Urban Folly

The trip to Portland was a good time -- a chance to hang out with friends that hadn't been seen in ages (yay Jess!), cuddles with the most adorable two-year-old on the planet, and lots of delicious food. My name either sounds just like Mama to toddler ears or I give off a very maternal vibe, because that was his name for me for most of the stay -- by Saturday he was managing "Tamil," which is impressive for two...and also somehow appropriate. He's especially fascinated by me, I suspect because he has red hair and no one in his immediate family does, so I am the only other redhead he knows. Although his is fading to dirty blond of late, perhaps a nod to our impending extinction.

Also, I was reminded again of the travesty that is the Indian restaurant scene in Eugene -- where we have literally dozens of top-notch Thai restaurants and maybe two mediocre Indian restaurants. Such a let-down, especially after Cambridge. Many in PDX seem to be obsessing over the new incredibly expensive tram lately. As E's grandma said, "what about our schools? No one is willing to sign that much money into education funding!" She's an awesomely pissed-off lady who rides the Greyhound cross-country to peace marches and reads every leftist magazine and book in print. And she's vegan! She rails against patriarchy and genocide at Thanksgiving! I'm so going to be like her when I grow up. OK, I'm kind of like that now, but I'm going to stay that way. No middle-aged conservativism and yuppification! (My computer is claiming that neither of those are actual words but I beg to differ.) I even managed to find a cute indy bakery where I could sit with my coffee and work all afternoon one day, so my guilt-o-meter for taking a weekend trip is only at a 7. And yes, it's sad that I now consider a city of half a million people "urban," but there it is. All in all, a rousing success and good BCC bonding time.