I do love Los Angeles and I really hope to live there. However … I’ve been in Eugene for a week now and it’s really nice up here. My cousin and his girlfriend are very active people and I’ve done my best to keep up. I’ve discovered that Hawaiian food is popular up here for some reason and that’s cool with me.
Here’s the thing … I’ve been looking around, checking out the apartment situation here and there as well as the job situation. While my cousin assures me he can give me a job, it would be low level coaching, not a lot of money and not a lot of hours, so I’d have to find a side gig anyway. Which brings me to Portland, Oregon.
In searching online in general terms for apartments and jobs up there, there seems to be a glut of both. There are jobs to be had - the type of jobs that I’m looking for: something I enjoy doing, with possibly dogs, or weed, or music, not looking for a ton of money but hours would be nice. Not to mention that unless Zillow is completely full of shit the apartments/houses for rent up there are relatively cheap, and they look really nice. I could make it work up there easily.
I’m going to drive up there tomorrow and spend the day, just driving around, seeing what I think of the place, maybe look up a few addresses from Zillow, have lunch, go to a couple dog parks, etc.
Hell, I lived in Portland, ME for the better part of 40 years, so why not Portland, OR. I’d barely have to change my mindset.
Things are starting to break - in more ways than one. No, nothing physically has gotten broken (except some of chunks of cartilage and some muscle fiber (I played pick up soccer for the first time in like 12 years)) but relations with the relatives are thinning. My cousin is great. He has really gone out of his way to help me out but my welcome is wearing thin. I don’t want to say his girlfriend is high maintenance, but I rented a hotel for the weekend to keep the peace. She’s a nurse and is working these crazy hours so anytime I’m there when she’s there I’m fucking with her sleep regimen no matter how quiet and how far on the other side of the house I am. The motel I’ve checked into is a story unto itself - see below.
Anyhoo … I’ve been looking at apartments up in Portland. I had a showing a couple of days ago for a furnished place downtown and put in an application; I’m heading back up there tomorrow to look at another place. The leasing agents seem overeager to get people into their units so I think I’ll get in somewhere up there - possibly by this coming Monday. At that point I will be a Portland to Portland transplant and be an Oregon resident for at least six months. I hope to find a little work and a little social life while I’m in town. I’m really hoping to re-invent myself somewhat, to a more positive, present, open person. No one knows me there so I think I can fool 'em.
The motel. Jesus H. So I make the reservation online. I failed to see that they don’t allow dogs as every other place I’ve stayed in booking through Booking . com has not had no pet policies.
“Well I just made the reservation three hours ago, can I just cancel it?”
“Sure. $75 fee.”
I kept it together but I pleaded my case to waive the fee and the owner happened to be right there and he decided to allow Bob to stay. So there’s that. I go to my room and it’s being cleaned … at 5:15; check in is supposed to be at 4:00. I had to sit in the parking lot and wait for them to finish for like a half an hour.
The front desk guys were cool but this motel is sketchy as fuck.
Fair warning: I’m just going to keep updating this until the wheels fall off.
Looks like I’m “officially” moving to Portland, OR today, sort of. It’s all over but the signing for the apartment; however, it will not be available until the 22nd. I can’t stay at my cousin’s house any longer with the quasi-restraining order I have against me for when his girlfriend is sleeping, so I’ll be in the cheapest hotel I could find - out near the airport - for the next 11 days while I dot all the T’s and cross all the I’s - I’m leasing furniture but I need to get all the other stuff I’ll need - kitchen stuff, bathroom stuff, linens, shit like that. That will all be much easier to do from across the city rather than from two hours down the road.
I forget who the prominent PDX Dopers are. Well. I’m one now … for at least six months anyway.
One week away from move in and I’m very excited. I’m currently staying in a nice hotel right around the corner from my new place. I can almost see my future balcony from the parking lot. The previous four days, since I officially moved up to Portland, were not in a nice hotel. I went on the cheap as I was going to have to book a place for eleven days. I chose the second cheapest available option on Booking . com because I’m not a heathen. It’s a miracle I’m still alive and that I still have all my belongings intact. Here are just a few features of my hotel:
No lobby, just a walk up window.
Couldn’t open my room door until the clerk “showed me the trick” to it.
Door handle on the inside of the room that had to just sit on a table until I needed it to open the door.
I had to have my room key re-activated every day at noon.
Big stains on the … well on everything.
Torn up desk chair with three of four wheels present.
A parking lot filled with:
trash
hypodermic needles
empty liquor bottles
prostitutes
strippers
pimps
guys asking me if I have any drugs to sell them
a full platter of leftover barbecue that Bob kept trying to eat
Not to mention that my car was the most expensive one in the lot by about $30,000.
The establishment next door was a “Lingerie Model” shop that looked like Ted Bundy built it with help from Jeffrey Dahmer - just a grey windowless building with a trailer “built in” to the side of it.
At this point I’m not even sure if Booking charged me for the full 11 days (I’ll be addressing that issue along with a pointed letter wondering why the fuck Booking . com would want to associate themselves with a place like that).
But that’s all behind me now. Earlier today I zipped down to Eugen to pick up the rest of my stuff (just some guitar gear) as I’ll be able to literally walk it over to my new place when the time comes. I had time to kill while I was down there so my cousin and I took this grueling hike up to the top of Spencer’s Butte. It’s not a long hike, but steep. Great views. Bob loved it. At the top there were all there friendly squirrels that would run right up to you and Bob didn’t know whether to shit or wind his wrist watch. He damn near pulled me right of the peak of the thing.
Once I got checked in here up in Portland, I took a moderate walk through my new neighborhood with Bob and it is so pleasant and urban, busy but serene, two or three different fountains, tons of trees, restaurants, cafes, gyms, theaters, etc … and that was just in about a five block walk. I can’t wait to move in.
Glad to hear that you (and your car) survived the cheap place – sounds a perfect horror! Damn lucky that your new car wasn’t damaged.
Looking forward to news of your move-in to your new place. Complete with pictures, of course.
When you and Bob are settled, Bob will have to write a book about his incredible adventures, sure to impress all other dogs, many of whom hardly get to leave their own back yards! You’ll have to ghostwrite it for him, but it should turn out pretty authentic if you prod him for his impressions and recollections!
I got him at the pound three years ago today in the midst of an attempt to get my shit together. Since then we’ve sold the house, bought our dream car, traveled the country and now we’ve half-settled 3500 miles from where we started. My mood has never been in a better place on such an even keel. I’m not pretending I have everything figured out, but for the first time in 20 years I don’t spent the better part of my time getting pissed about things I can’t control. Bobby helped with that big-time.
So happy birthday Bobby-Boy. Today you get actual meat.
I missed this last month. I’m a PDX Doper, although probably not quite in the “prominent” category. I’ve lived in the city a long time and am happy to make any suggestions.
You’re in walking distance to multiple fountains, so I’m guessing you’re near the downtown area or Pearl?
