A trip to P-town on Two wheels

Lately I've been riding my bike on a 22 mile loop from my house in Milwaukie to downtown Portland and back. I've made the journey about five times to date. For this post on my blog I thought that I would share the so-called "adventure" of riding downtown.

The best part of the ride is what I call "Seeing" and "Being seen". What I really mean to say is that I love to watch people and yet, I love for people to watch me. It may sound twisted, but that is how many of us humans define our existence. Plus, it is hilarious to see a group of college students run through a fountain on a cool September night. I would have joined in, but I thought it best to re-live my youth by watching them horse-play in the fountain (No chance of catching a cold that way). Of course they probably thought I was just as crazy dressed in a florescent yellow vest, black socks pulled up to the knees and Velcro sandals. I guess that is how I want to be seen. :)

I've seen much from my two wheels. To this point I've seen two wedding parties, a group of 20 or so bongo drummers, dancing hippie chicks, a giant unicycle cyclist, a cute dog wearing sunglasses, big rats scavenging for food, met a man who thought I should sell used cars on Craig's list, and caught a glimpse of the Rose City Rollers. Even with all of that, I'm sure that there are many more things to see on future rides.

I travel the above mentioned loop about twice a week, so if any of you out there who think this might be something you'd like to give a try, it shouldn't be hard to get in touch with me or leave a comment.

Nothing Ever Happens....Till one day, it Does!

Just last year a mother of two threw her children off of the Sellwood bridge. We watch the story unravel on the news in shock and horror. How could this have happened? What kind of mother would do this to her own children? These are often the questions I hear family members or others ask. The question I often wonder is what were the warning signs that were overlooked by those who were closer to the mother than myself? It's only after the incident happens you hear the interviews of those on the news stating those very signs that might have saved those children if someone had taken the time to report them. Most people go through life as though nothing like this could ever happen to someone in their family. Till one day, it does.

This brings me to a story that I need to tell. I know a mother who has a child. She is single, but lives with her parents who help support the two of them. The mother of the child has been battling depression for a long time. However, she has never sought the help of a professional to help her deal with her depression. She also develops massive anxiety when left alone for more than eight hours and has been known to make poor decisions during these episodes. Recently, she packed up her child and a child she had been watching and drove them to a relative who lives 20 minutes away. This would be considered normal except that she is not insured to drive. Also, on her last episode she phoned a registered sex offender to help comfort her at a nearby restaurant. Again, not good judgement because she had both children with her in this incident.

My question is, would you report this behavior to the proper authority? Most of us would not. To be honest, I might even down play such an incident. What if I told you that the next time this person had an episode like this, she would throw her kids off of a bridge? Would you then report it? Just remember that nothing ever happens, till one day, it does.

Writer's Block!

You ever have so many ideas bouncing around in your head that you can't focus on writing on just one? Well, I guess you could say that is what I'm experiencing right now. I thought about writing on the philosophical argument my wife and I had with my parents regarding ideas on making the world a better place. Their idea is to basically force the teaching of Christian morals in public schools to be the answer. I'm sure that would go over quite well with our Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist and Atheist populations. I won't bore you with the details. If you ever want to know where I stand on this question, just ask me.

Then my brain started thinking about my being sick and that I'm feeling really good right now. Crap! I hope I didn't just jinx it. Nah, that's just a bunch of BS anyway. I do feel pretty good right now even though it is 3:41 am. I think I'll go ahead and end this to go slip into bed. I would be willing to bet $20 right now that the dog is on my side of the bed. He's about to have a rude awakening. Till next time, live purposely.

"Is this Heaven? No it's Iowa" (Field of Dreams reference)

All I can say right now is that I just got back from heaven. A part of me still might be there. I don't want to be the cause of some philosophical debate. I just think that heaven can be experienced right here on earth. It really is mostly a kind of state-of-mind. I kept a positive attitude at work today which lead to an awesome workout in the gym. It doesn't stop there. I sat in the hot tub tonight. I bet that I could convince some of the people on this planet that I had an out-of-body experience. OK, I won't go that far.

I always thought that the world would be a better place if more people took the time to get to their "Heaven" so-to-speak. I can tell you the ingredients to mine but they will most likely not be the same for you. It is simple for me. Hot tub + good beer + nice cigar + starry sky = My Heaven. I have nothing more wise to say except to request politely that you find your "Heaven".

A Sad Night...

It is a sad night. Tonight my wife's Grandmother passed away. I thought of her as my own Grandmother. Its hard for me to know what to say at this point. Her body is no longer at odds with itself and she is no longer in pain, but I didn't get to say goodbye. It was a pleasure having her as a Grandmother and many memories were created in just the short amount of time I had the pleasure in getting to know her.

While I was dating my wife, I remember my wife telling me that her Grandmother said that I had attractive eyes. That one comment could have been the only thing that kept my now wife from dumping me at the time. Especially, since I really have lots in the way of being attractive (buck teeth, straight boring hair, and ears that stick out).

I will never forget the time she got my wife and me to swing dance in her kitchen. We weren't even engaged at the time either. Not to mention I was still a shy type of guy. Oh, and that wasn't enough. She somehow got me to swing dance with her. I can't help but smile when I think back to that time.

The holidays are going to be different. The table cloth will be a little cleaner after eating and desert will come a little faster. The sound of a little toy poodle barking for attention won't be heard either. However, we would endure all of those things to be able to spend another holiday with her.

It is a sad night. The world just lost another wonderful human life. However, the memories that she left behind will live on and brighten the lives of those who knew and loved her.

Wee Bit of Culture

Can I just start off by saying how thankful I am for choosing my wife for a life partner. There are many things that I would have never experienced had it not been for her (things beside the whole sex thing). With her help I've developed a real taste for theatre (favored spelling of the word), art, sushi, wine and good coffee.

She and I went to the unveiling of the Portland Center Stage 2010 season Monday evening. We will be purchasing the flex pass again for the season. It is truly a great deal. It includes a total of eight tickets that can be used for multiple shows or for just one show (total of 4 shows for us).

As for the shows this season, I think I'll be most anxious to see Love, Janis. It is a musical that was partially crafted from interviews and the actual letters that Janis Joplin mailed home. It will be very interesting to see the other side of Janis played out on stage. Sunset Boulevard is the first musical of the new season. It has to be good if Andrew Lloyd Webber crafted the score, right?

I'm very excited to experience more theatre in the coming year. These shows seem to be the kind of shows that have a purpose. They make the audience think about the world around them. Above all though, I'm especially excited to share all of these moments with the one person who knows me best. I love you wife! Lets make some more lasting memories this coming season.

Long After I'm Gone

Yesterday was the third and final financial planning class that my wife and I took through the North Clackamas Chamber of Commerce. Even though I knew a good portion of information presented in these classes, there were many minor details I did learn that will greatly help my wife and me get to a point where we can retire successfully. There were, however, two major things that I took from this class. First, that life really isn't worth living without a purpose. And Second, I need to find a way to continue having a positive affect on society long after I'm gone.

The first one is fairly simple. I'll most likely have many purposes throughout my entire career. However, the idea is to continue to find purpose into retirement. I you fail to do so, you will find yourself rotting away in front of the television set.

The second is something I never really thought much about. Most of you know that my wife and I don't ever want to have children. This means that we have to be a part of the lives of other people's children in order to leave any sort of a legacy behind after we are gone. At this moment in time we have two wonderful little nephews who get to see us at least once a week. I feel that one purpose in life for me is to play a minor role in shaping them into wonderful adults and to help them take advantage of any and all educational opportunities as they grow. By doing so, I hope they will repeat the pattern long after I'm gone.

The Happiest Place on Earth

As most of you now know, my idea of the happiest place on earth is the gym. The gym has been a place where the weak become strong, and the shy become social. Also, for those who can look at themselves in the mirror, the gym is truly heaven. Long ago I fell into two of those three categories. In more recent years, I belong in the last category.

The mirror has been my motivation for change (it never lies). I was out of the gym for about one year. In that time I've gained 8 pounds. Eight pounds may not seem like much, but when you can see a spare tire along with love handles forming around your mid-section, you know it's time to make a change. For the past six weeks I've been attending the gym no less than 4 times a week. Each day I do a cardio workout and for three of those days I incorporate strength training.

The changes up to this point have been gradual, but very noticeable. I have more energy outside of work, and the excess around the mid section has been shrinking. I'm well on my way to having a "shirtless summer" and I owe it all to the happiest place on earth.

Too Far

I had a customer today come through my line who, in my opinion, went too far. In no way was this person rude or inconsiderate of others around her. It was mostly her appearance that made the little hamster in my head start spinning it's wheel. To give you an idea of how she presented herself, she had multiple piercings. Three of them were in the nose, two in the eyebrow, and more than I could count in the ears. Her hair was half shaved and as for the other half, it was combed over to cover up a portion of the shaved half. In all honesty, this was a person who's appearance would hinder her from being hired in a customer service position. With a few exceptions of course.

This was mostly a reminder to me that we all can go too far at times (Looks, money, alcohol, gambling, status). There is nothing wrong with getting a piercing or two, or maybe a couple of tattoos. However, there are signs of dissatisfaction in ones looks when we start talking about 15 piercings and 10 tattoos.

I started attending the gym more regularly because I was dissatisfied in my looks. However, I'm not going to start taking steroids to achieve a look that strips away, well, ME. After wishing her a wonderful evening, I started to feel sorry for her. Then again, I didn't know her from Adam, and she could have been completely content with her outward appearance.