"Bang, zoom!"

I haven't blogged yet this month. I suppose I'd better do it now. I won't have time tomorrow. Makin' cupcakes. It's not as if nothing's happened since last blog. I simply haven't been too interested in sharing it. Most exciting was that I put a new battery in the Firebird. After two idle years, that trusty car started up on the first try. I suppose I've also been to a couple shows recently. Mother Mother played at Mississippi Studios and New York Rifles at Berbati's. I got an iPhone. Check out Doodle Jump if you have one. Super addicting. Met Mom in Eugene for some dinner. It was good. I had the blue marlin. Work is mostly the same. I've added Fridays at the Salem office for August and September. The next time I have two consecutive days off from work is early October. I'm also registered for GWCO. I'll get my continuing education out of the way, renew my CPR certification, and there's a chance I'll even run into some former classmates. I visited the Burg for one day a couple weeks ago. I don't remember if there was a special reason. Certainly not to see Michelle. I did get to take the kids to the park while Michelle went grocery shopping, though. *elbows in, thumbs up*

What have I been doing lately? Nervously watching the Dodgers give up their lead in the NL West, went hiking at Drift Creek Falls Trail, ate on the roof of Hotel Oregon, watched the Beavers lose their ballgame from great seats behind the backstop (thanks to a gentleman who had won more tickets than he could use), saw 500 Days of Summer (not recommended), shot zombies and drank bubble tea with Shaun. If you're asking yourself a certain question right about now, the answer is yes. And a more complete answer is hidden in this blog's title. ;)

the streets are bare

Just checking in. I've kinda been taking it easy and having fun. Enjoying my BBQ too. It's been a couple years since I used it last. The Firebird has been sitting just as long. I hope it starts up just as easily - a new battery and running on the first try.

I've been working up a sweat on my weekends. Last Thursday, I spent 3.5 hours by the pool. Then I had a softball doubleheader. Afterwards, I went to the Mackintosh Braun show at Doug Fir Lounge. The show was over at 11p, so I drove to another bar to try to wind down. ;)

On Friday, I went grocery shopping. I was in dire need of more Tillamook Vanilla Bean ice cream. I fixed myself a root beer float and sat by the pool for 1.5 hours. After sweating it out by the pool, I fixed myself up a bubble bath and beer. While I was in the tub, Vince called. I returned his call after my bath and we met for dinner at Bostons.

Life is hard.

home is where...

I recently moved the rest of my belongings to my apartment. My dining set and bed arrived today as well. Here's a little tour of my furniture situation for those of you who want to see how things are shaping up here.


My dining table has a glass top, which is something I hadn't considered at all until the salesman showed it to me. I showed the guy a couple pictures of the space on my iPod. He told me he had just the set for me and he was right. Wine rack below opens up space in the kitchen. Leather chairs complement my couch well. The set may be slightly oversized for the space, but it works. Perhaps it will work better with the long side running left to right? I'll need a couple more hands to move it.


Here's my couch with a few Ikea pieces flanking it. Surely the wall behind the couch is in need of a couple art pieces. Don't worry. I've got my art situation well under control...but that's another blog.


For now, I've moved my air mattress to the bay window. I love my west-facing windows. Each night, I enter a deep slumber with lively lights pouring through the windows reminding me that somewhere else are cities that never sleep. In the morning, I am awakened by a cheerful sun reflected off a neighboring building. When overcast skies dominate, a soft light spills into my room.


This is not new. I got this setup a couple months ago. Eventually, many of these pieces will actually go into the cabinets. I still need to borrow a drill so I can mount the handles and thread cables through the back of the unit. The television will not go into a cabinet. Note the NES. Mario really is "super" on my television!


This is my new bed. Nice solid wood. Quality finish. Quilted leather headboard. I guess I'd better make a mattress set my next big purchase. In the background are Orangy and Sammy, my trusted puppies. They've been with me for years, as has that alarm clock which, oddly enough, is one of my favorite possessions.


This is the messiest, least used room in the house. Until yesterday, my second bedroom (heretofore referred to as "office") housed boxes of junk for me to sort through and, most importantly, my guitars (♥). The office still serves these purposes but is also now home to my desk and old desktop computer. I need to pull important files from its hard drives and dispose of it and that giant monitor ("computer screen" haha). Also seen: my new paper shredder, which eats CD's and credit cards, and my two printers. One of the printers (my dedicated b+w photo printer with specialty inks - four shades of black/grey, rather than color) isn't printing so well. I might just end up using all the ink trying to clean those print heads that haven't been used in more than a year.

youth is wasted on the young

A couple weeks ago, I was visiting the Burg to see one of Gru's baseball games before his season ended. Driving into town, an oncoming ambulance caused traffic in my lane to stop. I also stopped. The truck behind me stopped...eventually. Photos below.


The repairs should be done in a couple days. I'm also moving the rest of my stuff from the house to my swank new apartment. I'm going to be so busy working and moving my stuff that I'm not sure when I'll actually be able to pick up my car. Early Tuesday morning if everything goes smoothly. I don't want to pay for this crappy rental car anymore. I'm not really into public brand bashing. Ask me if you wanna know what kind of car I'm renting and why I don't like it.
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All the world's red roses to my fav gogo. Get well soon. xo

for what it's worth

As you may know by now, I've been having myself a good time. In fact, I went out five consecutive nights recently. Here's a recap:

Wednesday: Mackintosh Braun played an "early" (10p) show at Someday Lounge. Afterward, I went to Lucky Devil to have drinks and conversation with a friend.

Thursday: I sat by the pool in the early afternoon and started Jacques And His Master by Milan Kundera. Two hours by the pool turned me into a lobster. I need sunblock. I met Matt and Alyson at Wilsonville Lanes for some bowling. As usual, it took me several frames to warm up. I had a 169 and a more reasonable 213 (clean game).

Friday: I had myself my first massage. It was good. I'll probably go back to Odette again. That night was the Crystal Method show at the Roseland Theater. Best value concert of the year for me so far. Face value of my ticket was $20, I think. I would have gladly paid twice that. LA Riots opened. This seemed like a case of the opening act truly warming up the crowd. By the time The Crystal Method came on, everyone was ready to keep on dancing. The worst part of the evening was looking for a parking spot. It was Friday night and it was prom night and there was no street parking available. I probably drove around for 15 minutes looking for a spot. I finally settled on a lot and payed my $8. This was a bit more than neighboring lots and garages, but I was ready to park and get to the theater. The attendant was nice, though. He admired my car and gave me an end space in front of a Mercedes where it would be safest and I could make an easy exit at the end of the night.

The Crystal Method @ Roseland Theater

Saturday: On Saturday, Vince, Christi, and I saw The Slants at Dante's. This was the first time Christi got to see The Slants. Vince and I saw them before at Dante's a few months ago. Again, the parking situation was horrible - much worse than Friday, in fact. This night was the Starlight Parade. We drove around for a while looking for street parking. We eventually decided to find a lot or garage. I was unable to cross Burnside to seek the lot I used the previous night. We ended up using a garage on NW 12th. After parking, we had to walk about 10 blocks to Dante's through the parade crowd, crossing the actual parade path twice. Have you ever tried to sprint across a parade? Silly. Veritas were ok. Silversafe were better (I've seen them before). And The Slants were awesome!

The Slants @ Dante's

Sunday: I wasn't planning on going out this night. A little after 10p, I decided to go to Sinferno. I quickly showered and changed. After a quick stop at the ATM for some cash money, I zipped to NW where there was parking aplenty. Not only did I get to park on the North Park Blocks where I usually do, I found a spot near Burnside. Easy parking since it was 11p by the time I pulled into town. Typical Sinferno except I chilled in the Limbo Lounge and watched the action on the big screen instead of directly viewing the stage. I also got to watch Reed McClintock most of the evening. Dude's amazing!

barrel of dante's

Now that more than a week has passed, let me tell you what I did the Sunday before last. As planned, I saw Killola (and KRISTEENYOUNG) perform before Sinferno. KRISTEENYOUNG were pretty good. The highlight of their performance, of course, was Kristeen Young's costume. Click HERE to get an idea of the costumes she wears. Oh, and if you haven't figured it out, KRISTEENYOUNG is the name of the band. Kristeen Young is the name of the person.

Killola were...killer. [a bird shat on my bay window just now] Anyway, uh...oh, yeah. Killola. Besides Dante's audio system being a little off on this night, it was very enjoyable. It's interesting seeing a band like Killola play in Portland. I love 'em to death. They are heroes to me. I know their faces and music well. They are, to me, big time celebrities. As such, it's very strange to see just a few people standing in front of the stage during the performance. It's where perception meets reality and the two are very different. Yes, strange.

Killola at Dante's

I played a silly game as I sometimes do at Sinferno, and that is to see how long I can keep the chairs at my table vacant. I'll order a drink (water on this night) and make it seem that others are sitting with me. Eventually, though, someone asks to join me. Sometimes I get luckier than others. This time around, I was joined by a couple decent looking young women. And it is here that I realize how off my game I truly am. Single guys, listen up. As a matter of principle, if you're sharing a table with a couple strippers and one of them asks to buy you a drink...DO NOT SAY NO! What was I thinking? It's not like it was gonna be anything more than a drink and how lame do I look now?!

In any event, I left Dante's at 1a. That is, by far, the earliest I've ever left Sinferno. I forgive myself as I believe this was my first attempt with work the next morning. I need to re-build my tolerance for staying out late. I'll work on that this week as I'm going to a concert tomorrow, bowling the next, and concerts again the next two nights! And did I mention I've scheduled myself a massage for Friday afternoon? A friend recommended Odette to me. I'll let you know how it is.

This past holiday weekend has been kind to me. Besides working Saturday and "working" on Sunday (I saw no patients Sunday), I did a lot of poolside reading, video gaming, and shopping. I finished Farewell Waltz by Milan Kundera yesterday. Like all Kundera novels, I recommend it to you. This week, I'm going to start reading his play, Jacques And His Master. The video game I've been playing is Animal Crossing: City Folk. It's a cute game where you live in a town and walk around collecting things and completing tasks for others. Shopping? I've done all sorts. I bought kitchen stuff, including a colander, cutting board, bottle opener, measuring cups and spoons, and flatware (finally!). Not cheap flatware, either. Here's the conversation with the young woman at checkout:

Clerk: Do you need a gift receipt?
Me: No, thank you.
Clerk: Is this a registry item?
Me: No.
Clerk: ...Is this for you?!
Me: Yup.
Clerk: Nice!

I also bought a couch today. I ended up with neither a sofa bed, nor a colorful couch. I'll have to accent my living room with art and pillows as the couch I bought is Italian leather. They call it dark brown. I call it black...which is ironic as I hate when people call my hair black. IT'S DARK BROWN!!! haha And M&M's. I bought a big bag of M&M's yesterday...and they're gone today. I'm feeling fat right about now.

how have you been?

So unmotivated to blog. I've done plenty of nothing. Big news is the new car. It's a 2007 Pontiac G6 GT Retractable Hardtop (i.e. convertible) in red. It's my transformer and tentatively called Ruby. Anyone have suggestions? I figure it can have two names - one for top up and one for top down. Other big news around here - I went to Ikea last month and got a chair, ottoman, television stand, and coffee table. I'm still missing a couch, bed, and lamps. I also went to Bed Bath & Beyond and got some beautiful dishes. The pattern is called Alice Platinum. How cool is that?!


I got so much done on my day off this past Tuesday. I went to Office Max/Depot?, bank, Redbox, dry cleaners, FedEx, another bank, and THPRD to watch Matt's tennis team play. The tennis was a great chance to relax after running all those errands.

Veris and I talked about joining a spring bowling league. Don't know if we'll actually go through with it. We're trying to make our schedules work. I'm also considering joining a softball team this summer. I watched Derek play a few times last summer and it looked like lots of fun. Been a long time since I've played baseball and never played softball...except to practice with Michelle (for two minutes at a time). ;)

Thomas visited Portland from San Francisco recently. I met with him a couple times. The first time, we had beer at Bridgeport Ale House and ice cream at Ben and Jerry's. A couple days later, we met at Clackamas Town Center to see the new Star Trek movie (very good, go see it...even if you're not a sci-fi fan).

I also saw Ben Lee perform at Berbati's earlier this month. I've lost count, but I've seen him more than 15 times. Killola are opening for Sinferno this Sunday. Actually, I just heard that they've just passed through town on their way up to Seattle. They'll play there before their appearance here on Sunday. I can't wait! And it's been forever since I've been to Sinferno. It'll be a nice break in my work schedule. Hope it doesn't wear me out. I'm certainly not going to miss it, though. Last time Killola were in town, I was out helping Another Cynthia with their show at Dante's. Speaking of Another Cynthia, they've just finished their new album. Shouldn't be too much longer before it's available for purchase. I also have a ticket to see The Crystal Method at the Roseland Theater later this month. Gonna be so fun!

I'm starting a long run of work tomorrow. I work each day May 15-25, except May 16 to attend Ryan's wedding. Maybe I'll reward myself with a couch and bed after that's over.