Starting with Friday night

Saturday went real well. I had a relaxing day baking and cleaning house. It was kind of nice to have a Saturday off. It has been a long time since I have had one off and known about it in advance. I was able to help prepare for the party. This made life easy and less stressful for her. With the help of my friend Paul, I baked brownies and lemon bars. Cooked up some of Nicolas’ salsa. And set up tables for later on. Nicolas’ salsa is a great salsa I learned while working on the ranch in California. Nicolas is from Mexico and is a wonderful cook. This was the dish that my brother raved about when I came down to work for him. So I made a point of learning how to make it. The salsa is simple and has five ingredients in it. The weird one is it has cheese in it. It is a cooked salsa. Anyway I made it about medium heat so there would be some but not a lot left over after the party. The tomatoes were from the farmers market in Hollywood, Hollywood district in Portland that is. They make or break the salsa. With so few ingredients and being so prominent in the recipe they really make the difference. It came out well. Later in the night I tried it mixed with avocado and I was in heaven. Blue corn chips with a great dip can make a great snack and if you have enough it could make a meal.
The brownies were not as much of a hit as I thought they would be. I couldn’t figure out why they didn’t eat more, they all said they were great. Maybe everyone is on a diet. It would scare me to think what we are all going to look like in a few years. Give it ten or fifteen years and all these misguided dieters are going to be pretty torn up. I don’t think I eat very well but the more I hang out with other people and watch their eating habits the more I figure out that there are a few key things I do differently that I think may make the difference in the long run. Most of it is in what I drink and don’t drink. I am amazed at the stuff people drink and the more I do research as to what’s in the drinks and what they do to you the more I wonder about the world around me. It seems that the general population has no idea what they are eating and what it does to them. I could go into the things they smoke and do to their bodies like tanning but I don’t want this to turn into a rant I was just writing about my weekend.
We finished up our dinner of corn and artichokes in time to have a few minutes to shower and dress before the guests got there. Not the first guest mind you because he showed up at seven to stop by say he was going to miss it and drop off some wine. He got a quick tour and was off to see a band that he knows. He is a neighbor who also works at Intel.
Then we had dinner showered dressed and a few minutes later Keith and Amy showed up. I took them for a walk of the neighborhood real estate for sale since they are looking for a home at the moment. When we came back from our walk the rest of the guests were just starting to show up. We gave them a tour of the renovations and showed them around the house. I introduced them to a few of the neighbors and other guests and then they had to take off. They left to go to another dinner. From what I heard they had a hard time finding the place because there is a break in the street where it runs into a park or some thing.
As the rest of the guests came I found myself being the host because the host was being the tour guide for the renovations. Everyone loved what she had done to the upstairs. It has come out very well and looks very nice. You have to live in it every day to find flaws. The party went well and the people were great. It was nice to go to a party where everyone was mature enough to be courteous of the people who lived there and were going to have to clean up later the next day. There were people from the neighborhood, people from dancing, and people from her work. No one from the construction team showed up.
They all seemed to have some reason not to be there or they just didn’t show. I think from a business point of view that was a poor decision because they had a lot of people who own houses and may have need work done there in one place with a solid example of their good work on display. To be there to just hand out their business cards could have in my estimation filled the next year or two full of solid work. Not being there was like losing a great marketing opportunity. It seems contractors and architects aren’t the best at marketing their services. I find it strange though that they wouldn’t have seen it as that and thought to leave cards or something of that sort there for people to go home with. At this point the person would have to be very determined to use them. They would have to call and ask for the contractor’s number and then call the contractor. Where as if they had the number burning a hole in their pockets every time they were at home and thought boy it would be nice to have this changed or fixed they would be that much closer to calling and creating more business.
Sunday was a relaxing day we cleaned house and worked on her studio a bit. At around one I went home and got my stuff together for Scuba class. Dropped off the Cala-gel with her on my way to Scuba class. Then on the way I dropped by the base to pick up my camera I had left with Jim Larsen when they towed the Decatur’s boat up to Rocky Point Marina. Then I found a Mochas Gracias on the way while I was talking to my brothers. I got my standard Oregon burrito with chicken. I love that burrito, it has everything in it like potatoes and things. So I got to class a bit early and talked with Max, Paul, Jim and Phil when he showed up.
Class went well, it was an orientation telling us what and how everything is going to go on. No pool both the pools had some reason we couldn’t go. I think we will be in the pool first next week. Jim is going to email us and let us know. I think I am going to really enjoy diving. We will see. I am looking forward to underwater navigation. It should be interesting and fun. The only draw back to diving is that it is a new sport for me and that means money. I would need a lot of new gear. That always means lots of money and this one seems extremely expensive.
Afterwards we worked a bit more around the house on the studio and the garage. Thinking about how to make it all work. Moving things around. We also had to deal with the left over water from the boiler leak. It was quite the mess. There was water all over. I hope it doesn’t hurt the wall and sheet rock too bad.
Monday she stopped by to see me at work on her bike. That was nice. Then she went off to do some more errands. By the time she got back I was off early because of the slow day at work. When she walked in the door I was paying the beer delivery driver for the order and as she walked in he looked over his shoulder and said “You guys get some really good looking girls in here don’t you?” My response was “that’s my girlfriend.” He was a bit stunned and apologized a bit. I told him it was no problem since I thought the same thing. That was good entertainment. She found it to be humorous when I told her on our way to my house. We stopped by Keith’s house on the way home to see why he hadn’t come in to work to say hi. He wasn’t home, turns out he had miss judged time that day and we just missed him. The rest of the night was a bit weird. We went to Saffron to see what the hours were. They are closed on Monday and Tuesdays. So we walked back to my house and then to the Mini/BMW dealership across the street to ask a few questions of them. That took a while. We looked up the movies while we were waiting and decided on one. Mad Hot Ballroom was playing at Broadway Metroplex. We had some time so we ran her last errand to REI on the way.
On the way to REI we stopped and ate at Cha! Cha! Cha! A small Mexican restaurant on Glisan. We had taken the MAX and the streetcar to get there. It was good inexpensive food. I had Chicken enchiladas and she had a burrito of some kind. The enchiladas were good right down to the beans and rice. The guacamole was great. In fact my only complaint was that the chicken had a bit of bone and gristle in it and it was mostly brown meat. I had a flan, it was a bit bland and seemed just a bit too much for me to finish and she wasn’t as much help with as I had hopped. I remember flans being a bit richer and less eggy. I also remember the caramel sauce being a bit thicker when I used to make them and the Golden Valley Brew Pub. Over all I think the restaurant was good enough to go back to. I am not down that way often but if I was in the trendy Pearl and wanted to eat without losing my left arm Cha! Cha! Cha! would be the place I went to. I am sure there might be others but that is the first I have found.
She did most of the shopping in REI. I just didn’t have anything on my list of things to buy and I didn’t need to spend any money so I shopped for her and browsed a bit. I am sure I could have found something if I had tried but I made it out of the store without buying anything. That in it’s self was a small miracle. She tried on this biking skirt that was so cute I had a hard time keeping my hands of her. It was too bad she didn’t buy it. It worked out okay though because she bought a pair of bike shorts that she now puts under all kinds of cute skirts she has been collecting as of late. I can’t say I have been disappointed by this trend of her buying lots of cute skirts.
As we were leaving REI we helped an older couple to find the streetcar and carried a bag or two for them. We all talked as we walked and they were a very nice couple from Bend who were up shopping and going to the doctors. We got off at our stop and walked to the movie theater.
Our movie was canceled for renovation. A big disappointment for us since we have been trying to see this movie for a month or more now. As we wandered in and out of shops on Broadway we ran into Aurelius. He was on his way to see if Heidi was still at work. We chatted with him for a while and then walked with him down to her work. True to that day’s trend she wasn’t. So were parted ways and waked back towards the MAX. We missed the first MAX and the second was a yellow line that would have stopped short of my stop so we went into the mall and shopped a bit. We went to a few stores including the Mac store. Looked at a few things and talked to the “Geniuses” as they are called. I was wondering why everyone else got better reception on their wireless then I did and if there was an external antenna I could get for situations that I really needed it. The answer was that the material they make powerbooks out of is bad for reception and that there are no external antennas available for Macs yet. The customer next to me was supper obnoxious and I wanted to beat him over the head to shut him up. He kept trying to answer my question but hadn’t taken the time to listen to it so he was just spitting out information that had nothing to do with what I was talking about. He suggested putting new antennas on my router when I had clearly stated that at home I had no problem and that it was only when I was using other people’s networks that I had issues. So then he suggested I switch from mixed signal down to just G signal since that extended the range for him at home. Again he had missed the key point that I am sure the rest of you got that I wasn’t worried about it at home. I finally left wanting to smack him upside the head a few times. I looked at the Ipod nanos that just came out. They are nice. I think I would rather have a 60 gig regular Ipod. I didn’t know they could store and display pictures. I for the first time thought about getting one. I don’t need the smaller size so getting a bigger one makes more sense to me. So much more storage that way.
We rode the MAX back to my house and then drove to her house. We watched Assassination Tango. While she watched it will I slipped in and out of sleep. She liked the dancing in the movie. As did I when I saw it. The plot was slow moving but the dancing made it all worthwhile. I think I may take Carrie’s tango class on Friday night. It is right in the neighborhood I live in. Now that the Sea Scouts screwed up scuba class on Friday night and Martha is out of town I might as well have something to do on Friday nights. D

Friday Night

So this weekend started off by really pissing me off. Two of the Sea Scouts flaked on the Scuba class we had planned. This was frustrating to me because they did it at the last moment. They called me at five in the afternoon to cancel going to a class that started in two hours. It kills me to see this kind of irresponsibility. Why should I put effort into making fun and good opportunities for them if they are going to throw them away like dirty gum wrappers. It makes no sense to me to spend hours of my time for things to be tossed aside like it was never there. If they knew what went into it all maybe they would appreciate it more. To try to explain how mad I was is hard for me. You need to know my history. I grew up with my mother in the back woods of California. She is a wonderful lady who had had five kids grow up by the time I came along. She had understanding and patience with me that the others only wished for. My father on the other hand beat me like a redheaded stepchild when I was around him. My brothers and I saw him raise his hand to us often. My brothers more so then me because they lived with him. The lack of logic in his behavior left me with a temper. An anger at life. I have also lived with pain my whole life and that made me feel as though I should be dead rather than living that way. I have had chronic pain in my back, neck and sciatic nerve for 22 of my 27 years. I talked of dieing to my mother when I was in first grade. It made me very angry as a kid to be in pain. It still does when it is bad. I have an undercurrent that can over take my thoughts in a hurry. I have been conscious of it since my late teens. I have always worked to keep it under control. When they throw away my work and effort as though it were meaning less to them it makes me angry. I do not lose control anymore, I just feel the anger. It is good to be mature and know that it is an emotion and a part of life. It is like breathing crisp air on a cold morning. One person could see it as a bad thing. The next sees it as a good thing. It is good to be alive even when life around you is hard. Even when the people around you that you work so hard throw your efforts away with no thought. I pity them and the things that are going to happen to them when they grow up and have to learn these things the hard way. I wish I could open their eyes now but there is no way that I have found as of yet. I am grateful for my anger, my sadness, my happiness, my emotions are like the air I breathe. It makes life a much more colorful picture. Without it life would be a poor black and white drawing, with the emotions it is the best color photo or painting of all time. I will never forget this period of my life. I have finally grown to appreciate the big and the little things in life. I don’t stress like I used to. I see it all a bit clearer. So they backed out for real weak reasons like I forgot and I don’t feel so good. I might down the road have homework. So at that point I called Jim and he added us to the Sunday class. That worked for me but adds a bit of complication to Max’s life. I think we got it all figured out though. Class on Sunday went well and looks like it will be a lot of fun. I am looking forward to learning to Scuba Dive. It should be right up my alley. I love the water and being beneath the surface should be a lot of fun. We shall see how it all goes. The homework for the class looks easy and the stuff we have to learn looks easy. A bit of memorization and tables stuff but not too hard. I am glad Max didn’t flake on me I was going to be alone. It is nice to have someone you know in a class like this. It is nice to have someone who will consistently be your buddy and have your back. Someone you can trust. Very nice to have in a sport like diving. D

Dinner with her parents.

I went to Dinner at Jakes Famous Crawfish last night with Martha my girlfriend's parents Dave and Theresa. I had been told a lot of things and Martha while she didn't say it directly seemed a bit nervous about it. She was also worn thin. I got off work and went home showered, shaved, and got dressed up. I had had a hair cut the day before. I was ready to go. Her parents are former diplomats. They are well-accomplished people, a bit intimidating on paper. Her mother is Chinese, her father Welsh. I got there early and walked around the area. Hadn't been down there with time to spend walking around looking at stuff. Nice but expensive area. Whole Foods Market had the vitamins I like so I made a mental note to come back after dinner. Walked back to the restaurant a bit before six and found a garbage can to throw away the Odwalla juice I had purchased at the Whole Foods Market. Walked back around the block and met them in front of the restaurant. The first thing out of her father's mouth set me at ease. He said "Hi my name is Dave Jones, I am sorry to inflict you with this. I know meeting the parents can be a burden" Her mother was nice. From a long term stand point I would be lucky first if I get to be that age and if I am with a person who had aged as gracefully as her mother. Her father isn't doing poorly himself. They were as she described them: talkative. That was fine the more they talked the less I had a chance to stick my foot in my mouth. They told lots of family stories and some historic stuff. I got a story or two in also. I chose the wrong meal. I thought the Ahi would come with side dishes instead it came as a sashimi like platter and the sushi rolls that came with it were terrible. The restaurant was loud and the customers were a bit stiff in the upper lip. Overall I would say that most people would like and be very impressed with the restaurant. I felt as thought the chef was a bit cocky by making sushi and sashimi and wish I hadn't tried it. I didn't realize that it was that type of dish. I thought it would have been a seared steak of Ahi and the normal side of mashed potatoes and veggies. It was a disappointment. Oh well my mistake. They went home to Martha's afterward and I went home and got ready to go dancing. When I got back my roommates friends car was parked behind me so I couldn't get out. Well couldn't is a strong word I got out but it wasn't pretty. I went to dancing and meet up with Martha for a great night of dancing only stopped by Larry's DJing. Seeing Martha was very nice after days of only talking to her on the phone. Overall the night went well and was enjoyable. D

Tuesday Night Blues

Tuesday Night Blues
I was able to make it to another Tuesday Night Blues. The crew at Sea Scouts all flaked out and didn’t come so I went dancing instead. The lessons went well for me.
I liked Scott and Carrie’s lesson because it brought up some very good basic points. They were very interactive and gave you feedback as you went. Scott mixed it up for the couples if they were doing well to challenge them a bit more. Carrie had some good feed back for me and then when she had wanted to help more she danced with me to show me more and let me feel what it was supposed to feel like. It helped me a lot. They gave positive comments and good feedback. I would like to see a similar fundamentals style mini-lesson to cover frame and etiquette. This has always been a problem though. When frame isn’t reinforced over and over people ignore it. They seem to think floppy is good. It seems to be the default for follows. I am not sure why it is not stressed and focused on more. As a lead it is the thing that most frustrates me. A close second is to anticipate what I am trying to do and do the move before I lead it. Vic and Molly tried to cover this in their mini-lesson.
I only wish people had listened and applied the things Scott and Carrie taught when the lessons were over and the regular dancing started. There was one dancer that did; it was the young lady name Susan.
I also liked Dylan and Alex’s Dip. It was well broken down and easy to get from a lead’s point of view. I could have used more practice with a willing follow. The follows depending on their level of trust did well or poorly. One of the follows said I was the first lead they had felt comfortable when doing the dip. I found it hard to do later on the dance floor because the follows were a bit timid and I didn’t want to force them out of their comfort zones. Good dip hard to find a follow that would do it. I believe some of it is that I am not a large enough guy for them to trust that I can do a dip and not drop them. If I were Dylan I would ask everyone after I taught them if they felt comfortable trying the dip they just learned on the dance floor. If they answered no then I would ask what would make them more comfortable and learn for the future what to include or exclude from the lessons that way.
Vic and Molly needed more time and did about half as much as they started out trying to do. They set out trying to teach good communication and improvisation. Again it was hard to put into practice, because the follows stopped thinking about it as soon as Vic and Molly walked away. I think it would help most of the people on the dance floor. From a lead’s point of view it would help if I were able to improvise a bit more freely. It was hard because the non-swing follows have a limited repertoire of moves and the swing follows run off and finish the move for you. The part that bothers me is that as soon as the lesson is done they forget it all and go back to the way they did it before. It doesn’t make sense to me why would they go to the lesson and then not try and learn it. Did they decide that it was above their ability level? Did they not like the stuff they learned? Do they not want to change? That wouldn’t make sense they came to the lesson. Maybe they don’t have confidence in themselves. I am not sure of the reason and I may be off base in my theory.
Aurelius and Heidi’s lesson was good to think about for me personally because I don’t do a lot of spinning and that maybe to make it more fun for the follows I should try and do it more often. They could have also used more time. It was the first lesson that my group did that night so they were still getting used to the idea of the lesson format. Also Heidi was having trouble talking over the music and noise in the room.
I think that all of the instructors need more time and people need to get over themselves and let loose a little and try new stuff. It is a Blues practica. That is why they encourage participation by raising the price of the dance if you don’t come for the lesson. They want to improve the ability level of the dancers in this area. They want us to all get better so we can enjoy it more. D

Labor Day Blues

So I went dancing at the Labor Day Blues party. It was a lot of fun. Got there a bit early. Hung out. It was the first blues party that I have been to that there were too many leads. it wasn't hard to get a dance but it wasn't the mass pandemonium like that last time I went. Last time while my girlfriend Martha was holding my hand and we were walking toward the door I got asked to dance not once but three times and when she started talking to someone on the way out I ended up dancing with the forth person to ask. The other downside was that it seemed people got a bit drunk. The positives definitely out weighed the negatives though I had good fun and danced a lot. The people were cool and the music was good. Kevin's place worked well. See everyone at the next one. D

Dinner, a dance and a movie.

So after work yesterday I went to a friends and helped them work on their new deck. That went well. Had a lot of fun poking fun at each other. It stared to look like a deck frame by the time I left to go to dinner. I went home and met Charles (one of the Sea Scouts) took a shower and got ready. Meanwhile he was trying to figure out my password. I had turned the computer on for him but forgot that since my roommates ex had sent porno emails from my gmail account and stolen $1000 from me I had put a password on it. I called Keith and we met up with him at his house a few blocks from mine. We walked by Lincoln High School to see the little dedication there is to The Simpsons in the sidewalk. Talked about that for a while until we got to the restaurant. Saffron is a hole in the wall three blocks from my house. Martha showed up a few minutes after we had been seated. After being there for a while it looks like the only people who go there are the local Indian population. The prices were good, the food was good. Overall my only complaint was the speaker in the room was blown and the base was up to high although the music was low enough it didn't really matter. We had our own room in the back. It was a great dinning experience. Loved it. It was fun to hang out with Keith and see the way others reacted to his sense of humor. After dinner we walked to my place and got ready for dancing. Martha skipped dancing due to over eating because she forgot that it was Thursday. So Max, Charles and I went dancing. Max knew one of the girls who was from his High School. We had fun although it would have been better with Martha there. It was a bit hot in the dance other than that the people and the music were good. We stayed until about 2330. We got to The Sea Scout base about midnight. Unloaded our stuff and watched a movie with the Skipper. The movie was Leonard, Part 6. We got to bed around 0200 and got up around 0430 I went home because I wasn't going to be able to make it back to work in time so I went home and slept some more. D