How time flies...

I can't believe it has been a year since I posted something here, but time flies.  Or maybe it was just me flying around the world - usually for work.  I think I have averaged a trip a month since I wrote last.  That is my ideal amount of travel.  It's just enough to get me out of the home office and keep me from going stir crazy.  I was home for several weeks in a row in June, so I made up for it by going somewhere every weekend in July.  Taking a break from the regular routine and knowing that we can plan an overnight trip on the spur of the moment make me happy.

I heart Portland

A long weekend in Portland gave me a long list of things that make me happy...

• Friends - ones wonderful enough to fly across the country to spend a long weekend, ones fabulous enough to provide a ride to and from an delicious home cooked meal that could feed an army, and ones who hang out after work - sipping wine and sharing Thai

• Walking tours - those provided in books by Laura O. Foster and those provided by Portland Walking Tours, hill walks, a panoply of architectures, neighborhood walks, bridge walks, waterfront walks, fast walks, ambling walks

• Cupcakes - delicious from Cupcake Jones and amusing because we kept finding ourselves on the corner where the are located

• Waking up on my own schedule - sure it was too early, but after I woke up I could go back to sleep or doze, or get up - all based on what I wanted to do
  

• "Croquet" with bowling balls and sledgehammer, complete with period safari clothing

• Pouring beer for hours - it turns out I can enjoy a beer fest, I just have to pour the beer and be on the other side from the drunken hordes

I'd highly recommend walking tour books by Laura Foster,

• Portland Hill Walks: Twenty Explorations in Parks and Neighborhoods
• Portland City Walks: Twenty Explorations In and Around Town

eat, pray, love - Elizabeth Gilbert

Someone gave me this book to read, I don't know who anymore. It sat on my shelf for months and I finally picked it up. I knew nothing about it other than that it seem popular these days. I think I saw it for sale at Sam's Club - a good indication a book is a bestseller.

Reading this book was so easy - the style of prose, the short "beads" for each of the 108 articles. Easy to pick up and put down. Reading about her divorce reminded me so much of mine - the despair, fighting, and sense of guilt for being the one to leave. Reading about her experiences, I thought I had forgiven my ex, but can you forgive someone if you still hate them? I know I have not fully forgiven myself - I don't feel guilt/shame for leaving, I feel the shame of having been there in the first place and been there so long. It's not something I think about much, but when I do, it's in the middle of the night. This book was so easy to read, but it's leaving me wondering where do I go next.

This book may be about one year of living abroad and finding yourself. It's also about finding out what is important to you. What is it that makes you want to get up and face the day? What are the things you do to yourself that keep you from doing those things?

Those are things I need to think about.

Honeymoon with My Brother - Franz Wisner

I already wanted to travel before I read this book - but now I REALLY want to travel. I already have times when I want to quit my job and find a way to live without one, but this book made me REALLY want to throw it all away. Of course, I don't have a $77K bonus to fund my travels or a house I can make $250K selling... so I guess I will have to continue dreaming.

This book reminded me of my friend Melodie - she actually did this. Took a year off and visited the world - ok, not sure about South America... Of course, when she came back to work, the work travel was too much - she just wanted to stay home.

The style of writing reminded me of the e-mail messages she would broadcast to friends - that she still broadcasts on her blog. The kind of writing that makes you feel like you need to pack a small bag and go see the world. The kind of writing that makes even the scary times (robbed or held at knife point) seem like humorous stories to tell at a party later.

I'll pass this one on the friends and see if it comes back. If it does, I'll keep it. I don't know if I can have this kind of inspiration in my house all the time.

A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson

The UC Davis Aggies book club picked A Walk in the Woods as the March selection, so I re-read it quickly prior to the meeting. I don't remember hating it or loving it the first time around. But this time, the only lingering thought I had was that he must have had a lot of time or a lot of researchers working for him. I enjoyed the sections on history, ecology, and the park service. I found those sections more engrossing than the ones detailing the hike. Of course, his research sections were written with a definitely point of view (global warming, park service neglect, and globalization are going to ruin the trail).

One of the women at the meeting pointed out that all of the women he mentions in the book get made fun off or seem almost cartoonish. Personally, I thought that he treated everyone that way. I think he only mentioned a few people without insulting them or exaggerating their habits.

Overall, not a terrible book, but reading it twice was one too many times.

Next month, they are reading Moby Dick. I think I'll pass.