Dog Parkin

Explored a new dog park today.

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Then to the library.



Then cleaned house.

Then computer/phone calls/dinner/movie/bed.

The end.

Maybe it's already started...

But I hope not. The past few days have given us a taste of the Rainy Season. Yesterday I waited for the bus in my windbreaker (note: not waterproof!) and got drenched. I didn't dry out until just before lunch. Fun. Need to get on over to Columbia I guess.

I got off work early today so Lazlo and I headed to the dog park before another shower moved in. As we were walking home I got several raindrops in the eye. Gotta take advantage of that sunshine while you can.

St. Bernard puppy vs. Pitbull

Also can we get a Woot for Internet RADIO?! Radio here is like radio everywhere else: boring. Only when you get on the internets you can choose from 10,000,000,000 stations, most of which have playlists you haven't heard repeated in 4-hour loops. Joy. Pure joy. Blues. 30's Jazz. Trance/House. Whateva. Even the Denver Police Scanner.

Had dinner last night with mom. She was in town for a seminar. One night only. It was nice to see her again, (hi Mom!) even though it's been less than a month since they were here. Like she said, who know when we're going to see each other again. Could be decades! xoxoxox

Okay, time to go meet Keith @ the MAX station. I tell Lazlo, "Where's Keith?" and he goes berserk.

Got that itch.

That tattoo itch.

But there are bills to pay first. BORRRRRRING.

I told Keith we should both make appointments for the end of the year. Then we would have something to look forward to. I have my design already. Or the basis of. I would like Whoever to tweak it a little; art it up. So it's like this:
Catrina with black butterflies coming out of her head. And the text "J'ai des papillions noirs tous les jours." Gotta find a font for that.

You know where you can get ANY font: The Internet. Oh Internet how I have missed you. The wi-fi was just not cutting it for me. Everything is so fast now. Praise Comcast.

It's supposed to rain tomorrow. Good. Lookin forward to it.
Here's a preview:

looking west up Burnside

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeets

(Shout out to Costco for 500 TC sheets.)

Been a busy week around Camp Blankenship. Thursday eve we had dinner with Tamiko & Dani, our only Married Couple Friends: lesbians (also Former Missoulians). We are very much looking forward to next summer when they move out here; we almost convinced them not to go back to Ohio. Anyway, Tamiko wanted to hear jazz or blues so I Googled "Portland jazz dinner" and the Googlers told me to go Jimmy Mack's. They were right on. Great music, really good falafel, onion rings, and Baba ganoush. We had two waitresses. When the band took a break we made a break for Voodoo Doughnut.

Friday night Dani's brother Jesse joined us and we ate Italian and then went to Voodoo Doughnut. This could be a bad pattern to get into.

(Keith, dinner on the sidwalk)

I should be cleaning the house right now.

Highlight of The (Yester)Day: Getting the bill from the M.D. from my ER visit (in addition to the hospital's bill). For nearly $300 I received: mediocre, nearly unacceptable care from an M.D. who asked me how I was doing and then before waiting for an answer stepped out the door to take a phone call, then left me waiting in the holding pen for an hour and then came back to tell me "Sorry, can't help you," but would you mind signing this form saying you will not hold us legally responsible if you decide to jump out in front of a bus? Thanks so much. Appreciate it.

Lovin me some Neil Diamond.

They play the most random music in the Coffeehouse.

Today Andy and I went to the dog park to play with Lazlo. So I got paid to exercise my dog. Andy wanted to! Seriously.

I'm slacking and abstaining from the Super Secret Yoga Society this week (again). Maybe I'll save up my free class for when I really really need it. Which would be....

Hopefully going to dinner with Tamiko and Dani tomorrow night. Maybe here? My mouth watered just reading their menu.

My kid sister sent me photos of her classroom and one of her with her class. So exciting! So proud of her. Lucky kids!

Highlight of the Day: Getting the bill for my trip to the ER. Next time I'll just burn the money and get the same amount of help that the good people @ Good Sam gave me. You know what would be nice? If I wrote them and said, "You know, you didn't help me at all. You just wasted my time." And then they would reply, "Oh, so sorry about that. Just disregard that bill."

Close encounters

Keith and I have had a lot of visitors lately. Unusual for us, but good. Mom and dad drove 8+ hours one way! to visit us and they brought stuff from storage, which was super appreciated. Now we are starting to feel like we live here. We put our yellow kitchen table by the window so we can be entertained while we eat. Until we get internet, the window is our psuedoTV.

Saturday morning we went to the Portland Market downtown… Dad had to get on the MAX (light rail) with other people; he was very brave. We looked at lots of crafts, ate some food, and people-watched. Dad summed up the morning like this: “I saw more lesbians today than I’ve seen in my life.”

Mom and I dropped by VooDoo Doughnut to get something for Sunday’s breakfast before we got back on the MAX. YUM. (Keith and I shared vegan chocolate with coconut donut and also a vegan sprinkle donut—both excellent; I am really glad about finding them, in fact I am making excuses to find myself in that part of town often.) Saturday evening we went to Halibut’s where Dad ate his second basket (of three) of fish and chips of the weekend. Halibut’s lived up to the expectations and everyone ate delicious eats. I have Sauvie Island corn on the cob and fries and raspberry lemonade (Welcome to Canker Sore City.)

Sunday after breakfast dad and Lazlo took a nap and Mom suggested we go to the ocean. OK! Load up. But it was hot in Portland and we forgot it’s cold on the coast so all of us but mom forgot a jacket. The whole population of Oregon was on the coast. We drove and drove looking for a parking spot near an eating establishment and ended up in Manzanita. After an excruciatingly long wait for our food, we took Lazlo on a run for the beach where he nearly sprained his neck barking his head off at a kite. When it crash landed hard on the beach and Lazlo went sprinting for it, to shake it and break its neck no doubt, and I envisioned him destroying a $7500 kite. The wind was blowing but the sun was out and we all laughed and talked about the last times we had been to the ocean. Super great visit with them overall. It was just in time.

This week's featured visitors: Tamiko & Dani!