Weather Obsessor

There is no doubt about it. I have become obsessed with the heat. The good thing, I'm finally, ever so slightly, becoming acclimated. The funny thing, it was 106 at 545pm and at 645pm it has cooled down to a nice 105. Shilpa, the Production Manager I am working with, and I, decided to skip out on the office this afternoon in search of a nice icy place to plant our buttocks' and finish working. We found Sydney's cafe. A nice icy warehouse like cafe. It was so chilly that when it was time depart and venture to the outdoors, it actually felt kind of nice out. The thaw. That lasted about 3 minutes. Now I'm sitting in my sticky, stuffy stuffy studio apartment sucking on a Stella Artois, sweating from head to toe. Why does it bother me so when the back of my knees sweat. The rest I can deal with, sort of. The back of the knees? Slippery when legs are crossed. Drippy when sitting with feet flat on ground. Squishy if bent up with heels on rails of chair. It's just kind of gross. The Stella is tasty cold going down, but I am absolutely sure it is counter productive to the body's cooling off process. Ahhh... a breeze awakens through the window. I still have not bought popsicles. What is wrong with me? I don't want to eat, it's too hot, so I don't go to the store, so I don't own popsicles.

Scene: Renee types... stares out the window, waiting.... waiting for some hot guy to walk down the street she is looking down upon. He's supposed to bring her popsicles. What's taking him so long?
Fast forward: Renee keeps typing. It was just a daydream. No guy. No popsicles. Renee sips Stella and wonders what the heck she is going to do tonight to escape this heat.

See.. I told you I am weather obsessed. I won't bother to mention the hot guy comment since EVERYONE knows I am boy crazy.

The internship: I'm still location scouting. I was offered a "assistant producers" intern position today. Not sure what I will do about that. Get through this film I suppose and see what happens. Ramping up will probably start next week. We are short on a few locations and once we nail those down I'm sure we will go like gangbusters for at least 2 to 3 weeks. I like it! I like it A LOT!

And.... it's gone....... blog thoughts just jumped out of my brain while thoughts of a nice cold shower jumped in.

Cheers from me and Stella. ~ Renee

My horoscope today (I quite liked it): Ambition can be pretty heady, like an expensive perfume or that new car smell, and you're both drawn to it and a little afraid of it. Ambition, like most strong forces, is an excellent servant but a bad master. As long as you remain aware of your ambition and make sure it doesn't get too outsized, you should be just fine. So go ahead and reach for the stars -- they're reaching back.

NEXT!

Is it me or is he flirting? I've been sitting in my crush's cafe for over an hour. I've been paying attention. I've counted. Seven. Seven times, he has been looking at me and when I look up he smiles. This is a fairly normal occurrence so I decided to count today. I can pretty much rely on him looking at me at some point if I am looking at him or if he passes by my general vicinity or if he accidentally happens to look in my direction. No exaggeration. He goes to the restroom, he spots me. He restocks the straws and on his way back to the counter, he smiles at me. Ok, yeah, I'm looking at him too if I am actually getting a smile and smiling back, but what the hell does this mean? I am so retarded. I'm thinking, if he liked me he would go beyond the smiling after a month. I finally did the introductions as you all know. I'm thinking he has a girlfriend? I'm thinking he thinks I'm way older than he is. My friend Beth decided he is WAY younger than me so now I have that to add on to reasons why we don't get beyond big face smiles and chit chat. I'm thinking I need a life and another crush to increase the odds. I'm thinking that I am ridiculous.

It's really damn hot again today. It's making me spacey and day dreamy. I just went off into la la land. I'll spare you the gory details of my teenage style fantasies. Speaking of fantasies...I have an idea for an indie style chick flick. Anyone interested in being my writing partner? I'll do the writing... just need someone to help me along with some brainstorming and moving forward. I have the beginning, the end and the conflict ready to be turned into something more.

I went to school today. Yes. Finally. I'm really excited about getting back into the learning mode. After some discussion I may be changing tracks until I get my associates. I won't bore you with the details. As it turns out, I am already half way there so I may as well get it under my belt and move on to working on the dreams through a bachelors program instead. More meat behind the accomplishment. Don't hold me to this as I may go back to my original plan. I have to meet with a specialized school counselor before anything is decided AND I have to take the damn math test I am so dreading. You think listening to me is frustrating? Try being me!

NEWS FLASH!

UH OH! I think crush's last day was today. DAMNIT! How can that be? He just said good bye as in gave hugs good bye to his co-workers. I heard the words "good luck on your real job" and then he replied "we'll see how the project goes." Blasphemy! How could this happen? I think I am in shock............. (and being overly melodramatic for sake of blog, so really, on to the next one I suppose).

I have officially reached the sweating behind the knees stage. It's time to hit the road and sit in the air conditioned car for a minute or 10. I had a funny or stupid thought just now; "Don't sweat it."

And so to keep in line with all things new in my life, I will find a new crush to go with my new apartment, new town, new school and new friends and all will be well in the world again.

He was tall. I melted. He smiled. I felt it. His eyes were blue. So are mine. He served me coffee. I took my time. His name was Colin. Now he's gone. ~ Renee Michelle

Hot, Busy and Finally Blogging.

I am sitting in my underwear blogging because it's the only way I will get through it. I know, too much information. I tried going to a cafe a couple of hours ago. It's so hot out that the air conditioning systems here are just not good enough to cool some of these places down. Anyway, I ended up doing a bit of work and then I had to go. Go where? To the heat of my apartment. I think I'm receiving payback for five years of living in the most temperate apartment at Oakwood Place, my old haunt. My neighbors, especially upstairs, suffered through many summers of this. I was lucky. Now I know what they went through. It's going to be in the triple digits all this week. What's a girl to do other than avoid home and when home hang in panties and bra? Being that I own a LAP-top, I have been sort of avoiding the whole computer thing, hence the lack of blog updates. Computer electricity just makes it hotter in here.

I'm not complaining. Seriously.

For someone new in town, I've been crazy busy the past week. I had a friend visiting from out of town who I was out with nearly every night. By day, I have been film intern/location scout. No joke. I have been location scouting for a week now and I'm loving it. It's a great way to meet people, see some interesting places and most of all, get to know the city again. I may be working for no money but what I lack in cash I am getting in hands on experience. Not to mention, I'm working with a really cool group of people. Location scouting just might be added to my list of job possibilities for the future. I kind of dig it. We are almost done with this stage and then I will be moving onto other things, most likely PA type work. Actually, I have no idea. They will have me fill in where they need me. I'm thankful for this tossing around as I am probably getting to do a lot of things I wouldn't necessarily get to do on a larger film. The process is so interesting to watch. Perhaps when it is not so hot and I am not so brain dead, I will share my thoughts with you on it.

I have dinner plans again tonight. I thought I should say no for affordability reasons, but than I thought better of it and said yes. I am feeling like maybe it's better to say yes to things right now especially when they involve seeing new places and meeting new people. Network, network, network.... besides, as I rambled before, it's too hot inside.

The other day, someone asked me what I was trying to accomplish with my blog. As with life, I sometimes have a hard time answering such direct questions about things I'm doing. Of course, when someone asks me a direct question like this and I realize that I can't answer it directly, I start obsessing. What am I doing? Why am I doing this? Is it a waste of time? Is it interesting if you don't know me? Does it make you want to go somewhere or do something maybe you wouldn't have tried otherwise? I think that last question is indicative of what I'd like you to get out of it. I wonder, is there a flow between posts? It seems so to me but then I am living it or melting in it.... depending on the temperature.

Tomorrow's high is forecast at 102 with 44 percent humidity. I've decided to finally check into the whole school thing on the hottest day this week. Maybe the counselors office will have the good kind of air conditioning. The kind where you welcome the heat when you walk outside because the room you were in has frozen your toes? Speaking of toes, I need a pedicure very badly. I currently have half painted and chipped, pink toenails. Being that it is flip flop weather, pretty toes are sort of a necessity. I worry that the polish will melt as I try to put it on and end up clumping and becoming a disaster and not only will my nails be painted but my toes and my fingers and anything within three inches of my feet. Why wasn't I given this girl gene? The one that helps a girl do things like dye hair and paint nails perfectly? Well, at least, if things do go wrong in the attempt to beautify myself I can blame it on the heat. Even weather.com has an "extreme heat warning" on their site for Portland. Hows that for great planning? I moved here in one hot damn summer so that by the time fall comes I might actually welcome it.

As they say in high school yearbooks, "stay cool."

Thank you for reading ~ Renee

correction to previous blog

In an earlier blog I referred to Sauvie Island as a peninsula. I of course know that a peninsula is not an island and therefore retract that sentence. I bet you didn't even catch it... but still... it was bugging me for days!

Renee. 41. Film Intern.

It's still hot here and getting hotter. In the triple digits by Friday. Californians, I want no comparisons. We have humidity. I win.

Last night I discovered my new favorite summer venue. It's grassy, surrounded by trees, smallish and has great acoustics. McMenamins Edgefield. Ahh... it was lovely. A good substitute for missing one of my favorite things in Los Angeles; The Hollywood Bowl. Plus, they don't charge for parking. Imagine that. Oh and there was absolutely no traffic when we left. CRAZY! Oh wait, there's more. No one raced for a place on the lawn. Once blankets were placed there was absolutely no worry about leaving said reserved spot unattended. We took off just as everyone else did, to have a beer and wander. NEVER would that happen in the LA area. In my experience, at outdoor festivals down there there must always be at least one person left behind to stand watch. And for those of you that like to enjoy a microbrew or two, they were only five bucks. UNHEARD OF!

The show was superb, opening with a little Portland band named Blind Pilot. If you don't know them, I suggest you check them out. They only have one CD out but I have managed to wear it out over the past year. They will get bigger (remember me saying this). Second was Andrew Bird. He's a great whistler, a hyper intelligent lyricist, a musicians musician, has a ton of albums out and is really fun to see live. Again, check him out if you haven't already. The Decemberists headlined. Need I say more? Ok. They have incredible energy and a lead singer with a voice that is perfection. I'm losing my words here.... In short, the show was fantastic!

Today, I was a little tired. Worn out maybe? I didn't do much this weekend other than hang out with my pal Beth who is visiting from NYC. It's nice having a good, old friend in town. We visited some other old friends and fellow campers on Saturday night. We ate salmon and inhaled the yummiest drink our friend Dave made up. Something with blueberry, vodka, cranberry, grapefruit and other stuff that was oh so refreshing and dangerous! I look forward to imbibing at the campground next month.

Oh, so back to today and today's blog title. Yep. That's right. I took an internship today on a short film. No pay until the production starts shooting, but still. I get to put my little fingers in a lot of little areas which will be great. I start tomorrow. I think to start I will be helping with locations and logistics, which I'm excited about. There will be three weeks of pre-production followed by 6 or so days of filming. I have no idea what to expect but it will be nice to be doing "something" (as discussed in previous blog). The nice thing is that I will only be giving them around 24 hours a week, so I will still have time to pursue my other "somethings" in preparation for fall. You know, those little things like a paying job and school. So here I am, 41 years old, working for free on a film no less. Ha. It kind of makes me laugh and feel a little bit crazy, but then it also kind of makes me feel free. I'll keep you posted on the progression of my split personality.

Interestingly enough, Vickie is also interning. While she has not blogged about it, she too is working for free. After all those years of making the big bucks and trying to fulfill ourselves that way, we both find ourselves happy and happily working for free. Of course, the goal is to turn that free work into a way to support ourselves. However, I find it refreshing to not feel the pressure I used to feel to make more and more and more. It never seemed to be enough. I'm as curious as you might be to see where all of this goes.

Renee. 41. Film Intern. Open.

Don't waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours and ages that will follow it. - RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Sauvie Island, Cherries and Mint Water

That is a real picture of Sauvie Island taken with my fantastic LG (lame) phone. It was a nice breezy morning so I spent a couple of extra hours working from the bed. I job searched and sent off a resume while the wind blew across me and filled the room with fresh, lovely cool air. Being it was such a cool morning I decided to check the weather forecast. The heat was definitively on its way so I decided to skip town, as mentioned yesterday.

Sauvie Island was my destination and my saviour today. It was hotter there than here but there was also a huge body of water a mere five feet from my own feet. I dipped a bit here and laid around a bit there and thumbed through a couple of magazines. Before I headed down I had told myself that I was going to study math and so that going to the beach for the day would be acceptable. Well, it was hot as hades on the sand, so too hot to study! So...I guess I'm starting over next week.

Math? Yes, Math. In case I've been vague... one of the reasons I'm here (in Portland) is to afford working for cheap while going back to school to start all over. Yes, start all over again on a new career path. The old one just stopped working for me at some point. Anyway, since I haven't really been to school in a very long time and math was the subject I sort of avoided back then, I have to start all over and take a stupid math placement test. UGH! So, I figure if I study before I take that test, maybe I will test out at a higher level. I'm good at math, just slow and I really dislike it. I also resent having to start math classes from the beginning at 41 years of age. I don't see how it will help me on my new career path in any way. Hmph!

So, I guess you could say I kind of took the day off. Yes, you hear guilt. I always feel guilty when I'm not "doing something." After all, I came here to finally "do something!"

So what am I doing now? Eating cherries and drinking mint water, Oh, and blogging.

So if school doesn't start until fall, I don't have a job but I'm looking and I am sort of working on some art projects on the side... what will I do to make myself feel like I am doing "SOMETHING?" Good question. I have some ideas. But for now, it's Friday at 6pm and I think I'm going to take the weekend off with the rest of you working folks, to think about it.

Cheers to doing something great and wonderful and impactful! ~ Renee

Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because it's only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential. - Barack Obama

It's Too Hot to Blog

Seriously, It's in the nineties today. I'm not complaining. I will never complain about the heat or the sun here because I know the dreadful color of gray I have to look forward to is always right around the corner. But really, it's just hot today and my apartment is stuffy. I guess I could go to one of the air conditioned or breezy cafes but I'm taking a cafe break. The heat here feels hotter than the heat in La La land. No lie. Ninety here feels like 100 there. Humidity? All in my head? Whatevs! (thanks Dimitri)

I'm laying on my bed under my ceiling fan listening to the Police, Synchronicity. There is a guy laying on his front porch couch two houses down. There is no air conditioning over here. They don't need it. The houses are old and so they suffer for the week or few by laying on the porch or heading to the local park for a tan. I'm hiding out today. Job hunting. Lucky me.

Tomorrow I've decided to hit Sauvie Island (borrowed picture above). It's a short 10 minute drive away. It's a peninsula that has a sand beach, sans waves. If you go down the road far enough you can be treated to nudist families. The trick is to not go too far or you end up in the secluded area where the pervy nudes hang out. Of course, being the prude that I am, I have yet to do the nude thing. Tomorrow I will go to the closer in beaches, where the crowds of those clothed in bikinis will be. My legs are white. We must do something about this. I just need to get out of town for a couple of hours while it is really hot. Do you hear the justifying going on?

I'm not moving and I'm sweating. I'm laying still and my face is creating moisture. Behind my knees feels drippy. I'm not complaining. A popsicle sounds really delicious right now. "Honey, would you go down to the store and pick me up a box?" I know, who the heck am I talking to. "Oh and while you are at it... maybe pop into Sears and pick up a window air conditioner." Hmmm... she's lost it. The heat, it's getting to her. Popsicles! Stat!

What did I accomplish today? Emailing myself two jobs that I don't want but will apply for any way and narrowing down my choice of gyms to three. I will now get input from the locals.

Popsicles. Orange, raspberry, banana, lime, grape and mmmmm....rootbeer. I had a Bomb Pop for the first time since childhood about a week ago. That was an odd experience. I think they are much smaller than they used to be. They still come in red, white and blue. I think, today, if you are going to go for a junk food popsicle, the Big Stick is the best. But you have to get it from the ice cream man or the guy that carries the cooler across the beach all day in the blazing heat because he is Hercules. For whatever reason, they taste different. Better somehow. The ones at the store, not as... creamy? I know, but trust me on this one.

My hair is a mess. Sweaty. It sounds hot out. I'm not complaining. Seriously.

My laptop is making my lap hot.

I saw the popsicle makers at the store the other day. Maybe I should buy some. You know, the Tupperware kind? Just fill with your favorite liquid and freeze. Maybe I should go buy some right now. MMMM... homemade lemonade popsicles! Remember when your mom would make those for you? If not, too bad for you. My mom made them ALL THE TIME.

Summer's hot, summer's fun, nothing like a popsicle to cool you down in this big hard sun.

Stay cool ~ Renee

To Blog is to...

I just got through having my second video chat in two days. It's amazing how we are able to stay connected to one another these days, isn't it? I was chatting with my friend Scott while we floated in the clouds, rode roller coasters (it's a special effect available to those of you with MAC computers) and I pondered, what should I be blogging about every day? After all, this was my idea wasn't it. Perhaps blogging is just another way of connecting to you, to friends, to family and even to strangers. To blog is to share, to perhaps inspire through experience and if all goes well, to entertain you the reader on occasion (I can never spell occasion right the first time).

I could probably go back over the past few days and catch you up on all the goings on of me and this Portland adventure I am on but I'm going to pass if you don't mind. Instead, now that I have internet at home, I am just going to make an attempt to be more regular about this blogging thing and find my stride. I'd like to open it up for suggestions. What would you like to hear about as I take this time in life to start over and figure it "all" out? Comments and emails welcome.

I'm thinking about starting a second simpler blog that will be attached to this one. Simply put it will be more of a visual blog containing pictures with captions, nothing more. My visual observations of this funny place they call Stumptown. Side note; for those of you wondering why Portland is called Stumptown, Wikipedia offers the following: Portland, Oregon was nicknamed Stumptown in the mid 19th century, when the city's growth forced land to be cleared quickly to accommodate the growth, but the tree stumps were not immediately removed. Not only is Stumptown Portland's nickname but it is also the name of their most popular coffee. You see "serving Stumptown" signs hanging in the windows of many, if not most, coffee shops here. Anyway... stay tuned on the possible second blog.

For now, I have attached some recent, not so great, cell phone pictures of Portland, also known as the City of Roses (more on that later, maybe) for your enjoyment.

This is the Washougal River in Washington state. I went here on the fourth of July for the day. There are some pretty deep holes for jumping into from rocks, cliffs, ropes and yes... even from that bridge you see in the background. The water is cold by So-Cal standards but not too cold, especially when it is in the 90's here. I hear it gets warmer in August. I look forward to finding out.


This is Ladd's Circle. It's a round about for cars and bikers alike with a nice little park in the center. The park is full of flowers, bushy bushes and the occasional (I misspelled it again!) bench for your buns. It's a short walk from my place and on my way to the fabulous "New Seasons" grocery store. New Seasons has the best fruit on the universe by the way, including plums that are actually purple on the inside and taste like the purply plum-ness they are. The bike you see was only one of about twenty that had passed too quickly for me to pull the cell phone out.









Last but definitely not least, this is a shot from the other end of my tree lined street. Ahhh, shade and flowers and swings hanging from trees lining the sidewalks, inviting every kid to stop and enjoy their neighborhood. Mulberry street.









That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Portland. Come again sometime. Oh and PS... I introduced myself to the crush (see previous blog). It went just fine.

Thanks for reading ~ Renee

For centuries, writers have experimented with forms that evoke the imperfection of thought, the inconstancy of human affairs, and the chastening passage of time. But as blogging evolves as a literary form, it is generating a new and quintessentially postmodern idiom that’s enabling writers to express themselves in ways that have never been seen or understood before. Its truths are provisional, and its ethos collective and messy. Yet the interaction it enables between writer and reader is unprecedented, visceral, and sometimes brutal. And make no mistake: it heralds a golden era for journalism.
by Andrew Sullivan

The Dude from Katmandu

Today is one of those days in Santa Fe where it’s really too hot to do anything indoors or out. So I thought what a perfect day to drink some Hefeweizen and blog.

The last few weeks have been pretty interesting around the compound. As I mentioned I think last blog, we got a new compound-mate, Vajra.

Vajra –noun Hinduism.
(in Vedic mythology) the thunderbolt of Indra

Vajra has a pretty interesting background. Here’s a brief history: He was born in Katmandu, Nepal and lived there till the age of 9. His parents, both from the U.S. were art collectors / historians and shared a passion for Tibetan art. They met in Nepal after traveling through India during the 1960’s hippie movement. Vajra is an only child and after attending art school on the east coast and Northern Cal. he now owns and operates 3 galleries with his father specializing in Asian art. 2 galleries are in Santa Fe, NM and the other is in Nepal.

Now, Vajra has been here for a few weeks getting settled in to the little casita in the back of the compound. And along with him has come a revolving door of interesting characters that have been camping out on the compound grounds. Not to mention my own group of characters that seemingly wander in and out. Sunday morning I had my group over for brunch; all I had to say was “fresh batch of Tia Rosie’s chorizo” and they all come running. Apparently it’s the only way to get Huey out of bed on a Sunday morning =D. My group quickly merged on to my patio that Vajra’s crew had been occupying for the last few days so brunch at 11, turned into many beeeers (pronounced in a Northern New Mexican accent), by 1pm, then Weeder showed up with some. . . uh, humm. . . . how do I say this . . .”hence his name”?. . . .yeah, you guessed it). And it continued through the rest of the day in to the late evening as more people came and went, then usually came back. It made for some very interesting conversations, wild dares and a lot of instigation. The wickedness that one group of people can get in to is uncanny but pretty FUCKIN’ FUN!

Needless to say it’s pretty quiet around here today. A few people have left for their respective cities, Phoenix, Moab, etc. and the few that remain (myself included) are still sleeping it off.

It’s all been great fun and my typical indulgent Tauran-self wants MORE MORE MORE! But my MOTHER is arriving on Thursday! So everyone better be on their best behavior. No nudity and no Weed(-er). And I guess I have to hide my cloves =(

Anyway, sorry I don’t have a more prolific, soul-searching, enticing tale today, but my life, much to my enjoyment; has briefly turned in to a 30-something frat party.

I’ll write more soon. I do have a great story about a photo shoot I participated in last week out in Galesteo but I might wait till the photos are available for that in August.

Cheers! V

"Then like a bull who has heard the crash of a thunderbolt close by, the Great Soul whose mind had been purified by the merit of karma accumulated from eons of virtuous actions, was deeply agitated at this news of old age."

Hipster

I need to address a couple of things to start.

First lets talk about the word "HIPSTER." I keep telling people that where I live is totally "Hipster." Apparently, this term is lost on a lot of people. (Segue: Michael Jackson, Thriller just came on at the cafe... I missed the whole media frenzy so for me, it's kind of nice to hear the occasional homage to the MJ.) SOOOOO... by dictionary definition the meaning is this: A person who follows the latest trends and fashions. I'm not sure that definition does it for me. It's not the same kind of hip as LA hip is. It's more... edgy? more... urban? The "Urban Dictionary" has some good, albeit exaggerated, definitions of hipster. For those of you that wish to know more: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hipster

Now for the reveal. I got a haircut last week. My friend Domo, was kind enough to force a free haircut upon me. Who can say no to that after a whole year without even the slightest trim. HA! So, we cut 4 inches off and added some layers. I have to say... I love it. I can wash and wear, blow out and straighten. Straightened it's got cool, funky edges around my face. Curly it rocks the layers Wash and wear, well, it's just easy and turns out, it looks good too! I've had a few requests for pictures of my new hair. So... here you go. This is the "wash and wear" version... just shower and let it do what it will. I think the soft water and humidity here, help a bit.



My computer is about to D I E.

Blog to be continued.....

Happy Saturday.
Thank you for reading.

Renee

Crema

That's right... so soon, we are back to cafe names as titles. Crema is a coffee shop south of Burnside on 28th. It's got high ceilings and windowed garage doors, or garage door windows. Not sure how you would refer to them. It has monthly art installations on the walls and yummy cold pressed coffee available every single day. The seating lines the walls of the room with a few options plopped in the center, including one large family style table. If you need a plug-in, find a wall seat. The furniture is blonde and the floors concrete. It is packed every single day and there is a line much of the time. I'm not sure why. They offer well made coffee drinks, pastries and a few lunchy items like sandwiches and soups. The atmosphere is pretty great, better than most. But, honestly, I come here for the six foot four, tall, skinny, dirty blonde, nerdy guy behind the counter. Definitely giraffe-like, but when he smiles at me I get all gushy-mushy inside.

Whatever.

Anyway, I'm here this morning postponing the inevitable unpacking that seems to never end. It's kind of cloudy out so I figure I have the whole rest of the day to achieve day two of cardboard-dry hands. Awesome.

It's amazing the things you forget you have to do when you move. Like change your address directly with magazines and credit card companies. Am I the only one? You know, you fill out the stupid postal forms and hope they do it for you and then magically it all just gets changed eventually. Maybe you do them one by one as you pay the next months bill? Oh but wait, you probably have never had the post office screw up your mail so badly that it took over a month to start receiving it, so when you finally did, you found your gas bill was being sent to collections. HOW DUMB IS THAT?!? What am I babbling about now? Never mind. Just make sure to pro-actively change your address when you move with each company directly, especially for any final bills. I would skip relying on the US POSTAL SERVICE to forward it to you.

By the way, totally off topic... I got a haircut last week for the first time in a year. I cut like 4 inches off I think. My friend Domo, aka hairdresser, took one look at my hair and said "I'm cutting your hair for free. How long has it been?" Well, what is one to say to that? I folded. Anyway, it is a cute little haircut that works both straight and curly. I love it, my hair loves it, people everywhere love it (not really, but it sounded good). Anyway... One year later, I have cute hair again. Now I need a job.

I have nothing to talk about today. I have to look for a job now. Craigslist here I come. UGH.

And So It Begins

As you can see from the attached, crooked, lovely cell phone shot... I am finally moved in to my own little home at The Mulberry Apartments in lovely Ladd's Edition, located in S.E. Portland. The place is an absolute mess. Boxes are opened and crap is stacked everywhere, in hopes that I will find an appropriate place for it.

Let's back it up a second. RECAP.

Um.. I stayed home on the 4th of July. There were so many fireworks going off in the neighborhood it was like world war three. Fireworks are legal here. Me and the cat stayed in at BK's house and caught up on Harper's Island. Kind of fun watching horror stuff with fireworks in the background. I chose to stay in because, well, I had to move the next day into MY NEW PLACE! (Yes, I am saying and thinking those words with extreme excitement and exaggeration! Do you hear the increase in octaves as you get to the end of the sentence?)

Moving my stuff was pretty quick for the mover guys considering they had to carry it up three flights of stairs. The harder part was me getting all of my stuff from BK's house. Basement to car, car to apartment. I have a lot of freaking clothes and it's a problem. We'll get there... First let's discuss my boxes and how the whole pod thing turned out... Considering the fact that some of my boxes looked like they were stomped on by large gorillas, I've been surprised to find only 2 items broken thus far. I still have about 7 boxes to go and many of those are books, so we should be in good shape. Other than getting everything into the place the only thing that was further accomplished was the mission to find bedding and make the bed. Oh how glorious to lay my eyes upon my double pillow topped bed, layered with clean sheets and 3 sets of pillows. I just stared at it like you would a lover or something. I was, IN LOVE for those few moments.


As you can imagine, I was so exhausted. I took a bath thinking I would eat something and be in bed by 8pm. Nope.... the bath, a nibble and knowing I was home got me all riled up. BK2 (Ex-BK's brother, Blake), who lives 2 doors down, stopped over for a visit and to check out the place. Verdict: He likes my space better with the exception of the kitchen. He has a very cool vintage white kitchen with original fixtures. My kitchen was re-done in 50's mid-century modern. He argued that it was seventies. I'm older, I know design, I win. Anyway, I somehow wrangled him into sitting down and watching me drink an entire bottle of wine. A good time was had by all!

Day 2 (yesterday) was spent at the likes of Target, Trader Joes and Fred Meyers (kind of like Target with groceries for you Angelenos). I was so tired after 4 hours of shopping that I only unpacked for a bit before throwing in the dirty towel. I laid down on my big cozy bed and watched several episodes of Northern Exposure. No matter where I am that show somehow makes me feel at home. Odd?

Today I got up and called everyone known to man. Car Insurance, Internet, Electricity... you know the drill. Good news, I will have DSL next Tuesday so I can BLOG you all to death after that. I am a little over 1/2 unpacked. I have dishes everywhere because the newspapers they were wrapped in made them too dirty to put away. Of course, what is the one thing I forgot to get at the store yesterday? Duh-Dish soap! That's happening next.

Tomorrow, I will finish as much as I can before I tackle the bathroom and closets. I have storage issues in the bathroom that require creativity. I'm waiting for it to hit. The closet space is aplenty but not as aplenty as my last place. I have discovered that I am a clothes whore and need to find a way to overcome this issue, pronto. I really don't want to be that person that has to put winter/summer clothes away off season. Am I making a big deal over nothing? I would love to hear thoughts on this before I start purging.

That is the short of it told in long form. I am finally, at last, in my new place and it is glorious. I have three windows in my living area that create the most awesome breeze. I have sunlight for days, which will be great in the winter. I am here. I am home...at last. And now, after the unpacking is complete, the real journey begins... or so I would hope!

Stay Tuned. Thank you for reading. Renee

Countdown!

It's been a few days... no Renee, no Vickie. Believe it or not, I've been busy.

I got home from the beach and immediately went into social mode. After a beautiful and fairly quick drive home, and a shower, I headed back to the west side of town for a birthday party. A crazy rager of a party at which I saw the likes of the clock strike 4 AM. I haven't done that in a while. Of course, old age prevented sleeping in too late so after about 5 hours of sleeping on a window bench (seriously) it was time to start working on the hangover. We arose to blankets throughout the house where everyone seemed to find a random place to lay their heads, including the kitchen nook. I suppose that's what you call a successful party. For sure, a good time was had by all. We cleaned and inhaled a burger for breakfast around noon after which, I headed home. I later succumbed to an accidental couch nap before getting ready for party number two.

Saturday nights party was a bit more mellow. I went to a backyard BBQ slash birthday party for someone I did not know. My friends invited me to tag along. It was nice, now that the sun seems to be here to stay (for a while), to just sit in a back yard and drink some wine and meet some new people over silly conversation. I was home by 11:15 PM.

Sunday I went to see Transformers 2 with BK's brother Blake (also BK). DON'T waste your money. It's awful, even if you liked the first one. Blake went so far as to say that he thought it was the worst movie he has ever seen. You have been forewarned! After the movie, it was so nice out we found a patio to sit on and sip a pint before ending the evening at 8:30 PM.

Since the weekend I have been busy running around doing things like opening a bank account and looking for a job. Oh so exciting. I stayed with the friends that invited me to party two (Domo and Randall aka RP1, I am RP2) for a couple of nights and will be having dinner with them again tonight. I guess you could say that I'm settling in and starting to feel like I live here. Sunday is the big day. I will finally have my own place to live!

I have to say, since the sun came out last week... I am really digging this city. I've been known to say, if Portland was always sunny, EVERYONE would live here. It is paradise in the summer. If we have three months of this sunshine, well then, I have every reason in the world to be a happy camper. I just need a job, or something resembling work. There isn't much I tell you. I will not give up!

I suppose that todays blog is just a catch up full of nonsensical ramblings.....

Today after seeing nothing on the job boards, I'm going to go take a couple of hours off to hit the local pool with my friends daughter in hopes of turning my white skin less white. Seriously. I'm glowing. Not blue white, but close enough that it hurts my eyes to look at my legs. I dyed my hair this morning. Do you think it's a bad thing to go in a pool the same day? Hmmm...

Apologies to the daily readers... I have a feeling blogging might be a bit intermittent this week due to my work up to the big move or maybe I will feel more inspired tomorrow to actually talk about something other than the rundown of my boring day to day. OR... maybe Vickie will charm us with her magical stories of the desert.

Pause...... feel excitement growing.... smile... read on...

I am at the countdown people and that is truly something to be excited about! Sunday!

In closing, I do have something odd to share. I had a nightmare the other morning that someone was kidnapping me. I have never in my life had a kidnapping dream so I decided to look it up on the internet. Read for yourself. I thought it was totally interesting and probably not too far off.....

Kidnapping

The main theme in abduction dreams is fear. The dreamer may be afraid of losing a very important part of himself or of losing his safest and most familiar surroundings. Also, the dreamer may be afraid of leaving his home, childhood, familiar support group, or long standing ideas. These type of dreams may be most prevalent during times of psychological or physical transition and during stressful times of life when the future is somewhat uncertain.

Happy Fourth of July week!
~ Renee