The Sun Always Sets in the West

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The Danger of Certainty

Any belief that is not tempered by doubt and questioning poses a moral danger.

This and other deep thoughts and philosophical quandaries with which I wrestle this week on...


Baby Blaine Goes Back to School!

Ouch!

After my official first day of class, the verdict is in...

I feel like my brain just ran a marathon.  Having run an actual marathon, I don't use that term lightly.

Blogolution

I've been thinking a lot about my blog and the direction in which it has gone over the past couple of years.

Originally, the idea of writing a blog sprung from a place of general discontent and a feeling of creative suffocation. A place to write down my thoughts, opinions, funnies, and nonsensicals was just what the doctor ordered.

Now that I'm back in school, I definitely feel that I'm going to have ample mental challenge and more than enough opportunities to write. So, where does the blog go? What will I write about? Will I be able to write meaningful things or will the blog merely evolve into an online journal that my parents, husbands, and three best friends read (hi, guys!)?

I think that it can't necessarily be forced or decided what happens with my blog or where it goes. It will evolve as I evolve. It will naturally happen...just like monkies turning into humans into robots.

Busy Bees

We've had a busy week preparing, ruminating, and then medicating with friends, beers, runs, and hikes.  Marissa is here (for two weeks!) and I can't express enough how great it is to finally laugh again! Ok, I've laughed since we've been separated, but not like, really LAUGHED.  So that's pretty awesome and very santosha laden.

Paulina Lake, one of many mountain lakes in Oregon

McKenzie River at the base of Sahalie Falls, and siamese twins separated at birth

Falls and Friends!

Obsidian Rock

Jason and Brandon after they ran 32 miles on saturday. Brandon's son, Beck gives him a welcoming hug.

Jason after totally beasting 32 trail miles in 5:15. Yay! Just another reason why I love my husband,

The post race beer is epic

Viktor fetching a stick in Paulina Lake. Tomorrow he's going camping with his Auntie Marissa. He's very excited.

Remember Me?

The Ultimate Bada**

Cornel West

I'm official

Yikes...in more ways than one

So yesterday Jason and I checked out this outdoor climbing wall in Eugene. It's pretty cool that you can just drive up and climb. I was reminded simultaneously that climbing is fun and scary.

I was also reminded yesterday that I moved to Eugene to start a PhD program. Yikes. School starts so late out here, and it feels like Jason and I have been in serious vacay mode since we got here. But yesterday, I was inundated with emails about school, upcoming assignments, and yes thankyouverymuch I am starting school a week from Monday.

My Girl

I am a man doll

Apparently at one time Barbie and Ken called it quits, leading Barbie to play the field a bit and eventually end up with this Australian surfer hunk, Blaine.

How could she?

But she seems really happy...

He wears a hemp necklace. 

I'm not sure this new Blaine/Barbie relationship bodes well for the whole Blaine Barbee thing.

This week

Went to a wine tasting at Sweet Cheeks Vineyard.  Free samples samples that get you just buzzed enough that you buy a bottle of wine...








We found this awesome print at the Eugene Saturday Market.  Can you guess who it's supposed to be?


And a new addition to our family...little bonsai tree.

Also got some amazing berries at the market, and made mixed berry muffins.



And, after several years of living without a legit Ashtanga yoga teacher, I returned to my true yoga love.  There's a real Ashtanga studio here and it's good. The Ashtanga never changes, only the body changes.  With that said, it kicked my butt this morning. Here's to being very sore for the next couple of days!

You know you're 30 when...

-You prefer to sit at your shows
-You can tell a good margarita from a bad
-You can tell a good pedicure from a bad
-You notice poor clothing choices on yearlings. For example, leggings are not pants, shirts are not dresses, and headbands are not skirts, friends.

-Beirut is awesome!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

How to make a great day even better

Make the bed




And eat something out of a tiny bowl

Just wait until the rains come...

Would you believe that the entire time we've been here in Oregon we've seen no rain? Not a drop. It's been beautiful, sunny, cool in the mornings and evenings, warm in the afternoon. In a word, perfect.  The locals keep telling us "Just wait until the rains come".  Apparently, it will become grey in November and stay grey until March or April.  It will be very wet. They sell slug and snail traps here! Hmmmm... I know that I like rain. I know that I love to curl up with a cup of coffee or a beer and read or do work in the rain. It will be interesting though to experience long periods of rain and it certainly will be interesting to possibly go weeks and weeks without seeing the sun. People say it can take some getting used to and become pretty depressing for some.  Some have suggested tanning, some have suggested vitamin D supplements, some have even suggested one of these:

It's a light box, or a sun lamp. Its light simulates the sun.  They cost about 150-200$. But if I get depressed this winter, I suppose it could be a worthwhile investment.  You can even set the thing to gradually light up in the mornings, to simulate the sun creeping in the windows at dawn.

Also of note regarding weather and seasons: this morning I realized that it was September. It doesn't feel like September to me. But I suppose my conception of September is based upon my experiences with the month September which are actually very limited to Septembers of NC. So, no, of course it doesn't feel like "September". But it is, in fact, September.

Doing the Thing

Just as we arrived in Eugene, life became a whirlwind of unpacking, exploring, and figuring. Then, came the Hood to Coast Relay extravaganza; and then came a week of pretending like we were on vacation as we hosted Chris and showed him the sights of our beautiful new state. I get the feeling that's going to become a trend as we host our friends. Next up, Marissa! I can't wait to bask in our dynamic duo awesomeness.

I'm looking forward to settling into a little routine in the next couple of weeks before school begins. I think 21 year old Blaine once said "Routine is detrimental to self growth" or something like that. But 30 year old Blaine acknowledges that a solid routine is the foundation upon which adventure is built.  It's also a strong way to return to balance. Currently, I'm hoping to establish a nice balance between my running and my yoga.  I hope to establish routine now, so I can ease my way into what could be a crazy school year as I  get started on my PhD.  To get a start on this, I attended my first yoga class in Oregon. I had intended on trying my hand at returning to Ashtanga, but the studio was closed for Labor Day weekend. So, I hit up Bikram Yoga Eugene. It had been a couple of months since I had done any Bikram yoga, and it felt pretty awesome. It feels even better today, as I am extremely sore and aware of muscles that I had forgotten about in my 2 month hiatus. All I have to do is go back tomorrow. Run the next day...

Eugene is still beautiful. Oregon is still beautiful. Though I miss some people in NC, NC itself seems so far away from where I would want to be right now. And, that feels good.

A little post HTC yoga photo shoot, gotta get back

Having fun seeing the sights

LOVE Porty!

Our own little mountain, a mile from our house

Trails!

Crater Lake! The children couldn't even turn around for the photo because its so beautiful

vast

Come join me!