The perfect fragrance for me

I know that I probably shouldn't have, but I decided to splurge and purchased a small bottle of Chanel no 5 from Macy's yesterday. It was quite spendy, but I really like the smell! And I love the idea that it is the same fragrance as what was worn back in the 1930s. There were so many different fragrances to chose from (most of which were less than desirable) but I kept coming back to the one I sprayed on myself for the first time one evening while exploring Waikiki beach late at night. The mall was about to close and we were on our way down the escalator when I saw we were going to pass an enormous bottle of Chanel no 5 on the way out the door. I had always been curious about the scent (it has so much history!) so I sprayed it on myself before we made our way out to the sidewalk.
Sitting at my desk, inhaling the scent now, brings me back to that night, walking barefoot on the beach under the stars, letting the waves lap at my ankles, walking all the way down to the hotel we could have stayed at at a fraction of the cost if only I would have checked out the employee discounts website before we left, washing my feet off in a sprinkler and trying to dry them on the Hawaiian grass, only to put them right back in the water again on the way back. Most of all it brings me back to a time when I felt very loved, laughing as we tried to not get wet when running from one boardwalk to another, lounging in the soft sand under the stars, holding hands as the gentle waves broke all around us. It was a great night, and I'm glad that I decided to go ahead and spurge on the bottle (even if I had to pay full price)… I knew I wouldn't be happy with anything but :)

The Oregon Gardens and Silver Falls

With everything that has been going on over the past month we decided that we really (and I mean really) needed some time away. So when we got the opportunity to go down to Silverton (in Oregon) for the night we packed our bags and hit the road without a second thought (ok, so maybe there was a few second thoughts, especially since we are trying to save money right now, but this deal was too good to pass up!).

View of Lower South Falls at Silver Falls State Park, just outside of Silverton, OR

After some minor traffic on the way down (and a stop at a Burger King ONLY for someone to use the bathroom), we were on our way up the hillside to the Oregon Garden Resort. The package that we reserved with them included dinner for two in their garden view resturant, a bottle of wine, free entrance to the Oregon Gardens, a breakfast buffet in the morning and a room in their 3 year old hotel. It included all this for only $79! This sounds a little too good to be true to me too, so we were rather skeptical before we got there that A) The room would be horrible, B) Dinner would be subpar and/or C) We wouldn't be getting a whole bottle of wine.
Come to find out it was much better than expected.
Its funny what $80 can get you in small towns that people don't really know about. Our $80 got us a room nicer and more comfortable than a $150 room in Waikiki. We walked into our king room and found vaulted ceilings, a gas fireplace, new (and quite cute) furnishings, nice tile work in the bathroom and the entryway and a nice television. It was great. We went from there to dinner and was informed that we would be able to order anything off the menu and had a selection of 4 different wines to choose from. He ordered the salmon and I had a cheese pasta dish; our dinner came to over $70 and all we had to pay for was the tip! After dinner we explored the gardens (which, honestly, were a little lacking.. maybe its just me, but I see daisies, mums and carnations everywhere! I find the Portland Rose Gardens to be much more interesting) and then called it a night.
We were up at 9am, had breakfast and headed over to Silver Falls State Park, maybe 15 minutes away. I had never been to this park, but I have a friend that used to live in the area and I remember her mentioning this area and I have always wanted to explore the area. After getting there, we looked at the map and decided to give the 7 mile loop a go (even though it said it was supposed to take 5 hours). Waterfall, after waterfall, I found myself feeling quite blessed for getting to grow up in this part of the country. It was gorgeous!
There were huckleberries EVERYWHERE and even though we didn't come fully prepared for this long of a hike, I was able to stave off my hunger with hand fulls of these little berries (that's right, I was getting hand fulls at a time!).
I don't know what they used as a base for the 5 hour time frame, but we were done in a little over 3 hours and after getting a little discombobulated when we got back to the south falls parking lots (and consequently added another mile or so to the 7 mile loop) we were back in the car and headed back to reality.

Its nice to know even with everything that is going on, I know that in the end I really don't have anything to worry about. Job, no job, crappy job, great job... when it comes down to it I have love and support and that will get me through any hard times I may have :)

A crazy Portland law? Or just a meter maid having a bad day?

I went to the Pearl District on my lunch today to pick up a couple of books from Powell’s that I have been wanting (one on candle making and one by Joyce Maynard called "At Home in the World"). After dropping the books off at my car I decided to duck into Peet’s for a small latte. Maybe ten minutes later I was sliding back into the driver seat, latte in hand. After making room for it in the cup holder, I started the engine, took the parking receipt off the window and proceeded to read a text message before I drove out on the street.
Halfway through the message I hear a knock on my passenger side window.
I look up and see a grumpy looking man with a hand held ticket generator signaling me to roll down my window.
Being the natural cynic I am, I look him up and down to make sure he isn't another bum begging for money, or someone from green peace asking me to save a child in Somalia or something. The sew-on semi-police looking badge on his jacket gave him a little credibility (but not much), so I opened the window a crack and asked him what the problem was.
He alerted me to who he was (a meter maid) and proceeded to write me a ticket.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm about to leave" I say while holding up the $0.80 sticker the auto-pay machine gave me for 30 minutes of time. According to my receipt there was still a good ten minutes left that I could park there without issue.
He gave me a look of disgust.
"For your information, since you failed to leave the curb I could give you a ticket in the amount of $40 for not displaying your parking ticket. $40".
"But I just got back to my car" I said. Holding up my phone I say "I was just reading a message before heading out".
"You are not allowed to simply sit at the curb for any amount of time no matter what you are doing" he says, haughtily.
It is my natural instinct to argue with idiots. Like the city would really rather me read a text on the street, or would give me a ticket right after I pull into the spot while I was rustling around the car for $0.75 to plug into the machine. Reaaaaally. But since he stopped writing the ticket I decided to just play along with his little power trip and said "I'm sorry, it won't happen again". What I really wanted to do was tell him how ridiculous he sounded and drive away, but since the smugness in the air was thick enough to choke a person I knew that going down that route would probably end with me in court fighting a now $160 ticket since by the time I would have actually gotten notice of payment due it would have been too late to pay the original amount. No, by then it would have quadrupled, because somehow the system justifies this. Best to just play nice, I think. I gave him my most sincere smile and he went away.

I realize that to the city, parking tickets are a major form of revenue. Meter maids, or whatever the politically correct term for them is nowadays, are like sharks, waiting to bite as soon as you get into the water without the proper protection. Is it really too much to ask for a little grace period? A little common sense?? It's one dollar and sixty cents an hour to park on the street in downtown Portland, yet I can get a ticket for 34 times that amount for not having the sticker on the window of a running car while I am sitting at the wheel? Maybe its just me, but this seems more than a little off. Its downright wrong.

How many times am I going to have to make this decision?

Seattle.

For some reason, this city has been calling out to me for the past 5 or more years, but each and every time I eventually decide that Portland is the place for me. Well, here we go again, only this time it seems that I am being physically catapulted in its direction. I either go up there for some sort of guarantee, or stay down here with possibly nothing. Do I really want to leave my family, my neighborhood, my place that I am finally in love with? Luckily for me my immediate family would come with me.. but my network would stay here. My town would stay here. Other than that though, I have nothing here that won't be there..

I don't have to make a decision until January, but the indecision is driving me close to batty.

*sigh*

Back to Hawaii

Yes, you heard that right. I am going BACK to the islands! You would think that all my visits there would make me want to venture elsewhere but when it comes down to it, I am a beach girl and there are no better beaches in the USA than what are found in the middle of the Pacific on the Hawaiian Islands.
This trip we are going to explore Oahu. And while, honestly, the idea of going to the Island that holds one of the largest cities in the states really doesn't sound like my idea of relaxation; I have to go to this island at least once. Who knows what adventures are awaiting us, all I know is I cannot wait!

Starbucks Via: Surprisingly Tasty

Have you ever tried the Starbucks Via? I ran out of coffee in here the other day and had a three pack that I got as a free sample back when they first started marketing it stashed away in my desk in case of emergencies... well, my running out of coffee was very easily deemed an emergency so I got one out and tried it.
When I tried the sample at Starbucks I thought it was disgusting; it tasted bitter and burnt. I think, however, that has to do with the fact that according to the directions you need the entire packet for one cup of coffee.
This is wrong.
I only put about a third of it into my cup and I came away with a surprisingly delicious cup of coffee! So good in fact that instead of making it a point to go out and get more coffee grounds for my french press, I have been happy to use what I have left of the Via before going out of my way and getting myself into a respectable coffee shop to pick up some more coffee beans.
Mmm.
Thank you Via for making my morning a happy one :)

I was saved... from myself.

Sorta
For my birthday I received a brand new bicycle from my wonderful boyfriend. While I had been wanting and thus hinting about wanting one for what seems like AGES (ok, so maybe a month or so) I was truly surprised when I was allowed into the house on my birthday to find a nice blue bike with a huge red bow in the middle of the living room.
Now I am not normally one to look a gift horse in the mouth (because horses come bearing gifts, right?) but while it was a great gift, it wasn't exactly the type of bike I wanted. He could tell and instantly said that we could take it back and get me the bike of my choosing (have I mentioned what a lucky girl I am to have him??). So the search began!
Since the bike I really wanted was a little out of the price range he wanted to spend (Giant, Trek, Fisher... Etc) I decided to check out some of the used options in the area. After about a day or so I stumbled upon a bike shop in Portland that will remain nameless that had a list of the bikes they had for sale online. There it was, the perfect bike for only $175. Since the store was closed and I had to work the next day I decided to head over to the store to purchase it during my lunch break. Well, I wasn't able to leave at my normal time and after getting stuck in traffic in 100+ degree heat let us just say I was a little aggravated by the time I arrived at the store. But I got there! And there it was! And there was the woman that got there not 10 minutes before
me purchasing said bike!
Since this just seems to be the way things have been going for me of late (just yesterday I call on a house for rent not 2 hours after its posted online, am the 10th person to call and thus don't even get a chance to look at it let alone put in an application) it was safe to say I was a little upset. I actually contemplated asking the guy at the counter if he would give it to me if I paid $200, but sadly, due to all my previous defeats when it comes to things like this, I threw in the towel pretty quickly. After a quick glance over their remaining inventory I decided to chalk my trip to Sellwood up as a pure waste of time (not to mention my sacred lunch break) and I headed back to work.
As fortune would have it, I decided to check Craigslist to see if they had anything new and I just happened upon an ad for not one, but TWO Giant bicycles that were basically brand new that was just put up. I emailed the guy back and forth for a couple of hours and when he got home he sent me pictures of the two bikes I was sold. We got there about 30 minutes later and I was ready to take the bikes home then and there. Brandon got the job of bartering the price down
a bit (which he did perfectly) and then we had the fun task of getting two full size bikes into the back of a Toyota Corolla that doesn't yet have a bike rack (it was actually pretty easy with these bikes since both the wheels have easy disconnect joints). But it happened, and now we have matching Giant bicycles that are the perfect color, the perfect size for both of us and can do
everything that we want them to do and more. I know I wouldn't have been as happy if I would have been allowed to purchase the bike from the bike shop. Who says things don't happen for a reason?

Oh, by the way

My 29th birthday is in a little over a week.

Each year that goes by I get to look over the list of things that I have yet to do. And so far this year I have yet to do anything productive at all. In the past I would always have at least an idea of which way to go to get to my destination. This time, however, I don't even know where it is I'm actually going.

As if I don't get enough office time at work

I have a new obsession. No, it has nothing to do with the World Cup, Camping or anything to do with a Vuvuzela. I have been watching The Office! A couple of weeks ago I bought season two off of Ebay for $7 (sold it about a week later for $10) and decided that I wanted to watch the entire series. Since I have issues with signing up for Netflix (I don't want to feel pressured into watching movies, I would rather just rent out of the Redbox) I decided to buy season one through five off of Ebay (to sell back for a profit later of course). It got here a few days ago and lets just say that my entertainment of late has been rather predictable.

I have watched random episodes here and there, but it's much more enjoyable to watch from start to finish and to actually understand the running jokes that are sprinkled throughout.

Hey, when it rains more in the month of June than it did in April and May combined I think its fair to say that I need something entertaining to do inside!

Wisdom Which Withstands the Test of Time

I have been reading Truman Capotes "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (which, btw, every time I glance at the cover the song by Jackie O starts running through my head.. "And I say, what about Breakfast at Tiffany's? You say, I think I remember the film and as I recall I think, we both kinda like it, and I say well that's the one thing we got")

But anyways, I picked up this book not because of its iconic status, but because the time period it's set in and the writing style genuinely intrigued me. For those of you who doesn't know (and no, seeing the film does not constitute knowing the story according to many different reviewers; I have yet to see the film myself, but this is hardly surprising) this story revolves around 20 year old Holly Golightly, a chic, well dressed socialite who is trying to find a place to call home and the narrator, her neighbor, who against his better judgment falls in love with her. Holly has been running her whole life, from Texas to Hollywood to New York and so on. At one point in the book she was explaining to the narrator why her husband (and seemingly unbeknownst to her, himself) was foolish for expecting her to stay with him.

"If you let yourself love a wild thing. You'll end up looking at the sky"

This quote struck me so deeply I had to stop and read it again. It is spot on; a person cannot truly tame a wild animal. Do you not think the lion in a circus would not run free if given the opportunity? Why then do we think that we can do the same to human nature? If a person is not ready to be "tamed" are they not going to be watching for the very moment they can run out the unguarded door?

Need. To. Find. Inspiration.

I feel like writing, but I don't know what to write about. I figured if I was to get the "pen to the paper" or, in the more 21st century way of life, put my fingers to the keyboard, genius literature would follow. Thus far, this doesn't seem to be the case. Sigh.

I WON I WON I WON!

One point five million dollars coming my way? All I have to do is send them $120 for an insurance fee?? Count me in!

The Federal Inland Revenue Service of Nigeria (FIRS) wishes to inform you that your parcel containing a Cashier's Cheque of $1,500,000 which was issued and ready to be paid in your name has been in our custody as it was withheld from the Courier Agencies wanting to manipulate the delivery of the cheque and for the unforeseen delay it has gone through before we intervene.

From the information we gathered, the cheque was authentic and cashable by you alone being the beneficiary of the allocated sum. To further enable us clarify and convey your check immediately, we advice you contact and acquaint us with the following information's immediately;

Name:
Full Residential Address:
Telephone Number:

The above information should be forward to us through the Officer in charge as stated below;

Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)
Ben Williams
Email: ben.williams@secretarias.com
Tel: +23470-6651-3344

Meanwhile, the shipment of the check has been paid and will be processed
immediately we hear from you but it is very important we settle the Insurance fee of the check which is $120. The Insurance company will not release the parcel for shipment until this has been done. You will have to send the $120 to Mr. Ben to enable him settle the Insurance fee and immediately certify the shipment of the parcel containing your parcel through DHL.

We advice to do as instructed so as to enable us convey your check.
The fact that these emails are still circulating means that people are actually falling for this sort of thing. Amazing.

A Made In Oregon Opportunity

I participated in the Grand Floral Walk today and while I was walking across the Burnside bridge on the beautiful day that was today I decided to snap a picture that I have been wanting to take for Years! But I typically think of taking the picture when I am driving across the bridge; when do I ever have the opportunity to stop in the middle of the street and take the perfect picture?

Now if only I could photoshop out that "for lease" sign it would be perfect.

When in Doubt, Break Out the Pro/Con List.

We are thinking about moving into a house in Battle Ground. The first time I went and saw the place solo I couldn't wait to leave.. but then when Brandon was there with me he was able to sell me on the place. Now we are both doubting whether we will be happy there, but don't want to pass up on a potentially great opportunity without first thinking it through.

Pro:
House, almost an acre of yard, 2 car garage, chicken coop, Ethan will have a yard to play in, we won't have to tip toe inside, no one above or beside us for us to hear day in and day out, dog run, my dog will be able to play outside more often, creek in the back yard, river within walking distance, I can have a real garden (veggies and flower beds), inside was completely redone in 2006, have been told if we want to do any improvements on the property they would provide the materials at no cost to us (paint, landscaping, etc), low rent which will save us both quite a lot of money ($4200/yr for just me), outside of city limits so burning is allowed, there is a fire pit which Brandon is in love with, His commute goes down to 7 minutes, but he is looking for a new job so that could possibly only be a temporary improvement
(17 items)

Con:
Small (900 sq ft), only one bathroom, bedrooms are small, paint chipping from the outside, looks very old, the garage looks as if it is very unstable (we wouldn't be parking cars inside, instead it would be used for storage), no neighbors, very isolated, creepy in the evenings, ground level which causes me to lose the sense of security I have in my second level apartment, increased commute to work (in Portland) for me, 4 other applicants already and at $80 for us to apply for the place it could end up being all for naught anyways, floor plan less than desirable (but I know you get what you pay for), Ethan will have to change school districts, may end up paying more for after school care which will eat into the savings
(15 items)

Ok so from really looking over the list I like the location, the price and the benefits that come with living in a house, but I don't really like how isolated it is and the house in itself. If we move into a nicer house though, how will we ever be able to actually save the money needed to get a house of our own? I guess when it comes down to it, its either go to a place like that or just stay in the apartment for another year or two..
Decisions.

The Best Blueberry Muffin Recipe EVER.

Yes, Ever!

I made these on Saturday night and come Monday morning all 24 of them had mysteriously vanished (and no, they were not fed to the dog or somehow made their way to the trash can)

I took the recipe from Food Network and tweaked it a bit to make it my own.

• 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, at room temperature
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup nonfat half and half
• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp basking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cup blueberries (if using frozen blueberries do not thaw)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add cupcake liners to the pan.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (at least 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time while mixing. Add sour cream, milk and half and half and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry mixture to the batter and mix well. Fold blueberries into the mix being careful not to over stir.

Fill cupcake liners until 2/3 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes approx 24 muffins.

One thing I did learn by making these... if you are going to tell your coworkers all about how wonderful they are, make sure to bring some in and share :)

Where did I lose my way?

I went to school with a dream. A dream that with my education would come with a good job. A job that could get me the things I need from life. It would be interesting, challenging; something that required my degree and would make a difference.

I graduated.

As I look around, nothing has changed. There is nothing I can really do with my degree and I feel a bit duped. Education is supposed to open doors! Instead, I'm laden with debt and working in a position that doesn't even require a degree.

All that hard work and dedication for this?

...

My Choice of a Plane Read: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

This past weekend I found myself with a four hour round trip plane trip in front of me. Now, either I could sleep on the plane, make conversation with my unknown neighbors, twiddle my thumbs or read a book. After much deliberation I chose to bring a book. Those of you who known me know that I have plenty of unread books on my bookcase to chose from for situations such as this (I am what is known as a bookaholic), but I live for reasons to go to the bookstore so off I went in search of an exciting read. I must admit, I did my homework beforehand and had a pretty good idea of what I was going to get, so I walked over to the fiction section and scanned the authors last names.
... A... C.... H...
Nope, have to go around the corner..
....J..... K.. L
There it was, the first book in Stieg Larsson's Millenim series.

If I would have known that the literal translation of the Swedish title was actually "Men who Hate Women" I probably would have never picked up this book in the first place, but since it was cleverly named "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" I picked it up and gave it a chance. I must say, not what I was expecting at all, but very well written and gripping nonetheless. What initially starts out as an investigative reporter working on a very cold murder case turns into something I would have never imagined. Filled with twists and turns, suspect after suspect and lets not forget drama, I was not able to put the book down!*

Admittedly, it was a little dry to start out with, but after the set up, the introductions and all the back ground was out of the way, the meat of the story did not disappoint. If you like gritty crime dramas that do not hold back, I would recommend this book for you.
Now, I need to find someplace else to fly off to so I can get started on the second book!
__________________


*On the plane, off the plane, by the pool, when I got back home. Clearly, I became addicted.

Pure as Snow

Vision is not reserved for the eyes alone.

For anything to be seen it must first be accepted.

Where else but here?

Where else can I pay almost $900 a month to listen to elephants frolicking upstairs, a guy with a baby who likes to scream in a megaphone pointed towards my wall on one side and a couple with surround sound rival any Dolby digital system at the cinema on the other. Not to mention people downstairs that like to slam their door like they are keeping the beat to a heavy metal marathon?

Oh thats right, my place.

The best way.

With a heart as pure as white rice. Or snow, but snow melts a little too easy.

Easter, for all its worth.

Easter in itself is a strange holiday. Its like they couldn't pick just one thing to celebrate so they mushed fertility rituals, celebration of a god that rose of the dead and a big creepy easter bunny that puts candies and gifts in children's rooms while they are sleeping and hides eggs in the yard when they are not watching all into one day and called it "Easter". Personally, I just like looking at the cute, fuzzy baby chicks. Happy Easter, whatever you are celebrating, everyone :)

Rebecca, the film critic (at least for a minute or two)

Writing about “An Education” got me thinking, what else have I watched over the last couple of weeks? (way too many movies I am thinking) Here is a rundown:

How to Train Your Dragon: 5/5

Hiccup, a young viking boy desperate to prove to his father and his clan that he is deserving of the viking name, wounds a dragon that everyone is deathly afraid of. He finds the dragon, still alive, and contemplates killing it, but while his knife is raised all he can see is his own fear coming from the animals eyes so he decides to let him live. The problem is that its tail has been crippled and he is unable to fly. The boy helps the dragon get back in the air and proves to his village that dragons are not the beasts that they make them out to be. This was the first (and probably last) film that I have seen in 3D, and while it was good at the time the 3 hour headache I had after I got home pretty much made the decision to go 2D from here on out. The movie itself was cute, child appropriate and very entertaining to watch. Not only has it been requested that we purchase this film when it comes out, we actually went out and bought the books it was based on. A win/win in my book!

Coco before Chanel: 4/5

I love a good foreign film and this was French with English subtitles, which I know can be a turnoff for some, but this picture was good on more than one level. The costumes and the set design were done very beautifully, there was one scene where it was a little surreal seeing the french gentry on the beach in their corsets, flamboyant hats, lacy umbrellas and pompous fluff. Personally, I was really interested in the story due to my background, but I think it could have been a little dry for someone who didn’t admire Chanel for her impact to fashion. It was for this reason why I was glued to the story, but I doubt anyone who was uninterested in fashion would even think of picking up this film.

Brothers: 3/5

Set during wartime Afghanistan, this movie tells the story of an American solider who goes to war, is captured by the enemy and does the unthinkable to get back home. His wife is told that he is killed in action however and she starts to get on with her life back at home, namely, she starts a pseudo relationship with his brother who was there helping with the children (his nieces) cope with the loss. I think it does tell a great story of what happens mentally to solders that deal with the immense stress of battle and how they are not always ready to be simply immersed in “typical” society, but the movie itself was a little dry and boring. I was watching the clock, wondering when it was going to be over, which I think was quite unfortunate because they were telling a great story. I think I shall look for the original version of this film (this was a remake) and see if they did a more entertaining job.

The Time Travelers Wife: 2.5/5

A story of a man who travels through time against his will* (how often does one little sentence sum up an entire story??) It was recommended I watch this movie by a friend and while I should have known the “greatness” was probably going to be lost on me (being mostly against sappy chick flicks) I didn’t find it horrible. It was slow, drawn out and a little cheesy at times, but the overall story was original and somewhat interesting. I wouldn’t really recommend it, nor would I ever watch it again.

* A Note to Children, Gullible Men and Women alike: If a naked man ever comes stumbling out of the woods claiming to be your friend/relative and/or romantic partner from the future do not stick around to see if they are telling you the truth, Run dammit RUN!!

An Education

I’ve been watching quite a few movies of late, but I have to say that my favorite out of the bunch has got to be “An Education”. Its a story of a school aged girl that has everything going for her; she has straight A’s, means to not only get into a college like Oxford but a family to pay for it for her and set goals for what she wants to do with her life after college. All this changes after a chance meeting with an older man. I won’t give away the story, but when it comes down to it this film has a very clear and important message: you must never give up on yourself. Five stars! :)

Seven things I noticed while in the Emerald City and then some.

The sun was playing a little game with us on Monday and every time we stepped foot outside it started raining and every time we went inside of anything (my car, a coffee shop, the market, a tree) it would peek out and give us a mischievous wink. Maybe that is what is “supposed to happen” in Seattle, but thanks to the sun I spent a little more money than I probably should have.

Here are a few more things I noticed while in the Emerald City:

1. Like Portland, umbrellas are pretty much pointless because either there is not enough rain to justify opening it or there is too much wind to keep the dang thing from flipping inside out every other minute.

2. Coffee is Cheap! Maybe it had more to do with the fact there were three coffee shops allocated to each city block or maybe I just got lucky with the location that I went to, but I WISH I could get a medium latte for $2.50 anywhere here in Portland! The fact that it was delicious

3. I love my car. I guess I should have already known this due to the fact that I drive it everywhere, but after filling my gas tank for $42 (at THREE DOLLARS A GALLON) I was able to make it up there and back on about 2/3 a tank! While on the way up and back I kept wondering why I didn’t fly, but this beats getting a rental car and having to give a strip show for airport security any day.

4. Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t the Space Needle due a facelift? It looked exactly the same as it did when I actually went up the elevators in 1994: dirty, dingy, rusty, smelly, need I go on?

5. “Emerald City” = Seattle. Care to venture to guess who “The All American City” is? Oh that’s right! I’m surprised you knew that Olympia, Washington has this title… which leads me to ask, who comes up with these “titles”? What is Portland’s? The only thing that comes to mind when trying to come up with its “title” are the “keep Portland weird” bumper stickers… oh wait, “The Rose City”… yeah, that is weird enough in itself.

6. I cannot stand the smell of fish. Sure, I have officially been a vegetarian for a month on the 8^th (or 4 weeks on Monday), but seafood used to be some of my favorite dishes! Crab legs were divine! Now? I was gagging while walking through and Pikes Place Market (maybe this was more due to being in the touristiest part of the city? I’m not sure…)

7. I hate streets that are at 89.995 degree angles. I hate driving up them even more. I know it is because of the water, but some of the streets there reminded me of San Francisco (or this one in San Diego that I had to *try* to drive down without screaming too loud, let’s just say it was a good thing I was driving a rental car that time) and since I was in my own car I wanted away from the shoreline as quickly as possible.

When it was all said and done, I have to admit that I had a good time in Seattle. I’m sure I’ll come again, but next time it won’t be on a day that I am boating up and down the freeway.

An Abrupt Ending?

I guess it would be fitting to post this here, this being where I used to post a majority, if not all, of my misgivings.

Maybe I am expecting too much.

Maybe I am allowing my impatience to sabotage something that could have stayed good forever.

But isn't there an inherent badness in settling for a situation that is unacceptable?

I feel like I am living a lie.

That if things truly were the way it was stated, this would be a non-issue. But issue it is and unless I settle once again, the next stretch of road ahead is not looking very pleasant.

I am distracted, distraught and demoralized.

Looking at the road is not helping; I need to know if I need to start walking.

So this is happiness

There have been Rabbit Holes and Roundabouts

Detours and Distractions

But nothing quite like this before.

I am walking down a straight path.

I can see the light all around me.

There are no stones in the way; No forks in the path.

I know where I am headed.

I am sprinting to the finish.

So this is happiness :)

This Year vs. Last Year. Resolutionally.

And just like that the new year has come and gone and before I decide to come up with resolutions for 2010, I think it is a good time to go over what I said I wanted to accomplish in 2009...

Things I would like to accomplish in the year 2009

1) Move to a different neighborhood

2) FINALLY finish my degree

3) Get my passport

4) Travel to Europe

5) Make more female friends (this is harder than one would imagine!)

6) Decide what I want to do with my degree and take appropriate actions to get there

7) Ski Mt Bachelor

8) Rollerblade on the Boardwalk in LA

9) Buy a Motorcycle

10) Learn how to ride a Motorcycle

11) Learn at least 75 new Kanji characters

12) Find happiness, even if that is just with myself

So lets see here... number 1... check... number 2.... check... number 3....uh... 4....5..... (see the previous post for progress on this one).... 6... 7 (we were going to go to bend but it didn't seem to happen).... 8 (I did go to San Diego and ride a bicycle on the boardwalk, this has to count for something!)...... 9 (not that I didnt want to, but I didnt have the money)... 10... 11 (maybe a couple this year)... 12 CHECK!!

So, out of 12 it is looking like I accomplished 3 and a half.

But the ones that I did get were the more important ones..

So for this year:

1) Buy a house or at least move into one

2) Savannah and Myrtle Beach!

3) Write at least one chapter of a book

4) Find a way to make a dent in my student loans

5) Decide what I want to do with my degree and DO IT

6) Get out and travel a bit more, even if it is simply in the US

7) Reconnect!!

8) Should I add getting my passport to the list once again? Second time is a charm?

9) Take Ethan to the Children's Museum

10) Spend more time writing in general. Blog, Journals, Creatively.

11) Find a creative outlet and explore it.

12) Keep smiling. No matter what.

The more things on the list, the more chances of actually getting something done :)