Sunday, July 30, 2006

day 4: freedom

here we are on day four of unemployment. so far i:

1. drank 70 or so beers at the oregon brew festival within five hours. ok, tasted 70ish beers, but it was a lot.
2. got my new library card and perused the downtown library bldg which is very nice.
3. went to the beach, got a sunburn.
4. stayed up too late and got up late.
5. bought canvas for my art projects.
6. had an MGD and nachos for lunch.
7. exercised once.

we're off to a good start!


Tuesday, July 25, 2006

busybot

tomorrow is a big day for me. it's my last day at my current job, which i've had for five years. it's been an up and down time, as all jobs are, but i have to say: i'm jumping out of my skin excited to be done. i have two weeks off before i start my next gig, and i have so many things i have planned.

i hope to listen to lots of splendid table -- i have months and months to catch up.

i want to make this every night. it was delicious tonight, and worth repeating many times.

french-style shrimp salad à l'becky

french-style shrimp salad à la cooking light

i will finally visit the multnomah county library with the sole intent of borrowing cookbooks and knitting books, specifically the mason dixon book, and julie and julia.

i have painting to do -- pictures of stuff that inspired me in new zealand, but that i haven't had inspiration to recreate since.

and speaking of new zealand, i still have that damn blanket i've been working on since our trip that i gotta get done. eight more blocks to knit, but the thought of having hot wool on my lap when it's 90+ degrees makes me gag.

and, did i mention sex in the city? i have the entire series to catch up on.

it'll be a busy two weeks, but i'm ready.


Sunday, July 23, 2006

holy sweatbeads, batman

it's hot. it's africa hot. tarzan couldn't take this heat.

Monday, July 17, 2006

confederacy of dunces

stand up if you are proud of our president today. nobody?

what could possibly be more offensive: the fact that the guy's middle east foreign policy is based on playground rules; or that he chews with his mouth open; or that he discusses his playground politics with a major world leader while chewing with his mouth open and leaning back in his chair like he's judging the wet tee-shirt contest at the ATO frat house? had the microphone not been so smartly turned off by blair, i half suspect dub's next line would have been, "dude, did you check out the hotties at the next table? wanna get you some of that?"

lord. have. mercy. i'm going to bed now.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

mandatory fun

yesterday at a company-sanctioned mandatory fun day, we visited a bowling alley, where a coworker bought socks out of a vending machine for just $2. i had no idea sock vending machines existed, and yet how brilliant is that for bowling alleys. i'd like to find out where a purse and handbag vending machine is located.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

bird's eye view

my across-the-street neighbor just took her bike out for a spin. upon her arrival home, she bailed off the bike and landed on her head in the lawn. did she mean to do this? i don't think so, because she laid there for a good three minutes. was she hurt? don't know. did i laugh at the sight of someone falling on their head? yeah, i kinda did.

just call me the neighborhood spy...

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

new friends

i just had dinner with a relatively new friend we met through toots a couple years back. he's a college friend of hers, and we met him during one of his trips to portland. he has the best outlook on life, and it's a treat to talk with him, because he's so positive, optimistic and genuine. it's amazing that despite the fact i've met him on two very brief occasions, i feel i've known him forever.

had some dinner at south park, which was divine.
i saw a good band at noon today, national flower. it's warm out, but not too warm. i'm going to bed early, which is unusual these days. all the makings for a terrific day.

Monday, July 10, 2006

celebrity look-alike

often times mickey and i will meet someone new, and during the course of the convo, they will pause and ask, "has anyone ever told you you look like ed norton?" mickey doesn't think so, and at first, i wasn't so sure either. but as the years have worn on, the more and more he looks like him. less "american history x" ed norton, and more "everyone says i love you" ed norton. regardless, it's flattering, because ed norton is a hotty, and it's funny to watch mickey's face when a woman in particular brings it up.

he stumbled upon this tonight, and decided to see if this look-alike is a coincidence or not. turns out, they think he looks like steve buscemi, anthony quinn, or fred ward. since when did ed norton and steve buscemi look alike? perplexing at best, insulting at worst. and entirely wrong, seeing that mickey resembles none of these people. perhaps now he'll be less annoyed when people call him ed.

it is worth noting, of course, that my photo was compared with my hero, meryl streep, plus sheryl crow, diane keaton, and jennifer beals. not that any of these women look alike either, but hey, it's way better than steve buscemi.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

lavvy luv

today is my favorite day of the year in portland -- the portland lavender festival. since i moved here six years ago, moniqua and i have ventured out to the fields just north of hillsboro to cut big, beautiful, fragrant bunches of lavender. moniqua's mom and my new neighbor, plus a cutie baby joined us for a gorgeous day in the sun. when we got to our favorite spot, we found out the place is for sale! if only i had $750K to buy it. what an amazing life that would be to farm lavender.

the harvest

(most of) the group

in addition to hooking up with three bunches, i also bought 12 little Lavandula x intermedia 'Provence' plants for the lavender hedge i've been dreaming about replicating since our first visit to the black barn vineyard's rush cottage in new zealand.

if you've never been to the festival, it is still going on tomorrow, and i highly encourage you to make the drive. you won't regret it when you smell that intoxicating field of flowers!

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

great weekend, how 'bout you?

it's wednesday, and how great is it that i got to ask everyone today, how was your weekend? see, i had monday and tuesday off, which meant four day weekend.

big highlights:
1. fantastic two days at the gorgeous home of a friend's in-laws, right on the white salmon river. totally chill, got lots of soccer watched, cooked a little, and read a lot. so perfect.
2. took a nap. awesome.
3. spent tuesday with mickey on our seventh spamaversary. seven years, no itch yet. gotta love that.
4. watched a rugby match with the aid of a projector on the back wall of my house on tuesday night, with the neighbors, while listening to the fireworks. life size all blacks = cool.
5. brewed a new batch of porter, which should be ready in 6 weeks. potential names: heavy ho, in homage to black boss porter, or something perhaps more PC. i'll consult double-d for some suggestions.

soon, very soon, i will have more time to blog. i'm also going to try to train my ma on how to blog about her new house she's building. that should be an interesting process. until time frees up, i appreciate your patience.