NOVEMBER 2016

#306 Grad School: Five Weeks

01 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

During my undergraduate college days, I signed up for the most eccentric classes I could. Middle Eastern Cooking. Japanese Horror Movies. Leadership and Team Building. Thanks to that I got a bunch of pretty neat experiences and learned some fun things.

Grad school makes it harder to go off the beaten path, but not impossible, and during my two years going for a Masters’ I’ve still wound up studying and gaining some knowledge in some things I never would’ve expected.

When I started, I was surprised to find I’d have to learn another language. I speak about five to some degree, but because I haven’t learned many of them in a classroom setting, I don’t have them on my transcripts. So, on a whim, I signed up to learn Hindi/Urdu. I can’t say I speak very good Hindi, or much at all, but I learned a bit about how to read the script and can utter some really basic phrases.

I’ve also learned a ton about local governance, especially when it comes to public finance and budgets. That’s thanks to my nonprofit classes being taught closely alongside public management classes. If it sounds dry, it kind of is, but I actually feel like I understand local government and things like tax considerations way better. I can also empathize with different opinions way better, and that’s always a good thing.

Also, by teaching a course on Africa twice, I’ve gotten quite familiar with some of the topics we’ve covered. One of these includes life in Mali. As a country, it doesn’t get many visitors, and I don’t envision myself being able to make it there any time soon. Glad I could learn a little bit through the process of teaching.

#307 Cubs Win

02 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

So… that… just… happened. Not only did the Cubs break their 108 year old curse, but they also put on the most dramatic game I’ve seen. And I watch a lot of baseball.

I guess this means the apocalypse starts tomorrow, but that game was so much fun, it’ll have been worth it.

Deanna and I don’t have live TV so we went to go and watch at a nearby sports bar, and my what a great decision. I got to befriend several old-guy-pub-dwellers, one of whom called David Ross’ home run a second before it happened. (Not to be outdone, I called the camera panning to Bill Murray a second before that happened). The girls next to me had the best Jason Kipnis specific trash talk. And they’re right… he probably does smell like Axe body spray! We all came as strangers, and left as friends who all never got around to exchanging names.

The Phillies will always be my team, but like any good racism-hating, loveable-loser-lovin’ American, I wanted this year to be the Cubs’ year. (Especially since the Phils’ had a sliver of a percent chance of being any decent). Baseball will feel kinda weird without a mindblowingly win-deprived team, but I’m sure the Cubs fans don’t mind.

#308 Gorgonzola Ravioli

03 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Never has developing a recipe given me as much of a difficult time as this ravioli. What you’re looking at is my third attempt.

This item of my cooking challenge was scheduled for last week when all the ravioli burst while boiling and I settled for frying up an odd mix of squash and cheese and noodles. Then earlier today, the filling soaked through the noodle sheets making them too sticky to shape.

I had to restart a third time and was pretty late to an afternoon class, but finally, I got something I could be pleased with. And Deanna was really pleased and said it was one of her favorites from this year’s challenge.

Sometimes I can get pretty stubborn about working on something until it comes out right. But I did learn a valuable lesson: use flour liberally.

#309 Oakshire

04 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Let’s talk about something a little more pleasant for most people- beer!

I’m in a MBA class on startup planning (Random, I know. Long story.) Our project right now revolves around beer deliveries and we need to do a little market research.

I’m hoping to conduct some interviews so if you’re a beer consumer- I’d love to hit you up with a few questions! No need to be the biggest hop head, but if you are, great! Message or comment or something and I’ll get in touch.

Also, I’m pretty sure Oakshire is taking over as my favorite brewer in town. We’ve got a lot of good ones but their seasonal stuff gets so creative!

#310 McKenzie Beer Festival

05 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I had a chance to go to the McKenzie Craft Beer and Cider Festival. If you saw my post about my startup project… market research! And that meant I got to do a lot of tasting.

After a pretty fun night, here were my favorite three beers/ciders.

Old Craig Ale by Ordnance Brewing –  This beer definitely had an old vintage- tobacco-and-leather sort of quality, but in a good way! (I guess those typically don’t sound like good beverage flavors) Lots of spices and brown sugar left this tasting a lot like winter candy.

Nut Crusher Peanut Butter Porter by Wild Ride Brewing – If you like the taste of roast peanuts or peanut butter, this would be a great beer. They come on STRONG. But in a good way. And the brewery rep gave me a little garnish of a Reese’s cup to go with it.

Doc Fields Banana Mango Cider – I was suspicious over this this cider, I thought it might be a little too much like a fermented Jamba Juice. Turns out it was a pretty good cider and I’d love another taste.

#311 Finnish Salmon Pie

06 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

One of my big dreams is to regularly have dinners where people from totally different backgrounds can get together. I want a big table, good conversations, and of course the food needs to be up for the occasion.

Here’s one thing I’ll have to bring to the table- a new puff pastry technique. Most recipes call for folding butter into the dough over and over. A freezer and cheese grater can end up saving so much time.

I put the new puff pastry to the test and looked to Finland for some inspiration. This pie was filled with chunks of cooked salmon, capers, onion, and sauce. It may be one of my favorites from this past year.

#312 Grad School: Four Weeks

07 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Another week in the bags and another step closer to the finish line. Just some paperwork and a couple assignments left to go. Then what? We’ll find out soon.

No surprise, this has been a terse week around campus. Some are quick to say that today’s student lives in a cocoon of hyper sensitivity- and at times I get why people would think that. But lots of students feel unsafe- and for good reason. We’ve had random people and even a professor (?!) around in blackface. Ugh! That’s really not okay.

I’m often impatient with the end of grad school but this week I’ll thankful for my role as a TA that has allowed me to speak and share some things I’ve seen and experienced that I find helpful in an unpredictable and tense world. And I love reminding anyone that a lot of times the best thing they can do is focus on what changes there are to be made right in front of them, and to give it everything.

#313 Election 2016

08 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I screwed up my mail-in ballot… I left every single chad hanging (and it was a bubble sheet)! So I swung by the community center to set things right.

If you ask me, a lot of these decisions felt pretty obvious to me. But not everyone else feels the same way, so that’s why we have elections.

Voting is important. It’s very important. It’s one of those things that you totally take for granted if you’ve never experienced what happens in places without free and fair elections. It’s also a privilege that was hard earned.

So yeah, hooray for voting. I’m glad I cast my ballot today. It’s a big decision!

That said, it’s also one of millions of decisions you’ll make that shape the world we live in.

All of the people who have influenced me the most didn’t do it with their voting record. Who is in need of care and attention today that you have a chance to help? Who needs a well timed word of encouragement? Which friend is fundraising for something noble that you should perhaps pay attention to? Some of those decisions will have a much bigger impact than anything you or I bubbled in today, and I think these things are worthy of at least as much deliberation and energy.

#314 It’s Quiet Uptown

09 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Perhaps the reason why the election results were so surprising to a lot of people was that we forgot how much of a bubble most of us live in. No matter what results you were hoping for, roughly half the country feels differently.

The type of setting we grow up in, the sort of people we’re around, and all that have a huge impact on what lens through which we see the world. That’s not to say I don’t believe there’s usually a better choice and a worse choice at the end of the day. But it’s another thing to turn my conviction into an assumption that the country falls neatly into two halves of good guys and bad guys.

See, some of the best people I’ve ever met voted for things and people that make absolutely no sense to me. People who taught me everything I know about generosity voted for things I think contribute to inequality. People who taught me how to respect other people voted for candidates with a reputation for crudeness. And if you know enough people, you’ll know someone that this applies to. If not? Well, then that bubble is probably in effect.

One of the best interactions I’ve seen on Facebook was just that. Dad voted red. Daughter voted blue. Daughter was sad, and Dad acknowledged that this was okay. They grew up seeing different things in different times in different places– it was simple, but beautiful.

You don’t have to agree with everything I believe in. I don’t agree with all of your opinions. I’ll probably disagree with a few of them strongly. But I won’t assume the worst of you. I won’t defriend you. We’ll still have a lot to learn from each other.

It’s eerily quiet outside my window. I’m in a young urban area in a very blue state, so of course there’s an atmosphere of disappointment. But it’s also a gorgeous, crisp sunny day in November… and we don’t get too many of those. Disappointing day? Beautiful day? Perhaps both? There’s more than one way to see things and blessed are the eyes that can find both.

#315 Chestnut Bisque

10 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Man, chestnuts are the worst! They taste great and can lend themselves to all sorts of recipes in a way that no other nut can. But they are an absolute pain to get out of their shells to work with. Almost at the end of my yearlong cooking challenge and I managed to score my first injury by scoring a fingertip.

Because of that, I will think long and hard about working with chestnuts in the future, but I will say that they made for a pretty unique bisque.

The flavor of this soup was spot on. Rich and creamy and earthy like a good nut-based soup should be. The texture wasn’t as excellent, with the results coming out a little chunkier than I would’ve liked. Still, it made for a good enough and hard earned winter meal.

#316 Anacortes Ferry

11 November 2016 // Anacortes, Washington

Seemed like a good weekend for some perspective on how meager human accomplishments look next to creation, so I hopped on a ferry headed for one place I’ve always wanted to go.

Orcas Island is just a little off the Puget Sound, accessible only by ferry or personal jet, and boasts all of the natural beauty you might expect from a northwestern island. It’s got a pretty tight community of island dwellers too.

Looking forward to getting cozy on this floating patch of dirt that whales seem to love. I feel like I’ll have a good understanding of why after this weekend.

#317 Orcas Island

12 November 2016 // Orcas Island, Washington

“And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should… with all its sham, drudgergy and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.”

–Max Ehrmann, Disiderata

There’s a lot of stuff to be upset about, and I recognize how legitimate those things are. But I think the sort of rebellion we need is a counterintuitive one. In a contentious, divided world, joy and peace are rebellious. Beauty is subversive when put up next to brutality. I think it’s a better time than ever to be anchored in a joy that can’t be taken, a community of infectious acceptance, and a stubborn memory of the people we were meant to be.

These are crazy days, my friends. But they’re still extremely beautiful ones. To paraphrase Calvin and Hobbes, if we got out to look at the stars more often, we wouldn’t argue about half the stuff that we get worked up over.

#318 Outlook Inn

13 November 2016 // Orcas Island, Washington

While spending the weekend at Orcas, we got in a night at this sweet little inn. It felt like we weren’t in the inn itself for very long but that’s cause we got some real good sleep that night we were there.

The room itself was only a small part of what I really liked about this place. They had a fenced lawn across the street with such an excellent view of the islands.

And their restaurant. Awesome French onion soup and blue marlin carpaccio. Best of all they have some shared tables where they’ll sit you down at a table alongside strangers, and you’ll be able to leave with new friends- or at least some memorable encounters. We enjoyed the company of a couple older seniors out on a date. They shared stories of his late wife and her ex-husband. At times sad but also moving to see two hopeful people not willing to throw in the towel just yet.

#319 The Holy or The Broken

24 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“I say all the perfect and broken hallelujahs have an equal value. It’s a desire to affirm my faith in life, not in some formal religious way, but with enthusiasm, with emotion.”

–Leonard Cohen

Big thanks to my friend Hamaila for gifting me this book after hearing I was fascinated by Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast episode on the rise of ‘Hallelujah.’ That song has a story unlike any other modern anthem. I don’t read much music writing, but Alan Light kept its exploration fascinating.

And speaking of unlikely works of art, Leonard Cohen was such an artistic anomaly. I love that a huge part of his story was how late into his career he was when he hit his stride. Sad that we lost him next week.

Oh and for the record, Hallelujah isn’t even my favorite Leonard song. Dance Me To The End Of Love will always hold that honor.

#320 Pancit Molo

25 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

When we went to the Philippines a couple years ago, there was one dish that Deanna especially fell in love with– pancit molo.

It’s a regional favorite where my family’s from, and it’s a pretty simple wonton soup in a pork or chicken broth with basic sauteed vegetables. And if you do it just right, it’s one amazing piece of Filipino comfort food.

I timed this particular item of my cooking challenge just right for the winter months. Not too shabby for my first time taking a stab at this dish and I know where to go from here for even better results.

#321 Grad School: Three Weeks

26 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

The thing I’m looking forward to the most about being done with my program isn’t the absence of school, it’ll be the opportunity to build something.

The ability to commit to something for a long time without my schedule changing itself every few months is something that’s eluded me the past few years. Now I’m looking forward to dinners that become traditions, becoming a part of things around whatever community we end up in, and forming some more bonds.

Now seems like a good and important time to be building community up and getting connected. I’m ready to dig in.

#322 Blood, Bones, and Butter

27 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“It’s promising and seductive, that huge Italian family, sitting around the dinner table, surrounded by olive trees. But it’s not my family and I am not their family, and no amount of birthing sons, and cooking dinner and raking leaves or planting the gardens or paying for the plane tickets is going to change that. If I don’t come back in eleven months, I will not be missed, and no one will write me or call me to acknowledge my absence. Which is not an accusation, just a small truth about clan and bloodline.”

–Gabrielle Hamilton

After so many of my favorite food podcasts mentioned this book as one of their favorite books on the subject, I was convinced to give it a try.

This book isn’t just about food, but about a career in food, dining, and the paths life takes you down, sometimes without exactly intending to. I read a lot of books by people who were driven by a very concrete goal so it was refreshing to hear from someone who took a more common path- a mix of following passions, doing one thing until it leads somewhere else, and unlikely encounters.

Plus there are moments where she describes her grad school experience and it sounds so similar to my own. Started out as a perfect fit that was slowly outgrew, leading her to discovering other passions.

#323 Making Kahlua

28 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Weekend at home project- making some Kahlua.

Looks okay so far, so now we wait a few weeks for our results.

#324 Foodspotting No. 1 & 39 – Adobo & Lumpia

29 November 2016 // Springfield, Oregon

Holla at ya 🇵🇭. Food week continues with some more Foodspotting.

Adobo and lumpia were two of the easiest items in the Foodspotting Field Guide to find. Well, especially if you’re me. I wasn’t sure if making my own adobo earlier this year would count so I decided it wouldn’t so we’d have an excuse to visit Maynila for dinner.

#325 Tillamook Mac & Cheese

20 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

So this is the thing with mac and cheese- I’ve had some really fancy mac and cheese from so many different high end places, and yet it never quite lives up to the gooey, salty, creamy goodness of that instant boxed stuff I used to eat after school.

Let’s face it, I love any melts cheesy product, and sometimes the fake stuff is just better.

But I believe real cheese can still make for a good mac and cheese and so I went with packs of Tillamook being added to a bechamel like sauce to get it all creamy and such. Turned out pretty good, but that might also be because I added a whole head of garlic.

#326 Grad School: Two Weeks

21 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

So close to the end! And to make things even better, this week barely counts since I’ll be in California staring Tuesday night.

So that’s one thing making me happy. What else?

That Ducks win versus Utah was so, so satisfying. Nobody saw it coming, even after it already came. Our season has been a ship that has been long sunk, but getting the win against a pretty good Utah team was just perfect. Our loss to them last year, in my mind, was the start of dark days for Ducks fans.

Oh, and a couple of my good friends gave birth to their son tonight. Welcome to the world, Mathis! See you when I get back.

#327 Gateway to Cali

22 November 2016 // Medford, Oregon

Passing through the In N Out in Medford means one surefire thing… we’re going to (or coming from) Cali.

Thankful that this pit stop is right off the freeway.

#328 Road to Thanksgiving

23 November 2016 // Kettleman City, California

We can act like we didn’t spend most of the drive taking selfies with Beignet. Or we can own it.

Thankful this one is a road tripper.

#329 Thanksgiving 16

24 November 2016 // Bakersfield, California

Hope your day was as fun and tasty as ours.

Here’s to a much needed weekend of hanging out with family and not doing much else. The next two weeks are gonna be such a power sprint that some time off like this is exactly the right thing.

#330 Noriega’s

25 November 2016 // Bakersfield, California

There’s a first time for everything.

This is my first time eating at a restaurant with both a B safety rating and a James Beard award.

#331 California 99

26 November 2016 // Delhi, California

“The future is built with the present moment and how we take care of it. If you are fearful, the future will be fearful. If you are uncooperative, the future will be divisive. This is very important.

The future is not something that will come to us; the future is built by us, by how we speak and what we do in the present moment.

Community practice is crucial at this time. It’s crucial not to be alone in front of the computer, reading media. That makes the world dark for you. Find flesh. There are still wonderful things happening.”

–Phap Dung

#332 Passing Shasta

27 November 2016 // Lake Shasta, California

“Scratch the surface of any cynic, and you will find a wounded idealist underneath. Because of previous pain or disappointment, cynics make their conclusions about life before the questions have even been asked. This means that beyond just seeing what is wrong with the world, cynics lack the courage to do something about it. The dynamic beneath cynicism is a fear of accepting responsibility.”

–John Ortberg

Be responsible to your convictions. They won’t always win debates. They won’t always pay the bills. They won’t always prevail in times of conflict. But if they’re convictions worth keeping, make sure they don’t lose you. Hope is a conviction. Joy is a conviction. Don’t give them up.

#333 Shoe Dog

28 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“I thought if that phrase, it’s just business. It’s never just business. It never will be. If it becomes just business, that will mean that business is very bad.”

–Phil Knight

Thanks to the UO business school, I got a signed copy of Shoe Dog. I was told to study up on it, so I took to reading and found I enjoyed this book a whole heck of a lot more than I expected to.

This book had a lot of heart, and that’s something I really wasn’t expecting. After all, Nike is pretty much your archetype of a mega-corporation and I didn’t know a whole lot about Phil Knight other than the fact that his name is all over Eugene.

Hearing the stories of their early years, testing out models on the UO track team, having to take on legal challenges from the US government and Japan, and figuring out how to build a team that works kept this on the side of being a good story.

In the end it’s a book about following a Crazy Idea- watch it reveal itself as a calling and pursuing it through disappointment and fatigue.

#334 Office Hours

29 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This week has been utterly ridiculous- in the past 48 hours I’ve had to present the City of Albany with a proposed budget, pitch a startup business idea, and knock out a 15 page paper.

Thankfully, I get a weekend to turn things down a notch before one last week of this finish line sprint. My first true day out of grad school is gonna be such a napfest.

#335 Bolognese

30 November 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Important beliefs I have about bolognese:

• It should be creamy. Use milk.

• It seems intuitive to add red wine, but go with white.

• Grating your carrots makes for a better texture than dicing.

• A little bit of ground sausage and diced bacon goes a long way.

Seems like an oddly late point in the year to have bolognese be an item on my cooking challenge. I’ve already made lasagna with bolognese as part of the challenge, and I’ve made bolognese a lot in general this year. Oh well. It’s been my busiest stretch of grad school, so it doesn’t hurt to have something I can prep from muscle memory.

OCTOBER 2016

#275 tIhde the Knot

01 October 2016 // Marble Falls, Texas

Congrats to Meghan & Brendan! Deanna and I had such a blast celebrating in Marble Falls- that was definitely a unique wedding experience.

Between your wedding and ours, every time we’ve seen you two together it’s been a really, really fun day.

#276 Rad Mother Clucker

02 October 2016 // Austin, Texas

Doughnut lovers, I’m having cravings. What are your picks for best doughnut shops in the country? I’ll give you my top three.

Pip’s Original Doughnuts (Portland) – Going the route of keeping it simple but executing well. I’m a fan.

Gourdough’s (Austin) – Going the opposite direction with Big. Fat. Donuts. piled high with everything from fried chicken cuts to jalapeño jelly. I’m a fan as well and make it a point to come by whenever I’m in Austin.

Blue Star Doughnuts (Portland) – French brioche dough makes all of their doughnuts good to the breadcrumb. They won me over by tossing a vile of rum on to a caramel brulêe doughnut.

Yup, Portland takes two of three. Although I say this not having tried Daily Dozen in Seattle, which I’ve heard such good things about.

#277 Your Money Or Your Life

03 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“Who you are is far greater than what you do for money, and your true work is far greater than your paid employment. Our focus on money and materialism may have robbed us of the pride we can and should feel in who we are as people and the many ways we contribute to the well being of others.”

-Vicki Robin

A bit of a break from what I usually read, a book about money use turns out to be far more practical, far less romantic, and just as purposeful as anything else I’ve read this year.

I didn’t follow all nine steps for financial independence to the tee. At least I haven’t yet, and while that must make Vicki Robin shake her head, I did start to do a few things. Measuring my income and expenditures in life energy, not just dollars. Figuring out what a “just right” level of income looks like for my family so I know when doing more work stops being worth it. Keeping track of all spending.

Perhaps I’ll take on the rest of the exercises when I have time. Or whenever I have graph paper handy, which is like never.

#278 Grad School: Nine Weeks

04 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Today I submitted my forms to graduate and be done with everything in nine weeks.

While my motivation going into this quarter is mostly propelled by the finish line I’m looking at, I’ve found a helpful way to think about work that provides an extra boost.

Imagine, for a second, what the best possible outcome could be of you showing up and doing your job well? A lot of people can easily drum up the worst case scenario, but what’s the best case scenario. My wife’s a therapist, so in her field it looks like saving a life, preventing suicide, and breaking up abusive cycles in a family. That’s a pretty serious contribution to the world. Do you accept a so-so job because of the healthy pay? Maybe the money you donate to charities, treat friends with, or support your family with are also in the life-saving business. Are you a barista? Maybe your pleasantness and warmth have actually made somebody’s day or turned it around… I can credit a phone rep for Virgin Airlines doing that for me once.

As a teacher of African studies, hmm… who knows? Maybe I strike the curiosity of a kid who one day discovers an efficient way to get antiretrovirals or malaria meds to the people who need them most.

Are these pretty out there possibilities? Yup. Unlikely? Probably. But here’s the crazy thing… if these things end up happening, a lot of times we’ll have had no idea. So we might as well act as if they just might, and by doing so, we’ll really increase our odds of doing meaningful work.

#279 Sunlit Halls

05 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Here’s a fun fact- some studies show that businesses that use totally made up words or names are often more successful than those that use descriptive, already existing words. Airbnb? Much better than ShareYourHouse. Instagram? Beats out Mobile PicShare. Ghostbusters? Better than its Chinese translation, Super Power Dare Die Team.

Here’s the part of that I find interesting… there’s a good part of us that can so easily be convinced we’re looking at something new just by the way it’s presented. Both traditional media and social media have gotten really, really skilled at that. The way to keep you glued is to run up storylines that seem like they’ve never happened before.

Corrupt politicians? That’s actually about as old of a news story as we have. Leaders with dictatorial tendencies? They go pretty far back throughout history. People unable to live peacefully with each other because of race, gender, or a bunch of other qualities? Yeah, unfortunately, that dynamic is much older than we are.

What to make of this? I’m all for staying informed, but also remember, there’s nothing really new under the sun and there’s a good and bad side to that. Unfortunately, progress happens very, very slowly, and many of the world’s big issues will probably outlive us. But the good news is that the world is crazy resilient. There’s still a lot of good that persists along with the bad.

At the end of the day, don’t just respond to the big bold headlines. Listen to what your life has taught you, to the lessons learned from the dirt underneath your fingernails. Don’t let panic take control of your creativity, it was meant to add good into the world, starting with what’s in front of you.

#280 13th to Campus

06 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

There are so many things in life that don’t work out, even though they made total sense on paper. I’ve seen couples break up that seemed like a great fit to me. I’ve had friends not get jobs that they seemed made for. I’ve known people who have started projects that for some reason never got the attention they were worthy of.

What’s the deal? I wish I knew. Unfortunately life is full of these little injustices that don’t seem to have a good explanation.

It’s good to know that this happens, and it happens quite a bit. It’s good to be prepared for this. Hard work is indispensable, but sometimes, it’s not enough. You can make all necessary efforts, all the right choices, and it still doesn’t work out.

It’s probably a healthy thing for everyone to experience this at least once in their lifetime. So many people in rough situations are there through no fault of their own. It’s important to have empathy for that. Not blame, and not a rescuer mentality. Just a deep sense of understanding and compassion.

#281 Chicken Katsu

07 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Katsuuuuuuu!

Chicken katsu is pretty much my go to dish at any Hawaiian restaurant. I’ll venture into other dishes but I always come back home. My lightly fried, breaded, crispy home.

I made some the other night and that was surprisingly simple and easy- with a big lightly fried, breaded, crispy payoff.

#282 Our Guests

08 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Hosting visitors is one of mine and Deanna’s favorite things to do.

Over the weekend we got to have Bre and Raquel and Jesse over for soul food, Ticket to Ride, and more food. Loved it.

We’ve now passed the amount of out-of-town friends we hoped to be able to host in Eugene for our marriage goals, but we have no plans of stopping! We love having people over.

#283 Deanna’s 27

09 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Happy, happy birthday to my sweet and beautiful Deanna! It’s been a good day of church, eating, friends, and hygge.

Life with you is so sweet, simple, fun, and I couldn’t be more thankful for it. I love getting to spend every day with you, taking Beignet out on little weekend adventures, watching our shows, trying to squeeze out every last minute of conversation before we go to sleep, cherishing the friendships we’ve managed to build around town, and dreaming of all kinds of things we hope to do together.

It’s a great life and I love that I get to share it with you.

#284 Current

10 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Wind and rain have this river feeling pretty good about itself.

Here are a few things making me happy this week.

So first, there was the bit of good news we got last week that I mentioned in my last post.

I’m also really loving Johnnyswim’s Georgica Pond album. So much soul and so many songs off the new album sounded great live.

And before the show, I finally got to eat at Tasty and Sons, which was on my places to eat in Portland list for a good while. Get the Asian Bloody Mary.

#285 Lasagna

11 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Lasagna is a birthday tradition in Deanna’s family, and that’s a tradition that I wouldn’t wanna mess with.

I didn’t get to make her some on her actual birthday but that’s cause we kept eating all day. So, Tuesday night, I got busy.

Lasagna is a tricky dish once you’ve been to Bologna. You realize how different the American interpretation of it is, but figuring out how they get their ragú that savory and creamy is a puzzle in and of itself.

My go to methods? A slow cooker. Add some milk. And white wine to break everything down. Sometimes a red wine gets too fruity. Toss in a bit of pancetta fat. And grate or process the veggies. That way you get a smoother filling.

Oh and homemade noodles. Those are a must.

#286 Grad School: Eight Weeks

12 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Know what’s a really, really good feeling? It’s when you don’t know exactly why something happened or didn’t happen to you but still feel really, really at peace with it.

I got hit by that while driving through Texas Hill Country a week or so ago. Suddenly convinced that the end of this year would make for a very important time for me to be learning things.

Last summer, I came pretty close to getting a job that looked like such a right fit on paper. I would’ve loved the work I’d be doing. I would’ve accepted without hesitation.

I realize now that if I did that, there would be no way I’d be able to tie up all the loose ends of my Masters programs like I thought. There’s a bit too much left to do, and I would’ve likely had to pay to do that too if I wasn’t teaching at the same time. I also did some math and figured out the “just right” amount of income for Deanna and I. This would’ve been a bit too far below, and sometimes I tend to underrate income for more idealistic trade offs.

Some stretches of life can feel so slow, with a purpose that’s hazier than mid October mornings. Surrendering what you don’t have control over frees you to unleash your best stuff.

#287 UO East Campus

13 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

With the end of grad school approaching, I often think of all the reasons why I’m looking forward to being done- and there are plenty. Being more financially able to support a family is a big one. So is the urge to contribute towards helping other people.

For the sake of getting the most out of the remaining weeks, though, here are a few things I know I’ll miss once it’s all done.

I’ll miss having so much control over my schedule. If I need to run an errand in the middle of the day, or run home to take care of something, I can do that really easily. It’s rare to find a job with as many moveable parts as mine right now.

I’ll miss the way I’ve acquired a deep and unexpected knowledge on so many random things on the way to getting degrees. World Heritage Sites in Mali. The Public Budgeting process in Oregon versus California. Andrew Carnegie’s writings. One day, when I’m on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, at least a couple of my life flashbacks will have to be to grad school.

I’ll miss the student ticket rates for Ducks games… granted the Ducks aren’t making me miss that so much right now, but one day I will.

#288 Family Selfy

14 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Not gonna name any names, but one member of this family makes taking selfies a lot more difficult.

We’re thrilled, though!

Deanna went to see a doctor for a checkup. When she got really sick last February, her breathing scores dropped from a typical range in the mid-high 70s down to 22. We had a doctor tell us that a lot of people don’t get back to their old numbers after a drop that drastic.

Well since then, I knew she was doing better since we’ve visited lots of places, snorkeled in Hawaii, and ran a half marathon. But how much better?

When she went to get tested at her doctors, I walked Beignet around while praying for a good number. We got it… 80! This sort of comeback is really, really rare.

I’m a believer in never taking what you have for granted, in realizing there are things so much bigger than the usual things we freak out about on a daily basis, and in God working an old school miracle every now and again.

#289 Johnnyswim in PDX

15 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna and I absolutely love Johnnyswim. We got engaged to our friends playing a cover of Paris in June and left our wedding reception to the tune of Diamonds.

We were absolutely not going to miss our shot to see them play in Portland.

Man this was an amazing show. So much charisma and stage chemistry- I’m loving the sound of the new album already.

#290 Rains Come

16 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Ah the rain has returned in full force after taking a little summer break. My opinion will probably change when February rolls around but right now I love this so much.

Also glad we were able to make it to and from Portland twice while having to basically drive through a lake with all the flooding. On Friday night we ended up backing up on a one way road just to get out from all the water.

#291 Street Life Under a Roof

17 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“For as with Point Place, it is possible for youth to come together to create culturally expressive forms of social life not only for the privileged few, but for anyone who is looking for shelter and, along with it a sense of belonging under a shared roof.”

-Emily Margaretten

Frequently asked question… do books that I have to read for work or school count towards my personal reading goals? I say that they do if I like the book enough.

This was an assigned book for the class I’m teaching, and I’ll get to do two lectures on South Africa and street life next week which should be fun. Reading this ethnography of a researcher who lived in a youth shelter totally took me back to Jozi, even though it’s set in Durban.

#292 City Human Rights Commission

18 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Last night, I got to attend our local human rights commission meeting. I didn’t even know we had one but here’s what I saw.

A representative from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs shared a nasty courtroom experience directed at her while trying to speak on behalf of land belonging to her tribe. Everybody listened empathically.

A member of the ACLU talked about methods of police surveillance that may raise some privacy concerns and a rep from the police department acknowledged the concerns and mentioned some potential benefits of the technology in stopping child predators or kidnappings.

I know a lot of people are so over political discourse, and I get why. But I was also encouraged by what I saw. Local governance offers so many opportunities for regular people to be a part of the process that not many people take. And in a local setting, you can oftentimes have a huge influence.

When you get tired of being a political spectator, maybe try participating every now and then.

#293 Grad School: Seven Weeks

19 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

On paper, this was supposed to be a really challenging Fall for me. I had to request special permission from the University to take twenty credits (twelve is my normal) all while keeping up my freelance projects, my job hunt, and several weekends of travel for family reasons. Plus it’s also the time of year when the sun disappears and everything drops fifty degrees and it’s way harder to feel motivated for anything.

The funny thing is that we’re close to halfway through this quarter and I am loving it. So far it’s all gone by smoothly and I’m surprised often at how efficiently I’ve been able to get things done.

Here are a few things that have been real helpful this term.

Going one day at a time. It’s easy to rush it when you’re close to the finish line, but just making sure each day’s challenges are given appropriate attention.

Before most items on my to do list I ask myself who do I really have a chance to serve with this task. The answer isn’t always obvious but it makes otherwise unmotivating tasks much more fulfilling.

So far I haven’t worked a Sunday, I’ve mostly been able to slow down my Saturdays, and often finish everything by 5 or 6 pm. All that time to enjoy life and not just work through it has finally become a good habit after years of working on it.

#294 College Hill

20 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This summer, I came really, really close to getting what I thought could have been my dream job. I would’ve worked as a director with a really cool organization doing international work, it would’ve been work I’d enjoy doing every day, and it would’ve been in a city where I used to live that I miss a lot.

Part of me was surprised I didn’t get it because it seemed like such a great fit on paper, but another part of me just had a feeling that it wouldn’t work out. And while there was a bit of disappointment, there have been so many times this past fall where I’m glad it didn’t go through. If I got it, Deanna and I would be back living in California right now, and almost on a daily basis, I’ve been thinking, I’m glad I’m still here.

So in honor of understanding and appreciating things better in retrospect, here are a few reasons why I’m glad I’m still here.

Fall in the PNW is gorgeous. The first weather cycle, with the unending rain and grey skies can be a bit overwhelming. The next time around? I’ve fallen in love with it. Grey skies, bright orange leaves, and hygge weather… I’ve been liking this so much. I’ve also grown to appreciate having different seasons, and I’m thankful for this one.

Moving a couple weeks ago would’ve been a huge hassle, logistically. Not just with getting all our stuff and dog to California. We would’ve had to find a place to live. I would’ve had to figure out how to finish grad school remotely- which I now realize wouldn’t be easy at all while working full time. And there are some financial reasons too.

Ultimately, we really aren’t ready to leave where we are right now. Maybe we will be. Maybe soon. But I think we needed this last round to take it all in and to enjoy this stuff.

#295 One In N Out

21 October 2016 // Medford, Oregon

Living in a state with one In N Out > Living in a stat with zero In N Out.

Also, order #32’s number was just called and a family of six stood up and started clapping. Heartwarming moment of the day. There truly is good in thew world.

#296 Congrats Justin & CC!

22 October 2016 // San Francisco, California

This weekend was about as good as it gets.

Deanna and I went down to San Francisco to help our friend Justin propose to his now fiancé, Caytlin. There were tears and corgis and food trucks and beaches involved, and we got to see a bunch of our good friends again.

Congrats Justin and Caytlin- we are so, so happy for you two and we’re looking forward to you two being married!

#297 Friend Brunch

23 October 2016 // Sacramento, California

I hang out with a good looking bunch.

And we eat brunch.

#298 Grad School: Six Weeks

24 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s crazy to think about how close life is to radically changing all over again. I’m both looking forward to it and ready for things in my life to last a little longer.

When I started grad school, I had a whole lot of energy to get things off the ground. I wanted to launch projects, new organizations, groups of people and have them all spring into action. I was ready to hit the ground running. The past few years before that had been so dynamic and full of big changes it seemed like there was only one direction to go.

It turns out that most of the things I attempted to start didn’t work out. There were a lot of false starts and midway through it started to feel like I’d been spending my year doing nothing. Life went from this dynamic journey to being surprisingly still.

I had a friend talk to me about how sometimes we hit these seasons in life where God just wants us to chill for a bit, without much going on. That gets really challenging for my personality and my inclination to want to go everywhere and do everything. But these stretches, slow and frustrating as they might be can be really important and underrated.

Some recipes have steps where dough needs to rise for hours, or flavors need to meld for a day, just so it can come out right. Some pieces of pottery need to chill for a week so they don’t shatter when used. Some songs need to rest after a big note before going on to the next movement so the listener can take it all in.

I don’t think God’s one to waste time. And when we can trust that there’s a point to these.

#299 Boeuf Borgignon

25 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Now that we’ve hit that fall-winter part of my cooking challenge, I’ve been having lots of fun with these heavier, heartier meals- this week’s being no exception.

I gave making bouef borgignon a shot, or as Julia Child calls it, bouef b£•∞¶£on. Speaking of Julia, I essentially used her recipe, but without a dutch oven, I had to adapt and improvise to work with our slow cooker.

I got to come home to a great meal and a great smelling house. Not much I would’ve changed about how it turned out, except that I wish I made even more.

#300 The Birth of Korean Cool

26 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“So how does Korea manage the work ethic and maniacal drive to be number one? The underlying national psychology that motivates the country is not a salutary one. I remain convinced that ‘han’, that culturally specific, millennia-old rage against fate, is a huge motivating force in Koreans’ stamina and persistence.”

-Euny Hong

This was a fun little read about why Koreans are so darn cool. And it was very clearly written in late 2012 when Psy was at optimum Gangnam style.

Actually I learned quite a bit about how the ROK government has invested in its own entertainment industry in such a methodical way to get Halyu to take over the world.

#301 Week of Lectures

27 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Throwing back to my days as a substitute teacher by being a guest lecturer.

It’s so much easier when you have the chance to lecture about something that you could talk about forever and ever. In this case, street life in South Africa, concepts of masculinity, ghost stories, and township life. And a whole bunch of personal anecdotes from my own experiences.

#302 Great Fall

28 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Duuuuude the days have been stunning lately.

A couple weeks ago in Portland, Johnnyswim shared the inspiration for their song Drunks. Apparently there’s this bar in Nashville where all the hardcore soccer fans go. And during a match, things can get pretty nasty. One side yelling up a storm at the other. But there are these Irish folk songs that kick in after the game, and once they start, everyone sings. No matter who you were cheering for a minute ago.

Living in the USA right now feels like the country needs an Irish drinking song. This isn’t the first time of wild contentiousness, nor will it be the last, but a good time out would do wonders.

I used to think having the right facts could solve a lot of our problems. But if I doubted it before, this year has confirmed that people will gravitate towards “facts” that confirm what they already think is true and find ways to dismiss anything else. The right facts won’t change the world.

There’s something about beauty, though, that can still stop people in a single moment. For a new parent holding a tiny life in a maternity ward, the election is so far on the back burner it’s just white noise. For someone in the middle of this year’s most gorgeous weekend, next week need not come.

Our hearts were made to worship, and wonder still gets us where information fails us. Small fragments of starlight that can spell out true north.

#303 Mazed

29 October 2016 // Junction City, Oregon

This weekend was a great one for corn mazes and mud.

#304 The Pint Pot

30 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Gray mornings call for a classic Irish Pub. Thank goodness for The Pint Pot. An Irish coffee and a full Irish breakfast are exactly in order.

Here are a couple other things making me pretty happy this week.

I discovered that Terrence Malick’s film To The Wonder was streaming for free on Prime, and I loved it even though it wasn’t the most accessible of movies. In typical Malick fashion, it was full of amazing visuals, cryptic layers of meaning hiding beneath simple-but-poetic dialogue, and Javier Bardem being a priest. The film itself was so beautifully shot, despite being set in mostly sterile, suburban environments… but I kinda think that was supposed to be the point.

And on the other end of the spectrum, there’s that YouTube video of a dog’s favorite Gumby chew toy being brought to life by it’s owner in a Gumby costume. I’ve lost track of the amount of times I’ve watched it, I love it so.

And then there’s freaking baseball. What a game.

#305 Chill Halloween

31 October 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Happy Halloween my friends. We had a laid back dinner with friends kinda night, but I had some good reads to help me keep the day all spooky and such.

Also, we had zero trick or treaters! What’s going on, modern day children? I even heard some kids trick or treat at the door right across from us, never to come by.

Now I’m stuck with the dangerous prospect of endless fun size candies around the house.

SEPTEMBER 2016

#245 Ceviche

01 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I am a huge fan of ceviche. In between the fresh flavor of uncooked fish and the meatiness of cooked fish is cured fish.

The citrus was a bit strong on this one and I would’ve loved to add a bit more jalapeño heat. The fish texture came out great, though. I’m glad the guys at Newman’s recommended going with the snapper.

This also paired up pretty well with my leftover tortillas from yesterday, though some corn tortillas would’ve been nice too.

#246 Eugene Emeralds

02 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Congrats and good luck to the Eugene Emeralds on their playoff run, and a really good season after all. I’m glad we got to make it to a few games this year.

One of our marriage goals was to make it to four different Emeralds games, and we closed out the season with our fourth one. If I had to pick a favorite, I’d go with puppy night against Hillsboro a couple weeks ago.

#247 NEEDTOBREATHE

03 September 2016 // Bend, Oregon

On the unofficial last night of summer, we got to hang out at the park by the river with what felt like the entire city of Bend and watch a few really great bands put on a really great show.

There wasn’t a bad act in the lineup, but NEEDTOBREATHE was the headliner and so they brought some serious oomph with them on stage. I’ve heard from lots of people that they’re good live performers, and those people were right. Lately, I’ve been all about the song Happiness… the lyrics of that chorus telling me I wasn’t made for the simple life… that resonates the way a meaningful song does.

It’s all for you, in my pursuit of happiness.

#248 Sisters

04 September 2016 // Sisters, Oregon

So glad we were able to spend one of our last weekends of the summer in Sisters.

Food plus hikes and mountains plus campfires with roasted s’mores and garlic. Yes.

#249 Labor Day Weekend

05 September 2016 // Sisters, Oregon

Lets talk about this past Labor Day Weekend. Was it the best one of my life? I can’t really remember a past Labor Day off the top of my head, so probably!

We spent it sitting on this patio for hours and sipping chardonnay with coconut custard pie. Also, visiting Bend, camping at Sisters, listening to good music, roasting garlic by campfire, discovering amazing poke at Safeway of all places, and hiking to lakes.

This was a memorable summer. Lots of good. Lots of hard stuff. Lots of learning. It’s been a while since I’ve learned this much about myself. I’m glad we got to give this season a proper sendoff.

#250 Liberty Update

06 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Time to update our friends on one major bucket list item of ours… funding the rescue of a North Korean refugee.

One of our marriage goals is to raise $3,000 to fund the rescue of a refugee from North Korea to get safely out of China and into resettlement in the U.S. or in South Korea. We wanted to do this within our first 1,000 days of being married and we decided to make the year of 2016 our phase one. Raising the first half, or $1,500.

I’m happy to announce that this phase is complete and successful… and it’s all thanks to a ton of our friends and family who have helped contribute to our donation page or attend our various fundraising events that we’ve done. Here are some of the ways we’ve gotten to the amount so far: Everybody who pitched in $15 at our murder mystery party last Halloween, all those who helped give when we ran our half-marathon in May, everyone who paid at our charitable carbo-load the night before, lots of birthday gift donations on my birthday, and setting aside small portions of our paychecks.

Hats off to you! Now it’s time for phase two.

We’re about to launch a new fundraising page for the year ahead and you can see that it’s basically the same goal as last year. $1,500, or the second half of the rescue! We’d love it if you could give us a nice little boost to kick things off, and we’ll be brainstorming some other fun fundraising things we could put together soon.

#251 Beautiful Ruins

07 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“The smaller the space between your desire and what is right, the happier you will be.”

–Jess Walter

Man, I loved this book. It doesn’t end with a pretty bow and leaves room for life to be unexpected and difficult, but it does end with optimism, hope, and redemption, which I wish I could say was true of more books I read. Beautiful is in its title and the book lives up to the adjective.

The storyline jumps… a lot. From Italy to LA to the Pacific Northwest and London. From the sixties to World War 2 to a year or two ago or a script that exists outside of time. The characters are well defined and mostly likable. You wonder how a story can give so much of itself away so early, but still have more places to go as you read on. This book and Homegoing were my two favorite summer reads.

#252 Glenwood with GCF

08 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Maybe it’s the place, maybe it’s the stage of life, but when we first moved up to Eugene, Deanna and I had a much harder time finding community than we expected. There was a lot of meeting people, “we should hang out” exchanging, with nothing ever really happening.

A few years later, we really value the friends we’ve made here and the bonds we’ve formed. We are far more thankful for the community we’ve managed to grow into over time. There are times in life where you meet people right and left and times where that happens way more slowly. Either way, though, you’ll always need people.

#253 Chicken Inasal

09 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Chicken adobo isn’t the only Filipino chicken dish worth knowing. Chicken Inasal is the regional dish of Iloilo, and for a roast chicken recipe, good execution makes all the difference. The meal itself is kind of simple… chargrilled chicken marinated in a blend of spices. The marinade blend is what sets it all apart, though.

The end product should be a flavorful anatto and lemongrass chargrilled chicken. Neither of those two ingredients are very beginner friendly, but their flavors are amazing when used well.

After I plated this, I decided to amp up the chargrilled feature by throwing it under the broiler for a bit. It charred the skin and improved the texture, but the first version was the more photogenic dish.

#254 Hellgate

10 September 2016 // Grants Pass, Oregon

One of the most fun things I’ve done since living in Oregon was going on the Hellgate jetboat ride. I’ve heard so many people who’ve done it talk it up. Rightfully so.

The jet boat goes thirty-six miles down the Rogue River and into Hellgate Canyon. It’s a lovely and scenic ride with the wind in your face and waving hi to all the fishermen.

After reaching Hellgate Canyon, we spun around to a boat-in only restaurant where we got bottomless mimosas, and a pretty full breakfast. Because what better way to wrap up a nice boat ride than with brunch?

Then then Hellgates open. Unfortunately for anyone who overindulged at brunch, the jet boat ride back is a bit more of a thrill ride. The captain steers the boat over as many choppy waters and into as many spins as they can manage. Everyone gets wet. Especially the guy in the first row who was celebrating his 75th birthday.

So much fun.

#255 Inasal Tacos

11 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Sunday afternoons are for no-rules. Alright, there’s one rule. Nothing that feels like work, and just spend time with people or doing inspiring things that birth new ideas and energy.

Today’s inspiration came in the form of Emiril’s Amazon show and looking through the pictures and words in what might be my new favorite cookbook. Oh and a nice can of passionfruit juice.

Feeling pretty inspired after that, I put together my leftover chicken inasal with some spicy papaya salad to make yet another Filipino style taco.

#256 Summerbier

12 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

With summer coming to a close a little too fast, I went to go buy up some of my favorite limited release summer beers before they went away and became impossible to find. Here are my top three from this year, all available in cans.

Oakshire Cucumber Belgian Ale – Not so much of a sour that it turns into a pickle beer, but a perfect mix of everything that’s in its name. It’s a summer afternoon beer, and I prefer not to have it with food, since it’s got an interesting taste of its own.

Anchor Brewing Meyer Lemon Lager – Much like the Cucumber Belgian, this is also a beer that hits the spot after a long day. It’s a mellow lager, which means it can kind of act as an afternoon session. The amount of lemon is just right.

Mazama Brewing Mosaic IPA – Hey, something from Corvalis that I like! And an IPA that I like! This is all kinds of unlikely. The hops that go into this beer are actually pretty flavorful and not bitterly repugnant. This isn’t an exclusive summer release, per se, but that’s when I think it goes best.

#257 Candied Jalapeño Cornbread

13 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I seem to have a little knack for cornbread. I never made it prior to this year, but I’ve gotten some pretty happy feedback each time.

If that’s the case, I thought I should step my game up with candied jalapeño cornbread. Jalapeños plus sugar plus patience.

It was a success! And Deanna made some chili so it was a double win.

#258 Garden City

14 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“We need to learn to embrace our potential and our limitations. Because both of them are signposts, pointing us forward into God’s calling on our life.”

–John Mark Comer

This was a good book to read as I look to re-enter the job market. Job hunting, to be honest, is one of my least favorite things to do.

Garden City offers a broader perspective on the role of work, the role of rest, and the bigger idea of working towards the reinvention of the world. I appreciated so much of this outlook on how as different as one person’s responsibilities might look from another person’s, all are part of the world being restored.

What I appreciated was how this book affirms how all jobs can be potentially significant when it comes to this task. It isn’t just the humanitarian, the political leader, or the child surgeon who gets the privilege of being part of changing the world, but really, almost all jobs and roles play a necessary role.

I’m also challenged by some of this book because I definitely have jack-of-all-trades tendencies, and Garden City explains very well why it’s important to do something well and to be dedicated to it. I’m definitely wired to be an experiencer, but deep down I agree it’s important to hone a skill to develop.

#259 Trivial

15 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Another pretty good trivia night in the bags.

I’m calling shenanigans on the trivia master’s use of Wikipedia for info, though.

#260 That Kinda Day

16 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I know that based on my social media posts, one could easily believe I live a problem free life, driving fancy sports cars and sharing mimosas with my famous rapper friends without a worry or care. It’s a good life, no doubt, but here’s a humble reminder that it isn’t all gold flakes and tiramisu.

I spent most of today trying to put out a fire, helping a client get his urgent email back up and running after some web work got a little out of hand. I was in the office all day until I needed to go pick Deanna up from work and it felt like one thing after another. Unfortunately, this also meant Beignet had to wait on the patio for me to get home for an unusually long time. I took her to the dog park and when I got back I was ready to do absolutely nothing.

It was a long day with lots of surprises I wouldn’t have wanted, but somebody wise once said that once you realize the sets of problems other people face you would gladly accept your own. I think it might’ve been Lil’ Wayne. Sorry I couldn’t take your calls today, pal.

#261 Thor’s Well

17 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This summer went by fast and slow. I saw some really difficult moments within my family but fell in Love with simple weekends with Deanna more and more. I seemed to go somewhere every weekend and yet I felt like I stayed home the entire year. This was the summer that contradicted itself entirely.

It’s over now, and it’ll take a while to get my head around everything that happened in the past few months. I do know that I’ve learned quite a bit about myself. These things will help me make better choices in the upcoming year when life gets a total makeover and when I’ll probably have to make more than one tough decision.

1 – I learned that I place an extremely high value on experiences. It’s really hard for me to be just satisfied with dissecting an idea with textbooks and theories, I need to actually try stuff out and do things. That means I have to find out what endeavors are right for me by trying out a variety of things and discovering what doesn’t work. Knowing that helps me be more patient with myself when it comes to figuring out what I want to do and more gracious with myself when things don’t go right.

2 – Related to that, I have an unusually high amount of energy for doing things and for variety. Doing the same thing all the time sounds like a death trap to me, and it takes zero effort for me to start planning my next idea. It’s been really important for me to learn this so I can be careful not to wear out other people around me, since few people are built with a similar energy. Knowing this has helped me be more compassionate to those closest to me, and has made me conscious that I need outlets for that energy.

3 – I thrive when I’m connected to a cause, when I can use my energy to get other people fired up for something that I sincerely believe matters. Times in my life where I’ve done really well have been when I’ve had a cause pretty centrally positioned in my life– North Korea, kids in South Africa, working at an autism center. I’ve put an incredible amount of effort this decade towards trying to find a role that fits me well that allows me to pour that energy into. That project still isn’t complete, but learning this has helped.

#262 The Fix Up

18 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I’ve come to love cutting back on the things I own. Taking old clothes to be donated. Giving old books away to friends or selling them at Powell’s. I swear to you I didn’t just find out I’m dying. It’s just better in so many ways to own just enough… not more and not less.

I’m sure I’ll always have a few things I’ll accumulate quickly. The bookshelves will replenish themselves soon and it’s hard to say no to a useful kitchen gadget. I’ve spent most of my adulthood so far pretty low-budget, so I turned into an excellent scavenger. Hopefully I can keep up these new habits though for the benefit of other scavengers.

I got to spend a good amount of time today tidying up and I’m quite pleased with the look of our living room.

I don’t know when this change happened but I’ve come to love the look of my space when it’s all cleaned up and neat. Growing up, I was kind of a messy kid. Now, having a house with everything squared away feels weirdly energizing.

#263 Last Week Off

19 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I have this week off, more or less. Some errands and odd jobs and freelance projects to tinker with, but mostly a week off.

Stopping myself from doing too much work this week. I can do this so easily when I start to get spare time. I like to take on a bunch of projects, and sometimes having nothing to do for a week gives my brain too much space to start taking on even more projects.

My goal right now is to not let that happen. Weeks like this don’t come by very often.

#264 GCF Welcome

20 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Spent some time welcoming new grad students onto campus. Here’s some of the things this week making me happy.

I’m loving the show Galavant. I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard at a TV show in a long time.

I love Rover. The Airbnb of pet sitting. We needed to find someone for Beignet this weekend while we’re in Austin. I hope to get myself listed there as a dog walker soon enough!

I loved watching the Marlins play for the first time on Monday since Jose Fernandez’s death. By now a bunch of people have seen headlines and replays of Dee Gordon hitting a home run on the first at bat any one of his teammates took after the tragedy, but watching it in real time was unbelievable. By far the most emotional oomph and heart I’ve ever seen out of a game, personally, and I’m glad I gave this a watch on Monday night. We all could do with some reminders of how human we are.

#265 Jeremy Visits Eugene

21 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

A visit from Jeremy wouldn’t be complete without taking him to get his shots.

#266 Andrew Pham

22 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Heads up, Eugene! If any of you are looking for a piano teacher or if you need somebody to play for you or accompany you at some event, Andrew Pham is your guy!

He and I got to take some headshots together to update his site and they are coming together.

#267 A Tale For The Time Being

23 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“Life is fleeting. Don’t waste a single moment of your precious life. Wake up now! And now! And now!”

–Ruth Ozeki

This book. I’ve been mesmerized by it since reading it. I’m completely fascinated by the amount of invention in the idea of this book and the amount of vividness in the way it was executed.

Ruth Ozeki essentially wrote herself as a character, interacting with another character she invented. Oftentimes, this book hardly feels like a work or fiction and you genuinely feel like you’re with Ruth, reading the discovered diary of Naoko in Japan. It feels like all this is happening just off of Vancouver Island in real time, as you read, which is quite a feat. There are more magical elements like disappearing pages, alternate futures, ghosts and superpowers, and yet it still feels realer than some biographies I’ve read.

The character voices in this book were so vivid and likeable. There are some horrific moments, but also coming to terms. This book straddles between timelines, fiction and nonfiction, magical realism and naturalism, darkness and light so quickly. Overcoming duality seems to be at the center of these stories and they accomplish their goal. There are some heavy themes in here, but if you like fiction that provokes some thought, I can’t recommend this enough.

#268 Oregon Ducks

24 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I’ve had the perk of getting Deanna and I into games for fifteen bucks the past couple years, but this will be our last season to take advantage of that.

Unfortunately our five game sample size gives us a losing record.

W vs. Colorado, 2014
W vs. Georgia State, 2015
L vs. Utah, 2015
L vs. Washington State, 2015
L vs. Colorado, 2016

Always leave things better than you found them. I love this idea. Sadly this won’t be the case with Ducks football. We came in during their best season ever.

Anytime Marcus Mariota wants to take a gap year from the NFL for grad school is fine by me.

#269 Joy Worship

25 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Over two years ago, Deanna started telling me that she wanted to get involved with a worship music team. She’d never really done it before, except for a little stint with a college gospel choir. She just felt real strongly that it was something she was being pulled towards. When she told me this we just moved to Eugene and hadn’t even found a church up here yet.

On Sunday she supplied our church’s music team with some female vocals. It was basically Sister Act.

Sometimes, you know that you’re called to do something but then you have to wait a while. Don’t rush, don’t quit. Just stay ready

#270 Grad School: Last Round

26 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Today, I started my very last quarter of grad school. Ever feel restless with your current life? I do.

I wish I could say that I was a little more excited for the term. To be honest, though, I’m feeling pretty ready to be finished with school and ready to be working full time.

I look forward to have a job that involves helping people more directly- not to say you can’t through academics, but that’s so not the way I’m built. Lately, I’ve felt a bit like a bench warmer when hearing people describe their jobs- especially ones where they get to work directly with people. Even when I hear about their really stressful situations, I remember how restless I get with theories and theses and I get a pretty bad case of put-me-in-coach!

At the end of summer, I came super close to ending early to take a job I would have loved and given my all. And it didn’t quite work out, so now I’ve got an anticlimactic feeling going into the term. But I know the reminder I need.

The way to get to where you wanna be starts with giving the present your very best.

I have ten weeks to do as good of a job with my current work as I can possibly do. And even if it’s not an apparent high stakes situation, I’ll have students to help learn about the world… and who knows what any of them might do with that knowledge. These ten weeks are ones I’ll never get back once they’re finished, so I’d better make them count.

Contentment can be a challenge for me, but it’s important to learn. But if I can learn some things about it over the next ten weeks, then it’ll be time unwasted.

#271 Beef Tenderloin with Garlic Horseradish

27 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This week’s challenge dinner was a little bit labor intensive. Prep took a bit longer than usual. I sacrificed a pepper grinder in the process. And it was all worth it.

These two items paired together beautifully. I don’t know which component I liked better, the tenderloin or the garlic horseradish. Considering that one’s a meat and the other’s a sauce, I guess that says a lot about how well slow roasted garlic and horseradish meld… not that this is any surprise to me. Those are two of my favorite tastes.

I didn’t really nail this dish. I slightly overcooked the tenderloin and reducing the cream for the sauce got really messy. But it was still so satisfying in spite of all its flaws, meaning it’ll be really worthwhile to gain some mastery of it.

#272 Short Haired Dee

28 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna bet on the Ducks this weekend and had to cut her hair all off.

Kidding.

She did cut off about a foot though to donate. Stylish and charitable!

Deanna now looks the way she did when we started dating, and that’s the circle of life pretty much.

#273 Texas Sized Pregame

29 September 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Leave the dog at the sitter– check.

Pack up more books than you have days on this trip– check.

Phils cap to take care of morning hair– check.

Coffee, coffee, coffee– check.

Just had a fully loaded Thursday and still found some time to pack up the Osprey.

Onwards to Texas, amigos. Got a 2 AM start to the day’s journey

#274 Marble Falls

30 September 2016 // Marble Falls, Texas

“That scene still haunts me. The explosion and then five minutes. If only I… If only I… and then the capsule hits the water, it’s all over. Then you realize it’s all the same– five minutes, five days, 50 years. It’s all the same, for it’s over before we realize…. It may be the last time… stop, appreciate the blessings you have. ‘If only I could’- you still can, you’ve got today.”

–Rabbi Berger

The New York Times ran a really interesting piece on Rabbi Kenneth Berger this week. The Rabbi gave a Yom Kippur sermon the year of the Challenger Explosion that contained the above quote, reflecting what it would be like to stare at death from five minutes away. Only a few years later, in 1989, the Rabbi and his wife experienced exactly what he preached about, being killed in a plane crash over the Midwest.

Time is a crazy thing. This year I’ve had to say goodbye to two family members who’ve lived very long and full lives, and yet they felt too short. I’ve had to wait and countdown the weeks until grad school is finished, and that feels like forever. And all while this is going on, I’ve got no idea how much time I’ve got left.

Something about life’s brevity and uncertainty gives it so much value, and it gives today so much value. There are nights where it’s tempting to want to go from one errand to the next, connecting the dots into the next day. You’ve only got so much time to do that before you don’t get to anymore. Not with the people around you right now. Not in the place you’re in right now.

AUGUST 2016

#214 Cold Brew

01 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I don’t know why, but the tweet that’s made me laugh the most out of all the tweets I’ve ever read was this one:

“When drinking cold brew, it is proper etiquette to stand up, look the barista in the eyes, and say ‘damn, that brew is COLD!’

#215 Mango Salsa

02 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I am giving myself a pretty big pat on the back for being able to anticipate what sort of meals I’d like to be preparing mid-summer… the meat-and-starch-heavy, labor intensive projects have been on break for a while, giving way to more light and refreshing summer fare.

Chips and salsa were due up next, and not only was this a pretty easy task, but salsa is one item that you can really get creative with and transform with endless combinations.

Although, if you’re me, you’re such a big fan of mango salsa that submitting anything else as an entry for my cooking project was simply unthinkable.

#216 Sonny

03 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Not everybody gets to have lunch with Sonny Van in their town in the middle of the week. #blessed am I.

Ninkasi, sushiritos, and good chats about what life’s been serving us lately, which isn’t always easy but at least it doesn’t have to be a solo act.

#217 Chocolate Coconut Coffee Seltzer

04 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I listened to an episode of The Splendid Table that got me all into the idea of afternoon seltzers, spritzers, and aperitifs.

Here’s one that I managed to whip up, a chocolate coffee coconut seltzer. Sort of a West Coast upgrade to the traditional egg cream.

Bonus points: just a little splash of amarula.

#218 Cuisines of the Axis of Evil

05 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“This plan of attack presumes you are feeding a crowd of eight esurient diners.” .

–Chris Fair

Oh man… I really wanted to like this book! In theory, it seemed to have all the markings of a book I’d enjoy. Food as a tool of understanding some of the most difficult nations to get our heads around! Cooking as diplomacy! Maybe those raised my expectations way too high, because I was severely disappointed.

Unfortunately, this book suffers from a pretty big identity crisis. Instead of coming across like an experience or firsthand account, each chapter reads like an overambitious textbook that tries to cram an entire nation’s history into five or six pages before abruptly turning into a cookbook. The book jacket talks about the author sharing meals with Delhi prostitutes and Talibs in Peshawar. The book itself shares none of those stories, instead going for information that could be easily found online and flat attempts at humor.

There were also so many points where Chris Fair’s writing got so distracting as I would read over sentences and think of how each one could have been better written. I don’t know if it’s her academic background, or what, but she never chooses the clearest way to say something when there are million dollar vocabulary words available. If only big words made for good writing. Her excessive vocabulary and lack of filters for what details to include resulted in sentences like the above quote.

I will point say that I did learn something new– that in India you can hire a coach to help you cheat on exams. And I have yet to actually try out her recipes, so perhaps there’s room for redemption there.

#219 Miike Snow

06 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This weekend was niice. With two i’s.

Of all the concerts I’ve seen in the past several years, I was probably the least familiar with Miike Snow’s music before going to their show. But hey, I like Animal and Genghis Khan and a handful of others, and I had an inkling that they’d be a fun bunch to see live.

They were! And it isn’t very often that bands like them drop by Eugene.

#220 State Street Evening

07 August 2016 // Santa Barbara, California

This summer couldn’t end without another mostly unplanned, rather unexpected trip. Thankfully it wasn’t to the other side of the world this time, just Southern California.

This trip enabled me to see my aunts, and to go to my cousin’s birthday party. That also meant pounds and pounds of Filipino food for lunch.

And then the evening came and I got to see Matt and treat him out to fro yo for his birthday. And I got to wander State Street for a bit. If only I had a bit more time to see people while in SB. But I’ll take this.

#221 Short SB Stint

08 August 2016 // Santa Barbara, California

Took a very quick, almost unplanned, and way unannounced visit to Santa Barbara today. I really wish I had the ability to stay much longer, because there would’ve been so many people I’d have loved to see. Unfortunately I was in town for mere hours, so I ended up making it just a quiet solo visit.

This was my first time back here since I got married over a year ago. That’s also officially the longest amount of time I’ve spent away from Santa Barbara since I started living there almost a decade ago.

I still like the way the streets feel. And I know that there’s a sense of home here that I’ll never fully erase no matter what happens.

#222 New Year’s Resolution

09 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This is my view from the couch. I never intended the couch to be my primary workspace, but that started when I adopted the dog and continues on to this summer.

I stare at this corner wall, kind of an awkwardly designed corner the more you look at it. This location has managed to sell a decent portion of my book’s copies.

Also, my new resolution was to finally put some photos in that window-style frame. New year’s resolution accomplished!

#223 Cherry Pie

10 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

It is summer, therefore, I will make pie.

I am making a pie, therefore I will make it out of as many cherries as I can get my hands on while they’re in season.

Well, I feel accomplished today.

#224 Cornbread with Cheri

11 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s been a pretty busy week- I had a presentation of some sort nearly every day, but that’s over and now it’s time to go explore some Oregon small towns in the middle of nowhere.

Current musical fixation: Oh Wonder. Phantogram-esque production with more restraint and way better harmonies.

Also, I watched The Little Prince last night. Wayyyy different from what I was expecting but that movie was romanticism and whimsy.

#225 Bryndzové Halusky

12 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Six years ago, I was wandering around Slovakia. A friend I met on the airplane decided to hunt for a meal with me. We went into a nameless restaurant in a rustic old alleyway. I was served a tall pitcher of beer and a meal I’ll always remember, even if I never got its name. The best way I could describe it was something like a goat cheese gnocchi with large chunks of seared bacon or pancetta on top. It was Central European comfort food at its finest. 

Flash forward to several months ago and I find an article in Anthony Bourdain’s Roads & Kingdoms online magazine about the mysterious Slovakian masterpiece, bryndzové halusky.

While I couldn’t find all the right ingredients (the cheese is a special Slovak cheese that makes for an impossible scavenger hunt in the US) I learned enough about how to take on making this recipe myself using chèvre, a couple potatoes, and uncured block bacon. I’m pleased with these results.

#226 Eastern Oregon

13 August 2016 // Joseph, Oregon

This has been one of the strangest summers for me on record. A lot of new things, a lot of challenging and difficult things, and a lot of unexpected things. Most of all, a lot of not really knowing what comes next.

I recently realized that there was so much ambiguity in my life that I can’t really make any plans beyond September. Then it also occurred to me how much I liked that… just having to take things weeks at a time, and soon enough, days.

The summer’s winding down, and I’m not even sure if it felt fast or long. That probably means it was both in some ways. There were times where I was so busy that it felt more like a really warm March.

At the same time this summer has also been full of some really beautiful moments, like getting out of a car I had spent seven hours driving just in time to witness the sun finally go down in a part of Oregon I’d never seen before– the mysterious, sparsely populated east. Deanna and I needed to cook dinner and ended up being shifty and “borrowing” a fold out table from a laundromat to get by. It was an unexpected challenge, but one all the more memorable because of that.

#227 The Wallowas

14 August 2016 // Wallowa Lake, Oregon

I’ve heard the Wallowas refered to as the Oregonian Alps, so naturally, I wanted to head over there last weekend.

Great mountains and backpacking trails that stretch for days. Literally. It was hard for us to find a hike that could be done within a couple hours.

We weren’t able to stay for very long, but this place was gorgeous- and I’m glad the Seven Wonders of Oregon campaign included something from the less visited Eastern Oregon.

#228 Market of Choice

15 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I love buying groceries in bulk. Seriously one of the best ways to save a lot of money and to reduce food waste.

This is one of the reasons I like Market of Choice. Most of the time I think of it as an expensive grocery store, which is true if you buy the seven dollar cookies on display right by the door.

But, if you know how to hunt around for basics, find some of their special deals, or spend some time discovering their massive bulk section, it’s a great spot.

#229 Poké Stroll

16 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This is the part of town that is always flooded with Pokémon Go players. There’s been a crowd over here for two months now. People sit on the corner by the creek on lawn chairs with their phones out.

There are three Pokéstops at the intersection, and all of them always have lures. The Bier Stein is right here and I wonder if they love the foot traffic or find it a nuisance. My guess is that they like it, and my sneaking suspicion is that they’ve been planting the lures. And why not? If I owned a business near three Pokéstops, I’d spend a good ten bucks a day to keep foot traffic pretty heavy in front.

I joined the crowd for the first time last week with my friend Andrew. We mostly went to try and take over as many gyms as we could. A successful outing.

#230 Coach Pro

17 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Sometimes new endeavors and opportunities spring up out of nowhere and take off way faster than you’d expect. Doesn’t always happen, but sometimes it does, and it’s one of those things I like a lot about life.

This summer, an unexpected side hustle showed up. I’ve been doing work on copywriting and content consulting with different organizations to help make their messages more clear, more energized, and more empathetic. This sort of stems from a realization I had earlier this year about how people are designed to thrive off of helping each other.

So far, I’ve really enjoyed doing this! One of the companies I’ve had a really fun time working with has been Coach Pro, that does customizations and repairs on big coach buses. I’ve got to go inside some of their vehicles and Xzibit would be totally jealous. These guys have a lot of fun making a bus just right for whoever they’re working with– whether that’s been converting a coach into a camoflauge-patterned man cave or making a big RV disability-friendly. Their old website was informative, but it didn’t quite showcase what a great service they did for their clients. Their new one does.

So far these projects have been a really good fit for me, and I look forward to taking on more in the upcoming months. If you know someone who could use a storyteller, give me a holler.

#231 Guest Room

18 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Our guest room has a futon bed, fully loaded bookshelves, and lots and lots of maps on the wall.

Spent a little bit of time in the afternoon getting the guest room ready for Justin and Caytlin over the weekend.

When we were looking for our first apartment together we knew that one thing we really wanted was a guest room. We love it when friends come to visit.

#232 Waffles in Town

19 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This is gonna be a good weekend– we’ve got a visit from CC and Justin and of course, Charlie Waffles the corgi.

Good times on the Ninkasi porch with two puppies in tow.

#233 Wildwood Falls

20 August 2016 // Culp Creek, Oregon

We loved having visitors, as we always do. Caytlin and Justin came to town to pay us a visit, and Charlie Waffles came with them.

It was a great couple days of eating great food, going out into the woods and finding a waterfall to go splash in.

One of the hardest parts when we first moved to Oregon was being far away from some of our closest friends. One of the best parts was having endless nature to go be mesmerized by. Last weekend was a combo of that first problem being solved and that second gift being enjoyed. Perfect.

#234 Picnic After Church

21 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

One of the earliest moments when I decided our church would be a good fit was when everybody went out to grab burgers together after the service on Sunday. Churches that eat together are my favorite.

Today after church, a friend’s parents were in town and the weather was nice and warm. A bunch of us ended up gathered at the park to enjoy a simple picnic.

We had some amazing grilled barbecue chicken, some tasty burgers, and seemingly bottomless chips. Sunday afternoons like this are great.

#235 Southeast Asian Food Night

22 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

My small group at church is responsible for me getting to enjoy one fantastic meal every week.

This week we had an Asian food night, which turned out to be noodles galore.

I got to try my hand at making pad see ew, which is my favorite Thai dish, for the first time. Came out a bit salty but people seemed to like it.

#236 Emeralds Puppy Night

23 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Beignet got to go to her first baseball game this week. The Emeralds hosted puppy night at the ballpark as a fundraiser for the shelter we adopted her from.

There were dogs everywhere at this game. If you love baseball and dogs, you would’ve thought you were in the best place on earth.

I think Beignet liked the game. She at least liked the sasquatch mascot. She was less thrilled by all the stairs we had to climb on the bleachers and the scary foul ball that came our way.

#237 Prosciutto, Arugula, Mozzarella Pizza

24 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

We made it a pizza night, and I got to try out a new recipe.

Made the crust from a recipe that mostly resembled my baguette dough. I added a little rosemary because that’s fun. And for toppings, prosciutto, arugula, and mozzarella. I love the way a deep cheese blends with he saltiness of prosciutto and the bitter spike from the arugula leaves.

Pizzas are some of the best meals to make at home. High reward for a pretty simple process.

#238 Hop Valley Trivia Night

25 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Went to Hop Valley’s trivia night for the first time. Showed up. Signed up. Dominated.

First time I’ve ever placed as high as second, and we could’ve had a good run at first if only we remembered Ellen Degeneres’ short stint as an American Idol judge.

We did good enough for me to win a $10 gift certificate for burgers in Albany, though.

#239 Deanna Rocks!

26 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I don’t get to brag about Deanna nearly enough, but she does really meaningful work and really difficult work. And she’s really, really good at it.

It’s impossible to know how many crises she’s averted or how many lives she’s saved through hard work, but I know she’s helped a ton of people. At the very least, there’s one kid out there this week who is in a much safer situation thanks to Deanna.

I get to be married to an actual hero. How cool is that?

#240 Camp Agape

27 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

My friend Andrew invited us to come check out a camp he’s been involved with for a couple years, and we’re so glad we took his invitation yesterday to come hang out at the campgrounds yesterday.

The site was awesome- it was everything I remembered from my childhood summer camps, but with even more. Mini golf, a zip line, bumper boats, even this pulley system so kids could be yanked 60 feet in the air.

The best thing of all though was that the camp sends these kids home with messages of being Loved and not being alone. All of them have parents in prison, and that’s not a population I think of a whole lot, but man, they have it rough in so many ways. I’m glad this camp exists for them.

#241 Vietnamese Spring Roll

28 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Vietnamese fresh spring rolls are probably my favorite dinner during the summer.

For the most part, ingredients are pretty cheap and basic. I can fill my belly at a low cost, and that doesn’t always happen. There is also very little cooking with heat needed- just to boil the rice noodles and somewhat cook the shrimp. And most of the ingredients are the crisp, cool type perfect for summer.

#242 Powell’s Rummage

29 August 2016 // Portland, Oregon

A quick trip to Portland for errands would not be complete without setting aside an hour for exploring, preferably bookstore exploring.

I decided to skip out on the usual Powell’s spot for the smaller but easier Powell’s on Hawthorne. It’s still a Powell’s so I did not walk out empty handed.

Books, I look forward to the time we’ll be spending together soon!

#243 Bijou Art Cinema

30 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Thanks to this little indie theatre that runs out of an office suite, I’ve gotten to see a pretty good pair of movies this week that you can’t find in most theaters.

Deanna and I went to see Captain Fantastic, which truly was fantastic, and not at all a superhero movie. (Otherwise I never would’ve gotten Deanna to go). Viggo Mortensen plays a “fight-the-power” hippie dad who has to figure out if he wants to continue raising his kids in the woods after their mom dies. It’s a little bit Moonrise Kingdom meets Into The Wild, but also it’s entirely own thing. I don’t think I’ve seen such an honest portrayal of an alternative way of living in a movie.

Then I got to see Don’t Think Twice which I liked. It was a bit insidery to the whole world of stand up comedy and theatre, but way, way back in the day I did my share of improv, so I liked it.

#244 Tortillas

31 August 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I took a stab at handmade tortillas tonight, these were perfect for helping us finish off a batch of leftover carnitas.

Conclusion: these were great and kind of fun to make, but I don’t know if I’ll be doing it again anytime soon. Getting the flour thin enough was so time consuming, and a pack of tortillas at the store is pretty cheap. At least I made enough for a stack of leftovers.

This gives me new appreciation for the lady I met in San Antonio who cranks out stacks of these every hour by hand. I think she held a record or something. The shop where she worked sold shirts with her picture on it that said Rage Against the Tortilla Machine.

JULY 2016

#183 French Toast

01 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

The very first thing I learned how to cook ever was french toast. It seemed appropriate that one of the items on my list should be trying to perfect my very first recipe that I made as a kid.

I was at my aunt and uncle’s, and my Auntie Ella would always prepare me these massive breakfasts with all the classics. Sausage links and eggs and bacon and O.J. And french toasts would be an important part, too. One time she asked me if I wanted to give it a shot. I don’t recall it being any different from a typical french toast recipe. A wash of eggs. Cinnamon. Powdered sugar.

That being my first recipe and all, I wanted to make sure to do it justice when making it as a part of my cooking project. That meant the non-negotiable were truly non-negotiable. Texas Toast, even though some lady at the grocery store tried to pitch a discounted loaf of white bread. A double wash of the eggs. A bit of butter and vanilla extract. Just the right frying time.

A couple of maple sausage links on the side and the world has come full circle.

#184 St. John’s Bridge

02 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I’m in Portland. I love this city so much. Every single time I’ve come here, I’ve gotten this feeling that I belong. I don’t know what it is, but I’ve felt it so deep. There’s something about the spacing of the buildings downtown, the contrast of the muted red tones of brick buildings against the green shade of trees, the way the city feels so intimate and endless at the same time.

I wish I could put this feeling into words a little bit better. It reminds me just a little bit of the feeling I’d get from Santa Barbara, the last place where I ever felt truly at home. I wish I had the words to explain this to Deanna, as we start to deliberate where we want to live next. I wish I had the words to explain this to my family, who all anticipate my return to California. That’s the logical thing to do on paper, and there’s probably a pretty good chance that we’ll end up there, but for now, I’m in Portland and it’s amazing.

#185 Ivy & JB in Portland

03 July 2016 // Portland, Oregon

How do you Portland in 36 hours? Basically, you eat. Pick berries, then eat. Go see a waterfall, and eat. Powell’s of course, then more food.

That was basically our task at hand when Ivy and JB came up to visit us for the weekend but only really had one and a half days to spend exploring my favorite big city. There was Pok Pok and Powell’s and Salt & Straw and all the things I’d deem as a Portland must. Not an easy task when that’s an ever growing list.

I’m satisfied with all we got done. Most of all, it was great getting to spend some time with these two again.

#186 Fourthland

04 July 2016 // Portland, Oregon

It was a very good 4th with some very good friends to wrap up a very good weekend.

This week will once again be full of hustle and work and contemplating options and balancing money and trying to figure out what’s next in life.

None of that matters while fireworks are going off. While the sky is on fire and flecks of gold rain down on the waterfront.

#187 The Olympic Trials

05 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

The Olympic Trials are in town!

For the most part, this means my favorite restaurants will be unusually packed and that I’ll have to start parking somewhere else to get to the University.

Other than that, though, it’s pretty great having some of this excitement around Eugene.

#188 Thesis Revisions

06 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Thesis crunch time is in full swing!

I don’t know how my advisor did it, but in about a week she managed to make corrections and edits for all 240 pages. Hopefully she’s still got some energy left for the final copy which I’m hurting to get done tonight.

Less than a week until I defend this thing. End in sight!

#189 Five of Seven

07 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

After selling back a ton of extra books to Powell’s, Deanna and I made quite a decent amount of money in the form of Powell’s gift cards that we should have no trouble using up.

We started by trying to recover the lost childhood artifact of the entire Harry Potter series.

For less than $50, we’re off to a good start. In one swoop I managed to find used copies of everything but books two and seven, all in the familiar friendly paperback covers we’ve come to love.

#190 Ellie & Sabrina Visit

08 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

We got the treat of having our friends Ellie and Sabrina come through Eugene on their epic Portland and Yosemite road trip.

Per usual we got to take them out to Sweet Life.

To absolutely nobody’s surprise, Beignet loved them too much and I had an excuse to test out a chicken nugget recipe I’ve been wanting to make.

#191 Emerlads Night

09 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Baseball parks are pretty much my favorite place to be this time of the year.

Truth be told, the main reason we went to this game was because we thought it would be the Emeralds’ tribute night to Prince. Unfortunately I read the schedule wrong and they were wearing pinstripes instead of their special Purple Rain jerseys, but we had a good time anywho.

Baseball is summer, even when you’re at the lowest level of minor leagues.

#192 Pokémon Go

10 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Ah, Pokémon Go, I’ve been waiting for you!

So far, it’s been as fun as I thought it might be to run all over town to catch ‘em all. And Eevee looks like my dog, which kind of explains why they keep flocking to my house.

Thankful for technology that brings a world that was a blast to explore during childhood into (augmented) reality. And to the dog park at Alton Baker for being the best place to catch Pokémon. I’m sure Beignet is thankful as well.

#193 Mom & Aunt Viv Visit

11 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Mom & Aunt Viv got into town yesterday. We are getting visitors left and right this summer and we absolutely love it.

Later this week, Deanna’s family gets into town.

Also… Slowbro!

#194 Thesis Defended!

12 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Twelve months of writing, three months in South Africa, 240 pages of work, and I can now celebrate a Masters’ thesis successfully defended!

Honestly, today was the fun part. I just got to stand in front of my committee and talk for thirty minutes about my time working with orphans and vulnerable kids in South Africa. Those kids are the best though and I can easily talk about them for hours.

I’m so thankful to have the kiddos as a part of my life for forever in some way, to have Deanna so willing to join me on my research trip, for the staff at 5Cees being accommodating, for my academic committee actually being really fun to work with, and for my friends and family willing to sit through academic jargon to watch me defend. I’ve got a great team!

#195 Day at the Public Market

13 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Spend the day acting as tour guide to my mom and aunt and took them to the one part of town I’m most confident that they’d enjoy… the Fifth Street Public Market!

I got to treat myself to a slice of Mereguez pizza with some amazing lamb sausage, plus a bottle of drinking vinegar soda on the side.

Also, while they were shopping, I managed to grab myself a Sandslash. Pretty swell.

#196 Energy Bars

14 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I hit the halfway point of my 2016 cooking goals! Of course, right when I hit the halfway point, I started to get busy and skipped a few weeks.

I felt pretty determined to not let another week pass me by without crossing anything off, so in spite of this week probably being my most sedentary week of the year (I’ll be sitting on a plane for over 60 hours) I cooked up my most high octane food item. Power bars.

Considering most power bars taste kinda weird and have a weird texture, I figured it would be hard coming up with a standard to gauge how well I did this recipe. I somewhat based a lot of the ingredients off what I could recall from a Good Eats episode with peanut butter, tofu, wheat germ, and oat bran being the main components. I also got pretty excited at my grocery’s bulk section when I found things like dried whole bananas and cherries to include.

When it was finished, I actually thought it was pretty good for a power bar. The texture was still a little bit funky, I blame the tofu, but everything kind of melded together and formed a cohesive taste that was dominated by the peanut butter and bananas- and that’s a solid combination right there.

#197 Lola’s Love

15 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Sometimes I wonder what qualities exist in the type of person God allows to live that long. I think it’s a strong suggestion that Lola’s presence on the earth was needed for nearly a century. Her Love. Her gentleness. Her care for her family.

When she would wake up at three, I wondered what she was doing. How many things were there for her to do at three in the morning?

She prayed. For each of her kids. And grandkids. And eventually, great-grandkids.

Lola’s Love was so large that it ends up sounding statistical. Ask anyone in her family and they’ll start rattling off a tally of family members. Kids? 9. Grandkids? 20. I guess it makes sense that she lived so long, she always put up astounding numbers.

Lola’s very long life was spent surrounded by Love, and at the end of the day, no matter how many years we get, I think that’s all we could really want. To know that we have Loved and been Loved. Lola spent nearly a century giving and receiving Love as freely as possible.

#198 Sweetwater Grill

16 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Thanks to Deanna’s family coming into town, I had the chance to eat at the Sweetwater Grill for the first time.

This place sits right on the Willamette River, with an outside patio area adjacent to the North Bank bike path. I used to run right by it while training a lot, but I didn’t realize it was connected to the Valley River Inn and I definitely didn’t realize how delicious it was.

I ordered some fish and chips, and they were great! It was a thicker but less floury breading unlike most fish and chips and it was great. It refrained from ever getting soggy and had a great crisp that went well with the quality of the fish. I also tried a bit of Deanna’s dungeness crab chowder… that was a really good soup! The menu wasn’t the biggest or most inventive, but the tastes I got were all well-executed.

#199 Skinner’s Butte

17 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

We spent the day showing Deanna’s family around town, her grandma in particular, since she had never been to Eugene before.

We did some wandering around campus and Hayward Field in particular. Then we had lunch at the market (finally got to try their cubano) and found ourselves on Skinner’s Butte.

I feel pretty ready to move on from Eugene, but I also want to rack up the goo memories for as long as we have left.

#200 Top of Lillis

18 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s official– my job hunt for life after grad school has gotten underway!

I’m looking widely. Mostly communications work or nonprofit work, especially interested in jobs in cities that’ll let me be a lot closer to family and to be ready for a new season of life.

So far I’m feeling pretty good and excitement. Hopefully that translates into something good.

#201 In Laws In Eugene

19 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This past week has been one of the craziest ones this year. It’s been a difficult one for obvious reasons, but there were a lot of good things that happened too.

One of those good things was having my in laws visiting Eugene for the week, along with Deanna’s grandma.

Lots of good nights on backyard patios, wine tasting at vineyards, playing tour guide around Eugene, and reintroducing them to Ticket to Ride brought a lot of needed light into this week. Glad for that.

#202 Layover in the City

20 July 2016 // San Francisco, California

Spent quite a while in San Francisco’s airport today. A six hour layover flew by surprisingly fast. Actually most of this day flew by surprisingly fast.

I’ve never been the biggest fan of SFO. Too expensive, for sure. Also, massive and kind of impersonal.

Today, though, I discovered that it makes for a pretty nice workspace. I guess that’s a sweet perk of being such a start-up hub.

Philippines, here I come.

#203 Hong Kong Layover

21 July 2016 // Hong Kong

I’ve made it to Hong Kong to stretch my legs! Being on international flights, in new airports makes me wish I weren’t on this journey for such a short time and under these circumstances. There are so many places and people along the way that I’d love to see and I’m getting flashbacks of our adventure two years ago that stir up good memories I’d like more of. I’m glad to be on my way to see family, though.

On the plane I discovered a Korean detective movie and actually really liked it, which was good because the three other movies I saw were big letdowns! I had much higher hopes for Deadpool and Hail Caesar.

Also, I finished Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Loved it so much I can’t wait to give it a fuller review.

I can’t wait to be with my family in just a few hours. It’ll be good to be with everyone, even if the reasons aren’t so happy.

#204 Lola’s Memorial

22 July 2016 // Iloilo City, Philippines

Hearing stories from the past week have helped me realize how many traits my grandma passed on to me. Traits i’m really proud of.

Lola loved to cook, especially for others, and I’ve always wondered where I got that interest, since my mom and most of her siblings don’t enjoy cooking at all.

Lola was also a traveler, especially for a Filipina woman born in the 1910’s. (Most of them just didn’t do that back then!) She did it for those she loved, and that’s the best reason to travel.

Lola also loved orphans and vulnerable children. Yesterday, I met the boy (now almost fifty!) she took in as a foster child after she had raised nine of her own. She also essentially adopted her sister’s family. I wonder if that same heartbeat is the one that drove me to South Africa.

#205 Lola’s Life

23 July 2016 // Iloilo City, Philippines

“Imagine… you could have all this!”

–Lola

The last time I saw my grandma, she was so happy to see me and to meet Deanna that she got up and slowly walked us around the house to give us a tour. Four times in a row. We went from the living room, to her bedroom, to the garden, again and again. Each time we got to her room, she picked up this plate with her portrait that somebody made for her as a birthday present. She would look around the room and say those exact words. “Imagine… you could have all this!”

Maybe she was just really excited about her plate. Maybe she was talking about “all this” as in us. Visitors. Family. One that would keep on growing and keep on traveling in order to stay together. I think that’s more likely. It still makes me glad to know that my last memory of Lola will be of her flooded with joy and gratitude.

I asked her caretaker Alice if she knew what plate I was talking about, and she remembered exactly. I’ll be bringing this back home with me as a reminder to always go where the Love is.

#206 Surprise Tokyo Trip

24 July 2016 // Tokyo, Japan

This doesn’t always happen to me, but some days I wake up and unexpectedly finish the day in Japan.

For unknown reasons, my connecting flight between Narita and San Francisco was cancelled, along with all other flights between Japan and the US for the rest of the day.

I wound up needing to take an extra day off (I know, there are far worse sacrifices that people have made) and got to spend the night in a pretty fun Tokyo hotel for the evening. The results of this mishap turned out to be hotel fun, an unexpectedly amazing and cheap meal, and a pretty good day of Pokéhunting.

#207 Lunch with Chika

25 July 2016 // Tokyo, Japan

I landed at my Narita layover to find that my flight to San Francisco had been cancelled, along with pretty much every flight to the United States. What to do?

First, I treated my free hotel stay like it was Home Alone 2, complete with complimentary bathrobes!

Then I tried to see which of my friends in Japan I might be able to meet. It was a bit of a puzzle navigating the Tokyo railway, but I made it to the city in time to eat lunch with my friend Chika who I haven’t seen in two years. Not bad for a cancelled flight.

#208 Homegoing

26 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“The need to call this thing “good” and this thing “bad,” this thing “white” and this thing “black,” was an impulse that Effia did not understand. In her village, everything was everything. Everything bore the weight of everything else.”

– Yaa Gyasi

I finished the book Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi on the plane and the timing of me reading this book could not have been better. The novel follows two branches of a family tree across several generations. Each chapter explores a moment of another family member, and subtly reveals how pain and heartache and sins and strengths and resilience were passed down the line for years and years.

This book is important. So important. Not only was it really well written, but its themes were so important to both personal experiences and current events. One line of the family is brought from Asanteland into the United States via the slave trade while the other remains in modern-day Ghana. While the novel was fiction, the events that interfered and oppressed many of the characters on both sides were so unjust they’d make you angry. At the same time, the delicate strands of relationships, often estranged ones, that connected people to each other were undeniably beautiful.

This wasn’t a perfect book, but its mild flaws are totally forgivable in light of its importance. Midway through, I began to tire of the formula it had followed for 200 pages. Then I hit the chapter about “Yaw.” It was the one I connected with best, and the last chapters were especially beautiful and powerful.

I value knowing where you came from, but for many minorities and other cultures, that can be a painful knowledge. And a beautiful one at the same time.

#209 Laudato Si

27 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“The universe unfolds in God, who fills it completely. Hence, there is a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor person’s face. The ideal is not only to pass from the exterior to the interior to discover the action of God in the soul, but also to discover God in all things. Saint Bonaventure teaches us that “contemplation deepens the more we feel the working of God’s grace within our hearts, and the better we learn to encounter God in creatures outside ourselves.”

–Pope Francis

I’ll be honest, I’m quite partial to Pope Francis and I’ve been hoping to read his encyclical on climate change for quite some time.

I’ve never read an encyclical from any Pope before, so I don’t know how it compares to other writings that precede it, but I do think it explained the rationale for a spiritual motivation to care for the earth really well and to step beyond throwaway culture and the worship of exclusively technological solutions.

#210 Sauerkraut

28 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Still trying to get my yearlong cooking project back on track… I’ve got some fairly simple summer recipes for drinks and appetizers coming up though, so I think we’re getting there!

Tonight I tried to make some sauerkraut. Cabbage and onion and a surprise ingredient– beer! I guess the yeast helps with the curing of the dish.

Special guest beer appearance by a McMennamin’s Wheat!

#211 Toy Story in the Park

29 July 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna and I spent our evening in the park trying to watch a movie under the stars… or we tried to at least.

Beignet couldn’t really handle all the stimulation.

But we also did get some Five Guys… and we made it as far as Sid’s first appearance.

#212 Crater Lake

30 July 2016 // Crater Lake, Oregon

Checked off another wonder of Oregon… and the one that I’ve been trying to visit for over five years. Crater Lake.

When I studied in Argentina during college, I remember my roommate told me that Crater Lake was the most beautiful place he’s ever been. He lived in Washington, so I figured his standards were pretty high. And all the pictures and everything I saw since seemed to confirm. That Blue.

I was surprised to find that Crater Lake was a national park seemingly more meant for a day visit. Driving the rim was gorgeous and pretty easy, and Deanna, Beignet, and I had a great time. We also got to explore some of Roseburg on our way back and now we have so many more places we’d want to eat.

JUNE 2016

#153 Relief Nursery

01 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Today I did something that should have probably been on my bucket list, except it’s not really something I imagined myself doing. I got to help give away a giant check.

The funds went to the Relief Nursery as part of a class project I’ve been a part of. I also got to physically hand them the “real” check for $15,000, which is the most money I’ve ever given away. It wasn’t my money, but I physically got to give it away, so that counts for something I guess.

The Relief Nursery is one of the things making me pretty happy midweek. I visited their campus and was pretty impressed at the parental support they offer to low income families with the goal of putting an end to child abuse.

What else? Hmm… I’ve been loving the Chance album lately, like most other people who are aware of its existence. It’s one I really don’t mind on repeat over and over and over.

And I’m also pretty happy with Xurroland in Portland. Yet another dessert spot in the City of Roses that I hope to make part of my routine whenever I pass through.

#154 Redmond City Hall

02 June 2016 // Redmond, Oregon

One of the fun things I’ve been able to work on over the past couple months has been setting up a homeless shelter or service of some sort in the city of Redmond.

Today I got to give a presentation at Redmond’s city hall, which reminds me of some sort of Art Deco Deli.

Good times. And Hop Valley SaiBlack to celebrate.

#155 Buttermilk Fried Chicken

03 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Summer heat calls for summer meals, and it’s hard to skirt a classic. Buttermilk fried chicken.

Pickled corn, store-bought cole slaw, homemade ice cream, and chili pepper beer all work together to fight back against a weekend in the upper nineties.

This is the sort of recipe where I start to see the results of my yearlong cooking project. I used to never be able to get a handle on anything breaded and fried, with the breading almost always coming apart when moving things in and out of the oil. This year, I’ve been able to solve that problem for fish and chips, milanesa, and the much beloved fried chicken.

#156 Bohemia Saddle

04 June 2016 // Bohemia, Oregon

Close to triple digit temperatures… also known as a good time to hike, apparently.

Jordan took us to go see the highest point in Lane County, somewhere pretty deep in the Umpqua National Forest. Then to Bohemia, an abandoned mining town that hasn’t been used in a century. Creepy. And cool.

Beignet loved her time on the mountaintop too. A little too much. She got away from us for about an hour. Good thing she loves snow as much as she does. That made it way easier to go find her.

#157 Drinking from a Salt Pond

05 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

My favorite thing about getting into running has been being able to dig into some podcasts and good music a lot more.

Every few months or so I put up a blog post featuring some of my recent recommendations. No surprise that the most recent one happens to be dominated by what’s been coming in through my earbuds.

On the music side of things: Run River North, Gallant, and Jack Garratt have been getting a lot of plays from me lately.

Some fun podcasts: The Splendid Table, Gastropod, NPR’s Embedded, Sounds Good, and NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour.

#158 Mayonnaises

06 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Homemade condiments are the best. Homemade things generally tend to be better, but condiments are one of the things that really allow you to taste the difference.

I made a batch of spicy mayo and a batch of herb mayo to go into different things over the next week or so, starting with tonight’s dinner of crab rolls. Mayo lends itself well to quite a few summer recipes, so the timing is perfect.

Plus, I have leftover egg whites. Macarons soon?

#159 Black Panther

07 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve bought a comic book. At least a dozen years, but probably longer.

What triggered this purchase? Ta-Nehisi Coates.

When I found out that the writer of what might be this decade’s most important book would follow up that piece by writing a line of Marvel Comics, I was intrigued. But it was great source material for him to be working with. Back when I was much more into the superhero world, Black Panther was one of the coolest characters, king of a technologically sophisticated African nation. It’s been fun to get back into the world of Wakanda.

I’ve mostly been going through these first few issues while trying to relax, and I’ve been enjoying them so far. Team T’Challa, all the way.

What else am I stoked about today? Well, Team USA proved they’ve got some fight in ‘em, with a pretty decided win against Costa Rica. I have a feeling the real Team USA is much better than they displayed against Colombia en la COPA.

Also, when I wake up tomorrow, it’ll mark four years that Deanna and I have been dating. My goodness. Life’s been sweet for a while now.

#160 Anniversary 4

08 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I’m the lucky one.

The past four years have been wild. Both of us have gone through grad school, we’ve moved from Santa Barbara to Bakersfield to Oregon, we’ve done long distance while I’ve lived in a van or in Africa, and we’ve shared some of the best adventures ever together. We drove across the country with a brake missing. We’ve also had to carry each other through stressful jobs, tragic news, and rough transitions, and we’ve been experiencing the excitement of getting married and talking about what sort of family we want to build.

There’s absolutely nobody I would rather be sharing this amazing and often ridiculous life with than my best friend. I’ve told her again and again that so many others become better people just by being around her, and I get to benefit from that the most by being around her the most.

I Love you, Hun. Thanks for saying yes to me on the Goleta Pier four years ago. I think it’s worked out pretty well.

#161 Grown Up BLT

09 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

BLTs are classic favorites, no doubt, and one of the best things to be eating when the weather gets this hot.

I wanted to try and come up with a recipe for perfect “grown-up” BLT. I tried thinking through what an upgrade to each of the main ingredients would be.

Bacon became uncured smoked bacon with pork rind flakes, though I was originally trying to get pork belly to work. Lettuce became a romaine salad cut with arugula. I kept some full tomato slices in but also added in some sundried aioli. And since the most obvious upgrade to a BLT is avocado, I threw on some, along with homemade mayo all on homemade sourdough bread.

#162 Fight

10 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“Loving your enemy. Doing good things for evil people. Never taking vengeance. Responding to violence with nonviolent love– even if it brings suffering. These are not options, but the primary character traits of those who claim to follow a crucified God.”

–Preston Sprinkle, Fight

Now this was a thought-inducing read.

I don’t find many authors who tackle pretty weighty theological matters like violence as honesty and sympathetically as Sprinkle. This book had intellectual merit, while still coming across as very relatable.

For me, Christianity and nonviolence have always seemed to go together. Turning the other cheek and loving your enemy were distinguishing marks of the faith from its beginning. Then again, historical Christianity doesn’t seem to have a spotless record when it comes to that. And the Bible can be a pretty violent text at times.

Preston Sprinkle goes through by looking at the trajectory of scripture, era by era. It gets weighty at times, but it’s an important topic and this has been one of the more accessible approaches I’ve seen to some of these questions.

What I appreciated most was his apparent lack of an agenda. He definitely takes a stance and makes his understanding clear, but not in a way that recycles mantras and oversimplified arguments from cookie-cutter viewpoints. He stands for nonviolence, but not in a way that seems lost in empty idealism.

It was refreshing to see somebody unpack a issue in such an honest way. This book was written not to advocate a specific viewpoint, but to wrestle with some often-complicated questions.

#163 Kona Prep

11 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

My to-do list today was about twice as long as it usually is.

At the end of the day, I got it all done. Setting Beignet up with her babysitter. Packing my backpack. Getting a haircut.

It’ll all be worth it next week.

Kona, here we come.

#164 The Office Bar & Grill

12 June 2016 // Tacoma, Washington

After our travel plans went all wrong, we found ourselves unexpectedly in the middle of Tacoma with big appetites and some time to spare.

We found our way to The Office Bar & Grill on a quiet Sunday downtown. The outdoor seating was serene in the early summer and a perfect spot for people watching while mimosa sipping.

This place has a great happy hour… the fish and chips are pretty good, and I’m even more fond of their macaroni and cheese balls. Each was a pleasant surprise.

#165 Place of Refuge

13 June 2016 // Kalaoa, Hawaii

Getting to Hawaii was a long, wild, unexpected ride.

We’re here now though, and things are beautiful.

#166 Hookena Beach

14 June 2016 // Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Hawaii routine: Wake up early, breakfast of guava toast or spam and eggs.

Beach in the morning. Play in the water a bit, snorkel, then sit, read, and sip on La Croix.

Come back for lunch, possibly a nap, and explore somewhere else.

Big dinner and family time at night, and call it a day.

#167 Nephews in Hawaii

15 June 2016 // Kalaoa, Hawaii

Swimming and boogie boarding with this kiddo marks the perfect start to summer.

I miss having my nephews close by. The six months in between Christmas and our Hawaii trip was the longest stretch of time I’ve gone without seeing them since they became a part of my life.

A week in Hawaii with the boys was great. And now I’m constantly counting down the weeks until I can move somewhere that allows us to see them much more often. Before they get a whole lot bigger. That’s a real race against the clock.

#168 Dolphins

16 June 2016 // Captain Cook, Hawaii

Deanna and I got to snorkel with dolphins around the Captain Cook monument and we had so much fun. It was most definitely mating season out there.

We kayaked out a couple miles to get to the spot. It was a good workout, but it was totally worth it. Being able to get really, really close to the dolphins was amazing.

The dolphins were pretty interesting, and so was the hippie mermaid who kept singing Joanna Newsom style while underwater. For obvious reasons, most people thought she was pretty nuts until her singing lured the dolphins towards her and she hitched onto one for a piggyback ride.

#169 Dinner at Huggos

17 June 2016 // Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Huggos is one of the most noted restaurants in Kailua-Kona, and we got to grab dinner there on our last night in Hawaii.

I got to enjoy a Hawaiian inspired fettuccine and some guava braised ribs. Large order, I know, but I couldn’t decide between the two and figured it was a fancy enough occasion.

So thankful for this week.

#170 Lava Tubes

18 June 2016 // Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

Deanna and I had a full day, an island, and a rental car all to ourselves before we needed to get back to the mainland, so we figured we shouldn’t let it go to waste.

We spent most of the day eating and exploring Kailua-Kona, but before we left, we figured we should go check out a nearby state park.

On our way there, we got a bit sidetracked by some lava tubes. This is some of the newest land on the planet and we spent some time climbing through caves, tossing around weightless volcanic rock, and getting a glimpse of what the island would be like without people.

#171 The Mileage Club

19 June 2016 // San Francisco, California

Thanks to a couple of guest passes from Deanna’s dad, I got to enjoy a taste of life inside a airline mileage club lounge. In San Francisco the day of Game 7 of the NBA Finals no less.

We arrived early but got to grab coffee, bagels, and then a mimosa while people watching and working in some fancy recliners. It’s fun in here. I’ll have to pay better attention to all those travel-hacking blogs I follow to get back in here the next time I take a trip.

This summer, my focus will be on preparing myself for the end of grad school. Professionally, spiritually, personally. I’ll hope to do more copywriting, bulking up my portfolio before my job hunt goes full swing. (Seriously, if you need some writing done, send me a message!) I’m aiming to think and pray through what I’d want out of life after grad school and what my top priorities are. And of course, taking things a bit slower and enjoying the sun.

I won’t be doing a whole lot of travel this summer, which feels odd. Instead, I’ll be doing more short-term getaways around the Northwest since we may or may not get another summer here. We’ll also be hosting a lot of visitors which I always enjoy.

#172 Kare Kari

20 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

One of my cooking goals within my overall cooking project has been to learn some Filipino dishes. Sometime in the future, maybe I’ll set up a whole year-long project to actually get proficient at Filipino cuisine. In the meantime, figuring out a few go-to dishes sounds like a good idea.

Kare Kari is one dish I definitely wanted to be able to master. First off, oxtail is a real pleasure and it was fun to get to learn how to work with it. Tripe isn’t everyone’s favorite, but I like it and it allows me to live out my “use-as-much-of-the-animal-as-you-can” philosophy. Most of all, the peanut butter stew it’s cooked in is one of the most unique tastes across the spectrum of Filipino cuisine.

My first attempt wasn’t so bad! And for a cheaper option in the future, it can always be made with pork hock in lieu of the oxtail, and I do hope to make this again soon.

#173 Kare Kari Tacos

21 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I usually always pull for Argentina’s National Team whenever they play. Spending a semester in college made them my surrogate soccer country. There’s one massive exception to that, though, and it’s whenever they play my actual country. Tonight, I’m all for the underdog.

To throw in some more cultural mishmashing into this post, I whipped up some kari kare tacos, taking on a Filipino favorite, Mexican style.

And to tie it all together, the world of sports and the world of tacos, here’s a courtesy reminder to grab your free Taco Bell taco courtesy of the Warriors and the Calves.

#174 The Year of Living Danishly

22 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“I am not important. If I take a break, no one dies. And this is A Good Thing.”

–Helen Russell

I wanted a light and fun, but deeply interesting read to bring on a summer trip, and this book turned out to be the perfect choice. It offered a pretty entertaining look at Danish culture and society, all through the lens of why they continually rank among the highest countries in terms of happiness.

I’m not too hard to please with a good book that takes on the premise of “I’ll try this out for a year and then write about it,” and this book fits that description to a tee. The writing is light and engaging enough to make it easy to fly right through its pages, yet contains enough statistics and odd facts to keep you intrigued. Did you know that Danish women can get an ovulation discount for booking their travel around a ripe time for them to procreate? I do now.

After a while you get the formula of each chapter: an anecdote, a few statistics, an interview with a randomly found “expert,” and the constant questioning of various Danes about how happy they are on a scale of 1 to 10. That said, the book manages to be pretty interesting in spite of its persistence upon this formula, so I suppose that’s a big win.

As far as Denmark goes? I could probably do without the tax rate (although, that comes with some major benefits), cultural homogeny, and the never-ending darkness come November, but there’s a lot about the Danish Way that I do appreciate. The lack of self-importance reflected in that earlier quote… I think that’s refreshing. And I love the way they’re able to enjoy their work. Not to mention the practice of hygge and getting all cozy as a sport.

#175 Fish Fillet

23 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Fish Friday struck a day early this week.

Seasonal cooking gets especially fun in the summer, when I move away from thicker, richer foods and have to think through how to use cooking to actually make something more refreshing. The zesty flavors that can go into a lot of fish items through herbs or citrus end up being one of my favorite summer tactics to rely on.

I’m so thankful our northwestern summer has finally come. Here’s to a weekend of the coast life.

#176 Astoria

24 June 2016 // Astoria, Oregon

I fell in love with the City of Astoria last weekend.

Peaceful is the perfect word for this city. It’s the ideal spot to walk around, get cozy in coffee shops, stare off into the ocean, and admire the views.

It’s got a history, a long and rich one, but it’s still fully alive in its gorgeous surroundings.

Small, but not too small, surprisingly good food all over the place, and it’s hard to argue with some of the stellar views this place has of both the ocean and the woods.

#177 Beignet Love

25 June 2016 // Seaside, Oregon

This dog was such a nutcase when we first adopted her. All puppy energy, no idea what to do with it.

Over the weekend, we took her with us to the Oregon Coast, which was the most dog-friendly trip I’ve ever taken. And the whole time, Beignet’s behavior was actually pretty exceptional. We haven’t even had her for four months and that’s made such a huge difference.

As a treat to our puppy for making good life choices, I tested out my long held hypothesis that her mind would be blown going into the ocean. My results at Seaside confirm my hypothesis.

#178 The Oregon Coast

26 June 2016 // Cannon Beach, Oregon

The Oregon Coast is pretty much amazing.

Thus far, all I’d really had the chance to see were Florence, Reedsport, and really small towns on the Central Coast, but I knew the good stuff was on the Northern Coast. Deanna and I went up to Astoria for our anniversary weekend and also spent some time in Seaside and Cannon Beach.

Man. These places were fun and quirky and gorgeous. I was surprised with how much good food there was on the coast. I was unsurprised about how pretty it was, but still impressed all the same. I’m glad we chose this as our destination for our first anniversary. Simple but great.

#179 One Year Anniversary

27 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna, it’s been a year since we got married and having you as my wife has been beyond incredible.

Shortly before I got married, somebody told me that marriage is too fast. Seems kinda weird. How can a commitment you make that’s supposed to last you the rest of your life be too fast? Well, we’ve been married for a year as of today, and I get it. Slow down! Being married has been a big adventure, a long conversation, and a beautiful process.

Even though the year feels like it went by in a hurry (especially those first six months!), we’ve done so much together. Nashville and Johannesburg and Kona and New Orleans. A half marathon. Adopting Beignet. Discovering even more relatives. Hospital beds and bank accounts that run too low too quickly. Campsites and hiking trails and geocaches. Fast as it was, it’s been a very full year.

Happy anniversary, Mrs. Bun. I love being able to dream with you, to go places with you, to cook with you, to stay in and watch our shows with you, and to get even closer than we knew was possible.

#180 Vero Espresso Meeting

28 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I’m taking on as many communications projects over this summer as I can find! I’m in the process of trying to boost my portfolio and so I’m looking to take on copywrite projects, websites audits, and all good things.

Today I met with Eugene City Club to see how I can help them build up their outreach for sponsors. Looks like it’ll be a pretty good team up.

#181 Quelf

29 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Quelf! I don’t think I’ve played this game in years but I’ve just been reminded of how much fun it is.

These summer weeks are exactly what I’ve been needing lately.

Currently reading: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi… I’m only into the very early stages of the book but I already get what all the hype is about. People have been saying some very nice things about this generation-spanning novel of African and African-American family trees. I can’t wait to dig deeper.

Currently loving: Pok Pok’s drinking vinegar. I had a limited release black pepper flavor last weekend and now I wish that was one of the ones I could find in stores.

#182 If You Feel Too Much

30 June 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“What if all those things that make up your story, the hard stuff and the good stuff, all the fears and dreams– what if all of it matters?”

– Jamie Tworkowski

I’ve been reading If You Feel Too Much by Jamie Tworkowski. Many of the essays and thoughts in this book were familiar pieces I’d already seen floating around online, but reading a bunch of them in succession was really kind of amazing. It accomplished it’s goal of painting a picture of life as an incredible, often difficult yet worthwhile thing.

This book lived up to my expectations. It lived up to its title. It was centered on the feelings of life, and in a very substantive way. It had a gritty edge along the side of its words.

This may come across as high praise for the book, and if it does, good. That’s what I mean it to be. This book made me want to write again. I know I already write a lot, but this reminded me so much about what I loved when I started turning thoughts into words.

MAY 2016

#122 Eugene Half Marathon

01 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.

–Steve Prefontaine

Marathons have long been overused as a metaphor of how to respond to different challenges in life. That metaphor has given us played out cliches like “it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.” In my case, though, it was neither a sprint nor a marathon. It was a half-marathon.

After actually running, though, I totally get why people use those cliches. Running long distances and life have a lot of parallels. Like how port-a-potties are the worst and should be avoided and are usually not worth it.

#123 Recovery Day

02 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Spent most of today with my feet up, for obvious reasons.

Actually, my legs don’t feel all that sore from yesterday’s race, which is good. I do, however, feel like napping pretty much around the clock.

I’ll probably dedicate a good chunk of my birthday this week to treating myself to a nap.

#124 Good Evening Beignet

03 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

When you’re home alone with her, this dog is the sweetest. She usually just naps on the ground and wants to hang out near you.

Then, as soon as the second person comes home, her inner crazy comes out and she can’t help but try and jump and chew to her hearts desire.

Deanna’s been getting home later than me lately, so she doesn’t know what she’s missing.

#125 Gonna Run Again

04 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Here we go again.

I went on a two mile run today, which is extremely light compared to all the training I’ve done lately, but it was one of the harder runs I’ve gone on in a while. Mostly because this is my first time running since the half, and I just needed to get rid of that lactic acid somewhere.

But get this– I’m running. Still. Even though there’s no more half-marathon to train for. I figure I’m probably in better shape than I’ve been in for a long, long time. I might as well keep it. And I’m totally open to another race sometime. We’ll see when.

#126 Twentysix

05 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Hey you guys! Thank you.

Today has been really special- thank you so much for the messages and comments, the thoughtful texts and phone calls, and the contributions to my LiNK fundraising campaign. I really appreciate these things, so really, thanks.

I loved all the warm wishes today. I’m super thankful for the life I get to live and that you all are a part of it.

25 brought marriage, a puppy, and a half marathon into my life. So far, 26 has come with all you can eat sushi. I’d say we’re off to a good start.

#127 Dog Parks

06 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Based on my first 36 hours, I’d say 26 is the new 14 with the crazy amounts of sleep my body is demanding me to take. A 2 PM siesta ended up being one of my birthday highlights.

When we plan our activities months out, Deanna and I try to alternate between adventurous weekends and weekends of rest. In between last weekend’s half marathon and next weekend’s Mt. Hood expedition, this is a true weekend off.

So far we’ve spent a sunny afternoon at the dog park and I messed up a batch of macarons. Cheers to the laid back weekends.

#128 Macaróns

07 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Took on the ambitious weekend project of trying to make macarons. These guys were a challenge! I don’t know what I was thinking when I scheduled them so early on in the year for my cooking challenge. They’re more like a boss level.

The key ingredient in macarons is basically persistence. My first attempt yielded some cookies that were literally inedible. That was a bummer since I’d been looking for a chance to make them all week and some almond flour and well aged egg whites had to go to waste. But tonight I gave it a second shot.

Dulce de leche and chocolate macarons were produced and the dulce de leche ones were far superior. I was pretty pleased with the airy shell of a cookie that resulted.

Glad I didn’t give up after that initial failure. I now can understand why these often cost over a dollar for one tiny piece. They are labor intensive. But I put in that labor and have approximately $50 worth of macarons to feast on.

#129 Crime Thrillers

08 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

We have a TON of Black Butte Porter leftover after last weekend’s carload. Not that that’s a problem or anything. I really needed this weekend to be a restful one, and that’s exactly what I got. An evening of kicking back to Southeast Asian crime thrillers.

I’m not saying that in another life I would be a Metro Manila gang boss, or anything like that, but have you ever wondered how many random circumstances in yours or your family’s history would need to be changed in order for you to be living a totally different sort of existence? There’s the six-degrees-to-Kevin-Bacon game that reveals how close we are to knowing any given person. I wonder if there’s some sort of game to play that gives us any idea of how close we actually are to being totally different people.

When my family started to leave the Philippines in batches decades ago, the USA was the obvious destination. But if we were all born fifty years later, would that have sent me to Saudi Arabia or Dubai? What if that move never even happened? What if my mom decided to stay in Philadelphia instead of moving to California? What if she went back to Illinois?. I really like the life I have right now, though, so I’m fine with not knowing those answers. I’m content to have these crime thrillers to be the extent of my experience in Southeast Asian cartels.

#130 A Birthday Package

09 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I couldn’t check my mail over the weekend because our apartment office was closed, so I finally got to open my birthday package from my in-laws tonight. Loved it! Especially the socks Deanna’s mom knit me. I think Beignet was jealous.

If I could talk to myself a year ago, I’d let me know that there’s a lot to look forward to over the next 365 days. Don’t rush through them too fast. Most of them are good days. Being married is amazing, and even better than I expected.

Every year around my birthday, I write a blog post listing some of the biggest things I learned over the past year. I’ve done this for five years straight now, and I’ve loved keeping track of the biggest ideas that seem to follow me around for an extended moment in my life. Things like never taking normal for granted. Appreciating the passing of time. Asking yourself how you can help people. 25 has probably taught me more than any other age so far.

#131 Solo Movie Outing

10 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

One of the odd jobs I worked for a really short while was at a movie theatre. I loved the old retired guys who would come in for Tuesday morning matinees, treating themselves to a flick and no self consciousness.

I tried to celebrate getting older last week by doing the same thing, and treating myself to go see Civil War. Plus, I don’t have any superhero lovin’ friends in town to my knowledge, so it was either go alone or wait for the DVD and try to avoid spoilers for months.

I went in totally ready to be on Team Cap. I thought he was kind of a wild card in that movie though, so you are all welcome to join me over on Team T’Challa. Wakanda forever.

#132 Easy Evening

11 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Never take “normal” for granted. You never know when an accident or illness can land someone in the hospital, when you could lose a car or a house or an appendage, when you could suddenly suffer a financial crisis. Heck, sometimes it just takes a really stuffy nose to make you truly miss the times when your nose wasn’t stuffy that you took for granted.

I’m hoping to be a better connoisseur of normal. It clashes with my more adventurous sides, but I’ve learned that these simple, seemingly boring days are also brilliant samples of a life that merits some appreciation. In any given moment that can be overlooked, there are a billion things to not be taken for granted.

#133 Cilantro Pistachio Carrot Top Puree

12 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I came across the idea for a pistachio cilantro carrot top puree and had to try it out.

The flavors of these three things are quite distinct, and each is a quirky ingredient in its own right. Cilantro is the mystery herb, intolerable to a random group of people who lost a certain genetic lottery. Pistachios are also in their own little world as the nut that looks constantly underripe. Then there’s carrot top, which is an edible thing, but barely.

I ended up using the puree on a dish of roast carrots, potatoes, and ham steak and it added a lot of lightness to an otherwise heavy meal.

#134 Ben’s First Burgerville

13 May 2016 // Albany, Oregon

Good friends paying you a visit in Oregon and going on hikes and adventures makes for a good weekend.

Good friends don’t mind having to sit through a random presentation you have to give right after picking them up from the airport.

I like to thank my good friends by introducing them to Burgerville.

#135 Mt. Hood

14 May 2016 // Mt. Hood, Oregon

Something about mountains. I have bucket list level hopes to do one of the big ones someday, Kilimanjaro, Fuji, etc. Of course I don’t have the funds or physique for that just yet.

Since the half marathon wasn’t too long ago, I decided to not wait too long and try and climb Mt. Hood while still in decent shape. Plus May is supposed to be the best time.

Didn’t summit, but made it far enough to feel good given my lack of much mountaineering experience.

#136 Portland Timbers vs. New York FC

15 May 2016 // Portland, Oregon

We got to witness at least one goal on our side of things, which meant the ceremonial tree slicing. I also had a chance to see some of my favorite players in live action, namely the Argentine, Diego Valeri. And since food is a pretty big deal to me no matter where I end up going, it’s worth noting that the stadium fare included Tillamook grilled cheese sandwiches, buffalo wing wraps, and some Argentine empanadas (that were double the size of any you’d find in Argentina and about ten times the price.)

The fan bases may be smaller than many other sports, but they make up for it with extremely colorful fan cultures. Plus it’s a great way to get into the rest of the sport with many big names taking up more and more MLS stints.

It always feels good to be a part of a collective something, and a fan group is no exception.

Baseball, football, and basketball are all alive and well in the U.S., but for those of us who long to be a part of its golden era, it seems that it’s too late. The golden era of soccer is approaching, however, and it’ll be a fun one to participate in.

#137 After One Adventure

16 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I’m an adventure lover, that part of my personality tends to be straightforward.

After a good weekend spent mountain climbing or city exploring, though, I find myself easily content wherever I am. If these things are meant to be refreshing, they definitely have that effect on me.

#138 Chicken Adobo

17 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This is kind of surprising, but this is the first time I’ve ever tried my hand at chicken adobo, and… I love cooking this stuff! I totally get why this is the one thing my mom will make again and again even though overall she’s never been too fond of cooking.

It’s a pretty easy recipe, but one that can get even better the more and more you get used to it, and it’s also a crowd pleaser. Plus you can swap out different ingredients each time to experiment with new things.

For my first attempt, I consulted two sources. My mom, obvi. And my Auntie Ella too. They both have different styles, but I took the gist of what they told me to do and kind of merged their two methods into one.

#139 Eat My Globe

18 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“Ten of us sat around the table and ate, drank, and talked for over five hours, until the small hours of the early morning. We talked mainly about food and how things should be done properly, and how so many young people now took shortcuts. Everyone shook their heads mournfully. I felt totally at home.”

–Simon Majumdar

I just finished this book, and I read it fairly slowly considering I couldn’t read such a food centric book on an empty stomach.

This book reads like a food and travel show plays out, transcribed right into a paperback. Simon’s demanding taste buds get irritating at some points, but his British sense of humor grows on you after a while. It’s a food memoir. It’s a travel memoir. I’m a pretty easy audience when those two things come together.

#140 Roasted Brussel Sprouts

19 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Growing up, brussel sprouts were always used as a go-to example of a food most kids thought were nasty. Brussel sprouts and squid. I actually liked squid as a kid, but I understood why people disliked brussel sprouts. I wasn’t repulsed by them, but I also wasn’t terribly fond of the sometimes-metallic taste.

Turns out, much like cilantro, there’s a genetic reason why some people can’t stomach brussel sprouts. TAS2R38, if you happen to care. And I figured making an unpopular veggie into a good side dish might be a worthwhile challenge.

My attempt included crushed walnuts, bacon bits, and olive oil, three things that can improve many a dish. And it turned out good enough for Thursday’s dinner with some chicken quarters.

#141 Timbers Spirit

20 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Much love for the birthday present Deanna got for me, a Timbers jersey. I’ve wanted one for a while but they don’t come cheap.

If they were cheaper, I’d probably try and get away with having a wardrobe consist almost entirely of soccer jerseys. Beyond fandom, they’re the most comfortable thing to wear.

#142 Pancakes & Blackberry Syrup

21 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Saturday morning. A full day ahead and pretty much no plans at all. What’s the best companion for a day like that? Pancakes. A full, fat stack of them.

Deanna’s often the one to get the pancakes going around home but I decided to try mixing things up by trying out a new recipe. Buttermilk. And a pairing of blackberry syrup to go with it, since we try to be good Northwesterners.

Oh, and my favorite thing to do with pancake batter is to sprinkle it on the griddle to make really tiny pancakes. They’re called niblets and they’re awesome. One day I’ll figure out how to package a bunch of these in plastic and market them as wonderful snacks, cause that’s what they are.

#143 Market Weekend

22 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This past weekend was one where we intentionally tried to not do too much, since it fell in between two travel weekends. We ended up not doing too much and getting plenty of rest, but also, we had plenty of fun, including two foreign film discoveries on Netflix we really liked.

Le Chef is a simple romantic comedy, but with French chefs so we know it’s good. I overlooked it for so long by mistaking it for a French baking competition I had already seen.

Trash is a Brazilian film featuring a group of kids who live on a landfill and get by via scavenging. They find a wallet with random contents– a lotto ticket, a key, a bookmark, which ends up turning into a neat little puzzle film in which they uncover some big time political corruption.

And as if that wasn’t good enough, we also spent our weekend just wandering around the 5th Street Market and picked up a couple macarons. I had a root beer float macaron that was spot on. How on earth do they do that?

#144 Hanging Mint

23 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“I guess part of growing up is learning how to allow the lost things of the past to make new roots and grow, to become new and greater things by digging down into memory and image and rise up again in a new form.”

–Tyson Motsenbocker

This quote seemed relevant since at the end of the week I’ll be in San Diego, the city where I grew up.

Increasingly, roots are asserting themselves as what I find really valuable. Having a sense of origin and allowing that to feed you. This makes sense to me in both a mega-cosmic spiritual sort of way and as a reference to childhoods and past homes and longtime friendships.

With my roots being spread quite far in terms of geography, it takes a lot of extra effort to give them their deserved attention. It’s always worth it, though.

And speaking of roots, my mint seems to be doing the best out of anything I planted. If I can measure success by mojito potential, things should be great in the late summer.

#145 Milanesa & Chimichurri

24 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s 2011. I’d been in Buenos Aires just long enough to take a nap at the hostel before wandering the streets. IT hasn’t sunk in yet that this is where I’ll be spending the next five months of my life. While exploring, I get hungry and find a café that looks like it might be good.

I know that in Argentina, the steak is supposed to be really good. There are so many options on the menu, though. Lomo, Bife. When the waitress comes around, I point at one. Milanesa.

What came out was a bit of a surprise. A very flat piece of beef that was breaded. But from that day forward, I knew what a milanesa was. And I had it again and again over the next five months. Usually with fries. Sometimes in a sandwich. Or with a squirt of lemon. Or with ham and cheese on top.

Flip ahead to 2016 and I finally tried to recreate my first meal in Argentina, a task I was already at a disadvantage at because of the lack of quality beef within the U.S. But, I took on the task anyways and I kind of like what happened as a result.

#146 Book Cleanse

25 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I think a lot of you are probably aware that my love of books goes pretty deep. From the days of me taking total advantage of Borders going out of business to scavenging thrift shops for travel guides to use as wedding props, I’ve accumulated quite the library over the years. Also, when Deanna and I got married, we wound up with a lot of second copies of the same title. I guess that’s a good sign we had a few things in common.

It’s probably a pretty good sign of personal progress and decluttering that I’m ready to drastically trim down my bookshelves to make room for new reads and to make sure everything can comfortably fit on there. Plus, a lot of the books I’ve trimmed down are either second copies or ones I’m unlikely to read again with all the things I have yet to read that I still hope to get to.

With all that said, I’m going to Powells on Monday with several stacks of books I’m looking to resell, but I thought I would check with my friends to see if there are any titles that interest you… there are some weird ones I’m getting rid of, as well as some all-time faves, but I won’t judge either way! I only ask that you Venmo me a little for shipping if you live far from me.

Vonnegut, Laura Hillenbrand, Jonathan Safran Foer, C.S. Lewis, Pico Iyer, Barbara Kingsolver await!

#147 Barry’s

26 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Eugene just lost one of its better coffee shops.

I went in on Friday for one last donut muffin, a latte, and an extra splurge of lox pie.

When legalized marijuana was up for a vote about a year ago, arguments in favor of lower incarceration rates and more efficient criminal justice were convincing enough to get it passed. The opposing side brought up gateway drug and slippery slope arguments, and so on, to no avail. Their arguments would have been a lot stronger if they brought up the dystopian future in which Barry’s loses its lease to a Cannabis Supply Shop.

#148 SeaTac Layover

27 May 2016 // SeaTac, Washington

Poking around the Sub-Pop store and trying to grab some fish and chips are the two most redeeming things about having a layover in Seattle.

I try to wear Timbers gear whenever I fly Alaska. Even when their flight routes take me through rival territory. Sometimes I wonder if people see me in my jersey, perhaps purchasing something with my Alaska mileage card thinking my customer loyalty game is ridiculous. But I’ve been on flights where wearing Timbers gear has resulted in perks like early boarding, so I can handle the judgement.

No dice this flight, but I did get comped some Portland Brewing Pale Ale, so no complaints.

#149 City of SD

28 May 2016 // San Diego, California

“I’m thanking God for being alive. And for our victory.”

–Trash (2014) 

Is this city our next home? Maybe. Maybe.

One of the big things that’s been on my mind lately is the fact that I’ll most likely be moving sometime within six to nine months. I’ll be finishing grad school and I’d like a job in a city that puts my family and friends in much closer access. San Diego perhaps? I definitely have a lot of family and friends there. Portland? It’s a possibility. We’ve also been throwing around the names of Sacramento and Ventura, and others may emerge.

Sometimes I wish I knew the answer already so I could start imagining the future, but perhaps that’s one of the big reasons why it’s a good thing I don’t know. In the end, I’ll have to see what my job hunt looks like after the summer and see what the options are then. So much of this move is out of my control. Then again, most of life is and I’m just pretty good at acting like it’s not.

One way or another, we end up where we need to be. It’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from the crazy travels and outdoor things I enjoy doing, and part of the reason I insist on adventure. It’s seeing how you managed to end up where you need to be and being astounded by the process.

I’ll find out how this goes eventually. In the meantime, I thank God I’m alive and for every little victory.

#150 Soledad with Jeremy

29 May 2016 // San Diego, California

Of all the San Diego natives I know (and there’s a lot of them) few know the city as well as Jeremy.

Had a good, good time catching up and talking about hospital work and photography during my short stint back in the city. The view up on Mount Soledad wasn’t too bad, either.

#151 Engaged: Jesse & Raquel

30 May 2016 // Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

It’s been forever since I’ve been able to do any sort of wedding, engagement shoot, or photoshoot for somebody, so it felt really good to get out to the Columbia Gorge with my camera and a lovely couple.

I’m really glad that Raquel and Jesse chose to call Portland their home when they had a whole country to choose from (and probably a dozen or so other countries, too, knowing them). It means we get to see them quite often, and hanging out usually involves good food or gorgeous places.

With these two, it isn’t hard to get some gorgeous shots and having Shepherd’s Dell in the background didn’t hurt either. Of course some of the shots that turned out great probably won’t be used on the Save the Date cards: Jesse smirking, Raquel blowing her nose, and Deanna photobombing.

#152 Born for This

31 May 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“Life is seasonal. There’s a time to explore and experiment, and there’s also a time to focus.”

–Chris Guillebeau

Some things go down pretty well after a long work day. An engaging read and an apricot ale are two of them.

Books like this are not my usual. I actually kind of dislike the genre of self-help-ish, entrepreneur-ish books because most of them seem to promise the earth and sky and offer platitudes instead. This book does make some pretty big promises at the beginning– to “unlock the life you were made to live.”

I figured this book would be worth looking into since I have a career change coming up at the end of the year, and Chris Guillebeau tends to be an exception to my general dislike of the genre. A lot of what I’ve read from him has been genuinely helpful, and there were some good ideas in this one. Finding the intersection of joy and money and flow. Making backup plans on backup plans. Always being willing to try new ventures. I especially liked his ideas of writing “resumes from the future” or discovering your skills through what sorts of favors people often ask you for to.

That said, some of the results advertised in the book are finding work that doesn’t feel like work, amassing a base of supporters, and finding a side gig that can help provide more financial freedom. If you’d expect them all to come true instantly, you’ll likely be disappointed, but if you go into it expecting a good idea or two to stick with you, you’ll get something good out of it.

26 THINGS I DIDN'T KNOW SO WELL AT 25

Dear last year's Philippe,

You’ve got a lot to look forward to over the next 365 days. Don’t rush through them too fast. Most of them are good days.

Here’s some of the stuff you’ll learn:

ONE

Marriage isn’t easy. Marriage isn’t hard. Also, stop trying to put marriage on a spectrum of difficulty. Marriage is worthwhile. Marriage is an adventure. And it’s not some sort of school assignment or video game level you can just evaluate on a level of difficulty like that. There’s so much more to it than that.

TWO

Learning how to appreciate the other person’s needs and how to be honest about your own helps a lot in marriage. You have a high need for adventures and new experiences. Deanna’s needs are more social than yours. Nobody’s is “better,” but be honest about that difference. It’ll really help you care for each other.

THREE

When the world feels the ugliest and meanest is probably when it’s crying out the loudest for you to be relentlessly positive. So, there’s this election coming up, I’m sure you know, and people will generally be a lot less pleasant to talk to. Just remember, your positivity will be that much more refreshing to the world.

FOUR

Never take “normal” for granted. You never know when an accident or illness can land someone in the hospital, when you could lose a car or a house or an appendage, when you could suddenly suffer a financial crisis. Heck, sometimes it just takes a really stuffy nose to make you truly miss the times when your nose wasn’t stuffy that you took for granted.

FIVE

The adventures you enjoy are awesome, and they’ll pale in comparison to the adventure inside you. The adventure within, they say. And it’s so true. Keep journaling and writing down the discoveries you make.

SIX

Keep leaving room open in your life for more road trips. They’re brilliant metaphors for life.

SEVEN

Your parents are human, and that’s so wonderful and fantastic. You know, probably better than anyone, all their flaws as parents and all the things they probably could’ve done better. Do you ever think about the time they found out they were expecting you and suddenly worried if they were ready for a child? Or the moments they saw something concerning and wondered if they might screw it all up? Make peace with their human side, and you’ll love it. You won’t have them forever, but there’s enough time left to be worth enjoying a vibrant relationship with them.

EIGHT

When a situation seems pretty desperate, just solve one problem at a time.You’ll find yourself on a bus to Swaziland this upcoming year with no address of where you’re going to, and no idea what’ll happen. It’ll all work out in the end, like it did before in Morocco and Germany. When you seem lost or something like that, just make one important decision at a time and you’ll get there.

NINE

Adopting and training a dog will be a really rewarding experience. You will adopt a crazy energetic puppy, who’s also a fast learner. She’ll be a handful so much of the time, but she’ll also increase your daily laughter by like six thousand percent.

TEN

Take more siestas. The appeal of taking a little mid-afternoon recess shouldn’t take too much explaining, but it’s a good way to recalibrate your day and get back on track to make sure you’re spending it well.

ELEVEN

Also, set aside one day each week to be deliberately inspired. Sundays work well for you. Don’t plan for tasks, don’t answer emails or calls. Take time to read the books on your nightstand, or those articles you’ve saved that need more time to sink in. Take out a notebook and brainstorm whatever. A future trip. A business plan. Just draw. Watch the sort of movie that makes you ponder so much you just need to sit in silence and stare at the credits afterwards. Get lost in preparing an elaborate meal.

TWELVE

In Madagascar, time is perceived as something entering through the back of your head, and unrolling in front of your eyes, as a scroll. I can’t say I exactly know what bigger implications this fun fact has, but it’s fun to think about the different ways people have about processing the flow of time. It’s also a really fun fact.

THIRTEEN

Believe it or not, you actually can run a half-marathon. And you will. Deanna will convince you. She’ll say that everyone is physically capable of running a half-marathon, and she’ll manage to get you to do one, so she must be correct.

FOURTEEN

If you want to live a rewarding life, you’ll need to take on a few challenges. It’s been a little while since you’ve had a season of being faced with a bunch of challenges, but believe me, one is on its way. And you know what? That tension is necessary for life to have it’s beauty. Songs, films, or books without tension just aren’t interesting. Why should life be any different?

FIFTEEN

A good, healthy, and sincere relationship with God doesn’t need fireworks all the time. In many ways you may still be coming off the high of rediscovering your faith and constantly feeling like you’re having spiritual epiphanies. Your relationship with God, much like a good friendship, shouldn’t be entirely dependent on those mountaintop experiences. Just keep a peaceful and open heart.

SIXTEEN

With God, there’s no such thing as wasted time. I know that there have been moments where you’ve questioned living in Eugene… wondering if that was the right move. You will start to see more clearly that the challenges that came with this move have given you a new vision for the future and strengthened the foundation for your relationship with Deanna. And nobody builds a strong foundation without further plans to build on top of it.

SEVENTEEN

A lot of times in life you’ll feel like you’re just waiting for some big change to occur. Don’t think of it as waiting around, time is a huge advantage. Even Oh The Places You’ll Go talks about how sometimes you end up in a season of life where you’re just waiting for things to pass. Time can be an advantage. It turns some invested capital into a good sum of money. It makes a seed into food. Think of things that you can do with that amount of time to prep you for whatever’s next.

EIGHTEEN

One of the most rewarding feelings in life is being able to work hard in order to help provide opportunities for other people. Think of your many family members. Auntie Ella. And so on. Your own parents. They came to the U.S. with very limited resources and a powerful work ethic. It took crazy hard work, but they’ve lived beautiful lives. You’re starting out at an advantage; put in the hard work and see what happens.

NINETEEN

Even if you have your dream job, it’s important to have a life you love outside of it. No job is 100 percent great all the time and a job should never really be priority number one, anyways. Being able to step away from what goes on between Mondays and Fridays and tend to the rest of you is extremely important. They not only refresh the body and psyche, but the identity.

TWENTY

Never stop asking yourself what you want to do when you grow up. You’ll be surprised how late in life you’ll continue to ask this question, and don’t be threatened by it. If your job isn’t your identity, you’ll be fine holding things loosely and looking at a number of different ways to provide for your family and life.

TWENTYONE

Start asking yourself “How can I help people?” As much as we love to hate on businesses, the ones that succeed are the ones that help us have the life we want. The world is fueled by helping. At this point, you’ve probably thought of your career in terms of what you’d enjoy doing, but if you want to market your skills or your endeavors, you need to add value to people’s lives.

TWENTYTWO

A central human need is for people to feel like they’re “good guys” in the story of the world, and they’ll arrange the way they see the world around that need. Remember to always affirm this desire among people to connect themselves with goodness. You know that people aren’t all good, and that there’s actually brokenness in everybody. But be gentle. People get extremely defensive when you threaten the viewpoint that has them positioned as the good guys. Nobody likes to be accused or lectured at, no matter how brilliant your ideas about intersectionality and racial hegemony are, and so forth. People leap at a chance to be on the right side of history. Offer that instead.

TWENTYTHREE

What one person sees as “an unhealthy dependency,” might actually be seen as a community where everyone else helps each other. You’ll notice that when you return to South Africa. Certain parts of the population will be criticized for relying on hand-outs and one working person to provide for a whole family, and some people will paint entire groups as lazy and entitled. Then again, when we see an internet meme about ubuntu and African children sharing a contest prize because “no one can be happy while others are suffering” we get all gaga over it. Keep an open mind.

TWENTYFOUR

Life leaves us with a lot more room for adventure than we usually assume.You’ll still manage plenty of camping trips and travels after marriage. But even on those in-between days, you’ll find adventures in the things you cook, the books you read, and the people you meet. Don’t overlook those days.

TWENTYFIVE

The best moments of life all surround being with the people who matter most.This is gonna sound silly, but bear with me. You and Deanna will start watching this show on Netflix called Jane the Virgin and it’s actually a really good show. There will be a scene where a baby is born and the mom is surrounded in waves by all the people that care about her. Think about the people in your life you’ll want around when you have a moment like that. Build the rest of life around that.

TWENTYSIX

The passing of time can be a beautiful thing. I know you currently think time goes by way too fast, and that everyone gets old and life changes too quickly. That’s valid. But also, you need time to pass in order to see yours and Deanna’s friendship turn to marriage, to see Luke learn to talk and Simon learn to read, to see your long time friendships age and go through different stages. Seriously, don’t neglect the beauty of passing time.

APRIL 2016

#92 Running Bridges

01 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I clocked in an eight mile run this week. That’s another new personal best.

Exactly one more month until the half-marathon. This has never felt more possible and even if I don’t get onore ounce of enjoyment out of it, I’ve already liked it a lot more than I expected to. Did I mention that I’ve even acquired a bit of a taste for GU? That’s happened too.

There’s a number of reasons I’m running this half but a big one is to raise some money for Liberty in North Korea. I’m still a good ways away from my goal, but there is time. Please support me at classy.org/lazarorescue

#93 Beigface

02 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This freaking dog… so loved… so nuts.

I’m pretty sure we took home the most entertaining dog we could have. This one has so much personality, from being afraid of basically everything, burping more than any dog I’ve seen, having more energy than anyone knows what to do with, and being the nosiest, we’ve come to love it all.

So thankful for the weekends that let me spend more time with Beignet and Deanna, the ladies of the house.

#94 The Covered Bridges Bikeway

03 April 2016 // Dorena, Oregon

Was it a good Sunday? I guess you could say that.

I discovered how cheap it was to rent a pretty good quality bike from UO and noticed that the weather was perfect for a scenic ride.

Did 26+ miles on the Covered Bridges Bikeway into some deep rural towns and over rickety bridges. It was my first time in Dorena, where pretty much everyone had a pistol holster on.

#95 Meaning of Adventure

04 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

In between adventures I like to read about adventures.

Yesterday I sat down with some friends and talked about some of the Oregon adventures we have yet to really do, but that we hope to in the upcoming months… Crater Lake, the Painted Hills, Hellsgate.

For years my definition of adventure seemed to be a purely aesthetic one. Mountains in the background. A tent somewhere in the mix. And really, I love that stuff.

At the same time, backpacking has never been easier. Same with international travel. It’s all so accessible and more people are doing it.

I’m thankful for that, because I’ve benefitted from the time in which I love big time. But I don’t want adventure to be defined as an aesthetic. Something is an adventure as much as it grows you and challenges you and tests you. That could be paragliding or parenthood or taking your parents paragliding and figuring out how to have a healthy adult relationship with them.

Whatever it is, just be challenged. That’s the adventure.

#96 Cream Puffs & IPA

05 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Race training is intensifying. That also means when I’m not running, my resting methods are also intensifying, as is my carb count.

This week that meant chasing down my long run with Deanna’s custard cream puffs and a decent IPA.

With all the trendy foods that have come in and out of the public spotlight rapidly, custard remains underappreciated. Lets right that wrong people. #planforflan

#97 Delta Ponds City Park

06 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This week’s long run was a gorgeous one. Sunlight. Great scenery. Also, nine miles! This used to feel way more impossible.

I actually think I’m going to miss being on this training plan when the race is over. I mean, no big, I can always train for something else or go run just to run, but I love the weekly feel of beating my best, having an event to train for, and being surprised I can actually pull this off.

So weird to think that I actually enjoy running in a lot of ways. This contradicts with what I’ve the first quarter century of my life.

Three more weeks! And there’s still time to support Deanna and I via our fundraising page at stayclassy.org/lazarorescue

#98 The $100 Start Up

07 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“Value is created when a person makes something useful and shares it with the world.”

Even though I’m not starting a start-up (at least not now, but this book did get some wheels turning!) I figured one of Chris Guillebeau’s earlier books would have something to offer and I was pretty right about that.

The whole idea of having something, maybe even a few things that could help enrich people’s lives resonated the most with me. I don’t know if I’ve ever been as attentive of other people’s needs or what I might have to offer as I am now.

#99 Friday Night at Jordan’s

08 April 2016 // Creswell, Oregon

Had a really good Friday evening at our friends Dan and Jordan’s place around a campfire. And Jordan makes a mean Moscow mule, which only added to the experience.

So glad to be out of the dead of winter, if for no other reason than the fact that it makes more evenings like this one possible. The earliest warm weekends were made for this sort of thing.

The past several weekends have been so full of life, and I’m thankful for that. The workload has picked back up and I often find myself surprised by the amount of things I’ve committed to. But I think one thing that’s made it a much healthier and happier period is knowing how much I’ve had outside of routines and work to enjoy. In college, my school’s between-the-lines motto was “work hard, play hard.” Years after I’ve left, it still applies.

#100 Making Sushi

09 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This weekend, Deanna and I stayed in, ran errands, and made sushi rolls at home.

We managed one ahi maki roll, a Philly roll, and a couple of sinus clearing pieces of nigiri that I kind of went too far on with the wasabi.

Really happy with how these came out, overall. Will be sharing these recipes soon.

#101 Starting Our Garden

10 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I know next to nothing about growing plants. I love the outdoors and I love food, so you’d think it would be a pretty natural intersection but the most gardening I’ve ever done was that second grade project where I used food coloring to turn celery blue.

To me gardening seems like strategically burying tiny things and hoping for the best. So that’s what I did this weekend.

As a sign I have no idea what I’m doing, it felt weird using only a very small portion of the basil seeds in the pack so I did everything I could to get more egg cartons to start them in. Deanna tells me I way overdid it and that if I’m successful, I’ll have a basil forest on my hands. I don’t see a problem with that. Forests of basil create swamplands of pesto.

#102 Sriracha BBQ Sauce

11 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Yesterday I got to whip up some homemade barbecue sauce as the next item of this year’s 52 culinary missions.

More specifically, I got to whip up a Tennessee whiskey and molasses sriracha barbecue sauce. Smoky with just the right amount of heat.

And since barbecue sauce alone does not a full dinner make, (trust me, I tried) I also grilled up some brisket and made it into sliders.

Like most recipes, this one lives on my blog.

#103 Bangus Tacos

12 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Bangus (said like bung-OOS) is a popular milkfish in the Philippines usually served fried, grilled, or broiled and with vinegar, soy sauce, or other acidic flavors.

It also presented me with a good challenge to figure out how to incorporate it into my series of Filipino food inspired tacos. The texture doesn’t exactly lend itself well to classic fish tacos, yet this is one of the most important fishes to the cuisine and the series wouldn’t be complete without some seafood.

So I broiled some bangus with a vinegar and olive oil wash. I then shredded most of the meat with a fork and caramelized onions. A crispy shell seemed to best compliment the meat so I folded tacos and deep fried, and finished with a side of lime juice and drizzle of my sriracha BBQ sauce.

#104 Amazon/Rexius

13 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

The half marathon day is getting closer and closer.

We’ve officially entered the last week of full-training. Today I ran around nine miles. I’ll peak at eleven before I call it a recovery week until the race.

Like I keep saying, I’m still surprised that I enjoy running as much as I do. This does not compute with my past experiences.

#105 Sriracha Bloody Mary

14 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

With so many overlapping ingredients, I figured why not spend Thirsty Thursday by some bloody mary using a lot of the same things I used to put together a barbecue sauce this week.

Deanna and I are pretty big fans of bloody marys. Ever since we started traveling together, she’s gotten me into the habit of requesting for bloody mary mix as my beverage of choice while on an airplane. The strong spicy and salty flavors are appreciated at an altitude.

Also, Crater Lake’s pepper vodka is exceptionally smooth. I’m not the biggest fan of most vodkas and most flavored vodkas strike me as tacky, but this is a great exception. Smooth without such a pungent bite and it has a good chipotle-like taste.

#106 Papa’s Chicken & Waffles

15 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

You know you’re a great place to eat when I deem the hour long wait for a table to be worth it.

Papa’s Soul Food, you’re that kind of place and it’s been far too long. Easily my favorite place to eat in Eugene.

And, happy to see chicken and waffles pop up as a special. Probably the most American item to foodspot.

#107 Camp Tumalo

16 April 2016 // Tumalo, Oregon

A party without cake is just a meeting.

– Julia Child

A party without cake or s’mores is just a meeting.

– Julia Child, Philippe Remix

So happy to have gone out for our first camping weekend of the season. It feels so good to be back in tents and roasting marshmallows and oyster mushrooms. May many more follow this summer.

#108 The Painted Hills

17 April 2016 // Painted Hills, Oregon

Once upon a time, this was a forest.

Now, it’s basically Mars.

Seven Wonders of Oregon status: three down, four to go.

#109 Training for 13.1

18 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This week kicks off the last week of full training before the half marathon. Next week begins the cool-down process of tapering.

The half-marathon has never felt more do-able. The fact that I’ve made it this far and can make an eleven mile run pretty easily means that running a half feels within reach.

Training has been a much more enjoyable process than I imagined. Looking forward to seeing it culminate in a couple of weeks.

#110 Pre’s Trail

19 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure one of them is Pre’s Trail.”

–Quote from the shirt I’m wearing on race day

This is it! I finished my last week of full training with an 11 mile long run. Early morning at Pre’s Trail made this an especially pleasant run and best of all, I finished with a pace in the 9:40s at a long distance three times in a row now, which is almost two minutes faster than the pace I thought I would have.

Mostly, I’m surprised at being able to handle these long runs. I used to hate running two miles, and common logic generally suggests that if you hate two of something, signing up for eleven won’t be very pleasant. Congrats to running for being such a mold breaker.

#111 Sprouting

20 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

We’ve got growth! Hopefully in a couple months these guys will be the stars of summer hits like pesto sauce or mixed cocktails.

A good part of me was never expecting to see the seeds again once I buried them. Good job, nature.

Also while we’re on the topic of basic agriculture, I wanna shoutout Opportunity International’s micro loan program. Checked it out myself the other day and I’m impressed. Still learning the ropes of the microlending process, but learning by doing is the best.

#112 Gâteau de Crêpes á la Florentine

21 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

What’s that? Layered crêpes with béchamel sauce, spinach, and mushrooms.

My wife feeds me well.

So well I have more leftover for lunch today.

#113 Palabok

22 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Palabok is a really underrated Filipino noodle dish with its own distinct orange shrimp gravy, and toppings that usually include citrus, shrimp, and crushed peanuts or pork rinds.

I’ve also made it before, but I used a packet to make the gravy. My aunts insisted that it wouldn’t be that hard to make it from scratch, so I put it on my list of things to make.

Turns out, my aunts are actually culinary magicians. Anatto powder, the orange stuff in the gravy is a really stubborn ingredient and it was hard to get the texture right.

This probably won’t go down as the best item I made all year, but it was alright and I know exactly what I would do differently next time. I got some ideas for the next time I get to give it a shot.

#114 Spencer’s Butte Hike

23 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Found myself on Spencer’s Butte. We’ve lived right next to it for close to a year now, but it’s taken quite a while for us to finally hike up there. Our last time was before we got married.

Went with a couple of friends, took my dog, and made i to the top before even having breakfast.

You can bet that Beignet loved every second of this. Every person we passed noted that she looked like the happiest creature alive.

#115 A Hologram for the King

24 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“Live long enough and you’ll disappoint everyone. People think you’re able to help them and usually you can’t. And so it becomes a process of choosing the one or two people you try hardest not to disappoint. The person in my life I am determined not to disappoint is you.”

― Dave Eggers, A Hologram for the King

I liked this book a lot and I look forward to being able to see the movie. I think it has the sort of story that might actually lend itself better to a film adaptation.

Plus, even if the movie disappoints, that was one of the themes of the book. And Tom Hanks covering Talking Heads in the trailer leads me to believe that it won’t.

#116 Be Like Sean Ferry

25 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Public Service Announcement for all those looking for a positive role model in your life… Sean Ferry. Be like that guy.

Thanks a lot for contributing to my half marathon fundraiser Sean!

Deanna and I are raising the funds for a a North Korean refugee get to freedom through our half-marathon. $3,000 is the cost of a refugee rescue through Liberty in North Korea and we’re aiming to get halfway there by the end of our half-marathon.

#117 Pasta Making

26 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

With a half-marathon scheduled for Sunday, which means that we’ll be carbo-loading the night before.

And since I’m already putting my pasta making tools to work, I figured we might as well open up our house and extend the invite to everybody. And since we’re running to support Liberty in North Korea, we figured we might as well eat in support of them as well.

For $15, which is what you’d pay for a similar meal at a restaurant, we gave our friends a night of carbs, and getting to know that the money goes towards helping North Korean refugees get to freedom.

Also, I’ve never made so much food in bulk for so many people.

#118 Race Gear

27 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

At the age of 25 I got married, adopted a Beignet, and visited several of my favorite places in the world.

With one week left of being 25, I’m adding a half marathon to that list.

Here’s the minimal gear I like to run with… my race day shirt, some GU, and an iPhone armband. And that’s pretty much it.

#119 Opportunity Village

28 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This week I got to consult with a group trying to open a homeless shelter in Redmond. They’re interested in a tiny homes plan.

Thankfully one thing Eugene does really well is a housing program that works on multiple areas of the issue, so I joined them on a site visit. Their tiny home village was really impressive, and a mad success. It’s made local city manages, police chiefs, and unhoused people all very happy.

The minister who runs this told me that on the first day somebody had to get kicked out for being too drunk and rowdy and he thought he had created a disaster. But in retrospect, it was one of the best things to have happened to his project. The village council led by residents voted him to be removed, he was able to get addiction help elsewhere, and the system actually worked.

I was impressed by the design of a bunch of these modules, and the community yurt and gazebo. I’d love to take on building one of these some day.

#120 Tracktown, USA

29 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Why live in Wack-Town, when you could live in Track Town??? Come to Eugene.

Okay, so the City of Eugene Planning Dept. wasn’t so hot on my tag line for the city, but hey, it’s the birthplace of Nike, the old stomping grounds of Bill Bowerman, and home turf of running legend Steve Prefontaine’s.

All that makes me glad it’ll be the site of my first half marathon. And also, it’s home. That’s also nice.

#121 A Charitable Carboload

30 April 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Twas the night before race day and we decided that rather than doing a simple carboload by ourselves we would cook up an insane amount of pastas, invite a bunch of people, and make a fundraiser out of it.

Cooked up a lasagna plus three pastas times three sauces. Had a good crowd over of runners and supporters alike. I’ve never cooked in bulk like this before but my undersized kitchen made me feel like Jon Favreau in Chef.

And the most fun stat was this- we haven’t done the full math yet but it looks like this event will have raised around $200 for LiNK. Carbs for a cause!

MARCH 2016

#61 Black Bread

01 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

More catching up on my cooking project! This was indeed a good week for catching up, as the rye bread was second among a few items I had the time to prepare. Rye bread, especially this recipe ends up being way heavier and richer-tasting in comparison to something like the baguette I made for week one. It’s still fairly dreary and wintery out in the Pacific Northwest, so this made for a perfect dinner companion.

This attempt didn’t quite turn out like I hoped. It was an ambitious bread, but I underestimated a flour ration, which led to this bread not rising quite like I would’ve liked. I thought it kind of looked like a giant molasses cookie.

But, despite the visual flaw, it was still a very rich and hearty loaf, and I’m quite pleased with the taste that resulted. I guess that’s the more important part, huh? Among the many things that went into this dough were sea salt, cocoa powder, home roasted espresso grounds, caraway seeds, and molasses.

#62 Long Trail Runs

02 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Today was the day I was supposed to tie the longest distance I’ve ever ran– five miles. And I did it… sort of. The trail by the Bonneville power lines I found unexpectedly led me up a mountain during mile two, which I thought would level out, but it never really did. Getting back down went even slower, since there were a number of tree fells in my way. The plan was to run without stopping, but that was hard to do when I needed to climb trees at some points. Mile two took over seventeen minutes and tired me out for the rest of the run more than I would’ve hoped, but I did make it to five at the end.

Thankfully, I’ve discovered a lot of new podcasts lately to go through while running.

NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour – This is the podcast that’s led to me developing an interest some of my favorite pop culture interests in the past few months. After all, they’ve had wonderful things to say about Jane the Virgin and the Hamilton Musical.

The Splendid Table – Along with Gastropod, this has become my new favorite food related podcast. They do a little Q&A and some interviews with a few of my favorite chefs and food writers, recently including Yotam Ottolenghi and J. Lopez Kenji-Alt.

Sounds Good with Branden Harvey – This is a new one. Apparently Branden is a social media star, but he’s also really good at finding pretty interesting people to interview.

#63 Three Whiskey Recipes

03 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Hope you’ve had a pleasant weekend… relaxing or otherwise.

The year-long cooking project I’ve been taking on also calls for learning a little mixology, and that’s a good skill to have. My first mixed-drink challenge was to come up with three using whiskey, a tricky cocktail base to use since you don’t want to overpower the subtleties found in good whiskey.

I highly recommend the cocktail episode of Good Eats… that was what I used as my base of information with this project, and I followed the directions to a tee to make a mint julep. Alton Brown puts together the coolest little tutorial using music chords and triads as an analogy to the anatomy of a cocktail.

I also made a South African inspired beverage and a whiskey sour on recent evenings. The julep remains my personal favorite, though.

#64 Workspace: Cozmic

04 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Cozmic… an eccentric little hangout in Downtown Eugene that brands itself at 50/50 coffee shop and pizza joint.

It’s also a pretty happenin’ music venue. Sir Mix-a-lot played here a few months ago, and I’ve seen a couple of solid live shows here.

This visit was a bit different, though. Work related. I finished the first draft of my thesis.

#65 Flat White

05 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Spent another couple of days doing work with the espresso maker… Decided I wanted to try out some of my usual orders when I go to a coffee shop.

Flat whites are Australian in origin but I first discovered the flat white when I was in South Africa the first time around, as it’s a favorite drink in the country’s burgeoning coffee culture, especially around Cape Town. It seemed like one of the most frequently ordered beverages. They’ve gotten way more popular in the US in the past couple years thanks to Starbucks.

What’s the big deal with the milk foam and does this stuff really matter? In the grand scheme of life, it doesn’t, but if you want to have coffee snob discussions, sure! The idea that steaming milk to a lower temperature compared to lattes or cappuccinos retains more fats and proteins that give milk a slightly sweet flavor. This sweetness is intended to blend well with the flavor of the cappuccino.

#66 Ducks vs. Gauchos

06 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Had a blast yesterday pulling for my alma mater in Oregon territory… and going to our first ballgame of the year, hopefully the first of many.

I’ve been wanting to see my undergrad and graduate schools go head to head. Unfortunately one doesn’t have a football team and the other doesn’t have a futbol team… And their basketball teams always seem to go at it on Christmas Eve.

My school lost, but at least they lost to my second school. Olé!

#67 A Salem Day

07 March 2016 // Salem, Oregon

Despite passing by it all the time I never really spend a whole lot of time in Salem. Granted, there isn’t much there, but it’s still the state Capitol, and it’s weird I haven’t visited considering I’ve been to at least half of the state capitol buildings without trying.

Well, like it or not, I ended up having to spend some of yesterday in Salem to do traffic school for a speeding ticket from September.

Central Salem was quaint and the park by the Capitol was pretty. And I got some good writing done while I was there but that is about all I have to report.

This is a big week in the Lazaro house and hopefully I have good news to report at the end of it regarding puppy adoption. In the meantime it’s hard to contain excitement.

#68 Avocado Toast with Poached Eggs

08 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Avocado toast was recently named the Most Annoying Food on Instagram. I had no idea such a distinction existed, but I guess avocado toast takes home the trophy. So you’re welcome for this post.

Made some on my black bread recipe on toast form… turned out to be one of my favorite dinners from this week. Few foods scream “California!” quite like something cheesy or avoacado-ey, something that’s both tasty with somewhat redemptive nutritional value. Also, I’m currently training for a half-marathon, so this is a marginally decent way to up my caloric intake in a mostly healthy way.

Help yourself to my blog for the recipe! The year-long cooking project continues, and I’m catching up… only four weeks behind pace.

#69 Run River North

09 March 2016 // Portland, Oregon

Oh man… Thanks to @runrivernorth last night for putting on one of the best shows I’ve seen in ages. Despite all the random one-degree-separations I have from the band, somehow seeing them perform live has eluded me until now. I love their music and it translates really well to the stage.

Yesterday was a good day for so many reasons.

Run River North — again, an amazing show! Getting to watch from over the drummer’s shoulders made it even better.

The doggy — we won the stakeout. I’m picking her up today.

Poaching eggs — I treated myself to homemade open face sandwiches for lunch… I’m getting better at this tricky skill.

#70 Puppy Adoption Day

10 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s a wrap! After a week and a half of waiting, and a rainy night of camping out in front of the animal shelter, she is ours.

Also, we’re very progressive parents so she’s already signed up for school tomorrow.

We’re gonna try out all the names we brainstormed and see how responsive she is… So far she seems to realize Beignet means something. The shelter had been calling her Zucchini. That’s a little too healthy for us though.

#71 Beignet

11 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

The newest addition to our household.

This girl is a crazy one! 60 pounds of puppy energy… And she’s a strong one too.

She’s really sweet, but she’s got a lot to learn… Like not being afraid of stairs when those are the only way in and out of the apartment.

#72 Beignet’s First Playdate

12 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

We’re helping our girl learn how to be more social and less sociopathic.

This weekend we took her out on her first play date, and it went really, really well.

Beignet finally met her match in terms of energy level in our friend Alyssa’s six month old husky pup, Koda.

#73 Beignet Loves Visits

13 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Real life is more complicated than a slogan on a bumper sticker

–Zootopia

I just got to see Zootopia so much and I loved it so much I need to say something. What a great movie, that somehow managed to present some really heavy and complicated issues in a lighthearted and kid friendly way. Life is more complicated than a bumper sticker… but that doesn’t mean that big and complex ideas can’t be explained accessibly. Or with animals.

Speaking of which, Beignet loves it when Uncle Jesse and Aunt Raquel come to visit… and so do we. Although, we don’t call them that, only she does. Cause that would be weird.

#74 Biscuits and Pomegranate Jam

14 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

A little while ago, Deanna was inspired by the Great British Baking Show to try and make some biscuits. Apparently those biscuits didn’t turn out the way she intended. She was hoping for the American, big, fluffy biscuits-n-gravy sort of biscuits. Instead they came out more cookie like, but with a savory taste. Even if they weren’t what she intended, I thought they were a big success. Because the cookies were so plain, they paired up nicely with a jar of marmalade. I asked her for the recipe which she did not store in her memory.

I was inspired to make shortbread cookies because they’re great. Especially the Scottish style bars, with a bit of espresso ground. It pairs super well with a cup of coffee or cappuccino. If you buy them at a grocery store they can be a bit pricey which is odd, because they didn’t strike me as that tough to make. If you know how to do a pie crust, you’re a sugar ratio away from being there. So I decided to try and go for shortbread, and inspired by that marmalade pairing, make a pomegranate syrup.

So I had a good amount of fresh ricotta cheese left over after the avocado toast. Ricotta cheese notoriously doesn’t last long, so I tried to find as many ways as I could of using it up, and this was a really good one. A little smear of ricotta on top of one of these biscuits was perfect. Then a splash of syrup.

#75 Bracket Set

15 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s taken me almost 26 years but I’ve finally given in to the Madness of March for the first time ever. I guess that’s a pretty short wait relative to CSU Bakersfield, but for both of us, the drought is over.

Deanna’s job is doing an office pool, so she handed me her bracket and I took the liberty to include a Steel Bridge Porter.

Who’ve ya got? I have Kansas topping Michigan State in the championship with Oklahoma and Kentucky rounding out the Final Four. I felt like a big homer picking Oregon to get all the way to the Sweet 16, but they have like, seven guys who could start and I legit think they have the best shot out of the Pac12.

Go Ducks.

#76 Authentic Happiness

16 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“The best we can do as individuals is to choose to be a small part of furthering this progress. This is the door through which meaning that transcends us can enter our lives. A meaningful life is one that joins with something larger than we are– and the larger something is, the more meaning our lives have.”

— Martin E.P. Seligman

This was a very different book than my usual sort of read. Actually, it’s primarily a psychology oriented read and it was one from Deanna’s bookshelf. But while she was reading it I thought some of the chapters about optimism seemed pretty interesting so I gave it a shot.

The last chapter had some really interesting ideas about the whole faith and science implications. Although Seligman’s been a lifelong secularist, he noted how studying positive psychology led him towards a concept of God that exists at the end of all things. It doesn’t exactly overlap with how I see things, but I always love it when people’s passions and expertise ultimately take them to a place of wonder and being blown away by everything.

#77 Pre’s Rock

17 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Today’s run started off at the site of the auto accident that claimed track and field legend Steve Prefontaine’s life at an early age some 40 years ago.

Seemed like a fitting day to start my run today. Six miles. That’s the most I’ve ever ran and from now until May I get to keep saying that sentence once a week. I’m still not sure if I can say that I enjoy running but I am pleasantly amazed each time at the distance I ran. I’m surprised I still feel pretty good after six when I used to loathe running two. Craziest is feeling like I could do another when I’m done. If enjoying running means being pleasantly surprised at what you can actually do, then I guess I’m enjoying it.

I’ve been learning so much about being challenged lately. I’m glad I have something as literal and tactile as a half marathon to harvest lessons from.

#78 Ducks Madness

18 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Well, thanks to Michigan State, I have very limited interest in cheering for games for the sake of my bracket.

Just in time for the Oregon game… so I can be a homer all the way.

Go Ducks!

#79 Puppy Egg Hunt

19 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Easter is on its way! We took our girl out to Greenhill Humane Society for a bit of a puppy adventure… an Easter egg hunt for dogs.

She had a good time, eventually discovering that the eggs were worth finding because there are actually treats inside. She made friends with a massive Great Dane and it was fun for mommy and daddy too.

Love that we’re getting some sporadic sunlight. It made it so much easier to give her a bath… necessary after she took her own plunge into a mud pool.

#80 Dye-ing Over Here

20 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“Maybe happiness is this
Not feeling like you
Should be somewhere else
Doing something else
Being something else”

— Unknown origin, but I found it here on Instagram

Either way, I love this quote.

It feels almost like an incongruous day to share it though, because honestly, today did feel like one where I wanted to be elsewhere. Along with all the perks of living in Eugene, it can also be isolating, being kinda far from so many of my favorite people. Today I thought about the time we’ve been living here and the nine months I have until the end of grad school and it feels pretty long.

At the same time, I also felt pretty thankful for a lot in my life, including the time we have left for so many of the things we love about living in Western Oregon. Today we hung out with the dog and dyed Easter eggs.

Today and this whole year have been so full of both rain and sun, heaviness and light, highs and lows. One day it’ll be a good story to tell. In the meantime, we get to see where this is all going to go.

#81 Falling Sky Friends

21 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

My weeknight out crew… Deanna, Zhen, and a baby. All to celebrate another year in Oregon for Zhen.

I love Falling Sky for many reasons, particularly pastrami. Also their beer selection. Dr. Optic’s Standard Bitter is my pick for the month.

Even though I’ve been off for a couple months thanks to my leave of absence, it is technically my spring break. Cheers.

#82 Rexius Trail

22 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

As of this week, I’m up to seven miles! Miles three and four were the hardest but after that it sort of felt like cruise control. Five more weeks to the half.

Some other good things from this week:

Radiolab — the episode they aired yesterday, technically a replay of a 2013 recording might have been the first thing I could label as a tearjerker podcast.

The way home roasting coffee beans make your house smell — did a batch of medium to dark roast Brazilian beans last night and it was lovely.

Ducks basketball — looks like we’re in for a good match tonight.

#83 Puppy School

23 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Beignet really is a fast learner. She’s signed up for puppy school which has been really fun to do with her.

She’s totally the stereotypical learner that’s too smart to stay focused all the time. When there’s no structured activity she tries to go over and mess with the other dogs, starts making some noise, or getting really restless.

The minute they switch activities to something with more structure, she gets it instantly and nails it. The smartest one in the class. If anything, the activities are too easy for her.

That’s our girl.

#84 Steak & Latkes

24 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I love that Deanna and I both love to cook. The kitchen is an egalitarian space. We share it and experiment and try and teach ourselves new tricks and recipes.

It’s a win-win situation for both of us. We get to play around and surprise each other with some really amazing meals sometimes that we’ve made for the first time ever.

That’s what happened this week with Deanna’s steak and latkes. The steak was phenomenal, and she nailed the art of medium-rare cooking. I can still taste it and feel that texture on my tongue. And the latkes were crisp and lovely and everything they should have been.

#85 Mirror Pond

25 March 2016 // Bend, Oregon

Mirror Pond Pale Ale is named after this little body of water… Or is the water named after the ale? I can’t seem to figure out why else they would name this thing mirror. Perhaps it was discovered by an explorer named Mirror, or inhabited by the Mirror Tribe. It was probably the beer, though. Nothing else makes sense.

This little city is amazing. So much good stuff for such a small size. And it’s not all that far away from us too.

Wholly enjoyed my first night in Bend and looking forward to some more excitement and adventuring today. Coffee and hikes and Beignet, hurrah.

#86 Smith Rock

26 March 2016 // Smith Rock, Oregon

People need to be validated. Like, desperately. Behind every interaction between one person and another, there are a billion unspoken questions like “Do you really see me? Does this moment matter? Do I matter to you?” Behind a lot of stories told, simple exchanges, or small talk, there’s this dynamic going on.

A lot of times the answer is no. Humans are social beings, meaning this desire is strong, but we’re so well adapted to social skills that we can put these interactions on autopilot, meaning we’re not really seeing people. We’re listening to their stories but thinking about our own experiences that are somewhat related. They’re making their point, but we’re already composing our counterargument in our head.

The desire to be validated fuels so much in the world right now. Who people are voting for is mostly determined by who makes them feel validated. The companies who sell the most product are the ones who can attach it to validation.

The good news about the ability to affirm another person’s humanity is that it’s an unlimited resource. We lose nothing by giving it away, and it’s something I really, really want to focus on these days. I speak for myself when I say it’s way too easy to go on autopilot. But the smallest time-out to break that habit can go a real long way.

#87 Tumalo Falls

27 March 2016 // Bend, Oregon

I couldn’t have asked for a better Easter Sunday this year. I’m so glad we decided to make this the weekend we took off for Central Oregon… We spent hours around all kinds of gorgeousness.

We did a sunrise breakfast, then church. After lunch at a brewery sand some time at a dog park, we decided to hunt down waterfalls.

Typically Tumalo Falls is a pretty easy spot to drive most of the way. Road closures, though, meant having to walk two miles each way with snow coming down, on and off with the sunlight.

We spent hours waking and chatting and Beignet found out that snow is pretty much the greatest thing ever. And after a good while of enjoying it, we were treated to a killer view.

#88 UO Restart

28 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I resumed taking and teaching classes at UO today, after being on leave since mid-December. Beignet isn’t too thrilled about her increase in home alone time, but in some ways it’s actually pretty nice to be back.

Three and a half months off is a freaking luxury. I don’t think they could’ve been better timed. Having the time off to go to Africa, work on my thesis, take care of Deanna when she got sick, and help Beignet adjust to the house really paid off.

Here’s hoping that this quarter is a balanced one. Graduation is coming and that’s something to look forward to. In the meantime, there’s a lot of perks to the grad school life to enjoy and keep busy with for the rest of the year.

#89 Oregon Campus

29 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Second day back after a long hiatus from grad school and things are already going full swing.

A big chunk of that is because there is so much administrative stuff and so many hoops to jump through after going on leave. Making sure I have insurance again, making sure all my registration issues are taken care of.

Thankfully the class I’m teaching this term looks like it’ll be a good one. International Political Economy, FTW.

#90 Oakway Ctr.

30 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Glad my dog has a facial expression to say “suckkkk itttt!” Also, glad it’s Friday.

I forgot to do a good things gratitude post earlier this week but it’s never really too late so here we go.

Bend – So glad this city and the surrounding area exists. Had such a good weekend there last weekend. I loved it. Deanna loved it. The dog loved it.

Tumalo Falls – likewise, this was not just a great sight to behold but we got snow on the hike for Beignet to freak out about.

Other People’s Food – This podcast series by The Sporkful has been great. It looks at the interplay between race and culture relations with gastronomy. It’s gotten me to think more deeply than ever about Sriracha’s popularity, the presentation factor of stews, and the evolution of Italian food in new ways.

#91 Pesto Sauce

31 March 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Lets see here, so it’s 2016, meaning it’s been nearly seven years since I studied abroad in Italy as a college student. That experience had such a profound impact on me in so many ways, but largely on my relationship with food.

I could walk to a market and get only the ingredients I needed for that day specifically. I could get some really fresh ingredients and it was the first time I tried to get more creative with the meals I made for myself. Plus I really learned how to appreciate simplicity and execution in certain dishes and I still do.

One of the most valuable experiences I had was being able to take a one-day cooking course. I remember being amazed and surprised at how relatively simple a homemade pasta was, and how much more rewarding it was to make. Also, its taste was far superior.

Fast forward to tonight when I had a terrific and tasty time tonight testing some of my new pasta making equipment.

Started by working on a homemade pesto sauce, which turned out to be pretty fun. I’m a huge fan of pretty much anything with pesto in it, so being able to make some was a treat.

FEBRUARY 2016

#32 Soccer Side

01 February 2016 // Johannesburg, South Africa

Working on soaking up all the time I have remaining in South Africa, especially once all the kids get back from their schools.

I love just wandering around the center’s premises in the day, talking to whichever kids happen to be around. Or the staff members, too. They’re fun to talk to.

I know I’ll miss it. I know I’ll long to be back. For now, though, there’s a lot to take in.

#33 Nando’s Team Meeting

02 February 2016 // Johannesburg, South Africa

Had a blast last night going out to dinner with my small team. Yay for Nando's.

Hard to believe that I've reached my last full day in the city. I don't fly out till late, so at least there's still half of tomorrow, but wow, it's never easy to leave this place.

It'll be a bummer to leave Jozi. I'm extremely excited to be back with Deanna, but I'll be missing everyone here too. At least this trip has assured me of one thing- my connection to Joburg, it doesn't end here.

#34 Always a Tough Goodbye

03 February 2016 // Johannesburg, South Africa

The boys wanted me to show off muscle... Instead I went with farmer's tan.

This place will always be one of the hardest places to leave.

Already missing the boys and girls and staff. It was so tough having to answer "I don't know" to everyone who asked when I'm coming. "But I'll be thinking hard about it." Every day that goes by is another day closer.

#35 Air-a-thon

04 February 2016 // Amsterdam, Netherlands

My flight from Joburg was cancelled. The good news was that they could get me a new route to Portland arriving Friday night. The bad news? It's a four legged journey that gets me there at midnight while I fly to Salt Lake the next day at 6 am.

Despite that here's some good stuff making this whole ordeal much more bearable.

Perdidos El Norte - fun movie I found on my plane about Spanish immigrants in Germany. Surprisingly sweet story. I always try and use those airplane movies to try and find at least one good foreign film.

The Amsterdam airport - This is probably my favorite airport abroad, and my second favorite right next to PDX for totally different reasons.

Fun company along the way - I've befriended a Polish traveler trying to make her way back to London via my same route, and a very friendly cleaning lady from Suriname. One of the fun parts of airports

#36 Days on Planes

05 February 2016 // Portland, Oregon

Alright, here's a synopsis of my past IDK how many hours.

Johannesburg to Amsterdam — originally meant to be London but that flight got cancelled.

Amsterdam to London — You'd think this would be unnecessary since there's so many ways to get to the U.S. from Amsterdam but whatever. I got Dutch frites for lunch.

London to New York — In NY, I only had exactly one hour to clear customs, recheck my bag, print a new boarding pass, switch terminals, go through security again and then find my gate.

New York to Portland — Just kidding, this flight got delayed two hours.

And now... I'll be spending my night in the Portland airport. Gotta get up at 4am. I arrive at 130, so I might as well. Because when I wake up

Portland to Salt Lake — and back the next day.

#37 Eliza’s Wedding

06 February 2016 // Salt Lake City, Utah

Official- Eliza and Geoff are now married.

Not gonna lie, this was one of the most tiring weekends ever, but I am so glad we found enough gas in the tank to see these two tie the knot.

Had a really fun time at the wedding and hanging out in Salt Lake. Congrats, Geoff and Eliza!

#38 A Day in Salt Lake

07 February 2016 // Salt Lake City, Utah

With one more full day before I could really get home, Deanna and I found ourselves with hours to spend wandering and exploring Salt Lake City.

Unfortunately this happened to be a Sunday, so most of the city had shut down, but we were able to find a handful of fun spots to have a look around.

The whole day was on the chilly side, but visually gorgeous. Snow and sun are such a great combination when you can get the two to coexist.

#39 A Day at Home

08 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

So after all of the movement and traveling over the past week, it was really nice to stay in all day.

I don't think I've enjoyed being at home and doing nothing really of note this much in a long time.

Scarcity principle.

#40 Home in Eugene

09 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Spent another whole day at home, cleaning the floors, washing clothes, and trying to tidy up in general. The most simple day, and yet, it was so good.

Even though I don’t always enjoy living in Eugene, and though spending too much time at home can make me feel suffocated, I’m realizing how much of what’s important to me has transitioned into this little space, and the things that happen in this place are often my highest priority.

Although I make a lot of plans to go see other places, this is the one that keeps bringing me back.

#41 To and From Portland

10 February 2016 // Portland, Oregon

From spending hours on end on planes to hours behind the wheel… it’s a new mode of transport for a new week. This isn’t much of a road trip, though, I’ve just been back and forth from Portland and Eugene for various reasons.

Lots of time on the road means I’m finally starting to get caught up on my backlog of podcasts that accumulated while in South Africa.

I think by the end of the month I’ll have spent more time in Portland than Eugene. On its own I don’t really mind that stat. I like Portland. Very much.

#42 Go Set a Watchman

11 February 2016 // Portland, Oregon

“Prejudice, a dirty word, and faith, a clean one, have something in common: they both begin where reason ends. That’s odd, isn’t it?”

–Harper Lee

Finished up Harper Lee’s follow up novel the other day, and I think I could appreciate it for what it is. To Kill a Mockingbird was a book about racism and conviction, the resolve to do what’s right in spite of crazy difficulty. Having that resolve and that firm of a sense for what’s right versus wrong is extremely crucial in figuring out one’s place in the world.

This book takes it to the next level, a more uncomfortable one. The dissonance of realizing a loved one has intolerable viewpoints. The tension between deep seated convictions and personal relationships. Racism is more of a vehicle through which the story unpacks one of its main arcs, growing up. I appreciated that. It was not as easily digestible as To Kill a Mockingbird, but quite true to life.

#43 Atop PDX

12 February 2016 // Portland, Oregon

Ah, alright. This has been a pretty tough week to be honest. I guess that’s why I try to make it a point to try and always find at least a few things I’m thankful for.

Here’s what it is this week.

Justin Bonello – Just when you think there are no more celebrity chefs to discover, you realize other countries have their own celebrity chefs. Definitely had to pick up at least one of his books while in South Africa.

Lardo – Last time I was in Portland, I got a look at their deli menu and it looked great. I unfortunately had no appetite. I went back this time, and apparently it was a totally different location. No sandwiches, just pasta. But like, really really good pasta.

Ratatouille – I’m late to this party, but I finally saw the movie yesterday and c’est bon!

#44 Physician’s Pavillion

13 February 2016 // Portland, Oregon

“I disagreed with most of what he said, but I loved the way he said it.”

—Ruth Bader Ginsburg on her friendship with Antonin Scalia

I would love to be a lot better at disagreeing with people, to be transparent about convictions that aren't shared without threatening the relationship at all or sounding antagonistic or even trying to persuade the other person. It's not a skill that comes easy for a lot of people.

I know it comes way more natural for me to just stay silent when I know I disagree with someone. Of course I would rather not be overly outspoken and it's always important to choose battles wisely, but I'd wager that this is one area where I could grow in a lot.

#45 First Married Valentines

14 February 2016 // Portland, Oregon

We’re sick!

Obviously not how we would’ve chosen to spend our first Valentine’s Day since getting married, but the important thing is that we’re spending it together, regardless of the circumstances.

But this has been a good reminder that Love isn’t just about the mountaintop highs all the time, but ultimately about being present and together.

And we’ll go ahead and grab our fancy dinner eventually.

#46 Phonewreck

15 February 2016 // Portland, Oregon

I’ve owned iPhones since 2008… that’s nearly a decade, and in that time I’ve managed to avoid those cracked and busted screens I see time to time.

That ended today on my run. A stray planter managed to grab hold of my foot and I made a fantastic landing on my phone and hand, busting both in the process.

Well, bummer! I was hoping my phone would’ve lasted me until September or October when the next round of iPhones gets released. I don’t like feeling the need to always have the latest thing, so having a phone that lasted three years worth of phone releases would’ve been really sweet. I probably would have stuck it out, too, except this guy can’t even recharge anymore. There are worse things in life than needing a new phone, I suppose.

#47 OHSU Skybridge

16 February 2016 // Portland, Oregon

Went on a two mile run in the morning and a two mile meander in the afternoon.

This is the longest suspended pedestrian skybridge in North America at 200 meters.

More importantly, it's the best place in North America to walk slowly, breathing heavily, and humming John Williams scored while pretending to be Darth Vader.

#48 Getting to Go

17 February 2016 // Portland, Oregon

Finally able to be back home now after one stay away from home after another. Maybe I just needed to be reminded of how good it can be to be at home.

Here's a few things I'm appreciating as well—

OHSU- especially for their really pretty campus on a mountain that offers so many great views of Portland. Nobody wants to go to the hospital, but if you must, might as well have it be a pretty one.

Big Hero 6- Got to rematch this movie the other night and it held up really well. Just a reminder that I loved it start to finish.

Kitchen Stories- found a new favorite app for publishing my recipes.

#49 Book Club

18 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna and I checked another item off our list. We started up a book club through our church. It’s our first time ever going book clubbin’. So, when we decided to revisit A Million Miles in a Thousand Years for our book club, I wondered a few things… how would the book hold up? What would I see differently about living a good story? What lessons would be reinforced? Most of all, would I still be able to say that I’m living a good story or was it just a passing idea?

Here’s my take on A Million Miles in a Thousand Years five years down the line.

It’s still a great book, and one of my all time favorites. It still does a really good and unique job at putting words to things we know deep down are important.

I still believe in the importance of living a good story and I think that whenever you see somebody who’s really doing it, it’s a really beautiful thing that reminds you what it’s all about.

The best storylines aren’t necessarily about the places you go or, but about what challenges you the most.

#50 Onion Quiche

19 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I got my wish for a simple night in, Deanna going for Julia Child covers, and the early 2000s streaming on Netflix. Ah 2000-2003, the golden era of Ben Stiller.

By the way, Deanna nailed it on this quiche. Taking things as simple as eggs, onions, and flour and whipping it up into this... That takes skill.

Things are starting to return to ordinary, and at the moment that is a welcome return. I'm sure our appetites for adventure won't be dormant for very long, but for now I appreciate the reality that there's nowhere I'd rather be at the moment than right at home.

#51 Greenhill Animal Shelter

20 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Took a trip to the animal shelter today to browse their selection of puppies.

They don't respond to Sarah McLaughlin tunes the way they'd lead you to believe.

I had a good moment with Sawyer the Siberian, though.

#52 Congrats Jesse & Raquel

21 February 2016 // Portland, Oregon

So, Sunday night was pretty fun.

A huge congrats to Jesse and Raquel for getting engaged over the weekend.

Super excited for the two of you and glad I was able to make it to celebrate with y'all.

#53 Warm Up Run

22 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Getting back into the swing of things, which includes race training. Got a good amount of sun this morning so I tried to redeem oversleeping by getting in a good run.

According to MapMyRun, it was a REALLY good run. 4 miles at a 9:09 minute pace. I'm skeptical, but nothing like running with this app in an area with no phone reception to boost your confidence.

Also, today is the day my nephew turns six. Hope you like Settlers of Catan Junior, Simoncello!

#54 Bran Nue Dae

23 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Chasing off the back end of February with a taste of summer in the winter.

Sausage meatballs in a yogurt sauce plus garlic knots for dinner and a movie I've looked for for six years after I thought that it looked kinda fun.

If you're into brightly colored musicals featuring Aboriginal Australians in the late sixties, it was fun. A whole lot of fun.

#55 Home Roast

24 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Decided to dabble in a world where I would be a total newcomer… the world of at-home coffee roasting. I have a few friends who swear by various methods and refuse to go back to buying roasted beans. If that’s the case, I figured it was worth trying at least once.

I was told that a stove-top popcorn maker would work adequately. I didn’t have much luck finding one, though. I did find an air pressure popcorn maker, though, so I split the difference, roasting half of my green beans in the popcorn maker, and the other half in a cast iron skillet… yes this does work, but your fire alarm will freak the freak out.

We roasted up some beans from a Costa Rican estate. I’m currently drinking some coffee that resulted from the experiment, meaning that it was a success and that I plan on doing it again sometime in the near future… whenever a new roast is needed.

#56 The Vintage

25 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Yesterday was a good one. A solid 4.5 mile run and then the evening introduced me to one of Eugene's more underspoken places to eat.

On the outside, it's easily mistakable as some guy's house. Even on the inside it kind of just looks like a house.

I was highly recommended getting a burger although the shoestring fries outshined their partner. Best thing though are their infused liquors- a peach infused bourbon made for a good base to a ginger fizz.

#57 At Home Espresso

26 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

After getting a little off-schedule due to travel and the ups and downs of life, I’m now starting to get back on track with my 52 items-to-master cooking challenge.

This newest attempt wasn’t so much a recipe as it was a hands-on lesson on how to use a fancy but complicated wedding present we received, a Delonghi at home espresso maker. Plus I got to try this thing out using home roasted coffee beans, so that’s a double treat!

I don’t think you could even call it a recipe really, but I posted a post on my blog with all the steps and fun facts about espresso. Did you know that my Grandma is a few decades older than the entire idea of espresso? You do now.

When I first gave this a shot, I read a guide from Blue Bottle Coffee that began with this analogy:

“To us, skimping on an espresso machine and expecting delicious shots is similar to skydiving with a threadbare parachute – you can certainly risk it, but we can’t guarantee exquisite (or even safe) results.”

Obviously, those guys take this a lot more seriously than I do. Comically, they immediately followed it up with this statement:

Espresso is a finicky beast and deserves the proper equipment. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t nail a perfect shot right off the bat; it takes time and practice to dial in well.

“Well, the "if at first you don't succeed" attitude wouldn't apply so well to skydiving, but whatever. I agree with that approach a little bit more readily. Generally, the more times you do something, the more natural it gets. Although I was pretty happy about how my results turned out this time, I look forward to trying this out more often experimenting with other fun espresso drinks.”

#58 Puppy Nesting

27 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna and I spent our weekend nesting and getting our house ready for the dog we'd like to adopt very, very soon.

Also, I learned what Bret Michaels has been up to since Rock of Love. Glad that he's been keeping himself busy.

In the meantime, we've been debating names and want your input. We won't necessarily go with the majority vote, but perhaps some of you will give us good feedback. If the shelter dog we've been eyeballing doesn't get reclaimed by the end of the week, one of these names will go to a golden colored medium sized lab mix.

No offense to all the owners of Spots and Codys and Milos out there, but I'm not one for overused dog names. Here's a chance to inject a family member's title with some personal meaning in a way that you can't quite get away with when its for a kid.

Here we go, our name finalists are:

• Beignet - to celebrate our New Orleans honeymoon and the wonderful Café du Monde

• Timber - In honor of the MLS champion Portland Timbers, #rctid baby, but also because #istandwithkesha y'know

• Jozi - Because South Africa has my heart and Cape Town isn't a very good doggy name.

#59 Son of Laughter

28 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“He makes us promises about life. I do not know what he promises to the dead if he promises anything… He speaks to us sometimes in dreams that are like torches to light our way through the dark. He gives us daughters and sons so our seed may live after us and the promises he has made us may be kept to the world’s luck and blessing. Perhaps that is enough.”

–Frederick Buechner

I’ve always wanted to read something by Buechner, and Chris helped make that happen by letting me borrow Son of Laughter. It took me a while to open up this book, but once I did it was a smooth and fast read, but also one rich with story. It’s a reimagining of the Genesis story of the Hebrew patriarchs, mostly told through Jacob’s perspective. It’s one that demystifies and humanizes its storytellers far more than how they are usually depicted.

Good read! Now to spend the rest of my Sunday hanging out with Deanna and the other end of the storytelling spectrum by watching some of that Full House revamp.

#60 Workspace: The Beanery

29 February 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Here’s something worth celebrating… This week I finish up the results chapter of my thesis! It’s not a total finish line, I still need to enter in some pictures and format everything, but I just finished typing 90 something pages worth of stuff, so I’ll cheers to that.

But just a cheers with an espresso, because I haven’t shown any of this to my advisor as of yet so we can’t celebrate too much too soon.

I’ve been turning all of Eugene’s coffee shops into my workspaces lately. If the Beanery had somewhere you could park for more than two hours it would be much higher on my list. I love the look and light on the inside of this converted train station.

JANUARY 2016

#1 Happy 2016!

01 January 2016 // Portland, Oregon

Good morning to you! And happy 2016! May the parties you unintentionally end up DJing be okay with you just playing Latin remixes of your favorite songs and in the words of Dawes, may all your favorite bands stay together.

I'm surprised I woke up this early. Sort of.

To be honest, 2015 is a tough one to leave behind. Wedding year and all that. And also, I'm hardcore anticipating 2017. Yes, I said 2017, when I'm done with grad school and free to do something new.

But it's 2016. I woke up just now in Portland. I'm spending the day with a few good friends. Once they finally wake up, that is. Much like this year, I have no idea what's in store for today. I'm not even sure what's open around town. But I've got some good company so I'm sure it'll be a memorable one.
Today and this year.

#2 Escapism Portland

02 January 2016 // Portland, Oregon

Had a lot of fun at Dr. Zylchov’s escape room this morning… but not as much fun as Daniel, considering the theme of this room escape consisted of cats and molecular-level science.

Actually, I’m pretty proud of how we did. Almost nineteen minutes to spare. We killed it.

At this point, all of my 2016 can be summed up as eat and escape the room. Good year so far.

#3 Snowfall

03 January 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

We only get a day or two of snow each year, if that, so this was pretty exciting to wake up to.

The first half of the day, while we stayed in, was very Calvin and Hobbes. Little kids in our complex made sleds out of garbage can lids and kept crashing into someone's parked pickup.

The second part of the day, when we had more errands, called for trying to pull cars out of driveways by force. A lot more Snowpiercer.

2016 has yet to fully sink in. The past few weeks have been wild ones. I've had visitors and I've been a visitor, sometimes doing both those things at the same time. With a few days to slow it way down before South Africa, it'll be nice to let the present sink in some more.

#4 Daniel at Vero

04 January 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

So glad Daniel I could ring in the new year together, almost like Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper. Almost.

Also glad I didn't lose my friend forever sliding down an icy mountain.

Come back to Oregon. We'll have more donuts ready.

#5 Six Month Gift

05 January 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Got our mail that was held at the post office while we were away the past few weeks and found this treat... Some really neat card stock square prints of wedding photos from our photographer… Thanks Becky!

At the moment, here's a few good things I've been thankful for.

Getting to have Daniel in town for a few days— Having visitors has always made me excited, especially while I've been living further away from my closest friends. I especially like it when they're the sort of visitor I can totally be myself around.

Blue Star Donuts— Particularly for their Egg Nog Brûlée and rum donut. A brûlée donut is such a good idea, and they're quite generous with the rum.

Getting to do another room escape— its a hot, trendy activity now, and I hope the trend is here to stay.

#6 French Baguettes

06 January 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

This year, I’ve made myself a list of 52 recipes I’d love to have mastered by the end of the year. Half of these items are basics I should really know how to master. The other half are things I’ve eaten before that I’ve thought were really yummy and wondered if I could make myself. I’ll be doing what people who do this sort of thing do, which is chronicling my challenge by blog.

Item number one of this year… the French baguette. One of my favorite simple lunches is a slice of prosciutto and a bit of brie sandwiched in a fresh baguette, so these are nice to have on hand. Plus, one of my favorite things about the middle east are the bread vendors who come around every morning with fresh baguettes. They introduced me to the wonders of a really simple but really good egg and cheese baguette sandwich. That fresh baked bread makes a world of difference.

These suckers are actually really sensitive to temperature and humidity. The dough will rise very differently from one part of the country to the next… probably from one room to the next.

Actually, that’s the great debate in New Orleans. The bread process I’m using is used to make the buns of a po’boy sandwich. But does that make it a French baguette? Some would argue that the Delta humidity alters the dough way too much that it’s its own animal.

I guess you could maybe make that argument for the Middle East’s dryness too.

#7 Jozi Prep

07 January 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Looooooonnng day. Spent most of it doing prep for South Africa.

After getting my computer ready for travel, clearing up memory on all my stuff that usually runs out of memory, making a list of things to buy before going, phone calls and other details, the pending trip is finally beginning to sink in.

And I'm really excited.

From everything I've heard, a TON has changed since my last visit three years ago... A lot good, some not quite as good, but probably mostly good. From the sound of things it won't be as big of a challenge to navigate my way around as it was last time.

Also, the last microloan I gave out in October didn't work out because the person never collected the money... So it was returned. I still want to give this thing a legit shot so I found another person looking for one.

Looking forward to seeing you again soon, Africa!

#8 Piano Man

08 January 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Coming to the end of my little bit of time in Eugene before going out to South Africa. Decided to take a break from all the trip planning and packing to spend some time with my GCF friends.

That was a good call. We ended up with Andrew on the piano, playing name that tune and just riffing off of nostalgic old ideas.

But, speaking of the South Africa trip, I am getting really excited for that. From all I’ve heard via phone calls and emails, so much has changed that will likely make this a much more productive and enjoyable visit. Looking forward to it!

#9 Running Through Amazon Park

09 January 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

“Initially you're overwhelmed. But gradually you realize it's like a wave. Resist, and you'll be knocked over. Dive into it, and you'll swim out the other side.”

—The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

If these words were spoken by the Dame Judy Dench, they must be taken seriously.

I don't like to run. I live in Tracktown, USA, birthplace of Nike and host of this year's Olympic trials. Still don't like to run.

I wish I could learn how to like running. I know how to run. I don't know how to enjoy it. Deanna enjoys it.

Taking the words of Judy Dench to heart, I signed myself up for the Eugene half marathon on my birthday weekend and bought some cold weather running clothes. I figured at the very least I love wearing those compression leggings, but I think I've taken the plunge even further.

#10 Fundraising

10 January 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna and I are super excited to announce the start of one of the big adventures we’re undertaking… we’re looking to fund the refugee of a rescue through Liberty in North Korea.

I interned with LiNK over three years ago, just shortly after Deanna and I begun dating. Although I’m pretty sure most of my friends have heard from me at some point what they’re up to, if you haven’t, you’ve got to check out their website at libertyinnorthkorea.org to see how supporting refugees can help further empower the people of North Korea to change their country from within.

It takes about $3000 to rescue a refugee. I’ve had the opportunity to meet more than a few from North Korea, and their stories are the most amazing. They’re the best reminders on how to celebrate life. I’ll be setting up and sharing a fundraising page for this quest soon.

#11 The Steven Scott Foster Podcast

11 January 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

Had a blast spending a good chunk of the day talking to Steven and recording a new episode for his podcast.

We talked everything from my last visit to South Africa to narratives for the new year to big shifts in our mindsets concerning our careers.

Steven’s interview skills are tops, and just keep getting better. His is a podcast I really enjoy new episodes from.

#12 Packing Night

12 January 2016 // Eugene, Oregon

I suck at getting to sleep before an exciting happening, last night was no exception. No big. Thirty-something hours on the plane will help get me caught up.

Last night was an adrenaline rush, as it finally sunk in deeper that in a matter of hours, I'd be back where I was three years ago, surrounded by pink and brown graffitied walls.

I really can't wait. I wonder which of the kids that remember me will be the first one I see. I'm even actually excited to deal with the long flight... Though the chance to sleep may be a factor there.

#13 Party in the Sky

13 January 2016 // Los Angeles, California

Leg two of the really long journey to Joburg... LAX to London Heathrow. Not exactly my favorite airports but let's make it a good time.

I'm really glad it worked out for us to do this trip via Virgin Airlines... That is a fave, especially for back-to-back really long flights.

So looking forward to seeing some familiar (but now more grown up) faces when our last plane finally touches down. That still feels a ways away right now, so for the moment I'm looking forward to catching up on the movies of 2015 via in-flight entertainment.

UPDATE 2 HRS LATER:

Actually still a party at LAX. The plane had a malfunctioning part and they needed it to be brought in from the other side of LA by somebody on motorbike. That sounds more like a Ryan Gosling movie plot to me, so we opted to hop on the next plane over.

#14 Heathrow Layover

14 January 2016 // London, England

Back to back flights in double digit hours, but I guess if that’s what it takes to get us to South Africa, so be it.

Not to mention, we got eight hours of London-time in-between. If the Heathrow Airport wasn’t so far away from where our London friends live, and if British airport security wasn’t so strict, it would’ve been really neat to pay some a visit.

But, alas, we settled for this meat pie and pint of ale combo.

#15 Arrived

15 January 2016 // Johannesburg, South Africa

Man, it is so good to be here- and I'm not just saying that because our arrival puts an end to a two hour drive, two hour flight, three hour layover, nine hour flight, seven hour layover, and ten hour flight.

Seriously, if anyone would like to reassemble Pangea so all these places could be closer together, be my guest.

In the meantime, trying to take it all in through a sleep deprived state. The old faces. The new faces. Having Deanna see it all for the first time.

It's been a very hard-to-believe-it's-real day.

#16 The Courtyard of 5Cees

16 January 2016 // Johannesburg, South Africa

Oh man, everything comes rushing back in the middle of this courtyard. Some things changed a great deal... Other things seem like they never will.

Today's excitement was provided by Lloyd the dog. Some of these kids were more nervous around Lloyd than they were around lions.

Our first day was a mostly open one... A slow Saturday that allowed us to spend a lot of playtime with the kids. The perfect way to slide back into things.

#17 Johannesburg Love

17 January 2016 // Johannesburg, South Africa

This city has such a different personality from my own. Large, gritty, competitive, and opportunity driven. Honestly on paper it wouldn't seem like a good fit.

This trip though, I've found myself simply thinking... Man, I love it here. Over and over again.

I'm thankful that this city is where my people are. And that this will be my home base whenever I'm on the African continent. Hope my next visit isn't too far away!

#18 Lindokhule

18 January 2016 // Johannesburg, South Africa

Lindo and I bonded well when I was here last... Probably because he and I were very similar in high school. Spending more effort trying to get out of work than doing the work.

When I arrived here, I was bummed to find out he had aged out and moved away just a month prior. So close! I was looking forward to being reunited.

Then, yesterday, he happens to drop by. Much like the Lindo of old times, but also three years older like the rest of us. He definitely had his share of crazy stories over the past few years, which I got to learn about over the course of tea for four hours. Missed this guy a ton, but glad our paths crossed.

#19 Deanna in Jozi

19 January 2016 // Johannesburg, South Africa

It's been making me really happy all week to see Deanna hanging out around the center, helping with homework, and playing with the kids. Three years ago it was a place she knew by my emailed stories... Now she has stories of her own.

Honestly, I think that when a place or experience in your life shapes you so much, you've gotta let the people you share your life with see it. Even if it isn't the same thing to them that it was to you, it will help that much more with understanding each other.

In the meantime, I get to enjoy sights like this for a little while longer. It's been a good time.

#20 Art Therapy in Africa

20 January 2016 // Johannesburg, South Africa

Just a public service announcement, Deanna is really, really good at her job.

Today we did a lot of art therapy exercises with the kids. Through the process, we got to hear more than a few of their stories.

“When my brother died,” one of them explained a drawing, “me, my sister, and grandma were really sad. Then I wrote a poem. I still felt sad, but my sister and grandma were happier after reading it.”

#21 Zoo Lake

21 January 2016 // Johannesburg, South Africa

A huge happy birthday to our local friend Bongi! Ever since she introduced me to Arts On Main on my first visit three years ago, she's always been my informant on what's fun in Joburg.

This visit has been no exception. She's been a great source of help to Deanna and I.

I had a blast celebrating tonight in Braam. And I have the fatty bruise on my wrist from a collapsing table to robe it. I never thought I'd say this, but I now know what it's like to be the whitest guy in the club.

#22 Deanna Heads Back

22 January 2016 // Johannesburg, South Africa

Took Deanna to the airport tonight. Unfortunately her work schedule doesn't allow her to stay as long as I get to, but I'm so glad she got to be a part of my second visit to South Africa and see some of the kids I've kept telling her about.

A few things this trip has really helped me appreciate;

1- Deanna's willingness to come along for the experience. I know getting to visit Africa was a lifelong dream of hers, and I'm glad I got to see it happen.

2 - Uber. It makes life easier in the states, but in South Africa? It's given me an easy and affordable way to get around I could only dream about on my first visit. Plus I've had the most fun conversations with my Jozi drivers.

3- Getting around way more easily. My first trip was much more confined. This time, I feel like I have way more access to the city. It's more than just the Uber thing too. I feel more directionally oriented. I know the culture much better. I feel at ease in a place where living isn't usually easy.

#23 The Center’s Alley

23 January 2016 // Johannesburg, South Africa

It was a quieter Saturday at the center… the first one of the year, meaning the kids are still figuring out how Saturdays are going to work with the newly imposed study time and everything.

It was also my first Saturday with Deanna on her way back to the United States meaning that this stay will bear a lot of resemblance now to my previous visit, where we did the long distance thing for almost three months, only being able to email.

It wasn’t easy, that’s for sure. But it actually did wonders for our communication. Being back here, especially knowing that I was able to bring her back this time as my wife, feels like a celebration.

#24 Ivin

24 January 2015 // Johannesburg, South Africa

Actually I was originally named Basil. Or perhaps it was Basel. Anyways, when I was registered for school there was a spelling error and they called me Baryl. I thought it sounded like a girls name so I changed it to Ivin.

Ivin the security guard is quickly becoming one of my most favorite people in South Africa. He kind of reminds me of my stepdad, and he's been making me lots of curry.

While at the center, I like to imagine who the staff members and characters would be if it were Hogwarts. Ivin is definitely Hagrid.

#25 Meet Max

25 January 2015 // Johannesburg, South Africa

Lemme introduce you to Max. One of the guys I've really had the pleasure of getting to know on this trip.

This guy works hard and sends so much of what he earns to his family. He's also brilliant. He's given me more insight into inter-tribal dynamics than anyone else. He's also a great role model for the guys at the center, which can't be over valued.

I'd bring him back to the U.S. if I could. He's kept me informed and enlightened with many great chats about race, politics, theology, and food.

#26 Classic Sifundo

26 January 2015 // Johannesburg, South Africa

The funny thing about being back at the center after three years is that if something has drastically changed, it'll amaze me. Also, if it hasn't changed at all, it'll amaze me too.

When I was here last I taught Sifundo how to use my camera, and while we were playing around out front I had a moment of taking it all in and being fully there.

Then a couple days ago, I was hanging out with Sifundo atop the teenage dormitory and just like old times the camera came out and we started taking pictures in the sun.

#27 Alexandra Township

27 January 2015 // Johannesburg, South Africa

The goal isn't wealth or poverty but contentment.

—Ross Lester

Went with some of the group to a nearby church on Sunday and actually really connected with what was spoken. Trying to learn to see things through the lenses of generosity and contentment and learning how to make the most of both seasons: thin and plenty, and the in between.

South Africa gives such a unique vantage point into the economic disparity that exists in many spots around the world. I'm staying in Hillbrow which is the most densely populated mile in Africa. At night I can stare out towards Sandton, a bright light in the distance that represents the wealthiest mile in Africa. I spent most of my day in the township of Alexandria... These informal settlements are a whole different world.

This trip is teaching me so much about the complexities that come from such a disparity. Having a lot makes you susceptible to greed and having little makes you susceptible to desperation. Contentment is a good remedy on both ends.

#28 The Kiddos

28 January 2015 // Johannesburg, South Africa

There’s a reason why I’ll always be wondering how soon I can make my next visit to South Africa. There’s a reason why even when I’m back home South Africa stays really close to my heart.

It’s not the gorgeous mix of coastline and mountains and hiking trails, although that’s there. It’s not the rich history that overlaps with my lifetime, though that’s wonderful too. Then there’s the cuisine… the seafood and the mix of adapted Dutch and British recipes alongside indigenous food habits. But that’s not the main reason either.

Nah. It’s all about the people. Whether they’re older and helping to run the care center or they’re some of the youngest ones I’ve had the chance to play with, I’ll have to keep planning to come back. And hopefully they won’t be too much bigger by then.

#29 Enter the Kingdom

29 January 2015 // Oshoek, Swaziland

How’s this for an exciting night… I got to waltz in to the Kingdom of Swaziland.

I hopped on a bus in the afternoon, with only the roughest idea of how to get where I was supposed to go after crossing the border. Thankfully, we met one of the kindest souls on our bus ride who offered to let us stay at her place in Mbabane so we could find our way in the daylight.

We arrived after dark into one of the more peculiar countries the world has to offer. I could only make out the subtle outlines of mountains in the dark, but I could already tell, this was going to be a gorgeous place when I could see it.

#30 Swazi Hike

30 January 2015 // Piggs Peak, Swaziland

This was my weekend.

Being led out on a hike by a bunch of Swazi boys in the middle of some mountain that I'm not sure even has a name. Stopping at each of the fruit trees to pick and taste their unfamiliar produce. Sitting on rocks and staring into valleys for hours on end.

Good weekend, man.

#31 The Kingdom of Swaziland

31 January 2016 // Piggs Peak, Swaziland

Made it! An unpredictable journey over from Joburg and taking chances on unnamed dirt roads led to this rewarding view.

Swaziland is one of the last remaining true kingdoms in the modern day and I can understand why... I feel like the number one activity to do here is to stand on a tall rock, stretch out your arm and shout the word "behold!" That and hiking.

This country had me impressed from the get-go with its mountains. If this is how green it looks in a severe drought, I can only imagine it's normal state. Cheers to country number thirty-nine.

2015

DECEMBER 2015

#335 Jabberwocky Ale

01 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Talk about a test of will- coming back for one and a half more weeks of work in between a really fun Thanksgiving break and a really fun Christmas is such a tease. And if that weren’t such a motivation leech, dropping temperatures are.

Here’s to finding a night in the middle of it all that allows me to lean into the lethargy. Hard. Cozying up on the couch with Deanna to Jane the Virgin status.

Warm apartment. Cold beer. And a new discovery at that. Jaberwocky had a deeper, more coffee-like flavor than I expected, and I liked it a lot.

#336 Ethiopian Dinner

02 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I can’t remember the last time I’ve had Ethiopian food… and whenever you can say that statement you know it’s been way too long.

Some of my students invited me to their African studies Freshman interest group, which was having an end of the year party catered by a local, upcoming Ethiopian catering service. It was back at the dorm conference room, which totally brought back flashbacks. It’s been fun teaching students at the start of their college years. It’s also occasionally tasty.

Ethiopian food is also incredibly filling, so I was pretty much set for the rest of the day after this meal. Here’s to sour Njera and wonderfully braised chicken.

#337 DIY Bibimbap

03 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I love me some bibimbap. It also occurred to me really recently that it wouldn’t be that hard for me to make for myself, so I decided to give it a shot.

The Asian grocery up the road had most of the veggies I needed, including chopped spinach and mung bean sprouts. I also got enough sliced pork to fill out the bowls, although in retrospect I should’ve gone with beef. Making decent fluffy rice was the most important part, followed by frying an egg well.

I’d call this mission a successful and tasty one that brought some long overdue Korean food back to my palate. Here’s to more culinary covers.

#338 NW by Zadie Smith

04 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

“Not everyone wants this conventional little life you’re rowing your boat toward. I like my river of fire. And when it’s time for me to go I fully intend to roll off my one-person dinghy into the flames and be consumed. I’m not afraid.”

–NW, Zadie Smith

I really, really probably should’ve started with White Teeth as my introduction to Zadie Smith as an author. I could tell by reading through NW that she was truly a gifted author and brilliantly creative. She switched up the style of NW so ambitiously, which is what ultimately lost me and made it a difficult book to fully get immersed in.

Kind of a bummer, because I like the theme that the book danced around so much, the disappointment of lofty expectations for life and being thrown off by the speed at which it moves. I mean, that’s totally something I relate to. Unfortunately, the somewhat-gimmicky switches in style did enough to keep me distant and detached from its characters and events.

#339 Tillamook Salted Caramel Bar

05 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

The best days are the ones that don’t really require pants now, yeah?

One week of school, of grading, and taking exams sandwiched in between a great Thanksgiving in California and a great upcoming trip over Christmas break is such a tease. It’s been tough to stay motivated all the way through, so Deanna spent most of this day at home with Netflix and taking naps, leaving studying and such for another day.

The one exception we made to leave the house was when Deanna went off on her own to the grocery store to go fetch just enough ingredients for grilled cheese and tomato soup. She also got us a pleasant treat… Tillamook ice cream bars.

#340 MLS Champions, PTFC

06 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Nuthin’ like a grey, laid back Sunday with some football and beer.

And by beer, of course, I mean bier. Some cranberry weissbier from Oakshire that was more like a very tart lambic than anything else. Super perfect for winter when you’d want to break up the darker spiced porters.

And by football of course, I mean futbol, more specifically the Timbers taking the MLS Cup! Went out to Oakshire for the game, and man, was that fun! Some sweet vengeance for Oregon against Columbus.

#341 The End of this Term

07 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Hooray. Yes. I cant’s that enough. I am SO glad to put an end to this term.

After delivering my final presentation to our strategic planning class, our professor did what I wish more of them did… treated us out to pizza and beer at the basement of Pegasus for an evening hangout.

It felt like we were a Little League team that just won a big game. After putting an end to this quarter, the feeling is similar.

#342 A Perfect Day

08 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna’s been teaching me a lot about art therapy, especially since it’ll probably be used in my thesis research.

Here’s her depiction of her idea of a perfect day… doing yoga with yours truly.

#343 Cauliflower Ceviche

09 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Had a gathering of church friends tonight, so I decided to try out a new recipe for the first time.

I love ceviche, but without much time to go out to the fish market to make sure I got a fresh cut, this vegan variation works just as well.

Switch out the fish for a head of cauliflower, and keep the rest the same. Tomatoes, a jalapeño, onions, cilantro, etc. Let the lime cure it all for a couple hours before throwing in the avocado. I do miss the fish in there, but the cauliflower works pretty well!

#344 Pani Puri

10 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

My Hindi/Urdu teacher introduced me to pani puri last spring. It’s a very interactive piece of street food that’s found all over South Asia.

The puri puffs are made from semolina flower… I cheated and got those pre-made, but I managed to make the rest from scratch. The “pani” (water) was mostly made from tamarind. The filling came from boiled potatoes, chopped onions, chickpeas, and leftover cilantro bits. That last part was more of my touch.

You typically punch a little hole in a puff to make it into a bowl, fill it up with the stuffing, and then pour in a bit of the water. It’s got a little bit of a sour flavor and some spice from the onions. Deanna liked it, which is my best metric of successs.

#345 Jordan’s Whiskey Bar

11 December 2015 // Creswell, Oregon

Had a GCF guys’ hang-out at Dan and Jordan’s place out in Creswell. We had a night full of homemade pizzas and learning different poker games.

Eventually, we also got to tap into Jordan’s whiskey collection.

Also, how cool is his home bar?

#346 The Christmas Errands

12 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s our last weekend before leaving for all our Christmas travels, so I had to take advantage of the last weekend we had in town to get things done.

The first half of the day was spent tending to the car, getting oil changes, full tanks of gas, and replacing a busted headlight.

Then came Christmas shopping at the Fifth Street Market. It was hectic but I love the way the place looks when it’s decked out for Christmas.

#347 Rain and Christmas Lights

13 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

We spent the evening exploring some tucked away neighborhoods deep in Eugene. We hit the jackpot as far as decked out Christmas lights go, which looked especially good after a solid weekend of rain.

This after a day mostly spent inside napping and Netflixing.

Glad to get in a sweet and easy day just before we take off for a fast paced Christmas stretch.

#348 Book Club, Night One

14 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Tonight was the first night of mine and Deanna’s book club. The four of us got together to chat over the first couple of chapters and share some chips and salsa.

Since it’s our first book club, we decided to go with a sure fire book we love- Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It’s been a couple of years since the last time I re-read this book, and New years is a perfect time to do it.

We’ve never done this book club thing before, but we’ve wanted to for so long!

#349 S.C. Reunited

15 December 2015 // Columbia, South Carolina

Today was a long one that covered a LOT of ground. Eugene to Portland to Seattle to Atlanta to Charleston to Columbia, all within 17 hours! Weird how it’s possible to cover that much ground yet do so little physical activity.

But after all of that, I’ve made it! And I’m reunited with Ivy in charming South Carolina.

That accounts for half the crew. Meet you soon Deanna and J.B.!

#350 Five Points

16 December 2015 // Columbia, South Carolina

Despite its charming exterior, I didn’t go into the Blossom Shop. I did spend a few good hours, though, wandering around the Five Points area, in and out of all of it’s little consignments and mom and pop venues. I eventually found a lovely coffee shop and record store and set up camp for a little while. The “Vader” at Drip was a wonderful discovery– a cold glass of coke with a shot of espresso and a bit of vanilla, and I’m not even much of a soda fan.

It’s been an extremely comfortable low-seventies in South Carolina, and the sun above feels really, really good. It’s a nice day for walking around outside and it’s been a good long time since I’ve been able to say that. Few things are as great as a perfectly timed change of scenery.

I’ve been getting such a good, comfortable, welcoming feeling from South Carolina, it’s great. Even the casual interactions with people here have all been really pleasant. For a long time, I suspected this would be a state I really enjoyed. I think I’m right… I’m in a really good mood just being here.

#351 Catawba Falls

17 December 2015 // Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina

My goodness, I knew North Carolina would be good to an outdoor lover but I underestimated just how good it would be. I decided to split my one day between Asheville and the Pisgah National Forest and found a sweet waterfall to hike to.

Unfortunately Google Maps let me down for the first time ever yesterday, trying to get me there via a private road I couldn’t drive down. I found another way but it cost me an hour.

While on my hike, I realized I needed to book it if I wanted to see the falls and make it back out of the woods with the remaining daylight. I felt confident enough to start sprinting towards the falls. I caught a bit of its lower end before I had to go, taking off for a very muddy trail run and an unintended river forging.

This did not go to plan and I loved it. I hope to make it back to visit the falls properly someday. I can only imagine.

#352 Seeing Lei

18 December 2015 // Atlanta, Georgia

The last time I saw Lei was at the Phoenix Airport. He had just filmed our wedding and Deanna and I were headed to the Dominican Republic for our honeymoon and we had no idea we had the same connecting flight. Once again we had the chance to cross paths, without too much advanced planning… this time in Atlanta.

When we talked during our hour long layover that last time, he was telling us how motivated he was to pursue more passion projects and to get to the next level with his pursuit of a career in film.

Then last night, as he transferred over some remaining footage from the wedding, he got me caught up on all he’d been up to lately… as a member of a media team, and writing and putting together his own short film projects. He’s also been able to take part in recording and producing some really cool scenes for other clients, and it made me super excited to see how much he followed through on that spark of motivation back in June.

Keep doing what you’re doing, Lei. God knows the stories you’ll have for me the next time we cross paths, in whatever random city.

#353 Tennessee Whiskey Tasting

19 December 2015 // Cascade Falls, Tennessee

Going whiskey tasting was at the top of my list for things to do while we were in Tennessee. I did a bit of searching and found some in the Cascades just a bit north of Chattanooga.

Turned out to be a really fun tour. The guides at George Dickel taught us so much about the distilling process.

Best of all, we got in a tasting of four different whiskey flights, and I picked up a bottle to bring back to Oregon.

#354 BBQ With The Bluetts

20 December 2015 // Plano, Texas

Considering I’ve been sitting in cars for hours, eating southern cooking, and getting fed plenty by famiy, I’m coming back home very, very full. And not just of biscuits and barbecue but the other kind of full too, where I’m really happy and thankful for the people I have in my life.

I got to see Derek and Holly just outside of Dallas for the first time in almost two years. (Take their BBQ tips seriously, by the way.) I got to see friends in Atlanta and Nashville, and lots of family in California.

I’m thankful to have people in my life who have been a part of it for the long haul. I love seeing where we’ve ended up so far.

#355 The Southern Road Trip

21 December 2015 // El Paso, Texas

This trip was so much fun and so sweet. Even the latter day we had to spend driving through Texas for forever was a good chance to bond, binge on Serial, and try to perfect lip syncing to Macklemore.

Road trips are one of my favorite analogies for how to live. Form a team with some good friends. Bring some snacks. See other friends along the way, and explore new places.

The entire thing ends up being a discovery, and not just a discovery of new cities. You get to rediscover yourself and the people with you, and it ends up being a real win-win-win-win.

#356 Breakfast in Tucson

22 December 2015 // Tucson, Arizona

Spent a night in my first American hostel, and it was… alright! Considering I’d heard awful things about some hostels in San Francisco and New York, this one was pretty pleasant. Especially since we had the whole dorm to ourselves.

We also got to wander around downtown Tucson for a little bit, which was more charming than I expected. Breakfast was at a ritzy John Dillinger-themed hotel.

#357 Box Exchange With The Wards

23 December 2015 // San Diego, California

A day in San Diego equals some in-person time with Chris and Katie – making good on what we talked on our last podcast episode. Making our own subscription boxes!

We got to exchange them today. We took slightly different approaches to crafting each other’s boxes.

Deanna and I now get to enjoy olive products for days. And the Wards? They have all the John Kruk baseball cards they could’ve ever dreamed of.

#358 JB & Ivy Get Engaged

24 December 2015 // Carlsbad, California

And my first Christmas gift of the year will be a tough one to top! Through Ivy, I’ll be getting a brand new cousin-in-law.

It’s a pretty fitting end to a fantastic road trip, a cherry on top of a wonderful Christmastime, and the beginning of something great.

Looking forward to having you in the family, JB! And not just cause I’ll finally have somebody to watch games with, though that’s a plus.

#359 Christmas 2015

25 December 2015 // Bakersfield, California

I’m calling it… Best Christmas I’ve had in recent memory. And our first married Christmas at that.

Who knows how long we’ll be able to keep getting in both families for the holidays but it worked out wonderfully for this year.

I got to watch my cousin get engaged yesterday and I made it to Bakersfield just in time to construct a giant dinosaur with my nephews.

Hope your Christmases were all similarly wonderful.

#360 Simon & Stormtrooper

26 December 2015 // Bakersfield, California

You know the nephews are really into Star Wars when for the first time ever, the older one requests a themed bedtime story… Star Wars themed.

I can’t pretend to be that Star Wars savvy… my knowledge of history long, long ago is quite limited. So I honestly hope that Simon enjoyed his story about the hairless ewok and how Yoda taught this ewok to use the force in order to overcome hereditary baldness.

#361 Friends at Dagny’s

27 December 2015 // Bakersfield, California

Dagny’s: Coffeeshop essential while in Bakersfield, and a great place to catch up with friends who now live in every direction.

Spent some time introducing Deanna to the world of Tinder by having her guest swipe on a friend’s account, and then swapped updates on everyone’s lives.

One of my favorite things about this point in the year is all the catching up that takes place. Loved seeing old high school friends, even if it wasn’t my high school.

#362 Downtown Disney

28 December 2015 // Anaheim, California

When your route home takes you through Anaheim during rush hour, sometimes you just gotta stretch your legs in Downtown Disney.

Found this great New Orleans restaurant that came highly recommended by Daniel Santos – I wish he were there to enjoy it with me.

I especially recommend the beignets. The small order isn’t enough. You’ll want to get the family size serving. And no sharing. It’s all for you.

#363 Fishtank Means Good Pho

29 December 2015 // San Diego, California

Spent a bonus day in San Diego after dropping Deanna off at the airport to head back to Oregon just a wee bit earlier.

Went to my old favorite pho joint with my mom in the evening to hang out and to get a bowl of pho, everything in it.

In my experience, it’s been a universal rule… the fish tank somewhere in the restaurant is a sign that you are about to enjoy quality pho.

#364 We’re Going Back to Oregon

30 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Long day! Woke up at four in the morning to catch my flight to Portland, and then drove down to Eugene.

Right away, I got a chance to meet up with a family friend over coffee. And then I swung by the house to try and fix things up for our guest.

And then Daniel arrived. It was a full one.

#365 Horcruxes of 2015

31 December 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Fun little exercise I like doing at the end of each year… dividing the year’s soul into seven appropriate horcruxes. 2015 was a big year, so here’s what we’ve got!

The Wand of Minerva McGonagall – An actual Harry Potter related horcrux! This one was from an essential honeymoon stop, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

If Not For Second Chances – This was the year that I first released a book into the world.

The Wedding Polaroid – I love everything about this little snapshot from our wedding… it perfectly captures us and the joy and excitement of this moment.

George A. Dickel Whiskey – A handle of the whiskey we picked up in Tennessee during our Southern Road Trip. Loved the trip and I love

Mini-Mug from Café du Monde – Deanna and I fell in love with New Orleans this year on our honeymoon, and Café du Monde is the perfect symbol of what we love about it

A Letter From My Dad – I won’t share much about this, cause I want to keep it personal, but I was so glad to read this at just the right time in life.

“Light My Fire” Camping Knife – Something needs to symbolize all the camping trips we took this year… I could’ve gone with any of our wedding presents from REI, but this one doubles as a Valentine’s Day gift from Deanna.

NOVEMBER 2015

#305 Hanging with Raquel & Jesse

01 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

After the murder mystery party, our friends Raquel and Jesse spent the night with us in Eugene, and most of the next day explpring town.

We went to see the very best Eugene had to offer… the new Ross! And also geocaching, the Science Factory, Sizzle Pie, and Alton Baker Park, I suppose.

#306 The Wrong Bus

02 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I was enjoying such a pleasant conversation on the phone that it took me 20 minutes to realize I got on the completely wrong bus. No problem! I figured I’d just let the bus complete its circuit back to UO and then get on the next one on my line. Then we stopped by Willamette and I figured I’d get home even faster if I got out there and took the bus from one of those stops. Terrible choice.

First off, the bus took half an hour to come and showed up ten minutes late. The ride was 80% populated with high school students, and one really angry mother of an infant who kept yelling at the driver. The driver also refused to let on some guy who was not all there, so he decided to take out his anger on her by biking in front of the bus real slowly up hills for most of the way.

The whole thing would have been pretty terrible if it weren’t also somewhat amusing.

#307 Bun Bo Hue

03 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I’ve been in a recent slump of some of my more ambitious meals not quite coming out the way I’d like.

This dinner continues this streak, although it was my first time ever trying to make Bun Bo Hue, and I’m wondering if I just normally find the broth a bit funny tasting. Everything else about it turned out the way I hoped, though!

#308 A Walk Across America

04 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

“As the lifetime-long days passed I began to notice a profound cleansing taking place in myself as we were inmersed in the peaceful Pennsylvania farm valleys. The streams and cotton-clean clouds washed my soul and I felt myself opening up to the world.”

― Peter Jenkins, A Walk Across America

Thrift shop gold made for a great read. Once, while on a road trip through several states, a stranger who I ended up staying with bragged about being family friends with the Jenkins. I nodded along, trying to hide the fact that I didn’t know who the Jenkins were, all while this man mentioned them in a way that suggested I should.

Years later, I was at a dinner party here in Oregon when Peter Jenkins again became the topic of discussion. Most of the crowd was a little bit older, and I soon realized that around the late 1970s and early 1980s, Peter Jenkins basically brought the travel writing genre back to life. He spent several years walking from upstate New York to the Oregon Coast, combatting his disillusionment of American culture and politics by getting to know its different people more intimately.

When I found this for a buck at a thrift shop, I had to go for it. Books about people on a quest, especially one that involves travel or backpacking, almost never disappoint me.

#309 Soggy Days

05 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s been one of those weeks that moves too slow and too fast at the same time… having a lot of crap to get done doesn’t always mix well with autumn lethargy.

So I tried really, really hard to get to the gym to shake some of that off. It cost me getting my first beesting in 21 years, but lets hope my body thinks it was worth it.

#310 Lamb & Merlot

06 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Friday nights are the nights I like to unwind by trying my hand at an extremely ambitious and time consuming meal.

This weekend’s attempt was a nod to things that the Food Network seems to obsess over– broccoli rabe and turning everything into a reduction. I figured lamb neck would be the best host for those flavors.

#311 Dinner at Rob & Marie’s

07 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Had the most relaxing Saturday we could’ve imagined. It consisted of way oversleeping, followed by three movies while I chipped away at my thesis.

Thank God for our friends Rob and Marie, because hanging out with them finally got us out of the house. It was worth it. Rob made some incredible pork shoulder and sauerkraut that reminded me of Prague, and some wonderful gin and rosewater cocktail.

#312 Movement Mandala

08 November 2015 // Springfield, Oregon

Deanna and I spent our Sunday afternoon out on a surprise outing she had planned for the two of us. She ended up driving us out into Springfield to an unsuspecting office where we met one of her coworkers.

She was leading a movement and mindfulness group, one that she usually used as a theraputic exercise for kids, but that was totally relaxing and beneficial for adults, too. We got to spend an hour focusing on moving freely through space, aware of our body’s impulses and capabilities, and each of the exercises was pretty fun.

My favorite part was the half hour or so spent in a massive drum circle. Towards the end we took some raw supplies to make a mandala- a slow but really thought out process. This is just one of the many possibilities when Deanna plans our dates.

#313 Lights On

09 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

These colder november days have really, really upped the appeal of being home by the early evening, getting to turn on some warm lights, and bust out a book or Netflix, or anything relaxing really. I’m not that picky about it.

The light at the end of the tunnel for this quarter has begun to appear, and I can’t wait for it to come closer. Thanksgiving and family time and Christmas and road trips all sound way nicer than what I have going on right now, and it’s tough to argue with that.

In the meantime, there’s the light at home at the end of each day. And that’s good too.

#314 Nights at Home

10 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I meant to clean up the house a little bit more, but after work I really wasn’t in the mood to do a whole lot. This was a day as ordinary as they come. Mostly school and work, an early sunset, and wanting to spent the back end of the day being cozy and relaxed.

Sometime while sitting on the couch it occurred to me that the life I have, even at its most ordinary is one that I’m really, really glad I have. These are perhaps the easiest of days to take granted, but I thought about Deanna in the next room, the warmth from the heater we just started using sporadically, and having a warmly lit, sometimes clean place to come back to at the end of the day.

I don’t want to ever allow myself to take it for granted.

#315 Camp Mousse

11 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Thanks to Deanna’s recent fixation on The Great British Baking Show, I’ve been craving desserts real bad most of the time when I’m at home. I don’t even have that big of a sweet tooth most of the time.

It eventually reached its breaking point when I really needed something sweet after dinner, so I dove into our camping supplies to enjoy some MRE chocolate mousse. It wasn’t quite up to par with the Great British Baking Show, but it was most definitely necessary.

#316 When Waters Whisper

12 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

“We ran across the wide field between the cliff edge and the road and startled a flock of gulls into the sky. Behind us the sun melted the last of the fog, and the Sea of Organum lay naked, shining like a polished turquoise for as many miles as the eye of the highest gull could see.”
–Dan Daly, When Waters Whisper

There is fan fiction, which typically doesn’t have the highest reputation. But then there is friend fiction, which is much better, because it means you have some extremely creative friends. My friend Dan wrote this book about a year ago, but he told me that it was best binge-read, gone through quickly, I guess to experience his story in real time.

Dan’s created a very intricate and colorfully depicted world where music and magic intersect. This book is so full unanswered questions that get you hooked, wanting to find some resolution. This is especially true if you’ve been a student of music for some time, but even if you haven’t it’s still accessible.

I love having friends with more than just a few creative bones in their body. I love seeing, hearing, reading what gets produced. Keep it coming, you guys.

#317 The World Needs Paris

13 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

This keychain was a gift from my friend Haley. So glad you’re safe, friend! I’m feeling thankful and fortunate tonight that (thanks to Facebook) I’ve accounted for all of the friends I know I have in Paris at the moment. At the same time, it’s hard to be anything but sad over all the other lives that were lost tonight in such a beautiful city.

The photo of the Louvre is one I took almost six years ago, the last time I was in Paris. I didn’t arrive in the very best mood… I had planned on spending a special weekend there with somebody and ended up basically alone and frustrated over some conflict. The sour mood didn’t last too long. A day at the Louvre, a taste of some éclairs, trying to make do with my terribly limited French, and playing “subway system roulette” with the Paris Metro quickly helped me realize how much good was in the world to be tasted and seen and felt.

Tonight’s news is sad and horrifying and all that. Life can be pretty brutal and exhausting at times. And while the city of Paris is the subject of mourning for the time being, it will always be known as a city of beauty. And that is such an important thing. The fight to make the world a little bit better, the long arc of justice, the struggle to get human beings to coexist peacefully and happily is such a tough one. We need every reminder of beauty to remember what we’re fighting for.

It’s like something one of my favorite writers says: “The world needs gorgeous places and amazing food and incredible art because… because when we’re fighting evil armies and ravaging diseases, we need to know what we’re fighting for. And the world needs Paris because in light of all the horrendous things human beings are capable of doing, we need to know that we’re also capable of extraordinary beauty.”

–Sarah Thebarge

#318 Dinner with Ris and Peter

14 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

A couple months ago, we were making our way to our car to leave on a camping trip when our downstairs neighbors recognized us and called us by name. We looked for a bit and squinted in the dark as the faces grew familiar.

We met Ris and Peter way back in April, at a bonfire at our friend’s place out in Coburg. We sat around a fire and played some music and ended up line dancing at our friend’s barn. That was a fun night.

We were surprised to have them as downstairs neighbors, but we decided that this for sure meant having each other over for dinner at some point. Ris and Peter threw out the first line, and we came over for some awesome kelp noodle pad thai, some spiritual talk, and some hanging out with Cosmo the black lab.

#319 Eugene Comic Con

15 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

If you asked me what my plans were for last weekend, I wouldn’t have said Comic-Con. If you asked me what panel I’d guess I’d be sitting in on, I wouldn’t have guessed Dungeons and Dragons. If you would’ve asked me to guess who would be moderating this Dungeons and Dragons panel, I would not ever have guessed it to be my lovely wife, who knows a lot about many things. Just not Dungeons and Dragons, per se.

And yet, last Sunday, we found ourselves at the Eugene Comic-Con, with Deanna moderating a panel in front of a bunch of fans. Actually, she was discussing how the RPG could be used as a therapeutic group vehicle with some co-workers, so that makes a little more sense, but the thought of us being Comic-Con panelists still amuses me. I made her watch the Comic-Con episode of Psych in preparation. Seriously, Oh The Places You’ll Go never even hinted at this being a possibility.

We didn’t offend any major fandoms, so I’d call it a success. We even saw the former Green Ranger and somebody looked a bit more familiar if we knew anything about the Walking Dead.

#320 Thesis Revisions

16 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s been a long quarter, a good deal of which was centered around upon getting my thesis project all properly written up and then approved. After numerous revisions, I finally got something that looked a lot like a green light- permission from the school’s ethics review to go ahead.

What does this mean? It’s time to start hunting for airplane tickets and putting in my request for a leave of absence. It’s a real good feeling knowing that the wheels are in motion to go ahead with my grad school game plan.

#321 Officially Going Back to Jozi

17 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s official! I’ll be returning to South Africa in January, an exact three years after my last visit.

When I left the last time, I knew I would need to come back. I knew that so many visitors had come and gone and detatched like nothing had happened, and I didn’t want that to be me. I figured a second visit would be even more important than my first.

With my tickets all booked, I’ll be going together with Deanna for a few weeks. While I had hoped to get back two years after my last visit, I suppose three years is next best. Hopefully the kids aren’t TOO much older now, but either way, I can’t wait to see them again.

#322 Misty Mornings

18 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I had a little trouble booking my flight to South Africa lately. No matter which airline I use, getting Portland and Johannesburg to connect requires several airlines to connect to each other, and everybody’s had trouble getting each of the tickets locked down.

It could be a frustrating process, but Felicia from Virgin Airlines has been rocking at her job. Seriously. She spent over an hour with me on the phone trying to make it work, and was extremely friendly while doing so, chatting it up about growing up in Pennsylvania and everything. Plus when she realized the process would take a while, she freed me up to go work on other things and called me back later to report a solution she found.

All in all, she must’ve spent five hours working on my itinerary alone. That is what being awesome at your job looks like. All the more reason Virgin Airlines ends up one of my favorites.

#323 Poached Sole

19 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

With the weather getting all cold and nasty now, I’m less able to indulge the outdoor things I love. That means doubling down on some of my indoor hobbies.

Deanna and I both love cooking, so we both end up eating really really well and we’re happier for it. Here’s another item struck off Deanna’s Julia Child quest: Some poached sole fillet.

#324 Hindi/Urdu Class Lunch

20 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

My Hindi/Urdu class went out to lunch at Evergreen– which I say is one of my favorites in town, but I really haven’t eaten there very often. This was only my second time since moving to Eugene.

Their food was even better than I remembered, and I had a great time hanging out with our class and chatting about U.S. and Pakistani culture.

#325 Ridgeline Walk

21 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna and I did our very best to be active this past weekend as a change from the past several weeks where we haven’t felt like doing a whole lot. We set out to go hiking at one of the trails nearby our house up Mount Baldy.

Unfortunately, we took the wrong trailhead and by the time we realized it it was a little too late in the day to give Mount Baldy a shot. But, we still got the pleasure of enjoying the meats, cheese, and pickled veggies we picked up in preparation so it wasn’t a loss.

#326 Plank-Town with the Phillips

22 November 2015 // Springfield, Oregon

We got to see our friends Jacob and Alisha for the first time since they moved up to Gresham! Although we bought their old couch, so we’ve been connected that whole time through furniture transfers.

Had a really good time catching up on life lately. Post-Gresham. Post-wedding. Post-the Ducks looking a lot better than they looked shortly after the season started.

We also got the treat of Plank-Town brunch. Foggy Scotsman Ale. Scotch Eggs. Fried Oyster Po’Boy. That place is great and I don’t eat there nearly enough.

#327 UO Unity Vigil

23 November 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Really enjoyed and appreciated the inter-faith unity vigil held at UO amongst faculty members, and Muslim, Jewish, and Christian student groups.

It’s been challenging and upsetting hearing the hostility widely experienced by my Muslim friends over the past few months. Thankfully there’s a lot of people who know better, too, and I know every display of solidarity means a whole lot.

Towards the end, hearing everybody singing Amazing Grace in unison was a simple but chilling moment. One I’d want more of.

#328 Welcome to LAX

24 November 2015 // Los Angeles, California

Deanna and I took a pretty smooth flight from Portland to L.A.. I finished a good chunk of my current book, and the flight was probably the most laid back and relaxed part of the day.

Going through airports always gets me excited, knowing that something fun and adventurous is ahead. Even when that’s a short flight from Portland to L.A., the travel process is still super exciting to me.

Plus this was a long awaited moment. I’ve been looking ahead to Thanksgiving weekend for such a long time. Seeing family again and everything.

#329 Pre-Thanksgiving

25 November 2015 // Carson, California

How you Thanksgiving is how I pre-Thanksgiving cause these two are my aunts! Seriously.

Got my very first taste of married life holidays by spending yesterday with my mom and these two before heading to Bakersfield. In return, they made sure our bellies did their stretches and warmups by feeding us plenty! A full stack of pancakes for breakfast then only a couple hours later ribs and adobo as part of the same lunch. It was a perfect carboload in preparation for Thanksgiving.

Thankful that this year allows us to get in time with both families. Thankful for the married life and seeing that develop and spawn new traditions, and thankful for the old ones that have carried over.

#330 Simon’s First Book

26 November 2015 // Bakersfield, California

A scene from my Thanksgiving… “Uncle Philippe, I wrote a book like you. Wanna see?” How could I say no.

Untitled Graphic Novel is a debut comic from nephew and author Simon Andrew. The story is a fictional memoir in which Simon and his dad enter a cave and encounter his little brother. They all have light sabers and battle until the tips of their light sabers all fall off, except for his dad’s.

So thankful for the holidays giving me a chance to catch up on great reads and discover new authors. Especially when those authors are nephews.

#331 Iron Frog

27 November 2015 // Bakersfield, California

At some point I became Simon’s favorite source of bedtime stories and its a role I wholeheartedly embrace. Lately I’ve been pretty good at pulling random morals out of the stories that I usually make up as I go.

Tonight’s tale of Iron Frog was essentially the Iron Man origin story, albeit with an ordinary frog who gets a new mechanical suit with special abilities following a near death experience. The suit allows him to do awesome things and help people, but eventually he gets bored and life returns to being fairly normal although the frog gets more adept at his new skills. The moral? Sometimes the novelty of things wear off but skills can still improve.

Without missing a beat— “Like how when I first got my Nerf gun I must’ve fired it a ton of times but now I don’t use it as much but I’m a better shot and better at dodging missiles?” Simon connects.

Glad my stories are so relatable.

#332 Bakersfield Room Escape

28 November 2015 // Bakersfield, California

Judy, Colin, Shelly, Andy, Deanna, and I made it out successfully… with almost eight minutes to spare. We all had our strategies. Brute strength. Getting Wienerschnitzel beforehand to be motivated by stomach discomfort. Feigning a medical illness because an emergency rescue still counts.

I’d been wanting to do a room escape for a really long time, and finally got to over Thanksgiving weekend. This was so much fun. We had an hour to solve the puzzle, but it was so engaging that the time period went by extremely fast.

Also, this totally tickles my interest in doing some more. I looked up a directory of all the ones around the world. Our closest ones are the six in Portland, but even Vietnam has six, so there’s no reason not to do a world tour.

#333 Onwards Rose City

29 November 2015 // Burbank, California

And now we go onwards… Onwards to Oregon once more to finish off the last two weeks that sit in between me and a wonderful Southern holiday, and being done with this quarter I’ve been over for weeks.

And also, we go onwards to the MLS Cup! We meaning the Timbers. A belated thanksgiving note… I’m thankful for phone apps that keep me up to date on games as they unfold while I’m stuck in places I can’t watch.

And speaking of onwards… Onwards to our seventh hour at the Burbank Airport!

#334 A Cold and Early Drive

30 November 2015 // Albany, Oregon

This was one of the most difficult mornings to wake up to in a long, long time.

My Mondays are always my most work-heavy days, full of classes, office hours, teaching, and writing, in general, they aren’t the easiest to start, but this one had a 5am start time. Deanna and I spent the night in Portland after flying in close to midnight the night before, and waking up to drive in 20º weather hours before the sun was not an easy task.

It was fairly rewarding though.

Frost covered most of the drive, which was gorgeous as it turned the open, lumpy, curving fields a shiny white color as we drove from Portland to Eugene. We got a better look at the pretty frost as the sun rose higher and higher. The sunrise also launched an epic, blazing sea of clouds into the sky, tinted orange, on the drivers’ side of the road. Not to be outdone, the right side of the road decided to feature a double rainbow. It was the first time the gorgeousness was so over the top I had to actually laugh at it.

OCTOBER 2015

#274 Umpqua Community College

01 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Roseburg, Oregon is about an hour away from me. Today, somebody brought a gun onto campus and started firing, killing at least a dozen people. This happens Way. Too. Often.

I’m not one for taking on much controversy via social media, but does it have to be controversial that stuff like this shouldn’t happen? I can’t buy the argument that the remedy for bad guys with guns is a good guy with a gun. Pragmatically, I can’t imagine that the scene of a shooting is made any better with bullets going in both directions. Spiritually, there is no one righteous enough. Not even one. The conversations about gun control go nasty so fast, that it doesn’t take much to convince me that violence lurks within human nature, even if its only expressed verbally. That instinct is there.

I also don’t believe you can legislate people into being good people, for that matter. But to be honest, I simply just want stuff like this to stop happening.

Prayers for Roseburg, and for our hearts and abilities to see a different way of handling things.

#275 Soufflé Night

02 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna has been on a roll lately with her Julia Child cookbook. Tonight’s treat came courtesy of a Julia recipe for soufflé, coupled with another one for stuffed mushrooms.

This is what I love coming home to after a long and pretty crazy week. Here’s to much needed weekends, French cooking, and a wife who’s mastering the art of it.

#276 REI Den & Garage Sale

03 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I’d never been to an REI den sale prior to this weekend. The wait can be Disneyland-esque sometimes, and there’s something ironic about people camping out to get discounts on camping gear, but I definitely see how fun this is.

From our weekend loot, I’d say Deanna and I did pretty well. Especially considering the fact that we didn’t really start shopping until noon and got to sleep in. We scored: a cooler, hiking boots and a dress for Dee, two blow up sleeping pads, and a bocce ball set. Plus, we hardly paid anything thanks to wedding gift cards.

#277 Kapringen

04 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

This is what a wonderful Sunday night at home relaxing and kicking back looks like: Some Vietnamese lettuce wraps and a Danish movie. Note on the lettuce wraps- vermicelli noodles are a way underrated ingredient.

Kapringen was something like a Captain Phillips type story, but with Scandinavian sensibilities, meaning it was a lot more grim and straightforward. I love watching foreign films to note the different expectations we have for our stories based on where we were born

#278 Forever The Road

05 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

You don’t have to hate this. What is amazing about life is it adapts. If you are alive, then you can adapt too. The world finds a place for all things The violent and the peaceful coexist. You could be part of this too.
—Anthony St. Clair

I met Anthony St. Clair at an author’s lunch here in Eugene and it turned out we had a lot of common interests. Writing was just one of them. So was travel, cooking, and beer tasting. He gave a lot of great tips for the business side of writing and was an all around fun guy to talk to. With all those things in common, I gave his book Forever the Road a read recently and loved it. I don’t read fantasy very often, but I’m sure I would if more were like this book. I loved the bits of the travel writing genre that crept into this story and the fictional setting was amazing.

#279 The Opposite of Loneliness

06 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

“It’s not quite love and it’s not quite community; it’s just this feeling that there are people, an abundance of people, who are in this together. Who are on your team. When the check is paid and you stay at the table. When it’s four A.M. and no one goes to bed. That night with the guitar. That night we can’t remember. That time we did, we went , we saw, we laughed, we felt. The hats.”

– Marina Keegan

This book was one I brought as a honeymoon read and it was sweet and significant and lovely in all the right places. Shortly after penning a brilliant commencement piece at Yale, Keegan was killed in a car accident. This posthumously published collection of short stories and essays is written both maturely but sincerely, not coming across like somebody trying to sound much older. It contains notes that allude to the deception of invincibility that comes with a young age, but also its tendency to allow you to marvel at the simplest human interactions.

#280 Office Hours

07 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Spent some time in my office– no visitors! That allowed me to get a good deal of work done.

So far, I’ve enjoyed teaching this quarter, of the random collection of chores and errands on my slate this term, this has been one of the more enjoyable ones.

#281 On The Mack

08 October 2015 // Leaburg, Oregon

Rich got into town last night and that meant I set aside the early part of my day to go fishing. Spent the morning on the McKenzie.

Unfortunately that didn’t result in the abundance of fish that I’ve caught the past couple of times I’d gone out, but it was still nice getting to spend some time on the river. The current was crazy strong and it occasionally sent a little one my way.

#282 Deanna’s 26th

09 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Today was Deanna Lazaro’s first birthday! She turned 26, but it was her first one as Deanna Lazaro, so that counts as some sort of milestone of significance.

After coming home from work, and before we went out for dinner, she took on the great scavenger hunt to find my present- one that consisted entirely of emoji’s. (The scavenger hunt was emojis, not the present.) In the end, she found what she was seeking. Her pearl on a chain.

#283 Ducks vs. Washington State

10 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

The results of this game, along with the Ducks season, were quite disappointing. But let’s put that aside for a second. Check out this view! I never get seats this good.

We put up with quite a downpour in the third quarter, but we came prepared, and that soon gave berth to a beautiful quarter four. Beautiful in terms of the sky and weather. In terms of gameplay, not so much.

#284 Sunday Afternoons

11 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Sunday afternoons after excessively crazy weeks are the best, meant for doing absolutely nothing out of obligation.

This week’s? All about Netflix, reading, and spending most of the whole day in the apartment after some church and Panera. Expert combo.

#285 Salmon Hand Roll

12 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Sometimes after hectic days with a lot to juggle, and surprise setbacks, you have to remember that you can be spontaneous, and spontaneous self-treats are kind of the opposite of surprise setbacks.

A few challenges with my thesis research? Yeah, that happens sometimes. So do on-spot purchases of salmon hand rolls, so we’re breaking even.

#286 Sauce Shopping

13 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

The discovery and proximity of Sunrise Asian Market has been the MVP of most of my projects in the kitchen this year.

This evening’s dinner wasn’t too ambitious, just sweet chili shrimp and noodles, but it did call for another trip to Sunrise, and that’s always a good time.

#287 Burkina Faso Microloans

14 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Anybody have much experience giving out a micro loan? I’ve heard and studied so much about them, and yet, I’ve gotten no first hand experience.

I decided to go for it and see what happens– helping a mother purchase some chickens in Burkina Faso. Here’s hoping it works out for the two of us!

#288 Networking Night

15 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Had a networking night with my graduate school department, schmoozing and meeting professionals and what not. Also, eating lots and lots of the charcuterie board.

I met a couple of professionals, and they were professional for sure. Also, charcuterie.

#289 Waffles and Beer

16 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Rob threw a birthday party this evening celebrating some of the things that Belgians do best: waffles and beer. Had a really great time.

This was an excellent evening. For the next round, I move that we also include some Belgian fries.

#290 Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad

17 October 2015 // Wheeler, Oregon

Work has been nuts lately, and the theme of the past week has been “being over it.” Good thing I married a girl who knows exactly what I’d need after a week like that.

Deanna planned out a whole weekend for us on the coast that started with a ride on the historic railroad in Neahem. Had a total blast every minute of it.

#291 Tillamook Cheese Factory

18 October 2015 // Tillamook, Oregon

Deanna surprised me with a really fun weekend outing. We ended up on the Oregon Coast and paid a visit to one of the country’s most beloved makers of cheese.

We took a tour of the Tillamook Cheese Factory and watched as big blocks of cheddar tumbled their way down conveyor belts and assembly lines. Best of all, we got to visit the factory café and feast on some fantastic grilled cheese sandwiches.

#292 Window to Fall

19 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

This is a nice part of my Mondays and Wednesdays, sneaking up to the top of the business school to get some work done by the window. I get to start nice and early and the view and the lighting is fantastic.

Plus it’s a sweet and simple time to read and get all set for the day.

#293 Grading Mayhem

20 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Here’s a more honest look at what this week has been like for me.

Keeping up with errands and lots and lots of exams to grade. It’s not always the most exhilarating thing, but I’ve got to remember not to take days like these for granted either.

#294 AA&A Hallway

21 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s been a hectic week of work, and Wednesdays are right in the middle of the madness.

I’ve been spending a lot of time this quarter in the architecture building, that seems to not quite live up to what you might expect from an architecture building. Still, it comes with some interesting things to look at.

#295 Vitasoy

22 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Here’s a little something I’ve been into a lot lately– Vitasoy.

These boxes don’t contain the largest quantities of sweetened soy milk, so I end up having to restock quite often. But for whatever reason, I can’t stop drinking it, so weekly trips to the Asian Market will have to do!

#296 Fall Wins

23 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Spent just a bit of time on campus to recognize how pretty it was.

Oregon’s wet weather is back, but fall is still crazy gorgeous in my part of the state. I love it.

#297 Pumpkin Slingshots

24 October 2015 // Springfield, Oregon

Deanna and I went with Brianna and Anthony to a pumpkin patch in Springfield. I’ve been to several pumpkin patches by now and this one was unlike any of them.

To get to the pumpkin patch, you had to wait in a long line to be picked up by a hay truck, driven by an old guy who was having way too much fun. You were supposed to bring a bucket of tiny pumpkins with you, and he took off, speeding and swerving over mounds, under bridges, making sharp turns. Along the way, there are scarecrows with stacked plastic buckets for you to try and knock off with the small pumpkins as ammo. Of course, you don’t want to use up all your ammo on the way to the patch.

At the pumpkin patch, you’ll find some giant slingshots aimed towards even more scarecrow targets. It only took me a few tries before I nailed one dead on.

#298 Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Chicken Tenderloin

25 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Another Julia recipe by Deanna. Way to go!

Chicken tenderloin in a creamy onion sauce, plus a side garlicky mashed potatoes. Those were fantastic!

#299 Morning Waits

26 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Weekday morning. Fall crisp. Early sunlight.

This is such a good looking field to stare at while I wait for my bus ride to come. Great start to the day.

#300 Ninkasi Noir

27 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Got to share a large bottle of Noir with Deanna to kick back with on a Tuesday night.

I really enjoyed this Ninkasi special release… a milk stout brewed with cold brew coffee. The coffee extract came in nice and strong, but it had a really deep and striking taste going on. Liked it a lot!

#301 The Wedding Video

28 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna and I were so thrilled to get our wedding video in the mail from Lei!

Still waiting for a moment where I can properly upload it, but man, it was a beautiful thing to behold.

#302 The Alexander Hamilton Mixtape

29 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Who would’ve thought but this is Sufjan Stevens’ biggest competition for my most listened to album of the year.

I have NOT been able to stop listening to the soundtrack from the Alexander Hamilton musical. Such a weird but well-executed concept and its songs are so friggin catchy I thought I would’ve been over them by now, but NOPE! The ten dollar founding father without a father will have been one of my most listened to albums of the year.

#303 Pumpkin Keg

30 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

The pumpkin keg is prepped and the ale is chilling in the fridge.

Tomorrow night is gonna be a really fun night.

#304 Murder High School, Class of 1985

31 October 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Dear Mr. Vernon,

We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Halloween at a high school reunion for a murder, apparently. What the murderer did WAS wrong, but we think you’re crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us… In the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a mathlete… a class president… a jock… a reporter… and a murderer. Does that answer your question?

Sincerely yours, the Murder High School class of ’85.

SEPTEMBER 2015

#244 Over The Rhine

01 September 2015 // Portland, Oregon

There have been two things I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. One of them was to see Over The Rhine perform live. They’ve consistently been one of my favorite musical duos for a long time, and their style suggested that their live show would be hauntingly good. The other thing I wanted to do was to see a show at the Doug Fir Lounge, since I’d heard nothing but great things.

At the beginning of the month, I got to do both these things when Over The Rhine played at Doug Fir. They put on a real solid show. And I got to have Meaghan and Menekse to join me at the show. Crazy to think that they’ve been touring and making music for as long as they have. Over The Rhine, that is.

#245 Wedding Albums

02 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Today was a real treat… the photo books we ordered of our wedding pictures came in the mail!

I’m making it a goal to make all of the photos I take that I want to curate into prints. I can only have so much trust for the digital world’s abilities to not lose all that I’ve taken. The wedding pictures were a good batch to start with, and I know these will be fun books to go over time and time again.

#246 This is the Story of a Happy Marriage

03 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

There are always those perfect times with the people we love, those moments of joy and equality that sustain us later on…These moments are the foundation upon which we build the house that will shelter us into our final years, so that when love calls out, “How far would you go for me?” you can look it in the eye and say truthfully, “Farther than you would ever have thought was possible.

– Ann Patchett.

One of the great discoveries of my year-long effort to diversify my reading list has been the discovery of Ann Patchett’s writing. I mean, the title of this book alone is one of my favorites for a long time, and the stories and essays inside it aren’t too bad either.

#247 A Year in Eugene

04 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Today marks one year since Deanna and I loaded up our car and moved into Eugene, not knowing a single person, not having a job for her.

I’d like to mention how far we’ve come, but it actually still feels like we’re just getting started. Moving at this point in our lives has brought its own set of challenges, but it’s been subtly rewarding at the same time. If anything, this will always be the place where we learn how to go from best friends to best friends who are married. And there are some really great views.

#248 Ducks Season Opener

05 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I’m all for gracious winning and everything, but after that pretty dirty hit on Vernon Adams, there’s at least one Eastern Washington player who had earned a good old fashioned suck itttttt.

In other news, yesterday was a good one to spend at Autzen Stadium. Vernon’s got some huge cleats to fill, but he’s looking pretty good at QB.

#249 Paint at the Park

06 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon’

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Cool. Sunny. We probably don’t have too many more of those left this year in Eugene, so Deanna and I took to a park to spend some of it outside.

She spent her time working on a watercolor project and I read several chapters of The Girl in the Picture, which I am currently loving. It was an afternoon well spent. This is why I love Sundays.

#250 Salem’s Enchanted Forest

07 September 2015 // Salem, Oregon

Every time we’ve driven up to Portland, we’ve passed by roadside signs telling us to stop at the next exit just outside of Salem to visit what looked like an odd amusement park for kids.

On Labor Day, we decided to erase the mystery behind those freeway signs and went with our friends Brianna and Anthony to explore Salem’s oddity. And it was a blast. An odd storybook area with the “crooked man’s crooked house” and the old woman’s shoe that was actually an epic slide. And an interactive shooting range that was the best fifty cents ever spent.

#251 Sorta Sketchy

08 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

With the school year’s start getting closer and closer, I decided to stock up on one of the most important of school supplies… a sketchbook and some good drawing pens.

I’m finding that I miss drawing just for the sake of drawing and haven’t done that for a long time. Thinking about it, it’ll probably end up being a good way to unwind once school gets nuts.

#252 Recording for Syria

09 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Just wrapped up putting the finishing touches on a new podcast episode I recorded with Chris and Steven who was guest hosting this week. We covered a pretty serious topic- Syria’s refugees.

Syria’s been literally falling apart for years. I don’t know if we’ve ever really seen anything on this scale where half of everybody has had to leave their home. It gets mentioned in the news a bit, but nowhere near as much as it should. I mean, half a country, man. There’s no easy solution to deal with the displacement of eleven million, but the least we could do is to be attentive, ready and on the lookout for some way to help.

#253 Jasmine & Jena

10 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Had the fun of hosting a couple of terrific friends for dinner tonight – Jasmine and Jena.

The two of them are taking a buddy road trip up the California Coast and into Oregon, both at kind of a transition point in life… it sounds like a familiar storyline to me! We played board games into the night and had a real good time. Love having friends stop by!

#254 Writing at the Bakery

11 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

i had to get my car worked on a little bit. Fortunately, I found a shop that’s within a short walking distance to my old neighborhood.

I ended up camped out for a few hours at New Day Bakery to get some writing done. I put a pretty decent dent in my thesis this week, and made some more progress on a long term project I’m ever slowly chipping away at.

#255 Multnomah Falls Visit

12 September 2015 // Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

Decided to finally pay a visit to some of the Seven Wonders of Oregon, starting with the only one I’ve really already been to, the Columbia River Gorge. This included a revisit to Multnomah Falls, but hey, Multnomah Falls is fantastic so it’s well worth revisiting.

We had a great time hiking, hunting for swimming holes, and splashing around in waterfalls. Kind of a crazy weekend for the two of us, but it was one we were definitely happy to be able to spend together.

#256 Punchbowl Falls

13 September 2015 // Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

At the end of a long hike, this was waiting for us… Punchbowl Falls and the perfectly carved out, round, clear-watered swimming hole right where it poured into.

There were a lot of people hanging by the natural pool of water, but there weren’t many people in the water. When I decided to go for it, I found out why. Even on one of the year’s sunniest and warmest weekends, this water was frigid. It took forever to adjust. By the time it finay happened, I scraped up enough energy to sloppily swim up to the base of the waterfall, where I was alone. The sound of its crash drowned out the sound of other people, who were also obscured by the curves of the gorge. I found a rock large enough to stand on in the middle of the pool. It was such a crazy beautiful sight.

#257 Midas Mystery

14 September 2015 // Salem, Oregon

If you heard people complaining about traffic coming to a standstill on the I-5 last Sunday night, that was us! Our car mysteriously stopped working and stalled in the right lane of a two-lane highway with no shoulder because of construction.

We were towed to Midas and spent the night at a hotel in Salem. When we woke up the next morning, the car was mysteriously working. We asked the guys at Midas just to be safe to take a look and they found nothing wrong. Fingers crossed, I guess!

#258 Errands and Jewels

15 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

After a long, crazy weekend away, it was really nice to have a day to spend in Eugene working on random errands, grocery shopping, and taking it easier.

Made some good finds, too. Namely, a spot to get Deanna’s birthday present, and this awesome piece of street art just south of downtown.

#259 The Marketplace Courtyard

16 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

With Ben coming to town the next evening, and a crazy day ahead of us, I decided to get a few more errands out of the way at the 5th Street Public Market.

I haven’t been to this place since last spring and it looks way different now. Another piece of Eugene that’s seen a crazy remodel over the summer, and I didn’t even know.

#260 Dinner with the VanMeters

17 September 2015 // Portland, Oregon

Eliza was in Portland, BUT for 24 hours only. Still, we wouldn’t pass up the chance to see her and hang out.

We drove up to Portland just for the night. We all prepared a massive meal together like a bunch of Weasleys, then got our Salt & Straw fix for the night.

#261 Ben on Spencer’s Butte

18 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Had a blast while Ben was in town. Got to see a Ducks game, discover a new board game, and of course, climb to the top of Spencer’s Butte. We just so happened to run into the mayor while we were up there.

Ben is such a fun friend to hang out with, and finding fun stuff to do just comes real naturally. Thrilled to have been able to host him up for the weekend. It’s one of our favorite things to do.

#262 Ducks Game With Ben

19 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

The Ducks game against Georgia State was incredibly undramatic, but the good kind of dramatic at least, where we enter the second half with a huge lead, and only continue to build on it. We did get to enjoy the game with our friend Ben in town, and that made it a great afternoon.

This weekend was so much fun. Perfect blend between going out and doing fun things and also sitting around to relax. Just what was needed prior to the week that followed.

#263 Ben & The Roses

20 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

One more day of Ben’s fantastic visit up to Eugene consisted of church in the morning, stopping to smell the roses of the rose garden, and then eating and roaming the newly revamped Fifth Street Public Market.

Then, we almost mistook his arrival time in California and his departure time in Oregon, so we had to get him going to the airport as soon as we had finished snacking on figs. Overall, we’re glad he made his flight, but we wouldn’t have minded having him around a bit longer.

#264 McKenzie River Trail

21 September 2015 // McKenzie Bridge, Oregon

Went on an orientation retreat with one of my graduate programs. I’m not a first year, but since I added my degree in Nonprofit Management only midway through last year, I missed this the first time around. This time around, I decided to bond with the new cohort by going on an overnight retreat at a lodge somewhere up the McKenzie River.

I met a LOT of people. Lot’s of cool people, and in high volume. We got the chance to enjoy a nice hike, which happened to lead us into some gorgeous territory. Will have to come back soon.

#265 McKenzie Bridge

22 September 2015 // McKenzie Bridge, Oregon

The orientation retreat I went on with my department turned out to be something like summer camp for adults, mostly in good ways. A pretty good setting to meet some new faces.

Plus the place where they had us staying was a gorgeous one way up the McKenzie. Pretty good start to year two of grad school.

#266 Morning Bus

23 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I’m a big believer in public transportation– that said, I was pretty lazy all last year about getting to know Eugene’s bus system, mostly because I lived close enough to bike most places from where I lived.

But, it’s a new year, and I’ve got a new house. One that’s much, much further away from the campus and city center. Thankfully the bus stops right in front of our complex, and the ride into town is a nice and smooth one. Not to mention, totally free for me!

#267 New Rooftops

24 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I’d been off campus for quite a while this summer, but since school has pretty much started back up, it was a good time to get reacquainted with the university.

This includes discovering new sections of new buildings, and an easily accessible rooftop. This will have to host a board game party sometime soon.

#268 Housesitting for Pam

25 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

This weekend we got to housesit for Pam and take care of her wonderful animals. This is a job we can never really say no to. We love the gang of critters.

Plus, getting to enjoy a little movie night and hang out in a palace of a place is a pretty nice arrangement too.

#269 Ducks vs. Utah

26 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Well, I don’t have very many words for this game. Not many printable ones, at least.

The past few years have been pretty kind to Ducks fans. This game will be one glaring exception. I know we’re spoiled, but hopefully there aren’t too many more games like this one. They played terribly.

#270 Personal Library

27 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Housesitting means getting to spend a bit of time exploring one of the coolest personal libraries I’ve seen. It also means getting to hang out with wonderful dogs and horses all weekend. Why would you ever not wanna house sit?

It also meant getting a really great viewpoint for the blood moon when it finally decided to come out. Win of a Sunday.

#271 Year Two, Day One

28 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

It was the first day of school of my last year of school, sort of. It was at least the first day of school for me in a long, long time and the end to a very long and very lovely summer vacation.

I’ll miss this summer, but it also feels good to be back! This year’s got a lot going on, but so far it’s been in the good way.

#272 National Coffee Day

29 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Don’t you love those unofficial holidays you’d never know existed were it not for Instagram and hashtags and all kinds of little reminders that didn’t exist in 1997?

I do, especially when it gives me the excuse to treat myself to an Irish Cream Latte instead of a regular old cup. Gotta love Espresso Roma.

#273 Lillis Hall

30 September 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Got to the university early so I could get right to getting some work done. This year so far has me spending a lot more time than usual on campus, but there’s a huge upside to being able to get in the zone and get my work all done over here. Once I get back home in the evening, there’s nothing left that needs to be done.

I’m actually loving the different zones between work and home and having those spaces clearly delineated helps me keep from pouring too much of myself into work. Plus, getting a good looking mix of places where I can get work done isn’t such a bad deal either.

AUGUST 2015

#213 No Ordinary Day

01 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna and I spent her first weekend off of work running errands, exploring shopping centers, and looking for fun things for the house.

It was a seemingly ordinary day, but then again, those really don’t exist. We had a lot of fun together.

#214 Steak Au Poivre

02 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

First recipe I’ve ever made out of Mastering the Art of French Cooking. One of our goals is to make fifty recipes out of this book, and this meal actually counted for two!

Steak Au Poivre (pepper steak) was pretty good. Already something I enjoy, and something I’d have a handle on how to make intuitively. Actually, trying to follow Julia’s recipe made it a little bit more difficult, just because constantly referring to the book led to the steak being a bit overcooked. The braised peas dish, on the other hand, couldn’t have gone any better. Two recipes down, forty eight to go!

#215 Zhen’s Birthday

03 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Happy birthday to Zhen, our world traveling friend! Celebrating this night with you was pretty fun!

Thankful for a fun community of friends burgeoning up in Eugene. Zhen’s leadership has definitely helped that grow and take off.

#216 Thank You Cards

04 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

A good life is one where you feel like you’re saying “thank you” a lot and it still doesn’t feel like it’s enough.

Our wedding was such a wonderful day because of the help and presence and wishes of so many awesome people in our lives. A bunch of people stepped up to play a part in our wedding as vendor, sponsor, or member of the bridal party. A lot of people gave us really thoughtful gifts we’re still putting to use. A lot of people told us really sweet things and gave us advice that seems so far, so good! So, we’ll be spending the back end of our summer writing a stack of these. We have a lot to be thankful for.

#217 Deanna & Meg

05 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Had some company over last night to share peanut butter cups, Ticket to Ride, and hours of fun conversation with.

Hooray for Meaghan and for future Oregonians!

#218 Lunch With An Author

06 August 2015 // Springfield, Oregon

A part-time peach farmer. A marathoner embarking on a new relationship for the second act of life. An 88 year old giraffe loving Korean War veteran. A bookseller about to embark for ten weeks in Chennai. A former Baptist campus minister. Second chances are for everyone.

I started doing book signings for the simple reason that I was missing the regular way I was able to meet and befriend and chat with strangers the way I did when I was on tour. Yesterday’s signing introduced me to some fun new people and the lunch was terrific.

I had so much fun I accidentally forgot to pay for my French dip before walking out, so I now have an open tab at an antique store. Like I said, second chances, baby!

#219 Car Camping in Tacoma

07 August 2015 // Tacoma, Washington

The gameplan was to go camping at Dash Point State Park. Unfortunately traffic and slower-than-expected movement got us there a little too late so by the time we made it to the park, it was closed.

So, what did we do? Car camp. And not at the park. We found a neighborhood where we planned to just pull over and sleep. But when we looked out the window, it turned out we were in a super ritzy Tacoma neighborhood, with million dollar homes and a stunning view of Puget Sound. Thanks for letting be hobos in your really expensive driveways, people. The walk we took around in the evening was gorgeous.

#220 Seattle Mariners vs. Texas Rangers

08 August 2015 // Seattle, Washington

Prior to this weekend, Deanna had never been to a Major League Baseball game. Clearly this was one husbandly duty I had to fulfill.

So, we booked tickets to see the Mariners take on Texas and drove up to Seattle for the weekend. Such. A. Blast. We got a couple extra innings for our money, though the Mariners lost big time in the end.

Gamedays are always fun, and Deanna loved it, which is good cause that means there’ll be plenty more of these to come. And who knows, the Mariners just might win one of them.

#231 Edith Macefield’s House

09 August 2015 // Seattle, Washington

Edith Macefield was an old lady who lived by herself in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. Developers had made offers on the houses on her street to turn it into an urban shopping center. Her house was worth about $8000, and she was offered a million. She turned it down for sentimental reasons, and continued to do so no matter how much they sweetened the deal. With no other options, the construction firm went ahead and built a towering LA Fitness and Trader Joe’s on the other sides of her house, but she stood her ground until her death in 2008.

Her house remains standing, enveloped by the shopping complexes. Deanna and I went to go visit before leaving Seattle since its future is uncertain. It didn’t remind us at all of a Pixar movie and we probably didn’t keep playing its soundtrack driving to and from the house.

#232 Pizza with Rob & Marie

10 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Hanging out with Rob and Marie means cooking up a storm and hours of great conversation. This night was no exception and we got to break in our newly purchased dining room table.

Hooray for homemade pizza, married friends, and sharing wisdom and experience.

#233 Townshend’s

11 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Spent the middle part of my day meandering around downtown and getting a cup of tea with Rob before he leaves for a month to the Bay Area.

Thankful for friends who offer experience, wisdom, and honesty that I can learn from. It’s not something I’ve always had so I for sure appreciate its presence.

#234 Mazzi’s

12 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Had a fantastic dinner with the other newlywed couple in town, Brianna and Anthony! (Cause we’re the only two newlywed couples in Eugene, of course.) Also, we finally got to try the Italian restaurant by our house that I drive by pretty much every single day.

Enjoyed spending time with them a whole lot. Again, it helps a ton to have people in pretty much your exact same season of life, able to relate to the fun and the challenges and the day to day life.

#235 Woods Life

13 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Spent a good chunk of time catching up with Bryce. We must’ve spent a good hour or so on the phone, and he had quite a few intense stories to tell.

I decided to go on a walk while we were chatting and found the perfect setting for his stories.

#236 This Morning Coffee

14 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Mornings are my favorite time of day, hence Chris and I recording a full podcast episode about them. I love being the first one up, stepping outside quickly while it’s still early, and making coffee for the two of us.

I’ve been enjoying getting settled into the married life, especially now that we’ve hit this slow and steady rhythm, developing habits of rest and play and work. It’s been a real fun new life to grow into.

#237 Ground Cherries

15 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

This weekend’s adventure with Deanna was probably the most simple one we’ve shared since getting married, but it was fun all the same. We went to the Farmers Market for the first time in a while. We are fully stocked now.

I also got to try these guys. Ground cherries. Technically, they’re related to the tomato, and after hearing that, I could definitely pick out the cherry-tomato-like texture. But they’re sweet, like cherries. And they taste like them too.

#228 How To Make A Buck

16 August 2015 // Springfield, Oregon

One of my quests with Deanna is to turn in enough bottles and cans to our recycling station in order to treat ourselves out to a nice dinner. We turned in a garbage can’s worth.

The result? A voucher for one dollar. Looks like we’ll have to make a couple dozen more trips over, but in due time, we’ll get that dinner.

#229 A Year After Engagement

17 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna and I noted that today it was the exact one year anniversary from our proposal on the Santa Barbara pier.

I decided to surprise her after work. In addition to stewed okra and tomato that I made for dinner, I also picked up some chocolates from one of our favorite places in town and a food magazine. It was a fantastic night.

#230 The Bulldog Jar

18 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

One of our favorite wedding presents… the french bulldog cookie jar. Thank you Shannon!

Actually, this shelf hosts a lot of our favorite wedding presents, especially the mini-cookbook library that has kept us pretty well fed this summer.

#231 Egg Sausage Linguine

19 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I know social media is a bit overloaded with food pics, but I will shamelessly contribute to the masses as I try to refine my cooking chops. My extra time off this summer has come in quite handy… lots of extra time to experiment with new recipes! And with a stack of new cookbooks from the wedding, I’ve been having a lot of fun.

This was one of our simpler recipes. I made Deanna and I a sausage and egg sauce linguine. The egg sauce was the only part of this that was truly new territory, but I’m happy with how it turned out.

#232 Hammock at Home

20 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Today I got just a little tired of working on my thesis. So much so that I was ready to take a time-out in style.

Busted out the camping hammock and read for an hour, maybe two. Fell asleep for a bit too. Love that our apartment complex has so many trees. This hour was well worth the curious look from our neighbors.

#233 Foodspotting Bibimbap

21 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Definitely not a new experience for me, but glad bibimbap was in the Foodspotting guide to check off. It gave me an excuse to introduce Deanna to the Noodle Bowl! Theirs was much more filling than I remember it.

Tossing in a bit of extra oil at the very beginning is my favorite, letting it sink to the bottom to crisp up the rice while the stone bowl is still hot.

Hooray for this foodie quest. Gotta eat em all.

#234 Fields of Fall Creek

22 August 2015 // Fall Creek, Oregon

This is one of the things I love most about Oregon. Sometimes you just run into gorgeous places without even trying. Deanna found this intensely golden field while exploring the base of a dried up lake.

Somebody should come film a movie here. This place looked other worldly.

#235 Fall Creek Lake

23 August 2015 // Fall Creek, Oregon

This weekend was made for the discovery of nearby swimming holes and very, very, very, very tiny islands. This one was gorgeous, especially over the hazy weekend in town that made the lake look a little bit more mystical than usual. The water was actually pretty unpleasant at first. A slippery, muddy bottom, then a line of rocks to get through. But if you keep going for about 10-20 more yards, everything gets calm, the bottom gets smooth, and the fresh water rises and falls gently and constantly.

I loved spending the day at the lake. If only it had a better name. Seriously, Fall Creek Lake? Is it fed by the Ocean Lagoon River or the Sea Pond Stream? Glad I wasn’t looking for a spot based on its name.

#236 The Outside Woods

24 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Spent the morning in our apartment complex’s workout room, getting a fun view of the back woods that run, not behind, but through the complex.

Love living out in this remote of a place. Definitely love the encounters we’ve gotten with deer and turkeys on a pretty much daily basis.

#237 Summer of Instax

25 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

The Instax camera that we got for our wedding has pretty much been the toy of the summer for Deanna and myself. Unfortunately, we couldn’t bring it on the honeymoon, but it’s joined in for fun on some of our camping trips and our weekend in Seattle.

Not to mention- it makes a pretty nice piece of coffee table decor, just asking to be played with. And believe us, playing with it is encouraged behavior.

#238 Coburg RV Park

26 August 2015 // Coburg, Oregon

Deanna and I dropped by an RV park in Coburg- some of our friends from Bakersfield were passing through Oregon and had parked their home-on-the-go just outside of town.

It made for a fun morning. Who knew RV’s could be good for hosting company? We had some great talks about social work, rehabilitating domestic abusers, and anger management curriculums. All makes for good RV talk.

#239 Eugene Emeralds’ Portlandia Night

27 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Do I love minor league baseball? Heck yes I do. Especially on the nights with the wacky, wacky promo nights. Case in point– our Eugene Emeralds and their take on Portlandia night.

Pretty fun (and hopefully fair-trade) game that was won with a homer in the eighth, and I’m impressed with the Emeralds for pulling off a win in their faux-skinny jeans baseball pants and plaid flannel inspired jerseys.

#240 Found a Diamond

28 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna and I found our first geocache as a married couple. Friday night, pretty much in the mood to do little other than relax, I managed to convince her to walk (and geocache hunt) in the park.

Had to crawl deep into the thicket for this one, and I got stickers all over my jeans and shoes, but it wasn’t for naught. The geocache we found was a big fat diamond. Treasure is everywhere.

#241 Cheesesteaks & Longball Ale

29 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Pretty pleased with myself for allowing my Philly heritage to remain alive, even though it’s been for-freaking-ever since I’ve been there. I can make a pretty decent homemade cheesesteak in twenty minutes. Wit wiz.

And since it’s the back end of summer, why not pair it off with a Long Ball Ale… official beer of the Hillsboro Hops, the closest thing to Portland’s minor league baseball team. Hoppy, but not excessively bitter. And with an aftertaste of how badly Portland needs an actual baseball team within its city limits.

#242 The Bijou Metro

30 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

You know those really cool movies you sometimes read about in really cool magazines that you know are going to be terrific but can never see because they release only in cool indie theatres? The Bijou Metro is one of those theaters and it’s smack in the middle of downtown Eugene. Amy, the Amy Winehouse documentary, isn’t as obscure as those cool movies, but it was showing at the Bijou and it was a mesmerizing film.

You see this distinct point in the film, years before her death, where it still seems we’ve lost the Amy we saw in the first half. And it’s crazy because I remember when Rehab was on the air and when jokes about it were in vogue. Deanna and I came to the conclusion that fame doesn’t really do anybody good. Some people manage to handle it better than others, but it’s hard to think of an example where somebody’s character was improved as a result of fame. Despite our lack of positive examples, it’s still something we crave like crazy sometimes. Not that I’d ever want to be Amy Winehouse level famous, but I often think of how much nicer life could be if my writing or podcasting had such a following that I could live off of it, using it to open doors. I’m sure it’d be pretty nice, but I’m also aware that it would include a cost that would need to be counted. It’s also valid to be thankful for the things you don’t have.

#243 Name Change

31 August 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Deanna’s new name was deemed official yesterday, after waiting for weeks and weeks for this letter to come in the mail. Hurray for Deanna Lazaro.

We spent the evening celebrating with Netflix, Ticket to Ride, and her practicing a new signature. I’m totally in favor of her just signing all her legal documents “Aunt Dee.”

JULY 2015

#182 Paseo Ecologico

01 July 2015 // Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Took a look around the Ecological Preserve that the resort kept on-site– lots of swampland, and mostly flamingos and storks.

Mostly, a nice place to take a shaded walk and feel like you’ve arrived in a completely different place in a couple of minutes. On our way out, we got a maintenance man to chop down a coconut for us.

#183 Punta Cana

02 July 2015 // Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Deanna and I threw around several honeymoon ideas but the first place that stuck was Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic. A tourist town for sure, but it offered everything we were looking for in a destination.

Looking back, I don’t think we could’ve chosen any better. The beaches were gorgeous, the place we stayed was comfortable and great, and it was the perfect place to slow things way, way down after the wedding.

#184 Bavaro Peacock

03 July 2015 // Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

This day of the honeymoon was pretty much a travel day. A series of two flight delays and a thunderstorm in Miami kept us in the Punta Cana airport for a while.

We also spent a long time in immigration in Miami, but ultimately, we made it to Florida by the end of the day.

#185 Epcot Center

04 July 2015 // Orlando, Florida

Deanna and I made it into Florida just in time to celebrate the Fourth of July from the US. And we spent it by walking around one of the weirdest parts of the US- the Epcot Center: Disney’s attempt to represent every country in the world while inadvertently making a very American attraction.

Still, we had a blast exploring all of its eccentricities and future-visions, and country caricatures. The Epcot vision for Canada applies to Oregon just as well.

#186 The Magic Kingdom

05 July 2015 // Orlando, Florida

And of course, we had to spend at least a few days of the honeymoon at a very honeymooney place, Disney’s Magic Kingdom.

A full fun day of lines, Mickey shaped ice creams, hunting for Hidden Mickeys, playing audiences to tantrum kids, eating giant turkey legs, trying to blend in among massive tour groups from Latin American countries, and trying to see if the Gaston actor is as on fire in real life as he is on some of those YouTube videos.

#187 Wizarding World of Harry Potter

06 July 2015 // Orlando, Florida

This. The crown jewel of Orlando, Florida. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of amusement parks, but my goodness, this is right up my alley. My Diagon Alley.

The amount of detail and care that went into this park was a real treat. Like Butterbeer, which was also a real treat. This place is wizarding indeed.

#188 Gulf Shores

07 July 2015 // Gulf Shores, Alabama

And then we went to Alabama on our honeymoon. It was more of a stop than a destination, but that still amuses me to think about.

We also got to see a side of Alabama that looks different from what I usually see in pictures. ‘Bama’s got a few white sand beaches right on its tip. Hooray for Gulf Shores.

#189 Mississippi

08 July 2015 // Gulfport, Mississippi

Hanging out on the dock of Gulfport, Mississippi, another state closer to having seen all fifty!

This area was actually gorgeous when we passed through. The sun, sand, and water reflections were pretty clear and inviting. Glad we got to walk and explore for a little bit.

#190 Café du Monde

09 July 2015 // New Orleans, Louisiana

There was one item at the very top of our list for while we were visiting New Orleans… nothing other than visiting the legendary Café du Monde.

The beignets lived up to every expectations, and the coffee was pretty good– not strong, but perfect for an afternoon coffee sort of thing. The only drawback is that now I have a taste for this stuff and it can be found only in New Orleans. (Like so many other good foods)

#191 Bourbon Street

10 July 2015 // New Orleans, Louisiana

Our trip to New Orleans wouldn’t have been complete without a little jaunt down Bourbon Street, now, would it?

We centered most of our stay around the French Quarter, though we could’ve stayed for much longer without running out of things to do. Still, it was a wonderful, interesting time in one of the most lively, saucy cities in the US.

#192 Thanks Ryan!

11 July 2015 // New Orleans, Louisiana

We owe a huge amount of gratitude to our friend Ryan for making our stay in New Orleans such a great one. Plus, it was a thrill being able to see him in person twice in a short span of time.

Thanks for all the recommendations, the comfy place to stay, and all the food suggestions and treats. Whenever you make it up to Oregon, we’re ready for ya!

#193 Sacramento Stop

12 July 2015 // Sacramento, California

Flew into LA later the evening before, spent time with my aunts, reunited with the Volvo plus our wedding decor and presents, and began the return journey back up to Oregon.

Of course, that’s a long drive, and I like to take it easy on the road so a pit stop in Sacramento to see April, Caytlin, & Shannon was essential, as was one last chance to get a real taco before crossing the state line.

#194 Fox & Goose

13 July 2015 // Sacramento, California

Before beginning the drive back up to Oregon, April took me out to breakfast at Fox & Goose. Extremely English name, but would it have extremely English food?

Sort of. But that’s not such a bad thing! The Full English Breakfast I had was nourishment for the road.

#195 Opening Wedding Presents

14 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Since we got the majority of our wedding presents shipped up to Oregon, we were able to enjoy opening our gifts upon returning– and we got to do it all over again a second time when we got the gifts that were shipped to our other address.

We got some really fun stuff, and we will be writing thank you notes for a long time to come. We’re that thankful.

#196 Lukeface

15 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Upon my return to Oregon, I was greeted by my wife and kids… not my kids, but kids. Actually, my nephews.

We took out the nephews and in-laws to New Day Bakery. I wasn’t too hungry, but I did grab a mocha cheesecake. Turns out, the boys wanted some, but the coffee was a bit strong. We gave Luke a piece of the crust to appease him. He ate it, then made this face and continued to hold it for at least five minutes.

#197 Simon Horseman

16 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

For the day, we took out Simon and Luke to our friend Pam’s place to get a crash course in horse care and horseback riding. Both kids did awesome.

Simon went from being a little unsure of Abby to riding her around hills and up and down tires in a half hour. Luke was equally chill on the horse, but from the get-go.

#198 Signing at Vector’s

17 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Had a really fun time signing books at Vectors’ Espresso yesterday. This place is one of our favorites in town, mostly because their staff goes above and beyond in being relational with customers and getting to know names and faces. It pretty much feels like everyone who enters is a regular.

If you missed it and you’re in the Eugene/Springfield area, I’m doing another signing today at Mohawk Books in Springfield. It’s in an often overlooked shopping center, so come help populate my public appearances!

#199 Signing at Mohawk Paperbacks

18 July 2015 // Springfield, Oregon

I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this book signing at this little bookshop. The owners and staff were really nice and friendly, but the shop itself is a hidden goodie out in an unsuspecting shopping center deep in Springfield.

Turns out, I had a blast signing books and speaking at Mohawk Paperbacks. Met some really fun and interesting people at the event.

#200 Kayaking With Rich

19 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Spent the afternoon with my father-in-law, kayaking down the Willamette.

Turned out to be a really good, really mellow ride, on one of the warmest, brightest days we’ve had in Oregon all year. Also worked up the best appetite in time to go to the Bier Stein.

#201 Jim Gaffigan Live

20 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

There is only one person on earth who I can think of that I would pay money to hear rant about Hot Pockets. Jim Gaffigan is that man.

Such a fun night last night with Deanna and the bro-and-sis-in-law. Many laughs were laughed.

#202 The Workout Room

21 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I spent the whole year leading up to the wedding getting into the best shape I’ve ever been in for the honeymoon. Then our honeymoon took us to an all-inclusive resort and to New Orleans, and so much for good shape.

So, here we go again, breaking in the 1970’s workout room in our new apartment complex. Complete with a black and white photo of a bench pressing Marilyn Monroe.

#203 The Great Gag Gift

22 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

This was the best gag gift that Deanna and I got for our wedding. We came home, and among our wedding presents we had mailed up to Oregon was a long tube with a return address from Beijing. We looked at the attached note and got a very sweet, but nearly impossible to understand note from a Chinese company. We unveiled what was inside and found a very large wall decal of some sort of 3D beach scene.

To this day, nobody has come forward to take credit for this fantastic gift. But thank you, you are amazing, whoever you are.

#204 Beer Garden Food Carts

23 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

Love the Beer Garden, and their associated Food Truck Garden is a winner as well!

Had a fun lunchtime and chat with Tim, welcoming us back into Eugene life after the wedding and honeymoon adventures.

#205 Camp Hammock

24 July 2015 // Detroit, Oregon

Deanna and I went camping over the weekend to break in some of our shiny new wedding presents.

Our camping hammock is one of our favorites! Thank you, Raquel!

#206 Stahlman Point

25 July 2015 // Detroit, Oregon

The journey to the top of this mountain was a lot longer than we expected when we set out, but since we kept thinking we were “almost there,” we kept going and eventually made it.

That turned out to be quite a reward because once we were at the top, that view was quite terrific. So many cascading mountains and trees the size of giants that you couldn’t even begin to count.

#207 Talks of South Africa

26 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

It’s always a good day when I get to talk and dream about South Africa, and today I got to do just that!

Cheri and her family came into town and we got to catch up and also chat about some ideas for a return trip to South Africa and all the places that could possibly lead. Things are getting real exciting.

#208 Foodspotting No. 63- Ramen

27 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

And a new adventure begins, with our stomachs! Shannon got us the Field Guide to Foodspotting as a wedding present, featuring 75 dishes to hunt for and try, some more exotic than others.

Our first crossed off food was a simple one, Japanese style ramen. We finally got to try Eugene’s heralded Toshi’s Ramen. I went for a soy based broth while Deanna went the miso route, until we switched halfway. Can’t wait to taste the rest of this book.

#209 Gifts From Germany

28 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

I went to the post office to pick up a box that had been shipped to Deanna and I. We figured it was a wedding present, but were a little surprised to find the return address from Germany. We know a lot of people in Germany, but weren’t expecting anything.

The resolution to the mystery turned out to be a really fun one. The box was from one of Deanna’s former au pairs from Germany, Ella. Good stuff kept coming out of this box, including a raw edge charcuterie board (probably my favorite), a Schwarzwald coffee table book, a massive card, a box of Lindt chocolates, several Milka chocolates, some canned rosé, liverwurst pate, canned meat, a Black Forest oven mitt, and Sahne Muh-Muhs (which are delicious.) This was such a fun gift to open.

#210 Pumped Up Kitchen

29 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

My goal of the week was to finish whipping the house into shape. That was accomplished as I took on the kitchen, the final frontier. Lots of sorting drawers and things.

Also, I got to put up our very important reference poster to the champignons of the world.

#211 Cole Hamels

30 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

The Phillies traded away Cole Hamels last night, who was my favorite on the team for over a decade. Sad day!

Here’s a bobblehead flashback to happier times, the 2008 World Series. One of the most unforgettable Cole moments.

#212 Jurassic Park in the Park

31 July 2015 // Eugene, Oregon

What better venue to watch the original Jurassic Park than a park itself? Out in the open, under blankets and a big screen, this was such a fun summer night activity.

Also, a local petting zoo came out before the event with exotic animals, gila monsters, wallabies, and things of the sort. For the kids! Of course, we thankfully got to watch a very reassuring movie about why this could never go wrong.