warning: the following contains complete randomness that may actually bore you to tears

Three totally separate and random anecdotes...

1) I'll be the first to admit that my dreams often make absolutely no sense, but last night's took the cake. I won't go into full detail, because I don't even think I can piece it all together, but here's the gist...Cast: Me, Tim, Kirsten, and my crazy seventh grade math teacher Mr. Dillion. Supporting Cast: dozens of puppies, kittens, and guinea pigs. Part one took place in a location much resembling a human sized version of Hobbiton from Lord of the Rings. Mr. Dillion had to park his Jeep on top of the garage because the garage was actually a makeshift barn where he kept all the puppies, kittens, and guinea pigs. We all had to leap from the roof of the garage to the ground bellow. When I lept I fell and broke my arm. Off to part two: Somehow I ended up in a castle, I'm assuming Buckingham Palace in England with one of the kittens from Mr. Dillion's garage/barn. I was trying to escape with the kitten. I ended up in a giant pink room with two armed guards (who much resembled the giant cartoon guards; the one's wearing playing card uniforms, from Disney's Alice in Wonderland). They wouldn't let me leave until they were finished carving the giant Christmas turkey. Then I woke up....Huh?

2) I pulled out my much neglected box of unfinished knitting projects today. Since it seems like half my friends are pregnant or have newborns, I figured it was about time I finished the baby booties that I started knitting almost eleven months ago. I'm lame, I know. The best part about this though, is that Tim sat down on the couch next to me and actually offered to help me knit. It was a well intentioned offer, but really didn't last long. There's something about a guy trying to knit pink baby booties that I don't think sat very well with him. Totally priceless though. I can't imagine that this scenario will ever happen again.

3) Tim relayed this story to me a few weeks ago, and I forgot about it until just a moment ago. Now, as a disclaimer, let me say that the man mentioned in the following walked away from this incident mostly unscathed, so I fell completely justified making fun and pointing out the hilarious irony of his situation...Apparently there was a guy, who for what ever reason was very very tired, and was driving home. As you can guess, he fell asleep at the wheel. This could have turned out tragically, as you can imagine, but instead of causing a car accident, he ended up driving his car right through the glass display window into a store front....and not just any store front, a mattress store. Yep, that's right. If this had actually made the news, I would have cut out the headline and mailed it into David Letterman for his "Headlines" segment (or is that Leno?). I can just see it now: "Man falls asleep at wheel and drives car into bed store." There's no way that wouldn't have made the show.

That's all for now. You can now return to your regullarly scheduled programs. :-)

the perfect way to spend an evening when your boyfriend is working graveyard shift

I was determined not to be bored tonight. So what cures boredom? Shopping, cooking, eating, movie watching and blogging.

Since I've been obsessed for some time with Thai food, I decided that it was about time that I learned how to cook something other then my normal canned yellow curry with chicken, carrots and potatoes. So, I layered up (since it's about twenty-five degrees here) and wandered over to Barnes & Noble to peruse the cookbook section. I found Easy Thai Cookbook by Sallie Morris and was delighted to find inside a recipe for my all time favorite Thai soup: Tom Kha Gai; if you've been to Typhoon you should be very familiar with this treat. Now, anyone who's tried to recreate a dish they've had in a restaurant probably knows that disappointment is almost inevitable, unless it's something like spaghetti that you're trying to copycat. So, my hopes weren't very high for this endevor, but regardless I wandered around the corner to the grocery store.

Ingrediants now displayed on my counter top, I delved in. And let me tell you, this tastes just like what you'll get in a restaurant. It was fantastic, and even more fantastic because even with my tempermental cooking skills, I managed to pull this off!!!

If you don't want to go buy the book, here's the recipe:
1 2/3 cups canned coconut milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 inch piece kha, peeled & finely sliced (now, I had never heard of this stuff, so I skipped it and all turned out just fine)
2 red chilies, seeded & sliced (don't seed them in hot water because you'll sneeze like ten times in a row)
1 lemon grass stem, lower 2 1/2 inches sliced
3 lime leaves, torn in pieces
4 TBS fish sauce (this stuff kind of groses me out, and really you only need 3Tbs for this recipe)
2 TBS lemon juice
1 tsp sugar
1 chicken breast (6 oz or so), cut into slivers
cilantro leaves to garnish ( I also used sliced green onions)
--mushrooms-- (not part of this recipe, but I've had it with button mushrooms before)

1) Heat chicken stock with the water, kha, chilies, lemongrass, and torn lime leaves
2) Stir in coconut milk, then add the fish sauce, lemon juice, and sugar. Allow to come to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
3) Bring back to a boil, drop in the chicken slivers a few at a time so that they remain separate. Cook 3-4 minutes until the chicken is cooked
4) Serve garnished with cilantro

YUMMY!!

Next up, the movie: "Priceless" with Audrey Tautou (the girl from "Amelie", one of my favorite movies ever). And yes, it is in french, so you have to be in the mood for subtitles. I've been waiting to watch this movie since Netflix delivered it five days ago. Waiting because I'm too nice of a person to put Tim through what he would consider a mind-numbing chick flick in another language. And, while I've been blogging I've also been watching the previews on the disc and should add that I am now very very excited to add the movie "Paris, Je t'aime" to my Netflix que. The cast seems to be quite good: Steve Buscemi, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Miranda Richardson, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elijah Wood, Emily Moritimer, Rufus Sewell, Natalie Portman, Gerard Depardieu, and Gena Rowlands. Can't be bad with a cast like that.

After the movie I get to finish decorating the christmas tree, and then I'll probably read some more of Toni Morrison's newest book A Mercy, play with Oliver a little bit, and go to sleep. All around, not a bad night.

:)

take a cue from Oliver and make yourself comfortable, grab a cup of coffee while your at it cos this updates long!

For a while there I wasn’t blogging because I simply didn’t have anything interesting to blog about. But, lately I haven’t been blogging because things got very busy there for a while! So, here come the highlights…

• We finally got a couch. It’s a nice couch. One that is a little less nice now because dear little Oliver peed on it two days after we got it. Now, we knew that this might happen, and we thought we had appropriately planned for this possibility. You see, when we purchased said couch we spent an extra $75 to get the stain resistant/waterproof “miracle guard” stuff so that it wouldn’t be a big deal when the inevitable happened. Well, it appears that we wasted $75 because our couch definitely smells like cat urine. I wrote the company an e-mail and told them that their “miracle guard” should really be called “big fat joke.”

• Tim’s mother flew in to town for Tim’s (second) graduation from the Park Police training program. This day also happened to be Tim’s Birthday, so this was all around a pretty busy day.

• And, that brings us to Tim’s (second) graduation. Now, I have no idea why they keep making these guys graduate. Isn’t once enough? He’d already received his diploma and his badge while training in Georgia. Got all dressed up and everything. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since the Feds really do love wasting time and money, but seriously? It was almost three hours long! Though we were treated to a slide show presentation of the rookies in training…the pic of Tim after being tear gassed was particularly amusing. All kidding aside, it was nice to see him in his dress blues and finally done with the longest part of the training.
  

• Next up: Thanksgiving. And for all of you who know that I don’t have the greatest skills in the kitchen, no, I did not cook a turkey. Though I did cook mashed potatoes (special, with cream cheese and sour cream and chives), stuffing, and gravy. It's actually a recipe I got from Sergio and Sherri's family, who we've spent Thanksgiving with every year since 1995 (except this year, of course). We ate with one of Tim’s friends from training and his fiancé, Kirsten, who live in the same apartment complex. This all went great, though I wasn't really prepared for eating dinner at noon. I think I just assumed that we'd be eating later in the afternoon, but it worked out just fine. Though, if I had known we were eating so early I definitely wouldn't have slept in so late, waited so long to shower or go to the store, and I definately would have started cooking sooner. No big deal though, we had a good time :) They're fun to hang out with.
  

• Somewhere in the midst of all of the above, we decided that it would be a good idea to move 36 miles away to Falls Church, Virginia. I could make up some really interesting story about why, like we got evicted or something, but then I’d just be lying. The reason is definitely not interesting at all. Where we were at in Maryland was too far away from absolutely everything, and since I don’t drive that was obviously a problem. If I had tried to get into DC from our apartment it would have taken me two hours one way, two buses, and one metro train. Plus, if I was working in DC, the earliest the system would get me into town was 8:30am, and if I had any plans of making it home at night the latest I would have been able to work would have been 5:30pm. One would have thought that we would have figured this out before moving there, but alas, we did not. Anyway, our new apartment is quite large, actually has a dining area, is three stories up so people aren’t walking right by our windows, is in a secured building, and is one twenty minute train ride to DC. And, there’s a free shuttle to the train station. A good move all around, I think. Though one draw back: It took me, Tim, some random guy who just happened to be walking down the hallway, and about twenty minutes to figure out how to maneuver the couch so that we could actually get it into the apartment (not to mention how long it took to figure out how to get it to fit in the freight elevator).
  

• And, speaking of the Apartment, it just so happens that I have a job interview tomorrow as a Leasing Consultant for this very building. I think it’s pretty ironic actually. We move all the way to Virginia so that my commute into DC would be more manageable, and now my commute might consist of simply walking downstairs in the morning.

• Finally, as of last night, Tim has actually started working in the field. We’ll almost. He’s doing ten weeks of rotations in the five different districts in the Park Police jurisdiction. This first two weeks they’ve thrown him to the lions. He’s working graveyard (6pm to 6am) in the ghetto. Though, I’m sure he’s going to end up with a ton of good stories, many of which I’ll probably end up wishing he just hadn’t told me. Last night was tame though, from what I hear. Though, I did learn that in the DC area there’s a law where you can’t hang stuff from your rearview mirror. I actually think Tim’s pulling my leg on this one, because that’s a totally stupid law, but sometimes I just can’t tell if he’s joking or not. edit: it appears that this was not a joke. It is, in fact, a law.
  

So that’s the last three weeks all wrapped up. Here’s a few tidbits that didn’t warrant there own bullet points: I found Tillamook cheese at Safeway, and Rogue beer at Trader Joes. Both of which are extremely cheap here. Apparently no one on the east coast cares about a fabulous cheese factory or brewery from Portland. Yay! That just means more for me. Also, I’m still thinking I might get to go to the inauguration in January. And better yet, I might also get to go to the National Prayer Breakfast with my Uncle in February. Apparently everyone who’s anyone in politics is there, and I’ll get to eat breakfast with the president (or at least I'll be in the same room).

That’s all for now.

the tie incident.

It's 6:30 AM and I'm already blogging? Here's why. At 5:28 AM Tim comes stomping into the bedroom, flash light in hand because he's trying not to wake me; his mutterings undecipherable. He's already been up for a while and as I glance at the clock I see that he has to leave in something like three minutes to meet the guys to go to work. I'm still refusing to let my brain fully wake up as I try to process the reason behind his need to tear the bedroom apart at this hour. He's looking under the bed, in/on/around the desk, in the closet. Back in the kitchen I can hear him open and close the dryer.

I'm awake enough to know that he obviously can't find something.

He's back in the bedroom, and in that half-annoyed-but-not-really-annoyed-still-half-asleep kind of way I ask him the inevitable "what are you looking for."

"I can't find my tie," at which I don't respond because initially I assume this is a problem he can solve himself. And then - more to himself then to me - "where the hell is it?" and then "watch your eyes." And, before I realize that this latest comment is actually directed at me, and before I can process the need to actually shield my eyes, the bedroom light comes on. Well, I'm awake now.

I ask "is it in the washing machine?"
"No," as he's back in the closet, fully tearing it apart.
"Is it in your bag?"
"No."
"Did you leave it in the car?"
"No, I had it in my hand when I came in the door last night."
"Don't you have another tie?"
"Yah, but I only have one clip."
"Does someone else have another one you can borrow?"
"No."
"And, it's not in your bag?"
"No," at which point I've given up on sleep, and I also know that he's hoping I get up to help, but doesn't actually want to ask me to get up and help, so I get out of bed to help. My initial thought is to check all of the places he's already checked - because, well, I don't really know why, but this just seems logical. So, the first place I check is in his bag.

I walk back to the bedroom. There are now socks strewn all over the place.
"Tim?" He turns around.
"Here." As, I hand him his tie.
"Where was it?"
"It was in your bag."

And so here I am, unable to get back to sleep at an hour that I haven't seen since, well, since I actually had a job, and I'm blogging. And instead of asking all the obvious questions about how his tie could actually be in his bag when he so definitely thought it wasn't, I'm instead asking myself how it's possible the government can issue a person two ties and only one tie clip. How much sense does that make?? They really can't afford two clips? Seriously? Seriously!

Seriously.

Back to bed.

one step forward and three steps back; isn't that how it goes?

I'm not as pessimistic as my title suggests, just a bit disappointed, that's all. Our country did a good thing on November 4th in electing Barak Obama as #44. We did what just 40 years ago wouldn't even have been thought possible. We made a giant sized step in the right direction. But, we've still got a long long way to go, and at the same time, on the same day, we took a few big ole steps backwards too.

As millions accross the world rejoice in this historical election, we have to also look at the states of California, Arizona, and Florida who, as of late last night had approved amendments to their state constitutions to ban same-sex marriage. Proposition 8 in California was approved by 52%, and is a proposition that actually overrides a state Supreme Court rueling that legalized same-sex marriage just six months ago.

So, as a country we're not done jumping hurdles yet, and maybe that's the beauty of it, because I don't doubt that we'll get there. Thanks to what happened on Tuesday, at least now I know that we're capable of it.

it's election day, hurray hurray!

Today I get to be proud that I’m an American. I get to be proud that tomorrow we all get to wake up having participated in the largest voter turnout in 100 years. I get to be proud that regardless of a blue or red victory we’re going to end up with either this country's first African American president, or our first female vice president (though I'm hoping whole heartily for a sweep for the Dem's). I get to be proud that tomorrow starts the long road to healing for this country. I'm worried about that regardless of who wins.

Today we get the opportunity to change the world with the force of our fingertips, and at the same time help change the course of history. Today we all get a voice.

So get out there and get your vote on.

The lines are long, so vote early. Wear comfortable shoes, bring a book, a jacket with a hood, and a cup of Starbucks (they'll give you a free cup o' joe if you mention that you voted). But most importantly bring your brain, and don't mess this one up. And, if you're from Oregon, you haven't voted until you actually drop off your ballot, so don't forget to do that, OK? And, just as a reminder, the presidency isn't the only thing we're voting on today. There are hundreds of state wide measures, and governor races, and house/senate elections up for grabs. Don't let all the other important issues fall by the wayside just because your pumped up for the president.

If you have any problem voting, need to know your polling location or find a way to get to the polls, please call a voter hotline: 1-888-696-7622.

And, come tomorrow lets all wake up with a big grin on our face, knowing that we did this. That after two years of campaigning, insult throwing, catch phrases, ads, conversations about black vs. white, jokes, analysis, and headlines, that we went to the polls, exercised our brains, and made our own informed choices. Lets be Americans and let's be proud of it.

Happy voting.

And for those interested in how I predict it will turn out, here's my electoral vote projection:

oh, to be a tourist

We've done the tourist thing a couple different times now. The first time I didn't take any pictures. Why? Well, it was an utterly dreary day which ended with us sprinting to the Metro stop in a total downpour. Definitely not picture worthy. The second attempt was better, though. No rain in sight; no clouds either, for that matter. So, here are some of the classic, though cliched Washington DC shots.

A few random observations:
*The city is smaller then I remember it
*The White House isn't quite as big and grand as I remember it being. Though, that is more likely due to my opinion of it's current resident. I suspect it's about to get much cooler.
*The distance between the Lincoln Memorial and the Capital building is definitely as long as I remember it. So much so that we didn't actually end up making it all the way to The Capital building.
*The Smithsonian museums are still cool (not to mention free), though I learned that going on a weekend isn't cool, unless you like crowds and hearing "ooooh, look how big it is" in reference to The Hope Diamond in 122 different languages.
*There is no shortage of Starbucks.
*The Lincoln Memorial is still my favorite. And as a side note, on the north wall, in the midst of an inscription of his second inaugural address, there is a spelling error. The word "future" is spelled "uture." This amuses me greatly.

That's all for now.

the official timeline of "the big move"

Sunday 10/12 to Saturday 10/18: Packed very little. Drank very much. That's what happens when you combine procrastination with friends appearing in town from far far away.

Sunday 10/19:
7:00 am: Woke up frantic because realization set in that Tim was showing up in six hours and the apartment didn't look much like I was moving out of it.
7:05 am: Made list of "Things to get done before Tim gets here," few of which were actually accomplished before he got there.
12:00 pm: Gave up on being organized. Stopped making an inventory of what went in each box. Everything now labeled "random."
1:00 pm: gave up on packing. Realized empty stomach, since I had forgotten to eat, took much higher priority. Hopped on MAX to airport, early, and ate crappy Chinese food and stared at the arrivals board for half an hour.
2:05 pm: still staring at arrivals board for his flight to change from "On Time" to "Arriving." Was startled when Tim walked up, having apparently arrived. What good is an arrivals board if it doesn't tell you when the plane has arrived?
3:30 pm: We decide it would be a genius idea to rent a car early so that we can get the Goodwill run over with before the next day. Walk to rental car place. For reason's to boring to describe, didn't end up renting a car. Walked back home. Time wasted not packing: 1h 22 min.
7:00 pm: gave up packing and decided to release Tim from kitchen cleaning duty, and ran to Rock Bottom. More drinking.

Monday 10/20:
6:00 am: Alarm clock was ignored.
6:15 am: Alarm clock ignored again.
7:00 am: Walked in pouring rain to get rental car.
7:15 am: Made Tim drive to Stump Town so that I could get a cappuccino, even though "coffee is coffee," and Starbucks was closer. But, damn it was worth it!
8:00 am: Van loaded. Off to post office, Goodwill, then Comcast (to return the modem), then Mom's house. Was serviced by the slowest mail-lady ever at post office. At Mom's house it was discovered that it is quite possible that she owns more pointless stuff then anyone I have ever known.
11:00 am: Back at the apt. Ben shows up to help Tim with van run #2: Second Goodwill run, then UPS.
11:00am to 5:00pm: Clean, clean, clean, clean, clean, clean, and you guessed it, more cleaning. Though, I did finally vacuum the cobwebs from the celling. That felt good, since theye'd been there for almost two years. --Tim returns van.
6:00 pm- Apartment empty. Yay!!! Off to hotel. Stop at Buffalo Wild Wings near airport. More drinking.
6:30 pm: First major glitch. My *insert any curse word you want* little brother throws one of his classic temper tantrums and refuses to bring us the cat. He just simply doesn't feel like it. He informs me that if I want the cat I'll have to take a cab. I then think about throwing temper tantrum.
8:30 pm: Oliver finally shows up at the hotel after my mother ends up driving from her house in NE to my brother's house in SW and then back to our hotel at the airport to drop off the poor thing.

Tuesday 10/21:
4:30 am: Wake up, and find self surprised that cat hasn't peed on anything.
5:00am: tranqualize cat, and head to airport.
6:30 am: take off, and the beginning of a long day of peering under the seat in front of me to make sure the cat is alright.
5:00 pm: After long day of flight, layovers, and Wendy's chili, land in Maryland. Realize that my cat is the coolest cat ever because we didn't hear a peep out of him the entire trip. He spent almost ten hours in his carrier and didn't seem to care.
6:00 pm-ish: First thoughts on new apartment. We did a good job. It's nothing fantastic, but the carpet and refrigerator are new, and there's a dishwasher. Yay!. There's a lot of open space at the moment. Hey, as long as there are no clanging pipes and no homeless people climbing up the fire excape I'm happy!

Wednesday 10/22:
8:00 am: let Comcast guy in to install internet and cable. Consiously decide not to be a grumpy grumpy girlfriend even though, well, I'm tired and grumpy, and have no where to sit because there isn't any furniture.
9:00 am: make eggs.
11:00 am: atemp to leave for the first of many Ikea trips.
11:05 am: try to figure out what the best reaction should be to the explatives spewing from Tim's mouth because his car has chosen now to not start.
11:35 am: after three unsuccessful jump start's, call AAA (and thank myself for making him get AAA in the first place).
12:00 pm-ish: off to mechanic.
1:00 pm - realization that now on top of furnishing an apartment, now we also get to repair the truck. And no, not just something simple like the battery. The damned truck needed a new STARTER. And since they had to drop the transmission just to get to the starter, it ended up putting a real dent in the furnature fund. Boo. Oh well, we'll deal. Powerball, anyone?
5:00 pm - truck back from mechanic. Off to second IKEA trip of the day.
7:00 pm - extricate Oliver, for the third time, from his new favorite hiding place: behind the washing machine.
9:00 pm - dinner, TV, and a little - or a lot- of blogging. :)

Pictures soon...

Don't Vote

So, I know that the deadline has already passed for anyone to register to vote, but I so loved this PSA that I just had to post it anyway. Yah, and also, this is me playing on YouTube and NOT PACKING.

a few (of many) things that i will miss about portland

1) Double Apple sheesha, black tea, and by far the worst service in Portland at The Pied Cow.

2) Scrabble, and in tonight's case - 'Only Oregon Trivia' at Beulahland.

- and a notable mention, not enjoyed tonight - but guaranteed to be missed: beer on cask.

i'm bored

I’ve decided to do the blog thing. I’ve realized recently how much busier everyone’s lives have become, mine included, and even e-mail seems difficult to keep up with these days. This way, those who choose to, can keep up at their own pace. Also I figured since I already have a myspace page (though it’s seldom used), a facebook page (yes, I finally gave in), and a flickr photo page (which I’m quite addicted to), why not add a blog to the list? I’m sure my quickly approaching dash for the east coast will provide more then enough opportunity for stories that need to be told…if for no other reason then to save my own sanity!

And speaking of The Move, I’m currently in that pesky mode where absolutely everything is “pending.” We have an apartment lined up in Maryland, but I can’t yet change my address or forward my mail because, well, I’m not there yet. I’m applying for jobs, but have yet to nail one down, so I have no idea how to budget what I’ve managed to save (quite a problem when it comes to having to completely re-furnish an apartment). I can’t start piling, packing, craigslist-ing, or Goodwill-ing yet, because I’m still here for another eleven days and still need a bed to sleep on, and a kitchen that has more in it then a coffee maker. I’m having separation anxiety over the notion of selling even one of my books back to Powell’s, and as of tomorrow I won’t even have a job to occupy my time!

Oh well, I’ll have to load up on Netflix for the next couple days, and maybe make some jewelry (so I don’t have to ship quite so many beads), finish up some of those old knitting projects (so I don’t have to ship all that yarn), paint a few pictures (so I don’t have to ship all that paint)…do you see a theme here?

:-)