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| So much for the daily blog ... |
| 05.22.05 (7:32 pm) [edit] |
So I'm listening to Howie Day on my sister's iPod (and yes, I'm using my own earbuds) and trying to think of all the events that have happened since my last blog. Right now I'm feeling reminiscent and hopeful just because of how life is beautifully working itself out. The weather in Portland has been interesting, to say the least. I think the most popular small talk item for me is the weather, especially when it's clear and warm one moment, and a grey deluge of rain the next. Perhaps the old adage will soon change to "May showers, June flowers" ...
Updates, updates, updates - there are a few major ones. But first off, I have to say thank God I take the bus everyday. Drivers in the Pearl are some of the most impulsive people in this city. Perhaps their driving abilities are due to the fact they may be out of state visitors or loft-dwelling hopefuls; who knows, but you gotta keep your eyes on them. This lady almost backed into me twice trying to park her BMW; this was after she had a 2 minute conversation with a driver from on-coming traffic on 13th & Glisan. Fortunately, I caught my emotional reaction before it could turn into a spoiled-brat outburst, and just tried to calmly remind myself that I've probably committed the same annoying (yet terribly petty) act at least once in my life.
Tuesday, May 17th: One of my closest friends picked me up after work and took me out for dinner and lunch. When she arrived at my work, I gave her a brief tour of the office and then we headed to Saucebox for dinner. We ate delicious tuna rolls, green curry, tapioca chicken dumplings and chicken satay at this elegant little pan-Asian bistro on Broadway. Talk about a diamond in the rough! This venue is one of the swankiest places I've been to, with well-dressed clientele and modern art to match. How many places do you know that offer sparkling water to start off your evening? That was definitely a nice touch, although I did feel rather silly requesting "normal water" (a juxtaposition I never thought I'd utter) when the sparkling O2 seemed to aggravate the spicy curry in my mouth. The presentation was perfect and lovely and the food outstanding. Don't let the seemingly-small bowl of curry deter you from ordering it - it truly is enough to share. Here are some pictures of Saucebox that night:
Afterwards, we headed off to Pix Patisserie off of SE Division for dessert. Quaint and cute, this little dessert shop churns (no pun intended) out its own unique pastries in delectable, ladylike servings. My friend got hazelnut-flavored cake and I opted for pistachio and mixed fruit cake. I will definitely head back to Pix again!!
Wednesday, May 18th: Today I got my hair cut at Bella Tocca during my lunch break. I've always had this secret desire to get bangs, but have always shied away from the notion whenever it became close to materializing. Well, my best friend really wanted me to do something different, so she arranged for me to get it cut as a birthday present. This was my chance to finally do it and it actually turned out pretty well!! The ladies at work said they thought it was cute and looked good, but the best comment I got was more of a back-handed compliment. Someone asked me "Maria, did you change your hair?" to which I responded "Yes" and he said "Oh. It looks much better." I didn't know some people thought my hair looked that bad before!! LOL ...
Thursday, May 19th: Apparently, I didn't claim a certain exemption on my taxes, so I got a check for $151 from OR state. That was a nice gesture, considering the fact I had just purchased a digital camera from Circuit City for $200. You would think someone like me would have jumped on that band wagon a long time ago, but for some reason, digital cameras didn't entice me like notebook computers and flash drive devices. For the last several years I've relied on disposable cameras to capture those special moments, if I had a camera at all! Well, my upcoming trip to Waikiki in a couple months has suddenly changed my perspective on digital cameras so for the past week I had been online trying to find a cheap camera for under $150. My dad has won several gift certificates from Best Buy and offered $60 worth to me, which was very kind. I ended up getting a 512 memory card with his gift certificates and finding the camera of my dreams elsewhere. I got a Kodak LS543 - it's a 5 megapixel camera with a TON of features and an extremely easy user interface. I've already printed pictures and I must say I'm quite the happy camper. The only downside to this camera is that the rechargeable battery is so incredibly inefficient. Or, maybe it's just me. I just thought it would last longer than 2 days ...
Saturday, May 21st: I ran errands as usual, since every Saturday that's basically my routine. Then, I got lost trying to find my friend's graduation party in Vancouver. The directions told me to take I5 North, then take the WA 500/Orchards exit and turn left on NE Fourth Plain. Well, on SR 500 I haven't gone farther east than NE Andresen, so I freaked out and took that exit. From there I took Fourth Plain but noticed the building numbers were totally off. I tried to drive around as long as I could, because I have this little issue where I get too proud to stop and ask for directions, but eventually I just pulled into a Barnes & Noble parking lot and called the restaurant. The hostess said they were on 117th & Fourth Plain; I was on 77th & Fourth Plain. Well, I get to 117th, but the restaurant is no where in sight!! I couldn't believe it. So I'm driving around again, still trying to figure it out on my own, when my friend calls. She told me exactly where the restaurant was and fortunately everyone was still eating. It was really nice - her family and fellow colleagues from school were there. Her parents and other family members sang songs and danced the night away!! Sadly, there is no rythym in me, so all I could do when I was mercilessly pulled onto the dance floor was just stand there. You know how cats have a tendency to wander up to people who don't like cats? It's as if they can almost sense it and it attracts them. Well, there are also people who can just sense a young woman with no rythym, and their primal instinct is to start dancing with them - whether or not their leading is solicited! Yep. The singer grabbed my arm and basically started to twirl himself under my hand and do dance moves that would make Britney Spears blush. It was so hilarious!!! Afterwards, everyone got to take pictures with my friend before heading home. I can't describe how proud and happy I am for her and even just how giddy I am about the experiences she is about to embark upon. I feel like it's my own kid growing up and going off ...
So that's about it for now. Well, except for the occasional body aches. One of the corners on my upper right wisdom tooth is starting to protrude through my gum and it's killing me. Patience ... I'm just waiting for it to erupt so that I can have all 3 taken out at once. Getting my first wisdom tooth out was such an awful experience, I don't want to have to go back a third time! Speaking of, I should take some advil now. Until then ...
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