I experienced my first snow in Oregon. It snowed all day yesterday. As the temperature is not going to get above freezing for a few days, I’ll get to enjoy it for a bit.
I’m a Southern girl. This is a big deal.
I decided to walk into town to explore — something I haven’t yet done, despite having lived here for nearly six months.
The key to being comfortable in any weather is the right gear.
I have a new Columbia Sportswear waterproof jacket with the baked-potato lining and Sorel boots (bougie, I know).
My sweatshirt has a pouch for a beer. As I’m doing Dry January, this pouch served as the perfect carrier for Stumptown cold brew instead.
I was almost too warm on my journey.
Here are some scenes from my walk:
No snow plows/gritters in this place.When I first moved here, the trains that use these tracks seemed SO LOUD to me. Now they are just part of the fabric of my life.It’s like “It’s a Wonderful Life” out here.I love signs and murals on the sides of buildings. Don’t worry: This pooch wasn’t out there for long. About half of the places were closed because of the weather or permanently because of sheer small-town economics. This is exactly what I would expect from a gift shop in Oregon: crystals and coffee accessories. … and Sasquatch-related things. Sometimes it’s nice to really notice what is around you.Home Sweet HomeCat Weird Cat
Looking forward to experiencing all the seasons here.
Many of you expressed concern about my social well-being when I saw you over the holidays.
Fair.
I do need to get out more. Try to meet more non-work people.
So this week, I did two things in two different places with two different sets of people:
Line dancing in Salem and a drag show in Portland.
How is that for running the gamut?
Those of you who have known me a while know that I haunted Stetsons in Savannah for line-dancing nights back in the day.
Salem, Oregon, is apparently a hotspot for line dancing. (Who knew?)
The colleague who told me about this event did provide some additional information.
It was great! I had fun and got some exercise. People were very welcoming.
That was Thursday night. I went to Darcelle XV in Portland on Friday night.
It was not like any other drag show I’ve seen. I’m used to acrobatic, can-pass-as performers working the crowd. This show was more like a cabaret stocked with Joan Crawford/Bette Davis clones in evening gowns. To tip, you threw your money in a bowl at center stage.
It was a good evening with friends, but I probably wouldn’t go back to the regular show. There’s an “open mic”-style drag show on Tuesdays that looks more interesting.
Still, I could have had a terrible time at either or both of these places and been happy to be out.
I’m so glad you were able to call me yesterday. It was the one present I wanted on Christmas, but didn’t think I’d get.
Hang on. There’s something in my eye.
OK.
I’ve sent three letters to you at Navy boot camp, and you had the nerve to tell Gideon on the call that you really wanted letters from him and your dad.
“Not that I don’t love your letters, Mom,” you said.
Sure.
And yes, I’ll send plenty of pictures of Vince. That dog misses you, for sure.
I do too.
It’s crazy that so much has happened since I saw you for Thanksgiving.
I mean … so much. The Monday after Thanksgiving, you passed another PST, got your orders the following week, and shipped out about 10 days later.
To be a Navy SEAL is a difficult path, and few make it. You are stubborn, though, and will follow through if it is your idea and something you want.
“Do They Know It’s Christmas,” Band Aid. Nothing says Christmas like the “clanging chimes of doom.” Don’t listen to the lyrics. Just enjoy Boy George, Bono, George Michael, Sting and Simon Le Bon, among other ‘80s faves.
“You’re a Mean One,” Thurl Ravenscroft. The Grinch is the OG of holiday crankiness. I love him, but I don’t identify with him until his heart grows three sizes.
I’m a fan of them, in general, but they are not suited for the rental market for two main reasons:
Miles possible on a charge.
Availability of charging stations.
Time to charge.
Ok, so let’s discuss No. 1. I was told at the JFK rental counter that the Chevy Volt that was forced on me** would get 250 miles per charge.
Perhaps that’s true if the owner takes care of the car. But this Volt was a rental. I was told it was fully charged when the rental fellow turned over the keys.
It didn’t look charged to me:
It looks like it has just over half a charge, but what do I know?
So I went on my way to visit my father on Long Island.
That brings us to No. 2. Random charging stations are available here and there, but there are only a few plugs at a time. With more and more people driving electric vehicles, sometimes there is a wait to charge. There’s also the No. 3 issue. I’ll get to that in a moment.
I found a charging station six miles from my father’s house. It was in a parking lot near a fire station. Luckily, he was able to go with me to set the car on charge, then we drove around and had lunch.
What if that hadn’t been an option?
And here’s the biggest problem: Time to charge (No. 3).
We left the car charging for 2.5 hours. And that wasn’t enough to get it fully charged from a 65-mile drive.
2.5 HOURS!
I had to find another charging station on the way back. (Why? To avoid the $60 fee for bringing it back on less than 100 percent charged. Seems like you REALLY like that dollar figure.)
This time, I managed to find a fast-charge place by a mall. There were five charging units, but only three were working. I had to wait to get one.
I plugged in the car, and waited. Tethered like a teenager to TikTok.
The charging unit said one hour to 80 percent charge. The Volt said 34 minutes to full charge.
Can you guess the Volt’s problem?
My guess is battery health.
It’s not like these cars are cheaper or cooler to drive. And you still have to pay for charging, so there’s no major saving over gas.
Home use is a great idea. I borrowed my friend Marlane’s Kia EV over Thanksgiving, and it was fantastic. I set it on charge in the garage overnight once it got low.
But for a rental? No thanks. Bad idea.
If you won’t take my advice, please just make a note in my file that I never want to rent one again.
**I got the manager’s special rate with the best available car. The Volt is what was offered. I asked (read: begged) for a regular car. No, ma’am, unless I wanted to pay $60 extra.
Classes are over, though, and I earned my certificate. I knew I’d be fine in the Commercial Pyrotechnics course because I did well in the Stage Pyrotechnics and Special Effects course.
Demolition? Not so much.
At one point, I thought I was going to fail.
Not only did I not fail, I earned an A in the course — due in large part to the final project, which was a group project to create a bid to demolish the St. Louis Arch.
Three twentysomething engineering students and me. We spent weeks working on this project via email, Zoom and group chat. (Our group name: Arch Nemesis, Inc. — yuk, yuk.)
I needed a nearly perfect score to get an A. I had come to terms with getting a B. Then we presented our work. The professor had nothing but good things to say about our bid presentation.
Y’all. He gave us extra credit.
I am so proud of us. I’m proud of myself.
Maybe you can hire me for your next explosive event. Or not. I think I’m done with this chapter of my life.
Now that this semester is over, I may get back to writing regularly.
I mean, why else would straight, middle-aged me go to this?:
Lord knows that I am not the target audience.
My friend Wendy went with me. We were definitely the oldest people there by about 25 years. Two of a handful not in costume. And I’d bet a rainbow flag that I was the only heterosexual.
Not that any of this matters. It was a fun night. It was nice to get out, as my new job has consumed my life.
BUT we were there to see Big Freedia. And while I appreciate that you stepped in last minute when Freedia had a family emergency, I wasn’t really feeling your set.
I also wasn’t feeling the four bathrooms and two small bars for 500 people.*
I WAS feeling a new friend named Derek, though. Literally. He asked me to fix the garter buckle on the stockings of his sexy nurse costume. I was happy to help, and I ended up with what he proclaimed as my “new twink son.”
I just got back from a trip to China for work. I was in Zhengzhou and Shanghai. I had been to Shanghai before, so I kind of knew what to expect.
However, there were some surprises.
Things I did not have on my bingo card:
Sweet and sour popcorn fishWhat amounted to drinkable kerosene (106 proof!)A Rolls Royce golf cart for a tour of a university campusA campus that looked like Disney World mated with Las VegasA bowling alley inside the student centerA military parade featuring all 8,000 freshmenA welcome ceremony that rivaled the opening ceremony for the OlympicsLiberace’s furniture in my hotel roomA bathroom with a viewing windowDuck (I think) to go at the airportThe amount of full-on staring people did at our groupThe taxi ride from hell: snorting/coughing and texting driver who wouldn’t turn the air on but wouldn’t turn off the turn signal
It was an interesting and productive trip, but I’m glad to be home.
Observe and report 