One Sweet World

Not so important posts about a married couple living in Baltimore.

Name:
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, United States

Monday, June 27, 2005

Dragon Boating!

So this weekend my friend Jacinta asked me to learn how to paddle. I said sure, I'm up for new things. We had practice Saturday morning on the river in downtown Portland and then were able to race in the World Beat Festival in Salem. This has to be the best workout I've yet to find. It's mostly upper body strength but your legs get a work out too! Not to mention the great cardio work out you get from paddling at full speed for 3 minutes. Doesn't seem like a long time until you try it! My back is killing me today but it was well worth the experience of trying something new. I don't have pics since I didn't bring my camera but the link above will tell you a bit about the festival we paddled at. Good times!

Countdown to vacation: 17 days!

Thursday, June 23, 2005

"Survivor"

I finished reading "Survivor" last night by Chuck Palahniuk, which was recommended to me by Jeff. This was a very interesting story about Tender Branson, a worker bee from the Creedish Cult. The story begins with him telling his life story into the flight recorder of the plane he's hijacked. The story continues with him telling us how he got to this moment in time. I liked the progression of the story and how he went from worker bee to semi-god to mass murderer. I will pass this book along to Kevin for him to read. He might just like it.

Next up: "Everything is Illuminated" by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Rose Festival Parade and Dragon Boat Races

Last weekend was the annual Rose Festival Floral Parade and the Dragon Boat races in downtown Portland. Since this is my first summer in Portland I decided that this yearly tradition was something I had to see for myself. Despite the rain and cold weather, Kevin and I made it downtown to watch at least part of the parade from the safety of a Smart Park. We even got to see the lead singer of TOTO! Yes, the lead signer of TOTO was singing his one hit wonder atop a floral float of an impressive giraffe (pic to follow). Good stuff!

Update: Photos!
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Monday, June 20, 2005

Busy weekend

Friday night Kevin and I went out to dinner at Park Kitchen for our 3 year anniversary. We had a great time and had some wonderful food, wine and dessert. A very nice dinner with some awesome company!

Saturday I got to play tennis with Kevin and had dinner at Le Bistro Montage for Sagar's birthday. This is a quaint restaurant located underneath the Morrison Bridge and serving up some interesting cajun cuisine. I had the blackened catfish while others indulged in the varieties of macaroni and cheese they offer. Ended the night after visiting a few pubs for pool and Tony's for cheap beer.

Sunday we caught a matinee and saw "Batman Begins" while a huge pot of chili was cooking at home. Great movie. Christian Bale plays a great Batman and it's always nice to see Gary Oldman in a non-villain role. I'm not sure why everyone is hyped about Katie Holmes' appearance in the film. I didn't think she added all that much and her character was definitely a supporting role, if that. I'm not sure what her role in the comics are but I don't think she deserves the attention she is getting for this role. Christian Bale is clearly the star here.

That about raps it up for the weekend. Lots of great food and even a great movie. Not to shabby.

Countdown to vacation: 26 days

Friday, June 17, 2005

"The Namesake"

I finished reading "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri faster than I thought. I was so engrossed in this novel about an Indian family who moves to America and names their son after a Russian author that inspired the father to live after a horrible train crash. The story follows the life of their son in America as he grows up in the Bengali household of his parents and grows through college to his career and life in NYC. I really enjoyed this book and how the story evolves around the name of the main character and how this name affects his life. Very interesting story. Thanks Jacinta for the great recommendation!

Next up: "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk - recommendation from Jeff.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Softball!!!

I finally found a softball team I can play on here in Portland. The team is with the place I'm temping at currently and will (one day) become a full time employee of. We're the Padres and it's a co-ed industrial league. Although there are very strange rules (like using different sized balls for men/women) the game was pretty fun. We got spanked though and the game ended before the 7th inning. I did pretty well for not having played in over 2 years. I went 2 for 3 and made one fabulous catch in right-center field. However, my throwing arm sucks. I've never thrown like such a girl in all my life! I'm in desperate need of some strength training. Will keep you posted after each game this season. Let the fun begin!

Friday, June 10, 2005

"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"

After much delay, I finally got around to reading "The Two Towers." I meant to read this long ago, before the movie came out. Obviously, I'm slightly delayed. Now that I've read the book, I will much more appreciate the film. The book is very good, I think better than "Fellowship." I felt that the movement of the book was constantly going forward and the plot was more exciting. The movie has followed the book roughly 75% of the time (or at least that's what I think). There are a few things that are different or left out, but overall, the basic story was not compromised. I enjoyed reading this 2nd book of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and plan to read the 3rd book soon, just not right now.

Next up: recommendation from Jacinta, "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri.

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

June 1

So, June has started and in Portland the weather has been so typically Portland. Today started out in the 60's with light rain in the morning and "sun breaks." Lovely way to start a nice summer month, huh? Well, I guess I can't complain, last week the weather did reach over 90 degrees and there was perfect weather for the Memorial Day weekend. I was able to do quite a few things over the weekend, which was good. I just wish the weather would just stay the way it was! No more rain!