because I was taking the class at an inconvenient time just to take it with that teacher. Since she was no longer teaching that section, I dropped that section and tried to sign up for a different section. The computer told me I needed department approval.

Today, I called the PSU registration office to see what was wrong and they told me that they didn't have record of me as being a registered student at all. I said, "Well, you're sending me a bill!" They told me I had to go down there to talk to them in person. Since my plans had become messed up for next year, I thought about just saying screw in and drop out. However, I knew that I wouldn't actually do that. In person, I found out that I had signed a privacy agreement a while back which prohibited them from telling me or anyone else over the phone my registration status. So I got that taken care of.

Then, I went to register for the class and the registration office told me that the social work department had put a hold on these classes for some reason so I'd have to fill out a special registration slip. My new soon-to-be instructor wasn't there but the department director said he's send the instructor an e-mail to get me signed up.

Next I went to buy a book that PSU printed for the instructor. When the cashier went to rang me up, he said that my book didn't have a price and wasn't in the computer. He ended up telling me that the book shouldn't be on the shelves until a later quarter.

So, my day came down to this. I couldn't buy a book for a class I wasn't signed up for in a university that I wasn't actually attending.

After jumping through these hoops and going through this runaround, I found comfort in a small pick-me-up written on the front of a condom machine.

my reward system

 

I made a deal with myself a while ago. I promised myself that I would not see The Avengers until I finished my final paper. The paper's not due until next week but the last showing for The Avengers at any local independent theater was tonight so I was pressed to get it done before today. I pretty much finished it on Tuesday and did the final touches yesterday quick before going to class. I turned it in and now I was free to enjoy my movie!

Before the film, I went to Sock Dreams as an additional reward and then to Stickers, pictured above, for some food and drink. The movie was pretty much everything I was expecting and more. Not only was it the ultimate superhero movie but it was written and directed by Joss Whedon who can do no wrong in my book!

stumbling blocks

I don't have a picture for my new thing today but the above pic is symbolic of how I feel right now. Actually, I'm a lot more pissed than that but it's at least an adequate representation of my job situation. Near the end of last year, one of my clients, Jane (that's not her name but for privacy's sake, I don't want to use her real name or initials) stated she wanted to learn how to cashier. Jane has attendance issues though so I told her that cashiers have to be reliable and I would like her to work on her attendance before proceeded with cashiering. We've never had a client cashier before so it's kind of a big deal.

Jane's attendance improved slightly but she never really hit the perfect attendance mark. In March, she told me that she was going through a different vocational rehab program to get a community job. She's quite capable of working in the community so I figured it was a sure thing. I did the cashier test with her and she passed it with some assistance. In helping her take the test and come up with the answers, I really felt that I was helping make a difference for her. I then set it up for her to come to the official cashier training that all cashiers have to attend. The HR department came and talked to me, concerned about her ability to operate a register successfully. I told them that she would always be supervised while on a register and they finally agreed.

Jane passed the cashier training with no problem and we did a trial run on a register in April but she couldn't remember her cashier password. I contacted our cashier trainer to get her password reset but he never got back to me. I persisted and finally just cornered him in his cubicle. He stated that HR didn't have her classified in the system as a cashier. She was in the system as a client and clients haven't been cashiers. I then went to HR and asked them if I could get clearance to be a cashier and she could cashier with me under my classification. They stated that it was a fault in the system but she could be put in daily if I contacted the trainer and had her put in each day I trained with her. The system would then reset itself and her profile in the system would be deleted after that day. Then came the contract.

A guy from our business office brought my direct supervisor a contract that I was to sign every time I cashiered with her. It stated that I would be responsible for her register and that if she was off on her till or if she attempted to use the register to defraud the company (?), I would face the disciplinary action up to and including termination. I wasn't happy the idea but I really wanted Jane to be able to cashier so I signed the contract. She did an awesome job on the register as I went out each week and worked with her on there for 30-60 minutes at a time. It quickly became the thing she looked forward to most and also it was the most rewarding part of my job. Plus I found out that the other vocational rehab program didn't think that Jane was ready so I was determined to prove them wrong and help get her ready for community employment.

Before our accreditation last week, my big boss emailed me and my direct supervisor, wanting to know if Jane was cashiering and then wanting to make sure I brought it up to the surveyors which I did. However, the idea of the contract didn't sit well with me. I didn't understand why I needed to put my job on the line in order to provide training for my client. Wasn't that my job after all? Isn't that our mission? So I talked to the HR director about it today. He said the contract was silly and even questioned why Jane wasn't paid a cashier's wage. He brought in another HR person to answer that question for us. The other HR person said he also saw the contract and stated that he wouldn't have signed it if he was me. The director said he would revise the contract to say that I would just familiarize myself with the cash control procedure and I would make sure Jane was familiar with it and I would supervise her on the register. Then he said I could continue to cashier with her even though he hadn't finalized the contract.

Twenty minutes later, my big boss calls me. She's been out sick for the past two months but she's been staying in touch via e-mail. However, today's the first day she's called me in two months so I assumed it was about Jane. Sure enough, she said that she was just following up with some business and she seemed to remember that I had a client that cashiered. I guess she forgot the e-mail she sent to me right before the accreditation. I filled her in then on the whole story although I had been filling the whole department in each week at the staff meetings. She then asked about the contract, saying, "I hear that you have to sign something that says you'll give away your first born." I knew that the HR director had to have called her but I told her that I just talked to him and he said he would revise the contract. She said that all sounded good and let it go at that. Ten minutes later, she sent out an e-mail to everyone in my department and all of the stores' district managers, stating that, if they have a client that cashiers, they should refrain from having them cashier until she does some "analysis" on the job.

So I'm pissed. I've gone through a hell of a lot to make sure that this could happen. I've jumped through multiple hoops, talked to each department but marketing, bragged about it to our surveyors, and had to put my job on the line to get it done and now, it's suspended. Just. Like. That. The hardest part was the it was something Jane was very proud of herself for doing and something I really loved doing as well. I had other clients that were interested in it as well but now nobody can do it. I feel like if I hadn't complained about having to put my job on the line each time by signing some stupid contract, Jane would still be able to cashier.

Moreover, I feel like my job just got dumbed-down. We passed our accreditation and now we can stop trying to excel and go back to providing the bare bones of mediocrity in order to ensure our non-profit status so we can continue to make a profit. Sorry for the long post but I wanted to properly express my frustrations because I believe that it's important to keep this fire lit under me. Otherwise, what's the point?

What else?
Yesterday, I spent 9+ hours writing my final paper for my counseling class. I didn't finish yesterday although I got eight pages done before I figuratively hit the wall and had to stop to watch some Beavis and Butthead and drink some wine to kill my exhausted brain cells. However, I pretty much finished it today!!!

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.

it's pi day, pi day!

I hate math but I love pie so I am willing to compromise and celebrate Pi day (3/14) by eating a variety of pies. I went to the Pacific Pie Company today and was charged $3.14 for my savory pie (i love it!) and got a sweet pie as well. Later on, I had some pizza pie. This is a holiday I could get behind, even if it is only an approximation.

What else?
I turned in my last assignments for my Wednesday class last week. The teacher said she was going to look over everyone assignments and pick four that do a good job of representing the different options for the assignment. She ended up asking for volunteers and, as I've said before, this class is really apprehensive about volunteering. After she asked again for someone to volunteer to give their powerpoint assignment, I ended up saying I would do it only a few hours before class. It wasn't designed to present but rather to be turned in as a comprehensive assignment. Still, it went over really well and I talked for over 30 minutes. Afterwards, I had people telling me how great it was. I think I may have used the opportunity to vent some of my frustrations about my work but I don't think they'll hear about it. I'm just so pleased that the class is done and hopefully I've guaranteed an A by volunteering to present.

open book

Today I went to my third eight hour class and took my first open-book test in the social work program. Actually, it may be my first open book test ever. The teacher gave us an hour and twenty minutes to take it. After 45 minutes, I was done. I looked around and saw that I was the only person looking up from my paper. I reviewed it for another few minutes and then just decided to leave. I'm pretty sure that I did it all right. I guess I'm just quick and brilliant...or lazy and content with doing a half-ass job. I am pretty sure it's the former though.

Again, it was a great class but it's so hard to pay attention. I did go to the gym down below and run for a while and then hit the hot tub. It helped me get through the night. One more to go before this is over.

gearhart

I'm on my third annual vacation to the beach for my birthday. This year, I chose Gearhart. Going to California last year was okay but unnecessary. This year, I also chose to bring along Andrew. I normally enjoy just having the time to myself but I have been having a lot of quality alone time at Muffin HQ due to Sophia's work/yoga schedule and I enjoy Andrew's company so I thought it'd be a good idea. So far, it has been.
\
It was a nice drive here from Portland and it was nice to have company for the ride. The beach house is really nice, especially for the price. It has two bedrooms (one for Dean) and a hot tub. It's also in a gated community. It's dark now so I can't see the view but I can tell that there are no houses between us and the beach.

For dinner, we went to El Mariachi, an over-the-top Mexican restaurant in Gearhart. It was nice but I don't think I'll be drawn back to going again.

What else?
This week has been filled with mediocre new things which is why I haven't been posting.

On Monday, my new thing was trying a new BBQ sauce. (See? Weak.)

On Tuesday, I tried the Vikings dog at Zach's Shack which was a mistake.

On Wednesday, I worked with a new person in my class on a in-class group project. I also talked to my teacher about my upcoming policy paper. She seemed to indicate that I could write it on problems with my work. The only problem I can foresee with that assignment is that she wants me to limit it to 10 pages. ;)

On Thursday, I went to the internship fair at PSU and met with two reps from different agencies. I'm looking at possibly interning with the county next year.

volunteer therapy

I hate awkward silences. For that reason, I would do well in therapy. Today, we had a guest speaker come talk to our class about motivational interviewing which had been the latest intervention to excite me. During class, he asked for volunteers. There was this dead silence and after a few agonizing minutes, two of my classmates volunteered. They just had to mock a therapy session and he pointed out aspects that were or were not considered motivational interviewing. After they were done, he again called for two volunteers. Again, there was silence. The silence in the anticipation of someone speaking up pains me so I volunteered. This time, nobody else volunteered so I had to mock a therapy session with the guest speaker in which I stated that I was there because I have a problem drinking. I should have relayed a story I have heard from my clients but I found out today that motivational interviewing isn't proven to be effective when working with people with DD in a vocational setting. Bummer.

I've used this technique with a client and I think I got decent results. However, I can look at it objectively now since it's been a few months and see that it improved our relationship but it didn't necessarily improve the client's work skills. I've even taught this technique in a class at work and now I feel sort of foolish. I guess I can look at it as one technique that people can use and not THE answer to all of our problems.

intensive learning

After I started high school, I looked back on elementary classes and wondered how I ever sat through a full day of class in the same room from the same person. When I got to college, I wondered how I ever sat through a full days worth of classes. When I found out I was going to have to sit for eight hours this quarter for an intensive class on mental health, I truly questioned my ability to do it. After having done it for the first time tonight, I eagerly anticipate my next class (even though it will be on my birthday) and I find myself wishing that more of my classes would be taught in this structure.

There's a few things that contribute to my enjoyment of the class. First off, my teacher is great. She's the only teacher so far to give me a B but I enjoy her style of teaching and I find her very knowledgeable. Next, I really enjoy talking about mental health, both the diagnosis and the treatment. Also, I like several of my classmates, both the ones that I've had in other classes and the ones that I met for the first time tonight. What really made this class for me though was the amount of comfort that we were allowed to provide for ourselves to get through it. I brought two pillows; one for my back and one for my butt. The classmate on my right brought a blanket because the teacher warned that it might get cold in the class. The classmate on my left brought several jars of food and drinks to sustain herself. If more classes could be this comfortable, I'd probably enjoy going more than I do right now.

If I had a criticism of the class, it was that there will only be three more classes during the quarter. I get the feeling that this will be one of those rare courses that I look back on with fondness.

What else?
I bought my first Megabucks ticket this evening on the hour long dinner break in class. If I win, I will quit my job but I'm pretty sure I'll finish school.

the power in my hands

 It's been really cold here but really dry so I've been biking consistently. For Christmas, Ashes gave me electronic warming gloves. Today was the first day that I remembered to get them out before getting on my bike. I was expecting them to make my hands super toasty and almost sweaty by the time I got to work but instead, they just kept them...warm. I guess that's why they're not called electronic toasting gloves. Even without the electronic feature, they're still good gloves. I believe they're intended for motorcycle riding so the cuff on them is a bit longer which extends over my sleeves nicely and keeps all of the wind out. But, like car seat warmers, it's a nice luxury to be able to have the heat source.

What else?
Yesterday was the first day of class for the Winter term. Despite the rockiness of my registration process, I did manage to get into the mental health classes that I wanted. Last night was the first of them. My other class is only on four Fridays throughout the quarter but it's an eight hour class. Worse yet, it's on my birthday. Still, beggars can't be choosers (I hate that saying) so I'm just going to be content that I got into the classes. Plus, it turns out that I can count my Wednesday class as my policy elective if I write a paper about a mental health policy which won't be a problem. That means that I won't have to take an additional policy class next term!

Although I met some new people at class yesterday, I would say my new thing was going to the Sultan's Kitchen cart near PSU. It was good and they have some great looking salads so I will most likely be back there next Wednesday.

elderly studies

This has been the easiest quarter of class since I've started school again, primarily since I've only been taking one class but it also has been the teachers. My main professor was very personable, knowledgeable, funny, and not afraid to call me on my shit. The other instructor had a unique vision through the PhotoVoice project that kept it very interesting. Plus it helped not having to write a main paper for the end of the class.

We did have to present a powerpoint presentation to the class. Since I have time at work to do it, I volunteered to set up the ppt for my group. Also, I did the conclusion...sort of. I had an idea of what I was going to say but it wasn't until my group mates were performing that I really worked it out and it came off great! I'm very impressed with my comfortableness in presenting in front of a group and my ability to sum it all up off the top of my head.

We were originally scheduled to have class next week but the professor decided that today was a good note to end on. We have some reading questions to answer but that should be easy. Yay, I'm done!

What else?

Powerpoints aren't new to me at this point so, for my new thing, I got the carry-out special at Cricket Cafe, pictured above. It was most filling and really good. I may make a habit out of this...

discontent is the first necessity of progress

Yesterday, as I was biking to work, I realized that I had forgotten to register for classes...again. This school year has been hard for me to remember to register on time because for the past two years, I have had to register on Tuesdays, not Mondays. By the time I got to work and logged onto my computer, I saw that the classes I had originally wanted to take on Mental Health were all full. So I was screwed.

As soon as I discovered that I couldn't get into these classes, I wrote to the instructor who was teaching them. I took a class with her my first year and, although she's the only instructor to give me a B as a final grade so far, I still thought she would let me in. So, with that settled, I proceeded to have an awesome evening, doing all of my laundry, patching my clothes and sorting the garbage, recycling and mail. Then, at 10pm, I got an e-mail from the instructor, saying she couldn't add me.

My plan was to take as many classes on mental health as possible so I could graduate with a lot of knowledge about the topic and move to New Zealand in the near future where they have an excellent Mental Health program. Now all of that is shot to shit. I contemplated taking a quarter off but then I thought how work would deal with that. Then I thought, if I'm not going to school, maybe I should just look for my dream job: working with animals.

The Pixie Project is hiring for an animal care specialist/clerk. I don't have any professional experience but man do I want this job! I stayed up until 1AM adusting my resume and writing a cover letter. If I got this job, it would mean that I would have to postpone school indefinitely which I am fine with doing. I'm following my gut here which has almost always led me down the right pathways.

However, I am not putting all of my eggs in Pixie's basket. Today, I wrote to the counseling department at PSU to see if I could take a class on the medical aspects of disability. They said yes and signed the special register paperwork for me. Even though it's not a part of my plan, it is still wonderful that I get to take a class geared specifically towards disabilities.

What else?

On Sunday, I had the Cricket Scramble for the first time. It was wonderful. Later on, I met up with Andrew and I found my wallet in his couch while I looking for my hat which I have lost.

On Monday, I discovered how to filter out certain terms in e-mails at work. I filtered out "Santa" since my big boss is already pushing Secret Santa stuff on us. I then taught several of my co-workers how to do the same thing. I guess we're the Secret Scrooges.

Ashes and I ate at Homegrown Smoker today for lunch where I had the fake fish Fillet of Fu for the first time. I also picked up a new hat from Double Darn that was custom made for me. This time, it's dark brown with light pink stitching.

moving past first impressions

They say that you never have a second chance to make a first impression. That's true but people should also never make decisions based upon first impressions. When I initially meet people, I am usually shy and awkward if not just rude. If some of my friends had made their final decision of me based upon my first impression, I'm sure I'd had a lot less friends now.

In my class, there's a guy who always ALWAYS shows up late. Initially, I thought of him as lazy and/or irresponsible because he was late. He was then late to the next few classes as well and by now we have all just come to expect it. However, I did a motivational interviewing exercise with him today and got to talk to him for the first time. We did this exercise in regards to his tardiness and why he wanted to change that aspect of his character. It was cool because I got to really understand where he was coming from, he got to come to his own understanding about why he is always tardy and I got to change my perspective about him. I doubt we'll be hanging out but it's cool that I am at least not jumping to judgements about him.

In other renewed opportunity news, I gave Hungry Tiger Too another chance today. Sophia and I had been offended by their veggie Reuben a while back and then they gave us an animal leg in our tofu basket months ago. I heard that they rearranged their kitchen so I decided to let bygones be bygones and give them another chance. I had an awesome tofu veggie scramble and biscuits and gravy. I'm glad I came back.

What else?
I had to take a client on a community business tour today so we went Kruger's farmstand market and to the Flying Fish Co. where I bought some good organic eggs.

my first photo voice

I use photos in this blog most of the time to illustrate my post. Sometimes the picture is the post and sometimes I include a picture just because I like it and not because it necessarily has anything to do with the post. I would like my pictures to be more purposeful than pretty though. I have had 1111 posts so I have a little experience with using photographs to illustrate a point. Therefore, this photovoice project should be easy for me.

Initially, I had a lot of ideas about how to portray the Mental Health issues regarding aging. Most of these ideas revolved around using human models but we're not supposed to have people be the focus of the picture so I've got to think outside the box.

For my first set, I included the above picture to illustrate isolation. I also a picture of a tombstone with two spouses on it with only one of them having a date of death to illustrate loss and grieving. I also found the concept of putting your name on a tombstone at the age of 56 to be disheartening. Even though your spouse dies, you don't have to just start counting down the days until your own death. I however am jaded on relationships and undying love and all of that so what do I know.

Anyway, my new thing for today was using the D2L program at school to submit these photographs.

What else?
I also visited the PSU hot tub first thing this morning for the first time this quarter. This is going to have to start happening more regularly. 

hunting the elderly

With the weekend being full of pedi's as well as birthday and pity parties, I didn't have any time to work on my homework and we had a lot of reading due this week, not to mention two photos and three short essays. Therefore, I took a sick day and just read all day until the afternoon when I went to shoot some older people in the park.

My initial concept for my first PhotoVoice picture for my class was to take a picture of an elderly person spending time with a dog at the park. The idea was to look at what brings about positive mental health for people as they are aging. For me (and I'm sure many others), dogs always make things better. They'll get people outside more, get them exercise, and provide them with a purpose, companionship & love. It was a bit weird trying to capture a picture without people knowing but I didn't want to ask because I'm too shy. Besides, the teacher said we weren't supposed to take pictures of faces so the person wouldn't be able to be identified. However, I also read through the syllabus and saw that the teacher didn't want a person to be the primary focus of the picture. So my hunt was in vain. At least I got all of my reading done and some other photos taken.

photo research

This is a very different school quarter for me. For one thing, I'm only taking one class. It's weird because I'm used to having my energies divided and now I can focus them on this one class. It's also different because it's so very specialized to one population and then there's the fact that I don't have any major papers due at all. My grades will be based upon simple one paragraph answers to questions about each of the readings and also upon photographs.

For this class, I'm going to be taking pictures that represent some aspect of aging. Tonight, we had our research instructor come to class for the first time and explain this project. I also selected Mental Health and aging. It's going to prove to be interesting and unique as well as refreshing. I love to take pictures anyway so the idea of getting graded on my photographic creativity is intriguing to me.

What else?
On Monday, I raised my bench press to a new high, 180 lbs!

On Tuesday, I tried Zach's Shack's new apple and sage veggie sausage. It was awesome. I talked to Zach himself about it for a while. He was never keen on the veggie dogs but he said he's addicted to the veggie sausages. Like I need another reason to keep coming back to this place. :)

the old and the frail

Years ago, I was discussing my fears with Jessica. I told her I was afraid of tornadoes, the Amish and old people. It was over 10 years ago and my fears have dissipated or changed now but I realize that my fears were based upon ignorance, which is usually the case. At the time, my only experience with older people came from my grandmas (who I didn't categorize as old people because I knew them as individuals and not as a generalization of the elderly) or from Abe Simpson. At the time, my grandmas were each independent enough to not fit into the elderly stereotype. I didn't even consider them old. Memories of my great grandma in the nursing home were my primary reference whenever the elderly were discussed.

Now, I have a greater comprehension of what being elderly means. I don't buy into stereotypes anymore because through my work, I've seen enough variety. Also, I've educated myself with documentaries such as Sunset Story and now with my class. We just watched a documentary called Living Dangerously about two very different elderly people, choosing different paths and dealing with different issues. It's sad because both people die at the end of the film but that's to be expected. Also, I'm learning in class that dying doesn't have to be an awful thing. Even if I don't go on to work with the elderly after this, I think that this class will be good for my overall experience with life and my own aging process.

So, boom, one fear diminished. Since I'm in Portland, I don't have to worry about tornadoes. Now if I could just find a way to protect myself from the Amish... (*kidding*)

summary of september

Alright, I give up. I am not going to catch up by posting a whole lot of individual posts. So, rather than try to catch up or skip it (like I did with my May posts which I said I would retro-post but never got around to), I've decided to do a quick summary post. So here we go:

On Sunday, September 18th, I saw the Portland Gay Men's Chorus perform for the first time after Sophia and I watched a performance by Tim at the Portland Gay in the Square Fair thing. The GMC was beautiful but I have been watching too much Glee and I wanted them to break out into an Usher number. :)

On Monday, September 19th, I bought Warm Bodies, a zombie romance book. It's my first romance book but it's about zombies so it's okay.

On Tuesday, September 20th, I went to Country Cat Dinnerhouse. It was okay but I was hoping for more vegetarian options. Also, I had my most dreaded meeting with a transgendered clients parents who were reportedly homophobic. I have heard that they've said some pretty awful stuff at meetings before but I could see them making an effort this time and I really think they're not so bad. Transgendered issues aside, their adult child has put them through a hell of a lot and they still love her enough to have her visit and come to her meetings when they don't have to.

On Wednesday, September  21st, I walked Dean to Long Haus from Muffin HQ for a Timbers game for the first time and checked out a Zipcar to take him back. It's only about 2.5 miles but 5 miles round-trip would have been too much for him. It was cute because Ashes was playing soccer at the park on the way so I let Dean off-leash to run up to him. Dean got to him before I made it there and made Ashes wonder where the hell he came from.

On Thursday, September 22nd, my allergies came back and kicked my ass. For comfort, I turned to Mira's Ladle for the first time. It's a soup cart on Hawthorne that I've walked by a lot. I loved it and I'll definitely come back for more. Mmmmm, vegan chili.

On Saturday, September 24th, I BlowPony'd! I went dancing with Erin again and her friend, other Lindsey for the first time. Ashes, Victory and Melissa were also there. Our friend Nikki was dancing on stage (pictured in the far left above crouched down). It was so great. I LOVE dancing and nothing feels better to me. I had a few drinks but I don't think I got stupid. I was hungry by the time I left though so I grabbed a late nite snack at Zach's. I love that place. It was a great night!

On Sunday, September 25th, we had another comic book/mimosa day. I LOVE these days. Also, I tried Darling Violetta's black bean burger for the first time. It was okay but not as good as their fries.

On Monday, September 26th, I went into Clever Cycles for the first time, looking for bicycling chaps. They don't carry them but I may end up coming back sometime down the road to look for a good cargo bike in which I can haul Dean. Sophia and I also went to the Sweet Hereafter where the food is awesome and the staff is all hot, tattooed guys! Love it!

On Tuesday, September 27th, some random dudes yelled "Queer" at me on Belmont. I wasn't queered up but I think they were just using it as a slang against cyclists. Anyway, it still sucked so I indulged in vegan gelato, a mimosa and Glee to make me feel better.

On Wednesday, September 28th, I had my first class of this school year. I'm only taking one night class and it's on Social Work with Frail Older Adults. It definitely applies to the population I work with as some of the clients are over retirement age and several of them qualify as frail. The teacher seems very knowledgeable and quite funny which will be good since it's not exactly light material. Also I got my haircut at Bishops by a new person. I like to add that in so it will be easy for me to see when I got my last haircut by just doing a blog search for Bishops.

On Thursday, September 29th, I threatened to quit my job. I don't think I've done it in a serious manner like this before. I threaten to quit all of the time, like when the cafeteria goes two days in a row without having a vegetarian soup. However, this time I was serious. The co-worker who replaced my friend started asking me about one of their clients, G, who is one of my favorite people to work with. Her line of questioning led me to believe that she was building a case to exit this guy. I told her if he gets exited, I'll quit. She assured me that she wasn't considering exiting him but I still left my threat out there. At this point, school has begun again and it'll be a lot of reading. Work is overwhelming because I'm having to cover for someone on medical leave so I'm doing a lot of bathroom breaks. I'm just looking for a reason to quit but really, I can't lose anyone else I care about at work. Also, I had a date with Andrew in the evening.

On Friday, September 30th, I went to Alessio Italian Bakery which is right near Cellar Door Coffee by my work. It's cheap and I'll probably go back soon. I also had the Vegan Curry Plate at Bonfire with Jessica for the first time. Yum! I've found a reason to renew my love of Bonfire! However, my night didn't stop there. I rode NE to Alberta with Ashes and Victory in his new car and Jesse, Sophia, Ashes, Victory and I all went for a drink at the Horse's Brass which should be my neighborhood bar but I never go there.

Anyway, that's my September in a long nutshell. I use this blog as a journal for myself so I do want to keep it up but I'll try to make my posts more interesting to read in the future. Even with school starting, I need to allow myself to creatively write and not just recap my days. I'll try to do better next month

multnomah county bike fair

This has been an odd summer so far. For the last two years since I've been going to the Oregon Country Fair, I've missed the Multnomah County Bike Fair because it's on the same Saturday as our OCF work party but it's usually fine because I typically participate in enough Pedalpalooza rides that I don't need to go to the bike fair.  This year, scheduling conflicts prevented us from going down for Saturday's work party so I got to go to the bike fair instead.  It felt right that I should go since sickness prevented me from going on hardly any pedalpalooza rides.  I can't say that the fair makes up for missing all of those rides but it was still nice to attend.

What else?
Jessica and I hit the No Fest in St Johns today in North Portland.  It's a nice neighborhood and I went to plenty of new shops there.  We also both hit the Cathedral Park Kitchen for the first time which was nice although very new.  They have a porch which has a gorgeous view of the St John's Bridge.  After brunch, we shopped around a bit and I bought dog shoes!  He hates them worse than his socks but they stay on better.

I also found the time to hit a potluck at a former classmate's house.  We were in my favorite group project from first year that we did so well on.  It was great to see a bunch of my former classmates again and one of my favorite teachers as well.  I got to meet some new people too and just had a nice relaxing time.  Upon one of the new people's recommendation, I found myself at Powell's bookstore on Hawthorne at 10:30pm on a Saturday night, buying Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere.  So far, I love it!