Portland, Part 1: Thursday

Well… this past weekend was spent with M in Portland, and so much happened that I barely know where to start. Suffice to say for this precise moment that we are both absolutely in love with Portland, want to go back as soon as possible and will be moving to the area as soon as we can afford it/work out jobs.

I should mention before I begin that the primary purpose for us being in Portland was for M to take the test to become a state certified veterinary technician. We will find out in six to eight weeks if he passed (he will) and once the certification is complete, it basically means that he will be able to perform more procedures legally and also receive a pay increase. (Imagine the difference between an RN and a CNA in the human medical world.) As for me… well, I was there to tag along and just have fun! It was a much needed vacation. Plus I wanted to go back to Portland to actually experience Portland and not just sit in a conference room all damn day.

(And of course, the quasi-last-minute plans coalesced to *squee* meet Kyle of Butchtastic fame! More on that later.)

Thursday was the day we went up, and unlike the last time I went to Portland (in January, RIGHT after my birthday last year) we actually got to see the trip we made. When I went in January with my coworker for a veterinary radiology certification seminar, it got dark shortly after we left so most of the trip was spent looking at the road immediately in front of me, as that was all I could see in the glow of my headlights! And really, most of the drive is quite pretty, even if it is long and somewhat monotonous. I swear, though, the farther you go into Oregon, the greener it gets! It’s absolutely beautiful!

So yes. Thursday we drove up and that’s about all we did, besides going out with two of M’s coworkers and their partners to the Old Spaghetti Factory on Bancroft. Ohhh lordy that place is fun. It’s dim and noisy inside but has a great energy. It is also decorated like an Old West saloon/bordello and I felt like the servers should have been dressed in ruffled skirts, fishnets and feathers. The food is also delicious and VERY reasonably priced.

After that, we came back to our hotel (the Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites, for those who care – great place to stay, I highly recommend) and crashed out on the enormously comfortable bed with its many enormously comfortable pillows. M and his coworkers had to be up early the next day, after all!

Coming up next… Friday in Portland! Stay tuned!