A very magical Friday

Okay, so this time I have a legit reason for being behind. Just as I catch up, something else happens and I forget to blog, but I promise the reason is good.

Thursday - Spent the day printing calenders and learning about layering inks. The calender I've been working on has 5 thick layers of ink and when there are large expanses (verses a small business card) of many layers of ink it is difficult to make sure they lay down smoothly.

While I was printing Brady was working on the Wilco poster and we had a good talk. We discussed printing, how he started Hammerpress, among other things. I don't think I asked too many questions and the ones I asked, he seemed to like to answer. I feel like I'm back in my niche at Hammerpress. We also talked about projects that are coming up and how the Heidelberg is making such a vast difference in his production abilities.

After work, I finished my illustration(still not happy with it) and waited for..... Adam!!! (Who was supposed to show up Wednesday, but delayed in Chicago) He didn't arrive until 10 or 11 at night, a little later that he'd originally planned, even after revising his schedule since Wednesday. He was very impressed with my living situation right from the start.

Friday I took off from work and showed Adam around town. I introduced him to the folks at Hammerpress, ate at Manny's, and gave him a short driving tour. We mostly hung around the West Bottoms though. It was a bit like a dream.

Adam loved the warehouses, I knew he would. He said I should write more about the West Bottoms in my blog, however I feel as though it is hard to write about. It is incredibly surreal, like out of a movie. Although, we foreign this it remains somehow familiar. Maybe I belong in this sort of scenario (my successes would provide proof to that effect), but it seems like walking around here has a sense of deja vous.

Anyway, the two of us stayed up until 4 in the morning or later. We wandered the West Bottoms both by bike and foot. We explored a warehouse and found some rotting stairs. Adam made some tuna on toast and he and I discussed how to best make tamales. It was an incredibly lovely evening that even held a midwest thunderstorm in store for us...

Adam only stayed until Saturday morning. He bid me farewell and I left for the farmer's market to prepare for the evening's events.

Finally...

Okay, so I hate going back and writing updates, I need to get in the swing of writing every morning instead of a week after. So instead of writing a whole post for every two days or so, like I've been intending, here is a choppy yet full update from the last week.

Here is a quick recap of the last week:

- Was hired at the Gap after an interview (pwned it) and had Urban Outfitters fall over themselves to get me into an interview (semi pwned it, if only I could capture that hipster spirit).
- Following day had JCrew ask me in for an interview, pwned that one too.
- Possible manager (keyholder) position to be had at Gap.
- Power went out - candles?
- Started illustration project - chose "redneck" as slang term
- Poster for Hearts of Darkness
- Date with guy from Craigslist - hails from a small town in Nebraska, a little too into politics...
- Hot haircut then rockabilly night. Now I look like I'm over 18; plus no more split ends (yey!).
- Going through too much eyeliner phase
- Cut Copy, LCD Soundsystem, Rolling Stones
- Power and Light District - stinks!
- New bar in West Bottoms, ran into Brady, again....
- American Royal time! BBQ weekend is fast approaching.
- Typesetting! (Coming soon). Printing calenders for now.
- Card stuffing - gigantic christmas orders.
- Collaboration with Eric (Coming soon)
- Adam (V.) to be visiting - next week ?!?!
- West Bottoms bike rides and evenings "porching it" with stuffed peppers wrapped in bacon (omg!)
- Lost inch and a half from hips - tuna based diet is working
- Oh, and riding my bike to work, that helps too.

I guess this is part of moving on...

I've been real busy/down lately and I'll update what I've done the weekend, probably sometime tomorrow.

It is finally settling in. Adam and I aren't together and it isn't the end of the world, but I sure do miss him. Kansas City is lonely, but Portland is too and honestly, sometimes that's life.

My heart hurts right now and I'm not really sure what do about it. Wait? Of course. I don't really have any other option. I've made alot of decisions for good or bad, and well... give it sometime and we shall see where they lead me.

God - I feel like you have something in store for me - wanna give me a clue sometime soon, because right now I feel pretty lost.

My heart hurts.

Adam is gone.

Last night he drove me to my car, helped pack up my things, kissed me goodbye and drove away. I have no idea when I'll see him again. He certainly won't becoming back to Portland...

Adam is leaving for Atlanta. He has a wonderful opportunity there and I'm sure he will grow rapidly. It will be amazing from his talents and when he is finished, I am excited to see what he'll have become. However, our time here in Portland is finished. That sucks.

He told me how much it hurt to not have me in Portland over the summer and I guess I didn't really understand. Kansas City was working so well I didn't really stop to think of what Portland must have been like. Now I get to.

Adam is my best friend. Everything around here reminds me of him and the fact I don't have him here stinks. 

I don't have a home right now and back in Kansas City, that made me mad that I'd have no where to live while I'm here, but in retrospect I'm glad. I don't think I'd like being in my apartment without him. I can't imagine what it must have been like to stay there and have all of my things around him. No wonder he felt so bad.

My heart hurts and I don't know how to make it go away. I want to be excited about being back in Portland, but it is difficult. In general it is pretty hard to see things in a good light right now. 

I want to have him around again, all the time, like he was before, but when am I going to Atlanta? When would he go to Kansas City? It would be awful to ask him to come back to Portland. From where I am standing, my year here in Portland looks pretty lonely. I am glad I'm going to Kansas City. I need to get away from this....

I miss Adam so much.

The Golden State

August 6th - I arrived in San Francisco at 9:30am. I was flying there to meet Adam so we could go to his older sister's wedding on the 8th. We planned a day for ourselves on the 6th.

Adam was already in California being a glass star with Loren Stump and Emilio Santini. His class had finished on Sunday and he'd since been hanging out at Loren's studio waiting for me to arrive.

Our goal was to see as much of San Fran as physically possible in one day, and I think we did a good job. We started at the Fisherman's Wharf (I got to drive down Lombard Street on the way there), shared a bread bowl for lunch, then walked the financial district and ended in China Town for dinner. After potstickers, we were both too tired and poor to continue, so we went to our hotel and fell fast asleep.

The next day, August 7th, we drove to Monterey and took part in pre-wedding parties. There was the wedding rehearsal, rehearsal barbeque, and after barbeque drinks. I met Adam's dad's large side of the family and ate more Mexican food.

Speaking of food, I haven't eaten yet. I'll finish this up after I do.

Okay, August 8th - Andrea's wedding was lovely. It was held at this beach side resort in a spot overlooking the water. The resort catered and provided almost everything. The wedding was picturesque to say the least. Adam made glass flowers for Andrea's bridal bouquet and they were ooh'ed and ahh'ed over by everyone. The photographer said he'd been doing wedding's along time and had never seen anything like it. He also mentioned that Adam should go into business making glass bridal bouquets, Adam though this would be a good idea.

There was much dancing at the reception and everyone left feeling the wedding went very well.

The 9th and 10th were spent with Adam's family exploring Monterey. We went swimming at Lover's Point, explored tide pools, watched beautiful sunsets and traversed the aquarium. Adam felt at home in Monterey, one of the place he grew up, and was obviously excited to see the aquarium and tide pools.

The evening of the 10th, the two of us said goodbye to Adam's family and drove up the coast to Humboldt State Park. (When crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, there was so much fog, we couldn't even see it.) We arrived too late to find a real camping spot, so we pitched our tent on the side of the road.

The next day we signed up for environmental camping at the ranger station and spent our one day in the woods tromping through redwood trails and streams. I think we are going to attempt to go every year. My heart hurt leaving so early.

Yesterday, we drove home. Last night I had to say goodbye....