Multnomah Falls: Take Three

A view from the top.

I'm not going to lie, I was pretty convinced there would be some other natural force that would prevent us from getting to the top of Multnomah Falls yesterday. However, this time around we weren't impeded by snow and ice, or gale force winds. It was a beautiful day. Perfect for a hike. Graham and I would slow down to check out the cute pooches on our way up to the top (and young ladies would slow down to check out Graham in a similar fashion). Luckily, we had Jesse keeping us focused by leading the charge at break-neck speed. At some points, I felt that I was running up the hill rather than hiking. I don't think they were doing it on purpose, but my stride is a lot smaller, meaning that I had to go double-time to keep up.

After making it to the top and catching my breath, we continued on for the rest of the 5 mile loop. The hike was absolutely gorgeous. It rained pretty much all last week, so everything was lush, which made up for the paths being quite muddy. Green moss coated the trees and rocks and the sound of rushing falls felt kind of like a fairy tale. It would have been the perfect setting to take a cheesy nature photo for a poster featuring elves and pixies. I'm pretty sure Little Red Riding Hood walked through this forest to get to her Grandmother's cottage.

We actually saw quite a few animals: a snake, two chipmunks, a giant slug, a few woodpeckers. And a pair of striking bright red bugs. I didn't realize this until I took a close-up shot, but they appear to be mating. Score! Nature in action. I felt a little bad when my flash went off (and the red-eye reduction feature to boot), but they didn't seem to be bothered. Does anyone know know the type of bug?

It was a great afternoon. This morning, though, I woke up with incredibly sore legs. It's like I climbed a mountain or something. I think I'm going to have to walk it off and stretch a little so I'll be in tip top shape for the "Cheers to Belgian Beers" festival this afternoon.

April Showers

I know I sound like a broken record, but Portland's springtime weather is weird. The past few days have been really cold. It's so strange, because it should be warm and beautiful. I mean, look at the trees! They're exploding with blossoms. It looks like there was a giant pink wedding all over our neighborhood. Even the trash cans are lovely and pink with petals.

Today I took a walk to 23rd Avenue to send out a FedEx package for Jesse and decided to do a little window shopping. I stopped in at the Paper Source, one of the few stores that compel me to spend lots of money for no good reason. I am helpless in it's grasp, so I try to only go in when I have a specific item to purchase. It is also one of those stores that Jesse swears sucks oxygen out of his lungs -- that and shopping malls. Therefore, I choose to go alone. I spent about 30 minutes just looking and dreaming. It was nice, I picked up a lot of good ideas and left the store empty handed. I'm pretty sure that was a first!

I walked down the street to head home and was pulled into another shop, as if by gravity. It was Moonstruck Chocolatier. I know from experience that they love to give samples. Lucky day! I am not averse to trying samples! I tasted a raspberry Chambord truffle that was out of this world. They are smart, those Moonstruck ladies, because I never leave the store without a goody or two for later. I mean, I did it for Jesse. He'd be really sad that he missed out on chocolate. So, I picked out a milk chocolate banana truffle, and a Tuaca liqueur truffle with caramel. Did I mention that I am a mere selfless creature and bought the chocolates just for Jesse? They're being reserved for after dinner, but have been tempting me all afternoon.

As for now, I have a large task at hand. Graham, Jesse's youngest (yet tallest) brother, is arriving sometime tomorrow and the apartment needs a good cleaning. I think the truffles will be a nice reward for vacuuming and scrubbing the bathroom!

Chili and Mancakes: Ingredients for a Perfect Weekend

We woke up on Saturday morning and prepared ourselves for an epic day of errands. J needed another pair of pants and I wanted to get a new pair of sunglasses (since I've managed to destroy three pair in the past couple of months). And of course, we needed toilet paper etc. As a treat for doing the boring shopping stuff, we took a ride over to Penzeys Spices on 82nd Avenue. Since we got rid of all of our spices before our move from D.C. to Portland, I have slowly been trying to build up a good stash again. Penzeys is one of my favorite companies, but I've always had to use mail order. I was excited to visit an actual store and see the range for myself. Both J and I sniffed so many jars that our noses burned afterward and Jesse swore that his raisin croissant from Ken's (that we picked up as a snack before heading out) tasted strangely like curry. As you can see, we've already broken into the Chili 9000 and the Jerk spice.

J was almost giddy over the idea of making food as soon as possible with our new found gems. Saturday night he took charge of making Jerk chicken wings and I filled in with potato salad and sauteed greens. The meal was delicious and felt very much like a summer picnic (despite the cold rain outside). While J slaved over the chicken wings, I started working on a pot of chili. The Chili 9000 is so much more complex than any chili spice blend that I've ever had. I can't imagine how I ever managed a good batch without it!

This weekend, we also met up with an old friend from D.C. who was in town for a local comedy festival. It was great to see him and hear all about how he's doing in L.A. When Ed called to meet up for brunch on Sunday and said that he wanted to find some good pancakes, we decided on a nearby diner that is known for their "mancakes". These legendary pancakes are said to be so large that it takes a true man to eat just one, let alone a whole stack. If you manage to down a full stack, they'll put your picture on the wall. Naturally, we all agreed that this was a place that could not be missed. Jesse ordered a full stack (with the intention of sharing one with Ed), but could only eat one and a half. Toward the end, he was just picking blueberries from the fluffy flapjacks. After breakfast, we were both ruined for the afternoon and I took a nice, long nap.

It was a great weekend. A refreshing way to recharge and start another week!

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.

Marvel at the Masterpiece

My dress experiment is complete. I certainly can't complain anymore that I don't have a thing to wear to Ben & Daphne's wedding in May. The Vogue pattern fit almost perfectly right out of the envelope. At $20-30 a pattern, I guess you get what you pay for! I'm so happy with the results, I can hardly wait wear it out. I still haven't hemmed the skirt or pulled out a few of the basting stitches that are poking thorough, but even Jesse agrees, it certainly doesn't look like a $35 dress.

I'm already plotting to make another (maybe this time without the sash) and will adjust the neckline to be a v-shape or maybe even square. So awesome! Sewing rocks!

Tropical Portland

Today was hot. No, it was sweltering. Eighty degrees outside translates into a hellish inferno in our third floor apartment with southern exposure (that we were totally excited about, but now has proven to be my demise). I nearly melted yesterday and today. Even with two fans going, all of the blinds drawn, and the lights turned off, my instant-read digital thermometer (Americas' Test Kitchen approved) read 84 degrees. Not to paint a too detailed picture for you, but my outfit of choice was a tank top and underwear. However, life must go on; chores are an imperative. Jesse was coming home today from another business trip, so I needed to get my shit together. Dishes? Check. Laundry? Check. Tasty treat for his arrival? Check.

Despite the heat, I baked a cake. I waited until after 5pm to crank up the oven, but it was still a hardship. I'm not complaining though, it's a damn tasty cake. I stumbled on the Almond Cake recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs, Smitten Kitchen, and thought it was so beautiful (and delicious sounding) that I'd have to give it a try. Also, I love any type of dessert that involves almonds, but have yet to make one myself. I skipped the strawberry rhubarb compote, opting for fresh strawberries (sprinkled with a bit of sugar) instead. Today was one of those days that would have been awesome to have a cake stand. The tasty treat would be a lot more appealing to the eye if I didn't have to make do with my wooden cutting block. But, like I said, it was mighty tasty.

I'm making some serious progress on my dress project and hope to have some photos as proof very soon. The heat slowed down my progress, but I am determined (and I hear the clouds will be back tomorrow). Hallelujah.

New Duds

Well, almost new duds.

I am just about finished ironing out the kinks on one of my dress patterns. Since my new favorite fabric store was having a sale today -- everything in the store 25% off -- I decided to take the plunge and get my first cuts of real fabric for experimenting. Both prints are from the Robert Kaufman line, which in my opinion is one of the best for quality cottons. I have to admit that these two fabrics caught my eye the very first time I went to Fabric Depot and I had a hard time resisting a giant purchase. So, this trip was pretty easy. I picked out the prints, found a nice cotton lining, got all of my notions, and am now ready to get to work.

The fabric on the left side of my duct tape dummy (white, black, and gold) will be for the dress. Very Anthropologie don't you think? The Isla Dorada dress was the inspiration for me to try sewing clothes for myself. I remember our first meeting distinctly; Ms. Dorada staring at me from the display window in the Pearl District. I'm certainly not interested in copying the design, particularly the ruffles, but the graphic print and simplicity of style drew me in immediately. Also, at $178 retail, my creation will come in at a fraction of the cost (about $35 for fabric and notions, not including the cost of the pattern or practice muslin).

And the fabric on the right side of Erin 2.0 (green and gold circles) will be for the shirt pattern that I perfected this past week. I purchased a little more fabric than necessary for the shirt, so maybe I'll have enough left over for a simple a-line skirt. We'll see, I don't want to get too ahead of myself. So, I'm off to wash up my new finds and finish up the last touches on the practice muslin dress!

To Preserve, or Not To Preserve? Portland Has A Problem.

I've lived in Portland for seven months now. In that short span of time, I have seen so many preservation fights between the city and local organizations that I could write an entire book of case studies. So far, I have felt unwilling to speak out publicly on any of the issues, because I still have so much to learn about the city. However, I do know that Portland is not unique. Many cities have the same problem, struggling to balance preservation and progress. I, for one, see the two going hand in hand -- newer isn't always better, or greener, or more beautiful (well, unless it is). For the sake of argument, I'll leave beauty out of this equation, because really, it's not relevant. One person's U.S. Armory might be another person's Memorial Coliseum; and the two might never agree. My point is that there needs to be an evaluation process that takes place before battles begin over hurried demolition permits. We need to include historic resources as part of statistics on job creation, and environmental effects, and potential revenue -- not as a barrier.

The latest fight is over the Memorial Coliseum at Rose Quarter here in Portland. The building was designed by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and completed in 1960 as a memorial to veterans and an arena for cultural opportunities for the Portland community. It's one of the oldest sections of the Rose Quarter and has been home to numerous Portland sports teams since its completion -- a lot of Portlanders have a soft spot in their hearts for the coliseum because it's part of their history. For my "George Washington Slept Here" preservationist friends, the Beatles played a concert there on their 1965 tour.

There is a lot of talk about how Coliseum is in extreme disrepair and the bulldozer and wrecking ball are the best option (in the name of job creation). In full disclosure, I bristle up whenever I hear about plans for expansion of sports facilities. Why? Because, in my opinion, the city rarely wins. I'd like to think that Portland is different than, say, the District of Columbia that was so starved for recognition and enamored by bright shiny objects, the city officials pretty bent over backwards when Major League Baseball waltzed into town. However, Mayor Adams' massive, hurried development plan makes me pause and wonder why? The plan doesn't seem in step with the sustainable growth ideals that have made Portland such a spectacular place to live.

Modernism is part of our collective history (both good and bad), just as the Coliseum is part of Portland's. Not only is Memorial Coliseum notable for it's cultural significance to the city, but also for it's architecture. It is a unique example of arena construction during this era and has clearly stood the test of time. The building's transparency gives hints to the activity going on inside, unlike many sports or cultural venues that tend to be massive and imposing on the landscape. One of my favorite local architecture blogs, Portland Architecture, describes this it best, "the Rose Garden across the street, dark and lifeless without a game inside, seemed like a boulder to the Coliseum's diamond." It's hard to argue with backing from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the American Institute of Architects, and numerous local preservation and planning organizations in favor of preserving this city landmark. What exactly is the City Council thinking? Unfortunately they seem to have fallen victim to the fact that their eyes may be bigger than their stomachs.

Will Portland be able to stomach the outcome of these new plans? Or will "retiring" Memorial Coliseum provide just another case study for future urban planners and historians on how not to build a great city? We need to slow down and carefully think about the impact of losing some of Portland's great historic resources -- the Memorial Coliseum is not the only issue here, it is just one point on a long list of things that have been taking place in recent months. I truly hope that the Mayor and City Council are swayed in the next couple days as they make their final decision. Regardless of the turnout on this particular issue, the Coliseum should serve as a wake-up call for all Portlanders. We need to respect and understand our history (which, ahem, includes modernism) in order to thoughtfully and successfully strengthen our city's future growth.

I have not yet had a chance to go out and photograph the building myself, so I borrowed photos from a local Portland photographer. For more stunning shots, check out his blog: Blue Ruin.

A Good Day

Jesse got in late from his trip to D.C. last night and it's so nice to have him back at home. Aside from the fact that I genuinely enjoy his company, he also makes me coffee in the morning. It was rough not having him around for a few days and I had to (gasp!) brew it myself. Also, when he's not around, I kind of eat like a bachelor -- not necessarily bad food, just quick food. I found myself scrounging for leftovers and making a meal out of just about anything that would reasonably sandwich itself in a corn tortilla.

Wednesday evening, I made Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with cream cheese frosting to celebrate his arrival. Instead of Guiness (as indicated in the recipe), I used a good stiff porter. The cupcakes are nice because the cake itself is rich, but not terribly sweet and the frosting is decadent -- a perfect combo.

I was thankful that the sun was out this morning. It gave me the initiative to get out early and tackle my scheduled one mile run. Unlike Tuesday when I got to the one mile point and nearly died, today I didn't really feel bad at all. So, I decided to go for a few more blocks. Then, I went a few more after that. Before I knew it, I was back at home and had run 1.5 miles. I was sweaty and a little out of breath, but in a good way. I'm not sure if I had a mental block on Tuesday about running 1.5 miles (a distance that I haven't conquered since we moved to Portland) or that banana and giant glass of water that I consumed before heading out the door this morning was just the right amount of fuel. Regardless, the stars aligned and I finished the 1.5 mile loop without stopping. I have to admit, I forgot how good I feel after a morning run. Endorphins rock.

I ate breakfast, showered, and was ready to get started on a new task for the day -- pickled beets. I purchased a bunch of red and golden beets over the weekend to make a salad for dinner sometime this week. However, as I was roasting the beets I remembered how much Jesse likes pickled veggies as a snack or over greens. My Mom used to pickle beets quite a bit; she'd just leave a giant bowl in the fridge that we would pick from here and there. So, I thought I'd give it a try. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out (I think the golden ones are particularly beautiful). Unfortunately, they're supposed to sit in the refrigerator for at least three days, so I'll have to try and restrain myself until then.

My true goal for the day though, was to break my streak of not-so-interesting food. I walked over to Whole Foods and picked up some fish and fresh veggies. I initially planned on having baked fish with lima beans and greens, but the limas weren't anywhere near ready by dinner time. So, plan B was to whip up something else delicious. Since I had a nice bunch of parsley and cilantro, we settled on fish tacos with a chimichurri sauce (I know, I know, dinner involved corn tortillas, but this meal was infinitely more sophisticated than my fare earlier in the week). In addition to the fish, we stuffed our tacos with a cabbage slaw, pan seared potatoes and onions, fresh tomatoes, and doused it with the incredible green sauce.

Today was a good day.

Trial and Error

On the exercise front, I went out for my first 1.5-mile-run yesterday afternoon. I made it through the first mile and felt like I might hurl (I stupidly chose a route that has a pretty significant hill). As I was hunched over, concentrating on not losing my lunch, I decided to adjust my 8-week schedule to include one extra week (this week). Instead of attempting 1.5 miles this week, I'll cut it down to just one. Then next week, I will start up with the original routine. I'm not discouraged, in fact today is my rest/walk day and I plan on going for a stroll this afternoon after a snack.

After my run, I got right to work on cutting out pieces for my first attempt at making cute summer clothes. Cutting out the pieces is the easy part, but even that was a bit challenging -- I was pretty sure the pattern maker was on crack when laying out the placement diagram. I had to improvise a bit, but luckily it worked out just fine. This morning I made a stiff cup of coffee and got right to work on sewing.

Almost immediately, I was happy that I decided to make the shirt out of muslin first. Once I pieced together the front and back, I realized that I was going to have to make some major alterations. I had to cut the pattern one size larger than I needed to accommodate my bust line, which meant that I had to take in seams in other places. Also, I'm a lot shorter from my shoulder to my bust line than the pattern called for, so I had to take up the slack accordingly. I usually have this very same problem when I buy clothes off the rack -- I need a hybrid between petite and regular sizes.

Overall, I'm pretty excited about the outcome. Of course it's hard to tell on the dummy, but it really does fit very well. I'm glad I survived all of the altering and ripping out (lots) of seams. It makes me a little sad that my next step will be to take the whole thing apart so I can use the altered muslin as pattern pieces for the real thing. However, the uncomfortable afternoon spent wrapped up like a duct tape sausage has already paid off. I can't wait to get started on one of the dress patterns!

Inspired

I talked with my friend Lauren on the phone last night and we managed to gab about what's going on in our lives for over two hours! It's really hard having a best friend that is 2,000 miles away. It took us a whole week of phone tag to finally hear each others voices, and believe me, I needed a good chat. We got on the subject of exercise and she was telling me about how she started training for a road race in a few weeks. Feeling inspired by her accomplishments, I decided to check out a training schedule online that she suggested. It seems very reasonable. I wonder why I haven't tried this before? Ladies and gentlemen, I will begin training for a hypothetical 5K today. I really have no desire to run in a race, but need some kind of structure to get my butt on a regular exercise routine again.

According to the schedule, Monday was a rest/walk day -- believe me, I relaxed to the fullest extent possible. After running a few errands, I ended up at the fabric store again on the hunt for a cute dress pattern to try out on my dummy (Erin 2.0). I ended up browsing through pattern catalogs for almost an hour and then spent another hour drooling over all of the fabric choices.

I forced my inner prudence to take over and decided that it would be best to just buy a few yards of muslin and play around with fitting before diving right into the fancy stuff. I started out with pretty basic dress patterns (along with a simple blouse) and am hoping that after a few tries I will be able to do more complex designs. Maybe I'll get all Project Runway on your asses and yell Fierce! at the top of my lungs when I wake up in the mornings. Or, a more reasonable option would involve me becoming accomplished enough to alter some of the basic patterns to include things like cute keyhole backs, or an extra tuck here and there for fun. I feel that the more I try the more I learn.

So, today I will run 1.5 miles (hopefully) without dying and will conquer pattern piecing. I also think I'm going to make a cover for Erin 2.0, because I have a feeling that the duct tape will start to get sticky if I continue to pull clothes off and on her over and over.

*** Noon Update ***

I just got a call to let me know that the architectural firm was selected for an interview for that survey project! YAY! Now I'm really going to have to get out on that run to burn off the excitement.

A Productive Weekend Indeed

Friday morning wasn't great, but the day got a lot better after I left the house. I grabbed lunch at a local noodles place and read my book for over an hour in the sun. The book, American Wife, was recommended by my good friend Lauren. The story loosely follows a certain former Republican First Lady and her bumbling husband with a fondness for booze and hatred of the press. I am hoping this book proves to be a juicy bit of fiction that I will sail through (before the May 1st due date) in order to resuscitate our somewhat failed experiment -- The Cross-State-Lines Book Club for Slackers. I take the slacker part very seriously (and haven't actually finished or discussed a book on our list yet). I feel though, that this is the one.

Reading alone with my noodles was refreshing and reinvigorating. I was going to take the streetcar home, but decided instead to walk because it was such a nice day. On my way home, I stopped in at the hardware store and picked up two rolls of duct tape (for my awesome project), two flower pots and a package each of basil and cilantro seeds. However, I forgot to get potting soil, so the seeds will have to wait until I run errands later this afternoon.

Saturday morning, I prepped Jesse on his duties as a husband (meaning that he would have to spend the better part of the late morning wrapping my torso in duct tape) and instructed him to hand over two of his old T-shirts. I have to admit, it was a lot more uncomfortable than I imagined and by the time he cut me out of my silver body cast I was ready to jump out of my skin. However, the dress form turned out really well. I had Jesse take photos to document the process, but they're just too weird to share with the world. Right now, only the shoulders and bust are stuffed because I ran out of filling. I'll have to stop by the fabric store today to pick up a few more supplies. Just for fun, I tried on a dress that I already own for size and it's a perfect fit! I think I'll pick up a few yards of muslin and experiment with a couple of cute spring dress patterns this week while Jesse is out of town. I might have my own Anthropologie inspired wardrobe this summer after all.

And of course, it wouldn't be a productive weekend without a cooking project or two. For our (very relaxed) Easter dinner, I made Martha Stewart's Perfect Macaroni and Cheese, but added my own little twist. Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite side dishes, but so are collard greens. So, I halved the recipe, and added a ton of sauteed mushrooms and collards before baking. The spicy greens were a nice touch. I imagine you could do this with whatever vegetables you have on hand. Just remember to saute or roast the veggies until all of the liquid is cooked off -- you don't want a watery mess when you pull it out of the oven!

Today, I am dropping Jesse off at the airport again. He'll be in D.C. for a couple of nights for a work project. I think he is sad that he's going miss dinner at home tomorrow and won't get to enjoy the leftovers. Maybe I'll save him a serving or two. Maybe.

Mental Health Day

Today started off on a bad note around 5:30am when I woke up to sirens and whir of speeding police cars. I'm not sure where they were going, but they were getting there at lightning speed. I then woke up to Jesse's clock alarm at 6:00am. Usually, this is something that I recover from relatively quickly. Rolling over and zonking out is not usually a problem for me. However, the garbage/recycling truck came by to empty the dumpster promptly at 6:30am and then the street cleaning crew showed up around 45 minutes after that.

I was happy to get up and get my morning coffee (that Jesse thoughtfully prepared and placed in the refrigerator for me) and just chill for a few minutes before facing the world. Then, around 9am, my neighbor (that I have grown to hate more and more lately) started playing his 1990s punk music at full volume and continued to do so until just a few minutes ago. I have talked to him twice about it (after 11pm) when we were either trying to sleep or watching a movie and could hear our walls pounding over a full-volume action flick. He always says he's sorry -- and I do think that he is -- but then I think he forgets and starts up again a couple of weeks after each encounter. I'd give him a pass, chalking it up to him being a stupid, oafish guy, but he's a doctor for god's sake. It's not rocket science (or brain surgery in this case). Turn the volume knob to the left butthead!

I've made the executive decision that I should probably just get out of the house for the afternoon, so I'm off to the library to pick up a couple of books on hold. I will then take myself to a cafe for a second cup of coffee and have an early lunch to try and recover from this morning's activities. I think I will also stop by the hardware store to pick up a couple of rolls of duct tape. No, not to use on my neighbor (although the thought did cross my mind this morning). My Mom alerted me to an awesome project that I want to try this weekend. With a little coaxing, Jesse agreed to be my assistant. I'll have an awesome spring/summer wardrobe in no time!

Indulgence

Jesse and I were exercise buddies yesterday. We don't exercise together, just serve as motivation to get our butts out the door (then we go our separate ways). I am trying to get back into running, since I really have no excuse with all of this free time, but also because I need to feel productive and scheduling activities is the first step. I only ran for about a mile and a half, but walked for another three miles. It was a gorgeous day, so why not? When I got back home, I was pooped (and starving).

We ordered takeout from a local restaurant, because I have been craving Pad Thai for days. It was delicious and hit that empty noodle spot in my soul. Feeling sated after dinner, I sat down to work on a sewing project and realized that my eyes felt like lead at 6:30 in the evening. All I wanted to do was take a nap. Instead of giving in to the exhaustion/food coma, I decided to take a trip to the Fabric Depot. Nothing like (what feels like) an acre of fabric to revive the soul. I spent two hours perusing the rows for just the right fabric to complete one of my quilting projects. Everything in the store was discounted 20%, so I also picked up two jumbo spools of thread. I'm all set to go! It was hard not to go wild and buy tons of fabric for future projects, but I did get a few ideas for what might come next.

While looking for just the right fabric, I stumbled on the pattern books and spent about an hour checking out what's new for spring and summer. I was pleasantly surprised to find multiple patterns that were really cute. This morning I pulled out a couple of books that I've had for a while to study up on how to fit a pattern and measure myself properly. I admit, the covers of the books are hideous, but there's a lot of great information inside on how to make clothing patterns fit well (so they don't look homemade). I've had my eye on a few cute summer dresses at Anthropologie, but have a hard time stomaching the $170-260 price tag for a basic cotton shift. The thought of making something that I'll actually wear is pretty cool, but the process seems a little daunting. I have to admit that without a dress form, it's going to be a little difficult. However, if I can conquer curve piecing in quilting then I can certainly manage darts and princess seams! Maybe I'll try to enlist Jesse to help with the fitting.

I do have a wedding coming up at the end of May. (Wheels in head turning.)

Monday Outing

Yesterday, I spent a good part of the early afternoon indoors doing laundry (I was running severely low on underwear supply), but the payoff was a walk down to the waterfront to see the cherry trees in bloom. The weather was perfect; 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. J called me on his way out of the office and met me near the Steel Bridge, where we parked his bike and took a nice walk in the sun. When I pulled out my camera to capture him riding in his work outfit, he said, "oh god, are you going to blog about this?" I promptly told him "yes" and that he better look cute. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Portland. Jesse is just one of hundreds who ride to and from the office in their work outfits.

For a minute, it was hard to tell whether I was walking along the Willamette River, or along the Tidal Basin in D.C. Of course, the show is not nearly as spectacular as the Jefferson Memorial framed by pink puffs, but it was pretty great. After our stroll along the rows of cherry trees, we had to haul home to make the tip off of the final NCAA basketball game -- UNC vs. Michigan State. I really didn't want to fill out a bracket this year, but J (and his brother, E) goaded me into submission.

I spent a few hours one night reading about the teams and made a couple of risky selections that eventually paid off -- Villanova beating Pittsburgh in a nail-biter of a game and Michigan State edging out Louisville. I am happy to report that I won this year's bracket and E's girlfriend, Lea came in second place. The ladies dominated. Sweet.

Anyway, we closely watched the game clutching bowls of homemade salmon and leek chowder that I whipped up. The inspiration for chowder on such a warm day? Well, I had a few leeks leftover from our trip to the farmers market and have had salmon on the brain ever since we went out to breakfast with J's parents at Kenny and Zukes. Besides, it was published in the April edition of Bon Appetit (1995), so I knew it couldn't be too heavy. And it wasn't. It's made with milk and only a touch of cream, so it's more silky than creamy. Definitely worth four forks! I made a few changes here and there, like adding corn, reducing the cream, adding a bit of Parmesan, and subbing equal parts wine, chicken stock and clam juice. I also think I might add a clove or two of garlic next time. However, other than that, the recipe was spot on.

Oh, also, I finally captured the elusive "La Pussy Wagon" on camera. We enjoyed a good chuckle with J's parents over breakfast one morning when we spotted it for the first time on Irving Street. Yesterday, it was parked under our window and the sun was just right! Ahh. It's watching you!

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Gorgeous doesn't even begin to describe the weather today (and all weekend for that matter). The sun is shining, the air is crisp, and I even heard birds chirping. We finally made it out to the farmers market down near Portland State University. The only complaint was that I forgot gloves and my hands nearly froze during the bike ride there and back -- I think it was only about 40 degrees Saturday morning. I was so excited to walk around and look at all of the beautiful fruits and vegetables. Also, the bakeries! There were at least five people selling baked goods, ranging from decadently sweet to savory. I went the savory route and split with Jesse a bacon leek tart (on right) and a broccoli ham puff. They were delicious!

The leeks were particularly nice, so we picked up a bunch, along with some potatoes and made a nice soup for dinner last night. Also, we purchased a variety of carrots and also sampled a few varieties of sheep's milk cheese -- this was our favorite. It's aged a little longer, so it's more crumbly than creamy. I can't wait to try it out this week, perhaps with a glass of Oregon Pino Gris.

I also went running on Sunday (something that I haven't done in a very, very long time). I jogged along the waterfront downtown and all of the cherry trees were blooming and everyone was out lounging in the sun. I wish that I had my camera to take a photo, but not to worry, Jesse and I are going to meet down there after work and enjoy the afternoon! I'll post more photos of the glorious afternoon tomorrow.

Looks like Summer

After writing about planting herbs in the apartment yesterday, I looked in the fridge and realized that I had a whole bunch of basil leftover from this past weekend. The sun was shining and as I was walking around the apartment in a tank top and flip flops, I felt like a picnic. Voila! Inspiration for dinner.

Since Jesse was at work all day yesterday, I thought it would be nice to surprise him by (doing dishes) and cooking a delicious Friday celebration meal. We both made it through the week feeling relatively upbeat, which these days, is quite the feat. Given the abundance of basil, pesto pasta was definitely on the menu. Paired with oven fried chicken and (clean out the fridge) roasted vegetables, you have the perfect summer meal. I realize that we just entered Spring, but I was feeling optimistic. Jesse pulled out a bottle of Belgian beer for the occasion; a Lunatique Triple. It was the perfect end to a pretty great day.

Today, we're hopping on our bikes and finally going out to the farmers market in SW Portland. I have every intention of getting some delicious veggies for the week, maybe a specialty cheese, and definitely a pastry or two to carry me through the ride home. In case you want to make your own batch of oven fried chicken here's the recipe that I used:

Spicy Oven Fried Chicken
**don't be scared, the chicken isn't really spicy at all, go ahead and use all of the hot sauce and cayenne***

1 1/4 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. olive oil
3T. hot sauce (I used a combo of Sriracha and Tabasco Chipotle)
2T Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. salt
ground black pepper
1 lg. onion, sliced
12 chicken pieces with skin and bones (I used drum sticks)

1c. unseasoned bread crumbs
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. flour
2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne
3T. melted butter

Whisk buttermilk, oil, hot pepper sauce, mustard, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon
pepper in large bowl to blend well. Add onion, then chicken and turn to coat. Cover; chill at
least 3 hours or up to 1 day, turning chicken occasionally.

Place cooling racks on 2 large rimmed baking sheets (otherwise the chicken will be soggy on the bottom). Whisk breadcrumbs, cheese, flour, thyme, paprika, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt in large baking dish to blend. Remove chicken from marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Add chicken to breadcrumb mixture and turn to coat completely. Arrange chicken, skin side up, on racks on baking sheets. Let stand 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Drizzle butter over chicken. Bake until crisp, golden and cooked through, about 50-55 minutes. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Dude! You Got a Piece of Junk!

I keep seeing that Dell guy's vacant stare and hearing him yell at teenagers on the television screen, "Dude! You Got a Dell!" As I was de-fragmenting my hard drive yesterday and hating life because my laptop sucks, I wondered whatever happened to the Dell dude? I have to admit I felt a bit of satisfaction when I found that he got arrested for buying pot and Dell dropped him from the campaign. (As as side note, what was Dell thinking? Buying pot only gave him street cred. I mean, they did hire a total stoner to sell laptops to prospective college students). Anyway, he's now a bartender/waiter somewhere in NY.

To get to the point, my 2-year-old Dell is a total piece of crap. The only reason that it hasn't flown out the window this week is that I'd much rather pay rent than buy a new laptop in April. So, we're stuck with each other for a little while longer. As of April 1st, it's missing three keys and the left click button is worn and not very clickable anymore. Also, it crashes whenever I try to use the control panel. I've learned to deal with Vista's setup (I can finally find things once they are buried in the "user friendly" configurations). However, I can't get over the fact that my 4 year old laptop actually performed better -- even when it was dying.

I had a good chuckle yesterday when Jesse read me an article about how the Texas State government just made a provision in one of it's laws that bans any state agency from buying Vista. It's nice that they can choose -- I was strong-armed into having it loaded with my new computer. "Vista or nothing," said the Dell customer service guy when I called to ask for XP instead. I wonder how much kickback they got from Microsoft for pushing the shitty product? Maybe I'll ask that when I write a letter this week to Steve Ballmer. I'm going to request a complimentary copy of the new operating system when it's released. Fat chance, I know, but I feel that I should ask anyway. Call it a "retention bonus," because they're about to lose a lifelong PC user. (Yes, I said it, my next laptop will likely be a Mac.) I just can't take it anymore.

To end on a more positive note, I did disable a lot of features that make the Vista system unique and the Dell and I are getting along much better today. Also, I got a our first house plant! I think this is the longest I've gone without having any flowers or foliage around. I guess I still don't feel like this is our permanent place and haven't made a huge effort to make it feel like more of a home. However, it was so gloomy the other day that I felt we needed a little sunshine. I'm thinking of planting a few herbs next -- Jesse does love a nice summer pesto.

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.

Books on My (Virtual) Nightstand

My side of the bed doesn't have much room for anything but air, so by nightstand I mean just about any horizontal surface (or purse) in the apartment.

After reading In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan, I decided to go back and read its predecessor, The Omnivore's Dilemma. I'm only about 90 pages in, but already it's been an eye opener. I'm learning now about how corn-fed cattle fatten insanely fast and are ready for slaughter in 14-16 months (as compared to 5-6 years for their grass-fed brethren). However, cows are meant to eat grass, so corn makes them sick, which necessitates antibiotics. Also, the cows don't get sufficient nutrients from corn are fed a whole host of vitamins and supplements, including other cows' fat. Gross. We are forcing our meat supply to eat themselves and others (like chicken waste and feed). We picked up burgers from our local fast food chain, Burgerville last night (a chain that buys only local ingredients of the highest standard). It felt good knowing that the burger I devoured came from a cow in Oregon that was grass-fed and fattened on hay and grain. It never had to be treated with antibiotics and was never forced to eat another cow. Granted, it's still fast food, but I can feel a little better about indulging now and again.

Moving on from food, Witold Rybczynski's Last Harvest is filling a void in me that would normally be consumed by work (preservation, architecture and planning). Like many of Rybczynski's other books, he meanders through the history of America's residential architecture and neighborhoods in a way that is very accessible. I took Jesse to a lecture that he gave at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. a few years ago. It was fascinating, even for Jesse who has never studied architecture or planning. In the Last Harvest, Rybczynski covers the progression of real estate development from pretty early on in America's history right through a fairly recent project just outside of Philadelphia. Really, I think you should pick up this book at your local library. I am always satisfied by Rybczynski's insights on the home and neighborhoods -- clearly he's thought about this stuff for quite a while. Even though I'm only about 100 pages into the book, he has already softened (although not changed completely) my somewhat strong opinions against "neotraditional" planning (ie. New Urbanism and all of their Disneyesque incarnations). I guess if I can get past the aesthetics, the underlying concept is really quite good.

I also pulled a book off of my shelf that I haven't looked at in a while. True Urbanism: Living in and Near the Center. I received this book as a gift from Jesse's parents for Christmas a couple of years ago. I read selected essays that appealed to me, but now, I'm going back and reading it cover to cover. A lot of the principles covered in the book are in line with Jane Jacobs (one of my favorite authors on urban planning) and also really emphasize the reasons we moved to Portland. Not surprisingly, each essay highlights cities that were at the top of our list for ideal places to live -- Minneapolis, Chicago, Portland, and San Francisco. Portland is included as a case study city for "True Urbanism" and made me love the city even more. Everyday, I find new reasons why I think that I will be truly happy here. It may not be your ideal place to live, but I'm quickly learning that it is the perfect place for me.

This third book isn't yet in my hands, but I think it will be a new addition pretty soon. I need to round out the non-fiction on my virtual nightstand. Apparently, Seth Grahame-Smith has taken Pride and Prejudice and skillfully spliced in words and phrases that set the Bennet girls in the middle of a plague involving the living dead. I heard the author on NPR reading a few excerpts and thought it was brilliant. At first, I dismissed the idea of turning a Jane Austen novel into a story about the living dead, but the more I thought about it (and discussed the premise with Jesse), the more I wanted to dive into the plot. We remake movies based on Jane Austen novels all the time, Clueless is a pretty good (or particularly bad) example. Artists are constantly remaking songs, so why not remake a novel? According to a few reviews that I have read, the book still reads very much like the original classic, just with a twist of brain eaters.