2 Months

We've been in Portland for almost 2 months now. The time has just FLOWN. This week, for example, was over in an instant. Well, that was partially because I worked from home on Monday and then we closed for spring break on Wednesday (though I did go in that day to get some stuff done). Even then, I couldn't believe how quickly that all took place. It's been nice to have some days off during the week.

Our lives have been quite busy since we moved to Portland. Kristen has been having lots of meetings to network with some really good people; networking that will hopefully bear fruit in the next week or so. And we've been busy integrating into the community and exploring the area. Two weeks ago, I was invited to a brew-day at another local homebrewer's house. He's someone I've kept in touch with since we left for Belgium in 2003. And we've been reading each others blogs. He writes one called Rooftop. Funnily enough, when I was at his house, we discovered that he knows my boss! Small world. Small town! They worked together when she was at PCC. Anyway, the brew day was fun, though I couldn't stay for the whole thing because that evening we were going to Mother Bea's wake (kind of)/posthumous birthday party. Andy gave me several ounces of whole hops. He has a PLENTIFUL supply because his wife comes from a hop-growing family! I haven't been able to use them yet because my brewery is still defunct (for financial and equipment reasons). It was also great to see Andy's suburban chickens, something I very much want to get into when we eventually buy a house.

Mother Bea's birthday party was kind of fun actually (despite the circumstances). It was a HUGE family gathering and everyone was really nice and fun to be around. There was lots of wine and beer-induced merriment, good home-cooked food, and for dessert, 94 candles divided among three birthday cakes.




The day after that (a Monday), we went to the Catholic church service. Though we're not religious in the least, it was a very moving service and a heartfelt memorial. The way the family spoke about her made me really glad that we had met her, however briefly.

My job is going really well. I really love it. And it is very fulfilling and engaging. Workload-wise it is very much like my last job (i.e.- too much to do and too little time to do it), so I'm used to working that way and have some valuable crossover skills that help me cope. One of these days, I'll write some more about what it is I do, exactly. Another great thing is that I have been able to ride my bike to work most days. It takes about 25-30 minutes each way (it's about 5 miles), so I get some good exercise and I think I'm finally starting to lose a little bit of weight, which is always nice. Unfortunately, my weight-lifting regime has mostly fallen by the wayside. We don't belong to a gym at the moment, so I just go to the fitness center here in the complex a couple of days per week. It's very small and pretty much only has a universal machine for strength training. Right now, I'm just trying to keep from losing the muscle mass I built up from going to the YMCA in England and then the awesome gym in Florida.

We've been exploring the area a lot because it's an engaging, free activity (for the most part). Last weekend, we checked out the Saturday Market (too crowded and too cheesy for my taste) and went to the free day at the Portland Art Museum -- they had a large donation this year so that they could have free admission 4 days per year. That day, we also purchased tickets for Neko Case at the Crystal Ballroom in June. Should be fun. She's always great live. We're going with Jenna and Mike.

This weekend is shaping up to be an all-about-the-garden weekend. This morning we went to a free class about growing vegetables in a small plot and had our soil pH tested (it's 6.6). Got some really good information and found out the best places to buy soil, seeds, etc. The people running the class were a bit overwhelmed because they only expected 20 or so people (similar numbers to previous years), but there was probably double that. Lots of people are getting into gardening now, spurred on by the recession. Though, in my opinion, the average garden doesn't really save money. At best, you break even. I just want to do it because I love gardening! Tomorrow we are going to another free class: backyard hop cultivation! Our plan is to plant two hop rhizomes in pots on our back patio. There's a small trellis that they can climb up, though I have a feeling that we might be a bit overwhelmed by August/September because hops can grow 20 feet or more! Then, hopefully, by this Autumn my brewery will be up and running and I can make some beers using fresh hops. Luckily, hop vines are nice to look at, too!

Finally, I just want to say "I LOVE PORTLAND!" I am so glad we were able to move here! It's such a great city. We keep having these moments doing mundane things when we think to ourselves "I love this town." Great vibe, nice people, lots of character, very green (both vernal and environmental), fabulous restaurants, and it's cool. One thing I've learned, though, is I'm not special as a homebrewer or beer-lover here!

Update via photographs

Bea Jacobs

Mother Bea died last week and this morning we attended her funeral.
We were so lucky to meet her and be part of her family!

Read about this wonderful person here: Bea Jacobs

K & R

Slight change of plans

This is going to sound completely insane considering the state of the economy and the job market, but Kristen has decided to pass on the background investigation job. Her gut instinct was that it wasn't right for her. Plus: there wouldn't really be any potential for advancement; the pay was not very good (especially considering the nature of the job); and it would mean that all the Portland networking momentum that she has built up would cease entirely. And that networking will definitely lead to the job that she really wants. We talked at length about it and she did some soul-searching before deciding to pass. It's a gamble and a half, but it's a gamble that I am sure will pay off. For the moment, Kristen will try freelancing as a researcher. We will give that a try for 3 months or so to see how it goes (networking all the while).