Vantage Point

I could apologize (again) for being a sporadic blogger, but I decided yesterday to stop saying that unless I really am sorry. I sat in some hole-in-the-wall burger joint in downtown Portland yesterday, staring out the window at the city streets; vintage signs on a clear blue day, casual wind rustling the trees, and made the decision.

I've been busy; caught in these small experiences, taking time to soak in the joy of daily living. The right song at the right moment; windows down in my rental, satellite radio removing the cacophony of commercials--sunroof open and a V8 at my fingertips. Long and windy roads aren't nearly as obnoxious when traffic isn't clogging the system--when there's wide open Western spaces to navigate.

May has been an indescribable month of travel and change; highlighted by these pockets of introspection and outward reflection. I've slept more nights in beds other than my own. As soon as I was unpacked, it was time to pack again. Just as I miss Boston and don't miss Boston at the same time; I miss blogging as much as I don't miss blogging. My brain is less focused on structure and more focused on being.

But enough vagueness, huh? I'm typically a straight shooter, so let's get to some bullets:

• P.S. In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm in Portland. On business. My new company is headquartered here (all 40 of them), and I'm here on a training trip. Let's stop a minute to go over the pros here: They flew me out here. They rented my sweet ride and pay for my gas. They expense a good chunk of money a day in meals. In exchange, I go into the office every day, 9-5, train, work, learn, etc. and then get to come home to my family and hang out (eat out/watch basketball). It's pretty much a vacation without using any vacation days. Lovely.
• We've played Ticket to Ride quite a few times. Such a fun game; I should really look into getting my own.
• The Celtics seem to play every night. If it's not a game day, it's a day to read about last night's and/or tomorrow night's game. Because of the time difference, pre-game starts at 5pm--this usually entails a quick dinner and a rush home. Good thing we had early church on Sunday (9-12) so we got to watch Game 7. (There's a reason I have a Pierce jersey. What what!) Well, most of the game due to ....
• Mallory's birthday! Our baby is 17 now.... seems like she's been that old for ages now; I guess her actual age finally caught up to her maturity.
• I've been out for drinks with coworkers twice now. It kind of started as a "I really should go to meet the people I'll soon be trying to boss around from 3,000+ miles away" but I'm finding I actually enjoy socializing. Several nights into hanging out, I realize I am...
• ...the anti-Oregon. Seriously. Everything about me is so mainstream and urban. I'm a consumer, I eat at chain restaurants, I don't like animals, I drive a car, I dress trendier/dressier, I don't smoke, I watch American Idol...
• ...ARchie for the win! Honest to goodness, I would have been happy had either David won, but I think Archuleta sealed the deal tonight. He was golden. Imagine was better than the first time--I hope they'll post it to iTunes. But really, why did he look so miserable? Why's his dad a creeper? And why-oh-why-oh-why does it surprise me that the rest of Americans think Utahns are weird--did you see the Murray City mayor? For reals.
• Monday at 3 my office shut down and we all went bowling. Bowling and booze. And food. And then some bar hopping. Strange to work with people who are social--at my last job I could go several days without talking to anyone. This will be a welcome change.
• My first day in the Portland office, all the Project Managers went to lunch. Someone asked me what my hobbies are. My answers cemented me as possibly the most boring person on earth. ::silence:: "Well, I like movies, and the Celtics, and I guess I read." ::silence:: But really! What are hobbies any more these days? Later in the conversation I had to acknowledge the fact I sounded boring and made mention of cupcakes. I guess tomorrow night I'll be baking to prove I'm not a snore bore.
• For some reason, I find it easy to go to bed at 10:30 here. I don't know what the difference is. I do the same things at night here as I do at home. But really, I can't even remember the last time I went to bed before 11:30; and definitely not six days in a row. It's good to know I can have a goal going back.
• Watched "Lars and the Real Girl" a few nights ago and really enjoyed it. Ryan Gosling is a rock star. The movie was really quirky without being over the top--it had a lot of heart.
• "Becoming Jane"? Ummmmmm. Not really worth your time. Sorry fans. Unless you just want to enjoy James McAvoy. If that's the case, go watch Penelope. It's insanely cute and family-friendly.
• My dad, Kendall and I are going to see the midnight showing of Indiana Jones. I'm not sure if any of us are really that excited for the movie itself, but it seems like a fun, and kind of strange thing to do... so there you have it.
• IRON-MAN. Saw it, loved it. Didn't know much about it going in, except that it cleaned up at the box office. Low expectations are a must-have when seeing any movie. However, I think having high expectations for this movie would have been acceptable.
• Four bullets about movies? Wow. I haven't seen a movie since last year before this week.
• The fridge has been constantly full of leftovers from the restaurants I'm frequenting.
• I finally got my $600 stimulus. I think I may have been the last person in the country. Plans for spending? None. Free money will get put away as I already own everything I could possibly want.
• Or I'll save it for a little Europe jaunt at Thanksgiving. Anyone interested? Paris is my first choice for a 4-5 day jaunt. (Can Italy be done in that short of a time?)
• AHhhhh! 10:34. Past bed time. If I want the streak of up and showering at 7:15 to continue for the sixth day, I'd best get going.

Love you, talk to you later, kay, thanks, bye.