#117 - vacation

in five hours i leave for the airport. i will not be blogging here, but on brandi travels 2008. half of my brains says i should sleep. the other half is beating it into submission. i've got a couple more cds to burn. couple hours sleep, shower, left over thai food for breakfast, then off to the airport. adios.

#116 - five days

i will be en route to cancun. i am almost in no way ready for this trip. mentally i am ready but as far as things to take with me, not even close. i'm going to pack extra light since we'll be moving around a lot and i'll have to carry my backpack a lot. this weekend will be a little crazy with last minute shopping and seeing all my friends before i go.

• friday - last hours with doggies, drive back to portland, happy hour for chris's promotion, maybe tanuki with the FF
• saturday - try to pack, library (return things), figure out what i need, golf/fun @ edgefield
• sunday - pack, happy hour with work friends
• monday - last minute shopping (rei, best buy, fred meyer), lunch w/erika! for her b-day
• tuesday - 6am flight to LAX > mexico city > cancun

travel blogging. i found this website called travelpod and made a blog there but i'm finding it not so easy to work with. mostly i don't like the layout, which you can't change. then there is travelblog.org which is also a blog site but with lots of pictures. i don't think i'll be spending lots of time blogging on the road so i don't know how much i'll be putting up pictures either. mostly i want the blog so that people know i'm still alive and rockin. i think maybe i'll just stick with my blogger and create yet another blog. gotta come up with a nice vacation layout.

EDIT: new blog is brandi travels 2008

#115 - dogs and beach

i've been here at the beach for almost a week. me and three little chihuahuas. while it's been nice to be alone, i feel like i'm becoming a little crazy. the little guys are driving me up the walls. everytime i let them out to pee/poo they bark. maui runs around the whole house barking, at nothing. they were barking at a big black neighbor dog once, but other than that it's been nothing. it doesn't matter what time of day either. i can't control them. i let hector out today and he refused to come back into the house for half an hour. he ran circles around me as i tried to catch him. i tried bribing him with a treat, he took it and ran. it really frustrated me because i wanted to walk to the post office. i planned on doing it at a certain time so it was pissing me off. i guess today i am in a bad mood. i closed the door to this room so i could blog in peace. usually they are always around, especially maui. he is such a lap dog, if there is a lap he's in it.

yesterday was nice, we laid on the deck upstairs all day in the sun. i had a blanket out there and played music on the stereo. it was a gorgeous day and very relaxing. later on i took maui and sancho to the beach and we had a good time. it was perfect on the beach and they got all their energy out by running around on the beach with another dog. i need to go to the beach later today.

my friends are coming to hang out this weekend. i am excited because i haven't seen anyone i know in four days. i feel like tom hanks on that movie with wilson the volleyball. nutso. of course i can talk to the dogs but they just look at me like i'm crazy, which only makes me feel more crazy. i was thinking this would be a good time to read, plan my trip, workout, think, and practice. my friend at work and i were talking about being mindful. i am very not. i started trying to be mindful as i eat, as a first step. sit down, give thanks, take my time, enjoy each bite, just be there and let the food nourish me. nothing else going on but me eating. i've been eating almost every meal outside on the deck. it's nice to breathe the fresh ocean air and feel alive. i still eat too quickly. it's like i was raised with a dozen other kids/animals and need to eat the food before they do.

my next step is to be mindful of the moment. live in the moment and be present. i know this isn't achieved overnight, but it's an ongoing process. like everything else, it's gotta start somewhere. the beach is a very easy place to be mindful and so a good place to start. it involves all the senses: you look out and see the ocean and waves, feel the sand beneath your feet and wind on your face, smell the salt water and various dead animals on the beach, hear the waves crashing and kids playing and going to the beach always reminds me of my mom's korean chicken and musubis. so even if it's not hot and i'm not swimming, i can taste it. it's so easy to relax and enjoy everything about that moment. nothing makes me happier than being on a beach. life is good.

it's all those other times that being mindful becomes hard. come home to the craziness and the real world. i guess house/dog sitting is not really the real world but it's frustrating at times. other things i want to work on is being mindful of my actions, speech and thoughts. although there aren't many things i regret, a lot of things could have been done or said in a different way. also, why should i waste time with idle or negative thoughts/actions/speech? i should not. negativity only creates more of the same. i have still another week at the beach and then a trip to mexico and guatemala! life is good...if i could only get the dogs to cooperate and not bark so much.

#114 - eating out

since i've placed a restriction on eating out for the month of june, all i want to do is eat out. the oregonian (newspaper) recently put out a 2008 restaurants of the year list which can be found here. so of course i want to eat out even more. some of the restaurants i have tried, and enjoyed, but there are many i haven't. i've compiled a list of places i want to try. many of these places are pretty spendy but probably worth it. my favorite type of food is probably italian so i've got a lot of italian joints on my list. i've also got quite a few that i put into the "portland" category where menus change with seasonal ingredients and what is available, sometimes everyday. i think i will organize this list according to quadrant and i automatically took out restaurants that were far (lake o, beav-ton). i am sure they are good but i'm going to eat closer first. i'm sure this list will take me awhile to eat through. many of these restaurants are leaning more toward fine dining or spendy so it might have to wait for a special occasion or lunch.

SOUTHEAST - 12
iorio (italian) - 912 se hawthorne blvd.
apizza scholls - 4741 se hawthorne blvd.
castagna (italian) - 1752 se hawthorne blvd.
genoa (italian) - 2832 se belmont st.
3 doors down café (italian) - 1429 se 37th ave.
ken’s artisan pizza - 304 se 28th ave.
masu east (japanese) - 310 se 28th ave.
nuestra cocina (mexican) - 2135 se division st.
lauro kitchen (mediterranean) - 3377 se division st.
biwa (japanese) - 215 se 9th ave.
vindalho (indian) - 2038 se clinton st.
simpatica dining hall - 828 se ash st.

NORTHEAST/NORTH/EAST - 19
ciao vito (italian) - 2203 ne alberta st.
lovely hula hands - 4057 n. mississippi ave.
miss delta (southern) - 3950 n. mississippi ave.
navarre - 10 ne 28th ave.
podnah’s pit (BBQ) - 1469 ne prescott st.
screen door (southern) - 2337 e. burnside st.
beast (restaurant of the year) - 5425 ne 30th ave.
e’njoni (african) - 910 n. killingsworth st.
trebol (mexican) - 4835 n. albina ave.
acadia (new orleans) - 1303 ne fremont st.
toro bravo (spanish) - 120 ne russell st.
le pigeon (restaurant of the year) - 738 e. burnside st.
lemongrass (se asian) - 1705 ne couch st.
little red bike cafe - 4823 n. lombard st.
fire on the mountain (wings) - 1708 e. burnside st.
flavourspot (waffles) - 2310 n. lombard st.
hama sushi - 4232 ne sandy blvd.
queen of sheba (african) - 2413 ne mlk blvd.
autentica (mexican) - 5507 ne 30th ave.

SOUTHWEST - 11
murata (japanese) - 200 sw market st.
higgins - 1239 sw broadway
east india co. (indian) - 821 sw 11th ave.
new taste of india (food cart) – sw 4th at hall
alexis (greek) - 215 w. burnside st.
veritable quandary - 1220 sw 1st ave.
karam (lebanese) - 316 sw stark st.
la jarochita (food cart) - sw 5th ave & stark st.
blueplate (soda fountain) - 308 sw washington st.
saucebox (pan-asian) - 214 sw broadway
mother's bistro & bar (brunch) - 212 sw stark st.

NORTHWEST - 14
caffe mingo (italian) - 807 nw 21st ave.
bluehour (mediterranean) - 250 nw 13th ave.
giorgio’s (italian) - 1131 nw hoyt st.
hiroshi (japanese) - 926 nw 10th ave.
good taste restaurant (chinese) - 18 nw 4th ave.
bewon (korean) - 1203 nw 23rd ave.
paley’s place - 1204 nw 21st ave.
wildwood - 1221 nw 21st ave.
23hoyt - 529 nw 23rd ave.
andina (peru) - 1314 nw glisan st.
fratelli (italian) - 1230 nw hoyt st.
carlyle - 1632 nw thurman st.
park kitchen - 422 nw 8th ave.
tanuki (japanese) - 413 nw 21st ave.

#113 - about halfway

well i set a few goals for june. and now it's practically halfway through the month. boy how time flies!! i met goal #3 (pass my class) by getting an A...superstar! other than that, i have been doing pretty well i think, haven't spent any money at a bar yet. i did go to a few restaurants for lunch (3 times this month), bad planning on my part there. the only grocery shopping i've done all month was to get stuff for a camping trip. i still have lots of food from that because we ended up only staying one night instead of two and so i'm a little set back on goal #4 (cleaning out pantry). i fear that goal #2 (bikini body) is doomed but i still have a little over two weeks. i've been riding my bike all over the place and going to the gym regularly. i'd say the goal i am farthest from reaching right now is goal #5 (simplify) because i have been working a lot and been dead tired so not had energy to clean/organize much. i'm not really sure when that will happen. i have a feeling i'll come back from my trip and just get rid of everything cause i'll be so used to living out of a backpack. 17 days till i leave for mexico!!! i am so excited but not nearly ready. first of all, my spanish is horribly non-existent. also i have a rough itinerary but nothing set in stone. i have no reservations for places and will basically be very flexible.

i'm going to the coast to dog sit for 10 days. during this time i will be doing lots of things (some with dogs) besides hanging out at home with the little devils:

• hike neah-kah-nie mountain
• beach bonfire
• hang out with jake and kate
• golf with jake
• fishing
• workout at fitness center
• read books
• yoga
• eat at wanda's and bread & ocean
• bike ride to rockaway, garibaldi, cannon beach
• take photos
• go to beach with doggies
• watch sunsets
• hopefully avoid seeing sunrises
• avoid the tourists

it's gonna be a nice vacation from the city. as much as i love portland (and i really do for so many reasons) it is nice to get away for a little while. it's nice to not see a lot of cars or people if i don't want to. it's weird how your physical and emotional being totally changes when you're at the coast, or at least me. i think it must be the ocean. there is just so much power in the ocean and i become totally mesmerized. i feel a total awe and respect for the ocean and it definitely reminds me of home. even if the ocean looks cold, dark and scary out here sometimes, i look out at the horizon and feel the warm sands of waimanalo. no joke. i KNOW that 3000 miles away is my hawaii. it is comforting.

two more weeks for my goals. two weeks till i leave. two weeks to enjoy life before i go out and explore/discover the world!

#112 - so done!

i did it! i became a SUPERSTAR!! i took my final exam this morning and not only passed, but got an A. maybe my teachers were right...or maybe this time it was based on more than just three tests. there were quizzes and extra credit as well. why not last time? so frustrating, but it's over. i studied hard and now don't have to worry about pathophysiology ever again. what a great feeling! i called my parents and they were so relived and happy, my mom said she had tears of joy. so funny. the madness however is not over. first they told me that my summer class would be the second 5-week term of summer, from july 28 till the end of august. so i planned my trip around that time frame, foregoing the wedding that i was supposed to attend in costa rica. now they tell me it's only going to be one day of lab time and four days of clinicals at the hospital. and of course, the timing is horrible. if they had said this in the first place, i would be at a wedding in late august! bastards. um, no hard feelings of course. but why can't they get it together?

anyway, so now school is done for this term. it's gonna be work, play and then the trip. i have so much still to plan and prepare and only 3 weeks to do it. it's getting close! i'm so excited and now i don't have to worry about coming back to the same job forever because i passed my class and will go on with nursing school as planned.

it's june. it's supposed to be summery and sunny. today it's raining and cold. last week i got my bike out and rode it to work. on the way home afterwards i hit an oil slick on a turn and skidded out. luckily it was a little chilly so i was wearing a jacket and pants. if not, my left elbow and leg wouldn't have much skin on it. so it was my first bike wreck. i'm glad it wasn't bad and no one was around to witness the humiliation. i was more upset than anything really. now i am a little nervous as i hit the turns that may or may not have wet/oily spots. my tires are pretty thin and aren't made for crazy maneuvers. i hope that's the last of my accidents. that elbow has had it's share of owies, mostly skateboarding falls. when it's sunny i'll probably start trying to skate again. last summer i learned an ollie, a 180, pop shove it, and kickflip. i want to get better at those tricks and do a heel flip too. also i want to get good enough to ride at the skate park. i tried it when i was back home, but i was by myself and still felt embarrassed. it's hard to commit to dropping into the half pipe. i need to find some balls.

#111 - june goals

when i previously made goals (i'd post a link but am too embarrassed by lack of adherence) they were too broad and weren't "smart". smart goals are:

• specific
• measurable
• attainable
• realistic
• timely

my goals were attainable but i think i may have set too many, then lost sight of them once i got in the groove. i met some new people and started hanging out a lot with them. of course i'm not placing blame anywhere but with myself. i became irresponsible with lots of things, but mostly time and money. if those aren't the most important things though, i am not sure what is. i don't regret any time that i spent with my new friends, nor the massive amounts of fun that we had together. the credit card statement does make it hurt a little though. so now i will pay for it, literally and figuratively. what does that mean? well since i'm limited in the days i can work and therefore money i can make, i have to spend less. spending less is something i should have been doing a long time ago.

june goals

• goal #1: save money. this is most important right now, especially since i'm going on my trip soon. i've been saving up for that for awhile and it would be stupid if i spent it on partying.
• goal #2: be bikini ready by july 1. i know, this isn't much time, but i just have to get rid of the beer gut.
• goal #3: pass my class. i will take care of this on monday, finals! i've got less than a week and am getting nervous. why am i blogging?...
• goal #4: clear out my pantry. since i'll be gone for a month i don't really want to keep food stuff sitting there. i will be making interesting meals with whatever i have.
• goal #5: simplify. while this is broad, mostly i want to get rid of the things i don't use, as well as some of the million t-shirts i own.

yes, i know, none of these are really "smart" goals. and i don't really say HOW i will attain these goals. well that is coming up. i believe they are all realistic and attainable. target date is end of june - the 30th. #4 and 5 are hard to be specific. in my head, i know what i want to get rid of. there are some things i got years ago that i still haven't found a use for. but i come from a family of packrats and i am no different...but i am trying to change.

june plan

• goal #1 - i will not eat out or hang out in bars all month. yes, you read right. i am avoiding the places that i spend my money in. also, since i will be working on goal #4, i won't be spending as much on groceries. maybe some fresh food to add to whatever concoctions i come up with, but no more $50 grocery bills. i am trying to pick up as many shifts at work as i can as well.
• goal #2 - my plan for goal #1 should help this a lot. i KNOW how i can lose weight and look good, it's by not drinking and eating out. also i just started biking again. yay! dodgeball league is finished but i've still got pickup on tuesday/friday. i'm going to the gym at least twice a week. cake.
• goal #3 - after i am done with this blog i will study for an hour before bed. i will avoid my computer tomorrow so that i can concentrate on patho. yuck. same goes for thursday. this weekend will sadly be devoted to studies rather than other fun stuff. well i'll be at the coast camping, but i will have my book in hand at all times...that should be a rule.
• goal #4 - i've got two drawers of food plus a picnic box right now. i want to get that down to one drawer and half the picnic box. i'm planning meals based around those items. lots of canned beans and such, yum.
• goal #5 - i will spend 30-45 minutes a day i am home working on the simplifying/organizing/cleaning process. putting stuff into boxes/bags for ebay/craigslist/goodwill, taking pictures of stuff and advertising it, and just getting off my lazy duff.

well there you have it. updates in four weeks. look out!

#110 - time to bike

the weather is finally turning nice. this for me means time to bike! i will admit, i am not one who likes to ride in the rain, or cold. it's misery. i haven't ridden since the end of summer last year. i blamed it on a bum bike. my wheel was bent when i was going downhill at top speed and ran over a big stick in the road. i tried to see if i could ride it, but it was no good. so basically, i kept it in the garage until last week. i took it to the bike shop and asked if they could fix it. they couldn't. i had to buy a new wheel which set me back a few, even if it was a used one. but now it's fixed and i am happy. it's nice out and i can bike!

i usually go everywhere on the bus or MAX train, which works. it's slow and you have to be used to waiting, a lot. i decided for the month of june i wouldn't get a bus pass so that i will force myself to ride my bike everywhere. it's not that i don't like biking but sometimes i can be lazy. it's nice to sit on the bus/MAX and read or sleep or listen to music. i've only got two more days of going to school, one of which i will get a ride. the other is for my final which i can take at the testing center, about a 5 mile ride away. i usually get a ride to work but i will probably start biking there. it's about 3 miles, which is a pretty quick ride.

generally portland is a great place to ride bikes. everyone bikes here. i don't particularly like biking through the city, but it's not too bad. i try to stick to the wide streets that are less busy. there is a great bike trail that i love to ride that goes right along the willamette river. the section i've done quite a bit is probably 6 miles long and i double back. it's a part of a larger 40-mile loop that also goes east out to gresham, north through troutdale, west along the columbia river to north portland, then south through forest park. my goal is to do that loop this summer sometime. there is also a shorter loop that is probably 20 miles that goes along the 205 instead of out to gresham. 40 miles sounds like a lot but if i've got water and music and it's a nice day, i just keep going. i may hurt in the butt the next day but it's fun and quite worth it.