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).

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.

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.

Why I Need a House

Reason No. 1,897,473: Hood above my stove and cross-ventilation.

I'm tired of wearing the scent of whatever I cook. I have quite a track record of cooking smelly foods. My motto? If it doesn't have onions, don't bother. Gumbo = B.O. Even if I throw open the kitchen window, there's nothing stopping the smells from migrating into the rest of the apartment and ruining my day. So, that's where I am this morning, wearing Eau de Toasted Cumin and Onions from a pot of beans. I reek.

For some reason a few months ago, I bought a two-pound bag of pinto beans. I think it only cost $1.00, so I couldn't resist. My purchase shortly followed a conversation with Jesse about my personal opinion on ordering at Tacos Moreno (in Santa Cruz). I think that people should skip the burritos and just get the quesadilla with beans. Seriously, the beans are like crack; certainly cooked to perfection in pure lard. Granted, Tacos Moreno's carnitas is pretty spectacular too, but there's something about the simplicity of beans and cheese in a fresh tortilla. Anyway, once I got home, I realized that pinto beans are probably the most boring beans around and had no idea what I was going to do with them. Today, I decided to suck it up and just cook the darn things. I found a recipe from Bon Appetit that looked appealing. I think they're going to be quite tasty.

In all honesty, I'm using my cooking project today as a crutch. I needed to feel successful at something after finding out this morning that we didn't get the contract for the school survey project. The district went with an engineering firm instead, although I'm not sure exactly why. The suspense after our interview last week nearly killed me, so it was actually relieving to know one way or another. There will be other cool projects, I know, but still, what a bummer! One good thing today (besides the beans) is that my herbs are finally sprouting.
We'll have basil and cilantro in no time -- both destined for delicious pesto no doubt!

A Nice Night at Home

I sort of fell off the boat this week with my running schedule. The insane heat in the apartment Monday through Wednesday made the thought of exercising and having to come back home not very appealing. Also, Jesse was gone and sometimes I need a running buddy to get out the door. Not all is lost though! I went for a 1.5 mile run yesterday and my time was significantly less than last week. Even though my schedule indicates that I should have a rest day between runs, I'm going out again today. My legs aren't tired and my energy is good. I think the rest days will probably be more important if ever manage to run more than 2 miles at a time.

After my run, I had a conference call to discuss the upcoming team interview for the survey project on Monday. It's going to be a relatively quick interview, 15 minutes for a presentation and a 30 minute question and answer section. I still think we have a really good chance, but the competition is pretty stiff.I didn't worry about the competition for too long, because I was eager to start on dinner!

On Wednesday, I picked up a couple of beautiful pieces of halibut at a local meat market and couldn't wait to get them in a pan. I also picked up a couple of sweet potatoes and some fresh watercress. For some reason, I remembered watercress tasting quite different. I was shocked when I bit into a leaf just before serving and it tasted surprisingly like a radish -- sharp and hot. I panicked because I also had radishes sliced for the salad. I threw the watercress in a pan to wilt it slightly with the hope of mellowing out the spicy bite. While they mellowed, the texture was never quite right, they were a bit chewy afterward. I'm going to have to work on my watercress skills in the future. The radishes were delicious though, with just a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and rice vinegar.

I sliced the sweet potatoes into shoestrings and tossed them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic and baked them. If we were expecting fries (which I wasn't), they would have been a little disappointing -- they aren't crunchy at all. However, the flavor was out of this world. And the halibut, oh the halibut. It was so good that I savored every bite. We pan cooked it in just a little olive oil, salt, and pepper and served it with a dollop of leftover chimicurri sauce over the watercress and radish salad. It was the perfect springtime/summer meal; fresh, light, and incredibly tasty.

Civic Doody

Yesterday was gray and rainy and I felt a bit under the weather. I've had a near cold for the past couple of days and I think it is starting to wear me down. Also, the uncertainty of everything going on in my life is draining. Jesse gave me a pep talk yesterday afternoon and practically kicked me out of the apartment to attend my monthly education committee meeting a the local preservation organization. A light bulb clicked on in my head as we were discussing programming for the upcoming 2009-2010 season. Each year, the organization presents a lecture series on three local architects and one of the members was talking about how they wish that we could have some more modern architects in the lineup -- Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill came up in the discussion. That led to me finding out that the heritage center has a large collection of SOM papers (left by a former member who worked in the Portland office for over 30 years).

So, what did I do? I volunteered to create a lecture program on SOM's influence in Portland. I figured that if I can't find work, then I'll make work and have a great time. It's my civic duty to inform the public about modernism in Portland right? The moment I spoke up, I had a flashback to first grade when I was very eager to tell Mrs. Mills, my teacher, that my mom was an expert seamstress (she ended up sewing a billion monkey costumes for the class performance that year). At this point, I'm not sure if I'm crazy or not, but the prospect of writing and possibly presenting a lecture is pretty exciting. Most importantly though, if I am up to my elbows in volunteer work and commit myself to doing this, then I'm bound to get offered a full time position somewhere. That's just how things seem to work lately.

Speaking of civic duty, the excitement of my meeting was quickly squelched when I checked the mailbox and saw a big fat envelope from the US District Court of Oregon. Jury duty. Geez, they don't waste any time do they? I was just talking to my good friend, Lauren, the other day while she was waiting for jury selection and bragged that I have never been called for duty. Payback. I completely deserve this. Although, getting called for duty right now is a pretty good thing. I have all the free time in the world, so bring it! I'm ready to see our justice system in action. I chuckled to myself when I was filling out the question bubbles (with my no. 2 Ticonderoga pencil) when I got to the section that asked if I had any disabilities that would prevent me from serving as a juror. I kept thinking about that 30 Rock episode where Liz Lemon dressed up as Princess Leia when she got called for jury duty in NY (because it always got her off the jury in Chicago). I'm pretty sure that wouldn't work in Portland either. We have some strange birds hanging around town.

A Bounce in My Step

Today I had my last cavity filled. Last night I had a nightmare (for the third time) that the dentist realized that all of my teeth were totally shot and the only solution was extract them one by one. This scenario wasn't entirely in my imagination, it happened to a friend's cat. Nonetheless, it was terrifying and I woke up with sweat on my brow. I was so anxious to get this last appointment over with that I actually showed up nearly 30 minutes early to the dentist's. The appointment went rather well, pleasant even. I really like my dentist.

I found out that I don't have to go back until September for my routine cleaning. I was so excited to hear the news that I actually had a bounce in my step. I feel like a new woman and almost jogged home with excitement -- like when my dog, Coco, is freshly bathed and gets frisky and bolts around the house. Despite the fact that it rained and hailed on me during my walk home, spring has sprung. Everything in Portland is green and ready to burst into action (as soon as the temperature decides to climb above 45 degrees). I'm not sure how I'm going to spend the rest of my day, but whatever I do will feel so much better knowing that I'm in tip-top shape (teeth wise). Well, except for those pesky wisdom teeth, but I'll think about that another day!

I'm starting to think that no news is not good news on the job proposal front, so maybe I'll direct more attention at my resume and start practicing my typing and word processing skills so I'm ready to sign up with the temp agency if that plan falls through. Although, maybe I'll take a break for the afternoon and work on a few sewing projects that need to be finished ASAP!

A Much Deserved Beer

Currently, I'm hanging out in the Oakland airport at the Pyramid Taproom. They have delicious beer on tap, but only pre-made salads and sandwiches (which are actually quite good, but not the delicious burger like I had hoped). I guess it's a trade off, because the unfiltered Amber is the perfect end to the day. If you count all of my travel, I have effectively worked an average of 14-hours for the past two days. However, the proposal is almost done and now out of my hands. All I have to do is keep my fingers crossed and wait! I really hope we get this project.

More on my trip to Los Angeles tomorrow! I promise!

A Fog Rolling In

In my brain that is.

Los Angeles was great. I had a fabulous time, but you'll just have to wait for photos and stories until Wednesday. Why? Because I'm in San Francisco working like a mad woman on a proposal. My travel and work-filled day has left me with the strength to do little more than watch Sex and the City reruns while eating chocolate chip cookies in my hotel room. I have spent more time on a plane and in airports in the last two days than I have in my own bed and it's starting to catch up with me. Seriously, I'm not complaining, but I am pooped. I don't know how Jesse has managed over the past few months.

After a full day at work, I'll finish up at the office tomorrow and fly home in the late evening. I can't wait to fall into my own bed. If you're interested in a glimpse of this past Friday night in Los Angeles, check out my review of Marty and Elayne at the Dresden. It's not so much a review of their music (which arguably isn't very good), but more of a recap of the experience.

More photos and stories to follow once I have had a chance to get a full night's sleep.

Weekend Stimulus Plan

This weekend we did our part stimulating the economy. Jesse's busy travel schedule has left very little time for running errands and taking care of some necessary, yet boring, tasks like buying socks, and pants, and cellphones. As a result, we had a major shopping spree (compared to our frugal policies of the past few months) and I am convinced that we singlehandedly raised the GDP.

For the past couple of weeks, Jesse's phone has been in a frightening tailspin and warranted an emergency trip to a crowded retail center on a Saturday. There, we spent a good hour and a half looking at phones, contemplating plans, and having our new phones programmed. Afterward, we were both starving and stopped on 82nd Avenue at Pho Hung for delicious beef noodle soup. The restaurant was a total shot in the dark, I literally swerved in the parking lot and we both plopped down exhausted from the afternoon -- I consider it quite a find. Anyway, Jesse is now the owner of a Blackberry and I have to admit that it's pretty amazing (even though I nearly had to pry it out of his hands at lunch in order to have a conversation). Already, he's put it to good use. Right now he's in McAllen, Texas on another site visit and we've been able to chat on his layovers. I'll be glad when he's back for good, but it's nice to be able to talk with him throughout the day instead of just in the evening when he's worn out.

I decided to cook dinner for myself tonight (I usually just have leftovers when he's out of town) after being inspired by one of my favorite PBS cooking shows, Lidia's Italy. She was making a simple pasta with pancetta, greens, and chickpeas. I ended up making something that wasn't even close to her original recipe, but it was in the spirit of a one pan dish -- mushrooms, lots of garlic, broccoli, white wine, and roasted red peppers. I sauteed and browned the veggies, and dumped it on top of pasta tossed with olive oil, fresh parsley, and parmesean cheese. Oh, and I threw on a few toasted pine nuts for good measure -- a tip from Lidia. Lately, I have read about adding browned butter to dishes on several of my favorite food blogs. I think that might be a nice addition next time.

This quick concoction is definitely a keeper. It was also a nice reminder that a healthy dinner is only 20 minutes away, even if I start from scratch. I'll have to keep this in mind should my work load pick up again in the next few months -- I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Home Again (For Now)

I picked up Jesse last night from the airport. This time he was flying in from Alaska. We were both pretty exhausted, so I fixed a bite to eat and we collapsed in bed. Despite our exhaustion, neither of us slept very well -- Jesse's restlessness from anxiety about his presentation today, mine from excitement.

I got a phone call yesterday from the architecture firm where I have been consulting for the past few months. There's a new proposal that seems to be pretty perfect and they're going for it, with me as the historian. I can hardly express how excited I am at the prospect of more work (other than temping) and there's lots to be done between now and March 12th when the proposal is due. In fact, I may have to fly down to San Francisco for a couple of days to work with the marketing team. Rad! I spent most of yesterday afternoon reading through the materials and preparing for a conference call that I have this afternoon.

On the craft front, while Jesse was enjoying the breathtaking scenery of Alaska (I'll post photos tomorrow), I was busy finishing up a few books, but also working on a number of sewing projects. I initially started this one for someone else, but I like the color combination so much that I think I might just keep it for myself! It's the same pattern as Ava's quilt, but a very different color scheme. It occurred to me that I made our bedroom quilt a little over two years ago, so I've been thinking that we're due for a change. Or maybe it would just make a good throw for the living room? I haven't decided yet, but can't wait to continue making squares to see how it develops.

No Time for Blogging, Dr. Jones!

I never got around to blogging about our Thanksgiving in Santa Cruz. We spent a wonderful week with J's family and I stuffed myself on delicious food and desserts. It was great to catch up with friends and share a holiday that I have yet to spend with his family. However, the details will have to wait until another time. Today is an unbelievably busy Friday that will only continue to get more hectic.

We leave for Florida to visit my parents tomorrow morning at 4:30am (so we can take the Max to the airport). Once we reach Florida, we will celebrate an early Christmas with my mom, dad and sister in Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA. There we will also stuff ourselves silly on delicious food and desserts. In another stroke of brilliance, I have yet to pack my things. In fact, I haven't even thought about packing my things. There really isn't any reason other than the thought of taking my clothes out of our suitcase, refolding and then putting them right back in has been physically painful. Ok, I exaggerate -- it's mostly because lately I have honed my procrastination skills in the absence of a real job. Now that I've left the packing to the last minute, the task will literally be physically painful. The whole right side of my body feels like it's been steamrolled from my little bike mishap yesterday. I groan when I sit and can't really lift my arm past my waist.

Oh and the reason this week was sucked into a black hole? Both of my contracting jobs decided they wanted to start on the same day, STAT! This week has engulfed me with mounds of paperwork, multiple security forms and background checks, as well as planning and scheduling with two different companies. I have a meeting this afternoon at 3pm, so this morning has been preparing (or rather refreshing my memory) to talk about stuff I knew really well 3 months ago. I'm not complaining. It's really exciting, but also poorly timed. I had more free time than any human being should be allowed all through September, October and November. December, however, is already jammed with travel.

J is also starting up a new job (just part time) with a company here in Portland. Even though he's only working a small amount of hours, they've been very welcoming and included him in the office holiday celebrations. I'm happy that we have a holiday party to attend this year! It's a pretty exciting time for us both. Things that we hoped would happen right after we moved are finally starting to materialize.

Holy Dude! The Second Weekend in November is Gone!

Geez, how did that happen? Last time I checked we were just settling in Portland and now it's nearly Thanksgiving. I have failed to do several things so far in November, like submit my resume to that temp agency and get the car inspected for emissions. However, I am in the process of being hired as a part-timer at an environmental firm to do some research/writing. Their goal is to have me working by November, so any day now things should be starting up. Seriously, I'm not a total slacker.

This weekend was pretty mellow. The weather has been cold lately and neither Jesse or I have had much motivation to leave the house for long periods of time. We did go out to the grocery store to stock up on veggies for the week and experimented with tofu on Friday night to make some kick-ass fajitas. Oh, and we picked up Sarah Vowell's The Wordy Shipmates at the library, which I have been dying to sink my teeth into. I'm having a bit of trouble deciding whether to savor each chapter over the course of a week or two, or just go wild and finish it in a day.

Also on the agenda this weekend was a new sewing project (as if I needed another distraction). Like the holiday cards, it will have to remain a secret project (I'm not sure if the recipient checks in on my blog from time to time). One thing I can say is that it involves curved piecing, which was tedious and difficult to conquer at first. As you can see, my first session necessitated a wee glass of bourbon. However, I sailed through several more this weekend and am quite happy with my progress. Curved piecing is still not my favorite thing to do, but I feel good that I managed to overcome a long-time fear. I think it will make for quite a few more interesting quilts.

Today, I'm off to the fabric store to find some sort of patch to try and mend Jesse's jacket. I mentioned Wednesday that in his excitement to get home from the bar following the elections, Jesse managed to rip a hole in his new (but not terribly expensive) coat with his thumb. He didn't rip a seam, which would have been easy to remedy, but a nice 4-inch tear in the fabric. You'd think he was skipping around with a box cutter from the size and location of the tear. I was prepared to give up on the darn thing, but he insists he still wants to wear it. Hopefully I'll find something that isn't too noticeable -- like a puppy dog patch with rainbows and hearts.

Soup Weather

While yesterday's sunshine made me want to get out and ride my bike, today's cold and grey weather makes me want to hibernate -- a task that is not hard to do when you don't have a real job. My job "hiatus" so far has been interrupted briefly by work inquiries and some proposal writing, but nothing consistent. I looked at the calendar yesterday and realized that it's probably about time for me to get a temp job. Frankly, I suck at motivating myself to do laundry regardless of whether I'm working 40 hours a week, or 4 minutes a week. I spent most of this morning looking at temp agency websites and trying to convert my really awesome Architectural Historian resume into a document that proves that I can answer a phone, type at 45 wpm with no mistakes, and organize files. It's hard.

However, getting used to eating lunch with Jesse every day is not hard at all. One productive thing that has come out of my time off from work is a fridge full of leftovers. I was relieved when Jesse walked into my office (bedroom) and announced that he was heating up lunch. Today's menu featured homemade tortilla soup and veggie sandwiches. Something about chicken soup motivates the soul...I may do a few loads of laundry after all.

Last night we made dessert from the apples purchased on our ballot drop-off bike trip. Initially, I thought that we'd make a crumble or rustic tart, but I found a recipe for spice cake with caramelized apples that sounded divine. And it was. It tasted like fall. We enjoyed our cake with a Kriek beer (a tart, Belgian beer made with fermented cherries). It was a nice ending to the day. Too bad I can't get paid to eat apple cake and drink dessert beer. That would be an even nicer ending to the day.

Lazy Day

The past couple of days have been mostly grey with sporadic rain and patches of sun. I have to say, the clouds have been a welcome relief from the heat we experienced in early September and somehow the rain seems cleansing. We have continued to organize and rearrange the apartment and are thoroughly enjoying our living room area.

On Tuesday, Jesse and I both had job interviews. Mine was more of a meet and greet over lunch and Jesse's was an interview for a job that doesn't exist yet, but might someday. Oddly enough, we were making contact with people from the same company. I had a really nice lunch with two people from an environmental company here in Portland. It was nice to meet professionals who are immersed in things that I enjoy and have lived in the city for quite a while. They were both very helpful on the job front, even though they don't have full time positions to offer right now, as well as sites to visit and things to do in the city. It is likely that they will throw some consulting work my way in the next few months (if I'm not already gainfully employed).

Last night we went to a Ron Sexsmith concert at Doug Fir and got home way past our bedtime (after 1am)! The concert was awesome and I have to now get the motivation to write a review on Quickcrit. The sun came up way too early for both of us this morning and I have to say that both Jesse and I have been dragging around most of the day.

I did, however, manage manage to spend an inordinate amount of time applying for an internship (of all things) with the city of Portland in their planning department. The position was forwarded to me by the senior associate at the architecture firm that I will be working as a contractor for later on this month. The internship work is not earth shattering, which means I'll probably rock at it, but I see it as a way to potentially make more contacts in the preservation community and possibly talk to some of the planning offices about how Oregon's (and Portland's) preservation policies suck. The more I read, the more I realize that there is very little regulation or oversight when it comes to historic resources -- their last comprehensive survey of the city was conducted in 1980!

Oh and tonight I made a killer eggplant parmesan with a recipe from The New Best Recipe from Cook's Illustrated. This cookbook never lets me down. Both Jesse and I were totally blown away by the deliciousness of the dish (accompanied by an arugula salad with almonds and dried cranberries). Of course, I forgot to take a photo so you'll just have trust me. I'm so excited for leftovers tomorrow!

Proposals and Pork

I was at a site visit yesterday for a potential job and it went pretty well. I came home totally excited and typed out a scope of work to send off to the architecture firm right away. We discussed the plan over the phone, agreed on a rate, and I think things should be in motion by Friday. Of course there are tons of approvals, so the work might not begin for a couple of weeks.

By the time I finished with the proposal it was 4pm and the hour when we start to think about dinner. Working from home, or as I call it, our "alternative work schedule," has turned us into old people. Dinner is usually on the table no later than 5pm. Yesterday was no exception, but we needed a few things at the grocery store. So, we hopped on our bikes and rode out to Safeway downtown. Of course, large trips in the future will be reserved for the car, but we were able to get everything we needed for dinner last night as well as fresh veggies for the rest of the week.

The veggies fit perfectly in the front basket of my bike. However, I found out that the basket not only looks clunky (with that giant mount on the front) it is also not really useful for anything except lettuce (or maybe flowers). We stored our bike locks in the bottom for the ride home and the weight made the handlebars really hard to control. I think this weekend I'm going to remove the whole thing and search for a basket or bags that will fit on the back rack so I can transport more practical things -- like a full load of groceries.

I have to say that I am pleased that we have taken advantage of the really nice weather over the past couple of weeks and ridden our bikes to a lot of places where we would have normally driven. This weekend we rode out to SE Hawthorne Blvd. to Pastaworks for pancetta and fresh pasta. They seriously have some of the nicest-looking meats I have seen in a while. The pancetta is far superior to any I have ever tasted (it contributed to a kick-ass pasta carbonara).

It's A Miracle

I slept in until 7:30 today! After a whole week of getting up at 5 or 6am, I have been craving sleep. Last night, we were so tired after dinner that we hopped in bed at 7:30 to watch a few episodes of Ugly Betty. We made a promise to each other that we wouldn't let the other go to sleep until 9:00. By about 8:00, my eyelids were getting heavy and every 15 minutes I would look at the clock and remind Jesse how much closer we were getting to 9:00 - like a kid in timeout.

I think my extra sleep last night was the result of running ourselves ragged looking for apartments and the general stress of moving. Also, I had my second interview yesterday and it went really well. I was really nervous about it yesterday morning, wondering what on earth he could ask after our pretty comprehensive phone interview in June. I had convinced myself that he was going to bring in flash cards with building styles and quiz me 3rd grade style (I know, totally ridiculous). Jesse took the bus downtown with me that morning and we walked along the waterfront to try and calm me down before I headed inside.

I had talked to the interviewer a couple of times on the phone and we have been emailing back and forth for almost two months, so he was hardly a stranger. Since the Portland office right now is literally two people working part time, there aren't enough projects yet to support a full staff. So, I'd likely come on part time for a little while and help out with getting a few projects off the ground.

We have declared today "Fun Day In Portland" and we're going to the zoo and then a minor league soccer game at PGE Park this evening. No more thoughts of jobs. Time to enjoy our new city.

Tidbits for the Moms: Yes, we have seen apartments that are acceptable. We're going to walk through one or two soon, so there is a very good possibility that we won't be homeless in September when we return.

Firsts (and Seconds and Thirds)

Sunday night I made Jesse open up a small part of his birthday gift early. Ta da! A roll of packaging tape. Aren't I thoughtful? And generous! What more could a man want for his 30th birthday?! To celebrate, we packed up two boxes of CD's. This beauty is the first of many boxes to be sealed and crammed. Goodbye CD's. We'll see you in September.

For the record, the tape is awesome, but it's definitely not going to make labeling any faster. He spent about 10 minutes just coloring in all of the lines. The outcome was pretty cool though, "Music - A through Eels." Nothing but the best for our move! Unfortunately, all of the packing materials we acquired this weekend are taking up precious space in the giant blue box. So, the boxes of music are stored right next to Jesse's side of the bed where he can keep an eye on their status.

Speaking of the blue boxes, yesterday I reserved our crate (with slightly different dimensions, so I'll have to re-tape this weekend for accuracy). Our plan is to pack the taped box perfectly so when the crate arrives the Saturday before our move, we'll know that everything has its place. We also gave notice to our apartment yesterday, so it's official. We have to leave. There's no turning back (unless we want to set up a cardboard box fort in the alley behind our building).

Oh, and yesterday I received word that my first phone interview with the architectural firm in Portland went pretty well. The second interview will likely be over the phone with the head of the Preservation/Conservation department in San Francisco, and the third (in person)interview, is scheduled for August 7th! But I don't have time to worry about that now, only 24 days until I'm out of here! Oh boy, I can't wait.

Too Perfect?

Last night I relayed the story of my job interview to my parents and then to J, so I didn't have the strength to do it for a third time on my blog. Luckily, I slept like a log and this morning woke up refreshed and ready to kick butt at work. As I mentioned yesterday, the job interview went really well. It was pretty standard in terms of questions, and luckily I had prepared myself for just that.

Ok, Rewind.

The Background:
The company is an architectural firm headquartered in San Francisco and they have done quite a few interesting projects. They specialize in historic buildings and seem to be expanding beyond California to include the Pacific Northwest. The Portland office was just opened about 6-8 months ago. I randomly sent them my resume (one of probably about 12 or 15 that I have sent out so far) indicating that I'd be moving to Portland in August and would be looking for career opportunities. I totally didn't expect to hear back from them, but last week I was contacted about potentially joining the company.

The Time Frame:
The best part of the whole interview was when I found out that they won't have full time work for me until after September 1st. What? Too perfect! I really don't want to work until after September 1st! Jesse and I will be able to take that month-long vacation that we've been planning. I certainly could use the relaxation!

At the end of the phone interview, we talked a bit about the next steps and how the in-person interview process would go. First, I'd meet with the head of the Portland office and then would interview with the principals in San Francisco. There weren't any promises made, but I think the discussion of flying me to California sometime in August is a pretty good sign!

DC Summer + My Monday = Very Sweaty Armpits

I have been dreading today: Monday, June 30, 2008. Before now, every time I thought about it, I would comfort myself by repeating how far away that dreaded day was on the calendar.

But this morning at 5am, I sat up and said "Well, hello, June 30th! You sure did get here fast." Today was the day I had to have the conversation with my boss about leaving at the end of July. As Laura Cantrell would say, this "pile of woe" hit hard and left me frazzled when I arrived at the office unusually early. My boss came in late to work today, which left me to stew even longer at my desk. There, the two cups of coffee and adrenaline banded together in a plot to kill me. After coaxing myself to stop shaking, I asked her to meet and it went fairly well (except for the whole telling your boss you're quitting part).

She didn't pull out all of her hair (as I had convinced myself that she would), but at the same time she didn't say anything either. I'm pretty convinced it was a textbook case of shock. I thought about making her lie down on the conference room table and wrapping her in a blanket. At least that made made me chuckle as the tears were welling up at my desk. I was pretty much brain-dead after that and proceeded to stare at my computer screen for the rest of the day. That is, until I had to prepare for my telephone interview at 6pm.

Luckily my life coach (Jesse) schooled me on the trickster questions that potential employers spring on unsuspecting interviewees. Questions like, "what is your greatest weakness," and "tell me about your work ethic." Huh? Weakness? I have none, duh. Don't worry, I had a premeditated answer that was pretty darn good. Oh you want to know what my weaknesses are? Well, too bad. I'm not telling. That is, unless you're willing to pay me a salary.

I think the job interview went pretty well, but the potential job deserves it's own post.