i am a man of constant sorrow

We have been busy. We moved this past week. We moved over the course of 3 days. It was just the two of us. We just had my truck.

The move went very well. Lauren held up better than I expected. Alice adjusted accordingly. And I was able to get settled in suitable time. I hate the feeling of being unsettled in a new place. It bothers me to no end. I have to have the rooms in order. I have to have all of the clutter out. I want to feel at home. I do not want to waste any time in getting that cozy at home feel.

We did the bulk of our move last Saturday. I had to take apart the railing to get the box spring upstairs. Other than that, everything went smoothly. My hamstrings hurt the next day. Better than my back.

The new place is nice. It is a townhome in a 20 unit complex. It has 2 bdr and 1.5 baths. There is much more room here than at our other place. We have a 'patio'. It is not much. But we have 2 huge sliding glass doors in the living room that opens up to a patch of dirt big enough for some lawn furniture. It has a tree in it. We are going out tomorrow to buy some plants for the area.

We have a park right next store. But the neighborhood is not quite as nice. We are half a block from a pretty big road. But we are far enough away as not to be bothered.

I have been riding my bike every day to work since. At our old place the first thing I hit when riding to work was Mt. Tabor. Tabor is only 650 feet high. But it is steep. And rough first thing in the am or at the end of the day at a crappy job. From our new place it only takes between 20-24 minutes to get to work by bike. It is quicker than the bus.

I really can't describe how great this city is for bike riding. The city has designated 'bike paths' and hands out free maps to get anyone from any one place in the city to any other place. There are major roads with bike lanes. There are less travelled roads that are clearly marked as bike paths. The are signs for bike paths and paintings on the roads directing you to where you need to go and letting you know the distance and even the estimated time to you destination. Most importantly, everyone knows that bikes are just a part of life out here. Automobile drivers had better be on the lookout. Bikes can outnumber them at times.

My favorite part about the ride to work is going over the bridge. The Willamette River cuts Portland in half. Downtown is on the westside. Most folks live on the east side. The city has really jumped through hoops to provide bikers with a fast and safe way to get over the bridge. It is on the bridge that bikers from all over the city converge. There are literally hundreds of us going over the bridge at any on time. The scenery is beautiful. I am groggy. I have not drank coffee yet. It is usually gray (it is always gray in the morning). The mist is rising from the river. The city is in front of you. Beyond the city to the south the 'west hills' tower over the scenery. Beyond the city to the north Forest Park stretches on farther than the eye could ever hope to see.

I love the feeling of getting to work after a good bike ride. You feel like you've already accomplished something for the day. The ride gives you time to think. It gets your blood pumping. It gets the wind in your face. You get some sun (or clouds). All of a sudden our job is not the main goal of your day. At least, it is not your first goal. Your first goal is getting there.


I hope to post some pictures of the new places soon. We have them just about all ready to go. Only a matter of getting it done.

Some things I would like to blog about (but might not)

*Obama delivered the best speech I have ever hear in my life the other night.
*I am working on job prospects
*I will be coming home for Christmas
*We have friends and family coming to visit us soon.
*Football
*Lauren and I have been together for 2 whole years.
*Lauren and I have only been together for 2 years.
*Tea
*John Mccain is not a maverick or a war hero.
*So much more.




I did not really have a purpose when I started out writing this. And now that it is all over I can not even recall the majority of it. Random thoughts. Random thoughts only. I know that it has been a while. And I have to throw a bone to my adoring public. To keep them coming back for more.

It was a good day

This past Saturday was the annual Adult Soap Box Derby on Mt. Tabor. Mt. Tabor is a 630 ft. extinct volcano in our neighborhood. It is the only volcano, extinct or not, in a major metropolitan city. A paved road winds its way up to the top. And once a year a few brave souls build boxes and cruise down the winding road at blistering speeds. To be honest, they might actually be more drunk than brave. But we will get there in just a moment.

The event was held from 10am - 4pm. We had heard tell of this when we first moved out here. A few of our neighbors even had cars. We checked them out at various points. The idea is that a group or 'team' of adults combine their efforts to make a car to get them down the mountain in one of two categories. There is the 'speed' competition and the 'show' competition. Teams are not supposed to spend more than $300 on their respective vehicles. This is all run on the honor system. Of course.

The point of the speed competition is to get down that mountain quick as you can. The show competitions is for... well show.

We got there at about 1230. We had slept in. We had a long week. We had a big breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese, deep fried corn tortillas with a side of salsa and sour cream and Morningstar breakfast sausages (one of the few remnants of processed food I do no care to drop). We headed up decided to bring no more than a water bottle. We were full, tired and relaxed. Note my last 'blog' on the temperature. It hit 103 that day. We had read that the city designated within 10 feet of the race track an official 'beer garden'. But, to be honest, we did not think much about it. We thought about it plenty when we got up there. It was a party. Everyone had some beers. And we were jealous.

It was decided that I would run (literally) back to the house and fill up my nice new bicycling bag with some beers. I got back to the house in about 7 minutes. But I was not real happy with the beer selection. We had only a few heavy beers. So I hopped in the truck and headed to the nearby gas station. I picked up a 6 pack of the 16 ounce PBR cans and headed back to the house. I parked the truck and headed back up the mountain. I was back with Lauren by 1:00.

Now, it deserves noting here that we were not in the minority in our drinking of Pabst Blue Ribbon. I remember while Leo was living in San Francisco that he had told me that PBR is the most popular beer on the west coast. I thought that he was just being Leo. But it is actually true. People go nuts for the stuff out here. There are huge and hip billboards, the beer is the 'hit' of happy hour, everyone drinks it. But that is for another posting. Suffice it to say the Pabst Blue Ribbon was the most popular beer at the Mt. Tabor Adult Soap Box Derby.

I got back to Lauren and we post up on a bend of the race track. We were surrounded by hundreds of others in our area. At the top of the Mountain hundreds of others congregated to pass through and observe the various vehicles and teams. There were more people down at the bottom. In all, there were several thousand people. People would walk, dance, ride their bikes, frolic, walk their dogs or do what ever else their hearts desired on the track until the strategically placed volunteers informed them that the next race would be starting in under a minute. Everyone quickly scattered to the side to watch. There was what I have now come to understand as a very typical Portland crowd. There were couples young and old. Plenty of small children inhabited the place. You could not look 5 feet in any direction without seeing both a dog and a small child. There were the strange hippie/hipster hybrids that seem to infest the city. Those without tattoos may very well have been in the minority. People had their tall and flashy show bikes. People dressed up. People drank beer, and wine. The overall vibe was very positive. Lauren and I sat in the same spot for over 3 hours just people and car watching. Plenty of interesting characters stopped by our corner when the megaphones announced that a race would be starting soon and people had better clear the roads.

The cars were really out of this world. The cars that were built for speed definitely accomplished their goal. It is amazing that no innocent bystanders were injured by an out of control car considering the speeds at which they were traveling. Several times cars passed by my feet far too close for comfort. But the real treat, at least for me, was the cars built for show. Some of these soap box cars were real productions. One care was in the shape of a woman bending over. The rear was a big old ass. It was not lude or offensive. It was done in good fun. Several cars were built like different military vehicles. The passengers had super soakers and would 'shoot' the crowd as they passed by. With the temperatures as they were people were practically begging to get 'shot'. Another car featured a woman dressed up as a polar bear eating a seal. Perhaps my favorite Soap Box Car was a replica of an 80's rock band stage. Erect on top of the car was scaffolding and 4 'band members' complete with real instruments, 80's rock band hair and clothes. As they cruised down the mountain pumped Guns n' Roses out of their sound system. I have absolutely no idea who was steering this monstrosity around the dangerous corners. But they did not seem to care so I decided not to either.

To top things off somewhere in the middle of all this a marching band stampeded through the race track. It was the loudest marching band I had ever heard. Given the surroundings, it was also the most I had ever enjoyed a marching band.

Shorty after 4PM the heat and the beers started getting to us and we decided to head back to the house for some food. I had made a really delicious rice and bean dish in the slow cooker the previous day. Christians and Moors it is called. I fried up a plantain and we had the leftovers.

Both the Bears and Red Sox game were on and I passed out on the couch flipping between channels. Lauren took a nap in our bedroom. But we did not sleep for too long. It was hot and only getting hotter. We got up and did some packing. I will blog all about moving on another day. Do not fear trusted reader.

About 7pm we decided to head out to our neighborhood Wine Bar. I had received a gift certificate for my birthday and it seemed like the perfect timing. It was only a 5 minute walk. It was our first time in a wine bar. I think we were both impressed. We got a delicious cheese and cracker plate and shared several glasses of delicious wine. I finished the night off with a port. I have always wanted to try a port. I finally got my chance.

On the way home we passed the movie theater. Gonzo, the Hunter S. Thompson documentary, was starting in 5 minutes (930pm). We seriously considered it. I really want to see the movie. And we knew the theater would be air conditioned. Not to mention the fact that movies are only $3.00 a piece. But we are lazy folk. We had more than our fair share of excitement for the day.

We headed home to call it a night.

It was a good day.

So hot...

It has not rained in months. I remember I few days in which we received a light mist in the early morning. But those days have been very few indeed. At the beginning of the summer the majority of people would water their lawn fairly regularly. People fought hard against the dry spell.

But by now most have given up. Lawns have turned brown. You can walk blocks without seeing any green grass. Yet the rich vegetation of Oregon still litters the city. The trees, bushes and various shrubbery had more than their fair share of water over the winter. Apparently, they had enough to go through an entire summer without rain.

I had read that it rains all winter and the sun shines all summer. But I did not truly appreciate what this means.

The temperature is generally in the high 70's or low 80's. The summer days offer plenty of sunshine. It is rarely too hot. It is never too cold.

Currently, we are in one of our rare heat waves. It was 97 today. It is supposed to be 101 tomorrow. One of the odd things about the weather out here is that the temperature slowly progresses throughout the day. Today it was much hotter at 8pm than it was at 12 noon. This is true of most days.

I am about to retire for the night.


It is hot.

I have been alternating between reading Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain and Acts.


I suppose I shall go do that now.



It is hot.

Tomorrow will care for itself

It has been a long few days.

We are currently searching for an apartment.

We gave notice on the place that we currently live in. We have to be out by September 1st.

We were getting hosed. We pay $945/month. Coming out here we thought it an excellent deal. It is a beautiful house. We have a little yard. The apartment is relatively clean. It is a duplex. Compare that price to an East Coast city. It is a steal. Try getting a nice duplex in Boston or New York for that price.

But, hey, he rented us the place sight unseen.

He is trying to rent it for $1010 to a new set of tenants.

Good luck.

But for Portland that is very expensive. Very expensive. And the utility costs are high. We pay for the electricity in the basement. The washer and dryer and our neighbors 'shop' is down there. The windows are not energy efficient.

We would like a 2 bedroom. I have entertained the idea of going back to school to get an Oregon Teacher Certification. A 2nd bedroom would really help.

We looked at several places today. We are considering two. Both are two bedrooms.

One is a one level duplex. It is in the same neighborhood that we are currently in. It has a yard. It is spacious. It has a washer and dryer. There is one couple ahead of us for this apartment.

The other is a complex. The complex is small. The apartments are townhouses. That means two floors. It has a small private area in the back accessible by a large sliding glass door. It is closer to downtown. It is closer to the hip little neighborhoods we like. It is across the street from a park. The park has a community pool. They have 'movie in the pool' nights. But it is not walking distance to our beloved Mt. Tabor. We are in first in line for this apartment.

Both are about $800/month. Both are electric heat. Electric heat is far cheaper out here.


We are talking about saving around $200/month. Depending on the season. That's an extra $200/month to put into savings.

That's an extra $2400/year in savings.

Extra.


I recently interviewed for a job that would send us to San Francisco. It is a dream job. Moving out of Portland is not a dream. But I do not know if I could pass up the opportunity. That is throwing a wrench into all of this. What with leases in such.


You have to be quick. The good ones get a dozen replies. You have to check Craigslist constantly. Gas is not cheap. You have to drive to look at places. You have to make split second decisions.


Today was not much of a day off.



And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?