Dispatch: Portland, Oregon

On a year-end journey north, I find the air a bit colder than I'd expected. Arrived at PDX yesterday morning, took the light rail train into the city, dropped my bag off at the hotel, then wandered around the city for nearly six hours before I could check into my room. Time well spent, of course--urban hiking on par with Chicago and, almost, London. Oddly enough, I think I know my way around London more than I do Portland, which I've visited more times. Or, maybe not.

Oh: the "cold" thing. I own everything I need for such weather, and most of it is still at home. Maybe it's a sign that I have too much stuff, that when preparing my mental packing list for the trip I simply didn't dig deeply enough. That lightweight down coat would've fit the bill yesterday as the the wind found its way through my heavy sweater and two underwear shirts of different weights. The layering system works well as long as there's something to keep the wind out.

I know I've said it more than once in this long-running and long-winded blog, but I woke up to a light snow after my first night at a terrible B&B in London. I'd spent hours the day before walking from Victoria Station, across Hyde Park, and then into the Paddington area in search of that B&B. It was one of the best days of my life now that I think about it, but I remember being sleep deprived, frustrated, hungry, and even somewhat regretful about going there in the first place. But the snow that morning? I was more prepared for it than I am for a little wind and cold only a 90-minute plane ride from home.

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Today is the last day of the year, one that saw a wonderful trip to Ireland (of which I've written nothing about), no backpacking, and very little writing. These last four months have been especially void of anything other than working during the day, teaching at night, and grading papers over the weekend. Writing creatively seems like something I did a long time ago, and all of those characters and conversations in my head haven't had a way out. Bully for them that they stick around, patient and hopeful.

Next year, things will be different on a variety of fronts. Teaching only one course at night will be a nice change: four hours a week in the classroom rather than eight, 30 students to work with rather than 60. Even the daytime job might see some changes as new avenues are explored and new opportunities embraced.