May 28, 2006

How Does Your Garden Grow?

As we've mentioned before, we love our little Portland bungalow. One of the best things about it is the abundance of interesting plants in the yard. Thought we'd post a few pics here so you can help us figure out what they are!

Here is a tree in our backyard...gorgeous purple flowers.


Here's a random bush by our back patio that bloomed bright pink flowers. Right next to it is a rose bush.


I should know what these flowers are because they are blooming everywhere right now! Since I took this picture, we've had yellow and white ones bloom too. And yes, that is a port-a-potty in the background. We have a monstrosity-of-a-house being built right next to us right now. That means hammering every weekday (and some Saturdays) starting at 6:50am sharp!


Also, did we mention we have a garden? We do. And because of the nearly seven days of straight rain we've had (no hint of bitterness here), the garden's gone quite wild. We're excited for the tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, and strawberries to come this summer!

Here's Ben "Green Thumb" Reed in the garden...


And here's our garden about three weeks ago before the torrential rains...

May 25, 2006

Glitzie's and my new friend, Gary

Last Saturday, I decided to do something about my hated blonde highlights. I called Glitzie's -- a local salon about 2 blocks from our house -- and was connected with Gary the hairdresser. I don't think my life will ever be the same. Upon first meeting, he told me that he was "very good at what he did" and that I was "lucky he'd be the one working on me." He told me that with my blue eyes, the perfect color for me would be "chocolate brown."

As he sits me down in the chair and starts playing with my hair, not only did he tell me I was the spitting image of Giada DeLaurentiis (what? I wish!), but that I was "hot." He said -- and I quote -- "You're hot. [And then whispering] And I'm a homo. And if a homo says you're hot, you're hot!!"

All I could do was laugh. And I continued to laugh as he made fun of every other stylist in the modest salon (especially one who was wearing black denim jeans), their customers, the salon's decor and The DaVinci Code. I laughed as he told me about how he wanted to "nibble" at his two chihuahuas and how he had just moved up from Santa Barbara and how he practically "ruled" Glitzie's. I even laughed as he gave me a FREE haircut.

Not sure if I'll go back, but how can I argue with a stylist who thinks I look like Giada?

May 24, 2006

Working For The Man Every Night And Day

Well, I finally got a job. I am the new Admissions & Financial Aid Office Assistant at Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA).

Let’s just say that an art school is not quite like working at a church or at a Christian bookstore (my previous two jobs). Everyone seems really nice, but I can’t help feeling “not cool enough.” I wore my funky glasses instead of my contacts, but I might need to break out my green Chuck Taylor All-stars.

Some interesting (and random) events from my first day:
  • One of my coworkers sounds just like Sarah Vowell (journalist, This American Life contributor and the voice of Violet in The Incredibles).
  • This same coworker is an artist who makes earrings and yet does not wear earrings (or have pierced ears for that matter).
  • In an office of 6 people, I am the only guy. I’m thinking about buying a Hulk Hogan action figure for my desk, just to crank up the testosterone level a bit.
  • I found out that a guy from my high school graduating class, Mike Showell, is a student at PNCA.
  • At one point, I sang a few bars of "Forever Young" by Alphaville. Don’t ask - it was a long day.
  • September 19th is National Talk Like A Pirate Day, which the Admissions/Financial Aid Office observes. I am expected to participate.
  • Speaking of pirates, one of the I.T. guys at the school is in a local pirate band called Captain Bogg & Salty.
  • The office has a celebrity of the week. We just switched from Tori Spelling to Angelina Jolie.

Overall, I think I’ll enjoy it, and it sure beats the temp job I was working at the sales office for Yellow Book.

May 21, 2006

The Rain Came Down

It is POURING rain right now. Thunder, lightning, the works. It's springtime, so why is it strange that it's raining so hard right now? Because it NEVER does this here! Yes, Portland is known for its rain, but usually it's a light drizzle...just enough to annoy you. We're from the Midwest, as you know, where boy does it rain. And thunder, and lightning, with the ever-present chance of tornadoes. So this feels like home. We have the house opened up, just listening to the rain come down. It's soothing, really. And our garden should love it.

May 16, 2006

Multnomah Village sightings

If you were a random roamer in Multnomah Village, here are a few of things you would have seen the past few days:

- Nikki and Ben playing badminton and sweating in Gabriel Park tonight.
- Nikki and Ben grilling out every evening since we got our new grill on Sunday.
- Nikki learning how to correctly throw a frisbee last evening and Ben getting frustrated.
- A random guy laying next to his bicycle with a six pack in his arms in Gabriel Park.
- Buds starting to sprout on our tomato plants!
- A three-legged happy-as-can-be dog trotting along in front of the Lucky Lab Public House.
- Ben, coming back and forth from a SECOND interview today!

Several days of summer-like weather have us giddy and excited for the season to come.

May 11, 2006

All grown up

I remember getting ready for my first prom...the turquoise sparkly dress, the hair, the makeup, the nails. Dinner at Illusions, dancing the night away in Broad Ripple. Ah, those were the days. Hard to believe that was quite a few years ago, and my little brother Daniel just experienced all this for the first time. Except for the dress, hair and nails part. He did look pretty handsome, though. Check him out!!


Daniel Schulz, on the far right, looking good in a tux, before his first prom (on the canal in DT Indy...one of Ben and I's favorite locations).

May 06, 2006

Reminders of the Midwest

We won't lie -- we're really missing the Midwest. For good reasons, of course: we were both born and raised there and are actually very opposed to Daylight Savings Time (kidding...though Indiana just adopted it!).

Our Saturday started with a call from Ben's brother, Gabe, who graduated from Anderson University today. Congratulations, Gabe! The whole Reed family was together for the happy occasion -- except us, of course, because it was nearly $400 per plane ticket to get there. We were so sad to miss the big day.

To soothe our Midwestern longings, we took a drive out to Sauvie Island, just NW of Portland -- it's a massive island in the middle of the Columbia River. Supposedly hopping in the summertime, it was quiet today, but the landscape was all too familiar -- fields and orchards and flat, much like Indiana. It was gorgeous though...we can't wait to go back and pick strawberries and Marionberries.



One other Midwestern sighting that I've been meaning to report -- Indiana license plates everywhere! What are all these Hoosiers doing in Oregon? I see several Indiana cars a week, which wouldn't be so strange if we were living in Chicago. But we're in OREGON, thousands of miles from Indiana. Whoever these Hoosiers in Oregon are, I'm glad they're here.

We all need some reminders of home once in awhile.