Ain't that the truth

It was a good week. I could probably stop typing right there. Because that about sums it up. But I do have a Readership or a 'fanbase' if you will. Accordingly, I do need to play to my audience. I kid, of course.

But it was a good week. A good long hard week. Plenty of work. Plenty of reward. My second job had alot more hours for me this week. For those that do not know, I work from home part time conduct research for unions. I do internet based research, build Excel sheets, edit info, so on and so forth. It is a sweet gig in that I get to work from home. And I am hoping that it leads to a full time position eventually. At the very least it is much better than my full time job. But that is another blog for another time.

I put in an extra 22 hours at that job this week. That is in addition to the 40 that I normally work. 15 of those hours come over the weekend. And it is all staring at a computer screen. I think I'm going blind. But it is worth it. I enjoy being busy with something that I can file off as being useful. As opposed to my other job, I can do so with my union work. And the money is not going to hurt us right now either. And I am thankful for that.
I spent the majority of Friday working. We had a delicious Chick pea and sweet potato casserole for dinner. Besides that, I worked and Lauren watched some episode of 'Curb you Enthusiasm' rented from the library

I was able to really maximize my time this weekend. Yesterday morning I had several varieties of loose leaf tea and got some work done while Lauren made some breakfast. We had Chocolate Chip and Banana Pancakes with Butter and Powdered Sugar. After getting a few hours of work in we headed off to Portland's Farmer's Market. The Market here is a very special treat. Portland is an Urban hub that is surround solely by Forest and Farm. The product selection and quality can not be beat. There are leafy greens both standard and exotic. The fruits and juices and ciders are mouth watering and delicious. The Vegetable selection beats that of any supermarket chain or fancy. There are cheeses and dairy products galore. That is not to mention the fresh farm raised meats and fresh line caught fish. There is also home made jams and honeys, home grown nuts and candies, breads and bakery items and just about anything else you can think of. On a nice Saturday there are thousands of people out and about there. There are politicians and canvassers, musicians and even a few bums.

I always want more than we actually get. We picked up some Kale for some Home made veggie burgers we are making this week. We got some local raw milk Cheddar. I got a local pear and a locally grown apple. That was about it. We have literally dozens of things that we aim to get before summer is over.

As a side note, this is the Market in downtown. In addition, there is a much smaller market every Sunday morning just 5 blocks from our house that will be starting soon.

After the market we went to the Downtown Library. We have been using this great resource to rent books, cd's and dvd's.

We then left Downtown and headed back to the Eastside. We stopped into the Hawthorne neighborhood hoping to walk around and grab a bite of sushi. Unfortunately, the place we were hoping to hit up was closed for that awkward time between lunch and dinner. We ended up finding another place. I got 8 piece spicy tuna roll and an 8 piece Philadelphia roll (smoked salmon, cream cheese, avocado, etc. Lauren got fresh Ramen with Tofu and rice. We ate at a little table outside and soaked up the beautiful weather. We paid $20 total. Including tip.


We headed back to the house and I got back to work. Around 730 we walked up Mt. Tabor, the scenic park in our neighborhood, to watch the sunset. We got back to the house and I continued working. I had a few beers, listened to the entire discography of the great blues singer Robert Johnson and called it a night around 1:30. It was the longest I have stayed up in months and months.

Woke up this morning and had some more tea and got some more work in. Again, Lauren prepared a delicious breakfast of Chocolate Chip and Banana pancakes, Crusted French toast, and Cheddar cheese omelettes.

We headed out for the afternoon to the Gorge. The Gorge, an extremely fertile area of land surround the Columbia river, is only a 15 minute drive from our house. We took a few small hikes saw some waterfalls, birds and nice scenery. Pictures below. After that we headed back into Hawthorne for lunch. I got a Grilled veggie Burrito with spanish rice, Pinto Beans, House made guacamole, lettuce, house made pico de gallo on a home made tortilla. Lauren had a nachos made with house made tortilla chips, pico de gallo and guacamole, cheese, and sour cream. We ate outside and let ourselves get stuffed and tired from the exercise and the delicious food. Cost us $10.


We headed back to the house, I finished up the work and then we just relaxed. We had some gin. And now it is time for dinner.

Lauren just made a Chick Pea and Ricotta gnocchi on top of a bed of mixed green with Asian Goddess dressing.

More from the Gorge

Pearls

We took this picture a couple of weeks ago. It was taken from underneath the St. Johns Bridge. We are standing on the East Side of the Willamette River. In the background you can see Forest Park, the massive park inside the city limits.

I am trying to be more observant. It took me weeks to realize that the tree in our back yard was blossoming with a vibrant red and white. The tree sits right outside our kitchen window. It is the first thing you see when you go in the kitchen. I knew it was there. But I hadn't really thought about it. I hadn't appreciated it.

I think this is pretty common. I know that I do it often. And I notice that others do as well. My mind can get so cluttered. There is always something to think about. There is always something to figure out. There is always a problem to solve. There is always something to worry about. There is always something to fret over. There is always something to hope for. There is always something to aspire to. There is always something.

Sometimes my mind needs to get put in a time out. We went to the Tree Arboretum last weekend. Pictures posted below. I've been trying to pay attention to trees. Portland sure does have alot of them. We have some really wild and out there trees in this city. I'm hoping to advance to birds after that. I rented a book from the library on birds from the Willamette Valley. We'll see how that goes.

I meant to do a small book review of every book I read on here. I finished the Autobiography of Malcolm X a little ways back. It is the kind of book that really should be required reading; if not at high school then at least in an institution of higher learning. It is an easy enough read. And the story is powerful.

I am currently reading the Bible. I'm doing the New Testament. I am almost finished with the Gospel of John. I don't think that I ever realized that there were things in the New Testament besides the Gospels. I have not decided yet if I will read those next or take a break and read something else first. Jesus is bold. And speaks truth. There is alot that I know of, or thought I knew of Christianity that either flies in the face of what Jesus said or seem to come out of nowhere. The Sermon on the Mount should also be a required reading. I can not seem to figure out where this idea of the Trinity came from. There is at least one instance where Jesus clearly states that he is not 'good' and that only god deserves such praise. The Trinity was always one of the more troubling aspects of Christianity for me. I was unaware that you could still be one and not believe in it. Turns out you can be a Christian and not believe in the Trinity. I read it on Wikipedia.

I learned this week that indenting paragraphs in letters has become out of style. I was completely unaware. I am not sure how long this has been going on. But I have, in all likelihood, written dozens of letters in a style that is not only unfashionable but is also out of date.

I mean to put a stop to that habit immediately.

Our Trip to the Tree Arboretum in Portland

Miles Davis sure did make some nice music

I always mean to write in here more. Sometimes I have grand visions of posting something everyday. I think about jotting down my thoughts. I think about jotting down my day to day interactions. I think about writing down what makes me happy on a daily basis. There are tons of little things. I like the first few sips of tea in the morning. I like it when I get a window seat on the bus. I like it when I get to sit at a certain desk at work. I enjoy spending my lunch breaks meandering around the city. Sometimes I go walk around Powell's. I was reading Emily Dickinson poetry the other day. I check out the current Best Seller's list. I look at novels I have always wanted to read. I read the back covers of books on the Russian revolution and the Soviet Union. I spend time in the religious section. I was reading sections of the Koran the other day. Sometimes I go to the library. I pick out books, dvds and cds that I want to take out. I go find them. I mark them down for later. I go to Pioneer Square, the heart of downtown, and read a book and the many steps. Sometimes I just wander aimlessly. I try to practice walking meditation. I'm not that good at it. But I do try. I really enjoy dinner. We have really taken a whole new approach to diet and shopping out here. We make almost everything from scratch. We've had home made pasta twice in the past 10 days. The idea of jarred spaghetti sauce disgusts me. We have bean and sweet potato casseroles. Dry beans. No canned. We have a homemade soup once a week. We have biscuits and cornbread, puddings and pies, all made from scratch. We shop at a little place that sells local organic vegetables and spices by the ounce. And it is cheaper than at the grocery store. We have a delicious home cooked meal 6 nights a week. We generally reserve one night a week for pizza, take out Thai or Vietnamese, or eating out. I have come to really enjoy dinner in a manner I did not know possible. Of course, Lauren gets all of the credit on this one. I really enjoy watching the Simpsons. I never knew how much I liked that show. I enjoy watching the Red Sox once again. I like taking walks around our neighborhood at night. I like going up to Mt. Tabor at sunset. We went up there this evening. It is a quick walk from our house. The sun sets beautifully over the city and behind the 'western hills'. I brought the Bible. Lauren brought the Return of the King. We read, talked about life, the future, dinner, the weather and flowers. I really enjoy the smell of our neighborhood. You really have to come here to understand how green this city is. The rain and temperate climate creates the perfect conditions for plant life. Bushes, flowers and trees the likes of which you have never seen are literally bursting out of peoples lawns. The hood was particularly fragrant on our walk back home this evening. I like playing with the cat. I like reading in bed. I like how the cat curls up next to me once she is sure I am really in bed for good.

I hate when people do not separate their writing into manageable paragraphs.


I sat down thinking that I was going to write about the anxiety and fear I have been having about landing a good job, making enough money, paying off debt and saving to eventually buy a house.

I was going to end things on a positive note. I read today:

...So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today.



And that is truth.

Thank God Almighty...

I paid off the last of my credit card debt today. Let us all pray that this is the one and only time that I have to deal with such a thing.

In moving out here we both had to put ourselves into some credit card debt. Doing such a crazy thing comes at a price no doubt. And we paid ours. We were able to save up several thousand dollars before moving. But the bills started rolling in. The money did not. First we had to buy a new bed. Then we probably spent some money that we shouldn't have. Then another round of rent and bills were due. Then this. Then that. And it took a while for us to find gainful employment.

Next thing you know we owed a total of nearly $4000.

Fortunately we got proactive on this issue early on. We created an Excel sheet to monitor all of our expenses and incomes and to compare our monthly totals. We have the entire thing itemized so that we know exactly what we are spending each month, what we are spending it on, and how that stacks up with our income. Our categories include: Rent, Utilities, Auto Insurance, Car Loan, Student Loan, Credit Card, Gas, Public Transit, Eating Out, Grocery, Gym and Miscellaneous.

We have been diligent about ensuring that every little things goes in to the Excel Sheet. The purchase of the computer I am now typing, a cup of coffee, a trip to the grocery store, a bottle of wine, it all goes into the sheet. Being able to see exactly what we are spending our money on and how much we are bringing in has been enormously beneficial. There is no way that we would have been able to pay off what was becoming a sizable debt relatively quickly without being aware of our finances.

We have been spending approximately $400/month on our credit card debt. That money can now go in to savings. We plan on moving to a more affordable, if not as nice, apartment in September. Figure that we will save $300/month there. That is $700 that we can put away. That's $8400/year. That's $25,200 over three years. If we get raises or better jobs thats more money. Lets be conservative and say we can stash an additional $6000 away. That's $31,000. The idea here is, in case you have not caught on, that we are saving up to buy a house. There is a program that we intend to sign up for soon that will match our savings up to $6000. That's $37,000. If we insist that folks stop giving us gifts for holidays, birthdays, etc. and instead give us money we could easily have another $3000 between the two of us in 3 years time. That's $40, 000. That is enough to put down on a home even in a big city like Portland, Oregon. We assume that we will pay about $250,000. There is also a program that Oregon has that give poorer to middle income couples a guaranteed interest rate of 5.5% and lets you borrow up to $10,000 for closing costs and home improvements with a 0% interest rate.

This is all going to take alot of sacrifice. We are aware of that. Vacations are virtually out of the question. We hope to visit Pittsfield once. But that will probably be it. We eat out just enough to keep ourselves entertained. No more. Extras like concerts and things can only occur occasionally. We know this.

I would like to highly recommend monitoring your finances to anyone that cares to listen. It ain't no biggy if you don't have Excel. Download Open Office at www.openoffice.org It's the same thing and it is free. If anyone reading this really is interested be sure to contact me. I can give you some pointers and send you a template.

Tramps Like Us

At some point on Friday night I had an extremely insightful and elaborate piece to post on here. I hesitate to use the term 'blog' as either verb or noun. For starters, I don't know which is the proper use. And I would hate to be caught with bad grammar on the internet. And it makes it sound like I am hunched over a computer for 7 hours a day researching and writing about grand international conspiracies, campaign finance reform or online computer games. Nothing could be farther from my mind.

We saw Bruce Springsteen on Friday night. I do hope that the novelty of living in a place where I can go to concerts and sporting events via public transit or a 5-10 minute truck ride never wears off.

Bruce played at the Rose Garden. Everything out here is named after roses. Apparently we live in ideal conditions for rose growing. Damn things grow everywhere. E Street Band in tow. We took the bus home after work. Had some leftover sweet potato and bean casserole for dinner. I would like to again thank Mr. Mark Brittman. Washed it down with a whiskey sour or 2. We drove to the Lloyd Center, dropped off the truck and took the Max to the Rose Garden. I know, i know... i'm using insider big city terminology.

We had floor seats. Band came out ripped it up for a couple of hours and then came out for a 5 song encore. I do have to say that I was most impressed with Clarence Clemens. I was actually thinking to myself during the concert that somebody should nominate him for a Nobel Prize. Peace would be find. But I hear they have others. Set List:

Night
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
Gypsy Biker
Magic
Reason To Believe
Candy's Room
Prove It All Night
She's The One
Livin' In The Future
The Promised Land
For You
Lost In The Flood
Devil's Arcade
The Rising
Last To Die
Long Walk Home
Badlands

Girls In Their Summer Clothes
Jungleland
Born To Run
Dancing In The Dark
American Land

I am not one for music reviews. They tend to cheapen the experience. Either that or i'm not good enough at it. Suffice it to say that I had a thoroughly good time. I do believe that we both did. Matter of fact I just received confirmation on my beliefs. Clarence Clemmons. I have always associated saxophones and rock n' roll as some terrible, terrible mistake. Like mixing peanut butter and rare steak or asparagus and maple syrup or maybe ice cream and sweet potatos. Point is, they are two things that most people like but don't often mix. Mr. Clemmons changed my perception on that. The encore was particularly good. 'American Land' is an old timey folk or irish tune. Perfect cap on the night.

I really did have just about the best darn blog to post on here. I know, I used the term 'blog'. Fear not, I am still not allowed to invest my entire life into World of Warcraft. I'm not allowed to even think about it to tell the truth. At any rate, I had it all written out. I was going to write an insightful and deeply personal essay on the nature of class. How come some poor folk like rap? Others country? Where does Bruce Springsteen fit in? I think I got mixed up along the way. I fell through a box. I ain't country folk. And I sure as shit ain't city folk. I'm not some working class stiff. Although that was the path laid a head of me. I am no professional. I'm educated. But I hide it well.

I remember the last year or two that I was in Amherst I absolutely detested being around the educated. I could not stand the culture that I was living in. This feeling was so strong in my that it lead me to falsely believe that I desired the exact opposite. I saw no greater polar opposite. from Amherst, Massachusetts than Pittsfield, Massachusetts. I moved a full 50 miles away. But I did not find the simple living or the honest folks or whatever the hell I thought it was that I was missing. I liked Pittsfield only nominally more than Amherst.

Looking back on it now it was not education that I detested. That was actually that kept me going through it all. It is what I was able to thrive on. Rather, it was being surrounded by such ignorance. The collective privilege of the Umass Student Body had put a veil so heavy, thick and black around the entire atmosphere of the school that it is a wonder that people were able to find their way to class. Boston Globe wrote an article to this effect. More or less. Google me for more info.

Problem was that I had to become a part of that in oder to make it through college. I detached myself best I could. Or at least I thought I did. But it is impossible to live amongst a society and not adopt some of the popular modes of thinking. And if it is not impossible it is certainly difficult and requires more effort than I was able to give.

I have developed a real aversion to putting myself in debt. It is nothing but economic slavery. I intend on doing this one more time in my life. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no other way that we will ever own a house. We are on a plan to own a house in 3 years. I will wrote more extensively later on how we will do it. But I do wonder if it was worth my time to go to college. Maybe I should have stopped at BCC or gone to MCLA. I probably should have studied something that would have gotten me a job. But how was I to know? Sure, it was a learning experience. But i'm going to be paying of $30,000 for a damn long time. Just to have learned something. I often think of what I could do or what we could do if we were free from the immense burden of student loan debt.

Like I said, I had a really great essay to put on here. I was going to cover class and culture and their changing roles and somehow analyze how I fit into all of it. But I have covered none of what I meant to. The idea wore off. Or maybe it was just the whiskey.