Road Trip!

I'm back! Actually, I've been back since late on Sunday, but we had guests in the house yesterday. I couldn't find either the energy or the time to start my post on the trip. Overall, we had a great time on the trip. I doubt I have time to tell everything that happened in this post, since I have to leave for work in 45 minutes.

Wednesday:
I took the car to the dealership. They confirmed the transmission issue and fixed the slippage. Unfortunately, I believe their "fix" took the variable part out of the CVT. Now it's just a continuous transmission. It is nice not to have it slip every time I accelerate, but it doesn't really help my hybrid engine any. I really wish I bought a Prius in the first place. Any bets on when I will learn patience?

At least getting the car to the dealership and picking it up went all right. It wasn't as smooth as Tuesday's pick-up, though. Both Justin and I were late for work because of traffic. Who knew there was traffic in town? Then the pick up had to be scheduled in the middle of the day. That meant I had to drop what I was doing at work and disappear for an hour. I did like the pick-up process they have, though. They gave me a flower in a tube and washed the car! Of course, it's dirty again now, but it's cleaner than it would have been.

Wednesday was a horrible day at work, which is why you had no posts from me. I actually did write one, but it was so whiny and so full of personal information about other people that I shall never publish it. Let's just leave it with this: the boss I had to evaluate, well, I had to evaluate him for a reason. On top of being generally incapable, he's also a very mean man!

Luckily, the evening went a lot better. We got about 10 trick-or-treaters before we shut up shop. That's more than all the other years put together! Then we ran errands and drove off into the sunset. Err... ok, it was more like driving off into the dark. The drive was REALLY long, especially for Justin, who wouldn't consent to pulling over and letting me drive. I'm not sure whether I'm happy about that or not.

Thursday:
We got to Portland around 7:15, and startled my stepmother, who was still in her pajamas. Apparently she hadn't heard me say what time we would be there. After a good 4 hour nap, we went for a long walk and did soduko puzzles. My stepsister brought her new baby over for dinner. My nephew is the cutest thing ever! Yes, it was a boring day. I think we were too tired from the drive to be interesting.

Friday:
Justin slept 13 hours. This beats all my "well" records by a long shot. I only managed 10, but I think you get the idea that we were tired! We went to the Japanese Gardens with my dad. I don't remember if I have ever been there before in the fall. I think that I won't go back this late in the fall again. Most of the trees had already dropped their leaves, so it wasn't as colorful as I was expecting. Also, they seemed to be doing repair work on some of the ponds and streams, which involved having the streams run dry. This made the overall feeling in the garden somewhat less pleasant than my previous summer trips. I did like seeing the garden again, though.

After our trip to the gardens, we ate lunch on NW 23rd at a cute little restaurant called Rose's. I liked the food; Justin didn't. Then we parked downtown and went on a quest to find Justin's sister, who works at one of the Starbucks. We walked through much of Southwest Portland. It was a beautiful day for a walk; clear and cool with no rain. Portland is undergoing a LOT of construction right now. Whole city blocks were closed off to pedestrians and vehicles right in the middle of downtown.

While I didn't care for the construction, I did get to see a lot of Portland that I had never noticed before. The only building that I can remember by name at the moment is the Micheal Graves Building, which isn't even one that I like! I don't have any particular affinity for high rises anyway, but I dislike the use of color and random shapes stuck to the outside. What amuses me about the building is the fact that Justin knows which one it is. Maybe he was listening after all! My dad also pointed out the statue of the sea goddess on the old city hall building. That statue is HUGE. I want to know how they attached it at the back. What kind of bolt is big enough, and what kind of backing? I'm assuming she's hollow, but even so, she must be pretty heavy! I also love the performing theater with the glass at street level, looking into the lobby. Several years back, my dad and I gave ourselves a walking tour of the inside. I still cannot remember which theater it is. Downtown Portland seems to have theaters everywhere I look!

Later Friday evening, we met up with my sister-in-law and her boyfriend to go see the Nightmare Before Christmas in 3D. It was a good movie; I had never seen it before. In general, I don't like movies. I think Justin is finally getting used to the idea that I hate not knowing how they end. He roughly sketched the plot out for me on the way over to his sister's house. Instead of worrying about the plot, I got to listen to the music. That's better than the way I usually (don't) watch movies.

Well, I'm now officially late for work. I'd better run, I still haven't brushed my hair. I'll tell you about the rest of the trip later!

What I'm reading:
I accidentally left my copy of The Grey King at work on Wednesday. Instead I read a book I am supposed to lend to my sister on Saturday: The Birth House. I haven't finished it yet; there was too much going on. I can't decide if I like it or not. I do know that I am hearing WAY too much about what makes a midwife better than a doctor. I'd best stop reading books like these if I even want to consider having a baby in a hospital someday! I couldn't find my copy of The Birth House this morning when I got up. I probably left it in the car. Instead, I started reading The White City over breakfast. So far, I like that better than The Birth House. I might have to finish reading it before going back to the last book. ARG! 3 books started. I really need to get my reading straight! (Also spotted 2 books at a bookstore on Sunday that I would love to get for Christmas, but I'll tell you that when I'm not REALLY late for work.)