Bloggy

So for Burning Man one of the only loose ends I have yet to tie up is the bike situation. Not exactly an emergency, but I am indulging myself in bike fantasies, here in my 54th hour of work. (I do work hard, at times.) I have various bikes in various locations of the country, none of which are convenient to Burning Man this year. Another option: buy new bike. New bike? Used bike? Craig's List has a plethora of old bikes. People even give them away for FREE!! Truly, I'd like a nice mountain bike to replace the one I borrowed from a friend for years through her two pregnancies but recently had to give back. It was a sweet bike, one that I'd feel guilty splurging on for myself. But, for BM this year, I decided on a crusty old cruiser that would be easy for cruising, and easy on the wallet. There are a few for under $100, and occasionally a steal for under $35. But with CL, you not only have to decide on something, but arrange a time and place to meet and get cash. All tough to...

I just got my ticket in the mail yesterday. It was so meant to be! I had applied for a low income ticket because I am in fact, a "low income participant." I found out about the process and applied on the last day the day the request forms were to be postmarked. My printer ran out of black ink, and I had to send in my letter printed in blue. There was no time for creativity, but I came up with a good enough story to earn a ticket! Here are some excerpts, not because they are terribly interesting, but because at some point I will read through this and realize how far I've come.... Why do you feel you need a low income ticket? ...This year I’ve racked up $7,000 in credit card debt paying for rent and food. It’s been the roughest year of my life, at a time when I thought I should finally have my shit together. It’s been ego-crushing, for sure. I’ve fought off depression and feelings of total worthlessness. Could my career have already failed at age 28? In March, I decided I’...

Our place sold. That nice, fancy, big house we've been living in this summer was finally purchased by some old cranky dude that left the toilet seat up and didn't flush when he was there writing an offer with the real estate lady. Ew. But I'm glad it sold. This will end the steady stream of realtors coming through who think they own the place. We're even cutting our lease short--we're there till Oct. 1 instead of Oct. 31. But where to next? That's a huge question. If I leave for Kentucky in May, what do I do in the meantime? I've been spoiled by a two-car garage, yard, and way more bedrooms and bathrooms that we need. But we definitely can't afford all that in the city. One option is to downsize again. Get another 1 bedroom and save save save our money till I go off to school. But that was miserable. We did that, and spent lots of money going out to eat and at bars because we'd get cabin fever after 20 minutes. What about roommates? I know that's...

I would never have considered myself a workaholic, but lately something has changed. At the moment, I am about 1 hour into a 24-hour shift doing home care for a sweet elderly couple. Why? I don't know! I couldn't say no! The thought of extra $$ to pay of debt and to put toward burning man, etc., just sounds too good to pass up. I have gone for too long being broke and destitute and looking for work, that when it falls in my lap, I have to take it. ALL of it! Nevermind that I haven't had a day off with Brandon in over a month, and our relationship consists of sleeping together (most nights, excluding tonight) and a few hours during the week after he gets home from work. And nevermind that my "days off" next week really aren't "off" at all, since I'll be working on a couple of stories for the paper. But, there's plenty of fun stuff to look forward to in August, so I am donating my July to the Man, and to my debt. Yay.

A local Stevenson guy took this shot of Brandon kiting out in the Columbia. It was posted on the kite forum, too. He's famous!

See that car in the background of my kite shot? That's Brandon's "new" ride... it's a 1996 Buick Park Avenue! He's seriously retired. But, the car feels like a Cadillac! Much nicer ride than the Honda Civic.

Here's my lil' 6 meter kite from a shop in Hood River. It's a 2005, so it's an older model but it's unused. As for me as a kiter, who knows. In Hood River yesterday, Brandon got frustrated teaching me so I quit. One day I may have enough money for a real lesson, but don't know when that will be. It's so damn technical. Everyone we met and told that he would teach me they shook their heads and said that's a bad idea. Yesterday we found out why. Dialogue was something like this: Pull the kite in! I am! No, IN, not right! Right? I don't know what you mean! In means IN, right means right! Keep in mind that it's really windy, and the kite is HUGE...and there are a million details. Plus, this kite is lifting me off the ground. It's exciting but terrifying at the same time. You've gotta keep your eye on it at all times, but then how do you watch the yahoos that come up behind you? You've gotta watch them, and their kites, too! GAAAH! We las...

Even though we drive 45 minutes out of town to live in peace and quiet in the Columbia River Gorge, we're not alone. Living here has made me realize what I really want in a house is seclusion! For example, yesterday morning (Monday, my day off) I was awaken my my neighbor to the right's gas-powered lawn care thing. I didn't even see what it was, all I know is that it made lots of noise for a long time. This morning, (Tuesday, my next day off) the neighbor to the right is getting his roof replaced. There are 7 or so men on his roof with a perfect view right into our house. I can hear every word they say, and every scrape of their shovel thing they use to take the old shingles off. It totally sucks! I'll get over it today, but for future reference: neighbors are noisy!

Lately I have been doing nothing but daydreaming about Burning Man and Kentucky. Not together... I am totally excited about Burning Man, but equally so about Kentucky. I cannot wait to get the %$&* out of Portland. I hate this place. Sorry to anyone who likes it here, but I think it sucks. Wages are low, unemployment is high, weather is crap, city is congested, and taxes are F-ing insane. Other than that, it's a cool place, I guess. But, Kentucky! I know nothing about it, which is perfect. I am finding out bits and pieces as I go, such as this house for rent within biking distance to my school: 1 bedroom for about $500. There's lots of houses made out of brick there, which make me think there are no earthquakes. I want to get rid of my car if possible--spend and entire year bike commuting or taking the bus. I have never done that before. I think it would be a nice change from spending upwards of $500 a month for the luxury of transportation. I may get a roommate if Brandon ...

This week a couple of new reporter job openings appeared on Craig's List. i don't know why I looked, but I did. And, I had yet another moment of... confusion, I guess. I spent all of last year looking for jobs like these. Should I keep it up and apply? But no, I am heading to nursing school, and I have a job that is perfect for that. Screw journalism. Right? The jobs sound great. One is for a web reporter for a small, privately-owned paper, and the other is for a health care reporter. But am I even interested? I'm not, really. My new job, when it finally starts, will give me good benefits and a ton of flexibility. Extra shifts when I need them, overtime, and even a 401K. Did I mention 12-hour shifts? I doubt these jobs offer anything close. It's weird how convinced I am now that this nursing thing is the right thing to do, when it seems like not so long ago I was crying into my laptop while writing cover letters to any and every job that came up. I applied for administr...