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Homecoming; Reaching Goals

August 31, 2010 in Life, Random, Work | 2 comments

My house, purchased August '09

My home, purchased August '09

When we last spoke (discounting the Blazers updates), I was in the midst of a search for housing.  This search took me to four sections of Portland and spanned about six months, during which I am sure Realtor Jen thought several times about firing me as a client.  The search culminated in the purchase of a small, clean, mostly refurbished 98-year old house in Southeast Portland.  The house closed about a year ago now, so it’s not exactly breaking news.  In fact, most of the people who will stumble upon this page have already been over, in many cases multiple times.  So why write about it now?  Well, there’s something about anniversaries that that seems to make it ok to write about things long since passed.  Also, I needed something to bridge the 10 month gap between posts.  If it’s so wrong to pick topics for the sake of utility, sue me.

Actually, this post is about more than that.  The purchase of my home was the fruit of a long term plan I set into motion here about five years ago (I know, another anniversary…  this is becoming column writing 101).   In October 2005, I wrote about the frustration of being stuck in neutral.  I was working in a job that was going nowhere, doing something (bodily injury claim settlements) that I was good at, but hated doing; in an apartment with neighbors who screamed at each other well into the night and where birds lived in the attic above my bedroom; and with the thought  that it seemed my personal and creative peak was achieved somewhere in a radio studio at the age of 17.

Back then, my goals were as follows:

  1. Take control of my career
  2. Find a better home
  3. Go to grad school
  4. Get my finances in order
  5. Take better care of myself

Only a few of these were published, but each was part of a larger plan to essentially get my life on track.  This plan was hatched while sitting in my leather chair in my apartment off of Scholls Ferry Road watching game 5 of the N.L.C.S.  Apparently something about Albert Pujols eviscerating a Brad Lidge pitch served as inspiration for change.

I had originally had my sights on purchasing a home or condo after getting my first real job out of college.  The rapidly inflating housing bubble soon struck, and I was priced out of the market about three months after initially looking in mid 2004.  This led to a revolving door of apartments, landing me in a NW Portland 1 bedroom flat about three blocks from PGE Park and in walking distance to everything.  During that time, I began applying for positions outside of bodily injury claims within my company, as well as a few jobs outside of the insurance industry.  It was during this search that I discovered the goal of grad school would need to wait until finances were in order.  After several months, I landed a desirable spot handling large property claims with my employer.  After a few fortuitous moves within my position, and a few subsequent promotions, I find myself doing well in a comfortable, rewarding job that has allowed me to cross the home ownership and financial goals off my list.

As for my own well-being, while living in Northwest, I began to go to the gym regularly after receiving what was perhaps the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever received from someone - a gym membership from my brother.  In the approximately three years since, I am down a few, but not many pounds (about 25), but am in much better overall health.  While not being within a quick walk of the gym has impacted the frequency of visits, I continue to work out.  This remains the one item on my list that I have not fully achieved.

I know what you’re thinking, “one item?  when did you go to grad school?”

Shut up, smart guy.

Grad school is delayed for now, with no imminent date to be picked up.  Its something I would still like to do down the road, but other priorities knocked it farther down the list, and frankly out of the top five.  As I began advancing in my career, there was less of an incentive to quit and go to grad school - especially considering the bleak job prospects for beginning teachers, which is what I originally had in mind.   For now I am happy being the first Pratt (now one of two, thanks to my bro) to graduate from college.  I still have goals, both personal and professional that would inevitably lead to continuing my education, but this has moved into the “long range” category of things I’d like to do.

A few evenings ago, as I sat on my back patio reading, I was struck with a feeling that can only be described as utter peace.  I realized that while I’ve still got a lot of things I want to do, I really have come a long way in five years.  Moreover, it left me with the thought that I really can achieve almost anything, provided an actual attempt is made.  It’s nice to be reminded of this from time to time, especially when looking back on the serious rut I was in five years ago.

However ambitious or modest your goals may be, it feels pretty damned good once a few of them have been achieved.

The year 2008 in review

January 24, 2009 in Life, Politics, Travel, Work | 3 comments

The people (specifically, two people) have spoken, and as a result I bring you this non-sports related update.  After all, this isn’t a sports blog, it’s supposed to be about my life, and a clearinghouse for my thoughts, adventures, misstatements and awkward encounters.  It just so happens that the last several posts have been about sports… well, this one will bring us current on my life and times.

With a new year comes reflection on the past year - so with that, I will bring you a look back at my 2008, and a brief look to the future…

The Texas Schoolbook Depository

The Texas Schoolbook Depository

The year began like many others - in January.  At the beginning of the month I was asked to travel to Dallas, Texas by work to attend a series of meetings aimed at improving the way large loss property claims were handled.  The meetings were successful, and resulted in the creation of a position I would assume in March, however the real story is that I got to explore the city of Dallas, including the former Texas Schoolbook Depository - the site of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  As a history and politics geek, and as a kid who grew up idolizing Kennedy, this was a very special trip for me.  What’s strange is that through all the television shows and movies documenting the assassination, it seemed as though I’d already been there.  They’ve done a masterful job of creating a museum documenting the President’s trip to Dallas, the events leading up to it, and of course, the events of November 22, 1963.  I was surprised at the impact that the visit had on me, and I’m very thankful for having gone.

Nothing happened in February.  Literally.  March saw my second trip to Arizona for Spring Training.  This has already been documented, and it’s sports-related, so never mind.

April saw the first full month in my new position at work.  This was significant because it meant I was no longer traveling for work - everything (in theory) was now being handled from my desk, and specifically, from my dining room.  I still have mixed feelings on this transition, as I really enjoyed seeing the western US on the company’s dime, but I felt a responsibility to take the position that was offered to me, as I was instrumental in its creation.  I took the position after I was assured that I would still get to travel on occasion and would still have the ability to go into the field on my old claims, which I was keeping.

President Bill Clinton in McMinnville, OR

President Bill Clinton in McMinnville, OR

April also saw the visit of former President Bill Clinton to my former high school to campaign for his wife, then-Senator Hillary Clinton.  Although I was already an avowed supporter of Barack Obama, the prospect of seeing a President in the McMinnville High School gymnasium was too much to pass up.  I attended with my mom and seemingly the rest of the town.  As a liberal who grew up in a rather conservative area of Oregon, it was very encouraging to see a line wrapping around the entire school waiting patiently to be led into the gym.  It was during this campaign rally that it really began to sink in that the Democrats may actually win the election in November (foreshadowing!!!).  It was also encouraging to see that although the rally was a Hillary Clinton event, it became clear through talking to most of those in attendance, they planned to support the Democratic candidate - whether it was Clinton or Obama.  It was also encouraging to hear the little girl in front of me chant “O-Bam-A” when the crowd was instructed to chant the name of Hillary Clinton.

Sen. Barack Obama in Portland, 5/18/08

Sen. Barack Obama in Portland, 5/18/08

May saw another campaign visit - this one almost epic in scope, as Barack Obama packed an estimated 72,000 supporters into and around Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland.  I attended with Wells and his family, and braved the sun and 90 degree temperatures (as well as the horrible sunburn I picked up the previous day during a cleanup of the Willamette River with my dad) to be among the throngs welcoming Senator Obama to Portland.  The crowd was like nothing I’ve ever experienced in person - literally people filling every possible area, including the boats on the Willamette.  The official estimates were that 60,000 people were actually in the bowl area watching Obama, and another 12,000 filled the streets around the park.  It was here where I became certain Obama would easily carry the Oregon primary election two days later, which he did.  The future President did not disappoint, delivering the standard campaign speech, punctuated by exclamations of “wow” when face to face with the crowd.  The biggest takeaway from the event wasn’t in anything Obama said, but rather the enthusiasm for the candidate, and for the democratic process as a whole.  Never in my life had I experienced anything like this in a political campaign, and it is doubtful that this type of enthusiasm will be matched in the near future (now that the inauguration has passed).  More than anything, it was extremely refreshing to see the type of hope and promise for the future that was encapsulated by crowd - especially after the last eight years.

Brittany and I near Sedona, AZ

Brittany and I near Sedona, AZ

June passed by like an old man in his slumber as I waited for my July vacation, a second trip to Arizona for 2008 - this one to spend time with Brittany, who I reconnected with during my Spring Training visit.  Most of the trip was spent just going around town.  We visited with Vanessa, Eddy, and North, and went to her brother’s place for the 4th of July.  While attempting to jump into a swimming pool that evening I managed to knock my leg against a submerged rung of a pool ladder, causing a massive gash in my right leg, just below the knee.  As a result, I spent about 6 hours in the ER, received eight stitches, and now sport a wicked scar.  Following the debacle with my leg, Brittany and I took off for the cooler climate of beautiful northern Arizona, specifically Sedona.  I was able to find a timeshare that provided us with a deeply discounted room and dinner (we only had to pretend that we were a young about to be married couple interested in a timeshare…  the ruse worked perfectly - we are apparently good actors), and the rest of the time was spent hiking a few trails around Sedona and visiting shops - all the while trying to keep my bandage clean.  Despite the leg debacle, it was a great trip and one that made me realize I could in fact live in Arizona, if I wanted to.  I later decided that was probably a vacation high, but then again, housing prices are great near Phoenix…

Me and the Bean, Millennium Park, Chicago

Me and the Bean, Millennium Park, Chicago

In early August I visited Kayla in Chicago, however much of this visit was centered around various baseball road-tripping, so I will briefly cover where that aspect of the visit took us - Wrigley Field and US Cellular (New Comiskey) Park in Chicago to see the Cubs play the Astros and the White Sox host the Tigers respectively, Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva, Il where we saw the Kane County Cougars play the Beloit Snappers, Alexian Field in Schaumburg, Il to see the Schaumburg Flyers play the Kansas City T-Bones, and Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI to see the Brewers play the Nationals.

We also spent time enjoying some of the other things the city had to offer.  For instance, we took in our first day at the races at Arlington Downs, where we won about $20 combined on the ponies.  A day was also spent wandering the city, specifically the loop, Millennium Park and the generally everything that downtown had to offer.  This included, of course, pizza followed by drinks at Harry Carey’s.  If it weren’t for the extreme humidity in the summer, and the extreme cold in the winter, I would love to live in Chicago.

Just prior to my trip to Chicago, Miller arrived in Portland.  As such, he was allowed to “house sit” my apartment - basically, move in for a month.  It was great - we went to games, hung out like we did in college, and I got to witness a budding romance between he and Meredith (otherwise known as “Team Wilt”).  Unfortunately, he had to return to New York for the start of the school year, but if everything goes according to plan, he’ll be coming back permanently sometime later this year.

Las Vegas (file photo)

Las Vegas Strip (file photo)

With September came MusicFest NW, and four days of live music at various venues throughout Portland.  During the event, I was able to see Norfolk & Western, the Old 97s, Britt Daniel, Built to Spill, Nick Jaina, the Builders and the Butchers, Blitzen Trapper, Fleet Foxes, and many other less impressive bands.  I was also able to spend some quality time with my pal Sarah, and reconnect with Julie as well as meet a few new people.  September also saw a trip to Las Vegas with Derek, Esther, and Patrick during which I won $200 playing War (who knew that was a casino game?), $250 on a slot machine, and about $50 on college football games.  In short, I became a gambling degenerate.

The end of October saw the return of Peter from his six months spent wandering Europe and Africa, so a lot of time was spent hanging out with him and hearing stories of the adventures he experienced.  It also brought the beginning of the Blazers season and the heart of the Ducks football season, but again, this is not a post about sports.  The fall was actually quite relaxing - most of my vacation was spent with my earlier travels, so the daily routine really took hold during this time…  in other words, I spent a lot of time working.  When I wasn’t working, I was either at a Blazers or Ducks game, a concert, or hanging out with Peter, for the most part.  There were a few hikes, a few short road trips to see Wells or go to the coast, but aside from those, and the election of Barack Obama, it really was the dog days of fall.  One definite plus what that I was once again promoted at work, attaining the level of Large Loss Property Claims Specialist, which is pretty much as high as I can get for the foreseeable future (or unless I go for a management position) - this is assuming we all still have jobs in the foreseeable future, since the company was recently purchased by Liberty Mutual.  I’m not too concerned though.

My car, buried.

My car, buried.

December brought the holidays and a MASSIVE (6-8 inches) of snow and ice in the Portland area.  I spent the time wandering around the town, taking photos, and thinking of how to dislodge my car from its wintry, plowed-in grave.  For a while it looked as though I wouldn’t be able to make it home for Christmas due tot he fact that my car was still buried under a foot of snow and ice, however my dad came to the rescue and helped me big out the car.  Maddie the dog even came along for moral support.  Although the car eventually got stuck several more times in my parents’ neighborhood, at the end of the day, I was able to spend Christmas with the family, eat too much ham, and make it back home safely.

So that was 2008 - hopefully 2009 will be as eventful, but I have the distinct feeling it will involve much less travel.  Check back soon - this should be the last massive update, as I’ll be making more frequent contributions now that the site is re-designed and more user friendly.

Plans, Moving, Etc.

March 8, 2006 in Work | No comments

Another month has gone, and a lot of changes have occurred in the life of Chris, most notably, the presence of a new job. I still work in insurance, and with the same company, but have moved from handling bodily injury claims to large property losses. It may be a small move in the grand scheme of things, but I feel better about the work that I do now, which goes a long way towards helping the psyche. Most importantly, I never again have to know the value of three chiropractic visits, four months after a minor auto accident.

(Unless of course I go to law school and become an ambulance chaser, but then of course I would have a personal stake in the matter, which could possibly wipe out my bad feelings of valuing injuries.) After all, I’d have to do something to earn my money and pay off student loans before doing pro-bono civil liberties cases and work on behalf of non-profits…

Which leads us to point #2 – as part of a long-term effort in self-improvement, I have commenced finishing off my efforts to (eventually) get into grad school. I completed one test a few weeks ago, and still have one more to go before I’ll be done with the tests for colleges of education, and I’ve been reviewing my LSAT study book, as I think I probably will end up taking the LSAT this summer/fall. Depending on its outcome, I’ll decide which path I want to take, and will seriously start looking at grad schools towards the end of this year. When I will enroll, and whether or not I can get in are different subjects entirely, but at least school is on the list.

Another change is in where I am living – in late December I moved to Tigard, in a brand new (and considerably less sketchy) apartment, which is closer to work and farther away from the roving bands of near-feral children who patrolled the parking lots of my old complex. Pleasant as the new place may be, I have a feeling my stay will be a short one. I signed a 6-month lease, and seeing as there is absolutely nothing to do in Tigard, I will likely be moving again in June, hopefully to the city. You see, Giovanni recently acquired my dream apartment – a large one bedroom in a classic building, just two blocks from PGE Park – for about the same amount of rent I am currently paying. With baseball season starting up, I desperately wish I lived within walking distance to a ballpark… and pubs, and Powell’s… and by this summer, I aim to be.

This update does not contain a semi-humorous, self-absorbed story about a quasi-adventure I partook in – for this I apologize… that will be coming soon enough. Rather, this update is sort of a self-congratulatory note on what I’ve been able to do in the past two months. You see, in late November, it became fairly clear to me that my life was not headed in a direction where I wanted it to be – namely, 25+ years of corporate servitude to be eventually interrupted by either downsizing or some creative, public, and quite graphic form of suicide (or what I like to call, societal downsizing). I instituted a 4-part plan to put myself where I want to be, or at least in a position where I would be able to choose among several possibilities. I am happy to say that as of this Friday, half of this plan will have already neared completion, and the other half is dependent upon completing the grad school stuff I’ve already discussed. And it only took 25 years to do! Who knows – in another 25, I just might be married, or perhaps, I will be in grad school.

Chris Goes Home; Becomes JFK.

June 1, 2004 in Life, Work | No comments

It’s the end of an era. My move this weekend of the rest of my belongings from Eugene to McMinnville - hopefully a brief stopover before finally reaching their home in Portland, has officially signified the end of college. From now on, when I visit for football games, weddings, and the occasional Ems game, I will truly just be visiting.

I thought that it might be a little more emotional than it was. Really, I was without emotion- save for the pain from my over-exerted back. Then again, I’m not sure pain is an emotion- at least not temporary, mild pain.

It might need to be a little stronger to really gain emotion status. Who knows… for now though, I am through with Eugene – for a while anyway.

It’s been a rather eventful couple of weeks for me – sandwiched between two weekends, three cars and a trailer filled with belongings making the trek 100 miles north was one vehicular disaster, a birthday, and a new job. First, the most important- the Mustang is injured.

My JFK complex has reared its ugly head again, this time in the form of a mysterious object striking my Mustang while I was moving it from Eugene to McMinnville. Whatever it was – thinking logically, I’m assuming it was a rock or a pipe or something flying up from the road, it hit my fender, taking with it a nice-sized gouge of metal and paint, before finding a final resting place on the road behind my car, after of course, destroying my windshield. Of course, this is what I told the insurance woman. I, however, know that there is something far more sinister afoot.

I am convinced someone was taking shots at me. I heard the crash of the impact on my fender, jerked my head back, and to the right, and then heard the shattering of the windshield just before being pelted by chunks of glass about my face and neck. There was no blood, but after I got off to the side of the road, I did have to check. I got out of the car, surveyed the damage, looked around, then quickly sought shelter within the confines of my car, then sped off… I guess the bastard didn’t have another round, or I would have been finished.

For those of you who were not aware, I have long thought that I was in fact John F. Kennedy. Not only am I a liberal, but I share a birthday (May 29), and an affinity for Marilyn Monroe. Oh yeah – and I have been haunted by dreams of being felled in a hail of gunfire since I was about 8. Then, of course, came the really spooky bits… The times when people were taking pictures of me from outside my house (this really did happen – if you can hunt Brian down, he could tell you…) and of course, the time I was eating lunch in the Bimmer, one window down, and the other simply up and shattered – surely a shot that missed only so slightly.

Some of you may view these as simple coincidences, but everything adds up to the fact that someone wants me gone. Perhaps this was the true reason I did not take Anne up on her offer to join Julie and her at the Safeco office in Dallas when the PD unit was “centralized” to Seattle… It was bad enough when I looked up from my Burger King lunch the other day to see that I was in fact eating lunch in front of the Oregon Textbook Depository – do I really need to tempt fate by going to Dallas?

But, I digress… I suppose we’ll all find out when I run for president in 2020.

Moving on, I turned 24 over the weekend - a rather unspectacular number, but a pretty good birthday, aside from the moving bit. The girls at work decorated my cube on Wednesday, took me out for drinks on Thursday, and served me hot wings, cheesecake, and salad Friday at lunch. Saturday, my actual birthday, kind of sucked, as I was moving all day, but Sunday was good, spent hanging out with Miller, Patrick, and Derek in Beaverton. Yesterday was a family get-together, combining barbeque, cake, and presents with the joy of a three day weekend. Technically, the tradition of “birthday,” started three years ago, is alive and well, as I am still receiving gifts. Only time will tell if there will be another May 66th update, as there was all those years ago…

Finally, last but not least, I got a job as a bodily injury adjuster at Safeco. This is good for a few reasons – first, it is a more challenging position and a step up from the bottom of the ladder (though a side-step financially), second, it is relative job security, which is always a good thing, given the developments of the last few months. Hopefully, this will lead to me feeling comfortable enough to actually get a place of my own in the Portland area very soon (I’m hoping by the end of the month.) Then again, I’ve been repeating that refrain since late December, so I’ll probably be saying the same thing this time next year – only then my words will be blurred by a few more tears.

Work Continues; Baseball is Approaching

March 31, 2004 in Sports, Website, Work | No comments

Well, I needed a March update, so I guess you could say that I’ve been under the gun. It’s not that March has been uneventful, it’s just that it’s been tough to string together the time to make a truly good update. So, in lieu of a truly good update, I offer this: an update. (somewhere, someone just pressed the “back” button on their browser…)

March was, in spite of the lack of updates, really pretty good. Work has been going well, and I’m really beginning to feel as though I fit.

I’m getting the hang of my job, and I’m actually starting to feel pretty productive. On top of all that, I get along with my co-workers, despite the playful ribbing and continued “golden boy” taunts.

Life away from work has also been pretty good of late. In the last month we’ve had about ten days of legitimate sunshine, including a couple of days where the temperature was dangerously close to eighty degrees. With the sunshine, the trees have begun to blossom and it growing more and more apparent that we’re only about a week away from days packed with a full MLB schedule- yes, life is indeed good. (how’s that for a positive paragraph?)

Speaking of positive paragraphs, I’ve received some feedback lately critiquing the negativity on this site… in response to that, I guess I could promise to attempt to accentuate the positive a bit more, but I’m not sure that would be very honest. After all, I try to write what is currently on my mind. For instance, at the present time I’m pretty happy, despite a few unneeded developments at work and the continued transition from a comfortable, cozy existence in Eugene to one in my new (old) home where I suddenly know very few people. In all, everything is going well, and it is not lost on me. But at the same time, if something is really bothering me, or something is on my mind, I am likely to write about it whether it is euphoric or as depressing as anything that’s ever graced these pages. With that said, it’s sometimes a lot easier to write a narrative of recent events if I have the freedom to include some of the trials and tribulations of the daily life of pratt… not to the degree that it would be self-pity, but to just enough to make me laugh a little when I read it in a few months.

In other words, any negativity seen on the opening page of this site is there mostly to serve as comic fodder, and is not evidence of any deep-seeded malaise hiding just under my surface. No, my deep-seeded malaise is out there for all to see…

Finally Working; Visiting Eugene

February 23, 2004 in Life, Travel, Work | No comments

After four weeks, the reality of living as a regular working stiff is beginning to set in. Sure, I was going to work daily before I left for Seattle, but I wasn’t really working. Now, I am actually doing something- talking to people on the phone, listening to the various excuses people give in an attempt to let me know that it’s not really their fault for hitting that car that was parked and minding its own business on the side of the street… it’s gone quite well so far- I’ve only been cussed at a few times, been hung up on twice, and heard one lecture on Benny Hinn. Then again, I’m only getting a paltry three claims a day, so I still may crack when I’m upped to unlimited.

Normally I would have started a post with something non-work related, but really my life has been consumed with work of late. I leave the house in McMinnville at 6:40am, arrive in Lake Oswego at about 7:45, work until 4:30pm, hit the road immediately and arrive back at home in McMinnville anywhere between 5:30 and 6:30pm, depending on traffic. In other words, I don’t do a whole lot more than work during the week. As a testament to this, I have gone out precisely six times on weeknights since starting my job on December 15 (not counting the Seattle excursions). This must change- and to facilitate change, I must move out of McMinnville. This would free up the roughly three hours I spend in my car each day for fun stuff, like Blazer games, riding bikes, looking at stuff, and most importantly, NOT cursing at the jackass trying to merge into the right quarter panel of my car on highway 99w east of Dundee every night at 5:15pm. What a life it would be… hopefully it will be a reality by March 1.

Despite my commute, I have managed to have a pretty good time the last couple of weekends. Two weekends ago I traveled to Eugene with Derek and went out with Miller, Wells, Autumn, and last but certainly not least, Gio. We didn’t do too much- hit a few bars, talked a lot, and I lost my requisite three games of pool, but it was great to see Gio again. That Saturday was Valentine’s day, and the evening was spent by first going to ice cream with Vanessa, then picking up my honorary Valentine Leah and going to Sam Bond’s Garage to see one of her co-workers’ bands. It was pretty fun, but I didn’t know anyone so I was a little on the quiet side… but it was live music, and Leah, so I had fun nonetheless.

There have been a few adventures, I guess… traveling to Portland one Sunday with Miller to partake in “Sunday Sportsday,” for instance. We first saw the Blazers beat the Seattle Supersonics at the Rose Garden in what was to be Rasheed Wallace’s last game as a Blazer, then we walked over to Memorial Coliseum where we purchased tickets to the Portland Winterhawks game against Moose Jaw. In other words, we saw two sporting events in the span of six hours, interrupted only by the hour or so we had to kill by walking around the Oregon Convention Center and MLK Boulevard. It was a busy, full day that in turn led to a couple hundred miles of driving over the weekend, but it was really fun, and I got to buy my discounted Bonzi Wells #6 jersey at the Blazer team store.

Aside from that, I’ve really accomplished very little in the last month. I went out with Bambi on Saturday (nothing beats the McMinnville club scene… sigh.) and I saw Neil Young with Wells and Ma and Pa Wells on Friday, but aside from those outings, it’s really been a so-so couple of weeks in the northern Willamette Valley. I guess that’s the reason I’ve chosen the picture that I have for this update. I snapped it out the passenger side window of the Bimmer one morning on my way to work. Really, it’s not all the good of a picture- it’s all blurry, and the colors aren’t quite as brilliant as they were in person. However, it’s a good reminder of what it is to live here. However little a photo of Mt. Hood against a sunrise may mean in the scheme of things, it’s something that you just can’t see in Eugene, and it’s just one little reason why I’m glad to be back in the Portland area.

Sorry- no introspective diatribe on this round of Saturatedpratt… I guess I’ll save that for the next time, although I have appreciated the feedback from the last update. As for the things I am working on for this site- I’ve been gradually adding to three major projects, and I think I’m beginning another… the only question is whether or not I will actually progress far enough in any of them to put anything online. I suspect I will, at least with two of them. So in case you‘re at all interested, feel free to check the writings page for one short story, and possibly a longer story, or series of stories in the near future… I don’t know what it is really, it’s still taking shape. That’s it for now.

The Great White North

January 24, 2004 in Life, Travel, Work | No comments

“I went to Canada and all I got was this headache…”

I’ve seen people wearing shirts with slogans very similar to this in the past. True, in these cases the subject of the slogan is usually the shirt itself, but in my case my shirt reads “Canucks” and has an orca stretched across its front. That has little to do with this post though, and more to do with the fact that I bought a hockey shirt in Canada, which really isn’t news. I also bought a sandwich at Arby’s in Canada, but you don’t see me writing about it. (oh, shut up.)

Back to the headache thing… it’s really only partially true, I suppose. While it cannot be denied that the overarching impression left by my recent jaunt to the great white north is that of incredible drama, there really was much more to the trip than watching the destruction of a beautiful two-week old friendship.

Really, it was a story of unrequited love, jealousy, adventure, monopoly money, illicit consumer goods, depression, alcohol, insurance, laughter, sadness, and an underlying sense of passion and romance known only to those who have truly experienced an entire evening culminating in one single moment of intimacy, the kind known only to those who have been fortunate enough to gaze into a pair of eyes so intently, but for only the briefest of moments, so as to catch a glimpse of a person’s very soul, stay long enough to recognize and absorb it, and then to simply walk away.

Of course, all this is in the eye of the beholder, and all of it is really quite subjective.

For the most part, this was a typical weekend away- atypical only in the detail that the overwhelming majority of those on the trip had never know the other parties before our adventure to Seattle, and after it was all done, it was nearly certain that we would see each other just about as often as before. The typical tourist behavior was experienced- picture taking, slack-jawed stares at architecture, Cuban cigar purchases, the awe experienced in getting an extra thirty cents for every dollar spent and the subsequent math involved in trying to find out if my New York steak was cheaper in British Columbia or New York. (verdict: inconclusive… I’ve never been to New York, though I imagine it costs more there.) Finally, what trip to a foreign land would be complete without copious amounts of alcohol?

In all, the trip to Canada was really a little surreal. In a little under a day, I was able to leave the US for the first time in my life, I made a bank teller laugh by exchanging the paltry sum of ten dollars for Canadian currency, I heard a British waiter speak Spanish with a Manchester accent, I was able to shed all self consciousness and go dancing (technically, I danced more in Seattle, but who’s counting?), and last but not least, I was able to save an entire vacation with the purchase of a hotdog and the reacquisition of a long lost coat. (Well, not really, but it’s nice to pretend.)

For some, the experience of 24 hours across the border was nowhere near what it was supposed to be. It was filled with fighting, awkwardness, and resentment- all on a weekend, on a vacation from a vacation.

For me however, it was a revelation. In one flashing moment, I was bowled over by a vision- not one of those lame-ass visions of Mary that always pop up in the exposed aluminum on the backs of street signs across the southwest, but rather the type that keeps an artist awake at night, wishing only to sleep so that he could dream the images he knows he cannot create.

In many ways, I think that I have always fancied myself as a bit of a romantic, whether hopeless or not. I have always believed that in life, the things most important are not measured in dollars earned or competitors bested, but rather relationships built, loves won and lost, and emotions, good and bad, known to each person throughout a lifetime. What is becoming abundantly clear is that in some ways the life of the romantic is built around disappointment. The victories are not what are measured and counted, rather it is the emotion- the thrill and wanderlust of a single moment, followed by the hope that it inspires. In the end, it is the belief that it all might happen again that reigns supreme, and the notion that if it does, it may even be better than before. If the moment doesn’t repeat itself, it is always remembered, and is appreciated like nothing else.

Any number of events can take place in a persons life, but these images and fleeting occurrences are what are truly remembered- a flash of a smile, the sound of her laughter, a lock of her brown hair, or the sweet awkwardness experienced just before a first kiss. These are the things in life that through all the years and relationships, are always easily recalled, and at the very least bring a smile to our faces and help us to remember how fortunate we are to be able to experience this life. In some cases they consist of a culmination of experiences with a person, and sometimes they are the result of a single moment in time.

Sometimes they are created by the most beautiful pair of eyes I have seen in years.

Snowed In

January 12, 2004 in Life, Travel, Work | No comments

It’s been a little while since my last post, and really it’s been a rather eventful couple of weeks. First was the snowstorm, or rather, snowstorms. You see, it all begins with the simple fact that really, I’m not very smart. As a consequence, I decided that it would be nice to go down to Eugene for New Year’s Eve, seeing as I didn’t have to work the next day.

It had been cold for a couple days, but the freeze had for the most part passed, and it had been raining all day throughout the Willamette Valley. I picked up Wells, and we headed to Eugene to possibly go out with Leah and her friends. Upon arriving in Eugene at about 11:30, I decided that I was really too tired to out, and instead decided to go to bed. In actuality, I ended up talking to Kayla for about an hour and a half on the phone, but that doesn’t matter- I was still tired and that didn’t require much energy. Anyway, that’s beside the point. The real issue here is that I drove to Eugene to go out for the night, and I ended up staying in. That’s what I get for getting an office job with regular hours, I guess.

Any other time, this would have been fine- just a road trip that didn’t really have to happen- no big deal. This time, the sky opened and God himself decided to screw me… at least that’s how my version goes.

At some point between midnight and 7:00am, a typical misty 43 degree Oregon night turned in to eight inches of snow, at least at the elevation of my house in Eugene. As a consequence, Wells and I were stranded. In my infinite wisdom, I had turned down my dad’s offer of the use of his pickup for the trip and had instead made the trek in my Bimmer, which was now buried, with no chains, and absolutely no traction in my neighborhood. Attempt upon attempt was made to try to get the car out of the neighborhood, each one ending with the car threatening to slide perilously to the bottom of the hill in front of our house.

After a day and a half, and after missing my Friday at work, my dad finally came and towed us out using the pickup that I previously decided I wouldn’t need. There was more involved in the story, for example, a set of new chains that didn’t actually fit, a pizza delivery dude who wouldn’t actually deliver our pizza, and a fridge that was more or less empty, but writing in greater detail would simply anger me again, so I won’t. Besides, there’s more stuff to write about.

On Monday, I made the trip to Seattle for three weeks of claims school. Upon arriving in town, I went out to Pizza with Lauren, shared stories, and generally made her miss me… I think. Again, that’s just how my version goes. That night I returned home on what was now a 40 degree Seattle night. Of course, I awoke to find some four inches of snow the next morning. My hotel is located atop a big hill, and, you guessed it, I was again stranded. At least they cancelled the first day of claims school, so I didn’t miss work this time. Most of the snow was gone by the next day, and having no transportation to dinner forced me to get to know my fellow stranded classmates, which was probably a good thing anyway. In addition to making new friends, it’s good that I was in Seattle, as the thaw didn’t reach the Portland area until Friday morning.

The next day class started, and so far it has gone well. I have passed all of my tests, and I’ve had a really good time with the people. We go out as a group to dinner almost every night, and the week was capped by a trip out on the town Friday night. Today the same eight who went out on the town also went tubing on the nearby mountain pass (Snoqualmie?). It was very fun, though now I am sore in muscles I forgot I had. It’s really weird, but in many ways it’s like being back in the dorms, as the group of us all live in the same building and always eat and go do stuff together.

Well, that’s a fairly decent summary of the past week. As far as the coming week is concerned, I’ll be attending more classes, and hopefully passing more tests. On Tuesday I’ll be seeing LeBron James play against the Sonics, and on Saturday I may be going to Canada with the claims school people. That is if I can get a copy of my birth certificate up here.

Christmas 2003; Acclimating back to McMinnville

December 27, 2003 in Life, Sports, Work | No comments

Hey, what do you know? An update, and within a month of my last update- not too shabby considering that I have been without a sturdy internet connection since moving back home. So what’s new, you ask?

Two weeks in and everything seems to be going well. I still have a job anyway, so that’s good. Actually, I’m not all that sure that I could have done anything to get fired if I had wanted to- all I’ve really had to do is read and observe people doing my eventual job. And for someone who’s quite good at sitting, it isn’t too hard to look stellar doing just that.

The real show starts in about four weeks, but until then I’ve got one more week of reading and participating in conference call classes (ick) before taking off to Seattle (well, Redmond, actually) for three weeks of claims school.

Everyone seems to agree that claims school is typically fun, so that shouldn’t be too bad. Plus, I’ll be able to play in Seattle at night. The only downside is that the Sonics/Cavs game featuring Lebron James appears to be sold out. Guess I’ll have to buy scalped tickets.

My two weeks in McMinnville have actually been pretty good. I’ve gone out to play pool with Bambi and bugged her at work a few times (if I can’t get me fired, I can try to get <i>someone</i> fired) and I’ve seen two Blazer games with Wells. Derek was supposed to join us for both, but was unable due to unforeseen circumstances. As for other activities, I saw the Oregon men play the Portland Pilots at the Chiles Center with my mom and brother, and I enjoyed Christmas with the whole family.

Oh yes… Christmas. I received a book (Moneyball, by Michael Lewis), a bunch of clothes (which is great, since I hate clothes shopping), a Blazer ticket package, a new wallet, a piece of the Joey Harrington billboard, a picture of John Navarre being sacked by Igor Olshansky and several other Ducks, a DVD of all the Beatles’ appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show, and I’m sure any number of things that at the moment I cannot recall. In other words, I did quite well in the area of gift receiving… after all, that’s what Christmas is about, right?

In other news, I probably ate mad-cow disease meat over Christmas break, which means I will die of a brain-wasting ailment in a few years, and I seem to have hit a creative stride of late, which means that eventually more things will be appearing on this site. I’m going to try to think of a way to update this site while I’m in Seattle, which will probably consist of intruding on Lauren’s life in order to commandeer her computer for an hour or so over a couple of days. I don’t know- we’ll see. For now, I’ll leave you all to try to figure out what “go eat a corndog” means.

New Job

December 11, 2003 in Life, Website, Work | No comments

Well, for only the third time in its seven-year existence, my web page has moved. That’s right, Saturatedpratt.com has launched and left the University of Oregon and its Gladstone server behind with the other cast off servers of the past.

So, what prompted this move you may ask? Well, aside from the burning desire to spend money on something I can get for free (namely, web hosting), I am finally leaving the University of Oregon. That’s right, Mr. Pratt got a job.

This weekend I’ll be moving up north to begin working as an insurance claims representative. I know, it’s a corporate job and seems to be contrary to my previous post’s celebrity guest appearance, but they’re willing to pay me money to work, and do so during the daytime. So, for once and for all, goodbye Officer Pratt, hello Corporate Whore Pratt! (For brevity, you can call me C.W. Pratt, but not C.W- that’s taken.)

Over the next couple months I’ll probably be splitting my time between McMinnville, where I will live with my parents during the workweek, and Eugene, where I will attempt to preserve independent Chris on the weekends. We’ll see how it goes, but if I start asking for permission to drink a beer, I’ll know that it’s really time to get a place of my own. Really, it shouldn’t be too bad… for the short term anyway. It’s definitely going to be weird though.

For now, it looks like I’ll eventually be moving to the Portland area sometime after I get back from my training in Seattle in January or February. Hopefully Derek and I will be able to find some sort of nice, inexpensive shelter. I feel pretty bad for leaving Greg and Wells earlier than I thought I would, but I’m going to continue sending down rent and using the place as much as possible until either my lease runs out or they find a replacement. Then again, who could replace me?

As far as the what happened the rest of the time between now and my last update, the following events occurred in order: A drunk guy on his bike crashed in to my parked car and damaged the left front fender, Simon and Garfunkel were awesome live in Seattle, I met “Jesus” while patrolling the EMU one night, I had my first Krispy Kreme, the Ducks turned their season around, won the Civil War, and will play in the Sun Bowl, Thanksgiving came and brought with it cheesecake and stuffing, the Twins didn’t hire me, and Linfield lost to a team named the Johnnies. That’s about it.

Stay tuned for more frequent updates, as I now have most of the other pages on this site fully functioning, and of course, I now have more incentive in actually updating the page.

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