my walk to work takes less than five minutes.
it's something like three or four blocks.
but in that short stroll i've been asked so many different things by different people.
some of which include

do you have spare change
do you have time to talk about mercy corp
do you care about polar bears.
do you want some good weed
do you want to legalize weed
do you want to support our basketball team
do you have the time
did you vote
do you have a smoke
do you have a light
would you like to buy the homeless newspaper
do you want to toke up
would you like to buy this guitar
(i'm told its a classic)
do you have a light
do you have a light
do you have a light


most days i have to say no.

i'm excited for two reasons.
well, maybe more.
but two of them are because my mother-in-law is coming in this week
and, because she is, we are all going to make the pilgrimage to the mecca downtown that is Powell's Bookstore.
there is a powells a few blocks away from where we live but you don't need a map to navigate it.
i'm pretty excited.
i'm going with a list.
maybe mccarthy's no country for old men
or the omnivore's dilemma.
i'm really in need of a good book.
got any suggestions?

coffee 101...

today i went to a coffee class for peets.
we talked about what coffee is.
where it comes from.
we tasted different kinds from different growing regions.
slurped them down and used descriptive words like

toasty
wild
biscuity
buttery
fruity
clean
bold
and
balanced

after three hours of sippin my hands where shakin.

i'm really enjoying my job.

i've decided that i really shouldn't be drinking an 8 cup presspot of coffee on my own.
i've also decided that eggnog is not for lattes.
it looks good on paper but we need to seriously rethink that.
have you ever tried to steam eggnog for a latte?
i came home this morning from work with bits of nog in my hair.
this holiday i will take mine cold thank you.
with a little rum.

mish and i rented the wendell baker story this weekend.
it had all the wilson brothers present and accounted for.
kind of seemed like a bottle rocket reunion of sorts .
but not really.
not nearly as witty.
but the movie takes place in austin and i think watching it made me actually miss texas a little.
of coarse i miss my family and friends like crazy but i hadn't missed texas all that much.
until this weekend.
i got to admit that there is a little bit of pride in my voice when i tell someone i've moved here from texas.


mish is out helping a friend tonight paint some walls in their basement which is in the process of being finished out.
i'll be heading to work in a little while for our holiday meeting where i will be presenting this years holiday blend.
exciting.
it is sort of embarrassing how bad some of us nerd out on coffee.
you should hear some of the things my co-workers say.
some of the things i now say.
its crazy.

i'm a sucker for gyros.
they're the perfect sandwich.
the sauce, the seasoned meat, the pita.
it's all amazing.
so when we found out that the greek orthodox church nearby was having a festival we just had to go.
we had a good time.
watched some students in the church youth group do some traditional greek dances.
we exchanged our dollar bills for some talents and bought gyros and greek pastries.
i think the highlight of the night was the big banner that said that alcoholic beverages are not permited off church property.
that made us all smile.
a microbrew was only 5 talents.

i've had to work most of the weekend.
it's the morning shift though which is nice because i'm done by 1pm.
sunday afternoon mish and i caught a free movie at the bagdad theater.
we keep hitting up the deals.

i just got promoted to a shift lead at work.
pretty exciting.
moving on up.

my new job...



i've been working at peet's coffee and tea now for about a week.
and it has really been a great experience.
my co-workers are cool.
the manager is really nice.
and the location is great.
37th and hawthorne.
just two blocks from our apartment.
i can walk home for lunch.

the training has been intense.
the process is suppose to be spread out over the first 18 shifts.
i've worked 5 shifts but it feels like 16.
i think the manager really wants to get me into more of a leadership role.
which is pretty cool.
i'm so glad i held out for this job.
i think it's really going to be a great experience.

by the way, this picture is taken standing in front of the starbucks across the street from Peet's.
the starbucks that wanted to hire me.

but i said no.

a saturday afternoon at cannon beach...

so i've realized that if you want to do a little sight seeing on a cross country road trip don't try to include it in a 10 hour drive.
because before you know it your 10 hour drive turns into a 14 hour plus grueling trek across a barren wasteland.
a barren wasteland also known as flagstaff az. to sacramento, ca.
mish and i were pretty ambitious when we first planned out or drive from dallas to portland.
but after day two we just wanted to get to our new home.
the lack of dwight and harley updates reflect that.
on a side note they are both doing well.

well, portland is pretty awesome.
we are slowly settling in.
i'm at a peets coffee right now using the internet.
i don't think we'll have internet at our apt until next week.
thankfully most of portland is wireless.
even the parks.
the weather has been pretty nice but everyone keeps telling us to just wait a month.
the rain will start soon.
i think it rained a little this morning.
we'll post pictures soon of the new place and neighborhood.

we're doing well.
i'll hopefully be posting more.
ok, bye

Dwight and Harley - Day 2

while visiting at hamilton park, dwight learns that harley is an avid base jumper.
having such a competitive nature dwight challenges harley to a jump at the grand canyon.
harley agreed but unfortunately the jump will have to be postponed due to high winds and empty stomaches.

Dwight and Harley - Day 1

so begins the adventures of dwight schrute and harley.

it all started in a little town called seymour, tx.
dwight was grabbing a bite to eat at a local hot spot.



dwight had just been promoted to assitant to the regional manager,
and after a day of hard work he was pretty hungry.
he decided to get the 20 piece chicken tender.
it is a little know fact that dwight schrute's appetite is somewhere between a turkey vulture and an african hippo.

as it turns out the 20 piece was too much for him.
dwight, with gravey on his face, is now unconscious and sprawled out on the floor at the chicken e.
that's when local patron and allstar quarterback for the seymour wildcats harley saves the day.
he preforms cpr and revives dwight.



dwight was thankful.
but soon the thoughts of having another mans lips on his greatly disturbed him



the two of them decided they needing to talk through this.
to sort through their feelings.
they decided to meet at hamilton park.
dwight was still feeling very self-conscious about the whole thing so he brought along his copper girlfriend.



they have now worked it all out and are ready to travel together to the grand canyon...stay tuned for day 2.

as it turns out i am not really a minimalist.
yep, and i also find myself skimming over the versus in scripture when jesus tells people to sell everything and give to the poor.
yesterday morning i was reading in the gospel of mark.
breezed over some versus about selling possessions and what not.
then about an hour later mish calls to inform me that the bike trays we have been in pursuit of all summer are not available.
the bike trays we need to move our bikes across country to portland.
we leave in 4 days and we are running out of options.
when our only option was looking like we were going to have to abandon the bikes i was pretty upset.
a big baby.
for the next few minutes i tried to forget what i had read earlier this morning but i just couldn't.
i don't want to hold on so tightly.
turns out my wife is so much better at simplifying than i am.
i love her.
she really challenges me to pursue things that matter in life.

i think we are going to try to ship the bikes now.
hopefully that will work out.

I've always liked to think of myself as somewhat of a minimalist.
This idea that everything I own could fit into my 3,500 cu. in. backpack.
And that would even include a place to live.
But as Mish and I begin to make preparations for our move to B.C. I'm finding it harder to be the minimalist I thought I could be.

After much thought we've decided that our best option is to try and get rid of all our furniture and try to pack as much into our car as possible.
For the amount of money it would take to move our ikea furnished apartment up to Canada it would be more advantageous for us to just simply sell it all and start over.
But in this process I'm finding out that there are a few things I'm having a hard time parting with.
And they happen to be the bulkier possessions we own.
But, ok.
Listen.
To get rid of my snowboard and camping gear would be crazy.
I mean...sure i haven't used them much around flower mound, but i'm sure they'll get some use in vancouver.
Then there's the cds.
I unfortunately am one of those guys who has to have the cd and its original casing.
My wife on the other hand tosses the case away and stuffs the cd into one of those car carrier things.
She has also whole heartedly embraced technology and will buy entire albums right off of itunes.
I just haven't been able to do that.
I'm getting close, but not yet.
so last night i purged my collection and filled two shoe boxes with the cds i would be allowed to take with me.
it took me several hours but i think i got it down to a healthy number.
I'm sure over the next several weeks i'll be able to part with more.
it's just stuff right?
and then there's all the books.
yikes!
our car is starting to filling up fast.

i think i am starting to understand that passage in scripture about how hard it will be for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
i'm having a hard time parting with my stuff.
and i don't like that.

it's just stuff.

it's just stuff.

it's just stuff.

I have this theory working right now.
And you're not going to like it.
You see, Mish and I will be moving to Vancouver, BC at the end of August.
A region that gets roughly 47.08 inches of rainfall a year.
Compare that to Dallas' 33.70 inches.
With our local weather conditions being the way they have, we think God is trying to prepare Mish and I for our relocation.
Dallas has already received 22.09 inches of rain this year.
Most of that being in this last month.
It's been wet.
So just hang in there everybody.
You'll get your sun back when we move.

someone told me once that if you want to get into coffee you haven't arrived until you start roasting your own coffee beans.
well i guess you can say that as of last night i have arrived.
i think.

over the last two weeks i've been anxiously anticipating the arrival of the purchases i made on the internet to begin roasting.
last week i received my west bend poppery popcorn maker.
using a hot air popcorn maker is probably the simplest and cheapest route to go.
and yesterday i got the green coffee beans.
last night i had my first roast.

be afraid starbucks, be very afraid.

i'm feeling very generic...

it always starts the same way.
i'm at the grocery store.
in the check out line.
i've just exchanged greetings with the cashier.
and then....
wait for it...
cashier says,
you know who you look like?
that famous guy.
what's his name?
the one in the movie.

i'm feeling confident today.
i go with luke wilson.

yes, that's the one!
luke wilson.

i'm ok with that.
i like the guy.
i can't say that his most recent acting roles have been all that stellar but he's pretty cool.

credit or debit?

debit.

this kind of thing happens a lot.
over the years i've gotten paired up with several famous faces.
the current list includes:

- adam sandler, particularly in Reign Over Me
- tom green, not sure i see this one
- dave grohl, lead singer of the foo fighters
- steve nash, we share a name and a lucky number
- luke wilson, just rent bottle rocket

and as of the other night a new person has just been added to the list.
to find out who check out my wife's Blog.

well i'm pretty excited about this evening.
for my birthday, jay and megs surprised me with two tickets to Mutemath.
if you don't know mutemath you must.
they're amazing.
the album is great, but the live show is even better.

the concert is tonight at the Granada Theater down in Dallas.
mish and i will be heading to the city a little early to beat traffic.
grab dinner at Freebirds.
head to Gachet Coffee Lounge to spend a gift card.
i'll get a caramel latte and mish will buy one of those sweet smelling soy candles the owner of the lounge makes.
then we will make our way to the Granada to groove with the mutemath.

and i get to do all this with my best friend.

my friend brent posted this today on his blog so i thought it might be fun to do the same.

here is what Amazon.com has recommended for me according to my purchase history:

1. When it Falls
~ Zero 7

2. Eat this Book: A conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading
Eugene Peterson (Author)

3. They Like Jesus but not the Church: Insights from the Emerging Generation.
Dan Kimball (Author)

4. Solo 10.13" Red Scoop Super Jumbo Wrapped Straws, box of 300

5. Speaking Spanish like a Native
Brad Kim (Author)

6. Home Coffee Roasting: Romance and Revival; Revised, Updated Edition
Kenneth Davids (Author)

7. Toddy Maker Replacement Brewing Container

8. NOS Nitrous Oxide Whip Chargers EZ Whip Brand Chargers

9. Streetwise Spanish: Speak and Understand Everyday Spanish
Brenda Wegmann (Author)

10. Apologies to the Queen Mary
~Wolf Parade


That's it. That's all I got. Coffee, music, and books on God and Spanish.

my convenient social gospel...

am i just being trendy or am i being transformed.
i've purchased the t-shirts, the wristbands, the video.
but is there something more?
i've sponsored the child.
i've built the house.
i've even slept in the streets.

oh, but to love...

i've raised awareness for those in need.
i've sung and danced with children.
corporate accountability and fair trade.
environmentally friendly.
i'm even nice to animals.

oh, but to love...

and, yet in all this i feel as though i've made it easy for myself.
to feel good doing good.
but whose burden have i really lifted.
yours or mine
is the only thing set free my guilty conscience
for not even knowing my neighbors name.
am i just being trendy or am i being transformed.

oh, but to love.

hey.
it's harley's birthday today!
everyone gets a treat.

Mish has been on a cruise this week with her good friend Brittany soaking up some sun down off the coast of Mexico.
I've been at home with The Harboo.
Being alone does have some perks to it.
I get to leave things out that I normally don't leave out. I started drawing again so I've cleared off the dinning table and moved a small stereo, colored pencils and a sketch pad on it.
Sort of created a little space for myself.
Thats been nice.
But I miss my wife too terribly much to want to do something like this often.
Nobody is around to use the small forks or water the flowers. Or play Rummikub with.
And I can only read so much.

Last night a really felt like a bachelor.
For Easter my parents gave Mish and I a gift card to the local farmers market.
Mish jokingly said that that will be my lunch money for the week while she was on the cruise.
I'm ok with that.
I like Sprouts (that's the name of the farmers market)
So I left work a little later than usual and headed to the store to find some dinner.
Normally I'm real big on preparing a meal.
I actually like to cook.
But last night I didn't have a game plan.
And I was hungry.
I thumbed through some of the pre-made meals but nothing really caught my attention.
But when I rounded the corner I came upon an item I knew Mish wouldn't be to upset to miss out on.
Sushi.
That's it.
I'm in.
I grabed a package of California Rolls and some Japanese beer to wash it down with.
What else do I need.

Again, fun, but not something I would want to do every night.
I really miss my wife.