Picture Day gets a Master's Degree!

In June 2001 I received my Master's Degree in History from Portland State University. Okay, that's not exactly true. My degree, which is hanging on my wall, says that I received it in December 2000, and that's strictly true. But they had no graduation ceremony in December 2000, so I had to wait until June to get my fancy "hood" and walk on stage while my name was called. Oh well - it gave my parents and sister a chance to visit, and June in Portland is a lot nicer than December, after all.

This first picture is when I received my "hood" in a small ceremony in the history office. In case you're wondering why I'm using quotation marks, well, the "hood" is just the strip of fabric that you wear over your gown. Mine was green and white because those are, apparently, the colors of history. Who knew?

As my parents were visiting, we went out to fine restaurants. And my mom took pictures! This is my dad, me, and my brother-in-law Mark. My dad looks much younger, interestingly enough, since he shaved his head. That's weird.

This is Krys and my sister. I haven't seen my sister in years. It will be good to see her in June.

Here is the ceremony, which was held in the Rose Garden. I wasn't too jazzed to go, because thousands of people were graduating, but my mother insisted. But here's the thing: my parents left early. MY PARENTS LEFT EARLY!!!!! They didn't actually see me walk up on the stage and get my diploma. And it was my mother who wanted to leave! She was bored, which didn't surprise me, but if I had to stick it out, she should have too. This was in the age before any of us had cell phones, so I had no idea what was going on. We had taken two cars, so I just drove home and found them there. Boy, was I peeved. Thanks, Mom.

We took some pictures on our front lawn. You get a good view of my "hood" in the first one. Krys looks nice in the second one, doesn't she? It makes my presence more bearable.


These last two pictures were taken a few weeks later. It was at a bar that my co-workers and I went to after my last day of work. I had already gotten my teaching job in Tempe, so we knew we were leaving Portland (boo-hoo!), and so we all went out and I didn't have to pay for alcohol. I love these two pictures, because they show me being goofy and (probably) loud, which is how I get when I drink (and often when I don't drink). I'm not a mean drunk at all - I'm boisterous and more talkative (if that's possible) and have far too many theories about life. This was the last time I got really sick while drinking. My friends were buying me shots of Jägermeister, which I love (or loved, back then), and I had one too many. Have you ever been drinking, and you're feeling perfectly fine (drunk, but fine), and you take one more drink, and it suddenly comes rushing up? Of course you have! I had six shots of Jägermeister in a couple of hours (and maybe two beers), and I was feeling great. I was a bit apprehensive about the seventh shot, but someone bought it for me, so I felt obligated. Boy, was that a mistake. My night was pretty much over after that. Whenever I get that drunk (every five years or so), I stop drinking for a very long time. This was the last time I got drunk, because by the time I might have been ready for it again, we had the kids and I just wasn't interested. I haven't had Jägermeister since, and I doubt if I would feel sick when I smell it, but I don't know. I have no interest in drinking that much these days, but this was a fun evening (until the puking). I miss those guys, and I miss Portland. I'm a bit sad that I couldn't find a good job there. Oh well.


That's Picture Day for today. Next time: Seattle! Who doesn't love Seattle? Commies, that's who!

Picture Day goes to ... China?

In September 2000 Krys and I went to China, and we have the pictures to prove it! Oh, okay, we didn't go to China, but we did go to the brand spanking-new Chinese garden in downtown Portland, built to rival the Japanese garden in the West Hills. Ancient Asian rivalries, playing out in modern-day America in garden form! The only winners - the gaijin, who get to check both out!

I'll forego commentary and just let the coolness wash over you!







The last picture is Krys and I in our funky house. My mom was visiting, so we were going out to dinner, hence the dress-up. There's our poor dead cat Zoe. She was so cool.

So here's another reason to visit Portland. Yes, I can give you many, many of them. Book your flight today!

Picture Day shows us that not all of Greg's photographs are exotic and glamorous!

Yes, it's true. These batch of pictures are somewhat dull. In June 2000 we moved into a rented house on the East side of Portland. We had always lived on the West side in apartments, so this was quite the interesting change. The house was tiny, but we loved it, as it had nice hardwood floors, a keen yard, and was in a wonderful neighborhood. I wouldn't trade my kids or even my experiences here in Hell for anything, but that year in the house was a highlight of our marriage, because we were close to a lot of cool places along Milwaukie Avenue, and we could take long walks around the neighborhood (we can here, obviously, but the houses aren't as interesting), and we could spend a lot of time in the backyard. Plus, I hardly ever drove my car, because I could easily take public transportation downtown, so during the week I didn't drive, and on the weekends, we usually drove Krys's company car. Good times in Eastmoreland! So here are some pictures of the house and the environs.

Here's the front of the house. We lived at 7635 SE 21st Avenue (and damn, that Google maps in seriously cool - check it out), in case you ever want to drive by and check it out. It wasn't very big at all, but it had a lot of charm.

This is the living room. Krys dug it because of the fireplace, the built-in bookcases (Krys loves built-ins) and the hardwood floors (Krys also loves hardwood floors).

This is the back of the house. We had a nice yard and a nice little deck.

Here's a poor view of the kitchen but a better view of the truly perilous staircase leading to the second floor. Nobody ever fell down it, but we feared we would. The only bathroom was downstairs and we slept upstairs, so if we ever needed to pee in the middle of the night, navigating our way downstairs was quite the journey.

Here's a view south on our street. Such a Norman Rockwell neighborhood!

Here's Krys walking the cat. Yes, Zoe is on a leash. When we moved into a new place (which we did often for a few years around that time), we would take Zoe out so she could get a good sense of the area. Hence the leash. She didn't mind it that much, even though she didn't like it. Smokey was an indoor cat, so he didn't get taken around on a leash.

Zoe and Smokey loved the house. It got lots of sunlight. They liked napping in it. I miss our kitties.

So that's our house. No, those pictures weren't very exciting. They can't all be, can they? I mean, our life isn't that crazy all the time!

Picture Day is in black and white!

On April Fool's Day 2000, Krys and I went into downtown Portland. It was a beautiful day, the kind that makes you really love living in Portland (although there are many days like that), and I had black-and-white film in my camera, so we just wandered the streets, taking pictures of the cool buildings that are all over downtown. As you check these photographs out, you'll know one of the reasons why we loved living there. It's such a neat-looking town.

This is looking south on Broadway, which not surprisingly runs through the center of town. The big building with the round top is the 1000 block, so this is probably four blocks north of that.


This building is at Broadway and Morrison. I'm not sure what building it is, but I dug the columns.


Unfortunately, the sun got in the way of this picture of the venerable Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. It's still a neat photo. Well, I think it is.


This is the Willamette Building at Third and Alder. I took it from the parking garage in which we had deposited our automobile.


Near Portland State University is the University Club at Sixth and Jefferson. It's a cool building, and I often wondered what unholy rituals were practiced within!


At Sixth and Madison stands the Ambassador apartment building. We used to look inside with a bit of longing. I'm sure the apartments were tiny and spendy, but the building was in a great location, and I'm sure they were neat even if they were small.


Hey, it's the Gilbert Building at Third and Taylor! This is yet another building on the National Historic Registry.


Finally, this is City Hall, which is on Fourth between Madison and Jefferson. It's another keen old building. It's pretty nice inside as well.


These buildings are just an example of why Portland is such a cool place. There are plenty of modern buildings in downtown, but the people don't just tear stuff down willy-nilly to throw up monstrosities. They do a good job blending the two, and this makes downtown a much more interesting and inviting place. It's much better than here, where there are a few older buildings, but most of downtown is pretty soulless. Man, I miss Portland.

Picture Day: delayed!

Yes, it's Tuesday, and Picture Day is Monday! How can I call myself a conscientious blogger if I don't adhere to a completely arbitrary schedule?

It's been a rough weekend, as my wife left me (again), and I had to deal with children. I'll explain some day (or maybe I won't; I'm capricious that way). But you know what takes our minds off our day-to-day troubles? Waterfall pictures!

A few weeks after our sojourn up into the mountains, we headed south from Portland to the beautiful rustic town of Silverton (here's a map!) and Silver Falls State Park. Yes, the park is actually named after waterfalls! I'm a sucker for waterfalls, and this park delivered in spades. It was a chilly, overcast day, but it wasn't raining, and we had a nice time walking around the woods. Check the photos out:

I always dig the top of waterfalls. Don't ask me why. It's always cool to stand above them and check it out.


Here's a nice somewhat spooky shot of a waterfall.


One waterfall projects out from the rocks and you can walk underneath it. Here's one view:


Here's Krys walking behind the falls. She looks good, I swear. You just can't see her too well!


Here are the people walking behind the falls. Don't they look tiny?


Finally, another shot of the upper part of a waterfall. I don't try to understand why I like the top of a falls.


So there they are. I know they're all waterfalls, but that's just the way it is! If you're in the area, Silverton is a cool place to visit.

Next week: black-and-white!

Autumn in the Northwest means vibrant colors on Picture Day!

Sometimes I really miss Oregon. Long-time readers know this. But I really miss it when it's fall, and nothing happens here. When it's 85 degrees on Thanksgiving, you know something is so very wrong. Our next bunch of pictures were taken in October 1999 and showcase nice autumn stuff: fall foliage and a maize maze!


These first group of pictures was taken at Silver Star Mountain in southwestern Washington (where someone recently photographed a sasquatch!), which has plenty of hiking trails. This is just some nice fall foliage.

Here I am, as proof that I actually hiked up there!


I call the little woman "Heidi" when I look at this picture.


You can see the trail up which we hiked, cutting across the base of the mountain there.


Here's a nice view down the valley.


More proof that I could once engage in physical activity! These days I can barely get off the sofa!


A few weeks after this we went out to a maize maze. A good time was had by all. Check out Krys, getting lost!


The creators of the maze had set up observation platforms so you could see where you were. They were handy for picture-taking, too!


We saw a crash test dummy mask stuck on a corn stalk. It was actually kind of spooky.


Unfortunately, this is not a posed picture. This is how I look probably 90% of the time. It's so very sad.


Those are just some photographs that remind me that other parts of the country actually have things called seasons. I'm starting to forget what those are like ...

Next week: Not sure yet. Come back and see!

Picture Day returns from exotic locales and gives us some good photos of friends

Yes, we're back from Venezuela and back in Portland for today's edition of Picture Day. These pictures are from late August 1999, when my friend Ken and his significant other Jim came out to visit us. We had a grand old time. I liked to use Ken and Jim as examples when my students would talk about gay people and how they would kick the shit out of any they ever met. As you will see, Ken and Jim are big dudes, and would easily beat the hell out of my bigoted students! But that's neither here nor there - we're all about peace here at the blog! So enjoy the pictures!

My mom actually took this first one, out of the airplane window when she was leaving Portland. That's Mt. Hood in the foreground and Mt. Jefferson in the background. This is a cool picture.



In 1999, Portland was home to the Single-A baseball team of the Colorado Rockies, and we went to see a game. From front to back, that's Charlotte, Krys, Gaetana, Ken, and Jim. It was quite the fun night.


Ken had to visit the world's smallest park, so we did. I've shown a picture of it before, but this was fun because there were three of us in it.


Portland has a really wonderful Japanese garden. This is just one of the idyllic scenes.


The Rose Garden is also a nice place, with neat views of the downtown area.

They grow a lot of different kinds of roses in the garden. Krys is just pointing out a few of them!


We had a very nice time with our visitors. Now that we live in Arizona, no one wants to come and see us. And we're sad!