The lazy days of summer are quickly fading...

This week's been great...and busy! I just got home from an elder meeting and am a little wired, so I thought I'd jot down some thoughts.

Katie's parents were in town this past weekend to move Meredith into Multnomah Bible on the east side of town. Tim decided to stay for a week and have an agenda-less vacation. It's been really cool to have him around. I've been tied up the past couple nights, so Katie's been having a few father-daughter dates that have been long overdue. I know she's really valuing them.

She's also been slugging through her first week of inservice before school starts next week. I say "slugging" as if it were a bad thing. She's handling it like a champ, just getting a good dose of information-overload. The commutes been killing her though. Nearly an hour each way doesn't leave a lot of down-time in your day. It's for this reason that we decided to disband the Alpernardo house. We've also been doing the married community house gig for over a year and are totally loving it...but knew we'd have to part ways at some point. How often do you get the chance to break up the band on awesome terms? The commute and the seemingly light-speed growth of Ania have made it a good idea to pass on from this old house. It'll be sad, but we know we'll still be having Alpernardo slumber parties for years to come.

As Katie mentioned before, we're in the process of buying a condo closer to her work and mine. It's a bit more toward the burbs than we are now, but it'll cut Katie's commute by two-thirds and I'll be just three stops on the MAX line from the credit union. That's right, no more driving to work for me!! Full-time public transport, here I come!! And my company is progressive enough to pay my monthly fare. Can't beat it.

This weekend will find us at the coast and running a million little errands before school starts on Tuesday. Should be fun. Alas, I keep meaning to carve out time to flesh-out some more of my less-than mundane thoughts here, but life keeps movnig. I'll be sure to write more than just the general details soon. Until then, try to answer one important question: What would you do for a Klondike bar?

Fun-filled time in P-town

My 'rents are flying in today primarily to help Mere and Evan get settled at Multnomah Bible College. But also, it's fun to have them in Portland to hang for the weekend. Mom and dad fly in around 2pm, while the rest of the caravan drives into town this evening. Then move-in for M and E is on Sunday. And then dad is staying all week for some much-needed rest and rejuvination- and where else can someone hike, go to the beach, visit the largest independent book store in the world, and see a couple of his kids? Anyway, it should be fun.

On another note, I start inservice next week, feeling a little freaked out (I've been told it's normal). And school starts after Labor Day. So that's what's up with us.

Oh, and we bought a condo.
(More to come on that later...)

Katie

Checking in...

I've started to feel a bit narcisistic about blogging these days. Often enough I get the feeling that I'm just filling people in on what goes on in our busy lives. At some level, that's cool, since we have lots of friends and family all over the place. On the other hand, I feel like it's a pretty self-interested ambition. Some how I'm compelled to continue nonetheless...

Something cool happened to me this week. For the first time ever, and more than likely the last, I saw myself on the silver screen. Some friends of mine enrolled in the 48-Hour Film Festival and last weekend we spent all 48 hours making a short film. After writing the script, filming and editing, all in two short days, we submitted the piece and saw it screened at the historic Hollywood theatre on the east side last Thursday night with the other entries. When I say "we," I use the term rather loosely. I showed up Saturday expecting to help with some filming, as I have a bit in the past. Instead, they wrote me into a somewhat significant part and I got to make my acting debut. Like the true hard-worker I am, however, I chipped in for only about seven of the 48 hours. They certainly did the bulk of the work and I was very much on the periphery of the whole thing, but it was fun nonetheless. I'll post a link to the movie once it's posted online.



(Yeah...that's me with a very real looking gun. That's also me on the phone with my agent trying to get a bigger trailer with a bowl of green M&Ms)

Something cool is also happening to Katie this week. She was hired a couple months ago by the city to coordinate a two-week drama camp, which culminates in a double-header play showing for a public audience. She cast a bunch of cute 6-13 year olds who have been having the time of their lives. I'll be leaving in a few hours for the final showing this evening. She's so talented. She's also been spending the spare time during this past week decorating her first classroom in Scappoose. Inservice starts the week after next and the following week will find her a full-time, fully-licensed teaching gig. She's worked extremely hard to reach this goal the last couple years. I'm finding the sheer joy that can come from living vicariously through a fearless spouse.

I've been tagged...

So Brent tagged me to answer the following questions about music. He actually tagged me AND Katie, but I'll let Katie post for herself, since our tastes are very similar and very different depending on the question and occasion. Thanks to Brent for giving me something to blog about as well...I keep meaning to be more consistent.

1. One CD that, when you heard it, really affected your entire musical tastes.

It's Hard to Find a Friend by Pedro the Lion and Young Bodies Heal Quickly by the Paper Chase. I chose these two for very opposing reasons: Pedro because it's so stripped down with brilliant lyrics and the Paper Chase because there's so much odd instrumentation that it's almost scary (literally...they should score horror movies). Both of 'em rocked my world and if you've heard them, you'll probably understand why.

2. Once CD you could listen to and never get tired of:

Rubberneck by the Toadies. Good Texas rock from the producer of AC/DC's Back in Black. Can't beat it with a stick.

3. One CD Box Set you'd want on a desert island:

The entire collection of Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series...'cause, ya know, I'm sure I'll want to feel even more alienated.

4. The CD you'd listen to when doing chores/yardwork/housework:

Jay-z's The Black Album. Makes me wanna pop a cap in those dustbunnies.

. The CD you listen to when you're having a pity party:


So Tonight That I Might See by Mazzy Star.

6. The group you have the most CD's of:


A tie between Fugazi and REM.

7. One CD that you wish had never purchased:

Weezer Maladroit. Okay, I never bought this, but I borrowed it and was immediately glad that I didn't buy it.

8. The CD in your car's player right now:

Talib Kweli Quality.

9. One CD you've been meaning to purchase and haven't yet:

TV on the Radio's Return to Cookie Mountain. They keep pushing out the release date, dang it!!

10. Now tag five people:

1. Chris
2. Bob
3. Jay-O
4. Mark (mi hermano)
5. JC

Bob, our pastor at Evergreen, posted this online yesterday from an article he found. What do you think?

Orlando Bans Feeding Homeless Downtown
Jul 25 1:55 PM US/Eastern
ORLANDO, Fla.

City officials have banned charitable groups from feeding homeless people in parks downtown, arguing that transients who gather for weekly meals create safety and sanitary problems for businesses.

The measure, approved Monday, prevents serving large groups in parks and other public property within two miles of City Hall without a permit. The American Civil Liberties Union vowed to sue, saying it's a superficial fix that ignores the city's homeless problem.

City commissioner Patty Sheehan pushed for the ordinance after complaints from business owners and residents that homeless people were causing problems at a downtown park popular with joggers and dog walkers.

A group called Food Not Bombs, which has served weekly vegetarian meals to homeless people for more than a year there, said it would continue illegally.

Robin Stotter, who is opening a restaurant downtown, said he would support homeless people by pledging money for food and shelter, but supported the ordinance.

"The homeless issue is not going to be solved today," he said. "It's a safety issue, and the public deserves a safe place to be."

Two of the city's five commissioners voted against the ordinance _ including Robert Stuart, the head of a homeless shelter.

Stuart said the city was moving to "criminalize goodhearted people."

"We're putting a Band-Aid on a critical problem," said commissioner Sam Ings, the other opposing vote.

It's Sunday around 8am here. Michael is still sleeping. Church doesn't start til 10 so I thought I'd blog. I'm listening to the old Sink or Swim record by Waterdeep. Good stuff.

Things are about to start moving quickly here. At least, I feel like an impending storm is about to hit. (Good storm, just a bit overwhelming) Tomorrow begins the summer children's drama camp I was hired to direct. That will last two weeks and a big smashing show at the end. My dear best friend Stephanie, who is possibly moving to Portland, arrives on Saturday the 12th. She is helping me pull this show off.

She leaves the 22nd, and I have to set up my new classroom the rest of that week. Then my parents, Mere and Evan are coming to Portland to move the kids in. Then a week of inservice. My dad is staying in Portland for that week, having a vacation which is great. Then Labor Day, then school starts.

I just feel like I am about to start 50 new things that I've never done before. I am sure all the teachers reading this know exactly how I feel.

Other that this stuff, we are good. Trying to find time together. Michael is so great. He's supportive and hilarious. Writing anything else cliche would just do him an injustice.

Anyway, just some ramblings. Thought I'd give you a couple more pics from our experiments with the new camera features. We almost peed our pants making them.
katie

Happy Anniversary

It's been one year since we started the Alpernardo house. August 1, 2005 we moved in. To the house- Happy one year!