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---------->Do it from scratch<----------
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---------->Do it from scratch<----------
Falling into place. Thursday, August 6, 2009
Humph. It's been a while. Maybe I should just give up on trying to regularly update.
I think the biggest reason I haven't been updating is that I've been really freaking busy the last few weeks, and before that I was in Boston for a week for cousin's wedding/ family reunion. And before that I was preparing for Boston, and blah blah blah.
Why the busyness? I'm kind of hella employed, but almost completely by accident. It's not like I went out an submitted applications and begged corporations for a job, I just kept saying yes to small jobs that quite rapidly added up to something significant. I've been tutoring for ages now, but it's slowed down for the summer due to summer camps, conflicting schedules, vacations, kids needing a break from math for serious. Now that the beginning of school is in sight, I've picked up a couple more clients and suddenly my goal of having 3-4 hours/clients of tutoring a week isn't that unreachable any more.
Then about a month ago I put up an ad on Craigslist advertising myself as an artist/artistan assistant, hoping I could re-live the glory days of my job senior year of high school. I got a couple of not-so-serious responses (some guy asked me if I was single, ew, then said "if not, I have some piece work you could do". No.) and a response from a professional and established fine-artist who relocated to Portland a few years ago and was looking for a studio assistant. And so there I was. I've been working for him for a few weeks now and it's working out great. So that's another 10 hours/week, give or take.
Then there's our friend from church. The Hillsboro church, which we only attended for a few months and then decided it wasn't for us. We kept running into eachother coming to or from Fred Meyer, since she lives right around the corner from us. One of those times she asked if I'd be interested in helping her organize her photos (50 years of photos!!), and that she'd absolutely pay me because it's going to be a big job. I said yes, and suddenly that's under 5-7 hours a week. And this 50 years of photos to be artfully put into albums so... it's kind of a continuing thing.
Just a couple of weeks ago I felt unemployed and extremely scared of my rapidly diminishing savings (Summer tutoring has brought it barely more than $200/month, which is definitely not enough to cover rent, utilities and student loan bills). But suddenly it's not so bad. And even if any of these opportunities fall through (if the artist can't continue to pay me, if we finish the photo project early, if one of my tutoring clients stops calling) I've seen just how easy it is (finally) to make ends meet through several small jobs. I'm only working about 20 hours a week, and I'm not going to say how much any of these particular jobs are paying, but let me say that it's absolutely enough.
But not only am I just employed now, we're also moving! We're escaping the suburbs, sprawl, strip malls and Starbucks, finally. We found an apartment in close-in southeast Portland, in the vicinity of Hawthorn and Belmont. The rent is double what we're paying now (but keep in mind we're not paying much right now), but we'll be close to EVERYTHING. Within a mile and a half of our apartment there is a farmer's market, downtown, Hawthorne, Belmont, a co-op, a New Seasons, a library, a park, excellent restaurants and food carts, and more pubs and coffee shops than you can shake a hipster at.
We drew a rectangle on the east side of Portland, representing where we would like to live. The western edge was at 12th and the eastern edge at 40th. The northern edge was Burnside and the southern edge was Division. This rectangle (the magic rectangle, as our future landlord calls it) is teeming with life and people our age. It's not up and coming like Albina or whatever, and it's not new and trendy and expensive like the Pearl or NW 23rd. And it's definitely not far away from everything like Sellwood or St Johns. It's just... there. Right in the middle of everything. Our apartment is situated firmly in the middle of that rectangle.
The rent is definitely reasonable for it's location, the apartment is cute and not too small. For the rent, it's actually pretty big. It's only one bedroom, but it has a walk-in closet in the hallway that can be Rob's music room, and lots of room in the living room for me to have my art-crap. Basically, it's way too perfect. The oven's got to be shitty, or the management will be overbearing or something. Whatever the un-perfect-ness is, I hope it's not too bad. We get the place a week from tomorrow and have until the end of August to move in, thanks to overlapping leases.
EVERYTHING IS FALLING INTO PLACE AND I ALMOST DIDN'T SEE IT COMING!
Experiments part 2. Saturday, June 27, 2009
Experiments update:
I'm not sure if anyone could have guessed, but I sort of gave up on jogging. My hip kept giving me grief, and then I got out of the habit for a couple days and then... well, that was a month ago. We'll see what happens in the future, but for now... yeah. Lazy butt.
Sourdough also didn't go anywhere, but I finally managed to bake bread this last Tuesday (Tassajara basic bread recipe with half wheat/half white flour) and it turned out as good as it did in my bread-baking heyday when I was making bread every 10 or so days.
Still doing OCM, not quite daily, (more like every fourth daily?) and my skin seems to be enjoying it.
Business Saturday, June 13, 2009
http://www.7printciples.com
Same stuff, new and easier to remember address!
Vegan Tom Kha Mushroom Soup Friday, June 5, 2009
6 cups veggie stock (I use the Veggie Better Than Bouillon goop. It comes in a little jar in the soup aisle at Freddie's)
2 cans coconut milk
2 whole stalks of lemon grass, cut into 1/2 inch pieces with bottom, top and outer layer removed
1 medium galangal root (cut into about 12 slices)
6 kaffir lime leaves, hand torn
4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1/2 medium onion, cut into long, thin pieces
4 spicy Thai chilies (also have seen them called Birdseye chilies?), cut into easy to find chunks
2 tomatoes, cut into big chunks
Juice of 2 limes
1 tsp brown sugar
6 or so stalks of cilantro, hand torn
Whole lot of crimini mushrooms, quartered (maybe 4 cups all cut up?)
~1 tsp chili paste
Boil veggie stock, then add lemon grass and galangal root. Let boil while you prepare other ingredients, then add lime leaves, chilies and garlic. Add mushrooms and onions, then after about 5 more minutes add the coconut milk, lime juice, brown sugar, chili paste. Let simmer until all the flavors are nicely mingling, like pretty ladies at a cocktail party. About 10 minutes before serving add the tomatoes and cilantro and let cook a little bit longer. Serve hot, and don't eat the lemon grass or galangal root - think of them as bay leaves!
Pretty much one of the tastiest things to ever come out of my kitchen. Totally vegan, and tastes as good or better than restaurant variety Tom Kha.
Experiments. Sunday, May 31, 2009
I am undergoing several experiments at the moment.
1) Exercise.
Anyone who's known me for a while knows that I am notoriously un-athletic, but, as most do, I have a desire to be in shape. I'm just lazy and have hip problems and don't have proper shoes and don't have time and don't have blah blah blah any number of excuses. I've decided that June is going to be the month when I make an effort to jog or walk every day. I'm starting off slow - just a mile a day for the first week until I get used to it. I got lost on my loop yesterday and ended up going almost 3 miles. I am extremely sore today.
2) Oil cleansing method - OCM.
I have never had problem skin, and I'm not a big fan of talking about beauty procedures in public forums (besides hair dying... that's different!), but I read something online recently about the Oil Cleansing Method for face washing and I was intrigued.
Here are the steps:
Make a mixture of castor oil, extra virgin olive oil, and maybe some other oils/essential oils. My mixture is 50% castor oil, 25% extra virgin olive oil, and 25% grapeseed oil, with some tea tree oil added.
Rub this mixture on your face.
Get a washcloth wet with hot water and lay it on your face, let it cool to room temperature.
Rub in the oil again.
Washcloth steam again. (repeat these last two steps as many times as you want)
Get washcloth wet one last time and gently wipe away all excess oil.
Rinse face with cold water to close pores.
You're supposed to do this anywhere from twice a day to a few times a week. I'm going to try it every evening and see what happens. Supposedly it's lifechanging or something? Also, it's cheaper than facewash, more gentle, and way greener.
3) Sourdough.
I still haven't made my old bread recipe since my sad experience a few months ago. Heidi, my sister-in-la-la (I challenge you to tell me a better term for your sweetie's sibling's sweetie), gave me some sourdough starter last week at Folklife and I tried it out today. I used the Tassajara recipe and it was ok, but it came out really, really dense and I was expecting something a little... fluffier.
Today is day 2 of both OCM and excercise. I'm feeling good. My skin feels excellent and my legs are hella sore.
I've decided I want to post more recipes I use or make up here. Let's see how that goes.
Also, I can't stop watching West Wing. I can't believe I never watched it before now.
toothpastefordinner.com
tee hee.
Folklife was fun. Now I am exceedingly tired and not desirous of living a real life.
Live music! Thursday, May 21, 2009
John Vanderslice show tonight! I got to preview his new album (which came out on Tuesday) and it's fantastic. I only really know two of his other albums, but all the reviews I've read say it's his best yet and I wouldn't doubt it. Also, there are supposedly going to be copies of Moon Colony Bloodbath (the EP he recorded with the Mountain Goats earlier this year) available and I'm hella excited for that too.
And Folklife is this weekend! We went the year before last, when Rob was still living in Port Townsend and I was in Portland, working at Lewis and Clark for the summer. The festival is in downtown Seattle and runs Friday through Monday of Memorial Day weekend. I got up to Dev's house Friday night, and Rob had work and was supposed to join us Saturday. He even requested work off. And then they didn't honor his request because they were lame, and he didn't think he could drive to Seattle after working a full shift... so I took the ferry to Port Townsend, picked up Rob at 11pm, and took the ferry/drove back to Dev's. We didn't get to go last year because I got really sick at the last minute and was just miserable. So this year we're going for reals and I'm excited and I haven't been to Seattle in forever.
I made the best lentil chard soup EVER the other night. Absolutely delicious. I followed this recipe and added some cumin and pepper (and obviously used veggie stock instead of chicken stock).
Catch-all. Tuesday, May 12, 2009
I've been sick since last Thursday. That was five days ago. What is up with this cold? Just let me gooo! I guess five days is actually a pretty standard length for a cold, I'm just ready for it to be over.
I've been exceedingly lazy and out of my element since con. I've had a hard time finding the energy to do my usual activities and have had the need to push myself back into them. Make an awesome dinner, even though I'd rather go out. Garden, even though I don't feel like it. Clean, even though I'd rather just sit on my butt. I'd been getting back into it slowly, and then I got sick, which threw a total monkey wrench into the machinery. Who wants to cook when they're coughing and sniffling all up in there? And we've gone back to buying Dave's Killer Bread. I messed up the baking time the last time I made bread and it turned out awful and underdone. I haven't made bread since then. I really just need to push myself back into it, and I thought this would be the week I would do it. We'll see. It might have to be next week.
Part of the problem is that I've lost my good bread baking window. I've been helping out at an urban farm in Sellwood that has work parties Wednesdays and Fridays from 9-1pm, and I've had a regular tutoring gig Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:30pm. And I have class Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-4pm (but because of the bus schedule, it's more like 12-4:30pm). Baking bread takes a really big window - something like 5-7 hours, but I've never timed it. The time I made the awful bread, I told myself I could do it on a Wednesday between garden and tutoring. I was wrong :(. And I'm rarely in the mood to do it Mondays or Fridays. Luckily now that the big work is done at the farm, we're only going to have work parties on Fridays from now on. There's 3 of us regulars, plus the guy who's spearheading, and just not enough to do to meet twice a week. So perhaps Wednesday will be bread day from here on out.
And then, of course, everything will change as soon as school lets out.
It's been really eerie seeing all the "woo I'm graduated!" posts on Facebook from my friends a year younger than me at LC. Did I really graduate a year ago? Well, no, I didn't. I walked a year ago. I finished my classes at the end of June last year, and my diploma date is August 31st, 2008. But that whirlwind of graduation activity and parties and goodbyes to friends and moving in with Rob and Peej - that was a year ago. Wow.
On another, craftier note, I've been working on a lace crochet hat for the last month and a half. I wanted a light cotton hat I could wear when I wasn't ready to shower, but my hair was greasy enough for me to be self conscious*. At first I worked on the hat feverishly. Then sporadically. Then sluggishly. Luckily, getting sick (and discovering the HBO series 'Big Love') kicked me back into overdrive and I finally had the will to finish the project through to the end. And here is the final product! I'm particularly pleased with how the top turned out.
(sidenote: holy crap my hair is long! No one ever notices because I almost always wear it in a ponytail - but really, when was the last time I was able to wear my hair in a ponytail??)In other news, Cubby has been sleeping in a tiny box. It's extremely cute.
And finally - Beaverton Farmer's Market has started again! My life is complete!
*I've been showering every 4-5 days. Partially to conserve water, partially because the less you clean yourself, the less you need to be cleaned. As I pointed out the last time I did this, it's like the chapstick cycle. The more you use, the more you need.
The ground is so proud just to hold us up. Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wow, where have I been the last several weeks?
Well, there was preparation for con, and then there was con. And then there was recovery from con.
I didn't talk so much about con because I wasn't extremely involved in the planning. I was the site coordinator, which really just involved securing the reservation and talking to Yaney, the Corvallis church's secretary. Yes, we had a con at the Corvallis church, which is why I am site coordinator. I was also t-shirt bitch, as per usual (or bandana bitch, as the case may be) and the chaplain. The two weeks before con were mostly filled with bandana-ing: Cutting the bandanas to size, ironing, sewing the edges, designing the logo, learning the art of photo-emulsion, making the screen (three times), learning how to screen print, doing the actual screen printing, and finally heat treating the finished product. And now I know how to screen print, from beginning to end! The other thing I really got into the week before con was starting to plan a con-planning bible that thoroughly explains the process from beginning to end, contains con resources, and has stats on the last several cons. The youth have something like it, the YAs don't.
At con was interesting. It made me pleased as punch that everyone loved my home church so much, that's one thing I can say. I met some really wonderful people, saw some really amazing things happening, and felt the love of a wonderful community. But it turns out that being the site coordinator ended up entailing a lot more than I thought it would, and I wasn't able to chaplain as well or as much as I would have liked. I also didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked.
All in all, the weekend was a very positive experience. The biggest thing to come out of the conference was the decision to split from the district as an organization. During the planning we were advised by Tandi, the district program consultant, to not go through the district this con, and it was actually a pretty painless process. Considering the district hoops we didn't have to jump through this time, and the stress we didn't put on the district during the planning, I'd say it was a positive experience for everyone involved. During the con we had a business meeting that started with a video conference with Tandi so that she could answer questions. We took a vote on an official split from the district and it was unanimously approved by everyone at the meeting. Then we voted on interim position for the new organization (PNW UU Young Adults). PJ was voted treasurer (duh) and I was voted Con Coordinator (so basically I'm doing what I was already doing, I just have a title now). Sweetawesome! Once we had positions we got staff figured out for the next con. We already have the ENTIRE STAFF figured out SIX MONTHS OUT. Wow. Effing sweet.
Then we came home and then some con people joined us and then they left and then more con people came and now I think home is back to normal for now.
And then I caught up on sleep and I'm now finally resuming my normal life. I cleaned today, am going to see a capella later tonight. And then there's all this con coordinator hoo-ha to figure out.
Sigh, life is good.
Conconconconcon Friday, April 24, 2009
Holy crap con is today!
I haven't been posting much. I promise I will try harder.
Cheese, Gromit! Friday, April 17, 2009
I found the first 3 Wallace & Gromit movies at Goodwill. For a dollar.
Life. Is. Awesome.
New obsession. Wednesday, April 8, 2009
opbmusic.org
"At opbmusic.org, we play a lot of great music -- popular, indie, alternative, artists from Portland and the Northwest and more -- much of which you won't hear anywhere else."
It's just what I always wanted! I just can't believe I've been hearing about it since I've been listening to public radio, and I just TODAY checked it out. Another reason why I'm dumb..
Today was productive.
1. Took sick Rob to school so he didn't have to stand in the cold to wait for the bus just to take a test.
2. Gardened for 3 or so hours.
3. Baked bread (two too-squishy loaves that I fear are underdone...)
4. Discovery of obpmusic
5. Tutored for an hour
And now I'm going to make Pad Thai! And listen to a radio station with no commercials, made up of solely music I like... weird.
It was you who taught me how to write these kind of equations Friday, April 3, 2009
One more amazing album:
All Hail West Texas - the Mountain Goats
So. Amazing. I don't know how I haven't given it a chance before, as an entire album. Jeezie. Easily my favorite 'Goats album now.
I have come to the realization that I can no longer be unemployed by choice. I owe too much on my student loans, and I'm not getting enough tutoring hours. I would have to tutor at least 10 or 11 hours/week to really be enough. And right now I'm working 2-3. Sigh. I need to be more aggressive with my advertising, make some business cards... sigh. Anyways, I've joined the ranks looking for a "real" job. I applied at the JoAnn's in Cedar Hills, but I didn't have enough experience for the position (it was a management job). I also applied to a couple area McMenamins, pub staff and line cook positions. We'll see what happens. Because I'm actively seeking work, I'm going to try applying for unemployment again.
Also,
I altered a Cosby sweater I got at Goodwill. It didn't used to have a zipper. I like it way better now, and want to make a few more and try to sell them on Etsy.
And my craft table is an absolute mess right now. I am going to clean it up as soon as I'm done writing this.
Old songs from nowhere Thursday, April 2, 2009
This picture makes me absolutely, stupidly happy. (JD+JV=<3)
And JV has a new album, Romanian Names, coming out in May, around the time he's coming to Portland.
In other music news, I'm really enjoying these two albums:
How It Ends - DeVotchKa
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. - Jason Mraz
In the Aeroplane Over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel
the Funeral - Arcade Fire
(the last two are more rediscovery than anything else)
Other life news:
- I'm taking a class at PCC! It's in printmaking! It's about a printmaking medium I've never done before! Copper plate printing. The tools I had to buy for the class could do some serious damage in the wrong hands. The class meets twice a week for 3 hours, and the instructor seems pretty swell.
- I'm helping a guy in Sellwood start a permaculture urban farm on his property and it's really quite exciting! We've met once, and there's another work party tomorrow at 9am.
- I put up ads on CL advertising tutoring and garden help, only got one response to the tutoring ad, and no responses to the offer of garden help.
- Con is drawing near and I'm starting to panic just a little bit. I need to get my butt in gear as far as con clothing goes. We're just offering bandanas this time, but Elo and I want to make them by hand. Con is April 24th-26th. WHOA!
- I'm crocheting a sweet hat, using lace crochet. It's gonna be bitchin.
- Rob and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary on March 31st! We went to Montage, got delicious foods and a bottle of wine, and shared the gooey butter cake for dessert (I tried to describe it to Rob before we ordered it - "It's like someone took cake batter and made it into a cake... but didn't bake it" - and we decided as we were eating it that that's pretty much a spot-on description). And then yesterday I made 2 year celebration pie: Peach/blackberry with a lattice crust. I've made better, but it's pretty delicious.
- Our old roommate, Tess, has moved out, and our lovely friend LeAnn has moved in with us! The four of us have all been friends for a long time, so I think it will work out really well. She has a cat, Mango, who has been getting along ok with Cubby so far.
CO like whoa! Wednesday, March 25, 2009
We just spent the last week in Colorado visiting family. First and foremost, visiting my sister and her partner (who I've never met) and their 7 month old son, my nephew Joaquin (who I've also never met). They all live just outside of Denver. In preparation for the trip I made some presents for Joaquin - a sheep made out of socks, and a crocheted blanket that I started intending to be a present for her baby shower last July. I finished it while we were staying there this last week... oops.
Other reasons for visiting were to see my friend Bruce, who was one of my best friends in Budapest, and to see Rob's Aunt Margaret and Uncle Brad who live just outside of Boulder. We got in Wednesday afternoon, hung out with Bruce in Denver on Saturday, and went to Boulder on Sunday.
First, allow me to introduce Joaquin. He likes bananas and when people say his name.
My sister and Joaquin
Saturday morning love
A close up of the sheep and the blanket
Me and Bruce! Holy crap it had been over a year!
Manuel, Alissa and Joaquin all dressed up for church on Sunday
Me, Joaquin and Rob right before Rob and I left for Boulder
Saturday morning love
A close up of the sheep and the blanket
Me and Bruce! Holy crap it had been over a year!
Manuel, Alissa and Joaquin all dressed up for church on Sunday
Me, Joaquin and Rob right before Rob and I left for Boulder
While we were in Boulder we went to the Celestial Seasonings factory. We got there too late to go on a tour, but we did get to wander around the gift shop, taste some samples, and get our picture taken with the Sleepytime Bear.
Margaret took us to the airport Tuesday morning and we were back at home by 1:15pm Tuesday afternoon.
Now we're back home for a couple days, then it's up to Port Townsend for the weekend to visit Rob's family. Classes start next Monday for Rob, and I'm taking a printmaking class that starts Tuesday.
Pi Day! Saturday, March 14, 2009
It's pi day!
Speaking of math humor, I don't know when this ran, but it's hilarious:
And speaking of hilarity, I give you this:
But now it's 1:56... pi time is just 3 minutes away! (3/14 1:59 omg what a dork)
New Friends Thursday, March 12, 2009
My back porch garden is growing!
And many thanks to mom, dad and Bethany Nursery for helping it grow!
I'm going to make a lot of pies in the near future. Here are some reasons:
- Pushing Daisies. If that show doesn't make you want to eat pie like it's going out of style, I don't know what will.
- Parents/Fruit. Mom came up on Tuesday to go to Art Media and brought me a cooler full of frozen blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, apples and pears courtesy of her and my dad.
- Pi(e) day! It's the day after tomorrow!
Bread is getting easier every time I make it. I tried using brown sugar instead of honey last time, but it came out extra yeasty/borderline alcoholic. I'm switching back to honey from now on.
I am ultra/extra/super thankful that the sun in shining again, but it's still cold like whoa. Sorry, but today's high of 54 just won't cut it. I won't be entirely happy until the day's low is 60.
Daylight Savings, etc Sunday, March 8, 2009
Ok so Daylight Savings Time totally snuck up on me. We had an alarm set for 9:15 this morning for church and after it went off a few times I wondered why I was still feeling so tired and hellish. And then Rob looked at the clock radio, which I never bother to do because I'm blind without my glasses, and it was 8:30. Daylight Savings Time, you bring nothing but sadness and pain to everyone you touch (the first day. After that, you're pretty sweet.) Whatever, I guess we're skipping church today.
Last night Rob and I were watching videos of cute cats on YouTube and we found one of cats talking to eachother. Cubby got really confused and agitated and kept sniffing the computer and trying to talk back to the cats in the video. It was really heartbreaking. He's probably lonely... but it's ok, he's getting a friend! Our roommate Tess is moving out in less than a month and LeAnn is moving in with her cat! There were worries at first because Cubby is a very dominant alpha male who had issues in his last home because there were two other cats. But LeAnn's cat is a very quiet, submissive female, and I think because of that, and because Cubby is the first cat and very obviously already the master of this apartment, they'll get along just fine.
We took a field trip to Uwajimaya on Friday and I have been cooking like whoa every since. Friday night I made sushi with edamame, bean buns and mochi. Last night I made Pad Thai from scratch, and other than the chewiness of the noodles and the lack of bean sprouts (Freddies ran out of bean sprouts. Who does that?) it tasted just like restaurant style Pad Thai. Yumm another way to save money...
Recovering. Thursday, February 26, 2009
I'm finally getting back into my regular schedule and it feels SO GOOD.
Here are a couple of things that I am ridiculously proud of at the moment:
I made a southern FEAST for Mardi Gras. Vegetarian crockpot gumbo and King Cake, baby included (recipes are linked). I have to admit that I've never actually consumed either dish, so my judgement of them might be a bit skewed. I thought the gumbo was pretty tasty but a little bland, and the cake was less cakey than I expected when I knew it just by name. Whatever, it was all delicious and made from scratch.
I'm slowly making a garden on our back deck! The deck is north facing, thus hard to grow things on, but I think it's all going to turn out ok. One corner gets direct sunlight for at least 3-4 hours every morning, so right now I have three planters on the railing of that corner. I have pansies in one (with enough room for lettuce when Bethany Nursery gets seedlings), one for spinach, and one for sugar peas (complete with awesome bamboo trellis made by yours truly!). Below you can see the spinach and peas:
This is all part of the back to basics trend in my life aka the 'from scratch' revolution - my own attempt as going as back to basics as possible while still sort of functioning in normal society. I'm doing things a little at a time: right now it's homemade bread and granola bars and trying to grow stuff on my porch. I know a girl in Vancouver, BC who hasn't used shampoo in 7 months and once my shampoo is gone I might try to follow in her footsteps, or start using baking soda. I'm a little disappointed in myself that I bought new plastic planters, but I needed something that would stay on the railing. I'll be able to reuse them (even though they'll look a little goofy if my next place doesn't have railings), so that's a plus. For the most part, though, I'm trying to get everything I need at Goodwill instead of buying it new.
Goddamn it, I'm becoming my parents, one hippy resolution at a time.
On a separate but related note, I'm giving up meat for Lent. I'm hoping that it will be the kickstart I need to be a vegetarian again. At least, a mostly vegetarian. I've decided that I will make exception for small farm, local, organic meat, once Lent is over, since I cannot deny that meat is delicious.
And maybe next year I'll give up high-fructose corn syrup? Or is that too monumental a task for even the most idealistic of Americans?
Goodbye, February! Monday, February 23, 2009
Oscars were last night! We didn't actually watch them, but I watched clips this morning. Two very important ones I wanted to share:
Firstly, the musical is back! I have been a fan of musicals for as long as I can remember, and while I didn't see High School Musical, Mama Mia, or Cadillac Records (the three big, recent musicals that have been in theaters) that doesn't mean I won't. (Well... I'm not making any promises about the first). Baz Luhrmann helped make this number possible, bringing in elements of both old and recent musicals. And it's total genius and I love it.
Second, Dustin Lance Black won best screenplay for Milk. His acceptance speech was so beautiful and heartfelt, and I'm so glad the audience responded the way they did. Also, Tina Fey and Steve Martin introduced the award and I fell a little more in love with both of them.
Now that that's out of my system...
Wow. The month of February has been good to me, but it's left me here as a bruised, exhausted lump with a messy apartment. And it's not even over yet! Oh god! Let's do a quick rundown, shall we?
First weekend in February was spent in San Fransisco, on this most bizarre debacle of a vacation I've ever been on. It was fun, don't get me wrong, but I would have preferred less injury and sickness to all of the friends and relatives we were going to visit, and to my car.
Second weekend was Chaplain Training in Vancouver, BC. I had fun, I made some new friends, I sure as hell didn't get enough sleep. And now I am one of the only YA in the PNWD who regularly attends cons, who's had chaplain training, so that's bitchin, too.
This last weekend was AGM - the Annual General Meeting of the Pacific Northwest District. Rob and I were there selling my cards and prints and the experience was so positive! A lot of people (even ones I didn't know!) bought my cards! I made a ton of new connections and a few friends, and saw people I really wasn't expecting to see. And we got to hang out with Amber all weekend, and that's always a good time.
And now I'm back. Pretty much for good, this time... (at least for now). I have so much unpacking, cleaning and organizing to do in the next little while.
Alcohol Poisoning, Ahoy! Thursday, February 19, 2009
TITANIC DRINKING GAME
Drink every time:
- There is obvious reference to class difference
- There is a proclamation that the ship is 'unsinkable'
- A painful sacrifice is made
Movie must be watched on original 2-tape VHS set.
Disclaimer: We haven't done this yet. Mom, if you want to prevent this from happening, hide the 2-tape VHS set I'm planning on grabbing next time I come home.
Pain and Suffering, California Style. Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Rob and I took a vacation to San Francisco this past weekend. The a big focus of the trip was supposed to be me meeting more of Rob's extended family, since I've only met his dad's side. We used to have fantastic luck with car trips, but obviously something changed, judging by our journey to Port Townsend for Christmas and trip.
The trip was supposed to go like this: Rob and I head out early Friday morning, make it in to San Francisco by dinner time for sushi with Devon, and then crash at her place for the night. The next day, Saturday, we meet up with Rob's parents who would be arriving by plane, and go see the Chinese New Year parade with them and Rob's aunt and cousins (mom's side). The next day, Sunday, we would meet and stay with Rob's grandpa (also mom's side), and the day after that, Monday, we would drive down to Palo Alto to stay with Rob's grandparents on his dad's side, Dody and Avram. On Tuesday Rob's parents would fly home and we would drive back to Beaverton.
Here is what happened: We got a call Thursday night from Rob's parents that Dody was in the hospital. A stroke was the suspected cause, but not a whole lot was known about the severity. She was in a lot of pain and didn't want visitors, so we wouldn't be going to Palo Alto. Friday morning we headed out without incident. We stopped at my old place of work so that I could pick up my last paycheck and tips and I could drop off my apron. We made good time, even though we were both very, very tired. We stopped in Eugene to get Allan Bros. Coffee, and noticed that the car was starting to overheat. But it didn't seem normal at all - the temperature gauge would rise quickly, stay at H, then drop back down to midrange. We decided to keep an eye on it and keep driving, since the car wasn't making any bad smells or handling differently.
At Cottage Grove the car started smelling, so we looked up a mechanic on the GPS and drove there. They very quickly diagnosed it with a cracked radiator, gave us a price quote of around $300, and said they could have the part by 2, the car would be ready sometime after that. We didn't really have much other option, so we set about exploring Cottage Grove while our trusty steed went through rehabilitation. What I had previously thought to be a fairly, excuse the term, hick community, was actually a lovely town. We spent most of our time in a large indoor common space that connected a bookstore, bar, and coffee shop, where they told us we could stay as long as we liked. We got a call at just about 3 that our car was ready to be picked up. We left shortly after, and made good time after that, stopping only for dinner, gas and bathroom breaks. We got a call sometime into the evening from Rob's mom, to tell us that she quite possibly had pneumonia, and that if that were the case, she and Rob's dad wouldn't be coming. At this point, if we hadn't been over halfway there, we probably would have turned back.
We got to San Francisco about 2 am, and Devon and her roommates were all fantastically drunk (although Devon denied it). We were given a bed to crash on, and so we did. The next morning we got coffee, then the sushi that was supposed to have been our dinner the night before. That evening Rob and I continued with our regularly scheduled programming by attending the Chinese New Year Parade. Wow. Long. So many marching bands. So many corporate sponsorships. Entertaining, nonetheless. We were supposed to meet up with Rob's aunt and cousin there, but we arrived just as the parade was starting, and they came a half an hour after that. We tried to use cell phones to rendez vous, but the crowds made us decide to meet up after the parade was over. We got a call just after the parade finished from Rob's aunt. His cousin wasn't feeling well, so they were going home. We'd see them when they came up to Portland in a few months. Welp, one more loved one down, one more cancelled plan. We found dinner at a burger place near Devon's, and got back to her place shortly after that.
The next morning Devon and her roommates took off around 11 for a brewery sponsored bike ride through the city, and Rob and I headed for his hometown, Pacifica. We messed around there for a while, then went to Haight-Ashbury for touristy-ness. I got a text from Devon around 2 while we were trying to find a bathroom. She fell off her bike and was at the ER with a suspected broken arm (full story - her bike tire got stuck in the MUNI tracks, she flew over the handlebars, cracked her helmet and broke her elbow. If she hadn't been wearing a helmet she would have been in way worse shape). One more loved one down. Shit.
We wandered around Haight-Ashbury a little more, got some lunch, then drove over to the Castro to do more touristing and find coffee. The Castro was lovely - I think my appreciation of the Castro was intensified by my viewing of 'the Life and Times of Harvey Milk' and 'Milk' over Christmas. The building Castro Camera was once in has a huge mural of Harvey on the wall, and from across the street there is a window painted between the two painted windows, with Harvey leaning out. Beautiful and touching. One of the things I'd decided to get while I was in SF was a keychain, since I lost my keys a couple months ago and hadn't gotten around to replacing my keychain yet. I got a keychain at the HRC store, which is pretty much as San Francisco as you can get. After the Castro we went to Rainbow Grocery, the co-op where Rob's parents met when they were both working there. We got tons of bulk stuff, just because we knew we needed it at home, and pasta for dinner. We came back to Devon's and made dinner for all three of us and watched the Grammies.
The next morning we got out early, made fine time, stopped several places along the way, and made it into Beaverton about 2 am again. No more casualties this time.
THE END! of Rob and Jessie's magnificent trip to San Francisco, complete with pain and suffering of everyone but us, it seems!
This weekend it's off to Vancouver, BC for me, to chaplaincy training. I'm excited! We'll actually have a YA chaplain who regularly comes to con! It's about time!
Happy almost birthday to meeee Sunday, February 1, 2009
15 people- friends from several parts of my life, and new acquaintances, gathered at Rogue Distillery and Public house to get a jump start on my birthday last night. Two words to describe the night: Fantastic, Beer-ful.
BIRTHDAY BEER. Yes, it really is the size of my head.
Now that I'm officially unemployed, things have been lining up nicely for me. I've officially sold something through my etsy site (a set of cards to Rob's mom) and I've gotten a new tutoring job. And I've applied for unemployment, which was the biggest bureaucratic bitch I've dealt with in a long time.
Next weekend we're going to San Francisco to visit Rob's family, and see Devon along the way - I'm excited!
Last Day of Muffinating Saturday, January 24, 2009
Take this job and shove it, adios I'm a ghost
I am leaving for the coast and I'll never work for anyone again
--Kimya Dawson
fo-ty fo inch brims. Friday, January 23, 2009
toothpastefordinner.com
lolz.
Bread was a rousing success. I now have two lovely loaves of wheat bread. It came out a little heavy, but hopefully it will be a little warmer the next time I bake bread, so it will rise better. And I think I'll change the balance of white and whole wheat flour.
I love public radio so much I want to take it behind the middle school and get it pregnant!
Everyone knows how much I love NPR. (above figure of speech credited to Tracy Jordan). I got up early this morning to bake bread and the first two shows both centered on issues very near and dear to my heart.
Think Out Loud focused on Oregon unemployment, an issue that has become closer to me in the last week or so. I didn't get to listen as carefully as I would have liked to, since I had to go to Freddie's to buy yeast in the middle of the show. World Have Your Say, a show I rarely listen to because its frantic pace stresses me out, centered on Obama's use of the phrase "non-believers" in his inauguration address, and on the separation of church and state in United States politics. I felt so strongly on the issue that I posted to their blog -- and they read my comment on the air and discussed it! (ps: I'm a nerd)
But for now, my dough is rising in our coat closet (possibly the warmest place in the apartment, since it houses the hot water heater), I'm listening to Talk of the Nation, the kitchen is about to be cleaned (again), and tomorrow is my last day of work. Also, I'm going wine tasting tonight - the theme is 12 wines under $8. Whoa. Life might be a little good.
Because the whole point of playing an acoustic guitar is not to unplug. It's to get raw and draw blood. Wednesday, January 21, 2009
I have never been sadder that I don't live on the east coast.
I have two more shifts at work, and luckily the bad bosses in question will be GONE for both of them! So I get two more shifts of my favorite parts of that job, and then I won't work there any more. This time next week I will be unemployed. And so I have some goals for unemployment!
First, short term goals:
- -Figure out how filing for unemployment works. See if it's worth it, or if I even qualify for it.
- -Get details sorted out for being a vendor at the Annual General Meeting of the PNWD. Do I have to pay registration on top of my booth rental? When should I come to set up? What do I need to bring?
- -Email the facilitator of Uni-Uniques and find out the steps to selling my wares through their site and contacts.
- -Build my print inventory, find exciting ways to display said prints on a table.
- -Advertise my tutoring services through PCC and maybe Craig's List again.
- -Get up by 10 am every day, and be dressed by noon. (This means wearing underwear and NO PJ PANTS).
- -Shower at least every other day.
- -Keep living space clean and organized. When I have a job I use it as an excuse to be fairly messy. I don't do my dishes in a timely manner, I never wash the plastic bags, and I keep my room way too messy. And especially keep work space clean and organized. Right now it's a mess and it's driving me crazy.
- -Listen to NPR like a mad fiend again.
- -Keep track of personal and professional finances with an eagle eye (perhaps with the help of Excel?). Pay loan bills on time.
- -Get out of the house at least once a day, preferably for longer than it takes to check the mail.
- -Employ use of bicycle. (This goal might take a couple of months to meet, since it's cold as heck out right now).
- -COOK MORE. Plan meals, use the crock pot like whoa. Turns out crock pot recipes are really not necessary. Just throw a one-pot recipe's ingredients into the crock pot and turn it on. We made turkey chili on Monday and it's absolutely delicious.
- -Don't drown in coffee.
- -Don't lose track of what day it is. For serious.
I think I can meet these goals. I'm practicing right now. I got up at 10, I have Talk of the Nation in my ears, and it's 11:36 and I'm about to get dressed. Wish me luck!
It's begun. Tuesday, January 20, 2009
It's now 9:53 AM Pacific. We got up early to watch the inauguration. Obama is our 44th president.
The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness. [...] But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
--President Barack Obama
On the edge of something Monday, January 19, 2009
I know I don't talk about my job very much, but this is important. Last Thursday I went in to work at my scheduled time. I took off my coat, put on my apron and name tag, clocked in, and said good morning to my bosses. They told me they need to have a staff meeting with all of us, but instead of having us all come in at 5 Friday afternoon, they're just going to talk to each of us individually as we come in, to save time. They let me know we've all been too slow completing orders, we haven't been giving good enough customer service, blah blah usual "you're not meeting our expectations" talk. They called me out on yelling "OH SHIT" in front of a crowd of customers the Saturday before when I dropped a pan of bagels on the floor. And then, out of seemingly no where, they tell me that, not because of the 'oh shit' or the customer service or anything, they're going to have to lay me off. They're having to go into savings to pay payroll and they just have to let one person go. They didn't want it to come to this. My last day is Saturday January 24th.
Ok whatever, so I'm laid off from the job I didn't like in the first place, (Ok to be fair, I loved the job, I just couldn't stand my employers). But here's what's messed up: I'm not the most recent hire. I've been there for at least 3 months longer than the most recent hire. I've been working there for 5 months now - as long as I've been living in Beaverton. But then again, I'm not really surprised that I'm the first to go. I've felt since my second week that they didn't like me, that they were looking for a reason to fire me. My job performance has been absolutely fine, I make bank tips, I'm great with customers, I'm fast enough to make customers happy. I haven't had any customer complaints since my first month (and that one was a customer complaining that I wouldn't give him a discount when we ran out of the blend of coffee he wanted. He was full of it.) I get along great with my co-workers, I'm friendly to the bosses who treat me like ass and only motivate with negativity.
So there it is. They can't afford to give one of us hours and I'm easily the least favorite. And there goes my employment. I've decided not to seek a new job at the moment. I'm going to try to get 7printciples off the ground, and get more tutoring jobs. Hopefully that can sustain me for a while.
We got up at 5:30 this morning to be part of the live studio audience of today's special broadcast of Think Out Loud in honor of MLK and Obama's inauguration tomorrow. We were informed space would be limited, so we got there at 7 for doors at 8. We were easily the first people there.
When we got into the studio there were pieces of paper and pens on each seat. The papers were to facilitate the conversation. I filled mine out, but didn't turn it in.
Name: Jessie
Where are you from? Beaverton (originally Corvallis)
Describe yourself briefly (Engineer from Portland, student from Hillsboro) Recent college graduate, recent minimum wage lay-off, disgruntled 20-something from Beaverton.
Question/Comment: I am at a turning point in history and in my life. In less than two weeks everything is going to change. I'll be 23 years old, unemployed (laid off from a minimum wage job I hated, but couldn't afford to quit), and we'll be under a brand new administration. I am so unsureabout what will happen in the next few months, not to mention the next four years. Really, all I can do is hope for the best.
Proposition 8 - The Musical Sunday, January 11, 2009
When prop 8 passed in November I was disappointed in our country. Not because there exist, within our country, people who think that homosexuality is wrong, and that marriage between two people of the same sex should be prohibited - because those people will always exist. It's awful that they voted to pass this proposition in California. Everyone else is ANGRY that it passed - Americans from all 50 states, celebrities, even Canadians - and they're angry for good reason. No rights should be restricted based on sexual orientation. But my question, and the basis for my disappointment in the US is this: Where were all these angry people when Constitutional Amendment 36 passed in Oregon in 2004? Where were the celebrities? The only people who seemed to care in 2004 were the liberal Oregonians. Is it because all the celebrities live in California anyways? Is it because it passed by a fairly narrow margin in California and a landslide in Oregon?
But I give up. I'm glad people are mad and speaking out now, and I'm sorry I'm not madder. Whatever. I found this video today regarding prop 8 that made me giggle. It's a month or so old.
How I left the ministry Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The last thing I saw before going unconscious
Was your right hand tracing a heart on my thigh
And I thought, "my god, what an infantile gesture,"
And I thought, "my god, what an indescribable high."
--The Extra Glenns
I don't know why the above lyrics always get all stuck up in my head. No one else seems to like that song like I do, even those who really love and appreciate John Darnielle's lyricism.
I'm in somewhat of a funk tonight and I don't know why. I keep navigating to facebook, only to discover that nothing's really changed since the last time I refreshed 5 minutes ago.
I did a lot of 7printciples work Sunday and Monday. I got new designs uploaded on my etsy site, made lots of prints, cut extra cards, made business cards. My next project is to make packets to send to UU congregations I'm somehow attached to, to ask if they would just pass my information and samples along. But that's scary. That's really putting myself out there. We'll see.
Holidays and the year in review Thursday, January 1, 2009
Highlights of Christmas/New Years:
- Gifts and cards sent to many friends far away
- An epic journey to Port Townsend
- A mellow Christmas with Rob's family
- Winning the Milk soundtrack on Christmas day because I knew that James Franco was in Pineapple Express, just prior to seeing Milk.
- An odd, late Christmas with my family
- A couple of days at home in Beaverton with Rob, PJ and Cubby
- Another, less epic drive to Port Townsend on December 30th
- A windstorm and power outage viewed from what felt like the top of Port Townsend
- New friends
- New Years Eve bonfire and explosives
- Not much sleep New Years night
- A very tired morning and ride back to Portland today
I think 2009 is going to be good. It's looking good so far. I'm excited.
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