WalkingPortland

A late evening's walk home.

2008-12-08T19:53:00.001-08:00

CIMG0125
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

The other night, after a long evening with too many cocktails, I decided to walk home. It was about 9pm and pretty cold, but I had liquid courage to help me along the route. I also stopped in a Pearl Specialties and picked up a great Nub cigar for the trip. While I was buying it, the owner came out and gave me a signed baseball cap from Nub. How cool is that? I must have exuded the need for a new cap.

The walk was pretty uneventful, yet with the night sky and crisp air, I couldn't resist trying to take some photos. This one i tried to steady the camera to minimize bluriness. I think I was 88% successful.

I have been walking home almost every evening for the last week. Wednesday night's aren't that conducive for walking since I have Beer judging class in SE at 7pm and need to get home, change and head back out. Yes, in a perfect world, I would adjust my schedule to go to the class directly from work, but getting home from SE Powell to North at 10pm is challenging, so I drive.

What has been going on? Hmm. Well, Anna is studying in Philly, so I have been traveling out there pretty often to visit. We enjoy our time together and do some touristy things, but mostly it is us time and not much else. So excited she is coming home in a week. The holidays would be challenging apart. Oh, and Phoebe will be home too - all three dogs together again for 3+ weeks. Woo hoo!

I'm working on a new storyline for a book. Not gonna divulge it here until I get something more concrete down on paper. Well, not exactly paper, but you know what I mean. I am developing the opening and some characters - specifically the bad guy and his badness. It is pretty fun, but it shows me I have some things to learn about writing. A friend suggested taking some classes and I think I will do just that. It can only help.

The holidays are here and I find it funny that 10 years ago, all families involved would fight over who got the adult kids for Christmas eve or Christmas day - whereas now, everyone goes out of their way to schedule the family Christmas on a day other than Christmas. In the end, it works out great for us because we get Christmas to ourselves. Makes for other busy weekends, but well, that's the rub isn't it?

Cheers.

Crazy Philadelphia

2008-07-06T10:29:00.001-07:00

wow
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

We went to the 4th of July Celebrate America parade in downtown Philadelphia on Friday. What a crazy environment. They shut down a primary artery in downtown- Ben Franklin Parkway and setup vendors and music and activities for everyone. It was free and somewhat free of hassles. In Portland, anytime you go to a public event, you get searched and prodded and your water bottle taken. Here, while there were police everywhere, it wasn't a situation where I felt like the man was keeping me from having fun. We walked around a lot amongst probably 100,000 people. Honestly, the crowd felt a little light, but as the day went on, it grew and grew.
The parade was a typical 4th of July parade. Not a small town parade, but not a big float one either. There were a couple of marching bands and dance troupes and floats with Miss Philadelphia and the local municipal workers. One thing we were not prepared for were the insane costumes and the string bands. Yep, whole marching bands with banjos and the like. Did i mention the crazy over the top costumes? Most of the day, we were joking and commenting that we hadn't seen too many tattoos nor tall bikes or anything that would be commonplace in Portland. And then the parade came and we saw Philly's alternative scene. They love the crazy outfits.

Oh, and I didn't plan this photo. It happened that way.

Victory Brewing PA

2008-07-06T08:10:00.001-07:00

DSCN9908.JPG
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Yup, another microbrew under my belt. We ventured out to Downingtown, PA to visit the famed Victory Brewing. Victory knows what HOPS are and uses them well. They have a few beers that showcase that HOPS are their bitch - The Hop Wallop, HopDevil and WildDevil. Wow, all the beers were amazing.

Thank you Victory

Why not - only 30 minutes away

2008-07-04T20:00:00.001-07:00

DSCN9760.JPG
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Flew into Newark this morning on my way to Philadelphia. Yeah, I know, Newark isn't Philly - I was trying to save money....

Once I arrived, I realized how close I was to Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium is in its last year of use and will be torn down. I'm a Yankees fan, so I had to actually see the stadium before I died...I know, a little dramatic. Deal!

So I ventured north @ 6am and saw the stadium. Woo hoooo.

There you go. Now I'm in Philly and we're relaxing after hella amazing sushi.

Wizardboots live

2008-07-02T07:47:00.000-07:00

Live in Portland:

I built this

2008-07-01T07:27:00.001-07:00

DSCN9713.JPG
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

This is what keeps me busy on the weekends when Anna is away. The plan is to have this Pergola be the centerpiece of a revamped yard. Maybe we'll have you over for a bbq in August when we get it all cleaned up.

Ok, now off to mow down the morning glory.

and pick slivers out of my palm.

and pick raspberries.

I think I'll name him Deery

2008-06-29T09:59:00.001-07:00

DSCN9694.JPG
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Yeah, when we get around wild animals, they get funny names like Deery, Elky, Squirrelman, Birdy, Wolfie etc. This lovely fella came and hung with us at Wallowa Lake in far eastern Oregon last weekend. Anna was in town and we were out there relaxing for a few days for our friend's wedding. Upon my return, I referred to it as a weekend of drunken debauchery. Not necessarily Anna and I, but....

Honestly, we had a blast. The trip started off a little stressful with Anna arriving late Friday night and the need to leave around 5:30am Saturday morning for what we were told would be a 7hr drive. It turned out to be only 6, so we arrived around noon only to find out they wouldn't let us check in to the cabin until 3. That sucked because we needed to change into wedding clothes and the wedding was @ 2pm. I hate you Wallowa Lake Resort - you have no compassion. When we asked if there was a place to change, they recommended the toilets at the state park. ugh. We planned on just driving out of the crowded zone to the woods when we came upon the hall that was hosting the reception. Luckily it was open and we were able to change and prep there in time for the wedding. Crisis averted.
The rest of the weekend was a blur for many. Terminal Gravity was the beer of choice along with plenty of other distractions. We spent a lot of time in the trees right by the lake which was stunningly relaxing. I loved spending time with Anna and our friends - even some new ones we met that weekend.
On the way home, we chatted about maybe looking into property we could call a vacation spot. I'm not sure I want something where all the families go with their gaggle of kids and SUVs, nor something that is 7hrs drive away. I'm thinking 150 miles from Portland would be the limit. Anyone got any ideas where I might find some cheap land?

Walking home through SE Portland

2008-06-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the last of photos on these entries. I'm usually out there snapping away when I walk. I just haven't the last few days. Not sure why. It may be that I am passing items I have already seen or snapped, so I just enjoy it in my mind's camera.
The last three nights have been a little blurry. I have been out with friends each and every evening. I got caught up with Tomas @ Roux. Had beers with John @ Green Dragon and cocktails with Meghann and Montia and friends at Bonfire in SE. Each time, I walked either too or from the location and experienced all that Portland had to offer. Last night was cool. It was about 11 and I was around 28th and SE Stark. Now that was a walk. Instead of staying on the main streets, I wandered through neighborhood and such. SE Portland is alive! Wow. And you know what? There are bikes everywhere. This city really needs to get its ass in gear and put up some more bike parking. At some of the bars, bikes are not even locked to anything, just to themselves because there isn't anything left to lock to. You can't get a kryptonite lock around a tree. I just feel that the city is thinking this may be a phase, but its not. I did see some new bike racks up by SouthPark downtown that they were installing. It will be cool when people go out to the symphony on their bikes and the Schnitz will be forced to accomodate them for the business.

We're doing a bike afternoon here in Portland. It started out as a couple of guys gonna bike and beer, but I think it may turn into something a little more. No naked riding, but I think we may have more fun than we think. I know I have been soo excited to get back on my bike and get out there. I even bought a new saddle for it.

Today's list of to do's first:

eat breakfast - done
drink iced coffee - in progress
put clean laundry away
clean up bedroom/bath
install new drip water system for garden pots
hit rebuilding center to get some lumber for pergola
work on cleaning up backyard for Anna's visit next week
have fun and enjoy the sun

I won't try and do all of that, but lists keep me from sitting in front of the TV. Have I told you I haven't watched much TV this week? Maybe 2 hrs. Kinda crazy.

A social life....

2008-06-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has now been a month since I left Bryn Mawr PA and Anna for the drive back to PDX. I'll say it right now- I miss her bunches. She's my best friend and my conversation partner. I'm glad we have all those rollover minutes because when she gets me on the phone, we don't stop talking. At the end of the conversation, my ear is all sweaty..ewwe.
Back in Portland, it seems to be an endless social activity train. Seriously. The day after I returned I went to a show and then the next evening was beers with a friend and then it was movie night and then another show and then beers with a friend and then a night out to a book reading and then...... you get the picture. I don't know if this is just the cyclical activity of live - everything happening at once - or if I am now just trying to find activities to keep me from being lonely. Heck, I loved sitting in the evening watching TV and I still haven't watched the last two episodes of LOST. Wow!
I have been walking. Not as much as I would like and my belly keeps telling me so. I'm no where near as out of shape as I think I am, but I know I could do better. Pete, my across America driving buddy, said he would take me rock climbing, but I had to prove I could handle it. Chris, a longtime friend is always looking for a running buddy. I want to do both those things. I just have to put my mind to it I guess. I have the time! :) See, that's what's weird. For the past 12 years, I had a schedule to keep. It was more subconcious than anything and it wasn't rigid, but it was a schedule. Now I realize I don't have that schedule anymore and it freaks me out. It's been a month of fun, now I should buckle down and accomplish something with all that free time. Heck, maybe I'll work on those 6pack abs I've been thinking about.....uh not.
So, check back often. I plan on writing more and more here. Oh, and go for a walk.

Tales from the Road - a new blog

2008-04-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

As you proly know, Anna is heading to PA soon for school. We're taking the trip across the nation in our silver Jetta. We'll document the journey on a new blog. Come on over and join in the fun:

Tales from the Road

A nice evening walk home...

2008-04-13T09:30:00.001-07:00

DSCN8244.JPG
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Ventured over to the Green Dragon to wax poetic about work with some friends on Thursday afternoon and suddenly it was 7pm and I had to head home. Anna offered to come pick me up, but I really wanted to walk. There was something in the air and I knew I had to walk off those few beers somehow. I put in my headphones and turned on a podcast, lit my cigar (an oily bitch) and headed home.

Normally, I get a little annoyed by SE Portland because there isn't a direct North/South route via public transportation. You have to head into downtown to pick something up. Since I was walking, I had some choices to make. Side streets? Main streets? Head back downtown and do the normal route? I ended up walking over to MLK and taking it all the way up to Skidmore. All the way, the sun setting to darkness. What a great opportunity to take some photos.

As I got to MLK off Morrison, I realized the amazingness of the night sky, so I snapped a couple of photos of the gas station there. They didn't turn out too good, but it gave me the idea to document the entire walk with photos of signs and stuff. I then started snapping away. I have one of those point and shoot cameras that I really don't know how to use. With the flash off in low light, it gets a little blurry, so I had to experiment.

Then, I started seeing the interesting stuff that I always see when I walk around Portland. Not sure if others think it is interesting, but damnit, I do!

And my favorite of the night:

In the end, I didn't get home until after 9pm. Not normal, but the whole time, I loved every minute of the walk. Even after getting home, I wasn't tired. The next morning, I got up and headed to work. Other than being the first nice day of the year, I had a different feeling. Something had changed and I have a new outlook. Was it the walk? Was it the sun? I smiled at everything and everyone and they smiled back.

I love Portland!

Because I love America!

2008-04-04T21:11:00.001-07:00

DSCN8032.JPG
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Wow, what a day. We ventured into Philadelphia to have some crazy tourist fun. I figure that I'm a big guy, so I can look like a tourist and be pretty safe. Adding in the map in one hand and the camera in another is a great idea.

We started off with Eastern State Penitentiary. We have been to Alcatraz, so thought this would be similar. It was, but different. We were able to wander around ourselves with an audio guided tour. This place, built in 1817 or so was a model prison for the future of penology. I love saying and writing penology. The prison is a wagon wheel design and its purpose was to keep the prisoners isolated completely. No common areas or anything. The cells did have an outdoor area, but it was walled off for each cell. Wow. Oh, and this prison was around until 1971.

Then it was off to Independence Mall and the birthplace of AMERICA. We were able to see the Liberty Bell, but not the constitution. Independence hall had already given out all the tickets for the day. We could have done a free tour at 4pm, but were already at Triumph brewing down the street @ 4. And yes, Triumph Brewing was excellent.

Triumph Brewing surprised me. It was a little upscale in the decor, making me wonder about their beer. Well, after the first taste, I realized this was the shit. They know what they are doing. We did the sampler tray which gave us a great view into the brewer's mind. My faves were the Amber and the IPA. I ended up having an IPA in a larger glass. Anna had the Amber. I will go back to Triumph if I can.

After Triumph, we ventured to a Belgian beer basement where we had a couple of other beers and some fondue - both cheese and chocolate. Wow, everything there was amazing.

While @ the Belgian place, we looked up BSG on our phones trying to find a locale in Phili to watch it. We found a place in North Phili and took off. The drive was fun and we were able to see another part of Philly that we wouldn't normally see. When we arrived to the location - Whitman Tavern - we were early, so ventured over to Petco to look at the snakes, insects, rats, hammies and birds. It was wierd, but fun. When we got back to the "event," we spoke with the organizer and discovered that this was not a BSG event. We had happened upon his blog which implied a BSG connection, but there wasn't any. Oh well, chalk it up to experience.

So, in the end, we ended up back in King of Prussia chillin with our $10 Heiniken.

nighty night.

Going to jail

2008-04-04T09:05:00.001-07:00

Going to jail
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

gonna go check out the eastern pennsylvania penitentary here in a few minutes. we're having a cup of joe first at a coffee shop across the street mugshotscoffeehouse. we got anna an apt yesterday. so we're free tourists today and tomorrow. gonna go see where amerika was born.

Phili day 1

2008-04-03T17:56:00.001-07:00

hooters
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Got here late last night and are staying in King of Prussia, PA. I love that I'm staying in a city with a three word name. Our first day actually started pretty early as we arrived after 1 and didn't get to bed until around 3am. We've been a little tired most of the day, but the day ended up being a success. We visited Villanova first thing and checked out the campus. Wow, they are uber catholic. There is a crucifix everywhere.
After meeting with advisors and then a small quick tour, we went to check out our first apartment. I honestly was concerned because we only had one apartment visit setup and I'm a shopper. Well, after being turned around a little, we found the place and were immediately sold. It is indeed expensive, but perfect for a non-car-driving Villanova student. Wooo hoooo. We secured it and were done with our chores early. Our early evening entailed meeting other Villanova nursing students and learning about the program Anna will be attending next month. All in all, a great day...

And then we wanted a beer. Next to our hotel was a Hooters. It was simple, so we ventured in. First off, terrible service. Secondly, the food was icky. Lastly, no microbrew. But there was an upside. They didn't charge us for 2 $4.50 Sam Adams. Now that's a deal.

But wait. We still wanted a beer for the hotel. Did you know that in Pennsylvania, you can only buy beer from either a beer outlet or a restaurant. No beer sales in stores. So I asked the concierge at the hotel where I could get some beer and 1/2 hr later, I paid $21 for a sixpack of Heinekin and a sixpack of Yingling's. And the best part? I got them at CHILI's.

Where the fuck am I?

I love you!

2008-03-21T07:37:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here in our office doing the morning ritual of drinking some coffee, reading the news, checking email and twittering when I sat back and realized...

It is our 10th wedding anniversary!

I sat there for a moment in reflection about the past 10 years of love, affection, friendship, adventure and well love. I have a big old grin on my face from ear to ear.

I love you Anna and look forward to the next 10 years.

I bottled some beer last week

2008-02-25T08:18:00.001-08:00

02 19 2008
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Along with the occasional drinking of the beer, I like to take fresh beer and spray it all over the kitchen and my body. It is a cleansing ritual of sorts. No seriously, last week, I bottled our beer and make a humongous mess. After like the 10th spill, I just laughed and grabbed yet another beach towel to sop up the mess. All in all, I would say we lost maybe 1/2 gallon of brew. Not bad. In some ways, I'm glad it happened that way. Now I know to head back to the brew supply and find the proper tools for bottling.

We ended up with about 10 22oz bottles, 1 1 liter, 1 50oz bottle, and about 1 case of 12oz bottles. They are in the basement bottle fermenting. We'll have a little get together the first weekend of March to check out the end result.

Now to decide on a new brew for March/April.

Walmart @ 6am in Chehalis

2008-02-16T17:01:00.001-08:00

3882273570_ORIG
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Coulda bought a gun! Seriously!

The other 'Couve

2008-02-16T16:23:00.001-08:00

vancouver bc
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

So yeah, I'm here in the other Couve - the one farther north. I had the opportunity to head up here with a new friend Wayan and we're sitting in a restaurant playing with OLPCs. Pretty cool seeing a bunch of geeks get giddy about a laptop built for children. Oh, and the sun came out.

Not sure what will transpire between now and Monday. Will keep you posted.

oh, and we've already hit 2 microbreweries. too bad there aren't many more.

the Brewing of the Beer

2008-02-06T23:35:00.000-08:00

Ahh, summer of 1992. Remember those wonderful days of our youth? If you weren't born yet, I feel strange about you reading my blog..... Well, in the summer of 1992, just after graduating from Linfield, I decided I wanted to make homebrew beer. I visited Powells and picked up a book and set out to acquire the items needed to brew beer. The funny part was that my dad laughed at all the equipment relaying stories that he used to brew beer in the bathtub. What was wrong with the bathtub?....he would ask....

Fast forward to 2008 and Mikey, Anna and I are brewing some beer. Mike and I visited Steinbarts for the ingredients and lo and behold, beer was being brewed. Granted, we started with a beer at the Green Dragon, then wings at Fire on the Mountain and oh yeah, a pitcher of Amnesia. Who says you shouldn't dring when brewing?

The simple steps are as follows:

2 gallons of water heated to 150 deg.
1/2 lb of Victory malt and 1/2 lb of Crystal malt cracked.
Grains in water for 10-15 min.
Remove grains (we had a mesh bag to facilitate this.)
Add in Malt Extract (gooey stuff) and bring to a boil.
Stir Stir Stir.
Boil for an hour with 1 oz of Amarillo hops.
After boil, cool WORT to 75 deg.
Mix WORT with 3 gallons of clean water in a bucket.
When temperature is around 75 deg, transfer to CARBOY - straing out hops while pouring through fresh hops.
Add Yeast!
Store in dark, yet moderately warm space. In the winter it should stay above 65, but no higher than 75 deg.
Attach fermentation plug and hose and leave for a couple of days.

Those are broad strokes on the process. There are many more steps in the process even I don't know. I guess we're making an Extract Ale similar to what a Sierra Nevada would be like. We succeeded in getting the WORT boiled and strained into the Carboy. Only one minor spill. We added the initial yeast and moved the carboy to the basement to vent off. After a day, nothing was happening, so I asked a brewer and it was suggested that the yeast may have been bad. We added more yeast.
One day later, still no activity. I asked another brewer and he suggested that the basement may be too cool for the yeast. After moving the carboy upstairs, it just took off and began spewing the goop that happens when beer ferments. What a joy to see your little baby spitting off gas.

So, here we are. The beer is actively fermenting in a bedroom closet. We need to get and clean bottles and begin planning for batch 2. So So exciting.

hmmmmm

2008-01-31T10:32:00.001-08:00

RaremediumRare

nuff said

Lists!

2008-01-29T07:25:00.000-08:00

I did pretty well last week even though it was hella cold. I gave up on Thursday afternoon before crossing the Steel Bridge. The cold biting wind on my face was just too much. I did walk yesterday and my route took me across the Broadway bridge and up Interstate to N. Mississippi. I had to stop by Widmer for a happy hour beer. I tried to pull in others via Twitter and text messaging, but no one was available. I did learn this. Even though the 23oz glass of brew is only $3, it isn't necessarily what one should order. Unless you drink it fast, it warms up before you can finish. Next time I'll order the pints.

When I walk, I think. I usually put together lists in my head. Some of those lists come to fruition, others not. Yesterday, my list was about beer. Tinymeat wants to brew some beer and so do I, I I have been thinking about what equipment I still have. When I got home, I grabbed the homebrew book and began putting together a list.

As you can see, I have many of the items listed. What is crazy is that most of it was stored in a big pot in the basement along with some 3 and 5lb bags of malt, some hop pellets, a thing of yeast (that should have been refrigerated...,) and sugar. Now, I don't know how much of this is salvagable, but the equipment will still work just fine. The pot has some surface rust which may or may not doom it to the scrap bin. I'll have to figure that one out. Also, I have some hose, but none of it is the length I require. So, we'll need to do some shopping at some point. 15 years ago when I brewed last, the only resource for beer making equipment was FH Steinbarts which was pretty darn spendy. Now luckily we have places like Home Depot. Still, we'll have to hit up Steinbarts for the ingredients at least.

So, we're off and running I guess. A friend has bottles and I have space in the basement to store beer while it ferments, albeit with the cats. Soon, we'll have a beer tasting party somewhere.

Next up, an outbuilding to store the still......

Some of the stuff I found:

A little writing

2008-01-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

my hand hurts.

The bridge.......again

2008-01-21T10:00:00.001-08:00

DSCN7593
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Where were you at 2am Sunday morning? How about 2am this morning? Wow, what a weekend. I have to say that one of the best moments of the weekend was walking around downtown at 2am Sunday morning. Yeah, it was a little cold and a bit damp, but the city was quiet and enchanting. We were downtown to see a show at Dantes and then needed to head over to NE to pick up my friend's van and find him a hotel for the night, so we walked. The Burnside Bridge was closed even to bike and food traffic and MAX was long shut down, so we ventured down to the waterfront and across the Steel bridge. We even caught it when a freight train was rolling across. So cool, so loud.

When I say we, I mean Mr. WizardBoots and I. See, the weekend started with a walk home from work and then an evening out with Spindrift, one of the bands we like. They were playing at East End. An internet friend of Anna's - Wizard Boots - came to Portland to see the band. We hit it off and became fast friends, so Saturday, after waking and coffeeing, I took him out to show him Portland. I love doing that. We hit up Rocky Butte, Pittock Mansion, Hawthorne and Bridgeport Brewing. He and I then went downtown on Saturday night to see a band named Hello Lobster - devo-ish. We missed most of their set due to a misunderstanding and going to the wrong venue. That's what you get when you have a few beers on an empty stomach.

Sunday was quieter, but not as quiet as you would expect. Wizard Boots came over for dinner and then he Anna and I went to Revolver Studios to catch Spindrift again in a small private show. The studio is owned and operated by our friend Colin and his partner, so they wanted to do a grand opening in style. There were about 100 people there once the band started, but it was a school night for many, so the crowd thinned as they played. I would say about 60 people were left when the band finished. They performed a great set that had people dancing, swaying and clapping excitedly. Oh, and to listen to a band perform with just their amps and a powered mic is way cool. Like I said- intimate.

Two busy days and three late nights has me a little raw and tired. Not hungover or sick, just worn out a bit. I feel I lived like a rawk star a little this weekend and I love it.

some more photos of the weekend

Despair in the Westerner Hotel

Ok, I guess I had a couple of beers.

We learned chess on the fly.

the fog. times like this is when I want to learn photography.

Reflections!

2008-01-18T07:55:00.001-08:00

DSCN7540
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

We're on day three of Walkathonizationism 2008. Per the header of this blog, I started walking in earnest in 2005, but last year, it kinda waned. I got lazy and reverted to my old ways and thinking. In 2005/6 and part of 2007, I walked almost 4 million steps. Wow. I also kept my weight steady and felt healthy and energetic most of the time. Anna and I would also do these challenges with ourselves- how many steps in one day! We would chalk up 25,000, 30,000 maybe even more. It was so fun to just keep walking.

Well, I want to get back to that mentality and method of staying active. When I say I reverted back to old ways it meant that I psyched myself into thinking that walking home (which takes all of 1hr 15 minutes) is a waste of time and I had things to do at home. You know what those things are? Yep, sitting and relaxing in front of the TV with a beer. Wow, that is some sense of accomplishment.

To get myself remotivated, I have filled up the Ipod, made sure I have my walking clothes always in my bag and picked up some cigars. See I enjoy a cigar occasionally yet with the weather so cold, sitting on the porch isn't an option. Yet, having a cigar on the walk home works perfectly.

I'm also getting back to some photographing of my city. I love the photo to the left because it points out how calm the river was. You don't get that kind of reflection when the current is running. The tide must be in.

So, raise your cups of coffee or tea or your beer if you are reading this after 12pm. I'm pledging again to be an active walker in 2008. Wanna walk with me?

I am cook

2007-12-15T11:52:00.001-08:00

DSCN7233
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

MMMM, yummy broth creation that was later used to make ancho crimini mushroom risotto. mmm mmm good.

garlic!

2007-11-23T20:24:00.001-08:00

garlic!
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Yes, I love garlic. Garlic gets me through the day and night. This was for our veggie Thanksgiving dinner. Most of it was saute'd up with the kale, but a small amount was put into the yummy gravy.

I love garlic.

What did you do this weekend?

2007-10-31T21:55:00.000-07:00

This past weekend actually began a few weeks ago at my parents place. See, we have been working on our master bedroom for about 3+ years now and are almost at the finish line. We have the bathroom almost done and are just awaiting the return of our plumber. We're even sleeping up there even though the floor and finish carpentry are not finished. One of the major items is just that - finish carpentry - which includes trimming out the 4 windows in the room. That is what prompted the trip out east to visit my dad and use his power tools.

I had this image of window stools of reclaimed straight grain fir. Since we are in an 1890's house, I wanted to keep some items old and period. Well, that didn't work out. I bought some great boards @ the rebuilding center, but when I arrived at my fathers, we figured out I had the wrong sizes. It would have turned out to be a single very very expensive stool. Luckily, my father, a former woodshop teacher, had some great fir from previous projects in the back that we could work with. After some cutting and sizing, we were ready to begin shaping. My idea was to have the window stool jut out beyond the trim a bit and then have a roundover edge to an ogee at the bottom. That is traditional for windows of the period of our house. We tried to work with the wood with my father's router bits, but they just weren't cutting out enough. We then moved on to the 1960's Craftsman Radial-arm saw. Yup, a tool older than me. My father had a way to turn the saw into a shaping tool and create the same affect as a router. The blades and even the instructions were in great condition for being from 1960ish and sitting in the carport for so long.
Initially, the saw didn't work. It was damaging the wood. It was at this point that I actually had to leave. I had planned on spending some cash on a more elaborate router bit to take care of the job, but before I had even shopped, my father called to tell me the blade was in the wrong position. Typical for this family. At least we figured it out and the result is A W E S O M E! A couple days after my father told me about the blade, he delivered 4 pieces of window stool with perfect roundover ends, ogee edges and dadoed insets. All I needed to do was a little sanding, cutting and installing. That brings us to this past weekend.

I began at 1 windows on the south side. The window stool my father and I fashioned was cut to inset into the window and hang over and out. I had to cut out the edges in order to have an overhang to the left and right of the trim. That takes some math and some precision cutting, especially when cutting the corners. This is where I put on the leather gloves, pray and make sure the car keys are readily available (miter saws involved.) Luckily, no injuries this whole weekend. And you know, it worked out perfectly. Actually, it worked out perfectly for about 90% of the cuts. I only had to tweak a little.

I then proceeded on to the trim which was MDF - meant to be painted. This is for the inside of the window cavity and the facing trim on the side and top. I even added a little feature of a bead molding at the top of the window to mimic what is downstairs. I'm soo ingenious.

In the end, I spent about $70 on material, not including the wood my dad donated after my botched rebuilding center purchase. It took me most of Saturday and a couple hours on Sunday to trim out 4 windows. Nothing is technically finished, that would required filling the nail holes, calking where the gaps are, oiling or staining the fir and painting everything else. We'll get to that.

I present to you the finished product.

oh and to end this post, since it is on Halloween, I present to you

PUNKIN HEAD

What a beautiful couple

2007-09-19T08:12:00.001-07:00

DSCN6463
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

This photo is from a wedding we attended before becoming rockstars for a week. Look at that beautiful woman who is standing next to me. Wow, how could I have guessed I would be married to her.

Almost done

2007-09-07T16:00:00.001-07:00

Almost done
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

I am tired...

party like a....

2007-09-06T23:42:00.001-07:00

Photo_090407_008
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

The only reason I woke up @ 8am was to move the car. Others were just getting to bed.
Monday was a great day and night. We woke in mt shasta early to skip any traffic at lake shasta and bolted down I5 to sfo. The drive was uneventful except a detour because the bay bridge was closed. We went over the golden gate which was amazing. There were a ton of people walking and biking and enjoying the last ceremonial day of summer. Upon arrival, we chilled before heading to Pacifica for a bbq with our friends. Great to catch up and hang out in the ocean coolness and mist. Oh, and the brats were perfectly cooked.
As evening approached, the excitement level rose. We met up with our english friends and some others we have met along the touring way. We found out the band was delayed, so we hung out and just chatted. When we did get to the venue, it was rather crowded, but we only had to hang out for a minute before Colin swooped us back stage. Cool! It was you normal back stage with couches and the band and beer and a fruit tray. We were only back there a few moments before the show started. We hung out on the side and watched a great show. Everyone was into it and there weren't any fireworks and Colin even sang on one of the new songs. Yay!
After the show is a little blurry. I will wake up and try and remember it all.... Off for some lunch.

Who knew

2007-09-06T23:40:00.001-07:00

DSCN6678
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

ok, here come the blog posts:

who knew that Mt. Shasta had Zoobombers. Seen locked up outside of Casa Ramos, a Mexican chain.

Night 2

2007-09-05T02:19:00.001-07:00

Night 2
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Just ate my lunch leftovers. I'm tired. It has been a long 4 days. Glad we're getting a 2 day reprieve. The show tonight was good and long. Heard some tunes we don't normally hear and were able to introduce Katie to the bjm.
Heading out in the morn, so gotta get some sleep. I'm gonna be rockstar and leave my all access wristband on until friday.

BJM night one

2007-09-04T21:50:00.001-07:00

BJM night one
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Hangover lasted most of the day. Show last night was amazing. Went to bed around 3. Woke around 11. Day in Haight.

Best moment: Anton on the haight putting up "dukes."

BJM

2007-09-03T22:24:00.001-07:00

BJM
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Dimmer just took the stage and I understand the drive from la was long. I am waiting outside, having the knowledge that the band is going on late because I am in the know and I am obviously awesome.

The ranch

2007-09-02T13:38:00.001-07:00

The ranch
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

I have heartburn after that meal. Yuck. Note to self. The Cow Creek rest stop is the worst on the route. I swear serial killers hang out there or dump out there.

On the road

2007-09-02T11:00:00.001-07:00

On the road
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

With a mild hangover or two, bagel sandwiches and a car full of cds and bottled water, we hit the road. We actually got out of town on time @ 8:05. The drive so far has been great except for the construction zones. Oh well. We're in Rice Hill now at the Ranch Restaurant because the girls are hungry. Cool little locale.
More photos coming!

2007-08-31T08:37:00.000-07:00

One more day
it is friday and I go on vacation in about 8 hours. We're pretty darn excited. We watched a show on the food network last night and the highlighted a roadhouse in Illinois. It had good cheap food. I want to find a place like that on our trip south or even north. yay! roadtrip!

Alas, LA, goodbye

2007-08-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

Friday brought the last day of class and my last day in LA. I have been to enough classes to know that Friday afternoon usually ends around 2pm. Yet, when I was in San Diego, it went until 4:30 and worth every minute of learning. So, I scheduled my return flight for 6:45pm. We got out around 3pm and I hung around a little catching up on email and doing some busy work. Finally, I decided to head to LAX. Everyone said it could get crazy with lines on a Friday, so I gave myself extra time. After dropping off the car and getting to the airport, I whisked through all the lines like a bat out of hell. I was at the gate almost 2 hrs before my flight. The story of my life. I hit the bar, had a beer and read my book. When 5:45 rolled around, I went to get some food and then off to the gate. Upon arrival, I was informed that the flight was now delayed until 8pm. Argh! I took it in stride, sat down and began to read, eventually nodding off for a quick nap.
Around 7:15pm, I wandered over to the departures screen for an update and now the flight was listed as canceled. OMG.
I'm not going to go into the long story of my return trip. The flight was canceled, we were rebooked, the flight was re-instated, we were rebooked and then the flight was canceled again. In the end, I was rebooked through SFO and then home. I got back to Portland around 1:30, yet my luggage was left behind in SFO. Got home around 2am after a little fight with the cabbie over if he would take a credit card or not. A very very long day, but I was glad to be home.

In the end, LA was awesome. Wish I could have spent it with my honey and didn't have to spend all day in class. Wish I had stayed closer to the fun instead of so far away which required so much driving. Wish I had been able to hang out on the beach and either watch the sunrise or sunset every night. Though, it was a great trip.

Hammies on Sunset

2007-08-12T22:00:00.001-07:00

Picture 161
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Nope, not a foodstuff. Thursday in LA brought a meetup with Andrea, a friend we met through Allison and Tiger. Andrea offered to meet me in Hollywood and take me out. Once again, I had to endure the traffic from El Segundo and both of us were playing phone tag giving each other updates as to how close we were to where we were going to eat.
We ended up at Toi Thai, a great place just across the street from the hotel where A and I stayed the last time we were in town. That was also the hotel where our new car got keyed one night. Ahhh LA. During dinner, I complemented Andrea on her outfit as I felt a little underdressed. She laughed and told me that she had spent most of the day out east in flip flops and casual clothes shopping at thrift stores. When she realized she wouldn't get home in time to change, she changed into her winnings from the thrift store and I tell you, it was a great outfit from head to toe.
Andrea took me down the Sunset strip to the Key Club to see a musical - Debbie Does Dallas, a raunchy musical. Everyone remembers Debbie does Dallas, but this story was a little soft-core and provocative. Pretty funny honestly. Andrea had a friend who was in the cast, so she was on the list. When we go to the door, all I said was, "I'm with Andrea" and the bouncer blinked and let us both in for free. Pretty darn cool. The performance was spot on and fun. I laughed a lot and experienced one of those LA moments. After the show, we hung out with the cast who were high on adrenaline and had some good convo. The lead was a beautiful blond bombshell from Tennessee who had more energy than an energizer bunny. We were outside smoking (them not me) and her and a friend were joking back and forth when she suddenly pulled up her dress to her breast to prove she was wearing underwear. Right on Sunset, she essentially flashed everyone. Totally LA and yet no one batted an eye.
After the Key Club, we wandered down to B of A so I could get some cash and came upon a homeless man playing the keyboard. His schtick was that he had two hamsters on a wheel next to him. When I got the camera out, he immediately stopped playing, stating, "$2 for a photo." I agreed and proceeded to take the photos. I gave him $3 and we hung out looking at the paper for whatever to do. During that, he launched into a song where he completely called me out for not paying beforehand. He was mean. It was so crazy and funny all I could do was laugh and chalk it up to LA.
The night proceeded on to a club called Respekt on Melrose. When I saw the line, I got a little concerned as it was already 12am. But I muscled through and we were only in line for about 5 minutes. Once inside, it was an excellent scene. Andrea described it as a drum' n' bass club and they were really ripping it up. One of the ladies on stage was Shorty, a well known DJ according to Andrea. Well I have to say, they were amazing. And the venue was just right. Not too crowded, not too loud, and not angry. Everyone was happy and dancing and just having a groovy time. While standing around watching, one of the people we met in line came up and asked if I liked what I saw and said, "Welcome to LA." I thought that was amazing. That this woman would take the moment to say that. Thanks.
Eventually we had to cut out. I headed back to El Segundo, but was a little wired, so stayed up and packed so I could maybe sleep in a few minutes in the morning.

Debbie does Dallas

Gentleman with Hammies

Four Ways for a Whiskey

2007-08-12T21:36:00.001-07:00

Picture 156
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

There are 4 ways to order a whiskey, according to 7 Grand, a bar in downtown LA. 1) Neat with a water back, 2) Put it on the rocks, 3) Have it as a sour, and 4) Make it an old fashioned. Booya! I love it when the bar tells me how to order my drinks. Wednesday evening took me to the center of downtown LA. Downtown LA is interesting. First of all, it is rather large and full of some amazingly tall buildings and architecture. It includes some museums and concert halls to boot. Because of the nature of the buildings, it is mostly a business oriented type of place, so when it comes to 6pm, it is quite desolate. I was walking around after my 45 min drive searching for food and drink and really needing to pee. Note to self, don't drink any water while in traffic in LA. You'll get stuck in traffic and need to pee.
I hit this bar named 7 Grand where, according to locals, all the cool kids hang out. If "cool kids" means guys in blue oxfords and kackis, I don't think I want to be cool. It was an interesting crowd, but I didn't care much. I just needed to pee. I had a couple drinks also.
7 Grand specialized in whiskey and I partaked in a Sazarac with rye whiskey and a Manhatten with rye whiskey. Both were true jems. Truly works of art.
I was to meet my buddy @ 9 at a place named The Edison and it was 7:30. I walked around trying to find a place to sit down and eat and also the place where I would eventually end up and couldn't find either. I eventually went back to the car in order to move it closer to where I thought the Edison may be. While moving it, I found A and I's favorite LA bar - Bar 107. I parked, went in and grabbed a beer at the end of the bar.
Bar 107 is a bit divey and attracts some interesting fellas. Next to me at the end of the bar was Chavez. He was a larger fit individual, someone who at the blink of the eye you wouldn't want to make mad. Well, Chavez was a bit drunk when I sat down so he was pretty friendly. We chatted and he revealed that he had just spent the past 10 years in jail and had only been out for about 3 days. Wow! I think I believed him. We talked a little, mostly him talking about god and future and introducing himself a few more times. It was all fun and the bartenders kept looking at me rolling their eyes. It was a game. In the end, I bought him a beer and headed to The Edison.
The Edison is bar created out of the physical plant in the basement of a building. This plant created electricity with turbine engines and other big equipment. The people who rebuild this location into the Edison preserved much of what was there and made it into a premier locale. It was amazing and huge. And expensive.
At The Edison, I met my friend and whom I would call a mentor of sorts and had a great conversation. We had a great time. Some of his friends showed up, including some tattoo artists who knew Atlas tattoo and Albina Press. Interestingly enough, I had two pounds of Stumptown coffee from Albina Press in my bag. It was a good night.
In the end, I couldn't stay out too late. Around 12:30, I decided to bow out and head back to El Segundo. Argh, the 45 minute drive. But, all in all, a wonderful night in downtown LA.

tall buildings

LA

LA

LA

Bar 107

Only in LA

El Segundo

2007-08-12T21:10:00.001-07:00

Picture 150
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Tuesday. Class was fine. Planned on heading downtown to meet a friend, then plans got changed to Wednesday. Suddenly, I had no plans and didn't really want to head north again. I headed into El Segundo and to the beach. I was trying to find a restaurant that someone recommended and then decided to go hit the beach. El Segundo is known as "business friendly. I assume that means they allow pretty much any business that wants to come by. Around my hotel there are numerous corporate parts with huge big name businesses - Raytheon, Boing, Air New Zealand etc. It is 5 minutes from the airport, so probably pretty easy for business. One downside is that on the shore, there is a huge wast treatment plant and a chemical/oil refinery. Seriously, two huge (huge people) plants right on the beach. Oh well, the sunset was still pretty awesome.

Chemical plant on the shore.

Plant 2

Sunset

Who dat?

LA, night 2.

2007-08-12T17:48:00.001-07:00

Picture 202
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

So, class is good. We went over the schedule and the instructor asked if it sounded good for everyone. He was wondering if we were all in the right class. I was ready to answer - what if we're not? Some of us traveled a fair bit, so we'll deal. Needless to say, the morning was review and the afternoon was pretty intensive. I am going to fill in the blanks here and that should help me in my job hopefully.
During the day though, I was bad. I kept logging on to gmail to check if I had received any email from my LA blogger friends. Indeed I had and we setup a meet at Barney's Beanery on Sunset in Hollywood. I understand Jim Morrison hung out there. Well, I google mapped the place and it stated a 20 minute drive. The locals said it would be 1hr. We were meeting around 7:30, so I took off from El Segundo @ 6:15 to make sure I had enough time. Wow, LA is huge. I did some freeway, but the directions I had put me on surface streets, specifically La Cieniga. Nice drive with little or no heavy traffic. What was weird though was cruising along though dense neighborhoods and then hitting a working oil field. I asked later and they stated that it is the last remaining working oil field in greater LA. Parts of Swordfish the movie were filmed there with Hugh Jackman golfing. I guess oil is more valuable than real estate still. huh.
I got to Hollywood early and drove around a bit. While finding a parking spot, I endure the craziness of LA parking signage. I finally found a spot and headed in. After a couple of brews, my friends showed up and we had a great talk. Dave and Mack are both bloggers for blogging.LA and had some amazing stories. They also had some great advice and guidance for my own blogging. Thanks guys. After some beers and a great Kobe beef burger, Mack led me to Amoeba records. WOW. This is probably the largest record store I have been to and I have been to some of the Virgin stores and the Amoeba in SFO. It was around 10:30, so by the time I found the vinyl and picked out a couple of records for A, it was time to close. I think I actually saw a celebrity there, but couldn't put a name to the face.
The drive home was surreal. I was directed to head down LaBrea all the way to Slauson and almost back to El Segundo. I kept driving and driving, wondering if I had missed the street when suddenly, I came upon it. I ended up back at my corporate hotel around midnight. Monday down, 4 days left of the great LA adventure.

Amoeba

Amoeba

so close to Crenshaw - remember Boyz' n' the hood?

El Segundo

2007-08-12T17:31:00.001-07:00

Picture 206
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Editor's note: This was supposed to be posted sooner, but something with moblogging from the treo failed. Ergo, the following posts will not be timelined well.

In el segundo ca for the week and want to bring you along on my adventure. I plan on taking advantage of one of the world's most lively city. Pictured here are my neighbors to the hotel. I could shoot a machine gun around here and get little reaction. The hotel, a doubletree is the same as every other business hotel in the world. Normal. Oh well. Close to my training class. I ventured over to manhatten beach to find something other than corporate fine dining and am at OB's Pub. They actually have Longhammer IPA, so that is a plus. Also, non smoking in CA. The sun is going down and the sky is a beautiful mix of grays, light blues and burgundy. I can only assume this area is a little $$$$. The only sadness is that I am the only person in the world wishing the Steeler's pre season game was on. Oh well. I am going to drink my beer and eat my tuna melt and enjoy the atmsphere. More to come.

Coconuts

2007-08-05T21:21:00.001-07:00

Coconuts
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

I never knew you could grow coconut plants like this. Pretty fricken cool!

Happy Birthday to me!

2007-08-03T07:55:00.001-07:00

nuf said. :)

Dog sniff

2007-07-20T09:57:00.001-07:00

Dog sniff
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

So, on Flickr, I got invited to a group who liked photos of two or more chihuahuas. When we were at the Mississippi st. fair, the photo opportunity occurred. I have a camera that I sometimes don't know how to use. I was just trying to get a good photo and got a great one. So far on Flickr, this photo has 115 views or so. I'm lovin' it.
Anonymous reminded me that I haven't posted in awhile, so here we go:
Spent some time in the Chicago area a couple weeks back. Wow! What an amazingly huge city. Remember, this is a POV from a Portlander of 37 years. Walking across Michigan ave and looking down not seeing where the tall buildings end is amazing to me. I get a hard on for big cities and tall buildings. It makes me wonder even more - what do all those people do? It was pretty cool to wander around a bit, but I think we were mostly in the business area by Millenium Park and so there wasn't a lot of people watching. Also, the heat and humidity was killing us a little. After seeing at least some of downtown, we ventured to a neighborhood NW of the city to get lunch and shop. It was out kind of hood and we eventually met up with some other friends and proceeded to eat and drink ourselves to the giggles.
The reason for the trip was our friend's wedding and that was awesome. They are wonderful people and it was cool to see all of their friends come from every part of the nation to help celebrate. It makes me envious of such strong ties. Note to self - re-kindle some long lost friendships.
Some photos from Chicago:

The Bean in Chicago

The Bed Jump

The girls

Nor sure of a title.

More Bed Jump. We actually broke a bed.

Me and my beautiful girl.

Me happy

2007-06-23T12:42:00.001-07:00

Me happy
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Got me a real man's bbq the other day. Someone else got shoes, but me, I get grill. We built it yesterday and grilled up some veggies and fish. And today, I got some cool grill toys. Send the marinade recipes now!

Oh and mark the calendars for Brettenium VIII. Those of you in the know know when it shall be.

Portland

2007-06-21T10:37:00.001-07:00

Portland
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Another reason I love Portland. Every so often you see a little street art that is not damaging or intrusive. I have been seeing these little birdhouses crop up in North and think they are a wonderful idea. I just hope the police or some paranoid schmuck doesn't think they are bombs or something.
Which reminds me, I need to get some new bird feeders. Mine are shot. I realized the grass in the backyard had gotten too high when I accidentally ran over the birdfeeder hiding in the grass. I'm babbling.
Summer is here. Today is the longest day of the year and I feel a little bloated. Haven't been doing my promised walking as much of late and that has me in a little funk. I feel fit because our diet is still pretty healthy, but overall, I know I could do better. I do get out during lunch for my Portland Mall walks which are a good hour of walking, rain or shine. I want to begin walking home again now that the sun is out. Much has probably changed on the route, so I should at least say hi.
I've been pretty busy with the master bedroom. We finally decided to finish that 3 year project and move up there. Hopefully we should be done by August. We have a new closet painted and build out. The bathroom is fully framed and ready for the plumber. I think we have a plumber, just need to engage him. Then drywall for the bathroom and a floor. I want to do bamboo, but that is up in the air I guess....
We've been trying to eat healthy, but sometimes it is challenging. We have integrated bread back into the diet. We get spelt bread which I still think is wheat, but others say no. I still don't do much sugar or corn or tomatoes or processed food or potatoes. A lot of greens and tofu. We discovered this guy at the farmer's market who makes great marinades and sauces from honey. Very simple sauces that are awesome without the sugar or other junk. YAY!
Oh and I bought a bar-b-que. Probably bigger than we'll ever need, but a man needs his grill.

Cooking and nursing and cooking and nursing

2007-03-11T22:52:00.001-07:00

DSCN3771
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

and cooking and cleaning and....

i'm not whining. seriously, i know who reads this and i'm not whining. it has been a crazy couple of months. awhile back, we switched to a new very restrictive diet to prep for Superinkygrrl's surgery. as a result, we emptied our pantry and a couple of friends got a good stash of some amazing food. it only took us a few days and a couple of shopping trips to figure out the diet and what we could and couldn't eat. New Season's is a godsend and everyone who works there has helped us out in finding the proper alternative to what we are used to.
So, over the past few weeks prior and post surgery, I have been a cooking maven. I have tried new things, expanded on old faves and gone outside my comfort zone to make sure A is comfortable. Some of the faves:
Roasted Vegetable Soup - roasted root vegetales that are then put in a standard soup. MMMMM good. I even made this @ 12am the day after A's surgery in order to have it available at the hospital for A when she is ready to eat.
Spicy broiled catfish - Alton Brown turned me on to a wonderful rub which I then used for catfish. The first time we did it we broiled it and it was tasty. The second time was in the skillet and just as good.
Roasted Vegetabes - yep, just plain old roasted veggies. Squash and other root veggies caramelize when @ 400deg in the oven. The sugars leach out and .... well, they end up being amazing.
Lentil Soup - another recipe from our friends at Food Network. Lentils pack a punch of protein, so I wanted to make some up. The soup turned out well.
Modified BLT - there was no bacon, we used thinly sliced tempeh fried up in sesame oil. combine that with full on 100% rye bread (gluten free and no sugar), romaine, thinly sliced onion, avacado and nayonaise and you got yourself a great sandwich.
tofu tofu tofu - we have done some great dishes with tofu lately, mostly frying it up in the pan with spices. A does a great dish with cumin and tumeric that turns out wonderfully. i just don't know the portions.

what i have learned is that you can easily cut out the following items without much challenge if you accept that going out or getting any sort of take out is off the table - wheat, sugar, tomatoes, corn, meat, cheese, milk, soymilk, peanuts, fish (only once every 2 weeks,) potatoes, and much more that i cannot rememer.

oh, and it is a great diet if you want to feel better and have more energy and lose some weight.

so, week three of post surgery and A is up and about more and more every day. i'm looking forward to this week as i may have a chance to try some other recipes i saw on the tv today. mmmm. marinated red onions and roasted cipolinni onions...

SuperInkyGirl is well

2007-02-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

if you have been following SuperInkyGirl's blog, you know today was a tough day coming. well, she made it through and is doing well. the surgery was more than expected, but in a good way. as a result, she will need to stay in the hospital for a few days. Send your thoughts, your prayers, your energy, money (just joking) to her as she begins her road to recovery. she thanks you in advance. i love me superinkygirl!

Where have you been?

2007-02-20T09:20:00.000-08:00

Here's where I have been:

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

San Diego animals

2007-02-15T22:42:00.001-08:00

San Diego 2007-2-15 00010
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

"hey, did i give you permission to take my photo? NO! fuck off giant. Your bright light is blinding me and my lover here. oh, you think we look like rabbits in shells? well fuck off bitch!"

San diego Residence Inn

2007-02-14T18:48:00.001-08:00

San diego
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

some thoughts on hotels:

after they clean the room, why do they put the shower curtain on the outside of the shower? i never understood this. there are two curtains in order to keep the water inside the tub, yet when i get in in the morning, kinda groggy, it takes me a moment to realize i'm flooding the floor.
again with the tub - why do they leave the drain plugged after cleaning? once again, it takes me a few moments to realize the tub is not draining.
after cleaning, why do they reset the alarm clock and turn it on? for the past three days, i have had to turn off the alarm clock as i would rather wake up on my own.
there is a strange community at the hotel. not bad, but a little interesting. since this is a residence inn, people stay here for long periods of time. so, they have a pool, a basketball court, the rooms have kitchenettes etc. they also have a bar-b-que for guests. it is strange for me to see random guests throwing stuff on the barby. in the mornings is breakfast and the evenings, they offer "happy hour." normally, i'm not surprised by this offering of free beer and wine. it's nice. what surprised me here was the offering of spagetti and meatballs too. or taco salad night. or raviolli and dinner rolls or..... i could go on because the menu is on my fridge. seriously, monday through thursday, someone really wouldn't need to go out for food except for lunch. unless... they took a couple plates in the evening and put it in the fridge for the next day's lunch. and on thursdays, go back for 3 or 4 helpings to make it through the weekend. crazy i tell ya.

so far, my buddy matt has steered me right with restaurants. i have been to kensington grill and Red Fox inn and both were perfect. tonight should be Jimmy Carter's Mexican if I can get in on a V day.
good night all.

view from the rooooom

2007-02-13T21:10:00.001-08:00

SanDiego Feb 2007 (17)
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

i'm gonna type fast, so pardon the typos and "other." this is the view from my hotel parking lot. i'm in class until 5:00 or so, so I miss the opportunity to get sunset photos and such. i hope to get to the beach at least once to get such photos.
in the view, we see some hills that are actually not built up. further, there are these valleys that are just amazing. whomever is doing planning in this area is not just putting in track mcmansions, they are thinking about the greenspaces also.
the hotel is fine. as i stated, i think there is an elephant close by, but that's ok. my bedjumping is probably a bit disturbing to others as well. i'm close to the freeway, so in the evenings when i'm here reading email and such after class, military helicopters fly over from base to base. they are so low and loud, the room shakes a little. kinda crazy.
more later

My breakfast

2007-02-13T08:08:00.001-08:00

My breakfast
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Hotel breakfast leave much to be desired, yet I am in the burbs, so I would be hard pressed to find a nice cafe that would be any healthier. I opted for some eggs and oatmeal with dried fruit. Oh, and OJ.

My head still hurts after yesterday's brutal class. It was all theory and history. Some of the info was review for me- stuff you have learned throughout the years. Other stuff wasn't necessarilly new, but it was explained so it now makes sense. Looking forward to today. It will be even meatier. I had a dream that I returned to work early because I believed the class was boring. My peers didn't like that. What does that tell me? PAY ATTTENTION!

In the land to the south

2007-02-12T20:11:00.001-08:00

In the land to the south
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

I am currently in the wonderful suburbs of San Diego for some 'puter training. Upon arrival, I had to get me some In N Out! While the double double was great, the fries were a little off.
My hotel is fine. I thing an elephant is above me, but oh well. I kept waking through the night thinking, where's Anna? I had dreams I was sleepwalking and had ended up in a separate room.
I am now in class. The stack of books is daunting. And it is a room of goattees. When will computer geeks realize the goatee is overdone.
more later. Gotta pay attention now.

I got me a sign!

2007-02-03T13:48:00.001-08:00

DSCN3403
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

yup. persistence pays off. i almost wandered down there in the dead of night to steal the sign, but didn't want to get arrested over a stupid sign. so, today, i wandered over and they were still working, so i asked for the sign and lo and behold, i got it. rather heavy and large, it is now in the back of my truck. i'll get the boyz to help me with it tomorrow when they come over for the game.

Let it be known - I am a space dog!

2007-01-21T22:46:00.001-08:00

DSCN3207
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Frodo, our little one, had a small problem with his anus on Saturday morning. We had to take him in early to see the vet and spend some $$$. As a result, he is now on meds, including some great drugs that make him wooozy. We also got this overpriced space outfit for him so he wouldn't lick his but as it heals.
Oh, and Franka didn't want to be left out, so she went and injured herself sometime Saturday, so we were concerned we would have to take her to the vet also. After a good night's sleep, she came around the realized we really didn't care about her poor foot.

I also too these other photos and think they rock!

Fuckin' great photo

2007-01-21T22:41:00.001-08:00

DSCN3210
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

I feel I've taken some great photos, but this one....well, I think the framing is amazing. Wow!

$12.99 for a bottle of bud?

2007-01-09T19:28:00.001-08:00

$12.99 for a bottle of bud?
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Yep, that's right, a bottle of Budweiser costing $12.99. It is a nice looking bottle with a nice label and all, but do you honestly believe that the brewers that make bud can make something top notch? Brewmaster's Reserve. Wow!

New Year

2007-01-08T22:14:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it is the 8th already and I even missed the Orthodox Christmas yesterday. So bummed. Oh well, I'm not exactly Orthodox, I just like to remember the time I was in Armenia and how important January 7th was to them.
The holidays were not as frenetic as in past years. Yeah, we did the family thing, but it was spread over a few weeks instead of over 3 days. I loved it! Christmas Eve was for us this year. Christmas day? YEP, you guessed it. US! So fun.
Some highlights:

Christmas with my niece and nephews(3): Wow, what energetic kids. The oldest is 6, the youngest is 3 (he's the cowboy.) Tradition at my parents home is to read the gospel according to Luke before anyone gets presents. I'm glad they kept that tradition and not the one where we were forced to eat Oyster Stew and Lutafisk. Well, these 4 little kids could not sit still waiting for presents. At first, I reacted like my mom and my sister-in-law with stern looks and tried to get the kids to calm down. That lasted a total of 3 seconds when I realized - THEY ARE KIDS! I took a swig of beer and enjoyed the gospel and the fun. Once presents could be handed out, it was a frenzy of wrapping paper and screaming. The kids were so excited about each gift, they forgot what they got and moved on. Only Hank, our youngest, focused on each individual item and didn't want to move on. I love that from a 3 year old. In the end, we were all hanging out and the kids were able to assess what they got and realize the best presents were from us (just kidding.)
We learned from my brother that to curb his daughter's thumb-sucking, she had begun to use fingernail polish. So, we got her a hello-kitty lipgloss set and manicure set. Well, that didn't go over with mom and dad too well which made me that much happier. We're such the rebel aunt and uncle. We're the cool ones. Also, my niece earns allowance by doing different chores and being good. Throughout the night, I kept handing her $1 bills just for hugs or smiles. I'm such a bad influence.
Time off- both of us were fortunate to have time off between Christmas and New Years. With Anna starting school this week, our goal was to clean up and create an office space in our office. It was a crazy adventure which included a ton of purging and the purchase of a cool desk unit from Dania. In the end, we have purged more than either of us ever expected and have a cool new office with a great big desk, less furniture and soon...a cool carpet. And we did it all without Brett tearing into any walls or doing any structural work. Woot!

I'm excited for Anna and her schooling. She's gonna become a nurse and take care of me when I get old and frail. I'm here for her as much as she wants me. For this term, she'll be doing some serious night classes, so I'm alone most evenings during the week. Further, she'll be studying the other nights (probably.) I gotta find stuff to do to pass the time which would normally be spent with her and the dogs watching the OC. Initially, I'm gonna get this house cleaner than it has ever been. Next, I'm gonna setup a routine for keeping it clean with daily chores for dusting and vacuuming. Lastly, I'm gonna work on the master bath. Yep, the work I started over 2 years ago and never finished. My goal is to move upstairs in 2007 and I'm stickin' with it.

So, wish us well. It will be a fun ride. Here are some photos for your enjoyment:

huge f'n racoons in our backyard

Federale @ ACME

Rocky Butte on a cold winter afternoon

trapped in a bag

my fence smokin'

ciao

Jazz Hands

2006-12-22T07:56:00.000-08:00

IMG_9164
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

We have this running joke where we do the move to the right and say Jazz Hands. It usually puts Franka into a frenzy, which is kinda fun. This year when making my famous Rosemary Salted Hazelnuts, I donned these amazing gardening gloves. See, when you roast raw filberts, you then need to peal the skins off. These guys are hot, so I put the gloves on to help and Anna got the great photo.
It's been a crazy holiday this year. I think I have been to more outings than ever. Thank you all of the friends who have taken us out and spent time with us this year. We're indeed grateful and feel fully loved.
Happy Holidays to all!

Sausage making

2006-12-11T19:26:00.000-08:00

Sausage making
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

You know you want some! Seriously, these are the casings! Woot!

also, check out what other's think of our little yearly adventure

Love me the Care Bear

2006-12-03T20:43:00.000-08:00

Love me the Care Bear
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

I remember my mom making care bears for the band auction in the early 80's. Didn't realize they still had a place in the 00's.

I wuv wu care bear!

holidaze

2006-12-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

everyone knows about sausage making, now come the videos:

also, we lost a friend over thanksgiving. hopefully Cathy is in a better place now.

EXTREME!!!!

2006-10-03T17:14:00.000-07:00

EXTREME!!!!
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Am I extreme? When I was in Phoenix last week, someone stated I was "extreme." It wierded me out a little. Then, this morning, this pen for Extream software. Is the universe trying to tell me something?

Need help!

2006-10-01T22:56:00.000-07:00

DSCN2221
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

dude, what's up? yes, that's me on the beach in Pacifica, California. in the last 6 weeks, we've done some serious driving and traveling. first off was the trip to San Francisco, then back to Portland, then to Seattle, then to Vancouver BC and Victoria BC to see the BJM. i loved it and would do it again in a heartbeat. i have grown to love the BJM and the music is just getting better and better. also, they guys are fun to hang with and don't treat little old me as just another groupie. i also enjoyed meeting all the fun friends along the way.
next was our travels to Chehelis for Grandma Margaret's funeral. that was a sad weekend and week. i think i'm still thinking about it and processing the change that has taken place.
next was my recent trip to Phoenix. OH MY GOD, phoenix is boring. mind you, i was a visitor. how many visitors actually know where to go to have fun or enjoy themselves. i was in phoenix for training, but still had the evenings to get food/drink. my first night was spent with an old friend, so that was cool. the next night, on the suggestion of some, i ventured into Scottsdale for some food. where i ended up was the center of the universe for expensive, yet corporate shopping and food. ick! i ventured down towards ASU and Tempe and finally found a bar to get a beer and food. nothing special, but the beer ended up good. at the end of the night though, i was disappointed. the next night, i ventured out to find a microbrewery. that was my only success. thursday was a mess of driving around, trying to find something to do, killing time waiting for a plane. my opinion is that Phoenix is the land of strip malls. sorry.
now, i'm back home, with new skills. i'm heading back to work for the first full week in about 4 weeks. it's gonna be tough working 5 days.

so, i'm in need of some help.
I need a plumber. Anyone?
I am interested in installing a wood stove. Anyone have suggestions?
I need to install a good amount of insulation. Anyone want to get itchy?

cya.

Grandma Margaret

2006-09-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

Grandma Margaret
Originally uploaded by Superinkygrrl.

It's been a sad 24hrs. We learned last night that Grandma Margaret, Anna's Grandma passed away. I don't really know how to process this, so I'm just going to write away.
I didn't know my grandparents that well. My parents are from Minnesota, so that is where the grandparents were. We visited them regularly, usually yearly when I was a child, but my last grandfather died when I was 18. I never had a relationship with my grandparents like that of my childhood peers. Yeah, I got to go on long roadtrips to visit them, yet that wasn't the same. I came to regard Grandma Margaret as a Grandma of mine also. Margaret was a wonderful woman. I have some great memories of our visits with her and her husband Ray. One such memory was when Anna and I visited on our own without the extended family and Margaret made a point of making a vegetarian meal for Anna. It was Peas and Carrots and such. During the meal, we kept discovering little pieces of chicken. She had painstakenly pulled out all the chicken thinking it was making it vegitarian. I love that because it showed she cared enough to try. I never saw Margaret sad or angry or frustrated or challenged. Everything about her was love and hope and smiles. She was one of those grandmas who kissed you on the cheek everytime you hugged saying hi and goodbye. She was one of those grandmas who asked you the detailed questions about how you are doing. She appreciated even the strangest gifts at the holidays.
I will miss Grandma Margaret. I have the best memories one could have for eight of the past ten years. I actually have one of those pangs of regret for not taking the time to get to know her better, but know I knew her as much as we both could have hoped for.
I know she is now in a better place with her first love Gordan. I love you Grandma Margaret. I love you Mom and Dad and H and H. I love you Anna.

Franka wants some

2006-08-07T22:13:00.000-07:00

DSCN1720
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

this is why Franka chills out in the kennel. i swear she jumped up there and had a few chips. I want to thank everyone who came to my birthday party. i have had this thing with my birthday since I was a little kid. see, when I was 4, i asked for Santa Claus to come to my 5th birthday - yes, August 3. well, he did and there is Super 8 film to prove it. since then, i have had certain expectations for each of the last 31 birthday parties. and you know what?

my friends don't disappoint!!!!!!

thankyou. thankyou thank you!

and it was good to see some friends who I haven't seen in awhile.

btw, Miami Vice RAWKED
Snakes on a Plane looks good
Jonas won the Ms. Pacman tourney
I'm still eating the birthday food
anyone up for a brat?

It's my birthday damnit!

2006-08-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

Cider house dinner
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

and that's me pouring cider while standing on top of a chair.

happy birthday to me!

how old am I? if you actually know, wait till others guess.

Lost sandals

2006-07-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

Lost sandals
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Phoebe almost died last night. She decided last night was the perfect night to bark every 3 minutes. I think she was reading our REM patterns and barking just as we fell back asleep. The cats were out and running around and making just enough noise to bother the dog. So, now, with probably 4 hrs of sleep under my belt, I'm off to work.

Last week was a banner week for walking. The goal is 10,000 steps a day, which is about 4 miles. By friday, I was averaging 18,000 steps each day and then did a 4 mile brewery walk in the pearl. Yep, blew the week's average away!

Brewery crawl you ask? Yup! A group of work friends did the following: 6 people, 6 breweries, 6 hours. It wasn't meant to be a drinkfest or drunkfest, more of an exploration of what portland brew has to offer. We went to Tugboat, Rogue, Bridgeport, Lucky Lab, New Old Lompoc and Laurelwood. Some memories: Tugboat's IPA is hoppy goodness. Rogue is the bomb with the best selection and service, along with an onsight Rum distillery. Bridgeport, while the beee is still great, the locale is not- too polished and uppity. Even the famous pizza has gone upscale. Lucky Lab- warehouse with no charactee. New Old Lompoc- great beer and atmosphere in a reclaimed old bar...with a deer head on the wall. Laurelwood? Well, I didn't stay long enough to make an opinion, but first impressions were that it was cool, but the staff was not so cool.

In the end, a great time had by all. Only 1 beer spilled the entire night.

ok, I'm off to get some sleep...I mean go to work.

house of sound

2006-07-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

house of sound
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

i think i remember when this was open, back in the day like 6 years ago. there's a small mini mart in the same building. now, when i lived over by jefferson, i never ventured to any of the stores in the hood. they were sketch in my opinion and i just didn't have the balls. now, i have no problem going where i would normally feel uncomfortable. this building, an older 2 story business/residential from back in the day seems abandoned now on n. williams (or is it vancouver, i can't get them straight.) soon it will be something, a boutique, a restaurant, something. i wish someone would have the forsight to keep the sign and name whatever they are putting in after the sign or some derevation of that. up on killingsworth, there's a place named love lee ladee. i could see that as a new style salon or something with a cool retro sign.
has anyone seen the new Floriday Room up on kilingsworth? i want to check it out.
it rained last night. yay rain. especially yay night rain. and to think - i watered yesterday too. whatever.
did you hear i'm gonna be famous? i got contacted by a newpaper reporter in DC. they are doing a story about Lollapalooza then and now. it's been 15 years since i went to the first one and she wanted my story and memories. hopefully it will be a syndicated story and the O will pick it up. YAY.
we're doing another road trip soon - in september. pdx-sfo-pdx-sea-van-pdx. approx. 2000 miles.
how does bjmroadtrip2006 sound? wait, we've done that already. hmmm. help me out with a name so I can register it and setup a blog specific to the roadtrip.
head but!

Not dead

2006-07-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

Not dead
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Been doing some good walking lately- 20,000 steps yesterday alone. The photo is from Hood Canal up in wa. We went up there for the 4th with A's sis and friends. While i enjoyed the weekend, it was mostly about drinking beer and shooting off fireworks and eating. Well, as of late, i have been trying to eat less, eat even lesser junk food and drink less. I realize I am not 25 anymore and it takes a little longer to recover from a night of drinking. Oh well. Another thing was that i didn't have much in common with anyone there. Example- 90 minute discussion about the merits of mercury outboard motors. Someone even had the catalog in their truck. Now, i'm all about the merc, but come on, can't we discuss evenrude a little?

All in all, we saw some beautiful scenery, some amazing fireworks and got to swim in salt water. Next year? Probably not.

Cya.

Frodo's package!

2006-06-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

IMG_8947
Originally uploaded by Superinkygrrl.

yep, that's it! Frodo's little wonder. Superinkygrrl took this great photo, probably unintentionally, but still, a great photo. If you click on it, you'll be able to see it better and notice that his foot is actually moving blurry like.

Yay Frodo's cock!

tuesday - need lunch ideas - updated

2006-06-20T12:33:00.000-07:00

second day of operation relax and get shit done.

i have been surfing and blogging now for 90 min. a little excessive i think, but fuck it, its my day off. i should be doing something productive, but i can't get my ass out of this chair. maybe i'll get on my bike and head up to freddy's for some weed killer. yes, gotta kill some weeds.

or maybe not. maybe i should go weed the front hard.

what should i have for lunch today?

10:48am - just finished watering, doing some more weeding and mowing the back lawn (again.) now heading to the front to take care of that mess.
12:31pm - i'm in from working the front yard. did some weeding, but it mostly needed a mow. it looks good. i'm loving that everything is filling in and it creates shade. see, our house has no natural shade, so for the last 6 years, we've been fostering shade plants. i came in 30 minutes ago to get lunch and now i'm stuck back on this computer responding to blog comments, IMing and just plain surfing. this darn thing. ok, off to roast a brat.

today's schedule - UPDATED throughout the day

2006-06-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

Portland Pride Parade June 18 2006 (159)
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

8:12am - coffee and surfing
9:02am - write this blog entry
9:10am - go mow the lawn - done
9:20-10:07 - weeding the mound and pruning back the potato vine
9:30am - drink more coffee, maybe watch tv
10am - think about lunch -
10:10 - lunch has been thought of - going back outside to weed.
10:43am - stop thinking about lunch - go weed the garden some
10:45am - clean kitchen do dishes
11:30 - lunch - bar-b-que a brat -
11:34 - did some serious weeding and am now hungry. Franka was out with me running around being a dog. I have the computer doing a massive playlist, although I keep hearing bob mould and blink 182. bad shuffle algorithms. ok, now a brat! -
12:30 - think about going back outside to weed
1:45 - stop surfing and watching tv and go outside
1:50 - never get outside because it's nap time
1:57pm - spent last 90min cleaning and pressure washing the back part of the driveway in order to setup a bar-b-que/eating area with the umbrella. someone will like that. i'm in cause i think i'm getting sunburned and need to get some wa wa. i think i'll wash the chairs next. oh, and i got the old keg fridge out of the mudroom and into the truck. i think i'll be doing a dump trip this week. currently listening to bob mould again. hmmmmmm shuffle algorythms.
3pm - wake up - realize i have 1 dog betwen my legs, one dog snorgled into my belly and another dog by my head. think about doing housework
3:55pm - just got back from store to get concert tickets for tomorrow night. Black Angels baby! also got red bull and miller high life - gonna make said cocktail @ 4pm..... or not.
4pm - start working on cleaning the kitchen so it looks like i was somewhat productive today.
4:10pm - make a cocktail
4:20pm - make second cocktail
4:30pm - head outside to water plants and pick some raspberries
5:09pm - opened the miller highlife - it's all downhill from here. continued work on the driveway - did some pressure washing and moved chairs around. i'll wait till my love gets home to finalize anything. the birds are going crazy outside. i think we have a nest of bluebirds and thier kids don't like us.
.......

yes, i'm not at work today nor for the next couple days. yay me! i'll keep you posted as to if i stick to said schedule

oh and say hi to phoebe!

My first owie

2006-06-19T10:48:00.000-07:00

My first owie
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Of the day. More to come.

eat more pie!

weekend stuff

2006-06-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

so, last week, i did what i set out to do and walked home every day. i was able to get in upwards of 18,000 steps each day and that my friend makes me feel good. i'm still sick, but mentally, i felt recharged. i'm gonna try again this week, but my main goal this week is to get rid of this sore throat.
the weekend was good. not much to report other than we busted out the bar-b-que and did some sausages. yum. we also harvested about a quart of raspberries. oh and did a family event with relatives we haven't seen in about 6 years.
some photos:

Eagles of Death Metal @ Crystal:

weekend:

cya

Georges corner tavern

2006-06-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

Picture 012
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

i'm back from my 2 weeks of travel. I've been kinda a mess too. The first week, I ended up working almost 70hrs in the course of 4 days, so my body took a beating. I ended up getty a chest cold that ruined my 3 day weekend home. I shouldn't say ruined, it just kept me from doing much other than watch tv and rest. Then it was off to Seatte for a week of training. Seattle traffic is crazy. Granted, they are a much larger city and the sprawl is crazy, so I just dealt with it. I'm funny...I don't drive or commute by car, so being in 30 minutes of traffic wasn't a big deal until the 4th day. Also, it was clear enough that I was able to check out all the mountains surrounding Seattle and catch up on email.
i was worried that during my travels, i wouldn't get my walking in. In Denver, I ended up only having 1 day when i didn't get my goal. The facility we were at was spread out, so it was about 1/4 mile between me and my servers and on the first day, I went down there probably 20 times. It was great to get up and walk and get some fresh air when it's 3 in the morning and you've just eaten a whole bag of m&ms.
When i returned, i vowed to clean myself up after 2 weeks of travel food. Week 1 was all about chain restaurants and delivered food. It took my body 3 days to feel whole again. Seattle was better as I made the choices about my food, but even then, it was all restaurant food and by its very nature - fatty! This week, i've eaten salad and light sandwiches and feel like my body is getting back to normal.
A. and I have been walking in the evenings a ton this week. It began with a great Sunday morning walk down on the waterfront. Earlier this week, we ventured up to New Seasons for groceries and then stopped by Interstate Bowl for a beer. Wow, that was an interesting scene. It looked like a good bowling ally and was packed, but we were interested in the bar. The bar had people in it, but absolutely no character. The dropped corporate cieling and bank flouescent lights made it more trashy than divey. 2 beers down and we were gone.
The next day, we wandered up to Georges on N. Killingsworth and Interstate. I had been there before for football, but A hadn't. It's a nice neighborhood bar, plain and simple. They had sports on the tv, the cool trivia game everyone loves. There were young people, old people and us. The prototypical neighborhood tavern. I think we'll be going back since it's a nice walk and they have good cold cheap beer.

album cover

2006-06-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

DSCN0589
Originally uploaded by Superinkygrrl.

i have to say, i'm so fricken' cool in this shot. thank you photo shop!

so, what's the band name?

2006-06-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Bartenders..
this past two weeks has allowed me to meet some bartenders..some good and some not so good. none of them were bad, some were just better than others. my favorite was a bar in seattle off 3rd - I asked the bartender if they had food and his response was- naw, all we have is crap! you don't want to eat here. it was precious. I had a beer just so I could tip the guy.
at another bar in seattle (unnamed) I had a great time with the bartenders. the crazy thing was that they were drinking along with the customers. it was like a "1 for you.....1 for me..." and they weren't attempting to hide it either. when I got my side of mezcal, they both got one too. I was loving it, but a part of me was concerned that they were a little loose with the drinks and that would harm a wonderful locale if caught. oh well...
bartenders end up being fastfriends. we usually exchange names and wish each other well. for me, that is why I may return to a place even if it has subpar food and drink.

The Florida Cowboy

2006-05-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

Photo_052106_009
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

yep, in a boot to boot!

in colorado, i ended up getting two boots, one for me and one for my lover! the texas roadhouse loved when i asked for said drinky and made it with aplomb.

so, i'm glad to hear Rigo is getting the south to embrace the cowboy. thanks bud.

colorado was good. put in some serious hours, but loved every minute of it. seriously, I was on a high the entire week. not because i was travelling and eating junk food, but because i was part of something and there was a defined goal and we were hitting it. i am going to pursue this further if possible.

some photos from the trip:

Carlos - "man of love"

2006-05-18T23:14:00.000-07:00

Carlos
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

had to post this.

gotta love Chehelis washington!

they probably have bootie lite there.

Florida Cowboy - the trend has began

2006-05-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

Fl cowboy
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

this wasn't my bill, but the bill for me, myself and I.....

seriously, we went out with some old/new friends to the 5th Quadrant Lompoc and had some fun. when we arrived, i wanted my new fave drinky and asked for it by name:

FLORIDA COWBOY

the waiter looked quizically at me and honestly stated he didn't know the drink. before i could tell him, A. made fun of me stating i was "making up the drink..." i informed him that the drink was Orange Juice and Jim Beam - Florida Cowboy...

and look, he put it on the bill.

woot!

Bootie Light!

2006-05-18T18:15:00.000-07:00

Bootie Light!
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

So much for my old english 800 cravings, now i can get BOOTIE!

eat more pie!

still here

2006-05-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

IMG_8671 brett and his cigar 1
Originally uploaded by Superinkygrrl.

well, i'm still alive and kicking. yesterday was a crazy busy day with a birthday party, a blogger meetup and an election night party. all were fun. have some reservations about ACME bar - the service sucks and the prices are way way to high. oh well, we were there for a great gal.
i walked accross the morrison bridge after work to get to the 2nd event. that is the scariest bridge i know. there is nothing between the cars and the peds and people drive crazy on that bridge. not sure what i'm suggesting, but there has to be some solution.
i walked under the morrison once i got to the east side. i love it down there. gritty and dirty and grafitti everywhere. i took some great shots i'll upload later. i wish we had other parts of town that were like that....
the garden is going crazy. gotta weed more.
ok, enough of me. how are you?

wine, tequila, vodka, cream, gin...

2006-05-12T06:23:00.000-07:00

kids @atlantis
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

i lost count. had a fun night tuesday with our neighborhood buddies. you may recognize them. thanks for coming to town Matt.
i have to say Acupulco Golds has some strong margaritas, but great food. my fish tacos were excellent.
i'm in a haze this morning, not having had my coffee just yet. don't you hate when people blog without coffee?
thank you for the advice on the the lists. i do still have the stress feeling because i'm gonna be away for 2 weeks, yet i did have another thought - i'm gonna be away FROM WORK for two weeks. eventhough i will be working, it won't be @ work, so it will be different and maybe exciting.
so, the garden is going crazy. i really need to mow. i can't distinguish the lettuce from the weeds, so will need A's assistance. some critter ate one of my flower starts, but oh well, it will survive. the eucalyptis (sp) is growing an inch a day i think. yay nature!
gonna go fishing tomorrow. i'll take some photos for all a ya. maybe even get a fishy.
rambling over.....

monday

2006-05-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

i have been away....and i have no excuses. then again, you could have called....

so, what's up? well, spring is here and i have been out and about working on the garden, the yard, the house. i love dry weather because i can get the little stuff done. like painting the railings on the porch. these railings went in the summer before last and are not just getting paint. that's my MO. i start stuff, but don't finish. i don't know what it is, but it isn't good. so hopefully, the rain will go away and i'll be able to get back to what i was doing.
last week was stressful. i had the realization that i was going out of town for work for a week at the end of the month. normally, this is a good thing. i love traveling and having someone else pay for it. further, i feel the project i am going to work on will be positive and uplifting. yet, i realize i will be away from home and my projects and my dogs and A. and then i have the thought of all the stuff i need to get done before that and the other activities we have planned and and and... i spin out of control.....
when in reality, there's plenty of time and i don't have stuff planned every night of the week and weekend. oh, there is still stuff to do, just not as much as i think there is.
our garden is going crazy. i gotta get out and do some weeding again. oh well, the life of a gardner. the early morning 5am thing hasn't been working, but i won't beat my self up just yet. i am getting up earlier than i use to and am using that time to do productive stuff. even last week i went to work earlier. go figure.
haven't been walking too much, but vow to walk a ton this week. we got a new camera and i want to test it out. last weekend, we did some canvassing for Cheryl for Judge. at first i was all stressed out that people would ask me questions and confront me and shit, but it worked out very well and people were generally welcoming. we did 10,000 steps in under 2 hrs and that was before lunch. that's the type of walking i love to do in the summer. woohoooo summers coming.
ok, enough rambling. have a good week all.

cheryl for judge

2006-04-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

cheryl for judge
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

said hi to Cheryl while walking the alberta street fair - yay Cheryl!

anyone out there?

2006-04-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

so, yesterday, i had planned to go for a walk and then tell you all about it here. it was a beautiful day out and i wanted to enjoy downtown portland in the sun.

well, in the end, my walk didn't occur. i did however get a little sprint in. i took down a shoplifter/thief up by pioneer square. yes, that was me running after a young guy who had stolen the tip jar from a coffee shop on 5th. he tried to get away on MAX, but i grabbed his sweatshirt and began pulling him off the train. his resistance gave up his sweatshirt and his bag and hat into my hands. he paused and i think thought about getting it back, but then bolted from the train and headed off accross the square. luckily two others were persuing him. i hooked up with Tri-met security who contacted the police.

wow, exciting huh? as i said on another blog (which by the way no one commented, so i wonder if they care) - don't fuck with me in portland.

roadtrip - a mantra!

2006-04-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

BJM Roadtrip to LA 4-19-2006 (56)
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

2200 miles later, we got home. boy were the dogs happy to see us. a. did all the driving on monday - 600 miles worth from Pacifica all the way home. i slept and kept her company by interchanging cds when needed. i also took photos of everything i could see.
the trip as a whole was amazing. i know, i know, some people lament that driving the I5 corridor to LA is horror, but for me, it's new and exciting. i loved the trucks and the sights and the curves and the truckstops and the wacky restaurants.

highlights:

a strip club off the side of the road named Club 21 in the middle of nowhere down south of roseburg in republican country.
Bill and Kathy's - a place to eat. food wasn't bad, but it just had this weird vibe to it.
Pea Soup Anderson's - a wierd dutch restaurant place in Santa Nella and again just north of LA. something about the dutch and california
walking hollywood blvd and being tourists
CHEEBO - an amazing restaurant with wondeful food on Sunset.
Little Radio Warehouse and the 2 shows - wow!
Pacifica- what can i say - beach, sunset, friends.
beers @ Ollie's in downtown LA- my kind of bar.

downers (but not enought to damper the trip)

hotel on sunset blvd - should have known it was sketch when there were decked out hookers on the corner at 4pm on a friday.
driving around empty skid row downtown LA on saturday evening - yes, i was scared and had my foot on the gas ready to gun it.
car getting keyed at said hotel.
hotel shower broken.
anna got a speeding ticket.
missed the "welcome to oregon" sign.

all in all, an amazing trip and i would do it again in a heartbeat. actually, anna mentioned the BJM were playing in Chicago - hmmm. it's only 2200 miles to chicago... hmmmm.

some of my favorite photos:

600 miles to go....

2006-04-24T10:40:00.000-07:00

600 miles to go....
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

a little tear just ran down my face..

Spent most of sunday driving up 101 from LA to Pacifica, just south of san fran. A beautiful drive with parts right along the coastline. We were pretty tired, so didn't do too much site seeing. The show on saturday night/sunday morning was amazing. The bjm played for about 3 and 1/2 hrs and were still making noise at 4am when we checked out. Got to bed around 5:30 and up @ 10.

We visited Ali and Tige i Pacifica where they live right on the cliffs. We ventured down and walked along the beach and took in the cool ocean breeze. Most of the evening was spent catching up and making jokes about past vacations the 4 of us have had together. Also, they have a new puppy we all got to play with.

So, we're back on I5 and truckin' along at 85. We've done about 1600 miles and have another 600 to go. Should be home in time to catch 24. What will Jack do tonight?

Oh, and yes, we're already planning our next adventure. Woo hoo....

eat more pie!

2nd show

2006-04-22T23:21:00.000-07:00

2nd show
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

We've now been here a full 18 hrs and are at the second show. The first show was amazing, with the bjm playing a full 3 hrs. Got home and blogged for blogging.la @ 3:45am. This morning, we got up, had lunch and ventured to the getty museum here in la. Wow, what an amazing space. 5 or 6 buildings with art and all surrounded by cool gardens. And all of this on a hill overlooking la and the coast. Driving hasn't been bad, la-ish. We did go through west hollywood and saw Jonathon's salon. Then through beverly hills.

Tonight we ended up in the scariest part of town trying to find a bar. I was seriously frightened for us. We got out of there fast. Downtown la is pretty sketch.

So, tomorrow we're back on the road up to sfo and Pacifica. More roadblogging to come.

eat more pie!

2006-04-21T23:00:00.000-07:00

Final destination
we're finally at the show and we've rekindled our friendships with the band. we've also met up with 4 other huge BJM fans for drinks.

What would chuck do?

2006-04-21T16:41:00.000-07:00

What would chuck do?
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

We made it. Yay!

Now we're playing tourist on hollywood blvd.

oh, and i think there are "working girls" in our hotel. Nicccccccce!

eat more pie!

When in rome...

2006-04-21T10:04:00.000-07:00

When in rome...
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Eat with the roman's right? Well, here in Santa Nella (yes, i figured out where we were), you must eat at Pea Soup Anserson's. If you are from portland, think Rheinlander, but make it dutch.

They even have a windmill out front.

anna now want's pea soup for breakfast.

eat more pie!

You are sooo cool!

2006-04-20T22:26:00.000-07:00

You are sooo cool!
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

And that's why i love you!

eat more pie!

roadtrip....

2006-04-20T22:15:00.000-07:00

BJM Roadtrip to LA 4-19-2006 (28)
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

i'm a bit wired, but also a bit tired from the day of driving. we're ahead of the game people. yay! we're somewhere outside of Crow's Landing south of Sacramento. it got dark, so i am kinda out of my element. we decided to drive as far as 9pm and then look for a hotel and lo and behold, there was an exit with a few options. i'm sitting here at the holiday inn stealing WIFI from some other hotel because the holiday inn connection sucked balls.
the drive was great. we only hit a few traffic snags - in oregon only - and california is a breeze. we have 680 miles under our belt and another 280 to go. we'll get some sleep tonight and tackle it in the morning.

stats (in addition to before):
680 miles
1 sit down meal at Bill and Kathy's
1 six pack of bud light (in hotel)
2 full mp3 cds listened through
3 liters of water
handful of baby carrots
92mph - highest speed so far
66 - number of photos we have taken and uploaded to FLICKR.

cya.

Gas, food, lodging...

2006-04-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

Gas, food, lodging...
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Just south of ashland and we're 5 hrs into our adventure. So far, pretty uneventful, but the scenery is amazing. I haven't been bored. It seems most of I5 is under construction down here, so every so often, we gotta slow down.

stats:

300 miles

5 hrs drive time

2 rest stops

1 change of drivers

3 FUH2's

2 burritos

1 bottle water

1 visoda

well, on to cali!

eat more pie!

On vacation!

2006-04-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

On vacation!
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Road food and drink.

Can't talk now. Busy packing and stressing out- trying to get out of town soon.

LA or bust!

eat more pie!