the craziness must end. must.

I am moving this weekend, yes, again. August 24th, September 7th, November 13th, and now January 8th.  At least I can say that the time-lapse is getting larger  between moves, as well as the things that are to be transported from one place to the next.  Some friends and I have been pulling up the carpet to expose the wood underneath, and it is ending up to be a very therapeutic activity. All my frustrations, worries and stress are being pacified by destroying perfectly good but gross flooring. We are tying to get it done so we don’t have to worry about it once all our things are moved in. All that stuff we don’t own yet.

 I am looking forward to settling in and having… a chair. That would be nice. And maybe a table! it’s not that I don’t like eating picnic style, but I also don’t think I should be lusting over friends diningroom  furniture.I do have one place to sit as I  have bought a bicycle! it’s new and pretty and burgundy and fit to my short frame and I like it. It cost more than I had given myself to spend, but it was on sale, I had a Christmas bonus, and help from my community group, so in a way I spent LESS than I wanted to.

Part of the reason I can believe this untruth is because I  don’t look at money as having more economic value from a nickel to a lincoln. I live life as if  I was in ‘Settlers of Catan’. Oh no, it’s even lamer than you think. Say I need to take a bus trip down-town, which costs two dollars and five cents. The dollars are brick and the nickles wood. I need two brick and one wood to get on the bus. not because one is more useful than the other, but because they are both needed to complete my transportation need. if I have two dollars and a quarter I get beside myself. That quarter is the equivalent to a third of 5 bus tickets! I need an exchange or at least port to switch my sheep-wool quarter into a few planks of wood, asap! This is my mind. And I myself cannot believe I am this huge of a nerd.

 Yes, I still like it here. Yes, I am ready for the weather to be a little warmer. Yes, I think this blog is boring but appreciate that you read it.Yes, I am still in the honeymoon stage of moving to a new place. Yes, you should come visit me.

oh that crazy season

I moved into a studio, started biking to work, got a roommate,  found a bigger place to move into next month, and am still trying to find a bike for under $200. I was going to go bike shopping today, but the rain has not let-up from more than twenty minutes at a time. Welcome to Oregon.

And a kid projectile vomited on me monday.

Life.

Time is flying by, the year is almost over. I feel like I went from zero to sixty-thousand in moving a few miles north.

But let me focus on the super-important things in life. I went to a sock-exchange last night. It took an hour. Just to exchange socks. If there where any men involved I’m sure the testosterone vibe alone would have sped up the process. But no, no, no, it was a group of women trying to make practical life-decisions on what the most reasonable foot covering would be for their current life situation. business or funky? Black formal or fuzzy and comfy?

Were organic socks present? yes. aloe-infused socks? yes. argyle? ankle and knee-length? yes, and yes. When it was my turn I stole some super-cute/ugly socks. Burgundy with mustard yellow and green stripes, with bright pink reindeer. Could a girl ask for more? I didn’t think so, and I had been safe from steeling, no one seemed to want these diamonds in the cotton/polyester rough.The socks where mine! Until everyone announced that the first person to go got their pic of any socks. Why? It wasn’t my fault they got number one. But it was my problem. Her eyes swept over the room, settling on…yes, my treasures. And she took them. she took them.

But then my boss handed out our Christmas bonus and everything is okay now.

stamps

I am about to lose internet access for an unknown amount of time. Not because I forgot to pay my bill, but because I never have. I am a computer leech. Finding a unsuspecting computer and latching onto it for obscene amount of time checking Facebook, my e-mail, Christmas present ideas and my blogs.

yeah, I have 2. Whilst being unemployed for 8 months I thought I would start a card business making artwork-cards for people. It has ended up being more or an old art portfolio. That isn’t updated. Self-employment didn’t really pan out for me.

But back to my original point: my internet access is going to be in limbo. Maybe I’ll be able to access it next week, but maybe not until next year.

I realize that I am being ridiculous and dramatic, I can use the computer at work 5 days a week. But where is the intimacy in that? That is no way live. So I think I am going to give-in to my cultural influences, as diluted as they may be, and getting a phone with internet.

It is going to be more money and  will be forced to look at my fb status in a whole new format. In fact I may need to update this page at the library to stop from going completely insane typing on a keyboard proportioned for a spider monkey. I might as well tattoo a welcome mat for the carpal tunnel that is about to overtake my hands.

I will soon be one of the masses, and I have decided not to eternally condemning myself, but instead look at how much I will be able to keep in contact with others.

However, I am continuing to balance out my hate/love relationship with technology and have bought stamps. For letters. So I will be writing  as I have for years, but now I will be using it as a form of technology-overload therapy.

life seems normal. sorry.

Can we talk about “The Botany of Desire” for a second? I had no idea that the history of the apple was so interesting. Maybe you currently find yourself where I used to be. Well how could you not? I don’t judge you, just read that chapter, it will change your life. Maybe it won’t, but why risk it?

I found a studio apartment in a fun part of town that I will be moving into this coming month. yay. I am so ready to dance in the privacy of my own dwelling. And bake. that is my reward for getting a place. But I am not allowing myself to actually bake until I get into the kitchen, so that I don’t renig on the month-to-month commitment. But I can’t help dancing before then, I can only fast from so much.

 Now I am in the search for a bike to get places. Searching; it’s not my favorite. I cannot complain however, I was completely surprised by a gift from my community-group to be able to afford a bike. Maybe they were just that tired of hearing about my bus experiences. Either way I am on the search, and the research. If anyone has any bicycle-wisdom, dish it out, I am ready.

I introduced a group of ladies to sober karaoke,  this might be one of the reasons I was put on this earth. Share the good news of singing badly and dancing awesomely for all to remember in the events entirety. I also tried a jello-shot for the first time, and it was good. Just trying to keep myself busy with the most refining activities.

what else, what else.

It has started raining. for real. and I don’t have a jacket with a hood. This should make you feel sad. because that means I get wet. on my head. The rest of my person is relatively dry however, so please don’t get too worked up for my sake.

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.

spice heaven

I had a bit of a hay-day Sunday afternoon after going to a church. I had spent the morning trying to figure out a church that was a reasonable distance away, (which it ends up is an hour) and headed over for Sunday service. It was an old church, very beautiful inside and out. Stain-glass windows, arched ceilings, black-iron chandeliers, and a full organ with burgundy and teal pipes with gold accents. The sermon was good, as was the service. One lady came up to me and introduced herself, which was nice, and gave me a website for a job-lead, woot. But I couldn’t help but notice there was not a single human being over the age of 7. And beside that brief conversation with that woman I could not find anyone who was not engaged in a revetting conversation which would have been rude to interrupt. So, I left.  

 I had bought a day ticket and figured I should make the most of it, so went to better explore downtown. I decided to take it until I saw something interesting, and  the “library” stop caught my attention. It was a three-story brick building and I decided to look for a book that I could not directly access at a library or bookstore in CA. “Are Women Human?” by Dorothy L. Sayers. Would it be here? I sat down at the computer log, typed in the title. Be still my beating heart! There was not one, but TWO copies of the book, and one of them was waiting for me on the second story. I went to the check-out to get a library card. Apparently those are not given out if you don’t have an address.Tricky. So I went back upstairs and read.

I wondered around a little and found some cool shops. I found a Finnegan’s, a fantastic art-supply store stocked with all my Calligraphy needs, and a fancy-pants goodwill. There was a store totally dedicated to spices. salt. dehydrated cheeses. And no preservatives. There was another place that allows you to taste their different olive oils and vinaigrettes. My personal favorite was the black cherry vinaigrette, delicious. I didn’t buy anything as I haven’t secured a job yet, but when I do, oooh-boy!

I walked past Director Park and saw a bunch of people claiming seats and it seemed they were waiting for something. The only thing I had to wait for was the Max, so I found a bench.  This sweet couple sat next to me and we got to chatting. They informed me that Portland Opera was having a free open chorus rehearsal. It was beautiful. They were practicing for Pagliacci and Carmina Burana. I didn’t actually remember the name of it ( thanks google!), but I found it completely delightful. Good news, the tickets are only about $150 a pop, so if you’re free, let me know!

In a nut-shell, Portland itself reminds me a bit of a small chicago with more shade. I am really enjoying it, even if this is just an endorphin-explosion in my brian trying to take in all these new and shiny things.

As for that bottle of wine, the screw/hammer trick doesn’t work when the cork is made out of synthetic materials. And, for that matter, neither does multiple toothpicks, knife-wedging, and hitting the bottom of the towel-wrapped bottle on a tree. On the other hand, a stranger down the hall with a wine-bottle opener seems to do the trick. who knew?

of the days

So here it is Friday evening and I am sitting in Grace’s apartment looking at an unopened bottle of wine. Would I like for that bottle to be opened? yes. Would I like to be having a glass right about now, let alone 2 hours ago? Again, yes. I realize that this present predicament is really not what you are wondering about, but let me tell you, I will be getting this off my chest before I am done typing. Let me start with Monday.

Monday: Packing. Go watch Inception with my Dad. good call. continue packing. Get tired of packing so sleep in guest room since there is a big-red suitcase hording my usual haven of slumber.

Tuesday: Packing. aka rolling clothing up to fit into one suitcase and a duffel bag. bag’s are full. All things are not packed. Mom offers to pay for second bag. thinking. pack third bag. weigh bags. re-pack bags. weigh bags again. dust and vacuum room. get in the car. eat lunch with the units. get on a plane. meet Mary at the airport. Mary gives invite to spend Wednesday at the lake and evening hanging out with friends. offer excepted. Dinner. yum. Go to Grace’s apartment to sleep on a futon until…there becomes a more reasonable option. I’m here.

Wednesday: I went to a semi-local lake and hung out with 3 pregnant women and their kids. It was really nice outside and the water was delightful! That evening Mary and Kyle picked my up to meet and hang out with some of their friends from church. It seems harmless enough. What could possibly go wrong? I’ll tell you. My vocabulary.

There are 6 people sitting at the table. Myself, Kyle, and 4 conservative and nice people I have known for less than an hour. We get on the subject of odd customers and I relay on my coffee experience and the odd things people would order. Now, when I miss-spoke, I realized instantly that I had not used all of the consonants needed to accurately communicate the phrase. What took a couple of seconds to sink-in, however, was what I HAD said in deleting those precious letters from that specific word. Mortified and totally embarrassed,  I began to laugh so hard I started to cry; as did Kyle. But the 4 other strangers? They offered their dazed stairs to communicate their disapproval of  my apparent sense of humor and the situation in general.   I did later clear-up what I was actually referring to.

Thursday and Friday: I had a job interview both days with, the same day-care and I think they went well, the second not great but not terrible. I should be finding out sometime next week if I do or do not have the job.

I took a walk to the outdoor shopping center in hopes of going to Trader Joe’s. After walking through three different conglomeration of stores, I could not find my beloved TJ. I gave up and walked in to Whole-Foods. As I was walking through the dairy isle, picking up my yogurt and soymilk, I realized everything on my list was perishable and that I had at least 30 minutes of walking time to get back to the apartment . So I put down what I had, picked up a bottle of wine, bread and cheese and went to the register.

There is no wine opener in this apartment, however. So I am currently looking for a screw to drive into the cork. I’ll let you know if it works.