Snowboarding, Jeans, and a Soulmate...

Chapter 1: A Jeans Adventure

Upon the realization that I had only one pair of jeans without holes in them, I came to the conclusion that perhaps a visit to the mall would be a wise decision. For you see, Shawn had just begun working at the GAP, and therefore had an employee discount at not only the GAP but also at Old Navy and Banana Republic. Not wanting to eat bananas, I decided to visit Old Navy, for the GAP was far too expensive for me. Shawn being the wonderful person that he is declared that he would, in fact, place the charge of the jeans onto his GAP card, thus saving 20% and also repaying me in some for the massive amounts of loans I had freely given him in the past. Finding the correct size and style could not have been more complicated. Shawn forced me to try on multiple styles and sizes before Junelle, Regina, Shawn and I all agreed on a suitable pair. We then exited the store a mere 20 minutes after it had closed. After we exited the shop we walked over to the Pet Store which also had closed and we were witness to a Chinchilla Jumping party in which two tine Chinchillas jumped and hopped around their cage.

After the adventure at Lloyd Center we traveled over to the Lloyd Center Movie Theater and watched what was perhaps the Best Movie Of The Year: V for Vendetta. A great movie is not without complications however. right at the climax of the film (yes i said climax, oh grow up) the projector stopped and the lights came on and the theater music began playing. We were all very annoyed. The Manager came in and told us that the projector attempted in feeding too much film into the machine at a time and so the film reel had fallen off. The explanation didn't quite make sense but we accepted it after receiving our free movie passes that she handed out in apology. Following the film I dropped off the rest of the crew and headed home. The next morning my Dad informed me that he had received three pairs of jeans for me. The irony. I asked where he got these jeans from, and he said, "This Lady at work, bought them for her husband, but then he died, so she gave them to me." That’s right everybody, I have three pairs of jeans that belong to a dead guy.

Chapter 2: The Snowboarding Incident

A few months back my friend Aaron and I had discussed a possibility of going snowboarding up on Mt. Hood during the month of February. Unfortunately we were unable due to my ongoing commitment to the Drama Production of "Getting Out." I Instant Messaged him Monday and inquired "what ever happened to that snowboarding trip?" He then responded with an invitation to go up to the mountain that same Friday. I agreed. Friday came and I skipped my first two classes trying to find my gloves and ski-goggles. I never did find my goggles. Following Biology and lunch Aaron and I drove to GI Joes and rented a pair of skis for our friend Robert who was going with us and a snowboard for myself. We then picked up Robert and left for the Mountain in my 1980 Volvo DL 240. We stopped at Taco Del Mar for dinner and then proceeded to get lost on the mountain and drive by the correct exit. Upon arrival we got the equipment from the trunk and back seat (Aaron had brought his own board) and geared up. I placed the keys in my pocket, locked the car and left for the slopes. This was my first time snowboarding ever, and so Aaron attempted to teach me on the Bunny Hill (Kiddy hill). I quickly picked up the basic skills, Aaron claimed faster then anyone he had seen before. But I can't really take the credit, he was a fabulous instructor, with such informative words as "See, the reason you feel that time was because the snowboard caught on the snow."

After about four or five test runs down the Bunny hill I was ready for a larger challenge. We shuffled over to one of the larger lifts and rode up. I snowboarded down the square-ranked slope fairly well only falling about 5 times total (good for a first-timer). The second time up I got a little more confident and a little bit faster, this however cost me when I ended up with my snowboard over my head and then my face down in the snow unable to get up because my left leg and right arm were immobile. After about 5 minutes I was able to get up and keep going but my leg and arm still have not healed completely. I went down this slope about 7 times or so and then it was 9pm and time to head home. I walked to the car and noted that it had snowed and that the car was covered in snow. I brushed off the windows and then reached in my pocket to where my keys should have been. They were not there. I panicked. I ripped everything out of my jacket and tore it apart looking for my keys, and discovered a large hole in the pocket that they had been placed in. We were able to convince the mechanics at the shop there to break us in, and we waited two hours as my angry parents drove up the mountain to give me the spare keys to the Volvo. We got home about 2am in the morning.

Chapter 3: I have found my Soul mate

I have found my soul mate and she is the most adorable girl you could possibly imagine. She loves to kiss me, and play around. She is feisty and rough but then melts in my arms. She is afraid of large bags, but only because she is short and cannot see into them. And we fell in love the moment we saw each other. She is also a Husky puppy that I have named Sebaka 2. During one of my visits with Shawn to Lloyd Center Mall we went into the Pet Store Across from Old Navy. I were just browsing the cages when I saw the perfect little dog. A black and white Pure Husky with bright blue eyes, and the sweetest face you could possible imagine. She has the exact same markings as my dad's husky/Shepard mix, Centari had.

I asked if we could take her out and play with her and my wish was granted. Shawn and I spent nearly 20 minutes in the puppy pen with her. She jumped around and investigated behind the door, decided that my shoe-laces tasted great and attempted to eat them whole. She was also terrified of Shawn’s gigantic Old-Navy bag, and very interested in Shawn's camera phone for she tasted it as well (but it didn't taste as good as my shoe-laces). Unfortunately she costs $800, and that is $800 dollars that I don't have extra. Also with my sister and I gone at school most of the time and both my parents away at work, the poor puppy would grow up with only our fat cat to keep her company. So, for the time being at least, it is better for the puppy for us not to buy her, and for her to find a loving family that has lots of time and big wide fields to play on. Goodbye Sebaka 2 I love you.

p.s. Sebaka is the Russian name for puppy, and the name of a chow that my parents bought when I was two years old. But he was stolen strait out of our fenced yard one night, and we never saw him again. This is why this little Husky is named Sebaka 2. Also because Centari was Sebaka 1's mentor and Sebaka 2 looks just like Centari down to the little white spots above the eyes.

p.p.s. I have pictures of Sebaka 2 on my facebook profile under the photo album "An Album dedicated to Animals, but not entirely..." I will also try to post them on my yahoo pictures site.

You Know You Are From Portland, OR When...

You think people who use umbrellas are wimps or Californians, or both.

You can recount more than five anecdotes about why the East Side is a crime-infested jungle
... OR ...
You can list more than five reasons why the West Side is a boring, snobby, white-bread suburb.

You know what it is in between the East Side and the West Side, and how to pronounce it.

You are sitting at a red light surrounded by Subaru Legacy Outbacks.

You throw an aluminum can in the trash and feel guilty.

You can list five reasons why Starbucks is evil.

You consider something a "hill" (not a mountain) if it doesn't have snow on it or has not recently erupted, regardless of its altitude.

Know that Boring is a town and not just a state of mind.

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit under a raincoat.

You return from a California vacation depressed because “all the grass was dead.”

You never go camping without waterproof matches, ponchos, and mattress pads that double as flotation devices.

You believe swimming is not a sport but a survival skill

You can go a whole week without seeing the sun or a person of color.

You have a bookstore, coffee bar, and brewpub all within walking distance of your house.

You think downtown is scary 'cause you were panhandled there ... once.

When you drive out of town, even the Hondas have gun racks. (not true but funny nonetheless)

One if by Land, two if by Sea, three if by Air, and four if by Subterranean drilling...

As the previous post mentioned I enjoyed my spring break in the sunny and warm waters of Cancun Mexico...wait sorry, Vermont and Boston Massichusettes. Yes it was a long flight over there, Kristina and I left Portland at 11:30 pm Saturday night and got in about 11:30am the next day with a three hour layover in Chicago. The flight back was just as long except it lasted through the day instead of the night.

To all of those that have not been to Vermont, you are not missing a whole lot. The landscape is covered with "mountains" which are not much larger then the West Hills in Portland, and the occasional small town comprised of 10 houses and a church in the center. Lake Chamlain was nice and the occasional snowflake was always welcome. For those who do not know, this past winter has been extreemly strange; We got their and it was brown, meaning there was no snow on the ground. In Vermont we visited Burlington (The Bigest city in Vermont) which seemed to be no bigger then Seaside, OR. The "Downtown" district was litterally one block by 7 blocks large. We also visited the Ben & Jerry's Factory in Vermont where the company originated and travel through "THE MILKSHAKE TUNNEL OF FUN!"

Our Trip to Boston was probably the best part, we left Wendsday morning and drove to Boston where we visited Bunker Hill and walked up the 274 step monument and then traveled to the Boston State House: The Site of the Boston Masscure. We then walked up Fanal Hall and visited all the the small shops and vendors there. By this time the temperature had dropped to about 20 degrees F. so it was quite cold for me, being a Portland Native and all. We had Dinner near Fanal Hall at a wonderful Seafood Restaraunt, where I tried fresh Scallops, Swordfish, Shrimp, and some kind of White Fish that I don't rememeber the name of. We finally made it to the Hotel after becoming quite confused and in Kristina's mother's case quite angry and frustrated.

The Next Day in Boston was comprised of becoming lost and driving over the Bunker Hill Bridge twenty times or so, and then finally making it to the Boston Science Museum, followed by a quick stop to the USS Constitution and then driving back to Vermont. At the Boston Science Museum we visited the Star Wars exhibit which was the main attraction for the last month or so. It included many of the props, costumes, and models used in filming the movies. The Pictures are included in the photo album that I have linked. To say the least it was frickin awesome. We also saw a Planetariam show about the Worlds of Star Wars and if it was possible for those planets to exhist in our own galaxy. The answer: yes. They compared planets such as Tatooine and Mustifar, to planets and moons in our own solar system like Mars and Io. But not only that but they explained how planets such as Hoth and Kamino are much like what Earth was once like during the Ice ages and in its early evolution. It was extreemly interesting and brought a new level of realism to the Star Wars galaxy...Kristina and her mom both fell asleep. Before heading back to Vermont we stopped by the USS Constitution and took a few quick pictures, and looked on in amazement of the beautiful ship. Then it was back to Vermont.

While we were there Kristina's sister, Sarah, turned 17. So we had a nice little party before she had to go up and do her Math Homework, and I got her a few "nice" little cards. As for the loot, I bought two Star Wars Lego pens (one of Vader and one of Yoda), a Star Wars Book that has all the techinal information on all the locations throughout the entire Star Wars Saga, the soundtrack to Episode III, a MousePad that is acctually the Declaration of Independence, a Vermont "Stuff your own Teddy Bear," A Matrushka Doll for my mom, a Chicago Glass for my dad, a "I *Heart* NY" pink teddy bear for my sister, and a refridgerator magnet that has a picture of a Cow's butt on it and says Ben&Jerry's on it for our friend Reed, Not to Mention 3 DVDs from a Blockbuster in Vermont (The Island, Sin City, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith). Over all it was a very nice trip for spring break.

Just in case...

I have to type this fast because I have to leave in about 4 minutes so excusse all spelling and gramatical errors. I just wanted to type something out really fast just in case something horrible happens to my plane tonight or tommorow morning. For those that don't read my posts as closely as they should Im off to Vermont and Mass. for a while (maybe I can look up that bike shop...) for spirng break. Mkay but if i Dont return for some unknown reason ranging from a crashed plane to the occasional phsycotic maniac who is convinced I own a bike shop in Massichusettes (I told I needed forgiving on the spelling). But Anyways I wanted to say that to all my Jesuit freinds; I love you and you made those four years of HS the best so far. I want to say congrads to my sister for 42nd street and To my parents I love you. Ben you were the best friend I could ask for (whats with the italics now?). And to Shawn I want you to tell those people that I love that I loved them if I were ever to die, and I hope you and your family become closer and that you are arguably the best friend I have at UP! To Chuck I would like to say, "Brokeback Mountain" and to all the others I hope that I am remebered fondly...and if not then fuck all you guys...haha only kidding. Thanks for going to my sisters play to all of those who did, and I would like to leave all my Legos to my cousins...but only when they are old enough so that they dont break them. Well it has now been five minutes and I am going to be late, so ttyl, and remember not to have too many crazy parties while im gone.

Dear God,

"Dear God, surround me as I speak. The bridges that I walk across are weak. And frustrations fill the void that I can solely bear. Dear God, Don't let me fall apart. You've held me close to You and I have turned away in search for answers I can't understand. They say that I can move the mountains. They say that they'll crash into the sea. They say that I can walk on water. If I will follow and believe, with faith like a child. "

Dear God, Guide me where I need to go. I place my faith in you. And I feel like i'm being led astray. Each day, when I feel miles away, your face comes shinning through. And I don't know if I really see You or just another stray beam of light. They say that I can heal the wicked. They say that I am the next king. They say that love is my weapon. If I will become and believe in the person that I am.

Dear God, never, has so much been asked. Of me or anyone. But I can't turn my back. Cause each time I do, I feel like I am lost. And I can't see the path, despite the lights guiding the way. Every morning, when I wake up, I see your breath, but I cannot reach it, I cannot feel it, I cannot touch it. They say that I am their savior. They say that I can save them all. They say that must die. They say that every day is a new day, and that I am their new king. They say that I must lead them, if I will just find the strength in me...in you...in us...

Who am I? Am I who they say?




[As told by Jesus]

An End to Getting Out and midterms

We opened Wendsday the 1st of March with a bang, or rather a lack there of. So many things went wrong, the most prevelent of which involved the sound system going on the fritz with no logical reason for its failure. The other huge problem was that the Trash bucket that Heather was supposed to light on fire had not been set, so she had to crawl off stage grab the bucket and then walk back into the jail cell like nothing was wrong. But it wasn't over yet, she then realized that neither the paper nor the matches were in the bucket; so no fire could be lit, meaning the lines made no sense. And then to top it off Heather fell of the stage, thankfully she didn't hurt herself...her dignity on the other hand is a different story.

Thrusday we had a proffesonal critic come see the play, and he seemed to enjoy it. Another notable part of Thrusday was that the slaps between Bennie and Arlene were completely real...not to mention painful! Another Critic came on Saturday. Friday went half-way decent and Saturday was fairly good. The Sunday Matenee was great for my scenes, but apperently the other scenes crashed and burned...not that the audience could tell though. Saturday's show was followed by the cast party which included an unfortunate spin-the-bottle game and Heather beating me with a rose.

My Persuation and Leadership midterm was on Friday and it went...okay, Junelle and I studied backstage most of Thrusday night. My Bio midterm (which I had to do well on because I flunked the first one) was today--monday--and following a strait week of studing I was able to pull off a 43/50 (86%)! yah!

Im off to the East Coast for spring break in a few days, which should be fun. I think Kristina and her family and I will be going off to Boston or something while im visiting or something, I am still unclear on whats happening...but it should be enjoyable for I have never been to the East Coast before. Watch Out New England, here I come!