The space between...
About 45 minutes after I posted that last entry at Palio, I got into my first car wreck. Sooo booty, because earlier in the day I was just thinking that I'd been driving for almost ten years and not had an accident. The irony is wonderful...no really it is.
So, it was the other guy's fault. About 8-10 seconds after my light turned green, he came barreling through his red light and through the intersection just as I was entering. This could have been really bad, but I saw him coming out of the corner of my eye and I slammed on the brakes. The result is that Carla the Corolla is without front bumper fender cover and working blinkers, and there is some frame twistage and the like. Again, booty.
Here's where I get a little insane, I suppose. The kid who hit me is like 19 and just got into an accident recently and was freaking out. His dad came and helped me get the dragging remains of my bumper off so I could drive home (did I mention I was only a half block away from my apartment and it was 2 hours before I was supposed to see one of my favorite artists--Irish singer/songwriter Gemma Hayes?). The dad said that he'd like to handle it outside of insurance if I was down.
Now, I ordinarily would dismiss this because I am a cynic. People getting screwed over is kind of my worldview in a sense, and who wants to be the next sucker? But, all of my arguments against it sounded so cynical and so self-preserving that I agreed to at least get estimates the next day and talk with them before submitting a report with my insurance and the Oregon DMV.
The estimates are high, and I thought again about just going the insurance route and not having to worry about it too much...but, I still felt like I had to give them this chance. I can't explain it...there is a grace thing that is involved, but mainly I hate always being in the place of not caring about other people's stuff if it gets in the way of my best case scenario. What does it look like to be vulnerable in order to try and help these folks out?
When I think about it too much, it looks very stupid. But, my dad was amazingly supportive about it. "Well...sometimes that works out. There's no reason to think it won't with you. Either way, you'll know soon." If you knew my dad, that's seriously an incredible enlightened response...I think he thinks I'm off my rocker though. I certainly do most days...
So, if you're the praying type, pray that all this would work out. I am totally at the mercy of these people as of now, and it feels very uncomfortable. Either way there will be a story to tell, right?
Gemma Hayes show...what to say? First, she is amazing. Songwriter, performer, artist...you name it, she is amazing at it. I am glad that I got to see my Irish muse (and I think it'd work out between us since she's from Ireland and I've heard her favorite beer is Guinness), but the crowd at the Doug Fir Lounge was less than enthusiastic. One of my critiques of Portland concerts so far is that everybody seems to think they are too damn cool to get excited about whoever is performing. I might be at the wrong shows, but good music deserves great fans!
For instance...don't TALK during the show. Pretty basic rule there, even though the Doug Fir venue is truly a lounge and you can sit in the back and not really see much. But, there are people up front who want to hear the singer and NOT YOU! In addition, the performer does not want to hear you yacking your gums off when you could be UPSTAIRS in the other bar area. Gemma was clearly distracted, and while I hated it for her, it provided me with an opportunity to hear her a capella rendition of the Irish folk song "Ae Fond Kiss" while she tried to refocus.
She wasn't headlining, so there was no table for autographs or what have you. While everybody was getting ready for Athlete to come on (which I could not stand the few songs I heard), she was pretty much bolting. But, I got the chance to talk to her bass player for awhile and then catch her for a moment. Now, I mentioned on hear the picture that I was thinking of getting autographed. It was in the folder in my hand while I spoke with her, but it didn't feel right. I think in Ireland I would have done it, with the energy buzzing the place and so many people wanting to see her that she could barely say two words to fans. But, as it was, I got to tell her some things about me and congratulate her on the new album and ask how she liked Portland (she was here last year doing preliminary recordings). It was cool.
Oh yeah, she's just as freaking gorgeous in person as she is in the pictures. In case you were wondering.
Then Kim was in town and a good time was had by all with Lebanese food, large French families and scavenged cupcakes at Palio, Portland's attempts at barbecue, meeting a new friend from Minnesota, church at Imago Dei, seeing Debbie Comin, Indian buffet, Turkish coffee, Powell's, Kim's cousin who just met me paying for my beer and food, and then it was over. Whew! What a great three days. Come again soon, Miss Roth!
I'm way behind in school...but we're reading Aeschylus right now and studying Greek tragedies. It's wonderful. My brain is full of good stuff. Also, read Nick Hornby's How to Be Good and reread John Irving's Cider House Rules. I have to stop doing so much leisure reading if I'm going to keep up in Hum 110. But, those are both wonderful books, highly recommended. They both deal with morality in a sense, with Hornby's being extremely humorous but very perceptive. Great book for group conversations, I think.
Guess that's it for now. If you live in Arkansas, make sure you make Sarah and Peter Al-Bahsous cook for you when they return. They're simply amazing!
For all my Jewish friends reading this, shana tova v'metuqah! For all my Muslim friends, I'm not sure what Arabic greeting would welcome Ramadan, but I hope your time of fasting and devotion is rich with God's presence. To all the rest, happy Wednesday! The work week is more than half over!
So, it was the other guy's fault. About 8-10 seconds after my light turned green, he came barreling through his red light and through the intersection just as I was entering. This could have been really bad, but I saw him coming out of the corner of my eye and I slammed on the brakes. The result is that Carla the Corolla is without front bumper fender cover and working blinkers, and there is some frame twistage and the like. Again, booty.
Here's where I get a little insane, I suppose. The kid who hit me is like 19 and just got into an accident recently and was freaking out. His dad came and helped me get the dragging remains of my bumper off so I could drive home (did I mention I was only a half block away from my apartment and it was 2 hours before I was supposed to see one of my favorite artists--Irish singer/songwriter Gemma Hayes?). The dad said that he'd like to handle it outside of insurance if I was down.
Now, I ordinarily would dismiss this because I am a cynic. People getting screwed over is kind of my worldview in a sense, and who wants to be the next sucker? But, all of my arguments against it sounded so cynical and so self-preserving that I agreed to at least get estimates the next day and talk with them before submitting a report with my insurance and the Oregon DMV.
The estimates are high, and I thought again about just going the insurance route and not having to worry about it too much...but, I still felt like I had to give them this chance. I can't explain it...there is a grace thing that is involved, but mainly I hate always being in the place of not caring about other people's stuff if it gets in the way of my best case scenario. What does it look like to be vulnerable in order to try and help these folks out?
When I think about it too much, it looks very stupid. But, my dad was amazingly supportive about it. "Well...sometimes that works out. There's no reason to think it won't with you. Either way, you'll know soon." If you knew my dad, that's seriously an incredible enlightened response...I think he thinks I'm off my rocker though. I certainly do most days...
So, if you're the praying type, pray that all this would work out. I am totally at the mercy of these people as of now, and it feels very uncomfortable. Either way there will be a story to tell, right?
Gemma Hayes show...what to say? First, she is amazing. Songwriter, performer, artist...you name it, she is amazing at it. I am glad that I got to see my Irish muse (and I think it'd work out between us since she's from Ireland and I've heard her favorite beer is Guinness), but the crowd at the Doug Fir Lounge was less than enthusiastic. One of my critiques of Portland concerts so far is that everybody seems to think they are too damn cool to get excited about whoever is performing. I might be at the wrong shows, but good music deserves great fans!
For instance...don't TALK during the show. Pretty basic rule there, even though the Doug Fir venue is truly a lounge and you can sit in the back and not really see much. But, there are people up front who want to hear the singer and NOT YOU! In addition, the performer does not want to hear you yacking your gums off when you could be UPSTAIRS in the other bar area. Gemma was clearly distracted, and while I hated it for her, it provided me with an opportunity to hear her a capella rendition of the Irish folk song "Ae Fond Kiss" while she tried to refocus.
She wasn't headlining, so there was no table for autographs or what have you. While everybody was getting ready for Athlete to come on (which I could not stand the few songs I heard), she was pretty much bolting. But, I got the chance to talk to her bass player for awhile and then catch her for a moment. Now, I mentioned on hear the picture that I was thinking of getting autographed. It was in the folder in my hand while I spoke with her, but it didn't feel right. I think in Ireland I would have done it, with the energy buzzing the place and so many people wanting to see her that she could barely say two words to fans. But, as it was, I got to tell her some things about me and congratulate her on the new album and ask how she liked Portland (she was here last year doing preliminary recordings). It was cool.
Oh yeah, she's just as freaking gorgeous in person as she is in the pictures. In case you were wondering.
Then Kim was in town and a good time was had by all with Lebanese food, large French families and scavenged cupcakes at Palio, Portland's attempts at barbecue, meeting a new friend from Minnesota, church at Imago Dei, seeing Debbie Comin, Indian buffet, Turkish coffee, Powell's, Kim's cousin who just met me paying for my beer and food, and then it was over. Whew! What a great three days. Come again soon, Miss Roth!
I'm way behind in school...but we're reading Aeschylus right now and studying Greek tragedies. It's wonderful. My brain is full of good stuff. Also, read Nick Hornby's How to Be Good and reread John Irving's Cider House Rules. I have to stop doing so much leisure reading if I'm going to keep up in Hum 110. But, those are both wonderful books, highly recommended. They both deal with morality in a sense, with Hornby's being extremely humorous but very perceptive. Great book for group conversations, I think.
Guess that's it for now. If you live in Arkansas, make sure you make Sarah and Peter Al-Bahsous cook for you when they return. They're simply amazing!
For all my Jewish friends reading this, shana tova v'metuqah! For all my Muslim friends, I'm not sure what Arabic greeting would welcome Ramadan, but I hope your time of fasting and devotion is rich with God's presence. To all the rest, happy Wednesday! The work week is more than half over!