Why I Love Oregon—The Short List

February 14—it's an important holiday! No ... I'm not talking about THAT holiday. I'm talking 'bout Oregon's birthday! On this day in 1859 our fair state became a, well, a state. Although I don't have much to say about the historical significance of this, I do know how I feel about Oregon after these past nine (crikey!) years living here. I love you, Oregon.

1. Because of the green. Never a dead season here. Always something growing, something sprouting, something shooting up all hopeful toward the sun.

2. Because of the food. I have the stomach of a fucking hippy and Oregon allows me to oblige that.

3. Because of the homeys. Many, many good peoples here to be inspired by and to love and to laugh at and to throw chills with.

4. Because of my house. It's mine. I mean on paper, it's Wells Fargo's. But it's mine. A safe place.

5. Because of the skateboarding. For better or worse, it's shaped my way of life since I moved here. Create. Do things your own way. Want and need only the simple things. It's all related somehow.

January Proper

As mentioned before, it's been bright and blistering cold. I like the way the dog has, since the temperature dropped, migrated up from the foot of the bed to sleeping with his head directly on the pillow next to me in this absurdly human repose. He sleeps soundly, and when I say his name, he bolts up in confusion just as you or I might do, the rowdy furs around his ears forming a wild approximation of old man's bed head.

Despite winter, snowboarding hasn't happened for me at all this month due to work, work every single day. However, I've been skating, skating despite the cold, each time feeling almost worse and less capable on my board than the last—fatter and lazier feet, creaking bones, muscles that don't move, nothing coming naturally but rather brutally after much hard work, sweat and swear words. A thaw would be nice, for my skating at least ... just sayin.

Melissa's house. A perfect Portland backyard, no?

New Year New Life

I dunno, 2012 wasn't that good for me you guys. And although January is an arbitrary time for a fresh start outside of western society, I'm taking it because I fucking need it and because, as my astrological chart has indicated, this is a turning-point month for Libras.

Here's my cat Captain, cozyin up on a cold-ass night with the fire roaring. Christmassy, no?

If You're Lucky

"Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use — do the work you want to see done."—Austin Kleon

At some point I said goodbye to traditional employment and have been making things and making things happen on my very own for a very long time. Can't really imagine it any other way.

Dissember

It's the winter solstice! I used to love December. Still do, maybe, but not THIS December. I didn't write anything good or read anything great. Stuff weight heavily and I didn't sleep well. I didn't do anything that made sense of the chaos or got me jazzed about life. But whatevs. It's time for a new thing—don't know what, but will soon, and I'll let ya know.

Early one morning.

Pink sky in a puddle.