I was texting with the realtor a little bit and then I finally texted our group text with her and the Caretaker. She had the sofa sleeper that I found–I guess that the word is sourced, which I learned from the Realtor–and a check. All of which were in her new apartment. She also took a picture of the bedding that I bought her too. I’ll buy her a blouse and a table when I have money from the sale of the house. I had a huge sigh of relief when I realized that it’s finally over and she has a better sofa sleeper than she would have had she moved the one that she was going to move, and also some money. That at least shows that I had the ability to wait them out until they did something for her.
The company and their subcontractors resume work today and I’ll have to go over there with my son and our two weed whackers this weekend. The soil had been amended for many, many years so it retains moisture with days of 90 to 100-degree heat. Some of the prickly lettuce are 7-feet tall. I need to turn on the cooler too so it’s nice in there, but I don’t want to do that until I’ve done a final walkthrough with this terrible company. For now, I need to get those yards looking nice, which will be a ton of work. I dug out some bindweed yesterday in my own yard, but it was fairly hot, so I only worked about an hour. It’s cooler today and tomorrow, but I can’t get over to the house today to weed whack because I have to take my dogs to the vet and want to stick around here after that appointment.
The nice guy texted me on Tuesday about doing karaoke tonight. He and his dance teacher are obsessed with the new venue. It’s not new to me, because a colleague of mine has been going there for awhile and she and I went for the first time together in April, but we really only like to go on Monday. I have a theory that Sunday through Tuesday would be less packed and I should test my theory in July. I love singing there and definitely sound better because of the acoustics. I’ve been pushing myself to sing things that I’ve never sung outside my house or car. I am going to do that tonight too.
Last night one of our teammates wasn’t there for our bowling league and I don’t know why she wasn’t. I got my friend to sub for her. I’d not seen her since around Halloween. I have the best time with her when I can see her, but she’s not a person to initiate us hanging out. I need to make an effort to text her seasonally so we can do things together. We have a ton of fun and she’s very chill. And athletic. We all bowled really well with her there. She is just a lot faster than me, so it’s kinda hard to hike with her because you feel badly when she’s dusting you and you’re holding her up. However, she learned to belay years ago, so now I don’t have to navigate a weird friendship with Vegan or wait for the super busy climber to actually remember and follow through to make plans with me. I know with the latter we’ll do something, but I would be SHOCKED if it were more than an annual outdoor climb. I think that she’s in Pakistan or France right now climbing, and will likely learn about it in the next month through my son.
I talked out all the things that have been weighing me down with my best friend. I talked about my son dancing at the climber’s house now, which will likely be what he does going forward. My son danced from the age of 6-10 so he is still has some moves wired into him, and just told me that he needs to work on being less stiff, but he had a great time. I talked about the hug and my sustained crush on the realtor. I talked about feeling like I threw the Caretaker to the wolves with what the contractors did to her and her cat. I feel so much better today. Friendships matter. Some people, if they’ve known you years, are better than a therapist when you talk to them about what is going on, and today I feel sated and solid.
I went to the house today and the realtor got out of her car and said, “I’m ready to fight and come in guns a-blazin'” with a super earnest look and then pulled me toward her chest to chest, abdomens touching. She is so good at her job. She also is a good hugger and I don’t think that chemistry can be faked because I feel it. Such a bummer.
After we met with them, and it was really unpleasant because the Senior Manager said that I have to take all emotion out of it and that is how contract work goes and that ripping up cushions was lazy and not malicious, we chatted about the next steps. I felt gaslighted. Recall that they dabbed up wet paint with the Caretaker’s shirt too. That’s not lazy; it’s completely bizarre.
I did find really nice sofa sleeper in a mountain town that they’ll move to her apartment. It was way nicer than the one that the contractors destroyed which belonged to me. Actually, it’s nicer than any of my current furniture too. So, I think that it’s moving forward. I bought her bedding yesterday so now it’s the tables and shirt. I’m going to let them start work when they have that sofa sleeper in her apartment, and then I hope to never hear from this horrible firm that puts together contractors who are negligent, disrespectful, and sometimes completing uncaring and mean.
I texted Maryland to pick up my mug. He hugged me a couple of times and generally looked like hell. He’s gained some weight too. I still think that as long as we talk about our platonic friendship, I don’t mind doing some long hikes with him. He is nice.
Now, I’m thinking about the realtor (photographer). It sucks too. Again, I give her a wide berth always and never would have hugged her, but she hugged me this morning. I know that we’re going to have some tension if after the house sells she does want to hang out occasionally. And I don’t think that there is any way to fake chemistry when you feel it coming off of someone.
I got to the good venue for karaoke and the nice guy from work was so late. He was also super stoned. He’s hard to relate to when he’s that stoned. I drank five glasses of water and got a free beer. I’d been there three Mondays in a row when it was closed, so the owner said he’d buy me a drink next time and he did so. Finally, the nice guy joined me and my other colleague and I put my name in the Internet queue. I sang “Faith” and I nailed it. Later I sang the Mikky Ekko part to “Stay” while my friend sang Rhianna and we harmonized really well. She stayed with me when I was waiting and I sang “Wanted Dead or Alive” and had everyone singing the echo in the chorus. I’m sounding good lately. I also still love playing guitar and taking a class for it, so I’m hopeful to just continue to get better musically generally.
I’m going to go with him again on Thursday and will hope that he isn’t too stoned. I also have a lot of struggles refraining from judgment with his obsession with this girl who lives in FL and went to Pride with him last month. She’s beautiful, and they had a good time, but his incessant texting with her is really weird. I had to tell him that he was codependent the last time we were together because he always leaves to drive his ex home from work. They still live together. Why can’t she walk home? It’s about a mile. I’m not writing behind his back either, because I tell him these things. It’s just sad.
Gahran’s (2017) book is great. She must have had to really sort her survey data.! I can’t imagine. It was difficult enough for me when I did my dissertation, and I only had to sort 12 interviews. Her research included over1500 survey responses. That is amazing.
So far, I’ve taken these nuggets away:
The concept of social territoriality has threads of jealousy within it when other partners try to control or otherwise have license to limit behaviors of another partner. I think that communicating what both partners are comfortable with doing when they’re not together would help this factor unless a partner is abusive or is hiding hidden agendas.
People will often assume that if someone is ethically nonmonogamous that they’re in a phase or that they hate monogamy. I think that being polyamorous tends to appeal to people who question status quo generally and that monogamy is the norm so it tends to work for most people.
I’ve only read the first part of the book, which is divided into 6 parts total, so it’s probably going to take me some time to digest it. It’s been helpful so far and different than the other four in this genre that I’ve read. I will likely blog about it again.
Until then, I have guitar, bowling, what may be the final walkthrough in the house, climbing, and karaoke. I should have some material to consider by Friday. Cheers, Folks.
I’m an 8 on the Enneagram and it tends to be much better for everyone who has to be around me for me to live in my Heart point of 2. I don’t think that I’ll live there today though because the Contractors want to pay the Caretaker less money. She didn’t ask for her things to be ruined. It’s very annoying.
Similarly, when our plumbing line broke away from the city pipe and flooded our basement, the company hadn’t accounted for the sand–I live on a floodplain–and asked me for more money than the contract that I’d signed. No, I think that you’ll be fine with your 17K. People want their profits to be large when they’re doing stuff in your house. They killed a linden tree with a backhoe.
I’m able to supervise them cleaning her furniture today. The Project Manager will be there too. She doesn’t feel safe without support. My real estate agent would be there too, but I told her that I will keep her apprised of the entire situation and really need her support at the final walkthrough when the work resumes and is actually done. They can’t restart work until they’ve replaced and made good with the Caretaker.
Should you just expect that people have to ruin or destroy things in your house or on your property when they’re doing work?
I’m going to be selling a house. I make three more payments to my ex-wife and then the buyers send her a very large check–because she can figure out how to pay taxes on that–and the chapter closes. It has already closed with my ex-husband. My son walked across the stage and graduated from high school. I don’t have any reason to talk directly to my ex-husband. He hit a concrete pillar and ruined his bumper last week and was kinda stranded at home after work on Father’s Day so I had my son take him leftovers, which I had to drop off because my son is still only on a learner’s permit, but I didn’t say anything to him per se.
He’s a terrible driver. He wrecked a car that his parents bought him outright on the day that he found out that I was pregnant and accused me of taking prenatal vitamins–I hadn’t been–and was found at fault being rear-ended at a light on a really nice car with a sunroof and leather interior that I had bought, but he had made the final two payments at the end of the loan. He’s just a different person than I am. He’s not a bad guy, but if you’d imagine Mr. Peanut and Peter Pan having a child, that would be my ex-husband.
My ex-wife deals with significant physical and mental health stuff and it colors the way in which she interacts in the world. When I fell in love with her she would have a few bad days here and there, and then it turned into no good days and being unable to track a 3-5 word sentence that I was saying. She didn’t really want to interact with me, and it seemed bizarre that she had said that she and I would “maintain a connection, and maybe ‘who knows?’ when my son is out and doing his own thing.” That was insulting. I also thought that because she had so many complaints about me and how I lead my life that the most compassionate thing to do after we divorced is to have zero contact with her. She finally figured that one out and doesn’t email me. I do have loan assumption paperwork that I’ll do tomorrow so her name is no longer on the house loan. It’s ironic that either of them ever had their names on a Title–I removed my ex-husband when I refinanced–because they’ve never contributed to this mortgage. I have my house paid off in 6-years, regardless of the loan, mine is the only name on the title, and then no more doing this rather exhausting career. I want to work outside. I volunteer outside and want to be working part-time doing service for real, tangible and meaningful things.
I had two Caretakers in the house while all the legal processes were settling. One was not a good person. She would complain about water bills and the like and didn’t realize that when you don’t pay rent, you don’t complain about monthly bills. She wound up moving out early and didn’t pay property taxes and the other Caretaker who is a good person had to call me and ask me for over $500. I couldn’t believe that her “friend” did that. Moved out early and then stuck her with a bill. I’m really good with gut level reactions to people and never trusted the other Caretaker. My ex-wife would tell me that I was the one with the problem and raise her voice. I have to admit that I would have never thought that she would stick the other Caretaker with a bill, and she did so right after the other Caretaker’s brother had died.
The subcontractors who are doing work on the house have done some truly hideous things to her. They painted her furniture, they shattered one of her tables, they let out her indoor cat. They even shredded one of her shirts, dabbed the pieces in paint and threw those on her comforter. Oh, and they tore up two cushions on a sofa sleeper in the house. Because I don’t really need the money and have a strong sense of justice, I sent an email saying that given a clause in the contract to having a “Right to Remedy” that if they didn’t clean all the paint and compensate her for her sheets, a comforter, a shirt, a table and either replace the sofa sleeper or repair the cushions that work on the house is indefinitely suspended. Looking at those pictures of the destruction evoked “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” and had she not found her cat in some bushes up the street and he’d have died, I don’t know what I would have done. I was nauseated and teary talking to her.
All people deserve dignity. All people have rights to being treated kindly, and being respected. You don’t have to go out of your way to chat with a gossipy colleague, but you must see that person as a person.
My mother who was given to trite sayings, as she was Midwestern, would say, “You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.” I have found that if the latter is coming out of your mouth, that is just a good person with whom to have limited interaction. My father, who was an East Coaster, but lived in Germany and Morocco during and then shortly after Vietnam actually ended, always did whatever he could for other people. I like to think that I’ve become a person who is a blend of those approaches, and believe that all people have dignity.
Wow. I might be hooked. Now, I need 6k though. Riding this beauty gave me a new appreciation for an amazing bike.
I loved this Yeti. It was a long term love.
So we had micro skill lessons regarding braking, body position, feet position and use of legs. That took a full hour and then we crossed the pavement and went straight down for our 4-mile trail ride. We had to jump a rock right away. Whoa. I was much happier climbing and thought that we would do that first. The trail was beautiful, and I was so engrossed that I didn’t take any pictures of it. I loved this class and would take it again–I probably will.
A mountain bike has a seat release on the left side so that when you’re climbing you can pop it all the way up and take your weight off of the seat while it rises. You can push down on it when you’re navigating rocks and bumps so you’re lower and well back on the saddle with your elbows out. I’m so much more comfortable with biking now generally and really can’t say enough nice things about this particular bike. I’d love to get one. I’d use it too!
So, I’m going to clean my chain completely on my road bike, and then I’m going to take my son’s old Raleigh to the used sports store where I bought my pickleball racquet new, and get him situated on my Fuji Mountain Bike. The reach is too large for me, so he can have it for getting around. I need to get something for commuting that I can put a rack on for my panier. I actually should buy a new panier and give my son one. I’m not going to have a mid-level Mountain Bike anymore. I’m going to keep my road bike and also maintain it better, get a beater commuter with some manner of shocks with a new panier and save up for a real, Yeti Mountain Bike. The sport is fun and I don’t ever need to do anything epic. I just want to ride around on trails sometimes.
About 15-years-ago I took my horrible, hand-me-down Mountain Bike up a single track. I’m sure that my bike was cutting edge in the 90s, but it was so heavy and had broken pieces up near the brakes and was archaic for 2008. I was doing pretty well for awhile, and then I fell forward onto the frame. Ouch. I know that I’m not male, but was really bruised afterward. That was my last experience mountain biking.
Today, I am taking a class to learn how to do it safely. I peeled potatoes and put them in some hot olive oil in the cast iron with sea salt and am going to mosey in just under a couple of hours after I eat some of those, and a couple of eggs. The class is really close to the private crag wherein I had my very first time on real rock in September for climbing.
I still hope that Maryland will secure a friendship with me. My son told me that all men just wait until they can make moves for the most part unless they think of you like a sister. I’m going to tell Maryland to think about me as an older sister. He truly is the age that my little brother would be had he not died when we all got hit by the drunk driver when we were walking up to the park. I would like Maryland to do some outdoor stuff with me. I love having male friends.
My best friend from work is doing the divorced wild stuff. I did that stuff when I came out. I’m sure that she is using barriers because she worries actively about STIs. I sent her a book chapter in PDF form yesterday because she has trouble communicating needs with intimacy. I can’t imagine that. Why bother having sex with another person if you’re not going to talk directly about what you like?
My son is at my cousin’s this weekend to care for their dog, and the realtor–who unfortunately I’m still a little attracted to–was supposed to come over for dinner with my son and I on Sunday, but I’m cancelling because the contractors are about to get fired. I don’t want that to color a dinner at our house, as that is what we’ll talk about.
That is a whole other blog entry. The attraction isn’t. I don’t touch the realtor or act or text anything flirtatious. She wants a friendship with me and we can build that cleanly. I think that attraction fades when you don’t act on it or expect that you’ll get your chance someday.
I’ll write about the mountain biking class on Sunday or Monday.
Ok, before I dig into the Pacific Northwest… I paid $40 to Maryland to take me to the airport and he said, “Well, I’m attracted to you, too,” when he was talking about his primary partner. I said quickly without missing a beat, “Oh, thanks. I’m completely aromantic and platonic with men.” He listened to that and then said, “You had your son. You were married.” Instead of saying, “Yes, and I separated from him in 2007,” and that getting to be a thing instead said, “I’ve kissed two men in my life. TWO. I can’t count the number of women that I’ve kissed. Men don’t make me blush. They don’t make my heart race. It’s not a sexual thing.” I sure hope that he gets it. Otherwise, I won’t hang out with him solo again. BUMMER.
The plane was late. The rental car was 3-hours late. They were so unprofessional until a shift change happened too. I complained and got some gas comped. Then I drove into Portland. I was starving. I did the wine and cheese happy hour and then took a long walk. I found the bar that I thought that I wanted to go to, and checked in briefly. Although I don’t usually eat any meat on vacation, I had to try 40-hour Pho broth. Honestly, broth simmered a minimum of 40-hours?!? I had the best salt and pepper rice flour dusted calamari ever too. The owner was an actual hoot. He sang and played for me. We talked about lead guitar and karaoke.
I went to the bar and really connected with the owner. A friend of hers came in and another woman and they were really close so I left, but she got my Instagram handle and followed me. She’s visiting her sister at the end of the month. I’m going to take her out and connect more. Stay tuned.
It was hot in Portland–very summer-like heat. It was 92 when I went to Pho and the bar and the next day it was 88. I slept well that night. The next day I ventured out more and walked a total of 32,286 steps that day and some of the 12-miles was walking the Willamette Greenway. That would have been the best place to ride a rented bicycle, which I didn’t do on this vacation. That is an amazing riverfront experience.
Calm, quiet and therapeutic. There is a poetry on the rocks area too and a Poet’s Corner boat.
I went to Deschutes. I’ve mentioned in other’s blogs in my commenting that I don’t like Lagers, but Night in Vienna is amazing and such a sin that they don’t can and export it! Deschutes was my crossover beer with Mirror Pond that started me on the road to hops. I’ve never strayed from that road, and had a flight of the ones that they only serve there. Heading back to Portland yesterday I was really sad that Ecliptic Brewing isn’t open until Tuesday or Wednesday, because I had wanted to hit that one too, but it’s lucky that I didn’t… More on that later.
I got up and got mobile the next morning and checked out of my hotel downtown–don’t worry I did hit Powell’s Books the day before too–and bought my son “Serving the Servant,” and I just remembered that I forgot to give it to him last night, so when he’s done babysitting this afternoon and I’m getting ready to take him to work for the evening I’ll give it to him. I also bought the updated edition of “The Ethical Slut” for me and I’m almost done. It was a long, long drive. However, driving through many impressive National Forests and all the lakes, rivers and reservoir areas was not a bad thing. Finally, I got to the entrance to the park, and it was, well, closed. Yes, gate down due to winter. It was June 8th.
Look at those TREES! Unreal.
No worries, I’ll do another route and just eat later. Again, starving. The GPS spun and spun, and spun some more. Uh-oh. Ok, go to the bathroom in the forest on a rock (That’s the responsible thing so animals don’t tear up flora for your salt.), breathe, breathe some more, you have just under half a tank, and a state map. THANK all the spirits and such that my rental car was delayed so I picked up a map waiting for my car! Only three turns. There are not tons of signs though so I did get disoriented twice, but finally found the south entrance to the park. I was dumping adrenaline and meditating on the trees so I wouldn’t freak out completely.
Just forest bathe in your rental car. It will be fine.
I finally reached the Park Office and Ranger and was pretty freaked still, but it was so nice to see the whites of a human’s eyes. I reached the lodge afterward having only driven an extra hour-and-a-half. I got my stuff put in my quiet, no frills, comfy lake viewing room and went to the back patio of the lodge. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It’s almost silly to post, because the picture is nothing like it in reality.
No appropriate caption for seeing this site
I basked in the grandeur until 8 when my dinner reservation was, and then was pretty spent, so I turned in right around sunset. I was anxious to get a good hike in the next day, which I did in the spring rain the next day. I walked past Discovery Point until I hit a steep snow bank and it was raining a little more, but was satisfied with my 4.7-mile hike. That’s when I met Tommy. I’ve had some good servers in my life, but none like Tommy. I’m going to write to Aramark about him. He could work in a 5-star resort. He’s done 17 park seasons at Crater Lake and is authentic and caring. Such a good lunch and two beers. Then I went back to back patio and sat in a rocking chair. That night, I watched the sunset.
Good fare. Finished all with the exception of the fries, which I did eat for breakfast on Saturday morning.
I drove to the coast! I just had to. Everyone kept telling me that the Oregon Coast is unique. I went to the salt marsh at the Wildlife Preserve and did some bird watching.
Lots of swallows and I also spotted a Piping Plover who sung to me.
I hit the beach, and then parked up the coast and walked over the ridge that is known as the travelling beach and once I went down to the water I understood why! Wow, the wind there is extreme. It’s hard to walk, but is so beautiful.
After a beach walk I went to the lighthouse at the Coquille River and learned about Denny Dyke from the Lighthouse “Keeper” and his wife who were super friendly and disappointed that I won’t still be in Oregon on the weekend for low tide to walk his labyrinths which last a couple of days until the tide comes in. What a neat manner to do art! I was thinking that with that level of wind it made sense that all the sand would move with great frequency.
Keepers did this work manually for years until the lights could be automatic
It was getting late. I wasn’t interested in getting back to Crater Lake after dark because of one entrance being the only way into the lodge and my room, but the folks in the lighthouse convinced me to drive back over the bridge into town to trek to the Face Rock Viewpoint. I’m so glad that I did! I walked down the boardwalk, scurried up a rock, walked through the rock caves, and looked at everything there. I took what has become my favorite picture that I’ve ever taken too, and when I looked at it that night, I saw a heart beach rock in it. I think it’s because I’m going to fall in love soon.
The wind moves not only the sand, but beach rocks too due to its forceCrazy cool rock formations line the beach. I think that if you Google Face Rock, you’ll get the quintessential and famous rock at this spot.
I was able to make it back that day right at sunset and only turned around once to check a sign at Diamond Lake. I was way less scared than I’d been on Thursday getting to the lodge. I ate spinach and steelhead trout dip and connected with a traveling oncology physician and her husband while eating in the main hall of the lodge. They were very cool.
The next day I broke rules and hiked and was found out by a nice park ranger. I had no idea it would be winter at the lake until late July, and didn’t regret anything though because I did much relaxing rather than cycling and hiking, which is fine for me. Until I bought a book for a souvenir at the Visitor’s Center I didn’t know that Crater Lake is affectionately known as July and Winter. I get it now.
There were lots of snowfields to cross to get the the peak, and I would have been ok up at elevation, but it’s closed and probably will be until mid-July. The Park Ranger was cool, so I’m lucky.
Look at how when it’s warm the lake changes as do the cloud reflections
I went back to Discovery Point and also to just before the Watchman’s Overlook on the interior trail this time because Sunday was so warm and some precarious snow had melted. I was able to hike just under 4-miles that day on trails only rather than the road because it was a warm spring day rather than a rainy one. Winter may have just left Crater Lake. Now, the snow will melt and the roads will be plowed along the 33-mile rim.
You can see the back of Wizard Island from this point on the trail, but because only a mile of road is open on the West Rim in “Winter” you cannot see Phantom Ship
I had the curry again that night at the lodge and because Tommy was my server it was better prepared this time and I shared the extra curry with a man and his companion who were seated next to me. He was a professional climber and a previous guide at Rocky Mountain National Park. His companion was a family friend who had done some climbing in her 40s and she inspired me. They were to get up at 4:45 the next day and photograph the sunrise. I watched another sunset.
Mount Thiesen – a lightning rod
I left at 9:17 am and when I finally got to I-205, I found out that Ecliptic Brewing isn’t open at either location on Mondays, so I just went to the airport. I couldn’t get checked in. I went to the agent and she said that I can’t make my connection due to a delay. She said that I could fly to Phoenix at midnight and then stay in Dallas until 8:00 am. I told her that wouldn’t be happening. I said, “I actually can’t do 18-hours in three airports after traveling all day.” I meant it. I would’ve had a breakdown. I had driven 7-hours that day even before I got home. After some time she found a direct flight on another airline. It was literally leaving right then. I checked my bag, learned it was late, went to the bathroom and boarded. I had some scares when the woman (Aquarius) who I’d lent my car to for the week didn’t text me back when I was in my seat. Libra was supposed to pick me up at midnight and now it would be 4-hours earlier–no complaints–but I needed my car back too. Right before takeoff she texted and was with the Ballet Dancer (from my last climbing class).
It took me two-hours to get home due to a shooting near where Aquarius lives, but I was still home before I would have been and had a lucky direct flight. My son’s girlfriend was here, and they looked at all my pictures while I cleaned the kitchen and warmed up spaghetti in red sauce with broccolini and some chicken piccata. It was after 10 pm and I’d eaten two rolls and a little butter, fries, an ounce of snack mix, tomato juice, and the last picante corn nuts from my car (probably four and some salt from the bottom of the bag). It was so good to see my pets and my son too. I’m sleepy today, but had an incredible solo vacation.
This is the third year of them, and I’ve had incredible luck. When I was trying to fly out to get to Fort Lauderdale the plane was on a weather delay. It was 81 in Miami with light showers and 96 on the tarmac while we were trying to take off in the plane. They had to wait 75-minutes for the engine to cool substantially and be in the “green zone.” (Note those were the pilot’s words and not mine and I didn’t find them comforting.) I ate late night sushi when I finally got to South Beach. That whole trip was amazing. There is a great botanical gardens in North Beach which was quite the find.
Can you believe this area is where the city compost pile is? I’m not kidding.
I saw Vulture Island, air boated the Everglades on a tour, saw tons of alligators and learned about the impact of exotic pets. I’m glad to have been there before salinity ruins them and the small mammals are all eaten by animals which don’t belong there. I had ample beach time and really good food. The latter was surprising because I’ve spent many, many days in Florida and have eaten some terrible and greasy fare. Southern Florida seems to have better food from my experience anyway.
I had the same type of weather pattern the following year when I went to Mount Desert Island. I was getting texts from friends about 100-degree days and was soaking up the 70s on a rented bike going through Bar Harbor and using the carriage roads in Acadia. I would go back there and spend two-weeks in a heartbeat. I can’t describe the beauty.
I took off on my bike when the ferry that I took at the base of my bed and breakfast on Southwest Harbor was secured. We spent a couple hours on the larger Cranberry Island and I did a solo hike too. This is the view from one of the rock beaches there. There are all kinds of different boats on the Maine Coast.
We had over five-and-a-half inches of rain last month, and meteorologists are saying June will be “soggy.” Totally fine with me. I don’t have a working cooler in my house right now and the company wanted 10K, which I am not doing, obviously. I can use the attic fan in the morning and then shut up my house when the storms and rain abate. I’ll get a cooler when I sell the house. Rain is forecasted here at home until June 14th. It’s incredible. It’s in the upper 70s and 80s in Portland, and over 90 when I get there. I’m so lucky. Who knew going to Portland would be going into summer?
I had made a whole bunch of Udon in my wok on Friday, so I took some over to my neighbors with the last Korean Beef Rib, a piece of fried Turkey Spam, and an egg over easy. So they brought over the roasted and seeded red pepper dip which is milled into a paste, and a goat cheese dip that has a bit of black pepper in it (This dip is great and new to me.) and the huge pitas from the Lebanese bakery last night. This breakfast alongside black coffee is the best one!
This dip is made with cream cheese and feta. It’s apparently Greek and you put some yogurt in it as well to get the consistency correct. (I already ate the two triangles of baklava. I can pretend it’s a special occasion. I don’t do any sugar unless it’s a holiday or I am away from home.)
Maryland is taking me to the airport on Tuesday morning. I’m giving him $40, coffee and a burrito. I already made the latter. I think that I’ll get a private shuttle to get home. I know that’s really expensive, but our airport is notorious for having Lyft and Uber drivers just not show at night from the airport. I don’t want to be there until 5:00 am when the trains start running again. That would be an awful way to end my vacation in Oregon.
Wait. What is up with these fonts?!? It’s bothering me to write. Why did they change? They didn’t email me. Software engineers are likely well-intentioned, but these things can be alarming. I’ll write anyway.
I went to happy hour and people were talking about work. That can be annoying. It also makes the men leave abruptly which leaves me feeling paranoid. I ordered BBQ nachos with diced jalapeños. Everyone inhaled them–I should have ordered two orders. I went to the bar and sang one song and didn’t like the vibe and couldn’t get anyone to meet me so I went to Trader Joes and got some beef ribs which I put in the ceramic skillet and left on 8 while I walked the dogs quickly. I wolfed all but one.
I slept off and on until 8. I’m going to shower, walk my dogs, and then get the coffee packs and granola bars and such out of my car from my main site out, and go to my secondary site. Hopefully, I can just get my vacation setting on remotely from any phone, and I’ll do the one in that work email. I did a two-week and a day vacation setting for my one university job and I’ll log into the other one when I get back from OR. I have to start checking that one more faithfully. Those are doctoral students only so the level of maintenance is more significant for whatever reason.
“Plural Loves,” which I’m reading now is ok. Some chapters are better than others, but it’s mostly just a lot of sex. Sex is fine, but I like the psychologically nuanced stuff and research things more. It’s not bad and there are tons of contributing authors to the book. I’ll be done tonight or tomorrow night. It’s cool that an Ereader tracks your book progress. Glad that I bought an Ereader.
I cut the grass yesterday between happy hour and karaoke. It took a very long time and it’s a small patch of grass so it was pretty funny. After I’m at work an hour or so, I’m going to three pet stores–how annoying–and getting everything so that I don’t come back to any problems. I made my son watch “16 candles” this week, and he loved it. I told him that I will not come back to a house like that. I’m really hopeful. My neighbors will look in on him, thank goodness.
I have a really rattly cough. It sounds wet in the morning. I also have had some pretty bad headaches, which I’ve not had in years. Just a gross cold going around, I guess. I don’t know if it will be gone by Tuesday, but I hope so. I brought home a KN95 to wear on the plane. I’ve not been sick like this in many years.
Aquarius is the ballet dancer’s best friend out here. She wanted to do long distance with her semi-gf who is still in Nashville. That woman’s mother told her that they shouldn’t talk for a month, so they didn’t until yesterday and then they talked and decided not to date. I texted her that was wise and she said that she wants to believe that. Anyone in their mid-twenties who still has a parent with that much sway isn’t a love interest. That’s a child. She is going to bowl for me next Wednesday when I’m in OR and our other teammate is her age and also from the south. Hoping, hoping, hoping! I love setting people up. I hope that they hit it off.
I have to go. I have to shower. I have to walk the girls. I have to work a couple hours. I have to run errands. I have to work in the yards before the storm rolls in. I’m Ernest Hemmingway.
Return 