Monday, December 22, 2008



I know you probably woke up this morning thinking to yourself, "What is stressful, frustrating, and beautiful all at the same time? Seems like something Casey would know the answer to..."

I do, and it's pictured above.

It's not frustrating because it's unplayable. It's frustrating because it's NEARLY playable. I ALMOST sound really good on it.

But not quite.

Sunday, December 21, 2008



This photo was right outside the Keller auditorium as I left my last Nutcracker performance of the season. As you can see, there's very little distinction between the roads and sidewalks here.

The bad snow started a week ago. All my students were cancelled this week. I've only left the house a few times, and now we're supposed to get yet another two inches of snow tonight. It's fine for a while, until we realized this bad weather is inching dangerously close to Christmas Eve, when we have a flight booked for Colorado. We are starting to get nervous about leaving on time.

I also think I'm starting to go slightly stir crazy. I think I'd just like to get out and take a walk tomorrow. You know, bundle up in my winter garb and venture out, just like the good old days in Chicago. Except not nearly as much eat-your-face temperatures.

Updates on the bunker situation as I get them.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Giddy!!

I can't post what Tom's Christmas present is, lest he read it here and the surprise be ruined.

But I am INCREDIBLY proud of myself. I am one hot fiancée.

Monday, December 15, 2008

For all you non-Portland readers...

I am not complaining... TRUST ME. I would take Portland weather over Chicago weather ANY DAY.

But, as I understand it, this kind of thing just doesn't happen here.

Tom and I awoke on Sunday morning, still discussing the plan to take me downtown to my Nutcracker performances. I stumbled out of bed and peeked through the blinds. Then, chuckling, I pulled them up to show Tom the treat that was outdoors: SNOOOOOOOW!

At that moment, a whole inch had fallen on the ground, and it was still snowing big, fat, luscious snowflakes, the wind whipping them around - supposedly to increase the panic that was about to ensue.

See, Portland just doesn't get snowstorms like this. People who grew up in Portland and never ventured elsewhere don't really know how to drive in the snow. And the city doesn't have a fleet of snowplows to take care of such emergencies. Every once in a while, you'd see a truck drive by on the news, dropping gravel, but other than that, people pretty much stayed off the streets. Except for a slight bit of hustle and bustle around the Keller to see the Nutcracker, Portland was pretty ghost-towny. And school cancellations were flying off the charts by 5PM.

Off one inch of snow. One inch!! One inch in Colorado means whipping out the good sneakers to walk to school, and leave the ones with duct tape holding them together at home.

Of course, Colorado has a very different type of snow. It's just snow (not icy usually), and an average of 300 sunny days a year usually melt it off pretty fast. Portland's humidity and moisture content turn the roads into a pretty thick sheet of ice - all it takes are a few tires to pack it down on the road. There are lots of chain and studded tire rules here, especially for the freeway. And when Tom and I took the truck into Portland, we saw many, many unfortunate and abandoned cars on the side of the road that just couldn't make it up the hill. Not having lots of snow perhaps means not knowing that your basic 2-door sedan just won't cut it up Barbur Boulevard.

Right now it's calm outside, though the snow and ice still remain. My students are cancelled for tomorrow, however, as most school districts here are taking another day off. And we're expected to have another heavy snowfall come Wednesday. It's been an interesting, bunker-style situation. Should be a slow Christmas shopping week as well... and that's just weird.

Of course, the snow sure is getting me in the Christmas spirit. It's not sneaking up on me like it did last year. Now I've got the inkling to make hot chocolate, but this was the first GF recipe that I could find. No agave nectar or stevia in my pantry - I'm a bad, bad celiac. I think a trip to Whole Foods tomorrow is worth braving the ice sheet.