I’ve even gotten lazier about pushing that still-pudgy body up the hiking trails, sadly. God only knows how much I need to do that with strict discipline and on a daily basis with the pie I’ve eaten for breakfast. (Excuse: the oatmeal wasn’t going to go bad in the next day or so.) I have to admit it has not been as inspiring to hike in the mud and rain now that the rain is more frequent, but heck, the parking lots to the many hikes in the Columbia Gorge teem with hikers every single day so it hasn’t stopped the true Oregonians. (Hello, folks, it's not an ideal day to be out, didya notice?) Okay, so I’ve been exposed as the fake Oregonian. I guess I can live with that (even if I am as pale as the rest of them…) but I’m wondering, when are my Juneau/Alaska roots going to prove me rain-worthy? I remember hiking, jogging, and even picnicking, in the rain back then. Yes, I was younger but I thought I was suppose to mature into a tough old broad, not someone who hides in the warmth of the fleece blanket when it’s raining? Dang, I'm wrinkly AND soft? Geez...
And while I’m into full-on whining, I need to fess up and say that the honeymoon is really over – yep, I would like to formally register a complaint about Oregon! So here it is: one annoying thing about Oregon is that you cannot pump your own gas. It isn’t that they give you “full service” like they did back in the “good old days” when they cleaned your windshield, checked your tires/oil AND gave you freebies (including a smile) … No, they just make you wait in line while one poor gas station attendant (no smiles on his/her face) runs around to all the cars…You can imagine the lines for the reduced-cost Costco gasoline – you would think they were giving boxes of chocolates away!
Actually, that was my first encounter with an unfriendly Oregonian. After waiting for hours (grin…I am prone to exaggeration) for the attendant to return, I thought I would help the process by removing the gas throttle from my car since the tank was now full, but as soon as I laid my hands on it, the attendant came rushing over to tell me that what I was doing was illegal. When I started giggling (from thinking that it was such a dangerous thing to do -- don’t try this at home, folks!), he said in a very disapproving manner, “So you think that’s funny?” which, of course, only made me laugh even more. (I mean seriously, did he receive 60 hours of training and a national certification to pump gas in a safer manner than the general public?!) I’ve been asking the locals what the rationale behind this is and no one can tell me for sure why progressive Oregon still has this strange law; as far as I can tell, the only other state in the Union that has a similar law is New Jersey. Hmm --- Oregon, New Jersey….New Jersey, Oregon…do they have anything else in common? So strange… Someone mentioned “they had a strong lobby” – what, the Gas Station Attendants United or AFL-CIO Gas Station Technicians Local 44? I don’t understand…
So you can see that reality has set in. Don’t misunderstand, I am still euphoric about being here, but at least I’m not wondering around like a three-year old in a candy or toy store. Well, that is, until I go to the local Trader Joes and then I’m back to the wide-eyed look, holding back the desire from telling total strangers, “Look they have Dragon fruit for sale and I don’t even know what the heck that is but I’ve gotta have some! And look, they have wild mushroom flatbread and edamame hummus, fergodssake!” Yesterday I found another natural food store and after going carefully down each aisle in wonder of the selection (was the buyer a previous five-star chef somewhere?!), I was thinking they might call security when it was time to close the store but I wouldn't be ready to leave? So here are the other fun things, ala Northwest:
- On a recent trip to the library, I noticed a young mother openly breastfeeding her baby – no wrap to cover the exposed breast but not one person in the library seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary (other than ”sheltered” me!). Needless to say, I would not have seen this anywhere in SLC. Speaking of nudity, I recently read in the paper how a young Portlander bicyclist had been exonerated of indecent exposure charges from riding in the nude because the Judge said that cycling naked has become a “well-established tradition” in Portland! (Again, something that wouldn't be encountered anywhere in Utah.)
- A local small-town Christmas parade had quite the turn out, including someone with their billy-goat in tow, and of course, plenty of dogs! I bet you didn't know billy goats enjoy parades, too. It turns out that Oregonians love their pets. Actually, Portland was named the most pet-friendly city by Dog Fancy Magazine in late 2006. A good time can be had by all -- furry, balding, billy goatish, whatever…Oregonians, however, just banned pets from state government buildings due to some recent remodeling, so apparently there are some restrictions.
- The public radio and television stations here are phenomenal. It takes 30 minutes for them to rattle off their affiliate radio stations – I figure that’s how they cut costs: if they take enough air time to list their affiliates they can do without buying another programming slot. Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration , but they list some 37 frequencies on their website! Speaking of their website, one of their staff members had decidedly midnight-blue hair in her staff picture. Fantastic! I always thought midnight blue or emerald green hair would be fun to try! Maybe I could volunteer at OPB? They also feature local bands, which is a real treat. The Portland music scene is vibrantly alive.
- Oregonians are fond of happy hour and they are rumored to have the best selection of happy hours in the U.S. Many restaurants/bars feature half-price drink and food menus which are quite excellent. I went to the local brewer, McMenamins at their Edgefield location, and had a fabulous chicken paprikash sandwich (paprika-marinated chicken breast with grilled mushrooms, melted dill havarti and a dill sour cream sauce which, while not discounted, was lip-smacking yummy). What was memorable about their menu was their dessert list – their chocolate cake was made from their Terminator Stout and their brownie was a Black and Tan brownie; I almost expected their home-made vanilla ice cream to be crafted from their wheat beer (it was not). What was pretty cool, too, was the diversity in staff and patrons. One of the cooks was a young woman with a mini-Mohawk and grunge attire. When she finished her shift, she was replaced by a red-head who had an unmistakably bookish look – short, short hair, glasses and he was wearing a nice dress shirt and slacks. He looked like he should have been at the law library. The two young men who sat next to me were equally interesting. One of them had two books – Buddha in Your Mirror and Hands of Light, which made me think that perhaps the local brewery was a good place to pursue spirituality? I dunno, I’m willing to give it a try, all, of course, for the sake of spiritual growth.
