Lake Oswego

Life in Oregon is good. I am so happy in my new home. I have a spacious one bedroom apartment with a huge walk-in closet and a pantry. I live very close to Tryon Creek State Park, at the south end of it. And there is a creek that flows right past the apartments. Last night I went on a walk very late at night and heard frogs croaking. I am so in love with this place! And my dogs are very happy here. I don't think any of us miss Long Beach at all.

The other day my sister Nicole, my brother-in-law Tom, and I decided to introduce our dogs. There are five dogs in all: Gracie, Chloe, Cookie, Maggie, and Oscar. We went to George Rogers Park, very close to where we live. Nicole took some really cute photos of the first meeting of the fur people. She was not in any of the photos, as there was not really a good place to set up a timed photo, and there were no passers by to take one with her in it. Next time I will be sure to have my camera with me too.

two more weeks

It is a new year, a new decade, and (I hope) a new life for me. In two weeks I leave for Oregon and I can't wait!!! I am getting out of this cramped housing situation that I have endured for the last two years and four months. That is far too long. If I didn't have plans to leave, I would lose it. Just now I heard my landlord say to her dog, "Stop acting like an idiot!" I want to scream at her, "You're the idiot! You're the one who has not walked him all day! Now that you are leaving the house, of course he is excited and hoping he is going on a walk." I don't know why she has to talk to poor Sammy that way. He is a sweet dog and really does not ask for much.

rainbows

Yesterday I was on a walk with my dogs after it had been raining. I brought my camera along on a hunch. I was awe struck when I saw an amazing rainbow. I felt so lucky to see it and to have my camera handy. I was thinking how rainbows only exist when there has been rain. (Well, I have not researched that. Perhaps they can appear at other times as well.) This made me think about how sometimes something beautiful and amazing can only exist after something else that may seem somehow painful or sad occurs. I personally like the rain, but many don't. And yet, if it were not for the rain, we would lose so much, including rainbows. In the same way, if it were not for all kinds of experiences in life, we may not see something incredibly beautiful in each other or in the world.

When I got home, I checked my email. I found out that my friend Todd, who was my love for 7 years, lost his grandmother Ezzie. I was lucky enough to meet her as well as two of Todd's other grandparents. I could not help but think how perhaps that brilliant rainbow might have been Ezzie saying goodbye, her final manifestation on Earth. Bon Voyage, Ezzie! Well done.

thanks

This year has been challenging on many fronts. I have gotten sick, had dog issues, been really down about my friend Jeanne being sick and dying, been really worried and stressed about my sister, and have been trying to find a job in Portland. Over time I have dropped out of life in Long Beach a bit. I have stopped going to church. I have somehow become even more remote and tangential among people at work. For the most part, I have succeeded in becoming pretty isolated. So, I just wanted to give a shout out to those of you who have continued to reach out to me and let me know you care. It really matters. You know who you are. And I love you back.

Yay for LA!

Yesterday I got to go to a taping of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien! My friend Christopher called me around noon saying I would need to leave at 2:00 p.m. to head to L.A. if I wanted to go. I called my boss and told her I would work this weekend to make up the lost day of work. How fortunate am I to be able to do that?

Once we were sitting in the studio at Universal City, we were warmed up by the band and a quick talking dude who told some jokes. Everyone is so incredibly talented in the band. They came off the stage and walked among the audience, sprinkling magic dust on us. Of course the drummer had to stay on stage, and I noticed that he wasn't wearing shoes.

Conan's opening set was funny. His Aerosmith joke was a good one. And in the "In the Year 3000" skit, Andy Richter had a good joke about the Republicans introducing a new version of the healthcare plan with an alternative to the public option being designed for poor people to go fuck themselves.

Al Gore was the first guest. He was promoting his new book, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis. Gore wrote a companion book for kids too. Of course, Conan had to tease about putting the kids to sleep with stories of waning natural resources and impending environmental disaster. Even Gore laughed, but then he was quick to turn it around and share a story of how it was once believed we could not put a man on the moon. Even President Kennedy declared that it would be impossible, but eight years and two months later Armstrong did it! Gore noted that the average age of the systems engineers in Mission Control in Houston that day was 26, so 8 years earlier they had been 18. Young people today can get involved today much like they did then. Of course, I think we all need to get involved, but trying to get young adults to make choices now as to what they will study and what direction their careers will take is important to acknowledge as a big resource.

Next Jim Parsons came on. He is so cute. I feel like I know him, which is strange. He is just so relatable to me. His personality does not seem that different than the character Sheldon he portrays on The Big Bang Theory, but I think he is a lot nicer. Then Jason Mraz came on and sang a song with the San Diego's Voices of Praise Choir. Really good. Like the Tonight Show Band's drummer, Mraz was barefoot too. The whole episode is online here.

After all that fun, we were both hungry. Christopher was nice enough to take me out to dinner at Roy's. Lucky me! We started with lobster potstickers that were divine. Then we had a really interesting and tasty version of a Caesar salad. For our entrees, Christopher had the kobe beef meatloaf and I had katsu porkchops. And for a decadant dessert, we shared a pumpkin mousse. So yummy!