Awake

Landslide!

This landslide happened yesterday morning around 9 am or so on the westbound Sunset Highway, just past the Vista Ridge Tunnel and where SW Jefferson merges onto the highway. All lanes of the westbound Sunset were closed until about 5:30pm last night. I took Naito to Beaverton-Hillsdale, which was completely jammed, then up some random road to Terwilliger, cruised past the Chart House, enjoyed a beautiful view, then got back on Beaverton-Hillsdale. Crawled through Hillsdale until I found Shattuck, then to Hamilton, then to Scholls-Ferry, then finally to the Sunset Highway at the Sylvan interchange. When I got home, my mom was still stuck close-in on Beaverton-Hillsdale. I broke out my handy AAA map of Portland and guided her up Sunset Blvd. to Dosch Rd. to Patton, (by Council Crest) and then to Scholls-Ferry and finally to the Sunset. It was sunny and bright outside, no rain, no snow or ice, so I considered this a nice little friendly drill in preparedness--what to do if the Sunset westbound was blocked due to some more catastrophic or traumatic disaster. Also, I had nowhere to be since I'm on a school break for two weeks, plus I had my iPod so I didn't have to suffer through radio, so my stress level was pretty low. Yay.

Big Lots Across the Street Closing! Oh No!

In more catastrophic news, the Big Lots across the street from my house is closing! I am so sad! Where else could I have obtained a watch with big numbers to attach to my oil/lotion holster for Clinic for $5?! Where else can I get my favorite shampoo for $1.19?! Where else can I get a pack of 20 bottled water for $4?! This is a sad day indeed. Payday is tomorrow, I will stock up on something in memorium.

And now for a little amateur spiritual mapping exercise...

click thumbnail for ginormous zoom-in action (not rec'd for dial-up users)That poor strip mall is a black hole of commerce though. The problem is obvious: Coach's bar and off-track betting, the Lamplighter Motel, which is a highly sketchy establishment mostly due it's proximity to the Sunset Strip. So yeah, it's basically a Triangle Of Sin^TM and it's very difficult for respectable businesses, suitable for families, to stay in business.

Going to the opera!

Anyhoo, it's Thursday, can you believe it? Tonight I'm going to the opera with my Uncle Glen, who is both a Great-Uncle and a great uncle. His date had to cancel due to the flu, so he called me last night to see if I was free. Happily, I am. We will be experiencing "The Flying Dutchman." Should be fun!

Stay tuned for more school-break excitement!

Indeed! I have pictures-a-plenty from my trip to Seattle and Lacey this past weekend. I will post those in the coming days.

Until then, happy Thursday!