Food, Car Troubles, and Festivals. Oh My!

I almost witnessed a terrible accident tonight. Arlo and I had just gotten off the max (light rail), and were walking down the street as we saw a car speed up and then stop dead on the tracks. The max had already left the station and was headed toward the car at about 20 mph. I had my hands on my head, screaming, "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" The train stopped only a few feet from the car. It sped off after a few seconds, and the train went on it's way. I don't know if that was a suicide attempt, or an amazingly unlucky car malfunction. Scared the crap out of me...

My life, since my last post, has been a mix of food adventures, car troubles, and festivals. Food first...

The most notable place I've eaten at was the Waffle Window. Only $4 for literally the best waffle I have EVER EATEN!!! How is it even possible that the best food of it's kind is also the cheapest??? Belgian waffles are usually around $7 at other places. Want strawberries and whipped cream? Psshhh!! That'll be another $2-$3! And I bet those strawberries are coming out of a can. I don't know how they do it, but the Waffle Window has got the magic.

Yes, it was as good as it looks.

Some other good eats:
Annie's Donuts - There are so many amazing doughnut shops other than the famous Voodoo Donut. Annie's buttermilk bars are to die for!
The Original Hotcake House - Not pancakes. Hotcakes! Yeah, they sell just as fast as they're rumored to... especially at 2am when the bar crowd comes stumbling in with the munchies. But be sure to stick to the hotcakes, and don't bother with the belgian waffle.
Black Cat Cafe - A hip NoPo hang with tasty burgers, $2 drafts all day everyday, and plenty of pinball/pool. The portions are generous and the staff very chill. The wild cherry stout I had was delicious!
APRISSA - This is a mexican place we ate at last night. There's a lot of good mexican food in Portland, but this is certainly the fanciest! It's a drive-thru/walk up with a pristine parking lot and very nice landscaping. We ate a lot... Tacos and burrito? Great! Horchata? Great! Krustos? Great! The owner clearly put A LOT of money into this business. They have "APRISSA" stamped on everything, even the burrito!

Car troubles... baby blue broke down again. This time it was a mix of things: fuel filter, alternator, and lots of other small things. All we got was "click" when we tried to turn the engine. Two tows in a single day, two days in the shop, and now she's all better! Aaaaand then we got a flat. It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't just dropped Arlo off at work. I got it patched for free later that day at Les Schwab (by a female car mechanic! makes me happy to see women in male dominated professions). It had not a screw or a nail, but a metal rod in the tire. Anyway, all is well now!

Festivals!!! Alberta Street Festival, Oregon Brewers Festival, Bite of Oregon, all involved good times. Bite of Oregon was advertised as a value event, but it was more of a benefit, and cost a lot more than expected. It was still good, though. Alberta Street Festival was wildly bustling with small merchants, food carts, hipsters, and street performers. The Brewers Festival was grand! The cost of a taste was a wooden token ($1), and we went towards the end, so people kept giving them to us! I also found one on the ground. Here is a tip: at festivals, people are likely drunk, not paying attention, or distracted by the festivities. They do stupid things like drop their valuables on the ground, or leave things where they shouldn't. Now, I would never take a wallet or jewelery or whatever other precious thing someone might have lost. Those would be turned in for sure. But if I see a dollar on the ground, and not the pocket or hand it fell from, that is fair game. I'm a treasure hunter: seashells, yard sales, side of the road trash, thrift stores, and definitely festival grounds. <3

Check out my Portland pics here and here!

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This is a log of adventures, a receipt of time spent, something to look back on and feel good about.
This is a tale of incredible food and new friends that became my bests.
This is a mix of choice and chance and how they play out.
This is my life... from East to West...



to East?

I Miss It, But I Might Miss This More

Ok. Before my incessant salivation short circuits my keyboard, let me get some grub praises off my chest.

Ethiopian food is  s o  f r e a k i n  g o o d. Really now, who doesn't love finger food? And I've never had bad Ethiopian food, either. The best part is that half the time, I have no idea what I'm eating! I'm always asking with a great mouth full in the side of my cheek, "What is this!?" If you have never tried it, you simply must. And don't be picky about what you're ordering. I promise, no matter what it is, it's going to taste great.

Today, Arlo took me to a place downtown near the river called Blueplate. What makes this place unique is their wide variety of homemade sodas. Back in the day before Coca Cola and Pepsi completely rocked the market, everyone was making their own soda. Blueplate does a great job of keeping that tradition alive. When we first walked in, there were 4 lil' youngins sitting up at the long counter, and jars of candy by the register with 5 or 10 cent price stickers on each one. A mug full of dumdum lollypops graced each table, and there was a smile on every face in the quaint joint.We took a table towards the back, and ordered the vanilla soda and the Brown Cow (ice cream, root beer, chocolate syrup). SO YUMMY! It was hard to share. We also ordered the special of the day: homemade meatloaf with Yukon gold mashed potatoes and creamy bacon gravy. Normally, I shy away from meatloaf unless I make it myself. But they had me at bacon gravy, so I took a chance. DEAR LORD! I haven't had a dish that good in quite a long time! It was perfectly balanced and delicious. Needless to say, I'm hooked. And I'll be back as often as my wallet allows.

-end food rant-

Let me clear up some misconceptions about my last post. I miss the East Coast a lot. I miss it's snappy pace, great pizza, Wawa/Quick Chek/Sheetz, warm coast, friends, family, and even the nasty drivers. But there isn't a day I wake up, not even the ones I wake up at 4:20am, that I don't look out the window at the city and think of how lucky I am to be living here. I've never been somewhere so beautiful, let alone lived there. I've never seen such a wide variety of food and friendly/odd people. All I know is that one day, when I leave this place, I'll be terribly sad because the odds of moving somewhere this beautiful are slim. I miss the East Coast, but I adore Portland.

Another thing I love is the Wunderland Arcade. Yes, I've raved about this place before, but I can't get over it. 5 cents per play is a dream for anyone with an arcade addiction. Some locations are even combined with movie theaters that charge around $3 per ticket. Good luck finding that on the East Coast. Most locations here will even serve you dinner with a beer if you choose. We went to the Avalon location tonight to see Fast Five. It was surprisingly good! I wasn't expecting them to be able to milk another addition to the series. The place was so empty at 10pm when we got out of the movie. Of course, we got $5 in nickels and romped around the arcade until our pockets were empty (of nickels) and there weren't anymore nickels to scrape from under the machines. All of the little munchkins had gone home to bed, and all the adults were out at the bars. Our age-inappropriate choice to stay late at the kiddie arcade proved to be a success! We practically had the full run of the place. I hate waiting to deposit my money into machines for the chance at winning little paper tickets. I want it fast and furious....err......

Bedtime.

The Song In My Head

Have you ever wondered how certain songs get stuck in your head? Sometimes it's obvious. It's one of the tunes to the album you've been listening to all week. Or maybe it's something you just heard on the radio. I often find myself even starting a song in a specific place, several times in my head throughout the work day. I notice the same lyrics continuously floating past like a marquee in the eyes of my mind. And I think to myself, "Why these lyrics in particular? Did they mean something to me subconsciously?" Not usually. Lately, I've found that those lyrics playing through my mind all day are the exact ones that play when I unpause the music after getting back in my car at the end of the work day. On some level of subconsciousness, my mind simply wanted to continue the song.

I have a lot of time to think at work... lots of mental breathing room. That also means I have a lot of time to have songs stuck in my head. Something other than the continuing-the-song-from-the-car trick has been going on in my brain. It's weird.... it's Christmas music... and it's June! What business does Christmas music have in my head in late June? Actually, I've noticed this happening since April when I started working at Columbia. I haven't listened to Christmas music since, well, Christmas! Why is it still in my head? And not just one artist, it's the whole shebang - literally everything I usually listen to at Christmas time. So what's going on, brain?

And then it struck me like that poor grandma that got plowed by Rudolph. The reason I have had Christmas music in my head during this non-Christmas time, is because that's where I left off. That's where I got out of the car - out of my life on the East Coast - and left to start life somewhere else. We left for our journey on December 23rd, and for some reason, my mind still thinks I'm just waiting to get back in the car - back to the East Coast - and start where I left off... unpause the music, and spend Christmas of 2010 with my family in NJ. These Christmas lyrics in my head are the subconscious yearn for continuation of my East Coast life.








Oh there's no place like home for the holidays.
For no matter how far away you roam,
If you long for the sunshine of a friendly gaze,
For the holidays, you can't beat home, sweet home.

Miss You Erin!

I've always wondered how animals are affected by things like people or other animals moving away or dying. Do they know? Can they tell before it happens? Do they get sad? I wondered how Tiffany felt when we put Comete to sleep. Did she know we had just put her best friend in the ground forever? Is she lonely now? I know it's our tendency to try to personify animals, but they have emotions too, right?

My roommate Erin and her dog Riley just moved out of the house for the summer (they'll be back in 3 months). Damascus and Riley were best friends, and Damascus was pretty attached to Erin, too. While Arlo and I were at work in the morning to early afternoon, Damascus would stay with Erin and Riley until we got home. She often took them on long hikes and even to the coast or up in the mountains. Arlo and I were incredibly lucky to have such a great friend that would help us out with him.

And now I'm wondering how Damascus feels. Does he know they won't be back for a while? Could he tell ahead of time that this would happen? I don't know if they've been gone long enough for him to understand. After Erin left yesterday, Arlo found Damascus laying on Erin's old bed in an empty room. That's where he would always sleep if no one was home. Today, he has been sitting by the door a lot... seemingly waiting.

I just wonder how he feels...


It has only been a day, but it's weird for me too. Whenever I drive up the hill, I look at who is parked on the street and always look for Erin's car. I've already caught myself checking a few times since she left. Though our schedules were always opposite, and sometimes I didn't see her for a few days, the house feels kind of empty now. Don't get me wrong, I love all of my other roommates! I've just been trying to figure out why I feel off today, even though it's sunny and beautiful. And then I realized I have just been sitting around the house like the dog, waiting for her to come home.

I miss you Erin!

A Series of Recent Happenings

As per request of my brother, I come here now to elaborate on things past, present, and perhaps future. So grab your beverage of choice and gather 'round. It's story time!

The day went like this: It was a Wednesday. The night before, I had gone to a Citizen Cope concert (acoustic set, very nice) with roommate Erin and friend Pat. Good times were had, and I was home in time to catch about 5 hours of sleep. Definitely worth it. Back to Wednesday, I woke up feeling not so well. I went to work, the feeling of nausea and sour stomach progressed to the point of making the work day quite miserable. I thought only of going home to sleep for many hours. Work ends, and I drive to meet Arlo downtown. By now I'm a puddle of rot, but I noticed Arlo was acting unusual as he secured his bike to the car rack and got in the passenger seat. "I just hit a car." he said in a daze. A mix of adrenaline and worry shot through me. I then noticed the seeping wounds on his chest. He had been riding in the bike lane at about 15mph and a prius owner opened her door at the same time Arlo happened to be riding by. His chest played the role of brakes and brought him to a halt at the top of the tall door. He didn't have enough time to use his actual brakes. From what my eyes could tell me, he was ok with the exception of those cuts and a sore neck. But you know the drill... off to the emergency room we went. Luckily, it was nothing serious. Two days rest and a bottle of Oxycodone later, he's feeling much better.

But I was still feeling terrible. I wanted to take care of Arlo, but I ended up sleeping for most of the rest of the night, and only being awake for 5 hours the next day. Disgusting. I was sick with some sort of allergies/cold the week before. It was a tough two weeks.

And today we're both healthy and happy. Arlo will likely have scarring on his chest from the accident, but he seems to think that's cool... *rollseyes*


So it's rumored the world ends tomorrow? From my understanding, man will know neither the day nor the hour. I'll continue to ignore the media and do what I've been doing. I can't believe how many people are stressing out and scrambling to try to control things they can't. Inevitable things are just that, and trying to control them is pointless.


Work has been going well for Arlo and I. Arlo got hired on full time after he was a temp for a few months. Woohoo! I'm still a temp, and still waiting for a full time position to open up at Columbia. Still very much enjoying things there.

Wake boat! Arlo and I went out on a wake boat yesterday with Greg (our landlord) and his friend Ray. It was a gorgeous day, and so much fun.

I spent last weekend teaching the Oregon Crusaders front ensemble in Salem, OR. It was an awesome experience, and I was so happy to work with so many great people and talented kids. After spending the fall and winter not teaching, I'm definitely ready to get going again.

Tonight, Arlo and I went to an Ethiopian place in NE. The atmosphere was a bit dull, but the food was delicious! The prices were decent too. The iced tea was not up to par with the Ethiopian place in Chicago, but it was still good! I think I've discovered a way to make something that tastes very similar at home. I found this tea at work that's made by Bigelow called Constant Comment. That name just sounds like someone constantly nagging someone else... making constant comments... I'm not quite sure what they were going for with that name, but it tastes great!

Anyway, all is well and life is good. Now someone come visit me!

The Time In Between

This blog has been pretty aimless since about a week after I moved here to Portland. First there was the trip: lots to write about, of course. Then then arriving and the settling in: still somewhat interesting and new. And there have been interesting things here and there, but this blog has otherwise not had much of a purpose other than documenting what I did that day or week. Don't get me wrong, it's nice to be able to go back and read about what I ate for dinner three weeks ago (so I have an idea of what to eat for dinner this week?), but this blog has just been a smattering of random events, written weeks apart, with a lot of nothing in between.

But I'm still learning... I was going to say patience, but that would imply that I'm waiting for something. What I'm learning is how to enjoy the moment -the now-, instead of waiting impatiently for the next. About a week after we moved to Portland, I started thinking about our next big trip... Alaska? Mexico? Europe? I've found myself many times spending countless hours thinking about the future -where I'll go, where I'll eat, what landmarks I'll photograph as a legitimization of my trip- that I end up missing everything that's going on right now. Now that we've been here for over 3 months (woah, what?), I'm starting to realize that what I need to be focusing on is what I have in front of me. And now I see that what I have in front of me is freaking fantastic. I'm living the dream.

My job is really great. The hours go by so fast, and the work is enjoyable. I actually look forward to going to work everyday. The location of where I'm living right now is ridiculous. Everything is gorgeous. And I'm living in the most gorgeous part of the gorgeousness, with a great view of it all. It's literally less than 5 minutes from some of the prettiest rain forests I've ever seen. I'm living in the pictures of a magazine. I have blossoming friendships, and my love by my side.

Isn't this optimism sickening?

Don't worry, I'm exaggerating a tiny bit just to psych myself out. But really, life is good, and I'm very happy with it.

Now for random notes on life...
I'm making some yummy (hopefully) pot roast right now. Crock Pots are the best. Lunch tomorrow will be delicious.

Arlo and I have finally collected a semi-respectable collection of furniture for our room. We still need something to put our clothes in, but at least we have a bed!

The East Coast needs Grocery Outlet like the West Coast needs good pizza. Yeah, it's that good. Arlo and I spent $90 there last week, and we got soooooooooooooooooooooo much stuff. I felt bad about how much freezer space we took up. The deals are irresistible (practically everything is about half price and completely good to eat/use). East and West need to set up some trades or something. I'll go grocery shopping here in Portland if someone in Jersey sends me a large Nicolosi's pizza.


Game of Thrones is pretty good. I just watched the pilot. Looking forward to the rest of the season. I'm more looking forward to True Blood Season 4!!! And The Killing is good as well. I'm glad Arlo and I have similar tastes as far as shows go. We'll have to wait until January for the next season of Spartacus. It so sucks that Andy Whitfield got cancer again. No one can fill the shoes of Spartacus! I hope he gets all better.


End

New Place, New Job

Hokay so, here is the view...

"Daaammn that's a sweet view.", you might say?
It's a bit cloudy, yes, but that's Portland. On some days, we can see all the snow capped mountains and all the way into Vancouver, WA!

The people and dogs that live here with us are just as great. Damascus has a new best buddy named Reiley, a german shepherd/husky/lab mix! They're pretty much inseparable now. I'd put up more pictures, but as I write all of these positive things, I am reminded of the less than stellar internet connection we have here at the moment. But that can be fixed later.

I've been driving manual! Ok, so I still stall here and there, but I'm doing it! Learning to drive up the steep hill to our house has been a bit scary, but so far so good.

I'm done with Stream, and was lucky enough to jump right into another job that started today. I now work at the Columbia Sportswear warehouse in N Portland. After my first day on the job, I'm pretty sure I like it. It's very low stress, and I'm not sitting in a chair all day, which is lovely! I start at an early 6am, but get out at 2:30pm. Pretty sweet.

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittt's my bed time!