Some Words

Well, the trip to Portland was nice, though not productive in terms of finding housing. It was instructive in learning about the different renting cultures between Portland and Minneapolis. Here, landlords are trying to rent things two months out. Everyone tries to get things covered soon, so that people have time to plan. There, everyone just assumes that they will be able to rent the place out in short order, which seems a safe assumption based on how things went over there. It did mean though that when I talked to people, they almost universally thought I was insane for trying to get this done two months out.

Today K and I started to finish up the wedding plans. It’s in two weeks now, and I’m going to be going to reunion next week, which means that I need to get as much done this week as possible, to avoid angry calls. It also means that I need to finish up a few things that I keep drawing a blank on, gift type things for people who may be going through customs. Tricky.

While in Portland I also got to go to The Teardrop Lounge which was fantastic. It’s the bar I’ve wished I could find here in Minneapolis for years. The men behind the bar knew what they were doing, but more importantly, they cared. I ended up tossing back three excellent drinks, which was harder on my wallet and liver than I had intended to be, but was imminently worth it. There were assorted good restaurants, and much good beer during the rest of the trip, but the highlight was the Teardrop.