Dollface tries to make a go of it in Portland, Oregon http://www.dollface.net http://www.dollface.net/replies.asp?index=598 I have a backlog of blogs waiting to be written, the photos cropped and sized, notes on each topic jotted on a post-it or in google docs. Every day the intention to blog is there, vibrant in the morning like all of the other possibilities that line up in my head as I shower and dress. But my mind is elsewhere, muddled and confused with anticipation and anxiety. I'm having bad dreams, night sweats, and at some point in my early morning slumber I become aware of a semiconsciousness that's rolled into my dreams so I continue to wake up, startled, every half hour or so. I don't feel rested. And it's been going on for days, the result of my heavy mind, and the stress builds like a toxin in my blood and my body reacts unpredictably. My life is cake, I know. But life is bothersome in so many ways and worries creep in like vines. http://www.dollface.net/replies.asp?index=597 I'm going through some old writings of mine, transferring them from Word Doc into Google Doc and making a plan to gradually include them on this blog over time. I'm reading through old poems, short stories, letters to friends and random thoughts that I decided to write about for whatever reason. There's some really bad stuff, some good stuff, and some stuff that is quite emotional. http://www.dollface.net/replies.asp?index=596 Adam affectionately refers to our cat Commodore as The "C" Man. I adopted Commodore in Michigan mere days before moving to NYC where I started my life with Adam, so the two of them, Commodore and Adam, have both been the two constants in my life for eleven and a half years. Adam has great affection for Commodore, "We're buddies" as he puts it. But Adam keeps things in perspective, "He's a cat", he'll say when I balk at his lack of fervent love for our feline friend. http://www.dollface.net/replies.asp?index=594 I was raised in a house on a hill. Our house was nestled deep within the woods surrounded by our 28 acres of land, water and cornfield. There were no neighbors in sight, no traffic to speak of, no sound or light other than those of our making. It was secluded, serene, my own private wonderland of imagination and adventure. http://www.dollface.net/replies.asp?index=593 Every year, for the last 100 years, Portland celebrates the riches of the Pacific Northwest heritage by serving up a variety of programs and events under the umbrella title of the Portland Rose Festival. This festival, in its many incarnations, lasts for about three weeks and in 2007 was named by the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA) as the Best Festival in the World. The festival's two most popular events are the Grand Floral Parade, one of the nation's top two all-floral parades, and the Waterfront Village, which features carnival rides, fireworks, The Circus Project (a troupe that performs Cirque-like acts with aerial arts, acrobatics, dance and music), an exotic animals exhibit, a petting zoo & pony rides, The Big Sling (a human catapult that slings riders skyward nearly 25 stories high at over 3 Gs of gravitational force), the Artisans Pavilion, and other specialty events rotated on a weekly schedule. Also included in the Rose Festival are events like MusicFest, the Dragon Boat Race, Fleet Week, a Starlight Parade, a 5k "fun" run, a road racing event called the Rose Cup Race, a Rose Garden show, historical tours and golf tournaments. Of all of Portland's summer events, to which there are many, the Rose Festival is the most highly anticipated one of the year. http://www.dollface.net/replies.asp?index=592 http://www.dollface.net/replies.asp?index=591 Stumptown Comics Fest is Portland's celebration of indie comics and creators. It's a convention style setup, with rows and rows of tables each run by a comic book writer or artist or publishing press. The style of the books and creations featured are, like all art forms, vastly different from each other and genuinely unique. I went last year, my first year attending, and fell madly and completely in love with the event. I spent hours wandering, slowly taking in what every table and artist had to offer, and $200 later I left the fest with a glow, affectionately clutching my treasures to my chest. I'd been looking forward to this year's event for months now, being sure I had the day off of work and the spending money set aside. I attended the event on Saturday and I've decided to share my findings with you all in detail. http://www.dollface.net/replies.asp?index=590