Happy Dog

Yesterday morning Nick, Toby and I drove down to Eugene. Toby and I will be staying at Auntie Linda's home for the whole month of February to house-sit while she and Uncle Mike vacation in Arizona (and beyond!). They live on the outskirts of Eugene, somewhat in the boonies. Their cabin and surrounding property is beautiful and so peaceful. People pay big money for vacation homes with this kind of atmosphere. :) It is such a nice getaway from the house where we've been staying. While it serves its purpose and is a reasonable price, our temporary home in Portland is quite dark, dreary and cold... the complete opposite of this warm, cozy cabin! Needless to say, I am more than happy to be staying here for the month--and I am pretty sure Toby is, too. 

He was pretty cooped up in Portland and could only stretch his legs when we let him outside (for mere minutes at a time... because that dog can't be trusted with his digging habits in the scent-filled yard!).

While he can't be off leash around this property because it's not fenced, he gets plenty of outside doggy time  on his extra-long leash (tied to a tree several yards away from the house). He also gets free reign in the house, which keeps him mighty busy following the many strange new smells. 

Anyway, onto some human-related matters: This week Nick finds out whether or not he got the job as a personal banker with Bank of America. He'll be staying with me in Eugene until he finds out. If he got it, he'll head straight back to Portland and get to work! If not, we will likely move out of our temporary housing in Portland and stay in Eugene permanently, looking for work down here instead.

Either way it will be a bittersweet situation, as we truly like Portland and Eugene for each of their unique qualities. Regardless, I'm sure we will be visiting the other town very frequently because there is so much to do and explore in both places!

   

Quick Job Update

Phillips and Co = no-go. It sounded promising, but apparently becoming an "Investment Advisor" would have me as one of about 50 guys working in a call center making cold-calls to individuals and businesses to solicit portfolio management services. The job required 60-100 cold calls per day, 2 to 3 solid leads, and no face-to-face time with clients. The base salary for that job would've helped us make ends meet, but I have a hard time seeing myself advancing in this company--they claim that it is a team environment, yet there are 50 or more guys vying for a single Junior Partner position with the firm. I just can't bring myself to be the next Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) from Wall Street:

If you want an idea of the work environment, picture a 60x25 room. Fill it with 50 frat boys, cheesy sales pitches, and the word "bro." It sort of had the vibe of an AT&T tech help center. It was a little disappointing. 

Last night, Katie and I were talking about moving down to Eugene to try our luck out there for jobs. With over 40 copies of my resume and cover letter circulating the field, I felt like I struck out up here after achieving only a 5% response rate. It was a hard decision, but the competition might not be as fierce in Eugene, which is why we were considering it. Katie will be watching my aunt and uncle's place for the month of February, so we would also be able to benefit from having a rent-free month. Plus, Eugene is absolutely beautiful and more up our alley than sprawling urban metropolises... metropoli? 

Versus:

 

Around 8:30 this morning, however, a staffing agent from Bank of America called my phone and invited me to have an interview with one of the Portland branches. I said "absolutely!" Before hanging up, she asked me if I was familiar with the Lombard-Greeley area of Portland, which I sort-of am. She said, "Well, there's an open position out there for you also--do you want an interview?" 

"Sure!"

It is amazing how our situation can change in just a matter of hours. With Bank of America being my first choice, and with the greatest opportunity for career development in Finance, there was no way I could turn it down (even if it wasn't in beautiful Eugene). I had my first interview today for a Personal Banker position at the B of A just down the street (1.4 miles) and I have another interview for the same position this Thursday. Today's interview went great--I felt confident coming out of the meeting and am sure I will do even better this Thursday. It looks like Portland is back on the map! Sorry Eugene--your turn will come.

In other news, we had a very enjoyable weekend with my Eugenian and Lake Oswegian cousins--Joe, Susan, Timothy, MacKenzie, Jacob, Madison*, Danny, Chris, and Hieu. On Saturday we went to The Old Spaghetti Factory and spent some time at Chris and Hieu's condo, where we played video games and hung out as kids. The next day we met up with them for a nice nature walk, lots of Oswegian exploring, and an awesome trip to an indoor clubhouse pool with an extravagant slide and waterpark-like features:

Since our visit, Katie and I have been inspired to check out Lake Oswego for our first rental--it is a lot like Walnut Creek/Moraga/Eugene in terms of layout and scenery. most of the apartments and townhomes in that area are about $400-$500 less than the rent we were paying in Novato, and have free access to that clubhouse. The heated indoor pool, full-range gym, spa, sauna, and other indoor recreation activities definitely sweeten the deal of living in this community. It is a little more south of Portland, but only about 15 minutes from where we currently live:

Regardless of what happens over the next few weeks, things are likely to change drastically. If I secure a job up here in Portland, then we will likely have a nice rental by March. I really hope this is the case, simply for the sake of adding some stability to our lives and being able to have some friends/family up soon! If I don't get the job, however, I'll be down in Eugene and pounding the pavement down there for work. Those are the plans for now--both are bittersweet and full of excitement :)

Nothing more to say on my end, so I'll leave you with a few pictures from our weekend that Katie and I took. By the way, click them for full-size versions!

Katie and Baby Jacob

Nature Walk Through Lake Oswego

Cousin Joe and His Son Tim

The City of Portland from Rocky Butte 

-Nick

Nick has an interview!

Just a quick note to let you all know that Nick has landed an interview with Phillips & Co, an investment firm in Downtown Portland. He did an informal phone interview on Thursday and he goes in for the formal interview tomorrow at 11am. If he gets the job, his title will be "investment advisor." Keep your fingers crossed for us and say a little prayer-- he deserves this job more than anyone I know!

**Another update is coming soon; we've had a pretty busy weekend.**

O'Connell's Playhouse

 This Sunday Nick and I (and Toby) drove down to Eugene for our first "O'Connell's Playhouse" experience. Nick's Aunt Linda and Uncle Mike put together a fun night of appetizers, funny skits and then a delicious dinner and dessert. The skits were very funny-- and we learned that we'll be expected to prepare one for next time... uhoh!

That night we stayed at Nick's cousin Joe's home. The next morning we had a delicious breakfast of (as I know them) "Poffertjes" (little popover-style pancakes) with his family. Then Nick and I did some exploring around Eugene on our own. We walked around the nearby University (U of O) and then got a couple yummy coffee drinks. It was nice to take it easy and enjoy our drinks, dreaming a little over a real estate magazine :)

 After doing a little more exploring through Eugene, we met up with Joe and Susan and their kids again. They took us to a great restaurant with a view of a rushing (almost flooded!) river. The food was delicious and it was so nice to chat with them. Afterwards, we walked through a huge park with lots of pretty sites and later we headed up to Skinner's Butte for an awesome view of the whole town--and beyond. In the pictures below, Nick, Joe and Mackenzie are "walking on water"!

On our way out of town we saw quite a few rainbows. It was such a pleasant surprise and a great way to end our short visit in Eugene. Nick and I will definitely be back soon!

Two weeks

Well it has been two weeks since we made the move up to the Pacific Northwest, and we have only scratched the surface of what there is to do up here. Unfortunately, our main limitation is money, which we are hoping to circumvent ASA-friggin-P. The other limitation, sort of, is the weather:

Actually, the weather has been pretty nice lately! Sure, it's raining, but with the rain comes warmer temperatures. Once the rain goes away, we see low 30's during the day and high 20's during the night. Plus the rain isn't a heavy downpour like it was in Concord--more like a sprinkle or a "mist," as the locals call it. But still, the overall dreariness and overcast skies makes it hard to get out and explore...

We're still on the hunt for jobs and don't have a lot of leads yet. Katie has been working on her application materials to a really awesome one that could lead to a solid career in Education as an Academic Advisor with Portland Community College. I'll let her share the details on that. I, on the other hand, have put out about 28 resumes and applications and would really like to hear back! It has only been two weeks, so I'm trying to keep optimistic.

In more positive news, we have discovered a local WinCo. Wow, I can't believe this store! So many bulk foods at steep discounts. Sure the crowd is a little... WalMart-y, but the savings are definitely welcome right now. I've also found some really cool neighborhoods en route to job sites. The South East of Portland has some great bungalow style homes in the 200's-300's range. Here's what they look like:

The houses in SE Hawthorne aren't situated on large plots of land, but the lack of landscaping is definitely made up for by the size and styles of the houses. Plus, they're in a great area--lots of trees in most of the suburbs and a really sleepy feel. I thought I was driving through a forest when all of a sudden I started seeing children walking home from school Lucky kids--what a great place to grow up.


I don't have much else to say for now, so I'll finish up with a couple of fun facts:

•  Portland's drinking water is sourced from Mt. Hood runoff and receives almost no water treatment.
• Home owners get a tax break if they collect rainwater from their roofs into rain barrels
• There are several year-round, rain-or shine farmers markets! 

a few more pictures

We forgot to mention our experience at Voodoo donuts a few days ago, so I thought I'd share some pictures from Voodoo and a few from Rocky Butte, too.

 These pictures were taken on top of Rocky Butte. The Butte is less than a mile away from our home and the view from the top is pretty incredible. We went on a day that was a little foggy, so our view was cut short.

We are excited to go back on a clearer day for a better view. Regardless, we had fun and were very happy to see both Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helen's from the top.

After visiting the Butte, we made our way over to VooDoo. Apparently Voodoo Donuts is pretty famous. Their donuts have crazy names and even crazier concoctions. Nick learned that they used to carry PeptoBismal and NiQuil flavored donuts before the FDA got involved (probably a good thing). Their variety includes a maple bar with real bacon on top, several donuts topped with cereal, and a large vegan selection, too.

Being a lover of all things chocolate, I had to go with the chocolate-frosted cocoa puff and powdered sugar-topped donut. I think Nick may have been a little intimidated. Not me though!!

I'm sure I'll be visiting them again soon.
Yum!

<3K80

The First Week

Well, we have now spent our first 168 hours in Portland, Oregon, and I think we made a good choice on where to live. Our temporary rental is very affordable and our landlords couldn't be more accommodating. Toby has plenty of running room and smells to keep him busy, and we have an abundance of cool places to explore. Win-win!

Our first--and probably our most important--purchase is a digitally controlled 1,500 watt space heater. Before we bought this, our bedroom was in the 50's thanks to our landlords' half-century-old furnace. Fortunately we aren't the ones paying the utility bill...

Rocky Butte

In addition to applying to 16 jobs this week, we've had some great opportunities to check out the town. We drove up the Butte across the street from us and had some amazing views of Mt. Hood and Rainier:

Blue Moon Tavern

We also got to reconnect with my cousin Danny and paid a visit to Blue Moon Tavern and Grill, where we each had a tasty adult beverage :P

Shopping

I don't have a picture for the next one, but we also went mall hopping/shopping and used up some Christmas gift cards. Horray for NOT paying sales tax! One of the malls was 3 stories high and had an ice-skating rink in the center. We were tempted, but then Katie noticed a Ross and a Marshall's nearby, so that took precedence!

Alberta Street

On our way to check out our first coffeeshop, we stumbled upon a really cool strip called Alberta Street in North Portland. Imagine Berkeley, CA, get rid of the panhandlers, crowds, and trash, and you have Alberta. The nearby suburbs are dotted with cool bungalow style homes, and the main street is a cyclist and a walker's dream.

One of the shops carried garden gnome inspired art and home decorations, and the proprietor offered us fresh espresso when we walked inside. Just one example of the personalized, unique features of this part of town. There was even a co-op grocery store that exclusively carries locally grown and made foods. Needless to say we will be considering this place as our home once we start generating some income! These were the drinks we ordered in a popular coffee shop.

And here are their business cards:

Hawthorne

Yesterday (1/7), we went to a much busier Portlandic Berkeley street known as Hawthorne. There's a movie theater there, a bunch of cool and useless knick-knack shops, and Fro-Yo. This part of town seemed to be a lot more crowded, though. Then again, we did go on a Friday...

Agenda Dive Bar

On our way back home, we saw a little dive called Agenda, and outside of their door was a scrolling marquee that read "$2 micros!" We had to go in. Unfortunately, they only had two beers on tap that still had the $2 microbrew price. One was an IPA, which went down smooth but sort of had a plastic aftertaste, and the other was a very delicious Christmas Ale. At 10.5% ABV, the Ale was an incredibly cheap $2 beer. Best part about this place are the free samples! Two flatscreens and no crowd make this place a great spot near our home.



More to come!

-Nick

Oops!

Big apologies for our last blog's goof-up! Apparently the website we originally chose to host our blog is not very stable (and has been "under construction" for the last 4 days!).

Anyway, to prevent any further problems we thought it best to start over-- even though this means that we lost our first few posts in cyber space. We're sorry for the complications and we hope it won't keep you from visiting this new (better!) blog every now and then.

The Oregon Trail

We survived! Woke up at dawn, trudged through snow and rain and climbed steep mountains... and arrived at our new home around 6:30 last night.

We decided to take only one car up for now-- I am still recovering from surgery and would NOT be able to do the 11-hour drive by myself. Because I won't be working for another 2 months and we have an excellent transit system nearby (hooray, excellent Portland city planning!), we don't have much of a need for two cars right now anyway. One of our "resolutions" this year is to learn the transportation systems here in Portland. It will not only save us $$ (their fares are SO cheap compared to SF and we'd also be saving gas), but we can be a little greener, too ;).

My car was packed to the brim. As in, not a square foot of extra space anywhere!

Even the Tobster had to sacrifice some space:

But he had an excellent view of the passing scenery.

He pretended not to like it and pretty much ignored us for most of the drive...But I think he was pretty cozy.

I fell asleep about 30 minutes into our drive... and suddenly (a little over an hour into our drive) Nick woke me up because it was snowing! We did not expect any snow on our drive, (we had checked the weather forecast several times) and we definitely did not expect snow only an hour outside of Concord! It was so beautiful though, and got us very excited for the journey ahead of us.

The contrast of the snow on the dark trees and hills was just beautiful. It snowed just enough so that everything was covered in a white blanket, but not enough to create icy roads or dangerous driving conditions. It was such a pleasant surprise!

The following pic was taken at our first gas stop. Needless to say we were freezing our butts off when we hopped out of the heater-blasted car. Toby got his very first exposure to snow and Nick made a snowball (and promptly threw it at my windshield). When I paid for the gas, I asked the station/shop owner if they had bathrooms... and he responded with, "Nope, we just hold it here."

Funny man. They did have a bathroom... complete with a creepy graffiti-covered, handless mannequin sitting in a bathtub next to the toilet. Scared the daylights out of me, and I decided not to tell Nick about it before he entered so he'd share in the experience, too. He shrieked. ;) I'm really bummed I didn't get a picture of that frightening sight.

Anyway, the rest of the journey went very smoothly and took us an hour less than expected (woot!). Our new place is pretty great for the price, and Toby is in doggie-paradise with the enormous fenced-in backyard.

More to come soon!