Portland, OR

Alex and I rode down to Portland in her truck and hung out with some friends of hers. Portland was very nice, if very rainy. Coming from Seattle, the rain was just business of usual, of course.

Alex's freinds were also teachers, so it was particularly entertaining to spend the evening drinking tequila, swearing, and playing cards with them. Alex's freind Sam teaches 5th grade and does a mean Axl Rose at karaoke. I sang "Okie From Muskogee" after him, which is usually a big hit, but there was no way I could follow his act. He recieved great praise from some biker-looking guys on the way out of the bar.

Phase I: Longview, WA

I left Seattle a couple days after completing a harrowing move out of my apartment (thank you so much to my friends who helped with all the lifting of heavy objects and the drive across town.)

I took the "Coast Starlight" line on Amtrak down to Longview, WA, a small town just across the Oregon border. My long-time freind Alex lives down there and teaches Junior High/Highschool music in Ranier, OR, an even smaller town on the other side of the Columbia river.

Alex and I actually went to Middle school together, so it was a bit surreal walking into a school building where she was the one at the front of the room. Alex invited me to help her chaperone the Junior High choir to a festival, so I got the chance to see what she'd done to those kids. Well done, Alex! They sounded wonderful, and "Danny Boy" brought a tear to my eye.

Longview was pretty, if somewhat sleepy. Here are some of the local landmarks I got the chance to check out:

The site of the Monticello Convention, where a bunch of guys got together and decided Oregon was too damn big, and demanded Washington be created (apparently.)

The Monticello Hotel, named for the convention (I assume.) It's not a hotel anymore, but they have a lovely bar where Alex and I had some lovely cocktails.

The "Nutty Narrows," the world's first and only bridge for squirrels. I didn't actually see any squirrels using it, but I didn't see any smooshed squirrels on the street either, so maybe it's working.

I also found this letterbox, which contained a stamp celebrating the Nutty Narrows.

More pics from Longview here

Why LocoMojo

The name was suggested by a former professor of mine when I met him last month in Seattle.

I'm traveling by train, regular ideas of "sanity" are off limits as I attempt to move forward, and I'm also attempting to regain my "mojo," whatever that may end up being.

Seems about right to me.

The First Post

Okay everyone,

I know I said this thing was going to get up a lot sooner, but the first post, like the blank sheet of paper, is always one of those weird and difficult things to attack. How do I sum up everything that's happened so far, and how do I set the right tone for everything that comes after?

I have decided to just go ahead with it. This is the first post.