Day 1 of the Week of Fabulous Fun

I got me a list, and I'm crossing things off that list...

"The heart is a bloom, Shoots up through the stony ground..." I'm glad I'm not missing out on this, the glory of June in bloom. It would be the easiest thing in the world to miss out on, and I always used to watch is pass by. Now I'm out in it for the first time in years watching the whole damn town come up in roses. June is a glorious glorious month of flowers in Portland.

"The traffic is stuck, And you're not moving anywhere..." (NOT) Taking care of business today, that's for sure. Being proactive is fine and great but nobody else wants to reward me for wanting to get ready to jump right into summer classes. They won't let me pay my bursar bill until next week, and forget going to the bookstore, the shelves are bare and the employees are all on vacation.

But what I lacked in productivity, I made up for in big free scores. Someone cleaned out an office. Too bad it wasn't someone who teaches ESL methods, but I did find some good stuff. Free office supplies are like a little blessing. I amused Mario by slinking around and doing mysterious things (I was making a chapbook out of a map and a transparency) and using the MISL lab to perpetuate my foul deeds.

"It's a beautiful day, Sky falls, you feel like, It's a beautiful day, Don't let it get away" In spite of starting off cold, cloudy and utterly un-summerlike, it got better. By the time I rode all the way up the west bank and across the lower deck of the steel bridge the sun was starting to overcome the clouds. Total victory was nearly at hand. By the time I got to the underpass rest point by the Hawthorne bridge, the sun was coming out and the sky had turned over and the grey was splitting up into those little white clouds that you see on the opening credits for the Simpsons...(those by the way are some VERY Portland clouds).

After I got this far, I wasn't quite sure what to do next, it was barely noon and the whole afternoon loomed before me. I didn't feel like tackling the Springwater Trail today. I had to come up with something. "You're on the road, But you've got no destination, You love this town, Even if that doesn't ring true, You've been all over
And it's been all over you."

Following the beginnings of Division, I popped out near 4-Corners and realized that I was near New Seasons. Hello, lunch! (Unfortunately my choice of hummus would prove to be controversial later). I strolled down a bit further where I knew an amelanchier tree was waiting with branches full of leaves and serviceberries, and stood like a madman on the corner with my arms raised up into the tree picking away. I noticed that this tree is also afflicted with whatever plague they all seem to have this year...I wonder what it is. I also realized I was down the street from the Red and Black so wandered over there and got some coffee and just hung out for awhile watching the traffic and inhaling the jasmine drifting across the street. On the way back, I stopped in Mirador on a whim and lo and behold found a book I've been searching for all year unsuccessfully: The Revolution will not be Microwaved. rock on!

"It's a beautiful day, Don't let it get away"

I rode past the community garden on clinton and found a cherry tree in front of the Ananda school. After succumbing to the urge, I continued on towards 26th and headed back towards Powell, stopping off at the park for awhile. Don't let NOBODY tell you you're too old for the swings.

"What you don't have you don't need it now, What you don't know you can feel it somehow"

It was a good start to the week of fun. I came home and passed the remainder of the afternoon reading and working on one of my summer writing projects, read some more, wrote some more and relaxed. "It was a beautiful day..."