Snow Snow Snow!

About 2 months ago, a rock hit our windshield and created a little itty-bitty starburst down near the passenger side windshield wiper. After watching a late night infomercial on a giant hotel TV in D.C., I discovered the wonders of windshield repair. I sat, slack-jawed, watching the magic that took place and vowed to get our windshield fixed as soon as we returned home. Well, the holidays happened and I never got around to it. As it turns out, one of our headlights just burned out and we need an oil change, so my job this week was to focus on the car. I guess the Mazda decided that I wasn't really going to live up to my promises, so on Christmas Eve she got all uppity and decided to crack the windshield nearly in two as we were driving home from picking up some packages. I guess I shouldn't blame this entirely on the car, since it was about 18 degrees out and we were blasting the defroster at full speed. But come on? Really?

Yesterday, I spent a large portion of the morning on the phone with our auto insurance company and local glass shops because driving around with a cracked windshield is terrifying. Also, we were having a stretch of unusually dry weather, so I wanted to take care of the problem before we had a soggy interior to deal with as well. I was feeling a little gloomy about having to drop off the car, take the bus home, and then haul my butt over to the repair shop again in the afternoon to pick it up.

Around 2pm, Jesse sent me a text message -- It's Snowing! I didn't believe him, because while it's been bitterly cold (and dry) lately, when there is precipitation, it always comes in the form of rain. Lots and lots of rain. I was so delighted when I looked out the window to find big puffy snowflakes pouring down on 21st Avenue. I quickly put on my coat and walked down to the bus station so I could pick up the car. I lucked out and got home just in time -- the roads looked like this just after I parked the car. Over the next hour or so, they continued to get worse. Jesse rode his bike home and came back looking like an ice monster, coated from head to toe in wet, dripping snow.

We walked over to one of our favorite happy hour spots to get nachos with a friend and by 4pm there was probably about an inch on the ground. It was beautiful and white (with the sounds of spinning tires in the background). I don't think a lot of people were prepared for the rush hour storm and ended up abandoning cars on some of the main roads leading out of Portland. They're calling it the worst commute in 20 years. I'd like them to rethink that declaration, since I personally experienced the worst commute in the history of the world last Christmas, but I will concede that a 25-mile backup on I-5 is pretty harrowing.

Today, the snow is almost all melted and we have a 10-day forecast of steady rain. That's how Portland winter should be, but I'm always happy for a snowy afternoon to break up the monotony.

Christmas 2009

Christmas this year, just the two of us, was a lot quieter than usual. I was thrilled at the prospect of not having to travel this year and eager to try and establish a few traditions of our own. We decorated the tree, played holiday music, and pulled out our warm socks to fight off the cold temperatures here in Portland. When we moved into our new place in November, I had grand plans of making a huge holiday meal, eating lots of Christmas sweets, and drinking spiced cider next to the tree. However, as the big day crept closer, my grand plans got derailed a bit. I was finishing up my class earlier this month, Jesse and I took a quick trip to D.C. shortly thereafter, and somehow in that time, the apartment never quite got fully unpacked. It was a bit overwhelming trying to think about decorating for the holidays when my towels, toiletries, and clothing were still floating around in mystery boxes scattered throughout the rooms. Jesse has been a huge help in getting things going and I'm happy to say that our living room and bedroom are finally starting to feel like home.

As for the huge holiday meal and lots of Christmas cookie eating, I have been feeling a under the weather and scrapped cooking almost entirely. We did manage to have a great Christmas morning, opening gifts and talking with lots of friends and family. Even as an adult, I can't help but open my presents and leave a giant pile of wrapping and boxes in my wake. After a nice leisurely morning, we got dressed and headed over to Anna & Brian's for an afternoon of games and Christmas dinner. Anna made a delicious ham and lots of yummy sides.

With Jesse's help, we were able to contribute to the Christmas party spread. He and I whipped up a dessert that we invented back in the summer time for a friend who couldn't have dairy (except for goat cheese). The crusts are made of pecans and dates and the goat cheese is sweetened with a little honey. We altered the original tarts, which had peaches on top, to include seasonal kiwis and pomegranate seeds that were juicy and delicious. The end product is not too sweet and actually quite healthy. The tarts also happened to be just the right colors for the season! I was glad that we had several kiwis and a whole pomegranate left over from the project, so I plan on having special toppings on my yogurt and granola at breakfast time.

Santa Baby...Hurry Down the Chimney Tonight

Kind of makes you rethink the whole family outing to visit Santa at the mall. Video compliments of my new favorite Christmas site, Sketchy Santas. You better hope the fat man coming down your chimney tonight is a little more convincing than some of these guys.

The Tree Stand that Hates Christmas

Last night Jesse and I went out and purchased our very first Christmas tree. I picked him up at his office and we stopped by our favorite Thai restaurant for fuel before the big search. As it turns out, we found the tree after about 3 minutes of looking. I decided quickly that I wasn't interested in the Douglas Fir trees (they have more puffy needles that go all the way around the branch). They are fine looking trees, but I was drawn to the Noble Firs that have thicker needles and more defined layers of branches. We took a pretty big risk buying the tree before the stand, given that earlier in the week I went to 5 different stores with no luck.

I read an interesting observation this week from a blogger who had a similar experience finding a tree stand this year too. He blamed it on the "Christmas Creep" that started long before Thanksgiving, so that by the time Christmas rolls around, the shelves are bare. I too was annoyed that stores had been sold out of Christmas tree stands two or three weeks before the actual event. It's not like I was running around on Christmas eve looking for something to hold my tree! I did find one store that carried $90 tree stands, which was just annoying given that our tree only cost $35.

Anyway, I popped into our local Ace Hardware (that I love more and more) this morning and luckily, they had just gotten a fresh shipment of perfectly reasonable $14 tree stands. Reasonable may be a stretch in this case, given that it took me 45 minutes to get the damn thing together. I read the very simple instructions: "Insert legs into indented slots and fit center ring. DO NOT insert legs on non-indented slots or your tree will fall over." I tried and tried, but the ring simply would not fit properly. After struggling for way too long, I inserted legs on the non-indented slots and voila! The ring slid right on. So if you are every in the market for the Ideal Brand^TM tree stand, do the exact opposite of the given instructions and save yourself a lot of cursing and fist waving.

I think our little tree looks pretty swell, but it certainly feels a bit naked in the corner -- even after stringing the lights. I wonder if a tree skirt would help? I'll just pile that on my to-do list for the rest of the week. (After a 30-minute diversion on the internet, I found that there is an abundance of really hideous Christmas tree skirts). Anyone have any ideas for something a little more mod? I'll have to put my thinking cap on for this one!

I'm hoping we'll have some time later this evening to start putting up the decorations. Jesse will have to bust out the Christmas tunes and I'll try to throw together some hot cider to make it feel more like the holidays. I also need to think about what we're going to do for Christmas dinner. It's just around the corner!

Weekend in D.C.

Last Thursday morning at 6am, I hauled my suitcase to the MAX station down the street in 13º weather to make my 8am flight to D.C. J had been in Maryland most of the week for a business trip, so we extended the stay through the weekend to meet up with friends and relax a little.

Our good friend, Kyle, defended his dissertation that evening and a bunch of the GW gang got together at a local bar for a celebration. I was happy to discover that Dr. Kyle did not let his new status go to his head, keeping conversations firmly in the gutter. As for the rest of the gang? I was pleased to find that we all just picked up where we last left off with relentlessness harassment, embarrassing story telling, being first-rate busybodies, and laughing until we cried. My ribs actually hurt when rolling over in bed that night. It was such a great evening.

On Friday and Saturday nights we got a sweet deal at the Churchill Hotel in Dupont Circle. Since J stays there often when he travels to D.C., they upgraded us to one of the king suites on the top floor with a view of the city. I swear the hotel room was almost bigger than our last apartment! Since J had to work on Friday in the morning and early afternoon, I went and had lunch at my old office and had a great visit with my coworkers and former boss. In the evening, J's office had its yearly office party and followed it up with a visit to U Street with Kyle, Sally, and Kevin.

Saturday was a little more low key, we slept in and had breakfast at the Florida Avenue Grill with Kurtis and Amanda. I opted for sides of macaroni and cheese and collard greens instead of the standard breakfast fare. The collard greens were mind-blowing. I couldn't finish them because they were so rich, but wow! Outstanding. On Saturday evening, we met up with Dan and Lydia, good friends and J's former co-workers. This visit felt like a true vacation and left me smiling all the way home.

This week is going to be pretty busy. I have a lot of things to accomplish before Christmas rolls around in just 11 days! Yikes!

I'm a Popsicle

This was Portland's weather status as of 6:45pm this evening. I'm officially a Popsicle.

In short, it's insanely cold here in the Pacific NW. Tonight, the low is supposed to hover around 15º and not really get above freezing tomorrow. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, this happened last year too in December. I seem to remember that it didn't last very long, except it was coupled with monumental amounts of snow. This time around though, we're just getting a terrible arctic breeze that cuts through every layer of my clothing. After walking around this afternoon, my skin feels like it was given a good sanding and is absorbing lotion like a sponge.

As a result of the arctic air mass hovering over Portland, I have spent a great deal of time jumping from room to room, closing the door, and blasting the heater to keep warm. The rest of the apartment has been sacrificed to the cold -- I don't even want to go into the dining room and kitchen, as I'm sure it resembles the ice palace scene from Dr. Zhivago. I never thought I'd say it, but I sure do miss having those radiator pipes pumping constant heat through the walls and keeping the apartment a balmy 78º during the winter. Is it so wrong to want to walk around in a tank top in December?

I've already gotten votes of "Alexander the Grape" and "Strawberry Short Kook" for favorite Otter Pop flavors. I haven't decided, but I think I'll go with "Little Orphan Orange" in honor of my multiple layers of clothes, wool socks and slippers, and the oh-so-attractive static-cling hairdo. What's your favorite ice pop flavor?

No Inspirado

I haven't posted since before Thanksgiving. Where did the time go? I had a great visit with Jesse's family last week and got to meet The Crane Wife & Ancient Indian Wizard's awesome baby boy. Despite my great time in Santa Cruz, I did not take a single photo. So, what have I been up to you ask? Well, sorting out the tedious details of moving, like transferring insurance, calling around to find out where the heck our mail has gone for the past two weeks, and general sorting through piles of crap to find underwear and my toothbrush. I also have that pesky class to finish with a paper/presentation that just won't write itself.

I have made progress though. I unpacked the kitchen and was able to cook an actual, wholesome, delicious meal on Tuesday night -- black-eyed peas with sausage and roasted carrots with a balsamic glaze. Yum! It's been pretty cold in Portland lately, only getting into the low 40s during the day, so the beans were a nice stick-to-your-ribs meal. I was thankful for the leftovers, since I really didn't feel like cooking yesterday after preparing all afternoon for class. I am actually counting the hours between now and next Wednesday when I will finally be finished with school work for a few weeks. Winter quarter doesn't start until January 4th, so I'll have a bit of time to really get into unpacking over the next couple of weeks.

Also, I'm heading to D.C. next Thursday to meet up with Jesse for a long weekend. Our friend Kyle is defending his dissertation and we're going to spend a frosty weekend in our old home town. I'm excited to meet up with friends and kick off the holiday season!

We Have Arrived

I have lived for this day for quite a while. It did not come easily. Every muscle in my body aches, I have bruises in the oddest places, and my fingers feel like they may fall off. However, it is worth every ache and pain.

I joked with a friend a while ago that one day we wouldn't have to lug our laundry to the basement or laundromat. This we decided, would truly be a sign that we made it. Of course, I had imagined that the washer and dryer would be in a home that I owned, but really, I couldn't be happier. We're in a great neighborhood and I have everything that I wanted plus a couple extra bonuses. Behold, the first wash cycle. It contained our sheets that we promptly placed on our bed, which is still just a mattress on the floor. I'm not sure if we'll get the bed frame put together before we drive down to Santa Cruz for Thanksgiving, but that seems minor when comparing it to the long weekend of moving our stuff just around the corner. We also have a few more decisions to make, like whether we'll sleep in the small or larger bedroom. This decision will largely depend on where we find space for Jesse's desk.

So, what are those other bonuses you ask? Well, I now have ample counter top space in the kitchen in addition to a dishwasher. My Kitchenaid mixer can now take its rightful prominent spot in the room, instead of on a bottom shelf. Also, under cabinet lighting rocks! Who knew I could be so excited about fluorescent bulbs? I'm also pretty excited that we are directly across the street from one of our favorite bakeries -- although I'm not sure my hips (or wallet) will agree that this is a bonus feature of our new home.

Here's a sneak peek at our living room that is still insanely cluttered with things that will eventually move to other rooms. Rooms. Plural! It still doesn't seem real. The living room doesn't look all that different from the old place, but we have quite a bit more space. Jesse might even get an ottoman to go with his chair. His excitement over this is akin to my love for the front loading washer. I also have a sweet view from my chair (the orange one on the right) onto 21st Avenue. I think I will spend a lot more time gazing out the window with my morning coffee.

A Lightbulb Moment

On the moving front, yesterday was not very productive. I did get a permit to reserve parking space in front of our new building for our moving truck on Saturday. However, the remainder of the day was spent huddled in the library trying to finish up reading and writing for class. It was actually time well worth spending, because I think I may have finally figured out my focus while taking graduate classes at PSU. Rather than halfheartedly completing coursework toward a masters degree (that I have no intention of finishing), I think I'm going to work toward a graduate certificate in sustainability. While this wasn't the first time I had read about the certificate program, I initially dismissed it because of my limited understanding of what "sustainability" actually means -- I'm all for "going green" and sustainable building design, but as a career choice, it's just not my bag.

That's why the readings for last class last night were so mind blowing. I came to realize that environmental (or physical aspects) of sustainability are just one piece in a larger puzzle that includes economic and social aspects as well. Organizational sustainability is just as important as the physical stuff. I took a closer look at the certificate program and was pleased to find that the core classes are spread out in various departments including, economics, urban studies and planning, sociology, and environmental science. It's like American Studies with a focus. I love it! I found out that two of the core courses are being offered during the winter quarter, one of which is being taught by my current professor. Since there are no full time job prospects in sight, I think I'll sign up for both.

In other news, I made an awesome pot of chili earlier this week. In fact, it might be my best batch ever. It has ground turkey, black beans, kidney beans, garbanzos, corn, carrots, and roasted acorn squash. The squash and carrots add a nice sweetness and texture. I imagine this would make a pretty good vegetarian version, but I'm sort of partial to the chunks of turkey in addition to the veggies. While I'd like to take all the credit for the tastiness, I have to acknowledge Penzey's Chili 9000 spice blend for part of the success. I'm thinking there is enough chili for one more dinner, so I probably won't have to worry about cooking until tomorrow -- and by cooking, I mean take out. That is a relief, since I have a ton of moving to take care of today. I'm hoping to have the remaining contents of our kitchen and most of the closets emptied by tomorrow afternoon.

Taking it in Stride

Sharon's wedding was awesome. She was beautiful, the food was spectacular, and we got to meet (and re-meet) some Sharon's close friends. I gained quite a few more Facebook buddies Saturday evening. I also ate solid food for the second time this weekend (the first was the dinner that Graham cooked us on Friday night after a long day of travel). After dinner and dancing, my Christmas Sockets were not very happy, so we had to leave a little early. By early, I mean midnight even though the party was still going strong. I later learned that the bride and groom didn't get to bed until after 3am. And of course, a photo of me wearing the dress. Not the greatest picture I've ever taken, but you get the idea.

In other news, yesterday I signed the lease for our new apartment. After a few bumps in the road, I came to realize that the property management company is largely staffed by giant asswipés (pronounced ass-wee-pay). I hope our contact is minimal after we finally move in. I woke up this morning and decided that I'm not going to dwell on the events that took place yesterday, for fear of tainting the whole process of moving that was exciting until twenty-four hours ago. So, no recounts of yesterday's activities, which are minor really. Moving on.

And moving in (YIKES) four days. I will start to shuttle odds and ends throughout the week so that we're hopefully left with only large items, such as our bed, bookshelves, and random furniture. Jesse walked over to the apartment with me yesterday evening and was struck by the largeness. Our meager belongings are going to look very lost in all of the space. We're also going to have to invest in a few rugs to absorb some of the sound! I am also going to have to buy a jumbo bottle of laundry detergent to get me through all of the loads of clothes that I plan on washing in my very own full-sized, front loading washing machine.

It's Beginning to Taste a Lot Like Christmas

My trip to the oral surgeon was successful this morning. The doctor confirmed my suspicions that I had developed the dreaded dry socket (although a pretty mild case). For the sake of your eyes, don't Google image the term. The results are disturbing. In short, all that means is that my body somehow dissolved (or I dislodged) the clot that protects the spot where my wisdom tooth used to live. That pretty much leaves nothing but air between the world and my unhealed jaw bone. Jaw bones aren't used to feeling air, so that causes them to scream. Luckily, mine was merely refraining from using its inside voice by the time I got to the office.

To provide a barrier and some relief, the oral surgeon placed what looked like fine tufts of chewing tobacco in the spot that hurt. In reality it was some sort of dissolving dressing soaked in clove oil. Clove oil? Really? Amazingly, it provided instant relief that (knock on wood) is still going. The oral surgeon said it should last for a couple of days and by that time I should be healing on my own. He swore to me that people usually don't have to come back for a second round. However, one side effect of my miracle dressing is that I constantly taste cloves. It was pretty intense at first and actually made me a little nauseous, but has mellowed out over the course of the day, so I don't mind.

I was thinking this afternoon that instead of dry socket, I'll call it my Christmas socket, since it tastes like mulling spices. Maybe I'll have a glass of warm apple cider after dinner to enhance the experience. I will also raise my glass to the oil of cloves for restoring my sanity!

I'm the Pirate Pilot of this (Crazy) Ship

My my stupid, ugly, asshead wisdom tooth battle wounds started aching last night on the right side. I looked at my "What to do if..." sheet from the oral surgeon and realized that this should not be happening, especially since I've been pain free for a couple of days. I popped a super duper strength ibuprofen and tried to go to sleep as visions of my face falling off danced through my head.

I woke up this morning feeling about the same as I did last night and was actually quite pleased. I had sort of self diagnosed my condition before drifting off to sleep, which included phrases like "pain so excruciating you'll think that you're dying." Thanks internet, that will teach me for straying from the Mayo Clinic website. I called the oral surgeon this morning and scheduled a visit at the butt crack of dawn tomorrow. If it's what I think it is, he'll be able to help and I'll have immediate relief, but a longer healing process. I'm not going to mention my self diagnosis, because then you'll Google it and hate me for what you find. Boo!! I hate you wisdom teeth!

Can you tell that I'm holding off on solid foods again due to the pain? Cranky Brasilliant is back with a vengeance. I've consumed approximately three giant tubs of yogurt over the course of the week and swallowed whole a number of foods that probably are a choking hazard -- eggs, ravioli, frozen blueberries, and not-so-tiny pieces of chicken. Since I didn't feel like I was dying, just starving, I decided that I needed to take care of a few errands in preparation for our trip to Los Angeles. Given my lack of nutrition, my brain was not firing all circuits. I stopped by Kohls as a last ditch effort to try and find a black cardigan to go with the dress I made last weekend. If you've ever been to Kohls, you know that they are usually located in a strip mall. I spent quite a lot of time in the store, checking out underwear, sheets, and other things that had nothing to do with the mission at hand. I paid for my merchandise and decided to head home.

I walked to my parking spot, which was empty. I shrugged it off, thinking that maybe I just misjudged the row. I walked up and down the rows of parking spots and my car was nowhere in sight. There weren't that many, so it's not like it was tucked behind an SUV. Immediately, I started looking around, thinking that maybe I hadn't put on the parking brake and it rolled somewhere (stupid, I know). I tried to retrace my steps and realized that someone had stolen the car. I went to the bench out in front of the department store and sobbed for a good five minutes. Once I was over my self pity, I called Jesse, but he didn't answer. I didn't want to call 911 because it really wasn't an emergency, so I walked back into the store toward customer service to get the number for the local police department.

While walking through the store, I got really angry because I was going to have to take a taxi home and probably again in the morning to the oral surgeon's office at 6am. As I was fighting back tears again, this time from frustration, I saw natural light shining into the side of the store. What? A second entrance? That never happens at strip malls -- except on days when I'm emotionally unbalanced and clearly not thinking. In the end, I found my car. Just where I had parked it. I also found a rainbow, which was lovely, but seemed to be mocking me. I know, I'm nuts. I also can't wait for this week to finally end!




Cypress Hill's "Insane in the Membrane"

BPA: It's What's For Dinner

Right on the heels of a recent study revealing that some canned foods contain concerning levels of Bisphenol A (BPA) -- a known toxin and endocrine disruptor to humans -- I made an enchilada casserole. Half of the ingredients came from cans. What's not pictured is a giant tray of roasted acorn squash, that made up the other half of the ingredients. The name alone makes me cringe a little, but it was inspired by a local delicatessen that sold theirs at $9/pound. The delicatessen casserole was pretty tasty, mine was equally as delicious and probably cost a total of $8 (including the fresh squash).

I'm not usually one for all-out casseroles, but the soggy tortillas packed with a ton of vegetables was exactly what I needed while healing from my wisdom teeth battle wounds. When getting up enough courage to look at the spots where my teeth used to be, it was indeed a horrifying war zone. When I was a kid, my mom used scold me for a messy play area by exclaiming "Your room looks like downtown Beirut!" -- a reference that I didn't understand until much later in life. I chuckled to myself last week in the mirror (probably because of the Percocet-induced fog) and whispered a similar sentiment about the civil war that occurred in my face.

Oh yeah, back to the BPA casserole. It was an act of post-wisdom-teeth-removal desperation for anything other than smoothies or soup. It was also an effort to give my poor husband relief from my constant crankiness onset by pain and hunger. Delicious it was, photogenic it was not -- probably because I really didn't care to even try to capture it in any pleasing way. There you are. Casserole on the stove. What? I was tired after opening all of those cans. All jokes aside, I have nothing against a good casserole now and again. Some of my best dishes are essentially casseroles, like my chicken purloo and jambalaya. However, they usually all contain fresh ingredients as opposed to canned.

As for the cans, I'm pretty bummed to find out the potential hazzards. We are all aware of BPA, given the extensive media coverage over the past year or two for its presence in plastic bottles, particularly baby bottles, and the heightened risks to developing organs and for developing certain types of cancers. I never really thought that the same plastic that was lauded in water bottles might be the same wonder liner that prevents our cans from leeching gross metal flavors into food. However, I'm learning that it isn't as simple as it seems, certain processed foods lauded as "organic" and "BPA-free" packaging still contained trace amounts of the compound.

I personally rely heavily on canned tomatoes to make homemade tomato sauces during the fall and winter months. It's just one more reason for me to wonder what the hell our FDA really does anymore? It's also troubling to think about the kids who grow up in households that rely heavily on canned foods for a bulk of their vegetables, especially in areas that aren't fortunate enough to have affordable fresh markets at their disposal.

Weekend Plans

In the numerous hours I spent in bed recovering from my damned wisdom teeth, I had lots of time to think about new projects. Certainly, planning the move to our new apartment in two weeks, and writing another paper for class is not enough excitement.

My good friend, Sharon, is getting married next weekend and I was looking through my closet to figure out what to wear. The dresses that I worked on back in April and May were a little too summery -- and I already wore the green one to two different events. So, I set out to make a dress last night and managed to finish it up before dinner this afternoon. Of course, it's the same pattern that I've used before, but with an altered neckline. I couldn't help myself, it fits so well! I had to rip out the zipper twice, but it was totally worth the end result! The only part that needs work is the belt (right now the yellow buckle is just tacked to the waist) and I need to put in the hem. I also need to find a black cardigan, since it is supposed to be a little cool down in Los Angeles in the evening.

Jesse said that when paired with my silvery heels from Halloween, I looked very much like I could be on the set of Mad Men. I'll take that as a compliment.

So Over Smoothies

Remember how pleased I was Tuesday with how recovery was going? Well, I could kick myself for thinking that it would be smooth sailing. Day two was much worse than day one -- the swelling, the pain, itching from the Percocet, and voila, a mild grade fever. The itching got to be so annoying that I skipped my 11am dose and was feeling pretty good, except for the fact that my skin felt like it was on fire. I stayed in bed mostly, but was so antsy by 5pm that I decided to go to class. I was also so ravenous that I had Jesse make me scrambled eggs and I gnawed at them with my front teeth like a gerbil and swallowed them whole. I also said something like "If I ever see another smoothie again, I'm going to kill myself." Jesse just looked at me and insisted that he would need a beer after dropping me off at class. As Echo would say on Dollhouse, "I was not my best" yesterday.

I got ready for class in a hurry and put on a turtleneck, scarf, and my winter jacket. About half way through class, which I really didn't want to miss because one of our state Senators was speaking, I realized that I probably had a fever. Why? Because I never took off my coat and was looking around to see who had left open that drafty window. Also, by then, my pain medication had fully worn off and I was a basket case, shivering and in pain. Jesse drove me home from class, I took my medication and sort of sobbed myself to sleep. I also told him that his presence was highly annoying, and begged that he go to a concert rather than stay home with me to wait out the pain. Again, not my best yesterday and am not all that crazy about the way I behaved.

I woke up this morning around 5am in a little pain, so I took all of my medication again according to schedule. Also, the pecan that I was hiding in my left cheek yesterday is officially a chestnut. My "take home patient instructions" from the oral surgeon promises that today is the last day that my swelling should get worse. My fever is gone, though, so that is a huge relief. I feel like a new person, actually.

I have a site visit this afternoon for a potential job with that architectural firm that periodically hires me for consulting work. Not ideal timing for sure, but you know how that goes. (Also, now that I've told the internet that I have a potential job, it will likely crash and burn.) The site visit is informal, just to meet the project team and drive around the town that we'll potentially survey, which is near Salem. Thankfully, my supervisor is driving, because the only way you'd get your mitts on my Percocet is if you pried the pills away from my cold dead hands. I've learned my lesson, no need to be a hero. I just need to ride the itchy wave of pain relief until day 4 or 5 (when everything should be a lot better).

Recovery

I was pretty pleased with how well I felt yesterday after having my wisdom teeth removed. Jesse took excellent care of me and kept a rigorous schedule of icing, eating smoothies, changing my gauze, and keeping track of the somewhat complex medication schedule. I'm so thankful that he was here to take care of me, I really couldn't have done it alone.

The surgery went really well. The only potentially hazardous event took place before I even got to the oral surgeon's office. I didn't realize that the Valium had kicked in on the car ride and when I went to walk up the brick stairs to the office, nearly fell face first. Apparently, my legs and brain were not really talking anymore -- brain said "lift foot" and foot responded with a lazy drag. Luckily, Jesse caught me and I avoided any further oral surgery to replace my two front teeth.

The only thing I really remember is the IV needle going in and a little pain from the Novocaine shot a couple of minutes later. In no time, I was awake in the recovery room chair (don't really remember walking there). I slept on and off for the rest of the day, but by mid-afternoon I was starving and slurping down a delicious blueberry pineapple ice cream smoothie that Jesse whipped up in the kitchen. I made him fix another later on in the evening so I could post photos. Oh the sacrifices I make for this blog!

This morning I woke up with Jesse at six and kept to my regular pill schedule. I then got up and made a breakfast yogurt smoothie, even though my stomach was hungry enough to scarf down two burritos. I should have taken that as a sign to get back into bed, but immediately went about with my usual morning routine. As I was sitting at my desk (typing my blog entry for the day), I suddenly felt faint and a wave of nausea come over me. I staggered to the bathroom and cried on the toilet for a few minutes until Jesse convinced me to get back into bed and finish my smoothie.

He was right, taking my meds on a mostly empty stomach was a bad idea. I'm feeling much better now that most of the smoothie is down and hopefully keep yesterday's recovery momentum. While my cheeks are a little puffier than yesterday, but they're certainly not terrible enough to not venture out of the house. Maybe I'll go on a short walk this afternoon to get some fresh air.

OUT! OUT! Damn Teeth!

Today I am having my wisdom teeth removed. Probably by the time you read this, the deed will be done and I will be drooling and staggering on my way to the car. Jesse will be my caretaker and chauffeur for the day (and if I can milk it, for the entire week).

The whole process started about two weeks ago when I had a consultation with the oral surgeon to discuss the procedure and sedation options. I find myself pretty lucky to only have two wisdom teeth; they are on the bottom and only one is impacted. For the extraction, I had three options: a) local anesthetic only b) a sedative and some laughing gas or c) all of the above plus an IV (aka knocked the heck out). He highly recommended the latter -- and he used to be in the Navy. In fact, he practically insisted that I start my trip to la la land last night at bedtime with a sedative. I was instructed to take another just before heading out to his office. Given that Benadryl knocks me out cold in 20 minutes, I'm thinking that Jesse might have to give me a piggy back ride to the dental chair.

I spent most of yesterday afternoon in the library trying to finish up a paper that is due on Wednesday for class. It was a little hard to concentrate, but I managed to get it to a point that I'm comfortable turning it in after one more read through. I also ran a few errands, which included picking up a whole sack full of prescription medication that I will have to somehow ingest or swish. I was kind of pissed that I had to fork out the same copay for a bottle that contained two pills, as the bottle that has a weeks worth of antibiotics -- those sedatives work out to be about $5 a piece. Lame. Although, I'm sure it will be worth every penny for not having to remember what my oral surgeon termed as a "very active" procedure. Yikes!

In preparation for my recovery last night, I made a batch of vegetable soup and pureed a few cups for slurping. I also picked up ingredients for smoothies, which Jesse seems pretty excited to make for me. My good friend, Sharon, thought I should also purchase a bell to really take advantage of being an invalid for a day. I thought an air horn might be even more fun, but sadly, forgot to pick up either when running errands. I guess I'll just have to survive without them! Hopefully, I will have a quick recovery.

Halloween Fun

My posting this week has been a little lackluster only one dreary account of job interviews gone awry. The rest of the week was all uphill and actually quite busy and exciting:

I put down a deposit on that 2-bedroom apartment in our neighborhood. Our official move-in date is November 16th! Highlights of the apartment (other than a second bedroom): dining room (photo to the left) AND living room, washer and dryer in the unit, dishwasher, and hallway. Yes, it has a hallway. I have never had a hallway since living on my own. Our move out date at the current apartment is November 23rd, so we'll have a full week to pack up and move our belongings approximately four blocks.

I finished picking up last minute items for our Halloween costumes and spent every free moment (between trying to write a paper and readings for class) preparing for Saturday's party at our friend's house. Jesse was a skeleton and his makeup turned out to be quite scary. I was pretty impressed. Even when he smiled, he looked scary. Also, his face glowed in the dark, but because we were never totally in the dark, it really didn't matter. By the end of the night, Jesse couldn't wait to wash his face because the makeup dried and cracked and felt like it was sucking the moisture out of his skin. What can you expect for a $6.99 drugstore makeup kit?

This year, I was a mail order bride. I actually used a dress that I had made two Halloweens ago while we were still in D.C., but never got a chance to wear. It's made out of FedEx mailers, the kind that are impossible to rip and virtually indestructible. Not surprisingly, it survived the cross country move. I was a little nervous when I pulled it out of the back of the closet that my current form would prove too, uh, curvy -- while nearly indestructible, the mailers are not very forgiving when it comes to give, say around the hips. Miraculously, it still fit well and I wasn't in danger of bursting from the seams. I whipped up a veil and found a pair of perfectly hideous lace tights and was good to go. To perfect the outfit, my good friend teased and sprayed my hair into a perfectly large bouffant hairdo.

I had such a great time at the party (complete with costume contest and catwalk) that Jesse and I were already plotting ideas for next year!

So I Had This Job Interview...

Periodically, I apply for jobs that I find posted on Craigslist (the ones that aren't insultingly underpaid and seem to be interesting). This one in particular was a part-time position with a local antique dealer as a research/administrative assistant. The pay was good and the work consisted of researching and drafting write-ups of various pieces in the collection and updating the company website from time to time. It also involved answering phones, doing invoicing, you know, the usual administrative stuff. I wasn't over the moon about the actual job, but more the prospect of earning a little income while doing something that wouldn't rot my brain from boredom.

I had a phone interview last week and the next day they asked if I would come in for an in-person interview. I agreed and thought I pretty much had it in the bag. In my experience, in-person meetings are really to make sure the person on the phone isn't a total nutjob, which I am not (at least most of the time). The interview time worked out perfectly, since it was about an hour and 15 minutes before my dentist appointment right around the corner. I woke up to a cold and rainy morning, but saw it only as an opportunity to sport that raincoat I purchased this spring. I decided to walk to the interview to get a little exercise in for the day, especially since it wasn't raining that hard. I arrived to the interview about 10 minutes early and rang the bell.

The person who interviewed me on the phone came down the stairs and opened the door. I stuck out my hand and introduced myself and he proceeded to tell me that the position had been filled. He looked really embarrassed and said that his boss had just told him minutes before I arrived -- he tried calling on my home phone number, but only about a minute before I showed up, so obviously, I wasn't home. I stared at him in shock as he apologized profusely and paused to see if I would tell him it was okay.

Well, I didn't. It wasn't okay. It was horrifying, humiliating, and insanely annoying. I leaned back on my heels, nodded, turned around and started walking. I know you're not supposed to burn bridges when job searching, so not replying to his apologies was not exactly professional; however, I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, I'd chastise him in some way, which would have been even worse.

Trying to put all of this in perspective, I remembered my trip to the Japanese Garden this past weekend with Jesse and our friend, Tex. At least I'm not this guy (who had about 15 tripods set up behind his, um, behind). I may have had my dignity crushed for an afternoon, but at least there isn't any photo documentation of the event.

Throw it on a Salad

I always have leftovers in the house. I blame this largely on my Mom, since she taught me how to cook in epic proportions. It was hard living on my own, because my freezer was constantly packed with 18 servings of gumbo or chicken noodle soup. Once Jesse came along, that problem became less of an issue, but his travel this week has brought up this single gal dilemma again. What to do with an entire pound of macaroni & cheese?

Long before I even dreamed of throwing an egg on it, my solution to leftovers was simple: throw it on a salad. This worked well when I was working full time, because it was a simple and healthy meal that I could make in minutes before leaving for the office. Leftover Pad Thai or Cashew Chicken? Great! Red beans and rice are surprisingly good over tender greens, as is vegetarian chili that has been slightly drained.

My stomach started to growl as I was finishing up my class reading yesterday, so I opened the refrigerator and peered inside. I don't think I've put leftovers over lettuce for over a year, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. It was as delicious as I remember. I simply tossed a giant bowl of baby lettuce with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & fresh pepper and then mixed in a small serving of the mac & cheese. I still have quite a bit of pasta left in the fridge, but that means two or three more tasty lunches for me! Maybe tomorrow I'll be more adventurous and add some cranberries and almonds. The possibilities are endless!

Bachelorette Food

When Jesse is away, I always have a hard time motivating myself to cook a good meal. Usually, that's not a huge problem since his trips generally last for only a couple of days. However, he's on a 5-day site visit and it's hard to justify take out or grazing on hummus and pita for an entire week. Tonight I was really craving mac & cheese, but also wanted to try and get some vegetables in my diet. So, I turned to an adaptation of my favorite stove top recipe by Alton Brown.

His version is plain mac & cheese that calls for evaporated milk, but I never have that on hand and honestly, don't think it's necessary. I use a mixture of half & half and 2% milk and that works just fine. I also subbed Dijon mustard for dried, since I never have that in the spice cabinet either. I like the tang of the Dijon better anyway. The recipe is so easy that you can make it in the time you boil pasta and tastes way better than the boxed stuff. For this batch I added peas and spinach, but I've been known to incorporate grated carrots, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed garlic, onions, and even tomatoes. It's a perfect base recipe that I've adapted multiple times depending on my mood. Paired with a salad (eaten after this photo) and a refreshing grapefruit Juice Squeeze, I was a happy woman.

Brasilliant's Stove Top Mac & Cheese

3/4 - 1 lb. elbow pasta (I used fusilli)
2 Tbl butter
2 eggs
3oz half & half
3oz milk
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp. hot sauce (I like Sriracha) or more to taste
10 oz sharp cheddar (I used a mixture of cheddar and Gouda this time)
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Boil the pasta according to box directions, drain and return to pot. Toss noodles with butter. Turn heat to low. Whisk together the rest of the ingredient except for the cheese and add to noodles. Stir in cheese and continue to mix until creamy and thickened, about 4-5 minutes. Make sure that you keep the mixture moving so that you don't scramble the eggs at the bottom. Mix in any additional vegetables and enjoy!

Optional Additions

• Sauteed mushrooms, tomatoes, and minced garlic
• 1/2 bag frozen peas (I throw them in the pasta water for the last 5 minutes)
• 1 bag baby spinach (sauteed and squeezed of water) -- Frozen would work well too
• 1 cup shredded carrots (toss them in the pasta water for the last 1-2 minutes to soften)
• Sauteed broccoli and minced garlic

My rule of thumb is to make sure that any veggies added aren't too watery. For the spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes I always saute for a few minutes before mixing with the pasta. You don't want runny mac & cheese! If you think the garlic will be a little too powerful raw, stab it on the end of a fork and blanch it for about 30 seconds in the boiling pasta water, or just saute it with the rest of the veggies.

Voila! Delicious bachelorette dinner.

A Pretty Good Week

Wow, it's been a whole week since I posted last. Despite my days of leisure (still not gainfully employed), I can still manage to not write a darn thing for seven whole days. Way to go Brasilliant! In the past seven days, very exciting things have taken place. First, someone put carved pumpkins outside of our apartment building and they haven't been smashed to pieces. I love our neighborhood and can't wait for Halloween.

Second, Jesse brought the car in to have the oil changed and asked the mechanics to look at our stuck temperature knob. I was terrified when we got a phone call about 2 hours later and Jesse started laughing on the phone. I thought maybe the repair was so insanely expensive that he was going into hysterics to deal with the pain. In reality, he was laughing because the problem was so ridiculous. Remember that digital conversion box that I installed way back in 2008? Well, somehow from moving the cord around to plug in our iPods, it had wrapped itself around the internal gears, causing the knob to get stuck. It cost $80 in labor to have them pull out our stereo unit and unwrap the cord, but it was worth every dime for the relief I felt knowing that we wouldn't have to sell all of our possessions to pay for the fix.

Third, I tagged along with Jesse for a business trip in Seattle on Thursday and Friday. Unfortunately, it poured for 48 solid hours and I didn't feel like taking any photos. I did get to hang out with Jesse's cousin and his wife in their new neighborhood -- I'd totally live in the Fremont area if we moved to Seattle -- and Jeremiah made a tasty tortilla soup that he shared with me for lunch. On the Seattle trip, I also found out that our cruise control was actually not broken. The secret-hidden-bonus cruise control button had just been turned off for 10 months. I think this confirms that I am not worthy of owning a car. (Neither is Jesse, since his knee turned the dimmer knob for the interior lights all the way down and we both thought the electrical system in the car had failed for a couple of hours while driving around town.)

Fourth, I went to look at a 2-bedroom apartment yesterday and submitted a rental application. I didn't mention it to anyone (except my Mom) until after I put in the application, for fear that I would jinx the whole thing. The apartment building is only about 4 blocks from where we live, which is perfect because, again, I love our neighborhood. We contemplated renting a house on the east side, but after looking at several places, nothing seemed quite right. It's one thing to buy a fixer-upper, it's another thing entirely to rent one. Also, I would truly miss having our grocery store, PGE Park, and favorite bars all within a 10 minute walk. Exciting things about this apartment? It's twice as big as the one we have now. It has a hallway (yes this may seem minor, but it makes me want to jump for joy). And it has a washer/dryer AND a dishwasher. We might actually get to live like real live grownups. You know, with a living room that doesn't also double as an office and guest bedroom. Perhaps this is fate's way of lessening my disappointment over the fact that we truly won't be able to afford to buy a house for another year or two.

I'm trying not to get too excited about things looking up, but I have to admit. It was a pretty good week.

Cloudy wtih a Chance of Icicles

Okay, fine. I exaggerate, but it is 44º outside and raining. And my toes feel like icicles. It's the first morning that I didn't want to get out of bed without a winter coat, due largely to the fact that we still had the bedroom window wide open. All windows in our apartment are officially closed! And I took my coffee hot this morning instead of iced, something that rarely occurs (even in the winter).

A recent addition to our household is a giant french press. It is my new love. I have a smaller version that makes exactly 8oz., but it was intended for a pick-me-up at the office. Given that I haven't had an office in over a year, coffee is always made for two (or three or four). I had forgotten how much different coffee tastes when made with the french press -- it's creamy and delicious, kind of like hot chocolate. However, I have yet to brew anything other than Stumptown coffee since we got it, so the marginal stuff might taste just as mediocre. I'll have to run a comparison in the future.

Today calls for a healthy serving of coffee, as neither Jesse or I were as productive yesterday as we had hoped. I set out to finish reading for my class and writing a short paper, but ended up taking care of a few phone calls, messing around on the internet looking for rental houses, finding excuses to not cook dinner, and generally being lazy. However, this morning we are off to a good start. Jesse took the car in for an oil change and to have them check out our temperature knob that will not turn to heat. Given the recent cold snap, I think a defroster will be necessary very soon. (As a side note, I had a slight flush to my cheeks when I realized that out heater has been broken for nearly a year. Oops. Where did all of that time go?) I'm already getting started on my paper outline and will be cooking up a tasty pot of potato leek soup for dinner. I'm determined to have a better day than yesterday!

Beautiful Weather

Yesterday's weather was gorgeous. Despite all of the sunshine, I stayed inside for a good part of the day. After reading a little in the morning for my class, I poked around on the internet to see what kind of houses were available for rent on the east side. I found a couple of addresses that seemed promising and around 3pm, convinced Jesse that he needed to drop all of his work and take a bike ride to Southeast Portland. It didn't take very much arm twisting, he'd had a pretty full day already and needed the exercise.

We coasted down the waterfront and landed at our first destination, a small house just south of Ladd's Addition. I had high hopes for this one, given that it was so close to downtown and in an awesome section of town. It, however, was a total let-down. It looked like a place that had been rented to college students and even by just peering in the windows, I could tell that it wouldn't do. The next place was equally as disappointing, as it looked like a storage locker with a front door (no wonder neither of the landlords posted photos).

With one more house left as our only hope, we rode all the way out to 57th Avenue near Mt. Tabor. It's a lovely neighborhood, quite perfect in every way -- cute house (just look at those windows!), nice back yard, beautiful street, right in our price range, and down the street from a nice park. The only down side is that it is located on top of an impossibly steep hill. That means that it would be sweet for commuting to work by bike, but kind of a drag to get home. However, the streets just west, from 51st (at the foot of the impossibly steep hill) to 39th seem to be our "sweet spot."

I still need to do a little more research on the area, like where my local grocery store might be, or what restaurants we might frequent, but as of our bike ride today, I'm sold. I just have to keep my eyes peeled for any other houses that might come up. On our way home, we both realized that we were starving, so we stopped in at our favorite Thai place, the Pad Thai Kitchen on Belmont. I'm always looking for a good excuse to ride out there, because their food is pretty awesome. Jesse got his favorite, the pumpkin curry, and I ordered drunken noodles. It was the perfect end to a pretty good afternoon.

Pondering Halloween

I love this time of year. The weather starts to get cool, the trees start to turn, I get to roast vegetables and make soup, and of course Halloween is just around the corner. I love the process of thinking about and costumes, getting excited about creating crazy gross-out Halloween food, and carving pumpkins (even though I never end up actually carving a pumpkin). In D.C., we were lucky enough to have friends that loved to dress up and go out on the town, but our last Halloween there was a bit of a let-down. Most of our friends had moved away and we just couldn't get up the motivation to go out on our own. Since we moved to Portland just two months before Halloween last year, we didn't have a lot of time to make friends and sat that one out too. I have now had two years of build-up and can't wait to get out for Halloween Portland-style.

I feel pretty lucky to have found a group of friends who love to dress up (at Halloween and otherwise), so this year is going to be pretty awesome. The Halloween party date is set, and everyone is hush hush about their costume ideas. These ladies and gents take their Halloween pretty seriously. I have a couple of ideas up my sleeve, but they'll have to stay under wraps for now. Here are a few of our costumes from the past to hold you over for a couple of weeks:

2003: Ice Queen (which unbeknownst to me was my nickname during the first few months of grad school) and Wolverine.

2004: My best friend, Lauren, and I dressed up as Krystle and Alexis from Dynasty. J said that my faux silk jumpsuit was so ugly that he might never be able to love me again.

2005: Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York and Mrs. Incredible. I think bourbon and some strong margaritas gave me the courage to put on skin-tight red suit. Jesse also really enjoyed the margaritas and nearly got kicked out of Heaven and Hell (a local bar) for his jubilant dancing. I had to cut off part of his costume when we got home. It was a good Halloween.

Grand Larceny

Jesse's parents were in town this weekend for a quick visit and we had an awesome time. We went on lots of neighborhood walks, stopped at a couple of our favorite food spots, and went to a Timbers playoff game at PGE Park. Unfortunately, the Timbers tied with the Vancouver Whitecaps, which was not enough to advance them on in the tournament. It was quite heartbreaking to see the team so distraught after the game. So, we had to all drown our sorrows in some good Cajun food at Montage. I personally comforted myself with the Spold mac & cheese with Andouille sausage. We also shared a plate of crawfish hushpuppies that were outstanding.

On one of our walks through Ladd's Addition, we stopped to admire this plant that nobody could identify. I'd never seen anything quite like it before and was struck by the beautiful pink flowers and teal centers/berries growing inside. I haven't bothered to Google it yet, as I'm hoping that you, the internets, will help me come to some determination. The flowers were growing on what appeared to be a small tree, or a very well-trained bush. Seriously, I've never seen that blue color occur like that in nature. It was pretty awesome.

Walking through the neighborhoods made me long for a cute house with a yard again. It was like tearing open a wound that I thought had healed. Given that I still have not been able to figure out what I'm going to do for work here in Portland, renting will likely have to suffice. And honestly, I'm pretty okay with that solution. I went to a couple of websites this afternoon to check out what's available. Jesse and I are going to ride around a few neighborhoods this weekend to see if there is anything on the rental market that might work.

With that said, I didn't have much time to think about those cute bungalows calling my name, as I had a short interview with a staffing agency and later broke into a friend's house and stole their car. Heh. I like to leave out the part about them giving me permission and giving explicit instructions on how to break into their house and car. Even still, I was a bad-ass ninja today (avert your eyes if you can't handle the the masked facade). The photo was taken just before I (the perp) entered the premises and made off with their Matrix. My ninja status was seriously compromised by the baby car seat and smiley sunshine face in the backseat. However, if I didn't look in the rear view mirror too much, it was easily ignored. Besides, even ninjas sometimes have to transport cute babies and their parents home from the the airport from time to time.

Sometimes You Just Need the Big Guns

Yesterday, a very special package came in the mail. It was from Jesse's office. No, he didn't get promoted, but judging from the excitement in the apartment, you would have thought they made him King of the non-profit. We did a little happy dance as he ripped open the padded envelope. That very special package was the new Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium edition. It's the tricked out Cadillac of all Adobe packages and it's allllll miiiinnnneee. (Ok, technically, it's all Jesse's, since he is going to use it for work, but I can also load it on my Preshus and tinker to my heart's content.)

I popped in the tutorial cd this morning and realized that there are about 15 different programs and applications, many of which I've never heard. I decided to get a little breakfast before diving right in, because I am definitely not worthy. Having this software package to do the types of projects that I have in mind is like hiring Deloitte and Touche to balance my checkbook. However, I feel that I must step to the challenge of owning the CS4 Web Premium edition. In addition to my Public Administration course, I'm thinking of taking a basic web design class to learn how to use Dreamweaver. My main goal will be to rebuild the Quickcrit Blogger template (which is right now sort of a Frankenstein of pieced widgets and html parts) so it's not all buggy and annoying. We'll see how that goes.

Oh and my Public Administration class? Awesome. I think it's going to be a really great quarter for two reasons: my professor is pretty great and Public Administration is such a nebulous field that just about anyone can find a niche -- kind of like my degree in American Studies. Oh, and speaking of American Studies, my professor is also an American Studies graduate. I think I'm going to love this class!

Last Day in September

In honor of the cold weather, I fired up the oven for the first time in a very long time. With temperatures hovering in the 80s and 90s most of the summer, the appliance had been allowed a very long hibernation period. I will try to make up for the baking dry spell over the next few weeks. While Katie was here, I made bagels from the Bread Baker's Apprentice, which were just as successful as the first and second batches. Since I raved about the book so much when my parents were visiting, my Mom picked it up as a surprise one afternoon as she was browsing through Powell's. I plan on trying to make all of the recipes at some point.

After dropping off my sister at the airport yesterday morning at 5am, I cracked open the book and got started on a batch of cinnamon rolls. They are probably the prettiest cinnamon buns that I've ever made and were very tasty. I started out with the basic recipe this time, but I think the next batch will include some dried fruit, orange zest, nuts, and honey. The whole process took about 5 hours, including mixing, proofing and baking. However, I learned that the initial steps can be done ahead and left in the refrigerator overnight before baking. I'll definitely take advantage of that next time!

I also made a batch of red beans and rice, which I thoroughly enjoyed for dinner last night (and breakfast this morning). After traveling and eating out for most of September, I'm excited to have time again to cook and experiment in the kitchen. I'm taking another class at PSU in Public Administration, which starts tonight. However, it only meets once a week, so I think it will be a lot more manageable than the summer course that demanded all of my time in July and August!

Welcome Back Fall

Today seemed to be the quintessential fall day in Portland -- gray, cool, and rainy. It was a perfect day to lounge around the apartment, dreaming of good (warm) things to cook. My absence from the blog over the past week has been due almost entirely to the fact that my sister was in town visiting. I had such a nice time having her around that I forgot entirely about updating. Thankfully, I didn't forget to take photos!

The week was packed full of things that I felt were essential to getting to know "my" Portland. We went out to Fabric Depot to hunt for new project fabric and found inspiration for a Halloween costume. On our way home, we stopped by Burgerville, the local fast food joint that serves up very tasty burgers and sandwiches (and sweet potato fries). Friday was very sunny and warm, if a little hazy, so we drove up to the Pittock Mansion for one of the best views of Mt. Hood. Before heading out for our excursion, we stopped at Kenny & Zukes on NW Thurman for tasty sandwiches.

After the Pittock Mansion, we stopped to smell the flowers at the International Rose Test Garden. The sun was perfect and Katie got a lot of great shots of the final blooms for the season. On the agenda, of course, was one of our favorite happy hour spots, Bridgeport Brewery. Most every evening was ended with a round or two of games, so I was in heaven.

While it was tempting to sleep in and lounge around most days, we got up early and out the door for a full day of bike riding on Saturday. After renting a bike for Katie, we rode around town on a 17.5 mile tour. One of our stops was at Stumptown Coffee where our good friend, Brian, gave us a tour. Then, we had an outstanding lunch at Por Que No. Between the bike ride, Mexican food, and tasty margaritas that we made in the evening, Katie said that she'd never slept better!

Overall it was an awesome week and I hope she comes back soon!

European Road Food Part 2: A Photo Essay

My first post took us through the first half of Belgium and Berlin. Now, on to Bavaria and our last few days in Belgium.


Lunch at Augustiner Keller in Munich was probably one of my favorite meals. We each had an Augustiner Edelstoff, a helles lager, mine in a 1/2 liter glass, Jesse's in the full-on Mass. We each ordered sausage, little pork sausages are in the back with sauerkraut, and in the foreground are the käsekraner (cheese sausages) with potato salad. First of all, the potato salad and sauerkraut were life altering. They may look sort of blob-ish in this photo, but were the best tasting sides I've ever had. Secondly, if you've ever read my blog, you know that I love Corralitos sausages, particularly their Cheesy Bavarian. Well, folks, this is the original Cheesy Bavarian and Corralitos is pretty dead on.


We actually ate quite a few pastries along the way, most of which I never bothered to photograph. Overall, the sweets were quite good in both Belgium and Germany, even ones from chains or mediocre train station kiosks were well above average. This one in particular from the Hofpfisterei in Munich's main train station, called Mohnstreusel, was outstanding. The dough reminded me of a king cake, sort of yeasty and only slightly sweet, with a lightly sweet poppy seed paste rolled in the middle, and a sweet crumb topping.

The trip to Kloster Andechs (monastery) just outside of Munich was amazing on so many levels. The hike out to the monastery was refreshing, the chapel was breath-taking, and the food and beer were top notch. We shared a pork knuckle that seemed almost as big as my head and each had two 1/2 liters of beer. I started out with the Andecher Weissbier Helles (a wheat beer) and Jesse jumped right into the Doppelbock Dunkel (a darker beer). We both enjoyed the Dunkel so much that we each got another. It was probably my favorite beer in Germany.

In Regensburg, we stopped at Spital Brewery for a snack and tasty beverage. I was sad that they didn't have pretzels, so we ordered (what I thought was a fresh cheese dip with veggies). As it turns out, the bell peppers were more of a facilitator to the pound of cream cheese stuffed inside. I didn't complain, it was very good fresh cream cheese, although I thought Jesse and I might fight over the lettuce and tomato garnish. By this point in the trip we craved vegetables.


That night we had dinner in the apartment rented for the night. We picked up a cucumber, fresh bread, cheese, and pickled vegetables for a light meal. It was accompanied by two local beers, Wettenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel and Bischofshof Hefeweisbier Dunkel that only cost €.80 each. I love local beer! We found that the hefe went really well with the cheese.

This meal in Bamberg was the straw that broke the camel's back (or my stomach). We rolled into Bamburg hungry and sleepy and headed straight for Spezial Brewery for lunch. Don't get me wrong, it was delicious, but the roast wild rabbit in a delicious gravy with a giant knödel (a potato dumpling) and cooked red cabbage was quite a lot of food to handle at lunchtime. Jesse had a pork roast that also came a dumpling and creamed broccoli. As if the food wasn't enough to knock us down for the afternoon, we washed it back with a 1/2 liter of beer (apparently the smallest glass you can obtain in Bavaria). Jesse got Spezial's specialty, the Rauchbier (smoke beer), and I got a Märzen. The food and drink filled my stomach, legs, and eyelids with sand. We both dragged ourselves around town for the rest of the day. I was officially over German food.


On our long train ride (around 10 hours of traveling) back to Belgium, we had a 2-hour layover in Köln. It was insanely cold there and I really didn't want to have anymore beer for the rest of my life, but we pressed on and found a cafe to try a kölsch -- a local specialty. Thankfully the cafe, Früh am Dom, only poured their kölsch in .2 liter glasses. It was the perfect amount for the hour (just a few minutes after 11am).


Our final destination, Ghent, Belgium was all about relaxation. For two nights we made our own dinner at the B&B, which consisted of a ton of fresh salad greens, fresh bread, cheese, and of course, beer. Kasteel (shown in the photo) was actually one of my least favorites of the trip. It was pretty high-octane at 11% abv, but syrupy sweet to the point of almost being nauseating.

Belgium smelled like waffles (and sometime sewers, but mostly waffles). It's a sweet, buttery, delicious smell and I couldn't get enough. We got waffles from a vendor in Ghent and they were probably the most spectacular waffles that I've ever tasted, or will ever taste again. They're not airy like American waffles, but a dense, slightly sweet, brioche type dough. It's cooked in the waffle iron with sugar on the outside that slightly burns and crisps. With the hazelnut chocolate sauce, I could have died happy right there.


The last night in Ghent, we went out with a bang by ordering mussels cooked in white wine. Prior to the mussels, we shared an order of shrimp croquettes and another abbey ale. I learned the next morning that 1/2 an appetizer and mussels does not a dinner make, especially when paired with stark Belgian brews. At breakfast my head and stomach were telling me that I might have chugged a glass full of gasoline, rather than that Duvel with our meal. It was a wonderful trip, but I knew right then that I was ready to go home.