Author Archives: Pamela

I’m rating kind-of high on the anxiety scale at the moment. Just can’t seem to reel myself back in.

I’m not even going to get started on the details.

The photo above shows the cheap, crappy attachments that came with the last hair dryer I bought.

My old one had been falling apart for awhile. Finally the two halves of plastic separated. I thought about duct taping it back together but then I thought, this is a device that shoots hot air and I aim it at my head.

So I ran out and got a new one.

It was a choice of about 6 models all about the same price.

The first time I used it I tried that diffuser attachment and it kept falling off and hurt when it hit me in the head. (Which I guess technically isn’t the dryer’s fault.)

I don’t know why I don’t just throw them away. But I have them in the drawer, all handy just in case I want to try them again.

One time I had some lotion on my hands when I used it and wiped off the writing that says high-low-off. I already can’t remember what the top one said.

Maybe they should save the 16 cents they used to make the crappy attachments and use some sort of label that lasts.

Isn’t this pencil mislabeled?

Doesn’t self-sharpening mean that it sharpens itself? It doesn’t. I left it sitting there on the counter and when I came back it hadn’t moved. That’s a lame crop because you can hardly tell there’s a pencil sharpener on top.

But it’s hard to think of a better name. “Sharpener-in-One Pencil.” That’s pretty unwieldy.

Yesterday co-worker and I went to the supply store to look for pens. We don’t like any of our pens. Well, we sort-of like one kind but it seems like it goes bad 3 days after you start using it and they’re like $15 a box so we expect a little more.

Remember when you used to be able to try out the pens? They would be in little bins and there would be a pad of paper sitting there. I remember spending a lot of time in college testing all the pens in the campus bookstore and I’m really not sure why. What was I doing that was so important that I needed the perfect pen?

This store didn’t have a substantial pen testing area but it’s also downtown so they probably have problems with shop-lifting.

We picked four different kinds to try for a total of thirty bucks worth of pens. Co-worker only liked one. I thought they were all okay. I haven’t picked a favorite yet.

I also bought a new pencil sharpener (for my non self-sharpening pencils) for home. I’ll take a photo when I have it installed. I have to put it up in the shop. It’s the kind like you had in the back of your second grade classroom where you crank the little handle. Our old one was damaged when that giant shelf covered with junk fell and clipped it on the way down. I never did finish fixing that shelf.

Bob and I used to walk on the nature trail all the time. (If you click on the link, that’s not a great photo. It’s more nature-y than that.)

We went over the weekend to see if we could find trillium and hit the jackpot. Lots of pretty flowers.

Still too cold and muddy to make yard work enjoyable. Weeds love the rain. Every time I go out there I want to pass out from anxiety about how weedy it is.

Last week when we were walking around downtown, some kids gave us a handful of snack bars as a promotion.

I opened the banana one and said, “Ew, this is nasty. Try it.”

Co-worker said, “Uh, no?” but I convinced him to try a bite. He agreed it was nasty.

I hate to throw away food with all the panhandlers downtown. When I suggested we give the rest away co-worker said, “That would be mean.”

A photo from the Ave. which I include for my CW family.

We did a quick trip to Seattle last weekend.

Well, we were invited to a Sounders game and, of course, I wouldn’t want to miss that. I love the Sounders except when they play the Timbers.

The game was really fun. We had an awesome dinner. Andy and I took turn cleaning the bottom of the New Orleans Famous Barbecued Shrimp bowl. I think the ingredients are butter and magic. Then we headed for the stadium where all the craziness was going on.

It rained during the half but no fear, I had my plastic pants (complete post on the plastic pants, coming soon). Our seats were rain free but still, plastic pants. Seattle had about a million shots on goal but no score in the first half which was very exciting but I was glad it wasn’t my team because I would have had a heart attack. They managed to get one in in the second half.

Really fun time. Thanks Hannah and Andy.

We spent a day running around visiting people we don’t often get to see. We also saw fantastic photography exhibit at the Henry at University of Washington. It was photos pre-WWII by the Seattle Camera Club which was mostly Japanese immigrants. It was a mix of portraits, nature and miscellaneous.

A great day.

On Sunday Bob put me on the train to come home and he stayed to attend a conference.

I had a relaxing trip home and got to finish a book and saw two bald eagles. I always see bald eagles when I’m on the train.

Today was a day of problem solving. Ants in the house again. Another set of window blinds broke. I bought them all at the same time so I guess they’re all going to poop out on me. More stuff I’m too lazy to type out.

Bob and I went on a long walk and I have trillium photos for later.

Remember this? The I’ve seen few photos of myself I’ve hated more post?

Well, it gets better.

I’m one of those people who can run a stop sign in the middle of nowhere at 3 o’clock in the morning and get busted for it. I can’t get away with anything, ever, which is a good incentive to always follow the rules.

I did this stupid photo and then I hated it. And then, even though it’s on Flickr the photo wasn’t associated with my name so I figured it would be easy to forget.

But they’re having a contest and four fans get to be on a billboard. And they (whoever “they” are) narrowed it down to 100 finalists. And guess who made the final 100?

I know, amazing. I am the last person who wants any attention on herself and look what happens.

So you know what? Fark it. I own it. I am a Timbers fan and here is my badass photo:

There is no chance I will win and I don’t want to but since this photo refuses to die I’m afraid it’s going to be backwards day and the person with the least amount of votes, which I’m pretty sure is me at this point, is going to get on a billboard or painted on the side of the stadium or something else so I’m trying to cover myself.

If you’re on Facebook get your ass over there and like me: Timbers Contest.

Or maybe if that doesn’t work go to my page and there should be some links there. It’s called We Are Fans Portland Timbers Billboard Contest. I think you have to like the Timbers first and if you do that you’re probably going to want to hide them because they post a lot of stuff.

I don’t know what the moral of the story is but it’s in there somewhere.

UPDATE:To vote you need to “like” the Timbers first. Don’t you love how this social network stuff has us jumping through hoops like trained poodles?

Downtown Portland by the Park Blocks.

Bob and I finally updated our phones. Bob got an iPhone for his birthday.

I’ve been violently against texting, mostly because I see it as one more annoying thing to interrupt me, but I caved. Who would have guessed that the person annoying me with texts would be my husband?

He sent me a text that said: Long friction day.

Quickly followed by: Frolic.

Me: Don’t understand.

Him: Frickin.

Him: Spell check is too efficient.

My texting victory was when I responded to a text message while co-worker was talking to me. “Hang on a second.” Revenge at last!! He’s always texting or emailing when I’m trying to talk to him.

Downtown, Portland. This photo came out all blurry because I couldn’t be bothered to stop walking while I took it. This is my attempt to salvage with some arty Photoshop dial-twisting.

A couple of weeks ago I had one of those horrible days which, briefly summarized, involved major things being broken and no one showing much interest in helping me fix them.

I held it together for awhile but eventually I had a meltdown and did what anyone in my position would have done, I got a sleeve of Girl Scout Cookies and sat in front of my computer and looked at bathing suits.

I’ve written about trying to find a bathing suit before, (2007, 2004 and 2001), and it’s always an ordeal. Also, I didn’t realize until I looked for that URL that it had been 4 years since I got my last one so I guess it was time. I only wear a bathing suit about 3 times a year so they last forever.

I looked at a bunch and then, for me, impulsively bought one. If only technology disasters really could be cured by buying clothes. The bathing suit arrived and the bottoms were the wrong color.

At first I thought I must have screwed up my order but even the order sheet said “blue” and the bathing suit in the box was nothing resembling blue.

All my time and energy is in use right now. I don’t have the stamina to solve one more problem. I spent about ten minutes trying to decipher their return policy. They have at least 5 brands shipping from the same place and there are different rules and I’d have to call and I’m sure they have a phone tree and some halfwit would take my call and tell me how easy it will be to return if I just do these 10 steps. I haven’t even started and I hate it already. After 48 hours of indecision and me carrying the package back and forth to work (which of course was a box, why cram a bathing suit into an envelope when you can ship it in a box?) two times, I said screw it.

My bathing suit will not match.

This is a little notebook Bob found that he got from his Dad’s job a long, long time ago.

All week I’ve been thinking how nice it would be to have a weekend day with no rain and how I would really take advantage of such an opportunity to get out and do work in my yard.

Right this second it is not warm but it is sunny out there but I don’t have time so I figure Mother Nature will punish me by not having a dry weekend day until July. It’s supposed to starting raining, hailing, thundering and gusting later this afternoon perhaps by the time I finish typing this. So maybe it isn’t such a great opportunity.

Tonight is my soccer team’s first ever game in Major League Soccer. We’re playing last year’s champions on their home field but that’s no reason to panic. It’s live on Fox Soccer Channel so you can watch it with me. We’re getting together with some people and I’m cooking which is why I can’t garden right this second.

I always think the days when I’m going to unplug will be lazy but it turned out the opposite because yesterday I did all the stuff I never do because I’m on the computer.

Right after exercise I drove to the mall. The entire area around the mall is a haven for orange cones. I went to NE Portland which I don’t know well but any strategy I attempted to avoid orange cones just brought me to more orange cones. I didn’t even know there were that many orange cones in the whole world.

Once at the mall, I burned through almost all my gift cards. I got 5 pairs of pants, Sees Candy, vacuum cleaner bags, panties and bras.

When I got home I processed the last two pumpkins and I cleaned out a bunch of cupboards. I reorganized all the towels because it seems like anytime I want a nice bath towel, all I can find are the crap towels. I cleaned out a bunch of other linens, too, and the Tupperware cupboard.

I did 8 loads of laundry. I made dinner and baked a pumpkin bundt cake for tonight.

Then I was totally beat and staggered off to bed at 9:01pm. Then I woke up at 3am and couldn’t get back asleep and annoyed Bob. This morning he said, “What was going on, you were like a monkey.”

I like to put my feet on him when I’m trying to fall asleep and he kept moving away.

One more note: even thought I annoyed him at night, Bob gave me $9 worth of emusic that expires today. I picked a few songs and was down to $5 when I found Foreigner’s greatest hits. I didn’t have enough money so I saved it. I’m sure he’s going to look at his saved list and think, “What the hell?” because he’s not a Foreigner fan.