07/11/10

As promised, here is a link to some pictures from my parent's visit to Portland.

http://picasaweb.google.com/103925975217911764309/PortlandParents2010#

07/06/10

My enthusiasm with pre-calculus has dropped. Instead, I spend each lecture, twice a week, punching numbers into my calculator and sobbing. I guess my math brain is a little rusty. I will admit, the left side has been pretty lazy post-high school. Seriously, do you remember what a function is? Luckily, I have Squid to get me through! Yes, yes, her name is Squid. She has dancing toast tattoos, wild hair, heavy industrial nose and ear piercings,cat eye glasses, and a knack for pre-cal! And when she isn't available, I have Glen, the high school, mowhawking rower! He keeps talking about "when he goes to college" and I silently wonder where he thinks he is. Also, I find it slightly odd to be studying with someone who isn't 21. He's a 90s baby!

My parents visit to Portland started out slightly Odd Couple-esque, minus the bickering. I couldn't tell you played the part of Felix or Oscar. Due to bad weather on Thursday, their Dallas flight was delayed causing them to miss their connecting flight in Denver. Denver sleep over! They arrived Friday around brunch. The three of us stood around and watched the luggage go round and round on the conveyer belt. All sorts of suitcases, but none of them my mom's.
Felix Ungar: Where's my suitcase? Oscar Madison: Your suitcase? In the trunk. Felix Ungar: No. Oscar Madison: No? Felix Ungar: No. Oscar Madison: Did you look good? Felix Ungar: [holds his arms apart] The trunk is this big. It takes about a second and a half to look in there. Your 1927 piece of cardboard is in there, but my suitcase isn't.
Papa bear had a bad reaction to Portland and spent the first weekend sleeping with NCIS on in the background and a sinus infection. Mom and I took advantage of having no y-chromosome and spent a day shopping at the Portland Farmer's Market and the Tigard mall. Saturday evening I tried taking mom out for a nice dinner. That nice dinner ended up being: walking out of a restaurant and taking her to a restaurant that no longer exists to a restaurant that was closed to finally making it to pizza. Good ole pizza, the perfect back up of a back up!

Luckily, the string-of-bad-luck curse wore off by the Cooooolinary (Culinary) Tour of Portland. A tour guide took us to some hot eating/drinking spots in the Pearl district. Any Portland visitors, definitely get tickets to this! You will get to sample lavender chocolates and wine, truffle salt, orange tomato soup, Hot Lips pizza, IPAs and Pearl Bakery croissants!! We finished the night with Peter Sellers cracking the Shot in the Dark case at the Laurelhurst Theater.

We spent the 4th of July weekend hiking and touring the Hood River, Mt. Hood and the coastal areas. My legs are sore and my parents completely wore me out. Apparently, hiking vertically up for 3 miles can make you a tad winded. Pop got dressed for the hikes like he belonged in the outback; garbed in airy khaki, a hat and his walking stick. I kept getting him confused with Wally.

For the past two weeks I have been pretty, pretty princess and eaten majestically. No joke, my stomach has never been happier. We decided that Double Mountain in Hood River, the food carts, Timberline Lodge at Mt Hood, Cup and Saucer, Lebanese dinner with Bryan and Lizzy, Voodoo Donuts, Gravy...oh it was all the best! Really, the Ackers know how to eat.

Highlights: The Lavender Farm, OMSI @ night where the only kids present were adults drinking beer, touring the Tillamook Cheese Factory & Cheese mail, game after game of Mah Jongg (Ben even got a win in!), the Brie factory petting zoo, Farmer's Market berries and cherries, MY BIKE!, the "30-more minutes" hike and basically it was the most jam-fun-packed couple of weeks. There are tons of pictures, I promise I'll post a link soon.

Also, for those curious: BEN IS STILL ALIVE! Papa bear didn't growl nor eat him. And believe me, there were plenty of opportunities and remote hikes. In fact, the parents meeting my boy went great! The whole trip was fantastic. So good that we're already planning NW adventure #2!

Back to School; To Prove to My Dad That I'm Not A Fool

I have my backpack, my books and Adam Sandler stuck in my head. I get to join all the other night school babies for number lessons and functions every Tuesday and Thursday night. Is it nerdy that I'm actually excited about going back to school? Or that I've spent the majority of my morning flipping pages in my pre-cal book? Of course this gung-ho-ness (did you know gung-ho is actually a word and not bumpkin vernacular?) and the glamour of lectures is going to wane about thirty minutes into my three and a half hour class.

My allergies have been killing me lately. Most mornings I wake up with swolen eyes, congested nostrils and half of my windpipe closed off. It's awful and I've found that eating peanut butter can be deadly when you can't breathe through your nose and smacking is inappropriate. The remedy to this allergy nuissance is to overdose on antihistimes and then sleep for fourteen hours like you're Sleeping Beauty. I feel great today! And even better after Oatmeal Cookie Ben & Jerrys!

My landlord is kicking us out by August 1. His wife is pregnant and they want to reclaim the downstairs. They're going to be in for a big surprise since it's going to take a lot of hacking and gutting and money to clean the place up. Needless to say, I'm ready for adios Garfield Ave! I've found a house on craigslist that sounds charming and perfect:

"This NE Portland 3 bedroom 1 1/2 bath home is a few blocks off of MLK and conveniently located between Alberta and Killingsworth. There will be three of us in the home, the other housemate has lived here for about a year, and I've been here for about a month. We're looking for a fun fresh start with you in this wonderful house, so here's a little bit about it: The house is stucco, older (1930's) with minimal yard of its own but additional semi-communal space shared among the friendly neighbors (their houses are owned by the same folks as ours). There's also compost in the back and a garden plot if you're so inclined. Overall it's in fairly good condition with wood floors through-out, living room, dining and kitchen nook. There is a full basement with W/D, tons of storage space for boxes, bikes, surf boards or whatever. There is space for some additional furniture, wall hangings, etc. There are also two kitties that lives in the house, Bean and Squeak. Both pretty independent. Bean is into the play and Squeak is into the love. The room for rent is upstairs and rather beautifully large with a window nook plus two more windows for plenty of light. It's the master bedroom and has lots of room for a sitting area, art station, yoga corner, whatever you like, in addition to the usual bedroom things. There is a 1/2 bath upstairs (perfect for those late night bathroom runs) and another bedroom currently occupied across the hall."

What do you think? Perfect, right-- hardwood floors and some little kitty pals for Tinga! I'm doing a meet and greet with the housemates on Thursday to see if we'll be a good match. Keep those fingers crossed!

NxNW

Have I mentioned yet that MY PARENTS ARE COMING TO VISIT!!! About time, don't you guys think?? I'm so excited. I get princess treatment and fun padre time for almost two weeks! I have lists and lists of things that I want to do with them. And they have lists and lists of things they want to do. Really, my mom bought a guide book to Portland. The list is long and is definitely going to take more than one trip (fine by me). I'm really hoping that the sun will cooperate. Make a shining appearance.

Lately all I've been doing is eating at the food carts (Brown Cow, Brown Chicken!!) and playing Red Dead Redemption with Ben. Work wears me out. I just want to eat unhealthy food, take naps and go to bed early. I've aged due to this job. It's alright though. I compensate for my lazy dinners by bringing my lunch (imagine a middle schooler's sack lunch) to work and hiking on the weekends. Last weekend Dane, Ben, Perry and I hiked up to Wahclella Falls. It was beautiful and I got blisters on my heels. After our hike we went and payed a visit to ole Herman the Sturgeon at the sturgeon and trout breeding plant. Ben and I made a game out of feeding the trout. Although it was a wash, Ben bought me a pair of cat and mouse food chain earrings. Pretty adorable (both Ben and the earrings :)

Ben is slowly learning to cook. His first successful meal: the omlette. And as the guinea pig, I can definitely give it a two-thumbs up review!

Bryan's birthday was yesterday and Bob's is on Saturday. It looks to be a birthday bash weekend. Hopefully there will be party hats and streamers. By the way, have I mentioned lately that I'm happy?

I Gave Tourists Directions

Portland is weird without Ben, Bryan and Lizzy. They are in Dallas sweating it out for a wedding. I'm in Portland where the weather is soggy and I carry my umbrella with me daily. I also have a strong desire to watch Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds sing and dance. I've decided I don't enjoy riding the bus when it's raining. Everyone is grouchy and snappy and with the extra layers of clothing and rain protection devices the bus is more dense and dripping. The other day I got booted out of my seat by this pugnacious middle-aged woman. My prince defended me though. The two of them had this quarrelsome battle about the necessity of her usurping my seat. "Are you disabled? Are you a senior citizen? Hmm? Do you get the senior discount when you go to IHOP?? Are you pregnant?" "MM, nahhh! But I'm older than her." I stood awkwardly and tried to act like the argument had nothing to do with me. I also did not win back my seat.

I got a key to the office. Does this mean it's official? That I'm wearing the big girl pants, aka dress slacks, and working the full time job? I hope so! I'm starting to get into the swing of things at work. I've been sitting in the conference room during my lunch hour with all the other frugals who don't want to buy food. It's fleet week in Portland and my coworkers spent an hour discussing the suggestive details of the navy staying at lonely ladies' homes in euphemisms. By the end of the conversation I was completely confused. Maybe I should start going out for lunch.

I've spent the majority of the weekend slumming around with Dane. I taught him how to play Mah Jongg over wine and Bob Dylan. The boy has a knack for the game and pretty soon he's going to be unbeatable. We went on a mini-road trip to Yelm, Washington to look at a Toyota Tacoma he found on Craigslist. The guy selling the truck had a shaved head and the two of them bonded over their hairlessness and now Dane is the proud owner of a vehicle! He goes back next week to pick it up. We took back roads on the way back that were windy and offered a great view of Mt. Rainier. We packed a lunch and I had my first PB&J---dislike. When we got back to Portland we celebrated with Lebanese food. Anyone who comes to visit me will now be taken to Nicholas Restaurant! I hope you like kabobs and hummus.

Alarm, You Are Making A Powerful Enemy

I wore a dirty shirt on my first day of work and had three cups of coffee. I'm out of practice with the hustle and bustle and waking up during AM hours. Really, my alarm is now my least favorite object. For the first half of the day someone was telling me information that I was supposed to remember. It was overwhelming. I was trained by a girl who has black straight hair and bangs and wore a red and white polka dot button up. She reminded me of Minnie Mouse, which incidentally has now become her behind-the-back nickname. There is a stove and oven in our office which seems like a glaring fire hazard. In the mornings, people make cherry tomato and spinach omelets. I eat a granola bar with pure jealousy. Two works days in and I'm pretty much already having a love affair with this job. I made the call and I'm now being considered for full time employment as receptionist at IPM. Hello mega-big pay check! This will be the first time in my life I've had a grown up, 40-hour week, can't take time off whenever I want job. Am I finally taking my first tenuous steps into the real world??

The police made a special appearance at my home Friday morning. I was woken up at 6 am by a knock and a badge. It was a very heart-stopping way to face the day. Luckily the police's interest was in Adam. And most specifically why his truck was in the middle of Garfield Street. The driver side door was open and it had rolled back blocking through traffic. Apparently it was the handy work of a petty thief. Someone broke into his truck and stole his skateboard and penny tray. If you ask me, Mr. Stickyfingers made out like a bandit! The effort and risk was clearly worth a board and loose change.

Saturday night, Bryan/Lizzy, Ben and I went to the Hollywood district for drinks and to watch Michele Gondry's newest film (director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), with a guest appearance by Michele Gondry himself. At the bar I had a beer that tasted like raspberry juice and at the theater Ben stepped on Michel Gondry's foot. After seeing his two hour, home video documentary, I wish Ben had crushed his foot. It was tortuously dull. At least I had over-garliced popcorn and junior mints!

Please, Come Back To Me

Has it really been a month?! I'm the worst. Really, there is no excuse for my lapse in updates. A list of reasons: birthday week-long celebration which included pie, the cheese and mushroom kind, Dallas, mani/pedis, job searching/temping/failing at yet another group interview, a friend in town, hiking at Latourell Falls, picnic, drama at prom, late night food carts, Monopoly and wine, a car towed, summer school, Red Dead Redemption, reading, and Dexter (season 1 and 2). Okay, I know. None of those are sufficient reasons to turn my back on my blog. In fact, most of my sundry list of reasons have blog mention potential, except Dexter. Wait, no. Even Dexter should have a place.

Here's my proposition: I will never go on a month-long, no writing hiatus again. Fair?

I start temping tomorrow at a company called Income Property Management. I'm going to put on my blue collar and get back to the old bump and grind. I am filling in as receptionist while the company interviews to fill the position full time. I'm thinking if I enjoy the company I might submit my resume into the mix as well. I'll be working downtown about three blocks away from Ben's office. So carpooling and lunch dates. Did I mention the hours yet? 8:15-5:15. That means I'll be waking up almost a full nights sleep earlier than I'm used to. Coffee coffee coffee, please!!

It looks like our Memorial Day camping weekend in ZigZag has been canceled due to the most lovely weather that Oregon has been having. Portland has decided summer is passe and thinks winter is the hippest of all seasons. Gotta love those cold, rainy days we've been having. So, our trip has been postponed. We all agreed that the sun is a big part of a camping weekend. Speaking of, where is that sun? I'm guessing it's gone on a month-long, no shine hiatus. What a jerk.