On the road again...soon.

Back to Washington.

My stay in Portland is hours from being over. I'm ready to go back to Kansas City, but things are looking like they'll be different than I planned.

*** No KCAI. I'm going to be doing an independent study with Martin French instead. I'll be taking the class I was going to be taking originally (Illustration Visual Vocabulary - Wednesdays @ 11) but online, instead of in person. Since I've taken the class before, it is a chance to stretch my wings and see if I can't take the ground running this time around.

*** More working. Two jobs, at least. Hammerpress will be one, but according to an email I received today, it looks as though Brady may not be able to pay me for as many days as I was anticipating. Halliday works at a teashop where the work is easy and when it isn't busy, I would be able to work on my own projects. Only down point is; would they take me from 6 to ten? Halliday goes in at 3.

Option number two is the infamous Lulu's, where I understand the manager stinks to high heaven, but Uriah worked from 6pm to ten or eleven, so I imagine I could too - bonus, it is located about a block away from Hammerpress.

Option three is Grinders, a bar/greasy spoon also not far from Hammerpress.

I'm sure there are more, most of which include food service, but I will have to see what they pay to better ascertain how many I will have to take on. I've wanted to work as a bartender, maybe now is a good time to try it out.

Things I've got to do when I get back:

1. FIX BIKE! No more squeakage. I want to be able to ride it to work and I will annoy the shit out of myself if it squeaks all the way there.

2. Find job - no more than two week time span for this

3. Reestablish myself at Manny's. 

4. Create poster for Pistol show - no more than two week time span for this

5. Check out the arts INKubator and make sure my stuff hasn't been thrown out

6. Eat either Mayan Tostada or North African plate at YJ's 

7. Find local doctor

odds and ends.

More printing today, and appointments. Getting everything settled for going back to KC.

Communication. I have issues with listening, and I have issues with responding. Why? I'm honestly a bit embarrassed to be confronted by them, but confront them I must. I've had this issue since I was 18, or well that was the first time it was pointed out to me. Damn, that's five years and I only feel slightly better than then.

New motto. Sit down and shut up. Mostly shut up. Stop opening your big mouth and hear what it is people have to say. Better to say too little and have your words respected than say too much and have them ignored.

I feel a little lost. I don't feel like I'm home in Portland, and Kansas City seems a little empty. Hammerpress will be great and I know I'll get along fine again, but man, I sure wish I had that person to talk to.

update

Currently I am sitting with Diana, Trillian and Phil, waiting for Tabitha. Everyone has dug through my pile of Hammerpress goodies. I'm pretty confident they liked what they found. I missed hanging out with these folks :) We're talking about Stumptown plans and excellent plans they are.

Earlier today Phil caught me feeding my houseplant addiction. Maybe I need help...

Relaxation and printing meditation

Yesterday was a combination letterpress and reading day.

Also with a dash of homemade dinner thrown in for good measure for Diana and Robin. They have been excellent hosts. Robin made me breakfast this morning - french cinnamon toast!

After dinner we watched Roman Holiday with JP. He mentioned going over to his place to watch it, and since he lives in my old apt, I'm not quite sure I would have liked that. At the start of dinner I felt odd with him there, but I loosened up, since it is silly to harbor feelings against him. JP didn't not rehire me, or stress me out to the point of tears, or boot me from my home. He is just the guy who took my place, and that really isn't his fault.

Today is more printing, and then maybe scratch board? Or illicitly reading a book without buying it in Powell's.

More Portland

Not having a home to distract me has been surprisingly refreshing.

There is nowhere to sleep until noon, nothing to straighten or clean, and no computer to sit endlessly in front of.

The only option I have for computers is Robin or Diana's (whose I don't want to abuse) or the ones at school. I have little to do other than my art all day because I am flat broke. In response, I have been slightly productive.

Yesterday Diana and I walked to breakfast where we met up with Robin. Walking home we explored some interesting hat shops and after we rested in their apartment until 3:30, at which point they had a meeting at school to attend. I busied myself with printing.

I worked on my sister's baby shower invite until the school closed. I wowed some folks with my new letterpress skillz and I think I started a new trend of turning wooden type upside down for the texture. We shall see how it jumps off.

At closing time, seven, Robin and I had some burritos and walked up to 23rd for some cake. We were going to take it to the park but realized we were more tired than we'd previously thought. Instead we sat down to watch Saving Grace.

Post movie, I promptly passed out.

Three things: 1. I got a comment that I looked nicely tan -go figure! 2. Printing raised my mood 100%, I feel very much relaxed when working with the press. 3. It is nice to see one's friends again.

Oh! did I mention Rick Steve's Europe is on Hulu ?!?!

P-town bound

Well, my spirits are recuperating.

Yesterday was spent twiddling my thumbs and passing time until my turn in the print lab came to be. I updated my online projects and caught up on Stephen Colbert, as well as went to see Harry Potter and the Search for More Money. I wasn't impressed and as usual the acting didn't live up to my standards. Maybe I am a Harry Potter snob, but if that is the case I should learn my lesson and have seen Public Enemy instead. Ah well, can't go back.

The movie ended in time for me to get some prep work in the print lab finished before the school closed. I left to wander the hallowed grounds of Powell's for a half an hour, until I realized I didn't have the money to spend on the book I wanted (a guide book to Northern Cali).

I showed up at Diana's and Robins at the pre-agreed ten o'clock and we talked for a few hours until I passed out on the couch.

This land is my land...

The last three months: Portland to Poulsbo, WA - Bozeman, MT - Murdo, SD - Kansas City, Mo - Dodge City KS, - Santa Fe, NM - Taos, NM - Abiquiu, NM - Moab, UT - Price, UT - Salt Lake City, UT - Boise, ID - Poulsbo, WA - Portland, OR - San Francisco, CA - Monterey, CA - Humboldt State Park, CA - Grants Pass, OR - Portland, OR. (From Dodge City to Portland within a span of the last three weeks) 

I've traveled through Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, and California. 

I've driven many miles and have more to go, but for a few days I get to relax and stay here in Portland. I'm feeling a little down and I'll explain why in paragraphs to come...

July 23rd- With my mom in tow, we left Kansas City for Dodge City, Kansas. I would have thought there would be more "Western" tourist cashing in, but there ended up being only one block wide area that was gated in and looked like something from Knotts Berry farm. It was eight or so dollars to go in, so my mom and I passed it up. Some new facts about Dodge City: 1. D.C. is home to two meat packing plants, one of which is the second largest in the United States. 2. Between 1871 and 1875 D.C. was the hub for the mass slaughter of a couple million buffalo. Within four years the trade boomed and died out, so through was the hunting and killing of the buffalo.

July 24th - included driving. We went from Dodge City to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Coincidentally, we we arrived in Santa Fe on the weekend of the Spanish Market. The Spanish Market is a big street fair focused on Hispanic Art, much of which is Catholic/Saint themed.

July 25th and 26th - Spent the days between Santa Fe and Taos. Both cities are quite overrun with tourism. That set aside, (as hard as it might be) the spirit of the of the area was wonderful. The artistic culture includes a fair amount of Dia De Los Muertos, Santos, and general Catholic themes. I enjoyed seeing pictures of saints in many stores and statues dressed with symbolic clothing in the churches. 

On the 26th my mother and I went to Taos Pueblo, very interesting to see an active dwelling like that.

Ate much good mexican food. Had the best tamale's in a alley way cantina. If only I could eat them everyday... goal for me: learn to make killer tamales.

July 27th - August 1st - Ghost Ranch (http://www.ghostranch.org/). This time period I was out of cell and internet service, except if I drove out a few mile and then I could make a phone call. The land was awe-inspiringly beautiful and the location peaceful. We took a watercolor class as part of the retreat center and I realized how much it is I know about painting, I was honestly kind of surprised. I was more advance than the class so instead I worked on my scratchboards and walked around thinking. There was a great deal of thinking and talking with my mom. The weather was wild, hot and sunny in the morning, cold(ish) and stormy at night.

On the 31st my good friends moved me out of my apartment and I thank them very much. I owe you guys. I was stressed out beyond belief wondering how I'd get myself out of there.

August 2nd.  - More driving. From Abiquiu to Price. We stopped in Moab to see Arches National Park. Well worth seeing and even more worth going back to. Next time I will have to take rock climbing shoes. It was like the world's best jungle gym, and the nicest part is, it's okay to climb on the rocks!

More good mexican food.

August 3rd - Saw my old friend Katie Wiseman and her new baby girl, Sophie!!! I spent two hours with her just out side Salt Lake and saw that she is doing very well. Her husband Ben is very nice and I look forwards to when they live closer. Her baby slept the whole time and never pooped on me once.

August 4th and 5th - Arrived in Poulsbo around dinner time. Had pizza with my parents. The next morning I went into the Toyota dealership to have the spark plugs on my car fixed then drove to Portland. Arrived around 5pm, just in time to catch Jenny, Uriah, and Tyler. Went out to Indian food with them and Jenny's sister. After, I gave them a small tour of Portland. Stayed up until 2am hanging out, only to get up at 4 so I could drop my car off at Adam Poolman's. The off to the airport....