The special person I get to annoy

“It’s great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.” -Rita Rudner

Oh have I found that one person. Today is my tenth wedding anniversary, and boy have I had the time of my life. For those of you that might have read my blog for the past year and a half, you would not be shocked to hear me ooh and ah about my husband. I have often written about how I am addicted to him, and how our marriage works, but today I can hardly believe that ten years ago we stood on a beach in Hawaii, barefoot in the sand at sunset, just the two of us, starting our life together.

Of course Chris is my special person that I enjoy annoying. Mostly through the times when I (or we) are being silly. I love to get under his skin, as long as it means that at the end of the playful moment I have him laughing or happily rolling his eyes. Without laughter, what is the point?

Christopher, I look forward to the next ten years where we laugh, play, and grow together. You are my favorite person, and the one I love waking up next to each morning, and the one I hope I fall asleep before at night. You are the one I love texting in the middle of the day to find out how your day is going. I love that you laugh at my often made up words, and somehow you still understand me. We push each other to look at life differently each day, and I am honored that I get to spend my life with you.

Here is to another ten years that I get to annoy you. Happy Anniversary!

We do what we can with what we have

Posted by random olio

I subscribe to Runner’s World, and when I came across the story of this precious man, I started reading and could not look away from my screen. By the end of the article, there were tears streaming down my face. Against all odds, somehow we all do what we can with what we have each day. Sometimes though I think we have to look at the stories of others to get over ourselves. Bret Dunlap is a man with a story. He has persevered in life, after doctors did not think he would live. He has made a life for himself and eventually that life led to him running.

You hear of that many times, someone is in an accident and almost dies, and somehow is able to come back and kick ass at life. What we do not always see is that it is not easy, that sometimes even against all odds life is harder than one could ever imagine. Bret’s story inspires me. It inspires me to want to do more. My body was not shattered. When I complain about the slightest of pains after a run, or just on a normal day, I need to think of Bret. I cannot even imagine what his path was like to rehabilitation. Have you read his story yet?

If not, you might think my blog today is rambling on, but I hope you take the time to read it. It will make you look at your day differently. It will make you appreciate your legs and your toes, and your back, and your feet. It will make you appreciate that people do not look at you funny. It will make you look at the things you are scared of and maybe take a risk and go and do them. Yes, we do what we can with what we have, but maybe, just maybe we should do more than we can with what we have. Maybe we should push ourselves harder because we can.

Photo Cops Suck.

Posted by random olio

Ugh. Yes. I started my blog out with ugh. Photo cops. Vans with computerized radar guns. They sit in camouflaged areas in hopes of nailing speeders. I drove past one over the weekend, and my mind started to wonder, why do we have photo cops? A few years ago I got a speeding ticket while going over a bridge in Portland. It is hard to explain my side of the story because it was on a bridge where the speed limit changes three times while on the bridge. I never noticed the photo cop, and other than an address on the ticket that does not really exist (it is a bridge) it is hard to know where they took a photo of my car. The ticket showed I was speeding at the start of the bridge, and my 6 mph over the speed limit came out to a $200 ticket. All taken by a van with a radar camera.

Here is what I found out: The photo radar van can take two photos every second. There is an uniformed officer stationed in the van. I always thought they parked the vans and came back later. If there is an officer in the van, why not put the lights on and come after the offender? $200 seems like a hefty fine for 6 mph over the speed limit, which made me think it was another way for Portland to make more money, but their website states that any money from paid speeding tickets goes back to the photo radar program.

My frustration with photo cops: If you are going to give me a speeding ticket, follow me in a cop car, pull me over and give me a ticket. Do not rely on a van with a computer. It feels like calling a company and being repeatedly sent through the automated prompts on their phone line, over and over again. I want the personal interaction of the cop that pulls me over, let him yell at me, or let me explain where my head was, or about the signs, or let me just admit I was speeding. I would take that any day to receiving an envelope in the mail days or weeks later with a high price tag. A ticket in the mail seems more passive aggressive. Right?

I know they are supposed to deter drivers from speeding, but it feels like getting caught sneaking out at night by a robot rather than your parents. What do you think?

Four-year-old inspires

Posted by random olio

For a few years now, I have been watching “So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD).” I am not a fan of musicals, sitcoms that have singing, and most dancing shows (you can never get me to watch Dancing with the Stars), but I am a die-hard fan of “SYTYCD.” Why? There are a variety of genres of dance throughout the show. You might see hip hop, modern, tap, salsa, crump, you name it. The contestants are crazy talented, because they have to be able to pick up and learn any style of dance at anytime, and still do it amazingly each week. Not an easy feat. Many professional dancers may only do ballet their entire life, so watching these individuals each week is inspiring.

I am a bit behind on episodes, due to catching up on seasons of “The Good Wife” and “The New Girl,” but this video I want to share is timeless. A four-year-old boy is allowed to come to the auditions, and not only is his dancing and musicality off the charts for his age, so is his answers to Nigel’s questions. I could not resist sharing and hopefully it reminds you that anything is possible.

Did his parents send him to cello classes? No. He gravitated towards a previous contestant, and taught himself at four years old. Inspired?

How much would you pay for a parking space?

Posted by random olio

Chris and I used to live in Boston, where parking spaces would sell for tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Renting an apartment was expensive enough, not to mention finding a parking space when you did not own one. Now that I live in the Pacific Northwest, even the process of renting an apartment is different. Ten years ago when we lived in Boston, you would have to give a landlord the first month of rent, last month, sometimes a security deposit, and a realtor fee. If the apartment was $1000 a month (which was definitely on the low side) that would mean $4000. A lot of money just to move into a place. Yes, $3000 was investing in your future, but the $1000 to the realtor was lost.

All cities are different. No rental process is alike in each city. Portland has nothing on Boston. Which I appreciate. When we moved to Portland, we thought, oh we just need to have the cash to move in, instead Portland is very particular in a different way. Landlords in Portland want to ensure that you have a job and you can prove your monthly income. It makes sense due to the high homeless population. Landlords want to know you will continue to be able to pay your rent. I understand that completely, but it is just so different from Boston.

Portlanders complain about finding parking spaces, just like any other city, but I know Portland does not have quite the market on parking spaces that Boston or New York have. I recently read an article that discusses the IRS auctioning off two parking spaces in Boston for a man who owed back taxes. The parking spaces sold for $560,000. It is shocking to think how much someone paid for a parking space, especially since it is much, much more than many pay for their homes.

How much would you pay to own a parking space?