Writing

As I sit here in the office and begin this blog post, I hear in the background the tick tock of my 1880's Waterbury clock that I got from Grandma's house. I like to think of it as the heartbeat of the house because if you listen quietly, you can hear it in every room of the main level. I have definitely put into it in repairs more than it is worth. I like it, and it is very relaxing. :)

So, what does the clock have to do with writing? Well, it actually was the inspiration to one of my longest writings yet. I have always said that every English teacher has at least one unpublished, and unfinished, book on their hard drives or in their closet somewhere. I am no exception. I have written over 100 pages on a book that takes place in the old west and centers around a small town called Justice. It unflinchingly details the specifics of small town life that applied back then and still today. It was inspired by the clock on the wall. This clock plays a visible roll in the first scene of the book, and it continues to reappear throughout.

Why haven't I finished the book? Good question. Part of me says that the book tells me when it wants to be worked on and continued. I know, lame excuse. I guess I just don't have the tenacity of the great authors. Hmmmmm, let me take that back. Someone can actually have tenacity and write/publish many books, but they really are not close to great authors, they are just popular authors. Yes, there is a difference, or am a I just an English snob.

I wish I were one of those people who really loved writing. Where an evening at home with my laptop or pencil and paper is the highlight of my week. Unfortunately, I am not that way. I am blogging now though, so maybe there is hope. One of my goals is to be a published author, and so far I have been able to attain my goals in life. I just think it would be so cool to walk into Barnes & Noble and see my book on the shelf. I would have to take a picture of it.

As I sit here in the office and see the clouds outside I realize that this would be the perfect day to pick up my book writing again. Will I do it? I don't know. I also am tempted to keep reading my current book selection, The World Without Us, http://www.worldwithoutus.com/ by Alan Weisman. I just looked out my window and saw my 82 year old neighbor, Frank, loading fishing stuff into an SUV. It looks like his wife is going with him too. An outdoor adventure sounds interesting today. Oh, and the Hollywood theater, http://www.hollywoodtheatre.org/ is showing some great independent films. Ok, now I am beginning to understand why I don't take the time to write.

Uh oh, the sun is staring to poke through the clouds which is a definite sign that I might end up doing something outside today instead of writing. I'm thinking the day might begin best with a Bubble Tea from the Fat Straw. Ohhhhh yeaaaaa!

Portland (Overall a definite yes)

I have to admit that I did not heap a lot of expectations on Portland. I moved around a lot as a kid, and the one thing I realized early on is that a place really does not have a huge affect on my life. I can be happy or sad no matter if I live in Oklahoma, Portland, or even in an exotic place overseas. At first everything is exciting, new, and very different, but overtime it begins to seem routine again. Some people despise the routine, but I kind of like both the new and the routine. Honestly, I figure it is just a part of living life.

Beauty. So, having lower expectations for Portland means that the city definitely exceeded them. Actually, if I had high expectations for Portland the city still would have exceeded them. The sheer beauty of Portland and Oregon is incredible. One of our friends said that if you could measure beauty by units, the unit would have to be called an Oregon. People told me about the beauty of the N.W., but I had no idea it was this incredible.

Activities. Before we moved here we made a trip to Portland in order to see the city and meet some of the locals. They said that they thought of the city as an extension of their living space. All the coffee shops, restaurants, music venues, bars, public parks, hiking trails were just an extension of their living rooms. I like that idea, and I think it is definitely true here. There seems to always be something to do in Portland. For example, tonight there is a board game group going on at the Lucky Labrador, and Friday night is the beer and blog.

Politics. Everyone seems to be interested in politics here. When the debates are on, most local theaters are airing them on the big screen. One thing I find particularly interesting is that if you go to one of those theaters a quarter till the debate starts, the theater is full. Cool huh. I definitely live in a blue state. One of the coffee shops in downtown went from being called Back Space to Barack space. Everywhere I look I see Obama stickers, signs, and t-shirts. When I was out garage selling the other day I saw a sell with a huge sign that read "Everything is free with a donation to Obama." Later in the day I saw a bake sale for Obama. It is definitely different going from the red state of Oklahoma to the blue state of Oregon, and particularly Multnomah county.

Struggles. It is not all roses here. I have almost decided that real estate is not for me, so I am considering pursuing education and training again. Most of my training is in this area, and I am good at it. It has been hard for us to meet friends here, especially fairly normal friends. Everything is new. I have to take about $900.00 worth of state tests in order to get permanent English/social studies certificates. We are both away from our families. In Tulsa, we lived just a 5 hour drive from our families, now we are a long flight away. This has not been easy, but we are coping with it. Sometimes I do feel lonely here, but I know it is just a matter of time before we make some friends and start to socialize more.

Stress. It is easy to stress right now with the $700 billion dollar bailout and the financial situation in America. Add to that the fact that I don't have a job, and you can see why I might be stressed sometimes. On the other hand, this has been a very relaxing and calming time for me also. It has almost been like a personal sabatical.

Well, that is about it for now. I think I'm going to try to convince my boyfriend that we need to go to the Fat Straw tonight for bubble tea. Yummmm! So addictive.

Transportation/Technology

Biking or walking around Portland seems to be the preferred means of transportation. My boyfriend and I have parked the truck and are trying not to use it if possible. It results in physical exercise, as well as better personal finances. :) In fact, when I drive the truck around now I realize how artificial and out of touch motorized transportation is to the soil, the plants, the people, and the earth in general.

It reminds me of how cars were viewed in one of my favorite books, Howard's End, by E.M. Forster. In this book, that takes place in the early 1900's, an old wealthy family meets a new wealthy family and is slightly put off by their love of all things modern. The newly rich family are considered to be "just a wall of newspapers and motorcars and golf clubs" behind which lies nothing but "panic and emptiness."

Now that is an interesting thought. I am going to focus on how technology (represented by motorcars in the book) has led to "panic." How much has modern technology actually enhanced our life with true, not fake or superficial, interactions with our fellow man? Has modern technology actually made our lives easier or does it mean that people just expect more of us? For example, take the teacher. In the past, he/she had to figure grades once a quarter or so. Now they are in a "panic" to figure the grades weekly using a computer program and download them to the office at least on a weekly basis. It is expected that teachers run around in a "panic" sending letters home to the parents and responding to their e-mail on a regular basis. Some schools have it set up where the teacher has to post their assignments daily on a website where the parents can access them every night. Does this make for more effective teaching? Are the students learning more from this extra effort by the teacher in a hurried "panic?" Honestly, I do think that modern technology has helped many parents and teachers keep students on track, but in the process it may sometimes be robbing the students of learning personal responsibility.
Also, consider the incredible "panic" everyone is in to stay on top of the current programs and trends in technology. We are rushing around trying to master the new items before they become obsolete and replaced by even newer and more advanced technology.


Having said all of this I have to admit that I like my technology. I am becoming addicted to my new Blackberry, and Twitter www.twitter.com is definitely a friend of mine. I love my Ipod and feel absolutely isolated without the Internet for e-mail, information, directions. Yep, I am definitely hooked into the technology machine. I am being assimilated, like the Borg in Star Trek. In fact, I often think of the Borg when I see someone with one of those blue tooth ear pieces. It becomes an attachment to their body. I can see it now, slowly that piece of machinery will make it into informal pictures, then family pictures, and finally wedding pictures. "Resistence is futile."

So, maybe riding our bikes and walking to places is Portland's way of detaching from technology for a brief time and having a real interaction with the environment which surrounds us. Nature is so incredible and so accessible. We have to stop looking out the window at it from our heated office, close our laptops, turn off our radios, and actually walk out and experience the real that is nature. Ok, closing laptop now.