The Land of Insane Hills and Awesome Food

Even though Jesse and I are technically on vacation from life, we have managed to keep a very busy social schedule. During the down time in Jesse's 3-day work week we have tried to sneak in a few visits to family and friends while we're in the area. Last Saturday, we drove up to San Francisco to visit Jesse's brother, Eric (Nightrain). I couldn't have asked for better weather - a little cool with loads of sunshine.

We arrived just after 1pm and took the full tour of Eric's sweet apartment (located at the tippy top of that insane hill). I didn't think it possible, but the view from his roof is even more breathtaking than the climb up Filbert Street. After racing up the hill and nearly killing our poor little car to snag a parking spot, I realized why Eric opted for a more pedestrian-oriented lifestyle. I would probably experience some sort of nervous breakdown if I had to drive every day in that city.

Lea was in town for the weekend to visit Eric before heading down to Los Angeles for graduate school. I was so glad to see her again and hopefully now that we're on the same coast, our visits will not be so spread apart. Naturally, driving makes me hungry (and car sick), so we walked down to a local sandwich place and ordered delicious panini's to soothe my poor stomach. Following lunch, Eric led us on an epic walk up and down several hills to show us a few additional scenic spots in his neighborhood. The climbs made my legs ache, but the vistas were stunning.

Saturday's mission not only included a visit with Jesse's middle brother, but also a trip to Stella Pastry & Cafe for a few dozen cookies. The walk (mountain climb) through the city made me pretty thirsty, so we sat down to recharge and enjoy a cold drink. Stella makes one of my favorite cookies in the world, which is a round chewy almond cookie with pine nuts on top. I have no idea what it is called, or really, exactly how to make it, but YUM! I ate several while enjoying my iced coffee.

The fog started to roll in, so we stopped at Eric's apartment to put a jacket (or in my case a few more jackets) before heading down to dinner. For effect, we walked up and down a few more terrifying hills before reaching Tommaso's Restaurant for pizza. This was not just any pizza, but seriously delicious and garlicy goodness. MMM. I'm pretty sure I ate way more than I needed, but it was so tasty I couldn't help myself. For a little night cap we stopped in at La Trappe's Trappist Lounge and had a Belgian beer. I think at that point we were both a bit sad that we had to drive home - not only because there were so many delicious varieties of beer to try, but also because we had such a great time hanging out with Eric and Lea.

On our drive home, both Jesse and I agreed that if we weren't already moving to a new city and a cool apartment that we'd be pretty jealous of Eric's new life in San Francisco. I'm so glad that he was able to show us around his neighborhood and take us to his favorite places. It was a great day. I hope we'll be back for a visit soon.

Tomorrow We Can Drive Around This Town (and be the worst car stereo thieves around)

Aside from the free Gin Blossoms concert we attended on Friday, this past week was all about learning to drive (and tinkering with) the car. I'm trying to get all things car related accomplished while I have a driveway at my disposal. Larson came over on Sunday and tried to help us remove our stereo so we could wire it for our IPod.

We fashioned a sweet sweet stereo removal tool from coat hangers and some nails, but no luck. It wouldn't budge. I think at some point (as we were all sweating and getting quite smelly in the hot California sun), Larson remarked that we sucked as car stereo thieves - if only we could have been as stealth as the butthead who ripped out the Crane Wife's while she was on vacation.

As it turns out, even if we had been able to remove the stereo, there's nothing back there to accommodate a RC cable. After mulling it over, we broke down and went to a local stereo shop, where they removed our stereo in a matter of seconds and had us sold on a little digital conversion box - that cost more than our car battery, but less than a new stereo. I installed it in about 5 minutes and we sat in the driveway marvelling at what we had accomplished. We're ready to rock the 14 hour drive home to Portland!

Also on the car accomplishments list this week: removing the big, black, scratch down the driver's side of the car. As a parting gift from Boston, someone sideswiped Nightrain's (now our) car while it was parked on the street. Luckily, I found out that the damage was mostly on the surface. I was able to remove a lot of the leftover black paint with some polishing compound and a little elbow grease.

I wish I had taken a more comprehensive shot to show the black streak that ran just about the entire length of the car. Now, it's gone and looking (almost) as good as new.

Of course, my days haven't revolved entirely around the car. We've had great food, lots of relaxing, and a nice trip to San Francisco. However, that will have to wait for another post. I have errands to run and need to work on my tan - even after 3 weeks in California, my legs still look like they've been living on the East Coast.

Day of the Mazda

Last year, Nightrain decided to forgo his wheels to pursue a more urban lifestyle. We are the lucky recipients of his zippy little car. On Monday, we cracked open the garage door, pulled off the blue tarp covering the Mazda, and turned the key to start her up. Not surprisingly, the battery was dead (it had been sitting in there for over a year). So, Jesse removed the battery and we took it down to the auto parts store where they determined that it was "too hot" and "bad". Uh, ok? We bought a new one.

Tuesday morning, Jesse woke up bright and early to transfer the car title and renew the registration. Afterward, we installed the new car battery and killed a family of spiders that was living in the hood. J hopped in the car, turned the key, and the lights came on. YAY! Success! But the engine didn't start, just the noise of fans blowing. Hmm. Try again. Nope, nothing. Damn.

Totally sad and defeated, we decided that we would give it a good cleaning before calling AAA for a tow. We rolled it out of the garage and realized that there wasn't enough room for a proper cleaning (Bob and Mary Ann were having new windows installed, so the driveway was occupied by a workbench and truck). So, back to the garage for our little dead car. I pushed, J steered. This time though, I needed a little momentum to get the car over the garage bump. Every time I would rock the car, J would put on the brakes thinking that I was about to get rolled over - totally halting my momentum. I yelled and he got frustrated, but the car made it back it the garage and we both got a snack.

Since I know very little about cars, I googled "new battery, but car still won't start" and found troubleshooting guide. One of the first things it asked was, "did you press down the clutch when starting?" I had no idea, since Jesse was the driver, so I asked. And he hadn't. So we ran to the garage, he threw open the door and hopped in, and I held my breath. J pressed down the clutch, put in the key, and turned. I closed my eyes and heard the engine cough and sputter. I opened my eyes and saw some dark-looking exhaust, but it was running. Triumph!

We quickly checked the oil and took it for a drive around the neighborhood. That drive lasted longer than I expected and we ended up going straight to lunch with Larson and Serena for his birthday. After lunch, Serena came over and we went to the auto parts store (for the third time in two days) and purchased items for the car wash that never happened. I did some vacuuming, and she is quite the abled scrubber. In no time the interior shined like new.

I still haven't gotten around to the outside, but maybe when it comes back from its tune-up and smog check today I'll give it a good scrub.

Salmon Lake

After five torturous hours at the Sacramento train station, we finally boarded the California Zephyr to Truckee, CA. Initially, we settled in on the regular train car, but I took a little walk and found that the observation car was almost empty. So, we moved our things to the row of rotating seats to enjoy the scenic ride. It was quite stunning and I really enjoyed the first 2 hours of the ride. Somehow, it took the train an extra hour to get to our destination and I was feeling antsy - wondering how many more vistas of mountains and lakes I could tolerate. Oh, and I hadn't showered in over 24 hours, so the whole romantic notion of travelling by train was wearing thin. By the time we reached Truckee, I was ready to be on solid ground.

We had dinner at Jesse's aunt's house and then drove out to Salmon Lake. This is the 20th year that Jesse's family (and his good friend Kyoko's family) have vacationed there. The cabin they stay in is very civilized with a bathroom and kitchen, but there isn't a phone, or internet, or television. Also, there are very few clocks, so it's easy to let 3 or 4 hours slip by and not really care. I visited Salmon Lake about 4 years ago with Jesse and forgot how beautiful it is there. The air is crisp and dry and all is quiet...until nature attacks.

My first morning there, I woke up and decided to have coffee on the front porch. I was sitting in a little patch of shade near the cabin, just gazing out at the mountains and lake. I felt a weird sensation on my foot and looked down to find this little guy perched on my ankle staring up at me. My first reaction was to yelp and then kick and I sent this poor chipmunk sailing across the deck. It landed on his feet (arms splayed) and scrambled away. As you can see, the incident didn't discourage it from coming back (with friends). Maybe it has a very short memory. I certainly don't - every time they would come near the deck I would lift my feet up on my chair. They're cute, but incredibly ballsy.

The rest of the trip was spent swimming in the lake, eating delicious food, and taking naps both inside and outside. In addition to relaxing in general, I finished an entire book and worked on my cathedral windows quilt. It was so nice to not have to think about moving plans or work. However, I have to admit that I was happy when we finally arrived in Santa Cruz. It felt good to sleep in a familiar bed and wake up in a familiar house. Today, I look forward to putting my clothes in a drawer and zipping up the suitcases (at least for a couple of weeks).

Amtrak Roomette

I had no idea how well we'd be treated when we booked our Roomette on Amtrak from Portland to Sacramento. We had our own porter, a special "parlor car" for hanging out and wine tasting, free dinner, and upon arrival two bottles of champagne and fruit. What a nice way to kick off our adventure.


The Roomette was literally that, a very very small room. Not much space for movement or storing bags, but the seats were nice and wide and would recline a bit for maximum slouching and viewing the scenery.


J snapped a photo of me enjoying the sunshine and the scenery just outside of Portland. This is shortly before we shut our cabin door and turned on some tunes.

J thoroughly enjoyed having the IPod player and was the official DJ for several hours as we rode along the Oregon coast.
After dinner, we both were stuffed and turned on David Sedaris's When You Are Engulfed in Flames audio book. So far, it's pretty good. However, the food, wine, and reclined position made me very sleepy so we pulled down the bunk and prepared for bed.
I took the top bunk because I'm smaller. The grey thing in the foreground is a little seat belt that hooks on to the ceiling so if you roll over during the night you don't fall off. I thought it was kind of silly, but around 2:30am the train car was leaning pretty far to the right and I felt like my body was slipping toward the edge. Good thing I buckled in.

Given that we are both very mature adults, we immediately rolled over for a snooze. There wasn't any giggling, or farting, or throwing of objects.
Considering the situation, we both slept pretty well. I only remember waking up two or three times during the night. The first time was when Jesse got up to use the restroom, the second, when my cell phone blasted a chirp in my ear to remind me that it's battery was low, and the third, my right arm fell asleep because I had been sleeping on it for hours.

J and I had such a good time that we're already thinking about the next route we want to take. And maybe, if we're lucky, we can get some of our friends to come along!

Milestones

Today we found an apartment. We signed a lease and closed the deal. It's a one bedroom, a bit bigger than our old place and has lots of character. Because it's a corner apartment on the third floor, there's plenty of windows with a southern exposure (which I think will come in handy during the grey Portland winters). Moving day will prove to be a bit of a challenge, though, since there is no elevator. I'm thinking we may have to hire a couple of burly college students to help us unload the crate. But the location! So nice! Just a block away from Couch Park.

The minute we stepped in, we knew this was the right place and hurried to fill out the application and put down our deposit. The clincher for me? It has a wall. The clincher for Jesse? It has rounded doorways. There is quite a bit of storage space provided by the awesome built-in cabinets and closets and I am totally in love with the black and white tile kitchen. The only downside of the apartment (besides the whole third floor walk-up bit) is that it has an electric stove. That will take a while to master. But, for the first time since we arrived last week, I feel like our move is real.

This morning was a hectic start to the day with hurried packing, viewing the apartment, and then picking up our car for the afternoon. We drove around a bit, hung out with Brian and Anna at their new house, and then made it to the Kennedy School just in time for dinner. At the moment, I am happy and full and ready to relax. Tomorrow, all we have to worry about is making it to breakfast, checking email one last time, and catching our 2:15pm train to Sacramento. Now, I can officially rest without worrying about anything for the next 3 weeks (except for having to learn to drive a stick shift). My brain is officially on vacation.

Oh, and today I officially changed my laptop homepage from the Washington Post to the Oregonian. I very well may change it back in a few days since the Post has proven to be a bit more interesting, but for now I'll give it a try.

First Weekend in Portland

Since I declared Saturday "Fun Day in Portland," we both were determined to not think about apartments or jobs or anything remotely stressful. And boy, did we have fun - so much fun that I had to take a nap:

9:30am -11:45am: The Oregon Zoo
We arrived not long after the gates opened and initially had much of the habitats to ourselves. Most of the animals, though, were still lazy and sleeping - unlike the National Zoo where the animals are awake and throwing poo by 8am. We saw a sleeping otter, a sleeping sun bear, a couple sleeping black bears, and a sleeping beaver. The bald eagles, however, were wide awake and keeping watch over the "The Great Northwest." To my surprise, they are giant. I'm not sure I've ever seen one up close. It was pretty cool.

The sleeping cougars were also very large. I'm not terribly excited by the fact that sightings are pretty common in Oregon. Apparently, unlike bears, they actually stalk their prey and attack at opportune times. If you see a cougar you are supposed to make yourself look big by spreading out your arms and make loud, but calm noises. Next hike I'm flapping my arms like a bird and making moose mating calls. That'll scare them (and Jesse)away for sure.

11:45am-3:00pm: Lunch, Powell's, Multnomah County Public Library, Nap
By 11:45 (even after a snack) we were both starving. Even though we are both starting to get used to the 3-hour time difference, our stomachs still manage to convince our brains that it's hungry at both west coast and east coast mealtimes. So, we hopped on the Max to downtown and had lunch. Then we headed to Powell's (for the third time this week) to check out the audio book selection. After Powell's we walked over to the public library and registered for reader cards. The downtown library is really nice and actually has books...and doesn't smell like pee...and has lights in the stairwell...and air conditioning. That alone is enough reason to move to Portland from D.C.

7:00-9:15pm: Portland Timbers vs. Charleston Battery

From the library we walked back to the hotel, where I collapsed and took a nap for about an hour. Jesse made us dinner of delicious broccoli burritos and we walked down the street to PGE Park to see the Portland Timbers (minor league soccer) play against the Charleston Battery. At first, I was a bit skeptical about minor league soccer, but it was a lot of fun. The avid fans kept the game going with songs and chants and dancing.

Oh, and then there was the Timber's mascot - a big burly dude who dressed as a lumberjack and would go around exciting the already enthusiastic crowd. He first brought out a giant log for the fans to touch (or kiss). Then, he brought out a drum and was beating it around the stadium. And finally, he brought out an enormous chainsaw and would rev it whenever things got quiet.

Today (Sunday) we decided to take it easy. Jesse did laundry in preparation for our big train ride to California and I started repacking our stuff into two (instead of four) suitcases. Tomorrow night we're staying at the Kennedy School for a night and plan to fully take advantage of the food, beer, and soaking pool before heading out for California on Tuesday.

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.

How Is Thursday Over Already?

Wednesday and Thursday have been a blur - an emotional, stressful, meltdown-inducing experience. Since we arrived in Portland, I have been awake before the sun and am usually ready for bed promptly at 7pm. With eyelids droopy, I keep myself awake until 10pm with the hope of coaxing my body to at least wait until 6:30 or 7:00am (when Ken's Artisan Bakery opens). Then, like clockwork, I'm up and ready to be productive at 5:45. It really pisses me off.

Overall, yesterday was a good day. We set out about 9am to go downtown to get a P.O. Box and thought about taking the local bus. At the bus stop, there was an older gentleman waiting - who later referred to himself as "The Big Belly" - and noticed that we were obviously not from around here. He asked where we were going and where we were from. When Jesse told him that we just moved here from Washington, D.C. his eyes lit up, he put up his fist (to bump knuckles) and said he was raised in Richmond, VA. At that point he started talking about all the places we needed to look for apartments and then decided to reroute his trip to take us to the streetcar downtown.

After insisting that we not "look" but rather "see" the city on Wednesday, he dug in his bag and pulled out an envelope with four tickets to a museum. Jesse protested, saying that he really didn't have to give them to us and The Big Belly said, "Am I speaking English? Son, those are for you. Enjoy the city." While on the streetcar, the driver noticed us looking at a map and had about at 20 minute conversation (off and on) about all the things to see and do in Portland and some places to live as well. I have to say, I am impressed with how nice people have been so far.

We didn't exactly take The Big Belly's advice and set out to explore the NW part of Portland for potential apartment buildings. By that time, it was already 3pm and blazing hot. After walking about 12 or 15 blocks, I had a slight meltdown where I went from thinking about needing water to "oh-my-god-I-need-food-and-water-now-or-I-will-rip-off-your-face." We spotted a local pub and got a beer and snacks. It worked miracles and we were able to scope out a few more buildings before heading back to the hotel.

Today, we rented a car to drive out to the NE and SE sections of the city (where apartments are cheaper and allegedly have more space for parking). We set out about 10am and by noon I was so discouraged, I thought about crying. The neighborhoods we looked at would be awesome places to own houses, but their rental stock looks mostly like this. Not that there's anything wrong with this apartment complex, it probably is perfectly clean and livable inside, but I realized how spoiled I am from living in Adams Morgan surrounded by big, beautiful apartments with loads of character. After trying to convince myself that it would only be short-term, I finally confessed to Jesse that I didn't think I could live in one - even for six to nine months.

We came home this afternoon and I did lots of calling around to buildings in the NW section and will verify times to look at the availabilities tomorrow. Even though the apartments are a bit more expensive than NE/SE, I think we'll both be a lot happier. Well, at least I'll be a lot happier, which means Jesse will be a lot happier. The area in NW is more urban, with restaurants and shops nearby and just a few blocks to the streetcar to downtown. I think this apartment would feel a lot more like home - and still is a lot cheaper than our old home in D.C.

Free WiFi in Denver

Since we were on the go all day today, I haven't checked my email since last night. Gasp! The horror! Luckily, Denver International Airport has free WiFi access and I have been able to get a quick internet fix. Also, that means I can update on our progress so far.

Our initial flight on Continental was cancelled and we were put on Frontier Airlines instead. I was happy to not have to hang out in the airport on standby, but the change also meant that we had to leave the secure area, pick up our four suitcases (averaging 49.5 pounds each) and walk to an entirely different terminal to re-check everything.

I took a photo of my ridiculous flying outfit while waiting at baggage claim #1 (flip flops with socks to prevent getting "corrodes" on my bare feet through security). I like to accessorize my sexy travel outfit with a giant brown bag with a 10-pound cast iron skillet and cooling rack busting out of the top. You never know when you'll have to start a fire and cook a meal while traveling. In the first round of security, Jesse managed to cause a "Code 3" alert with the fig and walnut butter he stashed in his bag. I'm totally bummed about that one. The TSA guy was too, he actually felt bad about taking it away. I followed up with a "Code 4" alert (for the skillet and cooling rack) that necessitated security to pass the tissue-thingy-wand through all of my possessions looking for explosives. I did look pretty menacing in my socks and flip flops and Ashmont Records T-shirt.

Unfortunately, free internet also means that connection is not very fast and is VERY temperamental. Google and DIAFREEWIFI are not friends. So photos of our adventure are pretty much out of the question.

Oh! Time to board! Goodbye Denver, hello Portland.

48 Hours: A Photo Essay

Friday, we officially kicked off our moving box packing festivities. By Sunday evening our things were in a giant crate. If I actually wrote an entry on the whole process, it would be about 8 pages. So, the photos will have to do a bulk of the work.


"State of the Crate" as of Friday mid-evening. At this point Jesse declared "standardized boxes rule!"

Delirium set in around 11pm and we started assigning random names (kitchen-ma-bobbers) and placing totally ridiculous "items" to the box list. Yes, we do have a really ugly Christmas plate. No, I do not allow J to own nunchucks.

Here is the view of our lovely crate, delivered exactly 40 minutes earlier than scheduled. Also pictured is one of the 86 billion ass-face-haters who parked 3 inches from the door of our beautiful crate. I guess "EMERGENCY NO PARKING" means nothing to about 98% of D.C. drivers.



"State of the Crate" Sunday morning before the grand process of loading commenced.


Breakfast of champions for the crate-loaders. J cooked up a batch of eggs with Corralitos Cheesy Bavarian sausage that complimented leftover homemade beer bread and marionberry jam. Yum. J cheerfully offered to "do dishes."


This is the guy who snagged the stuff we deposited in our basement. He sold it on the sidewalk Sunday afternoon while we were packing our crate. I was weirded out at first, but then he helped us load our mattress, so we're cool.


"State of the Crate" on Sunday around 2pm. Almost full, but a few more things left to cram. We made it though. ONE CRATE.

This is the pool at the hotel where we stayed on Sunday night. My Mom booked the rooms for us earlier in the month and I thought she was crazy. I was wrong. We checked in at 3pm, did the deadman float until 4:00pm, had dinner then were back to the apartment to do some cleaning.

Our apartment after packing and a little cleaning. Still a bit more to go, but it's pretty darn empty.
Looks pretty much the same as when I first moved in, only I'm not the one passed out on the floor this time.

J is actually sleeping. I can hear him breathing. I'm pretty sure that means we should head back to the hotel.

It was our last day of work in D.C. today (Monday) and I couldn't be happier. Tomorrow we catch our plane to Portland. One-way tickets.
I can't wait.

Oh Crap! It's Friday, August 1st

Not that I didn't see this day coming, but wow, we're here. The crate will be delivered tomorrow, but we still have a boatload of packing to accomplish. Luckily though, we decided that it wouldn't be a great idea to leave a crate full of our stuff (even if it does have a padlock) sitting just blocks from 18th Street on a Saturday night. Drunk people + dark street + abandoned crate = bad news for Erin & Jesse. So, we'll be busy bees on Saturday packing and setting up for the big move on Sunday.

On the work front, I still have a ton to do, but I keep plugging away and hopefully will make lots of progress today. This morning, I am driving our intern around to take the last few photos that we need for the building inventory and draft report. Given that there are about 40 buildings and I have only allotted a 3-hour time frame, I don't think we will finish. So, we'll focus on some of the scarier areas of the city and next week, after I'm gone, he can finish up with public transportation.

However, my biggest challenge today is not the report, or the packing, but living with the 80 billion mosquito bites on the lower half of my legs. We went out to dinner with a friend on Wednesday night and apparently I sent out the "raw meat" signal and was eaten alive. Seriously, it's almost comical how many there are (and that's just the front of my legs...the backs probably have twice as many).

Benadryl and other hydrocortisone gels have not even begun to relieve the itching welts. This morning I woke up in a fit because I couldn't think about anything but removing my skin, so I got up and consulted "the Google." And? The white stuff? It's toothpaste, which worked until the peppermint wore off and I was right back to itching. Then I tried vinegar, rubbing pennies, and even a cut onion. Out of sheer desperation, I tried one final remedy. Windex. Why? Because it feels good and the internet told me to do it. I know (gasp) it's probably toxic (but not more so than the water we drink in D.C.) I'm not sure how, but the ammonia works magic on the stinging and itching. I wonder if it would be inappropriate to take pit stops on our morning driving trip and ask the intern to Windex my calves?