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| 1715 Broadway St, Vancouver, WA 98663 |
Hi Mom,
So, I finally caught up on work.
After barely staying afloat on the drive west and grading in the car through dry, tinder grass plains and mountains, I managed to get work done and in a relative timely fashion.
But then upon arrival at my new home of Woodland, WA, I fell behind the week following my arrival due to unpacking, working with Dad before he left, and just trying to find the new normal in the routine.
It was five days before I set up my office enough so I could work, and then I fell behind even more in trying produce grades for my students as the overwhelming array of things to do and my own difficulty focusing in my new home, which is still in disarray, caused me to have to beg my students for an extension in delivering grades and I even needed another 12 hours or so past those extensions to make the delivery.
I am writing this post on Thursday, and it's really the first day I have felt "human" since I left Michigan. So far, life has been a whirlwindy roller coaster jamboree of hectic chaos and a scramble to keep up with work.
In fact, today, the day of the post, Wednesday, I graded right up to leaving the house to fetch and deliver lunch. at this mall, the Vancouver Mall:
Mom, I wish you were here. You would LOVE this mall. I did not take much time to explore it because I had to deliver the lunch I bought for my wife.
After delivering lunch to my hard working wife, Liesel, at her place of work, I decided to do a little exploring of Vancouver, so I searched Google for a comic book shop. I found this one in downtown Vancouver and let Google navigate me.The store lacks many of the things that makes my long time store in Kalamazoo, FANFARE, the best comic book and gaming store (sports and entertainment) I have ever seen.
But I LIKE COMICS has a lot going for it.There's an emphasis on alternative comics, which are well displayed. The store bags and boards all comics new and old for no additional charge. This practice also discourages browsing, but some people would consider it a good feature.
The store is spacious and stocks many graphic novels and collected editions, art work, statues, toys, and back issues. There's also an art studio in the back, managed by one of the employees who is himself an artist and has some nice illustrations for sale. There's a wide variety of original art work and actual art from actual comics as well as a list of area artists, many of whom are well known in the industry, who will do custom work.
The employee, whose name I think was Jerry, was very nice. He told me the store was in a bit of disarray because they were preparing for the Rose City Comic Convention in Portland this weekend.
Next, I drove around Vancouver a bit to see the downtown area, which is wooded and well planned, though I did accidentally turn the wrong way on a one way street and irritated a bus driver before I could get out of her way.
I was looking for a place for a lunch of my own but was a bit overwhelmed by my choices and not sure I wanted anything elaborate or time consuming.
Eventually, I got back on the I5 headed north, thinking I would stop at the Petco I saw to see if they carry Merrick dog food. I missed the exit, but then I saw an exit for the Vancouver branch of Washington State University, so I stopped there in Salmon Creek or Hazel Dell. Maybe both. I am not sure.
I found Sushi Chiyo. I had never been to one of the conveyor belt type sushi places.
I arrived with ten minutes to go in Happy Hour, so all the plates I chose before 4:30 were $1.95.
I ate nine plates for under $20. It was an excellent deal. Though the food quality was not the highest I have ever experienced, it was good and the pieces of Salmon were HUGE.
While I ate, I piggy-backed a nearby restaurant's Wi-Fi and listened to the Tigers and Cubs games via my ear bud.
I also listened to the games (switching back and forth, not simultaneously listening) on the way home as I had to stop at Safeway and then do some more work before bed time.
This trip to Vancouver was technically my second, but it felt like my first. On Dad's last night here (Tuesday 8/29) enroute to taking him to the hotel near the airport (as he picked a 7 a.m. flight, which meant airport arrival at 5 a.m. which was too early), we met Liesel for dinner. But other than that visit, I had been in Woodland for a week: working, unpacking, walking dogs, with runs to the hardware store, the pharmacy, and the grocery but only here within a mile of Blacktail Lane.
From a day that I was feeling very over-worked with limited time, I emerged feeling more human and ready to have a better day on Thursday. I found things I like about Vancouver, which makes me feel more content, happy, and at home.
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Reflect and connect.
Have someone give you a kiss, and tell you that I love you.
I miss you so very much, Mom.
Talk to you tomorrow, Mom.
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- Days ago = 794 days ago
- Bloggery committed by chris tower - 1709.06 - 10:10
(even though all of these events happened after this date and time stamp - BACKWARDS IN TIME POST!)
NEW (written 1708.27) NOTE on time: I am now in the same time zone as Google! So, when I post at 10:10 a.m. PDT to coincide with the time of your death, Mom, I am now actually posting late, so it's really 1:10 p.m. EDT. But I will continue to use the time stamp of 10:10 a.m. to remember the time of your death, Mom. I know this only matters to me, and to you, Mom.
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