Winter Driving

I just spent the last three days on various interstate highways in the western half of the United States. I-5, I-84, I-80, I-29, I-435. For a while I-84 and I-15 were the same road, but I'm not sure that I will really count driving on I-15... This post will basically be the highlights of my trip - highlights or just random events that have stuck in my head.

• After putting on chains in the snowy dark on the way to Black Butte a couple of years ago and again at some other point in time, this daylight chain-up was pretty simple.  All went well.  I was glad I had them, as I-84 in northern Oregon was covered in snow.  Well, covered for a while, at least.  Then I was debating about whether to pull over to take them off due to a sudden drop in snow level on the road, when one of the chains made the decision for me.  It came off somehow, so I pulled over to remove the remaining chain.  Because I was unsure whether we would hit more snowy roads where I would wish I had chains again, we stopped in Pendleton, Ore. to buy new ones.  Of course, the Les Schwab and the auto parts store were both sold out of my tire size.  So on to LeGrande.  Fortunately the Les Schwab there had my size.  We purchased new chains, but then returned to the store to see if they could recycle the chain we had left from the old set.  Turns out that Les Schwab chains are guaranteed for life, and since the old ones were Les Schwab (although ancient and not actually purchased by me in the first place), they gave us a full refund on the set we had just purchased.  And - I didn't have to use them again.
• Once we hit Idaho, the roads were completely clear.  No ice.  No snow.  Same thing through Utah and Wyoming. Well, as far as the roads are concerned.  The stretch of I-80 between Laramie and Cheyenne is approximately 40 miles, and I spent most of it traveling at 25 miles per hour.  But the road was no slick...  Instead, the 45+ mph winds were blowing the powdery snow that was along the edge of the road - so much so that I had no visibility.  Nor did anyone else.  Everyone was driving with hazard lights on, as the only way to see another car was if their lights were flashing.  I followed the curves of the road, not by seeing the lines on the road or even the mile-marker posts, but rather by listening for the groove in the pavement on the right side that tell you when you are going off-road.  I basically drove along those grooves until I found a semi-truck whose lights I could follow.  I think every muscle in my body was tense - much more so than driving on the snow and ice in Oregon.
• Speaking of tense muscles. I hold all of my tension in my shoulders and back.  I had a full-body hour massage on Tuesday before I left Oregon.  That was probably a mistake.  I should have saved it and gotten it this week, as my muscles took a beating over the last few days.
• Suncor Energy in Cheyenne, Wyo. smells like burning trash.  It was perhaps the most disgusting smell I have smelled in a long time. (I really wanted to write smelt instead of smelled...)  I just tried Googling Suncor Energy Cheyenne smell, and nothing really came up.  I'm surprised more people haven't written about or discussed the stench that that place is creating. It made me cry.  And I was driving.  So really, it is sort of dangerous.
• Wyoming in general seemed like a pretty pointless state.  Except there was an amazing grouping of wind energy windmills under construction.  They were so awesome. We would have missed them except that they decided to shut down I-80 from this one random city up until Laramie, so we had to take a bypass instead.
• Nebraska is also a pretty pointless state, but roads were clear and skies were sunny for the entire drive across the state, so I sort of don't care what else is in the state.  Also, we drove through downtown Lincoln, where my parents lived for one semester when my dad went to the University of Nebraska.  I had never been there before, so it was kinda nice to hear stories from my mom.
• Ava had her first hotel experience.  She was pretty good, but got scared when the hotel staff slid the receipts under the door.  I mean, really, if you had no idea about hotel receipts, you'd probably be scared too...

Snow Days

You know you live in a town where it rarely snows when you see someone outside in their shorts and t-shirt scraping their car windows with a plastic hanger. That and the fact that every road is a giant sheet of ice because the town does not own salt trucks. Maybe they own one, but I haven't seen it.

My dog, though, thinks that it is a delicious treat waiting for her every time she goes outside.

Update: I saw the salt/sand truck! So perhaps our city owns at least one.

Spam

Subject line of some spam email I just got: Tap her hole and drill her. Surprisingly (or not), I'm just not really into that...

Also, I don't really smell when I sweat. I know that seems random to you, readers, but that is because you do not see me in front of my computer all sweaty, having just finished working out.

Deadlines and Waiting

Dear internship sites,

There are 8 business days left before December 15, the magical date by which you all said you would tell me about interviews. I have heard from 3 of you, but have 11 left. It would be nice to spread this out and get one notice per day until the 15th, rather than having this uncomfortable silence until the very last moment. I'm sure you have heard of stress and anxiety before, since you specialize in treating these things. My January schedule and, well, specific details of my life sort of hinge on this. So yeah, I'm nervous.

Any information is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Crock Pots and Dead Things

I went to Target today for a few things in preparation for Thanksgiving and just daily life.  I would like to shop locally for the basic things, but Target just makes life way easier. So anyway, I was purchasing a Crock Pot because my roommate moved out and took her belongings with her, bitch...  I was deciding between an incredibly cute red 4-quart oval shaped one and a more traditional stainless steel 5-quart round one, and for the 2nd time in 3 weeks, I had to call a family member from the same aisle in Target.  The first one was during the purchase of a blender when I had to call my mother.  This time I called my sister, probably because my mom was at work, and also because it's been a few days since I talked to my sister.  Her comment was basically that bigger is always better, and while you can always put less in a bigger pot, you cannot put more in a smaller pot. I guess she has a good point, I just really wanted the red one.  So logic won over style, and I am the new owner of a 5-quart stainless Crock Pot.  My creamy corn will be quite happy for Thanksgiving.

On the way home, I hit a squirrel.  I had no choice.  There was a truck one side of me and a parked car on the other.  The squirrel was going left, then right, then left again, not sure how to avoid this dangerous situation he was now in, so even if I had been able to swerve to avoid him, I'm not sure I would have chosen the correct direction since he couldn't make up his mind.  The sound of an animal under your car, hitting the tire, is horrible.  Perhaps we could initiate some squirrel education program where we teach them to look both ways before crossing the street?  It would save lives and people's conscience.

Music Post #7

It's been a while since I wrote about new music, so I have a little catch-up to do.  I also saw 2 concerts in the last 2 nights, so I figured that I would throw some comments about that as well.

Concerts:

Of Montreal, Roseland, PDX: I knew this would be an over-the-top theatrical show.  I saw the pictures on Pitchfork.  My former roommate saw them in Boston and thought it overpowered the music a bit.  My ex-boyfriend saw them in DC and described the show as a "live-action erotic indie music cartoon."  Well, it lived up to the hype.  It was also the best crowd at a Portland show that I have been to - probably due to the inevitable need (of most) to dance to Of Montreal's music.  It improved dramatically when I made it past a wall of standing tall people, and into the crowd of movers.  They ended the encore with 2 covers: Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand and Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana.  The latter turned the jumpy-dancey crowd into moshers, providing most of them the first mosh to a Nirvana song in their lifetime, especially given that it was an all ages show.  I realized that many of these concert-goers were born 4 years or maybe even less before Kurt Cobain killed himself.  They did know, however, that Nirvana was something to mosh to.  It was a fabulous show, and I ended the night stripping myself of soaking wet shirts - soaked with sweat from dancing in the hot hot heat (temperature, not music). UPDATE: After talking to my exes (roommate and boyfriend), I found out that there is little variation in the show.  So little that it was some band/crew member's "birthday" at all 3 of the concerts (Boston, DC, and Portland).  I think Smells Like Teen Spirit was the last encore song at each show, as well.  I guess that is fine - why change things up if you have a good thing going.  Just feels a little less spontaneous, which can sometimes be a nice feeling at a show.

Yeasayer, Aladdin Theatre, PDX: I had a very unsettled stomach when we got to this one.  Fortunately for me, the Aladdin is a seated theatre, so I sat through the whole show (except for when they played 2080, when I stood and danced as much as my aching stomach would allow).  It was still a great show (although openers Icy Demons sucked).  I love the odd mix of people in the band - they do not look like they go together, which always attracts me for some reason.  And I loved any time they all sang together.  It was a nice follow-up to the chaotic craziness that was Of Montreal - smooth and together and simple showmanship.  The only "extra" that they had on stage with them were glowing/colored balls throughout the stage.  I think it worked.

New Albums: (if I like it a lot, it is in bold.  if I am not sure or indifferent, it is in plain text.  if I do not like it, I will say so.  NOTE: I edit this entry as I listen, so if something has no comment by it, one may be added later - check back!)

• +/- - Xs on Your Eyes: This is a little boring, but fine.  It don't hate it, but I don't love it.
• All Girl Summer Fun Band - Looking Into It
• Anathallo - Floating World: Ida's suggestion - it's ok.  Kind of reminds me of Sufjan Stevens, although not as strong.  I like the songs off of their album Canopy Glow better than Floating World.
• Arizona - Glowing Bird: Another Ida suggestion - eh...it's a little boring on first listen.
• Atlas Sound - Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
• Karl Blau - Nature's Got Away: Everyone raved about this.  Maybe I need to give it more time...
• Bloc Party - Intimacy: I really like a few songs, but overall I say, "eh."
• Chop Chop - Screens: I loved this.  It's very poppy, so if you don't like semi-cheesy pop music, you my not like this.
• Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night: I am torn on this one.  Some songs, sometimes, I love.  Other times, it feels too lo-fi to handle.  A little too much droning - to where it sounds like someone in pain.  Each listen has felt different, though, so maybe it's me...
• The Dears - Missiles: Some people have raved about this album.  I have yet to like any song on it.
• Fight Bite - Emerald Eyes
• Frederik - Na Na Ni: Another Ida suggestion - haven't listened.
• Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires: I LOVE this album.  Dance pop that is really addictive.
• Jared Mees and The Grown Children - Caffeine, Alcohol, Sunshine, Money: This is hit-or-miss songwise.  Some songs I really like, and others I want to skip.  I guess you can't expect to love every song on an album, but perhaps my standards are too high then, cause it's disappointing to me to have to skip songs.  Some of them are great, though.  Trampling Daisies is one.
• Loch Lomond - Paper the Walls: I loved the one song of theirs that I have had for months now.  I'm just now starting to listen to this album, so I will keep you posted on it.
• Love is All - A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night: I really like this so far.  They are playing in Portland tonight, but I couldn't do 3 concerts in a row...
• Miniature Tigers - Tell it to the Volcano: This is so-so, although a few songs stand out and are really good - like Giraffe.  Giraffe is also particularly appealing because my animal theme radio show a few months ago was greatly lacking in giraffes.
• Noah and the Whale - Peaceful the World Lays Me Down: Pitchfork hated it, in part because it's all been done before.  Sure, it follows lots of pop music rules and recycles some ideas that have worked, like male/female vocals and "quirky" instrumentation, but I still like it.
• The Rosebuds: Life Like: This is pretty and nice.  Much better, in my opinion, than their last album.
• Samamidon - All is Well: Ida suggestion - haven't listened.
• School of Seven Bells - Alpinisms: Dream-pop with female vocals that remind me of Papercranes.  Smooth, layered sounds with subtle synths.
• Taken by Trees - Open Field: Vocalist is from The Concretes.  If you like The Concretes, you'll probably like Taken by Trees.
• Tobacco - Fucked Up Friends: This is techno-electronicish stuff.  It's pretty good if you're in that kind of mood.  I am only sometimes in that mood, so I have yet to get a good rating of this.
• Shugo Tukumaru - EXIT
• Vic Chesnutt, Elf Power, & The Amorphous Strums - Dark Developments: I haven't listened to the whole album, but I saw them perform last week and really enjoyed it.

Moms

My mom is arguably one of my best friends. Sure there are small details of things I might not tell her, but mostly by her own request or to keep her from worrying too much. I talk to her almost daily, and she is usually the first person I call when I need advice or when something big happens. Last week, after the TV networks called the election for Obama, I called my mom. She had fallen asleep while watching the returns, so I woke her up. She left her phone on, though, because she knew I would call. That's just the way we work.

A few years ago, I was in a serious relationship with someone who had grown up in the town where I currently live. His parents were still in town, and we had dinner with them (separately, as they were divorced) on a regular basis. His mom and I became very close, and she helped fill this sort of missing spot that I had since my mom was so far away and only accessible by phone. She and my mom have a lot in common: ideologies, views of raising children, past experiences of being divorced and becoming single mothers... And so when my boyfriend and I broke up, I was unsure how to proceed with my friendship with his mother. After hearing advice from a number of people, some claiming that it suggests I have not moved on from the relationship, others just saying it's "weird," I decided to say "fuck it" and just did what I wanted to do. And that is to maintain our friendship. So on a somewhat regular basis, she and I still get together for dinner or for walks or just talk on the phone. I value her thoughts on things going on in my life, and I love hearing stories about her life in Germany before moving to the US. After a few months hiatus due to my ridiculously busy schedule, we had dinner last night again. And I just remembered all the reasons I am so thankful to have her in my life. No one can ever replace my mom, but to have someone who feels like family in town to share a good meal and sit by the fire with is just so great.

I didn't title this post "Story #_" because it isn't really a story. It is probably boring to most people, which makes it fit fairly nicely into the overall theme of this blog, but it's just something that had been on my mind since last night, and I felt like getting it out in some way. This whole week has been somewhat emotional for me - perhaps in part due to the profoundness of the election - and so small feelings are becoming more intense. In a good way, but instense nonetheless.