PNW, finally

I'm sitting in my room feeling the mixture of boredom and pleasure that comes with being exactly where you want to be but being unable to do anything.  It feels like my plane has landed, but is still waiting for a gate to open.  Long story short, I have about half of everything I need.  I'm in Portland, but I don't know anyone.  I have a kayak and a paddle but no gear.  I have some webbing and trees but no slackline stuff.  I have climbing stuff but no way to get to the gym outside of walking (I could do it, but I have time conflicts).  I mean, its great to be here, but I would really like to have my car with all of my other stuff in it.

Also, I just got a kayak, but the outfitting foam extra stuff was left at the store, and I was too giddy from getting a new Remix 79 to notice.  The boat looks pretty sweet, and it barely fits into my dorm building.  Thanks to some creative thinking by my parents, I was able to stand it up vertically in the basement bike racks.  It BARELY fits.  The boat is 8'11" and the ceilings are 9'.  You do the math.  I was able to throw a couple bike locks on it, and it looks like it can't fall out or anything.  And if you are wondering what my RA will say when he sees it, you don't have to.  The RA boss or Area Director, helped me move it in!  Nice guy, but the latex gloves he was wearing seemed pretty weird.  Anyway, things are looking pretty good, people seem nice, I just have to make a move and get the rest of my gear.

I am waiting on my roommate to show up from who-knows-where.  But its not that bad.  I'm listening to a sweet genius mix and editing the small amount of Cheoah footage I have from last fall.  Now that I am here and its getting real, I am starting to miss the southeast.  I'll be back in the summer, but everything was so familiar there.  Being in Portland is like being in a foreign country, in a totally good way, but it is definitely foreign.  Everything will work out, but I've been waiting for sooo long.

Speaking of waiting and of me, my plane saga on the way over here was pretty awful.  I know that being able to travel across the country in one day is amazing, and I should feel grateful, but I really hate flying. It was your normal story of delays, running to gates, and missed flights, but the second flight has some great moments.  After waiting 5 extra hours in Minneapolis, our plane stayed on the runway from quite a long time.  I usually sleep on planes pretty easily; in fact, I have trouble staying awake.  Sleeping on planes is great, unless you wake up and your still on the ground...  Enough complaining.  Still waiting on my roommate.  I might try to talk to someone.  Cheoah footage soon to come.  Along with plenty of real new stuff.