My name is Andrea. I live in New Mexico with my husband and my cat. We just moved to Los Alamos from Las Cruces and are learning to live our lives without all our old friends nearby. I'm a Starbucks Barista and am working on loving being in a small town.
Here you'll find an amalgamation of my many passions and pursuits. I am an aspiring photographer. Please check out my SmugMug and what you think of my shots. You can even buy prints for a nominal fee.
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Joe in one of his old haunts. Corvallis, Oregon. January 2012.
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Lunch from the so-called “Roach Coaches” in Portland yesterday. Touch-Down’s BBQ lured me in, offering samples of pulled pork and a sassy saleswoman boasting all sorts of family recipes. I had a pulled pork sandwich on a toasted bun with homemade macaroni and cheese. I did, as the woman insisted, “SAVOR THE FLAVOR.”
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Oh Hell is Bill Clinton’s favorite game, and I think it’s turning into mine, too.
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The Portland airport is like heaven, compared to every other airport. In just one section, there’s a Made In Oregon store, a Starbucks, a Powell’s bookstore branch, and a Rogue Brewery offshoot. Joe and I drank a couple pints before boarding our flight. What a lovely send-off from a lovely town!
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My brother-in-law at Tea Chai Te in Portland, Oregon, playing Bill Clinton’s favorite game, Oh Hell. May 2011.
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Dogwood bloom. Gresham, Oregon. May 2011.
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Pearl District, Portland, Oregon. August 2010.
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Love how this tree goes over the path.
Hoyt Arboretum, Portland, Oregon. December 2009.
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Capital, capital!
As some of you know, I’ve been practicing my writing in two ways: I’ve been journaling and writing letters. Something that continues to inspire me is a group of friends who also write well, or would like to. That’s why the writing project has been one that has survived for longer than a week or two. We’re going on three months now (I began in November), and I genuinely feel as though I can express myself at least somewhat more artfully.
One thing I’d like to be able to do is express myself here on my blog. The truth is, however, putting one’s deepest thoughts and feelings on the Internet can get one in heaps of trouble. A friend of mine, whose blog I read, writes down thoughts I wouldn’t be willing to share with a public audience. I’ve tried writing for a limited audience, too, but the fact is that an audience of one or two is all I can stand- myself or the person to whom I’m writing. I kept a blog during high school and early college in which I was far too open; a real PR disaster. If I were to do that today, what would I write about? My jobs? Certainly if I were to complain openly about some of the things that bother me there, I’d find myself on the chopping block. And though I rather like the idea of talking about the people in my life on my blog, even the smallest note could offend.
Journaling the other night after watching a video Zack recommended resulted in more artistic turns of phrase, which I didn’t expect. I wrote regarding the beauty of the New Mexico State Capitol versus the one in Oregon. Beware: though in many cases I feel Oregon is more my style, I visited their capitol building last year and was nonplussed. And I don’t mince my words in my own journal…
This week featured a trip to Santa Fe as a lobbyist.
The Roundhouse is a very respectable building, as capitals go. The capitals of other states don’t always aim to impress. In Oregon, the building is oft regarded as the ugliest state capitol around. Sure, there are marble staircases and grandiose paintings of illustrious past governors. But there is much too much dingy brown and green — no doubt an attempt to zero in on the natural wonders that make up the majestic world outside the capitol. The exterior of the building is just as much a failure at a grandiose attempt. Instead of being a testament to art deco with simple lines and “bold statements,” it merely looks like a slab of stone plopped down in the midst of Salem — as if the marble excrement of the goddess Portlandia had been angrily and purposefully dumped on the disappointment of such an abysmal city chosen to be the Oregonian capital.
New Mexico was blessed with a great architect, whoever that was. It may also be that the state had benefitted from the retrospect 47 previous states admitted to the Union may not have. Ours has plenty of natural light pouring in from skylights and large windows at the entrances. The House and Senate chambers glow brightly from a fanned ceiling, which looks rather like the fold-out fans of geishas when laid down. The seal of the State of New Mexico appears to have been cut, with deep relief, from silver or brushed steel. My favorite part of the place is actually a corridor connecting the Roundhouse and its annex, which is lined with great New Mexican pieces of art.
Although not as wonderful as the U.S. Capitol or the White House, walking through the New Mexico capital and talking over lobbying business makes me feel like I’m one of the characters in The West Wing. A setting can make all the difference in how one acts. For instance, the Oregon capital made me feel as though I could walk all over it — in more of a metaphorical sense, but also very much in a physical sense. Nothing about that place intimidated me. On the other hand, the more imposing features of the Santa Fe locale do tend to make me think twice before psyching myself into thinking I own the place.
It’s not the greatest writing, but I was happy to write extensively on something other than how my day or week was going.
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It’s here! It’s here! Mainly I like looking at the scenery… though they do have some of the Portlandites down that I’ve seen.
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A Christmas scene unlike the one I’ve had this year, which was very sunny.
Hoyt Arboretum, Portland, Oregon. December 2009.
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Dear Oregon,
Miss you.
Love,
AndreaHoyt Arboretum, Portland, Oregon. December 2009.
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Sounds delicious!
Bridgeport Brewing is debuting two new brews in January 2011!
Kingpin: a triple-hopped Willamette Valley Liberty double-red ale clocking in at 7.5% ABV.
Cafe Negro: a porter that’s been cold-infused with a unique, locally roasted coffee blend to retain a deep kick.
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Lavender. Gresham, Oregon. June 2010.
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Just found this on Flickr. It’s Mt. Hood and the stars in all their glory- and, if you can believe it, this is a single exposure.
Magic hour(s) (by Ben Canales)
