surprise snow

I love my job for many reasons but one additional perk is that we follow Portland Public School's closures so when they're closed for weather, we are too. Yesterday, I was completely taken by surprise to wake up to see that it had snowed and not just a light dusting either. It wasn't awful but it was enough to make some people worried. By the end of the night, we had freezing rain too which led to the schools being closed and my 4.5 day weekend!

It was really quite different from yesterday to today. People were out with their kids and sled and dogs yesterday. We met a new chocolate lab at the park yesterday named Freddy. Today tho, with the ice, it took Ava and me fifteen minutes to walk to the end of our street (4 lots) and back. Hardly anybody was out. Andrew worked from home and we managed to get out of the house only for meals. We did dinner at the Lodge which good for bar food. I'll definitely go back.

They've already announced that school openings will be postponed 2 hours which means I'm going in two hours late. I already have Thursday and Friday off for my vacation to Nebraska so, at this point, I'm actually worried that I need to get my work done. However, if they force me to take another paid day off at home, I guess I'll do it.

saturday night sundries

While we were walking on NYE, Andrew and I talked about how we should be more proactive about new experiences this next year so I led us out on a different bar crawl for us as I collected on two drinks owed to me. First, we went to Mad Sons. Mad Sons used to be Madisons but since it changed ownership (and theme), they just got rid of the "i" in the name and went with a colonial theme inside. They had a great drink which was a spin on Old Fashioned called the Northern Soul. If I wasn't determined to make it more of an adventure, I would've collected both drinks there.

Instead, we jumped back on the bus and headed downtown to the Rainbow Lounge. Ever since we went there on Christmas Day in 2012, I've been drawn to the place, especially around the holidays. I got a peppermint patty martini which was good but strong. Afterwards, we went to strip club burrito next to Mary's. It's not high quality food but it's tasty and the place has character, including sharing a bathroom with a naked lady joint.

We bussed back home and were in bed before 10 which is just about perfect for me. I like going out and I like experiencing downtown but I don't like wrecking myself up the the extent that it ruins my next day. I'd prefer to save that next day for a new adventure.

rendezvous

We left the beach today with Ava feeling much better. And I feel better too. I feel recharged and ready to face the world again.

On our way back, we stopped at Rendezvous in Tillamook for brunch. It was good and I'd go back. One of the many reasons I like going to the beach with Andrew because he's motivated to leave early so we get back to the house with some daytime remaining. I used this time to eat a pot cookie, put up the Christmas lights, do laundry, and make our Thanksgiving dinner. It didn't turn out that great since the tofurkey was thawed and refrozen and then somewhere in between when I cooked it. Also the gravy was a bit thin but for the first time, I roasted garlic and then made Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes which turned out to be heavenly. 

LTS

I wasn't prepared to deal with dog medical issues yet. After having an older dog who couldn't walk very far for his last few years, Ava seemed like she was invincible. She had boundless energy and pain never really seemed to register with her. She would get tired after long hikes but she was always up for another walk if the possibility came up. Well, yesterday, she apparently pushed herself too hard and her tail paid the price.

The term for the affliction facing Ava right now is Limber Tail Syndrome. It's kind of like a sprain. She can't raise her tail and it just sort of droops there, looking comically pathetic. I only say that because it's supposed to bounce back in a few days. Otherwise, I'd be mourning the loss of her wagging tail. It's also affected her lower back. She wanted to run on the beach still but when she was hauling a log out of the ocean, she came back to the beach, dropped, and sat down like her back legs weren't functioning appropriately.

Apparently, LTS is caused by either over-exertion, cold weather, or being too used to a kennel and not being as active. Ava experienced all three of those things. We went into Tillamook to get her some baby aspirin as an anti-inflammatory. It's good to know that it's a limited time thing because I don't want to deal with chronic dog issues already. I need another few good years of a healthy dog.

What else?

Yesterday, I beat Andrew by more than 2x his score in 10,000, earning myself the first drink off the game.  I collected at The Schooner which has a great porch with glass walls and blankets available to cover yourself while you dine which I did.

the mullet

We had our annual work party tonight which was at a new location for me, Hotel Monaco, and I had to be a panelist for the Match game that we did. I've watched enough Snatch Game on RuPaul's Drag Race so I felt that I could easily do it. There was also an awards ceremony before where every employee was given some award for something. I won the Mullet Award.

The Mullet Award wasn't actually for having a pitiful hairstyle. The mullet is symbolic of a person who is professional at work but cuts loose at home (business in the front, party in the back). It was a silly name but an accurate portrayal of how I conduct myself. I use a pseudonym which was originally intended to separate my legal name from my activist work but now I use it more to separate the personal from the professional. I'm not friends with any of my co-workers on Facebook. I have them as friends on my Instagram (which has come back to bite me in the ass) but I use the name Tophurious (my third pseudonym) because it's a public account.

Aside from just names, I also keep a distinguished line between the personal and the professional in my actions. I have only gone to one party with co-workers that wasn't work related and I have only met with my co-workers (my bosses actually) once outside of any work or party function. I like this job and I've found that when you talk to people outside of the office, you find out things that change your view and make you take off the rose-colored glasses. People might be frank in the office but they can be bitterly honest out at the bar. And I want to keep liking my job and my co-workers. That's why I maintain a metaphorical mullet.

What else?
I'm sick. Yesterday, my new thing was having the jasmine/chamomile tea at Fat Straw. 

workin' on the weekend

I never ever work on the weekends. I don't think that I've actually worked one in 8 or 9 years so I was due. It's always been an option at my work but never been s necessity until now. This is a short month since we have Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, & the day after Thanksgiving off. I also have a number of things coming up, both at work & at home so scheduling desk-time has been difficult so I'm here at work on a Sunday.

Working 4 hours alone on a Sunday is the equivalent to getting in a regular week of work for me. I was able just to do turn up my stereo and focus. I don't love that I had to come in but I love that I had the option & that it worked so well. I may do it again soon.

What else?

Right after my short shift, I was able to head down the street to Dig-A-Pony where a friend was playing music & met Andrew & other friends there. I definitely dig the bar & the ambiance. I'll be back!

Yesterday my new thing was drinking mimosas at the Bare Bones Cafe while killing time before meeting friends for brunch. Life is good.

asleep from day

It's been a pretty mellow couple of days with very little going on. The time change has really messed with me and made me even less ambitious than normal. I don't typically have this extreme of a reaction to the time change but now I want to eat at 5 and crawl into bed at 7. So, obviously this had led to me doing less than exciting new things.

On Sunday, we went to see Assassin, a pretty Chinese film which was either subtitled badly or was so rich in history that it wasn't going to be understood by anybody other than Chinese history buffs. Still, it was very pretty with scenery, cinematography, and costuming that I didn't mind that I really couldn't follow the story. Afterwards, we ate early so our options were limited. We went to 24th and Meatballs where I tried a porter with coffee in it that I couldn't finish.

On Monday, I met a new county person who is helping with one of my customers. I ended up not getting home until 6pm which felt like 7pm and I had no desire to do anything else.

Yesterday was the worst as far as new things go. Andrew took Ava-duty so I got a lot of stuff done at work but nothing really new. While at home, Andrew helped me with downloading a file. I wasn't sure about it so he advised me to scan it first with my virus protection software. I wasn't aware that I could select individual files to scan so I'm counting it.

Today, I'm going to be more enterprising. I won a drink off Andrew yesterday because he made a mistake in our game BattleLine so we're going to try LIKEWISE, the most recent reincarnation of the bar next to Cup and Saucer on Hawthorne. We also have plans every day this weekend which will involve new things so my posts will be more purposeful, I promise.

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.

dubois to ontario

Today was a lot better. I started off the day with a latte in Dubois. It was the first latte that I've had in weeks and I was so grateful. After I got some breakfast, we left town and went to drive through the Tetons. I could see it was raining in the distance but that also made for a beautiful rainbow pictured below.

While going by the Tetons, I stopped a lot and let Ava run. I also pulled up next to some Bison and got some pictures. After the Tetons, we cruised through Idaho, backtracking somewhat to return the battery charger I bought on the way out at Idaho Falls. We hit the Craters of the Moon and ended up going through Boise during rush hour. Poor planning but I got to our hotel at Ontario just after 6.

Three years ago, Dean and I stopped at Craters of the Moon and ended up here at the Ontario Inn. I didn't realize it when I booked it but as soon as I saw the dog area in the back, I knew we were here before. The Inn's nice enough but I was hungry and unable to find any good veggie options as I walked around town. I walked the other way from the Inn and ended up at a place called Bargitas. I waited while they made my burrito while Ava was tied up outside barking. They're kind of a fast food place but serve margaritas. I wanted one so bad but couldn't drink while Ava barked. I cannot wait to get her home so I can get a little space.

and then i just chilled

Like I predicted, the days began to blend together. It's been nice just relaxing and not having any big tasks or journeys ahead in the immediate future. Still, I've been trying to get new things done and spend time with my family. 

On Friday, my mom and I went to "town" (that's what we call Kearney) and I used the HyVee gas station pump. I also tried the Chile Relleno for the first time at the mexican restaurant/store here in Gibbon. I thought I had had it before but after seeing it, I realized that it was new (and pretty damn good). My aunt and uncle came up from Kearney to join us for dinner and to see me and meet Ava.

On Saturday, I got my car worked on and ready to come back to Oregon and then went to the Goodrich ice cream here in town and had a cone with Ava in the park while the rest of the town watched the Huskers game.

On Sunday, I got up early for sunrise pics below. My dad and I also went to see The Martian which I really enjoyed. However, the movie cut out 80 minutes into it and we had to wait for a bit for the management to fix it. I also downloaded Words with Friends onto my Kindle and my mom and I have been playing a lot.

Like I said, it's been chill and easy. It's what I came here for.

the harvest

 

Today, we harvested. Well, Andrew did. I helped tied up the trimmings tho so they could dry out. I imagine having our own weed harvest will lead to a lot of other new things as well.

What else?

On Thursday, I met Andrew on the benches outside of the Barley Mill on Hawthorne.

On Friday, I tried a grapefruit margarita at Ole Ole on our date night before we went to see Black Mass which was good but violent. Since we did a mob movie last night, this afternoon, after harvest, we went to Shaun the Sheep the Movie which was cute and the polar opposite of Black Mass.

too comfortable

I've stopped making excuses as to why Ava is at the office. It's Wednesday, that's why. And I am very fortunate that I have some awesome work-mates who not only tolerate her but also will seek her out and will also forgive her for any indiscretions. Today, she went into a co-worker's office while we were walking down the hall. She greets her all the time so I didn't think anything about it until I went in to check on her and saw she was alone in the office and had just eaten something. It turns out that she ate the remains of a bagel. I felt bad and apologized profusely but my co-worker just laughed it off because she's a dog-person too and an awesome person at that.

Still, as evidence above, that didn't stop Ava from begging. Andrew and I met for lunch at Pho Gia where I sat outside for the first time and had their spring rolls.

What else?

Andrew and I also tried La Bamba on Powell. I am so happy that I am adventurous because this is another place that I've dismissed but they have a vegetarian menu and it's not just meat dishes minus the meat. There are some flavorful dishes here and a well-stocked bar. I will definitely be back.

Yesterday my new thing was meeting two new dogs on our evening walk. Both were smaller than Ava and lil balls of energy. She does so well with little dogs!

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).

making circles

As I may have mentioned before, I don't like house parties. House parties where I know all of three people and the only dog is locked in the basement are even worse. However, I found myself enjoying this party.

Our friends Yvonne and Terri had a party tonight along with another couple to celebrate their anniversaries. I like Yvonne and Terri a lot so I was willing to go to the party. Their cake toppers pictured above are testaments to how simpatico we are. Initially, I was uncomfortably clinging to Andrew who also didn't know a lot of people there. Little by little, we integrated into the party and I ended up producing an ice-breaker and forming a little circle of people to talk to and smoke pot with. Andrew also found some others to talk to and we rejoined later with a larger pool of people to hang out with. I was pretty proud of myself for breaking out of my comfort zones although I think I may have spent too much time talking about Ava.

What else?

On Thursday, August 20th, I brought Ava  to work and I got food to go (for the first time) from Pho Gia and we ate outside which turns out to be an ideal environment for Ava.

On Friday, I got the cheese plate at NWIPA which hit the spot after a long work day and full gym workout.

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.

thai surprise

I have been let down by a lot of Thai places recently and I really love Thai food. We've been trying to find a good place within walking distance of our house in FoPo. Tonight, our hunt led us to Thai BBQ. This place has been around for a while. I don't think it was here when I lived next to Creston Park 13 (!) years ago but I know I've driven by it for some time now, ignoring it only because it's right on Powell. Well, neither of us felt like driving or biking today and it was too damn hot to cook so we gave it a shot and it's a good thing we did.

The decor inside is charming and they even have a side patio so we may bring Ava one day. The staff was friendly and they have wine and beer. However, the real selling point is the food. Between us, we had the salad rolls, the Pad Woon Sen, and the Garlic Pepper stir fry; all of which were wonderful! And they deliver! This was a big win for us. I'm so grateful for this blog which prompts me to try new places.

men who play cribbage

 

We have a morning routine on the weekends. We get coffee out at one of the coffee shops we like in SE and play BattleLine on our apps. We then decide where to go to brunch and while at brunch, we play cribbage. We play cribbage at dinner too typically. We're often recognized by restaurant staff as soon as we pull out our cribbage board. Today, we decided to go do brunch at a new-to-us brunch spot Oscar's Cafe in Lents and when we walked in, for the first time, we saw another group of people playing cribbage. There were three guys playing a three-person game. It's good to see that we're not completely alone in our routines.

rollin' on the river

 

It's been a weird couple of days. I've been getting a lot of texts from my family with varying reports of progress and there's nothing I can do about it so I have a lot of guilt. I'm headed back to Nebraska next weekend on a pre-planned trip and I'll be able to assess for myself what I can do for the family. Until then, all I can do is move along. Today, I did that on a boat.

We've had this boat ride booked for months now. I wasn't sure what to expect. I think that most of the delight for me was just being on the Portland Spirit, floating down the river. I can't believe that I've been in a city that is ruled by riverways for 13 years now and this was my very first time on a boat on the Willamette River!

The Big Gay Boat Ride was my only real Pride experience this year. We skipped the parade in order to stay home with Ava so she wouldn't be kenneled the whole day. The festivities on the boat were great. The drag performers were awesome and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were fabulous as always. I'm hoping to make this a tradition. Andrew and I also talked about possibly getting kayaks! I love that idea. Hopefully that will be another new thing in the not-too-distant future.

What else?

To catch up, on Friday, I had City State Diner make a vegetarian Reuben for me. It's not on their regular menu but it should be because it was delicious!

On Saturday, Andrew and I met friends at Bridgeport for a pre-elopement celebration. It was nice and the chocolate cherry stout was amazing although I should have stopped at just one.

diner dreams

I romanticize diners, particularly when they're mentioned in song. Just sitting alone, people watching, waiting at the counter for the man to pour the coffee. However, when I go out, it's either with someone or with a book so I rarely just sit and think and people-watch. And I don't want to dine alone more often but I do want to be in the moment, instead of escaping into a book.

Last week, I went to Red Square Coffee on my bike ride into work. I used to live right near there and I've been carrying around a punch card for years with nine punches on it, just waiting to finish it off so I went there once and got a coffee to go a few weeks ago and last week, I got my free coffee. The other card I've been carrying around for years is for Common Ground Coffee Shop. I decided to get my ninth punch on that card and indulge in some diner/coffee shop love. It was what I needed. I listened to Eddie Vedder sing the 'Into the Wild' soundtrack and got to take stock of where I was and how I am doing. I need to do that more often.

Yesterday was a bit rough for me, as Tuesdays often are. We had our weekly staff meeting and I again thought about what it would be like just to walk away from it all. It's also my busy month so I have felt a lot of pressure. I desperately needed something new and all I could come up with was ordering the #54 at Pad Thai Kitchen which was tasty but still didn't satisfy my newness need. Breaking my morning routine today to stop and savor the environment was enough to snap me out of my rut and allow me to appreciate my life.

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.