Back from Oregon

I am back from scoping out wedding sites in Portland. Actually, I think we've settled on one. Our main criterion was striking the right balance between "classy" and "fun." I mean, mostly we want our wedding to be a great party, but we want it to be a party that our more fastidious relatives will be happy with too. I think this place will fit the bill.

After checking it out, I went home and hung out with the family. Dad spoiled me by buying me not one but two pairs of shoes(!) to replace the very broken down and worn out ones, which I have been wearing almost constantly for nearly five years now. I am not a great shoe person, but even I confess it's fun to have a change. This pair I am wearing now. The other pair is coming in the mail, owing to their not having the color I wanted in that particular store. I'd put a link, but I can't quite remember exactly which type it was.

I did lots of chatting and hanging out with the parents, and watched Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (for the first time). Interesting movie. Funny to see Jude Law before he got really well-known. I am not a great recognizer of actors, but I always recognize him right away because he has a very slight facial resemblance to Pocket of Bolts!

Anyway, another fun thing I got to do was go on a bike ride with my bro and his new girlfriend. Although I've as a rule not been putting pictures of myself on this blog anymore, I just had to post this one because I like it so much. It was the perfect thing to do on a crisp Saturday morning in fall. The air was cool and the sunshine warm. Leaves were just starting to come down. The river looked deliciously beautiful. Not to say I don't appreciate our lake here, but it's just different is all.

We had a big dinner--leg of lamb--and Mom and my bro and his gf and I played Apples to Apples. I love that game, because it's all about laughing your head off, non-stop. When do we ever get a chance to laugh that much? Something funny is always happening.

Finally, back here on Sunday. My class was getting observed yesterday morning, so I was extra nervous. But got through it somehow. I am getting better about balancing course work and my own work, and have even made some limping progress on my dissertation these past couple days. Despite being still tired from the weekend. It is refreshing to get away from it all, and nice to come back to the ever-smoother routine. I even got into the gym yesterday and today. Working off those vacation pounds. My mom's fancy scale (which has a fat percentage sensor) told me I was overweight. Thanks for the vote of confidence, scale! I like it better when the scale just gives me the numbers and lets me be the judge.

Still, I have been trying to be moderate with food and conscientious with exercise. And... I guess nothing much else to report. I finished Vanity Fair and felt very satisfied with it, especially with the role Becky played in the ending. What an ambiguous anti-heroine she was throughout! Many of her manipulations were actually quite forgivable, and the only thing I really had to hate her for was mistreating her son. As for Jos, he deserved what he got.

Okay, guess that's it for now.