Counting down the days

GraDuAtion!!
The day you hope and pray and beg would come sooner than later is quickly approaching for me and now that it is almost here I find myself at a loss.
Yes, it would seem that I have proven that it is possible for me to complain about anything..

Now, would you like to hear about the hike that I am going to take rain or shine tomorrow? I can guarantee a little complaining tomorrow if the former is true! :)

(maybe I should bring poor B a pair of ear plugs, eh?)

Looking back - A quote from The Dhammapada

While I do not consider myself a Buddhist, I find inspiration in the words of wisdom that can be found in the pages of its books. This latest one made me really think:

“Just as a flower which seems beautiful and has color but has no perfume, so are the fruitless words of the man who speaks them but does them not”

Anyone can appreciate the meaning behind those words..

Hiking in the Gorge - Oregon Side - Oneonta Trail and Triple Falls

This past week we decided to celebrate the sunny weather with another hike in the gorge, this time on the Oregon side.
We started at the Oneonta trail, which is the first one past Multnomah falls to the east. The trail is slightly inclined but is not difficult at all. While it did get a little muddy in parts, it was very managable and only on parts of the trail where a very small stream or waterfall was crossing the mostly rocky path.
One of the main draws of this hike is Triple Falls which are found after about 10 to 15 minutes of walking.Once you get to the falls you discover that the bridge that used to be there to take you across to horsetail falls has been taken out (the reason was unclear). But do you think that that keeps people like us from going to the other side?

I am not recommending anyone take this log across the creek, it is dirty, slimy (thus slippery), and potentially dangerous. The log itself is cracked in the middle (which we found out when crossing the first time) and who knows how long it will actually remain intact where it is. We straddled the log and crossed that way verses actually walking across it (hey, I'm not crazy)

Once across we didnt end up having time to hike to Horsetail falls, but the fact that we crossed was accomplishment enough (apparently). A view of the creek before we headed back to cross back over.
If you look back up to the first picture posted in this post you will see a log that overlooks the falls, this is the view from that vantage point. Not for those with a fear of heights, but beautiful :)

Looking right down the waterfall. I couldnt get enough pictures of it. It will be nice to know when they fix the bridge (it was in pieces on the opposite side of the creek) so that way you could make what has become an hour or so hike (one way) into something that could potentially take all day. Beautiful spot nonetheless, and nice because all the tourists seem to stop at Multnomah Falls making this spot practically deserted.

Next week, Larch Mountain! (Hopefully)

Can you leap without faith?

I feel like I am standing on the edge of a very familiar cliff; peering over the edge.
There is a long distance from where I am to the bottom, and many many jagged rocks along the way.
I have bravely jumped off this cliff many times before, but each and every time the chute I was wearing failed to open as promised. Though this chute seems to be packed the correct way, who am I to judge whether it will open or not? Me, the one who has made the leap without a proper chute many times before. The one who doesn't seem to know the difference between a parachute and a bag of rocks.
To be successful, just once, would be the ultimate victory for me, but I don't think I can survive another fall.
I cannot sit on this ledge forever; jump or walk away.

Who doesnt love Garfield?

A Test

My first blog sent from my blackberry...

Here's to another guinea pigs health!

Defense? Nah, he looks scary - A priceless photo

Future player for the Portland Trail Blazers? Maybe a few years ago.. (hey! I am a true fan, I can say that!)


At first I thought this shot haad to be photoshopped but... turns out its just another reason why I do not find NCAA basketball engaging in the slightest.

(Photo found here)

A great way to take care of the Somali Pirates

Its simple:

It worked in the olden times, didn't it? Back in the days of the skull and crossbones pirate flags when you would make port supposedly you could see dead pirates still on the noose hanging in the distance as a warning to all. What do we do now? Why, we give them food, water, fuel and batteries when they are stranded with hostages. Not to mention millions and millions of dollars.

When you give a dog a bone do they not typically come back begging for more?

(Picture came from here )

Cape Horn Trail - A Great Hike on the Washington Side of the Gorge

This last Tuesday I found myself on my way up the Washington side of the Gorge for a nice little hike on Cape Horn Trail. I was told that it was an eight mile loop with breath taking views, waterfalls and raging rivers. Ok, well maybe he didnt say anything about a "raging" rivers, but I was under the impression that the water would be, well, raging.
Unfortunately for me, and him, I was not ready for this trail. Ever since Sunday my appetite had been MIA and I hardly ate a thing for those three days. Now you put me on a decent incline and expect me to keep up with someone that walks around outside all day, every day? I think I would have had a chance on a normal day, but this day.. no.
So even though I had to stop every other minute, once we finally did make it to the top the views were well worth my shame.

The wind was about as remarkable as the views were...

My photographic license states that I can take pictures however I'd like to, but here is one without all the trees in the way.

One of the little creeks we encountered. As you can see, raging would not be the correct word to describe this. Trickling?

This trail was actually really fun, and the day was great. It did get a little muddy part of the time, but this really wasn't a problem. I think I would be up to trying it again with a little more time available and after carbo-loading the night before.

Has Facebook become the White Pages of the 21st Century?

You know you are guilty of it. Everyone has done it and if you haven't you should do it right now. Its very interesting believe me. Of course I am talking about googling yourself to see what comes up for your name. Ok I will give you a minute...

Come to find out, when I put my name in there one of the first things that comes up is my facebook page which is private to everyone except for those on what I thought was my rather selective friends list. This is also the only account online that I actually have my rather uncommon last name associated with. While it is a little flattering to find out that I have people googling me, I find it a little disturbing. During this last month alone I have had 5 different messages, some from people that I don't even know, come to me thru Facebook.

The first one was a real ghost from the past, an ex from a good 6 years ago messaged me to let me know that "an old love is still thinking of me" and to ensure me that he is much better looking now vs when we dated way back when. Ok... not answering this message.

The second one came from a girl back in high school which I rarely remember and honestly, I think she may have me confused with someone else. Also ignored this message, but this leads me to question why it is that anyone that even had any sort of association with the high school that I went to seems to think I want to add them to my friends list? If I wasn't friends with you then, what makes you think I want to be friends with you now?

The third message was from a different ex boyfriends current wife whom I only recently discovered that he was married to while we dated. She was kind, and I had already taken myself out of the situation so I wasnt going to say anything until a few minutes later when I recieved the next message.

The fourth message was from the ex boyfriends wifes sister (did I tell you that I was going thru quite the drama of late??). Her message was cruel and offensive and while I didnt respond to her, I decided to email the wife and tell her my side of the story. Had I known that the bastard was married I would have never had anything to do with him so names such as Adultress or Homewrecker do not apply to me. Fool, Idiot and Sucker, well they did.

The fifth message was from my landlord. When since does landlords send messages thru facebook to get ahold of their tenants?? Come to find out she had somehow managed to get added to my friends list which creeped me out even more! Delete...

Who needs a phone book anymore when you have facebook? I'm half tempted to remove my last name from my profile, but part of me is curious as to what's next..

I am sorry!

I know it has been quite a while since I have made a blog post and really, there is no excuse for my behavior but would you like to hear my excuse?
No?
Just get blogging, eh?

Ok..

First thing! :D

(whew, that was much easier than I expected it to be)