xmas in january

A few months ago, I used my Alaska AirMiles to buy a free round trip ticket to Omaha. Unfortunately, it couldn't be during the holiday season but we've celebrated Christmas late before so I thought it would be okay. Unfortunately, the weather isn't cooperating so it won't be a full family holiday. My niece can't get away from college for another weekend and the road conditions wouldn't have permitted her or the rest of my sister's family to travel up here anyway. Still, I'm going to try to make the most of it.

I got up early to make my flight, thanks to Andrew taking me to the airport. Since I'm flying all Alaska, we're headed up to Seattle first and then to Omaha. Normally, I would take Frontier to Denver but this was free and a lot better. I've heard that half of the flights to Kearney from Denver get cancelled and I only took a long weekend so I don't have a day or two to lose. During my flight from Seattle to Omaha, I saw the back row in the plane was empty (two seats on each side) so I asked the stewardess if I could move and she allowed it. It made for a nice ride.

My brother picked me up in Omaha and drove me halfway to Gibbon where our parents met us to take over. I forgot that he has limited seating in his car now with two car seats but we managed anyway. When I got home, it was like we picked up right where we left off when I left in October. We watched Wheel of Fortune and an episode of Elementary, drank a bottle of wine, and played a few games of cribbage. My brother's coming back tomorrow with the kids so it will feel a little more festive but I'm cool with it just being a vacation instead of stressing over it being a holiday.

cinema done right

Last weekend, we were looking for a movie to go to and saw that Tarantino's new film 'The Hateful Eight' was playing at the Hollywood. When we got there, we saw there was already a line and apparently it was a line for people with tickets already. The show was sold out for a number of showings throughout the week already so I bought tickets online for tonight.

We got there an hour early and stood in line for a while before we were let in from the cold. It ended up setting the tone nicely for the film which takes place during a Wyoming blizzard. The film had a 4-5 minute long overture before it and a 12 minute intermission built into the film. The intermission worked well with the action and the pacing and it helped with the movie-going experience. I took the picture above as the guy was introducing the film. Apparently, Tarantino had stopped in a few days before to introduce the film and praised the Hollywood Theater, which has the biggest screen capable of showing 70 mm films. If I'm going to go out to the theater, this is how it should be done.

What else?

We maxxed, walked, and then bussed to Victory's NYE party but didn't stay until midnight because we didn't want to leave Ava in the kennel that long. We had a nice brisk walk back to the house afterwards as well. It was a nice and chill way to spend the holiday.

the ornament

 

Every year at Christmas, there's a small box under the tree for each of us kids. They're our ornament gifts. My sister gets ornaments featuring cats, my brother gets angels, and I used to get drummer boys but then had to switch to snow men. For the last 14 years, I've been getting the Snow Buddies pictured above which had snow men and a cute animal together.

When I was home for the summer, my mom asked me about the ornaments and I said that I had them all but I don't put up a tree so they just sit in a box. I told her that I would get them out this year tho. I should have 39 ornaments but only counted around 36. I guess a few got lost over the years or they're still with my parents (my mom shipped the ornaments out a few years ago to me). Today, we bought our first holiday tree. It's the first time I've had a live tree since I've been an adult. It's a small 3-4 foot tree so I only used the snow buddies to decorate it and put the rest of the ornaments on a shelf. I also hung the stockings on a book case.

I haven't been too big on Christmas and definitely not decorating. It typically seems so wasteful to me but the tree's not plastic and we bought it at a school fundraising site on Hawthorne. Plus I had the decorations and it looks good. It glows and puts me in the mood for holiday cheer. Now I just need presents under it!

What else?

We saw the movie Brooklyn tonight at Cinemagic, walking most of the way there and all of the way back. It was a wonderful movie and great exercise! 

thanks anyway

For the holiday weekend, we rented a beach cabin at Oceanside. It's been years since we've stayed here (and it was the only affordable place that still had vacancies) so we booked a place here quick. I had a plan to start thawing out the tofurky roast yesterday before I hit the gym and it would be ready to pop in the oven when we were able to check in at 4pm. I even made the marinade ahead of time.

We got to Oceanside around 1pm and spent the next few hours walking on the beach. Ava was greeted by a larger cocker spaniel who was off-leash and Andrew quickly took Ava off leash to help deter a confrontation and it worked! Ava did not attack the dog. She's just done so bad lately that a lack of violence was a cause to celebrate!

Then we headed to the cabin. It's a bit further up the cliffside than I had thought but it's got an amazing few. The biggest problem is that it doesn't have an oven; it only has a microwave and a toaster. I would have settled for a toaster oven but nope. Just as an FYI, it's highly recommended that you don't cook a tofurky roast in the microwave. I thought that surely some punks somewhere had tried it and managed to get it to turn out to be a success but every page I found online said "don't" so I didn't.

We don't have a microwave so we didn't bring microwave food. Fortunately, the previous renters left two cans of vegan soup and we had bread and cheese for sandwiches so my Harvest dinner was microwaved soup and toasted cheese sandwiches. Still, I'm thankful. I'm thankful to be at the beach. I'm thankful for this break from work. I'm thankful for Andrew and Ava and Amaretto. It's a change of plans but I can roll with it. And hey, I get a vacation from cooking.

halloween 15

 

Typically for Halloween night, I either have turned the lights off or just put a bowl of candy on the front porch with a sign telling kids to help themselves to one. This year tho, we stuck around and handed out candy to the little ones. I actually enjoyed it. We had maybe 30 or so trick-or-treaters, despite the hard rain. My favorite was a lil 4 or 5 yr old Batgirl. I was afraid we'd have too much candy left over so I said she could take two. She replied, "I'm gonna take three" and then took four. It was cute tho so she got away with it.

We had some friends over and watched It Follows. The movie wasn't great but it was nice just hanging out all casual-like. I'll admit that the holiday bug did start to bite earlier in the week and I thought about getting a costume together but I'm not a fan of the last-minute costume so I held my cool and just played the responsible adult. Next year tho...

What else?

Yesterday, we hit up Hawthorne for drinks, trying the Portland Cider bar for the first time. I had a great honey cider. I enjoyed the atmosphere there and they had a lot of ciders on tap and taster options so I'm sure we'll be back.

This morning, we also tried the Spritely Bean, a comic book store/coffee shop not too far from us on Powell. Again, I love the atmosphere and the drinks were good so we will most likely go back there too. I have to admit that we are blessed with coffee shops within walking distance.

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.

small town holidays

We got up this morning and headed down the block to watch the Gibbon 4th of July parade. It was Dean's first time meeting his little cousin Marley. She absolutely loves animals, especially dogs and horses. I've said before how I don't like this holiday but I did enjoy the small town atmosphere of it all. The parade was cute although the first half of it was emergency vehicles from here and the nearby towns that felt they needed to blare their horns. In the afternoon, we went on the Road Rally which involved us driving the country roads, looking for a series of clues that would lead us on a specific route. If we finished the route in the exact miles the clues were supposed to lead us on, we could win a prize. We missed a few clues so I'm sure we didn't come close but it was still fun to play.

What else?

We had an early birthday celebration for my oldest niece Hayleigh today at El Portero in Kearney this evening since she's going to start detassling tomorrow. I thought it was bad having my eight hour class on my birthday this year but I'd just as soon have a 16 hour class rather than go detassling in the corn, wading through the mud in the 100 degree weather.

hiking behind falls

 

 

We've all needed a break after this past week and I've been itching to get to Silver Falls for a while now. It's unlike any other place in that you get to walk behind so many waterfalls. Ashes, Victory, Andrew and I went out there today. I've only been around the falls one other time with my parents years ago but I got to see more of the park today. The nice thing is that there's still so much more to see so I get to come back sometime down the road and explore even more.

What else?

On Friday 5/4, my new thing was taking a client to the Cinco De Mayo celebration on the waterfront. It would have been better if it hadn't rained the whole time we were there but we got the chance to look around and see the dancers for a quick moment.

the romantic in me

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

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

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

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

50 mile road

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

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

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

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

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

funny valentine

Last year, I was a hater. Today, I was a double-dater.

After spending four days with Andrew, I was pretty sure that I would just take it easy tonight. However, I got caught up in the spirit of this dumb day and ended up asking him if he wanted to go out for drinks again. Ashes and Victory also joined us at Crush so it was my first double date with my friends. It was a very pleasant evening and it warmed my heart to the day just slightly. I like that we didn't make a big production of it. There were no flowers or chocolates involved. It was just a simple dinner and drinks with friends.

What else?

Fixing the shredder at work isn't in my job description but I realized that nobody else is going to do it anymore so I fixed it today out of boredom. Also, the clients use the shredder for work and if they have more work, we have less issues.

Also, Ashes and Victory got KittenHead back. The kitten that they fostered this last fall was in jeopardy again so they officially adopted it (in cat form this time instead of kitten. It does not like Dean but it will get better with each of Dean's visits.

baby I'm a firework

(This picture originates here and I don't own it. I just didn't take any of my own photos on NYE)

Yesterday, I inadvertently gave Andrew the impression that I was afraid of us as coming off too serious. I won't say how because, well, just because but I will say that that wasn't my intention. I don't know where for sure our relationship stands but I know that I want to keep it working. We've never gone on two dates two days in a row. New Years Eve seemed like a good time to start.

Tonight, we went to Sapphire and got two excellent seats in the back of the bar. I had the butternut squash enchiladas and the Dr Diego drink which was very spicy for a chocolate drink. Since we were up so late last night, we didn't head out to another bar to ring in the New Years but we did hear fireworks later on. It was a damn nice New Years Eve!

hanukkah 2011

When I was leaving for Nebraska the other day, my neighbor saw me and asked me if I was going to do anything to celebrate Hanukkah. I was a bit surprised because I didn't think that they were Jewish but I just told her I was going back to Nebraska for the holidays. Then she again said that I should have a happy Hanukkah. I'm pretty sure that she thinks I'm Jewish. I couldn't figure out why until Ashes reminded me that we have a menorah in the window of the house. Yeah, I guess that's logical then.

I liked the idea that someone was presuming I was Jewish rather than just assuming I'm Christian. I don't consider myself either but many people will say, 'Merry Christmas,' which actually does presume Christianity. I don't generally get offended but I'll counter by saying I hope they have a good solstice which typically throws them off.

Tonight, Bastard, Ashes, Victory, Lyra and I played drunken dreidel as we typically annually do. So I did indeed have a happy Hanukkah.

What else?
My new thing today was having the beet salad at the Red and Black cafe. I gained a few pounds while over the holidays so I'm going to lean more towards salad for the next few weeks.

I also gave positive reinforcement to a client for not repeating a pattern of bad behavior that he has had in the past. He was given the opportunity to exhibit this behavior in front of his supervisor but said that it wasn't appropriate and chose not to do so. The supervisor is relatively new to working with him in her direct supervisory role so she was more concerned with how he was given the opportunity. I chose to celebrate his proper decision not to engage in said behavior and made certain to tell him I appreciated him making the right decision. He acted like it was no big deal but then he took off his work glove and made a point of shaking my hand which he has never done. It was a small gesture but I told several of my co-workers about it because it was a gesture of appreciation which is a huge move for this guy to make. He was basically giving me positive reinforcement for my positive reinforcement. It made my whole workday worthwhile.

christmas 2011

Happy holidays!

ave maria

This is Andrew's cat Maria. I wasn't really expecting to see Andrew before Christmas so I hadn't planned on getting him a gift. However, when he asked me yesterday if we could go out today, I decided that I should at least get him something...for his cat. Andrew and Maria moved to a new apartment this month so I got her a housewarming/Christmas gift. Yeah, I probably should have gotten him something as well but it all worked out because it was a small but thoughtful gift and he didn't get me anything either. I'm glad we don't feel obligated to do that kind of thing. I think that we're both Billy Goats.

What else?
On Monday, 12/19, I went to Stone Cottage for the first time. Sophia has some pink Himalayan rock salt when I moved in and we've gone through all of it. However, I became addicted and had to restock. Stone Cottage is pretty much filling the shoes of Limbo since they went out of business. I rather like it and I'm sure I'll go back for more spices someday.

On Tuesday, 12/20, I bought a bunch of Christmas gifts, going into all sorts of shops that I normally don't frequent. However, I can't say that any of them were particularly new. What was new was the dinner I had by myself at Hedge House. I don't like dining alone, especially in a place like Hedge House which is more of a restaurant than a bar but I was craving their Sockeye Cream Stout.

Tonight, Andrew and I also went to the Sweet Hereafter where I had their Shepard's Pie for the first time. Meh, I'll stick with the Buffalo Sub from now on.

bikecraft 2011

l

Today I got to experience two of my new favorite Christmas season holiday traditions (both of which I began last year): The House Spirits open house and Bikecraft. If I'm going to go to fairs and holiday events, I want them to involve chocolate, cheese and alcohol samples or bikes. A group of us did the House Spirits thing today (after I went to the Belmont Bunk Sandwich shop for the first time) which was wonderful. It's awesome to have someone hand you samples of White Russians!

Later on, Andrew and I met at Bikecraft where I bought the above calendar (with the proceeds going to a charity), hel-muffs (which I tried to unsuccessfully make last year) and some reflecting stickers for my bike. If only everyone on my Xmas list wanted bike stuff, I would be done with my shopping.

totally addicted to weights

For years, Ashes and I have been hitting this neighborhood gym which is very sub-par in the equipment they have. Occasionally, I visited the PSU gym but I really like having a workout partner. This morning, my partner called me and said that he wanted to visit a 24 hour fitness. We just went to the gym yesterday and I normally only do every other day but, what the hell, why not?

It was weird but not bad. For one thing, it was nice to have working equipment. For another thing, it was nice to have a good selection of weights and available benches so I wasn't forced to increase my weight just because of the lack of 10 lb plates. Also, there was a good amount of hot guys here. :)

We're on a special three day trial pass. If it was closer to my house, I may consider it but I don't want to have to go even further out to work out and I really don't want to have to pay. Maybe I'll think about it when I don't have access to PSU any longer.

What else?

It's Harvest dinner day. Long Haus hosted again this year but it was a small event due to them potentially moving. Sophia and I spent the afternoon drinking mimosas and watching Jackass the Movie. Afterwards, I made my first Tofurky roast which turned out okay. Even though there wasn't that many people at dinner (maybe 14-16), I still ate a lot and enjoyed the company.

Speaking of good food, yesterday I tried Pacific Pie Company for the first time. The cafeteria at my work has been closed all this week due to renovations. After they reopen, they are mostly going to have convenience store food. Therefore, I will be eating out more often and I'm fortunate to have the PPC near my work. I foresee many slices of chocolate bourbon hazelnut pie in my future. Also, today, I had a pumpkin spice latte from Common Grounds for the first time. I think if I would have had these two treats together, I wouldn't have come down from that high for the whole day.

 

halloween 2011

I love this day. I love wearing costumes and today, it's not only not unusual but it's also expected. However, I still love to be exceptionally flashy. I was a protest fairy today. I had to be a fairy because that was the themed costume that my co-workers (pictured in the first photo) and I chose. However, I didn't want to be just an ordinary fairy so I made up a sign with marker and glitter that said, "Occupy Never Never Land" on one side and "Fairy Pay for Fairy Work" on the other. Plus, a dog is a great accessory so I put Dean's wings on him and we went for a fairy walk down Hawthorne.

My new thing today was attending the clients' Halloween party. Last year, I told the bosses before Halloween that I didn't want to have the clients paraded through the offices in costume on Halloween. We always tell people not to refer to them as children or treat them like children but the Halloween parade was very childish. Instead, we threw a party. I was at my internship last year on Halloween so this was my first work Halloween party.

It should have been better organized. To say that there is discomfort at my work right now would be an understatement. This has led to a "Can't someone else do it?" attitude which allows for a lot of projects to fall apart. I was concerned that the party today was going to be one of them but we all stepped up and made it a successful party which was pleasantly surprising.

What else?
In years past, we've walked with Raven as he's gone Trick or Treating. This year, he decided that he and his friends wanted to go it alone so we hung back at the coffee shop in Ladd's Circle while they went out. Sigh, I'm going to miss Trick or Treating. I need to either make it a point to head to Seattle on Halloween in the future or make more friends with parents of younger kids.

my great pumpkin

 

Out of all of the holidays, I gotta say that Halloween is my favorite. Still, I can't say when the last time was that I carved a pumpkin for Halloween. Sophia and I decided to get more festive today so we went to the store, bought pumpkins, carving kits, party snacks, and beer and invited people over to celebrate with us. It's the first party-like gathering we have had at the house since I moved in last June.

It was a light, easy-going evening with music, Apples to Apples, and good friends. Only Sophia's man X-box (that's his nickname) and I carved pumpkins. I chose to do Guy Fawkes. I'm so terribly proud of the pumpkin. It's by far my best. I didn't do so well at Apples to Apples but I had a lot of fun.

What else?

I got my Halloween costume together this morning too. I went to Classic Collections on Hawthorne an bought a new blue hat. I then biked to Sock Dreams in Sellwood and bought some blue striped socks. Afterwards, I ate at the Blue Kangaroo coffee shop for the first time. Finally, I found a blue suit at the Woodstock Goodwill and some glitter at Fred Meyer. I always think that I'll get this costume thing done earlier in the year but it never happens. I'm going to say here and now that I will have next year's ready earlier!

honey badger don't give a sh*t

I love Halloween but I haven't really gotten in the mood yet until today. I known that I was going to be a fairy for work since all of us case managers are going to be fairies but that's really all of the planning I have done. Tonight I went to my co-worker's house party (for the first time) where another co-worker was dressed up like a honey badger (in the middle of the picture above). The creativity of the costumes was inspiring and gave me the push I needed to get in the spirit. I went as a rancher, wearing a western shirt, brown pants, a straw hat (impractical for a rancher) and my grandpa's coat. I'll definitely be more festive on Halloween. Due to my late night with Andrew last night, I turned into a pumpkin early though and left the party after only an hour or so. I may be festive but I'm still not overtly social.