Nippy

I saw a girl wearing a t-shirt with some baubles attached to it. One of the baubles dangled directly over the center of her breast. Wouldn't that, er, be a bit too ... titillating for the wearer?

Unamused

I'm sitting outside the laundromat, waiting for my first load to finish. We have a washer & dryer in the basement but they got destroyed in the great flood of '07 and my dad advises against trying to hook them back up. The woman acting as condo prez (who also owns 2 units) basically told me to get them fixed because I live on site. I'm going to put a sign on them saying BROKEN so that prospective buyers see it. Maybe then she'll be more helpful.

Longing

A minute later I realized who the guy was who waited next to me until the light turned green. He is (or at least was) a good friend of my old friend Emmy. I rushed past him, in a hurry for no reason, and so he was gone before recognition hit.

Is he still friends with her? Why wouldn't he be? I'm probably the only one to have cut her off. I can hardly even remember why now, but I think I remember her cutting me off, too. Plus, I have my pride.

Gingery Canton

Jeff invited me out on a press dinner for a ginger cognac. God DAMN that stuff is good. They probably thought I was just trying to be nice (although not really b/c I said in front of the famous mixologist that I preferred it straight up) but really it's great on its own. Yum.

Scotch or masking?

How do you wear a yarmulke if you're completely bald? Is there a special adhesive?

Grillin

We've lived here a month and this is the first night we've sat outside. We got the grill set up (after an hour of piecing together pictorials and having an extra piece at the end). Jeff insisted on self-lighting briquets so we would have that charcoal smell we smelled for years before we had a yard. But damn did they make the dogs taste disgusting. The NJ corn however is so good even lighter fluid can't mask its flavor. I ate mine plain. Best part of the meal -- aside from the NJ maters.

Still can't sleep

It's now 2 and yes I sent the last msg prematurely. My eyelids itch and I have a rattle in my throat. And I am not in the least bit tired. Jeff's snoring makes me happy because it means he's not tossing and turning, too. I knew we were doomed after getting so much sleep this weekend. I didn't get up until 11:30 his morning.

Can't sleep

I'm lying in bed at a quarter til 2

Uh, no

I still love this hotel, but I just heard a concierge tell a British woman that Earl Grey is in fact a plain, black tea. She was displeased.

Granted, she was choosing from the complimentary tea and coffee bar. Their decaf selections were only choco-mint and fruity, so there is another potential complaint.

I happen to be going through an Earl Grey phase, so I'm perfectly happy.

Cheap and delicious

If you're going to do a beer tour of Portland, definitely plan to be there during the early part of the week. Everywhere we go it's either Miserly Monday or Cheap Ass Tuesday and the pints are only $2 or so.

It may not be Cheap Ass, but something akin to that. Lucky Lab does half price Mondays AND Tuesdays, by the way.

Stamped

I saw a woman with a tramp stamp so low that it entered her crack. Will crack cleavage and decorating it be the new thing? Please, I hope not.

Vintage

This hotel gets high points from me because:

-there are Aveda products in the bathroom
-there are 2 animal print robes in the closet
-free wine tasting every day between 5 and 6
-under $200 a night

Also, I have fresh blueberries, but they're not from the hotel. We got them from a roadside stand near Hood River along with huckleberry milkshakes.

Many of the bars here offer small glasses of beer for around $2, which is excellent for those who are trying to visit 4 bars in one afternoon and try as many different beers as possible.

Mission

Today so far we went to Bridgeport Brewing for lunch, Laurelwood Public House for happy hour, and New Old Lompoc for happy hour round 2. I think we may try to hit one more before dinner.

Women in Portland fairly ubiquitously wear comfy shoes (that's a point in my book). And then they wear nice shirts out at night...with jeans. I could get behind that style.

Over

At McMennamins Ringlers we saw an ad for dark wave dancing on Sunday nights at nine. Although we were dragging after dinner we convinced ourselves we had to go because how often do we get to dance to goth music anymore?

We showed up at 9:15 and were told no one was upstairs and that people usually just trickle in and they are probably going to stop doing it soon.

This not only makes me sad, but also makes me feel old because 15 years ago there would have been a line around the block to get in. And most people have moved on in their musical tastes, but Jeff and I will always have a space in our hearts reserved for new wave.

Permanent vacation

The Rogue brewpub has numerous signs saying they're an anti-cell phone establishment, but the smoking is rampant. I think I'd take cell phone use over smoke.

We struck up a conversation with a guy who had moved from NYC last year. He came to Portland on vacation and never went back. I can see how that would happen.

Libation

There's only a little over an hour before the wedding and we haven't showered yet, but damn if we aren't going to the Full Sail brewery for a tasting first. Now begins the game of How Quickly Will We Be Able To Get Ready?

I really like the Amber and the Brewmaster Reserve.

Wandering

Arrived in Portland (Oregon, not Maine, although that's another great beer town) this morning. We happened upon Powell's, which might be one of the most impressive bookstores I've ever seen. I'm just glad my suitcase was not already filled to capacity.

We lunched at Jake's, which, okay, yes, is a chain. But it wasn't always a chain. And it was damn good. I think we may have oysters for an app with every meal here.

Now we're in Hood River for my cousin's wedding.

Offering

An Asian man sitting on the train put on his distance glasses to get a look at an Asian woman who had just gotten on. After he had squinted at her a moment, he offered her his seat. She turned him down.

I marvel sometimes how I graduated college

I did something so incredibly dumb last night that I was too embarrassed to tell Jeff after it happened.

"I busted the washing machine. Can you come help me fix it?" I said.

He was lying on the futon mattress, which is on the floor of what will someday be our living room, once it's no longer a warehouse. He came home from a business trip feeling like utter crap.

I had sort of hoped he would just say okay and not ask how. But no such luck.

"Dunno. It just, um, broke." Yeah, right.

So, I had to admit that since the stupid washer takes 7 quarters and I had only taken down 6, I had the bright idea to stick this round disk sitting there in the 7th slot. In my idiot brain, that disk was a special disk that was for using in the laundry machine. I know! I really did graduate from college!

I'm only admitting this here because hardly anyone reads this.

Also, Jeff did manage to rattle the machine hard enough to get it unjammed. So, he is officially my hero. (Not that he wasn't before.)

Just to be on the safe side, Jeff threw the disk behind the machine.

Of course...

Now I have nothing to say, but I had to post something.

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