KATRIN IS GETTING MARRIED!!!!
congrats, kat! i'm so excited for you and jake!
lovelovelove!
Posts
High vowel lenition/devoicing in French
11 hours ago
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
how could i forget to mention/the bicycle is a good invention
and no. i don't have one of my own yet. have to work on that.
this past week... more disappointment on the work front. had a few interviews, wasn't really feeling it. didn't get the job i preferred. got offered a job i *really* don't want, so i declined, but that was hard as well. so, still looking... and waiting on my license...
also hung out with nick a couple days this past week, just chilling and exploring portland. nick and i went to PCOM together but had never actually spoken to each other, and he moved up here the same time i did and is in the same sort of situation... so, it was cool to hang out and explore together.
yesterday bjorn and i headed out to rickreall (about an hour away) to watch mason race in the rickeall open (a cyclo-cross race) it was a gorgeous day out, and ryan's farm was an awesome place to have it. superfun to watch, the course went around the farm and hazelnut orchard and through the woods, and there were some neat features like ladders and the over/under. it was a little dusty out in the sun, but lots of excitement, and of course, a few wipe-outs. then a bunch of stayed the night and camped out on ryan's yard (or couch) - thank you ryan!
other than that, am planning on heading to the small business administration tomorrow morning to see if they can give me some guidance on starting my own business... seemed like a good idea. and then, of course, the excitement of my week is that tim is coming to visit! he's taking the train up from san diego (i know, it's a looooong ride) and will be here wednesday. yay! :)
oh, i forgot, our team WON trivia thursday night! whooo hoo! thanks jake and jackie!
this past week... more disappointment on the work front. had a few interviews, wasn't really feeling it. didn't get the job i preferred. got offered a job i *really* don't want, so i declined, but that was hard as well. so, still looking... and waiting on my license...
also hung out with nick a couple days this past week, just chilling and exploring portland. nick and i went to PCOM together but had never actually spoken to each other, and he moved up here the same time i did and is in the same sort of situation... so, it was cool to hang out and explore together.
yesterday bjorn and i headed out to rickreall (about an hour away) to watch mason race in the rickeall open (a cyclo-cross race) it was a gorgeous day out, and ryan's farm was an awesome place to have it. superfun to watch, the course went around the farm and hazelnut orchard and through the woods, and there were some neat features like ladders and the over/under. it was a little dusty out in the sun, but lots of excitement, and of course, a few wipe-outs. then a bunch of stayed the night and camped out on ryan's yard (or couch) - thank you ryan!
other than that, am planning on heading to the small business administration tomorrow morning to see if they can give me some guidance on starting my own business... seemed like a good idea. and then, of course, the excitement of my week is that tim is coming to visit! he's taking the train up from san diego (i know, it's a looooong ride) and will be here wednesday. yay! :)
oh, i forgot, our team WON trivia thursday night! whooo hoo! thanks jake and jackie!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
...i am not a pretty girl/that is not what i do...
we'll do this week in reverse. so hold on to your seats ladies and gentlemen...
in regards to the title (an ani classic) i spent yesterday watching both a women's rugby game (thank you allison for the invite!) and roller derby. and not to imply they weren't actually pretty in the least, but 'pretty' certainly isn't what these ladies do. they're out there getting dirty, playing rough and it just made me think a lot about these absolutely athletic women who are out there competing in sport but also having a ton of fun. they were so real, and full of passion and fire and comeraderie.... and, i miss that. watching both these events (and if you've never seen either, you should see both), watching these women on these teams made me realize how much i want to be a part of something... something that challenges me physically and mentally, something that gives me that rush, something that requires teamwork - the necessary support of others for anyone to sucessful.
picking up and moving...being here without a local network, without anyone who really knows me, without someone to call to go hiking or hit the town on a saturday night, i feel kind of... very on my own. which has it's moments for sure. and i know the rest will come, it takes time, but watching those women yesterday made me realize, acutely, how great it is to have that. i think about my rugby team at bowdoin, and i don't know what i would have done without those girls - it was such an amazing group of ladies, and some of my best friends came out of playing rugby. i just feel so lucky to have experienced that, to have been a part of something like that... and i hope to do it again. though, since i've been effectively banned from rugby, i'm not sure how this will manifest... perhaps roller derby is in my future? (i'd clearly need to learn how to rollerskate first!)
back to the rewind, i went to the rugby with allison, whom i met on wednesday night courtesy of spencer (whom i met thanks to rachael who works with mom). anyway, spencer was so sweet and organized a little get together at blue moon where i got to meet him and a bunch of his friends, have a few beers and hang out. everyone was really friendly and welcoming, and it was nice to get out of the house and chill with some people (albeit strangers!). anyway, allison and i got to talking, and she's a physical therapist and somehow rugby came up and one of her friends had a game sat, so i tagged along to watch :) so fun to watch live rugby!
the roller derby was a bit of a surprise, i got a call from scott (who i don't know) who is a friend of bjorn's (who is out of town) and he had some extra tickets, and i had nothing else to do with my saturday night so i headed down to the expo center and watched some roller derby! it was a whole other world, i have never seen it, so there was a bit of a learning curve, but definitely fun to watch and both of portland's teams won, so that was exciting! thanks scott!
so, let's get all the social stuff out of the way... on thursday i met up with jake kamins and his girlfriend jackie for trivia night at a bar in NE. it was great to see them both again, and actually chat a little, and trivia was fun - i even got a few things right, ha! and a welcome distraction to a not-so-great day.
had a few interviews this past week, which i thought went really well, but didn't get a couple of jobs, and one i had really really wanted. and i was perfect for, the woman even said so in her very sweet rejection letter - but she was looking for someone who wanted to do it very long term, and that's not my 5 year plan. but i think she'll be a great contact and we're going to keep in touch. not getting that job just sent me a bit into a spin... about how i have no idea when i will get to do what i WANT to do. i want to be doing acupuncture. but, it seems so so so SO far away. and already feel like it's been ages since i was in a clinic practicing... and i miss it. SO much. i'm going to have make bjorn and mason get needles, just so i keep up with the needles :P. anyway, after much talking with mom and dad, tim and emily (thank you all, much appreciated) had a much better day on friday and a really great interview for yet another job. my interviewer told me i interviewed really well, so cross your fingers - it seemed like a great work environment and i should hear by tuesday if i made round two of the interviews...
and there you have it, albeit in a slightly disjointed fashion. here's to a new week and me getting a job :)
in regards to the title (an ani classic) i spent yesterday watching both a women's rugby game (thank you allison for the invite!) and roller derby. and not to imply they weren't actually pretty in the least, but 'pretty' certainly isn't what these ladies do. they're out there getting dirty, playing rough and it just made me think a lot about these absolutely athletic women who are out there competing in sport but also having a ton of fun. they were so real, and full of passion and fire and comeraderie.... and, i miss that. watching both these events (and if you've never seen either, you should see both), watching these women on these teams made me realize how much i want to be a part of something... something that challenges me physically and mentally, something that gives me that rush, something that requires teamwork - the necessary support of others for anyone to sucessful.
picking up and moving...being here without a local network, without anyone who really knows me, without someone to call to go hiking or hit the town on a saturday night, i feel kind of... very on my own. which has it's moments for sure. and i know the rest will come, it takes time, but watching those women yesterday made me realize, acutely, how great it is to have that. i think about my rugby team at bowdoin, and i don't know what i would have done without those girls - it was such an amazing group of ladies, and some of my best friends came out of playing rugby. i just feel so lucky to have experienced that, to have been a part of something like that... and i hope to do it again. though, since i've been effectively banned from rugby, i'm not sure how this will manifest... perhaps roller derby is in my future? (i'd clearly need to learn how to rollerskate first!)
back to the rewind, i went to the rugby with allison, whom i met on wednesday night courtesy of spencer (whom i met thanks to rachael who works with mom). anyway, spencer was so sweet and organized a little get together at blue moon where i got to meet him and a bunch of his friends, have a few beers and hang out. everyone was really friendly and welcoming, and it was nice to get out of the house and chill with some people (albeit strangers!). anyway, allison and i got to talking, and she's a physical therapist and somehow rugby came up and one of her friends had a game sat, so i tagged along to watch :) so fun to watch live rugby!
the roller derby was a bit of a surprise, i got a call from scott (who i don't know) who is a friend of bjorn's (who is out of town) and he had some extra tickets, and i had nothing else to do with my saturday night so i headed down to the expo center and watched some roller derby! it was a whole other world, i have never seen it, so there was a bit of a learning curve, but definitely fun to watch and both of portland's teams won, so that was exciting! thanks scott!
so, let's get all the social stuff out of the way... on thursday i met up with jake kamins and his girlfriend jackie for trivia night at a bar in NE. it was great to see them both again, and actually chat a little, and trivia was fun - i even got a few things right, ha! and a welcome distraction to a not-so-great day.
had a few interviews this past week, which i thought went really well, but didn't get a couple of jobs, and one i had really really wanted. and i was perfect for, the woman even said so in her very sweet rejection letter - but she was looking for someone who wanted to do it very long term, and that's not my 5 year plan. but i think she'll be a great contact and we're going to keep in touch. not getting that job just sent me a bit into a spin... about how i have no idea when i will get to do what i WANT to do. i want to be doing acupuncture. but, it seems so so so SO far away. and already feel like it's been ages since i was in a clinic practicing... and i miss it. SO much. i'm going to have make bjorn and mason get needles, just so i keep up with the needles :P. anyway, after much talking with mom and dad, tim and emily (thank you all, much appreciated) had a much better day on friday and a really great interview for yet another job. my interviewer told me i interviewed really well, so cross your fingers - it seemed like a great work environment and i should hear by tuesday if i made round two of the interviews...
and there you have it, albeit in a slightly disjointed fashion. here's to a new week and me getting a job :)
I am not a pretty girl
that is not what I do
I ain't no damsel in distess
and I don't need to be rescued
so put me down punk
maybe you'd prefer a maiden fair
isn't there a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere
I am not an angry girl
but it seems like I've got everyone fooled
every time I say something they find hard to hear
they chalk it up to my anger
and never to their own fear
and imagine you're a girl
just trying to finally come clean
knowing full well they'd prefer you
were dirty and smiling
and I am sorry
I am not a maiden fair
and I am not a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere
and generally my generation
wouldn't be caught dead working for the man
and generally I agree with them
trouble is you gotta have youself an alternate plan
and I have earned my disillusionment
I have been working all of my life
and I am a patriot
I have been fighting the good fight
and what if there are no damsels in distress
what if I knew that and I called your bluff?
don't you think every kitten figures out how to get down
whether or not you ever show up
I am not a pretty girl
I don't want to be a pretty girl
no I want to be more than a pretty girl
-Ani DiFranco
Sunday, September 14, 2008
we're back together again/ and i'm never gonna lose you as a friend...
so, i had the awesome semi-surprise of Katrin coming to visit for the weekend. she called me up thursday and said she was thinking about hopping on the train and coming out to portland for the weekend (she's in montana) and she did just that! i picked her up from the train station on friday morning and we just had an awesome weekend together!
it's so crazy to me that this is only the second time i have gotten together with Kat since we were flatmates in NZ over FOUR years ago... CRAZY! she came down to SD to visit a couple years ago and then just this past weekend... i guess i owe her a few visits out in montana (can't wait to go now that she's just a train ride away!).
anyway, it was SO SO SO great to see her and catch up in person, and recount some of our favorite NZ stories, talk about all the new and exciting things in life and explore portland and of course, drink some damn good beer. friday we grabbed brunch and then later went exploring in the belmont/hawthorne area, which i hadn't been to yet. very cool, very bohemian... went to the bridgeport brewery and had some good beer... came home, made dinner and chilled out with wine, chocolate and a movie. saturday we went to the saturday market after breakfast and a walk in the alberta area (at my new favorite coffeehouse) then wandered around downtown/pearl district and of course powell's. oh, and we decided a stop at voodoo doughnut was an absolutely necessary cultural experience and then, the deschutes brewery was calling to us! had a couple of really interesting beers... i had a preference for the bachelor's bitter, but the x-tap was liked by both of us... a lighter beer than i usually drink, but great for the warm day, and really complex flavor ... hot chilis... so interesting. never had a beer like that before. we thought we were going to have a big night on the town, but instead picked up some take-away indian and wine and watched movies all night. it was fabulous. today we ended up having breakfast over in the nob hill area (kinda pricey part of town, but very cute and some neat shops) then we spent the day in the Japanese Gardens in washington park, before i had to take Kat back to the train station...
the gardens were UNREAL. i am definitely planning on getting a membership, it was so beautiful. below are a few pictures that don't come anywhere close to doing it justice... you'll just have to come visit and see for yourself :).
and that, was my weekend. have some house-keeping things to attend to tonight, 2 interviews tomorrow, and back to job-hunting...
ps - Kat - so wonderful to have you out here, it was great to spend time with you and i CANNOT WAIT to get out to see your new house and explore MT with you :) YAY!
it's so crazy to me that this is only the second time i have gotten together with Kat since we were flatmates in NZ over FOUR years ago... CRAZY! she came down to SD to visit a couple years ago and then just this past weekend... i guess i owe her a few visits out in montana (can't wait to go now that she's just a train ride away!).
anyway, it was SO SO SO great to see her and catch up in person, and recount some of our favorite NZ stories, talk about all the new and exciting things in life and explore portland and of course, drink some damn good beer. friday we grabbed brunch and then later went exploring in the belmont/hawthorne area, which i hadn't been to yet. very cool, very bohemian... went to the bridgeport brewery and had some good beer... came home, made dinner and chilled out with wine, chocolate and a movie. saturday we went to the saturday market after breakfast and a walk in the alberta area (at my new favorite coffeehouse) then wandered around downtown/pearl district and of course powell's. oh, and we decided a stop at voodoo doughnut was an absolutely necessary cultural experience and then, the deschutes brewery was calling to us! had a couple of really interesting beers... i had a preference for the bachelor's bitter, but the x-tap was liked by both of us... a lighter beer than i usually drink, but great for the warm day, and really complex flavor ... hot chilis... so interesting. never had a beer like that before. we thought we were going to have a big night on the town, but instead picked up some take-away indian and wine and watched movies all night. it was fabulous. today we ended up having breakfast over in the nob hill area (kinda pricey part of town, but very cute and some neat shops) then we spent the day in the Japanese Gardens in washington park, before i had to take Kat back to the train station...
the gardens were UNREAL. i am definitely planning on getting a membership, it was so beautiful. below are a few pictures that don't come anywhere close to doing it justice... you'll just have to come visit and see for yourself :).
and that, was my weekend. have some house-keeping things to attend to tonight, 2 interviews tomorrow, and back to job-hunting...
ps - Kat - so wonderful to have you out here, it was great to spend time with you and i CANNOT WAIT to get out to see your new house and explore MT with you :) YAY!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
the 5 day forecast...
High: 86ºF 30ºC
Low: 54ºF 12ºC
Sunny
Friday, September 12, 2008
High: 83ºF 30ºC
Low: 53ºF 12ºC
Sunny
Saturday, September 13, 2008
High: 79ºF 26ºC
Low: 55ºF 13ºC
Sunny
Sunday, September 14, 2008
High: 88ºF 31ºC
Low: 58ºF 14ºC
Sunny
Monday, September 15, 2008
High: 91ºF 33ºC
Low: 59ºF 15ºC
Sunny
anyone coming to visit? :P
anyone coming to visit? :P
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
two little feet/to get me across the city...
as i was mentioning washington park earlier, check out the link. it's a wonderful park, on the opposite side of the city, but totally worth the trip... i plan on spending a lot more time there.
anyway, here are a few pictures i've been meaning to put up. the pictures of the park don't do it justice, didn't have the camera with me on my trail run through there, and that was gorgeous...
anyway, here are a few pictures i've been meaning to put up. the pictures of the park don't do it justice, didn't have the camera with me on my trail run through there, and that was gorgeous...
everywhere you go/you always take the weather with you
i know, popular consensus should be that it should be rainy and miserable here in the northwest so i will feel bad about moving away...
i hate to say it, but it's been ABSOULTELY GORGEOUS since i got here. sunny skies, awesome temps, no humidity and to top it all off everything is SO GREEN. which somehow just makes the nice weather that much better! ...but, if it makes you feel any better... everyone keeps telling me it's just because it's summer, and come winter i will rue the day i said i liked rain. but, we'll see. i sincerely doubt it...we all know how i kinda dig the grey-rainy weather. but worry not, i'll let you know at the first sign of precipitation!
have been trying to settle in here in portland, which is a whole bunch of mixed emotions for me at the moment. i had a great 20 hours with emily over the weekend. though WAY too short (i guess that part of our relationship is back to the status quo). we brought miss puma home from the airport and then got some delicious indian food in a cute neighborhood over in SE, and then just chilled with puma for the evening. speaking of puma, she's doing quite well in the new digs... though she was quite angry with me for a day or two and refused to cuddle... but i'm back in her good books now (after some cat treats, of course). then saturday morning em and i took the bus downtown and explored the famous saturday market! we had a great time and a massive (and delicious) cinnamon bun! yum! then em had to journey back to san diego and i was left on my own.
i have since explored a bit and found the trader joe's (essential to life) and amazing coffee shop (where i'm at right now... more on this in moment), have been running in washington park (which i wish i had my camera for, so pretty!), met up with some people from a hiking group and went bouldering at an awesome rock gym... and not to mention have gotten lost going various places all week, but also managing to see some other parts of the city. all in all it's been good.
the rest of my time i have been looking for/applying for jobs. and that's the tough part... in the last 2 days i must have sent my cv in to at least 20 jobs... mostly medical reception/billing. and i know, you're wondering why on earth am i not doing acupuncture... here's the thing, in this field there are very few opportunities to be hired... which means there isn't much to apply to. it's pretty much a work for yourself/create your own job/open your own practice kind of thing. which is great, because it's what i want to do. however, it definitely requires some financial resources that i don't currently possess... and therefore, i am currently looking for other gainful sources of employment (but will be doing acupuncture as much as i can at the same time). so, cross your fingers that i will pick up a job soon because it will make me a much happier and less stressed out alexis (and we all like that better).
so. i have to say. it's really weird not knowing anyone here, i have huge gaps of time where i feel like i would normally call someone and hang out, or go explore with... and i just don't have that here. mostly i'm doing ok with that. but, there are definitely times where it hits me and i do question myself and my reasons for moving. i don't reget it, and don't think i made a mistake, but i have questioned it. and i know this is the hard part, and once i have a job and a routine, and meet people it'll be a little less emotional rollercoaster-y. (d'you like how i just made up that adjective, ha).
oh, the coffeehouse i'm in. AMAZING. it's called random order coffeehouse and they have really good ice-brewed coffee (i know, i so don't drink coffee, but i LIKE this) and to DIE for baked goods. i had this awesome savoury muffin today - cornmeal with cheddar, bacon and green chilies. YUM. reminds me of NZ, i always had stuff like that there. they also have free wifi (clearly) and a selection of pies that looks scrumptious (i haven't yet tried one). i seriously am contemplating moving in... their motto is: don't forget to save room for pie. how could it not be an awesome place? ha!
(can you tell i am procrastinating doing real work since i wrote any entire paragraph about the coffeeshop?) *sigh* best get back to writing cover letters and looking for jobs...
i hate to say it, but it's been ABSOULTELY GORGEOUS since i got here. sunny skies, awesome temps, no humidity and to top it all off everything is SO GREEN. which somehow just makes the nice weather that much better! ...but, if it makes you feel any better... everyone keeps telling me it's just because it's summer, and come winter i will rue the day i said i liked rain. but, we'll see. i sincerely doubt it...we all know how i kinda dig the grey-rainy weather. but worry not, i'll let you know at the first sign of precipitation!
have been trying to settle in here in portland, which is a whole bunch of mixed emotions for me at the moment. i had a great 20 hours with emily over the weekend. though WAY too short (i guess that part of our relationship is back to the status quo). we brought miss puma home from the airport and then got some delicious indian food in a cute neighborhood over in SE, and then just chilled with puma for the evening. speaking of puma, she's doing quite well in the new digs... though she was quite angry with me for a day or two and refused to cuddle... but i'm back in her good books now (after some cat treats, of course). then saturday morning em and i took the bus downtown and explored the famous saturday market! we had a great time and a massive (and delicious) cinnamon bun! yum! then em had to journey back to san diego and i was left on my own.
i have since explored a bit and found the trader joe's (essential to life) and amazing coffee shop (where i'm at right now... more on this in moment), have been running in washington park (which i wish i had my camera for, so pretty!), met up with some people from a hiking group and went bouldering at an awesome rock gym... and not to mention have gotten lost going various places all week, but also managing to see some other parts of the city. all in all it's been good.
the rest of my time i have been looking for/applying for jobs. and that's the tough part... in the last 2 days i must have sent my cv in to at least 20 jobs... mostly medical reception/billing. and i know, you're wondering why on earth am i not doing acupuncture... here's the thing, in this field there are very few opportunities to be hired... which means there isn't much to apply to. it's pretty much a work for yourself/create your own job/open your own practice kind of thing. which is great, because it's what i want to do. however, it definitely requires some financial resources that i don't currently possess... and therefore, i am currently looking for other gainful sources of employment (but will be doing acupuncture as much as i can at the same time). so, cross your fingers that i will pick up a job soon because it will make me a much happier and less stressed out alexis (and we all like that better).
so. i have to say. it's really weird not knowing anyone here, i have huge gaps of time where i feel like i would normally call someone and hang out, or go explore with... and i just don't have that here. mostly i'm doing ok with that. but, there are definitely times where it hits me and i do question myself and my reasons for moving. i don't reget it, and don't think i made a mistake, but i have questioned it. and i know this is the hard part, and once i have a job and a routine, and meet people it'll be a little less emotional rollercoaster-y. (d'you like how i just made up that adjective, ha).
oh, the coffeehouse i'm in. AMAZING. it's called random order coffeehouse and they have really good ice-brewed coffee (i know, i so don't drink coffee, but i LIKE this) and to DIE for baked goods. i had this awesome savoury muffin today - cornmeal with cheddar, bacon and green chilies. YUM. reminds me of NZ, i always had stuff like that there. they also have free wifi (clearly) and a selection of pies that looks scrumptious (i haven't yet tried one). i seriously am contemplating moving in... their motto is: don't forget to save room for pie. how could it not be an awesome place? ha!
(can you tell i am procrastinating doing real work since i wrote any entire paragraph about the coffeeshop?) *sigh* best get back to writing cover letters and looking for jobs...
Thursday, September 04, 2008
get the motor running/head out on the highway/looking for adventure/or whatever comes our way...
*SIGH*
i made it. to portland. finally.
it's strange, it's been a long time coming, and i've been talking about it for soooooo long. i can't believe i'm really here. it's still a little surreal. though i just dropped tim at the airport today and so it's feeling less like vacation and more like my actual life right now... eeeeek!
other updates before i do the trip recap - i passed CA state boards, because i am SURE you were all dying to know! not that it matters, but it's nice nonetheless.
right, back to business...
the last few days at home were kind of stressful. trying to see people and get the house and car and trailer sorted. dad was in town so it was great to see him and between emily, dad and tim, my life was much more manageable - thank you all for being absoultely wonderful and dealing with my freaking out and for helping, you rock my world!
and everyone else, who came to shakespeare's or did lunch with me, etc, thank you so much! it was a pleasure to see you and i'm so glad i got to say goodbye... there's an open invitation to you all if you're ever in the pacific northwest!
so, let's see, packed up the trailer on thursday, tim was AMAZING at packing it up, we had so much more room than i thought... had lunch with amielle, dad and i got acupuncture from vasa, then dropped puma off at stephanie's for the week, dropped dad at the hotel and picked up dinner and pretty much called it a night. tim and i hit the road at about 4.30am on friday, managed to make it through LA with minimal traffic! cheryl was awesome and woke up and met us off the highway near her house, to say hi and bring us coffee (thanks babe! so great to see you!) then it was all highway all the time till we hit yosemite!
yosemite was AMAZING. definitely need to go back for real and spend a week there sometime. we got there in the afternoon and set up camp and just kind of wandered around and played in the river. it was really freaking HOT, like 97* and so a nice little swim was grand! crashed out pretty hard that night, and were on the road again at 7.30 the next morning... drove through northern CA and southern OR and ended up at crater lake, OR at around 7.30pm... however, when we got there, it was just about FREEZING! crazy the different climates a 12 hour drive can bring... we mostly just set up camp and fire and called it a night. The next morning, everything had frozen over...eeek! glad i had my whole life in the trailer and so had extra clothing because the weather forecast said nothing about temps THAT low.
spent the day going around crater lake, had gorgeous sunshine, and without the wind, the temp was actually quite nice... until the evening, when amazingly enough it SNOWED! not much or long, but, STILL it was still AUGUST, and SNOWING! crazy! but tim had a great little fire going, and we had soup and tea and kept warm!
monday morning we packed up and headed out, and up to portland! went through eugene and stopped at The Wandering Goat Coffee Shop (amazing, you must go if you're in eugene!) and then stopped by Bjorn's parents' place in Corvallis (he was there) to pick up a key, and then to portland! had a pretty sedate night, SHOWERED for the first time in 4 days (it was SO needed) and then had dinner and slept! tuesday we unpacked the trailer, and returned it, then spent a little time in downtown portland, visited powell's (of course) and wandered through washington park (SO pretty, didn't take photos, but will go back soon and accomplish this!). then yesterday we decided to hit up the coast since i wanted tim to see it up in oregon since we didn't make it on the drive up... drove from portland out to cannon beach and then south on the 101 to tillamook (yes, where they make the cheese, we went to the factory too!) and then back to portland. we had an awesome picnic lunch sitting on rocks by a bay somewhere between manzanita and tillamook... the weather was idea, and it was just so pretty and chill! went to a local brew pub last night and had some of the microbrews oregon is known for...
this morning had to pack up tim (who wouldn't leave me his tent... i have no idea why :P) and after brunch we went to the airport, and now i'm back home. and it's weird. starting to sink in that it's not just vacation anymore. on that note, thank you tim, SO MUCH for making the trip with me... it wouldn't have been the same without you, and i'm so glad you were there :).
i'm a little tripped out about being here and not having friends local, and not having a job yet, and all that kind of stuff is a little overwhelming at the moment. and the *hard* part is just kind of hitting me emotionally, and i knew it would... and i DO NOT regret moving, i still think it's the right thing for me, but that doesn't mean it isn't hard and that i have to go through this adjustment period... *sigh*
anyway, that's about it! now that i'm back with internet and currently have some time on my hands, i'll be updating with further adventures more often (and hopefully pictures!).
on the horizon, emily is coming up tomorrow evening with PUMAAAAAAAAAAAAA which is great, miss them both SO much!
enjoy the pictures, keep in touch and if you know anyone in portland who wants acupuncture, please send them my way! :)
and i know i've posted this before, but i'm feeling this quite acutely at the moment, so wanted to repost....
-Georges Perec
cheers!
i made it. to portland. finally.
it's strange, it's been a long time coming, and i've been talking about it for soooooo long. i can't believe i'm really here. it's still a little surreal. though i just dropped tim at the airport today and so it's feeling less like vacation and more like my actual life right now... eeeeek!
other updates before i do the trip recap - i passed CA state boards, because i am SURE you were all dying to know! not that it matters, but it's nice nonetheless.
right, back to business...
the last few days at home were kind of stressful. trying to see people and get the house and car and trailer sorted. dad was in town so it was great to see him and between emily, dad and tim, my life was much more manageable - thank you all for being absoultely wonderful and dealing with my freaking out and for helping, you rock my world!
and everyone else, who came to shakespeare's or did lunch with me, etc, thank you so much! it was a pleasure to see you and i'm so glad i got to say goodbye... there's an open invitation to you all if you're ever in the pacific northwest!
so, let's see, packed up the trailer on thursday, tim was AMAZING at packing it up, we had so much more room than i thought... had lunch with amielle, dad and i got acupuncture from vasa, then dropped puma off at stephanie's for the week, dropped dad at the hotel and picked up dinner and pretty much called it a night. tim and i hit the road at about 4.30am on friday, managed to make it through LA with minimal traffic! cheryl was awesome and woke up and met us off the highway near her house, to say hi and bring us coffee (thanks babe! so great to see you!) then it was all highway all the time till we hit yosemite!
yosemite was AMAZING. definitely need to go back for real and spend a week there sometime. we got there in the afternoon and set up camp and just kind of wandered around and played in the river. it was really freaking HOT, like 97* and so a nice little swim was grand! crashed out pretty hard that night, and were on the road again at 7.30 the next morning... drove through northern CA and southern OR and ended up at crater lake, OR at around 7.30pm... however, when we got there, it was just about FREEZING! crazy the different climates a 12 hour drive can bring... we mostly just set up camp and fire and called it a night. The next morning, everything had frozen over...eeek! glad i had my whole life in the trailer and so had extra clothing because the weather forecast said nothing about temps THAT low.
spent the day going around crater lake, had gorgeous sunshine, and without the wind, the temp was actually quite nice... until the evening, when amazingly enough it SNOWED! not much or long, but, STILL it was still AUGUST, and SNOWING! crazy! but tim had a great little fire going, and we had soup and tea and kept warm!
monday morning we packed up and headed out, and up to portland! went through eugene and stopped at The Wandering Goat Coffee Shop (amazing, you must go if you're in eugene!) and then stopped by Bjorn's parents' place in Corvallis (he was there) to pick up a key, and then to portland! had a pretty sedate night, SHOWERED for the first time in 4 days (it was SO needed) and then had dinner and slept! tuesday we unpacked the trailer, and returned it, then spent a little time in downtown portland, visited powell's (of course) and wandered through washington park (SO pretty, didn't take photos, but will go back soon and accomplish this!). then yesterday we decided to hit up the coast since i wanted tim to see it up in oregon since we didn't make it on the drive up... drove from portland out to cannon beach and then south on the 101 to tillamook (yes, where they make the cheese, we went to the factory too!) and then back to portland. we had an awesome picnic lunch sitting on rocks by a bay somewhere between manzanita and tillamook... the weather was idea, and it was just so pretty and chill! went to a local brew pub last night and had some of the microbrews oregon is known for...
this morning had to pack up tim (who wouldn't leave me his tent... i have no idea why :P) and after brunch we went to the airport, and now i'm back home. and it's weird. starting to sink in that it's not just vacation anymore. on that note, thank you tim, SO MUCH for making the trip with me... it wouldn't have been the same without you, and i'm so glad you were there :).
i'm a little tripped out about being here and not having friends local, and not having a job yet, and all that kind of stuff is a little overwhelming at the moment. and the *hard* part is just kind of hitting me emotionally, and i knew it would... and i DO NOT regret moving, i still think it's the right thing for me, but that doesn't mean it isn't hard and that i have to go through this adjustment period... *sigh*
anyway, that's about it! now that i'm back with internet and currently have some time on my hands, i'll be updating with further adventures more often (and hopefully pictures!).
on the horizon, emily is coming up tomorrow evening with PUMAAAAAAAAAAAAA which is great, miss them both SO much!
enjoy the pictures, keep in touch and if you know anyone in portland who wants acupuncture, please send them my way! :)
and i know i've posted this before, but i'm feeling this quite acutely at the moment, so wanted to repost....
Of Movement
We live somewhere: in a country, in a town in that country, in a neighbourhood in that town, in a street in that neighbourhood, in a building in that street, in an apartment in that building.
We should long ago have got into the habit of moving about, of moving about freely, without it being too much trouble. But we haven't done so, we've stayed where we were; things have stayed as they were. We haven't asked ourselves why it was there and not somewhere else, why it was like this and not otherwise. Then, obviously, it was too late, our habits were formed. We began to think we were well off where we were. After all, we were as well off there as over the road.
We have difficulty changing, even if it's only the position of our furniture. Moving house is quite a business.
We live somewhere: in a country, in a town in that country, in a neighbourhood in that town, in a street in that neighbourhood, in a building in that street, in an apartment in that building.
We should long ago have got into the habit of moving about, of moving about freely, without it being too much trouble. But we haven't done so, we've stayed where we were; things have stayed as they were. We haven't asked ourselves why it was there and not somewhere else, why it was like this and not otherwise. Then, obviously, it was too late, our habits were formed. We began to think we were well off where we were. After all, we were as well off there as over the road.
We have difficulty changing, even if it's only the position of our furniture. Moving house is quite a business.
-Georges Perec
cheers!
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