Portland again

I am in Portland right now.  I was really hoping to have some (or at least one) interview on this trip, but that didn't happen.  I did meet two cool recruiters who have potential to be helpful in finding a job.  Since I knew I wasn't going to have an interview while I was on this trip I decided to change my focus to deciding whether or not I should move here without a job and to network.  I accomplished both of those goals.  The recruiters I met on Thursday is very down to earth and I asked her if she honestly thought it was harder to find a job from afar and she told me that yes it is because sometimes companies will ignore those candidates in favor of locals and even some people will ask that the candidate come in for an interview the same day they see the resume.  I had a suspicion on the first idea that they would be ignoring me, but the later never occurred to me.  

My original plan was to leave Austin when my lease is up at the end of May and then drive here and crash on two friends couches, but I also found out on this trip that both of those people will have other guests in early June, so if I am going to count on staying with them I will need to leave a bit earlier or later.  Earlier will work better since I would be couch surfing in Austin after end of May and I would rather do that with prospects of having my own place sooner than later and in a different city.   I have met several people in the hostels here who say that they are having a hard time finding roommates in the city.  A lot of people seem to be looking for like a week.  I would rather do that in a free place than a hostel.  One friend said that my kitty could stay at his place even if I don't.  So that is good for me and I am sure that will royally piss her off.  You do what you gotta do though.

Movie and Car

Last week my coop had a member party where they showed the movie "The Real Dirt on Farmer John" I loved it!!! It is an awesome story about a farmer named John who wasn't sure he really wanted to farm even though it was expected of him by his family. He became a hippy in the 60s and had a bit of a commune on his family farm. He evolved and changed and now has a successful CSA. Very thought provoking and inspiring.

My car had been having problems and since I will be moving across the country in the next two months I wanted to get something more reliable. I traded in my '95 Mazda 626 and got an '05 Honda Civic. It is cute and drives really nicely. I chose this car for practical reasons like reliability and efficiency (in gas usage). I hate white cars and I like manual transmissions much better than automatic, so it is neither white nor automatic. It is actually gray with black interior although I don't really care about that. I am glad that I will be taking it to a cooler state since black interior isn't pleasant in Texas. This was my first car to buy on loan and even though I was resistant to taking on this debt, it is totally manageable. I think it will serve me well for quite some time.

The Bank Job

I saw this movie today because my friend Cathy asked if I wanted to see a movie and this was the only one that was somewhat interesting sounding and also would fit in her schedule before she went to work. It was pretty fun to watch and apparently based on a true story. Of course the hot actor didn't hurt its appeal either. ;)

Cirque

I forgot to mention that the day after I went sky diving I went and saw Cirque du Soleil. This was the third one I have seen and it was Saltimbanco. It was in San Antonio and both of my parents came down for the show. Very awesome. It was in the same theater that the Spurs play apparently, so it was a huge venue. It wasn't full, but maybe half or a little less, so there were lots of people there. My favorite act was the four people who were pulled up to the ceiling and then bounced beautifully around on springy cords doing all kind of flips and such. Very beautiful. The worst part was the juggler. not.impressive.at.all. Of course I couldn't do that, but it was kinda boring compared to the rest of the show.

Movies

I watched Valley of the Dolls and Gay Sex in the '70s. The latter was more of a documentary and while the subject matter is interesting to me, I didn't find the actual film all that interesting. They way the did it was weird, like everyone was not sure what they were allowed to admit.

Valley of the Dolls was risque for its time. I have heard so many references to this movie that I thought it was high time to watch it. Interesting portrayal of drug abuse and weird unhappiness in a life that seems so glamorous. Very good.

I totally jumped out of a plane!!!

So that is a big one down. It was really freakin fun and I want to do it again. NOW. The guy who was attached to me (since I did it tandem) was really cool and he answered all my dumb questions. The guy who put on my harness was very freakin flirty in a kind of way that only makes me think of someone I wouldn't want to be with. He was nice, but a little too nice, if you know what I mean. One guy was a total dooch, but luckily after my friend Brooke called him out on it he stopped talking to us. I went with four other people, but we didn't get to go up in the same plane. There were three of us and then two more. I was in the latter group. I don't think I am ready to do that alone, but again, yes.

Parasailing and zip line too. Friends say they are up for it, so I am going to look into it.

Another book and Portland

I went up to Portland over the weekend just to see how it felt all gray and gloomy. It wasn't that bad, but I am sure it will affect me more when I have been in it for a longer period of time. While I was there I finished The Good Earth. It was a good read. I started Walden by Thoreau. The intro to this edition was written by Emerson and wow this guy was intense. I have to pay a lot of attention to what I am reading now because it is jam packed with bits of info. Thoreau really has a way of saying things. I like it.