Thursday Night Life

For most people, Thursday is a sneak-peak of the weekend to come, the appetizer for Friday night craziness, partying, or even laying low with no obligation to get up or prepare anything for work or school. For me, Thursday night is where it's at- the night full of fun and glory. Tim and I relish in watching the office, usually with our dear friend Nate. We usually come up with some sort of imbibe concoction to quench the thirst, and usually find some fine dining to fill our anticipation for what Micheal or Dwight may delight us with at 2100 sharp. Sometimes, we even have a theme to the night, such as biore strip night. I guess you could say we are all obsessed. But, who really cares? It is always a great time. So thanks Nate, Tim, and surprise guest (who I really like and you will be hearing more about at a later date) for another great Thursday night.

One year older, and thankful...

My 24th birthday officially ended one hour and 43 minutes ago, but we all know the celebrating will last at least a week with some sporadic gifts, cards, and celebrations happening at least a month from now. That's just how it is. I found myself sniffling and aching late Saturday night. This nasty cold has survived all the sleep, emergen-c, hot tea, and even Tim's care one can imagine- and is still going strong. Despite this ailment, I had a pretty great birthday.
Tim brought me homemade hot chocolate crafted with Belgian chocolate bars and soy milk- delish!- while I lingered in the warmth of our bed. Then, just as I was getting out of bed, the fed-ex man showed up with some beautiful variated Peruvian Lilies sent with love from my dad. I assumed the duty of a flaneur most of the morning with Tim and Abe by my side. We went to Target and craft stores to get supplies for gifts and tag making, and anyone who has been into one of these stores with me knows I have to have a limited amount of money or I'd take one of everything available. I just love the endless possibilities of cardstock, embossing powder, ribbon, colors, and textures that line each and every isle. After exhausting the craft store isles or at least successfully comporting myself with a degree of restraint, we had worked up an appetite and decided to try out Zien Hong, recommended by pals E and Ali. I am so ecstatic to report I have finally found a place that serves vermicelli bowls and fish sauce (this may sound disgusting, but it actually tastes nothing like fish). Needless to say it was a lovely dining experience with superb service and scrumptious food. They even have young coconut juice served in a coconut shell- who could possibly ask for more?

On a completely different note, thanksgiving was not so shabby either. We went down to Salem, which I was admittedly apprehensive about. It was sad to be away from my family, but it was a good time with the help of some Riesling and a game of Apples to Apples. Which brings me to list a few of the things I am thankful for, in no particular order:
*Tim
*My Family
*Abe
*Securing a difficult but sometimes rewarding job
*Diane, Meghan, and Bay for helping me get through the rough nights at work
*People who are dedicated in researching and advancing medicine and understanding the holistic being of our species- special mention to Medtronic's Real Time monitor, which I have yet to acquire
*Eugene Langdon-inventor of Splenda
*Having the power of choice, and the health of mind to use it...
Quite honestly this list could go on and on, but for the sake of time (mine and yours) we will keep it short. Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays are splendid!

Marmalade is on his death bed

Our bright orange cichlid, marmalade, is near dead this afternoon. His fellow habitants of our TV console fish tank are all hiding in the shadows of the plants, anticipating indulgence in carnivorous delight. It is a sickening thought, as Marmalade was the bright entertainment that swam across the screen, the social one. Poor little guy. I hope he passes into the afterlife peacefully and has a plethora of brightly colored dames awaiting his arrival. So long Marmie, we will miss you dearly.
Alright then, onto a more pollyannaish subject. I have cured a portion of my homesickness! I returned late last night from Bozeman, MT where I was visiting my brother Chris at college. He seems to have picked the perfect location for himself. He dwells on the 9th floor of Roskie Hall- some of you may be familiar with their claim to fame in High Times Magazine. I stepped out of the elevator, the aroma of Ganja floating freely in the air. I walked down the hall to my brothers pod and was greeted by many friendly happy faces. There is no drama here, just good times. There are homemade informational posters covering the walls (each one considered a punishment for having been caught doing something against the rules). Some examples: why marijuana is bad for you, why slip and slides made out of garbage bags that line the hallways in the dorm is dangerous, etc.
Chris's dorm room window frames a horse pasture and barn nestled below the mountains. He is 15 minutes from the mountain and snowboarding, and he is 15 minutes from the river to go fly fishing, camping or hiking. Main street hosts blocks of independent shops, restaurants, coffee shops, and a friendly food co-op. It was a great place to visit, and seems like a fabulous place to live. Everyone was friendly and helpful and Chris's content was emanating from his pores. There was nothing unpleasant about my three day adventure and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to go see my brother and can't wait until our next family rendezvous.

Homesickness

Well, Halloween was a bust. I ended up with the same costume as last year, and decided Abe and I should share since he was feeling left out. Alas, together we made one grand bumble bee. He wore the antennas and wings and I wore the striped leotard with a yellow tutu. We still have a huge orange bucket of candy for all the kids who didn't show up. It is sitting in the laundry room in hopes that I will be less tempted to eat it, but I still find myself sneaking a piece all too often. I always wonder what drives me to even wander in the direction of the giant orange tub of doom- none of the contents are good for me and I don't even really like any of it anyway, what a waste of empty calories.
Halloween has always been the official welcoming of fall, which happens to be my favorite season. This has so far been the best fall weather in Portland since moving here five years ago. Today is gorgeous. The sun is out. The leaves are swaying in the crisp air, dancing on their descent to the damp ground. The fabulous flavors of fall are available everywhere- pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cranberry and more tempt consumers at every corner. Everyone is preparing for the looming holiday season which begins in only 14 days. That is right, Thanksgiving is 2 weeks from today, then you will blink your eyes and Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Years celebrations will be in full effect.
Thanksgiving used to be one of the biggest celebrations at our house, then I moved away to college and everything seemed to change. Thanksgiving is all about family for me, and I am never able to share it with them anymore. I have been ever so homesick lately. I miss my family more and more the closer the holidays get. I don't necessarily miss home in the sense of my hometown or even Colorado so much. It's my brother Chris's giggle echoing around the corner signaling trouble is on it's way. It's my mom's face full of delight when we are all together again laughing around the dinner table. It's my dad's hand on my shoulder as we grill dinner up on the barbie, beer in hand. It's my brother Tom's look of disdain as my cat jumps in his lap and the very same growl I let out from time to time escapes out the corners of his mouth. I am so lucky to have them. They say you can't choose your family, but I sure would have hand picked mine if given the opportunity- and that is not something very many people can say.