Ever Had a Warm Bear Claw?

Went to Last Thursday on Alberta Street last night for the art walk. It was so damn packed you could hardly move. I didn't get to see all the vendors 'cause I couldn't get close enough. Then I had a donut, or actually an apple-filled bear claw, and felt much better about the whole adventure.

Things I like about Last Thursday: 100 thousand food vendors. None of which I could bear to wait in those perpetual lines for (hence the donut) but they offer veggie fare and hot dogs and BBQ and Thai and burritos and dessert-y things and it all just smelled yummy.

I also like the street theater, although last night we were such sardines there was hardly room for the drama. But we did manage to hear one woman shout out "I'm gonna sneak in thru your back door and eat all your CORN!" Which, even tho' we weren't drunk, broke us up.

Also, I love all the little art boys selling graphic-y doodles they made on old coffee sleeves and what not. I am a sucker for graphic, b&w, cartoony stuff. I think I am biased towards old Drek-style art. And I LOVED this one guy who did all these creepy, organic, compost-y type of creatures, ink on wood. He had one w/ tentacles and a lamprey mouth. I wanted it and I let it pass thru my fingers 'cause I was broke. I'm gonna find him again!

Other cool things: Guy in fun motorized wheelchair selling poems he makes up for you. And girl playing the SAW! And there was also a gal playing the accordion. Some some lucky day I will learn how to play the accordion. I have petite accordion that I make noise on, but one day, by the grace of Gawd, I will play the accordion for real! The clown bikers were out. They usually put on some sort of show, their bikes dressed up as geese & such. This time they were jousting. They are moving, so soon we won't have a designated spot on which to watch their hijinx.

My friend Melissa saw a shooting star. I think we are about to go thru that kick-ass meteor shower that has 3 times the stars per hour as Persiad. We only go thru this shower every 40 years, so get yer butt out of the city and check it out!

In other news, I am feeling especially accomplished because I got my diploma and my first pay check in a year! I left my cush and mind-numbing office job at the local teaching hospital last year to finish up my schoolin' (I ain't foolin'.) And I just got my first paycheck at my new, cush and mind-numbing office job on PSU campus. I applied for the full-time spot here, 'cuz I am but a temp. However, they chose someone who likes accounting over me. Don't despair! A friend in the Student Activities office has optioned my services and I will not have a gap in my employment record. Whew!

Company

Well, I think Joe and Stephen are having a good time. They went to the Farmer's Market and to the Japanese Gardens on Saturday. Sauvie Island and the Vendetta for $1 Rainers on Sunday. Then Kyle and I met them at their friend Steve's place for grilled goodies and pate (can't remember my accent codes today, it's pat-TAY, not pate.) We ended up boring Steve's chicken, who went on in to bed, instead of waiting for us to drop greedily horded crumbs of delicious food, like roasted corn, brats, roasted squash, olive bread, tomatoes, cantaloupe, and a fabulous Ryan-made apple pie. And we sat snuggled up to the firepit on the deck, retelling creepy Texas stories in the crisp Portland evening.

Yesterday they went to Mississippi Street for some treats at Gravy (gravy covered fries, mmmmmm. . . ) then to Powell's Books. Then we met for dinner at Echo. They make a kick-ass blue cheese burger. The jamblaya & curried clams were good. I had steak w/ chipotle chedder mashed 'taters. Uh huh! And we had Marionberry Rickeys. Then, because we weren't disgustingly full-to-bursting yet, we went to Pix on Division and had mousse-y, carmel-y, creme brule-y treats, Kyle had basil ice cream. Then, home to laze about in a food coma.

Today, I sit again at work w/ nothing to do. Sigh. The boys are checking out the Gorge, and driving out the old Columbia Hiway, to look at waterfalls, and maybe spot a Sasquatch or two. Tonite I think Joe and Stephen are gonna check out Higgins. Then they head out to Seattle to visit w/ Stephen's fambly. It is so fun having them here! Joe's deadpan Texas delivery kills me. And Stephen has a mega-watt smile and is so nice.

Junior Year at Brazoswood Highschool

Celebrity Sightings

Well, not really. One of my Super Powers is to see folks on my bus who almost look like famous people. I have seen Kurt Vonnegut, and Kevin Kline. Yesterday I saw Howard Hesseman.

If you notice on Howard's Winkipedia page, he is from Oregon, so, maybe. . . And, if you don't love Howard as much as you should you need to check out the movie Rubin and Ed. So spectacular, and includes Crispen Glover and Karen Black, so really, you can't go wrong.

Again I am at work. One of the perks is that my office is right by the AV dorks. Right now they are pretending to be the PSU school principal & are giving fake addresses over a bad, reverb-y PA system. Oh, for a taser. . . Actually I could bring my blackjack tomorrow and just start taking those mo-fos out.

One of my good friends from my first days in college at San Marcos State University is coming to visit this weekend. We used to call him Big Joe, because he dated Little Joe, who was a good foot shorter than Big Joe. Now, w/ no Little Joe, Big Joe is again Joe. He's been in NYC, being cheffy and designing kitchens. This will be his first visit westward, so we are trying to think of all the good West Coast things for him to do. Like get his aura read. Or ride a wacky bike, like one made out of bamboo, or that reclines, or has a seat 6 feet tall. Also, eat berries and salmon and fiddle heads (except they are outta season) and have a Marionberry Ricky. Going to Mt. Hood to look for Sasquatch. Going to the coast to look for starfish. Go to the Japanese Gardens. That kinda stuff.

Awright, gotta get back to my reading. I'm learning about snake handling!

Long Overdue

Well, it has been months and months since my last post. It has taken almost that long to get signed back into this website. Memory of passwords and such are so many crepe-y cobwebs clinging to the recesses of my dessicated, tiny brain. It's a wonder I remembered I started this blog thing at all.

In the interim, in the midst of all my non-posting, we got a new dog. Trudy is a corgi-bulldog mix. Feel free to call her a Borgi or a Cog. She is squirrel-obsessed. And is also a princess who must have a bed in everyroom of the house, 'cause she has a lot of naps to take, teats-up on the puffiest pillows we can provide. She was a rescue from the little agriculture town north of us, Yakima, Washington. She's 2-years old and already had 3 litters of puppies (!) by the time we got her. She adores our other pup, Tuco, and is mesmerized by our cat Wampus. She is also staunchly protective of our godson, Ethan, and loves to lick him in the face, especially when he has something to eat.

Right now I am at work at the Campus Recreation office on Portland State University campus. I am temping, hoping to get hired in for the permanent spot. Perhaps it doesn't seem prudent to be blogging from work, however all the supervisery people left for a long weekend and didn't leave me squat to do. So, rather than craft elaborate paper-clip chains or rearrange the supply closet yet again, I choose you, Gentle Reader.

Upcoming Events:
Big Joe Visits 8/24
Pick Up My Diploma 8/29
Visit to Texas 9/13-9/17
My Birthday 9/19
School Starts 9/24
Whew!