VOTE TODAY

Hey all you Oregonians!

Today's primary election is one of the first time in history that Oregon's primary has really been a topic of discussion on the national level or has really made any difference in the outcome (at least, for the Democrats). So if you haven't turned in your ballot yet, get it in! The one Republican I know who might read this should vote too, although I'm sure you will.

Day Two

Today was much better than yesterday. Last night, around 2, I finally tried to pump up my air mattress and it worked, so I actually had a bed. I only got a few hours of sleep because the movers were supposed to come at 7:30 -- they got here at 9:30. Something about bad traffic at the truck stop. But all my stuff was here and they were very nice. One of them lives here so he gave me his number in case I need to hire someone to move me to the other apartment in two weeks. I'm thinking of asking the apartment complex to pay for it, rather than their idea of getting the maintenance guys to help. Somehow, I would feel more vindicated that way. Plus, the guy was nice, fast and professional, so it seems like a good option.

After they left, I wanted to go back to sleep, but instead decided to brave the heat (about 95 degrees) and go to the grocery store. I realized pretty quickly that my desire to wait as long as possible to buy a new car may be overshadowed by my desire to drive a car with air conditioning. I forget how much you spend just buying the "basics" on a first grocery run. More than $100 and I didn't even remember to get salt. Must remember to find a cheaper store than Fred Meyer for non-organic stuff.

I spent most of the day buming around the apartment. The huge pile of boxes that can't be unpacked until I move again will irritate me, but at least my kitchen and bathroom are set up now. I cooked dinner (vegan chili) and dessert (vegan chocolate cupcakes with delicious frosting) and used my new Dyson vacuum, which really is awesome. It got all the cat hair off the sofa and a bunch off the floor that I didn't even know was there. It's already worth every penny. I'm so not a person who likes to clean, but I bought this specifically for the cat hair problem, so it's great. I think I may take it to my mattress, too, but I'm not sure I want to know how much dirt is on the mattress.

I'm discovering that this apartment was very clearly built for taller people. I can't reach the air conditioner dial, ceiling fan cord or peephole without a step stool. At this point in life, I am of course used to having issues, but I'd think they'd at least put the air conditioner where short people can use it.

Right now I'm sitting on my balcony listening to someone's wind chimes. Even with the mix-up, I do like the complex -- I think. It seems to be well-taken care of (although there is some graffiti on a tree outside my place that I don't think was there yesterday) and the private balcony is nice. I think the unit they're moving me to is on the ground floor, which is better because I can let the cat out, but not quite as nice. Of course, all the other buildings kind of face mine so people can see me out here, but it's closed in on the sides. It's cooled off very nicely and is quite peaceful. It may even get dark enough to see a lot of stars.

I realize I'm posting quite a bit on mundane things, but this is sort of an adventure for me. Also, until I meet some people, I have nothing to do in the evenings but sit around on the Internet. I'm posting this while watching TV shows online (my cable channels suck). Right now it's "Sex and the City" with subtitles in what appears to be Chinese.

It can only get better ...

They say a bad dress rehearsal means you'll have a great opening night.

Here's hoping the same holds true for a bad first day in a new town.

I got up early this morning and got on the road on my way to my new life as a real adult with a fabulous job, high salary (and low cost of living) and grown-up apartment.
I gave my cats their pills to sedate them for the ride and took off. Nala cried loudly for the first half hour or so, but Azzurri is a little champ in the car. I'd left an hour ahead of schedule, had some good tunes, and thought "this will be a nice drive."

After about two hours, it started to warm up, so I stopped to buy water for my faithful companions and used road maps to shade their crates. There was still some whining whenever I stopped or slowed down, but hey -- I'd whine too.

With about an hour left in the ride -- the ugly, boring part of the drive when I had to follow directions -- Nala started to pant. If you don't know -- cats should never breathe through their mouths or pant. I realized it was because the car was too hot but worried that the tranquilizer, which was technically not prescribed to her, was making her sick. Then Azzurri, the asthmatic, started to do the same thing.

After at least 30 minutes of driving around lost (less than 5 miles from the place the entire time), I got to the apartment complex and brought the cats into the office so they could be in air conditioning while I did my paperwork.

That's where things went wrong.

First, I noticed that my mailing address was different from what I'd been told it would be, which seemed weird, but I figured I must have misunderstood the first time. (Cue the low bass note starting to play)

The amount listed for my rent was correct, and I didn't read the apartment description because I knew what I was getting. A two-bedroom apartment away from the street (specifically requested/demanded so that my cats will be safe if they get outside). The apartment was supposed to be in a single-floor duplex unit. It was supposed to have walk-in closets (my favorite feature of the place) that were described as being so big it's like a second room.
And cue the cellos.

The woman from the office and I walk over to the new apartment to look at it. The grounds are beautiful and it seems like a very safe part of town. So far, so good.

We get into the apartment and it's 1) on a busy street and 2) on the second floor of a four-unit building. But it's cute. Not as big as I expected, but cute and clean.
The music is faster now

I look around. The bedroom is huge. The "walk-in closet" is bigger than a regular closet, and yes, is large enough for me to walk into, but is not a walk-in, despite the woman's attempts to tell me that they call it one because you can walk into it.
Cue the even faster music, louder, intense bass, a few brass instruments

I start to open the door to the coat closet -- "Is this the other bedroom?" I ask?
Beat

"This is a one-bedroom."

At this point, while trying to explain that I was promised the exact OPPOSITE of everything about this unit, I pretty much lose it. I'm hot, worried about my cats, irritated, sad about leaving my friends (but very excited about the job), and have PMS. I cry. I hate crying in front of people because I think they'll think it's emotionally manipulative, so I cry because I'm mad at myself for crying.

Turns out there are two "sides" to this complex with duplicate apartment numbers. On one side, apartment A6 is the unit I was promised. On the other, it's the one I got. Someone who used to work here placed a different person in MY apartment, sticking me with this one.

They're going to move me to a two-bedroom unit -- as soon as one opens up on JUNE 4. So, I can't decorate or unpack because all my shit, (plus a few hundred worth of new dishes/pots/pans/rugs/lamp, etc. that I bought today) has to be moved in two weeks. The women in the office were genuinely nice and apologetic and worked hard to make sure the transfer will work without me paying additional fees, and they'll credit the extra rent I paid (since this unit is far cheaper). But still. I was promised one thing, and I NEEDED the features of that apartment -- specifically, being far enough away from the road that I won't have an anxiety attack if my cat gets out -- and was very excited about it. Now to add to my stress about moving I have to move again (the office woman said she'll help and that her fiancé and the apartment maintenance guys will help) and it will be weeks before I can feel settled and comfortable.

Other BAD and/or annoying highlights of the day:
1. Had to ask to borrow toilet paper from a neighbor because I hadn't packed any and wasn't going to be leaving again for a few hours.
2. Had to use a pair of pants to dry off after a shower because I hadn't packed towels and again, wasn't leaving for a while.
3. Discovered that the air bed I bought to sleep on tonight (because the movers have my real bed and won't be here until morning) won't work because the pump has to charge for 12 hours and I didn't know this until 4 p.m.
4. Discovered that of the 25 channels I receive with basic cable, only 13 are worth watching (one of those is the weather channel, which I'll look at maybe once a day, and two are versions of C-SPAN, which will be great on election nights but not thrilling late at night).
5. Tried to take photos of the new place and discovered that my camera and/or BRAND NEW memory card is broken and won't save pictures or stay turned on.

GOOD highlights:
1. My cats did not die of heatstroke and appear to be adjusting just fine, although they still want to go out.
2. A neighbor does not password-protect her signal, so I had a very strong wireless signal for hours before the Internet/cable guys got here.
3. The Internet/cable guys showed up on time. They were nice guys who teased me a bit (flirted?) but I wasn't in the mood. But I'll admit it was funny when the guy managed to convince me that it's illegal to download porn in this city. Under other circumstances, I would have gone into a lecture on the Supreme Court's rulings on pornography on the Internet ... but everything else had happened at this time.
4. After my spending orgy at Target, I found out that if you flash an Oregon ID at a store in Washington, they won't make you pay sales tax. I plan to take advantage of this knowledge for as long as possible.
5. The new (too expensive) Dyson animal hair vacuum that I ordered last week is here already, so I can clean the hair off my sofa when it gets here tomorrow.

New Job

Two years and many thousands of dollars after deciding to return to school, I'm nearing the end. I have no more classes (aside from the online political science course I'm taking this term just for fun) and the first draft of my terminal project has been turned in to my advisers. Last week, I went on the first interview to come out of all the resumes I've sent out -- and got the job!

On May 19, I begin working as a copy editor for a small paper in Washington state (in the interest of being careful about blogging, I won't say on here where it is, but I'd be happy to tell whoever asks). I spent two days interviewing for the job last week and got the job offer the day after I left. I've accepted and am now in the process of trying to figure out the logistics of finding an apartment and moving to a town where I don't know anyone. There is some stress involved in this process, but I'm very excited about the job. It'll be an adventure, but it's nice to finally be done with school and be starting a real career. The job should be a lot of fun. The paper's coverage is very localized and they run some pretty interesting features, so it'll be fun to edit. The job will also have a strong focus on Web material, which will be great experience. It's a bigger paper than I expected to end up at and all I wanted when I began this job search was to be in the northwest and within a day's drive of home, so I'm thrilled.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared to really be going and starting a new career somewhere far away, but this is much closer than I expected to be able to stay and in most ways, I'm relieved that I'll finally have a real adult career (and a real paycheck). I'll miss everyone in Oregon and it'll be scary to have to find an entirely new group of friends, but I can't wait to get started. The stress and anticipation of the next month will be tough, but I'll get over it once I get there and start working.

Obama!!!!

Updated: This link is actually a better video than the one I embedded. Enjoy.

Last night, I helped cover the Obama speech in Eugene. Even though I had applied for press credentials, I spent 7 hours waiting in line, because I hadn't received any confirmation that I would have a press pass. It was a fairly nice day, so I grabbed a book and my iPod and headed down around 11 in the morning. I had a great time chatting with the people who were in line with me. There were some interesting characters there.

While I was in line, I did some interviews — the first person there got there at 5 a.m., knowing the doors wouldn't open until 6 or 7 — for my coworker, Allie, to use in a preview story about the speech. Allie also wrote the main story about the speech, and then this morning I interviewed students to get reaction to the speech. So we now have a double byline. Whether I support Obama or not, covering the event was one of the most exciting things I've done as a journalist. I've covered events where I had press passes before, but this was the first time that I've ever had to wear one for the entire time and flash it to use a special entrance. The rush of it all definitely confirmed that this is what I want to do.

The security was really tight. Press didn't have to go through metal detectors like the rest of the audience, but we had to open all our bags and turn on all our electronic devices for the security guards and then be "wanded" every time we went in and out. I got used to going through security when I lived in D.C., but this was intense. While we waited in line, dozens of secret service agents walked up and down the street. At one point, several walked past carrying bags from the Duck Store and I really wondered what they bought.

This is the first time in quite a while that a viable presidential candidate has been to Eugene. John Edwards came when he was running for VP, and John Kerry was in Springfield for a very small, invite-only town-hall style talk, but this rally was one of the most important political events in Eugene in a long time. It's also exciting because for the first time that I can remember, Oregon's Democratic primary will matter.

So, without further ado, here's the Emerald coverage of the speech and a news video of the entire speech:

KItty

Enter the ICHC online Poker Cats Contest!

Turkeys

My bedroom is in the "basement" of a split-level house in the hills of South West Eugene. This morning, I walked out of my room into the main room and staring right at me through the ground-level window was an enormous turkey! I recently heard that Eugene is well-known for its wild turkeys, but I'd never seen one until today. I've known "pet" turkeys and had bad experiences with them, but the wild ones are new to me. As I watched the one outside of my window, five more walked by! Two of the three cats who live in this house were sleeping on the bed and therefore didn't see the turkeys. The other cat was staring intently out the window, trying to figure out what to think about them. She didn't make the "hunting" sound, so I don't think the cat thought she could eat the turkeys, but she was definitely intrigued. One thing I love about this part of town is the frequency with which woodland creatures show up in my yard. I of course had to grab my camera and capture the moment (I couldn't get them all in the same shot).

Spam poems

This spam e-mail made it through the gmail filter and found its way to my inbox. The subject line was "intercourse." The intentionally misspelled words and poetry always entertain me.

Heya,



Are you a frequeent visitor of retaail softwaare stores?
We know what you're ovverpaying for:
- box maanufacturing
- CD
- ssalesperson salary
- Reent of shop spacee
- Yeaar-to-year inncreasing taxes in your couuntry
Well, what for ?! You're able to doownload everythhing legally NOW!
Fabulouus range of softwaare and LOW prices will make you smile and save your money! Welcome to http://leonorwhittinghamsg.blogspot.com

Won of old, by wallace wight and bruce the bold miss marple
smiled up at cedric. Do you know who itself easily to rhyme
and rhythm, and several the rear, and who bore under the
other arm a packet man, in blue coat and red waistcoat.
he received remains motionless la hire steps back the excitement
said captain donnithorne, when he had sufficiently the inquest
will be purely formal, i yes, sir. While, have seven or
eight yolks of eggs dissolved beasts set off at a trot.
long ferns by the roadside elephants can remember poirot
came forward and of paper which had evidently been slipped
in among mountains somewhat more wild and primitive was
tier of boxes. They were wise enough to attempt times the
quantity could easily be brought down.

New Blog

Hello readers.

For various reasons, I have moved most of my old posts (at least, the ones that express political opinion) to a new blog. I will keep this one, but will keep it about myself. If you want to read that, keep this link on your own blogs. Please ask me for the new link.

The link to my personal site will still lead to this blog.

More puppy pictures

I know, I know. I shouldn't be posting so many pictures of a dog that's not really mine. But this one's so cute!

Tomorrow, I'll post something on the results of the Iowa caucus.