Rocky Butte Roundup (A.K.A. Where Santa Claus Spends His Summers)
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Last night on one of my rare evenings off of work, I called up some friends to go for a ride. (I on a little 49cc yellow scooter, they on their red Kawasaki Ninja 500 motorcycle.) I suggested going somewhere to watch the sunset, and they instantly recommended Rocky Butte - a landmark bump on the earth from a long dormant volcano, and the only elevated ground in northeast Portland.
After a scenic ride up to the top we were surprised to find nearly a hundred bikes and their riders pulling off an impromptu sunset after-ride party at the top, complete with a portable stereo blaring dance music, potluck dinner, and all the locally brewed beer that could be pedaled up - in true Portland fashion.
After taking my 70th look back at Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens basking in the sunset to convince myself they weren't just a figment of my imagination, the night was topped off with an impromptu air guitar performance by Santa Claus himself, who, despite popular opinion, is actually a thin, middle aged Japanese man who wears a fanny pack and enjoys spending his summers in Oregon with a bunch of beer drinking, bike riding Portlanders. It appears that he records his good times on home video and then watches them up north during the winters when he needs a break from toymaking. (Probably with a Deschutes River Brewery Cinder Cone Red Ale in hand.)
Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:04 PM 4 comments
Labels: Portland
Alaska in Portland
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Whenever I tell people I was hired by Alaska Airlines, they often ask, "are you going to be a pilot?" and I have to laugh - do I look like a pilot? I could always pull a Frank Abagnale Jr. if I wanted to. No, I will be a customer service agent at the airport. So if you are flying through Portland on Alaska Airlines, I'll be the guy who checks you in, takes your luggage, or supervises boarding the plane at the gate.
I am very grateful to have this job - it's with a great company, and my workplace is only a mile from my house! Believe it or not, even though my employment resume is pages and pages long, this is my first "real" job, meaning, full-time with benefits. I don't remember the last time I saw a dentist.... The sweetest benefit (besides getting paid at regular intervals) is that I get free unlimited standby flights anywhere! Me, my parents, and my non-existent spouse/domestic partner and kids all fly free! (I'm currently taking offers for hooking up or being adopted.)
Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:32 PM 6 comments
Temporarily Employed
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
I found work today! I'll temporarily be working for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Portland, on the phone recruiting volunteers for their annual fund raiser. I figure it's better than telemarketing in a number of ways - I'm not selling or asking for money, and all the participation is going for a good cause - research for the cure and sending local kids with MD to camp this summer. I can live with that for six weeks.
I'm moving out of Church of the Servant King this week, where I've lived my first month here in Portland. I'll be moving into the basement of some new friends until I can find a room to rent (now that I have income!).
These photos were taken from the edge of a bluff about 300 meters down the street from where I'm staying. I look east to Mt. Hood and south to downtown. (For my dear friends in Minnesota: it was a sunny t-shirt day today, at a toasty 62 degrees.)
Next post: all about Mosaic and Evergreen - two Christian communities I'm exploring.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 8:27 PM 4 comments
Labels: Portland
Hospitality, Church Dating, and Documentary
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Random updates:
A community called Church of the Servant King has graciously offered hospitality to put me up until March 1st.
I'm still looking for work and permanent housing/roommates.
I've started church dating, and have been going steady with one called Mosaic. (Church shopping is such a coarse word when we're talking about making a serious commitment!)
I'll be up at Camp Ghormley this weekend with a possible visit to Yakima Alliance on Sunday.
My friends with InnerCHANGE in San Francisco (I lived/worked with them summer of '05) have put together an excellent 13 minute documentary that chronicles the life of one of their homeless friends, Laura. I met her briefly this last summer and I think her story is extremely valuable for anyone wishing to understand homeless/street culture better. Watch it here on their blog!
Posted by Benjamin Washam 2:23 PM 3 comments
Nebraska Shots
Sunday, February 03, 2008
These are some photos I took at a crane sanctuary about 50 miles west of Grand Island, NE on the way out. (Watch full screen)
Posted by Benjamin Washam 5:14 PM 3 comments
Arrival in Portland
Friday, February 01, 2008
I made it! I spent last night at my sister's place in Portland. I'm a few days behind in posting the last days of my journey, but they will be up shortly. (Along with a sweet photo shoot from Nebraska.) Check back soon!
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:41 PM 0 comments
Salt Lake City, UT
Thursday, January 31, 2008
I am writing this post from the fabulous public library in Baker City, OR. I-84 has been closed due to snow yet again.
I don't know how long the closure will last, but I might not reach Portland today, which was my unspoken goal. After being held back in Rawlins, WY the night before last, I was determined to make it into Salt Lake City. On Tuesday I crossed the continental divide at 7000ft. and breathed a sigh of relief. Little did I know that the last long descent through red canyon walls into the Salt Lake area would be the most treacherous section of the day. Now I see why the city was host to the winter Olympics!
I spent the night with the family of a random friend who happens to live in Romania. She received my desperate e-mail the morning I left Rawlins and called me from Romania to say I could stay with her parents in Salt Lake City! I was well taken care of, and the city was truly a sight to see. The large building on the right is the Utah State Capitol.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 4:07 PM 2 comments
Attack of the Suicidal Tumbleweed!!! AAAAAAH!!!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Doesn't the title of this blog sound like it could be a song from a Sufjan Stevens Wyoming album? (He hasn't written one yet, so maybe I could do it!)
I was cruising along I-80 in Wyoming with blue skies and warm sunshine for most of the day. The ground was covered with snow and the combination of sunshine and blasting winds polished the land until the entire place looked like an extra-terrestrial landscape of snow dunes covered with a smooth glaze of ice. It was quite magical!
One of the most surprising things about Wyoming is the tumbleweed. In fact, it far surpasses even the wildest caricatures: literally dozens of suicidal tumbleweeds dash across the interstate every mile, timing their crossings to coincide with the passing of the infrequent and unsuspecting vehicles. They usually heading directly for your front tires. Wyoming is mostly ranch land along I-80, resulting in barb wire fences that frame both sides of the road. So many tumbleweeds have lodged themselves in the fencing that it feels like driving down a corridor walled with tumbleweed drifts.
By 1pm the wind had picked up significantly, gusting up to 60 mph across the road and whipping rivers of snow across the road, trying its best to throw my little Sidekick off the road. At 3pm, on the wings of this terrifically fast cold front, a giant blizzard swooped in and literally blacked out the sky and whited out the entire field of vision. A state trooper zoomed ahead of me and closed the freeway, forcing everyone to exit and turn around. On the advice of some seasoned truckers, I turned around and headed a few miles back to a small town I had passed with a few motels. Unfortunately the driving was too treacherous to take any pictures, but I did get some shots of my first experience in a cheap motel. "Best Motel" of Rawlins, WY, to be exact. Yikes.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 8:01 PM 1 comments
The "Route"
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
View Larger Map
My Tentative 7-Day Route:
Thursday, 1/24: Depart Minneapolis; arrive Grand Island, NE
Monday, 1/28: Depart Grand Island; arrive Rock Springs, WY
Tuesday, 1/29: Depart Rock Springs, WY; BARELY MISS the Sundance Film Festival in Salt Lake City by 1 stinking day! Arrive Nampa, ID
Thursday, 1/31: Depart Nampa, ID; arrive Portland, OR. Find homeless shelter or a friend's parents house to stay at.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 3:31 PM 4 comments
Labels: Minneapolis, Portland, Travel
Adventure
Monday, January 21, 2008
ad·ven·ture (ād-věn'chər) n.
The original meaning of the word in Latin (aventura) was "to come about" or "to arrive." Closely related to the Latin word advent, "a coming into being." Only in the 1300's did the term take a turn through "risk/danger" and "perilous undertaking."
Almost without fail, whenever I tell people about my road trip move to Portland they refer to it as an adventure. When they hear that I don't know where I'm staying, that I don't have a job lined up, and that I'm going anyway, they say it's an adventure. They intend the latter meaning of the word - risk, danger, and the unknown. I had always considered my journey simply to be an advent - the next step to make something happen; to bring the next chapter of my life into being. Maybe this is the main difference between someone who is an adventurer and one who is not. A non-adventurer sees only the risk and the unknown, while the adventurer, though not blind to the risk, instead sees an opportunity (dare I say, calling?) to action: to create something new with his or her life.
If you had asked me a month ago if I was an adventurer, I would have said no. Recently, however, my answer has changed. I've seen the story of my life in a new way - that I'm not usually guided by the voice of God or by a specific open door, but by a God-given sense of adventure that drives me into new territory.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 2:27 PM 0 comments
New Photo Collection
Thursday, January 17, 2008
This Christmas I put together the first printed collection of my photography. Here you can see a digital sneak preview of 60 or so shots. I hope you enjoy looking as much as I did shooting!
Click here to watch full screen. (Highly Recommended)
Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:46 PM 3 comments
Living With Artistic License
Monday, January 07, 2008
Most people want to wake up in the morning with a general at the foot of their bed saying 'Go do this.' The problem is there's somebody at the foot of their bed saying, 'Once upon a time. . .' -N.T. Wright
I've spent the last four months in Minneapolis waiting for the general to give orders. Unfortunately, my general happens to be the strong, silent type. In my mind, the general is a Type-A god with a blueprint and checklist for my life, waiting for me to put tab A into slot B correctly. This picture is entirely unhelpful.
Much of my personal development has taken place in a context of Christian culture where "God's individual plan for my life" was the only approved decision making model and ministry/career path. Whether or not this model is accurate, my experience has shown it to be more like attempting to navigate through the Grand Canyon peering through a pinhole. Not only is it extremely difficult to see where I am and where I'm going, but I miss the beauty and grandeur of it all along the way. I admit, there are definite bounds for my wandering, basic Biblical guidelines, to be sure. But within this frame of a bigger picture, I've been finding tremendous freedom to explore my place in God's story - perhaps writing a new chapter of my own.
I realize now that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, is probably more like a novelist than a civil engineer. He cares less about where we go and what we do as long as the characters develop and the story hangs together as a coherent whole. The only way to ruin this kind of story is to forget who the author is.
I used to read the Bible as a scripted play with people simply filling predetermined roles, but now I know they didn't experience it like that when they were kicking up dust on the earth. They simply did what they had to do, and often just what they wanted to do. There was a famine, and people had to go where the food was. Someone got kicked out of the house and had to run away to a new land. Men went in search of a wife, and found one (or two). And sometimes, God spoke directly to a person and told him or her what to do.
I've decided to experiment with artistic license in this story (giving credit to the author, of course). I'm going to kick up some dust - rather, mud, because I'm moving to Portland, Oregon.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:18 PM 4 comments
Labels: General Reflections, Minneapolis, Portland
Relocation to Portland
Yes, I'm moving to Portland! Why the 2000 mile leap out of nowhere, you ask?
It's not out of nowhere, really - in fact, many people (myself included) have been predicting it for some time and wondering why it never happened sooner! One of the reasons it took me so long is spelled out in the above post; I didn't know what I wanted, and I wouldn't even let myself want for fear that it would oppose "orders from above," whenever they happened to show up. My trip home to Washington State at Christmas confirmed that I DO truly love the Pacific Northwest (PNW) and want to live there. Unemployed and unhappy in Minneapolis, I figured now was the perfect time to jump! I landed on Portland as a new home by a process of elimination: I knew I wanted the PNW, proximity to family in Yakima and Portland, and that I would probably require a larger city to ensure employment and networking. That left Seattle and Portland. From everything I've seen and heard, Portland is a lot more my style. And the last straw - I was actually born in Portland, at Kaiser Memorial Hospital.
Strangely enough, Minneapolis and Portland have a lot in common; so much so that I refer to them as the "sister" cities. Minneapolis already has a twin, so I guess Portland is fraternal. (Minneapolis is on the left.)
Quick facts:
Both are by far the largest cities in their respective states - states with very few other urban centers.
Both were founded at the confluence of two rivers (Willamette/Columbia, Mississippi/Minnesota) as a result of the lumber and milling industry.
Both cities are very politically progressive and environmentally aware ("green").
Both have a river as the primary feature of their downtown scene.
With the exception of maybe San Francisco, Minneapolis and Portland are known as the most bike friendly cities in the US.
My plan is to leave in the next two weeks, or whenever my car is road-trip worthy, I have enough gas money, and I pack. I am deeply saddened by the thought of leaving my community of friends in Minneapolis, but I believe it is a necessary parting at this stage of my life. The thought of a new start in a place I love, close to family, surrounded by mountains, ocean, and old friends, makes me very excited to get going. If anyone has leads for jobs in Portland (in Communication, Multimedia, Writing, Music, or just whatever) let me know!
Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:51 PM 1 comments
Labels: Minneapolis, Portland
Safe Arrival
Friday, December 21, 2007
I made it back to Yakima, WA and am enjoying lots of fresh snow and mountain views. I picked up the piano music to the "Charlie Brown Christmas Special" on my way up from town, so that's keeping me occupied with lots of exciting Eb9#11 and D7#9/F# chords.
It's crazy seeing the whole family together again - 8 Washams and one little one on the way. (My sister is due January 14th.) This morning we had apricot scones and the traditional Orange Julius for breakfast. Right now Nathanael and Jacob are locked in their annual Stratego board game duel, while Heidi and Mom are working on more Christmas cookies. I've been working on "quality assurance" for the kitchen.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:25 PM 2 comments
Confusing E-mails
Dear Blogarithm subscribers,
I apologize for the technical e-mail that was sent out to you from my "blog post reminder" service. Don't worry - the service should continue uninterrupted and you shouldn't have to do anything.
For those of you who don't know what this is, if you'd like to read my newest posts without having to constantly check the page, you can enter your e-mail address in the box to the right and it will send you a basic e-mail every time I post anything new. Thanks for reading!
Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:16 PM 0 comments
I'll Be Home For Christmas - You Can Count On Me
Monday, December 10, 2007
Barring a catastrophe on Sun Country Airlines Flight #283, I'll be arriving home in Washington State for Christmas on the 19th and staying through January 4th. I have little doubt that God and the aerodynamics of a Boeing 737 will safely reunite me with my family, who together hasn't shared a Christmas in 2 years!
If you're looking for me, I will probably be holed up at Camp Ghormley most of the time enjoying family and the mountains, but you just might catch me on a foray into Yakima.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:34 AM 0 comments
Touring DC, and Thanksgiving in South Carolina
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Washington, DC - our nations capital! What this really means for the average visitor is that all of the museums and major attractions are free. (For those of you using the W-2 EZ tax form because you are below that beautiful standard deduction, it's truly free.)
With friends for tour guides I hit all the major attractions, as well as an added stop to get a library card at the largest library in the world - the Library of Congress. Did you know that they hold a hard copy of every book, CD, magazine, map, photo or movie published in the United States? (Many other countries also send them copies of their yearly publishings.) They receive over 22,000 articles every day! It blew me away that so much of the worlds knowledge existed in one place, and that it fairly accessible to the public (with a library card).
For the actual holiday feast I journeyed south to Tega Cay, South Carolina to spend the day with some Wheaton College friends. I was overjoyed to find that warmth and fall leaves were still in office! (I had left Minneapolis with cold air, gray skies, and naked trees.)
A note about the DC subway - the stations look like something straight out of a 1970's Star Wars movie, or even better, from Disneyland's old school Star Tours ride.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:53 AM 2 comments
Breaking News(papers)
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
*phone rings*
"StarTribune news room, how can I help you?"
That's right friends, my newest temp job has taken me straight to the top! I'm answering phones at the news desk of the biggest paper in Minnesota!
It sounds more glorious than it really is. The truth is, the paper has been seriously restructuring itself and slowly alienating readers over the past few months. The last straw (the kind of straw that brings in a temp reinforcement just to help answer complaint calls) was the sudden cancellation of the weekly TV guide. This handy insert was the staple for thousands of Minnesotans' home entertainment. With winter rushing upon us, home entertainment is becoming primary entertainment, and readers must now find some other way to navigate the long hours stuck inside the house until May.
This shrewd business move is especially disappointing for my long lived, less mobile neighbors. Without this handy paper-and-ink TV Guide, and without the internet savvy of younger generations, they are being marooned on a nasty, snow covered desert island, doomed to eternal channel surfing (or should I say, cross-country skiing?).
The universally accepted Journalist's Creed is framed and hanging on a wall in the StarTribune news room. One line reads:
"...the supreme test of good journalism is the measure of its public service."StarTribune, I hope you're listening.
-Walter Williams
Posted by Benjamin Washam 5:21 PM 3 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
Naval Gazin', Guitar Pickin', and Unemployment, Or, When Adventure Comes Knockin'
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
For the past month I have been living in a cloister at the Olson Institute for Advanced Studies (a.k.a., my bedroom at the Olson's home in Minneapolis); thinking deeply, reading good books, pondering the soul, playing guitar, and reflecting on my life, all while trying not to be a complete bum while I am unemployed. I have been looking for jobs, but these have eluded me in the strangest way. I'm still unsure what kind of job I'm looking for, but I'm anything but picky about temp work. I was planning on a debut tomorrow as a customer service rep in an incoming-only phone call center; a solid month of full-time, great paying work. But, as it would happen, the contract was suddenly canceled today at the last minute! Back to the drawing board.
These are the moments in life when adventures come knocking at the mind's door with the most convincing stories: never has that trip down the Mississippi in a canoe seemed so safe and dry; never has the bike trip across the country seemed so short and affordable; never has the month in a wilderness shack seemed so cozy and worry-free. I get the feeling I'm walking in the hallowed shoes of my great-grandparents who lived through the unemployment of the great depression and the dust bowl. Only the demands of duty and family kept their door shut against the insistent knocking of adventure. In other families, either from lack of family or simply disregard, they took flight on the wings of adventure and traveled the rails or moved out West. It would do us well to remember that every one of us of European descent live here in North America because somewhere in our family line, an ancestral adventurer risked everything to cross the great expanse of ocean to the "new world."
I feel the faint pounding of that pulse of adventure even stronger now that I am unattached, unaffiliated, and unemployed. Where will it take me?
Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:17 PM 9 comments
It's Been 1 Month and 2 Days Since I Last Wrote You
Excuse #1: My computer died, then was resurrected, but now the information super-highway portal will not work on it.
Excuse #2 : In the last month and two days, nothing has happened.
Excuse #3: I am lazy.
All three of the above excuses are true, but they move from objective to subjective, the way conversations with myself often do. I have discovered that, for me, writing generally moves from the subjective to the objective, while thinking moves in the opposite direction. Writing moves toward concrete axioms or lucid questions, while my mind, freed from the structure of lines and planes, moves toward the abstract and theoretical. I attribute this to my successful training in essay writing and my failed attempt at subjective thought patterns. As I am "writing" this, I inevitably come to a rational conclusion - I should start journaling more to clear my mind and find direction.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:29 PM 0 comments
