The Rest of the Weekend

On Friday, Jesse and I picked up the rental car first thing in the morning and headed north. Once in Seattle, we stopped and visited all of my grandparents, whom we hadn't seen since the wedding. During part of one visit, my elderly grandmother had a bit of a memory lapse and started describing our wedding to us as if it were someone else's and we had not been there. This was a bit awkward, but it seems she genuinely did enjoy it - and she wasn't just saying that because it was us...

On the way to my mom's house, my brother Tim called to let us know that Mork & Mindy was on the SciFi channel, so we made sure to check that out as soon as we got there. Tobin is too young to remember the show from when it originally ran, so we got to introduce him to it before he left for work.

Soon after, we met my dad and his wife at the bowling alley for some active family fun. We almost always go out to breakfast with them, so we decided to mix it up a little this time. After we bowled 3 games, my sister and her friend showed up, so we moved on to air hockey. An intense flurry of relay-style games just about did us in, but we topped everything off with a few rounds of pinball. Jesse and I headed back to my mom's to say hello to her as she got home from work, then drove out to my brother Tim's house in Monroe. It's a pretty nice place for a couple of bachelors, and we had fun hanging out with him before it was time to get to bed.

Saturday morning brought another session of cooking and general Thanksgiving prep. In the afternoon my mom's friend Maggie, Kerri's friend Mike, and our friend John came over for the meal. A few others cancelled at the last minute, but Sunny joined us after she got off work. After the food, we played some games and got to know one another better. Finally, people started to get tired and began to leave. Then the gunfight broke out, but more on that later.

In-laws!

John doesn't want to have any fun against his will.

The accusations flew during game time.

Oh, so popular.

Mike and Maggie enjoy some story time.

A few days ago, Tim had a cooking-related, shirt-on-fire accident and sustained some nasty 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his lower back, so my mom and Maggie (nurses) changed his dressing.

Tobin hiding behind an elaborate shield system during the shooting spree.

Mike and Jesse in action.

Last Christmas my mom bought a set of Nerf dart guns for us, and periodically we bring them out to let off steam. Last night things got crazier than ever before, and I'm working on piecing together some footage for a documentary tentatively titled The Guns of Thanksgiving.

Under Fire

As I write this, Jesse is shooting a dart gun at me from across the room. His goal is to hit a picture behind me and have the bullet/dart ricochet off and hit my head. He just accomplished said goal, so I think we're about done for the day.

We packed as much holiday fun as could ever be hoped for into today and we've got to get up early to get back to Portland by 9:00 tomorrow so I'll have to cut this short.

Pictures and stories to come...

Extended Holiday

As you can tell from the pictures, yesterday was pretty fun. We slept in a little bit and enjoyed a leisurely morning before preparing for the afternoon festivities. About an hour before we left our apartment, I started the mashed-potato-making process and we started an episode of 24. Miraculously, having it on did not distract us too much from our duties and after mashing and mixing the potatoes, we scooped them into ziploc bags and placed them in a lunch cooler for safe transport.

The first 10 blocks of walking toward the bus stop was a little chilly, but the brisk pace and holiday spirit provided enough warmth. Then we realized we were cutting the timing too close and had to start running. For the last 4-5 blocks, Jesse ran ahead to try to catch the bus first. He got there just as it was about to pull away and stalled the driver just long enough for me to appear around the corner. It was harrowing, but thankfully the sprinting paid off and by the time we got to Tim and Sara's I'd pretty much stopped wheezing and sweating. (Of course Jesse wasn't even breathing hard - all that frisbee, I guess.)

Everyone brought different parts of the meal, and Jesse's mom read a poem to kick things off. After dinner, us youngsters had quite a bit of fun playing with Uncle Kurt's iPhone - taking pictures, adding our phone numbers/email addresses/titles [Her Royal Highness Sara Sery]/phonetic spellings [sah-raah]/personalized ring tones/etc.

We finished the night off by watching A Christmas Story with Jesse's dad and Sara, and today we drove up to Seattle to see my family. Tomorrow we'll do Thanksgiving dinner Part II at my mom's - it'll be good times again, for sure.

*Side note: Reader Matt Mikalatos asked why Jesse had to take all the pictures himself yesterday. Great question! There are several answers: 1) He likes to. 2) I lack the coordination and agility to take the self-picture successfully. 3) I was too busy tasting the hot buttered rum and conspiring with Sara to remember to take pictures of others. 4) I was saving my arm and fingers from unnecessary strain in order to best prepare for bowling today. I bowled three games, scoring an 85, a 78, and a 64 - in that order.

Mmmm, turkey.

Today we went over to Sara and Tim's house to celebrate with Becky, Mack, Becky's friend Chris, Scott, Uncle Kurt, Aunt Carol, and Sara. Tim was on ambulance duty today but he and his partner, Dan, were able to join us for most of the afternoon. Tim looooves turkey, so we were glad he could make it.

Becky making gravy

Kurt and Carol

Father and son

Tim in uniform

Oh, Sara, always on the phone with someone more important...

Guest blogger: Jesse Putnam

When I was in high school (I think it was sophomore year) my friend Josh Herlein and I were sitting on the grassy bank during our turn at bat at a baseball game and he started to put something in my ear. I was capable of extraordinary passivity at that time in my life and so I let him continue his putting. Shortly thereafter, I attempted to remove what he confessed to be pieces of tin foil from my ear. I may have gotten some out, but some pieces became deeply lodged in my ear as I rooted around with my pinky finger. Some time later I went to the doctor who was nice enough to remove more of it from my ear.

Anyway, I'm not sure when i started using q-tips to clean out the wax from my ears, but at some point I noticed that when I stick a q-tip deep enough into my left ear, it comes into contact with something which seems to move around and make noise deep in my inner ear as it rubs my little ear hairs, perhaps even those special ones right on the eardrum. I now choose to make public my contention that some bit of Mr. Herlein's burrito wrapper has been lodged in the recesses of my aural cavity for upwards of fifteen years.

Someday soon I hope to have medical insurance so I can afford to have a highly trained professional confirm the existence of and remove this curious artifact.

Documentation

Here's part of the outfit I wore to Sara's birthday party. Unfortunately I didn't get a good picture of Jesse's costume, it was pretty incredible.




Today I finally got to hang out with my friend Taylor! It took a while to catch up - 2 months is too long.









Tonight I didn't have to work (woohoo! It has been a while since I had a week night off...) so we had our friends Anni and Emily over for dinner - lots of fun was had. We love having people over and look forward to a time when our schedules are such that we can do it more often.

Mozart or Coltrane?

Tonight Jesse and I were talking about culinary preferences and how we learned what good food was.

Jesse: "I don't just think my mom is a good cook because she's my mom, everyone in our whole extended family always talked about it..."

Me: "Yeah, and all growing up everyone I knew said that my grandma was the best cook in the world."

Jesse: "They're both good, just different. Like if your grandma's style is classical, then my mom's is jazz..."

Advent

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, abide with me.

Thou on my head in early youth didst smile,
And though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee.
On to the close, Lord, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter's power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, tears lose their bitterness.
Where is thy sting, death? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven's morning breaks, and earth's vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, Lord, abide with me.

Redemption

Redemption was the title of the 2-hour 24 special on television tonight. I knew it was coming, and after last Wednesday's post, you should know that I wanted to watch it. But we don't have a TV, and Sunday nights are reserved for Ultimate Frisbee, so I just put it out of my mind.

Tonight at church, though, I was talking with a girl I just met a few weeks ago, reminding her that she and her husband were welcome to play Ultimate with us, when she explained they couldn't because they were hosting a 24-watching party. My eyes got big, and I think she could tell I was excited because she invited me to join them. I ran over to Jesse and begged him to let me go back on my promise to play tonight, falling to the floor and writhing around in a desperate attempt to demonstrate my deep-seated allegiance to Jack Bauer (and to helping Kiefer Sutherland's alcohol addiction recovery program through watching and supporting his work).

He let me ditch the disc game, and in the end it was probably better for everyone that way - I'm not exactly the best, or even the 10th best, player on the field. Plus I got to make some new friends. When I walked into their apartment, I saw a copy of Jayber Crow sitting on the coffee table (one of my fave books of all times), a computer exactly like mine sitting on a chair, and a couple of bikes hanging on racks on the wall. Talk about soulmates. We'll have to hang out with them again for sure. Yay for television!

The Dark Side

One evening in September, Jesse and I were listening to The Ramones while getting ready for dinner. I had just made an enormous vat of the best spaghetti sauce I've ever made in my life - and I've made spaghetti sauce quite a few times (before and since), as it's one of about 3 things I can cook with confidence. We had recently discussed our mutual desire to acquaint ourselves with the music of The Ramones - thus the new iTunes purchase playing in the background. I lit some candles while Jesse got the salad out. We broke out a $3.00 bottle of red wine and started in on a lovely, romantic, newlywed dinner. Not long after, the list of Ramones songs had played out and next in the alphabetical queue was... you guessed it: Randy Travis. We sat there eating as Randy sang his classic "Take Another Swing At Me," part of which goes:

Without your cryin', your cussin', and your moanin', home ain't home anymore...

It will tell you something about how September went around here that both of us recognized that line as prophetic. It was true that married life was great from the start, and true that Jesse and I did do many fun, adventurous things together. But it was also true that I hated my job and it was making me miserable. It caught me off guard how quickly and thoroughly that realization came to me - probably because beforehand I had been so busy with and distracted by wedding planning and preparation and anticipation.

This job dissatisfaction was so much more than just working for the weekend. I dreaded going to work - up to 36 hours in advance. So much so that I was having trouble enjoying even my days off. It did not take long to determine that what needed to happen was a job change, and fast. Resumes and cover letters were prepared, sent to friends for review, and submitted. A variety of jobs were considered and applied for. And no interviews were granted.

During this time I felt pretty depressed, though I only recognized and acknowledged it toward the end. At the same time I felt very silly for getting so emotional over something so trivial as a (transitional, somewhat temporary) job. Even so, I think it was important to accept even such a mundane trial as the legitimate and real struggle that it was for me. My friends (mentors/heroes) Carolyn and Matt wrote a few things that were very helpful and encouraging to me during this time.

There's clearly more to this, since it's November and I still work at the same place, but that's a start, I guess. More later, perhaps.

The Ultimate Guide

We had this book when we were growing up and it was AMAZING. I have no idea what happened to it, but my sister and I still talk about it and how having it in hand actually made cleaning your room something to look forward to. My favorite part was this (pet?) frog that kept showing up in the kid's stuff, getting into various mishaps as he cleaned his room. It was appealing because it was definitely written from a kid's perspective, but also gave very clear, manageable directions for cleaning up even the most disastrous room. I would definitely give it 5 stars and hope to find a copy for my own kids someday.

Whining Zone

I feel grumpy and frustrated, and you, dear readers, are unfortunately subject to hearing about it because this state of mind is distracting and not conducive to funny, creative writing. I feel frustrated by my job (a long, dark saga going back months which I may or may not delve more deeply into in this forum in the future), by my schedule, by my poor time management skills and deadly tendency to procrastinate. I don't want to work tomorrow night and all day Saturday and then again Monday after a very busy Sunday. But I guess in these times I should be very thankful to have a job at all. So I'll stop complaining now. Thank you, good night.

Bound

Jack Bauer has me in custody again. Last time I was at my mom's house I noticed the DVD set of the first season of 24 sitting innocently in my sister's room. Somehow, it hitched a ride back to Portland with us and I am reliving the angst-ridden addiction I experienced during team marathons of 24-watching in Croatia.

It is less powerful this time, but more painful. I feel very motivated to watch (at pretty much any given time), and was into the show before we even started in on Season 1 because I know I liked Seasons 4 and 5 so much. But Jesse's never watched it before and he's having a tough time catching the fever. He doesn't feel compelled to see more than one episode at a time. He can easily go days without an urge to catch another 42-minutes of visual cocaine. He calmly sits through plot changes, making casual guesses as to motives or storyline twists without any of the violent physical thrashing my body seems prone to - no racing pulse, no urgent grunting or sputtering in disbelief, no white-knuckled gripping of living room furniture with eyes half shut just to make it through a scene.

So it's really only less powerful because I haven't got a group of fellow addicts charging full speed ahead with me. Now I get safe, measured doses. But I guess it's all I can handle because I already WANT MORE. Sunny, Taylor, Allison, John, Andy: I would like nothing more than to reserve a nice, open slot of 18 consecutive hours in which to watch Season 2. Anybody in?

Whom Shall I Fear?

Way back in Croatia, I remember hearing Marni and Sara discuss an issue that is apparently common among new wives, and at the time I doubted I would be vulnerable to the same anxieties. They talked about worrying excessively that something would happen to their new husbands - they could be rock climbing, hiking, generally horsing around as young men are wont to do - and it would be very unnerving for the wife to sit back and wait patiently for a safe return.
At the time I thought I understood. I thought that when the time came, I simply wouldn't be bothered, that I would be more pragmatic, that I would be more trusting.
I was wrong.

In Hawaii we went to a lot of different beaches. Jesse's favorite thing to do was snorkeling, mine was body boarding. And every time he went off snorkeling, I worried:
"What if he gets attacked by a shark?" "What if he gets rammed into rocks, coral, the ground?" "What if he gets trapped by something underwater?" "What if a swarm of minnows suddenly turns hostile and ties him up in seaweed just to watch him drown?"
We quickly developed a system for checking in frequently, using arm signals.

One day in the middle of our trip Jesse started feeling sick. At first it was just a touch of nausea that we attributed to a bit of a late night the night before. But it got worse as the day wore on, and by that evening he was complaining of weakness and said his legs felt weird.
Now, admittedly, this was unusual, and would have been cause for concern had he not woken up the next morning feeling right as rain. But I was terrified. I was literally envisioning a trip home accompanied by a casket. As I thought through possible eventualities and determined various courses of action while laying wide awake in the dark that night, I started praying. It didn't actually comfort me all that much, though I did finally fall asleep. More than bringing comfort, the praying just drove home how little I was trusting in the Lord, and how much I had at stake, wrapped up in the man sleeping next to me.

The next day I was relieved to find Jesse healthy again, but disturbed at a deeper level by the new world of vulnerability I had just discovered. The whole day was colored a bit by this pondering, and by late afternoon I felt mainly calm and grateful. Reminded that we are small and largely powerless. Reminded that the gifts we enjoy are not in our hands to keep forever. Reminded that all is grace. Reminded that love is not ownership, that even things like marriage and childbirth do not entitle us to eternal dominion over another soul.




















These pictures are from that afternoon/evening. The sunset was beautiful, and weirdly dark and ominous looking. It helped put everything back into perspective for me, and helped me once again to realize my tinyness and dependence on a loving and all-powerful Lord.

The funny thing is, I'm only writing about this today because I'm struggling again with the same issue. Jesse has a bit of a stomach bug. Maybe I'm not distraught with fear for his life, but I'm still worried. I still hate that I can't do anything to make him better. That I can't really tell how sick he is or is not or what caused it.

Oh, that I would trust the only thing that is trustworthy. When will I learn?

"Maybe we need some time where we're walking around with a donkey with pots clanging on the sides, you know?"

I Want One

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.


via Joshua Blankenship

Special Live Update

Jesse likes to sing in the shower. He played Ultimate Frisbee tonight and is now washing away the sweat to the sound of his own tenor/falsetto rendition of "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."

The Enchanted Party

Ahh, Timberly, up to his old tricks again - never one to disappoint when it comes to costumes.

Sara's party was fun - I enjoyed myself so much I even forgot I was sick and abandoned my complaining and self-pity for a little bit. It was incredible to see so many adults in costume without a national holiday backing the activity.

Oh, my. I suppose we'll allow this hardened little fairy to remain nameless.

Here's Jeanne and Bex, looking all friendly and glowy.

Excuses, Excuses

Dude. I am so tired right now. I have an icky cold and worked a super long shift today and then came home and made a costume so we could go to Sara's Fairy Princess/Warrior Prince birthday party tonight and after that randomly decided to go to the Knife Gun Pen Talking Show and now I must go to bed.

Two for the Price of One

To reward you for your patience, you get to hear about two babies of 2009, coming to a Portland near you!

Firstly, Jesse's good friend Matt and his wife are expecting. I met Matt and Jesse at the same time a little over 3 years ago when they stopped by Croatia during their European tour. At the time, Matt was living the high life due to a nice long streak of success in internet poker. I have continually been impressed with Matt's ability to live on his own terms and roll with the punches - sharing generously when he's up, and working hard without complaining when he has to.

Here's Jesse, Tim, Sara, and Matt after a rousing game of soccer in Croatia back in 2005:


Even more exciting for me personally is the fact that we're going to be Uncle Jesse and Aunt Alexis within a year! After pestering Tim and Sara almost constantly in Croatia about when they were going to have kids, my waiting is over. Jesse's parents are thrilled, and Tim and Sara are tentatively excited. Now the pressure to be the first has been relieved (on that side of the family at least) and we can still enjoy all the fun things about having a new baby on the way to adore and shower with affection.

Yes, Sometimes It Comes To That

Jade, Eric and I enjoy the spoils.

A little over a week ago at my friend's wedding, there was a bit of a food shortage between pictures and the ceremony. Apparently the caterers expected fewer hungry people than there were, so we organized a McDonald's run. Jesse and Eric, Jade's fiance, took orders and were back in the nick of time. My favorite part was hearing Monica's elderly grandmother call out, "I ordered a hamburger and a Coke!" I don't know the last time I had chicken nuggets, but these were delicious. Fittingly, Jesse abstained because after owning his own chickens, he doesn't like eating chicken meat if he doesn't know it had a happy life. I, however, am clearly without scruples.

The Latest

What I've been enjoying recently, in the following categories:

Literature: What Is The What, by Dave Eggers
This is a beautiful book - though difficult and heartbreaking to read at times. I started it during our honeymoon, then abandoned it for a while, now I'm back at it. I recommend it to just about anyone.

Music: Fleet Foxes
These guys have been around for a little while and several people recommended that I give them a listen, finally in September I did. And I have to say it's the most addictive new album I've heard in the last 2-3 years. You might not adore them as much as I, but it's worth a try at the very least.

Cinema: Casablanca
A few days ago I watched the old classic for the very first time. It's fantastic! And I am not a big fan of black and white movies, or old films in general.

Cuisine: Mint Tea, Oatmeal
Not terribly exciting, I know, but still very satisfying on cold, wet, fall mornings.

Entertainment: 24 (Season 1); The Office (Season 2)
We're borrowing these from people and working our way through. For not owning a television, we sure do get our mindless passive activity in.

History: Armistice Day/Veterans Day
This year I learned more than I ever knew before about this international holiday, thanks to Jesse.

News & Media: The New York Times; The Daily Show/The Colbert Report
Jesse just found out that he can pick up free copies of The Oregonian and the NY Times at school - now I can start being informed again.
Also, the fitness room in our building has a television, so when there's nobody down there sometimes we go watch things. One time about a month ago we went down the night after one of the presidential debates to see the treatment Jon Stewart and Colbert would give it. We were armed with Triscuits, cheese, and PBRs. Unfortunately, about 10 minutes after we settled in - I on the floor, Jesse on the weight bench - someone came in to actually exercise (the nerve!), so we left.

Okay, I Think I Can Agree To That

I know I tantalized you all earlier with the promise that I'd be making a pregnancy announcement this month, and you'll all have to wait a bit longer but I must assure you now that I, personally, AM NOT expecting a child. Even so, Jesse and I have been talking a lot recently about baby names.
Here's part of our conversation from tonight:

Jesse: How about something historical - Martin Luther King Jr. Putnam?

Me: Or Vladimir Putin Putnam, or Kofi Annan Putnam?

Jesse: Who was that guy I wrote that paper about...(thinking)... Oh yeah, W.E.B. DuBois. W.E.B. DuBois Putnam. Webby, for short. What kind of name would give you 'Webby' for a nickname?

Me: Webster.

Jesse: WEBSTER!! (Eyes are lit up with excitement) It's such a great name, but people haven't been using it - probably because of that TV show (Diff'rent Strokes).

(Pause)

Then, dead serious:

Jesse: But if we do have a midget, we HAVE to name it Webster!

More Than Words

Jesse and I are nearing the three-month mark of our marriage, and we've just been basking in blissful day after blissful day. While there's been nary a gray mood or hint of discontent, I have been struck with the difficulty of communication at times.

Exaggeration and joking aside, I think these 'slight communication difficulties' may seem more pronounced when they have arisen because of how well things have actually been going in our relationship.

It is surprising to find that even though we love one another deeply, genuinely like one another's personalities, and enjoy time spent together doing just about anything, we still manage to hurt one another. To miscommunicate. To become frustrated when the other doesn't understand the thing one is feeling (but hasn't said a word about).

Our times of reconciling have been important and instructive and sweet, but it is still painful to have to acknowledge failure. Failure to speak, failure to notice, failure to understand, failure to love and serve the other effectively even when putting forth an honest effort to do so.

If it is a challenge to love Jesse well, who I know and love the most, how will I love everyone else?

Friends and Relatives

This evening I had a nice long talk with my friend Alison who lives in New York with her fiance (yay!), Tim. This is them at our wedding a few months ago, aren't they cute?
Alison and I have had all kinds of adventures together and have been friends since we were 6 years old. Go Girl Scouts and homeschooling, right?



She took this picture of my grandparents dancing, and I absolutely love it. They did so much - gardening, cleaning, cooking, planning, hosting - for the wedding it's impossible to adequately thank them, but I am glad to see that they seemed to find time to relax and enjoy themselves, too.

My Apologies

Sorry I didn't have time to write a more substantial post for you all today. I didn't get home from work until 10:00pm, then I had to plan Sunday School for tomorrow, then Jesse made me watch all these legendary football plays on YouTube, then the wireless stopped working so we dug out the ethernet cord. I'm hoping for better content tomorrow. Good night!

Out With Politics, In With Potassium!

So Halloween happened a week ago, and I know I'm behind in reporting this. This woman, whose blog I read because she's hilarious and a fantastic writer, described her dogs' costumes and put up a few pictures and, lo and behold, I discovered a very personal connection.

My friend Andy has an infamous banana suit (maybe I should say banana costume?) he wears on occasion. We got to experience it twice in Croatia.

Here is Andy with Dario and Dario's dog, Magi:

And here is Heather Armstrong's dog, Chuck:

I think what happened here is pretty obvious. Clearly Magi was deeply moved by his experience with BanAndy and word quickly spread throughout the canine community. Because of the continent change, it took a bit longer for the idea to spread to Chuck (which must be why he wasn't wearing this costume in 2007), but this year his moment came.

Inspired By The Anonymous Commenter

In yesterday's post I did the unthinkable and revealed the presidential candidate I voted for. A friend (at least I think a friend, since they called me Lex in a rather familiar way) commented that every Christian friend they had had voted for McCain so they were surprised to find I had gone with Obama. This was a bit surprising to me, as I know at least a handful (probably more) of Christians who also voted for Obama. Even so, there does seem to be a rather reliable trend tying religious viewpoints with political stances - a topic I have neither the time nor the energy to delve into right now. I did read this today, though, and thought it was interesting and worth further consideration and discussion (by someone, sometime...).

One of the most entertaining treatments of American politics I've come across recently would be this excerpt of a David Sedaris essay on undecided voters, brought to my attention by Heather Armstrong of Dooce:

I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?

To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.

To be honest, it just wasn't (nearly) that easy for me, but in the end I tried to weigh the issues as thoughtfully and prayerfully as I could and vote my conscience. I am hopeful for the future, and I am excited about change. I am glad that other nations may perceive America differently now. And even if the worst comes to pass and all of these socialist dimwits I've helped to elect tax our riches away and give it to the homosexual unwed abortionist crack-smoking peaceniks down the block, I won't be too upset. Because some of them are people that I know and love. And maybe also because I don't have much wealth to threaten. But even so, there's much more to it, and others have expressed similar and differing opinions much more articulately than I am able to at this point.*

One thing that was interesting to Jesse and I as we went through the voters' guide and talked politics this weekend was how different our backgrounds are, and how these have shaped our basic political impulses. He comes from very liberal roots (his parents met in the Peace Corps in the 70s), and mine are rather more conservative (my dad was one of roughly 7 Republicans at the University of Washington in the 70s). Jesse's mom, Becky, went to Canada for a few days this week - she literally had to leave the country to escape the nerves and stress of election day. A McCain win might have broken her.
My sister (pro-Obama) sent out a mass text message on election night that read, "YAY America!!" to which my dad replied coolly, "Not the outcome I was hoping for. Now we just have to wait and see what the policy changes are." And my brother Tim is practically a red state unto himself.

At any rate, Jesse and I have actually ended up in a rather similar place, politically, though we didn't vote the same on everything. I am just thankful the election is over and I can stop thinking about policies and issues and The Government and how I feel about it all for a little while.

*Because it is almost midnight and I just came home from a sports bar where Jesse and I watched the harrowing end of the Blazers game tonight. Woohoo!

You Can Play, Too

I don't know about your town, but Portland is staggering around in a self-congratulatory stupor over Obama's election. Yeah, yeah, we voted for him, too. We're happy. Whatever.

In other news, it's darker outside. This is partly due to the latitude, and partly due to the recent time change. One thing that happens when it is dark out is that it becomes easier to play one of Jesse's and my favorite new-ish pastimes: Geriatric Bingo.

When we look out our window, or sit on our porch, we mainly see other people's windows. Beyond the neighbors across our courtyard who live in our own building, there is a much taller building across the street, which is a retirement home. We are able to see the top 8 floors, and each floor has 6 windows across, of varying shapes and sizes. We made a chart on graph paper (A-F = horizontal, 1-8 = vertical) and started crossing off boxes whenever we saw a person in a window. There are pretty clear rules: it has to be a human being (no cats), and you have to see the actual person, not just evidence that they were there (lights turning on or off, television flickering, etc.). When it is dark it is much easier to see people in lighted windows, though we have gotten a few in daylight hours.

Just before we went to Hawaii a few weeks ago we finally got one row completed (or maybe it was a diagonal?) but I haven't been able to find the 'playing board' since we got home. If you know where it is, let me know. We might just have to make a new one and start over.

My Two Favorite Candidates

#1: Michael Marsh (Constitution Party)
Candidate for State Treasurer

Occupation: Maintenance

Occupational Background: a variety of jobs

Educational Background: some college

Prior Governmental Experience: none

Also has a rather interesting personal statement.

I don't know how you feel, but I think the 'variety of jobs' and 'some college' sounds pretty promising, though I am a touch concerned that he believes that Oregon is 'on the verge of collapse' and he seems very angry that the 'leaders of the Democrat and Republican parties with their Ivy League educations* are either incredibly stupid or are deliberately destroying us.'

Also, he looks like he just saw a ghost.


#2: Pavel Goberman (Nonpartisan)
Candidate for Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor and Industries

Occupation: I'm 71, excellent health, no medical problem, have a lot of energy: Founder, Instructor/Provider of unique physical and mental fitness program "Get Energized!"– book, video and exercise classes for governments, businesses and public: may prevent many illnesses, diseases (including cancers) and slow down the aging process. (503)6-GET-FIT www.getenergized.com/vote.html (Nice of him to include this, I think.)

Occupational Background: Author, Publisher, Producer, Speaker, Inventor, Consultant, Advisor, Trainer, Coach, Manager (had an Award), Supervisor, Social Worker, Counselor, Machinist, Mechanic, Welder, Truck Driver, Logger, Firefighter and Beekeeper. I'm a Problem Solver.

Educational Background: Have 27 years of education, BA + Degree (Moscow, Russia). Attended a few universities and colleges in the USA. Gave myself PhD in PE. Linguist.

Prior Governmental Experience: Primary 2008 Candidate for US Senator; 2006 Candidate for US Representative, 2004 Candidate for US Senator. 2002 Candidate for Commissioner of BOLI. Tank Army. I'm honest, incorruptible, with faith and high moral principles. Do not accept any "contributions".

Now THIS GUY seems like the real deal! His fitness program may prevent cancers, he's already been a candidate for quite a few offices, and he gave himself a PhD. What's not to love?


*Emphasis mine on all emboldened/italicized text.

Tag, I'm it.

Taylor tagged me on her blog a few days ago so now I am supposed to share 7 random and/or weird facts about myself with all of you.

Here goes.

1) I love pretty much any and all medical-themed television shows.
2) The circulation in my fingers and toes is very deficient and when I get cold, several of my digits will often turn white or blue/gray.
3) One of my favorite foods is tuna noodle casserole.
4) I am virtually unable to go underwater without plugging my nose - I always get water up it when I try.
5) My mouth is unusually small and to avoid overcrowding I had 4 permanent teeth pulled when I was a child.
6) Every night when I take out my contacts I bend over (at roughly a 90 degree angle) to get really close (like 5-6 inches) to my contact case as I screw on the caps so I can see what I am doing clearly. I didn't realize I even did this until we got married - Jesse finds this endlessly entertaining.
7) I really do enjoy the music of Rod Stewart.

State Measures 54 Through 65

We just got back to Portland, and we spent the entirety of the drive down (as we did the drive up) reading through the voters' pamphlet trying to figure out how to vote on the various things we're supposed to be voting on.

It was overwhelming - and we didn't even get to any actual candidates! We both learned a bit more about one another's political viewpoints and thought processes, and talking through and debating the various issues provided some healthy mental exercise.

One thing that was fairly frustrating, though, was the sense that so many of the proposed measures seemed like they might be addressing an important aspect of government/civic society that needs to change, except they were too broad or too extreme or too conservative or too poorly worded (leading to misinterpretation) or what have you to actually get passed or be effective. It left me feeling like the whole big machine of politics is hopelessly complicated and inefficient and prevents nuanced and well-thought-through solutions or improvements from ever coming to pass.

That's overly cynical, I know, but the process did dampen my enthusiasm for becoming a more informed, vocal, and active citizen. Probably I'm just tired and spent too long in heels today.

Anyway, go out and get your vote on, everybody! It is your duty and your privilege.

Trip Down Memory Highway

Yesterday afternoon Jesse and I drove up to Seattle because my friend Monica is getting married tomorrow and the rehearsal was last night. This is my first trip back home since the wedding, so we got up early today to have breakfast with my dad and his wife. Then I headed over to Queen Anne (a neighborhood in Seattle) for some pre-wedding nail salon time with Monica and the other girls.

As an aside, it has been just beautiful recently with all the spectacularly colored leaves and a nice mix of crisp, cool sunny days and classic northwest rainy gray days. It was fun driving up yesterday and seeing all of the scenery, and today confirmed that Seattle is just as pretty as Portland. I really love fall - I like the trees changing, the fresh start of a new school year, and cozy things like candles and soup. It's a very nostalgic season.

Driving through the eastside and across Lake Washington reminded me, as always, why I love this city so much and brought back memories of last year and how nice (and difficult) it was to be home again after Croatia, and of the years in school at UW before that. When I got downtown my route took me right past the catering place I worked at before moving to Portland, and thoughts of all the drama and life transition that took place there came to mind. Afterward when I was driving home the Red Hot Chili Peppers came on the radio, instantly taking me back to life in Rijeka. For some reason that band, along with U2, is (or was) incredibly popular there.

Other than the wedding, the big focus of this weekend has been clearing my stuff out of my mom's basement - something I've been putting off and failing to complete since I returned to the states over a year ago. So today I dove in. Boxes and bags and suitcases of notes from college classes, souvenirs, random clothing, stuffed animals, craft supplies, cds, outdated electronics, stacks of photographs from all eras of my life, ziplocs full of cards and letters, etc. It was overwhelming, both to try to decide what to keep/what to toss/how to categorize and to process all the thoughts and emotions and memories that the objects brought to the surface so haphazardly.

Now it's time for bed. With all of that behind me for now, I hope to wake up with a clear head, ready to enjoy Monica's wedding before driving home to start a new week.