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Saturday, June 27, 2009

swing seats and cello babes

Happy Birthday to Karen (a day late) and Happy Birthday to Robin (a day early).

Had a successful sleep in. Had a successful hash brown and egg breakfast courtesy of Gabe. Had a successful finish up of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 3. And now I am in a state of, "OH MY GOD HOW AM I GOING TO GET 4-6 AS WELL AS ANGEL!!". Hulu ran out. Curses Hulu!

The day eased along in a comfortable way. Natalie, Robin and this other guy have this band that Natalie is fronting called Issimi. So I went to support them. It was chillier than I expected but biking gets you warm in no time. Went down across Hawthorne. It was nice. No traffic. Had to do a multiple light turn around to get to 18th. I had to do the legal U turn because there was no way to get to 18th (the venue is on 18th and Burnside) by turning left on a bike. Then 18th vanished for a couple blocks because of houses so I have to cut up to 20th. And again I go down to 18th only to find that Hipbone Studios is on the other side of Burnside. So again I have to cut up to 20th. I arrived and they were setting up so I checked out the little musty comic shop.

Robin hugged me. Natalie hugged me. They said they were not going on till 10 and at 8:15 the first act wasn't even set up. I sat near some guys and one of them brought up Derren Brown. So I cut in politely and said a coupled things but the guys just yammered about Derren Brown right over me. Didn't pay attention to me at all. Total diss! What gives, totally not seeing that a girl wants to talk to you about something you are interested in. Oh well. I didn't need them anyway as some of MY MUCH COOLER THAN THEN friends showed up. Michaela & Dominic arrived and we chatted about summer goings on. Kevin joined us and we all went across the street to grab a couple drinks while waiting for Issimi to come on.

Michaela directed us to the backporch smoking section which was totally rad. The chairs were swings attached to the roof structure. Very fun. The tables were wisely padded underneath. I had a single pint of the Lazy Boy Ale. Mostly because I only had $4 on me. It was tasty. Not a chore at all to drink. Kevin had the same and I didn't catch what Michaela and Dom got. Wait no, Dom got the... oh I forgot it again but we made fun of the title as being a bad one for beer. We swung and talked and caught up. It was nice. Atmosphere was lovely.

At 9:45 we departed back to the venue. Carrie and Alex were there. Devin and Brandon I saw later. There was a core of PNCA people. We had our cool little section. Much larger than the guys who totally ignored me. Their section was TINY! Ha! Anyway. Oh! The Improviser! That was Dom's beer. Finally remembered it. Anyway, Issimi was a while yet in getting set up. We chatted. Kevin put on my glasses.

Issimi was lovely, the few songs they played. The first was just the cello and the piano. Then a song with the drums and vocals. Natalie has a really beautiful voice and a good sense for composition. Robin rocked it. It was loud but clear. There was some shuffling while Natalie got set up for just some guitar and vocal pieces. Then some more shuffling after that as she tuned her guitar. Robin stalled with some cello numbers. She called upon yours truly to tell a joke. I told my one about how many performance artists does it take to screw in a lightbulb. Nathalie played another beautiful medly about breaking up and all that. Then there were two songs with the trio.

Robin was selling band posters but I had nothing to buy them with. But I think there were enough left than I can wait a couple days. I hugged the necessary people and waved good by to others. At 11:06 I rode back through night Portland. I had my blinker so all was good. Cars could see me. There was some construction I had to double back on. I smiled and dinged my bell at the night time construction dude. He smiled back. See SOME people get it. Feh.

Adam was chilling when I got back. No Gabe. Gabe is off doing something. Katie was there as well. Adam didn't just get in by himself. We three stayed up for a bit and talked about weak conceptual art. Deep stuff like that. Adam left after while and then it was time to rest.

Wonderful fun evening. The rest of this weekend is looking fun. I'll be living it up with Katie these two nights. Going to Sinferno, this burlesque show on Sunday night. Should be...an experience.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

a bust

Rose up at the correct time. Got out of the door early. The red was there but I needed to take the Blue but no worry as I was on time for the Blue. Read Another Roadside Attraction while going out to 102nd.

And there it began. I heard that we were to meet at 102nd and Halsey, the Max stop that is. Rustin said it was one stop after 82nd. He may have mentioned something about Gateway but I remember hearing the 102nd stop pretty specifically. So what do you decide? Do you get off at the stop that is one after 82nd or get off at the stop you think was mentioned?

I got off on the one that was mentioned because it seemed so specific. Stops can easily be forgotten. Lloyd may be the fourth or fifth stop after you cross over the river but I couldn't say for sure.

I was there early so I waited. Then it became 15 after. I called at 20 after and left a message. I called again at 30 after and didn't leave a message. After I boarded the Blue headed west again and passed by Gateway, I called to say I was headed home. This was at about 12:50. We were to meet at noon. I did get some serious reading done.

I got off at the last stop in fareless square on the other side and went to Yamhill Liquor to get Katie a quick present for her birthday. I don't know what she would like to read so I didn't want to browse Powell's. Candy is so low class. Figured I would get her something a little nicer than PBR. I'll make her a card as well. The clerk was really nice and pointed me to a bottle of Bulleit bourbon that was marked down almost suspiciously low. It had a nice enough packaging design so I got it. And the fact that I am blogging about it only indicates that I couldn't resist and gave it to her to open it already. Katie loved it. Gave me big hugs. It is now resting in a "for special occasions" spot. We toasted to ourselves.

Jason took me out to the Leaky Pub or Leaky Roof. Yeah, Leaky Roof. It is a little Irish "gastro pub" a few blocks from Goose Hollow. It was happy hour so I got a $3 burger and a Cosmopolitan. He had this salad with sliced apple and pear and chocolate. It looked delicious and my burger was quite good. Jason got a new job downtown. He has switched from traffic something to font configuration something. After the meal we wandered around the houses in the area. Walked up some very tall steps. It was nice. Refreshing. Today wasn't all that warm though.

And I heard back about today's internship snafu. He was at the Gateway Transit Center. Waited about as long as I did. The number of his I seem to have is not the good number but he also has my number(which is my only one) so that is not both ways excuse. Darn shame about that. Looking forward to a bit of adventure. Not a good way to start things out. I guess I should be forward and tell everyone I meet that I need good, specific instructions or I will get misplaced.

it is much fun to eat like a caveman

Today was beautiful but it edged into too hot. Took a heat nap. Adam stopped by to say a quick hello.

Gabe was gone for most of the day working at an estate sale. He came back with a juicy steak for us and later made chicken wings!

So hot. I kept hydrated. Drank juice. Ate Raisin Bran. I'm going to try and get some decent sleep tonight. Big day tomorrow.

Oh yeah, watched more Buffy. I'll be done soon with that so eventually I will be productive.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

the hummus was quite good

Absolutely beautiful today. Warm, sunny. Perfect for sitting back and watching Buffy and taking a little grocery walk with Katie. A wonderful day. Those little tiny clouds were in the sky and it was blue as can be.

Yesterday there was a black plume of smoke that looked to be coming from North East Portland. It was only a plume that faded, probably an explosion and not a fire. It was dark. Haven't heard anything about it. A person with a bow and arrows also tried to jump off the bridge on Sunday. They were talked down.

Learned a new word: gloaming.

Picked up munchings from Safeway after a little long nap. Walked with Katie because it was a nice day and it was time for a walk. The self packing was a hassle because I had to press "skip bagging" after every item. There needs to be a "I brought my own bag" options programmed in to those things.

I'm nearing the end of what Hulu has to offer in terms of Buffy. The episodes are lagging a little without the overall arc. I want more Spike.

Hmm, what am I forgetting to mention? Oh yeah, my interview with Rustin!

But first, I had to run some errands at school. As I was locking up my bike, Matt went Boo! and scared me. You shouldn't do that to tense people! Okay he didn't know I was stressing so I can't fault him. This time at least. My woodblock stuff that I had forgotten about was still there. Not cleaned out! Hurrah! Checked out some DVDs. Went to the computer lab and printed some stuff for my portfolio. It isn't the best looking thing but it is at least a portfolio. I left at about 11:20 from the school for the noon meeting at Black and Red Cafe (or was it Red and Black?). Good thing because the pedestrian path on the Morrison Bridge was closed and nonmotorized vehicles are forbidden. Had to ride further down and cross the Hawthorne Bridge. I was still about 10 minutes early but was far more sweaty and winded than I would have liked.

The Cafe was a vegan place. It didn't even need a sign and I could have guessed it was vegan by the clientele. I really stood out and I don't quite get why. I wasn't in leather. I just was in clean jeans and a stripey teeshirt from Gap. I get how being vegan sometimes extends to what they wear but the styles of dress between the workers and wifi users who left their dog outside for well over an hour with no water bowl, and myself were very different. Anyway, I ordered a hummus and chip plate with an italian soda and waited for Rustin.

He was on time, always a good sign. For an hour we chatted about art and the like. He talked mostly. About projects and public art and printing and experimentation and all that. Asked the "what I want to get out of this" question. I shared my chip plate and he bought one for himself and shared that. I was confused by some of his wording. Well, a lot of it. I suspect it is something I will have to get used it. Right now it looks like it is a very informal internship. Once it gets more established, I'll talk to Andy at school and see how I could get credit for it. Rustin and I are meeting at Noon on Thursday and I am going to help with some public art project. Sounds cool. For sure I will get to see more of Portland. It is a big big world out there. Oh and he likes Firefly and has read Hitchhiker's Guide and said he was afraid to ask if it was my real name. Heh. So there is that! That is working for me.

Katie and I are going to a little show on Sunday. Robin has a music thing on Friday. My schedule is filling up (for the week).

It was hot riding back but oh well. A nap was my reward. And Gabe made me a perfect dinner! Mini penne pasta with a chicken tomato sauce that had just a nice little amount of spice that enabled me to pace myself and enjoy it all with a cool glass of milk. It was really lovely. Getting back into the swing of the Portland diet.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

kept women

So yeah, back to square one with housing. The lease is up at the end of July. Now I have to think about that. Damn.

Contacted Rustin to inform him that I am back in Portland. Tomorrow we will be having a little coffee or whatever and talking about the internship. Sadly it is on the other side of the river (the location). Gotta get up and get to school and sort and print some things out first. I think if I leave by 10 I should be fine. The stuff at school shouldn't take more than an hour so that is leaving another for getting over to 13th and Stark. Exciting! I hope I can get started right away. He seemed like a nice fella.

Watched Buffy. It loads pretty well (during the summer at least). Not enjoying the third as much as the second. Second season was pretty much awesome throughout.

Did I mention my grades? A in illustration. A in digital illustration. A in math. A+ in graphic novel. A- in screenprinting. Cumulative GPA: 3.87. I'm on the Dean's List.

Katie and Gabe were making a little outing to The Dig and Mike's Drive In. I was invited along. Gabe treated us to the lunch. Deluxe burgers all around! Fried egg, bacon, patty, sauce, and milkshakes! Delicious. I knocked down a huge portion of it but I still had to get a bag. We were parading around in our sweet shades.

The Dig is a place that has $1-$6 everything. Sure, it does not beat some of the sweet thrifting Karen talks about but it has a better potential for finds because it doesn't seem to have been mined over by Hawthorne Hipsters. Found a pair of navy high waisted shorts and a brown corduroy snap button shirt that fits really well. Pretty good. Shorts for when I regain my biking legs.

Jen didn't want to see Hangover a third time, so I went with Katie and Gabe. We got some snacks on the way and walked down to Pioneer Place. There were perfect seats. Not too far, not too close.

The Hangover had really beautiful cinematography. It was really well crafted and varied. It had a real style that set it apart from being a standard comedy. I had a lot of fun. The laughs have a good pace. It isn't trying to be one after another. The actors are great. I had a lot of fun. It isn't for everyone but it does its kind of comedy right.

We Maxed it back. I watched Buffy. Drank tea. Trying to relax. Take it easy in the morning. Get all cleaned up and ready to be presentable for the meeting.

Monday, June 22, 2009

escape from the rain

On the train again. Writing now so I don’t have to do it late at night again.

Stayed up late with Buffy. Got up and started my day with Buffy. An episode before I showered and another one after it. It is very exciting and riveting. Now Spike has been revealed to be able to walk. Now he is going to open a can of whoopass on Angel. It is a little bit of a buzzkill knowing that Angel survives to have his miniseries and Spike somehow joins the side of neutral. But now it will be fun to see how.

Dad made me scrambled egg with cheese and toast. Delicious. Had a cup of tea to go along with it. Packed everything away. Clothes, books, knitting. It all fit neat and tidy. And all my clothes are clean so I won’t have to deal with that for a while. Right now I don’t think I left anything behind. Got my toothbrush, my face goop, my art supplies.

As we left the clouds unleashed their bladders upon us with a wrath like they had just been holding it through the entirety of Return of the King. An inch at least. The streets were nearing almost the possibility of flooding. The clouds cracked with lightning and it came down more and more. We outran the clouds as we got to Tacoma. We pulled in next to the Lobster Shack and set up a picnic. Mom, Pop, Nate, Rubie, and myself. Fruits and cupcakes and Martinelli’s and spargle (not sparga as I think I previously wrote). We nibbled for an hour then we left all too early for the train station.

I got some guff from the guy behind the counter. This was the first time my AAA card had ever been asked for and it was found out to be expired. I am not supposed to get the discount with an expired card but he didn’t ask for the full amount and he still took my bag. He was grumpy. I had never been asked for the card before. Now I know to only check bags when it is a rush.

We sat in the warmth of the Prius, all five of us, while waiting for the train to roll in. The rain came first. Mom filled my purse with snacks. At 2:50 we went into the station. The tardy Northbound was just a couple minutes before the Southbound so we had to wait for that one to pass. Hugs were exchanged. I grabbed a window seat near to a power outlet. It is one of those foursey ones. I was too lazy to elbow my way past someone. It is a full train but I don’t have a neighbor…yet.

There is a little girl with her mother in the seats across from me. The little girls name is Katherine. We spent a few minutes exchanging looks. She gave me a very quizzical one. The sort of, “Why are you puffing your cheeks at me?” look.

*****

Home now with Katie and Gabe and Adam. Got home before the other people so I chilled. Unpacked. Katie came home and we hugged and jumped up and down. I had some rice and we caught up on gossip and things. Gabe came home and started a chicken. He had some goodies from this estate sale for us. Lovely wonderful perfect rose colored sunglasses for Trillian! And a bracelet. My big bowl from daddy has a friend. A friend it doesn't like. This African carved animal looking bowl. Carved more from one chunk with a couple legs attached. Mine is lightweight.

Adam came over. We talked glass and summer all that. Found out Phil and Andy got a house together. Uh oh. We popped open wine and we all relaxed. Got giddy and silly and chatty, exchanging "I told a humiliating story, you tell one now" tales. We stayed up very late and now I'm finishing up an episode of Buffy. It is buffering all right on this internet I just have to wait for it.