from the ashes

Let me tell you something I love about Portland. This evening I discovered that street parking downtown is free on President's Day. I discovered this because when I attempted to pay for my parking, the little kiosk told me I didn't have to. I feel this compares favorably to that time in Princeton when I accidentally parked in a space with a 30 minute meter and only realized that the time had stopped increasing after I had put in an extra, useless dollar's worth of quarters.

But Princeton still has the Bent Spoon going for it. That's not just tough to beat; it's impossible. :)

This evening's excursion downtown was something of a landmark for me: I found my destination and my way back to the Broadway Bridge without consulting the handy little Streetwise Portland I keep stashed in my glove compartment! :) I really am starting to learn my way around! This was very reassuring, since just last week on my way somewhere new I got in the wrong lane of an exit and ended up about half an hour late to my appointment. Fun times. There's one more piece of Portland I learned a little bit more about...

Anyway, this isn't another epic-length post. I don't have any fun new anecdotes to ramble on about. Life continues. The music is coming along; I can play the first two and a half pages of my favorite piece more or less smoothly. My novel is going into temporary retirement while I turn my attention to short stories. I'm putting together a synopsis for one right now. It's still not fully developed, but it involves fire and amnesia. Oh, and a phoenix.

Well, I still have tasks on my list before I'm allowed to sleep. Not that putting off sleep is going to be all that difficult, what with that espresso I had about three hours ago. It'll probably still be awhile before that runs its course. Still, I should be getting back to work. And establishing some rules for myself against evening caffeine consumption. I should be doing that too.