Wedding Photo

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From left to right: Kevin and me, Kevin and Becky, Megan and Grant

Pixies show!

I had the opportunity to go to the Pixies show on Friday night. They played at the Roseland Theater in Portland. We caught the B-Sides and rarities show. Now, I've never been into the music of the Pixies, but a live show, regardless of the band, is always a good time. For showing up late, we were still able to grab pretty good seats in the balcony and had a waitress serve us with beer so we wouldn't miss any of the show. How awesome is that?

Dave Attell is going there soon, maybe we can grab tickets for that too!

Wedding Weekend!

This past weekend Kevin and I flew to Chicago for my friend Becky's wedding. After our flight got cancelled Thursday night we decided to gorge ourselves on Sushi by going to Todai. We thought somehow that would take away our sorrow after having spent 3 hours on the runway and then having the flight cancelled altogether. Friday we woke up super early to get to the airport to try and fly standby. The standby thing didn't work so we took our rescheduled flight to Chicago.

We got to Chicago in the afternoon and my sister picked us up to make the drive to Becky's house. Along the way we were able to eat Poor Boy's sub sandwiches. Man, I miss those things! The sub shop we used to go to in PDX closed so we are again sandwichless. We made good time getting to the hotel, even after stopping at Culver's for some custard. The usual rehearsal and rehearsal dinner went off without a hitch. I even got to sign the marriage license! sweet!

Saturday the girls and I got pedicures and our hair and makeup done. Made it to the church on time and had a great wedding. The reception was fun and I got to see my parents, sisters, and grandma. Drank too much though and that caused some problems.

Sunday was brunch and then driving back to Chicago to hang out with my nephews and to meet up with Jeff. We also got the precious Mickey's for lunch. Sweet, sweet cheese fries. Oh man, so good.

To top off our trip our return flight reservations were cancelled due to Thursday's mishap. Luckily they were able to rebook us right away and we even scored exit row seats! Got home late on Sunday evening wishing the weekend was just a little bit longer and that work didn't start so early on Monday. I'm still trying to catch up on all the lost sleep.

Overall, I'm glad I was able to make it, even though our flight was delayed. I still got to see my sweetheart roommates from college and hang out with my family. Pics to follow.

"Confederates in the Attic"

. Over the weekend and after many hours on a plane, I finished "Confederates in the Attic" by Tony Horowitz. What a great book! The author decided to take a tour of the South to find out what people thought about the Civil War and what it means to them. What he found was surprising. Most of the people who still felt passionate about the South's war efforts did so out of a fondness for the "southern" way of life and its' closeness to the land. So many people tried to trace their heritage back to Civil War times in order to feel more of a connection to the land. I thought this was very interesting. So much could be done with a study like this one. I thought he did a fairly comprehensive tour of southern sympathies. I think the analysis as a whole, at the end of the book, could have been stronger. Overall, I enjoyed this book.

Next up: "The Two Towers" by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Pole, Pedal, Paddle

This past weekend Kevin and I and a bunch of people from his work drove down to Bend/Sunriver, OR for the annual Pole, Pedal, Paddle race. I didn't participate but being a spectator is much better! Within the course of the day I was standing in snow on the side of Mt. Bachelor to sweating my butt off in the sun in Bend, OR along the Deschutes River. Quite an interesting phenomenon. I also got to see a bit more of Oregon that I haven't seen before, so that was definately a bonus. I'd have to say the weekend was pretty fun, if not extremely tiring.

On another note, this new temp job is extrememly busy so I don't have as much time to post as I'd like. They even blocked access to my internet mail account so I'm even further out of touch than before. Once I get the hang of things here I may have more time....hopefully!

Pictures from the coast

Here are some pictures from last weekend's trip to the Oregon coast.
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"Office Space"

I started working a new temp job and the building I work in looks exactly like the office in "Office Space!" I even have a bare cubicle to sit in and if I stand up, I just might be able to see out of the windows. It's strange why office developers think this cubicle set up actually makes a productive, healthy work environment. Plus, it's in the suburbs, which makes it all worse! I miss downtown already. I feel so disconnected out here. But, it's only a 10 minute drive commute.

Maybe the work will be more fulfilling and more of what i'm looking to do. Only time will tell.

"Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies"

. I just finished reading this book by Jared Diamond. It was located in the science section but I thought this book was more anthropology and history than science. Overall, the book was very interesting as it traced human origins to present day configurations of power and control. It was interesting to read why some societies are more technologically advanced and how they came to that point. The reasons behind this were interesting as well, going all the way back to the beginning of plant and animal domestication and environmental influences. This book was definitely easier to comprehend since I had taken a human origins class and was already familiar with the beginning of human societies.

What I didn't like was the epilogue where the author tried to explain why the study of history should become more like a science and less like a social science. I don't agree with this and thought that his explanations were weak and unfounded.

Up next is "Confederates in the Attic" by Tony Horwitz.

Are you a Republican?

I am: 23% Republican.

"You're probably one of those people who still thinks that getting a blowjob is not an impeachable offense."

Are You A Republican?

Outings in Oregon

This past weekend Kevin's brother-in-law and sister came for a quick weekend visit. With visitors in town, we decided to do some fun Oregon stuff to do. Our first stop was in Tillamook, Oregon at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Cheese curds were had and enjoyed by all. Our next stop was the coastal town of Oceanside, Oregon where we enjoyed a nice walk along the beach while the tide was out. After our walk we drove north on Highway 101 to Cannon Beach, Oregon, home to the famous haystack rock and site of the final scene in "Goonies" where the pirate ship breaks free of the cave and sails on the ocean.

On Sunday we decided to sample and tour some of Oregon wine country in Yamhill County. First stop was the Rex Hill Winery for a taste of Pinot Noirs and chardonnays. Next was the Argyle Winery for a taste of some sparkling wines and a few more Pinot Noirs. Last stop was the Torii Mor Winery for more Pinot Noirs. Overall, I liked the wines at the Argyle Winery the best.

We got to see some really great scenic views of the Pacific Ocean too. I'll download some photos soon and post them here.