september still

Okay, so I am totally listening to Earth,Wind,and Fire as I write this. Because I’m classy.

Now Kansas. Classier still.

As I was walking into the tobacco shop after church this sunday I couldn’t stop from thinking for a moment how if I was attending a church of most conservative denominations, I might be running this errand in relative secrecy. But I am officially going to a PCA church up here, where I go to Bible Studies expected to take a beer and talk about the struggles of unbelief that play out so painfully in Mark 9. So you should be glad to know that though I still refuse to claim the denomination as my own, I do find refuge in its community of believers.

I am definitely getting into a routine of a full work week. mind-blowing. And I find that I have volunteered to help put on a day of free medical help to those in the community under the poverty level. www.compassiontigard.com if you are going to bein town, you should come. and help. there will be a free lunch.maybe.

The bus situation is still a place of contention in my heart and I am trying to avoid that means of transportation as much as possible. So I am borrowing people’s bike’s until I get my own. And it’s great, because I love biking. I do have a mild concern for my safety, however. Not so strong as to have motivated me to do anything about not having a helmet, lights, or reflective rain jacket or course. But just enough to know that when I am bicycling ( in dark, in the rain, on a bike with little-to-no tread left on the wheels),  my prayer life becomes very concentrated to specific and relevant events in my life.

And I am on my last 40 pages with Fyodor . The previous 60 have not been too enjoyable, and I find that I am completing specific chapters out of a sense of respect for the author and how much entertainment I had found in the previous 600. The next few seem to be just as disappointingly  similar,but I persevere in the hope that the last 15 will reward me for my loyalty.

Now I’m listening to Journey.

apartments, dairy farms, and dostoyevsky

Apartment hunting is officially not enjoyable. Looking at Prices, location, commute, down-payments, figuring out if I want a roommate or not,etc. It’s  a headache.

So, when I’m not scrolling on the computer [getting nauseous from looking at a light-screen for 4 hours at a time],  I am going to Tellamook,  Seattle, or reading  for the heck of it.

Tellamook is where they make Tellamook cheese. There is more information in that facility and the history of cheese-making than anyone would ever need to know.  Why did I go? Free samples. of cheese. Grilled cheese sandwich for lunch and ice cream for dessert. Living the dream, and it tastes so good.  I got my first glimpse of the Oregon Coast as well, and took a nap on the beach while the weather was still nice.

Speaking of which, the weather here is not normal. The hottest time of the day is noon, right? When the sun is beating down directly above? Wrong. 4pm. 4 in the afternoon is the hottest part of the day. Noon is a piece of cake, a walk in the park; but get out-of-the-way of early evening, it is a doozy!

But I digress. Seattle and Pikes Place is always a fun place to visit, especially if you  bring your wallet. Which I did not. But I am well-trained in the poverty-stricken pass-time of window-shopping and was able to adapt quickly to the outdoor market. It’s all for the better, as I most likely would have come back with bags of  jams and honey that I would not be able to consume in a reasonable amount of time without feeling some sort of shame.

 I’ve  just moved into a new location closer to where I am working until I find a home. Being actually settled would be so nice. Until then, I am on the hunt, reading The Brothers Karamazov [the book I have wondered if I will ever finish], and looking for roommates.  Wish me luck.