Last night I attended my first major Portland concert. Keane played last night to a packed small theater in downtown Portland. I went with this guy "AB" and his wife and had a great time. AB and I have similar taste in music with the exception he likes some "old school" rock. I've never got into "Zepplin" or anything like that.
The opening act was pretty bad. I can't even remember the name, but they were pretty blusy with extended guitar solos that I didn't care for. A lot of other people in the audience liked them however.
Keane took the stage shortly after opening with "Put it Behind You". Tom Chaplin, the lead singer, was his usual gracious self and worked the excitement of the crowd well. Tom talked about how he enjoyed traveling up the gorge in Portland on the bands day off. He even broke out a guitar and played an acoustic version of "Open your eyes". The band played a rather long set playing nearly every song off both their albums. They ended their set with "Bedshaped" and thanked the crowd a thousand times.
Afterwards, I bought a reasonably priced T-shirt (only $30). Unfortunately I had to pay another $10 for parking, but after getting such a deal on the T-shirt, what was another $10? Anyway, AB and I will be seeing Snow Patrol later in Feb, so I better start saving for another shirt.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
Art weekend at Imago
This weekend was art weekend at Imago. Our church put on a art show at the Urban Grind coffee house. On Friday, Michael Pritzel and Michael Roe did a acoustic show calling it "Roe vs. Pritzel." I almost missed this awesome performance but "A Forest " alerted me that it was in the area. Thank goodness he keeps up on Michael Pritzel better than I do.
I've seen Michael Pritzel perform many times (as the Violet Burning), but never acoustically, so this show was a real treat. This had to be the best performance I've seen. Michael Roe and Pritzel swapped songs off each other and it was great. I was impressed with Michael Roe even though I've never heard of him before. He was in a Christian rock band called the "77's". Both guys were hysterical and took jabs at each other all night. Michael did a great version of "Oceania" using a drum machine with hip-hop beats (I've never heard the song like that before). It was one of those shows that makes you fall in love with music again.
The next evening Imago Dei artist put on a show at the coffee house. I can't believe all the raw talent that Imago has. On the stage, there were musical acts , short films, and poetry readings. The walls were covered with paintings by local artist. They even had a kids play area so the kids didn't get bored. The evening was capped off by a brilliant dance performance of U2's "All I Want is You".
I would show pictures but I haven't figured out how to post pictures with my new camera yet.
I've seen Michael Pritzel perform many times (as the Violet Burning), but never acoustically, so this show was a real treat. This had to be the best performance I've seen. Michael Roe and Pritzel swapped songs off each other and it was great. I was impressed with Michael Roe even though I've never heard of him before. He was in a Christian rock band called the "77's". Both guys were hysterical and took jabs at each other all night. Michael did a great version of "Oceania" using a drum machine with hip-hop beats (I've never heard the song like that before). It was one of those shows that makes you fall in love with music again.
The next evening Imago Dei artist put on a show at the coffee house. I can't believe all the raw talent that Imago has. On the stage, there were musical acts , short films, and poetry readings. The walls were covered with paintings by local artist. They even had a kids play area so the kids didn't get bored. The evening was capped off by a brilliant dance performance of U2's "All I Want is You".
I would show pictures but I haven't figured out how to post pictures with my new camera yet.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Blue Like Jazz in Portland
When I first started going to Imago Dei, I told people I heard of the church through reading "Blue Like Jazz" by Don Miller. A lot of people rolled their eyes. A friend of mine said that "we had a nice little church until that book came out". Now the church is over a thousand people with more people coming every Sunday. All the new people I've talked to say they read the "Blue Like Jazz" and they wanted to see what Imago is all about.
Don't get me wrong, Imago welcomes the new people and is trying to raise money to build a bigger church, but no one is sure how big Imago will get. I'm just amazed how influential a book can get. Don Miller has led so many to Imago Dei.
I have since started rereading "Blue Like Jazz" again and notice that a lot of the locations that Don talks about are in my neighborhood. I first noticed "Stumptown coffee" which Don mentions he frequents often. I then recognized Lauralhurst Park from the book which is right down the street from where I work. It really is a nice big park in the middle of the city. Also I'm right down the street from Reed College where Don writes about being a radical but brilliant college full of liberal ideas. I'll have to check out their naked parade.
I want to drive up Mt.Tabor sometime in the evening to view the city which Don mentions as being beautiful. Mt. Tabor is only a few blocks from my house. Lastly, I briefly met Pastor Rick who Don writes a lot about in the book. He's a big guy. I wanted to tell him how impressed I was that he started Imago is his own living room, but I was too shy. It's pretty cool to read a book and see it all in front of you .
Don't get me wrong, Imago welcomes the new people and is trying to raise money to build a bigger church, but no one is sure how big Imago will get. I'm just amazed how influential a book can get. Don Miller has led so many to Imago Dei.
I have since started rereading "Blue Like Jazz" again and notice that a lot of the locations that Don talks about are in my neighborhood. I first noticed "Stumptown coffee" which Don mentions he frequents often. I then recognized Lauralhurst Park from the book which is right down the street from where I work. It really is a nice big park in the middle of the city. Also I'm right down the street from Reed College where Don writes about being a radical but brilliant college full of liberal ideas. I'll have to check out their naked parade.
I want to drive up Mt.Tabor sometime in the evening to view the city which Don mentions as being beautiful. Mt. Tabor is only a few blocks from my house. Lastly, I briefly met Pastor Rick who Don writes a lot about in the book. He's a big guy. I wanted to tell him how impressed I was that he started Imago is his own living room, but I was too shy. It's pretty cool to read a book and see it all in front of you .
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Joy Electric weekend
My year of concerts has officially started. Ronnie Martin (the Joy Electric guy) was in town for a couple of concerts this weekend. Since I don't know anyone else that likes Joy Electric around here, I went to these shows by myself (which I really didn't mind that much). On Friday, Joy Electric was playing in Vancouver (which is right across the bridge) at a small little church coffee house called "the Portal". It was actually pretty crowded and there was no one there to take my money, so I got a free show.
Ronnie opened up with "Sheffield Youth" from his new EP. He joked around about how he still uses these 20 year old tapes for playing his samples when he plays live, when his brother uses his ipod. He was accompanied by a drummer and played a lot of his standard material. Good show.
The next day I took the kids to my gym to go swimming. I swear I have never been in a more chlorinated pool in my life. My swim suit actually changed color after I washed it out. My eyes stung so bad that I washed them out for two hours and they still hurt. I'm not exaggerating either, but I think the water was mostly bleach.
On Sunday, I went to a small church here in Portland to see Joy Electric do an afternoon acoustic show. Despite a low turn out, I really enjoyed that show. Ronnie opened up with "the North Sea" and played a few from his first album "Melody" all on an acoustic guitar. He also played a new one from his forth coming project "the Brothers Martin" and three songs from his next album due out.
After the show, I went up to see him and he said that I looked familiar. I told him that I was at his Vancouver show and that I seen him a dozens of times in KC. He said "welcome to the Pacific Northwest."
A couple more shows are on the horizon that I'll be going with this one guy from my home group. Keane at the end of the month and Snow Patrol next month.
Ronnie opened up with "Sheffield Youth" from his new EP. He joked around about how he still uses these 20 year old tapes for playing his samples when he plays live, when his brother uses his ipod. He was accompanied by a drummer and played a lot of his standard material. Good show.
The next day I took the kids to my gym to go swimming. I swear I have never been in a more chlorinated pool in my life. My swim suit actually changed color after I washed it out. My eyes stung so bad that I washed them out for two hours and they still hurt. I'm not exaggerating either, but I think the water was mostly bleach.
On Sunday, I went to a small church here in Portland to see Joy Electric do an afternoon acoustic show. Despite a low turn out, I really enjoyed that show. Ronnie opened up with "the North Sea" and played a few from his first album "Melody" all on an acoustic guitar. He also played a new one from his forth coming project "the Brothers Martin" and three songs from his next album due out.
After the show, I went up to see him and he said that I looked familiar. I told him that I was at his Vancouver show and that I seen him a dozens of times in KC. He said "welcome to the Pacific Northwest."
A couple more shows are on the horizon that I'll be going with this one guy from my home group. Keane at the end of the month and Snow Patrol next month.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Working with damaged kids
I don't mean to sound like a bleeding heart, but life just isn't fair for a lot of people. I have finally started to get into my job at Trillium more and actually have a larger case load. I've worked with troubled kids for a while and seen a lot of tough cases, but the kids that I work with here are the most difficult I've seen.
I work as a foster care consultant with Trillium. Basically Trillium is a agency that sets up therapeutic foster homes and places kids in them that are in DHS custody. My job is to go out to the foster home and work with the kids. These kids are from all ages and nearly everyone has Reactive Attachment Disorder ( RAD). On the list of mental health disorders, RAD is one of the worst.
A child develops RAD when they are unable to emotionally attach themselves to a parent. The child's basic biological need to be loved and have their basic needs met never happens. Which makes RAD such a tough disorder to treat is that no one really except the biological parent can fill this need. The bond between parent and child needs to be established early in life or it almost never happens and there is no way therapeutically to go back and form that bond.
The kids that I am working with are very damaged kids. All of them have been torn from their parents at some point, often because their parents are unfit. It's interesting that everyone of them wants to return to their parents despite the fact that in most cases, the parents have abandoned them. As their counselor, I have to find ways to explain to them that they are never going home again. These kids are mad, and for good reason.
The other day, I was talking to a girl who was out of control. She said that she didn't care anymore. She didn't care if she ever had friends because she has to move around so much. I could really understand and told her she was right.
I've got another child that is only 4 years old that has been shipped around a lot due to her behavior. My son is 4 and I couldn't image him being shipped around to foster homes.
I've got another girl who yelled at a mother and baby in the mall claiming "it isn't fair!" We of course had to hospitalize her. This afternoon I have to go tell a pair of twins that they have to move again because their current foster mom's health is failing.
I've worked with some tough kids in the past, but they at least had some sort of connection with their parents (even though it wasn't very healthy). I don't have the answers to make some of these issues other than to tell people "stop having kids if you don't want them"
I work as a foster care consultant with Trillium. Basically Trillium is a agency that sets up therapeutic foster homes and places kids in them that are in DHS custody. My job is to go out to the foster home and work with the kids. These kids are from all ages and nearly everyone has Reactive Attachment Disorder ( RAD). On the list of mental health disorders, RAD is one of the worst.
A child develops RAD when they are unable to emotionally attach themselves to a parent. The child's basic biological need to be loved and have their basic needs met never happens. Which makes RAD such a tough disorder to treat is that no one really except the biological parent can fill this need. The bond between parent and child needs to be established early in life or it almost never happens and there is no way therapeutically to go back and form that bond.
The kids that I am working with are very damaged kids. All of them have been torn from their parents at some point, often because their parents are unfit. It's interesting that everyone of them wants to return to their parents despite the fact that in most cases, the parents have abandoned them. As their counselor, I have to find ways to explain to them that they are never going home again. These kids are mad, and for good reason.
The other day, I was talking to a girl who was out of control. She said that she didn't care anymore. She didn't care if she ever had friends because she has to move around so much. I could really understand and told her she was right.
I've got another child that is only 4 years old that has been shipped around a lot due to her behavior. My son is 4 and I couldn't image him being shipped around to foster homes.
I've got another girl who yelled at a mother and baby in the mall claiming "it isn't fair!" We of course had to hospitalize her. This afternoon I have to go tell a pair of twins that they have to move again because their current foster mom's health is failing.
I've worked with some tough kids in the past, but they at least had some sort of connection with their parents (even though it wasn't very healthy). I don't have the answers to make some of these issues other than to tell people "stop having kids if you don't want them"
Sunday, January 07, 2007
my weekend
This weekend we took the kids to the Portland Children's Home. I would show pictures, but I apparently left my camera there. First off, the kids really enjoyed the museum. They had lots of stuff for the kids to play with (but nothing I haven't seen before). Unfortunately, I got really bored, so bored that I felt like I was walking around in a daze, and apparently that's when I left my camera behind.
I don't know why I was so bored, but I've been really tired lately. I feel like I could sleep all day. I've drank so much coffee, that caffeine has sort of lost it's effect. My brother says that it is probably the weather. It has been raining pretty much nonstop for a week now. It has been a while since we've seen the sun here in Portland.
The Children's museum wasn't a complete bust for me though. When I was walking by the theater, I heard some really good music. It was a local band called "Rye Hollow" was playing before an audience of kids and their parents. The music reminded me of "Over the Rhine", sort of an Americana sound. Most of the kids weren't interested, but some of the parents were. I certainly didn't expect to hear a pretty good concert in the Children's museum.
I did search the museum for my camera, but never found it. It was a older digital camera, but I really liked it because it was easy to use. I guess I'll have to get another one.
After the Children's museum, we went out with my brother to a rather unique restaurant called "PB and Ellie's". Wow, it was like someone made a cafe with my family in mind. First they had big train table in the middle of the restaurant that the kids could play with. The kids could also draw in chalk on the walls. This place had lots of board games you could play while you waited for your food. A large part of the menu was geared towards kids and they even had a baby menu. All the food was organic, nothing fried. I got a hamburger (which was organic) and it was served with Baked Sweet Potato Fries which were really pretty tasty. Even the drinks were made all of natural flavors. I might add that it was the best burger I've had since coming to Portland.
I don't know why I was so bored, but I've been really tired lately. I feel like I could sleep all day. I've drank so much coffee, that caffeine has sort of lost it's effect. My brother says that it is probably the weather. It has been raining pretty much nonstop for a week now. It has been a while since we've seen the sun here in Portland.
The Children's museum wasn't a complete bust for me though. When I was walking by the theater, I heard some really good music. It was a local band called "Rye Hollow" was playing before an audience of kids and their parents. The music reminded me of "Over the Rhine", sort of an Americana sound. Most of the kids weren't interested, but some of the parents were. I certainly didn't expect to hear a pretty good concert in the Children's museum.
I did search the museum for my camera, but never found it. It was a older digital camera, but I really liked it because it was easy to use. I guess I'll have to get another one.
After the Children's museum, we went out with my brother to a rather unique restaurant called "PB and Ellie's". Wow, it was like someone made a cafe with my family in mind. First they had big train table in the middle of the restaurant that the kids could play with. The kids could also draw in chalk on the walls. This place had lots of board games you could play while you waited for your food. A large part of the menu was geared towards kids and they even had a baby menu. All the food was organic, nothing fried. I got a hamburger (which was organic) and it was served with Baked Sweet Potato Fries which were really pretty tasty. Even the drinks were made all of natural flavors. I might add that it was the best burger I've had since coming to Portland.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Our first Holidays in Oregon
Our first holiday season in Oregon is over. I'd say that I enjoyed seeing the lights at the Grotto was the most memorable event but the season was enjoyable considering the circumstances of being so far away from family and friends.
As usual, I got sick right before X-mas but was over it soon. Unfortunately everyone else got sick too. We drove to Newport the weekend of Xmas to be with my folks. My uncle from Albany stopped by and we spent the day walking on the beach.
The ocean is much different in the winter than in the summer. It's much rougher and more windy, but awesome to watch.
On Sunday, Wah-Wah and I went to a restaurant on the beach and went for a walk on the harbor 15 mins before a storm came. We had just enough time to see the sea lions that live there eating hand outs from the restaurants. Unfortunately, Wah-Wah was getting sick at this time so we had to head back.
X-mas is always overwhelming on the kids. This year we let them open one gift every hour so they could at least play with their gift before they moved on to their next gift. We bought Woogy a Leapster game system this year. Out of the three games I bought him, he only likes one. Nibbles is into hand bags so we got her a couple of purses that she liked.
Since Wah-Wah and I have no time off yet, we had to head back to be at work on Tuesday. Over the weekend I taught Woogy of to bowl which he seemed to really enjoy. On New Year's Eve, we went to hear Don Miller speak at Imago Dei. Don is sort of a celebrity at Imago. Most of the people that attend are there because they read "Blue Like Jazz". Don hadn't spoken in a while, so he had a full house. He's a great speaker. Very entertaining and humble. Don spoke about playing the script that God has for you in your life. He insists that his life is very dull. Afterwards, we attended one of our home groups party. I had a good time and was introduced to a German card game about bean trading. It's hard to explain, but it was fun.
unfortunately, the kids couldn't last until midnight, so we had to leave a little early under the usual fussing and crying when the kids get tired.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Best of 2006
Here's my list of best albums of 2006. Since they are all so good , it's hard to rank them so they are in no order
Asobi Seksu Citrus
Shoegazing was reborn in 2006 with this near flawless album. It's hard not to draw comparisons to My Bloody Valentine , but loud guitars and a ethereal voice is a perfect formula
Thom Yorke The Eraser
No Radiohead this year, but Thom released a solo album worthy of Radiohead. This album reminds me of Kid A and Amenesic in the way it sounds and really challenges classic song structure
Muse Black Holes and revelations
By now everyone has heard of Muse but this is a great rock album. The sound is bigger than their last album Absolution.
Starflyer 59 My Island
This is Jason Martin's best since Old. I've liked everything that SF59 has done but the last album Talking Vs Singing was just a little to slow and quiet. This is another good rock album. Solid yet SF 59 continues to go unnoticed.
Jarvis Jarvis
The debut solo album from the frontman of Pulp still hasn't hit the US yet. Jarvis Cocker can write great pop songs with a little humor. This album, he really speaks his mind and it is worth listening to
Keane Under the Iron Sea
Kind of what you expect for a follow up to Hopes and Fears. Keane continue to put out catchy pop songs that you can hum along to. They tried to be a little darker on this album, but they are only fooling themselves
Mojave 3 Puzzles Like You
I discovered this year the genius of Mojave 3's stripped down and laid back approach. Their songs are simply beautiful. On this one they add a little pop to this formula
Snow Patrol Eyes Open
Probably the best album of the year. This album proves that Snow Patrol is ready to be the next Coldplay. This album is flawless and concert ready. I can't wait to see them in Feb
Editors The Back Room
The best debut album of a Joy Division sounding band since Interpol. I can't wait to hear where this band goes with their sound next
Richard Ascroft Keys to the World
I have to admit, that after Richard's last album, I kind of gave up on him. But this is the best album he's done since the Verve Urban Hymns
This album has been out since the first of the year and still hasn't hit the US shores yet. Embrace doesn't break new ground here but they continue to do what they do best, and that is Coldplayish style anthems that are catchy and uplifting
Asobi Seksu Citrus
Shoegazing was reborn in 2006 with this near flawless album. It's hard not to draw comparisons to My Bloody Valentine , but loud guitars and a ethereal voice is a perfect formula
Thom Yorke The Eraser
No Radiohead this year, but Thom released a solo album worthy of Radiohead. This album reminds me of Kid A and Amenesic in the way it sounds and really challenges classic song structure
Muse Black Holes and revelations
By now everyone has heard of Muse but this is a great rock album. The sound is bigger than their last album Absolution.
Starflyer 59 My Island
This is Jason Martin's best since Old. I've liked everything that SF59 has done but the last album Talking Vs Singing was just a little to slow and quiet. This is another good rock album. Solid yet SF 59 continues to go unnoticed.
Jarvis Jarvis
The debut solo album from the frontman of Pulp still hasn't hit the US yet. Jarvis Cocker can write great pop songs with a little humor. This album, he really speaks his mind and it is worth listening to
Keane Under the Iron Sea
Kind of what you expect for a follow up to Hopes and Fears. Keane continue to put out catchy pop songs that you can hum along to. They tried to be a little darker on this album, but they are only fooling themselves
Mojave 3 Puzzles Like You
I discovered this year the genius of Mojave 3's stripped down and laid back approach. Their songs are simply beautiful. On this one they add a little pop to this formula
Snow Patrol Eyes Open
Probably the best album of the year. This album proves that Snow Patrol is ready to be the next Coldplay. This album is flawless and concert ready. I can't wait to see them in Feb
Editors The Back Room
The best debut album of a Joy Division sounding band since Interpol. I can't wait to hear where this band goes with their sound next
Richard Ascroft Keys to the World
I have to admit, that after Richard's last album, I kind of gave up on him. But this is the best album he's done since the Verve Urban Hymns
This album has been out since the first of the year and still hasn't hit the US shores yet. Embrace doesn't break new ground here but they continue to do what they do best, and that is Coldplayish style anthems that are catchy and uplifting
Monday, December 18, 2006
X mas parties
This weekend Wah-Wah and I went to both our X-mas parties from work. I noted quit a difference in the parties and believe it is because of the differences between our professions.
The X-mas party my work had was at a coworker's modest size home. My coworker's husband did a lot of the cooking and everyone brought something. There was a lot of beer for everyone as well. This was suppose to be a family friendly party so there were other kids there besides mine. One of my coworkers bought gifts for all the kids.
I spent most of the evening talking to my coworker's husband about music. Turns out he likes a lot of the same stuff I do. I also talked to another coworker about her stories of being a punk in London and going to see bands I could only dream of. The karaoke machine was brought out and everyone thought it was cute when Nibbles and Woogy danced to some of the music. Over all, I'd say it was a fun evening.
On Saturday we went to Wah-Wah's X-mas party. This party was being thrown at the Director of Nerou Sciences house which was in a really exclusive part of Portland. Frankly it was a little too stuffy for me. I was the only guy in jeans there. There was nothing but wine to drink and all the food was Asian. Most of Wah-Wah's co workers are very clicky and the rest don't speak English very well. Wah-Wah's director has a very nice house with lots of art work that took some time to look at. But overall, we didn't really talk to anyone and basically stood in the corner holding our wine glasses. I noticed a big difference from the way that social service people host parties from people in science and research.
The X-mas party my work had was at a coworker's modest size home. My coworker's husband did a lot of the cooking and everyone brought something. There was a lot of beer for everyone as well. This was suppose to be a family friendly party so there were other kids there besides mine. One of my coworkers bought gifts for all the kids.
I spent most of the evening talking to my coworker's husband about music. Turns out he likes a lot of the same stuff I do. I also talked to another coworker about her stories of being a punk in London and going to see bands I could only dream of. The karaoke machine was brought out and everyone thought it was cute when Nibbles and Woogy danced to some of the music. Over all, I'd say it was a fun evening.
On Saturday we went to Wah-Wah's X-mas party. This party was being thrown at the Director of Nerou Sciences house which was in a really exclusive part of Portland. Frankly it was a little too stuffy for me. I was the only guy in jeans there. There was nothing but wine to drink and all the food was Asian. Most of Wah-Wah's co workers are very clicky and the rest don't speak English very well. Wah-Wah's director has a very nice house with lots of art work that took some time to look at. But overall, we didn't really talk to anyone and basically stood in the corner holding our wine glasses. I noticed a big difference from the way that social service people host parties from people in science and research.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Christmas in Portland
Last weekend, we visited the Grotto for their annual Christmas festival. The Grotto is a catholic shrine located near our house. I have to say that I really enjoyed it. They have a path through a forest that you can walk through filled with X-mas lights. People are walking around in Biblical clothes and some were dressed like angels. They had a petting zoo and puppet shows for the kids. People were going around selling coffee and hot chocolate. They had carolers outside and a church choir inside. I think what I really liked about it was their was no Santa Clauses or anything else that represented the commercialism of Christmas. This really puts you in the Christmas spirit.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Lost in Portland
I have lived in Portland for almost a month now and I can say I still don't know my way around. This is the most confusing city that I have ever been in. There isn't a lot of landmarks to go buy either. A lot of people around here take public transportation or ride their bikes so the city city apparently invested more on their public transportation system then their roads.
I guess half my problem is that I am relying on Mapquest too much. Mapquest has got to be one of the worse programs I know. It gives the same street three names when all you really need is one.
The other compliant I have is that the streets around Portland are so dimly lit that you can't read the sign until after you passed it. The street signs are also pretty small (or maybe I need glasses). Portland also has more one way streets than most downtowns do. A lot of the streets break up and pick up again a couple blocks later.
The other day I was trying to get to a client's house and some how I ended up in Chinatown (I didn't even know Portland had a Chinatown) . I would have stopped for a visit if I had had the time.
Maybe everyone complains when they move to a new city, but I remember it didn't take hardly anytime to learn KC
I guess half my problem is that I am relying on Mapquest too much. Mapquest has got to be one of the worse programs I know. It gives the same street three names when all you really need is one.
The other compliant I have is that the streets around Portland are so dimly lit that you can't read the sign until after you passed it. The street signs are also pretty small (or maybe I need glasses). Portland also has more one way streets than most downtowns do. A lot of the streets break up and pick up again a couple blocks later.
The other day I was trying to get to a client's house and some how I ended up in Chinatown (I didn't even know Portland had a Chinatown) . I would have stopped for a visit if I had had the time.
Maybe everyone complains when they move to a new city, but I remember it didn't take hardly anytime to learn KC
Monday, December 04, 2006
Star Wars Muesum
This weekend was our first weekend without my parents around so we decided to explore Portland. I decided to take Woogy to the Star Wars Muesum at the Portland science center. Everything on display was real and used in the movies. Still, I thought the price was a little steep for what you got. I don't think Woogy really liked it honestly. The Stormtrooper greeting everyone at the front door scared him
Monday, November 27, 2006
Adjusting
It seems everyone is having a hard to time adjusting to Oregon, which is what I expected. On Thanksgiving I drove down to Newport to visit everyone. Wah-Wah said she was tired of living with my parents and wanted to leave soon. She had been stuck in my parent's house for over a week and everyone was getting on everyone else's nerves.
We ended up driving into Portland Saturday night and stayed in our house despite the fact we have no furniture or anything else. It was like camping, but indoors. Wah-Wah and I both have noticed that the kids are acting a little different. Woogy is getting more defiant and fighting more with his sister. He is also not listening very well and blocking things out. Nibbles is also not doing too well. She cannot stay in a different room from Wah-Wah without screaming. We went to Imago Dei on Sunday and dropped her off in the 1yr old class. Within 10 mins we were paged to go get her. Apparently she was so upset, that she was upsetting the other babies in the classroom. (Of course Nibbles has never been willing to stay in the classroom in OP either, but this seems worse)
Even the dog seems to be acting odd. Yesterday, Monty ran outside and got in the car when we were leaving to go somewhere. Normally he would get out when we ask him, but this time he wouldn't.
I hope with our things arriving today that life will start to settle in again.
We ended up driving into Portland Saturday night and stayed in our house despite the fact we have no furniture or anything else. It was like camping, but indoors. Wah-Wah and I both have noticed that the kids are acting a little different. Woogy is getting more defiant and fighting more with his sister. He is also not listening very well and blocking things out. Nibbles is also not doing too well. She cannot stay in a different room from Wah-Wah without screaming. We went to Imago Dei on Sunday and dropped her off in the 1yr old class. Within 10 mins we were paged to go get her. Apparently she was so upset, that she was upsetting the other babies in the classroom. (Of course Nibbles has never been willing to stay in the classroom in OP either, but this seems worse)
Even the dog seems to be acting odd. Yesterday, Monty ran outside and got in the car when we were leaving to go somewhere. Normally he would get out when we ask him, but this time he wouldn't.
I hope with our things arriving today that life will start to settle in again.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
My New House
Since I didn't have much going on at work today, I decided to check out my new house. I wouldn't say that it is much larger than the home I used to live in, but at least it is not a duplex with a neighbor standing outside smoking and bad mouthing the house. In fact, the house is in very good shape. My neighbor is named Oscar and he is retired and lived in the neighborhood a long time. He seems really nice and doesn't swear every other word like my last neighbor.
I don't have much of a backyard either. It's mostly all pebbles with some bushes along the side. There is a lot of storage around the house. First the garage is big enough to hold everything plus our cars. Then there are about 3 storage sheds around the property. Wah-Wah wants to covert one of the sheds to a play house for the kids. Everything else seems good. I'll finally have a bathroom in the master bedroom.
I've driven around the area and scoped out where all the shopping is. Portland is a great place if you don't like Walmart. People around here consider Walmart to be evil and don't allow it around here. Instead, they have Fred Myers which carries everything (The prices are a little inflated too). There is also a large number of ethnic restaurants around here that I will have to check out. We also have a lot of coffee houses and music stores (It's good to see those around).
Portland also has a high number of strip clubs as well. I've heard that Portland has the highest number of strip clubs per any other city it's size. I'm not sure why, it's just the way things are.
We hope to have everything moved in next Monday. I'll be driving down to Newport for Thanksgiving where my family is.
I hope things pick up here at my job. I've never had so little to do. Basically I'm waiting to get a case load going . I've started studying for my Oregon driver's license. It's a pretty thick manual. I've heard the test is hard if you don't read the book.
I don't have much of a backyard either. It's mostly all pebbles with some bushes along the side. There is a lot of storage around the house. First the garage is big enough to hold everything plus our cars. Then there are about 3 storage sheds around the property. Wah-Wah wants to covert one of the sheds to a play house for the kids. Everything else seems good. I'll finally have a bathroom in the master bedroom.
I've driven around the area and scoped out where all the shopping is. Portland is a great place if you don't like Walmart. People around here consider Walmart to be evil and don't allow it around here. Instead, they have Fred Myers which carries everything (The prices are a little inflated too). There is also a large number of ethnic restaurants around here that I will have to check out. We also have a lot of coffee houses and music stores (It's good to see those around).
Portland also has a high number of strip clubs as well. I've heard that Portland has the highest number of strip clubs per any other city it's size. I'm not sure why, it's just the way things are.
We hope to have everything moved in next Monday. I'll be driving down to Newport for Thanksgiving where my family is.
I hope things pick up here at my job. I've never had so little to do. Basically I'm waiting to get a case load going . I've started studying for my Oregon driver's license. It's a pretty thick manual. I've heard the test is hard if you don't read the book.
Monday, November 20, 2006
slow start
Things are moving pretty slow here in Oregon, but I guess that is to be expected. Since my supervisor is gone 2 days of the week, I haven't had a lot to do. I even have time to blog at my work which I never had time to do on my last job. I don't hate my job yet, it's just a little boring. My coworkers seem nice, but I know they don't want me hanging around them all day. Hopefully things will pick up soon.
Speaking of slow starts, it turns out we can't move into our new house until next week. The movers decided to take a early Thanksgiving vacation and stay in KC a few extra days. This means that I'll have to stay at my brother's apartment a few more days and my family will be in Newport another week.
Wah-Wah and the kids flew in last Weds night. My parents got them Thursday morning and showed them the new house. Wah-Wah said she loved everything but the bedroom carpets. Wah Wah has already set up the utilities and we will now be getting cable. I haven't had cable in 5 years and have learned to live without it. I'm afraid the kids and I will turn into coach potatoes now.
Anyway, Wah-Wah met the new babysitter and liked her so hopefully things will work out. Wah-Wah said that there were a lot of little kids Woogy's age around the neighborhood.
Speaking of slow starts, it turns out we can't move into our new house until next week. The movers decided to take a early Thanksgiving vacation and stay in KC a few extra days. This means that I'll have to stay at my brother's apartment a few more days and my family will be in Newport another week.
Wah-Wah and the kids flew in last Weds night. My parents got them Thursday morning and showed them the new house. Wah-Wah said she loved everything but the bedroom carpets. Wah Wah has already set up the utilities and we will now be getting cable. I haven't had cable in 5 years and have learned to live without it. I'm afraid the kids and I will turn into coach potatoes now.
Anyway, Wah-Wah met the new babysitter and liked her so hopefully things will work out. Wah-Wah said that there were a lot of little kids Woogy's age around the neighborhood.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Life in Oregon
I've been here in Oregon for almost 5 days and it has rained every one of them. It's called the "Pineapple Express" that brings rain from Hawaii across the Pacific northwest. Everyone tells me to get use to it.
Work is OK. Everyone is pretty friendly and loves my U2 pictures in my office. I can't say I really dig it here, but we do get free lunch from the school program that is on campus.
I attended my first Imago Dei home group last night. It seems a majority of the church's population are young couples with small children. We read through Psalms last night and then everyone starting singing. That was a little awkward. I'm going to a different one tonight. Afterwards, I'm picking up Wah-Wah and the kids at the airport tonight. Wah-Wah reported that we've had some problems with the crazy lady next door bad mouthing our house to the potential buyer. It's a big mess right now, and it could fall through.
Anyway, my parents are picking Wah-Wah up tomorrow and will show her the new house and hopefully meet with the babysitter. She'll stay till next week with them on the coast before we move in next Weds.
Work is OK. Everyone is pretty friendly and loves my U2 pictures in my office. I can't say I really dig it here, but we do get free lunch from the school program that is on campus.
I attended my first Imago Dei home group last night. It seems a majority of the church's population are young couples with small children. We read through Psalms last night and then everyone starting singing. That was a little awkward. I'm going to a different one tonight. Afterwards, I'm picking up Wah-Wah and the kids at the airport tonight. Wah-Wah reported that we've had some problems with the crazy lady next door bad mouthing our house to the potential buyer. It's a big mess right now, and it could fall through.
Anyway, my parents are picking Wah-Wah up tomorrow and will show her the new house and hopefully meet with the babysitter. She'll stay till next week with them on the coast before we move in next Weds.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
imago dei
I think the hardest thing about moving is going to be finding a new church community. No two churches are gonna be the same. I remember it took us a while before we found Overland Park AOG and even longer before we felt connected. I decided to start immediately on this search for a new church and visited Don Miller's Imago Dei which is right down the street from my house.
Imago Dei meets at a local high school for services at 9 and 11. It's a huge congregation of at least about 1,000. Suits and slacks look like they are forbidden since everyone wears jeans. Most of the people there were young adults between 20 to 40. Many looked like they were married with small children.
The church claims it is a post modern church with many booths that are set up for various environmental and social causes. Other booths sell books (Don Miller's complete works) and CD's of musicians that attend the church. I attended Pastor Rick's sermon that I found pretty interesting and relevant. He was a good speaker. The music was pretty good too and they even played a Violet Burning song for worship.
After worship I checked out their children's ministry which is located in the preschool section of the school. The children's minister was very friendly and said they took the security of small children very seriously. In fact, you can't even get into the preschool without a pass and a picture of your child. The minister explained that they strongly emphasize Biblical teachings the whole year round. The preschoolers go into a room with various stations where the teachers interact with them. There is a strong emphasize in arts and crafts there.
Apparently you meet people through Home Communities which are through out the week and are throughout the whole city of Portland. I was given a complete book of these Home Communities and told to call a few that are near where I live.
On top of the Home Communities, there are Connection groups that connect you with people of similar interest. They have a surfing group that get together and surf monthly, a Mars Hill group, automotive group, Outdoor group and even a social worker group.
They also have a Missional communities that work with pregnancy, elderly, homeless, AIDS, and even the Ronald McDonald House.
If you dig the arts, they have communities with songwriters, writers, a film and faith group, literature group, photography, graphic design, film makers, dance, and architecture groups.
It looks like this church has something for everyone, but the size is overwhelming. I think I'll try a few home community groups and see how they go.
Yesterday I decided to see my new home. It is located in an older section of town with a lot of old style homes. In fact, no two houses looked the same. Most of the homes in the area are built on smaller lots than in KC. My house happens to be the only ranch style home around. Most of the homes are two stories with a huge porch. About a block away, I found a babysitter that sounds too good to be true. She quoted me a rate that was cheaper than what I was paying in KC. She was definitely a Christian and said she was praying for a family like us to move in. She said that she currently watches a girl Woogy's age.
The plan now is for Wah-Wah and the kids to fly in Weds night, then on Thursday, my parents will pick them up and take them out to the new house for a tour and meet with the babysitter. Wah Wah will of course check some references out on the babysitter first. Wah-Wah will then go to Newport with my parents for a week until the house is ready to move into.
Imago Dei meets at a local high school for services at 9 and 11. It's a huge congregation of at least about 1,000. Suits and slacks look like they are forbidden since everyone wears jeans. Most of the people there were young adults between 20 to 40. Many looked like they were married with small children.
The church claims it is a post modern church with many booths that are set up for various environmental and social causes. Other booths sell books (Don Miller's complete works) and CD's of musicians that attend the church. I attended Pastor Rick's sermon that I found pretty interesting and relevant. He was a good speaker. The music was pretty good too and they even played a Violet Burning song for worship.
After worship I checked out their children's ministry which is located in the preschool section of the school. The children's minister was very friendly and said they took the security of small children very seriously. In fact, you can't even get into the preschool without a pass and a picture of your child. The minister explained that they strongly emphasize Biblical teachings the whole year round. The preschoolers go into a room with various stations where the teachers interact with them. There is a strong emphasize in arts and crafts there.
Apparently you meet people through Home Communities which are through out the week and are throughout the whole city of Portland. I was given a complete book of these Home Communities and told to call a few that are near where I live.
On top of the Home Communities, there are Connection groups that connect you with people of similar interest. They have a surfing group that get together and surf monthly, a Mars Hill group, automotive group, Outdoor group and even a social worker group.
They also have a Missional communities that work with pregnancy, elderly, homeless, AIDS, and even the Ronald McDonald House.
If you dig the arts, they have communities with songwriters, writers, a film and faith group, literature group, photography, graphic design, film makers, dance, and architecture groups.
It looks like this church has something for everyone, but the size is overwhelming. I think I'll try a few home community groups and see how they go.
Yesterday I decided to see my new home. It is located in an older section of town with a lot of old style homes. In fact, no two houses looked the same. Most of the homes in the area are built on smaller lots than in KC. My house happens to be the only ranch style home around. Most of the homes are two stories with a huge porch. About a block away, I found a babysitter that sounds too good to be true. She quoted me a rate that was cheaper than what I was paying in KC. She was definitely a Christian and said she was praying for a family like us to move in. She said that she currently watches a girl Woogy's age.
The plan now is for Wah-Wah and the kids to fly in Weds night, then on Thursday, my parents will pick them up and take them out to the new house for a tour and meet with the babysitter. Wah Wah will of course check some references out on the babysitter first. Wah-Wah will then go to Newport with my parents for a week until the house is ready to move into.
Friday, November 10, 2006
I made it
After driving 4 days I finally arrived in my new home of Portland Oregon, and guess what? It was raining. In fact, that is all there is in the forecast. But that's ok, I don't mind too badly. I would share my exciting adventures on the road if I had any, but the trip was uneventful. Just me and the dog, who actually behaved very well and was a good traveling companion. Monty didn't complain once
I spent Tuesday night in Sidney Nebraska. Nebraska is every bit as boring as you think it is. There is nothing there.
Weds morning I drove into Wyoming and was attacked by tumble weeds that blew across the highway. Wyoming is pretty dull too. It was almost like driving across the moon. I spent Weds night in Evanston in western Wyoming. I got a call from Wah-Wah that she had finally been offered a job with Legacy. It turns out that this wasn't the big opportunity that we had been hoping for. As I predicted, when Legacy emailed Wah-Wah saying they were "reorganizing" it meant that they cut the job that she was hoping for and offered another one. It's still pays better than what she was making at her old job, but I kind of knew they were gonna screw her over.
On Thursday morning, I drove into a blizzard which really slowed me down. It snowed all the way into Utah (where I was chased out by mormons)(just kidding)). I was only in Utah for an hour or two before I headed into Idaho. Idaho was a whole bunch of nothing. Excitement didn't pick up till I made it to Boise where I hit 5 o'clock traffic. Once I made it out of Boise, I drove into Oregon where I spent the night in Baker City. I'd say that Thursday was the hardest day. I was exhausted by the time I pulled into the hotel.
Friday morning I drove up in the mountains and into the Columbia River gorge which leads to Portland. After getting through the traffic of Portland, I arrived safe and sound at my brother's apartment at around 4 o clock.
The total trip was almost 2000 miles. That is the longest road trip I ever did.
Tomorrow I plan to check out the house that we'll be living in. I also want to check out a few day cares that are suppose to be near by. On Sunday, I'm going to start the process of finding a new church. I'm first going to check out Imago Dei (Don Miller's church) which happens to be right down the street from my house. I was on the church's web site and it looks interesting. They are acquainted with a lot of music talent. There is also the Faith Chapel Assembly of God nearby too that I might visit in the coming weeks
I spent Tuesday night in Sidney Nebraska. Nebraska is every bit as boring as you think it is. There is nothing there.
Weds morning I drove into Wyoming and was attacked by tumble weeds that blew across the highway. Wyoming is pretty dull too. It was almost like driving across the moon. I spent Weds night in Evanston in western Wyoming. I got a call from Wah-Wah that she had finally been offered a job with Legacy. It turns out that this wasn't the big opportunity that we had been hoping for. As I predicted, when Legacy emailed Wah-Wah saying they were "reorganizing" it meant that they cut the job that she was hoping for and offered another one. It's still pays better than what she was making at her old job, but I kind of knew they were gonna screw her over.
On Thursday morning, I drove into a blizzard which really slowed me down. It snowed all the way into Utah (where I was chased out by mormons)(just kidding)). I was only in Utah for an hour or two before I headed into Idaho. Idaho was a whole bunch of nothing. Excitement didn't pick up till I made it to Boise where I hit 5 o'clock traffic. Once I made it out of Boise, I drove into Oregon where I spent the night in Baker City. I'd say that Thursday was the hardest day. I was exhausted by the time I pulled into the hotel.
Friday morning I drove up in the mountains and into the Columbia River gorge which leads to Portland. After getting through the traffic of Portland, I arrived safe and sound at my brother's apartment at around 4 o clock.
The total trip was almost 2000 miles. That is the longest road trip I ever did.
Tomorrow I plan to check out the house that we'll be living in. I also want to check out a few day cares that are suppose to be near by. On Sunday, I'm going to start the process of finding a new church. I'm first going to check out Imago Dei (Don Miller's church) which happens to be right down the street from my house. I was on the church's web site and it looks interesting. They are acquainted with a lot of music talent. There is also the Faith Chapel Assembly of God nearby too that I might visit in the coming weeks
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Best Concerts
I'm now in the final day of my last day in KS before I drive nearly 2000 miles to Oregon. I've been thinking of all the concerts that A Forest and I have gone to over the years. I don't know what my concert going life will be like in Portland. Wah-Wah is exactly into music, but she's agreed to try a few. Still, it's not the same going with someone who doesn't appreciate the same music you do. A Forest and I saw a lot of concerts (and hopefully more to come some day) and here's a review of some of the best ones:
1. U2 (obviously) in St.Louis 2005 during the Vertigo Tour. --You can't top a U2 performance. The lights and music are so uplifting. I remember this show was especially bittersweet since my three month's of unemployment last year was about to end
2. U2 in KC during the Elevation tour 2002 . The only U2 concert I didn't have to drive all day to get to. It's U2, what else can I say!
3. Sigur Ros in KC in 2006. Wow this band really blew me away. The show was a perfect blend of how art can relate to music. Abstract images with the music was simply beautiful and emotional too. I remember I never wanted it to stop.
4. Coldplay in KC in 2003 during the Rush of Blood to the Head tour. All the reasons I like Coldplay can be summed up in that night. Chris Martin made Memorial Hall feel like a very intimate place. I saw them again in 2005 at Verizon and it just wasn't the same outside
5. Travis in Lawrence in 2002. With a great album ("the invisible band") to draw from, Travis was great. They sound sensitive and serious, but they could be a lot of fun too. I remember they closed the show with "Back in Black"
6. Starflyer 59 in Lawrence at the Bottleneck in 2002. I remember it was a Sunday Night and the weather was really bad. There weren't even a lot of people there which means we had the place to ourselves. We saw Starflyer a little later (or earlier) that year at the New Earth with Jason on guitar and one other guy on bass. That was pretty cool to hear them stripped down
7. Asobi Sesku at the Record Bar in KC in Oct 2006. I can't believe how small the lead singer is, but she could sing. Asobi Sesku did some fine shoe gazing. They were beautiful. Lots of guitars and distortion. Everything I love about music
8. Keane at the Uptown in KC in 2004. I think they won A Forest over that night. Their songs are so catchy. I was surprised that they mixed imagery and art so well with their music. Wish they had more songs to play that night
9. The Stills at the Bottleneck in Lawrence in 2004. Before they changed their sound and released a horrible second album, the Stills had a lot of promise
10. REM at Starlight in 2003. They were doing there first Best of tour and played a lot of songs I never heard live before. I especially enjoyed hearing "Nightswimming" for the first time live.
11. Joy Electric and Violet Burning. A Forest and I have seen these two bands so many times that I lost count. I always enjoy Violet Burning and Michael Pretzil's sermons half way through the show. He's a real man of God and knows the power of music
Shows that weren't so great
1. Mogwai at Lawrence in 2006. I like Mogwai, but I have to say that I was getting a little bored. No vocals, just music that sort of runs together. Nice light show but no images to go with it
2. Michael Knott at the New Earth in 2004. I hadn't heard a lot of Michael's material, but he's got a very distinctive voice. Unfortunate this night he was intoxicated and a mess. Apparently he was having marriage problems and actually broke down while performing. He didn't even finish any songs
3. Depeche Mode at Starlight in 2006. I've been bitchin about this for a while. First the opening band She Wants Revenge was done playing by the time we got there. We actually arrived when the show was suppose to start. When DM took the stage, it was pretty impressive with the props and lights. Soon however, it was obvious things weren't right. During his first break, Dave Gahan took off and didn't come back. I expected better from them
1. U2 (obviously) in St.Louis 2005 during the Vertigo Tour. --You can't top a U2 performance. The lights and music are so uplifting. I remember this show was especially bittersweet since my three month's of unemployment last year was about to end
2. U2 in KC during the Elevation tour 2002 . The only U2 concert I didn't have to drive all day to get to. It's U2, what else can I say!
3. Sigur Ros in KC in 2006. Wow this band really blew me away. The show was a perfect blend of how art can relate to music. Abstract images with the music was simply beautiful and emotional too. I remember I never wanted it to stop.
4. Coldplay in KC in 2003 during the Rush of Blood to the Head tour. All the reasons I like Coldplay can be summed up in that night. Chris Martin made Memorial Hall feel like a very intimate place. I saw them again in 2005 at Verizon and it just wasn't the same outside
5. Travis in Lawrence in 2002. With a great album ("the invisible band") to draw from, Travis was great. They sound sensitive and serious, but they could be a lot of fun too. I remember they closed the show with "Back in Black"
6. Starflyer 59 in Lawrence at the Bottleneck in 2002. I remember it was a Sunday Night and the weather was really bad. There weren't even a lot of people there which means we had the place to ourselves. We saw Starflyer a little later (or earlier) that year at the New Earth with Jason on guitar and one other guy on bass. That was pretty cool to hear them stripped down
7. Asobi Sesku at the Record Bar in KC in Oct 2006. I can't believe how small the lead singer is, but she could sing. Asobi Sesku did some fine shoe gazing. They were beautiful. Lots of guitars and distortion. Everything I love about music
8. Keane at the Uptown in KC in 2004. I think they won A Forest over that night. Their songs are so catchy. I was surprised that they mixed imagery and art so well with their music. Wish they had more songs to play that night
9. The Stills at the Bottleneck in Lawrence in 2004. Before they changed their sound and released a horrible second album, the Stills had a lot of promise
10. REM at Starlight in 2003. They were doing there first Best of tour and played a lot of songs I never heard live before. I especially enjoyed hearing "Nightswimming" for the first time live.
11. Joy Electric and Violet Burning. A Forest and I have seen these two bands so many times that I lost count. I always enjoy Violet Burning and Michael Pretzil's sermons half way through the show. He's a real man of God and knows the power of music
Shows that weren't so great
1. Mogwai at Lawrence in 2006. I like Mogwai, but I have to say that I was getting a little bored. No vocals, just music that sort of runs together. Nice light show but no images to go with it
2. Michael Knott at the New Earth in 2004. I hadn't heard a lot of Michael's material, but he's got a very distinctive voice. Unfortunate this night he was intoxicated and a mess. Apparently he was having marriage problems and actually broke down while performing. He didn't even finish any songs
3. Depeche Mode at Starlight in 2006. I've been bitchin about this for a while. First the opening band She Wants Revenge was done playing by the time we got there. We actually arrived when the show was suppose to start. When DM took the stage, it was pretty impressive with the props and lights. Soon however, it was obvious things weren't right. During his first break, Dave Gahan took off and didn't come back. I expected better from them
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