Name: Jessica Paige Portwood
Occupation: Full-time Student
Current City: Seattle
Connection: Roommate

1) I heard that you’re flying South tomorrow.  What 3 items must be in your carry-on for a cross-country flight:

• A good book (Crime & Punishment)
• My knitting/crocheting supplies
• My iPod

2) Speaking of your iPod, put it on ’shuffle’ mode. What are the first three songs that play?  Any special meaning?

• Hootie & The Blowfish: Goodbye girl.  ”I don’t even know what that song sounds like.”
• Ray LaMontagne: Carry me.  ”Eh, kind of reminds me of my ex-boyfriend…”
• Ben Harper: Roses from my friends.  ”I’d say that was one of the first songs that ushered me in to loving good music.”

3) What’s your favorite kitchen utensil?

• A ladle because I like the way they’re shaped and they scoop things.

4) Holiday Plans?

• I’ll be in Knoxville, TN with my family and spend New Year’s in South Carolina.  I’m having a Y2K 10-Year Anniversary party.  We’re going to create a myth to hype everybody that the world is about to end.  Everyone has to bring non-perishable items, which we’re going to donate to a food bank.

5) Tell us a joke.

JP: Knock, knock.
MB: Who’s there?
JP: Dwayne.
MB: Dwayne who?
JP: Dwayne the tub, I’m dwowning!

Eeeeeeeewwwwww!  Look who I found in my blackberries this morning!

…I would be a Jeep.

(An analogy.  Scroll down for more).

I have an amazing talent for doing everything in the longest, most difficult, and most complicated way possible.  Sometimes it’s intentional.  In college, I often turned the 4.5-hour drive home into a 7-hour trek, taking back country roads the entire way, enjoying the beauty of the “scenic route.”  (I thank my dad for that one).  Just today I realized that I could drive to my student’s house in 20 minutes.  Instead, though, I took the bus, (three buses, really), making this an hour and 20 minute trip instead.  For me, riding the bus is more enjoyable, interesting, and relaxing.  Plus, I had extra time.

Sometimes though, it can be frustrating, both for me and others.  I have a vivid memory from elementary school; I must have been only five or six.  I was wearing a blue and white striped dress that had small white buttons down the center on the front, all the way from the top to the bottom.  There must have been at least 20 buttons.  After lunch, my teacher took the girls to the bathroom.  I unbuttoned the dress, did what I was there to do, and then tried to re-button the dress.  At that age, those buttons were more than my fingers could handle.  I remember getting frustrated and starting to cry, and then finally asking my teacher for help.  She took one look at me and immediately exclaimed, “Melanie!  Why did you unbutton the dress in the first place??”  The fact that it was unnecessary to unbutton even one of the buttons had never even crossed my mind!  Instead, as always, I made a simple task into something difficult and time-consuming.

In college, printing out design projects never failed to be a disaster.  By the end of the viscom program, I made a point to finish all design projects at least six hours before they were due, to ensure I’d have plenty of time to go through the hassle of getting them effectively printed and matted.  No one else in the class ever seemed to have this problem!  They finished the project, printed, and pasted.  Easier done than said.

So, what’s the point?

This afternoon as I rode through downtown Seattle on my way from a coffeehouse to my student’s house, I thought about how much quicker and easier it would have been to drive from door to door.  I could have walked from my front door to the car door, parked a few feet from my destination, avoiding the bitter cold and the hassle of chasing down the bus.  (I took a total of 7 buses today; I raced at least two of them, trying to take a short cut to get to the nearest bus stop before they did)! I thought how this stubborn commitment to bus when possible was just one of the many ways I made life more complicated than it need be.

However, I also thought about how, by taking the bus, it was simple to spend some time downtown before tutoring.  I didn’t have to look for parking, and I didn’t have to pay to park.  Instead, I could spend some time reading and day dreaming in one of my favorite coffeehouses.  Also, it was really easy to go from the coffeehouse to a bookstore downtown.  And from the bookstore, it was only one bus to tutor.  The bus rides were enjoyable; I chatted with the bus drivers and enjoyed listening to music while looking at all the Christmas decorations downtown, without having to worry about crashing my car or hitting a pedestrian.

Yes, the long scenic route can be frustrating at times.  Often, I think I’d prefer to take the short, simple, direct way to get from place to place.  However, I guess that’s just not how I was made.  While I may not always (okay, rarely) do things in the simplest way or take the most direct route from point A to point B, I suppose I might as well learn how to enjoy the ride and see what there is to see on the way.  And although the road may seem long, messy, and complicated at times, I’ll just have to be confident that eventually I’ll get where I’m supposed to be going, and there will always be a lot to learn on the way.

Part I: Ballard.

Yesterday was cold but sunny, and I had a few hours on my hands between the morning service at church and a meeting there in the evening.  Planning to take a Sunday nap, I ended up back at my apartment in Seattle.  However, before I had a chance to climb into bed, I noticed a missed call from one of my best friends, Caitlin.

Caitlin and I hadn’t chatted for a few weeks, but on Friday night while at ToST in Fremont with some friends, she had received a few random texts from my phone, written by my friend Brian, pretending to be our friend Jared (also at ToST).  Jared, Caitlin, and I had all gone to high school together, so the texts weren’t completely random, but Jared and Caitlin haven’t actually talked in years!  Some clarification for the texts was needed, as well as a good talk with a great friend, so the nap was quickly forgotten.  Instead, I decided to walk down to Market Street to buy some gloves and a cup of coffee, and then take a stroll around Ballard and catch up with Caitlin.

Although I was thoroughly expecting to enjoy conversing with Caitlin, I was also pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed just being out in Ballard.

My apartment is only a few blocks off of Market Street and the walk there, as usual, was uneventful.  The day before it had actually been more interesting, as the small lawn of St. Luke’s had been full of church members caroling and offering hot apple cider and BBQ to passersby.  I had stopped for the cider and to chat for a few minutes that day, but yesterday I continued on, the church quiet and peaceful as it often is.

I headed straight to Market Street Shoes, planning to stop in only long enough to get a pair of gloves so my hands wouldn’t freeze while holding the phone.  I had noticed their hats and scarves before, so I was suprised to find they didn’t sell gloves at all!  They sent me across the street to Market Street Athlete, assuring me I could get gloves there.

I headed that way, but instead of crossing the street at the crosswalk as I should have, I decided to turn down Ballard Avenue and head the other way instead.  I was so glad I did, because it turns out that Ballard Ave. is quite the street!

The Ballard Sunday Farmers Market was just winding down and there were lots of people milling about.  I walked down the street slowly, peering into store windows and checking out the numerous coffeehouses, bakeries, restaurants, pubs, and boutiques.  I wasn’t quite sure how I had lived in Ballard for over three months (and Seattle for over two years) and not discovered this wonderful area yet!

Eventually I realized I had been here before, if only once.  One of my first friends in Seattle was a guy named Stephen who I had met through the “New to Seattle” group on facebook.  Sharing an interest in traveling, we had gotten together a few times to swap stories and explore the city a bit.

Shortly after meeting, he had two couch surfers from Sweden, Mirja and Anna-Maria, crash on his couch for a few days.  The four of us, as well as his friend Anthony, had gone to a pub in some place called “Ballard.”  At that point, I was still perpetually lost in the city and had no idea that this “Ballard” neighborhood bordered “Fremont,” the neighborhood that Stephen lived in.  (I was still living in Beaux Arts/Bellevue then).  I had really liked the pub that we went to, and have been searching Seattle for it ever since, but to no avail.  I could vividly remember the inside of the pub, but not the name or location.  Yesterday, as I peered in window after window, I found myself staring in at the very table we had sat at, more than two years ago!  The pub’s name is King’s Hardware (only slightly misleading), and it is on Ballard Avenue.

After re-discovering King’s, I wandered in and out of a few stores, still searching for the gloves before calling Caitlin.  I never did find a pair of gloves, but I did discover a few interesting stores, and have a growing list of places to eat and drink.  Eventually I sat in Marvin’s Garden Park (which makes me think of Marvin Jarman, for those of you from Greenville) and called Caitlin and then my Granddad.

As I walked home, I thought about the things that I like about Ballard, and Seattle.  I love being able to walk around, without a car, meandering in and out of stores, people-watching, and finding new, fun hangouts to try with friends.  In fact, this ability to walk in and out of shop and restaurant with no need for a car is one of the things that I love about Europe.  Here, in the US, I feel like it’s the exception rather than the rule, whereas in Europe, driving from shop to restaurant to home is almost unheard of.

Even more that that, however, is the ability to do this in a place that is surrounded by the beauty of water and mountains.  Ballard is super-close to Fishermen’s Terminal, which is full of picture-perfect boats.  And, on a clear day, all you have to do is glance up and to the west to see snow-capped mountains glistening in the sun.  It really is a wonderful place to be.

This morning I went for a run through Ballard, and down Ballard Avenue, again perusing the shops and restaurants.  Now, I sit in Ballard’s Caffè Fiorè, enjoying the atmosphere of one of Seattle’s best coffeehouses and an espresso doppio while reading, writing, and surfing the Internet.  As the quarter has come to an end, I have a little extra time to enjoy Seattle before flying South for Christmas.  I’m looking forward to being home, but I’m also excited to continue exploring Seattle and Ballard before I leave.

Well, there are probably better things I could be doing at 7:15 on a workday morning than blogging (like drying my hair, making a turkey sandwich, and heading to the bus), but as I’ve been awake for quite some time (I may have gone to bed embarrassingly early last night) I suppose I’ll write while I’m thinking about it.

Yesterday while I was waiting for bus number two of four I started thinking about more things I’m looking forward to in the not-so-distant future:

1. Skiing!  I’m not a great skier, but I had a really good time last winter and have been daydreaming about it since July!  (In fact, I was just thinking about skiing while in the shower, which inspired this Tuesday morning blog post).  I’ve heard that Crystal Mountain (where I briefly lost my cell phone and wiped out numerous times last January) is already open and I’m sure more places will follow soon.
2. Seattle Language Academy.  I’m not definite about this, but I’m playing with the idea of taking a language class at SLA again after Christmas.  I took Arabic there my first fall in Seattle, and I think it would be fun to learn a language now that I’m done with school.  I haven’t decided which language yet.  I might continue on with the Italian I studied in college, or try something totally new like Korean, Chinese, Russian, or French…
3. Atlanta.  Throughout college I went to ATL fairly often to hang out with my brother and other friends in the area.  I haven’t been there even once since I moved to Seattle, but I’m driving down with my brother after Christmas.  I’m looking forward to being back in the city and spending time with Jeffrey and his friends.
4. Learning how to use Dad’s camera.  I have my Dad’s 1985 Nikon film SLR but I’ve only used it twice since he lent it to me.  I’m hoping to finally read the manual and start improving my photography skills.
5. Boston.  Also not definite, but the annual TESOL conference (the professional organization for my field) is in Boston in March.  I’ve been wanting to visit Boston for some time now and I haven’t made it to TESOL yet since I started teaching, so I’m hoping to go this year!

Okay, now it’s time to make that sandwich!

Well, if September was ‘quite a month’ (according to my last post), this entire fall has been ‘quite exhausting.’  It’s had its ups and downs, but this roller coaster ride (especially the past few weeks) has worn me out.  Between being hired for my first community college job the day before the quarter started and playing catch-up for the entire session and then both starting and ending a relationship in less than two months, I’m definitely in need of a good rest.

Needless to say, I’m thankful for Thanksgiving and so glad that this is a three-day workweek followed by a four-day weekend.

Also, even though my heart is heavier than usual right now, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking and reflecting over the past few days, and there are quite a few things I’m thankful for and looking forward to.  I’ll save my thankfulness for Thursday’s post, but here are some of the things, in no particular order, that I’m looking forward to in the upcoming weeks:

1. The short week/long weekend coming up.
2. Thanksgiving dinner with friends.  Although not being with family is always sad, I’m excited to have a chance to relax and spend time with friends.  Great food + great friends = a great time ☺
3. The end of the quarter.  I’ve really enjoyed teaching at the community college, but I’m also looking forward to the break.  I’ve learned a lot this quarter and will be teaching the same classes in January.  I’m looking forward to having a little more planning time to update my syllabi and get acquainted with my new texts before classes start.
4. Teaching at only one school in January.  Although the decision to leave Kaplan after Christmas was a tough one, I’m looking forward to a saner schedule and having a little more time for myself.
5. GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!  I absolutely can’t wait to be at Sea-Tac and on a plane, flying South to visit friends and family!  (And to eat some real good fried greasy food)!  I’m counting down the days!  (24 and a half).
6. 2010 and seeing what new adventures unfold in the new year.
7. Finishing rearranging the furniture in my room and getting rid of lots of STUFF in my room.  I tried to rearrange my room last night by myself, and succeeded in moving the bed but breaking my desk.  I’m hoping some of the guys who are coming for Thanksgiving will help me fix the desk.  Then I can really start to get rid of the junk I’ve accumulated and make the space a little less chaotic.
8. Going to bed early and getting up in time to enjoy a cup of coffee and read my Bible before the long day of teaching-teaching-teaching tomorrow… good night!

Once again, a month has gone by without a single blog post.  However, this time there was a good reason- and more than one!

I am pretty much settled into my new apartment (housewarming party this weekend, yay)!  Jessica and I are having a lot of fun as roommates, and I’m enjoying “rediscovering” Seattle again, as I join her in trying new places.  (Cupcake Royale, which is only a few blocks from our apartment, has become a personal favorite)!

However, although the new apartment is great, we’ve had quite a bit of trouble getting our Internet set up.  In fact, someone came to our apartment for the third time today, and the result is the same: still no Internet.  For this reason, I haven’t had many chances to blog.

I’ve also been busy with lots of good things; in the past two weeks I’ve started dating one of my most favorite people, Fredy, (=D) and started teaching two classes at a local community college, in addition to still teaching at Kaplan and doing Microsoft tutoring!

Fredy is a really cool guy; I met him about a year or so ago through my friend Jied and we go to the same church.  We’ve been friends for a while so dating him now is fun.  Teaching at the community college level is something completely new for me and presents some new challenges, but the first couple of days have been good.

While I think October is going to be another busy month, I think it’s going to be a nice one!  Hopefully I’ll find a little more time to update this… if not, I’m sure you’ll hear from me in November!