Beer and Life Choices

Pretty much the only reason why I chose to go to grad school in Vermont. Click the picture for a bigger version.

The Top 12 Most Ridiculous and Amazing Moments of this Summer

12. The Fireworks Warehouse

While driving out to Portland, Brit and I stopped at a heavily advertised fireworks store called Pyro City in Wyoming. We wanted to see what it was like, but quickly left when we realized that someone breathing too hard would probably cause a nuclear explosion.

11. Moving to Portland
Upon moving into Brit’s house, I quickly learned that we lived next to a cool bridge, and between a police station and a wrestling ring. You can hear the matches on Friday evenings, and people have been arrested in front of our house.

10. The Night Ride
Brit and I entered a 15 mile night bike ride which required costumes and bike headlights and tail lights. Shortly after getting in a fender-bender and mending our bikes (which had been on the back of the car), we arrived in full Hawaiian regalia and rode with a huge pack of 2,000 riders through Portland, all similarly decked out in lights in costumes. Seeing all the lights flicker was like looking at Christmas light displays.


9. Snow in July
We decided to go for a hike up Larch Mountain on July 5th. The hike has a cool lookout with views of Mt. St. Helen’s, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Jefferson. Unfortunately, when we got to the trailhead, the whole area was covered with snow and fog. We were terribly underdressed, expecting hot weather in July. We took a few quick pictures of where the mountains supposedly were, and got the hell out to warmer weather.


8. Wildfires
As my mom and I were driving back across the country, we ended up driving through a wildfire in Wyoming. Firemen escorted us through the smoldering area, and everything was covered in ash and smoke. Firefighters guarded the road to stop the fire from crossing it, and tents and trucks covered a huge parking lot that served as a temporary basecamp for all the people working.


7. Masada, Israel
In Israel, we woke up at 3am and boarded the bus to drive to Masada, the Jewish fortress, and hike the mountain in time to see the sunrise. After several mishaps, we left very late and scrambled (well, literally ran) up the steep stairs to get to the top just as the sun started to come up over the desert.


6. Wall Drug
Wall Drug is a giant mall/tourist trap/drug store in Wall, South Dakota, which advertises for hundreds of miles in every direction. Because Sturgis motorcycle rally was only several miles away, the place was crawling with bikers and shirts depicting the rally. It’s so overly hyped up that apparently there are signs in Afghanistan and the South Pole indicating how many miles you are from the store. It has strange oddities and paraphernalia, including a six-foot jackalope (jackrabbit/antelope mixed breed) that I got to ride.


5. Team USA Rugby Game
Brit surprised me by taking me to an NA4 (North America 4) game between the two USA teams, the Hawks and the Falcons. Highlights included a man's shirt being mostly torn off, a player who leaped OVER a ruck (like, through the air), and getting free Frisbees, shirts, and bags.


4. Prom Dress Scrimmage
This is always a blast at the end of the semester. Despite breaking my thumb in the game, I had an awesome time running around with everyone in ridiculous dresses from the salvation army, getting covered in mud, and tearing them to shreds. Hey, we also made it into the alumni magazine. Check out the slide show here - click the link on the right side.


3. HamTrek
Well, I have to toot my own horn a bit and mention the fact that I did a triathlon at the end of school. I'd like to say that I flew through it and it was a breeze, but I felt like I was going to vomit/die at the end. I got the cast on my hand the day before the race (it was waterproof so I could swim with it), but I can't blame too much of my exhaustion on it - I just wasn't in the best of shape. While I didn't get the best time, I was really excited just to be able to finish the race.

2. Chaka Kahn
So maybe this shouldn't be number two…but I think it probably makes for the best story. As I was flying from Portland to Syracuse for my cousin’s wedding, Chaka Kahn and her band got onto the plane with me at my layover in Chicago. They had apparently played the night before for 50,000 (I was sitting next to one of the band members on the plane, and he mentioned it). She was sitting a few rows behind me and playing in Syracuse that night. Everyone chatted about her for the whole flight.


1. Adirondack Adventure
Always amazing. Crazy games, getting to romp through the woods for five days, and playing in canoes and kayaks. The kids are great, you get to be filthy without being judged, and we saw loons, frogs, bald eagles and leeches. Yum.

A New Chapter

So we've decided to start a blog that we can each post at to keep you abreast of our latest adventures, rants, recipes, and witty life-observations. We figured that we'll probably post more between the two of us than one at a time, so we've made these clever icons (like the one to the left) to let you know who's posting.

In recent news, we are living in Portland, Oregon, specifically in the St. John's neighborhood. Portland is rated the #1 bike-friendly city in the US (#2 in the world, behind Amsterdam), so we've been taking advantage of it and biking between 45 and 80 miles a week. Brit gave Amanda her road bike and has been accepting payment in the only currency she knows - blood, sweat, and tears. We've also done a lot of hiking in Forest Park, which is less than a mile from our house and has about 70 miles of trails. Other activities have included a USA Rugby game, free concerts in the downtown area, trips into the Columbia River Gorge and to the coast, exploring restaurants and markets, and a beer-tasting festival.

While we've been enjoying the stereotypical Portland scene of coffee houses and microbreweries, we've decided that we've had more than enough beer served in small glasses to last a lifetime. Sometimes you just want a Saranac so you can get on with your life. Portland is definitely a place that has its quirks. It's ultra-laid back, very liberal (seriously, if Tibet were here it would be free already), but as the same time it has an intense side to it, and that can be found at the professional wrestling ring across from our house.

The bad news is, Amanda will be leaving Portland in a week to head back across the country, but the six weeks spent in Oregon with Brit have been invaluable in knowing that we won't kill each other if we're together for more than...you know, 72 hours at a time.

The good news is, between the two of us, we will have one senior thesis, seven rugby games, seven electoral votes, two political conventions, one triathlon, and four hundred hours of being on call. And one blog. Stay tuned for adventures, mis-adventures, brilliant insight, and also whatever Brit has to say.