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July 29, 2007

I've had a great weekend.

Saturday, Ben and I were busy nonstop, with cleaning, coffee, IKEA, books, cats, lamps named Not, then social time at night.

Today we slept in, I tinkered with my web site, and I pretty much cooked all day. We're gonna eat well in the week ahead.

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 09:35 PM | Comments (2)

Charades

Last night Ben and I played Cranium with Morgan, Robin, Rian and Ryan. It was super fun.

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 12:00 PM | Comments (4)

July 26, 2007

Thursday in Portland

Crazy people have been standing outside yelling while waiting for the bus. I opened the door and asked them not to be so loud. They were kind of offended and rude, but I guess I don't blame them. Anyhow, they're not being quite so loud now.

Ben is out with the Woodshed Big Band tonight, filling in on tenor sax at the request of the band leader. I hope he has fun.

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:15 PM | Comments (0)

July 22, 2007

The Bay: Books, bikes, blues, then bon voyage

The new Harry Potter book made me cry by the end. I was probably too antisocial on our social visit to California, but I couldn't tear myself away. Except when I did.

In between the lines, Ben and the Lincolns and I voyaged to a bike festival Saturday in Golden Gate Park, where the world's only all-female miniature bike synchronized dance troupe, the Sprokettes, also of Portland, put on a show.

Mose Allison laid clever lyrics on top of bluesy piano at Yoshi's that evening: "You call it jogging, I call it running around," he sang, of a lover whose running shoes never wore down.

Jim Lincoln kept us active, Kerry kept us fed and hydrated, and Nathan and Natasha (bound to college and high school soon) kept us wistful, as we remembered our own school days.

Flying back to Portland was a breeze. Trips up and down the West Coast are so much easier than cross-continental multi-hop sagas. We've even got a few hours left before bed to brace for the week ahead.

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:26 PM | Comments (1)

July 21, 2007

Visiting the Lincolns

Yesterday we hiked a bit and drove about, then picnicked at the California Shakespeare Festival, where we watched "Man and Superman."

Today I think we're traveling into San Francisco for a hiking and biking fair, followed by a night at Yoshi's, a famous Oakland jazz club.

I'm on page 350 in the new Harry Potter book, and so far I like it very much. I don't know if I'll get through it by the end of the weekend, but I'll try.

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 09:35 AM | Comments (0)

July 18, 2007

Melted spatula

A house isn't really a home until you have had your first kitchen fire. Right?

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 06:17 PM | Comments (6)

July 15, 2007

Last night's party

I want this game soooo bad. Here are some photos from last night's party.

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 04:21 PM | Comments (2)

Following the nerd herd

I went to a nerd party tonight. It was held at an '80s-style video arcade (Tetris, Asteroids, lots of pinball, but also Dance Dance Revolution). All the games were free, as was all the booze and a bunch of candy and donuts. I walked in the door fairly early, and nobody was making eye contact. Got my first free beer of many and followed the nerd herd: it is safer to play video games than talk to strangers. Two or three beers later, bumped into someone and started talking. Eventually, every one had enough beer to relax and either chat or challenge one another to arcade game duels. When it was time to leave, I took a break to play some original Mario and drink some free water, then took the light rail home. It was super fun.

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 01:34 AM | Comments (0)

July 14, 2007

Ultimate Portland Day

This has been one of those ultimate Portland days, filled with vegetables, bread, light bulbs, bike races, surprise circuses. Up later: video games and free beer.

The vegetables, bread and light bulbs were all on the agenda. Farmer's market and bakery fare picked up in the morning, a trip to a specialty lighting store in the afternoon.

As Ben and I arrived at the lighting store, we found the street blocked off for an unexpected fair and circus, with art and juggling and dancing and live music and kissing booths and marching bands and smoothies up and down N. Mississippi.

On the way back from the festival, we learned that the finish line for the annual Seattle to Portland bike race is about four blocks from our front door. About 2,000 bicyclists are expected to finish today and another 6,000-some will get in tomorrow.

Right now I'm taking a break, but in a few hours I'll head out for my final adventure of the day. Metafilter.com turns eight today, and the founder is having a party at Ground Kontrol to celebrate. The booze and '80s arcade games will all be free. Morgan's coming along for the ride.

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 04:24 PM | Comments (0)

July 10, 2007

102 degrees

The sun beat down and forced a new heat record on Portland today. Triple digits, 11 degrees higher than the old record. I've never had central air in this city, but Ben and I have window units scattered across our house.

Even better than staying home and sitting in front of a box of cold damp air: listening to a trumpet blare on the patio as the sun sets behind Produce Row Cafe, discovering a new grill run by a familiar face, and laughing at a second-run movie in a theater with couches and pizza and $3 admission.

Even when it's dry and hot and I get damp and sticky just stepping outside, I love the brown grass and the girls in their sundresses and the city in the summer.

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 10:30 PM | Comments (1)

July 07, 2007

Summer in Portland

I walked a few blocks from our recently-purchased home and took the light rail to downtown. The ride was free because we live in the central part of the city.

At the Portland State University Farmer's Market, I sampled berries and cheese and preserves and sauces and breads and wine. I bought some feta, and picked up a bundle of fresh produce. Then I took the streetcar and Max to the Great Harvest Bakery and bought a loaf of dakota bread.

When I got home, I started roasting the beets, which takes about 45 minutes, and I started cooking the soup, which takes about two hours. When the beets were done, I had a beet sandwich. I read the New Yorker for a while. I had a lettuce-beet-feta salad with red wine. I finished making the soup, no-chicken noodle from scratch, and ate some. I ate cheese and fresh bread.

I took a break to pet the cats.

Now I'm making a second batch of soup, to freeze for the winter. And I'm going to make some vanilla icing to drizzle on ripe bing cherries, which I will eat right now.

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 06:10 PM | Comments (0)

Morgan!! (errr, morgaN)

Guess who just got a job?

And who created an eerily realistic replica of himself for the online game Second Life?

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 09:38 AM | Comments (2)

July 05, 2007

Willamette

Fourth of July: Picnicking on corn, tomato, basil risotto on a plaid blanket on an island in the middle of the city; boating out under a bridge and listening to the galloping echoes as the fireworks burst above our heads; bracing against the sides as a speedboat's wake nearly capsizes us again and again and again; inhaling deadly fumes from a malfunctioning fire extinguisher; and banging into rocks; "Am I going to have to call work tomorrow and say I can't come in, I'm stranded on an island?"; limping home; listening to Richie Rich and the Silver Spoonettes on the boat next door as we dock at the end of the night; up too late.

Also: I've seen it before in books and movies, a massive ship bearing down on a smaller boat, appearing out of nowhere and barreling through the waves. It happened to us today. We were in the shipping channel, and I swore when I saw it, and then Ryan was able to putter out of the way. It was after dark, our lights were inadequate, but we survived.

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 01:04 AM | Comments (5)

July 04, 2007

America?

I want to post a poem about America today, but I don't know which one seems most true. Walt Whitman, I hear America singing, or Allen Ginsberg, America. So you get them both.

In honor of 231 years of days like this, we're gonna get on a boat and listen to blues and watch pretty things explode over the river.

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 09:44 AM | Comments (0)

July 02, 2007

Technical difficulties

Sorry for the long silence. Technical difficulties.

In the past two weeks, Ben and I have:
* attended weddings in rural Iowa and in Seattle
* driven across the midwest
* toured Chicago
* chilled with Morgan and Robin
* made our first mortgage payment
* played with some very silly cats.

Now, to work!

Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 06:42 PM | Comments (0)