Stumptown

It is becoming coffee season here in PDX! Well not really but today it is cloudy and we are expecting some rain - everyone including the weatherman is amazed that PDX has gone 71 days without any rainfall (the cow looked up rainfall last night and we figured out that Sac has received more rain than PDX over the summer). The temperature is still not quite coffee weather for me but if you know anything about the cow it is that he will stop and drink coffee at the drop of the hat.
One reason for this passion for coffee is his new found love Stumptown Coffee Roasters. The first time he experienced this amazing coffee was at a coffee shop in the NE called Albina Press. The "Press" refers to how every cup of coffee is prepared. The barristas French Press every single cup served. Oh yes, you can still get espresso or cappucino but when you order just a cup of coffee expect an amazing taste.
Not only does the French Pressing bring out the original taste of the coffee but we have discovered that Stumptown coffee roasters are a buying powerhouse of coffee from around the world. We are lucky enough to have one of the Stumptown coffee shops just down the street and around the corner from HoY but what we also found was the "ANNEX"! This place is two doors down from the coffee shop on Belmont and it is set up to buy Stumptown beans for home use. The service personnel in the Annex are amazing; nice and knowledgable. They describe where each bean is grown, how and when it is harvested and they can tell you about Fair-trade! ALL of the beans being sold at Stumptown are bought at higher than fair-trade prices. We purchased the Rwandan Musasa and were told that it is a female cooperative that has acquired health care since Stumptown has helped them bring there production to higher levels.
The annex offers what they call "cupping." It allows the buyer of a pound of beans to taste the coffee they are buying before they take it home and find out that it is too strong or too weak. It is a beautiful thing to watch (although I haven't seen them do it, but the cow was very excited about this). In the annex there is a flat screen television - now I am usually against this whole tv thing in restaurants and such - but this one shows a continuous loop of the people, places, and coffee that stumptown buys from around the world.
If and when any of you come to visit (yes that is a shot at some of you who think going to Europe,Mexico or Canada is more important) we will walk down and enjoy the Stumptown! The last picture is just to see if el s is reading!

I have been very quiet about my job prospects because there really hasn't been any! I have realized that the teaching market is extremely tight in Portland. Here is why. In the Portland Public School system there are declining enrollments - meaning people are not enrolling new students into elementary schools; therefore, the middle school and high schools are and will be losing students also. The answer from the district is to close schools. When schools close teachers are out of work. The Portland Public School teachers that have lost their jobs in the last couple of years have filtered out to other districts; such as Beaverton, Hillsboro, Gresham, Lake Oswego, etc. For a new Oregonian, this makes finding a job very hard.

I was not daunted and sent my application to Portland Public even though I knew all of the issues within the district. I received an e-mail last week asking if I would be interested in applying for a position with Cleveland High School described below:
Position: Pathway Development Teacher (TSPC teaching certificate)
Duties:
1. Assist in development and delivery of career related curriculumteaching units in grades 9-10
2. Work in collaboration with other teachers in integrating contentand lessons into regular curriculum
3. Work with counselors and other staff in developing and maintenanceof Education Plan and Profile requirements
4. Assist students in Education Plan and Profile experience
5. Introduce and assist students in meeting career related learningexperiences
6. Assist in coordination of business/community opportunities forstudents and staff
7. Represent school in meetings with Office of Secondary Education indeveloping and delivering career pathway graduation requirements.
8. Assist in data collection and maintenance of student proficiency inmeeting district standards

Skills:
1. Ability and evidence of exceptional interpersonal skills andrelationships with high school students.
2. Vision of school improvement that empowers student ownership andresponsibility for their own learning
3. Ability to communicate effectively with students and staffconsistently and respectfully
4. Strong emphasis on applied academic instructional delivery
5. Evidence of "continuous improvement" and "life long learning."

I, of course, jumped on the opportunity. An interview was scheduled yesterday with the Prinicipal and when I arrived I realized it was not only the Principal interviewing me but FIVE others. There were three teachers, a counselor, and a Vice principal. I was glad I did not know it was a panel interview before I went because I would have been even more nervous (it is amazing what adrenaline can do to your thought process - no matter how confident you are you still sweat and heart pounds).
I left Cleveland feeling like I did a pretty good job, but for the life of me could not remember anything that was asked. I got a phone call in the afternoon asking me to take the position. The Principal said I would be expecting a call from the Portland Public School - Human Resources department giving me more information (they will tell me how much money I will get).
I am very excited that somebody actually wants to hire me (I feel like Sally Fields).
Oh - I forgot to say - Cleveland HS is only 1 mile from HoY! I can walk, ride my bike or take the bus to school!

Color!

I did enjoy the weekend even though the only pictures I have are from the inside of HoY! We enjoyed a progressive dinner on Friday. We started by buying a new bed at WestElm. We then went to Park Kitchen and had a drink (me a sidecar, the cow a martini) and the deep fried green beans (beyond yummy - and the season is almost over). We then went to the all white bar called Apothec (all they serve is straight liquor - NO mixed drinks). By this time we were getting a bit loopy! We then walked up to NW 21st to Cafe Mingo. This was our first experience at Mingo and we had an absolutely awesome evening. Good food and GREAT wine! Actually the wine is a funny story. When we arrived at CM we were waiting for a table and asked for a glass of the "house white". While we were having dinner we noticed that our glasses were empty and asked for another glass. When the bill came we realized that we had paid $12.00 a glass for the "house white." The cow signed the check and we chalked it up to live and learn. As I was guzzling down the last of the $12.00 glass the server came over and apologized for overcharging us for the "house white." He voided the first charge and made our evening even more enjoyable. All in all a great dinner and a great evening.
Saturday brought painting and cleaning at HoY. We finished the walls in the living room and the accent wall in the bedroom. The cow started on the ceiling on bedroom 2. It wasn't a fun process and required a second coat. The rooms are coming along quite nicely. We had a mattresss delivered and our bedframe is waiting for our first night in HoY!
The new neighbor seems really nice. She stopped by and had a good lead on a house for sale in the neighborhood, so anyone looking for house and want to be our neighbors let us know- quick! She also said - "Wow! You guys like color!"

Where Are You?

That is a very good question. Many of you have sent messages asking why I am not sitting in front of my computer writing prose for your enjoyment. If you do not know it already the PDX-antics/sinisterhaley has a new/old house to get ready to move into. I have had appointments with closet organizers. Recall that the house was built in 1906 and those damn closets are tiny! As I was waiting for yet another closet organizer - I noticed there is not even a place to hide the broom or vacuum without wasting valuable clothes closet space-huh? yet another quandary.
For those of you wondering where the hell I have been and why I haven't any F*%$@!^ pictures for you here is my list:
Appointments:
California Closets (cancelled on me)
Portland Closet company (cancelled on me)
Closet factory (only one that showed up but price is outrageous-had to have two appointments one for measurements and one for disclosure of costs)
Flooring installer (appointment was at 8:00 am - he did not show up until 9:00 am)
Electrician (thought I was smart making the appointment for the same day and time as the flooring installer but of course the electrician never showed)

Jobs:
Painting
We chose quite a few colors.
Living room- we are painting all of the walls one color, we have an accent wall in red (most of you know that red is not a fun color to work with), and then we have the trim.
Bedroom 1: We decided that the wall color was what we would have chosen. We are doing and accent wall in a bright bluegreen and then the trim.
Bedroom 2: Haven't figured it out yet!
Kitchen: Haven't figured it out yet!
To be able to move on with the painting I need a ladder. The 10 ft ceilings are too high for me - I can't reach the top with a step stool. I almost fell and killed myself yesterday and no one would have found me for hours!

I have also been looking for boxes for the move and I cleaned the yard and checked the drip sprinkler system this week.

OKAY - that was all house duties! Now believe it or not I am also in the process of trying to find a way to help pay for HoY!
By the end of this week I will have enrolled in four districts as a SUB! I have not received a job yet! With each district application you must go in for an "orientation". This means you take in your documents to the district, they make copies to make sure you are not a pedophile and then explain the do's and don'ts of subbing and tell you to sit by the phone and wait for a call.
On top of the sub applications I realized that my application file on a site called EdZapp has not been complete. I don't even know how to explain this situation other than the fact that many districts use this site to search for applicants. I have to pay a fee for the service and I just found out that I need to have many documents like my transcripts and letters of recommendation uploaded to this site. My application is INCOMPLETO without this uploading process. I think it is time to move into the private sector.
Oh yeah, I forgot - I have applied for a few part-time jobs also to no avail!
INCOMPLETO - This will be the title of my memoir!

Balance

HoY is ours! Do you know what that means? Yes! Work! Any of you who have some free time on your hands we have plenty of yardwork, painting, and demolition. I know some of you have time off right now and you are calling it a SABBATICAL so get your asses up here and get your hands dirty. The cow and I are trying to balance our work with some fun. It is very hard because of my Type A personality (I really don't know exactly what that means but I do know that when I start something I want it finished in the same day). Thursday night we took a stroll for a cocktail and found Free Rosemary (don't ask). On our way through Jameson Square park there was a photography class so I decided to take a picture of the picture takers. The best was "Griffin". One bitchin' cat! He is 11 years old and has been on a leash since he was 6 months. Griffin goes out twice a day to scare the dogs in the neighborhood. You can see that Griffin was not excited about the "barker." As we walked through the park the "barker" kept barking and Griffin kept staring as if to say, "If I acknowledge you I will be as dumb as you."
Friday night we headed up to St. Johns to see a movie and have a burger (veggie of course). The McMennamins allows us to do both at the same time. We sat in an old church and watched War of the Worlds and had a damn good vege burger and a bottle of wine. When we were checking out the little town, I saw this old gas station. Those of you who are in or around Sacramento think about the old gas station on the corner of Alhambra and T street. You know the one - it has eyesore spray painted on the side of it. I believe it could look like the one in the picture. It could be cool and I always wanted someone to buy it and make it into something awesome.
As the weekend was coming to a close we (owners of HoY) decided we should get some work done. We hired this guy named Guy to help us clear out our storage unit and he was great. He actually figured out a way to get our washer and dryer down the widow maker steps into the basement. We then decided to paint the living room and you know that it has to have some color. You could say we got the color idea from the tomato plants in the backyard - it is called Tomato Red!

Dentists: They are not all the same!

Two different worlds- Is it the type of insurance or is it simply quality of care?
In my former life, I found a female dentist (Dr. Wu) after using the services of many dentists that were down right awful - one of them actually had a mustache, chain around his neck and talked about his corvette. Even though it took many awful office visits before I found Shangra-la at Dr. Wu's office I now realize the high level of care she and her staff offered! By the way, I had FULL 100% COVERAGE insurance. When I walked into her office the first time - Shannon introduced herself as the office manager and told me if I ever need anything to call at anytime (the emergency service would contact the person on call). I sat in a waiting room that did not smell like that chemical mixed with floride mixed with pain that usually makes me pass out (my sister got her wisdom teeth pulled many years ago and I was her designated driver - well, I kind of passed out at the smell and she ended up driving me home). In front of me was a huge fish tank with a nice bubbly noise that masked the sounds of drills and suction.
When my name was called I received a tour of the office. The nice person pointed out all of their equipment and how it is used, each hygenist had a designated work area and to my surprise as I walked to the rear of the office to settle into those great dentist chairs (inventors- I am always in awe of dentist chairs and barber chairs, they are so functional and fun), there was a huge window that looked out on tropical plants. This amazed me because I should have been looking at a parking lot.
When Dr. Wu came in she asked if I was cold, if yes, they have blankets. She gave me a walkman so I could listen to NPR instead of the drilling. She gave me sunglasses to protect my eyes from splash and the light. But the greatest item used at Dr. Wu's office was a mouth block, this item is similar to a hard sponge that is about an inch square. It is used by the dentist to prop your mouth open so you do not have to hold it open for the long work ahead. I loved the mouth propper opener because I am lazy and I had on ear phones, I had a blanket and sunglasses. I didn't have to think about anything. The next thing you know. The World had just finished on the radio and Dr. Wu was telling me I was done. I wasn't ready to leave, I was just getting ready for All things considered and possibly a nap.
Fast-forword to my new life. I now have Kaiser Dental Insurance. When trying to make an appointment for a teeth cleaning, I was told that I cannot get my teeth cleaned until one of the Kaiser dentists has seen me first. So, I made an appointment to meet my new Kaiser dentist. I arrived at my appointment right on time. Walked into the double doors and found a sign that said, "wait in line for next available person." There were three women sitting behind a counter and NO ONE in line. You wouldn't believe what happened, I actually had to wait. I know it wasn't that long but not one of them made I contact with me. I had to do the evil stare down before one of them finally figured out I wasn't going away and called me over. After check in and paying my $10.00 co-pay, I was told to take a seat. When I turned around it looked like a hospital waiting room. The designer of the office decided that Turquoise was the color of choice. You know, the turquoise of the Southwest. Such a great calming color. The designer also decided that plastic was the material of choice. The chairs were the plastic chairs you would find in a Senior Living dining room, the type that can be wiped down with ammonia and sanitized beyond belief.
When my name was called I followed a young lady in hospital scrubs to the X-ray room. I had to wait in line to get my teeth/mouth x-rayed. I then was told to wait in another line because they had a NEW x-ray machine that circled around my head and took a picture of my entire mouth. If this machine takes a picture of your entire mouth why in the hell do I have to still take all those x-rays that the "professionals" call "bite-wings"?
I then was placed in yet another que to get my blood pressure taken. There were four people in front of me. So I sat down at the small school desk provided and began reading my book. After about 5 minutes I decided I was very cold and wished I had a blanket. The blood pressure taker was very backed up and made mention several times that someone called in sick today. I don't care! Put that damn velcro thinging on my arm and push the damn button. I want out of this assembly line dental office. As I sat reading (thank god I remembered my book - ALWAYS and I repeat ALWAYS take a book with you), I noticed the floor was UGLY. It was those big grayish/white tiles that are in every elementary school built in the 1950's and beyond. Once again, I am sure they were chosen by the designer for maximum beauty and functionality.
After finishing a few chapters someone in scrubs said, "which one of you are 'sinisterhaley'? I didn't say a word. I simply rose from my desk, walked toward her and gave her the most evil eye I could muster. I followed her down to the famous chair. It had no view, it had no picture on the ceiling, and I had to ask her to turn on a light so I could actually see my book while I waited.
In comes the dentist. I have to call her "the dentist" because she did not introduce herself. She DID look me in the eye though. It scared me how she looked at me. She did not blink. I tried to hold my eyes open and stare back but I had to blink. And I thought, well maybe she blinked at the same time I blinked. What is the likelihood? I should also mention that she was young, in fact, I truly believe she had not graduated from Dentist School. I loved her first question. "Why are you here today"? I paused ( a very long time because when she said that I was pissed). I said because "they" told me I had to be. She said, "who are 'they'"? I finally decided not to play the game and said, "all I need is to be able to get my teeth cleaned so whatever you need to do to get me that appointment let's get to it." She then realized I meant business.
An hour and a half later I left my plastic, turquoise, tile trotten, scrub wearing, newbie dentist office with an appointment to return for my teeth cleaning. I CAN'T WAIT!
Needless to say- Not all Dentists or Insurance coverage ARE created equal.

I have been busy. But there is always time for fun! Where to start. Friday night the cow and I headed down to the Newmark theater near the South Park blocks to take in DJ Spooky's - Rebirth of a Nation. The theater is awesome. It is a true Shakespearean theater (three tiers). Overall the show, music, and audience were awesome. DJ Spooky's goal was to make your mind ask questions regarding history - instead of him answering them for you.
The cow delivered this beautiful bouquet of flowers that are still brightening my days. We decided since our house on Yamhill closes this week and we become home debtors again that we should get out there and start thinking of paint colors, furniture, flooring, etc. We decided to start at Albina Press (the best coffee shop in Portland). We needed a pick-me-up for all the browsing we were about to endure. Neither of us are shoppers so it was very difficult to think that we would be shopping all day. So, instead of shopping - we took a detour and headed to our hood. We sat and had a beer and tatertots at the Side Street Bar - beer good but tots not so much! Listened to a young local band they were very, very good. Mr. Banana came to save the day and redirected us to our goals of the day making us flash back to what we were suppose to be doing.
Once all of the chores were out of the way we found another street fair. This one was in the Pearl so we walked down to the Bones and Brew festival. Of course they had bbq but the reason the cow walked all the way down was to try the spirits. There were many local - new distillers offering samples for $1.00.

Fly, Spin, Squirm, Ricochet

Imagine yourself wearing a red and black geometric print spandex suit from head to toe. The audience is clapping your arrival on the stage - suddenly the pounding of the taiko drum begins and your body is defying gravity and all the punishment that goes with it.
Last night in Portland the TBA-05 Festival (Time*Based Art) began in Pioneer Square with a free performance by STREB. To explain STREB completely is ultimately impossible; however, let me give it my best shot.

There were 7 (4 male & 3 female) members of the acrobatic-dance-gymnastic group. The stage was a large platform with a big screen, lights, trampolines, mats, and a large scaffold that was shaped like an upside down U. The top of the U (remember it is upside down) moved up an down during various acts. The title of the show was Wild Blue Yonder. The evening was broken into 15 different acts with emphasis on amazement and shock that the body and mind of the performer can continue to make the audience gasp!
The first act, Wild Blue Yonder, had all performers on stage bouncing and using the trampoline like it was made to be used. This was not your average backyard bouncing! It seemed like each performer was born to bounce. Not just bounce with their legs but with all parts of their bodies. Each member dove from the trampoline into the air and THUD onto the mat below - hence the name Wild Blue Yonder. At the same time the screen behind them was showing footage from the Wright Brothers flight and music was pulsating from massive speakers placed within the audience.
STREB continued performing for over an hour. Two of my favorite performances were Ricochet and Fly. Ricochet had all members on stage. A large piece of plexiglas was placed at the very front of the stage . It was suspended by tension ropes which made it appear as if the audience was looking through a window onto the stage. Each member would run (fast, extremely fast) and pound into the plexiglas with their full body to POW the ricochet motion of the body falling - THUD to the ground. Then the next performer would go - THUD, and the next - THUD, and the next - THUD. At one point, all of them had ran (fast), jumped and grabbed the frame of the plexiglas window in many different positions so from the audience you really didn't know where one body started and the next body ended. Truly through the looking glass (perception) - that is art!

The last act was called FLY! I really don't want to try to explain it, but I will say that on the walk home I wanted to put my arms out in front of me push my feet and legs out behind me and catch the wind and FLY!

Tonight we are partaking in another TBA performance. Paul D. Miller AKA D.J. Spooky will be remixing cinema, music and American history by reconstructing Rebirth of a Nation.

I was very concerned that I did not take my camera to the performance. Now I realize that without pictures you can develop a sense of the art in your own mind. Isn't that what art is? perception? Here we go with the question of "what is art?"

Downhill is fun!

"Let's go for a little bike ride"! Deciding to be outside on a beautiful day was a no-brainer. The cow said we would do a short 20 mile loop, come home and enjoy the remainder of Labor Day. If you have a map handy get it out, I am going to give you a synopsis of our route - I am not in the best shape and I do believe the cow was trying to kill me (I reminded him I do not have life insurance coverage). Here we go: start south on 9th, cross broadway bridge, take interstate south to katz promenade, emerge on Hawthorne blvd, take bike route through Ladd's addition, head east on harrison/lincoln to mt. tabor, this is our first summit and rest! It is beautiful at the top. Great views and wonderful weather, I was so sweaty that I was actually a bit chilly. Once I had caught my breath, the cow said do you want to go on because there is another summit we will be traversing. I, of course, did not want to be the girl that couldn't keep up so I said "let's do it." Down hill is a blast but I am still paranoid when the wind sheer feels like my bike is going to come out from underneath me.
Next series: we take Yamhill east to north 74th (hey that rhymes) and cross freeway 84, east on Tillamook (mmmm cheese), north on 92nd and then the climb up Rocky Butte Road (no bike lane but very few cars). When we got to the top there was an old fort with very little information regarding its origins. This area offered great views to the east - Mt Hood and the beginning of the Gorge. Didn't need as much rest here because I knew there was a beer waiting for me somewhere! Yahoo! Downhill! Can you see me flying down the hill with my hair blowing behind me with a big smile on my face!
The last leg was a series of left and rights or wests and souths. We take Fremont west to 83rd south to Siskiyou west and 72nd south - during this back-n-forth the cow would read me the coordinates and I would then remind him where to turn (a couple of times he had to check to see if I was correct). Next we took Sacramento west to 60th south (very cool area here - sits on a hill and looks over a golf course - very quiet - no cars), Hancock west to 43 North to Tillamook west to 28th south to Tillamook west again(I know this doesn't make sense but believe me it is true). This is where we veered from the "rubber to the road" map we were using. We headed north on Flint and took a sharp left (west) on Fremont and ended up on Mississippi with a Tecate and Vege Taco at Por que no?! Now that was worth both of the climbs!

Ass-toria-Seaside-Cannon Beach

First, you pronounce Astoria - with the emphasis on the ASS. It is approximately 75 miles from Portland. The cow and I drove highway 30 following the Columbia to the ocean. It took about an hour and a half after getting gas (YIKES!) and grabbing a cup of coffee. The drive is quite lovely! Highway 30 had very little traffic (even on Labor Day Weekend). Once arriving we parked and walked the town. It has many unique and interesting buildings and everything faces the Columbia. The buildings have survived for centuries; places like City Hall, the Elliot Hotel and the Ole Theater. The mouth of the Columbia is extremely wide spanning to Washington. The people of Asstoria are quite the fancy clothiers (I HATE Pink). After some fish and chips at a place that I would call a cross between Bob's Big Boy and Denny's, we sailed on down Highway 101 to Seaside about 8 miles from Asstoria.
To explain Seaside I need to have you close your eyes and imagine the following: families, Vegas size motels without the glitz, taffy shops (I counted 5 during my short stroll), various foods like you are at a fair and a beautiful expansive beach with a great malacon. Many families were picnicing, jumping the waves and enjoying the warm weather (although there are clouds it was about 76 degrees). If you following the Tsunami signs you will be safely away from the coast and the rising tide as long as government officials give the right information and warnings.
Our last stop before heading home was Cannon Beach. We were told this was the quaintest beach community with proximity from Portland. I would describe it as a cross between old days Capitola, Pismo Beach and Morro Bay - it is definately not Mendocino! It too has a beautiful beach with large rock formations.
We tried our hardest to find a nice patio with a view of the ocean to have a glass of wine to no avail. We did have a glass but without the view.
I would definately go back to Cannon Beach, stay over night and dine at Evo!