Here's the first of the series: Downtown Portland, overlooking the Willamette River from the Broadway Bridge. Date: Unknown.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
cell phone pic of the day
I have recently realized that I have a large collection of pictures on my phone, most of which I don't remember even taking. Some of them are kind of cool for having been shot with a crappy cell camera, so I thought I'd post a few every now and then.
Here's the first of the series: Downtown Portland, overlooking the Willamette River from the Broadway Bridge. Date: Unknown.
Here's the first of the series: Downtown Portland, overlooking the Willamette River from the Broadway Bridge. Date: Unknown.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Aggghh
I was warned that getting through the paperwork connection with graduation at PSU is an arduous and maddening process, but I really thought it wasn't going to be a big deal. I applied for graduation for fall term back at the deadline in, like, July or something - quite awhile ago. I didn't hear anything other than receiving a degree application charge on my account until today. And it says, 'thanks for applying for a Bachelor of Science degree!' Or something like that. But I didn't apply for a Bachelor of Science, I applied for a Bachelor of Arts. Christ above, I don't even pretend to have the credits for a science degree. Of course the email gives no direction of who to talk to and even if it's too late to do anything about it. Uggggggg! I hate bureaucracy!
Meanwhile, I'm taking 20 credits this term - a ridiculous amount at one time - to try and finish this degree I apparently didn't apply for. This doesn't help my motivation to study any.
The good news pertaining to all of this is that even after this term I will still have about 12 months of GI Bill leftover. As it pays quite a bit more than my tuition costs, it's sort of like a job. And if I go traveling, that means when I come back I can sign up for a postbac at PSU or the community college and have an instant job. Bah, and if this stupid Bachelor of Science crap persists, then I guess I won't even have to bother with the postbac thing, it could just be a regular undergrad degree schedule.
Meanwhile, I'm taking 20 credits this term - a ridiculous amount at one time - to try and finish this degree I apparently didn't apply for. This doesn't help my motivation to study any.
The good news pertaining to all of this is that even after this term I will still have about 12 months of GI Bill leftover. As it pays quite a bit more than my tuition costs, it's sort of like a job. And if I go traveling, that means when I come back I can sign up for a postbac at PSU or the community college and have an instant job. Bah, and if this stupid Bachelor of Science crap persists, then I guess I won't even have to bother with the postbac thing, it could just be a regular undergrad degree schedule.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Rainwater
Apparently the downside to ecobuildings is that you can no longer drink out of the toilet bowl. Damn environmentalists!
Found in a toilet stall on PSU's campus.
Found in a toilet stall on PSU's campus.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Worlds Collide!!!!
An old army friend ran into me today on campus. I was stunned. I couldn't think of his name, where I knew him from, other than generally 'the army' (though I could, strangely, tell you his hometown), or if he was married/who he was married to. What's odd is that I thought I saw him in a class a few days ago, and I thought, "man, that guy looks familiar. Who does he remind me of? What was that guy's name?" What's even more odd is that that guy from my class wasn't him.
Anyway, with some facebook/myspace sleuthing, I took a guess at his name and eventually put it all together. Only a few times have my army friends met and hung out with my civilian friends, and even then it was a planned event. This unexpected collision of worlds that were never meant to intersect leaves me feeling woozy. I like to have a general sense of order in the world and in that order certain people do not belong in certain places. It's sort of like a character from a book I've read long ago appearing in a new and completely different story. Weird, weird, weird.
Anyway, with some facebook/myspace sleuthing, I took a guess at his name and eventually put it all together. Only a few times have my army friends met and hung out with my civilian friends, and even then it was a planned event. This unexpected collision of worlds that were never meant to intersect leaves me feeling woozy. I like to have a general sense of order in the world and in that order certain people do not belong in certain places. It's sort of like a character from a book I've read long ago appearing in a new and completely different story. Weird, weird, weird.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Well, crap
For those of you who were unaware, for the past couple years I'd been planning on taking up a working holiday visa with Ireland (4 months) and the UK (6 months, and repeatable once) when I graduated university. With a little bit of effort I should graduate in December and would therefore be looking at late January or early February for departing on ten months of work abroad. I even had a sort of job offer in the UK. But when I clicked on the programs website a few days ago in order to get the application started, I read, "As a result of changes in UK immigration rules, the present Blue Card program ends on December 31st, 2008. However, the deadline for the issuance of 2008 Blue Cards has now passed and we regret that no further cards can be issued. ...It is hoped that an agreement will be reached in the near future and that the BUNAC Work in Britain program will be available to US participants for 2009."
After then reading up on these changes on the official British government site on immigration and work permits, I have very little hope in that last sentence. It is a masterfully tangled web of bureaucracy they've created over there and it seems to be a work in progress, with only increased levels of convoluted direction in the future.
So now I just don't know what to do. I'm stuck back in the old problem I've avoided since high school: what the fuck am I gonna do with my life? Working abroad was sort of a delay tactic to avoid joining the real world (as was the army, college, etc) and now the real world will be here in January.
I suppose though that I still have a bunch of money saved up from my army days and that I could still go over to Europe and bum around for a few months. Instead of coming home with a small dent in my savings under the work program, I'll come home truly in need of a job. But hell, what am I gonna spend that money on anyway? Food, rent, gas, car insurance? That sounds awful. If my military-bound self heard my whining university self say that she'd be bitterly disappointed. I didn't work that hard and save up so that I could continue the same later. Nah, I wanted a vacation and an adventure! I'm looking for optimism here, as you can see.
After then reading up on these changes on the official British government site on immigration and work permits, I have very little hope in that last sentence. It is a masterfully tangled web of bureaucracy they've created over there and it seems to be a work in progress, with only increased levels of convoluted direction in the future.
So now I just don't know what to do. I'm stuck back in the old problem I've avoided since high school: what the fuck am I gonna do with my life? Working abroad was sort of a delay tactic to avoid joining the real world (as was the army, college, etc) and now the real world will be here in January.
I suppose though that I still have a bunch of money saved up from my army days and that I could still go over to Europe and bum around for a few months. Instead of coming home with a small dent in my savings under the work program, I'll come home truly in need of a job. But hell, what am I gonna spend that money on anyway? Food, rent, gas, car insurance? That sounds awful. If my military-bound self heard my whining university self say that she'd be bitterly disappointed. I didn't work that hard and save up so that I could continue the same later. Nah, I wanted a vacation and an adventure! I'm looking for optimism here, as you can see.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
It's been a good couple days
Earlier this week I was considering taking the train up to Canada for a few days, since I was getting so bored sitting around in the basement, downloading music and generally being a lazy slob. And because my natural state is a lazy slob it's quite a feat that I reached a limit. But I stuck around here because it was the Timbers last home game on Thursday and I promised my indoor soccer team I'd actually show up this weekend (forgot last week. oooops.), making any trip to Vancouver rather short and expensive. As it turned out, I'm pleased I didn't run away to Canada.
The Timbers put us and themselves out of our collective misery on Thursday by eliminating any chance of making the playoffs, losing 2-1. It was both a heartbreaking game and typical of how this season has played out. We scored first and continued to dominate the game. Then one of our central defenders was given a red card in the first half. I've only seen players get red cards in the first half maybe a handful of times, ever, but it's happened to the Timbers four or five times this season. Though a man down, we continued to possess the ball and outplay Charleston, and yet Charleston got hold of the ball and scored two, the winner coming in the 89th minute. Despite the loss, it was a fun night. The team tried, there wasn't a lot of negativity in the stands and I was just happy to be surrounded by a group of people that love to yell and sing and support a team through thick and thin. There were a few smoke bombs, a lot of pogoing and of course gallons of cheap beer. And it's always nice to see 13,000+ people come out on a school night to cheer on their local club, even if a lot of them are only their for the $2 beers.
Friday, the hangover caused me to hangout in the cool, dark basement and read the news most of the day. The roommate came home and dragged me out to our mutual friend's band's show, and I left from there to head downtown and watch one of my all-time favorite bands, Bad Religion, for the first time. Well ok, I saw them at the Warp tour in Texas a few years ago, but that hardly counts, right? They put on a pretty decent show, and aside from the dumbass that dove off the fifteen-foot tall amplifier stack and crushed a bunch of oblivious people on the dance floor, the crowd was decent, too. There were a few kids there, which is always heartening in these days where it seems punkrock is only followed by a bunch of old-timers.
Today was one of those days that makes me glad to live in Portland. Warm and crisp, downtown shone in the backdrop of a clear blue sky, and my indoor soccer team drank beer in an open-walled bar after our game, soaking in both the sun and the breeze. I had a delicious beer and a cider I'd never tried before, and when I came home from that there was a stack of new CDs that mailman had delivered.
There's another show tonight with my roommates' band, but I was content to stay at home and write you this very boring blog. You're welcome. :D
The Timbers put us and themselves out of our collective misery on Thursday by eliminating any chance of making the playoffs, losing 2-1. It was both a heartbreaking game and typical of how this season has played out. We scored first and continued to dominate the game. Then one of our central defenders was given a red card in the first half. I've only seen players get red cards in the first half maybe a handful of times, ever, but it's happened to the Timbers four or five times this season. Though a man down, we continued to possess the ball and outplay Charleston, and yet Charleston got hold of the ball and scored two, the winner coming in the 89th minute. Despite the loss, it was a fun night. The team tried, there wasn't a lot of negativity in the stands and I was just happy to be surrounded by a group of people that love to yell and sing and support a team through thick and thin. There were a few smoke bombs, a lot of pogoing and of course gallons of cheap beer. And it's always nice to see 13,000+ people come out on a school night to cheer on their local club, even if a lot of them are only their for the $2 beers.
Friday, the hangover caused me to hangout in the cool, dark basement and read the news most of the day. The roommate came home and dragged me out to our mutual friend's band's show, and I left from there to head downtown and watch one of my all-time favorite bands, Bad Religion, for the first time. Well ok, I saw them at the Warp tour in Texas a few years ago, but that hardly counts, right? They put on a pretty decent show, and aside from the dumbass that dove off the fifteen-foot tall amplifier stack and crushed a bunch of oblivious people on the dance floor, the crowd was decent, too. There were a few kids there, which is always heartening in these days where it seems punkrock is only followed by a bunch of old-timers.
Today was one of those days that makes me glad to live in Portland. Warm and crisp, downtown shone in the backdrop of a clear blue sky, and my indoor soccer team drank beer in an open-walled bar after our game, soaking in both the sun and the breeze. I had a delicious beer and a cider I'd never tried before, and when I came home from that there was a stack of new CDs that mailman had delivered.
There's another show tonight with my roommates' band, but I was content to stay at home and write you this very boring blog. You're welcome. :D
Monday, September 8, 2008
a few pics
Click for a larger view.
Mt. Hood. Dunno how many times I've posted a pic of this thing, but it's so close to Portland that it's usually the first area I head to when I want to camp. At the time of this picture I was trying to find an alternate route to a remote campsite and wasn't quite sure where I was.
Now this is how logging should be done, leaving lots of big trees scattered about. Often logggers will leave the required number of trees only along the edges and clear out the middle Difficult to tell if it was just a fire, logged, or logged and burned. Fireweed (the purple flowers) makes it all the better.
Summit Lake, the campground I eventually ended up at. No one was there the entire three days I camped. Fish were jumping, ducks playing with each other woke me up at dawn, and the campsite was right up against the water.
Mt. Hood. Dunno how many times I've posted a pic of this thing, but it's so close to Portland that it's usually the first area I head to when I want to camp. At the time of this picture I was trying to find an alternate route to a remote campsite and wasn't quite sure where I was.
Now this is how logging should be done, leaving lots of big trees scattered about. Often logggers will leave the required number of trees only along the edges and clear out the middle Difficult to tell if it was just a fire, logged, or logged and burned. Fireweed (the purple flowers) makes it all the better.
Summit Lake, the campground I eventually ended up at. No one was there the entire three days I camped. Fish were jumping, ducks playing with each other woke me up at dawn, and the campsite was right up against the water.
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