Holy crap.

It's May tomorrow.

That is all.

Next year I'm giving up rain for Lent.

I left this morning at 6:45am on a quest for a long but easy, beautiful waterfall hike near Mount St. Helens. It was raining when I left, it continued to rain for an hour, and then I got lost and frustrated and decided to head back and do one of the favorite Gorge standbys.

It continued to rain. And rain, and rain.

So I ultimately skipped the hike, came home and went back to bed. Around 1pm (!) I finally got up. Got a really disappointing lunch at a joint the locals love, watched The Fountainhead (awfully disappointing, even worse than the Atlas Shrugged trailers make that one out to be) and did some depressing digital cleansing.

So much for Sunday Funday.

But! After 47 days* I am enjoying this...

... and covering up the gray, and then settling in for a Veronica Mars marathon to brush up on witty comebacks for the coming week. There may also be a pedicure and possibly some aforementioned Ben & Jerry's in the cards as well.

Given the four hour nap, I suspect I needed this zero day. Really hoping the raw local honey is working its magic against allergies this year but I suspect I'm in for another killer season. I'm far less mentally prepared for a full work week than in previous nature-weekend-filled weeks, and I think I might really need that perspective tomorrow, but my horoscope yesterday said I should slow down. Sometimes I think it knows me better than I know myself. And so here I sit, listening.

At least if this week sucks, I can go to happy hour!

________________
* A whole 47 days and no alcohol. Well, I failed once - but it was for a good cause and I confessed my sin. Not that this is a feat or a big deal, it's not like that. But while I haven't "figured it all out," I'm getting there, and it sure did get me out of a lot of mandatory fun. Thanks, Jesus!

Good thing I'm training for a half marathon.

"Like" CREDO on Facebook before April 30 and they will plant a tree in your honor.

That's nice and all, yay trees, but more importantly - members also get free pints of Ben & Jerry's. The new Peanut Brittle flavor? FAB. Throw some of your own peanut butter in for good measure? AH. MAY. ZING. (Holy cow, there are six pages of flavors! Who knew?!)

I hear you, Universe.

A month ago I was scheduled to go kayaking on the coast, but the trip was canceled because of the wind. It was also really rainy that day (and a 1.5 hour drive one-way) and I hadn't really been looking forward to it for those reasons despite valiant efforts to psych myself up for it.

I rescheduled at that time for a trip tomorrow. Every day this past week I considered rescheduling again - it's finally spring here, the wildflowers are coming out in waves, and my last three Sunday hikes have been really good mental prep for the long work weeks ahead. But I didn't, and I've been trying to psych myself up for it all day.

Just got an email from the guide saying he broke his foot and the trip was canceled tomorrow.

Really sorry about his foot, but also really glad I bought a new hiking book when I went to the Audubon Society the other night...

Gratitude.

Last night I had the fortune of hearing Noah Strycker speak about his 3-month experience researching Adelie penguins in the Antarctic. He wrote a book about it, and from what I've heard from him and read of it so far I highly recommend it. He's a great storyteller, and between the tales and the pictures I had a perma-grin for about 3 hours afterward.

He was only 22 when he did this excursion. When I was 22, I did my own excursion cross-country to the Bay Area, but I had no real goals (other than getting as far from the east coast without leaving the continental US) or skills or hobbies. Still don't, technically speaking. I look around at my coworkers 8-10 years younger than me and marvel at their expertise in certain subjects, at their career drive, at their ability to seemingly know what they want to do with their lives. On the other end of the spectrum, other friends had kids by the time they were 22 - an excursion of a whole other variety.

But do not despair, dear reader! This is not a "woe is me, what have I done with my life" post - quite the contrary, actually. I've done a hell of a lot with my life! I've seen states and countries most people have not. I've sustained employment when I wanted to, built some reasonably generic and widely transferable skills, and survived just fine without a job, too. I've got a ziplock bag stuffed so full of concert tickets that it's getting hard to close. I've managed to hold on to everyone who is dear to me, and cut loose everyone who is not. I've attempted (and failed) to learn guitar, pottery, acting, Spanish - but I had a whole lot of fun trying. I've loved and lost and I'm a better person for each of those experiences. I. Jumped. Out. Of. A. Plane.

I'm starting to think that 36 is the new 30. When I entered my third decade, everyone talked about how great it would be - I'd be comfortable with myself, I'd know what I wanted, I'd know how to make "it" happen, blah blah blah. It took me a bit longer than my friends, I guess, but I think I'm here. And I think it shows in how others see me, too.

And I'm loving every minute of it.

File under: damn, I'm old.

My attempt at local shopping was thwarted by Record Store Day. I wanted to check out used DVDs at Music Millennium (thank you, Chinook Book 20% off coupon) but between special release vinyls in honor of today and a possibly unrelated Deftones signing, it was a zoo. I bought The Naked and Famous CD (so technically, I did shop local), got the hell out of there and saved my coupon for another day.

But in keeping with today's (this month's?) music theme, I've been streaming Coachella all day. I was trying to find out the history of this festival and ran across this explanation: "Christians have retreats, we have Coachella. A lot less God and a lot more awesome."

Damn skippy. As far as I can tell, it's just a music and arts festival. But it's got worldwide draw. So far today I've watched Interpol, Mumford & Sons, The Swell Season and this little band called Two Door Cinema Club (who I now love), and all the bands seem to be in awe that they are playing this festival. It's been refreshing. Even Cage the Elephant was charming in their own wicked restless way.

You know what's amazing? Seeing these bands live, for free, without having to deal with that heat and fifty billion annoying people. The biggest problem I face is not wondering when/where I'm going to pee, or how to see over that six foot tall guy right in front of me, or what I'm missing on the other stages, or if my eardrums will ever forgive me. My biggest problem, sitting here in my pj's eating Ben & Jerry's, is how much of Arcade Fire do I watch before I switch over to Flogging Molly?

God bless the Internet.

Protein, exhibits A and B.

Last night's dinner: New Seasons curry chicken sausage hot off a friend's grill, salad.

Tonight's dinner: peanut butter out of the jar, milk.

And the winner is...

Eight miles round trip... one photo.

Really done with the rain, Portland. Really. Done.

Jen(n) shrugged.

I know I complained about it, but after seeing this I'm really glad I read the book.

Nobody said accountability was interesting.

BOGO socks at Next Adventure... (And also a replacement platypus for the hike tomorrow.) They have a pretty respectable online store, so if you're in need of any outdoor supplies you might consider them before shopping online at REI.

Up later - 20% off dinner with friends at Bamboo Sushi, the "first certified, sustainable sushi restaurant in the world."

I heart Portland. And the Chinook Book.

Belated Friday five.

Spring(ish) is here, and I'm finally feeling the music vibe again. Here are five bands including three I saw last night and two I will see Monday night, and why I liked/like them, in no particular order:

• Brainstorm - how in the world two people can make such noise - such coordinated, fun, funky, noise - is beyond me. Not something I would normally listen to, and not something I would probably listen to unless it was live, but I'm glad they were part of the show.
• And And And - definitely not a band I would pay money to see, but the show itself was a hot mess I wouldn't be sad to witness again. Something about... they made a tape, but the people who made their tape wouldn't give it to them so they had nothing to sell, which there was a synonym for ("I think it's 'bullshit'!"), which sent the lead singer into a "blackout rage" (his words, not mine). Many other amazing lines were uttered between mediocre indie pop songs, much like the Modest Mouse show except that I actually liked their songs. Anyway, AAA were rated top emerging Portland band by... someone. I can't say that I get it.
• Typhoon - these folks make beautiful indie chamber music (NPR's words, not mine) that makes me really, really happy. Normally I would say that eleven people in a band is borderline ridiculous, but in this case it really works. I am embarrassed to admit how many times I have watched this video.
• The Lonely Forest - I have already blah blah blah'ed about these guys. Still waiting for the new album to grow on me, which may happen Monday night, but for now I'll stick with what works.
  
• The Joy Formidable - I haven't seen them yet but sound clips indicate influences from Blondie and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. That can't be a bad thing.
  

Unrelated but not really, I've developed a new fondness for bands with more than one drum set. Please pray for my eardrums and/or contribute to my hearing aid fund.

Perspective.

Gratitude: having clothes to wear, having the ability (and quarters, and free water) to wash my clothes.

AWESOME: both washers in the laundry room free on a Sunday afternoon.

I put a bird on it.

Sock Dreams, SE Portland. Buy local!

Friday five.

The abridged version of this, in no particular order:

• Day 06 – Buffalo Soldier always reminds me of driving through Yellowstone on my first cross-country road trip. We trailed a group of Harleys for what felt like forever, listening to Bob Marley and desperately hoping they would turn off so we could pass. Just as we reached a breaking point of frustration we turned a curve and saw a bunch of buffalo and heard the first notes of this song. (Yes, I am aware that the song has nothing to do with actual buffalo.)
  
• Day 07 – I will never, ever forget watching Pearl Jam perform Indifference the night it was announced that Kurt Cobain had killed himself. (And holy shit, thanks to the magic of YouTube, I don't have to - this is from THAT VERY show. I distinctly remember the candles and the crowd. Wait... they had {really crappy} video cameras in 1994?)
  
• Day 20 – Nine Inch Nails is always good when I'm angry. Or frustrated, or bored, or irritated. This song really came in handy the other day at work. I hope his Oscar win doesn't preclude me from seeing him live someday.
  
• Day 24 – This is going to sound completely cheesy (and counter intuitive given the other songs I've mentioned), but I would love to have Ripple played at my funeral. I am not a die hard Dead fan or anything, but I really love this simple, peaceful song. (Check out the first comment in that clip - I'm not the only one!) Runner up would be Inaudible Melodies - also rather cheesy, but say what you want about Jack, I kinda like him. Someday I will do a Friday five of "inappropriate songs I want them to play at my funeral." There's a long list. It starts with "Dead" by They Might Be Giants.
  
• Day 29 – My mom turned me on to Simon & Garfunkel at a very early age. I knew all the words to Cecilia by the time I was four. Not a very appropriate song for a four year old to know all the words to... but these guys aren't much older, and we all seem to have turned out okay.