The Life of Riley

Out of the 20's and into the 30's - Great Gatsby Style

I turned 30.  

That's right - 30.  I feel a bit trepidatious about this sudden change.  I'm expected to be responsible.  I'm supposed to have my shit together.  I do not have my shit together.  I need five thousand dollars.  I need to win the lottery.

In aspiring to greatness, I had a Gatsby Garden party at Leech Botanical Gardens - thrown semi-secretly by my family, YummyBoyfriend and the lovely Ms. Violet.  People came beautifully and nearly era-appropriately dressed and for a few hours I felt as if I truly were outside of time.

Ah, drinking Tavel and completely oblivious to my outstanding debts.  I love life, just not when its bogey-men catch up with me.  I like parties, pretty dresses, and beautiful wine and spirits. I've just never been a fan of paying for them. 

This is not to say that I'm a criminal, however, I just enjoy those things in life that come freely.  See?

Never mind - that is beyond the point.  I do pay for things and therein lies the trouble.  I pay for things with money I do not have or have in very short supply.  I lust after that which I cannot have, accomplishments which lie beyond me.  I am maddeningly social yet often feel alone at the end of the day.  I feel as if I have missed my chance.  I feel loved and hated on a daily basis.  I give when I cannot.  I spend long hours dreaming.  I drink too much.

I wonder if I will make it.

Gatsby terrifies me. 

Parties!

What an intense couple of weeks it has been.  I feel like I have barely had time to sit and think, let alone digest all the happenings.  I'm spending today, however, attempting to do just that before heading off for my run and dinner shift at the restaurant.

YummyBoyfriend and I spent last weekend in Walla Walla celebrating my Stepdad's 60th and having a lovely time of it.  We surprised him with a party at Sapolil Cellars where we partied into the night.

There was terrific wine, food, cake and prosecco, and Paul West showed up from Seattle to perform a song he had written just for his birthday.  It was quite charming.

Arriving back in Portland last week, I spent Inauguration Tuesday with some friends and YB, celebrating Obama,celebrating the beginning of something new and hopeful.  I have so many expectations for this presidency but I realize that the times we live in have more problems than one man may be able to solve within 4-8 years.  

We began at Ten01 with the wine mafia, went to some bars and then Jacob's apartment, where his crazy neighbor showed up and complained.  Finally somehow arrived at the Nines, a new hotel in downtown Portland, where our friends were staying for the night.  

Madness ensued - mostly involving potted plant removal and abduction.  Long story short:  our friend Paul's wife is a madwoman and completely lovely....

I mean, what the heck is going on in this picture?  Why is she posing coquetishly in the lobby?  Why is everything blurry?  Help!

I'm a lousy photographer with a really nice camera, I guess.  What to do, what to do...

And then potted plants, of course, started waiting for elevators.  All by themselves, apparently:

My nice leather purse was filled with water the next morning.  I guess that explains everything.

In other news, I finished the new hat I was working on....naming it the Coco Beret.  It's soft and lovely Berroco Peruvia in Chipotle and I love love love it!  

I used a pattern from Ravelry, of course, but changed the size of the needles and weight of the yarn to my liking.  Not quite the slouchy beret I had expected, but cute nonetheless.  

I headed over to the Yarn Garden on Hawthorne and picked myself up these funny green buttons to spice it up a bit and now I think it's finished.

Happiness.

So that's it for now....there's still a Burgundian dinner and wine tasting to tell you about, but it will have to wait.  I've been sitting by the heater too long.

It snowed and we were happy...

Attack of the yucks

I've just been feeling terrible lately - ever since the weather went from dark and gloomy to dark, wet and gloomy, it's been increasingly difficult to get myself out of the house and motivate.  Luckily, of course, there's knitting, reading, and movies - all indoor and happy grumpy people activities of which I am currently quite fond.

I finished the Diagonal Ribbed Scarf I was working on:

...and began on a new Christmas project for Booger aka Little Brother.  I'm wondering whether I've already succeeded in screwing it up.  You tell me:  does the addition of scarlet look ridiculous?  I hope not *sigh*.  I'm using one of my favorite yummy yarns: Berroco Peruvia.  I just love love love the way it feels in my hands slipping off the needles.  I hope he loves it when it's finished.  Diamond brocade is a bit of a bitch to work with, but I'm handling it.

Looking forward a few weeks to Christmas is daunting.  My family home has just been sold to some young brothers who are taking advantage of the crashing real estate market and low-balled my parents on the price.  Fuckers.  They put the house on the market nearly a year ago in Seattle and this is the first offer they have had.  They had to take it.

So it's off to Walla Walla, the new home, for the Holidays.  Booger will be flying in Christmas afternoon, so I guess the rest of us will just be sitting around waiting all day.  I'm feeling a bit grim about it.  Thanksgiving was wonderful, but I felt inexplicably out of place within my family.  Grandma passed away this year and I think it's still coloring everything, sadly.  It hurts more than I wish to admit most of the time.  I loved her so much.  I look around my house and see all the little touches of her that she contributed to my life over the past 30 years.  She was a beautiful soul and I miss her very much.

I'm a bit of a wreck today - see?  So much for attempts at a charmed life....I sure could use a little sunshine and good luck in the coming days.  

Maybe I'll get out of the house today with YummyBoyfriend and get myself a Christmas Tree.  The smell of pine needles can be comforting, don't you think?

Here Comes The Rain Again...

So I've started in on a few new things that I'm successfully using to put off doing more essential other things, but geez....it's pouring rain here in the Northwest and who's got the energy to do much more than snuggle by the fire with your new favorite book or knitting, eh?

And yes, I did begin a new knitting project just to practice my hand at diagonal rib and here's a little preview :

It'll end up being a sweet little Holiday gift for someone I believe.  I'm using the remainder of the Sierra yarn I used for the strap of my Mystery Blue Pixie Hat.  I cast on 30 sts and work in alternating sets of P4 and K4 in ever changing counts per row.  The counting is an annoyance, but the yarn is a real joy to work with, not to heavy or scratchy but still able to provide some warmth, I believe, once it is worn.  I will be posting more photos as I progress, of course.

(Oh, and that's one of my couch pillows I draped it over.  Ah well.)

The cats are driving me absolutely insane this morning and I'm feeling edgy from being woken up multiple times in the night to little feline hair pulling and maniacal meowing.  Trotwood, boy terror, is attacking the paintings on the wall in the living room while Julep, girl wonder, pounces on my back and digs in her sharp little talons as I write this.  I'm going mad.  Where are the damn kitty nail clippers?

*wild searching*

I began a new book recently, one I've always intended to read but put off entirely too long:  The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.  Fantastic writing and humour, I just love that it begins in both Prague and New York.  It makes me miss Prague quite poignantly, in fact.  I will have to upload some of my favorite pictures one of these days.  I realize it's been nearly 2 years now since I left it.

Well, back to the never-ending diagonal ribbing....Ta-ta for now dahlings.

A Celebration

What an amazing week it has been! I'm not sure where to start with my ecstatic diatribe - I'm filled with joy and a sense of optimism I've rarely had the opportunity to share with so many. Obama has won the presidency and changed the way the world looks at America forever. Rarely have I been so inspired to become more involved with politics in my local community than I am now. The Bush years, especially the second term, effectively squashed the energy and commitment I had in earlier years believed to be so vital. I'm ready to try again - and I hope others are too.

I spent Election Night in Seattle where I was visiting my Mother. Just in time I finished the hat I had been working on - realizing with some chagrin that it was no longer the baby hat it was originally intended to be. Ever flexible (har har), I decided it would be just as lovely in another capacity. Thus, I bring you : the Election Day Pixie Hat! With embellishments of embroidered red stars and a lovely red strap, I think it's truly patriotic (and just a wee bit silly, no?).

In Seattle, we had plans that night to join friends for a "viewing" party at their home. My mother worked until the early evening and I took the opportunity to hop in the car and cross the lake over to Bellevue to meet up with my recently un-estranged father at the Hyatt. Having some reservations about walking into a possible Republican hotbed, I donned my loveliest Obama 2008 pin and sashayed into "Daniel's", at the top floor of the hotel, where I was met with much of what I had expected. Ah, I just love trying to cause trouble. My father, looking dapper, met me at the bar and we proceeded to down a couple of gin martinis and half-price appetizers while congratulating ourselves on Obama's growing number of electoral votes. To further my smugness I ordered us some Brut Rose Champagne and we chinked glasses while surveying our surroundings with sparkling smiles. Don't you just love the hyperbole?

I had the opportunity to see one of the most spectacular skylines that evening as I crossed the lake back into Seattle. It was as if the sky had been stretched in two or the gods were vying for control of something too large to understand. A huge bank of dark, foreboding clouds seemed to gallop across one half of my sight, while a bright and clear cerulean sky was illuminated by the rising crescent moon on the other side of my vision. I couldn't help but be mystified by such a beautiful scene that seemed to reflect the circumstances of our changing world. I can be such a ridiculous dreamer, I know, but I will never forget it.

* * * *

It suddenly feels like winter here in Portland, Oregon. There was such a quick shift that I don't quite feel caught up on the time of year (let alone the time change). I have rotting jack-o-lanterns on the porch that need to meet their maker soon - I hear people cackling as they walk by the house all the time and realize they are gleefully horrified by the sight of my sad little pumpkin men. It's quite an ugly sight and I can't say I blame them.

* * * *

I have a long weekend of working to look forward to - the restaurant is planning to be busy and I hope to make some decent money since it's been a little rough lately. I'm considering my next knitting project and starting to plan Christmas presents - less than two months away, I fear that I won't get them all done.

There's always something to worry about but still, I feel happy.

Halloween '08 : the McCain/Palin Nightmare

Working in the restaurant industry as I do, I tend to stay up late and wake up late. Not so today. I hate to admit it, but what woke me up so damn early was a nightmare/anxiety dream concerning a possible McCain/Palin 4 years and I've been nauseated now all morning long.

Things have really hit a new low. I swear, will they stop at nothing to win? Yes, of course - who am I, Pollyanna? If they're not busy trying to resurrect fear behind the word "Socialist" (oooooh...scary!), they are spreading malicious rumours about Obama consorting with terrorists or being an ungodly, Un-American man. It's unbelievable to me that people buy into this stuff, but then again, I've never been a big believer in the average intelligence of the American mind(but I would like to be). That must make me Un-American too.

So, without further ado I bring you my advice:

Vote for Obama!

* * * *

In other news, things are coming along nicely with my little knitting project for Tony's big chubby baby. I've made a few mistakes along the way, but have learned a few new tricks that will be useful in the future.

I'm using a pattern I discovered off Ravelry - the Baby Pixie Hat - and I'm excited about a few ideas for embellishments I had while staring at the ceiling in bed this morning (when not obsessing over politics, that is). I will post photos once it is complete.

* * * *

Tonight, Yummy Boyfriend and I are off to a wee little Halloween Party which has more to do with wine drinking than dressing up. A group of us, mostly from the restaurant, purchased a beautiful Barbaresco vertical from a wine rep friend and we hope to pair it perfectly with some lovely slow-cooked meat. I can't wait.

Meanwhile, I plan to spend my morning and afternoon working on a painting for me and Yummy Boyfriend's anniversary tomorrow. I'm using acryclics and mixed media on an antique window I salvaged from my landlord. I hope it turns out nicely. If not, I may be able to secure a magnum of Grower Champagne that YB (Yummy Boyfriend) just adores and surprise him with that.

Tomorrow evening we are headed out to our favorite restaurant here in Portland, Oregon : Le Pigeon. It's one of the most creative, daring meals I've ever had and I can't wait to dabble again with their fantastic menu. Foie gras profiteroles anyone?

Cheers dahlings.

An Introduction

Well hello there!

I've had some serious mental wrestling matches with myself of late trying to decide whether or not creating a weblog was a viable idea or not and, well, you can see which devil on my shoulder won out in the end.

Never quite able to determine the apparent mystique behind such an activity as blogging, I now attempt to discover it while creating my own little public diary. What do I want to talk about then? Well my obsessions of course! And that would be....

Running, Knitting, Travel and, last but not least....fine food and wine.

I can't promise, however, that I will stay so focused, but we will see over time.

Thanks for dropping by!