Friday, July 10, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
A long recap of a long weekend
My holiday weekend began when I left work on Thursday. Portland has a monthly art event called First Thursday. Lots of galleries downtown are open late, some with artists hanging around, and some are showing student shows. The galleries are all spread out and quite different. Last month I went with a group and we saw student art that none of us really cared for. This month I went with two friends to two galleries that were not student work and really enjoyed the art I saw. Afterwards we grabbed a bite to eat and I went home and crashed early after a very long week.
Friday was Happy July 3rd day. I went with several friends to Sauvie Island, about a 30 minute drive, to pick berries. Sauvie is beautiful and it was nice to be in a country atmosphere for a while. We picked lots of raspberries and blueberries and I want to go back for more of both, plus blackberries a little later in the summer. We were there for close to 3 hours, and got soaking wet because the best berries were in the path of the massively large sprinkler system. It was worth it to get soaked. The berries are delicious! We had lunch back in Portland and then dispersed. I spent the rest of my afternoon getting the few remaining items I had left at Jamie’s out of her house and into my apartment. And also I put away the berries. Some are in the freezer for later use, while some are being consumed quickly.
Friday the 3rd evening I went to dinner with my friend Amy and then went to Caitlin’s to watch a movie-the sequel to Anne of Green Gables, even though I never saw the first one. Chris had made raspberry ice cream from the berries picked that morning and it was oh so good. I didn’t make it through even the first disc of the movie before I had to go home and sleep. All in all, a great day.
The 4th of July started with a trip to the market but not the same market I’ve been going to. My neighborhood has a market and I had been meaning to check it out, but just never had since I had gotten into the habit of going to the big one downtown. But now I live 8 blocks away from the neighborhood market and it’s just so nice to roll out of bed and wander down there. So I did. It’s a really nice, fun market. It’s smaller but that makes it a bit more manageable. They have all the fruit and vegetables I could need. They don’t have the same cheese selection, so every few weeks I’ll still be going to the big market for that. But I still got lots of good stuff. I got two kinds of lettuce for salads this week, tomatoes, some vegetables that I plan to roast (including beets which is new for me-I’ll give you my verdict later in the week), some apricots and some sweet honey flavored fresh yogurt cheese made from a mix of cow and sheep’s milk that is so incredible on toast with some of my fresh picked berries on top. Oh my word.
After the market I made my way over to Little Red Bike for a lunch of grilled hot dogs and free root beer floats. It felt very 4th of Julyish.
During the afternoon I made a blueberry pound cake and did some rearranging in the kitchen so that I finally have access to all my stoneware which for 4 months rode around in the trunk of my car. It’s the one part of all my kitchen stuff that is actually here in Portland, and I’m finally able to use it. Oh, and my Kitchen Aid mixer, which was also in my trunk for 4 months. Except that I got here without the flat beater which is the main attachment that I need.
Later in the afternoon I, along with the blueberry pound cake, went to a BBQ at the home of some Hopers. Most of Hope was there and it was lots of fun and I had all the rest of the official 4th of July food-a cheeseburger, chips and salsa, deviled eggs, potato salad, watermelon and multiple desserts. It was nice and relaxed and fun.
Originally I had thought about going to the big fireworks show downtown, but I wasn’t in the mood for a crowd, so after it got dark last night, I walked over to the Little’s house (they live 3 streets over) and sat in their yard watching the neighborhood fireworks. Ok, when I was growing up, we had sparklers and bottle rockets and noise makers that didn’t really spark much on the street. Here people buy BIG fireworks for the street. We saw quite the impressive show, all in the comfort of the front yard. It was a really nice ending to the 4th of July.
This morning I made myself some yummy blueberry pancakes, and then met Amanda at my favorite coffee shop, Barista. I’ve been having a pretty chill afternoon, doing some laundry and reading and contemplating a nap before church.
And that pretty much sums up my long holiday weekend. I’ve felt rather exhausted and a bit anxious, I think due to the past few weeks of changing jobs, learning the new job, moving and trying to get settled, all finally catching up with me. This week I should be back in a normal routine and I’m looking forward to that. My parents are coming in two weeks and I’m very much looking forward to that. I’m officially open for visitors now, so all the rest of you can plan your trips too! I hope you’ve all had a fun and safe 4th of July weekend!
Friday was Happy July 3rd day. I went with several friends to Sauvie Island, about a 30 minute drive, to pick berries. Sauvie is beautiful and it was nice to be in a country atmosphere for a while. We picked lots of raspberries and blueberries and I want to go back for more of both, plus blackberries a little later in the summer. We were there for close to 3 hours, and got soaking wet because the best berries were in the path of the massively large sprinkler system. It was worth it to get soaked. The berries are delicious! We had lunch back in Portland and then dispersed. I spent the rest of my afternoon getting the few remaining items I had left at Jamie’s out of her house and into my apartment. And also I put away the berries. Some are in the freezer for later use, while some are being consumed quickly.
Friday the 3rd evening I went to dinner with my friend Amy and then went to Caitlin’s to watch a movie-the sequel to Anne of Green Gables, even though I never saw the first one. Chris had made raspberry ice cream from the berries picked that morning and it was oh so good. I didn’t make it through even the first disc of the movie before I had to go home and sleep. All in all, a great day.
The 4th of July started with a trip to the market but not the same market I’ve been going to. My neighborhood has a market and I had been meaning to check it out, but just never had since I had gotten into the habit of going to the big one downtown. But now I live 8 blocks away from the neighborhood market and it’s just so nice to roll out of bed and wander down there. So I did. It’s a really nice, fun market. It’s smaller but that makes it a bit more manageable. They have all the fruit and vegetables I could need. They don’t have the same cheese selection, so every few weeks I’ll still be going to the big market for that. But I still got lots of good stuff. I got two kinds of lettuce for salads this week, tomatoes, some vegetables that I plan to roast (including beets which is new for me-I’ll give you my verdict later in the week), some apricots and some sweet honey flavored fresh yogurt cheese made from a mix of cow and sheep’s milk that is so incredible on toast with some of my fresh picked berries on top. Oh my word.
After the market I made my way over to Little Red Bike for a lunch of grilled hot dogs and free root beer floats. It felt very 4th of Julyish.
During the afternoon I made a blueberry pound cake and did some rearranging in the kitchen so that I finally have access to all my stoneware which for 4 months rode around in the trunk of my car. It’s the one part of all my kitchen stuff that is actually here in Portland, and I’m finally able to use it. Oh, and my Kitchen Aid mixer, which was also in my trunk for 4 months. Except that I got here without the flat beater which is the main attachment that I need.
Later in the afternoon I, along with the blueberry pound cake, went to a BBQ at the home of some Hopers. Most of Hope was there and it was lots of fun and I had all the rest of the official 4th of July food-a cheeseburger, chips and salsa, deviled eggs, potato salad, watermelon and multiple desserts. It was nice and relaxed and fun.
Originally I had thought about going to the big fireworks show downtown, but I wasn’t in the mood for a crowd, so after it got dark last night, I walked over to the Little’s house (they live 3 streets over) and sat in their yard watching the neighborhood fireworks. Ok, when I was growing up, we had sparklers and bottle rockets and noise makers that didn’t really spark much on the street. Here people buy BIG fireworks for the street. We saw quite the impressive show, all in the comfort of the front yard. It was a really nice ending to the 4th of July.
This morning I made myself some yummy blueberry pancakes, and then met Amanda at my favorite coffee shop, Barista. I’ve been having a pretty chill afternoon, doing some laundry and reading and contemplating a nap before church.
And that pretty much sums up my long holiday weekend. I’ve felt rather exhausted and a bit anxious, I think due to the past few weeks of changing jobs, learning the new job, moving and trying to get settled, all finally catching up with me. This week I should be back in a normal routine and I’m looking forward to that. My parents are coming in two weeks and I’m very much looking forward to that. I’m officially open for visitors now, so all the rest of you can plan your trips too! I hope you’ve all had a fun and safe 4th of July weekend!
Friday, July 3, 2009
Happy Holiday Weekend!
Yay for long weekends!! Lots of fun things coming up this holiday weekend, so check back near the end of the weekend for a recap. I hope whatever your plans are, you have tons of fun and relaxation!!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Life
It's complicated to buy stamps these days. I rarely need them, but I needed one today. And since I never have cash or change, I decided I should buy more than one so that I could use my card. But I didn't want a sheet of 20 because the price will go up before I use a full sheet. I don't mail things very often. Who does? Anyways, I asked if I could have 10. The postal worker told me I could, but only certain kinds could be halved. Those certain kinds had to be the people stamps. So I had to look at them and decide which ones I want. I didn't feel like there were great options and each one made me wonder what the person I was mailing something to would think about me using that particular stamp? I ended up with 10 Bob Hope stamps. 9 now, because I used one. I wonder how long it will take me to use the rest of them?
I picked up a passport renewal application while I was there. Mine expired a few months ago and while I don't have plans to go anywhere anytime soon, I don't like knowing that I can't. Especially being this close to Canada.
Work is very very busy but good. I am working 10 hour days this week in order to be off on Friday yet still get my hours (no holiday pay until after my 90 days). Its amazing to me that I can be there for 10 hours and leave with piles of stuff to do left on my desk, and knowing I won't get through it all in 10 hours tomorrow. I've got close to 100 open cases already. I've never had a job that was this busy all the time. I really enjoy that aspect of it, because it makes the days go by quite fast. I will say that my job is not a "happy" one though. It's hard to tell people that they are over income for public assistance when they are drawing tiny tiny amounts of unemployment. They have such sad looks on their faces. I want to help them more! There will be days when I do get to tell people there is help for them. Today was not one of them.
Say a prayer that my roomie Lynn and I continue to get along and feel compatible (so far so good). I can't explain to you how much I LOOOOOOOOVE this apartment and how much I want to stay here (assuming the girl I am subletting from decides not to come back for sure). When you visit me, you'll understand. And you'll be jealous of how great this place is. I'm holding off on posting pictures because if I end up leaving, well, then what was the point? And also, I want to wait until it's my furniture and things in the pictures instead of furniture and things that belong to someone else.
I'm hungry, and I have to go to the grocery store. You didn't need to know that, but I couldn't think of any other way to end this post.
I picked up a passport renewal application while I was there. Mine expired a few months ago and while I don't have plans to go anywhere anytime soon, I don't like knowing that I can't. Especially being this close to Canada.
Work is very very busy but good. I am working 10 hour days this week in order to be off on Friday yet still get my hours (no holiday pay until after my 90 days). Its amazing to me that I can be there for 10 hours and leave with piles of stuff to do left on my desk, and knowing I won't get through it all in 10 hours tomorrow. I've got close to 100 open cases already. I've never had a job that was this busy all the time. I really enjoy that aspect of it, because it makes the days go by quite fast. I will say that my job is not a "happy" one though. It's hard to tell people that they are over income for public assistance when they are drawing tiny tiny amounts of unemployment. They have such sad looks on their faces. I want to help them more! There will be days when I do get to tell people there is help for them. Today was not one of them.
Say a prayer that my roomie Lynn and I continue to get along and feel compatible (so far so good). I can't explain to you how much I LOOOOOOOOVE this apartment and how much I want to stay here (assuming the girl I am subletting from decides not to come back for sure). When you visit me, you'll understand. And you'll be jealous of how great this place is. I'm holding off on posting pictures because if I end up leaving, well, then what was the point? And also, I want to wait until it's my furniture and things in the pictures instead of furniture and things that belong to someone else.
I'm hungry, and I have to go to the grocery store. You didn't need to know that, but I couldn't think of any other way to end this post.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
updates
The new job is going well. It's busy, and I like busy. I find it amusing that some of my friends seem to think my life will soon resemble Grey's Anatomy. I have been advised, by these friends, to frequent elevators and the cafeteria, but to avoid the on call rooms.
I'm moving tomorrow, again. This may or may not be the last move for a while. I'm subletting from a friend of some friends for July and August. The subleter may not be returning, so there's a possibility of me staying on. But there's a roommate, so I won't be making a decision on staying until I see how things go with the new roommate. If I decide not to stay, then at the end of August/beginning of September, I'll move to my own, finally permanent, place.
The place I am moving to is about a mile from where I am now, so I'm not really leaving the neighborhood, which is nice!
I didn't go to the market today, so there won't be any market news this week. I'm still thoroughly enjoying my goat cheese.
Not much else to update. Hope you are having a nice weekend!
I'm moving tomorrow, again. This may or may not be the last move for a while. I'm subletting from a friend of some friends for July and August. The subleter may not be returning, so there's a possibility of me staying on. But there's a roommate, so I won't be making a decision on staying until I see how things go with the new roommate. If I decide not to stay, then at the end of August/beginning of September, I'll move to my own, finally permanent, place.
The place I am moving to is about a mile from where I am now, so I'm not really leaving the neighborhood, which is nice!
I didn't go to the market today, so there won't be any market news this week. I'm still thoroughly enjoying my goat cheese.
Not much else to update. Hope you are having a nice weekend!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Market Update
I wasn’t a huge fan of the Bok Choy. I’m not saying never again, but I didn’t buy any this week.
I also took this week off from asparagus.
The Chubut cheese last time was as wonderful as it had been in my dreams, and it didn’t really last long. But since there are so many cheeses, I don’t want to repeat anything just yet, so this week I got goat cheese that has some veggies and garlic and it is amazingly good (I toast a few little slices of French bread with olive oil to eat it on-I really could make a meal out of just that).
I got white turnips again but this week I’m making them in a potato turnip mash. The lady I bought them from informed me that this week is the last week for them until fall. This is sad news, but she assured me that there will be lots more options to fill my white turnip shaped hole in my heart until the fall.
More strawberries were purchased. It is terribly hard for me to not eat them all the first day I get them. And really strawberries should eaten fairly quickly to avoid going bad. But I don’t want them to all disappear right when I get them. Oh the struggle!
That kind of wraps it up I think. Oh, I got my two little tarts from Two Tarts for my walk back to my car. One of them was shortbread cookies with strawberry cream. I could have eaten a dozen. It’s a good thing I only had $1.50 left over.
I also took this week off from asparagus.
The Chubut cheese last time was as wonderful as it had been in my dreams, and it didn’t really last long. But since there are so many cheeses, I don’t want to repeat anything just yet, so this week I got goat cheese that has some veggies and garlic and it is amazingly good (I toast a few little slices of French bread with olive oil to eat it on-I really could make a meal out of just that).
I got white turnips again but this week I’m making them in a potato turnip mash. The lady I bought them from informed me that this week is the last week for them until fall. This is sad news, but she assured me that there will be lots more options to fill my white turnip shaped hole in my heart until the fall.
More strawberries were purchased. It is terribly hard for me to not eat them all the first day I get them. And really strawberries should eaten fairly quickly to avoid going bad. But I don’t want them to all disappear right when I get them. Oh the struggle!
That kind of wraps it up I think. Oh, I got my two little tarts from Two Tarts for my walk back to my car. One of them was shortbread cookies with strawberry cream. I could have eaten a dozen. It’s a good thing I only had $1.50 left over.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Father's Day Pictures
Mindy took some great pictures of the kids today. Seriously, Luke is the cutest little boy in the world, and Caroline is so beautiful! I'm not biased, at all. That's a completely objective fact.
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