It's Orange Outside, And God Gave Me Webbed Feet

It has been a full couple of weeks since my last post. Mom Wilson came for a visit. We took her to The International Rose Test Garden. The roses were not being tested during our visit. Apparently, they have passed all their tests for this year and are now just sitting there, posing. We also took her to the Chinese Classical Garden which sits on a corner in a neighborhood laughingly called "Chinatown." I say "laughingly" because it really ought to be called Shadytown. The garden is lovely; the neighborhood is not.
We also took her to Multnomah Falls, the Saturday Market and the Japanese Botanical Gardens. The visit was short and sweet, but it was great to see my mom.
Last weekend, Tommy's sister Janna came for a visit. Again, short and sweet, but we had an amazing time. We hiked the five-mile Wahkeena/Multnomah Falls Loop. Really, five-and-a-half miles if you count the trail BACK to the parking lot. It was a perfect day for the hike as the sun was shining, but not too brightly, and the trail was cool and green.
We also visited a vegetarian restaurant on the east side called Blossoming Lotus, or, as I prefer to call it, Buh-rossoming Rotus. The food was delicious, while mysterious. I don't know about this "tempeh" product. Hearing it mentioned previously, I always assumed it was a native cuisine of Tempe, Arizona. Evidently, its origin is actually Indonesia. It is a "plant-based protein." You have to love the vagueness of that description. To this day, I am not exactly sure of what I ate, but it tasted good saturated in barbecue sauce with spicy bean chili and corn bread.
Work has been a challenge. I am not nearly as articulate about personal finance as I expected I would be. I think they fried my brain in training; and, now, when I open my mouth to assist a customer, all that seems to pour out is mush. I anticipate steady improvement, but, at the same time, I don't want to get too good at this. Every day, I miss acting. I miss auditioning, running calls, rehearsing and performing. I even miss the occasional extra work that kept me busy between better paying gigs. I do not miss the driving. I certainly do not miss spending two hours in traffic for a five-minute audition.
I remind myself daily that everything is only for now. This job is temporary, and nobody knows what 2010 will bring. I can say with certainty, however, that I am not done with my creative work. I am still not sure what that work encompasses, but, darn it, it's going to be good.
I am enjoying the randomness of life. I am loving the beauty of this city in which I now live and the promise it holds. I am thankful for bounty. Not the paper towels, although they are the quicker picker upper. No, I mean the bounty with which I have been blessed. I am thankful for the Snuggie I received for my birthday and for the wonderful friends who were thoughtful enough to send it. Mostly, I am thankful that anyone cares enough about me to read this nonsense. I have great friends and a pretty bitchin' life. Who could ask for anything more? (That was rhetorical.)