Richmond: The final hours

I haven't updated you! You know nothing about what is going on in my life! How will you live yet another moment without finding out all the sweet deets?!

I know. Life is a constant challenge. I am tired but here I am plugging away at the ol' blog. Trying to make you people happy.

I miss Portland. There I said it. It's almost true. I am excited for the last day and a half of Richmond before Portland becomes a reality for me again but I miss my roomies, my friends, my plants, the boy I'm super excited about. I miss having a regular bowel movement and my regular running partners too.

Wanting everything is hard. I want 100+ degree weather and crazy humidity and I want the beautiful serene of 80 degree Portland and biking everywhere. I want my friends to all live in the same place and I never want to have to leave my family... BUT I want my space. Quiero hablar espanol but I don't want to have to learn. I am lazy in wanting and filled with desire. What to do, what to do? Enjoy what I've got and work towards obtaining these wants? Deny what I've got and all earthly pleasures? Expand my garden, go for runs, and be a regular, employed member of society (boring but probable).

Since I've been in town, I've spent time with the Grams (shout out Mamaw- I love you dearly), spent time with friends, cooked out, watched fireworks, went on 7 mile runs in near 100 degree weather, ate huge breakfasts, gossiped viciously (well not viciously but with great enthusiasm). Eaten frozen greek yogurt, slept fitfully and attended a wedding.

Still to go are walks along the riverside, a huge brunch as part of a lady date, eating out at a crappy restaurant in the airport with my friends who are flying in as I get ready to fly out. Getting more frozen greek yogurt in my belly, visiting with friends not yet visited with, getting a ride from a cousin I haven't had a chance to speak with and little morning time with my parents. This is an ideal world.

Adios Chiquitos.

Don't stop

Vacation: a time of relaxation right? Wrong.

Vacation is a time to pack in all of the social and familial obligations that you have missed out on over the past collection of months. You work and you work so you can go on vacation and then you don't stop moving until you're back to work and vacation is over. And then, honestly, you're still moving because you're at work. It's an interesting structure. Both fulfilling and depleting. When you're not on vacation you miss the feeling of the break: seeing old friends, spending time with family, visiting new places. When you are on vacation you miss all of your new friends, the people you've just started dating, and the regularity of your everyday life. Everywhere you go, you are winning and losing, giving and taking, stopping and starting.

All that I'm saying is, that I'm tired and I'm not sure when that is going to go away. Maybe that's what the actual act of traveling is for. Sleeping. Sleeping on planes is my specialty anyways so I might as well embrace it.

Adventure time

I have been hanging out with a bunch of adventurers. We've gone on adventure runs where we ended up sliding down steep embankments to get to roads and finding secret parks and happening upon beautiful rose gardens.
We've gone to parties where we danced all day and then walked across the city stopping only for peanut butter and jelly fries.
We've caught cherries that were impromptu picked from up high and thrown into waiting baskets (made of t-shirts being worn).

Work has been plentiful but oh, there is so much time in a day. Yesterday I visited the Rhododendron garden and stopped by a vietnamese sandwhich spot and ate green tea and red bean cake. It is good to be young and full of hope and energy.

I hope that you are finding some adventures of your own out there.

Best,
Rachel

Pretty Boy Sundays

I'm almost too tired to write tonight. Already, I've opened the computer three times to update you all on life over here but have closed it again too exhausted to think.... All I can think is sleep. Instead of think I typed sleep a minute ago. Side note: Pretty boy sunday is my favorite new phrase.

This is my 12th day in with one day out of work and I get to go back tomorrow night before my next day off. Well, maybe it'll be slow and I'll get called of. One can hope. Plus, only 5 days of work left until I'm homeward bound.

The Saturday to Sunday connection is especially difficult. Saturday being a day I wake early to run after working until 12 or 12:30 the night before. Then spending all day getting life done, in the best possible fashion, before heading in to work again (yesterday from 4:30pm-12:30am).

I bike home after that business and get up again before 7 in the morning on Sunday (leaving me with a grand total of about 5.5 hours of sleep).

The thing that makes it more traditional and far more difficult is that I lost my cell phone... So, that's been fun.

I'm not complaining.

Working so much has finally put me in the groove of the job. I'm getting quick, efficient. My plates are getting prettier. Things are alright. I've gone on dates with a couple of awesome people one of which I also work with(making work all that much better). I'm totally enchanted by the friends and new characters in my life and I'm making that money before I come home. My only complaint is allergies. These things suck.

Allrighty. I'm out. It's a reasonable hour to pass out, finally. . .

Weekend War

I feel like our kind of weekend war, the family kind, has more than occasionally been against the yard. Well for and against in different ways. And since I really have no weekend and in fact have only one day off in the next week before I dive right back into my work week again, every morning is my weekend. And I wage my fight against the yard a lot.

In some ways our yard is out of control. We are without a working lawnmower and our grass is, almost, intentionally wild looking. Aphids consumed one of my dear tomato plants. But it is also a constant work in progress. today I released over a thousand ladybugs into the yard and garden to combat the aphid issue and I thinned my carrot plants

little tiny carrot plants

I like working nights. I am really productive throughout the day. I've never been about mornings anyways. Well, it's been a long time at least. I think the last time I was excited about waking up early I may have been 11 and there may have been cartoons involved. Also, it may have been Saturday. Shout out: Saturday morning cartoons

I hope you all are getting it done. With or without a weekend. 

Saturday (AKA Caterday).

I suddenly seem to have Saturday free. How exciting! What to do? What to do?

Sauvie Island (the sweet little farming island just north of Portland) has some you-pick farms. Since, I've been hearing about the joys of you-pick from so many sources and have been inundated with pictures of pies, you know what I want to do if I am, indeed, free. Perhaps, I'll make a date of it and get one of my many suitors to come with me. Or maybe it'll be straight roomie fun.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I may have to work.... but if I don't...

Last night: Midnight mystery ride. Bike prom. Don't know what I did but got hit on by a lot of skeezers. Deflected them with an unceremonious and somewhat emasculating rhetoric. What can I say? I get mean when pushed too hard. You gotta be gentle with me. I'm a princess.

Tonight is the world famous World Naked Bike Ride. Gonna be a lotta nakies out there. Bicyclist are fragile and there's nothing like them riding around in mostly skin and bones to really send that point home to motorist. There is no hard shell protecting these organs.

Tomorrow is work but then a date!! "Milkshakes" and a show. It's going to be a tired day. More work on Monday (get money), but I should find a time to train-First training run of the potential Portland Marathon.

Don't point out that I'm afraid of failure.
Tell me I'm crazy and I'll prove you wrong.

Tuesday I have a brief respite. Just a going away party. A show if I can squeeze it in. Wednesday, train and work. Thursday, train and work. Friday Work, and work. Saturday, long run!! And work. Sunday working again. Did I already flash them dollar signs at y'all. $$$$$$$

Monday, I've got a friend date.
Fancy drinks, fancy food.
The beginning of a long anticipated two day weekend!