toaster ovens

So, like I said in the last blog, this summer has been busy. Just recently, my mom and her friend came to town and there was much sightseeing and entertaining to do. Then, while they were here, I spent 22 hours over a weekend moving into my new apartment. The remainder of that week was spent organizing the new space and cleaning the old space and then wooosh, it was off to Reno with my mom for a wedding. I got to Reno on Thursday, spent the night and then brunched in Tahoe, took some photos, drove into the desert with my family, took some photos, and then watched my cousin Selah get married. Not even thirty minutes after the vowels were exchanged atop the Reno Art Museum on Friday evening, I was on my way back to Portland to play in the LCP Softball Tournament the next morning.

For those of you who don’t know, LCP is pretty much one of the highlights of the summer. Not only is LCP fun because you’re playing softball for a whole weekend with a bunch of your friends, but you’re camping out and you’re partying the whole time. Well, maybe not the WHOLE time, but there is a good chance that anytime after 11am 90% of the population has a beer in their hands. As well, it’s a “ladies only” softball tournament, so there is a lot of well ... “ladies only” action going on (wink, wink). Thankfully though, I am a taken woman, so there are no big surprises there, but I always make it a point to take place in the naked slip and slide... cause well, you know... being naked is fun sometimes. Most of the time.

Despite all of that softball playing, beer drinking and naked slip and sliding though... I’d have to say that the highlight of the weekend was a conversation that happened on Saturday night during the beer relay races (yes, the beer relay races). Anyways, my GF Sam had just got done competing in the potato sack race and we sat down to watch the other competitors try their hands. Next thing I know this girl (lady I mean, about my age) comes over and taps me and Sam on the back. We’ll call her Suzan. The conversation went something like this:

Suzan: Hey... excuse me.

Me: yeah?

Suzan: So um... you two (mentioning to Sam and I) have been together for a while right?

Me: um... I guess so. Not like a LONG time, but you know...

Suzan: Well over a year though right?

Sam: Yeah... about a year and half.

Suzan: Oh, okay. Well... um... I just wanted to say hi and well... I see you guys a lot, at concerts and stuff. Like Brandi Carlile and the Indigo Girls, Chris Pureka, and well... I see you guys and you both look so happy and together and in love that you helped me realize that I was gay.

Me: (shock)

Suzan: That if you guys can do it and make it work, I can too. So yeah... I’m gay and I’m happy and well, now I’ve got a great girlfriend and so.... well, thanks.

Me: (still in shock) wow... um, well... congratulations. wow... that’s something.

Suzan: Yeah, I’ve seen you guys and I’ve wanted to say something for a while, but I had to get a few drinks in me first to get enough courage.

Sam: Well, thanks for saying something. That’s cool.

Me: Yeah... that’s great! Really, thanks for telling us. That's amazing. Oh, and btw...I like your plaid shirt!

So the conversation continued for a minute or so, we exchanged names and pleasantries and I told her that next time she’s sees us out at a concert or something... that she should come say hi. And, on behalf of Lesbians everywhere... welcome to the club. But really, wow, that completely blew me away. That someone could just be so inspired by seeing other people out and happy and in love, that they could decide that they want the same thing for themselves and overcome those obstacles that stand in their way. I mean, I imagine that that kind of thing does happen... but who ever really gets to find out that they helped someone come to that happy realization? There is the old adage in “lesbianism” that you get a “toaster oven” when you make someone gay. Well, based upon that I think Sam and I get a Viking Convection Oven. Hell, we didn’t even have to touch anyone, they just saw us and boom... gay.

Of course, I kid. That is pretty friggin amazing and it was totally the highlight of my weekend. Best of luck to you in your lady lovin Suzan!

makes for a perfect house warming gift...

Let the good times roll ya'll...

Cindy: On a scale of 1 to intoxication, where are you Levo?.... me: EIGHT!!!"

Ahhh... it feels as if springtime has finally arrived in our fair Pacific Northwest. I mean, yeah... we will are still guaranteed to have wet and rainy weather for the next four months (interspersed with moments of warm sunny clarity), but the flowers are all a bloom, I've put most of my snowboarding gear in the basement, I'm wearing short gloves on my daily bike commute, I've got softball games now on Sunday afternoons, outdoor soccer on Thursday nights... and it seems as if people are finally starting to come out of their winter hibernation.

Speaking of cycling, softball and winter hibernation.. that is one great thing I love about my little Portland community. While I have plenty of friends that I see week in and week out throughout the year, there are some friends that are simply, more often than not..."sporting friends", meaning... you only really "see" them when you are both engaged in the same sporting activity. Be it telling jokes as you both struggle to crest a seven mile hill climb, congratulating them on a nice hit as they round third, or lamenting over a cold beer about what a bitch the goal keeper for the other team was... you enjoy seeing these folks every new sporting season as it shows that while somethings change (teams, gear, sig others), many things stay the same. You can count on seeing their friendly faces and engage in conversations until the weather turns cold, the skies turn a murky grey, and then the snowboard comes back out. The thing is, you may never get into really deep meaningful life spiritual conversations with these friends, but seeing them out there having fun week after week, is sometimes better than a quick conversation. Just seeing them enjoying themselves and smiling, lets you know that things, life... can't be all that bad for them (or you either).

So, needless to say, I feel as if my summer community is back in the swing of things (literally), and on top of games, races and beers, there is a whole summer of backyard barbecues, cornhole, and camping to plan and look forward to. Smell that in the air folks? .... That's the smell of fun!

Anyways, my softball team the Brewhers, is sponsored by local microbrew giant Rogue. And, in return for their generous donations to our program, we've agreed to volunteer our time in events that they also sponsor. Which means, throughout the year, you can find your friendly Brewhers Softball team manning taps at beer fests all over the city. Not only is that in itself a reason to shell out a few pennies... but, there is beer involved!!! It's pretty much a win win for everyone, especially the volunteer pourers! Pretty much after our shifts (as licensed OLCC servers) end... we are given beer. Free beer, lots and lots and lots of it. Take for example this past weekend my teammates and I volunteered at the Firkin Fest, which was held at the Green Dragon. Pretty much, the room was full of 20 or so kegs from various Oregon Breweries; HUB, Double Mountain, Rogue, Lumpoc, Pelican Bay, Bend Brewing, Bridgeport, Nikasi, Deschutes, Laurelwood, etc... to name a few. (Excited about seeing Double Mountain IRA as a keg, I immediately ran over to pour that all afternoon, and let me just say... I was pretty popular!!!)

After my shift was over, we were given our tickets and it was almost as if your eyes glazed over with choices... oh, where to begin? First of all... let me preface by saying I had gone on a nice little bike ride that morning and had a little snack before I ran off to serve at 3pm. We were also promised food during our shift, so I didn't feel the need to really eat prior. However, during our shift they ran out of the "promised food" (hot dogs, make that kobe beef hot dogs)... So, not only were we thirsty for the beer that we had been pouring for the past three hours... we were hungry too. However, the drinking started before the consumption of food did and by the time my half of mac and cheese finally arrived, I think I was already three 8oz servings of room temperature Black Stout/IPA's into the wind (aka... getting drunk).

I had a great night and the warm beers kept flowing for as long as I had free beer tickets (thanks to my friends who kept putting them in my pocket). Somewhere along the way I lost a few games of shuffleboard, met some nice folks from Seattle and talked bikes, ran into one of my Bridgetown Velo teammates, peed in a parking lot after hopping some railing, and left with all intentions on going dancing... but alas... ended up in my nice warm bed some how at the end of the evening. Apologies to my gf for any amount of PDA she had to endure and to my full time friends and teammates who graciously, keep me laughing all the time (and also to the Green Dragon, I'm sorry for not cutting off that guy sooner who ended up knocking over the keg of Pelican).

Let the good times roll ya'll, spring has finally arrived!!!!

i think about scribbling... a lot.

Howdy Blogger world! 

Wouldn't you know but I started my blogger site back in November but got frustrated when I found I couldn't transfer it automatically to myspace, - but now I really kinda hate myspace, so I'm back. Hello. I love you, or so I'm going to try to to.

really, it's been a while since I posted a random free flowing blog that wasn't about saving the world or be bitching about some design thing. And, not that I can't guarantee that I'll do that here or not, but this is just a little post to check in an say hi. To let you know how life is and what is keeping me busy and what thoughts have been occupying my mind recently. I originally wrote this last Friday, May First, but I'm being lazy and going back and making entries I should have made forever ago.

One of the things that have been filling my head recently are scribbles. You know, hand drawn lines. I've seen a massive trend recently in the hand made mark and not only is the inconsistency appealing and warm, but it's a nice break from the coldness and preciseness that lines drawn on a computer have. Here are some examples:

Poster Designs

this journal and wallpaper pattern by Julia Rothman

Stumptown coffee brewing guide

this t-shirt I own from Seattle's Wonder Thunder 

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Another thing is damn facebook quizzes. While some are cute, informative and funny... some are downright dumb. I DO admit, I will occasionally do them. Yes, I want to know what HHS student I am (jenn levo), I want to know my true nationality (German), what Portland neighborhood I live in (Inner SE)... and of course, what font I am (Helvetica).... but really, I will limit the amount of them that I do. Sadly though, ... some people do not have any self control. What Cosby kid are you? What's your true birth sign? What infectious disease are you? Really, if you are the type of person who takes every quiz that comes down your happy facebook path, I will probably delete you from my feed because I don't want to know what Grey's Anatomy character you are. No offense.

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As well, as the warmer weather comes, so does softball season and outdoor soccer season! Wahoo! My softball team did a little switcharoo from last year and while we are no longer "The Rocket" the essential team, give or take a few folks, is still all here and we now go by the amazingly awesome name of the Brewhers. We got sponsored by Rouge Breweries, Katie OBrein's Bar, and some reality company to lessen the fees and quench our thirsty post game pallets. As a team, last year we got to a really slow start but once we picked up momentum we were a force to be reckoned with. I pretty much expect that to be the same case this year. So far we've had some glittering moments and then we've had a few moments we'd like to forget. Speaking of moment's we'd like to forget. My clock was cleaned last night during a soccer game with my new team the DEBS. I was on a rush to the goal when two girls pretty much tackled me and i went down HARD. Today, I'm a little hobbily mess that's sitting at work with their leg propped up on a trash can and wrapped with ice. It's no big incident, no cause for alarm, it just hurts. Thats all. 

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Oh, so get this, last sunday while out last night with some of my friends, we decided to go to another random part of town to eat sushi. I walked into the joint and I hear from a table near me as I'm sitting down someone yell "LEVO!"... I turned around and waved, said hi, exchanged pleasantries, but for the life of me could not figure out who in the hell it was. 

As my cohorts poured over the sushi menu, I searched my brain. Who in the world could this be? Did I play a sport with her? Was she a friend of the kid I house sat for in January? She was really young after all... Does this person even live here or is she visiting? So, I narrowed it down: given the apparent young age of the girl, and the apparent jewishness of the other girl who was with her, and the fact that she yelled LEVO!!! I figured it was a camper from the jewish summer camp I worked at in MAINE for five summers. But the last summer I was there was almost three summers ago, it's been so long. What are the chances that someone from Camp Tap would be out here in some little dive sushi bar in Portland? 

So, I thought long and hard and suddenly it came to me, WOW...I knew who it was! I assumed she was probably in town for some fencing thing or checking out colleges cause that's the only way any sixteen year old from NYC would be out here. So, feeling assured I knew who it was, I went over and chit chatted. Sure enough, it was who I thought it was and yes... she and her family had flown in from NYC to PDX for a fencing tournament. It blew my friggin mind! I couldn't wrap my head around it for the remainder of the night. Anyways, It was nice to talk and catch up and better yet, her dad gave us their massive plate of leftover sushi. 

Small small world indeed. I can't go anywhere without running into people I know. Especially Tapawingo people. It's a proven fact that if two Tapawingo people are in close proximity to each other, they will find each other. It's like this weird random homing sonar thing. Speaking of Tapawingo, now is about the time I get the jonsin in my bones to want to return. I think I miss it most when the mornings are cool and crisp like they have been here in Portland recently. The smell of the air that will soon warm with the strength of the sun reminds me of waking up among the pines, with the morning sun coming through my window, lacing up my shoes and going out for a jog. These days, that jog is replaced with a bike ride to work and days spent buried deep in photo chemicals in the camp darkroom are replaced with the steady glare and glow of the computer screen. Yeah, summer has changed over the years for me... but I love what I do now and I love where I live and honestly, it would take a lot for me to return and have things be the same. For even though everything at camp changes, a lot doesn't, but I have changed a lot since then too. 

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Okay, well... that's all for today. It's the first day of May and it's simply stunning outside here in most fantastic Portland Oregon. I've got a great weekend of backyard grill outs, cornhole, surfing at the coast, beer pong, softball games, and hanging out to do. I'll leave you with this nice little video from the folks at VW and Nick Drake. It makes me want to enjoy the warm weather and spend it outside with my friends... letting it all soak in.

Have a great weekend everyone.

(originally posted May 1, 2009)