Here is a list of things that have made this week easier:
1) Sympathetic roomates taking me out to (seperate) dinners.
2) Jordan’s 9 year old sister saying this: “If I was a grownup I would go down to that bosses office and I would tell her ‘Willow should keep working with Jordan.’ And I would use the S-word.”
3) The Fed-Ex man thoughtfully tucking the package containing my airport card under the newspaper on my porch. How quickly would I go over the edge if it had been stolen?
4) Two mornings spent with my 3 year old twin friends, Heborg and Squeezy Lou. This quote from Heborg as he was looking at a telescope: “Then you look at the stars and you SMILE.” It sounds like the title of a Bright Eyes album, right?
5) Said twin galloping around my living room spanking himself with a panty-liner box.
6) Hearing from one of Jordan’s classmates that his new aid is “sort of bossy.” Damn, she got burned!
7) My extraordinarily even-tempered boyfriend becoming furious when I told him what happened. “That’s fucking bullshit! That’s so fucking UNJUST!”
8) The knowledge that this could have been so so so much worse without the amazing support the school and family have offered me.
9) Plenty of time to utilize my new airport card at the Fresh Pot.
10) Sympathetic comment posted on my last entry by some random dude who runs an online poker blog out of the midwest. Huh. Thanks.

I am a cursed woman. Sunday is my favorite day of the week, and Monday is my enemy. Why do they have to be neighbors? Why does creepy ol’ Monday gotta be smirking at me on a mellow Sunday evening, like a Debbie Downer? Why? Sundays are so lovely. You sleep in, listen to “This American Life” while still in bed, head to your favorite-coffe-shop-of-all-time (The Fresh Pot) with The New Yorker in hand. A little later you call a buddy, get some brunch, catch a matinee at the beer theater.
As an aside, here are my favorite PDX brunch places in descending order:
Juniors
Beaterville
Bijou
Paradox
Cup and Saucer
As another aside, here are my favorite matinee movie theaters, also in descending order:
Laurelhurst
Baghdad
Kennedy School
Lloyd Center
Avalon
Then, in the evening you do your last bits of shopping at New Seasons grocery store, make a bunch of burritos for the week’s lunches, read a little, watch TV a litte, maybe take a bath. Then you turn in early. Perfect Sundays. Mmm.
Why does Monday have to be such a spoiler?
Today is Sunday, and though I didn’t follow my normal formula, it was still pretty perfect. Jake Longstreth was here, and we went for a hike with Tarp and Amy in the Mt Hood area. We stopped for donuts on the way. We ate sandwiches on the trail. On the way down we passed a woman on a horse, with two dogs, holding a can of Keystone Light. It was 1pm. Hell yeah.
Back in Portland Jake and I ate yummy pizza from the Mississippi Pizza Parlour, and then I dropped him off at the airport. (Insert pathetic image of Willow looking sad here.) After saying goodbye, I went home, took a shower and a nap, then woke up with dreary Monday on my brain. Monday with no Jake. Monday on the first week of my new schedule at school in which I arrive there at 8am. Bleh. F-ing Mondays man.
(FYI, I’m still figuring out how to post links on my page. Once I learn how I’ll revise this posting with links to all the fav places I listed here today.)

Hello friends! I wanted to pass on the good news- I just got accepted to graduate school! I will be attending Lewis & Clark’s Masters Teaching program, starting in June! I’m glad I got in, as it was the only school I applied to! They have a great program- very progressive/alternative. Right up my alley. And they have a 95% job placement. And you can do part of your study in Costa Rica. And it’s in Portland, so I don’t have to move. And.. and.. and.. I’m just very excited!

I was talking to my friend Steve the other day about snuggling. I remember that as a teenager I could snuggle endlessly with friends of both sexes without any expectations. Watching a movie, hanging out in someone’s basement or backyard, even at school, I felt like I could sidle up to nearly any friend and give them a squeeze or a nuzzle as easily as a high-five. Of course there were some exceptions. I wouldn’t nuzzle a boy who had a crush on me if I didn’t reciprocate his feelings. That’s called “leading him on.” But snuggling was so accepted that it was pretty okay to do it with your friends boyfriends, as long as you knew them both real well and it wasn’t alone in your car or anything weird like that.
We used to have huge “cuddle puddles” that might look something like this:
My head on Liz’s belly, Liz’s head in the crook of Joey’s arm, Joey’s other arm around Heather, whose feet are in Whitney’s lap, who is leaning back to back with Stephen, etc.
It was all pretty innocent, and I can’t recall anyone’s feelings being hurt by any snuggle situation.
In college there was snuggling too, but it was a little more complicated because you hadn’t known the other people for years and years, and everyone’s expectations were different. Most of my college snuggles led to college kisses, and that was fun too. But I had a couple of platonic snuggle-buddies on campus, plus whenever I went home to Denver the snuggle patterns remained the same.
Recently I’ve noticed that my snuggling partners have whiddled down to basically one. Jake Longstreth. When I see my Denver friends there are plenty of extended hugs, but no more cuddle puddles. My best girlfriends and I will have good snuggle sessions, but they are on the East Coast, so I hardly ever get my fix. Add in a long distance boyfriend, and I am seriously snuggle-deprived! I try to be entirely honorable in my dealings with other men, since Jake isn’t often around and I want to live up to the trust he puts in me.
Thus I now satiate my snuggle desires with back patting and arm petting. At parties I find myself patting friends on the back all night long. Sort of goofy, I know. But I need that physicality in my relationships. Am I alone in this? Is this a loss that we all experience as we grow older, or is it all another relic of my bizarre Denver adolescence? Anyone from Denver wanna weigh in here? Sigh.
Yours,
Snuggles
PS There is a local band here called The SnuggleUps. Coincidence?

It is Valentines Day. I work in a 1st grade classroom, which means that I, along with my 22 students, made a mailbox out of a brown paper bag and construction paper hearts. At the “Friendship Party” this afternoon (modern, PC school) the kids played Heart Bingo and ate red snacks. The classroom teacher made a mistake with the bingo cards, so all the kids had the same numbers, albiet in different squares. As a result, all of the kids got “bingo” at the same time. it sounded something like this: “BIIIINGOOO!!!! AHHHH!! RAAARRGGG!!! I got BINGO!!! MAAAARRRHHH!!!! I won!!! BIINNGOOO!!!”
It was wild. I had big plans to make valentines (friendship cards?) for all of my kids, but 10pm last night found me cruising the picked-over holiday isle at Fred Meyer looking for love-in-a-box. I chose these “I Spy” valentines because they were vaguely educational.
My brown bag was delightfully full of disgusting fruity candy, Bratz valentines, Hello Kitty valentines, and most delightful of all, hand made valentines. Hand made by 1st graders. Oh yes. Allow me to quote my favorite:
(Written on business envelope with pencil) “To Welow. From Celeste and my little brother Quinn.”
(Inside, on computer paper, also in pencil) “Dear Welow. I hope you have the best valentines day ever! Love Celeste and my little brother Quinn.”
In other Valentine news, my Lover, Jake Longstreth, had flowers and a Marvin Gaye record delivered by our friend Steve. (Steve lives in my neighborhood. Lover Longstreth lives in California.) Among other innocent and racy gifts I sent him a card I made with my students. Unfortunately, I was so distracted while crafting this card that I spelled his last name wrong. It read, “Jake Longsreth, I love you..” Tell me, is it forgivable, under the circumstances? Sigh.
Your Valentine and Friend,
Welow

Salutations.
This is officially my first blog entry. I can’t make any promises. I’ll try to be good. I know I won’t write every day. I have wonderful intentions. I want to entertain. Sometimes I’m kind of boring. I’ll take your feedback. I will be shy at first. I have great stories. I will create links. I will do my best.