Out with the Old? I Sure Hope So.

I just read a news story online regarding the New Year--and the one that's just passed. But its tone was unlike anything I've seen before, all gloom and doom. It said that you know it's been a bad year if Parisians are cutting back on champagne, oysters, and foie gras to ring in the new year, and having a fish dinner instead. It interviewed people all over the world, and they were all despairing, saying what a terrible year it's been. Quoting the article: "The year 2008 can best be described as a year of crime, terrorist activities, bloodshed and accidents."
Whoa. The most optimistic thing mentioned was that people were looking forward to 2009 because it really couldn't be any worse than 2008.
Or could it?
In my personal case, I would call 2008 a mixed bag.

Here are the good things that happened to me:

• Got accepted to law school
• Went to Europe
• Had a happy summer
• Found a really nice house to live in
• Met new people
• Learned how to drive in the snow
• The Blazers are finally a good team again

And here are the bad:

• Inability to control my temper scares off some of the people I like the most
• Gained over 20 pounds
• Am probably a crazy person
• Lost a bunch of money in the stock market

And finally, here's what I'm hoping for in 2009:

• Not act crazy or lose my temper any more
• Lose 20 pounds
• Save up money and not use my credit cards much now that I've paid them all off
• Get good grades from my first semester of law school
• Make more friends
• Have someone appropriate fall in love with me

You can read the full article here: World Bids a Relieved Adieu to a Rocky Year

Lost the Thread

Remember a long time ago I said that I felt inspired to write a story? I got a couple paragraphs in, got distracted, and never finished it. I lost all of my ideas since then. But I'm not a quitter: I'm working on something new today, something I won't forget. And, I'm trying to be proactive about this whole writing thing. I found someone looking to form a writing group on craigslist, contacted her, and once she's back in town it will hopefully get going. And I can hopefully talk a couple of my friends into it too (the writer types, obviously, not the engineering types).

Epic Snow Journey Volume 3: Finals, Shuttles, & Portland's First Transgender Mayor

Stairs? What stairs?

I was determined to finish my final yesterday. After slipping and falling down in the intersection of of SE 39th and Powell-grrrreeeaat, I caught the bus downtown and, arriving at the shuttle stop, found one other girl waiting there. We waited and waited. The shuttle was late, assuming it was coming at all. Some ski shuttle cruised into the stop, but no one appeared to be waiting to catch it. We waited and waited some more for the Lewis and Clark shuttle. We began losing hope. "Hey, if I can talk the ski shuttle guy into driving us to Lewis and Clark, would you be down?" I asked the other girl. "Sure," she replied. But no. The shuttle driver was expecting one passenger. But it was okay, our actual shuttle showed up a couple of minutes later. The amiable driver, Rafi, gave us his phone number, so we could call and make sure that the shuttle was still running when we were done with our exams. It's snowing so hard that there's virtually no visibility. SE Portland across the river? Doesn't exist, sorry.
Finally! I had managed to successfully get to school to complete my final. I got set up, took off my shoes (my toes were really cold), and commenced. It was Civil Procedure, the one I was really dreading, but it actually wasn't bad. None of them were actually that bad.
Test completed, I head out to the shuttle stop, and called Rafi to confirm. No answer. I left a message. I checked my email. Uh oh. Campus sent out an email saying that the shuttle was no longer running. Crap! Now what? Should I attempt taking Trimet? As I was debating this, the bus I would have needed drove by. OK, nevermind, I guess that's not an option. I decided that a cab was the only way back home. I got through, but was on hold. Forever. And ever. And ever. Finally someone answered, and said that they would send a cab out to pick me up, but didn't know how long it would take. Then Robin, the girl from the shuttle ride to campus came outside. She had called Rafi a few minutes ago too, but he called her back. The shuttle was running! Yes! He should be here in 35 minutes Hmmm. I don't cancel the cab, but instead figure I'll just take whichever arrives first. Robin and I hang out in the student lounge, waiting, and making small talk. She's a 2L. "What do you want to do with your law degree?" I ask. "I'm not sure...I'm really interested in civil rights...or maybe I'll be Portland's first transgender mayor...." Wait a second, transgender? I never would have guessed. I have a ton of questions, but fear it would be impolite to ask, so I don't. But the thing is, she has a girl voice. Not an affected girl voice, but a true girl voice, girl mannerisms, etc. Guys I've met who've had sex changes still seemed like guys who were trying to look like girls. But she didn't. She was tall, and had big hands and feet for a girl, but other than that, totally a girl. She must be one of those rare people who actually was born with both parts, like Jamie Lee Curtis! Whoa. Laura's first transgender friend.
The shuttle arrives before the cab. We embark, and I realize just how much the weather has intensified.
WHAP-A-WHAP-A-WHAP-A
The chains on the shuttle were loose. They were so loud! Robin commented that they had a good beat. That's one way of looking at it. I try calling Radio Cab to cancel my taxi request. I'm on hold again. I put my phone on speaker phone, but I can't really hear anything over the whaping of the chains. I give up. My phone is VERY low on batteries. Maybe someone else will take my cab instead. Hopefully.
Nearing downtown, Robin tries to talk Rafi into dropping her off at her apartment, since she lives downtown. She succeeds. The shuttles winds its way through downtown, and on into the Pearl District. I hop off near Mio Gelato, and trudge a few blocks to the stop for the 17. A woman is standing there, I start to ask her if she knows when the bus will come, but anticipating my question, she cuts me off, saying that my guess is as good as hers. OK. I call Bruno, asking him to transit track the bus, to make sure I'm not freezing my toes in vain. It's 2.1 miles away. Not too far. We continue to wait, I get impatient, and call Bruno again to check the distance. .6 miles! It's almost here! Off in the distance we can see. I get on, relieved that I have a way to get home. But wait! What's the bus doing? It's going the wrong way! Oh, no worries. Trimet had set up a little maintenance station on a different street, and a chain on our bus's tire was broken. Chain replaced, we're finally on our way. The windows are iced and dirted over, no one can see out. Finally we hit 39th and Holgate. The next segment of my journey begins. It's incredibly cold and windy, snowing heavily, with little pellets pricking my face. The snow is so deep and powdery that it's like walking through sand. It's dark out. My toes are frozen. My thumbs are frozen. It's the longest four blocks I've ever walked. I finally reach my house, but so much snow has accumulated that the steps are non-existent. Bruno opens the door for me; I look like the abominable snowman. For the record, I left home at 9:45 that morning, my test was three hours, and what time did I finally make it home? 5:30 p.m. That's right. It was a long, cold day.

Here's some photos I took last night:

Notice how much snow had drifted up against our front door!

This morning, I noticed that Chompsky was practically buried.

Here's our backdoor snow drift. Pretty impressive.

Why I am Awake at 5:30 a.m.

I'm not a morning person. I prefer staying up late, and waking up late. So why am I up now? Because I am afraid that I'm never going to have opportunity to finish my Civil Procedure Exam. I was so stupid yesterday: I should have either just taken the bus all the way downtown and caught the Lewis and Clark shuttle, or sucked it up and attempted driving there. All the other X-Countrys I saw driving around in SW were doing just fine. None fishtailed, spun out, slid, etc. They drove like nobody's business.
So I can't sleep because I'm afraid that I won't have a chance to finish all my exams, will fail out of law school as a result, and my life will be ruined. OK, probably none of that will happen, I'm being overly dramatic, I'm sure I'm not the only person in this position, and I'm also sure that the law school is well aware that there are many students haven't been able to take all their exams due to school closure or inability to travel. Campus is closed again today. So I should be positive and just think of it as extra time to study, right?
But I really want to be done with it all! I want to be able to relax, watch a movie, read a non-textbook, cook, or just generally goof off without feeling guilty because I could be studying. Oh, and did I mention that I already had a new Civil Procedure reading assignment emailed to me, even though finals are not over yet? Ugh.
I would also prefer to be asleep right now, but I don't think that's going to happen. I think it's going to be afternoon nap by the fake fireplace instead.

The Swedish Know Snow Better Than I Or, Epic Snow Journey, Volume 2

It's been snowing. The sideroads are icy. This week is finals. School was closed yesterday due to the weather, and it's pretty likely it will be closed tomorrow. I need to take my frickin unscheduled Civil Procedure sometime, and today was supposed to be the day. And so my epic snow story (my snow stories are always epic, I wonder why?) commences.
I'm from Portland, so I don't really know how to drive in the snow. I have a Volvo X-Country, which supposedly does better than usual in the snow, but I've been too much of a chicken to really try it out. As a result, I'm sitting right now, on a frigid 29-degree Tuesday night, at Tryon Creek Bar and Grill. I'm not supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be sitting in classroom 1 or 4 frantically wracking my brain over Civil Procedure. How did I get here?
This afternoon, having finished my notes by 2:45, I decided I would forgo a winter driving adventure and take the bus to Lewis & Clark. iPod in ears, I left the house, made it a block, and fell smack down on my butt. OK, I'll be more careful from now on. I got the the bus stop, and waited. And waited. The couple waiting with me got impatient and walked off, just as #9 was coming. And that, dear readers, is a harbinger of things to come.
Got off the 9 at 1st and Arthur, as directed. Wandered briefly, then found the correct stop. #43 came in less than 5 minutes. Perfect. All is going well.
The bus winds its way though SW Portland neighborhood I've never seen. Beautiful Victorian homes covered in snow. Hills. Quaint little coffee shops. Things start looking familiar again: I've arrived at my next transfer point: Terwilliger and Taylor's Ferry. I get off the bus and wander around again, this time not so briefly, looking for the next bus stop. I think I've found it, so I park it there for several minutes. I was wrong.
I check my notes against the bus number posted on the stop. Damn! I need 39, and I've been waiting at a 38 stop. Turns out the stop directly across from where I got off is actually the one I need. The one that had lots of buses passing though but I had ignored, thinking it was the wrong stop. Crap!
After some slipping and sliding, I repark it at the correct bus stop. I wait. And wait. And wait. I see a cute little poodle wearing boots; it seems like the boots cause the poodle to high-step. It's starting to get dark. A beautiful, stark winter sunset. Headlights shimmer in reflection off the ice: glass mirrored in glass. Cars start skidding out more often. My toes begin to get numb. I've been at this damn stop for nearly an hour.
I call Alex, hoping he can look up the arrival time for the bus. No answer. I call Bruno, with the same question. No answer. I call Joe. He's driving. My car. If I was less of a chicken, I would have been driving my car, I would have been in the warm bastion of Lewis & Clark Law School, taking my dreaded Civ. Pro exam. But instead, I'm standing on ice in SW Portland with numb toes and no idea of when the next bus will come. (The fried food scents are overcoming me: mmm, I wish I could have a bacon cheeseburger, nachos, something delicious and greasy. I wish the waiter would come by so I could order another hot toddy. Yes, this is an aside.)
I try calling Trimet, but it's a no-go: busy signal. Everyone's calling Trimet. My phone rings. Yes!! It's Bruno, the Trimet king. He looks up my bus, and says that it's coming in 35 minutes, according to Transit Tracker. But now, I curse Transit Tracker.
35 minutes! I will just try walking. I stomp off, nearly falling down again. I look back, maybe a minute later, and there's the goddamn bus. Curse you Transit Tracker!! Maybe I can just walk the rest of the way.
Nope. I reach a downward slope. An ICY downward slope. Pretty sure I'll fall down again if I attempt it. Godf*kda*n it! I turn around and head back to the bus stop. My phone rings again. It's Alex. I tell him my predicament, and promptly melt down. Then my phone cuts out. Melting, melting, melting. I call Alex back. I ask if he can pick me up on his way home. Yes. Alex is the best person in the whole world! I hesitate there at the bus stop for a moment. Should I go to Chez Jose, Starbucks, or Tryon Creek Grill to wait for him? Another guy shows up at the bus stop. He starts asking me when the bus will come, does it go downtown, etc. I tell him yes, it goes downtown, but it will be at least 20 minutes. I guess he notices that I look upset. He says he's going to Starbucks to wait and offers to buy me a coffee. I demur. I finally decide to go to Tryon Creek. Here I am.
I'm typing. It's a dive bar, but I have to say, I actually like it now. The fact that it's the only one near campus lends it a different feeling than a dive bar anywhere else. OK, big imagination time: it's like a bar on tv, like the one the characters on Grey's Anatomy hang out with occasionally after work, only instead of medical students, it's law students. Yes, I know I'm a dork. That's okay. But it really seems like you could be anyone here, and it's okay. I probably look like a total weirdo typing away and drinking a hot toddy while most everyone else has a beer and is watching sports. But really, it's okay. They're playing Modest Mouse and Pearl Jam. A bunch of guys on the other side of the room exclaim "OOHHHH!" every so often because they're playing Wii bowling or something. Did I mention the delicious greasy food? I'm not partaking of any right now, unfortunately, because I have too much crap with me, and I'll have to go to the bathroom first--Alex arrived! I love Alex! I'm buying him a beer.
And I will take my test tomorrow morning at 8. I'll ask Joe to drop me off on his way to work. My toes have defrosted, my head is hot-toddied, and I'm feeling much better now.
The moral of this story: trust your Swedish car. It will probably get you there.

Yay! Snow!

It snowed all day yesterday, the first really good, earnest snow in probably four years. Blowing snow, howling wind, below freezing temperatures all day. Here's our cute house in the snow:

I tried to go out for a walk, but my friend texted me, saying she would be coming over soon (houses, as opposed to apartments, are the place to be when it snows--three people came over yesterday), so I promptly dropped my cell phone in the snow, and turned back towards home. No harm done, though. The phone, although a little scratched, works just fine.
Chompsky was blinded by the white.

Funny hat brigade.
The kitties weren't too sure about the snow though.


Today is bright and sunny, but super cold. 25 degrees right now, but with the windchill, it feels like 13. Brrrr.
And I have two finals to take this week, but Lewis and Clark was closed today. I was aiming to finish my unscheduled one tomorrow, but we'll see if the law school is open or not. If it's not, I guess that just means I will have extra time to study. The school is in a woodsy, somewhat hilly area, and it's probably more difficult to get around there than it is down in the city. We'll see. It's supposed to snow again Wednesday, and then revert back to sunny but frigid, like today. No sign of melting in the next week. Honestly, I'm enjoying it.
Yesterday, when Andrea and Bruno's mom were over, we all cooked: Bruno whipped up a frittata and fried potatoes, Liz and Andrea baked chocolate chip butterscotch chip oatmeal cookies, and I made Amish Friendship bread (the bread that self-propagates). It was a great lunch. Then later on, although Andrea and Emma were gone, Alex showed up, and Joe came home from work, so we ordered pizza, watched the hysteria-inducing weather updates, and played an epic, four and a half hour game of Monopoly.
It was an excellent day.

OK, Here's Our Tree

Pretty nice, huh?

Coming Soon....

I'll post a couple photos of our Christmas tree soon. I could have posted them last night, but was too lazy.

Not Sure What Book to Read Next?

A friend of a friend who's now my friend writes for Willamette Week, a weekly paper here in Portland, which also provides a blogspace for him to review books each week. He's smart and cheeky, and his reviews are fun to read. It's an excellent way discover new books. It's called Tome Raider, and the link is posted in my Link List. Check it out!

Short-Term Memory

I actually felt inspired to try to write a story yesterday, and additional ideas keep on popping up. But by the time I got home, got my computer out, and got down to business, I had forgotten some of my best ideas. Damn! How can I prevent that in the future?

Imminent Holiday Doom

Thanksgiving was a great success, despite apple pie that had been smooshed in a vegetable drawer overnight (I had worked so hard decorating it too! oh well), and a whipped cream misunderstanding and subsequent emergency. Both incidents had the same perpetrator, who shall remain nameless, and it wasn't me, just so you know. Both were also resolved, fortunately.
As a funny aside, once the whipping cream problem was discovered, said perpetrator suggested, in all earnestness, that we just try to whip the cream that had chives swimming in it and was presently flavored with essence of potato. That idea was obviously vetoed.

The roommate situation is still going well, aside from me acting like a self-pitying baby Saturday night.

Finals are next week and the one after. I have three. I plan on studying like mad. I am also pleased to report that due to the fact that finals are graded on a curve, it is an extremely rare thing for anyone to fail them. Not that I would do that badly, but it's still reassuring to hear.
After that, I will be FREE for almost a month. But, it is the dreaded, depressing holiday season. Joe and Liz are going back to their respective home states from Christmas to New Year's Eve, and I fear extreme loneliness during that period. Bruno will still be here, but he works really late sometimes. I'll probably end up missing Joe the most because we have the same schedules: we drive to work together, go home together, and laugh at each other. It's like having a sidekick. Liz has been coming home really late recently, not sure what she's up to.
I tried to pre-empt the Christmas doom by attempting to make travel plans. Lufthansa was having a big 1-day sale on flights to Europe a couple months ago, and since running away on the Fourth of July worked so well, I thought, well, why not Christmas?

But my prospective travel companion actually likes (???) Christmas, and wanted to be in town for it. So that would kind of defeat the purpose. Plus, I realized I couldn't really afford it. So I'm stuck in town all by myself. I hate Christmas and I really hate New Year's Eve. Both tend to make me feel like crap. Holidays are great if you have a family and/or get invited to lots of stuff, but if neither is the case, as is my case, it just kind of makes you wish you were never born.

Top 5 Most Depressing Holidays:
1. New Year's Eve
2. Valentine's Day
3. Christmas
4. Thanksgiving (not this year, though!)
5. Fourth of July