lyricalnomad

Portland vs. Boston

Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:28:12 GMT

So far so good with the move. I still haven't had my furniture moved out here yet, but all in good time. I could probably afford to move it now, but I think I'll wait for the tax refund so that my bank balance doesn't get too low. I need a little bit of "just in case" cash in the bank to feel secure. I had my first round of utilities bills. The bill for the heat was about 3 times what I expected. For about a day and a half I tried to live in a cold apartment, and then just threw the towel in on that. I can't stand to be cold. So during the winter months I'll just have to budget a bit differently. I am really enjoying the fireplace in my apartment. Instant warmth-gratification. I am going to think about getting a really nice rug with a cushy rug pad for my living room. I really like lying on the floor and roasting myself when I feel cold.

Odd Portland quirks that are tough for the Boston girl to get used to:

1) People knocking on the door. For crying out loud I barely know anyone in this city and my damned doorbell is always ringing. Neighbor, landlord, delivery person, stove repair guy who arrived 30 minutes early, local politician... It's been hard to adjust to. In Boston people just don't knock on your door unless they are expected guests. And anyone who does knock, it is highly unlikely anyone will answer and we all know and understand that. Heck, in New England even if the person knocking has visual confirmation that the person is home, the person probably still won't answer. It just isn't done, dammit!

2) Coffee shop employees looking at me at 7am on a weekend. Okay listen...stop looking at me. Stop it. I didn't shower. I rolled out of bed. I'm not sure what I am wearing and I am pretty sure there is still sleep crust in my eyes. Just take the damned order, don't look me in the eye, and for freak sake do not flirt with me.

3) The organic craze. Okay, I'm all for buying organic, but here are a few reality checks Portland!
    - The Organic laws are loose at best and are being "interpreted" on a daily basis by "the man." Hippies, back in their day, were the ones who outlined what made something "organic" and they did a piss poor job of it. So it says "organic" but a lot of times you are just eating the same old stuff that two rows over is labeled something else entirely.
    - Buying local over organic does more from an environmental standpoint. So if you factor in the information above regarding the ambiguous nomenclature of "organic" then buying local is better. Go to the farmers' market or find a good co-op. There is a co-op over in Alberta. Did you even know that?
    - Okay, Portland...on what freaking planet does a 4 pound roasting chicken cost 16 dollars? Hm? Earth in the year 2030 maybe? Oh no. That's just Wild Oats (a.k.a Whole Foods Market) circa 2008. Nice. Heat or chicken. What a choice. How very "San Francisco." Doh! Slam!

Other than these things (and because I don't have the stamina right now to type up my "diner with no bread" story right now) the city is pretty laid back, easy to navigate, and interesting. True, Portland is a bit too "I'm so cool" to be actually THAT cool, but all in all I am pretty content with this place.

Some goals:

See more art! I know this town has an art scene. I've seen hints, and a new friend of mine has given me some insider tips on things to read and places to go to see and experience art in this city. I have no excuses. I just flat out need to go look at some art. My new goal is to hit one gallery or one museum once a week. Seems totally doable, yes?

Make art. I did check out a local art supply store. I held back because I don't have a project in mind and because I am trying to be budget conscious and save for getting the furniture out here. But I only feel half alive - or more like I am breathing shallow and not getting enough breath in my body - when I am not making art. I have been thinking about doing a bit of a walk-about with my camera and taking a look at some local trees; Laurelhurst Park is close by. I was also thinking about creating something on paper; a mixed media project. Ideas are percolating and that is a good thing.

See more live music. I can't do this as often as I'd like, but there is a weekly open mic at a place three block from my house and I should check that out. Also, Patty Larkin and Peter Mulvey are coming to town in May. I will definitely be seeing that with some friends.

Which leads me to some music I can recommend:

Peter Mulvey's new CD "Notes From Elsewhere." http://www.petermulvey.com/ Damn, this man can play the hell out of his guitar. Amazing. If you want to see a little slice of him playing here is where he has posted a video of "Black Rabbit" on his site: http://www.petermulvey.com/news.htm

Mike Doughty http://www.mikedoughty.com/ : former lead singer for the band Soul Coughing, his solo work is really great. I have been rediscovering him as I wait for his new album release on February 19 of this year. I am excited about it. He is awesome and really has a way with the lyrics. You may want to check out "27 Jennifers" and "Move On" if you are an iTunes cherry picker.

Well, that is it for now! I am going out to meet "Nana" (for those of you in the know) for a drink after work tonight. And then tomorrow I am driving down to Salem to hang out with Jamie and have dinner with his family. It's funny we are living so close to each other once again. I am looking forward to seeing him.

Minor Update

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:49:07 GMT

So, I still haven't "announced" this journal to my friends and family. I'm still on the fence about having this journal at all. I've been very lazy about taking pictures of my apartment for people to see and I have also been a slacker getting back to people. Not so much email wise, but I owe some people a phone call and just haven't gotten to it yet. Why is this? Well the days just run away from me a bit.

It's an odd thing working from home. I am so intent on not being a slacker/wanker that I think I actually work more, and more intensely, than if I was sitting in an office. So far the job situation is holding strong. I am meeting with an Educational Consultant and Art Instructor today at a local watering hole late afternoon. We met at the Portland National Portfolio Day event held at the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) two weeks ago. She was there with one of her students and I think she liked what I had to say to the student and so she picked up my card and handed me hers. I looked at her bio and it turns out we are alums of the same university. So I contacted her and she is another Boston transplant who moved here in 2002. I am excited to meet up with her; professionally of course, but more excited from a personal connection standpoint. So something that could have been rather "plastic" will instead feel more authentic and fun. She invited me to the PNCA thing as an opportunity to network, which I thought was really great.

This weekend I am hoping to go out and see some art in this town. I need to familiarize myself with the galleries out here, and also get on some mailing lists. I also want to get a library card. I thought a good idea might be to visit the library a couple of times a month to read the art periodicals, rather than subscribe to them. It would get me out of the house and would also be a good way to decide which one(s) I like best.

Well, back to work! I am still a grub and need to clean myself up a bit. Plenty of time to get ready for this afternoon's get together, but people like to ring my doorbell around here, so spending a lot of time during the week as an un-showered grub doesn't work as well as I thought it would. One "perk" of working from home unrealized! Dang it! Eh, well. It is probably a good thing. I don't want to end up being one of those hairy-moled Cambridge-type women with a bad haircut. It would be soooo easy :-)

The music tagged, by the way, is something my friend Ross turned me on to. Just in the exploring phase, but so far so good...

The Inaugural Post

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 22:13:29 GMT

So I find myself here on LiveJournal a little bit bewildered. I don't typically care for blogs for many reasons...mostly because it seems a bit presumptuous and arrogant to assume anyone wants to read about "me, myself, and I." I did, however, once again move to yet another region of the U.S. I am finding it difficult to keep up the communication and so I figured I would try keeping my family and friends in the loop via this method. We'll see how it goes...

I am trying to stick in one place. That's the goal. I just moved to Portland, Oregon from the Boston, Massachusetts area. I have an apartment that now has heat and electricity, but no cable or internet until January 2, and no furniture until...well I am still obtaining estimates for that so I am not sure when that will be here. A good friend will be loaning me the bed from her guest room until my furniture arrives, so I expect to be in there on January 2, weather cooperating. I have to say that the weather has been insane since I arrived in this region. I spent some time for work in Vancouver, B.C. and then Seattle, WA and while I was managing this a huge rain storm hit and all this flooding, and mud slides, and sink holes occurred. Roads were closed, travel became complex, and I was left wondering when the locusts were coming. Right now, two days after Christmas, it seems there is snow coming down like gangbusters. I was told snow almost never occurs here. It can't compare to the pile-ups occurring in Boston right now, but it is enough to shut this region down. Truthfully, an inch shuts this region down, which I find comical and understandable all at the same time. It's ridiculous for a community to be crippled by an inch or two of snow, however the region has no means of removing it or treating it and no one here knows how to drive on it, so it makes sense. My inner Yankee, however, is laughing her ass off.

I have had great friends helping me along the way with this move. In a lot of ways this has made this particular move a lot more friendly and a lot less stressful than the moves of the past. I confess though, that accepting help is more difficult than I thought it would be. I couldn't be more grateful for the help, but I also am dealing with some inner conflict about it too.

I really hope this all works out and I fall in love with living here. I started moving around the country back in 1990. I think this makes my 10th move since then. I am rather tired of all the moving and I hope that Portland is the right place to be. I think it is. I managed to get a really sweet apartment in exactly the location I wanted. My new neighborhood is so stereotypical Portland it makes me laugh, but in a good way. Oddly, it reminds me of Davis and Inman Square in Cambridge, MA a bit.

My new apartment is on the second floor of a two story Victorian. It has all the creature comforts: great galley kitchen with a gas stove, porcelain sink, dishwasher, garbage disposal, water filter, built in microwave, and a washer/dryer in the unit; off of the kitchen is a back porch set up filled with light, bench storage seats and shelving which will be a great place to set up my easel and do some painting; the dining and living room and small front office alcove have bamboo flooring in pristine condition, and I have a gas fireplace with a fan in the living room which works great to heat up the space and make the room cozy and relaxing; the front office alcove is perfect since when I'm not on the road I will be working out of the house, and it is wired for internet and has a window overlooking the front of the house; the balcony out front is private and overlooks the tree lined street complete with a view of an old stone church which is really pretty; and finally the bedroom has brand new oatmeal colored Berber carpet in it and the windows are filled with the view of trees and greenery and the neighbors beautiful landscaping. The only ting I "gave up" is having a tub. I'll miss it, but the shower is large and roomy, as is the bathroom, so I am not complaining. The other really great thing about the place is how filled with light it is. Even on rainy and overcast days, of which there are many, the place is bright and cheery. I'll post pictures when I can.

My place, by the way, is two blocks from the main drag. The area I am in is kind of an introverted hippie area and there is no shortage of pubs, restaurants, tea shops, coffee shops, diners. movie places, etc. along with a rather high end epicurian market. I really like the area a lot and I love that I can walk to some life, but still live in a house on a tree lined street. Again, I'll post pictures when I can.

Well, not a bad update for the inaugural LiveJournal post! I guess I could have talked about the slightly whirlwind Christmas I had across three states, but maybe I'll include that in a future post after the New Year hits.