so i know it's kinda ridiculous but . . .

life's been a little nuts. we've spent that last few months settling into the new house and doing some improvements. we're finally getting the yard to where we'd like it and even had a housewarming party a few weekends ago. work's been absolutely nuts and i have a *huge* project going live one week from today. yeah, i know ... and we're still scramblin' to get it done.

this past week we went to tampa for my mom's big 50th birthday celebration. mac got to meet the whole fam damily! as expected, they loved her and she seemed to come out unscathed. it was very nice to be able to show her where i grew up and what schools i went to and have her experience my grandmother's cooking. i think she's got the full picture now and still seems to want to stick around. yay! i get to go meet her mom in a few weeks and we're hoping it goes as well.

we hit our 1 yr anniversary last week before we left. i can't believe it's been that long and it also seems ridiculously short given all that's happened in the last year. i could never have predicted that we'd be where we are today back then but i guess that's part of the good stuff. it took us both totally by surprise and it's been a very nice ride so far.

the house still sits on the market. i'm about to pull it off & rent it. i need to start making the $$ stretch a bit more and just can't afford to have it sit empty any longer. anyone know of someone looking to rent a cute house send 'em my way pls.

so today i'm thankful for . . . an amazing year with an amazing woman and a great life to boot

big news . . .

so big changes are a-foot . . . what else is new, right? well, the big news is that mac and i bought a house together and we've moved in. my house is days away from being finished and listed by our fabulous real estate agent and mac's house seems to have rented. we moved in last weekend and are doing our best to settle in as we split our time working on our respective places. the new house is very cool and has a great story. it's only a few blocks from each of our current homes so it's nice to stay in the 'hood. we found it while out on a dog walk one night. mac will tell the long-winded story that makes me look bad but i'll keep it short and say i wasn't pleased to be walking as far as we ended up walking that cold rainy late night. but in the end it all worked out since we, in fact, now the owners of that cute house we happened upon. it's a super-cute 1924 bungalow that has only been owned by 3 families (including us). it was built along with the house next door by a brother and sister with their families in the middle of what was an apple orchard then. most of our neighbors have lived there since before i was even born so it's nice to live on an established block. the dogs seem to be working out their issues in a new space which is nice to see as well. i promise to post some pics soon and for those of you that are local, i'm sure the summer bbq season will be happening very soon.

in other happenings, mac and i took the opportunity to get away for the weekend for some much-needed r&r/quality time. my officemate was nice enough to take the pug for the weekend and boo came along for the ride. a friend of mine scored me *fantastic* seats to the storm home opener and we had a blast at the game. drove up on saturday and explored some of mac's old neighborhoods after having lunch at red mill burgers. after a quick stop at the hotel to shower and drop off the dog, we headed over to the kingfish cafe for a cocktail then off to key arena for the game. one of mac's friends met us for the game and then we headed back to the kingfish for dinner. we had a brief heart attack when boo was nowhere to be found in the hotel room upon our return. turns out he'd been a bit of a noisy nelly and they'd taken him to hang out at the reception desk. he was in his glory and just having a ball. we enjoyed a lazy morning on sunday before heading to meet some of mac's friends for brunch at a mexican place in the fremont 'hood (forgive me for not remembering the name). then headed back to portland.

we're already making plans for our next trip up so we can go to another game and check out the "American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music" exhibit at the experience music project. all in all, it was a great weekend and has been a whirlwind of a couple of weeks. the work has been hard but the house is coming out great and our new house is amazing already. we are so pleased.

today i'm grateful for . . . an amazing partner which whom i get to share a home and many adventures

the tour is finally *over* . . .

so the tour is finally over and, while i had a good time, i am definitely ready for slower pace. the last few days have been quick and we have seen a lot but nothing i have really absorbed too deeply. the day in venezia was nice. the rain seemed to hold out for most of the day and we had a very charismatic city tour guide. we saw the highlights (the rialto, piazza san marco, il doges palace, did a gondola ride) but the highlighth has to be the guggenheim museum. i got to see my first kandinsky and pollocks in person and i cannot even begin to describe how amazing that was.

the next day we headed to lake como and did a cruise on the lake. the rain did *not* hold out that day and most of our cruise was rainy and foggy. we had a quick stop in bellagio for a coffee and then back on the boat and then the bus to our hotel. the tour planners had provided our tour directors with the wrong address for our hotel. so we had to backtrack up a very windy steep mountain to finally reach our hotel at approximately 9pm. it was worth it as we landed in a beautiful family-run hotel that held dinner for us. it was by far the best meal we had on the tour. the downside is that it made our trip to milan for the train approximately an hour longer than we'd expected. so the next morning, groggy and still raining, we headed back down the windy mountain road and hauled ass to milan. we literally *ran* for the train. we got our 27 ppl on board as the doors were closing. 5 hours later we arrived in rome.

the first night in rome we headed back into the city for a night bus tour. then did all the highlights with a city guide yesterday. the vatican was beautiful as was the colosseum and then the pantheon. we headed to the spanish steps then back to meet our group at the trevi fountain. we had dinner near the fountain and then headed back to the hotel as the rest of the group left around 4a today.

i hopped a shuttle from the hotel and then a train and then the subway and finally landed at my hotel around 1030am. luckily my room was ready. it's clean and seems safe enough so i can't really complain. i've spent the beautiful day roaming around at my own pace. found an irish pub and had to hop in (thinking of you ryan as i drank a guinness). am on my way to piazza navonna to get some lunch and just sit.

will try to post tomorrow when more internet cafes are open. head to amsterdam on tues and very much looking forward to some familiar and friendly faces waiting for me there.

i miss mac more than i can say. i've tried to call every day even if only for a few minutes. suki is back home with her and i'm missing her too.

today i'm thankful for . . . the fact that i'll be home in 7 days!

italy is amazing . . .

so in the last two days, we've been to firenze and bologna. firenze was beautiful. we went to il duomo & the ponte vecchio. did some shopping and today we drove 6 hours to jesolo di lido just outside of venice. we stopped in bologna. we saw the oldest university ... the oldest building was built in 1088. have had some fantastic food and wine. have yet to have a bad glass of wine.

tomorrow we're heading venezia and doing a gondola ride. should be fun. the tour ends on sunday the 13th. then i stay in roma for another 2 days before heading to amsterdam.

today i'm thankful for . . . the fact that it stopped raining

greetings from cinque terre . . .

so it is day 3 and we are in cinque terre. yesterday we left nice and made a stop in monte carlo, monaco for a few hours. we visited a parfumerie and then crossed the border into italia. we spent the night in sarzana and after dinner we went looking for the *disco bar* and instead found the bowling alley. it was full of teenagers and there was disco music playing but no dancing. we decided we should play a game. it was fun but i woke up this morning with a sore shoulder. well worth it tho.

this am as we headed out it was raining. felt like portland honestly. it did start to rain harder later but it has now cleared up and the sun is out. we are spending the afternoon here before heading back by train to la spezia to head to firenze tonight.

am having a good time but starting to get a bit tired of the pack mule/tour mentality. am definitely looking forward to 2 quiet days on my own schedule in rome.

have spoken to mac each day and am missing her like crazy. am looking forward to being home with her.

today i am thankful for . . . clearing skies and good seafood.

the eagle has landed . . .

so i have landed in nice, france and it is a beautiful day. have already visited the museum of modern art and am off to kill 3 hours watching the waves roll in from the mediterranean. i could think of worse ways to spend an afternoon. my mom arrives with the rest of the group around 3p and we head to italy tomorrow. i called mac from the hotel this am to let her know i had landed safely . . . of course it took me 30 mins to figure out how to make a call but i worked it out.

more soon ... i will try to post as often as i can.

today i am grateful for . . . a beautiful day on the french riviera

we're ready for liftoff . . .

so i leave for europe tomorrow. have been in tampa visiting family since tues am. has been good to catch up with folks and eat my grandma's food. i can't believe how *hot* it is down here. as soon as i got off the plane, it was like a wave of humidity smacked me in the face! how do people live here?

have been missing mac like crazy. the time is dragging and i don't know how i'll make it another 19 days! it'll be good for us i know but i missed her as i fell asleep last night.

am hoping to get internet access from europe so stay tuned for updates from my adventure!

today i'm thankful for . . . being able to make this trip.

kitchen update . . .

so the kitchen is coming along nicely. here are some new pics of the work. the pass through has been completed and just needs trim and the drywall is up where the new cabinets will go. the contractor has run the wiring for the new lights and appliances. i can't believe how quickly so much has gotten done. the cabinets go in tomorrow and then it's gonna start looking real. they come to make the template for the counters on thursday am.



mac and i had a nice weekend. friday my office closed early for the easter holiday so i picked up my taxes and ran some errands. also got the good news that the girl who was interested in my car wanted to buy it. she'll be picking it up today. yay! that takes a weight off of me and puts some cash back in my bank account. phew! i ran by rei to use my dividend on travel stuff and then picked mac up at work for an ikea date. we got a few things for the house and then went home to make dinner. saturday i took her to work and then went home to get some work done on the office. i packed up my computer and spackled some holes in the wall so we can paint . . . or rather she can paint while i'm gone. saturday night we had a date to go see some roller derby. we ran into erock oslama and sat on the floor close to the action. was loads of fun but i'll definitely bring something to sit on next time! we went back to my place afterwards so she could see all the work that had been done and we took a soak in the hot tub. was nice to relax after a crazy week.

sunday am we had the opportunity to sleep in and then made breakfast at home before heading to my place to meet up with sarah to do more electrical work at my house. mac starting painting the trim in the bedroom and then we ran by the store to get munchies before hosting the girls for the last 3 episodes of the l word. last night was the season finale and we had a marathon viewing session. was fun. we finally fell into bed around 130a after cleaning up the kitchen and taking the dogs for a much-needed spin around the block.

woke up this morning rather anxious as the countdown is now down to a week to my departure. so much to do, so little time.

so today i'm thankful for . . . the good fortune i have with a great lover, good friends, and a bright future

tick tock . . .

so the clock is ticking on my departure date and it's starting to get a bit overwhelming. the very thought of being away from mac for 3 weeks seems unbearable at the moment ... and then i have the thought of being away from my dog and it all becomes too much. i know it will be a blast once i get there but, to be honest, right now i don't even want to go.

on the house front, there's lots of activity. the floors have been installed. the orange marmoleum was a fantastic choice. it looks great and will look even better once the cabinets get installed on tuesday. then on thursday they come to make the template for the corian countertops. i won't see them installed before i leave but i'm sure the cabinets will make a huge difference. of course, if this were the only thing going on, the stress level wouldn't be so high but it's not! once we finish my kitchen, we'll be starting on mac's. we're suckers for punishment, i know. but hers needs it badly and we figure we'll be in practice.

the car has gotten some interest on craigslist and a woman came by last night to leave a deposit so she could take it to her mechanic today. am waiting for the phone to ring with her answer. it will be nice to have the $$ for the trip and house stuff. i love rosebud (my neighbor, wilson, named her - it fits) but i just can't justify owning a car when i drive all of 2,000 miles in 9 months . . . and that includes a trip to the coast! besides, the bike will get more action if i don't have a car to fall back on all summer. so keep your fingers crossed that her mechanic gives it his blessing and she buys it!

sunday is the season finale of the l word and the girls are coming over for a 3 episode extravaganza. great timing for me. i was worried i was going to miss the last episode. worked out nicely to move the yard sale to the following weekend. was just going to be too much.

almost forgot, we're going to see some roller derby this weekend. neither mac nor i had ever been so we got tickets and it's our big date night this weekend. should be fun. a full report will follow i'm sure so stay tuned.

been watching some march madness but not sure how much of the tournament i'll be able to see. my brackets are already shot so i'm not too bummed.

so today i'm thankful for . . . an early closure for the easter weekend at work (was a pleasant surprise to find that e-mail this am. gonna go pick up my taxes and run some errands ... lookout! i know how to have a good time!)

the kitchen remodel has begun . . .

so the kitchen remodel officially started today. the contractor is there as we speak tearing out the cabinets & the floors. we had the floor installer come by on saturday am to measure and give us a quote. the cabinet installer comes tomorrow to do the same. the floors have been picked out, the cabinets have been chosen, and the countertops have been ordered. we've got the sink and range purchased and the lighting selected (with some purchased). i need to pick a range vent/fan and order the floors. at some point soon i'll go buy the dishwasher from lowe's but we're a ways out from that.

mac & i spent the weekend packing up my kitchen and getting her house ready for suki and i to descend upon. it's been fun and exhausting. yesterday was our 6 month anniversary and also the first night i'd *moved in*. it was nice serendipity that timing worked out that way. i brought some kitchen stuff over and packed other stuff away for revisiting later. we're planning a yard sale the weekend of march 22nd to get rid of some big stuff as we start to consolidate households. it's fun to plan a home together.

of course adding to all of this stress is that i leave for 3 weeks in, well, 3 weeks. i'm mildly relieved that i won't have to be here to witness/live through the mess but wish i could watch the transformation and feel bad that i'm leaving mac to deal with it all ... but i guess as a designer it's her forté to oversee a project without the client around. am starting to get excited about the trip (although i do wish the timing was better) and finally booked my hotel in rome over the weekend. it was the last straggling part of the itinerary i hadn't handled so i'm relieved i finally did.

work is good. am starting to settle in and am getting excited about my first site launching in late march . . . right before i leave of course. isn't that always the way? speaking of work, it's almost time to head out so i should get a few things wrapped up before i head home to see the house.

i'll post pics when i can so y'all can follow the progress with me.

today i'm thankful for . . . 6 months with an amazing woman who's willing to design my kitchen and put some sweat equity in

no trip for me . . .

just found out that i won't be making the trip to meet the new client on tuesday ... kinda bummed, kinda glad since it means i won't have to be up at the ass-crack of dawn for a 650a flight.

oh well, maybe next time . . .

a new year has begun . . .

where did 2007 go? i can't believe that it's over already. it's been a helluva year. in some ways, i'm sad it's over as it's been very good (new house, meeting mac, all the fun i've had) and in some ways, i'm glad it's over because it's been one of the hardest years of my life.

christmas at new year's was great and fun. we started the weekend with massages at löyly spa and a nice dinner at home. on sunday am we lazily packed up and headed out to manzanita. it was a beautiful drive and there was snow falling as we crossed the coast range. was very cool and made it feel very *christmas-y*. we lit the wood stove and popped open a bottle of wine as we arrived and started cooking dinner. we opened our presents after christmas while the dogs snoozed on their beds by the wood stove. what a bounty of loot!

on monday, we headed to the beach for a walk on a crisp, clear day and the dogs had a ball checking it all out. there was some crazy sea vegetables that looked like long ropes. there were mounds of them all over the beach. was very cool stuff! andrée spent quite awhile investigating them and trying to dream up ways to use the stuff. it was super strong and rubbery. we dropped the dogs back at the house and walked into town to do a bit of shopping. after dinner, we decided what better way to ring in the new year so we headed back to the beach for a midnight walk. it was very cool as there were several groups with fires burning and fireworks going off in the distance. we made a list of all the things we wanted to manifest in 2008 and shared a toast before turning in for the night.

we had a great breakfast on new year's day and packed up and headed home. the drive home was much less eventful (read: no snow) but we did stop to take pictures of a wild sight. apparently weyerhauser had the bright idea to clearcut an entire hillside a couple of years ago and not bother to leave any big trees behind to shelter the saplings they planted to replace their destruction. well, a couple of weeks ago we got some crazy wind (the coast was having hurricane strength winds) and the saplings were snapped off the toothpicks. it was a whole hillside of them. the wind was so strong it uprooted several trees - including one with a root ball measuring at least 10 ft across. we continued on our drive home and had a nice dinner before soaking in the hot tub & turning in. today was back to the grind.

am really happy with how the holiday turned out. it's truly been the best i've ever had and am so glad to have shared it with such an amazing woman. if this is how our first is, i'm sure the rest will be great. am starting to gear up for the kitchen remodel and andrée will be doing the design for it. our goal is to do a *kitchen by craigslist*. we've already started and acquired a great brand-new stainless steel sink for a song. let's hope the dishwasher and new gas range show up on craigslist for as cheap as the sink did! should be a fun project and a nice test for the future we're planning together.

today i'm thankful for . . . the best christmas ever and looking forward to sharing the year ahead with mac and all the advertures it might bring

98 days . . .

i finally booked the amsterdam leg and return date for my trip to europe. my mom and i are doing an 11-day tour of northern italy and then i'm tacking on a few days in rome by myself before heading to amsterdam to meet up with some friends for a 30th birthday celebration.

i had until today (of course, i procrastinated till then) to book my return. i had been waiting to see if it made sense for mac to meet me in rome for a romantic week together. the more we talked about it given everything else going on, the more sense it made for me to come back earlier. we're talking about a trip to bc for our birthdays in late feb/early march and maybe a trip to santa fe in late may before we move in together. we're also starting to plan my kitchen remodel. all of those things combined just didn't leave us enough $$ to do rome this year too.

am excited about the trip to europe nonetheless but i can't imagine being away from her for 21 days right now. i'm sure it'll be fine but will still be hard to be away from suki for that long too. i've added a few days on either end of the europe to see some family in tampa. i think dad's finally gonna have a puppy for me too so i may be coming home with it. his latest litter of dobies is due on jan 2nd and hopefully there's a puppy with my name on it out of the 8-10 pups that are born. have been wanting to get a pup for suki to have a buddy for awhile. it's interesting that it's finally coming now. mac's dog and suki are starting to get along. we'll see how it is with a 3rd dog in the mix.

so today i'm thankful for ... a trip to look forward to and some great memories i'm sure

they say you can't go back . . .

made a trip to the old neighborhood of park slope, brooklyn last weekend. was a whirlwind trip as i was on the ground for a total of 36 hours. stayed with an old friend in her 217 sq ft studio apt. super cute but wow ... small! i still can't believe 4 of us slept there. was fun tho.

took the red eye direct flight from pdx-jfk from jetblue on friday night and arrived at 830a et. fortunately was able to sleep on the plane since my body was exhausted. i'd had a long week and taken mac's hip hop fitness class at 530p that night. was just what my body needed before sitting on a long flight. took a cab to park slope and went out for coffee & brunch with my friend and her new girl. took a stroll around the 'hood – so much has changed and so much hasn't. i was on a mission for a coat so we stopped into a few shops. ended up with a beautiful coat and some t-shirts from brooklyn industries. picked up a shirt for mac that i knew she'd love (and she did). headed into manhattan for the cursory stop at loehmann's ... especially if a *coat* is what you're looking for. i was successful in my quest for a dress rain coat that i could wear year-round and for $80 no less ... god bless loehmann's! walked around chelsea for a bit looking for a cuban-chinese place i used to frequent but couldn't find it so we ended up at cuba cafe for a late lunch before heading back to park slope to get ready for the margaret cho show we had tickets to that night.

the show was amazing as to be expected. the premise was to be a burlesque show that celebrated all types of women's bodies. was hilarious and raunchy and thought-provoking. suffice it to say, i laughed and howled the whole show and didn't expect to ever in my 15 yrs of being a margaret cho fan think i'd see her naked wearing only a dong and pasties! what an amazing celebration of women! so glad i got the opportunity to see that show.

after the show, we headed back to park slope for a little pre-func at the apartment before heading off to cattyshack to get our dance on. who woulda thunk that there'd be a dyke dance bar on 4th ave in park slope? was a good time. nice to see so many dark-skinned girls out dancing ... especially coming from pdx where women of color are the exception rather than the rule. danced till around 2a and had lots of fun.

sunday i headed out for brunch with another old friend who had popped into town to see me while i was there. we had a long conversation at rose water over a delicious meal of duck confit hash and pear ginger waffle. stuffed ourselves silly then walked around the 'hood as it was a beautiful fall day in nyc. took her to a few places i'd been shopping the day before and she bought a stunning coat. we put her on a subway up to meet another friend on the upper east side and headed to get some lunch and have a pint at the gate before i headed back to jfk to head home. stopped for a pint at a great pub on 4th ave called the cherry tree. had an awesome courtyard and we stayed longer than we really had time to but was so much fun. we motivated and grabbed some yummy fish tacos at bogotá and headed over the eat at the gate – just like old times. the gate was like our living room when we lived in the slope. most major events were held there - birthdays, going away parties, etc. was great to sit out on the patio and look across the street at the old apt.

we walked back to the apt and i called a cab and headed to the airport. i had a wonderful time but was very ready to be home. i knew mac was waiting for me and i couldn't wait to see her.

so today i'm thankful for . . . old friends and old 'hoods that remind you where you came from and how far you've come.

a sense of relief . . .

am on the plane on my way home. am feeling pretty good about my re-entry into the work world tomorrow. have used my flight home to catch up on e-mail, finish the spec for the cms project i'm working on and generally get my head back in the space it'll need to be when i arrive in the office tomorrow at approximately 8a. have a few issues to deal with when i get in tomorrow but have 7 messages queued up in my outbox. the good news is that now i'll be able to sleep when i get home. z is picking me up at the airport and is being sweet enough that he's bringing suki with him so i don't have to come get her from his house tomorrow sometime. z & dk are the best ... they always willingly take suki when i need to travel. their pack is pretty good about integrating her and dk works from home so she's around alot to separate the scuffles when they do occur.

had a layover in houston on my way back. did some fabulous shopping for travel schwag. finn said awhile ago that he had a buddy who used to send him random travel crap from wherever he went so i thought i'd take that mantle up. he'll be getting a "don't mess with texas" coffee mug in the mail here shortly! enjoy, pal! i also found some thank you gifts for z & dk that i know they'll get a kick out of. i also found a cute pair of pink cowboy boots for my cass. her 1st birthday is in less than 2 weeks and i'm certain the boots will be too big but i couldn't pass them up! my sis is just gonna flip when she opens the package. wish i could be a fly on the wall.

used my time in houston to also call a dear friend who lives in town. mlr and i have been friends since we were 15 years old and sophomores in high school. the funny part is that while we shared classes in high school, we didn't become *friends* till college. we don't talk as often as we should/could but when we do it's as if we never hung up previously. was good to hear her voice & catch up.

for now, i'm going to try to enjoy the rest of my flight. about an hour and a half to go . . . sure am glad i changed my seat to get the exit row when i checked in this am! i needed the room for my laptop.

on my way home . . . in more ways than one

my trip has been fabulous and have had a wonderful time but am so thrilled to be headed home. last night bd and her beau showed me a great time. we headed to mirror for dinner. we ended up sitting at the bar and having tapas while chatting up the owner and the bartender since they are regulars in this lovely place. i had 3 old fashioned cocktails ... when in the south, i must drink as much bourbon as possible. oh, who am i kidding? i drink bourbon all the time - it just tastes better here. ;-) the tapas array included a lamb casoulet; fabulous fried chicken and mashed potatoes (ok, not a tapa but we got it anyway); some lovely corona beans; an antipasto plate which had prosciutto, goat cheese, tomato jam and olives; and beefsteak and golden tomatoes that were so juicy that they almost dripped down your chin. we drank so much that we realized this morning that we didn't eat enough! fortunately, there was no hangover this am but there was definitely hunger. smartly, we left the car at the restaurant and walked home. this am, bd and i headed to the frothy monkey for breakfast and then continued to walk up the block to get the car. i had to go to walgreens to buy a duffel bag to carry home all the booty i have acquired on this trip! yikes.

bd had to head to the office so i'm hanging out at the house before i drive myself to the airport in a bit. will try to get some work done during my traveling to make my re-entry easier tomorrow. i'd like to be able to fuck around while robyna is here so i'm thinking i should try to do some spec writing while drinking in the airport bar. i've already checked myself in for my flight. was able to get a "exit row" seat for the long leg from houston back to pdx. hopefully, i'll get some work done.

this week has been really good for me. has given me the chance to reconnect with my roots while contemplating the transitions i'm going through back home in pdx. as soon as my relationship ended i vowed to travel more and see the people i loved more. to that end, i booked this trip. i knew i needed to see the people that knew me pre-marriage to be reminded of who i was at my core. this last 6 mos has been one of returning to myself and this has been instrumental to that process. one of the things i realized during the transition of divorce is that i have always put on a persona in reaction to the person i was with. i think that pattern has contributed to my lack of comfort with myself and my body. as i strive to find comfort with myself, i'm noticing that i'm a much more gender-fluid person than i ever dreamed. there are definitely parts of me that are very masculine while others are incredibly feminine. i've lived both extremes individually but have never been able to embrace them simultaneously. i feel like i'm in that space now. am enjoying toying with the line of male and female, of top and bottom, of butch and femme. dichotomies and boundaries are meant to be challenged. i am finding my *home* in myself by blurring the lines.

last day in nashville

so today is my last full day in nashville. have had a wonderful time but am also ready to get home. i miss star and look forward to seeing her face and feeling her presence in the room. am looking forward to seeing robyna when she arrives on thursday. am looking forward to sitting in my backyard with my dog and not feeling like i'm dripping sweat between my breasts.

more on the trip . . . on sunday i hung out with my aunt lisa. we started the morning with bloody marys and the republican debate (goddess knows you have to drink while watching republicans try to justify their idiotic political ideologies). we headed off to brunch and then i drove back to nashville. used the 4 hr drive for catching up . . . talked to mom, abuela, star, and sarah. mostly made good time and listened to as much country music as i could. got back to nashville in time to eat dinner with the family and then sit down to a night of hbo tv programming with some friends of my hosts. we watched big love, john from cincinnati, and entourage. big love was great and i'm totally sucked into entourage. i think i'm going to have to add big love & entourage to my netflix list.

today, bd and i had a day of errands. got to see the vandy campus and bought some schwag in the vandy bookstore. we're off to dinner tonight. bd and sloop are taking me to their local pub/restauant called mirror. we went for cocktails there on wed night. seemed like a nice place. food looked interesting.

totally feels like being in a different country here. have been to a target, a borders, and a kroger (twice) in this trip. good reminder that all of the country is not portland but so scary and ready to go home.

posts from the road ... part 2

fun on the road continues. thursday included a trip to the country music hall of fame. so much good stuff but the highlight had to be johnny cash's guitar. after dinner at home, bd, sloop and i hit the honky tonks. had to make a stop through several and had such a blast. the bands are fantastic and only play for tips. these musicians are amazing and the memorabilia in some of these places is almost as good as that of the hall of fame itself. the best was legends but we stopped through tootsie's and ended up at robert's western wear. robert's is a store by day and honky tonk by night. the walls are lined with boots & hats which is a bit bizarre when you're in there at night for honky tonkin'.

on friday am, i headed off to cincinnati, oh to see my big sister, her hubby and my beautiful niece, cass. cass is almost a year old and is just the happiest baby i've ever met. we stuffed ourselves with indian food and watched "the devil wears prada". i had started the audiobook version of the book but was having a hard time making it through due to the narrator's annoying voice. was glad to see the movie. was enjoyable. brought back many memories of my days in nyc as an assistant to a powerful woman although kk was *nothing* like the dragonlady.

today started with a lovely walk through the neighborhood with the baby & the dogs. was starting to get hot but wasn't sweltering yet. after indian leftovers for lunch, my sister, cass and i headed off to the clinton neighborhood of cinci. met up with my aunt lisa for a quick beer and then were headed back to the house because cass needed a nap! she let us know the whole way home how unpleased she was that we weren't there yet. will be headed back to aunt lisa's tomorrow am to watch the debates and enjoy some bloody marys before i head back to nashville for a couple more days.

i'll head home on tuesday pm and arrive back in pdx around midnight. robyna comes from atlanta on thursday to spend the weekend. what a great week and a half of seeing some of my favorite ladies. the party will just continue . . .