27.8.09

Island Day

Mom and I spent the day out at Sauvie's Island picking yummy and beautiful things. There are still some delicious things to be found if you look hard enough. This is also Dahlia season, so after scrounging the last of the blackberries, we wandered though the flower fields. $12.50 a bucket is not a bad price! Back in the barn we bought some farm fresh veggies and fruit to add to our dinner menus.
Then we went out for Thai food!

25.8.09

Almost Fall

I'm feeling a little strange this time of year- it's my first non-back to school year of all time. It's kind of relaxing, yet kind of boring at the same time. I should make up a big book list and buy some paper. I did buy some pens yesterday.

20.8.09

Cooking Chemistry

It's kind of amazing how this:

turns into this:


And how this:


ends up like this:

19.8.09

Korean BBQ

Last week I tasted my introduction to Korean bbq. It was amazing. The flavors and presentation were very different, and I mostly just sputtered "This is weird" after every bite. But it's good. And weird. I think I like it.
And I want one of those awesome in table fire pits.





On closer
inspection, there are more Korean restaurants in Portland that I've stopped to notice. I suppose I never really thought about Korean food before. But now that I've tried it, I've noticed a few of them around town. I spotted one the very next day, as I drove home from my favorite boulangerie, that I think I'd like to try.
If you've never tried Korean bbq, don't be shy - pick one of these and go! (Then tell me what you think- I have a hard time leaving restaurants I enjoy for the prospect of something that may or may not be delicious.)

Traumatic!

Phobias unite-
this morning, as I was about to step onto the elevator, a moth flew in.
Needless to say, I took the neighboring lift.

18.8.09

Work

We got free gelato at work today! A pleasant surprise, improving my current situation: an awkward keyboard and a neighbor who can't tolerate music (I was hoping to listen to Mahler's 2nd and 5th).

13.8.09

Thoughts on Joy

"Have you been in really good physical shape at some point in your life? If you aren't at that same level of fitness today, you probably know that it didn't "just happen"' you didn't loose your six-pack or your ability to run eight miles overnight. You sopped running regularly, or you quit lifting weights three times a week, or you started adding a couple of extra scoops of ice cream to your bowl. There are reasons that we are where we are and who were are, and they aren't random.

It is the same way with joy in our lives. We tend to think of joy as something that ebbs and flows depending on life's circumstances. but we don't just lose joy, as though one day we have it and the next it's gone, oh darn. Joy is something that we have to chose and then work for. Like the ability to run for an hour, it doesn't come automatically. It needs cultivation.

When life gets painful or doesn't go as we hoped, it's okay if a little of our joy seeps away. The Bible teaches that true joy is formed in the midst of the difficult seasons of life.

A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort.
Obsessed people know that true joy doesn't depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated, a gift that ultimately comes from God (James 1:2-4)"

[Francis Chan-Crazy Love p.146]

12.8.09

Music to My Ears

Muse has a new album!

My ipod is almost dead today, so I opted for streaming knrk.com and heard "Uprising". It pretty much made my day (along with my really comfortable chair, and James and the Giant Peach.)

6.8.09

Woohoo!

I like Wednesdays and Thursdays - they are my Thursdays and Fridays. (Aka the end of the week.)

Yesterday was a particularly fabulous Wednesday:
-I did a stretching rutine before work, which meant less sore muscles, and more abiblity to sit straight and not get a headache (I also broke down and used the bolster pillow belonging to the guy who's cubicle I'm crashing in this week.)
-the system crashed at 7pm, so we got off early enough to be fun and not taking too big a pay cut
-Our friend Jesse from Capernwray unexpectedly showed up in Portland! So we spend the evening eating ridiculously spicy Thai food and wandering Powells
-I made two great buys at Powells! Found "The Fourth Bear" in a like new hardback for under $10, and a quirky, 60's looking edition of "Mrs. Dalloway's Party" for $3.50.

And now today is my Friday, and I'm looking forward to a weekend relaxing in nature and enjoying my anniversary.