travel win

I do not personally advertise for companies. I don't buy clothes which sport a logo prominently. If I do, I make sure I can cut out the logo while retaining the integrity of clothes. And I don't use social media or blogging to talk about big companies....generally. Little ones, yes. I love promoting small businesses but the big ones can do it themselves.

That being said, I gotta give props to Alaska Air. On my way back from Omaha, they got me to my layover stop about a half an hour early and two complimentary Chardonnays later. Then, I saw that there was another flight going to Portland just an hour early of my scheduled flight and it was leaving in just 30 minutes. As luck would have it, the gates that each were departing from were right next to each other. With Chardonnay-fueled incentive, I decided 'WTF? I'll just ask if I can get on that one." They did some quick typing and got me on it and I had another complimentary Chardonnay to celebrate. Hell yeah, they're my airline of choice from now on.

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.

home stretch

 

Due to our setbacks yesterday, I had to switch routes and take the less scenic I80 into Nebraska just to shave off an hour or two of what was still an 11 hr ride. I was disappointed and could have kept with the original plan and stayed another night in a hotel but I didn't want to spend the money. Staying in Jackson was expensive and I still had to pay for the room I had reserved in Riverton. Plus, on the way through Wyoming today I got a ticket going through a town so I was all about pushing through to make it to my parents' place by the end of the day.

We stopped at this charming scenic view just north of Colorado on I-80 where Ava got to run free for a bit. My car started this morning and didn't give me any more issues throughout the day. Hopefully, it will be fine going back and we can run on a leisurely schedule because 11 hrs is a bit much.

I don't like driving through the country at night (I'm afraid of hitting deer) so I wasn't too happy that not only was it night when I got within 30 miles of my destination but it also started raining and my driver's side wiper needs to be replaced. >:( But we made it!

travels & tribulations

 

So, things haven't gone so smoothly today but I'm still glad I'm on vacation.

I woke up this morning after probably the worst night at a hotel I've ever had to a dead car. When I exited my car last night, the car started dinging before I locked the door like I hadn't turned off the lights or the key was still in the ignition. I gave it a once over and determined that nothing was amiss. Well, fortunately, my insurance comes with free roadside assistance so I used them to come jump-start my car.

It set Ava and I back a little bit as far as time goes but only 30 minutes so we were fine. We headed into Twin Falls, Idaho for gas and then stopped at this scenic view pictured on the top above quick to let her potty and to take some pictures. While I was holding the phone above the chainlink fence for a pic, I fumbled with it and it fell on the other side of the fence onto a small cliff. I wasn't quite sure how to handle it and thought initially about jumping over fence but could envision myself falling down the canyon and Ava being left alone. I thought about walking around the fence but that would involve walking back on the other side along a small cliff in parts. Then I tried pulling back the bottom of the fence to reach the phone. I ended up pushing the fence forward and reaching it that way.

I stopped again in Snake River Valley scenic overlook and let Ava run around off-leash. It's a beautiful view a lil off the highway with very little traffic. We took a little too much time to enjoy it though because when I got back to my car, the battery was again dead. This meant another hour wait but it was a great view, there was water at the rest stop, and plenty of shade. I was slightly perturbed by being behind my schedule but I came for the adventure and I wasn't going to sweat it.

I didn't want it to keep happening though, especially as I was now going to be going through national forests so I turned back and headed 30 miles the wrong way to Idaho Falls to get it checked out. The awesome folks at Quick Lane Tire and Auto Center figured out it was just a missing washer or something on the battery cable and fixed it free of charge which was awesome because I was in for more expenses.

This delay put me more than three hours behind and there was no way I was going to go through 2 or more national parks at night while already sleepy and roll into a Rodeway Inn in Riverton at 11pm. Instead, I went stopped at Jackson and paid a lot more for a room at the 49er Inn but it was their last room and it's dog-friendly. I purposely tried to not be in Jackson because of the cost and the tourists but this was the hand that I was dealt today. It's still all better than being at work. Adventures!

looking onward

 

I've done the drive back to Nebraska a handful of times. Normally when I do it, I'm taking vacation time so I do it in two days which means at least 12 hrs of driving in a day. However, since I have four weeks off and am only planning on being in Nebraska for two weeks, we have a little more time. I don't want to spend too much time on the road tho so we're doing in in three days, averaging 8 hrs per day. This means we get to make lots of stops along the way.

Today, we started our journey and had the destination of Mountain Home, Idaho as our goal. The picture above is a scenic view outside of Pendelton. Ava's doing good in the car but I want to make sure she has ample time outside of the car each day so I want to stop at every marked scenic view and as many parks as possible along the way. 

After this scenic view, we stopped at Farewell Bend State Park where she got to swim in a pond quick to chase ducks. It was pretty and she got some good off-leash time. We also made good time getting to Mountain Home. All of this was new to me, including eating at Frankie's Burgers which had a gardenburger option.

The only problem so far is that I forgot my pillow (which is actually one of Andrew's pillows). I woefully realized this as I stepped into our motel room and saw their lousy, square, flat excuses for pillows. So my new thing was also ordering a pillow thru Amazon to be delivered to my parents' house.

summer at the beach

I'm not a summer person. Last weekend, it was so hot that Andrew and I really wanted to escape to the beach to celebrate our Ava-versary but it was too short of notice so I booked a house for this weekend instead. It ended up being absolutely perfect.

On Friday, we made it through a three hour drive to arrive in Walport at a new-to-us beach house. Ava was delighted and ran herself silly. Dean liked the beach but Ava derives so much pleasure from running into the water and digging in the sand. It's really a delight to take her here. It's been years since I was here last. As much as I enjoyed it back then, I really like having Andrew here with me this time around.

 On Saturday, we walked across the Alsea Bay Bridge to the downtown part of Waldport. While on the bridge, looking out west, I spotted two sea lions swimming! The water was so clear that you could actually see how quickly they glide while swimming. We walked around quite a bit. Ava found a yellow lab to play with and they switched back and forth between wanting the lab's stick or Ava's ball. On the walk back, we took the east side of the bridge where we could see the bridge's shadow in the water. Within the shadow, there was almost a solid line of sea lions and then another 40 or so on a sand bar. I've never seen wild sea lions that close (even though I was on the bridge) or observed them without a telescope in their natural habitat. It was beautiful.

On Sunday, we headed back. One of the things I love about vacationing with Andrew is that he doesn't linger around in the morning. We get packed up quick so we can get on the road but first, we got brunch. As luck would have it, we ended up stopping randomly in Newport at the Nye Beach Cafe which was delicious.

Really when I want to head to the beach, I want to make it an extended weekend but I will still take this any day. I feel so content right now that I can even handle the hellish weather that is approaching this week.

bienvenido a la jungla, tenemos diversión y juegos.

After getting charred yesterday, this was needed. Since we only burnt our shoulders and backs, we were able to ride our bikes on a 30 km round trip to a cenote. Before leaving the US, my friend Jen said to swim in as many cenotes as possible. Fortunately, there are a handful just a short distance outside Puerto Morelos.

We biked to the first one which was Cenote Las Mojarras. Mojarras are black fish. While we swam, we could see some little ones below us. I expected the cenote to be more in a cave but this was your average watering hole but it was cold and shady enough which is what we wanted. I played on the zipline and there was a tight rope that we took turns walking across while the other person shook it which made it really difficult and fun as hell. Andrew had stated that he didn't want to go to a "water park" but wanted something more natural but I believe that we both had fun here.

And it was in the jungle. If we had forgotten that, we were reminded as we were biking out towards the main road and a baby jaguar, about the size of a whippet dog, darted in front of Andrew's bike. It was awesome.

the adventure across state lines

Who knew Vancouver could be exciting? Andrew and I had heard about a bike trail in the Couv a week ago from one of his friends. We set on a quest to find it today and had a great time, even in misadventures.

I got a thrill as we rode over the I-5 bridge. The Columbia River is huge and all of the traffic on it made it really loud. However, the bike lane was separated from the vehicle traffic so it was surprisingly calm. We rode in downtown Vancouver for a short while, trying to find the Burnt Bridge Greenway. Once found, there was the momentary thrill as we got to ride through the lush scenery. However, it ended too quickly and too confusingly. I led us on a goat trail path for a bit through the woods which was adventuresome but resulted in a flat tire for me. I bought a tube patch kit not that long ago so I was able to patch it quickly but the patch didn't hold. Andrew volunteered to ride two miles into town to a bike shop to get it fixed. In the meantime, I got to sit on the side of the path by the interstate, listening to a reggae cover of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts' Club Band while eating berries. It was surprisingly delightful.

After he returned, we biked for a while longer, trying to find another good bike path that would lead us to Vancouver Lake. We settled for some country roads that dead-ended at the lake and chilled out in the meadow grass pictured above. It was even more delightful even though there were hunters near by firing gun shots periodically.

Biking back proved to be difficult since we wanted to do the 205 bridge instead. Getting to it was complicated but we eventually managed, opting to take a sure road instead of a scenic road. The bridge itself felt like a giant reward since the first mile of it is all downhill.

We concluded the evening with a deserved dinner at the Observatory. It was all good but the Oregano Fry Bread was awesome.

What else?
Yesterday was really chill. I ended up biking around a bit, buying a bottle of Rose for today (my new thing), getting a new tail-light from Corey and another new pair of sunglasses (I broke two pairs of sunglasses this weekend). I ended the day at Andrews, hanging out with our friends Jason and Lauren who introduced me to the reggae which soundtracked my wonderful day today!

that other reality

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the road home

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

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

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

utah'lking to me

Today I started back home and went to Utah. I have always avoided Utah. The last time I was in the state was in 2002 when I took a small vacation to explore and drive aimlessly out of Nebraska. The farthest west I got was Logan, Utah. The scenery is pretty but I never really felt comfortable here, mainly because of the Mormon predominance.

When planning my trip back, I decided to do it a little smarter than my trip to Nebraska in that I wanted to split my days up evenly so one of them didn't wipe me out and leave me pulling into my destination at 3am. I figured that Tremonton, UT was the middle point and I booked a room at the Sandman Inn there because it's dog friendly (although not as outwardly dog-friendly as the Ontario Inn).

Tremonton is a little town. I was unaware of how small it was going to be until I pulled in. Next time, I will most likely opt to stay in Ogden. However, the drive was nice and listening to various audio books helped. Tomorrow, I'll most likely just stick with the Sookie Stackhouse novels because they're entertaining and don't require a lot of thought distraction from the road.

What else?

I stopped at a little shop across from the University in Laramie. Laramie only holds one association for me and that's the Laramie Project, a heartfelt dramatic reproduction of interviews conducted with people regarding the death of Matthew Shepard. Initially, I was wary of the town but it wasn't the whole town's fault, just a few homophobes. Proudly, I wore my two unicorn/star wars shirt there.

16 hours and 1159 miles later

I am so frazzled.

I took off from the Ontario Inn at around 10am. The Inn was very dog-friendly, complete with a large fenced-in area in the back for dogs to run and poop. Then I started on my trek.

Thank the gods for audio books because I would have been bored to tears otherwise. I thought about the adage that it's about the journey and not the destination so I decided to do one touristy thing on my drive and stop at the Craters of the Moon. I've only been there once before when I drove out to Portland to move there in August of 2002. It's just as large and desolate as I remembered but I didn't have a lot of time to stop. I started to figure the mileage and how long it would take me and realized I could make it to my parents house but it would be at 2am. I forgot about the time zone change too so it was actually going to be closer to 3am. I think I could have shaved off an hour or two if I had just drove the interstate the whole time but that's so dull.

 The Craters of the moon was my only leisurely stop. Other than that, I only stopped for gas, at which time I would grab a snack and let Dean out to go to the bathroom, stretch his legs and drink some water. He seems to like traveling but I wish he'd eat more on the road. Part of the motivation for making it home and not stopping again for a motel was just to get him settled in a spot again.

When we arrived home, he jumped out of the car into the humid 73 degree weather in the wee hours of the morning. He ran through the sprinklers and then ran into my parents' house and into their bedroom. I was so relieved to be done that all I could do was laugh at his ridiculous nature. It's good to be back.

homeward bound

We're on the road again!

Dean and I haven't driven this road together since I brought him up to Portland for the first time in November of 2002. He was the whole motivation for me to drive back to Nebraska this week for a visit. I'll leave for Country Fair shortly after we get back so I wanted to make sure I got some quality time with him before then. A long road trip will give us ample time together and really, I like this drive generally.

Since I sold my car last month (it was a gas guzzler anyway), I rented a Ford Focus to take back. I figured the cost of the gas and rental is close to equivalent to the cost of airfare. It's more time but it's more of an adventure. Picking up the rental was a bit of an ordeal as I had to bus/MAX out to the airport, shuttle to the rental agency, deal with the rental person and then drive back into town for Dean and my luggage. I managed to hit the road quickly enough to make it to Ontario, OR before midnight. I stayed at the Ontario Inn which advertises and delivers as "dog-friendly."

The drive wasn't exciting but it was very comfortable. The car is new and I would be interested in getting one myself if I could afford a new car and if I wanted to be a car-owner again. Sophia's boyfriend had most of the Sookie Stackhouse novels on audio-book so I borrowed those for my journey which made the drive not seem so endless. Dean did an excellent job riding with me. He loves a good drive though and doesn't really care where I'm headed as long as he gets to go along.

What else?
While driving around town today for work, I stopped by the Eastside Deli because Bastard has been talking it up and it's pretty close to home. They have a wonderful vegetarian sandwich selection. It's a bit pricey but it's good quality and a fun deli style. I ended up getting a veggie french dip. I'm looking forward to making my way through the sandwich list there.

oceanside getaway

I like to be in control, especially when it involves my dog. However, I let Andrew do the driving literally and figuratively today. He took Dean and I to a rental he made in Oceanside today for the weekend. I enjoyed letting go and it's nice to know that I can trust him.

We were out of phone service and internet service as well which was nice. Not only were we out of contact but we stayed in for the evening as soon as we got to the in, unlike last time we went to the beach together. It was nice to just relax, do tequila shots and know that we didn't have any more responsibilities. It's a great way to start a vacation marathon for me. After today, I only have one more day of work for me before I start a two week vacation.

good clean fun

Six months ago, before I went to ZomBcon, I gave Dean a bath, he fell in the tub and he sustained a knee injury which was horrible for both of us. He hasn't had a bath since then and Sophia hasn't said that he stinks at all but he felt dirty to touch. Plus, I got in the mood to clean the house yesterday and quickly surmised that Dean was the dirtiest thing in the place so I took him to Pawsitively Clean for the first time today and Andrew was happy to join us!

I'm a dork but I loved this. If we were characters on an 80s or early 90s sit-com, footage of washing the dog and us laughing while he shook off would be in the opening credits montage. It was a good setup too for Dean. I think he'll be getting a bath more often now.

What else?
On Tuesday, 4/17, Andrew and I ate and drank at the Delta.


On Wednesday, 4/18, I had my interview with next years internship at the county. I think I'll be working in the public guardianship department. It should be interesting although I'm a little nervous about the overwhelming cubicle culture there.

Also, I went to my class and forgot to lock my bike up. I came out of a class after 2.5 hours to find that my bike was still there. That, my friends, is a miracle.
 
On Thursday, 4/19, Jen, Donald, Andrew and I went on our first double date to see Cabin in the Woods. I love Joss Whedon and I'm so glad that he's finally able to demonstrate his full talent, outside of the television realm.

On Friday, 4.20, I went to Salem again to help them interview a case manager to hire down there. While there, I got to eat vegan calamari. They didn't get the shape right but the texture and flavor was close to what I remember.

And today, after the dog bath, we went to a BBQ at Andrew's friends' house where I got to meet more of them. I have a lot of friends so I think that it's important that he does too. It fosters a good sense of independence for each of us.

picking up where i left off

 Yikes. I don't think I've let my blog go by without updating it this long before. No, I haven't given up on it. School-boyfriend-work-life just got in the way. School is pretty much taken care of now and work has slowed down immensely so I'll be able to be a lot more up-to-date soon. I'm gonna proceed by doing weekly summaries until I am up to date.

I think part of the reason for me hesitating on updating the blog is that I don't really want to write about this next thing but I'm just going to sum it up. I went to the hospital on Friday, 4/13, with chest pains and shortness of breath. I biked to Long Haus, went into a mild panic attack and called 911 cuz I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me and I had just attended a CPR class yesterday in Salem so 'heart attack' was the first thing on my mind.

Really, I am a hypochondriac but the words of the CPR trainer surprisingly stuck with me, "It's free to call 911. It only costs when they transport you." I was hoping the 911 responders would just diagnose me with "Definitely Not a Heart Attack" and I could put it out of my mind but they didn't. They said that I should go to the ER.

Ashes & Victory drove me to the ER and Sophia (via my neighbor) came to meet us there. Andrew saw I checked in there through foursquare and asked for an update. He also later texted me the "L" word for the first time (not lesbian).

I had to go in and out of several rooms and have those sticky monitors placed on my hairy chest several times. I also had my first IV. In the end, they said that it almost surely wasn't a heart attack but recommended I take some heart relief medicine, although I'm pretty sure it wasn't heart burn.

As a result, I have been taking easy this weekend. On Saturday, 4/14, I met Andrew at Sound Grounds where I had yogurt and granola in determination not to eat any food which may have affected my heart and I said the "L" word back. Later on that night, I went to karaoke with Dom.

Today, I took it easy for the day and bought an expansion pack for Munchkin, a game Sophia and Xbox have got me into. It was silly and fun. Later, Andrew and I went to dinner, I pretty much realized it wasn't a heart problem and I got to end my weekend knowing that I was fine. So, I guess all's well that ends well.

What else?
On Thursday, 4/12, as I mentioned, I went to CPR class in Salem for the second year in a row. I went down with the same two co-workers that went down with my last year. This time, we ate at Super Pho which has fake calamari so I will definitely be back to try that.   

returning to the real world

I'm going to miss this place but the good thing is that I can always return.

What else?
Andrew and I went for breakfast at Grandma's Country Kitchen. The French Toast was awesome and the Home Fried Potatoes were great as well.

On the way back, we stopped at Four County Point Trail in the Clatsop Forest for a quick hike because it's traditional to go on a forest hike on my birthday getaway weekend.

cohabitation

Tonight, Andrew brought up the idea of living with me. It wasn't a proposal to move in together. He was commenting on how he has lived alone for the last few years and has forgotten what it's like to co-habituate like we are doing this extended weekend. He stated that he liked it and I stated that I did too which surprised me because I figured I was more socially inept than that. He thought I was joking but I really wasn't. I've lived with roommates before but never anyone on a romantic level. I'm also an extreme introvert in that I need my time alone to recharge my batteries. However, being with Andrew this weekend hasn't been a big drain on me. I think it helps to have Dean around and also being on vacation and at the beach doesn't hurt. Still, for me, I consider this a positive experiment. I don't have high self-confidence so it's reassuring to know that I'm not as screwed up as I could perceive myself as being.

What else?
We explored Seaside today as well as Astoria again. We did breakfast at an adequate diner named Riley's and coffee at the Seaside Coffee House. I shopped for a dog toy at Beach Dog, we went to the free Shark Museum and the end of the Lewis and Clark trail and we ended up playing cards at a local watering hole called the Bridge Tender Tavern (pictured below). We struck out a few times for dinner so we ended up getting Thai at the Blue Ocean Thai. What a relaxing day.

good enough for me

When I was in high school, I had a subscription to the magazine Details (which I've talked about before). At the time, I was still in the closet and relatively naive. With one issue, they sent out a sex survey, asking all sorts of questions. For fun, I filled it out dishonestly with dream scenarios. One of the questions was something like, "Where is the most exotic place you've ever made love?" I answered, "On the beach in the rain." Tonight, I came a step closer to living my dream.

Sorry if that's TMI but this is my blog, my life and I'm going to keep it real and as honest as I want.

Today and tonight was filled with just pure and simply enjoyment. We started it with a walk to the beach. I haven't been letting Dean off of his leash that much but I figured he only gets to the beach once a year so I may as well let him have his fun and he did. Then Andrew and I drove to Astoria where we had coffee at Columbia River Coffee Roasters. It was my first time in Astoria where they filmed a lot of The Goonies which was one of my favorite movies growing up so I dorked out a bit. We walked along the pier to the Goonies house (pictured above). Afterwards, we went to Wet Dog Brewery where we had some Wet Dog food :). I also had the Marionberry beer which was amazing.

After coming back to the house and walking along the beach in the sunset (sigh), we went to the Pacific Way Cafe where we met up with Andrew's ex Mark and Mark's partner Charlie who I had only met one time before. We had a delightful dinner and very gay conversation, beginning with talking about poor Whitney's death. I was really looking forward to this dinner because I liked Mark and Charlie when I first met them. Also, I got to meet their 18 month old poodle named Kelvin who bounded around the street with me like a deer.

We ended the evening with the hot tub and looking out at the stars as the clouds drifted away. It was a most memorable day and night that I will probably always cherish.

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.
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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.