Christmas Day

I hope the day finds you warm and happy! Here's a run down of today's adventures:

1. Drank Peruvian Christmas Hot Chocolate
2. Opened Presents
3. Read Tales of Beedle the Bard all the way through
4. Made Onion and Leek Tartlets
5. Ate Onion and Leek Tartlets (nom nom nom)
6. Decided to go see Frost Nixon
7. Got the car stuck in the unplowed driveway
8. Dug the car out with a garden spade
9. One of my tires was so flat it fell off the rim
10. Changed flat tire
11. Put car back in parking spot.

Of kicking, scraping and sweeping

I hesitated. I knew snow was coming but honestly I didn't want to pay $20 for a shovel knowing full well I would problably never use it again. The last time it snowed more than 6 inches in Portland was something like 1964. So can you blame me?

This morning when we opened the door and snow fell INTO the house I decided to give up. I called the only hardware store within walking distance:

Guy:"True Value"
Me: "Hey! You're open yay!"
Guy: "yup"
Me:"So do you have any shovels?"
Guy:"::snort:: I wish."
Me:"::despondent sigh::"

Come to find out it's really rather difficult to shovel without a shovel. Mostly I swept off the top layer, kicked off the middle layer and then used my car ice scraper to clear to the pavement. Then my ice scraper broke. I probably should have used it on my car first and the pavement second. ::sigh again::

Radiation shmadriation

For the past year I've been dealing with super crappy cell reception in my house. If I wasn't standing next to my bedroom window at the exactly correct angle I wouldn't get any reception. It was killing my battery as the phone spent all day looking for a signal. But yea! A few days ago I realized that my phone was ringing even though it was in my coat pocket far away from any window. A few days later an explanation appeared in my mailbox as an article on the local weekly the Sellwood Bee. The article was about people complaining about the new cellphone antennas that have been placed on taller telephone poles. Meh...at least my phone works now.

Portland Snow Day

Snow 031
Originally uploaded by benrue

We woke this morning to to the snow promised for yesterday. Large fluffy flakes were coming down and it made Portland feel a little bit more like home. The bedroom was frigid as we couldn't turn the heat on. Yesterday the temperatures dipped below freezing so we turned our electric heat in the bedroom. Before long the room was full of burnt plastic smell. We quickly turned off the heater and inspected the area for an errant toy stuck in the baseboard. Not seeing anything we turned the heat on again to try and figure out where the smell was coming form. As soon as we turned it on a loud snap and sparks flew out of the baseboard. We immediately turned it off and I spent the rest of the day leering at the dam thing. Figures coldest week on record in Portland and we have no heat in the room we use the most.

Today was a wonderful day though so I really can't complain. We walked across the street to Starbucks bought a paper and spent a little while sipping hot chocolates and coffee while Matt tried to solve the NY Times Sunday crossword.

We came home and had fun watching ARCTIC BLAST 08' on the news. The local transit authority assured Portland that all their buses had snow chains and that they would be making all of their stops. Great except that assurance was then followed up with but the buses won't be following any kind of schedule so just stand out side and eventually one might show up...maybe..problably not. This was followed up with shots of Portland covered in 3 inches of snow and cars stranded by the side of the road. Waylaid by those same three inches of snow.

Disappointed by our fellow Portlanders we decided to go for a walk, do a little shopping and to buy a Christmas tree. All good intentions aside we ended up at the pub. It was good day.

The French are coming, The French are coming!

Monday I learned from a man wearing an ascot (he wasn't even wearing it ironically) that he now owns me. No not Matt, though he does have a rather nice ascot (thanks Monica). Our little company got acquired by a very large multinational firm that specializes in in vitro diagnostics. Super.

It's all very odd, I've never worked at a company that has been acquired and tensions are understandably quite high. I've spent most of the week pushing the unhappy possibilities out of my mind as I've had bigger more present fish to fry. I instead focused on how exactly to say their very French name without sounding like a total asshole. I think it's working, but honestly I never even took French in high school (I cheated and took Spanish (suckazz!)) so maybe I'll come up with an American friendly nickname like they did for Dice-K. I'm thinking along the lines of Dice-Ru. hrmm...no dice.

I think I'll go ahead and hope that my job doesn't become redundant because their benefits freaking rock. Can anyone say pension?? No you can't because you probably work for an American company! Four weeks vacation, 12 holidays, fully vested 401k! French people are wicked awesome. Sigh.. I'll update my resume this weekend.

Obsession

It happens every once in a while. I'll be skipping trudging walking along (let's not ascribe any particulars to the manner in which that walking is generally done) the winding road of life when out of the corner of my eye I see something in passing that piques my interest. At times it's a shiny bauble that won't be ignored. It stops me in dead in my tracks and demands my attention. Other times it's a small curiosity that I see only because it doesn't belong. The second scenario is generally my favorite because the experience comes with a sense of discovery. The first is usually guaranteed fun.

There is a third scenario though that I don't much like to acknowledge. This one involves a dastardly little creature that sits smack in the center of my path. Its head arrogantly tilted to the side a knowing smile playing on its lips as I approach. The creature assumes my coming infatuation as it has caused it so many times before in countless others. I'm instantly put off by its demeanor my right eyebrow goes up in a doubtful glance I step to the side and walk on by. A little while later the creature will show itself again waiting for acknowledgment or respect and I pass it by again looking back to make sure it doesn't follow. Time and time again I'll pass it by, eventually I just stop stick the thing in a box in an attempt to keep it away from me. But the creature does not stay away and it wears me down. With a sigh I kneel down and give in to a quick pat. It's soft and warm! The creature gloats and begins its siren purr. I've lost and am hardly aware that I've curled myself next to the creature and buried my face in its sweet smelling fur. The creature's collar jingles at my touch and unseen by me Twilight is that persistent creatures name.

(Matt doesn't appreciate it when I bring it home)

I haven't written in a while so Gaby made me post an email I sent out

This song is super catchy, but so wrong. I warn you solemnly: do not watch this video unless you can forgive yourself for laughing at a scene set in an abortion clinic. That is why I have only sent the link to you, my most morally suspect friends.



By the way, Amanda Palmer was a fixture at Harvard Square back when we lived there. She was the living statue usually dressed as a bride. Nice to see a local girl make good.