Moments: The Twenty-Ten Edition

My greatest fear is inevitable; the moment will pass and I will still be here, reveling in its magic.

2010 was filled with such moments. And THE moments of all moments.

I remember my first [well, one of] moment of 2010. I was in the back of a cab that was driving around in circles. No, this memory was not induced by a champagne toast; I have other witnesses to attest to this occurrence. He was literally driving in a circle.

My year was kind of like this. Having directions, the GPS was set, yet I wasn’t quite sure where I was going or what would happen. And I had my friends along for the ride, laughing at the hilarity of all situations. And there were many. Far too many to list in a blog and complicated with “insideness” that would probably just irritate you. Unless you are one of these people.

January.

[Egyptian Theater-Downtown Park City, Utah]

Park City. This trip will go down in the books as one of my favorites in this lifetime. And yes, I can confidently say lifetime…presuming that I’ll live an average-aged life to mid 80’s [or so, if I’m feeling really ambitious]. The atmosphere alone can make one fall in love with this locale. Jon Gosselin even tried to kill my Polygamy Porter buzz by stealing my cab, but the snow-packed streets had already warmed the heart of this one.

Memorable Moment(s): In a long weekend with one of my favorite girlfriends, Sarah, I saw 6 independent films, all awesome (how often do you get SIX for SIX!?), asked the adorable Joseph Gordon-Levitt a question about his dark film ‘Hesher’ in a Q&A after the film, and brushed elbows with a little known star I like to call Adrian Grenier. No literally, I turned to find the restroom and there were his curly locks, 7 inches above my stocking-capped head. And to think, the entire vision I had of what Sundance would be like came from his show…’Entourage.’

Full circle.

February.

[Pacific Ocean - Seal Rock, Oregon]

Newport. I’ve made a tradition of visiting this coastal town annually every February since I hit my 252nd month [that's 21 years for those of you measuring life in years] for their amazing Seafood & Wine Festival. It never disappoints. This year, my book club or better known as BRB, the Book Reading Babes, rented a house and made a weekend of it. We already have our place for February 2011 booked.

Yum to the Vin-O!

March.

[The Best French Toast in the universe- Cafe Nola, Bainbridge Island, Washington]

Seattle. The first of 4 trips I would take to our Northern neighbor in 2010 was to have a girl’s weekend. One of my great friends, Carey, flew out from New York to unite with us Pacific Northwesterners.

Memorable Moment: Café Nola. Located on Bainbridge Island just a ferry ride west of Seattle, this adorable eatery is the crafter of the best French Toast I’ve ever consumed. If you know me, you know I don’t speak lightly of “favorites” and I usually find it incredibly difficult to discern between numbers 1 and 7. There are no doubts here. We applauded after the meal.

Do yourself and your mouth a favor and make reservations.

April.

[Love Park - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]

Philly. My lovely friend Allison moved East to pursue her Doctorate in PT and I decided that spring time would make for a nice visit. My other adventurous pal, Megan, also happened to be residing on the East coast at that time in Boston and we decided that the city of brotherly love would make for a great rendezvous.

Memorable Moment: I’d been on the ground about 2 hours and had just dropped my bags off with Allison. I was looking for the set of Robert DeNiro and Bradley Cooper’s movie [obviously] and stumbled upon LOVE park. Funny. When you’re looking for other things, love just sneaks up on you.

Also, reenacting Rocky with Megan on the infamous steps of the Art Museum…without ever watching Rocky. Don’t judge. I know, it’s almost as bad as being a die-hard-poo-talking Oregon fan and never stepping foot on the Eugene campus. I digress, we’re talking about good things here…

June.

[Archery Summit Vineyard artwork - Dundee, Oregon]

Wine Country. Park City Sarah [For which she will be called the duration of this blog] and I have quite the affinity for grapes [preferably fermented] and try to experience as much of Oregon wine country as possible. So to celebrate my 26^th year she planned an extravagant tour of wine country.

Memorable Moment: Sitting on the patio of our first vineyard stop, Archery Summit, closing my eyes and just breathing that fresh Oregon air. What an invigorating feeling.

Oh, I also got a tattoo.

July.

[La Playa del Amor - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico]

Cabo. The best friend, her roommates and I planned a summer vacation to our Southern brethren. Well I guess Americans use the term, “brethren” conveniently. You know, when we want to enjoy its beautiful rays we say, “brethren”; when they want to enjoy the opportunity of our land and what’s left of employment we say, “illegal immigrants.” Flip-Flop.

We stayed in a marina-side resort in the heart of Cabo and filled our tummies with Mexican food, our skin with melanoma, and our livers with, well, with adult beverages.

Memorable Moment: I took a little glass bottomed-boat ride to Lover’s beach or “La Playa del Amor” if we are using the native tongue, and it rivaled some of the beaches I experienced in the Mediterranean. Uh May Zing.

Mama K’s Wedding. One of my great college gal pals, Mama K married her OSweetheart in the most luxurious affair of the year. I had the incredible honor of serving as one of her maids and giving a toast. For some reason, I can never hold it together when I’m discussing emotions and began crying in the first sentence. I think it went well.

[Waterfront - Downtown Portland, Oregon]

Memorable Moment: Right before Mama K took center stage, we were anxiously awaiting the phone call to summon us down to wedding headquarters. By “we” I mean the bridesmaids. Mama K was as calm as ever. The phone rang, she stood up looking ever-so glamorous, and we followed our girl in tow to marry her guy. What a wonderful day.

August.

[Fountains at the Bellagio - Las Vegas, Nevada]

Vegas. Park City Sarah and Allison [Philly] and I decided we needed a get-a-way to reunite. The three of us met serving as loyal tour guides of the great Oregon State University back in 2004. During that time, we took a beach trip to Lincoln City and cleverly dubbed it “BT ’06”-Beach Trip 06. We needed something to top such an adventure. [For those of you who aren't Oregonians, Lincoln City is about 2.5 hours away from where we lived. You now see why the adventure was necessary]

We named this one VT ’10. And my did it blow BT ’06 out of the water.

Memorable Moments: Vocally assaulting the Bellagio (by Bellagio, I mean whoever was in front of the Bellagio in earshot) for daring to play a Faith Hill song during the upscale fountain show that usually plays the likes of Andrea Bocelli and Elton John, meeting Italian friends and eating at the Brazilian Steakhouse, Samba.

The other moments are meant to stay in Vegas. And will. Until my aforementioned death in my mid 80’s.

Crater Lake.

[The Lookout - Crater Lake, Oregon]

I found myself troubled with my Oregon identity and being able to label myself as an Oregonian with never setting foot on arguably the most famous of Oregon soils. Crater Lake. So it was decided! I woke up one day, called my friends Chris and Lisa, and asked if they’d be down for a brief camping trip to the landmark of all Oregon landmarks.

Memorable Moment: The drive seemed to be taking forever. You know one of those ones where you’re so ridden with excitement that every time you see a sign mentioning the name of your destination you think you’re almost there and should see noticeable definitions of the place any minute now? The are-we-there-yet syndrome was kicking in at full notch and just when I thought I couldn’t stand it another moment, into clear view came Crater Lake. I nearly jumped out of the moving automobile that I was operating, to run to it.

All good things come to those who wait.

September.

School started and thus, ending my adventures. I did sneak in one last jaunt of summer freedom to Seattle :).

October.

[Waiting for the shuttle that would never come - Corvallis, Oregon]

Homecoming. I planned a little reunion trip to our college town with my college pals. Yes, I know, now that I teach and “spend” a lot of time there, what could I possibly need a reunion for? Basically, I arrive when class begins and depart when it ends. I don’t “spend” random time there. And it is a completely different experience being an instructor compared with being a student and not being surrounded with your closest network of friends.

Memorable Moment: Tailgating and revisiting our pedestrian roots that we grew so familiar with in our undergrad years.

November.

[The Cutest Baby Feet Ever]

Olivia. I’m not certain if the memory is still so vivid because of its recency or if I will be able to recall it with so much emotional clarity in years to come. I hope I will be able to. But what I will always keep with me is the knowledge of how incredibly much my world transformed and the growth of my heart on November 13^th 2010.

December.

[Mount Hood, Oregon]

[Deschutes Brewery - Bend, Oregon]

Bend. We took a quick trip to Central, OR with New York Carey, Shayna and her boyfriend Josh to Carey's parent's abode. It snowed immensely, we made snow angels, and visited Oregon's breweries. I've been to Sam Adam's in Boston which is arguably one of the more popular national breweries. I realize the popularity of their [mediocre] beer. But they have nothing on Deschutes.

And still…Olivia.

Memorable Moment: Watching that girl grow. My oh my.

The Rituals. Even with these amazing adventures, my year would be unfulfilled without ‘True Blood’ Sundays in the summer with Park City Sarah and Jenn, that transform into NBC Thursdays or Glee Tuesdays [accommodating to schedules] with S, my phone dates with my favorite East coasters, the daily and vital chats with the best friend, the monthly BRB meetings discussing our latest good read and the necessary Happy Hours with good friends.

The 'iDo's' & 'iWills.'

[Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm - Pleasant Hill, Oregon]

And to the Farber's [see July], McBride's McDonald's and Starr's, I'm in adoration of your strong bonds with your now spouses, and your oh-so-different nuptial gatherings were blissful. Whether in the fanciness of downtown Portland, the beachside of Otter crest or in the midst of a farm on a clear and perfect Oregon summer's night, I wish you eternal joy.

To those three mighty special women who have been such prominent people not only in my 2010, but in my life [Nicole-20 years of friendship, Kristen-we are going on 17 years I believe and JGonz-we're working on 7], I am elated for your engagements. More so, I am glad your guys understand and appreciate the true unique beauty of not only the outside, but of your hearts and minds. Mazel Tov, my friends. He should've and did put a ring on it.

I revel in all these memories; the large and momentous to the routine and random that intervene the ordinary. That’s where the inside jokes are made. That’s where life resides.

There’s no telling what this next year will bring, but I will be sure to buckle up. After all, safety first. And no one wants a ticket.

Even if I am just driving around in circles.

Phantastic Times in Philly

We all know that I travel. A lot. This year I have made my travel theme, if you will, new adventures to lands I have yet to discover...

So far in 2010:

• Park City, UT for Sundance in January

-Amazing Films

-Fantastic Traveling Companion; Miss Sarah Shintaku

-Met new and wonderful friends

-Saw my crush Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Adrian Grenier

-Surrounded by art in the making and final stages.

Dare to Tell your story.

• Philly, PA for reunion in April

-Quality time with my Beaver Bud Allison

-Much needed visit from my Megan Bostonian

-Historical & Pop Culture tour of the land

-Oh and of course, playing on random game pieces

On the calendar:

• TBD – May
• Cabo San Lucas – June (I spent about 8 hours here on a cruise before, that’s it)
• Dallas & Austin, Texas – September

Repeat Awesomefenders:

• Seattle, WA - Girls trip!
• Newport, OR -Seafood & Wine Fest

Enough Reminiscing of times had, let's look at the current adventure.

I went to Philly to visit one of my ole pals from OSU, Allison, and meet Megan, an old pal from Greece (she’s not Greek, we were roomies there) as well who drove down to Boston in a terrible 7+ drive to meet me in the City of Brotherly Love.

Day 1/Night 1:

Took my first red-eye ever, leaving PDX at 11pm PST arriving in DTW at 6:15EST and then arriving at my final destination at 9am EST. I thought I would be exhausted and in desperate need of a nap as I was engrossed in ‘Game Change’ and maybe slept 3 whole hours. Turns out, adrenaline conquers drowsiness and after I dropped my bags off with Allison at school (she had to finish class for the day), I headed out into Philly solo-without a map and a Droid with a low-battery. Dad, if you’re reading this, you needn’t worry, as you can see, I got back in one piece.

I knew I’d be seeing the sites with Megan and Allison, so I decided to stalk out the set of ‘Dark Fields’ starring Robert DeNiro and the delicous Bradley Cooper. All I was presented with were sets and a very cleverly labeled on-set bathroom which were titled ‘Desi’ and ‘Lucy.’ On my way to the set however, I was greeted by the infamous LOVE sculpture smack dab in JFK park. What a feeling. To be walking along in search of something else, thinking you might have a clue where you’re going, then just like that...

Love sneaks up on you.

After some aimless wandering, I found my way back to Allison’s school to meet her to drop off some stuff at her place and then to find my cheesesteak. Al lives in Center City, a fab locale. Her place, as most others, is built in this row house fashion where there are 4 moderately sized floors, one essentially for each roommate (not including the basement-that’d be 5) that are connected my micro-spiral-step staircases. Of course, she was on the top floor. Good thing I packed lightly or I would’ve been commuting to my luggage on the main floor. Not that a commute is anything new to this one.

Mission Cheesesteak: Allison took me to the infamous street where two rival cheesesteak joints call home. We opted for Pat’s because the menu was a bit more expansive. I know, what really is there to expand on in a cheesesteak? Trust me, there was a difference.

It was greasy. Flavorful. But just okay. I felt kind of like the first time I had a voodoo donut that everyone had raved about in Portland. Kind of the, that’s it? A bit anti-climatic, but necessary nonetheless to consume. My appetite has been filled and for the sake of my arteries and desire to live a long beautiful life filled with adventures to strange lands, I think I’ll lay off the greasesteaks. I mean cheese.

We then took a stroll through history. Found that bell that’s on all of my ‘Forever’ stamps. Stood in the courtyard where our independence was declared. Visited our home girl B. Ross’ house where she first sewed up our flag and she apparently resided with her cats, as there were 2 cat statues, I kid you not, in her courtyard. Al and I are also convinced that she is buried with a flag that contains a map to a very important national treasure. Thank you Nic Cage for making us paranoid about every important document or artifact of our nation’s history.

After making a good first-day tour, we sat down to chat in Old City at a pub over some adult beverages, good conversation and yes, spotted an Oregon license plate (my homeland), an Alaskan license plate (Allison’s native land), and California plates (where Allison recently resided). After we scoped out some cheap grub in Center City we went home to call it a day.

Day 2:

Allison had class and Megan wouldn’t be arriving til that evening, so I took this opportunity to have some QT with Philly. I started off with a cheap breakfast at a diner while watching high school aged kids take their sweet time eating at 10:00am on a Friday. Either they were skipping (our idea of Cruisers, CHSers? What? We never skipped..well, not for breakfast…) or it was probably one of the many inservice days that our public school system observes. Preventing children from learning and honoring budget cuts, one inservice day at a time.

I thought I’d get lost in a completely new direction today and pleasantly found myself on the Avenue of The Arts where the amazing Kimmel Center is located. In addition to this grand architectural feat, I found quirky tinier theaters, music shops and beautiful buildings. I stopped into a café called, ‘More than just Ice-Cream’ to read and eat a float, and oh yes, stalk out set #2 of ‘Dark Fields.’ Again, during my mission to find this, something else came my way. Possibly one of the most entertaining conversations I’ve ever eavesdropped on. Two 50 something gay men were sitting very closely behind me, discussing everything from their disdain of having a movie filming there and blocking off ‘all the f’ing streets’ to their theories of Oprah’s sexuality.

Man 1: She’s obviously a lesbian.

Man 2: Obviously.

Man 1: That’s why she’s quitting her show. When she does, she’ll come out.

Man 2: And her “best friend” Gayle? Definitely her lover. Poor Steadman is just along for the ride. He likes p______. But, so does Oprah.

If this ever were to happen, which is highly unlikely, I tip my hat to you, incredibly loud-opinionated seat neighbors at ‘More than just Ice-Cream.’ Your store name doesn’t lie. What a conversational treat.

When I finally left to do some window shopping, buy some souve’s and what not, I found myself craving a little libation. I walked into the first bar I saw, plopped down and started reading. A loud voice from behind me with so much character it could not be ignored, startled me when he excused my sneeze. At this point, I looked up to find myself in a bar full of men. Hmmm…I thought, interesting. Women don’t enjoy an after work drink? Nope, not at this bar Teela. This bar in particular is where men come to meet, well, other men. I finished my drink, watched a little Oprah (funny enough playing in the bar), and hit the road.

Later that night, Megan was still en route and I grabbed happy hour drinks with Allison and her boyfriend AJ at a bar in Old City.

By the time Megan finally made it through the treacherous road conditions (there was a rainstorm) and hellish traffic, Happy Hour was over. After our dramatic reunion, we got some more food and went to our hotel where we entertained ourselves with made-up list games in pure Megan-Teela fashion.

Day 3:

Today was Megan’s day to soak in as much of the love as she could. Being that I had wandered the streets and have come to have a great sense of direction, I suggested that I take her on a tour to the cool things I’d seen and to the other places I was waiting for her to explore. We walked oh, about 10 miles. The Art Museum, where Rocky was filmed on those infamous steps, looked a lot closer than it really was. Which was just fine as we had a lot of time to catch up in between.

In addition to the sites Al and I went to, we went to LOVE park again, City Hall, Art Museum, The 1^st Bank in the US, 1^st “free library” in Philly, US Mint, and the Constitution Center.

After a day of playing the tourist role, we decided to delve into the local scene. We feasted on an Uh-May-Zing Mediterranean meal then hit the night scene. This was a pure source for entertainment in both positive and negative ways.

Positive:

Free drinks from a guy who simply wanted to buy us drinks. No conversation necessary. Score.

The DJ had a similar obsession to Jay-Z as this one. “Onto the Next One…”

Guys in Philly like to actually dance and CAN dance. There were no attempts at abrasive grinding. How refreshing.

Negative:

A guy pretended to be drunk in order to slump over the chairs that were housing our purses. When they moved, he moved with it. When he saw we weren’t wasted broads, he moved onto the next one, in true Young Hova fashion.

Megan’s toenail got ripped off by a big foot.

Day 4:

The only thing that really justifies the last day in Philly is described best by one of the last conversations I had. A lady sat down next to me in the subway while I was waiting for the train that wouldn’t be coming (apparently, the train doesn’t run to the airport on the weekends-Yes Philly, that makes perfect sense).

Geographically ignorant woman: Where are you from?

Me: Oregon.

Geographically ignorant woman: Ohh..where is that?

Me: West coast. Above California.

Geographically ignorant woman: ::Looking up into space, as if thinking. Trickster:: Is the climate there similar to Jamaica?

Me: ::SMH:: No, unfortunately not. (Last time I was in Jamaica it did rain though).

I placed by earphones back in their ears.

I got a good dose of Philly in my long weekend trip that I spent out there. Just like every place I go, I appreciated the people (good and bad-someone DID tell me to shut the hell up, unprovoked), the story of the land, the food (Mediterranean deliciousness, Cheesesteak meehh), and of course, the awesome and irreplaceable company of my wonderful friends who took time out of their lives to meet in the city of brotherly love.

For the sake of keeping this entry positive, I will not discuss the children who took residence in Row 26 Seats B&C who made my life hell for 4 hours and 15 minutes, and not a minute less. I'll save that for a future post. Had I been a therapist, their father would’ve received a nice pamphlet on ‘Parenting’ from me.