I have a friend who is going through a bit of a rough time right now, please cut her some slack.

If there is anything I can do to make up for it, let me know.

Love,

Heather

2. Rufus Wainwright’s version of Hallelujah. I like Leonard Cohen’s versions better generally, but something in this version stabbed me at some point and doesn’t let go of me. Also, thinking about how Rufus talks about Leonard Cohen also makes me choke up too.

Alright. Back to radio silence – one more week of school and then hopefully I’ll be chatty again.

So if you don’t know him, check out his books from the library or even just page through them when you are at a bookstore.

I’m disappointed in this weekend too because it’s beautiful outside and I’d hoped to clean up the yard from winter. I need to get out there to chop back the roses soon! This week no matter what! They are completely out of control. I also want to get my container garden cleaned up so I can start planting things to eat!

I’m also finding a certain irony in matters – I started really exercising this week and made really good progress. I was really proud of myself, and oddly looking forward to working out this weekend. I’m watching what I eat and lost 4 pounds in the last two weeks, so I was really motivated to keep going. Alas, the weekend has been spent almost entirely in bed, hacking and coughing and aching. Bleah. I need to identify why I keep getting sick so that I can correct whatever issue it is!

So hopefully I will return with a more interesting, healthier post soon! Back to coding stacks and queues…

Bowling on SE Powell

This weekend: Bowling at Powell Bowling Lanes. It was fun, although on Saturday night, they bowl in waves, and we missed the first wave. Not a problem, we sat in the bar and drank a pitcher of Widmer’s and waited for 9:30 to tick around. It’s biggest advantage is that it is across the street from Hopworks, so we met our friend Laurie there for dinner first, yum!

Still, all things told, I still want to try Hollywood bowl. We always seem to end up there on league night but it looks like a really awesome bowling alley (plus it’s walking distance!).

Other than that, I’m getting edgy with the end of winter. I am glad that I am finally seeing flowers coming up in my yard (mostly purple so far). I really am feeling cooped up (and staying in to study is probably not helping that). I’m going to try to get a hike in this week, maybe just Forest Park.

(via Lost Oregon)

Neat. Wish I had known about this before I got the case I have! I spent the same amount too!

They were responsible for my initial decision to not have kids. I said to my mom, “Why do Fred and Maxine have –?” and my mother said, probably a bit tired after a day of dealing with my sister and I, “Because they don’t have kids. They can afford to buy / do that because they don’t have to pay for kids.” I think I was seven or so then. I remember thinking, huh, I’d rather have –, think I won’t have kids.

Anyhow, for some reason, I was thinking about their living room this morning. We’d go over there ever so often so Mom could play bridge (and I think pinocle sometimes?). The kids would be shunted off to the family room, which was on the other side of the entrance and down the stairs. We’d often get pretty bored down there – there wasn’t a TV, and no kids stuff other than what we brought with us, and the kids didn’t all get along particularly well. I’d sneak up into the living room because Maxine would always put out Spanish cocktail peanuts.

Their living room, though, was really beautifully designed, and I wish I had a picture of it today. It was done in champagne browns and golds, and that fifties metalic grass green. All the furniture was mid century modern (in my memory, it’s teak, but I LOVE teak so I am probably making that up) and I can almost remember the paintings on the walls. It was elegant and timeless. I’ve looked through my Mom’s photo albums and there don’t seem to be many pictures from that time (makes sense, my dad would have just died, and I can’t imagine my mom wanted to document that much, and why would you take picture of your neighbor’s living room?).

Funny how much of this stuff stays with you.

The Bagdad, Portland, Oregon.

Sunset over the ocean.

Seaside Aquarium

Jon, Tim and Brian in Cannon Beach.

From the Vista House, Oregon.

Violets in my backyard.

We

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho - the night before the IronMan.

Glass of the Duchess at Higgins, Portland, Oregon.

The most complete mammoth in the world. Milwaukee Public Museum, Wisconsin.