Give me beer or give me death

Wowsers...

2011-06-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

Yeah. I'm a total flake for this whole blogging thing. My life gets in the way! Seriously, time is so precious, that I scarcely even check my email anymore. I'm so tired!!

Things are going great and horrible at the same time. Mostly, I'm going w/ good though. Life is what you make it. I had a real eye opener a little over a month ago.

I've been diagnosed with MS. It took a few years of poking, prodding, scanning, following fingers around without moving my head, vision tests...ad-nauseum. It seemed like it was never going to end, but eventually everything else was ruled out, and the little lesions on my brain were enough confirmation for my primary doctor and my team of neurologists to move forward with the diagnosis. I had kinda known for a little while that that was where things seemed to be headed. My doctor had given me sufficient information and reassurances that it was not going to be the end of the world...and it totally isn't. I feel a little relieved, actually! At least now we have a course of action that can be taken to treat the weird symptoms of this very strange disease. I've been taking anti-convulsants to help with the daily barrage of seizures I was having (not the kind that knock you to the floor, but more like a numbing feeling and electrical zapping sensation that made my vision go all crazy for a second), they also help with the nerve pain and with sleep at night (zappy feeling was keeping me up). So things are good! I'm under awesome care, and all of the strange medical bullshit is mostly explained now, so I don't have to live in...not exactly fear, but maybe a little bit of dread?? It's hard not knowing. That's all.

Anyway! I'm still alive, and I want to try to blog a little more about our adventures! We just made a trip out to Central Oregon and picked a ton of delicious morels! It was a great camping trip with our good friends. Can't ask for anything more! I had a great time. Watched everyone get completely shitfaced drunk. I sipped mine over the course of the night...I'm supposed to take it easy on substances, but I had a warm-fuzzy, which was enough to make me laugh at all their crazy drunk behavior! We all went barefoot around the camp fire, which was so awesome after a day of climbing very steep slopes to find the hemlock falls that the mushrooms love so much. I mean STEEP!!! My butt still hurts from that workout, but it's never been more firm and perky!! ROFL.

Anyway, guys....hope someone reads and is entertained. Much love!
- Kel

ME, Mushrooms and a New Job and Stuff!

2010-11-19T17:26:00.000-08:00

Can you all tell? I've lost 40 pounds this year (I am just over 6ft tall and now weigh my ideal at 167lbs) and I feel really great about it! It really brings out my eyes. LOL. This shot was taken last weekend on Larch Mountain (Just outside of Portland) in the Cascade Mountains, on one of our many mushrooming trips this year! It has been an AMAZING year for our bounty. We have even harvested the highly desirable MATSUTAKE this year. Quite a lot of them, actually. Enough to make a mortgage payment. Also, the usual suspects: Pacific Golden Chanterelle, King and Admirable Boletus, Lobster Mushroom, Pigs Ear Gomphus (also known as the Violet Chanterelle) and this year we finally found the mother-load of White Chanterelles, which many connoisseurs of edible fungi believe to be superior to the more common (but still highly prized) yellow or golden varieties. They make a very decadent white sauce, for sure. I have an entire table in our office dedicated to the drying and jarring of mushrooms. Our dehydrator has been running non-stop for the past month!

Also! Not only am I a full-time student studying English, and Linguistic Anthropology with a minor in German, but I just got a pretty cool new job that is going to change Joshie's and my lives. It isn't glamorous, but I landed a good paying position at a a good company, doing high-tech work. Mostly administering networks for a bunch of huge multi-national corporations. Behind the scenes work, just like I prefer, so I'm not working with the stupid fickle public! LOL. The money is decent, but beyond that the benefits are fucking killer. Full medical/Dental/Vision + a Tri-Met subsidy for my monthly transit (Subway/Lightrail/Bus/Trolley and Streetcar) pass AND a bike buying program where they match you dollar for dollar in a pre-tax account so you can purchase the bicycle of your dreams (Portland being the #1 bicycling city in the country for over 10 years now, in addition to being the greenest city, the friendliest city, the best street vendors in the country, the most vegan city and so on and so forth, LOL) for half the price and without having to pay such a huge amount of your salary out in taxes first. Today was day 2 and I really enjoy it. Two of my friends already worked there (A&P, the couple we always go mushroom hunting with and also on several berry picking and camping and hiking excursions with, as well), so we all carpool, which is really super-great, and I have people to lunch with, aside from my immediate team of geeks (cool geeks).

Life is mostly good right now, despite all of our recent stress (I had a nervous breakdown a few weeks ago and checked myself into the loony-bin...I'm on Ativan now for anxiety, but aside from that, they told me I'm not nearly as crazy as I was afraid I was), plus Josh's rigorous university schedule, because of his senate position, all of his crusades (right now we are working on identifying services that are needed in order to serve a growing homeless college/university student population, which after doing some research, we are finding that it is slightly higher than the national average of 1% of the US population. Since his studies are in the area of community development and civic leadership AND he is a business major, we are looking to start a non-profit within the next 7 years to bridge the gap between schooling and other homeless youth services and those needed by the young adult/college/university student population that is also experiencing homelesness)have kept us very busy and apart more than I like.. I strongly encourage all of you to find some way to contribute to a WORTHY organization in your area that provides EDUCATIONAL and RECREATIONAL or ART services to homeless youth. Education is the key to solving the problem in our country. Sending your dollar overseas does nothing to support the few million kids that live on the streets of the US. Kids that largely identify as gay, lesbian, trans, bi, queer and other sexual or gender minorities. The statistic for these youth is that over 60% (it's nearly 70%, actually) will NEVER MAKE IT OFF THE STREET to live productive, drug-free lives, without an educational program in place to support, nurture and expand their horizons. Josh and I volunteer at a local homeless youth school called p:ear (YES THAT IS A LINK, CHECK IT OUT!).

Joshie was a homeless teenager, into massive amounts of drugs (meth, heroin, cocaine...anything to kill the pain), he was a thief (a "legitimate" way to survive on the streets when your parent(s) disown you, and tell you that they hope you die painfully of AIDS when you tell them you are gay at the age of 13. This happens hundreds of times a day in the United States) and he was good at it. Because of p:ear, and the services they provide, he was able to graduate from high-school while living on the streets of Portland. He was able to attend cultural events like the ballet, the Oregon Symphony, opera, Broadway plays, as well as participate in art programs (p:ear runs a gallery that participates in Portland's First Thursday, one of the hottest monthly celebrations of art in the country). By the time I met Josh (although, looking back, I can remember seeing him on the streets of Portland; this is a big city, but it is a very close, big city) him and I had both fallen flat on our butts (I went from making a VERY large amount of money, to being unemployed and essentially homeless in a matter of months in the early 2000's) and were staying. temporarily, with our parents...both in Eastern Washington *shudder* (Read: Dry, brown HELL). There was something about Josh that was magic, though. There still is. He is stubborn and pigheaded, he is loud and mean and can be crude and/or crass (I'm often afraid of what he might say in a public situation, whether it be among friends or complete strangers)...but Josh has this energy surrounding him that just sucks you to him as if he were an electromagnet. Josh may be all of these scary things I've mentioned, but he also has one of the biggest hearts I have ever encountered and I am grateful for every second that I get to spend with him. Josh is a born leader and I believe with all my heart that he is going to change the world. He's changed mine, for sure.

When I walk down the street and see the nasty-dirty kids sitting on the street, asking for a couple cents for bus fare, for a beer, for their drugs (I appreciate their honesty, at least) or for the small fee they have to pay for a warm bed that night and a crappy meal at the mission or wherever, I don't look away in disgust and utter some mean comment about them "getting a job" (You try finding a job WITH an education and good references. Not easy in the current economy!! Now think about having had your parents throw you out of the house because your mom was a crackwhore or your dad's new girlfriend simply hated you for existing and he followed his dick instead of caring for his child, and you are now doing the only thing you know to survive.) I give them a couple bus tickets, I buy them a 99-cent sandwich at the closest fast-food joint, or I give them a couple bux so they can fix themselves in the closest public restroom....but I ALWAYS give them the information to a local non-profit that can help them. I've been pleasantly surprised to see them take advantage of the services, and even more pleased to see them take it further, and really get into the program and do something with and for themselves. I'd like to think that I'm helping to whittle down that 60+% statistic.

Josh's goal is to bridge the gap. Get those homeless youth more than a diploma (which, let's face it...in todays world, you really need a more advanced education to get a leg-up). He (WE) wants to get them into college, get them into a 4-year university and prove that you can go from nothing, to something...just like he has (although, I'd argue that Josh was NEVER nothing, he just needed the tools). 10 years ago he was in prison for one of his countless petty crimes that were essential to survival. Today he is my best friend, my husband. But more than that, he is a leader and a pioneer, and together....well. Just keep looking for us on the cover of Time, Newsweek and eventually maybe even Forbes. As it is we are getting local media attention, and before long, I feel like this is going to turn into something bigger than either of us imagined.

All of this cuz I wanted to tell you about my new job. Well....now you know.

What have you been doing lately?

Yes, Please!

2010-09-29T23:08:00.000-07:00

Uhhhhh....I totally want some of that! In quantity!!

I have been neglecting this blog, as I have been with many things that involve getting online. I only check my email lately because I have to in order to stay in touch with family and friends, and I use Facebook a tiny bit for the same reason, although, admittedly, my FB is where I have posted hundreds of pics of me, Joshie, the boys (our cats), our friends and all the major goings-on over the Summer. School has been crushingly insane, as has home life. I want to do a couple good posts on here, detailing my Summertime Adventures (of which there are many!), but I'm not really sure if anyone bothers reading anymore??

Anyway. This dude is totally hot and I wanna do him. He can tie me up, too, if it means we get to spend some quality time together!! LOL!

Oh! I just discovered where this picture came from and want to give them due credit. Funny, I just randomly came across this photo this morning, thought he was hot, saved it for sharing, and then just now see it on a blog I follow called ISLAND. Here is the link that y'all should check out. SO MANY STUNNING, BEAUTIFUL MEN!!!

http://cometoisland.blogspot.com/

Oh, and while I'm on here, I may as well declare to the world (again) that I do have the most awesome husband a man could hope for. He's good-looking, fun and well-hung...how great is that!?

If U lOvE BLOc PaRTY

2010-07-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

...Check out Kele's new solo album. Lovely stuff, I'm tellin' ya!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdQioZHYpvQ

Hotties in awesome underwear...

2010-05-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

Hay there my fellow bloggers and my dear readers (all three of you...LOL!! Luv Ya!). I need your help with a school project that Joshie is doing for his statistics class. It's a simple, very short survey that should take you no more than 2 minutes to complete, is completely anonymous, and is very, very important to both of us!! Josh is a 4.0 student, the top of his class, and is about to start attending Portland State Universities School of Business. Help him keep his 4.0 and graduate with honors! Here's the link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7NGCYMN

It's a survey asking your opinions on homeless college students vs. "regular" students...and seriously, it will only take a minute to finish.

Leave me a comment when you've completed the survey and I'll enter you into a random drawing for a picture of my designer underwear collection! ;oP HAHAHAHA!!!!!

Hugs! AND - THANK YOU FOR HELPIN' US OUT!!

- Kelsey and Josh

Been Painting + GREAT news about ME!!

2010-04-07T16:18:00.001-07:00

So the top few shots are our bedroom. Half the room is that lovely lighter grey/blue and the other half is going to be a lovely velvety latte, situated so the colors are opposing triangles if that makes sense. It's nice. Also, Joshie took a butt-shot, trying to capture my newest underwear...I love them, they're the C-IN2 "Pop Colours" bright hibiscus...a nice addition to my extensive collection of designer undies. They're rockin'...LOL. I'm also rockin' my Papa Bear Adventures hat, 'cuz after all - I'm just a sweet cuddly cubby! I love that hat.

The lower shots are in the living room (and showcase Joshies rump...hehe), and show our bold, deep - yet, bright cobalt accent wall. I LOVE it. The whole place has been this yucky, boring off-white color, so we've been itching to get some color up on these walls since we moved into the place back in January. Anyway, that deep blue really changes the way the whole room feels, and it really makes the big screen TV pop out. We painted the hall that runs from the living room to our bedroom, bathroom and the office a lovely latte, and I plan on extending that out to our entry hall also, it compliments both of the blues incredibly well. Next is the bathroom! We are going to prime the walls on Friday and start painting on Saturday morning! We're doing a super-pale grey-blue and rich espresso...it ties in well with our rainy blue, seafoam green, creamy espresso and porter with brushed chrome hardware scheme. When it's all done I think that we're going to have a very warm feeling home that is completely our style. I'm overjoyed, really. It's the first time in a long time that everything has been our choices alone. No housemates to consider.

So, in other news: As anybody who reads my silly blog knows, I have been having a really terrible time when it comes to all things medical...from my surprise emergency surgery in October with all of the crazy complications afterward; the permanent nerve damage, and the series of infections I've had since...all THAT crap. I've had to pay for all of this out-of-pocket, because I am a full-time college student and don't work, so have no insurance. The financial burden alone has been tremendous...over six figures, people! I mean...it has just been crushing the life out of me and probably making me even more sick. Having to worry about that burden every minute of every day has really taken a toll on my poor brain and body.

I didn't even realize just how much pent-up emotion/stress I was under until today when I got a call from the wellness center at the college I attend, and was informed that I have been accepted into their coverage program. It's available to minorities (being gay counts!) who are 1st generation college students and have a demonstrated need for health insurance and medical assistance. As of Tuesday, I will have FULL medical/dental and optical insurance coverage for free. It will follow me to whichever university I transfer to (Portland State, Fall 2011) and will stay with me for as long as I am a student in the state of Oregon. When I hung up the phone, I immediately burst into tears, which then progressed to me curled up on my bed bawling my friggin' head-off for a good 30 minutes or so...and I don't mean peacefully sobbing into my pillow...I'm talking the whole shebang: Shaking, wailing, snot everywhere...it was totally not pretty, but there was just no stopping it! That little 2-minute phone call took this incredible burden that Josh and I have been feeling for about a year now and just made it go away...no fuss...just gone! I was just so relieved and happy that all I could do was cry hysterically. In the picture above where I'm smiling for the camera with my Papa Bear hat on, you can still see how puffy my face is from all the tears. Pure emotional catharsis. I feel like I can start living again.

I also learned yesterday from my writing professor that I get to write my thesis on Organic Horticultural Practices and Environmental Sustainability...ROCK!! It's a chance for me to marry my favorite disciplines; modern language and gardening. AND - In my linguistics/cultural anthropology course, I get to present a piece on homosexuality in modern culture!!

Damn this has been a good week.

HA!

2010-03-29T22:46:00.000-07:00

1st day of Spring term...canceled! Our campus is flooded because we got several inches of rain today. The main electrical room is under water. I guess I'll just have to play all these new games I bought for my PS3 today and drink beer or something. Darn!

Pomplamoose kicks ass

2010-03-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

Oatmeal Beer?

2010-03-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'm trying it out today. My first time brewing an oatmeal stout from scratch. I think I'm going to use some dark malts, sorghum, brown sugar and then grind in some raw cocoa. Excited and a little nervous. Cross your fingers for me. There is nothing more heartbreaking than having to dump out 5 gallons of alcohol gone bad!

- K

A New Favorite

2010-03-06T06:43:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Check out Jeffrey's blog over at Gay Boys With Beards. I love his page, and the Facebook group is really great, too....every day he picks a new member as "Beard of the Day". Tons of cute, hot beardy men!!! What's better is that you can interact with them! What's not to love?? Viva la beard!!

Love,
Kel

http://gayboyswithbeards.blogspot.com/

Dinner made up for it...

2010-02-16T22:20:00.000-08:00

I made Mediterranean Fusion tonight. Israeli-Ethiopian-Greek-Tunisian. Berbere butter braised shrimp on a bed of Israeli couscous with baby garbanzos and red quinoa , fresh mini-pita crisps and a Greek goat cheese and garbanzo, tomato and mixed greens with cilantro salad in an avocado pesto. Not too shabby for a guy that nearly got murdered by an over-zealous hungry cat this morning.

I still look like shit. But, my tummy is pleased!

Hungry Cat + Concrete Stairs = ???

2010-02-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

I swear to effing eff that the gods have issued a flippin' friggin' bounty on my head!! I was running late this morning, so naturally, I wasn't paying much attention in my rush out the door, to the screaming-hungry alley cat (Cat, or Kitty, she's a fat sweetie-puss that lives under our stairs) at my feet. So stupid! Don't ignore a cat with purpose, they exact revenge swiftly for being ignored! Today that revenge came in the form of a terrible tumble down a flight of cement stairs and a whack on the head on my way down (ALL THE WAY) into a very unfriendly wrought-iron railing. I look like I got hit by a motherhumping bus.

The experience is actually very blank. One moment she was meowing at my feet and I was attempting to dart around her, and then...crashing/sickening thuds and thunks, blood, pain and meowing in my face as I lay on my side at the base of the stairs wondering how I got there and, realizing what happened, how I survived the 14 feet or so fall. I just don't remember anything except for suddenly being really confused and in a world of hurt. I skipped my first class and spent the extra 2 hours trying to stop the blood from coming out of my head, hands, arms, knee and ankle. I look unbelievably horrifying. I'm willing to bet small children would burst into tears at the mere sight of me...at a distance, even.

Life is swell(ing)!!

Anyway. This isn't a downer post. I'm OK, and thoroughly ripped on my back-up ibuprofen, Flexeril and morphine supply. This is a cautionary tale (unfortunately autobiographical)!!! Ignore a hungry homeless cat and suffer the wrath of the universe!!!!

Take care and be alert!!
Love,
Kel

Superbowl!

2010-02-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

Our party is shrinking rapidly because everyone is totally lame! I love them all anyway. More chili and beer and xanax for the rest of us...LOL.

Haven't posted in a bit. Life is great. Good friends, great kittens, nice place with plenty of privacy so we can strut around naked and do-it in any room we want without worrying about a roommate coming home unexpectedly.

I'm currently looking for a neurologist and a chronic pain doc in Portland. If ANYONE knows how to help me get started/knows someone, let me know, please. I have NO IDEA where to start!!

Hugs!

- Kel

I have the coolest kittens...ever!

2010-01-21T19:00:00.000-08:00

OMG! I love my cats so much. Ciro started playing this game with us shortly after we moved into the new place almost 2 weeks ago. "Fetch" has become an obsession for him. It is so flippin' cute. Whenever he wants to start a game he brings his little stuffed mouse up to you and drops it at your feet or on your lap and starts his usual chattering (he is a very vocal kitty, and talks ALL the time). He'll play for as long as you let him or until he gets hurt (today he ran head-on into a chair leg and had to shake it off for a bit before he could continue, poor thing). I love it! I'm not much of a dog person, but I do enjoy a good game of fetch. My cat kicks ass! I have tons of his videos posted on my Facebook. He's getting rather famous, so I figured I'd share him with y'all, too. Maybe some of you can have an "awwwww" moment in the middle of your work day or something!

Oh, and nevermind the state of disorder that our house is currently, in. It's embarrassing, but we did just move and we are in school full time + all of our extracurricular B.S....so we're slowly putting the place together. I can't wait to have it done. I'm so sick of boxes!

- Kel

Ahhhhhhhhhh

2010-01-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

So, a while back I posted something about how the house wasn't working out and blah, blah, blah. It wasn't the house that was the problem, it was the person with whom we went into the deal with. He got a new boyfriend with a very serious criminal record...fuck it...who is a registered sex offender. He moved all of his shit in one day while we were at school. Nice, huh?

No way in hell were Josh and I going to live with this guy. On top of the very obvious BIG problem, he had all kinds of other baggage, was a total creep and has a poorly behaved dog that likes to drag trash all over my just-cleaned home. Oh, and dude is bat-shit crazy. You never knew when he was going to come at you out of the blue. Needless to say we told Jason he could keep the house, good luck affording the mortgage and bills and we got the hell out as fast as we could!

So! For right now, we are living in a spacious two-bedroom apartment and couldn't be happier (happier for now). We plan on buying a home in the next 12-18 months, but for now, the savings we're able to build by renting this cheap-o place will help lower the mortgage payment later! It's also pretty nice to just be able to come home from school and not have to mow the lawn, fix a leaky pipe or go under the house to figure out why something isn't turning on...lol. Cool thing is that we have permission to paint, so I don't have to feel like I'm in a mental ward for the next year (although sometimes I feel like maybe I should be).

We live about 50 feet from Starbucks and 12 blocks from Dutch Brothers, for any time we just forgot or don't have time to pull our own shots in the morning...lol.

Pictured: Mt. Boxus, tallest stack in #22, 6ft. 9in.

Coffee Joy

2009-12-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

Fresh out of our new coffee roaster. Best frickin' espresso I've had in years!

Excuses, excuses...a total downer

2009-12-21T22:22:00.000-08:00

Oh man...I just can't catch a break this Fall/Winter. The swine flu, the appendectomy and all the complications afterward... I've been in the hospital 16 times since October, twice in the ICU. I'm only 30 years old, but feel much older!! My immune system is shot, my liver enzymes are haywire (all the meds have screwed me up)... I'm trying not to sound like a whiner. But, once again, I've been lost in the land of hospitals and Dr's, specialists and clinics...trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with me. I've been randomly spiking fevers (104 degrees F+) since mid-November, accompanied by intense abdominal pain, muscle and joint pain, nausea, delerium and headaches. So far it's all out of the realm of understanding or identifying, medically. My arms look like a junkie with really bad aim was let loose on them. I can't stand to wear short sleeves right now! I'm not rich enough to continue trying to find out what's wrong, but I also can't function a normal, everyday life. Our savings is drained, my checking accounts are nearly bottomed out...the stress of that isn't helping, I'm sure.

Has anyone ever heard of someone having this kind of symptomology, a friend, a relative? Are any of you readers in the medical field and would you be willing to point me in he right direction? I feel totally lost, and I'm teetering dangerously on the cusp of depression. At this point, not knowing what's wrong is much worse than having some kind of diagnosis. I don't like the idea of being stabbed in the back...I want to look my attacker in the eyes and unleash my rage on it!!

So, that's why I haven't been posting. It's depressing and I'm not a pity case. It sucks, big-time, all the same, not having anyone to talk to about it aside from my partner who is living through it with me.

Guh.

To lighten the mood: Christmas is rapidly approaching and I'm dying to start roasting our own coffee with the home roaster that I bought Josh, and start making my own cappuccino's (bone dry, with a touch of real butter caramel in the bottom) with the 20 bar pump espresso machine that Josh got for me. We have been very strong, and not given in to the temptation of opening those particular presents early. These are the only gifts that we know exactly what each of us bought...it just made sense because of how synergistic they happened to be to each other. I have a feeling some of it came from the NFL Pro-shop, which makes me feel very optimistic that perhaps somebody found that hat I've been trying to get my hands on for a few years now...

We aren't going to be able to make it up to Eastern Washington to visit our families this year (I shouldn't travel yet, too risky), but we have our own delightfully campy fiber-optic tree surrounded by pretty wrapped gifts, and we have our kitties to share the day with, maybe even steam them some Catsip (If you have kitties, go to your local supermarket and pick some up, I guarantee your little ones will LOVE it!) into a frothy treat. Kitticcino?

Thanks for reading. Happy Holidays everyone!

- Kelsey

Kitten Butt

2009-12-21T22:18:00.000-08:00

Ciro is over 11 pounds now...and only 7 months old. Adorable squishy cuddly goodness.

Schön Deutsch Party

2009-11-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

Last night Josh and I went to a German dinner that was put on by our German language class at a grange out in the "country". Sort of a weird area, because there is open farmland, people riding horses down the street...but it's surrounded by city and suburb on all sides. It's just an odd!!

Anyway, we were there a few hours early and learned how to make Spaetzle for vierzig (40) mensch!! Tedious but interesting. It was nice to be out doing something that didn't involve needles being stuck in me and hours of waiting in a über flattering gown.

It was interesting watching our professor down the beer, too. Fun times!!

Visitors

2009-11-13T22:08:00.001-08:00

My oldest sister and my niece had a layover in Portland on their way to L.A., today so Josh and I took them downtown and we played around a bit. We went to one of our very favorite street vendors (some of Portland's most charming attractions are the fabulous, high-quality street merchants and International Food Parking Lots...hehe) and had THE BEST VEGETARIAN TORTA'S IN THE U.S. In case any of you ever happen to be in the Portland area, stop by La Jarochita at SW 5th Ave and Oak in beautiful downtown Portland. There's my plug. LOL.

Anyway. They were both delighted with the...we'll call it brunch, because it was 10:30 or so in the morning. Afterwards we hopped the train and went to Old Town Pizza (also very awesome) and took advantage of their beautiful espresso bar. We kicked it there for about an hour, sipping our lattes and mochas and chatting, and enjoying being in a warm, dry place. I love the Fall and Winter in Portland...the non-stop rain and generally mild days, but today was just cold and extremely wet.

After that we strolled thru Chinatown and stopped by one of our favorite mom and pop import stores where I found a beautiful Mah Jongg set that I HAD to have. It was a steal at $50. I love it. The tiles are the perfect size and weight (HEAVY!) and I love the artwork on them. We will be inviting some friends over for dinner and Mah Jongg tomorrow night, for sure!!

So it was a nice mini-visit! Hopefully I'm feeling good enough on their way back to visit again. It did take a lot out of me today to be up and moving so much. We'll see.

The pictures are from Old Town Pizza. One of me with my sister and niece, and the other of Josh with them. The building is gorgeous inside. It's a great example of frontier city architecture. Love it!

Where have I been??

2009-11-12T08:06:00.000-08:00

In hospital hell!

On October 29th at 7:00AM, after a little over a week of intense discomfort in my abdomen, I got on the train and went to the ER. I got right into a room, which was really awesome, and got to put on a really snazzy gown while I was waiting for my Dr to come in and see me. What fun!

So, after explaining the nature of my pain and how long it had been bothering me, and some poking and prodding of my tummy, he ordered me up some morphine, blood-draws and a CT scan! Wheee! It didn't take long after the scan for him to come in and tell me they were tracking down a surgeon and moving me up to the OR for an immediate emergency appendectomy! It hadn't ever occurred to me that I might have something really wrong with me...I thought I had pulled a muscle at the gym or something. Here it was though...a big ugly infection staring me in the face!

So I silently freaked out with a smile on my face and nodded at whatever the Dr was telling me at the time. They inserted my IV line, put on a drip and shot me with some more morphine and I waited. Nobody except for Josh knew where I was at, and he thought I was going to be out in time to meet him at school and go to class as normal....not the case. I called him at 11:20 and said (verbatim) " I would really like it if you got off the bus right now and hop the next train to the hospital. They are prepping me for surgery right now. Please hurry. ". Which was met by a silence and then I hear "What's the quickest way to the train?" Bless him, he got there in about 40 minutes and met me in the short-stay room they had me pre-op.

Enter the cutest anesthesiologist ever. Dr. Derby. He was really bubbly and friendly/chatty and he really helped calm me down. Plus, I wanted to pinch his bum and he was fun to look at...and he had the best drugs I've ever had in my life...lemme tell ya! By the time he was done with me I was all smiles and mindless babble.

Anyway...when I woke up I had no idea where I was or how I got there and I had a brief moment of panic where I tried to rip all the wires and tubes off of me and there were strangers holding me down and telling me it was OK, I had surgery, was I in pain....it all came back about the time they administered another hefty dose of pain meds and some kind of anxiety medication. I don't know how long I was in that room...but I was grateful when they wheeled me to my suite, where Josh was waiting for me. He was really great the entire time I was in (3 full days), he came and sat with me and got bored with me and watched TV with me...and showered with my mutilated self...LOL.

It was interesting! I don't want to do it again. I've had a bunch of complications since I got out, and I spent the day in ICU on Tuesday with blood poisoning from a burst infection at the former site of my appendix. Really not fun. I'm on a score of medications for the infection and pain and I've been stuck doing nothing since the 29th, essentially.

Today, against the wishes of my Dr, I am going to school. I really need to do this. I am so bored, and I hate missing classes....even if I have been telecommuting in (I've been webcamming in to my lectures, so I can still participate, etc...pretty cool). So wish me luck!

The picture was taken a few days after I got home...you can see the three incisions they made for the laporascopic procedure...it was weird and gross. It got worse before it got better looking, too...just be thankful I didn't post that! I hate having a shaved tummy!!! It looks retarded and it itches!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway....that's where I've been. Hope y'all are having a better time of it! :o)

Mushrooming Trip 1 2009!

2009-10-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

We went out into the mountains just East of Portland with our friends Adam and Purple this weekend to hunt for mushrooms and soak in some hot springs. We had a REALLY great time. I love this time of year because it means we get to go out on these day trips to the chilly Cascade Mountains and find all kinds of yummy edibles. We ended up with over 15 pounds of beautiful wild mushrooms on this trip, mostly chanterelles and lobsters! It was awesome!

Ze Tattoos

2009-09-28T10:53:00.001-07:00

Hehe...taken at the tattoo parlor, still fresh and bleeding a little. We've been wanting to get these done for a long time. It was awesome! I'm the upper one and Josh is the lower one. :o) We're both getting more next term.

Slice n Dice

2009-09-23T22:06:00.001-07:00

Josh and I are getting our anniversary tattoos tomorrow! Pics to follow...

Nightmare in Tigard

2009-09-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

We got the boys fixed today. Ciro, especially has taken it pretty hard. Even with the sedation from the anesthesia he's been walking from room to room howling as if to ask "Where are they?? What the fuck did you do with them??!!".

Poor babies.

We got the deluxe package with biofeedback, laser and 5 day painkiller shot. When Clio had her operation a few years ago they didn't give us any options...we just brought her home and she was miserable and tired/cranky for a week. The boys are only a little sleepy and angry I think. They didn't like the 1 hour drive out to the frickin' Westside suburbs, in traffic, or the 45 min. trip back (we were at the front end of rush hour, thankfully). All that to be tortured (weighed, and examed) by a stranger and then to be woken up to missing body parts. No wonder kitties hate the vet!

Oktoberfest, scary traffic followed by kick-ass dinner

2009-09-21T12:23:00.001-07:00

Man!! Oktoberfest was a blast! I AM a little irritated about paying 22 bux for 2 beers, but I've learned from my mistakes and won't repeat them. The biergarten sucked...then we found this awesome public house near the heart of the festival w/ no cover and cheep booze. Fun fun! Also there was a live dyke band that sounded like Indigo Girls had a lovechild with Janis Joplin...pretty good! Getting to and from Mt. Angel was a nightmare though!! It's only 40 miles from Portland, but I think half the city was going down there at the same time as us. I-5 was a snarled mess as soon as we got to the 214 interchange in Woodburn. It took us an hour to move 1 mile. Oddly enough, once we got on 214 it was mostly smooth. On the way back (*&^@#) we hit a dead stop on hwy 99e, had to turn around and hop back on 214, which was at a stand-still...so we cheated and used surface streets thru Woodburn and got around it all only to find ourselves sitting on the I-5 parking lot. So we tried to take hwy 51 up thru Aurora and hit a dead stop there too....all roads leading back to the city were absolute crap last night...it took us 2.5 hrs to get home! We had dinner reservations at 7 and skated in at the last possible moment. Dinner was flippin' killer though!! We went out for Ethiopian (again...every few months) and there was a live band playing...and a dance troupe. Very sexy and hypnotic. We all had a great time. Yummy food, good service, cheap drinks and crazy music/dancers. Nice day.

And now it's back to school!!

Oktoberfest...Beertastic!

2009-09-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

WHEEEEE!!!! It's that time of year! We're going down to Mt. Angel for the Oktoberfest celebration this weekend. BBBBBEEEEEEERRRRRR!!!!!

I'm super-excited to see what kind of delicious offerings all those crazy monks and nuns at the abbey have in store for us this year. I'm looking for something in a vegetarian "sausage" type thing and a mountain of sauerkraut and a gallon of porter to go with it. I plan on getting tanked. Muahahahahahaha!!! TTTTTAAAAAYYYYYYSSSSTTTTTAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!

I love beer.

Full of yummy garden goodness

2009-09-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

Feeling mostly better about things. This has been a really stressful couple of weeks. Some issues have come up concerning our home and we are dealing with them...slowly. I'm leaving it at that, for now.

This is the most delectable breakfast ever imagined. Fresh Anaheim peppers, zucchini, onion, fresh basil and oregano and savory...oh I love to garden! Throw it together with some eggs and cheese and a touch of flour and *BAM!*, you've got yourself a crustless quiche inspired by the wonderful chile relleno. Pure heaven.

Just add coffee and a cozy spot on the deck and enjoy a warm late-summer morning....ahhhhhh

Greenery

2009-09-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to Fall; the rain we get in the Pacific NW is kick-ass. We'll be able to go mushroom hunting in around a month! I'm so over Summer!

Can't find a rock big enough...

2009-09-10T13:47:00.001-07:00

Or a hole deep enough to crawl into and hide. Having a shitty week.

Sorting Day

2009-09-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

Meh.

Today we are sorting through our business inventory as we prepare to sell off what is left of our company to a lucky buyer. Praise jebus for this woman...I didn't know what we were going to do with all of this stuff that is just taking up space in the mancave. Money is nice too.

Cutest Corn Ever

2009-09-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

This is from our garden. Since we're wooded, we don't get a ton of sun over the entire garden, so some plants got part shade when they should've been full-sun. Our corn is delicious...but tiny. It's demicorn...lol.

Unity

2009-09-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

Wow. Clio doesn't share anything...especially with the 'new' kittens (we got them back in June @ 6 weeks old). This just started this morning...so proud! This is all thanks to the squirrels that live behind our bedroom.

Beware the Crazy

2009-09-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

Rolling! This is the best seizure warning ever.

It's Alive!

2009-09-02T10:18:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I'm a loser. I've been lost in the land of Facebook. Also, I'm a full-time student and have had way too much on my plate this summer. Sue me. Not like anyone reads this anyway!! Thought I'd share a mug of myself...Mr. Teddybear. Josh and I just got back from an OSA (Oregon Student Association) retreat. HARDCORE!! Josh is on the OSERA board, they help influence policy in the legislature for students equal rights. Anyway, it was 3 days of intense board meetings and many other non-retreat like events. There was really no rest, 14 hours of sitting, followed by nightly drunken (presumably, we only attended one for a few minutes) bonfires on the beach in Newport, OR. BEAUTIFUL, BTW.

Pics are Josh (on the left in the upper pic) and myself...also I didn't realize that James' butt was captured just to the upper right of my head, it's a good butt, I'm sure he would be pleased....lol)

A little break....

2009-04-15T11:33:00.000-07:00

A little dessert before I have lunch...hehe.

Quick note...(revised to Long Note)

2009-04-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

I've been too busy to post since we closed the house deal. We got the call and literally moved in that night. We couldn't get out of that awful little hell-hole with a raging bitch psychotic roommate fast enough.

I've had an interesting couple of weeks! We found all kinds of crazy stuff under the house when we were excavating....a bunch of random junk that had somehow made it's way down there over the last 60 years. I think the most interesting thing was the mummified cat. Jason found her (we're just calling it a 'her', I don't know why) buried in some sand in one of the corners of the crawl-space. The Egyptians couldn't have done a better job...she is preserved perfectly. It's gross and really fascinating. It's also a testament to how good our foundation is....bone dry down there. Anyway, as soon as I find the camera tomorrow I plan to post a picture, because it's just creepy and I know some of you will want to have a look.

We've done a crap-load of work on the place since we got in. We completely re-did the kitchen, installed cabinets and a new counter, ripped out the ugly old baseboard 'cause the place has central heat and air conditioning (RARE on the West side of Oregon), I don't know why it was there. Idiots. We painted our bedroom on Saturday and Sunday, which I don't want to do again any time soon....I like the colors we chose, but it took forever and it's so effing repetitive. This stuff and all the unpacking and organizing, and shopping for new fixtures and paint and this and that....we've spent I don't know how many thousands of dollars since last week. I'm afraid to look and see just how much.

I did all this with 2 ear infections, strep throat and a flippin' staph infection (picked it up in the dirty crap we hauled out of here, not cool)....and I broke a toe running through the kitchen and smacking into a door jamb...let that be a lesson to those who run in the house. I'm a trooper, I guess. I hope that I'm all done being sick for a few years...I kind of got hit all at once and it really wasn't fun for anyone. But, whatever. We got the house, now we can move forward and get things done in other parts of our lives.

We're openeing our business back up as of today. We already have orders to fill. One lady is driving all the way from Kennewick, WA just to pick up her order (she says she wants to see Portland, 'cause she's never been here)!!! Rock! Now I just need to get out the grinders and mills so I can start blending herbs and spices again...I haven't had the space to do it in 7 months and I'm losing my flippin' mind over it.

Cheers to all!!

Movin' Along

2009-03-25T14:44:00.000-07:00

OMFG! We are moving into our new house today! WE ARE MOVING INTO OUR NEW HOUSE......RIGHT NOW!!!

I can't even tell y'all how happy we are. We've been waiting since November to close this deal. It's done. We sleep there tonight.

HAPPY JOY!

I can't wait to get my cat back from my brother over at http://korykinnick.blogspot.com/
Him and Peder have been watching her since we went to the coast almost 2 weeks ago. I miss my kitty.

And his name is....

2009-03-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

Janez Vermeiren. He's beautiful. He get's a lot of viewing time as my desktop.

Anyway, today we begin excavating the crawl space in the new house! I'm excited and terrified. I'm claustrophobic, and we're talking about going under the house in haz-mat gear, respirators...all that...and in some places clearance is only 14 inches...guh. I'm also only 2 days out from oral surgery, so I'm hurting and I'm supposed to be avoiding physical exertions like this....but I don't really have a choice. We want to be able to move in, and FHA won't let us until this is done! So...I'll suffer through it and keep taking the pain meds and hopefully everything will be fine. Wish us luck!

I just love this guy!

2009-03-08T10:28:00.000-07:00

Again....I could stare all day.

Inspections and Coasting

2009-03-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

Yay! The house has finally been released to us by the surprise second lien-holder. We do the final inspections this Thursday. Move-in is around the 18th. We couldn't be happier about it. We snuck out to the property this past Wednesday with our friend Erin and did some thorough snooping and pilfering through some things that the previous owners had left....things like a lawnmower, a nice biggish gas grill (Sweet!), a 27 inch TV out in the "Mancave" (an outbuilding with playspace, a sauna and a shower) and a brand new vacuum cleaner....plus many more things. I can't wait to start digging through it all and selling it off on eBay and Craigslist. Might as well make a little money off of this ordeal, huh?

So Thursday after we're done inspecting, I get to come back to our rental and pack for a trip to the coast. It's Peder's (my brother's hubby) birthday and the four of us are going to a cabin at the beach for a few days. Very excited.

Got yer attention?

2009-03-07T13:35:00.000-08:00

I want to lick this guy.....

Oh My Yum! Bete-Lukas

2009-02-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day rocked. Joshie took me to Bete-Lukas on SE 50th just off of Division. He had never experienced Ethiopian food before. I had limited experience, but knew that I LOVED it. Anyway...what an awesome place! We were both so impressed with not only the food, but the coziness of the place (maybe 15 tables) the cleanliness (immaculate) the ambiance...oh and the service is genuinely 1st rate. I felt like we should have been spending a lot more than we did all said and done (Less than $50 for 2 people w/beer). This is a 4 star restaurant with 2 star pricing. You TOTALLY get your money's worth and more. The food you ask?? EFFING AMAZING. The Kategna (Warm Injera with Berbere and seasoned butter) were...for lack of a better word...DIVINE. Eggplant Tibs were especially tasty also. Please....everyone....GO TO THIS RESTAURANT! I promise you that you'll be thrilled. If you like slightly (or very) spicy, highly-aromatic food and you don't mind digging in with your hands (traditional!)....this is THE place to go. We both left with full tummies and nothing but positive thoughts for this place. We'll be going back soon...with friends, with family....by ourselves....I don't know if we'll ever be able to 'get enough' Bete-Lukas!

The Prodigy Are Back!!

2009-02-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how happy I am right now. I just listened to the new singles that were pre-released on iTunes for the upcoming album "Invaders Must Die" by The Prodigy. I've loved this band for as long as I can remember. They were cutting-edge, ahead of the curve in every respect to their contemperaries ...until the release of "Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned" in 2004. OK...maybe I'm just a jerk or snobby about music. I don't think so, but I've heard it from people in the past. Anyway...I was so disappointed with that album. It was executed well....it was technically interesting...but it just wasn't the caliber I expected from the band. Take me back to "The Experience", "Jilted Generation" and "Fat of the Land". Well....that's what they did with this new album. I'm hearing all the very best elements from those groundbreaking albums in every track. I feel like a new fan all over again. I loaded the songs onto my iPod and turned the volume all the way up (Thank you Skull Candy headphones....best 80 bucks I ever spent!). I'm thrilled. So a HUGE THANK YOU to Liam, Kieth and Maxim for coming to your senses and making yet another amazing album and restoring my faith in The Prodigy. Now all you guys need to do is play a show here in the Pacific Northwest....I'd love for you to come to Portland, but I'm flexible!! Just play the U.S. West Coast and I'll be there!!

Love it!

2009-02-12T16:04:00.000-08:00

In response to Kory's Talented Jedi....
This was kinda fun (I laughed enough) and I just LOVE my name...it's perfect for me.
You, too, can build your superhero and find out what kind of powers you have!
http://www.cpbintegrated.com/theherofactory/

More Fun Times...

2009-02-09T19:01:00.000-08:00

Guhhhh!! My mouth sucks! I got into the dentist today with no problems. Thankfully this time they were able to get me most of the way numb...I still felt more than I should have, but it wasn't agonzingly painful in a physical way. I didn't scream or anything this time. (My Dr. was thrilled) It was mildly psychologicaly torturous...all the nasty scraping/popping/drilling sounds combined with the super-gross smell of burning teeth. I can't get the smell of it out of my brain!

Problems? Yes!! It wouldn't be Classic Kelsey if it went perfectly smooth. He was able to start the root canal on my upper-right bicuspid, but as soon as he really got in there he hit the *Surprise!* abscess. It was horrible (I mean...nuhhh...buh..). He got in there, murdered whatever he needed to, ground some more tooth away and had to stop. He said he couldn't continue without jeopardizing my life and his practice if I died from blood poisoning. Stupid effing blood poisoning. Sooooo....I have a partially finished root canal and an icky gaping hole next to it. He had to go back into the area that just three days ago was home to my sad, rotten canine and...*massive shudder*....clean it out. He said some things that I never want to hear coming out of a Dr. or dentists mouth, ever again. "Whoa...oh gosh...that's bad.....*scrape, scrape...grind*....oh man....no, that's not good....yeah....not good at all". For real. That's what he said. Verbatim.

Anyway....I'm going back in on Friday to see how the infection is clearing, then, pending a positive report card, I will be scheduled to finish this procedure early next week. I've been warned that it will be painful for the next few days, and to expect blood and....other stuff. He put me on more strong meds for pain (hydromorphone) and a new ultra-high dose of Cleocin. I hate that crap. Clyndamycin makes my stomach hurt pretty bad. Whatever though, it's a means to an end. The end is getting closer and closer, and I'm SO cool with that. I've lived with dental pain for so long that I don't remember what it's like to be able to chew, or even talk to people without it hurting....so naturally, I'm excited to get this work done!

I can't wait to blog about fun stuff.....

I'm gonna listen to Dolly Parton now (9-5 and Odd Jobs) and go to a happy place.

Fun Times...

2009-02-07T08:43:00.000-08:00

It's just after 7PM. I just got home from the dentist and pharmacy. I'm still shaking. I'm still sobbing on and off. I have to go back tomorrow for surgery, depending on where my pain level is at in the morning. He was only able to get the canine out today. None of the anesthesia worked. They used the maximum amount allowed, and...nothing. I was in so much pain by this afternoon (the narcotics wore off around 3:30, and the little help they provided was gone by 4) that they were unable to get me even to baseline. They got me to an '8'. That's after 8 amps of Novocaine, an entire box of topical Lidocaine, 800mg Ibuprofen and an injection of Numorphan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxymorphone ).

So I told him to take out the canine anyway...no matter how bad it hurt me. It hurt me. Beyond any pain I could have ever imagined, it hurt me. Apparently the entire practice was gathered around me looking horrified and pitiful towards me. They all stopped what they were doing to pull for me. I screamed and screamed and bawled my head off and screamed and screamed some more. (Think horror movie where someone is being disemboweled by an alien or something) I almost passed out and I guess they were starting to get worried that I was going to go into cardiac arrest or have a stroke, 'cause they wouldn't allow the second procedure no matter how much I was begging to "JUST GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD". Just thinking about it is making me tearful again. It was the single most horrifying, scary and painful experience that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy (if I had one). OMG. I can't even think of a way to tell any of you how traumatic it was. I'm STILL shaking....and it's taking me a while to type this because my nerves are shot and my vision is a little blurry.

I can't talk, so nobody try and call me for a day or two.

I'm sorry if this is graphic. None of it is exaggerated, I have plenty of witnesses. I think that's why I'm sharing it with you. It seems so unreal to me, and I need to do this to help substantiate the experience in my head and make it more real, so I can get over it. I'm still freaked out, but I begged the Dr. to continue. I couldn't live with that pain for another night. They were going to try and give me the Numorphan shot, the Novocaine and a bottle of pain meds to take home tonight and try to get me to baseline by morning, but I knew that it wouldn't work out that way....which is why I made the decision to just go ahead with the 1st extraction....relieve some of the pressure so we could continue without needing to max me out on the anesthesia. I'm afraid to go again tomorrow. It's the 1st time I've ever been afraid of the dentist. When I had my wisdom teeth pulled by Dr. Taylor 2 years ago, it was cake. It hurt afterward, but the pain meds took care of it....unlike this. What a nightmare. I'm still going...afraid or not...I want this taken care of so bad that I'm willing to put myself through almost anything to see it through.

Fearless Warrior

2009-01-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

This is our cat, Clio...she thinks she's the best thing ever. I've mentioned before that she is very bitchy, and I'm OK with that....we love her anyway.

Today she decided to take on a St. Bernard that was sniffing around in our back yard. Clio weighs 12 pounds, so while she isn't tiny...she really has nothing on the 200Lb behemoth lumbering around our garden and checking out our compost...
We have a little alleyway that is wooded running along the side of our house that our bedroom is on. We call it "The Jungle" 'cause Clio and Ladybird (roomies kitty), along with all the neighborhood hooligans (all of the kitten variety), just love playing around back there. Anyway, Josh heard a jingling noise coming in our window and peeked out and noticed the intruder, threw on some shoes and was about to head out to politely request that Mr. St. Bernard leave our garden alone when Clio decided to poof her tail and launch a head-on attack on the unsuspecting canine from The Jungle...needless to say he was out of our yard in about a second. I guess when a little black and white blur comes roaring out of the bushes at you with claws out and fangs bared, you have to respect the guts and assume it really can hurt you. I'm so impressed with our cat right now. She gets cheese tonight for sure.....Our cat rocks!

EFFING YAY!!!!

2009-01-16T17:53:00.000-08:00

WE GOT THE FREAKIN' HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!

Sushi, Maki and More!

2009-01-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

Wednesday's are my new favorite day of the week. There's this great little Sushi place not far from where we currently live that has a $1 track every Wednesday, all day. We went there last week and enjoyed ourselves, so decided to go ahead and try it out again this week...you know...to make sure they're consistently good. Totally. This is such a great restaurant! The place is crawling with regulars, and the owners and staff know most of the clientele by name (always a good sign at a Sushi place, you don't come back if they serve you a bad chunk of blowfish!). The service is really good, despite everyone running around a little frantically because of the sheer volume of people waiting for a spot at the bar. So...to any Portlanders reading this, go check out: Sushi Sushi on Foster at 83rd Ave. It's probably the best hole-in-the-wall place we've been to in quite a while, and I guarantee you won't get this kind of service anywhere else for this price!! Good selection of beers, too. I recommend TsingTao or Kirin for a nice clean finish.

Still waiting on the frickin' house. Boo!!

- J&K

Mondays Are...

2009-01-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

Not so bad! I actually had a pretty uneventful and pleasant day! I rode part-way to school with Josh this morning and applied for a few crummy jobs at places I don't really want to work, then hopped the train out to Hillsboro and helped my brother Kory with some projects today. We did some mutual venting about how working for other people is dumb (I've been self-employed for several years, and I'm having trouble getting back into the groove of the corporate world...it sucks), and tried to come up with some new start-up businesses that would work for us. Anybody have a great business idea for me to exploit? Blah, blah...next.

Peder (Kory's partner/hubby) made a delectable assortment of Chinese nibbles for dinner including some very yummy egg rolls that I couldn't keep my hands off of, and I'm starting to pay the price!! We don't eat much in the way of fried foods, and my tummy is throwing a fit! (They were really, really tasty, Peder)

What goes better with Chinese food than a Chinese game? We played a quick hand of Mah Jong (the ACTUAL Mah Jong, not the matching game you often find online), before heading back into the city for our weekly Mah Jong night at our friends Joy and Bruce's house. Mondays are really special for us. Joy and Bruce are about the best friends anybody could ask for. They've done so much for us in the past few years, and we really enjoy the time we get to spend with them.

So....Yay!

Happy Monday!

Axis of Evil.....Defeated

2009-01-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

After much hair-pulling, formatting and re-formatting, restoring and re-restoring...some sobbing, a little prayer and a bunch of screaming at innocent bystanders - I have crushed and defeated my opponent, the iPod. I have restored order to my iTunes library. My slightly SMALLER iTunes library, anyway. I'm still pretty pissed off about that. I keep finding more missing in little pockets, too. Bleh! Anyway, the point is that I have a beautifully arranged music folder that is now completely uniform and easy to navigate, and I successfully transfered most of my music to the tricky 40GB iMonster. We're friends again.

On a related topic:

I hate to admit it, but I'm really starting to enjoy Vista...it took me a year to really start appreciating this operating system. I'm a control freak, and Vista was constantly undermining my authority. I'm now resigned to enjoying it for what it is, which is pretty and flashy, put simply. Once you figure out how to 'take the power back' (it took me a few hours), it mostly runs like you're used to a PC running...it's getting more stable as the bugs are fixed to so I'm giving Vista an overall rating of '6' on a scale of 1-10. Not bad.

Unrelated topic:

Our house closing date has been pushed back, again, to the 13th....which is Tuesday. I'm really unhappy playing the waiting game with the damn foreclosing bank...anyone who reads this: Please think happy thoughts for us! We really need this to happen. Our neighborhood is scary and stabby(as in, broken-liquor-bottle-crackhead-stabby).

Sundays are OK.
- J&K

Saturdays are evil!!

2009-01-10T20:21:00.001-08:00

iPods suck. I've been fighting with mine for a few days now....finally decided to just format and restore the damn thing. So...now I'm not so sure that was a good idea. I can't even get it to sync in iTunes now. I'm ripping my hair out. I KNOW computers....I UNDERSTAND hardware...but I don't get the iPod. I think it was designed to make me love it, then to rip out my heart and stomp on it with it's little Satan hooves and ruin my life (for a few days). It's sitting under a pile of dirty laundry in the corner of our bedroom now and it's staying there until I've calmed down and decided to forgive it for being evil. Oh....and it deleted 8 gigs of my music library from my hard drive...I cried. Saturdays are dumb.
Hugs!

- K&J

Hello!

2009-01-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

OK...so, I've never done this before. I'm a total virgin. I mean, I've read a few blogs here and there...mostly my brothers'...but a few others. Anyway...I don't know why you would be interested in reading about my day to day life...but whatever pops your cork works for me. I kind of like the idea of you spying on me like this anyway...it gives me a kinda silly little thrill. So do it!!
My name is Kelsey. I live in Portland, Oregon (aka the Coolest City in America) with my husband Josh. I'm a guy. (Did I forget to tell you that??) We've been together for about 5 years and only want to kill each other a little every once in a while, so it's good. We have the coolest most bitchy cat I've ever met. Her name is Clio, she thinks she is a minor god and demands that kind of treatment. Whatever...she eats on the floor like every other cat I've owned and she still get's hucked out a window if she pisses one of us off in the middle of the night(I have a few stories to share about that later). I totally love her. Now...that said...I'm not a flaming, lap cat loving, limp-wristed, sassy-ass queen. I just happen to prefer the company of cats over dogs....which we will soon have also...an adorable and utterly retarded yellow lab named Butter....she's pretty cool though, I only sort-of hate her (she smells). She has the softest fur I've ever felt. You have to see/feel it to believe it. She belongs to my Ex, Jason....with whom we are buying a house. Creepy? Not really...Josh and Jason have been friends for a long time and Jason knows what he did. LOL. But, really....we all get along very well...it's a decent sized house on a HUGE lot....and Jason works a few hundred miles from here in the Columbia River Gorge and is only home a few days a week, so we can still play Guitar Hero or Halo 3 naked and drunk in the living-room if we want. It's pretty great.

The title of our blog is accurate. We are zymurgy hobbiests. We make our own beers, ciders, meads and fruit wines. It's something that we both really love doing. We also make our own cheeses, which is loads of fun and very rewarding. If you've never tried fresh, homemade ricotta or queso fresco, or panneer...you should try it out. It's so simple and tasty.

We're also vegetarian and hardcore organic gardeners. Last year we had a plot over 4000 square feet. When we were getting ready to move back to Portland in September I was really nervous about not having a garden space to go all zen in. I need the dirt to play in or I go crazy. There's just something extra special about growing your own food. We're both Pepperologists. We know all things Capsicum. Seriously...I will freak your freakin' freak...so will Josh. I love peppers from the sweetest sweet to the hottest hot, and we typically grow around 100 plants in about 15-20 varieties. Check out www.pepperjoes.com if you want to see/buy some cool peppers/seeds. He has nothing on us, but I still use his company as one of my sources....blah blah. Eat peppers, they're good for you, a'ight?

I think that's enough intro for now...hopefully you don't completely hate me yet....it'll take at least a few more postings for that. I do plan on getting all kinds of pictures on here, just not tonight. I'm tired and my butt hurts from sitting here. Have a great day and thanks for checking me out! It makes me feel special. :)

-Kelsey and Josh (even though all he did was tell me livingroom looks wrong as an un-hypenated word...like I care...May-be I sho-uld st-art hypen-ating every-thing)

Help Josh get a scholarship

2009-01-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

Planet Beautiful
Brickfish