June 2000 Archives

It's 9:56pm on the West Coast and the light from the sun is just now fading. It was a perfect Portland summer day: hot all afternoon, but pleasant now. And everything is surrounded by the aura of fading sunlight.

The sun has actually been gone for some time. But you know how light hangs around after the sun goes down, don't you?

Alyssa and Tonya came to Portland to hang with me for a little while. They're doing a cross-country trip that boggles the mind. And I'm incredibly jealous. Anyway, they only really got about two hours of my time, which probably wasn't enough. But I'm glad they came by.

Tomorrow, Amy and I are hosting the first meeting of a little, pretty informal writing group. I hope it inspires me to write some more. I really need the feedback that they might be able to give.

And last but not least, I'm going to Germany in August. I'm incredibly excited about it. Lars and Anne are getting married on the Lake of Konstanz. We're going to spend the week after their wedding hanging out on an island in the lake. It just doesn't get any better!

Today for the first time in my life, I commuted *with traffic* from a suburb to a city. It really wasn't bad. But then again, I left at 6:30, and I arrived at work an hour early. Always be prepared. That's what I learned (in less than two years) from the Boy Scouts of America. My scoutmaster would be proud.

And that's the news from Portland. I've got a new job!

This is gearing up right outside of our front door. We live right on the main street (check out the "panoramae" in that last link) and since it will be lined with classic cars and gaping people, we had to repark our car for the night several blocks away.

No matter. Back when we lived in trendy Northwest Portland it took an hour to park, and anything within 10 blocks was an excellent find. We can repark one day a year for the sake of a few hundred classic cars.

Tomorrow, Amy and I are having our second wedding reception. This one's small and simple, at my mother's house.

And after we're finished with that, we'll head off to Saltimbanco.

So after all of my moaning about not getting outside enough, Amy and I spent four hours climbing up (and then back down) Dog Mountain.

I've climbed this particular mountain before.

Like last time, I'm sore. Unlike last time, the day was absolutely beautiful. It was the clearest day in months. When Amy and I reached the summit, we could see the peak of Mt. Hood over the hills on the Oregon side of the gorge.

That was Saturday. Yesterday, Amy and I ran 10 miles. We're training for the Portland Marathon. But there's something wrong with my right knee. So I ended up walking (read: limping) a lot more than I liked.

Regardless, it was one of the most athletic weekends I've had in a long time, and though I'm aching from head to toe, I loved it.

I haven't been dreaming at all recently. I think it's because I haven't had enough sleep. When I sleep well, I wake up before I get up. And it's in that time that I have dreams I can remember.