pedro negro

Who does this?

I hang out at Albina Press as a lot of you are aware and I walked into the bathroom to find someone had wiped a booger on the wall next to the toilet.  Now I have seen this in most mens bathrooms at rest stops and truck stops across the country but to see it in the coffee shop that I love, I was a little surprised.  Most of the people are regulars and are in here everyday (I would like to think that the regular crowd is above that).  The shop is off the beaten path enough that you don't really get homeless people, transients and some other kind of person I would typically associate this type of behavior. 

In 2009, in a civilized, hip, coffee shop who still wipes their boogers on the bathroom wall right next to the TP?

Two Months

I am a little embarrassed about how long it had been, but enough of that.  

The weather has been great up here for the last week and after a long drawn out winter I remember why we fell in love with the Pacific NorthWest.  People move to Portland for the summer and rightfully so.   

This blog is going to be a jumble of all the ramblings that go through my head on a daily basis. 

I feel like I am so busy everyday with more on my plate than I have time to get done.  When in reality I believe that what is actually happening is that I have so many wonderful people in my life wanting to spend time together and calling me that I just run from one place to the next as the hours slip by.  The relationships that I have made in just the 8 months that we have been here are absolutely amazing.   The weather has been so conducive to sundays in the park playing bocce, brisk evening playing ping-pong at RonToms and Zach's.  Lauren is going to school again for nursing so between that and her school schedule we have night that is just us hanging out on the couch watching some TV show on DVD.  Dinners have become more and more extravagant as Lauren continues to expand her recipe book.  Church has been great for community and as we have moved into the book of John I have enjoyed the messages more and more.  

Here is something on my mind a lot.  I used to get up every morning and read the Bible and spend time in prayer but ever since I have worked at starbucks this has been pushed further and further out of my morning routine and now it is altogether gone.  I love the morning routine and I retain so much more, can concentrate ten times better than at night but with a schedule that changes every day I don't know how to get that set routine.  I beat myself up for not having it but I have been so long with out it I don't know where to begin.  I know I just need to start and stop making excuses but I find it so hard to get into routine after it has been so long with out it.  So this week I am going see if I can just spend some time each day dedicated to prayer and study even just for ten min. but hey I gotta start somewhere right?

Been so long I wonder if anyone reads this anymore? 

Oregon DMV

I am sick and I hate it.  Worse than that I needed to go to DMV and the DEQ (Oregon's smog inspection) and I was dreading it.  I went to a DMV that told me I needed to go to DEQ.  DEQ took longer to get to it than to have the inspection done.  Very helpful and told me the best DMV to go to and drove their waited about 15 min got all the paperwork done and went from Albina-DMV-DEQ-DMV-Albina in an hour and a half.  I love Oregon?

I am however still sick but I think that some amazing action movies are in store, tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches while curled up on the couch under a warm blanket.

Just another day

Its Wednesdate and I am here at Albina hanging out with some friends and a great cup of coffee.  

In the work front I am transferring to a new store that is much smaller, less busy, shorter open hours and a lot like the Dana Dr store for all you RDG folks.  I should start over there some time in March.  It will be a good move for me, for my hours and my stress levels (at my current store are through the roof).  Something I really don't need.  

On the life front Lauren and I are doing amazing and have been making new friends and getting to know some old ones more and more.  Lauren gets tired working all the time between both jobs but it has been good for us financially.  Nate left town last night and it was sad to see him go.  I think that Nate has been here about as long as Lauren and I have been here so it will be weird to think that I wont just see him around.  

In other news I have been listening to Brother Sport on the new Animal Collective album Merriweather Post Pavilion.  It makes me bob my head and shake my booty.  I think that some friends have been a little annoyed that I have played it out only weeks after hearing it, but unless you have heard it, don't judge.  

I am trying to think of other things that have been going on but I cant think of any at the moment.  Life just seems to go by one day at a time and its wonderful.  

Facebook has been dominating the blog

I signed up for a Facebook account and my blog activity has dropped dramatically.  

This morning I woke up early made breakfast for Lauren and then cleaned the house and had some of the dudes over and made breakfast for us all.  Hung out for a bit and then Everett and I walked down to Albina where I am writing this.

Later I think that there will be some tennis in store with Charlie, Everett and somebody else I have yet to meet.  It should be a good time.  

Life has been great for Lauren and I.  We have been meeting some wonderful people recently and last night was the first night of the Shuffle Board League we started at Water Trough Saloon.   Ten teams and all great people coming together every other monday night for some good times and a couple beers.  I don't really have a ton to say, we are just living life and spending time with friends.  Although we have been watching a lot of Six Feet Under on DVD and then obviously the new season of Lost.  

Hope life is treating everyone as well as it is to Lauren and I.

Wonderful weather...

...and wonderful friends.  This last week I have busy hanging out with Nick Sass and Taylor Smith.  Some of my great friends from Redding.  We got out a can of red paint and hit the town, not really, but we sure had a great time.   Multnomah Falls, The Water trough Saloon, Baghdad Theater, downtown burrito carts, built a new bike, tour-de-portland, sunshine, and many a good memory.

  

I have been working at least five days a week since I got home from our Christmas vacation to visit family over the first week of the new year but I am not getting many hours.  It works out because I might have lined up a part time job at a bike shop around the corner from me.  And for the next two weeks I am working at a different store downtown while a girl is in Haiti.  Looking foreword to a much slower pace Starbucks store for a while.  

On a completely separate note.  It must have been right around the time we got back from our trip to Cali that I had a day off and I cleaned the house, made breakfast, read some C.S. Lewis and walked to the dentist.  As I was walking in the crisp northwest air with the sun shining that I realized that, "I am more content than I have been in years."  I walked the 2.5 miles downtown and smiled the entire way.  I am sure that the passer byes thought I was nuts, just another crazy homeless guy with a huge grin plastered from ear to ear, but it would not go away.  I was just thinking about my life, where I have been, where I am now and couldn't think of a single thing that I was not satisfied with.  Great wife, amazing friends up here, super awesome church community, we both have jobs, Lauren and I love each other more and more each day and have an amazing relationship.  We can pay bills, our apartment feels more like a home than any other place I have ever lived and I breath easy when I am home.  All and all I love my life.  I was so satisfied with everything and I don't in know how long, if ever, I had had so much joy in my life.  

Just some thoughts I have been thinking about.  I am going to post some new pictures and I am also on Facebook these days so feel free to say hello.  To all my friends come and visit I miss you all.  The pacific northwest seems to melt away so much and just a very peaceful and inviting place.  People are polite, content and it seems they are genuinely kind.  Thank you Nick and Taylor for making it such a great week.

Welcome home...

...to a root canal this morning. It went well and I don't mind the dentist as much as most people which is a plus. But now I am on pretty heavy antibotics because of the absess and they are ruining me. Wish me luck with my 8 pills a day for the next seven days.

Snow, Christmas and Cali

I have not blogged in a while but I have been pretty busy with lots of things. The snow ruined the city for quite some time. From what I understand it was the biggest storm in recorded history. I loved all the snow and I got lots of exercise from walking the 5.2 mile journey to work and back. Then the rain came and it was good for the snow melting but it turnned to slush and compleatly soaked my shoes. Cold, cold and cold. Christmas was nice with the two of us and some friends. White elephant gift exchange with some friends at Albina and some mimosas to top it off. Also a five hour game of risk with joey, Adam and Everette, but I don't think that Lauren loved it was much as we did.

Yesterday we flew down to sac to spend some time with the Agudos and Thursday we will meet my folks in sac and go to Portola for a few days.

So far this holiday season has been great and we are enjoying the sun here in Brentwood and the time with family.

Oh yeah today we went horseback riding with jenelle (frankies girlfriend) and I loved it, but what I loved more was seeing Katie get bucked off her horse! I am glad that she is ok but thankful for all the laughs.

WInter wonderland

I haven't posted in a little while but I think that the snow here in Portland is blog worthy.  Not a lot of snow mind you but snow in Portland people are freaking out.  Business close, roads shut down, even a mall was going to close.  No snow plows and very few sanding trucks = 2 inches of packed snow on the roads = 2 inches of solid ice on the streets.  I grew up in the snow so it is weird for me to see people freaking out so bad about a "dusting" of snow but like I said, no snow removal equipment.  

While snowed in Lauren and I have been filling our nights with christmas movies, baking, great meals, friends, candles and low lighting with a book in our hands.  It has been great coming together with friends since we are all locked in a tight radius of brisk walks to and from one another houses.  The only issues that we are really facing is that, though I am comfortable with driving, Lauren is not.  Our schedules have worked out so far so that I can give her rides to work and drive her around but starting tomorrow we run into conflict.  We shall see how that goes.

Right now we are wrapping up our time here at Albina (we have been here since 10) and I thought that I would leave you with a photo but the email isn't working right now so you shall have to wait.    

What a good night

So Lauren gets to nanny for this great family that has an awesome condo downtown. Tonight Lauren was asked if she could watch the cutest little boy while mom and dad go out. They said she could have me over and we could just relax and enjoy some wine. Well it is turning out to be a very relaxing evening hanging out with my pal spending some relaxing time getting paid for having the most enjoyable night.