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.