Goldfish

Last time I wrote, I mentioned that I'm "seeing someone" which is still the case.  We've been dating for 4 months and spend copious amounts of time together and very much enjoy one another's company, however... contrary to "typical lesbian behavior", we are not in a relationship and haven't thrown the girlfriend word into the mix (nor dropped the L-bomb which is quite an accomplishment compared to some friends).  I had left a comment to a friend about her girlfriend being sick and said my ngf (not girlfriend) was also sick (most likely with mono) and she'd responded requesting more detail.  "NGF?  New Girlfriend?  Not-Girlfriend?  Nifty Goldfish?"  And upon sharing this story with the not-girlfriend, she said she was okay with being my Nifty GoldFish so now, in protecting her anonymity, she'll be referred to as The Goldfish.

The Goldfish and I have had many adventures including another trip to the coast where I got to see my first lighthouse.  We also went up to Mt Hood to find snow and wandered around the Timberline Lodge (which was used in The Shining) to celebrate her birthday last month.  She's been incredibly patient with my school schedule and makes cute faces when she reads at coffee shops while I do homework.  I really like her.

Tomorrow, I get to register for Spring term.  It's week 9 of the Winter quarter and I'm trying not to fall into old habits but as they say, they're hard to break.  I have a 12 page paper due on the 22nd and I'm waiting for my primary source to come back to me (it's an emailed interview).  I've learned a lot this term but more about how to be a successful student than about the subject matter.  In a moment of brilliance I managed to schedule myself on packed week when I registered for this term.  Mondays, I have class and work.  Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday, I have class.  Friday, Saturday, & Sunday, I work.  So with the exception of two days that I managed to swap around to take off for specific reasons, I haven't had a day off since January 5th.  I also feel like I haven't slept in since that day either.  I'm a bit exhausted and have had my share of illness this year already with a nasty cold, chronic allergies, and definite exposure to potential mono.  To say I'm excited for spring break is an understatement on a grand scale.  Now if only I can get this paper done...

Speaking of spring break, I get to go home to Colorado to visit my family!  I fly out in the early hours of March 20th and come home late on the 24th.  It may seem like a short trip, but I'm sure it'll be filled with some quality family time.  I'm actually traveling during finals week because all of my classes have final exams, projects, & papers due in class before so as to not hold class during that week and thereby extend our spring breaks from one to two weeks.  After I return from Colorado, I've got tickets to take The Goldfish to see Amy Ray!  I'm also throwing around ideas for a brief getaway.  I was thinking of possibly going to visit Jerry in Seattle (and possibly crash on his floor?)  or just do a day trip to Bagby or something.  I've still got to talk it out with The Goldfish and make sure everything pans out and that funds are available for whatever we choose to do.  Despite the lack of cash flow, I do believe I'm getting the Portland life down.  I'm still enjoying it here and am happy that I still have a life even if I'm broke.

VS.

New Beginnings...

Melissa Etheridge may have just woken up when she was seventeen, but it appears that my awakening has arrived at age 30 with my fearlessly loving the Pacific Northwest.

It's been a while since I've written, but communication has been difficult and I've been spending my time out enjoying life and being a bit disconnected for the past three weeks after what turned out to be misplacing my iPod touch.  (I was convinced I'd dropped it accidentally and that someone had picked it up and kept it for themselves after searching everywhere I could imagine.)

I'm "seeing someone" and really enjoying my time with her.  I spent 17 days in December house-sitting & dog-sitting for a nice couple who live in the neighborhood.  While I enjoyed the "vacation home" and the full kitchen and new washer & dryer, I missed having my things and only being responsible for myself and my one dog.  Mouse was with me while I was there and had a good time running around everywhere with the two dogs, and also chasing the cat, but I think he's also happy to be back home with me.

School started today.  I had Spanish at Portland Community College's Sylvania campus.  My other classes start tomorrow at Portland State University.  I was a ball of nerves yesterday but today has been such a great day, I'm feeling more relaxed.  My sister has shipped me her old MacBook to borrow until I can save up for a new laptop of my own.  Next on my list: obtain reliable internet access.

I've been taking pictures and have loaded most on facebook but will try to get some on here at some point.  I'm happy.  It's a whole new year...

Getting Dirty @ Thirty

I celebrated my Thirtieth birthday on Hawthorne, alone for most of the day.  I took myself to lunch, bought an avocado boba smoothie at a bubble tea place, purchased some whiskey and gin at a liquor store, browsed in a cute little shop, had a delicious cappuccino, then arrived at Sapphire Hotel and waited for my guests to arrive.  I had a bit of time (over an hour) to sit and think about the day and all the changes that have happened lately.  I felt alone and a little sad and missed my social life in Salt Lake.  Then, Nicole showed up followed soon by Katie, then everyone else.  It was a nice evening and I went home later than I'd planned but was in bed well before midnight.

The days since then have been full of events.  I went to Dallas the next week to visit Nicki and had a nice time. I got to see Tracy from high school and catch up with Emily.  Having time with close friends like that made it difficult to come back home to Portland where I just haven't established those connections yet.  I'm working on it, however, and have some news...

Dating is pretty fun.  I've met some interesting people and one in particular that I'm quite fond of.  ;)  I've been able to go to museums and parks and the coast.  I've had cheap beer and $3 movies and walked all over.  I've been enjoying myself and that's all that matters.  I'm diving in and getting my hands dirty (and maybe my mind on occasion) but I'm having fun and this start to this next chapter is definitely a page turner.

29 & 364/365ths

It's approaching midnight the night before my 30th birthday. Today, I slept in until 10:30. Had butternut squash Ginger soup for breakfast, ate lunch at Pepino's then got a Pumpkin Latte at Peet's with Kate before going to work and more than tripling the day's sales in my four hour shift. I came home to the smell of dinner already made: pesto pasta with spicy turkey sausage and steamed broccoli & a glass of red wine which was followed with a cookie for dessert, earl grey shortbread from a local shop. It's been a good day.

As good as the day has been, I've felt a little overwhelmed. I miss my family. I wish my siblings and mother would call. I feel like my grandparents are the only ones I talk to on a regular basis except for my dad and he's only 2 hours away from me. I miss my friends in Salt Lake. Everyone seems so busy and caught up in their own lives, I wonder if I'm even missed.

I'm emotional.

I leave for Texas in 7 days and as excited as I am, I've got so much going on I can hardly keep it all organized. Tomorrow: birthday happy hour with whomever shows up. Wednesday: date at Museum of Contemporary Craft to see Nikki McClure exhibit & cleaning shift. Thursday: pack for Texas and get stuff here organized, and possibly another date TBD. Friday: work & anticipate Jerry's arrival for the weekend. Then S&S: work/explore with Jerry/clean up at home. And then it's Monday and go time. For someone who regularly feels like her schedule isn't eventful enough, I sure have packed it this week.

And now... It's midnight. Happy birthday to me.

Wow. Thirty.

I received great news in the mail last week.



I was accepted at PSU to start winter quarter. Yesterday, I received my financial aid award and now I get to figure out how to afford school. Unfortunately, I'll be paying out-of-state tuition so even the maximum stafford loans won't fully cover it. Since I was accepted for co-admission to PSU & PCC, I believe I'll be able to take six credits at each school and I might be able to break even. I just need to confirm the minimum required PSU credits first and decide how to pay for books. Otherwise, I'll be about 3 grand short.







I am on a real schedule with the kids across the river. I get to spend time with them on the first Saturday of each month. For October, we decorated cupcakes and made shrinky dinks and had a blast.



Mouse and I are fully moved in with Kate and her pets in a cute house in Southeast. Mouse has taken over a dog bed that Dixie, Kate's dog had little interest in using. He seems happy. I know I am.

With my 30th birthday days away I am happy to report that life is great! I've started dating again. I had a lunch date yesterday and a tea date tomorrow with someone else, as well as plans for future dates with a couple other women. It's really exciting and fun and something I've never really done before. I'm getting out there and meeting people and making friends!

Fall-ing into place

The air is crisp and clean and it's rained the past two days.  Yesterday, I moved in with my new friend & coworker Kate.  I randomly crashed at her house on Thursday and then decided it was silly to really wait until October 1st to move the rest of my things since I'd already moved all my packed boxes on Monday so after talking with Trevor, I recruited some help and went and got the rest of my stuff and slept on my bed last night for the first time in over 7 months.  It was amazing and Mouse is so very happy!

This morning, I woke up slowly and cuddled with my little dog, responded to a couple text messages and finally got ready for work.  My back, though sore from all the moving yesterday, felt better than it has in a long time.  Sleeping on a cot isn't an ideal situation for a body turning thirty.  Kate and I walked tow to Bipartisan Cafe for coffee this morning and I walked to work.  Walked.  As in with my feet and no car.  The money I will save in gas alone will be more than enough to cover the cost of new shoes as needed.  I am so excited!

All of my books and movies are unpacked, as well as most of my kitchen items.  I loved living with the girls in St. Johns and will miss seeing them all the time, but I feel like my social circle just got so much bigger and I'm happy to think that a regular exercise routine just found its way into my daily commute.

In better news, I received an email today from PSU and it looks like I've most likely been accepted.  The letter was from the pre-teaching list so I assume it's just days before I get the official letter from the school.

This afternoon holds wonderful things: off work at 2pm then off to bake ginger snap cookies and roast some Brussels Sprouts with pasta for dinner.  I am still in love with Portland and the tiny neighborhood named Montavilla that I now call home.

Good things are heading my way

I have been social and productive this past week. After a possibly hormonal minor melt down in which I discussed with Trevor my lack of activities and expressed that I'm turning 30 and work 21 hours a week, I managed to come to an acceptable solution: I need to go back to school. So... Last Thursday I met up with Kate from work at the PSU campus and she showed me around. I collected some materials and spoke with someone in financial aid and someone else in admissions. I returned home and filled out my fafsa and Friday morning applied for co-admission to PSU and PCC for winter term. I ordered official transcripts from SLCC and AHS. I received an email on Friday that the gov had processed my fafsa application so now it's just waiting for the school. Tomorrow I have an appointment with someone in the Liberal Arts department to review my unofficial transcript and plot out a path to become a Special Ed Teacher. Yay for progress!!

In other news, I have the opportunity to pick up some extra hours at work for a little bit and am also corresponding with someone about a short term nanny stint that could put over two grand in my pocket.

Last Saturday after work, Trevor, Trish, and I traveled north to Olympia to attend Erin's birthday/house warming party and I got to meet new people and had a great time. Then Sunday, Kate invited me over for dinner. I may be meeting Katie for coffee/tea/ice cream/drinks tonight and have plans with Nicole tentatively set for tomorrow.

It rained yesterday for only the second time since I've been here and it was lovely. Today the sky is a combination of blue and grey mostly in patches like it can't decide what to do. The air is cool and fall is on its way. So excited!!!

The silly library doesn't open until noon so I get to waste a little time at Anna Banana's before I can pick up the book I have on hold. There are few things greater in life than a great cup of coffee and a little old time music. Ahhh

Location:N Charleston Ave,Portland,United States