I barely passed my 100ton inland master's exams today. The sailing, towing endorsements, plus charting and navigation general tests were all a piece of cake. But Deck General and Rules of the Road KILLED me. My advice to anyone like me going for this license: don't assume either of these tests will be easy or that you don't have to study a lot for them. I don't know, maybe some people could breeze through them, but for me, crap... it was tough. I'm actually going to study deck general a lot more before I go for my AB. I seriously doubt I could pass it again!
On Sunday we have to be out of our place in NE Portland. I think we might move to SE until the Sigur Ros show late next week. After that, I'm hoping we'll be in Seattle. Then Jarad is going to Austin for the summer and I'm going to sea for a few months. Hopefully I'll be RICH upon my return (my version of rich, seeing as how I've made an average of 6K per year for the last 4 years).
I'm finishing my PBR while Jarad downloads 37 Bowie albums at the cafe here. It's "Last Thursday" in PDX so the streets are busy. I have no idea what we'll do for the next month...
The Week In Reverse
Today I studied charting, passed my charting and nav general exam (90% on each). Then made a dinner for us: penne w/creamy marinara that had sauteed onions, zucchini and garlic in it. With some leftover bacon fat. Yes, I save the fat from bacon. Bring on the LARD! Fuck all that fat free ridiculousness.
Yesterday we were in Seattle, and woke up half twisted up in the trunk of a Toyota Camry and half sprawled in the backseat. Never again. Not worth the $50 saved. Cleaned up like at the beach bathroom like any good homeless person and went to meet my new boss. Thank God nobody in the boat business expects clean clothes and hair for meetings. Then we went to the Mecca for a bad breakfast served by an ex-stripper, and on to Lighthouse coffee for a delectable americano, some sun soaking time, and a chat with some dudes about Ryan Adams. After a tour of Alki we headed back to PDX and got in line for the Ryan Adams show. Front Row, Middle seats! Ryan and I are practically old friends now. Ha ha. But he probably won't remember because he was too stoned.
On Sunday it was an early drive to Mt Rainier, saw Narada falls and Paradise, then off to Seattle for THAT Ryan Adams show (we kind of ended up with tickets to both shows by accident, then decided to just go see them both). But THAT show had us in balcony seats, although the sound was awesome up there. Ate a bag of Dick's after the show.
Saturday? Not much. Shit what did we do Saturday? I think we went to Tin Shed for Happy Hour. Last week was somewhat uneventful. Mostly studying, sleeping, watching Buffy.
Yesterday we were in Seattle, and woke up half twisted up in the trunk of a Toyota Camry and half sprawled in the backseat. Never again. Not worth the $50 saved. Cleaned up like at the beach bathroom like any good homeless person and went to meet my new boss. Thank God nobody in the boat business expects clean clothes and hair for meetings. Then we went to the Mecca for a bad breakfast served by an ex-stripper, and on to Lighthouse coffee for a delectable americano, some sun soaking time, and a chat with some dudes about Ryan Adams. After a tour of Alki we headed back to PDX and got in line for the Ryan Adams show. Front Row, Middle seats! Ryan and I are practically old friends now. Ha ha. But he probably won't remember because he was too stoned.
On Sunday it was an early drive to Mt Rainier, saw Narada falls and Paradise, then off to Seattle for THAT Ryan Adams show (we kind of ended up with tickets to both shows by accident, then decided to just go see them both). But THAT show had us in balcony seats, although the sound was awesome up there. Ate a bag of Dick's after the show.
Saturday? Not much. Shit what did we do Saturday? I think we went to Tin Shed for Happy Hour. Last week was somewhat uneventful. Mostly studying, sleeping, watching Buffy.
Saturday Adventures in Spring
Last weekend was great - my sister's play rocked, my mom sent us home with a huge care package (Nutella! Chicken-in-a-biscuit! Kalamata olive bread!) and on Saturday I took Jarad hiking on Rattlesnake Ridge in Issaquah. After that we hit Snoqualmie Falls and Twede's Cafe, home of Twin Peaks Cherry Pie and Damn Fine Coffee. We ordered both. No comment on the coffee. Let the kitsch live on. We also had a chance to stop and pick up our favorite coffee at Lighthouse Roasters, AND some kickass pizza at Pagliacci - 2 things that were high on Jarad's list of things to do in Seattle this time around. The best part? It was sunny and beautiful again.
Then back to Portland and RAIN. Apparently PDX is setting a record for consecutive days of rain. But hey, the dollar store was selling umbrellas so we're OK. This past Saturday we went to Portland's regular weekend street fair, Everyday Music, Powell's Books (of course), and Jarad got his hairs cut at Rudy's. He also bought an Aesop Rock ep. We headed home and then to the Kennedy School, which is now 2nd in my book of best movie experiences (Alamo will remain first). Kennedy School is an old brick elementary school that has been turned into a large complex that includes hotel rooms, a ceramic soaking pool, a huge warm restaurant, a large theater in the auditorium... and the seats are nice wooden Victorian style seats and couches. We had a couch all to ourselves while watching Brokeback Mountain. There's a small satellite bar in the room next to the theater that sells beer, wine, pizza and movie tickets. We explored a little after the movie and found little rooms called "Detention" and "Honors", each the size of someones dining room, but turned into bars with a few stools, plus "Detention" was a cigar bar too. I'll have to go and take pictures next time...
