monday walk ..... in the dark

it gets dark quickly these days. since my surgery, i've been lax at my walking home. i guess i just didn't have the energy after a day of work and a day of my body trying to knit bone together in my jaw. hmmm, strange huh?
well, i vowed to walk today as i am now getting closer and closer to healed and feel like i have the energy. i also got the winter clothes. yesterday, we went to foot traffic, a local portland store that focuses on walking and running gear and picked up some winter clothes. i have a top that is long sleeve and is made of some sort of material that keeps me warm, while removing moisture. further, if it gets wet on the outside, it warms up. lastly, it turns my sweat into pure gold.... I also picked up some pants. these are more athletic than i prefer, but i look good and they will work for the winter.
i ended up working later than i wanted to, so didn't get out of the building until 5:30 and it was dark then. it was also sooooo cold. i was worried when i started walking wether i would be warm enough. it was cold people - COLD! well, i ventured through downtown up to whole paycheck as i needed to get some ingredients for tonight's dinner. i then headed through the pearl to the broadway bridge, up interstate to n. mississippi and mississippi to skidmore and home.
it was a nice walk. the whole time i was singing some Arcade Fire song that was stuck in my head, so it was a good thing. i saw so many beautiful things. when walking accross the broadway bridge, there was enough light from the bridge that there were reflections off the willamette. there was also a smallish boat cruising along the river - that kinda scared me being dark and all. on the other side of the river, the grain silos and trains were alive with activity. it was then i wished i knew how to photograph in the dark.
the walk up interstate was uneventful. once i turned onto mississippi though, it warmed up a bit. i think it was because there wasn't a breeze or wind to cool the air as much. i also turned to look back at downtown and was greeted by a quarter moon, along with a beautiful skyline of lights and reflections. mississippi was fine until i approached n. fremont. just south of the fremont and mississippi intersection, a building has been tagged a bunch recently. as i walked by, i actually smelled paint. i then eyed a woman accross the street on a cell phone talking urgently to someone. i also saw two younger girls looking at her and walking away. i wondered if they had just tagged that building - at 6pm at night? if so, they deserve to get caught. you don't tag when there are people about!
my only incident with jackass drivers was a truck at the intersection of n. mississippi and skidmore. this truck slowed down, looked north (i was south) and began to roll through the stop light to turn right. I'm standing there in the brightest intersection in the neighborhood and yell at him. he looks at me, but doesn't stop. i almost punched the passenger side window just to make a point. argh....
once home, i made dinner. i told you about the ingredients. well, we had salmon with roasted fennel and red onions. truly a work of art. i have to give props to food and wine magazine as they provided the recipe and trader joes for such good quality fish. even without the ability to chew, i was able to enjoy this meal. it took me a little longer than normal to eat, but it also allowed me to fully taste every bite.
ciao bella.

ps: i have a diamond plate truck box for a full size truck i am going to list on craigslist. email me if you have a need for one.