Got into Rutgers, yo!

So, yup. I got in.
I hadn't been thinking about it and I saw an email with the subject, "BLOUSTEIN ADMISSION DECISION."
An email? I thought, this does not look good.

Upon opening it I notice about three lines of text that began, "Thank you for applying to Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy."
This did not seem positive. It went on, however, to tell me that the decision was attached, and lo and behold, it was positive! Even more cool is the fact that the open house will be during the time when I'll be in NY anyway.
They have not yet made any decisions on financial aid, so I will have to send them an updated resume as I had not had my jobs yet when I applied.

Ten Minutes in the Rain

Ten minutes in Wisconsin rain,
a cold, thorough drenching.
Ten minutes in Oregon rain,
a soft coat of cool, sparkling mist.

Is it any wonder umbrellas don't exist here?

Cookies

I made chocolate chip cookies the other night and I can't stop eating them. It's terrible, but oh so delicious.

Finger Bang City

I am typing quickly b/c this is the last week of class and I have mad paper to write. I should have been here hours ago... I was but then I looked out the library window and saw discs flying on the field and could not resist. I just got back in after playing for like 2 hours. The play was really low level, but that was nice b/c I didn't want to exert myself too much with my knee being weird. I just really needed to get some cardio in and that was just what I needed, although I'm not exactly sure my knee agrees.
Last night I went with Chappo, Eric and our friend Dave to see Finger Bang City http://www.myspace.com/fingerbangcity. I have been waiting for them to play since I moved here and Chappo, who introduced me to them hadn't seen them since he moved here a year and a half ago, so we were definitely going... even if it was at a gay bar, as it just so happened to be. Now, being at a gay bar doesn't really bother me, although I'd never been to one and it was... interesting. I probably would have felt less comfortable at, say, a biker bar or a thuggish bar. However, others don't feel the same way and it was really fun watching my friends squirm as they were way out of their comfort level. The sound system sucked though and the set was fairly disappointing, so I wasn't too bothered when everyone wanted to leave at the set break. One thing I thought was funny was that the place had straight, 70's porn playing on the big screen.
Fri night I navigated for my friend Joe in a time, speed, distance rally. I'd never done it before and it was a lot of fun. I mean, me navigating? No way! It seemed pretty simple when I read the instructions ahead of time and went over all the rules. It was not at all simple. In fact, I thought my head would explode. I way underestimated the importance of time management and, let's just say that we didn't quite get the worst score possible and we were pretty happy about that. The results just came in and I am happy to report that we did not come in dead last. We learned a lot about how we need to work together and I think we will do better next time. We got back to my place around 10 and both of us were really beat and there was no way I was going anywhere, so we packed up a hookah and chilled on the back porch listening to the rain and smoking a cherry and lemon mix. Turns out that was exactly what I needed, although I woke up feeling really shitty.
Now I will get on with my paper, which is on the economics of right-priced curb parking.

No longer sick, knee troubles

Well, I haven't been sick for awhile and the weather just continues to be wonderful. I'm not sure since when Spring has been in February, now March I suppose, but I am enjoying the sun while it's out. I may not be sick but that damn knee is bothering me yet. I dutifully went easy on it, staying off my bike, doing no running or lifting. It was good for a week or so, so I decided that I could start biking again. I took it easy, but still the whatever the hell came back. It doesn't so much hurt but rather is a worrisome feeling deep in the middle of the knee. I did yoga the other day, which didn't hurt it, but made me aware of my body (I don't know how to explain it, but that's really what it did) and I am pretty sure that the knee problem has something to do with my hip, which has never been quite right. It pops when I walk sometimes and when I walk a lot it becomes pretty sore. So I don't know. I can't really afford to go to a doctor and have them just give me some Ibuprofin. I have a high deductible anyway and if something was wrong, I'm not sure how much that would cost me. I'll just wait until I'm in New York and hopefully with a job with better insurance.
I had been glum and didn't really realize it until this weekend and it hit me pretty hard. It's just that I have been withdrawing from Portland since I'm leaving, but I'm not in NY yet, so I've been feeling really empty. I had some really good conversations with Brandy this weekend and also went out and partied with some of my friends here and these things really helped me feel a ton better and now I'm feeling like I can much better live in the moment and enjoy Portland like I should and not worry about leaving.
It looks like I'm going to leave Portland right after the scavenger hunt that I'm planning, which is on the 10th of May. I'm going to go down to CA to see my family and then the following Fri Brandy is flying into Sacramento and I'm going to head across the country in about 10 days - way too little, but jobs are a bitch. It also looks like I'm just going to miss my good friend from elementary school Molli, who is moving here at the same time that I'm leaving :( I am happy for her to be coming to this awesome place.

Disease

Good God I've been sick for about a week and a half.
Brandy came for a wonderful visit last week. We had a great time hanging out in Portland and we also went up to Mt. Hood to do some snowboarding. It was my first time and I did fairly well, although I did bite edge a couple of times trying to switch back to the front from a toe edge. It was really beautiful up there too and there was tons of snow. Probably about 16-20 ft. I haven't seen snow like that since the last time I went to Lake Superior in the winter. The road is just a tunnel through the snow piled on both sides. The result of all that activity however was that I was totally worn out and some nasty illnesses took advantage of my weakened immune system. It started with a sore throat and went on to general pains and weakness and headaches. Brandy also wasn't doing too well, although with different symptoms. Word on the street is there is both a flu and bronchitis floating around.
The weather has been teasingly nice - sunny and floating around the 50s and 60s. I so wanted to get out and bike, but I was just too weak and tired. I finally felt well enough to ride yesterday and surprisingly the weather didn't break yet. I got in a heavenly ride down the river with my friend Cameron and then we ate tacos with homemade tortillas... so good. I tweaked my tendon from all the biking, so I'm taking it easy today, ie. no ultimate :( It's good though b/c this gives me time to get some homework done and I got some throwing practice in too. I also have another incentive to get my homework done early b/c if I get my Thu work done, I can go boarding again on Wed. My buddy Eric (ET), who I know from Madison and has been living out here for a couple of years, was conveniently laid off the other day, so he's got some time to do shit on weekdays while he collects severence.
I am fairly busy now in general. My homework isn't too bad, but I do need to get moving on my research project as well as start learning R for the work I'll be doing with my professor. I also wanna get into the training that my illness postponed and I need to contact companies to make appointments for job interviews and ultimate teams for early tryouts for when I go to NY in April.
Now, on to the work.

Training

I have decided that I am going to try to get on a fairly competitive team this summer, so I've started training. I'm taking it easy at first, just doing a little lifting and I'm going to start with the sprinting in a couple weeks. I also finally got my bike in working order and braved the rain for the first time and guess what - it wasn't that bad after all. I now feel so free since I'm using my bike for all my transportation. I can stop where and when I want, don't have to deal with schedules and I'm getting exercise and cross training while getting where I need to go. However, since I've been a slug these past few months, only playing a little disc and racquetball my legs are totally sore from the biking and the first workout. So today they are on R & R.
Now I have to get my homework done for class this afternoon.