Fall = Mushrooms

As much as I love summer, I definitely love fall. The only trouble is that in Portland, fall comes and goes so quickly. It practically goes from summer sunshine to rainy, which then lasts until the following June. One of the things I enjoy about fall is the mushrooms. Since my freshman year of college, I have fallen in love with mushrooms and get excited whenever I see one. It is so fun to hike around searching for mushrooms because once you get an eye for finding them, you realize they are everywhere! And there are so many different kinds that will live in the same vicinity. These little guys I spied outside Zach's house, so of course I got out my camera. They have already grown much larger than when these photos were shot. Hopefully I'll get the chance to see some more mushrooms before the rains come.

From Iceland with Love

Last night, Sigur Ros played at the Arlene Schnizter Concert Hall in Portland. I bought Zach tickets for his birthday. Let's get out the bad stuff first:

1. I had no idea there was an opening band.

2. I had no idea the opening band was named "Parachutes."

3. I figured "Parachutes" was a Sigur Ros album? I didn't really even question it.

4. I bought a Parachutes poster. Turns out.... they suck.

Good stuff:

1. Sigur Ros was amazing and captured my attention for the entire set.

2. Playing electric guitar = cool. Playing electric guitar with a bow = extremely cool. Playing electric guitar with a bow, while wearing a French Regent Jacket = AMAZING. This really put the show over the top for me. I am very biased toward French Regency fashions. Especially a punked out militia jacket. It just would not have looked as cool if he was in normal clothes.

3. The lighting and visual effects. They fit with the songs so well and was just spectacular to watch.

4. Confetti - I know I'm a nerd, but it almost had a Gladiator-esque feel when they shot confetti into the entire hall on their last song.

5. Acoustics - Seeing a show like this in a hall where the Oregon Symphony plays is not only visually appealing, but the sound was amazing and made the show ten times better.

New Room!

So I have taken up a new residence with a couple very good friends. I'm still settling in, and have a few more things to transport, but I'm here! Zach is 2 houses away, work is MUCH closer, and we pretty much hang out with our friends over here all the time anyways, so it works out super well!
Here are a few pics of my new room. It's a really old house and has very cool "nooks" and "crannies."

Quiche, Costco, and a Movie

I'm moving this weekend, so I began my preparations by making a Costco trip for some easy meals. Luckily I didn't get too carried away there, and I think I'm pretty well covered. I'm really hoping I'll start cooking more. I've dusted off the old books and recipe cards in the packing process and found some old favorites. At the moment I want to make some soups and chicken dishes - I think it has something to do with all the rain today.
I have 2 quiches in the oven right now... that will be interesting. I've never made quiche before and I kind of just made up my own recipe based on several I found online, plus my own ingredients. We'll see. I know the crust will be good because it's my great grandma's recipe!
I was drawn to quiche because I thought, I can freeze it and have it as a meal later. Maybe I'm going into hibernation mode or something, I don't know... It's fun though; it's been a long time since I cooked anything.
I'm also excited about a Pumpkin Spice Bread Mix I got at Costco. You just add the water, oil, and egg, but still - it sounded good, and it's a fun seasonal thing.
So I've just been hangin out in the kitchen, watching Stand By Me with my dog and cat, waiting to see how the quiche turns out.

(This really isn't the best written blog... every paragraph begins with "I" or "I'm"... my english teachers would dock me for that...)