I am home alone with a box of human bones

Me on a typical morning this week, job searching (but I am probably reading blogs)

Week 1 home alone roundup:

Greatest Moments:
Riding my bike to the bank (twice)
Meeting Jon for lunch
Cooking a large amount of brown rice in my new martha blue enameled cast-iron pot
Mastering how to sew a zipper (master is a strong word...)
Jay-Z dance party for one
Making Jon a lunch for school each day

Not so Good:
When the washing machine ate $1.25
Watching an old lady in a walker cross a street when it was red--frogger style--and I couldn't do anything about it (she crossed safely, and when I asked if she was ok she blew me kisses)
Applying for jobs and not hearing anything...
Saying "Alright, let's get crackin'!" out loud, to myself.

I don't have a baby, or a dog. I have an iMac.

Let me blog again, my shiny little friend.

My internet went out for a couple of hours today. Once I got over my initial panic and drank a can of diet coke, I used my caffeine buzz to go into cleaning overdrive. I couldn't pass a chair that was askew. I evenly spaced an ipod, pen, flash drive, and even a key that was sitting on a small pile of paper. Then I noticed that my stainless steel and white plastic friend was showing a little wear. The keyboard buttons were smudgy and dirty, the mouse not showing its usual patent finish. Armed with low-moisture anti-bacterial wipes, I spent the next 45 minutes using a fingertip to individually clean each button, using the mini swirl method. (The apostrophe button, by the way, was by far the dirtiest.) Then I polished the mouse, cleaning the trackball and the underside. I even cleaned the cords.

I had been looking at my keyboard with guilt for the past couple of weeks. Now I feel like a burden has been lifted. Now, my only worry is that I am developing a mad case of OCD.

1st day jitters!

Today Jon has his first day of dental school. I am so proud of him and amazed that this is actually happening after months of anticipation. He was nervous, as it is a new school with new people and he has to dissect a cadaver on his first day. We have been so lucky to spend just about every second with each other during the most adventurous summer of our lives. I loved every nanosecond of those seconds. Now I'm left to job hunt and do random things to fill my day. And yes, the beard is gone. Like Madonna, different phases of life require different looks.

We also had a great time with Jon's parents this past week, exploring different beaches and eating our way through Portland.

Oceanside and a spooky scary tunnel

Good news Mom--the kite you gave me freshman year flies like a dream! You are all jealous your mothers did not give you a ripstop nylon, eddie bauer kite. Although I did crash it in front of a lady who must not have understood English because she started running away when I was just trying to free her. I had to sprint a circle around her to finally get her to stop freaking out.

Jon has an entire sweatshirt devoted to the lighthouses of Oregon, so he was excited to visit this one.

tales of unemployment

Yesterday I had a job interview. I thought I could control my nerves until I got there and realized how much I wanted this job. After it was all over I sat in my car, broke out in a sweat and did what most people do--try to remember every word that came out of my mouth and analyze every syllable. As I was driving to pick up my visiting in laws I mulled over what I said but shouldn't have said, what I didn't say but should have, whether I breathed too loud or rambled a little too much, which resulted in me driving with a glazed look on my face. I was waiting to make a right turn behind a car when another car pulled alongside me, honking. I reluctantly looked over.

The driver yelled at me. "THERE IS NO ONE IN THAT CAR."

Sure enough. The car I was waiting behind was double parked by a mechanic's shop. The worst part was the 40 feet of space in front of the car before the intersection that I failed to see. I have no idea how long I was there, or how long I would have sat there waiting for this car to move.

I hate it when I give people excuses to tell dumb blond stories.

It's our time, right here!

If you look closely you can almost see the Goonie's pirate ship peeking out from behind the rocks.

This weekend it was hotter in Portland than Phoenix, so we decided to visit Cannon Beach (according to the traffic, most of Oregon decided to go too). After a few tears, Jon finally put his feet in--after they go numb, it's really not so bad. Kites were flying, mist abounded, and yes Dan, I think this is the most family friendly beach in America. The best part is that we now live 1.5 hours away from the ocean. (!)

These chairs were used so much in our last apartment it was like we were taking our living room with us. And don't let the towels fool you--they were really acting as blankets.

So misty, so barnacle-y.

hello, lover

Hello, Schwinn Varsity. You have a beautiful paint job. I know your owner is sad to let you go and sold you for a rock bottom price, but I promise to never let you sit in a shed unridden again. I was wondering if, maybe, we could go to work and church and Trader Joe's and have fun times together? As long as we both shall live?

I think you know what the answer was.

unemployment solutions

Not jacket face, but just a great picture of a guy reading a book with santa socks, a parisian Colby Stead.

Jon and I were driving back from ikea today with a carload of $2 toilet brushes and chalk when I saw a panhandler on the side of the road. Actually, it was a teenager with a miniskirt and tank top holding a cardboard sign pleading for money for gas. This girl looked groomed and skinny by choice. It reminded me of when we thought about how useful begging would be in Europe. Considering how cheap we were, a couple euros would have been a financial windfall, but I don't think we could pull off sad faces, although looking like we hadn't showered for days was another matter. I almost wanted to give this girl gas money. She looked so nice and clean--so unbeggarly that she surely had a need! Beggars usually give me the heebies, especially in France when Jon accidentally kicked a cup of one we endearingly called "jacket face," this because he held a jean jacket over his face with two strategically placed holes as to permit ease of glaring. I thought he was going to come after us with a knife. All he had in his cup was fingernail clippers (yet another potential weapon). Lesson learned--If you're going to look crazy scary, don't expect any money.

My piece of cardboard would be honest, my outfit neat.

"Wife of dental student with future six figure debt and an unusable degree. Please give."

McCall: so much to do, and yet...

Step off my box of chocolates.

Watching hours of the olympics combined with a lot of crafting and feeling a little under the weather equals: waking up in the middle of the night completely convinced that hand stitching is an olympic sport.

I didn't want to have an overdose on berry picking posts, so to read about Naylor family huckleberry adventures, click here.

God's country

The other day we decided to go blueberry picking. Portland farmer's markets are great, but there are also so many farms where you can pick your own fruit and vegetables and it costs much less. This farm was amazing. The blueberry bushes were unassuming in the middle of a suburb, small and quaint. You just pick what you want, weigh them in an old fashioned scale, and put money in a drawer, all unsupervised.(for $2 a pound!) We were alone, just picking berries in the sunshine and eating handfuls. We picked carefully, practicing "no berry left behind" much like anything we do--no quinoa left behind, no wheat chex left behind, no strawberry left behind. On Jon's suggestion, we each got a big handful and put them all in our mouth at once, and I drove away happy looking at my bucket of blueberry friends. Yes, we are twelve.

Decorating tip:

You should have something to contemplate whilst participating in necessary time consuming activities.

This picture is hanging in our bathroom. For me, it's an opportunity to explore the lives of 15 young people from a different time. Top left corner might be Candi. With her perky blonde bob, she is the life of the party and most outspoken member of the glee club. She loves Donny Osmond and is never without a Homecoming date. Candi married her high school sweetheart Don, who now owns the Quik-E Vacuum Repair downtown.

Middle row, second from right: Eddie. He grew up in a military family and mows lawns on the weekends. He has a girlfriend named Belinda who is appropriately practical and just good looking enough. Eddie worries about proving himself to his father but has secret dreams of jam sessions on the electric guitar with Herbie Hancock.

Bottom left corner: Margaret. She is an active member of 4-H and makes a mean current jelly. She is the oldest of 6 kids and thrives in leadership roles (and don't call her Marge). She used to have a boyfriend but her obligations with the prom committee got in the way. Cracking under the pressure and dateless for the prom she planned, Margaret got a little sauced after drinking too much punch and ended up kicking in the bass drum of the big band. Later, Margaret would go on to be the first woman governor of Nebraska.

But that's just what I think. Let me know who your favorite is and please introduce us.

more...

I promise this is the last post of pictures of Europe. We recently developed these and were much happier with these results than our color ones. More at our picasa page.