On the porch
Posted on | July 16, 2007 | 4 Comments
I’ve been here for a week, and I can’t even begin to tell you about all of it. I will be honest, though. Although I’ve got the words hanging on my fingertips, I haven’t shared them. I still don’t know what I should say. While the time has passed, I’ve come to understand the reality of leaving. I’m not from Orlando anymore. That’s hard for me to fathom right now. It’s the beer (they have the best fucking beer here!) and the sadness and knowing that it’s 11 my time and 2 in the morning in Florida and I can’t call any of you and share this. I’m known for my blatherings, but right now I have to stay silent. You are probably sleeping, and I respect that. Still, I wish I could call.
And there was way too many “I”‘s in that prior paragraph.
I would like to share this, though. I am wearing a long-sleeved shirt and slippers. It’s colder. I love this shit.
My first observations of Portland:
- If you are a liberal and political, you are in the right town.
- Coffee, bikes, organic groceries – oh my!
- Even wearing my nose ring, I am one of the plainest people here.
- The burbs are closer than you think
- Living in the same town as Cat is all I hoped for
- All the stores are cooler here
- Target is the same as it ever was
- Seeing Mt. Hood as I drive around town will always be amazing
- The hills are going to freak me out
- The homeless, who are not hidden like they are in Orlando, make me think
- My house, beyond all of its idiosyncrasies, is still my house, and as such, perfection
- There are a lot of bridges
- I can get “lost” here and still find my street.
- I love this place
When we got here, I knew immediately that I would love it. We erupted from the gorge and there was Portland. I called/texted Cat when we were on the river, and I tried to drive straight between the wind and wanting to watch the windsurfers on the river. They danced. I can’t say it any other way — they just danced on the water. As we came out of the gorge, we needed gas, and so began my second foray into not pumping my own gas. It’s fucking weird, I tell you. Very strange. I thought the first time was a fluke, but apparently in Oregon, you can’t pump your own gas. I haven’t taken the time to research the reasons why, but it bothers me. It means…….. I have to talk to strangers. Ugh. But when we got to our house, things started to settle down…and to begin.
At first blush, the house bothered me. All of the windows, save 6, are painted shut. And the AC I thought we had was actually just the air pump for the heater. Most houses don’t have AC here. Yeah, that is the suck. It got to 102 the day the truck came, and although the humidity was minimal, you still felt it. Not like you would in florida, but 102 in any state and you wish the world was made of iced tea and ice cream. Mmm… frozen dairy. Good stuff. It was only today that the house started to feel like our own. I hung paintings and ornamentation on the walls and found places for the kitchen gadgets. The back yard rocks. It’s about 1/3 the size of the the Nebraska house, but there are mature trees and lots of foliage. You can hear the trees sing.
And I had more to write….but its time for bed. More tomorrow.I miss you .
Comments
4 Responses to “On the porch”
Leave a Reply
Twit This!
- @littleanecdote Pelvis popping = sounds like a form of torture. Hope you feel better. :)
- No more aircast!!! #happydance I'm not even wearing an ace bandage today. It's all my own ankle strength! Whoo whooo! #walklikeanormalperson
- If you write a review in all caps, I may have to punch you in the throat. Am I supposed to take you seriously? #badamazonreviews
- RT @BethMcShane: Here's a fun #PDX fact: Portland has more strip clubs, per capita, than any other city in this country @Sandysviews
- RT @VictoriaDahl: Glad to hear that polygamy will be legal again, since govt has no right to interfere w religious beliefs. Also, stonin ...
- Guess what party animal was in bed by 9 last night? No writing. No exercise. Just me and my fluffy blanket. #Zzzzz
- Win a $5,000 Golden Parachute to pay off your Student Loans! http://t.co/qYlejCqa via @skillshare (kinda spammy,but I haz debt, yo)
- RT @Nnedi: wanting and wishing to write is NOT the same as writing.
- Look what I just signed up for : http://t.co/6unNg8H2 (it's the UF one SQUEEEEE)
- @snarkynavywife Dude!!!! Microphone!!!
Response
- Cat on Bedbugs, Cancers, and Listening to Fans
- Claire on Once Again
- moodymeow on Once Again
- Frankie on Once Again
- Cat on Confessions
Recent Posts
July 16th, 2007 @ 8:44 am
Glad you’re settling in; love the new layout!
July 16th, 2007 @ 12:51 pm
It sounds amazing…I am a bit jealous.
July 16th, 2007 @ 1:01 pm
glad to hear you are happy! miss ya. Im calling you right now….
July 16th, 2007 @ 10:15 pm
well…thanks to serendipity, we just discussed on the phone pretty much everything i was going to say…
i will say for others reading your blog, that the reason you can’t pump your own gas in Oregon is because if gas stations were self-serve, an awful lot of people would lose their jobs, and Oregonians don’t think that’s very fair, now is it?
Also, Ann Curry is from Oregon.
Also, I am heart broken, but I am so glad you are doing well, and are loving it. I knew you would!
How are the waggies?