Category: blahblah

To avoid cross posting, I’ll just mention two recent posts on Rooftop Brew; Grants Brewing and Malting’s closure and my beer presentation for the ccumc.

So I was only able to muster 6 bike commutes for September – a rather poor showing compared to last year where I rode 14 days. Why the difference? Last year the commute was 2.5 miles, this year it’s 12.5. Last year I only had to do my job, this year I’m doing what feels like twice as much. I do feel kind of bad, but the totals I think speak nicely. Last year: 70 miles, this year: 144 miles.

Also, with today’s ride, I’m now at 40 rides with only 10 left for my goal of 50. That’s encouraging. With Jake, I’ve shortened the ride to 50 minutes and found a couple short cuts. Barbur Blvd, though ugly, noisy and dirty shaves off ten or more minutes when compared to Terwilliger, and on the ride home, the view of Hood and St. Helens is a treat.

In the last couple weeks I’ve heard some great quotes. Some were directed at me, others simply overheard in public.

• “Are you the type that wears alligator shoes?”
• “Does it look like they they have bubblegum here? Do you see anyone chewing bubblegum? Do they have a bubblegum machine?”
• “Don’t let him [barley] bite me, I just got up.”
• to Beth “Can I have a hug?”

I suppose context is what makes them funny, but they might be funny without it. The first one was some lady asking me as I walked Barley at 6:30am last week. The second was at the new brewpub from a guy to his son who was tired of waiting. The third was also while walking Barley, though Barley was on a leash and wasn’t even posturing in a menacing way. The fourth was yelled by some gringo with a white bandana in the back of a packed RX-7.

Job change, way too busy, new bike, server upgrades, schedule changes, tired. But, Arrested Development was awesome.

Why do I hate Walmart and love Ikea when they really aren’t that different? Is aesthetic that important?

Saturday Michelle and I headed up north to Yakima to raft the Tieton river with family (including my surrogate brother Brent) and visit with other family.

This was Michelle’s first rafting trip, and currently the Tieton is swelling with water that is being released from Rimrock dam to make room for this winter’s water. I’d rafted the Tieton twice before with the Manfredis, but this was the first time I’ve ever been in a paddle raft.

My mom won the tickets on the radio. I’m not sure how or when, but it was quite a score. Osprey, the guide company even had wet suits for us to use, which was an improvement over long underwear and rain pants.

The five of us shared one of the smaller play boats and our guide apparently though us the adventurous and responsive type because we got a great ride. The difference between this trip and previous was that I’m used to safely avoiding obstacles, and our guide (since it was his boat), playfully spun off a few rocks, and dipped us into a hole.

The pictures are great – and we got them from Osprey. Sadly, the one missing picture is the failed “Bow & Arrow” affair. You see – our guide instructed the paddlers on the left to hook their paddles onto a low-hanging cable as we passed under it. The idea was that they would hold on as long as possible and then let go – shooting the paddles back at the other rafts. But he didn’t tell us that. And, I missed the part about the people on the left doing it, so I stood up and hooked the cable too, and then didn’t know what to do so I held on as best I could and was pulled out of the boat, (Canoers aren’t supposed to ever let go of their paddle) pulling Brent into the water with me.

It was hilarious, and the water was fairly shallow and really quite warm, so we drifted a bit and go back into the raft to the cheers of the other boats in our flotilla. I suppose I should be more embarrassed, but it was fun, and the water was nice.

The ride lasted roughly two hours and was followed by a satisfying lunch. People were smiling knowingly at me. “There goes the guy who didn’t listen to his guide, then didn’t let go.” Yeah, well it was fun and I don’t regret it. I just hope Brent didn’t mind going for the ride with me.

Congratulations to Meghan and Troy on a wonderful wedding and best wishes to them in the coming years. We love you both and hope the honeymoon goes well. If you can travel together, there’s little you can’t do.

The wedding itself was marvelous. Meghan was glowing and Troy was calm and confident. If you don’t believe me, look at the pictures.

Traffic on Broadway yesterday largely consisted of large trucks and delivery vans. Most were diesel burning beasts that are exempt from DEQ emission standards. The fumes and exhaust were nasty and you could feel the particulate at times, and the pace going up Broadway ensured that you were always paired with a van, truck, or bus for most of the trip.

The effects of the exhaust and exertion did give me an idea though. A bicycle respirator! No – not those cumbersome full-face things, or even the avian-flu-nurse-like mask – something that could mount on the handlebars and allow you to use it only when you needed it – only when you were in a thick cloud of nastiness.

Today is the start of the BTA’s Bike Commute Challenge. The goal is to encourage people to ride their bike to work, and especially to encourage new riders to try it out. Last year I rode 17 days for the month of September and was quite pleased. This year I don’t expect as much given the change in distance. Still, if you want to ride to work, give it a shot. It feels good, and you get an immense sense of satisfaction when you pop a cold one when you get home. Oh, there’s some smugness that comes with it too, and the sense of smugness inflates at the same rate as gas prices.

Go – Ride!

Yesterday I started working as the Student Help Desk Coordinator, a position that Noah left so he could go expat. I’m jealous of his adventure, but for some reason I’m also excited about taking this job. Oddly enough, I researched the position 3 years ago to see if a student help desk at a community college was even feasible. Well, there were only 5 or so at the time, and with varying degrees of success. When we created the job description and posted it, my boss encouraged me to apply for it. I wasn’t that interested and declined. I had a good thing going.

Three years later – what’s different? Well, not much. In fact, I had planned on taking more classes at PSU so the increased responsibility was an odd choice. My decision to take the position was based on the advice of a friend who, like me, is not cut from management cloth. Chris said that I had to do it, and that even if I hated it, I’d learn a ton and gain invaluable experience. Ok.

Ok – I can handle that. Kind of odd how full circle I’ve come. I’ll have to write my old managers at WWU and tell them. This is exactly what I had planned on doing with my degree in Geography. At least I enjoy the work.