Who was your hairstylist today? Probably not as famous and awesome as mine.
The prestigious rapper in Portland turned Hairstylist. Classic change
Sure I asked for a trim not a shave and I lost most of my hair. Sure my head felt like it was bleeding after his "Classic 76's" tore the 6 month old hair out of my head, but most importantly I had fun. How couldn't I the guy was awesome. I believe I have given up on getting a normal haircut that makes me look the way I desire because it hasn't happened yet, why would it later. I frequently am barraged by comments of my youthful looks after a haircut, and the youngest being a 15 year old telling me he thought I was his age. Scrawny little schmuck, almost kicked him. From now on haircuts judged by happiness after leaving. And stardom rating of the stylist is a big plus.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
The Car
We had plans for today. Big plans at that. We were supposed to view a number of apartments today in order to discover a new home for us and the pig. Everything went smoothly, besides one hiccup. A Craigslist post for a bookshelf navigated us to the North West areas of the city. Being as timely as we are we arrived a little early. Only an hour. Caitlin made the call. We would be there in 10 minutes she said even though we were parked a block away. So instead of going there we waited so it didn't seem weird. Just sat in the car. Tens minutes pass and we move forward to the stop light to turn left. This is where things get funny. I was minding my own business inspecting the internet for sweet places to live. I felt the pull of centrifugal forces, therefore i knew we were turning. All of a sudden.
"Where do I turn?!" "OH NOO I CAN"T TURN HERE"
At this moment my attention has been caught and I look to see where we are going.
"CAITLIN THAT'S a Sidewalk NOOO!"
"AAAAAHHHH WHERE DO I GO!!!"
"AAAAAHHH, WHY ARE YOU ON THE SIDEWALK?"
"AAAAAHHH I DON"T KNOW WHERE TO GO!"
And then simply we transitioned from sidewalk, to parking lot, to road. For her defense the sidewalk was larger than the lane she was supposed to drive in. We fortunately made it the rest of the day without further incident. We also got bookshelves. yay.
That is my short update for the day. No sidewalks are safe in Portland with Caitlin, the newest menace of the road on the prowl. Do not travel here and let your guard down.
"Where do I turn?!" "OH NOO I CAN"T TURN HERE"
At this moment my attention has been caught and I look to see where we are going.
"CAITLIN THAT'S a Sidewalk NOOO!"
"AAAAAHHHH WHERE DO I GO!!!"
"AAAAAHHH, WHY ARE YOU ON THE SIDEWALK?"
"AAAAAHHH I DON"T KNOW WHERE TO GO!"
And then simply we transitioned from sidewalk, to parking lot, to road. For her defense the sidewalk was larger than the lane she was supposed to drive in. We fortunately made it the rest of the day without further incident. We also got bookshelves. yay.
That is my short update for the day. No sidewalks are safe in Portland with Caitlin, the newest menace of the road on the prowl. Do not travel here and let your guard down.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
The Changes
Tuesday, January 10th. It was a beautiful day besides the fact I was demoted from my high flying full time position. Today the new driver was introduced to the boss boss, and was found acceptable. Tomorrow I begin the quick decent into part time labor with 32 hours a week… temporarily. Then it is down to who knows how little.
Another plus my new back light got me home without incident, besides me almost killing a couple in a Mustang. I was waiting to take a left and the mustang was behind me going right. Since I needed to wait I gave them the go around signal. For some reason the driver took that as the all clear sign and began pulling out. Fortunately I yelled “NOT YET!” Who knows if I made a difference but they stopped in the nick of time before being T-boned. Luck was on everyone’s side today.
After the demotion I used two solid methods of cheering myself up this evening. First, beer and bar food with the co-workers at our usual spot (sure I’ve only been there twice, but it is the only place we have ever gone together). Afterward I picked Caitlin up from class and rocked the Blizzard BOGO treat deal from DQ. AMAZING!! Ya gotta love a healthy helping of sugar, and fat mixed with some artificial deliciousness.
More big changes have occurred in the most recent days. For starters my well developed mullet has been surgically removed thanks to the surprisingly steady, but expectedly slow hands of Caitlin. As she hacked away at the exterior hillbilly I internally rejoiced at being released from the stigma attached to such an appearance.
EWWWW
Because my world was thrown upside down Portland was too. It snowed today for a solid couple of hours. Traffic and life stopped from the 1 inch total snowfall. I felt pretty BA while speeding past cars at a terrifying 40 mph. What can I say I’ve had some practice in such terrible weather conditions.
1 hour later this was all gone. Nice while it lasted
The occupancy of our household has increased by 50% in recent days. We have adopted a pet in need. Our friends, probably my only ones outside family and work, have decided to move in with one another. One has a pet, the other is allergic, and therefore the only reasonable thing is for an asthmatic like me and a chronic allergic like Caitlin to adopt this little bundle of fur. 24 hours in after some wheezing, hives, and a frequent sniffle we have finally settled in with our new pig. I do mean guinea pig of course. Her name is lady and the only way to describe her is a stinker. If she isn’t on my lap eating my clothes or biting my hand, she’s either attempting to escape her enclosure, wherever that may be at the moment or else pooping. When I say pooping I mean repeater pellets scattered wherever she may go. Thus far her record for single pooping pandemic is 15 pellets at once. You turn away only for a second to return a visual with Lady accompanied by a dozen tiny packages. It is going to take some time getting efficient with dealing with all her crap. I suggested a diaper, but someone objected very strongly.
This is my first 3 day weekend. It is pretty exciting, but Caitlin is a little upset her 40 hours a week haven is going to be impeded upon. We’ll see how the extra day will go. We are off apartment hunting tomorrow. Wish us luck!
And here she is perched on my shoulder as my parrot pig
Another plus my new back light got me home without incident, besides me almost killing a couple in a Mustang. I was waiting to take a left and the mustang was behind me going right. Since I needed to wait I gave them the go around signal. For some reason the driver took that as the all clear sign and began pulling out. Fortunately I yelled “NOT YET!” Who knows if I made a difference but they stopped in the nick of time before being T-boned. Luck was on everyone’s side today.
After the demotion I used two solid methods of cheering myself up this evening. First, beer and bar food with the co-workers at our usual spot (sure I’ve only been there twice, but it is the only place we have ever gone together). Afterward I picked Caitlin up from class and rocked the Blizzard BOGO treat deal from DQ. AMAZING!! Ya gotta love a healthy helping of sugar, and fat mixed with some artificial deliciousness.
More big changes have occurred in the most recent days. For starters my well developed mullet has been surgically removed thanks to the surprisingly steady, but expectedly slow hands of Caitlin. As she hacked away at the exterior hillbilly I internally rejoiced at being released from the stigma attached to such an appearance.
Because my world was thrown upside down Portland was too. It snowed today for a solid couple of hours. Traffic and life stopped from the 1 inch total snowfall. I felt pretty BA while speeding past cars at a terrifying 40 mph. What can I say I’ve had some practice in such terrible weather conditions.
The occupancy of our household has increased by 50% in recent days. We have adopted a pet in need. Our friends, probably my only ones outside family and work, have decided to move in with one another. One has a pet, the other is allergic, and therefore the only reasonable thing is for an asthmatic like me and a chronic allergic like Caitlin to adopt this little bundle of fur. 24 hours in after some wheezing, hives, and a frequent sniffle we have finally settled in with our new pig. I do mean guinea pig of course. Her name is lady and the only way to describe her is a stinker. If she isn’t on my lap eating my clothes or biting my hand, she’s either attempting to escape her enclosure, wherever that may be at the moment or else pooping. When I say pooping I mean repeater pellets scattered wherever she may go. Thus far her record for single pooping pandemic is 15 pellets at once. You turn away only for a second to return a visual with Lady accompanied by a dozen tiny packages. It is going to take some time getting efficient with dealing with all her crap. I suggested a diaper, but someone objected very strongly.
This is my first 3 day weekend. It is pretty exciting, but Caitlin is a little upset her 40 hours a week haven is going to be impeded upon. We’ll see how the extra day will go. We are off apartment hunting tomorrow. Wish us luck!
Monday, January 9, 2012
A New Year a New Post
Well it sure has been a long time. Sorry faithful readers, Mom, Dad, Matthew... for ignoring your needs for poor literature and not spending the time to write about my life. It doesn't help that for the most part there really is not anything too crazy spectacular that occurs. I'll try and keep it interesting though.
The morning of my departure for home I awoke with a tummy ache and a slight pain in the back of my head. No, not because I was sad being alone in the apartment all by myself so I drank my sorrows away, but because I just couldn't live leaving peanut butter in the cupboard while we were away so I made it my evening mission to destroy the 32 oz jar. Who knew fat and protein could have such negative impacts on ones body. It was only the beginning of many many days of over eating beyond a reasonable amount. I left my house at 11:40 only so I could stand at the end of the driveway and wait for the bus for 15 minutes. Somehow I completely misjudged the distance from my apartment door to the road, and thought it would take me some time. Either way I spent an excessive amount of time there.
Right on time the bus shows up. I was prepared. My cash in hand, $2.40 exactly, and rushed on the bus before the driver knew what was going on. Unfortunately for me I wasn't in Fiji anymore. I attempted to hand my money to the driver who only gave me an annoyed response of "No your money goes there!" and points to this little slot. I then attempt to slam my bills and change into the same hole only to get my hand slapped away and very stern directions given in how to properly insert money. Who knew entering a bus was so difficult. I may have thought I looked ridiculous to the other passengers on the bus then, but when I got to my stop I stood in front of the back door and waited for something to happen. We probably would have left with me standing there looking very confused at the door if it weren't for some kind woman who explained the concept of pushing doors open. After the buses things were much simpler, but in order to keep things together I needed to stop at Tito's Tacos for an enormous torta, which made everything alright.
The rest of the trip was pretty unremarkable. My only few issues with the plane ride was the multitude of babies in my section of the plane. All of whom I realized were very upset and cranky on planes, but I'm in coach what else can I expect. Another issue was I sat next to a very very fidgety man. During the takeoff process his legs never stopped moving, he was kind of sweating, and rocking back and forth from head in hands to glued back to the seat. My curiosity about his problems were answered after the seat belt light disappeared. Instantly he was out of his seat racing to the bathroom. Once back he only ran back right again. After the second trip he was actually quite chatty. How unfortunate a time to be stricken with diarrhea. Upon the revelation my stomach started to get a little grumpy from Tito's two pound torta, fortunately I made it without awkward incident. I landed and thanks to some very considerate actions I had a quick and easy pick up thanks to Erik Nyre who goes to school in the Cities now. That made life so much simpler.
A great family photo. Funny, I don't remember Jacob and Morgan in this picture.
The time home was amazing. Visiting with family, friends, and even just not doing anything was great. All the while I was stuffed beyond believe while I got my fill on every snack Christmas had to offer. I had a total of 5 Christmases this year. All being spectacular in every way. Especially the desserts. It is weird going home. At first I have this desire to see everyone and do everything. Busy constantly. Once I go there the best thing was just finding some people to be around and just being there. Nothing has to happen but visiting. I am terrible, because whenever I would be "visiting" with whomever I was with at the time and something else would be introduced into my schedule it would usually annoy and frustrate me. Unable to comprehend more running around in my schedule I would complain. Luckily most of the time I went with it and really enjoyed myself.
Thank you everyone for making my time back so special. I am sorry that I did not see as many people as I should have, but please don't be mad at me. I was probably passed out with half a candy kiss cookie hanging from my mouth.
Returning back to Portland sure did seem pretty awful when I was in Wisconsin, but once I got back things are looking better. Hunger returned Wednesday morning, but left because Caitlin got back and started baking again. YESSS! Being home was a great break for the both of us to get away from each other. More trips back home may be in order. :)
Work is fun as always. The only crazy thing was when I was riding my bike home one night. Not ten minutes after my bosses commented on me needing another light on my back in the dark drizzly rain I was attempting to turn left. Sitting in the road all I hear is EEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAARRRCH... and BOINK "WHOOOOOAAA" my bike was shoved forward about a foot. After the shock of the incident I concluded "I was struck by a car!" I walked over to the passenger window and the guy in the red Volvo says "I ammmm soooo soooorrrrryyy!" He really drug out his words. "Thanks for not killing me. :)" was my only response and that was the end of my car accident. Well I now have another bike light and boy is it bright, because I don't need that to happen again. Next time I assume I won't be in the mood to make light hearted comments.
I am happy to be back with living the life in Portland. In shape, good beer, and of course Caitlin hasn't started classes yet so she has cooked for me pretty much every night. AMAZING! Well I don't know what else to say other than enjoy the Midwest with all of your cheese, family and friends. Thanks for a Merry Christams and a happy new year. Keep in touch folks I'm as curious to know what's up with you as anyone is to with me, if not more.
Last next estimated time of arrival in Wisconsin is Ausust for Aunt Jo's wedding be prepared!
The morning of my departure for home I awoke with a tummy ache and a slight pain in the back of my head. No, not because I was sad being alone in the apartment all by myself so I drank my sorrows away, but because I just couldn't live leaving peanut butter in the cupboard while we were away so I made it my evening mission to destroy the 32 oz jar. Who knew fat and protein could have such negative impacts on ones body. It was only the beginning of many many days of over eating beyond a reasonable amount. I left my house at 11:40 only so I could stand at the end of the driveway and wait for the bus for 15 minutes. Somehow I completely misjudged the distance from my apartment door to the road, and thought it would take me some time. Either way I spent an excessive amount of time there.
Right on time the bus shows up. I was prepared. My cash in hand, $2.40 exactly, and rushed on the bus before the driver knew what was going on. Unfortunately for me I wasn't in Fiji anymore. I attempted to hand my money to the driver who only gave me an annoyed response of "No your money goes there!" and points to this little slot. I then attempt to slam my bills and change into the same hole only to get my hand slapped away and very stern directions given in how to properly insert money. Who knew entering a bus was so difficult. I may have thought I looked ridiculous to the other passengers on the bus then, but when I got to my stop I stood in front of the back door and waited for something to happen. We probably would have left with me standing there looking very confused at the door if it weren't for some kind woman who explained the concept of pushing doors open. After the buses things were much simpler, but in order to keep things together I needed to stop at Tito's Tacos for an enormous torta, which made everything alright.
The rest of the trip was pretty unremarkable. My only few issues with the plane ride was the multitude of babies in my section of the plane. All of whom I realized were very upset and cranky on planes, but I'm in coach what else can I expect. Another issue was I sat next to a very very fidgety man. During the takeoff process his legs never stopped moving, he was kind of sweating, and rocking back and forth from head in hands to glued back to the seat. My curiosity about his problems were answered after the seat belt light disappeared. Instantly he was out of his seat racing to the bathroom. Once back he only ran back right again. After the second trip he was actually quite chatty. How unfortunate a time to be stricken with diarrhea. Upon the revelation my stomach started to get a little grumpy from Tito's two pound torta, fortunately I made it without awkward incident. I landed and thanks to some very considerate actions I had a quick and easy pick up thanks to Erik Nyre who goes to school in the Cities now. That made life so much simpler.
The time home was amazing. Visiting with family, friends, and even just not doing anything was great. All the while I was stuffed beyond believe while I got my fill on every snack Christmas had to offer. I had a total of 5 Christmases this year. All being spectacular in every way. Especially the desserts. It is weird going home. At first I have this desire to see everyone and do everything. Busy constantly. Once I go there the best thing was just finding some people to be around and just being there. Nothing has to happen but visiting. I am terrible, because whenever I would be "visiting" with whomever I was with at the time and something else would be introduced into my schedule it would usually annoy and frustrate me. Unable to comprehend more running around in my schedule I would complain. Luckily most of the time I went with it and really enjoyed myself.
Thank you everyone for making my time back so special. I am sorry that I did not see as many people as I should have, but please don't be mad at me. I was probably passed out with half a candy kiss cookie hanging from my mouth.
Returning back to Portland sure did seem pretty awful when I was in Wisconsin, but once I got back things are looking better. Hunger returned Wednesday morning, but left because Caitlin got back and started baking again. YESSS! Being home was a great break for the both of us to get away from each other. More trips back home may be in order. :)
Work is fun as always. The only crazy thing was when I was riding my bike home one night. Not ten minutes after my bosses commented on me needing another light on my back in the dark drizzly rain I was attempting to turn left. Sitting in the road all I hear is EEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAARRRCH... and BOINK "WHOOOOOAAA" my bike was shoved forward about a foot. After the shock of the incident I concluded "I was struck by a car!" I walked over to the passenger window and the guy in the red Volvo says "I ammmm soooo soooorrrrryyy!" He really drug out his words. "Thanks for not killing me. :)" was my only response and that was the end of my car accident. Well I now have another bike light and boy is it bright, because I don't need that to happen again. Next time I assume I won't be in the mood to make light hearted comments.
I am happy to be back with living the life in Portland. In shape, good beer, and of course Caitlin hasn't started classes yet so she has cooked for me pretty much every night. AMAZING! Well I don't know what else to say other than enjoy the Midwest with all of your cheese, family and friends. Thanks for a Merry Christams and a happy new year. Keep in touch folks I'm as curious to know what's up with you as anyone is to with me, if not more.
Last next estimated time of arrival in Wisconsin is Ausust for Aunt Jo's wedding be prepared!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
The Holiday Season
Oh yeah it does look like Christmas... In Portland. It has begun to cloud and I prepare for terrible bike rides in a morning downpour. Yet life has been good to me thus far by allowing I believe the most pleasant December to date as far as I can tell because it hasn't rained really at all.
Other than blessings to enjoy life from the weather I have also become a temporary full time employee at the Habitat For Humanity ReStore! BOOM! I'm finally a respectable human being, at least to myself. It came after a very odd situation where my co-worker suddenly quit after a small comment from Manager Alex about being late. Later that day an e-mail was sent by my previous co-worker containing many complaints and blatant attacks against the store and the management. Following such accusations there was much confusion on why they occurred and when all of the alleged occurrences of "adult temper tantrums," "dictator actions", and of course discontent from all other two employees of the store. After my Boss' boss discussed the situation with me we were the store was cleared of its newly found foul reputation and the comments where decided to be the heat of the moment hate speech. It was sad because previously I really enjoyed working with the ex employee. But apparently there was a lot of displeasure with how things are run.
So then began my real employment. I responded properly to the situation by embarking on a campaign to sabotage all applicants to fill the position by poorly advising my superiors in their search for another employee and of course mercilessly preaching my case. My propaganda frequently uses our volunteer base to fight for my cause. Which I see as a good use of their skills and abilities while working at the ReStore. Whether it be dropping comments about the quality of my leadership in the warehouse or else having them congregate into full scale protest marches throughout the store in order to fight for their right to keep me fully employed our battle continues on. I'm not going to say there hasn't been money exchanging hands, but I'm not going to admit it either. Such is the way of politics in the ReStore though.
Thus far applicants have been nothing but Turds. They fall to this category because their new level of expectation has been quadrupled since yours truly has taken up the position in recent months. The only problem is that I am now taking a week off to visit my family, which in reality could be the last bit of full time hours I could see, so everyone who gets to see me count your blessings and know once I return I may fall from glory back to the pitiful part timer once again. Even though many victories and successes have been acquired. There have been failures where in the long run outshine accomplishment.
Recently, as I peddle my way to work a terrible thing happens. Only being outdone by death in the terrible scale I obviously have been pretty worked up about it. I have been passed by another cyclist. It is just something I hate happening. What is really terrible it is always followed by some ridiculous act of biking conduct, which I know they do only to give themselves the satisfaction of "beating me." Well the day may be lost but the war is far from over, because no more will I be caught off guard singing Christmas Charols, specifically Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is You," while cruising to work.
Today was the worst. The pass occurred of course due to some poorly planned timing with singing, which does not allow optimum oxygen to the muscles for peak peddling performance. After I get passed I'm a class act. I swear under my breathe, and of course speed up so there can be no claim of getting burned, only a well timed pass on his part. So I kept up and we both needed to take a left turn. A complete coincidence of course. My superior planning and traffic management skills allowed me to take the lead after the corner. It wasn't even close. He pulled some ridiculous circle turning right because he misjudged traffic volume while I simply hung back on the sidewalk. Simple, easy, but effective take back of the lead. Determined not to be passed I picked up the pace. My only obstacle to ending my ride positively were the darn stop signs, which I being a moral being obeyed, not perfectly, but yet a solid yielding effect to give proper time to search for traffic. Schmuck on the other hand apparently is above the law and took my righteous actions to his advantage. Disregarding the LAW, he shot passed me as I initiated my stop. Oh I wish he got clipped by a car! I was livid! Attempting to catch him to reduce his satisfaction in the pass I was hindered by another stop sign, which I correctly yielded to yet not as strongly, and then of course he had enough distance to beat the red light. AAAAAHHHH!! I hate you yellow cyclist with all you fancy pants bike, fenders, water proof backpack, fully reflective jacket, and enough lighting to light up a runway. Oh yeah I'll remember him. It required all of my internal control restraint not to curse him into the distant fog as he escaped my wrath. And because you only have a certain amount of self control per day and I depleted it in restraining my murderous feelings on the road, I ate a jar of peanuts when I got home tonight. This guy ruined my happiness and my health. Rest assured... This guy's going down!
Other than blessings to enjoy life from the weather I have also become a temporary full time employee at the Habitat For Humanity ReStore! BOOM! I'm finally a respectable human being, at least to myself. It came after a very odd situation where my co-worker suddenly quit after a small comment from Manager Alex about being late. Later that day an e-mail was sent by my previous co-worker containing many complaints and blatant attacks against the store and the management. Following such accusations there was much confusion on why they occurred and when all of the alleged occurrences of "adult temper tantrums," "dictator actions", and of course discontent from all other two employees of the store. After my Boss' boss discussed the situation with me we were the store was cleared of its newly found foul reputation and the comments where decided to be the heat of the moment hate speech. It was sad because previously I really enjoyed working with the ex employee. But apparently there was a lot of displeasure with how things are run.
So then began my real employment. I responded properly to the situation by embarking on a campaign to sabotage all applicants to fill the position by poorly advising my superiors in their search for another employee and of course mercilessly preaching my case. My propaganda frequently uses our volunteer base to fight for my cause. Which I see as a good use of their skills and abilities while working at the ReStore. Whether it be dropping comments about the quality of my leadership in the warehouse or else having them congregate into full scale protest marches throughout the store in order to fight for their right to keep me fully employed our battle continues on. I'm not going to say there hasn't been money exchanging hands, but I'm not going to admit it either. Such is the way of politics in the ReStore though.
Thus far applicants have been nothing but Turds. They fall to this category because their new level of expectation has been quadrupled since yours truly has taken up the position in recent months. The only problem is that I am now taking a week off to visit my family, which in reality could be the last bit of full time hours I could see, so everyone who gets to see me count your blessings and know once I return I may fall from glory back to the pitiful part timer once again. Even though many victories and successes have been acquired. There have been failures where in the long run outshine accomplishment.
Recently, as I peddle my way to work a terrible thing happens. Only being outdone by death in the terrible scale I obviously have been pretty worked up about it. I have been passed by another cyclist. It is just something I hate happening. What is really terrible it is always followed by some ridiculous act of biking conduct, which I know they do only to give themselves the satisfaction of "beating me." Well the day may be lost but the war is far from over, because no more will I be caught off guard singing Christmas Charols, specifically Mariah Carey's "All I want for Christmas is You," while cruising to work.
Today was the worst. The pass occurred of course due to some poorly planned timing with singing, which does not allow optimum oxygen to the muscles for peak peddling performance. After I get passed I'm a class act. I swear under my breathe, and of course speed up so there can be no claim of getting burned, only a well timed pass on his part. So I kept up and we both needed to take a left turn. A complete coincidence of course. My superior planning and traffic management skills allowed me to take the lead after the corner. It wasn't even close. He pulled some ridiculous circle turning right because he misjudged traffic volume while I simply hung back on the sidewalk. Simple, easy, but effective take back of the lead. Determined not to be passed I picked up the pace. My only obstacle to ending my ride positively were the darn stop signs, which I being a moral being obeyed, not perfectly, but yet a solid yielding effect to give proper time to search for traffic. Schmuck on the other hand apparently is above the law and took my righteous actions to his advantage. Disregarding the LAW, he shot passed me as I initiated my stop. Oh I wish he got clipped by a car! I was livid! Attempting to catch him to reduce his satisfaction in the pass I was hindered by another stop sign, which I correctly yielded to yet not as strongly, and then of course he had enough distance to beat the red light. AAAAAHHHH!! I hate you yellow cyclist with all you fancy pants bike, fenders, water proof backpack, fully reflective jacket, and enough lighting to light up a runway. Oh yeah I'll remember him. It required all of my internal control restraint not to curse him into the distant fog as he escaped my wrath. And because you only have a certain amount of self control per day and I depleted it in restraining my murderous feelings on the road, I ate a jar of peanuts when I got home tonight. This guy ruined my happiness and my health. Rest assured... This guy's going down!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
ThanksGiving
Days sure do fly by when there really is no reason to know what the date is. Caitlin and I both have about a week off of everything during the Thanksgiving season and we lived it to the fullest. For some reason I found myself in a yarn shop twice so far during the break. I believe there have been 4 Danny-Caitlin Team escapades to a yarn shop and every time it gets better. The first one was some sort of misunderstanding because one of us (I bet you couldn't guess) received an e-mail the day before Thanksgiving stating a 40% discount on select yarn. Without proper inspection of the dates we found ourselves on the other side of Portland standing in the doorway of a nearly empty 40% discount sale at a yarn store only to find out the big sale wasn't until two days from now. The obvious sale day being black Friday, but I guess we didn't have our logical thinking caps on that day.
Well Happy Thanksgiving to the loyal readers of the blog. I am thankful there are at least 5 people 1,800 miles away who are going to read this and know I'm thinking of you. I did miss the traditional family gathering for Thanksgiving with the Dunn Family, which I heard had a great turn out. I do regret there is a whole lot of extended family I will be missing due to my absence at our gathering. Hopefully everyone got a very informal greeting from me delivered by my mother since she was the most convenient one to relay the message for me.
Thankfully somehow Caitlin managed to make friends who are willing to accept she comes as a package deal with me, and we went to our good friends Skylar's house to celebrate. We fit perfectly since the number of family members missing for them was two, a son and daughter, but the only thing was we couldn't fill their shoes. Their family averages a height of just about 6'4', so we are happy to let everyone know we were the tiniest family members they have ever had.
The dinner was very traditional with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and green beans. Feeling very at home with all of the food, and the snack table with MM's I definitely ate nearly to my bodies bursting capacity. The meal was full of laughter as Michael filled Caitlin and I with delightfully detailed tales of his past. They have obviously been told numerous times because Skylar and Barbara were very keen to speed up the story by butting, or eliminating any and all tangents possible. It all added up to a great family meal with two very hospitable and energetic adoptive parents. Michael even taught me how to carve a turkey. I think I am going to mark that down as some sort of odd right of passage in my life.
After dinner we played a very simple, yet competitively addictive game. It includes dice, betting and a whole lot of lying. Oh yeah, and totally whooping Caitlin at it too. WOOO!
After the evening of magical weight gain we decided to walk it off and shop on the notorious Black Friday, greatest day of the year for consumption, greed, and the newest facet, sticking it to the man. Oh yeah we totally did the Portland thing and shopped the crap out of local stores. We couldn't help it really. Caitlin joined this club thing where every time you shop at certain stores you get points you can redeem for prizes, and points were TRIPLED! WHOA! We now have the equivalent of 3 free vegan ice cream cones and we are going to love each and everyone one. Why on earth would we want Vegan ice cream? I don't know, but they're free so I don't care. There are other things we can get, but that just kind of stands out.
There are a number of downsides to our adventure. First of all we went to the crummy yarn store first, and then also I bought 2 presents and I'm broke, one of those being a gift from the store just for showing up. Sorry family it looks like you will be sharing gifts this year.
Another odd thing happened also and I'm a little ashamed of my reaction, but it was just so weird. We parked the Corolla in metered street parking, and as we were paying a man in a V12 Mercedes pulls up in front of our car. He proceeds to parallel park and as he backed up he decided to pull forward only after his bumper proceeded to connect and push the Corolla back. We were pretty caught off guard. Not knowing if it actually happened we discussed pretty loudly next to his window if we saw what we thought we did. I couldn't tell what the guy was doing, but I imagined he was trying to wait us out so we go away. It worked, because as he sat in his car an kept his head down we decided no damage was done to our car so we left. I regret not making a scene, or doing something memorable.
Well of course I have written too much for a reasonable blog entry. I will wrap it up by saying I am thankful for the Family, Friends, acquaintances, and strangers who have effected my life or on the off chance I have effected theirs. I am thankful that moving to Portland has provided me with challenges and opportunities not available back home. I am also thankful I have people near or far who deem me as a worthy person of their time, effort, thoughts and prayers because that gives me something to smile about when the sun is gone for weeks and I get swore at by grumpy old random men who want to dump poopy toilets off at work. I pray everyone can be as healthy, successful, and happy as I am because of the opportunities, and people that make my life interesting. Thank you world.
Oh yeah we also have hummingbirds at our feeder! The Anna's Hummingbird to be exact. I love being a hippie! Woot
Well Happy Thanksgiving to the loyal readers of the blog. I am thankful there are at least 5 people 1,800 miles away who are going to read this and know I'm thinking of you. I did miss the traditional family gathering for Thanksgiving with the Dunn Family, which I heard had a great turn out. I do regret there is a whole lot of extended family I will be missing due to my absence at our gathering. Hopefully everyone got a very informal greeting from me delivered by my mother since she was the most convenient one to relay the message for me.
Thankfully somehow Caitlin managed to make friends who are willing to accept she comes as a package deal with me, and we went to our good friends Skylar's house to celebrate. We fit perfectly since the number of family members missing for them was two, a son and daughter, but the only thing was we couldn't fill their shoes. Their family averages a height of just about 6'4', so we are happy to let everyone know we were the tiniest family members they have ever had.
The dinner was very traditional with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and green beans. Feeling very at home with all of the food, and the snack table with MM's I definitely ate nearly to my bodies bursting capacity. The meal was full of laughter as Michael filled Caitlin and I with delightfully detailed tales of his past. They have obviously been told numerous times because Skylar and Barbara were very keen to speed up the story by butting, or eliminating any and all tangents possible. It all added up to a great family meal with two very hospitable and energetic adoptive parents. Michael even taught me how to carve a turkey. I think I am going to mark that down as some sort of odd right of passage in my life.
After dinner we played a very simple, yet competitively addictive game. It includes dice, betting and a whole lot of lying. Oh yeah, and totally whooping Caitlin at it too. WOOO!
After the evening of magical weight gain we decided to walk it off and shop on the notorious Black Friday, greatest day of the year for consumption, greed, and the newest facet, sticking it to the man. Oh yeah we totally did the Portland thing and shopped the crap out of local stores. We couldn't help it really. Caitlin joined this club thing where every time you shop at certain stores you get points you can redeem for prizes, and points were TRIPLED! WHOA! We now have the equivalent of 3 free vegan ice cream cones and we are going to love each and everyone one. Why on earth would we want Vegan ice cream? I don't know, but they're free so I don't care. There are other things we can get, but that just kind of stands out.
There are a number of downsides to our adventure. First of all we went to the crummy yarn store first, and then also I bought 2 presents and I'm broke, one of those being a gift from the store just for showing up. Sorry family it looks like you will be sharing gifts this year.
Another odd thing happened also and I'm a little ashamed of my reaction, but it was just so weird. We parked the Corolla in metered street parking, and as we were paying a man in a V12 Mercedes pulls up in front of our car. He proceeds to parallel park and as he backed up he decided to pull forward only after his bumper proceeded to connect and push the Corolla back. We were pretty caught off guard. Not knowing if it actually happened we discussed pretty loudly next to his window if we saw what we thought we did. I couldn't tell what the guy was doing, but I imagined he was trying to wait us out so we go away. It worked, because as he sat in his car an kept his head down we decided no damage was done to our car so we left. I regret not making a scene, or doing something memorable.
Well of course I have written too much for a reasonable blog entry. I will wrap it up by saying I am thankful for the Family, Friends, acquaintances, and strangers who have effected my life or on the off chance I have effected theirs. I am thankful that moving to Portland has provided me with challenges and opportunities not available back home. I am also thankful I have people near or far who deem me as a worthy person of their time, effort, thoughts and prayers because that gives me something to smile about when the sun is gone for weeks and I get swore at by grumpy old random men who want to dump poopy toilets off at work. I pray everyone can be as healthy, successful, and happy as I am because of the opportunities, and people that make my life interesting. Thank you world.
Oh yeah we also have hummingbirds at our feeder! The Anna's Hummingbird to be exact. I love being a hippie! Woot
Monday, November 14, 2011
The Update
First I am happy to announce the lifelong challenge of defeating the Dark Lord of Evil Ganon has come to a close. Yes, it was a miraculous afternoon, rainy, cloudy and cold, where I spent a number of hours plugging away at the gameboy to complete the last 4 dungeons of my epic quest. I must say Caitlin's response to my victory pose upon completion was far from congratulatory. If you look at the last post about my adventures in Hyrule there is a picture of the stance I attempted to replicate followed by my rendition of the beautiful melody all Hyrulian's know as the "hey look what I found" sound. A shake of the head and probably a mental note of how she can insult me someday was all I received. Either way I can now continue with my life and face more challenges now that I do not have such a burden to carry any longer. Thank you for all the believe and support I have received. I never would have made it without all of you, the man near the grave, and the old woman, who all contributed to my saving the land. And real people also.
Well besides the things I do when I am alone, Caitlin and I attempt to do things together. Well with my poor planning skills usually anything I suggest is not even considered because some people require 14 hrs of preparation to think about all the things there is to plan for when doing anything simple. For example: what to wear, (even though a clothing option could have been planned weeks in advance the moment of departure will come and then the clothing will be too fancy, too casual, and often times just not catchy enough), directions (even though most plans have very little time restrictions, and we have a gps if we don't know long beforehand we can't go because "Danny's lack of planning"). Now for the example Caitlin and I were going to the Humane Society to see the Guinea Pigs because we have been considering getting a pair of the little rascals. We got there and the place closed. Pretty much that quickly, so ha ha! victory to Danny's planning because Caitlin's failed. Not too bad we both realized that Piggies may not be the best because there is the possibility of Caitlin being allergic to them and me returning to being the Nerdy kid with asthma once again due to their peculiar "stuff" they release into the air.
On the way back I suggest going to the nickel arcade I've been dying to visit but the response was "I really don't feel like doing anything tonight." That was fine. I'm reasonable. So I began to mentally prepare myself for a relaxing night of the two of us just chilling. Still on the way back after I had transformed my attitude into "home" Danny she received a text. Next thing was "Skyler wants to know if we could go to a bar." Wait a minute! My plans were killed because the lack of going out enthusiasm, and now Skyler simply asks about just a bar and boom the desire of an outing is reborn? The explanation I was given is something around the lines that she doesn't want her friends to see her as a not fun "poop" (her word choice), so I concluded she just doesn't care that I know and live with this "poop" of a party person all of the time. Therefore, because I have been with "Relationship Caitlin" for 5 years now she is comfortable fusing that attitude with "fun pooper Caitlin" because she has nothing to prove to me and I do not deserve very much effort to keep the latter title hidden away in a closet somewhere for me to discover only when "nearl dead Danny emerges." I feel I may have brought this on myself though. Now that I too have become comfortable with the relationship I have allowed to see my true form, none other than "Dorky Danny" who loves rocking video games and dislikes taking frequent showers because they seem to pointless if I don't move all day. So it seems that we have accepted the worst the other has to offer, so I believe things are looking up.
Though there is one aspect of my Dannyness which is growing in me and developing everyday. That being "Danny, The lover of Peanut Butter." We bought two large tubs of it, one for her one for me, because she didn't like the fact I have been spooning out gobs of rich gooey goodness for weeks. But that even came into conflict when I found my jar empty and hers unopened. It's just so good! So I busted into hers and made a sandwich. I vowed to myself, which I have found with food my word is not very strong, that I would never eat straight from her jar, and I haven't, but it was still seen as crossing the line. I'm in the doghouse as far as going to the kitchen goes, because she knows I'm up to no good.
And before things get long we and our friend couple went to comedy club recently it was great. My only fault of the night was when I was asked to drive Brian (a fellow asthmatic) to get his inhaler. I sort of blanked and said "I'm good." I claim I didn't know what they were asking, so I dropped the ball when I let Caitlin drive him while I sat stupidly with Skyler waiting for the show to start. Caitlin and Brian missed a solid 10 minutes. Whoops. Either way the show was great which I could tell because my chest and face hurt from laughing so much.
We also went to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry for the Bodies exhibit. I don't get grossed out by much, but seeing a skinned human made me super conscious of all the functions in my body so as I moved everything just felt weird. I couldn't believe how awkward I felt. Cool none the less. I guess the best part was when they had a scan of someones stomach who had a life threatening case of constipation! You wouldn't believe the size of the monster growing inside of that persons lower abdomen. The reaction after the chuckle was of course "Ouch."
I find myself cold even though there is a lack of snow and real cold weather it kind of ruins the ego of being able to handle cold. I am mad that I am going to miss hunting this year, because Matthew is out chasing around (not shooting mind you) allegedly much larger deer than previous years have produced. Unfortunately for him I will not be there to get lost in the woods only to randomly spook a very large buck right in his direction. I am also going to miss the family Thanksgiving which is making me wonder if I will need to sing by myself "Now Thank We All Our God" wherever I may be at the time of Thanksgiving. Please enjoy family though "Jacob? Matthew? oh your the other one" isn't there this year.
Well besides the things I do when I am alone, Caitlin and I attempt to do things together. Well with my poor planning skills usually anything I suggest is not even considered because some people require 14 hrs of preparation to think about all the things there is to plan for when doing anything simple. For example: what to wear, (even though a clothing option could have been planned weeks in advance the moment of departure will come and then the clothing will be too fancy, too casual, and often times just not catchy enough), directions (even though most plans have very little time restrictions, and we have a gps if we don't know long beforehand we can't go because "Danny's lack of planning"). Now for the example Caitlin and I were going to the Humane Society to see the Guinea Pigs because we have been considering getting a pair of the little rascals. We got there and the place closed. Pretty much that quickly, so ha ha! victory to Danny's planning because Caitlin's failed. Not too bad we both realized that Piggies may not be the best because there is the possibility of Caitlin being allergic to them and me returning to being the Nerdy kid with asthma once again due to their peculiar "stuff" they release into the air.
On the way back I suggest going to the nickel arcade I've been dying to visit but the response was "I really don't feel like doing anything tonight." That was fine. I'm reasonable. So I began to mentally prepare myself for a relaxing night of the two of us just chilling. Still on the way back after I had transformed my attitude into "home" Danny she received a text. Next thing was "Skyler wants to know if we could go to a bar." Wait a minute! My plans were killed because the lack of going out enthusiasm, and now Skyler simply asks about just a bar and boom the desire of an outing is reborn? The explanation I was given is something around the lines that she doesn't want her friends to see her as a not fun "poop" (her word choice), so I concluded she just doesn't care that I know and live with this "poop" of a party person all of the time. Therefore, because I have been with "Relationship Caitlin" for 5 years now she is comfortable fusing that attitude with "fun pooper Caitlin" because she has nothing to prove to me and I do not deserve very much effort to keep the latter title hidden away in a closet somewhere for me to discover only when "nearl dead Danny emerges." I feel I may have brought this on myself though. Now that I too have become comfortable with the relationship I have allowed to see my true form, none other than "Dorky Danny" who loves rocking video games and dislikes taking frequent showers because they seem to pointless if I don't move all day. So it seems that we have accepted the worst the other has to offer, so I believe things are looking up.
Though there is one aspect of my Dannyness which is growing in me and developing everyday. That being "Danny, The lover of Peanut Butter." We bought two large tubs of it, one for her one for me, because she didn't like the fact I have been spooning out gobs of rich gooey goodness for weeks. But that even came into conflict when I found my jar empty and hers unopened. It's just so good! So I busted into hers and made a sandwich. I vowed to myself, which I have found with food my word is not very strong, that I would never eat straight from her jar, and I haven't, but it was still seen as crossing the line. I'm in the doghouse as far as going to the kitchen goes, because she knows I'm up to no good.
And before things get long we and our friend couple went to comedy club recently it was great. My only fault of the night was when I was asked to drive Brian (a fellow asthmatic) to get his inhaler. I sort of blanked and said "I'm good." I claim I didn't know what they were asking, so I dropped the ball when I let Caitlin drive him while I sat stupidly with Skyler waiting for the show to start. Caitlin and Brian missed a solid 10 minutes. Whoops. Either way the show was great which I could tell because my chest and face hurt from laughing so much.
We also went to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry for the Bodies exhibit. I don't get grossed out by much, but seeing a skinned human made me super conscious of all the functions in my body so as I moved everything just felt weird. I couldn't believe how awkward I felt. Cool none the less. I guess the best part was when they had a scan of someones stomach who had a life threatening case of constipation! You wouldn't believe the size of the monster growing inside of that persons lower abdomen. The reaction after the chuckle was of course "Ouch."
I find myself cold even though there is a lack of snow and real cold weather it kind of ruins the ego of being able to handle cold. I am mad that I am going to miss hunting this year, because Matthew is out chasing around (not shooting mind you) allegedly much larger deer than previous years have produced. Unfortunately for him I will not be there to get lost in the woods only to randomly spook a very large buck right in his direction. I am also going to miss the family Thanksgiving which is making me wonder if I will need to sing by myself "Now Thank We All Our God" wherever I may be at the time of Thanksgiving. Please enjoy family though "Jacob? Matthew? oh your the other one" isn't there this year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)