Timber's - The Local Soccer Phenomenon

June 5, 2008

Last September, my soccer-loving cousin, Avie treated me to a Timber's soccer game at PGE stadium on 18th and Salmon, smack dab in the middle of the city. It was one of the classier, well-designed stadiums that I have ever seen. The architecture is filled with so much character here. It's refreshing.

Mascot, Timber Joe bolted around the stadium wielding a live chainsaw around the field, cutting off a slab of a log each time the team scored. Slightly meshiginah. I had to stifle the treehugger in me to digest this. I hadn't witnessed this kind of energy in a long time. The Timbers Army is the center of fan support, with a number of rousing and raunchy choruses. Timbers fans engage in great amounts of cultural appropriation.

Who knew the Pacific Northwest was such a bevy of sports activity?

Bike Heaven

In late July, July 26, 2008 to be precise, I was gifted a two-year-old bike from my neighbor, Martha. She mentioned it was rusty and needed some work and that the chains needed replacing. The bike looked practically brand new when she brought it over. I've been able to ride it to and from work (6 miles round trip) without a snag.

Literally, the day before I had shared a wish with myself that having a bike would sure make tooting around Portland a lot easier and fun (mine was stolen before I moved out of San Diego). I also knew that I had to start preparing for my 35-mile Tour d' Organic ride event. Holy rollers, was I out of biking shape! My friend, Eric was so incredibly patient with me, waiting along the side of the road for me to catch up. At some point, I kvetched that the organizers said the journey was mostly flat and how could they include these major hills! Eric retorted, "That's what they mean by MOSTLY flat!!" We laughed together.

My bike is a like a friend and while I have yet to name her, I'm thrilled about my new companion.

The final numbers are in... this September participants of the Bike Commute Challenge (a biking contest amongst local businesses and NPO's) logged more than one million miles! This year 10,689 people from 1073 workplaces logged miles, and 2,869 of those people reported themselves to be new bike commuters. Very impressive.

The Everlasting Birthday Weekend

August 9 & 10, 2008

I start my birthday weekend off at the Nia studio dancing my heart out. The music enters my bones and I am so happy to unwind on this Friday evening.

Per the Zinester's Guide to Portland: "Where are the East coasters going to get their jones, especially late at night? Fortunately, there's one beacon of hope in the donut darkness of PDX. This place is literally a hole-in-the wall, complete with the Portland's Smallest Stage."

On the Saturday eve before my birthday, I meet my friend, Eric down on 2nd Avenue at VooDoo Donuts for some trashy, hydrogenated fat-filled, fried dough. A lines forms out of the door. It's a classic NY experience, without being in NY that is. We can't believe how much this place wreaks of indulgence. Yet two vegans indulge in the delights for a moment.

Hava calls me from the East coast at 3a her time to greet me with birthday wishes at midnight my time and vice versa. I draw a bath with candlelight nearby, enter the bathtub at midnight, fall asleep and reemerge at 1a and then fall into a soft, peaceful sleep in my real bed.

Saaaaaalem!

One of my oldest friends, Will Salem came to visit for something work-related. We joked that we'd probably see more of each other now than in the We played backgammon and drank tea down at what has become my favorite teahouse, Tea Chai Te, where at least 85% of the teas are organic and they carry vegan pastries. Need I say more? The smell is so fresh and sweet and they feature local artists. The support of local artists here is impressive and really quite extraordinary.

Will and I dined at E-Thai, a neighborhood Thai restaurant blocks from my house and he treated. Very nice. The next night, he invited me out with his brother-in-law, Donald and said they were going to play foosball and get drinks at Kel's an Irish bar. The thought of going out to bars ALWAYS intimidates me, yet whenever I do end up in one, I find that the experience is always far more approachable and less frightening than I imagine. Donald, Will and I share drinks down in the cellar of this bar....old stone walls, dark and very authentic. Smoke fills the air and I get shortness of breath, yet somehow endure it for the evening (2009 a ban on bar and restaurant goes into full effect - thank you for CA for leading the way!) Donald and I connect nicely and he asks if I'm interested in grabbing vegan food sometime.

Little Arugula - Green Thumbing in the Pacific Northwest

When I first moved into Macleay Gardens, I mourned the loss of my garden space, both at home and at Shakti Rising. I inquired about community gardens, but the waiting list was too long....good dilemma from my perspective. I asked management if I could use the little plot outside of my apartment and they gladly obliged. I was really relieved and happy to have my own private space and then quickly realized how territorial I could become when my neighbor planted some things in there (without asking me), including a PUMPKIN!

Pumpkins are in the squash family and their leaves alone can easily cover the size of this small space. I eventually let my frustration go. I got creative in this small space and decided to grow vertically. I planted tomatoes, pole beans, and attempted strawberries (they never did blossom) and absolutely marveled at the process of watching all of it grow. What amazed me most was how much the growth surprised me. On those cold and damp days when I thought I'd be lucky to get one tomato, and to be pleasantly presented with an abundance of tomatoes - Oregon Spring Tomatoes - ah, the miracle of a small seed.

Kraft's and Hava Visit!

July 10, 2008

One of my oldest and dearest friends from college, Cori came into Portland for a wedding and decided to spend the day with me. Lucky me. Time with her is rare these days, mostly because she's in the bay area now and has a young child and hubbie. She came with her longtime friend, Michele who is a riot and a blast to spend time with. What Cori didn't know is that Hava was delighting in surprising her! They hadn't seen each other in a long time and Hava had yet to meet Isabelle, Dan and Cori's peanut of a daughter.

Picking up Hava from the airport gave me chills. It was so wild for her to be visiting me in my new city, where we were both uprooted from San Diego! I showed her my apartment, she settled in and then we took the street car down to Blossoming Lotus, my favorite restaurant, where we met Dan and Isabelle and enjoyed a meal outside. Isabelle, was really attached to me and kept staring at me and calling me "Aunty Dani" in her endearing tone. I was flattered and completely smitten.

Hava and I then headed off to Powell's bookstore and headed in different directions because its near impossible to stay focused when you're perusing Powell's shelves! We sat in the cafe and read and chatted and both got sleepy at just about the same time awaiting Dan's call and tipoff that Cori was on her way to the hotel!

I have NEVER seen Cori shriek the way she did when Hava surprised her. It was fantastic! All of the girls made a puppy pile on the pull out bed, camped out and shared stories. That's got be one of my favorite memories of their stay.

The next few days are filled with so much fun: getting "crappy" nachos and "shrimp" from vegan grocery store, Food Fight, thrifting, a jaunt through Forest Park, a trip to the Schmid Family Farm to pick organic blueberries, Hopworks (an all organic brewery with a free tour and samples!). We crafted and rented a movie and read and relaxed out in the courtyard.

4th of July

July 4, 2008 – Columbia River/Vancouver

I had plans for the 4th with my friend, Eric. His colleague’s mom has a house on the river. It reminded me so much of Maine and this would have been my 10th summer there as part of the Institute for Humane Education staff– just across the border of Oregon, in Vancouver, WA overlooking the Columbia River and Mt. Hood. We spent all day watching the view from her lodge-like home, walking the property and eating thimbleberries (looks and tastes a lot like a raspberry and I think it's native) and gathering fallen cotton from a cottonwood tree! I saw a young beaver in a pond, an osprey and a kingfisher. It was so rejuvenating.

A Full Summer in Portland

July 1, 2008 - I purchase a two week pass to Yoga in the Pearl for $20.00. Now that's a steal. I did a couple of meditation classes, a couple of Yin Yoga and another type of yoga that I am overlooking now, but I liked all of them.

June 29, 2008 – Organic Beer Festival
There are 38 breweries alone in Portland metro. Locally crafted beer comprises 11% of statewide consumption! Eric and I entered the gates of this event and were impressed right away by the large number of vendors and the Tofurky stand! We ordered veggie bratwursts and beer and sat and listened to Irish music on the grass as dark clouds loomed in the horizon. Pending thunderstorm. Very cozy.

I spent a little bit of time visiting with Flex Car and am convinced this will be my next step in the car-free world. It seems there is ultimately no defensible reason to live with a car here. Relying on a car usually boils down to laziness, perceived "inconvenience" of walking/biking/transit, or the My Car phenomenon....at least in my own experience.

Late June 2008 - I parted ways with the organization I have come to know so well....an organization I witnessed develop and deepen in its vision, and organization that reflects my coming of age in a sense...the International Institute for Humane Education. The depth of my communication skills, my capacity to listen to others, and my desire to see profound connections everywhere I go.

I attended every single one of their residency trainings with the exception of their first through 2007, cultivating beautiful, loving and life-long friendships with the staff, and have enough memories of Maine summers to last that same lifetime. Then I was the first graduate in the country to earn a Master's degree in Humane Education from their affiliated program with Cambridge College and then I was hired on as their first graduate faculty.

In late June, I received a package in the mail. Upon opening it, I was met with the smell of Zoe's (the President of IHE and a dear friend of mine) basement, one of my favorite smells. It was a colorful canister of memories, color-coded by staff name and I took my sweet time reading through every slip of paper. I laughed and cried and mourned not being in Maine this summer.

June 23, 2008 – My friend, Eric's birthday is today. We celebrate over drinks at vegan (VEGAN!) bar, Bye and Bye. Here he is in this photo blowing out candles on a dessert.

June 21, 2008 - First Day of Farmer's Market
I found all of the organic booths at the farmer's market down at Portland State University (PSU) and left my business cards with a couple of them. One of them called me back and after a couple calls back and forth, we set up some weekly hours. Little did I know that the 7a shift on a Saturday would turn into a 6:30a and sometimes a 5:30a shift! Thank goodness for the perk of weekly produce, eh? Walking away with chard, kale, arugula, cilantro, dill, tomatoes, potatoes and most recently peppers is stupendous!

Springs Leads into Summer....

June 20 – This evening was really fun, but I was bummed to end it early. I had to be at the farmer's market at 6:30a to help unload and set up the Spring Hill stand! These early hours are testing me!

I tried to set aside my concern about the wee hour morning and savor the moment. My friend, Eric and I found a cute coffeehouse called Anna's Banana's which offers vegan pastries (almost every coffeehouse I've been in does) and fair trade coffees and teas. It's so refreshing to live in a city that supports such incredible things. Anna's Bananas is actually quite the dive actually and the walls are covered in anti-Bush slogans and vulgar bumperstickers. We sat out on the patio and chatted about what our future dating lives would look like and I enjoyed the pending muggy, t-storm-like weather.

June 19 – I found an ad at the New Renaissance bookstore for a Life Purpose workshop and made my way down to 23rd Avenue where it was being offered. Definitely worth the $12.00.

June 18 – A colleague of mine, Pamela Frasch who is an animal attorney and quite an extraordinary person suggested I sit down with Mike Mercer, Executive Director of the NW Earth Institute. She used to sit on the board and felt it aligned with the sense of community and sustainable vision I was looking for in a workplace. As it turns out, this was one of the best networking choices I could have made. I was greeted with a friendly "hello" from Deidre and an offer of vegan carrot cake! I discovered a compost bin in the kitchen counter. My kind of place.

Mike was incredibly receptive to me and passed my resume along to all of the staff members. I started an unpaid internship helping them develop their discussion guides. I had read about the value of strategic volunteers and decided I wanted to spend a couple days a week in a workplace setting so I could start aligning myself with my vision. I desperately wanted my skills to go to use somewhere and to be around actual people rather than submitting my cover letters and resumes into what was starting to feel like an oblivion.

June 14 – My dear friend, Sarah was visiting her mom and sister in Sammamish, just outside of Seattle. I had only spent about an hour in Seattle on the way out to see friends in Orcas Island and decided it would really nice to spend the day there. I journaled in a cafe and found a vegan pizza restaurant called Pizza Pi. The pizza I ordered (Rainy Day Pizza) was so good and I asked what was in the sauce. They said it was a secret sauce and couldn't tell me! I suspect it was a blend of Tofutti creamcheese and something else! On the way out to the car, a man said, "you know what?" and when I responded, "yes?" he said "you're very pretty." Thanks for making my day!

I watched Sex in the City for a 2nd time with Sarah and her mom and sister and I liked it even more the second time around.

I made the 3-hour drive back and remembered my old friend from high school, Chad was celebrating his PhD (Microbiology) and called to congratulate him! I'm so proud of all he has accomplished. He shared that he missed my sister and I and when would he see us again. Very endearing words from Mr. Barber.

Purple Rain Vegan Prom

June 13 - Vegan Prom – Only in Portland

The latest adventure was attending the one and only Purple Rain, 70's and 80's -themed Vegan Prom! My first sighting of a sign advertising the eclectic event was at Herbivore, an all vegan clothing and merchandise store in the nation's only vegan "mini mall." I mentioned the event to Eric and he asked if I wanted to go. How honored I was!

We went thrift shopping about a week before the event. Portland is a thrifting haven (there's one place here called the BINS where you can buy a POUND of clothing for $1.00!). I'd have to say House of Vintage was one of the funnier jaunts. We kept holding up garbs and getting the Yeahs or Nays. The Red Light store was probably our biggest goldmine. He found a nice shirt and I found my $12 dress (see photos!).

On the way into the dance, we joked that we could wear the same garb in Portland every day and blend right in. Portland is such a vintage town!

I managed to get Eric onto the dance floor and that was no small feat. Connie, one of Eric's co-workers and friends brought her first cousin and watching the two of them together was a riot. At some point, they were pretending to grab some random man's tushy on the dance floor.

A New Twist on Art

June 12, 2008 - Leave No Plastics Behind (photos)

One of my friends back in San Diego, Tarja sent me a last-minute email about an art exhibit that one of her friend's girlfriends, Cheryl (she is the girlfriend of one of Tarja's old bandmates) was hosting and I jumped on the opportunity and headed over to Mississippi Street, a happening area in the NE part of Portland. I walked in and was met with some really good energy from a group of young people. See photos for some of the work that was displayed.

It's a non-profit organization art collective that aims to enlighten consumers on the impact of single-use plastic on social progress and the environment.

It didn't take long for me to apply for their visual artist program. I submitted the application on August 15th and was accepted into their fourth round of artists. The theme of this episode, "Haste Management" runs from August-October 2008. I join with other new and established visual artists, filmmakers, and performers/musicians and we get to present our unique experiences in November 2008 at Visage Gallery in The Pearl (NW Portland).

Here's the listing of bios!

http://plastic.cheryllohrmann.com/episodefourgallery.html.

I can hardly see where creativity takes me...

A Jewish Mother Lets Go...

June 3, 2008

My 6-year-old dog, Charlie's behavior was set in place long before I rescued him from the side of the road back in 2003. Fairly early on, he had shown signs of aggression and other fear-based behaviors. He nips at children (although this has changed), he barks ferociously at dogs 10 times his size, and his bark seems as loud as a siren at times. He's fiercely attached to me and makes it known. Charlie has taught me the true meaning of patience and compassion. It's humbling to say the least.

When people win him over, they feel extra special because he lets very few people into his world. Yet he's a very different soul with me. He has entertained me with his antics since the beginning. The way he does circle eights around the house, dances in circles when I announce "walk," and the way he sticks his butt up in the air and his paws down on the ground in downward dog fashion and makes the funniest sound I've ever heard....he's truly a riot!

In early June, I finally had to admit that I needed to learn the basics of dog language and that I had some learnin' to do. I had a behaviorist come to the house. After an hour and a half, I learned some basic ways to speak Charlie's language and to this day, some of those techniques have stuck. Our walks have become far more enjoyable.

Tonight, he fell asleep in my lap at my friend Nancy's house and let she and her boyfriend pet him....unheard of even a year ago. And the friends I'm making in my community....now that's exciting. We often come together in the common courtyard and watch our dogs play....or in Charlie's case, his attempts to play. He wants to trust and connect. And I'm slowly letting go of my overprotective nature of my relationship with him (hence, the title of this blog).

The Maven's Map - My First Book Interview

June 2, 2008

A book has been brewing for about 4 years now and what better place to craft my creative writing skills than in the Pacific Northwest....the misty mornings, the plethora of coffeehouses and bookstores, the creative and intellectual buzz of the population here.

I received my dictaphone (a digital taperecorder) about 3 days before my interview and scrambled to figure out how to operate the thing! I managed to pull that task off within minutes of my first interview.

My interviews are starting in the Shakti Rising community (I've conducted two thus far), my beloved community of sisters back in San Diego. These interviews will dovetail into interviews with humane educators.

Here's the synopsis of my book...the title will be explained in the introduction of my book.

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
The Maven’s Map: Journeys of the Heart is a timeless journey of authenticity, truth, grace, sacredness, forgiveness, living from the heart, miracle-making, courage, hope, resilience, joy, humor, transcendence, legacy, finding voice and coming home to oneself.

It is a poignant uniting of two seemingly distinctive worlds: the path of recovery and the path of humane education – two cutting-edge, nationwide movements that are actively creating whole, healthy adults and community leaders. These individuals are doing “it” differently. The “it” is what you will read about in The Maven’s Map.

The Maven’s Map chronicles the stories of students and graduates from the Maine-based Institute for Humane Education and Cambridge College’s Master’s of Education and Humane Education Certificate Program (HECP) programs and apprentices and graduates from San Diego-based Shakti Rising’s Intensive Apprenticeship, Informal Apprenticeship and Advanced Apprenticeship Programs.

You will learn about their life changing models, why they work, and what the implications are for you and your life.

Your heart will be stirred and touched, your eyes will be opened and your world will be forever changed.

Puddles, Powell's and Pink Shoes

May 24, 2008

The night my mom came in, I could feel the muggy, low cloud coverage brewing into a storm. I got carried back to the countless Milwaukee summers of watching thunderstorms out of Grandma Sara and Grandma Ruth's apartment windows. There was always something incredibly cozy about seeing the flash and hearing the crackling boom that followed.

What's interesting to me is that lightning causes thunder. I always thought they were separate phenomenon! I've experienced 4 thunderstorms thus far and I was under the impression that I'd be luck to get 1 or 2! I'm in HEAVEN!

My mom's visit was a complete blast, despite the sleepless nights from Zoey's pacing (poor girl getting used to the apartment)!

The brewing storm slowly escalated into a heavy rain and the heavy rain turned into
a huge thunderstorm - we dined at Blossoming Lotus next to an enormous warehouse window where droves of customers watched the atypical downpour.

My mom and I dodged the rain as best we could, stomped through puddles laughing like little kids and hit the undercover of the street car stop. While waiting, 3 young boys talked about the physics of water and jokingly argued about why water hits the back of the body before it hits the front of the body. It was such a random conversation and we exchanged looks and laughed some more.

While my mom was here, we voraciously searched for furniture pieces that I was missing (mom is a thrift store maven), enjoyed a really nice meal at my house together, caught up on life, visited Powell's (largest independent bookstore in the world with over 1 million books!) and toured some of the reminiscent-of-Milwaukee inner NE neighborhoods. I found my first pair of pink shoes at William Temple Thrift Store and am in love!

Sense of Place

May 17, 2008

Over 7 years ago already, I was enrolled in Environmental Ethics course at the Institute for Humane Education and one of the most influential passages in shaping my sense of place was a list of questions from a David Orr book called "Deep Ecology."

Questions ranged from tracing water to the tap, to the phase of the moon, to the quality of soil, to native plants and animals, to length of growing season, to where our trash ends up.

Pondering my knowledge of place planted many a seed and was a major source of inspiration in my move to the Pacific Northwest. Every year that I traveled to Maine, my desire to have more of a connection to the natural history of a place grew exponentially.

When I learned that the one of the trailheads (Lower Macleay Park) to Forest Park (the largest urban park in the country) was a 3 minute walk from my front door, I shed tears. My dream of living this close to a green haven had materialized. I discovered that the Audubon Society was at the top of the trail (a 30-minute hike)and about a month after I arrived, they had a native plant sale. The Western Meadowrue won my heart and it still gifts my front door.

Culinary Delights

May 9, 2008

I decided to head to VegFest, an event that drew over 1,000 people and a vegan haven. I enjoyed a day of speakers, culinary demos, free samples and grassroots organizations doing outreach. It took me back to the many days of speaking at animal rights conferences in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. I miss the buzz of those events. The late nights in the hotel lobby, seeing my role models on stage...I digress...

Back to this event - I volunteered to assist raw chef, Jennifer Cornbleet from Chicago. I was blown away by the simplicity and quickness of the center stage dessert recipe, Flourless Chocolate Cake - walnuts, cocoa, and dates blended up, molded and topped with raspberries.

The highlight of the event was running into Eric Phelps, my former PETA co-worker from 9 years ago! And to think I almost didn't approach him out of shyness. I'm so glad I challenged myself because what friends we've become - what a completely unexpected delight it has been to get to know him.

We've dined out at many a vegan restaurant, and laughed, laughed and laughed, and Eric has become my computer, technology maven guru! I've learned a lot from Eric about taking myself and life less seriously and he's such a trooper. When I was sulking over not having anyone to watch Sex in the City with, Eric agreed to go with me (in exchange for watching Indiana Jones)!