Babysitting Oatie, Hawthorne and Lulu.

Lulu and mini Dave (aka Calvin) sitting on my couch.

How Hawthorne looks if you're not wearing glasses and had too much to drink. Or forgot your V-8. Do they still sell that stuff?


My vice of choice. If I was drunk enough, I'd steal this sign. I think it would be quite complicated though. I might end up in jail. Then I couldn't move to Germany. Ok, I will enjoy my picture.

Just like the Jonie Mitchell song, "From Both Sides Now."

Oatie lanquishing in a pink monkey dream. Thanks to Auntie Dee for the going away blankie.

The next 10 days:

The sun is shining, the gods are smiling. The dust has settled. The cards have fallen. The figs have laid. Ok, I made up that last cliche. However you put it, everything is as it should be.

I just said goodbye to Chris, a lovely blonde woman who was here on behalf of the moving company hired to ship my few belongings overseas. The company was chosen for the safety of the transport of my beloved piano.

Earlier today, Lourdes (my very old friend and roommate from 1998-2000) and her baby Calvin visited with me on my orange sofa. We wandered the neighbourhoods strolling to lunch at Grand Central Bakery.

Yesterday, my closing date was moved to October 13th at 5:00PM due to the Columbus Day holiday on Monday. A true godsend, as movers were just finalised in the last day. With all the stops and starts and other things, every single thing hinged on another and somehow they have all connected together. Nicely.

SO HERE IS THE FINAL FINAL FINAL SCHEDULE (of which I could not speak until just now.)

Mon 12 Oct: sign papers to close on house
Tues 13 Oct: movers arrive at 8AM and pack up; closing at 5:00PM
Wed-Sat 14-17 Oct: take it easy and see friends
Sun 18 Oct: fly out to Germany NWA
#226 Portland to Minneapolis 8:29AM-1:50PM
#310 Minneapolis to Amsterdam 3:10PM-6:30AM arrive 19 Oct
#8283 Amsterdam to Nuremburg 8:40AM-9:55AM (KLM)

Remember all, I have a TWO BEDROOM, TWO BATHROOM apartment in BAVARIA with a WASHER AND DRYER. PLEASE COME AND VISIT. I promise I will bake you cookies and talk your ear off if you grace my threshold.

On going semi-veg: failure.

I recently decided that I'd try to switch to mostly (rather than strict) vegetarian. This was partly because I'm not a black and white person and also because I didn't want to flummox people when I came to visit. So I've had some fish and some meat recently. It's not going great. Suffice it to say, my digestive tract doesn't like me.


Then I read the NY Times today: E.Coli shows flaws in ground beef inspection. Watching the cows being hosed down prior to slaughter along with the interview of Stephanie who ended up paralyzed from tainted beef, didn't do anything to help me move away from vegetarianism. It's not the fear of having an e.coli infection myself, it's more of the actual process of getting meat to the table- the lack of regulation in the food industry and the treatment of the animals.

The last piece is that Carrie and I watched Food, Inc today at my favorite movie theater in the whole world, the Laurelhurst. The movie investigates the changes in the food industry in the last fifty years, the changing role of farmers and generally makes you think. It's not anything new to me, but if you haven't pondered where your meal is coming from lately, it's worth a watch.

I think I'll continue to be vegetarian, though lax it a little, so if I'm somewhere where there's meat being served, I won't alert my hosts of my dietary preferences, but I probably won't be eating much meat anytime soon.

California and TP

Here's a couple pics from our last sunset in San Diego: (just down the street from our hotel)

And onto my last days in Portland:

(I'm working on this one. The gnome knows all!)

What a sweet little dragon. I've always considered myself lucky to be a Dragon.

And for the grand finale, a photo I took in the bathroom of the Fresh Pot. For years, I have wondered if there is toilet paper in this locker, or if one of the employees truly has the initials, T.P. Or if it is just a good little joke. My first house in Vancouver had one of these T.P. holders. Nostalgia strikes again!

A few more weeks in the interim zone.

"Travel is like love: It cracks you open, and so pushes you over all the walls and low horizons that habits and defensiveness set up." -Pico Iyer

This morning I woke up at 8am, which was too early, so I lulled myself back to sleep in the semi-darkness and marshmallowy foam of my bed. Knowing that I was expecting a call at about 10-11AM from Germany -John, the psychologist who’s apartment I am assuming once he returns to Minnesota, I wanted to be mentally prepared and non-groggy when he called. However, I couldn’t pull myself out of bed. So I got a glass of water and went back to sleep.

At 11AM he called. I’d been awake awhile trying to figure out where the missing five square feet went in the footage calculation for my basement. This required about one hour of contemplation. Finally, I realized, it was the porch! Upstairs. Not in the basement. That’s it. What a relief to find those missing five square feet.

So then I was ready to start the day. The phone rang. He said, “It sounds like you have a little cold.” Damn, I didn’t cover up the morning voice. How do I say I have become the biggest lazy ass in the last three days, spending most of my time in bed or reading, plowing through two books and onto my third?

We had a simple talk, where he told me a little of what he'd done in Germany- walks to the coffee shop and art fairs nearby. I decided I’d take his place regardless of the outcome of a recent idea- which was to offer the single physician assistant, Ying, from Houston to live with me.

I’d been thinking about how I’d rather not live alone. I was commiserating with my mom. Who is wise. Always. (Though our relationship is not perfect, it is good.) She mentioned Ying. I thought it was a great idea. I said, “I’ve lived with an Asian person before and it was great!” Ha, ha. Just had to laugh a little. I've offered it up and either way, I feel good about the apartment.

This afternoon, I’ve been wandering around Hawthorne street. To the bookshop and the little gift shops. Taking pictures. Thinking. Telling people I’m moving to Germany in two weeks. Or so. It’s only been in the last two days that I’ve really started to think. It’s a little scary just to think about it. Change is always something you just can’t feel out in advance. You have to see what happens, each minute at a time.

Anyway. Radiohead is on again at my little coffeeshop, The Fresh Pot. Radiohead's been permeating my life for more than ten years now. There’s something peaceful and enduring about them. The sound makes me feel real, alive, whole, and enduring also. I’m ready for the next step.