my weekend: January 2005

Check out that sweet parking spot! Volunteering at the art museum on Sunday.

Only in Portland!

dogs dogs dogs!

Such a good boy! Otis likes the sand at the dog park.

Otis pulling Chris towards the dog park Saturday morning.

winter went away

Hello everyone!

I had a good weekend here. The weather has been very strange. After last weekend's ice storm we had record highs in the mid-60's. The daffodils will be blooming soon. Isn't it January??

Friday night I met a man at the Tonic Lounge for a few beers. His name is Mike and we started talking through Craigslist. He's smart AND funny. We're supposed to get together this week again. I'll keep you posted on my dating life.

I left the Tonic and met Camille and Jess and some other people at a friend's house. From there we walked down to The Nocturnal for System and Station's CD Release show. There were tons of people there that I know so I had lots of fun talking to everyone. I decided though it was unnecessary for me to stay for the whole show. I got my free CD. They played my favorite song off of it and then I went home.

Saturday morning Chris picked me up and we went to our regular breakfast place, Marco's in Multnomah Village. Oh how I love eggs benedict! From there we took Otis to a nearby dog park where we enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather and I took too many pictures of the dogs.

After Chris dropped me off I spent the day watching episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Pelican Brief. In the evening I went over to Elaine, Gina and Dave's place. Dave made everyone very tasty quesadillas and we played some Scrabble.

Sunday I volunteered at the art musuem. It was extremely busy there. There was a new exhibit that had just opened the day before. It's the first major museum exhibit on the arts of Native Americans that lived on the Columbia River. It was also Family Day so there were lots of kids there enjoying the activities. I spent much of the afternoon chatting on the phone with assorted people. In the evening I watched Garden State which I absolutely loved. I highly recommend it to!

So that was my weekend. I will be late with next week's posting as I have to go out of town for a work conference. I'll be at the coast from Sunday-Tuesday. Please let me know what you've been up to and how you are! I hope all is well!

xoxo,
carolyn

another january ice storm. brrrrr

gina and I slip sliding our way around the neighborhood. gina's good at the self portraits!

Everything is coated, greenery amongst the ice.

Saturday morning activities

january ice storm

Hello hello!

First of all I've posted some pictures I scanned in (the last roll of film I'll ever take) from my Christmas visit to Vancouver with Sara so please scroll down to check those out if you're interested.

I also have 6 invites for gmail...an email account through google that gives you a massive amount of storage. Please let me know if you're interested and I'll send one your way.

My weekend was largely controlled by the weather. We had another January ice storm but there was absolutely no snow unlike last year's event. I went to Elaine and Gina's on Friday night. Elaine made a great dinner and we played games and waited for the weather to turn. I decided to get stuck at their house rather than at my apartment so I spent the night in their cozy guest bed. I woke early to the sound of sleet which turned into freezing rain over the course of Saturday. We played card games, worked on a jigsaw puzzle, played rummy kub, watched movies, made food and generally had a pretty good time occupying ourselves while the outside everything became coated in an ever-thickening layer of ice. In the evening we slipped and skated our way (on foot not driving) to a local bar that was serving food. Gina and I shared a ridiculously huge quesadilla. When we got back to their house a few people went sledding down the icy hills while others of us stayed in and watched Napoleon Dynamite.

Sunday was even more slippery outside. The rain finally stopped and the temperature started inching up leading to a thin layer of water over the ice. By mid-day the icy streets had melted and travel was again possible. I was lucky to share a huge breakfast of french toast, potatoes and sausage with everyone before finally scraping off my car driving back to my apartment. I finished the book I was reading "The World According to Garp" and watched movies.

I spent Monday at home thanks to the holiday. I did some pilates, read some more, watched some more movies. In the afternoon Gina stopped by with some mochas so we hung out for a little bit. That evening I was back at the Hilberts for some Scrabble and our weekly dose of "24" on tv.

So that was my weekend. icy and filled with games...good stuff! Now it's freakishly warm (almost 60!) and the snow is melting at the higher elevations leading to flooding etc. If it's not one thing it's another! Let me know how you are and what you've been doing!

xoxo,
carolyn

I love Mt Tabor!

At Mt Tabor Park for Sunday morning frisbee golf. This is the upper resevoir with downtown Portland and the West Hills in the distance.

At OMSI with Jess...what is she making those puppets do?

Vote for Pedro

Hello everyone!

I had a really nice weekend here. Friday I stopped at Elaine & Gina's house on my way home from work. I hung out there for a while and played some lightning round Trivial Pursuit before heading home to make myself the best BLT (and avocado) sandwich ever! I watched "Lost in Translation" and read my book which I am rapidly devouring (East of Eden by John Steinbeck).

Saturday I went to OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) with Jess. I had never been there before and was always saving it for some winter day. They have a really incredible exhibit showing development from zygote to full term fetus. At 3 weeks it is tiny tiny but still looks clearly like a baby. wow! I was constantly thinking of Greta and the wonder of her pregnancy. We looked at snakes and walking sticks, crystals and turbines, holograms and tornadoes. It was lots of fun. I love science museums and hadn't been to one in ages.

That evening Matt came over to my house. I made us dinner and then we watched Napoleon Dynamite which I loved. Later we went down to the Twilight to see a show. It was for his friend's birthday. It was funny because the whole group of people were from the Midwest (Steven's Point, WI and Michigan). Apparently we're taking over. I had a great time hanging out with his friends.

Sunday I decide to not go to the volunteer party at the art musueum (margaritas and tamales at noon on sunday???). Instead I met up with Elaine, Dave, Terry and Jason to go frisbee golfing in Mt Tabor Park. This park is right between my place & Elaine's house so we're excited about having such a close place to play frisbee golf. We met up with Jeff in the park who new the course and showed us around. The course isn't well marked and there aren't any baskets but you just aim for particular trees or lamp posts. there were a few frisbees stuck in trees but we eventually dislodged them. I had a really great time and can't wait to play it again.

I went home and showered and ate lunch. In the evening I went back to Elaine and Gina's house. Gina and I started a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle. It was almost done when I left. We all gathered around the TV to watch "24". We're all addicted to the show. It's our weekly heart attack and we love it.

So that was my weekend!

Please let me know what you've been up to and how your weekend was.

much love,
carolyn

ps For anyone wondering about Nandita...I got an email from both her and Jochem this weekend. They arrived in India on the morning of the tsunami. They flew into Bombay which was unaffected. Nan's dad's family is from Madras and there was so damage there but all her family is okay. They'll be back in the states soon. She did mention that they'd seen some tigers. crazy!

so a new year begins

Hello!

I'm not really going to write about my last weekend but just my vacation after Christmas. One of the perks of working at a college is that I get off from Christmas to New Years without using a single vacation day. I spent several days up in Bellingham and Vancouver BC with my sister and then came back to Portland. I had a really great time hanging out with Elaine and Gina and Dave. We played frisbee golf 4 times that week: twice at Pier Park in North Portland and at both Dabney & Rooster Rock State Parks in the the gorge. I have so much fun and find myself wanting to go play all the time. The forests of Oregon are lush and mossy in winter and we don't even mind the rain as long as it's not pouring.

I watched a bunch of movies, read my book, ate good food and hung out with friends.

New Years was a pretty mellow affair over at Elaine and Gina's house. I was asleep by one o'clock. That day we decided it would be fun to go the coast. Dave's parents have a place in Garibaldi. We packed up quick and hit the road. We stopped in the local pubs for some drinks and to check out the locals and the live music. It was all very entertaining. Elaine got some oyster shooters which I tried for the first time and LOVED. Eating them at the coast is definitely the way to go. We had a huge breakfast on Sunday morning at the Pirates Cove. Afterwards we went to the beach and walked around. We walked out on the jetty and were mesmerized by the sea lions surfing in the waves. It was spectacularly sunny and beautiful out.

On our way back to Portland we had planned to play frisbee golf at Timber which is in the coast range. Unfortunately snow and cold temperatures at that elevation prevented us from playing so we just played at Pier Park in Portland when we got back.

So that's what I've been up to...check out all the new pictures I just posted. Just so you know you can click on any picture to see it bigger if you'd like.

Let me know what you've been doing!

Happy New Year!

xoxo,
carolyn

The view of Mt Hood from my office. How lucky!

Mt St Helens sticking out of the clouds and letting off some steam. wow!

Me with Dave, Elaine & Gina on the jetty by Tillamook Bay. Daisy (black lab) didn't like the rocks.

We watched the sea lions in the waves.

January 2nd at the coast, near Garibaldi, Oregon. Spectacular!

We're frisbee golf freaks (Betsy warned me). Playing at Rooster Rock State Park with Elaine & Dave & Daisy (the black lab).

Me and Matt having beers at O'Malleys with everyone. Dec 23rd

Taking over the big table at O'Malleys. December 23rd 2004

Christmas in Canada

Hello all! I've enjoyed my time off work. A girl could really get used to that kind of vacation. I'll start with my Christmas and do a second blog for the rest of my time off. On Christmas Eve Matt dropped me off at the Union Station to catch my train. This was my first time taking the train and I really loved it. It follows along Puget Sound for a long, beautiful stretch. I watched the herons on the water's edge and the mist on the island hills. dreamy! I read my book and listened to my headphones and soaked it all in. We stopped at the train station in Seattle for an hour or so. I talked to my sister, parents, brother and greta. All these phone calls were necessary because I learned that Sara & I would be spending Christmas in Canada! The train was late getting into to Bellingham so Sara and I decided to head north the next morning. We opened one gift that evening as is our family's tradition.

The next day we had our coffee and headed north. First we stopped in the border town of Blaine to visit with our Aunt Liz. She is staying at my grandparents' house while they are in Arizona for the winter. I have very fond childhood memories of that house. We hung out in the living room and chatted with Liz's boyfriend and took some photos. From there we crossed the border into Canada and it's just a short ways to Vancouver. We stopped for some lunch (vietnamese pho for christmas lunch!) and then went to my sister's friend's house.

I'd met Raj just once last winter. I was so happy to be invited to spend Christmas with her and her family. She has 3 children: a 12 year old boy, a 9 year girl and a 6 month old baby named Ariana. Sara's roommate, Micah, was also up for the holiday. We had a great time hanging out, playing with the kids, watching Lord of the Rings. That evening we went over to Christmas dinner at Dex's Mom's house. Dex lives with Raj and is Ariana's father. Canadians are so damn nice! They are very laid back and welcoming. I felt strange at first being in this woman's house for Christmas dinner but everyone was so friendly and happy to have us. After dinner the kids tore open their gifts from grandma which is always fun to watch.

We spent Sunday preparing for the big dinner that Raj was hosting that night. We cooked a monstrous feast which is always fun. Between 15-20 people ate dinner and we had a great time. Monday we lounged about and then did some post-dinner clean up. Sara & I headed back to the US in the evening. We ordered take-out & watched a movie with Micah before bedtime and an early trip back to the train station. I finished my book on the train ride home. Anna Karenina died on the train tracks! I made it home just in time for Tuesday dinner at Elaine & Gina's house. Gina showed me her new digital camera and then they suprised me with a christmas gift....gina's "old" digital camera. Omigoodness! I am in love with this thing. I can stop spending so much money on film and developing and can really go crazy taking lots and lots of pictures.

I had a great time with my sister up in Vancouver. Her friends there are so hilarious and kind and the kids were so fun to hang out with. I fell in love with baby Ariana. I can't wait to take the train up again (armed with my digital camera)and visit Sara again. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Please let me know what you did!

xoxo,
carolyn