Sunny skies to continue all week...

Sunday was the perfect end to the perfect weekend. I slept in, made a nice breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes, hashbrowns, and fresh strawberries, and took my time getting ready. Fantastic. I didn't have a lot planned for the day, so it was alright that I didn't get out the door until after 1pm.

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, there are several wineries/vineyards located just a short distance away from where I'm staying in Forest Grove. On this particular afternoon, I decided to check out the David Hill Winery. The drive to the vineyards (which was less than 10 minutes, by the way...and included me having to turn around twice because I had missed where I was supposed to turn) took me into the country and up a narrow gravel road. It was hidden, up in the hills, on David Hill, actually...creative name for the vineyards then, I guess. The view was incredibly beautiful, with the hills covered in vineyards and trees. The tasting room is inside an old farmhouse, and the farmhouse has pretty gardens planted all around it. Weddings are held there every Saturday in the summer, and they were cleaning up the tents and tables/chairs from a wedding the previous day (they can't just leave everything set up because they need to be able to water the grass!).

It was very quiet, with just myself, one other guy, and two couples. Made for a very relaxing, non-intimidating wine-tasting experience. I sampled a few wines (2007 Estate Pinot Gris, 2007 Estate Semillon, Farmhouse White, 2007 Estate Riesling, a red wine that I don't remember the name of but I didn't like, and Sweet Simplicity, their estate dessert wine). Apparently, I have a thing for the whites, and the uber sweet dessert wines :) I bought a bottle of the Farmhouse White for my new wine collection (I just started it...it includes wine from two vineyards...not much, but hey, it's a start!)

After I left David Hill, I headed southwest of Forest Grove about 7 miles to nearby Hagg Lake. This lake is gigantic, and I had found out about it by looking at the City of Forest Grove website earlier that morning. Soooo glad I decided to check it out! It was beautiful. And hot. I brought my beach blanket and book down to the shoreline and relaxed for a bit. People were swimming, boating, tubing, jetskiing...having a great time on the lake. On the shore, people were grilling, picnic-ing, tanning, walking their dogs...having a great time, too. There are also over 15 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails around the lake, but I didn't check those out. I just don't think I'd be a smart idea for me to go off hiking by myself. So I stayed by the water.

The afternoon flew by, and before I knew it, it was almost 6:30. I needed to go to the grocery store still and pick up a few essentials (bread, peanut butter, tea, cereal, shampoo, and vinegar to put on my mildly sunburned skin). Supper time, and soon it was time for bed. Great end to the perfect weekend.

Today, Monday, went by really fast. I was in the lab all day at the pharmacy, this time making creams. It was a bit challenging (they don't teach us everything we need to know in pharmacy school!), but it was my favorite day yet by far. I was so involved with my work that I didn't even notice when 4:30 came around and it was time for me to head home...I ended up staying until after 5pm! Oh well.

Quick stop at Trader Joe's for some apples, hummus, pita chips, and soymilk, and I was finally on my way home. Completely exhausted, tonight is going to be an early night. Tomorrow it's supposed to hit 80 degrees here, with clear sunny skies again. Yay!

The Oregon Coast

Prepare yourself...this post is probably going to be long with a lot of photos. Saturday was probably my favorite day since arriving in Oregon. Beautiful scenery. Interaction with wildlife. Fantastic weather. Ocean views. Perfect sunset. Amazing day.

I began the day by sleeping in until 8am. (Yes, 8am is sleeping in nowadays...gross!) After a quick shower and gathering of supplies for the day, I headed west. I had about a two hour drive ahead of me, and I wanted to get an early start. I timed my departure to coincide with low tide in Lincoln City, OR (a town on the coast known for having amazing tide pools). I accessed the beach at Road's End State Park, where there just happened to be a surfing competition taking place. Neat!

The sky was perfectly clear, and the water was so blue that off in the horizon the sky and water seemed to join together. I began by walking with my feet in the water, but it was ice cold (typical of Oregon at this time of year) so I retreated back onto the damp sand. There really aren't people that swim in the ocean right now...and if there are, the people are wearing wetsuits to stay warm. I kept walking until I found some rock formations...and I was greeted with very pleasant surprises. The rocks were covered in mussels and starfish! It was so neat. During high tide, these rocks aren't accessible on the sand. But during low tide, you can walk right up to them and explore. It's great. I decided to be daring and tough a mussel...and then a starfish...and then all of a sudden, I was feeling a whole bunch of mussels and starfish! They all felt the same, so I don't know why I was so inclined to touch everything. It was probably just the joy fascination of actually being able to touch a starfish in the wild. Soooo neat! The starfish were beautiful...some were red, some purple, some orange, all really cool.

I spent more than a couple of hours at the beach, observing and loving every minute of it. But then I decided I needed to head out...I had a lot of other things to see and places to visit!

I headed south into Lincoln City; I didn't stop in town...not wanting to spend money at any of the touristy shops, I was here to see the coast! South of town, I stopped at Sieltz Bay. This bay is known for being home to hundreds of harbor seals. After finding a place to park (this place way busy!), I walked down onto the sand to explore. The best way that I can think of to describe this place is a cemetery for driftwood...tons and tons of old logs that had drifted back onto shore. It smelled awesome, not because of the sea spray, but because there were a lot of families that had brought their mini-grills to grill lunches on. I found a nice spot on a driftwood log to enjoy my lunch (I had packed a peanut butter sandwich and trailmix). I have to admit, I was a little dissappointed that I didn't see any harbor seals here...that's why I had stopped. I was really concentrating on my sandwich (it tasted so good...I love JIF peanut butter), when all of a sudden I heard a really weird noise. I had no idea what it was, and it kindof scared me. As I looked up, I noticed at least a hundred harbor seals laying on the sand right across the bay from me. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! How had I missed this?! I have no idea. Apparently, they were sneaky and quiet and wanting to hide when I first arrived at the bay. All of a sudden, my sandwich wasn't as interesting. The seals looked so funny when they flopped around on the sand, and so cute as they played in the water. I was so happy that I got to see them :)

After lunch with the harbor seals, I continued my drive down Hwy 101, right along the coast. I stopped at one viewpoint, Boiler Bay, that was absolutely breathtaking. Great views of the coast, cliffs, and a cave down below that I would've loved to explore if I had more time.



I stopped at another viewpoint along the way (I never found out what it was called) with great views of Newport, OR and the lighthouse that I would visit later on.

Next stop...the Devil's Punchbowl. This unique geographical formation was created when the roof of an ocean cave collapsed, revealing a bowl that fills at high tide and empties at low tide. It was still relatively close to low tide when I stopped here, so the bowl was pretty empty. It was still really awesome though. In a bay area just below and south of the Devil's Punchbowl, at least twenty surfers were waiting to catch a wave in the ocean. I saw a couple of them get up...so neat.

















Before heading into Newport, I stopped at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. This is a state park with a LIGHTHOUSE (and I had to pay $7 to get into this one, but it was totally worth it). I visited the Visitor's Center to read a little bit about the history of the lighthouse, then drove out to the lighthouse itself. Since it was a Saturday, this place was slightly busy, too (however, not as busy as I had anticipated). This lighthouse was built around 1870, and is the tallest lighthouse in the state of Oregon. It was remodeled just a few years ago to bring it back to it's original condition...whitewashed and everything. As I waited in line to climb to the top, the guide (I don't know if I should call her a park ranger or not...she was dressed up in turn-of-the-century attire and wore a bonnet, but she was the employee in charge of guests visiting the lighthouse) warned everyone about how high of a climb it was. I wasn't too concerned, though...three months ago, I had just climbed to the town of a church tower in Munich that was at least twice as tall as this, not to mention that wicked 1.25 mile hike up to the top of Multnohmah Falls last weekend. I know I'd be ok :)
The view from the top of the lighthouse were incredible. Only one person was allowed at the very top at a time, so it was neat to be able to have that moment to myself to enjoy the view.

Outside the lighthouse, the rocky cliff beneath offered more great views of the coast. There was a trail with stairs at the end that led down to the ocean. I walked down the steps, and stepped onto Cobble Beach. Although there is no sand on this beach, and it's very hard to walk on, I think Cobble Beach may be one of my favorites. There are tons of black stones on the shoreline, so every step is very unstable, and I wouldn't recommend walking on this beach if you have weak ankles. The sound that the waves make was they roll across the stones is very unique. Every time a wave would go out and I'd hear the distinct smile, I couldn't help but smile and beam with enjoyment. Since the stones are black, they were very warm from the sunshine. I sat and enjoyed the beach for quite awhile, listening to the waves and watching the tide come in. Before leavin the park, I took a road that led my down to Quarry Cove. This is an old rock quarry that filled with ocean water and was returned to it's natural ocean beauty. I was the only one in this cove. It was so neat, and so peaceful.

Although I didn't want to leave, I knew it was time to venture on my journey. I only had a couple of hours to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium before they closed...and I really wanted to see this aquarium. I'd heard that it was super. To get there, I had to drive all the way through Newport and then cross over an old, neat-looking bridge. I found it, bought my admission ticket, and then started observing aquatic life. I saw sea otters, harbor seals, an octopus, sharks, birds, weird-looking fish, starfish, anemoneas, sea urchins, jellyfish...if it lives in the ocean, I probably saw it. I had a nice chat with an older fellow who was volunteering at the aquarium about the eating habits of starfish. Apparently, their stomach comes outside of their body when they eat their food. And they are extreme preditors...they can eat fish! I never knew! As we were talking, I even got to see a starfish "walk"...very, very slowly, of course. I stayed until the aquarium closed, and then continued on my way.

South Beach, just south of Newport, is home to some incredible, undisturbed sand dunes. Motor vehicles aren't allowed on this beach to play in the dunes, so they remain in their natural state. This beach was quiet, and different from the other beached I had seen throughout the day. I nestled myself in between a couple of dunes, where the wind couldn't get me, and buried my toes in the warm sand. I read my book for awhile, enjoyed the ocean view and sound of the waves, and was completely content. It really was the perfect day. I'll admit, I was a little bummed that I hadn't seen any whales off of the coast...but I had been fortunate enough to see so many other fantastic things that I wasn't that bummed out.

Around 7:15pm, I headed into Newport to walk through their Bayfront District. This area of town was located in the bay, with a great view of the bridge that I had driven across. There were a lot of shops and a few restaurants, lot of fishing boats (and the associated fishy smell...eww!), and docks where harbor seals sometimes sunbathe. I visited a candy store, and bought $1.50 worth of salt water taffy in flavors like strawberry, rocky road, chocolate mint, peach, and coconut. I went into a couple of art galleries, and saw a lot of amazing pieces by local artists. There are a lot of glass studios along the coast, and I think glass art is absolutely fantastic. I enjoyed looking in the shops, but I knew that the sun was setting around 9pm, and I wanted the perfect view for a sunset...time to head back to the coast.

I drove north, and decided to watch the sunset from the cliffs at Boiler Bay. I was the only person there who left the comfort of my car to sit on the grass...which made it even more serene. I brought my blanket and cozied up to see the beautiful colors. As I was sitting, watching the ocean below, I saw a spout...water shot right up in the air. I saw it again...and then I saw a back. I was seeing a whale! Right below me!!! I knew my perfect day was complete. I disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared, but I had seen a whale. Incredible. I watched for about half an hour as the sun set down below the horizon. I have to admit, I don't think I can remember actually just sitting and enjoying an entire sunset before...it was a wonderful thing to do.

I drove the couple hours home, my perfect day now complete. I love this state.

Rotation Week #2: Complete!

It's been awhile since my last update...oops!

Thursday was fairly non-eventful. Went to the pharmacy...spent most of the day on research, and then encapsulated for a bit. That evening, I was so tired and, therefore, lazy. Not much to report.

Friday was a great day. I was so excited to be finishing up the work week (two weeks in, and I already live for the weekends...sad!). Research, prepared a solution, encapsulated a solution made of vitamin E and hormones, and then a made a couple of suspensions. It was a gorgeous day outside after work, so rather than take the bus to where I get on the Max, I decided to walk (it's just over a half mile...not far at all). I took a few photos of the city from the middle of the Burnside Bridge (downtown is on the west side, I work on the east side). It was the first day since I'd begun work that the sky was clear enough to see snow-capped Mount Hood. Beautiful.

Before boarding the Max, I stopped at VooDoo Doughnuts for a treat to reward myself for surviving week two of rotations. This time, I chose to try the Grape Ape doughnut...it was purple (with sprinkles!) and sugary, and I think there was even some marshmallow cream mixed in with the frosting. Oh, and it tasted like grape bubblegum. Yum. I didn't eat it right away; instead, I boarded the Max and went to the International Rose Test Garden.

I arrived at Washington Park, and then took the shuttle from there to the Rose Garden. It smelled just as fabulous as it did when Allison and I had visited. And the roses were gorgeous, as expected. I wandered through the garden for a bit, then found a nice quiet place to sit and enjoy my doughnut. I had my book with me, too, and reading in the garden was quite fantastic. Just as I was about to leave, I got a phone call from Maggie...my roomie and BFF. We talked about our rotation weeks and what we had going on over the weekend. It was so great to talk to her...I miss her a lot.


Back in Forest Grove, I made pasta for dinner. I also planned my trip to the coast for Saturday. I was so exhausted, I was asleep by 10:30pm.

Chillin' in the Grove

I'm already a week and a half complete with my first rotation...hard to believe I only have three and a half weeks left! The time is going to fly by, I just know it!

Tuesday brought with it a typical day at the pharmacy - half of the day doing research/working on my project, half of the day encapsulating. After work, the weather had turned gorgeous. The sky was clear and so blue, and temps were in the upper 70s. Fabulous. I rode the MAX home, made dinner, and then went on a date with myself :)

There is a McMenamin's property in Forest Grove, just a few blocks from the apartment I'm staying at. I had seen it (it's called the Grand Lodge) as I drove to and from work everyday, but I just thought it was a hotel. Turns out it is also has a movie theater, and on Tuesday nights they only charge $2 to see what's playing. They play movies that have been out a little while, not brand new ones, but that's totally cool with me. And it's not your typical movie theater...it's located in a historic building - really old, kindof creaky, super neat. And rather than having stadium-style seating, they have chairs and tables. Before going to the movie, patrons can order food or buy drinks and bring them into the theater to enjoy during the show. I saw "I Love You, Man." Funny movie. I had a great time, and the atmosphere was just so neat!

This morning (Wednesday), I had a very hard time getting out of bed. Waking up by 5:30am is just soooo not fun! I made it into Portland, as usual, and then was greeted with a suprise. The public transit of Portland was celebrating giving their 100 millionth ride today, so they were giving out all kinds of free stuff. Notepads, mints, umbrellas, cellphone grippers, monthly bus pass holders. I chose an umbrella. It's a good quality umbrella, too...not a cheap thing. And the design on it is really kindof cool...it's a city scene with busses and such (appropriate for celebrating public transit...ha!). I like it. The women at the pharmacy were jealous of my sweet new umbrella, I think.

Work today was awesome. I spent the entire day in the lab (yay!!!) and none on research. I hope I don't have to spend the entire day tomorrow researching. That would be so not fun. But anyways, in the lab I worked with one of the most awesome pharmacy tech's I've ever met. She's so smart, and fun, and a little bit crazy :) And I got to do more than just encapsulating today! Actually, I didn't even encapsulate once today. I made a couple suspensions, a syrup, packaged ointments, made suppositories, and finished the day making troches. It was great, and the day went by so fast.

After the commute home, I headed to downtown Forest Grove for the Farmer's Market that they have every Wednesday afternoon. I was on a quest for some fresh strawberries. I completed that mission, and found some fresh raspberries, too :) And I've learned that with these fresh berries, you have to eat them fast, because they don't stay good for very long. This is a great thing, though, because it means I don't need to ration my berry-eating.

The weather is supposed to continue to be great for the rest of the week and through the weekend. Yay!

Another fabulous weekend...

Have I mentioned yet that I love Oregon?! Probably only about a million times by now, huh?

Sunday morning was fantastic - I got to sleep in! Until almost 10am! It was great. Then I made myself a nice breakfast of chocolate chip pancakes and hashbrowns. Yummy. By the time I had myself ready to go for the day, it was almost noon...but I didn't feel guilty, because I had really enjoyed my morning. As I got in my car to run some quick errands, the song "Jessica" by the Allman Brothers came on the radio. Since my dad always gives me a call when he hears that song, I decided that it was my turn to call him and wish him a happy Father's Day. Happy Father's Day, Dad!

After my errands were taken care of, I decided to sample some local wines at a nearby vineyard/winery. I drove the five or so miles from the apartment to Montinore Estate and Vineyard. It was beautiful. Besides walking through a vineyard to get to a hostel in Germany seven years ago, I'd never visited a vineyard or winery...this was so exciting to me! I will admit, though, it was a little awkward at first being the only person there who wasn't part of a "couple," but I still enjoyed myself. I walked into the tasting room and was greeted with live music, played by a jazz trio. They sounded great...it really set a classy mood to the place (as if the wine and atmosphere didn't do that enough already!). I walked up to the tasting bar, and the bartender (I don't know if that's the appropriate term for the guy, but it's what I'm going to call him) explained to me how the tasting worked. He handed me a list of the wines that they had available, and I was supposed to choose five that I wanted to try. I began with the 2007 Pinot Gris (a fantastic, basic white wine), continued with the 2008 Borealis (my favorite! a blend of Muller-Thurgan, Gewurtztraminer, and Pinot Gris), then tried the 2007 Reserve Pinot Noir (which I didn't care for very much), next the 2007 Syrah "Columbian Valley" (which I did enjoy, suprising since it was a red wine), and finished with the 2007 Riesling Sweet Reserve (a fantastic dessert wine). After my sampling, I bought a glass of the Borealis and sat at a hightop table, enjoying the light jazz music for awhile.

After the trip to the winery, I headed into Forest Grove to stroll through the downtown area. I hadn't checked out that area on foot yet, and decided that it was about time I did. I stopped into an ice cream shop on a corner downtown, and ordered a turkey sandwich to eat for a late lunch. The waitress laughed at me a little bit, saying I liked my sandwich just like her daughter - plain, with just turkey, swiss, and lettuce (except her daughter spiced things up a bit more than me by adding mayo). The place was really cute, decorated with a Coke-a-Cola theme. I'll have to go back for an ice cream cone some other time - they have a ton of flavors!

When I had finished my sandwich, I continued strolling downtown. Most businesses were closed (it was a Sunday, after all), but I was able to go in and browse at a neat antique shop for awhile. Originally, it was supposed to rain all day, but the sun was out and it was warming up, so I decided to head to the coast for the rest of the day.

Instead of visiting my favorite, Cannon Beach, I decided to check out a different town. So I went to Seaside, Oregon. This town was a bit more touristy and crowded...I still prefer Cannon Beach. My first stop in town was the aquarium, where I fed chopped up fish (yes, real dead raw fish, and yes, I did touch them with my bare hands....ew!) to some sea lions, touched a few starfish and anemonea, and watched an octopus for awhile. It was a neat place, right on the beach.

After I had thoroughly washed my hands, I grabbed my beach blanket and book and headed to the sand. I walked along the edge of the water for awhile, but my feet started to freeze because the water felt ice cold. I ended up cozying up with my blanket next to a big piece of driftwood and reading my book. Right now I'm reading "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert - if you haven't read it yet, you definitely should, because it is fantastic. Before leaving town, I walked through the tourist district with many shops and restaurants and food vendors, just looking around. Then I drove home, as it started to rain. It had been a fun, busy day, and a fabulous weekend exploring my part of the state.

Monday, it was time for me to get back to the grind of rotations. Research and encapsulating. It was super. After work, I took the bus/walked to Trader Joe's for some apples and chocolate soy milk (I'm so addicted to that stuff! I drink almost a quart a day! That's trouble...). Once I had arrived back to my car in Hillsboro, I headed to The Human Bean to have a cup of chai tea and work on some paperwork. It's now almost bedtime, and I am exhausted!

Wonderful Waterfall Weekend

Not only does the fantastic state of Oregon have many beautiful forests and mountains, along with a breathtaking view of the ocean, but it also offers several misty waterfalls that are absolutely majestic!

First of all, I better update you on my Friday. At my rotation, I spent most of the day in the lab encapsulating and preparing powders for encapsulation. I also spent a couple of hours working on my first project - an overview of testosterone use in women (mainly its dosing and formulations). I'm learning that I really don't enjoy doing research, but I know I'll be really good at it by the time this rotation is complete (since half of my day is usually spent reading through drug studies and journal articles...exciting stuff). While I was working in the lab after lunch, I got to thinking how it was almost sad that my first rotation week was just about over - it means that I only have four weeks left here in Portland, and I'm loving this city so much that I don't think I'll be ready to leave in just four weeks! But then I thought, if I love it so much, I can just come back...I don't have to move away forever in four weeks...I could move back in a year if I wanted to. And that thought made me really excited for the future. Who knows where I'll end up one year from now?! I'm not sure yet, but I know where ever I pick will need to be awesome (and OR is definitely awesome). But, I do still have a lot of other rotations left, and another neat state to check out (CO is just five short weeks away!), so we'll have to wait and see what happens :)

Friday night, I was exhausted from my busy week, so I decided to be a bum. I snacked on sweet potato chips and spicy hummus with crackers for supper (I didn't feel like cooking). I watched television for awhile. I enjoyed my nice quiet evening.

This morning (Saturday) I slept in until 9:30am, which was a very nice change from my normal 5:30am alarm. Had a quick breakfast and shower, and then headed on my way to Sandy, OR. One of my good friends and fellow pharmacy classmate, Steve, is also doing a rotation in Oregon right now, and we had decided to hang out for a bit this weekend. It took me about an hour and twenty minutes to get to Sandy, where I met Steve outside the Walgreen's he's working at. I then followed him to his uncle's house, so that I could see this amazing place where he's staying out in the wilderness. It's a good thing he let me follow him, because there was absolutely no way I'd ever have found his uncle's place on my own! We drove along a windy road with many turns and dips (it was so fun to drive on!), then on an unpaved narrow road with lots of trees and ferns and such. Oh, and I can't forget to mention that it's part of the old Oregon Trail. Neat, huh? I think so. His uncle's place is fantastic. Out in the remote wilderness (or so it seemed, even though it's really only a few miles out of town), with a river and waterfall right in the backyard. Steve likes to go fishing there, but you have to basically repel down the steep embankment to get down to the river, and it's too dangerous for me (or so I was told, and I would agree).

The first stop on our Saturday drive was a place in Sandy called Joe's Donut Shop. Steve had told me about this place (actually, he had raved to me about it, saying that it was the best doughnut shop ever), and we both decided that we were hungry enough to stop. As promised, my doughnut was excellent. We then continued on our journey.




Steve and I drove along the Columbia River Gorge, and then took an exit to drive along a historic highway. Allison and I had driven along a short portion of this highway when we first got to Oregon, but we didn't really stop and see much. Today, Steve and I were going to see a few waterfalls, and do a bit of hiking. The first landmark that we came to was the Vista House, an old rest stop on the top of a bluff on overlooks the Columbia River Gorge. The Vista House, though, wasn't a typical rest stop. It was fancy...the bathroom stalls were made out of marble! Our vantage point greeted us with spectacular views. Gorgeous :)

Next stop on the historic highway - Latourell Falls. This waterfall was pretty, and just a short walk from the road.

We continued on, and stopped to see the Bridal Veil waterfalls. We had to hike a little bit to see the Bridal Veil (2/3 mile or so roundtrip), but it was worth it. The sound of the rush of the falls is so fantastic and powerful...I love it.

The next stop was the famous Multnomah Falls. Since today was a Saturday during summer, it was pretty busy. But we were still able to enjoy the beauty of the falls. After taking a few pictures at the bottom, we walked up to the bridge that overlooks a higher part of the falls (just a short hike, around 0.2 miles on a paved trail). The mist that sprayed us here was refreshing, and made me so happy again that I was in Oregon experiencing the outdoors. At this point, we decided it would be fun to hike up to the very top of the falls (a long way up). According to a sign, this hike was only a mile up. Well, the sign lied. It was actually a mile and a quarter. Normally, this quarter mile wouldn't have bothered me. But this hike was hard! The grade was incredibly steep, and made me sweat. Gross. I really shouldn't complain, though, because the scenery was terrific, the top of the falls were worth the trek up, and the 1.25 miles back down were a piece of cake. I can't forget to mention that we saw girls hiking up who must have been insane...I saw two girls wearing heels! And not just short heels - they were wearing 3 inch heels! Who does that?! Insane girls, that's who. But anyways, Multnomah Falls were beautiful.






After seeing some of Oregon's waterfalls, and especially after that hike, Steve and I had gotten pretty thirsty. So since we were in Oregon, what better way to quench our thirst was there than by visiting a local winery/brewery? We stopped at McMenamin's Edgefield. It was almost like a mini-resort here, with a hotel, winery, brewery, theater, spa, soaking pool, pub, golf course, etc. Very cute place. As we explored a little bit, we passed a porch with two guys sitting outside in their bathrobes, both smoking cigars, sitting in rocking chairs and listening to what sounded like Peter Frampton (or some other musician who plays with a voice box). They were a funny sight. We laughed. Later, we saw them again, but this time they were walking around the grounds in their robes. We laughed again.

We found the wine tasting room, but it was busy and we really didn't want to wait around for samples. Instead, we headed to the pub for dinner and beer. Good decision. We both ordered burgers to eat (which were delicious), Steve ordered a Terminator Stout (very dark beer, tasted a bit like coffee), and I had a Ruby (a light, crisp, fruity, raspberry beer...that was pink). Good food, good drinks, and good company.

From there, we headed back to Sandy, where we then parted ways. I came home, relaxed, listened to music, did laundry, and drank chocolate soymilk (I think I like the soymilk from Trader Joe's so much because it almost has a malt-like flavor to it, which I find very enjoyable). Not sure yet what tomorrow has in store for me, but I'm excited to find out!

T.h.u.r.s.da.y.

Quick update...no pictures today, either. Sorry!

Same basic routine - commute in, spend 8 hours rotation-ing, spend a bit of time in the city, head home. At work today, I did a lot of research on the use of the hormone oxytocin in women for purposes other than inducing labor. Not a lot of evidence on this topic, but I found what I could. Then I worked with one of the technicians to develop a sublingual oxytocin tablet. We had a basic "recipe", but needed to calculate the amount of each ingredient, and work on developing a procedure. We weren't able to perfect the process or tablet before the end of the day, so I think the project will continue tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it :)

After work, I decided to find the Trader Joe's in Portland. I had talked to a guy a few days earlier, who told me that there was one near 21st and W Burnside (I had seen him carrying a T.J. bag, and asked if there was one nearby). So I headed in that general direction, and spent a long time wandering around neighborhoods and around city blocks. Finally, I asked someone for directions...turns out I was really close. After about 35 minutes of searching, I found Trader Joe's! And just FYI, Trader Joe's has the best chocolate soy milk in the whole wide world - I love it.

Another exciting thing happened while I was on this quest...I found one of the cutest neighborhoods in the city. There are really cute Victorian-style apartment houses, an artisan bakery, and several little restaurants and cafes. Oh, and there is a Trader Joe's in that neighborhood, which makes it even better :)

The commute home wasn't eventful. I think I'm starting to get used to it. Another quiet evening at home with an early bedtime sounds good to me. Tomorrow's Friday...it's almost the weekend!

And the work week continues...

I must warn you up front...now that my rotation has officially begun, there isn't going to be as much for me to write about and therefore, I won't be updating QD (that's "every day" in pharmacy slang...haha).

Tuesday my workday began at 8am. This means that I had to leave the apartment shortly before 6:30am. Yuck! But, I better get used to it, because my schedule is basically 8-4:30 M-F. Not a bad schedule, if the commute didn't make me have to get up so early! Oh well. I enjoy being able to take the MAX - not having to deal with traffic and parking is so super :)

I spent my morning (well, the first 6.5 hours of my shift) researching testosterone supplementation in women. Lots, LOTS, of reading. But I learned a lot about dosing, formulations, side effects, benefits....and so on. The last hour and a half, I was able to hang out in the lab. I observed a technician calculating and preparing a powder mixture that would later be encapsulated. She was really nice and energetic, and we had a good time working together. Have I mentioned yet that I love the people at this rotation? Because I really do.

After commuting home, Allison and I attempted to make the trek back into the city together. Unfortunately, we missed the MAX by about a minute. Taking the next one would have gotten us into the city too late to see the attraction that we wanted to visit (the Portland Aerial Tram). We were both a bit upset that it didn't work out. Instead, we just went home. That turned out to be ok, though, because I needed to figure out how to get to the airport the next morning, do some homework, and get to bed early. Allison was flying out in the morning.

This morning (Wednesday) was an early one. We woke up at 3:20am. It was miserable being awake that early. We left at 3:45am, and were able to take the MAX all the way to the airport (only having to transfer lightrails once). We got her boarding pass, and then headed to security. There we said our goodbyes...sadness. We definitely made some good memories on this trip together :)

I had some time before I needed to be to work, so I found a coffee shop where I could purchase some caffeine and breakfast. At work by 8am, and I garbed up for the lab right away. My morning was spent encapsulating powder mixtures. It was a lot harder than it looked...and definitely requires some technique. I made two batches of 100 capsules. Besides the fact that I had to wear my Darth Vader-like mask that made breathing seem very constricted, it was fun. The afternoon was spent researching, today about estriol, and also about compounding legality issues.

Four-thirty came around, and it was time to commute home. The MAX was super full, so I had to stand for awhile. I always feel adventurous when I have to stand on the lightrail. Then when I finally found a seat, it was next to a sleeping guy. Turns out he wasn't sleeping...he was drunk and passed out. By 5pm. Bum. He wasn't bothering anyone, and I rode home patiently. But then he started moving - first he tried to put his feet up on the lap of a woman sitting close to him. She yelled at him, and then switched seats. Then he fell over onto my shoulder. I had to push him off, and then I went back to standing. He did end up waking up and getting off...finally.

I made it home, and have had an enjoyable, relaxing evening. Definitely going to bed early tonight - tomorrow is sure to come early again. Sorry, no photos today. I'll have to take some pics of my pharmacy to post someday soon.

My First Day of My First Rotation!

Today was the big day...the reason why I am in Portland...rotation numero uno began!

I'll admit, I was a bit nervous. I didn't quite know what to expect, not to mention there's always some degree of apprehensiveness attached when one begins a new adventure. I began my morning routine and took the MAX into town, then successfully boarded my bus across the bridge. By 9am, I was meeting my peers at Lloyd's Center Pharmacy. Everyone was very welcoming...the whole crew seems like such a fun bunch! My rotation began with a tour of the pharmacy (the breakroom, the 795 lab, the 797 lab, the office area, etc), followed by viewing of a few compounding safety videos. I then spent the rest of the morning reading through three chapters of the United States Pharmacopeia/National Formulary, working through a few pharmaceutical calculations towards the end. Fun, fun! Lunch time, then I garbed up (with a gown, booties, hair bonnet, gloves, face mask, and hepa-filter mask) and headed into the lab. One of the expert technicians showed me around, and preceeded to show me their compounding process. It was interesting...I know I'm going to learn a lot on this rotation, and be a pro at compounding by the time I'm finished in Portland! Before the day was over, I had helped compound a suspension (an antibiotic powder ground up very fine and put into a liquid vehicle that needs to be shaken before the patient takes his/her dose). This particular patient was a bird, and we flavored it grape so that the suspension would taste better and be easier for the pet owner to get the bird to swallow. Nothing too complicated. Around 4:30pm, the pharmacist gave me a journal article to read as homework (oh great, homework on the first day!) and told me that I could head home early. Tomorrow I get to spend more time in the lab...sweet!

I rode the MAX home, and Allison and I cooked supper together. Chicken, corn on the cob, and potatoes... yummy. Later in the evening, we headed to a local coffee shop with free wifi, where Allison surfed the web and I did my homework. The coffee shop, The Human Bean, was a really neat place. And relatively inexpensive...two small mochas for $5. I got a punch card :)

Back at home now...heading to bed early. From now on, I work 8am-4:30pm shifts. Early mornings :( but evenings free from work :)

Tomorrow is Allison's last full day here in Oregon...we plan on heading into the city tomorrow night so that she can say goodbye to Portland. I can't believe we've been here a week already!

Our Excellent Adventure

Interesting, adventuresome, unexpected.

Today we ventured back into the big city. Although we had a planned itinerary and strict schedule to follow, things didn't seem to work out quite the way we had expected. The morning started out simple enough, taking the Max into Portland and deboarding at the Skidmore Fountain. Here we found the Portland Saturday Market, located in the Chinatown/Old Town District and right along the Williamette River. This market happens every weekend from March through Christmas Eve on both Saturdays and Sundays, and showcases hundreds of artists, musicians, and food vendors. Allison and I had a great time walking through the many, many booths, admiring ceramics, paintings, jewelry, screen-printed tshirts by local artists, soaps, handbags...just about anything and everything! We each found a necklace at one particular booth. The pendants are gorgeous...and made from a ceramic mixture that contains ash from Mount St. Helen's eruption in 1980. For $5 a piece, we think we got a pretty good deal. Allison also found a screen-printed tshirt designed by a local artist who looked about our age (probably younger than me, though, and older than her...maybe more Michelle's age. Who knows? But he was young). The entire atmosphere at the market was a lot of fun. There were drummers beating sticks on old buckets next to the fountain...a saxophone player down by the river...a diverse population of visitors to the market..so many sights, sounds, and smells to take in! For lunch, Allison and I shared a meal of sesame chicken with white rice. And I was able to find a bubble tea (yum!) to drink.

One thing I forgot to mention earlier - this weekend was the weekend of the Portland Pride Festival. Today was the day of the festival's parade downtown. We saw some things we've never seen before...mainly a bunch of scantily clad cross-dressing men. Interesting, to say the least. Allison and I did have a chat with a couple festival participants as we crossed a street once...Allison told one man that he was beautiful, and he replied with, "Oh thanks, honey! You're beautiful!" Downtown was very busy sporting it's rainbow colors today, but we decided to skip the parade.

So anyways, after the Portland Saturday Market, Allison and I needed to board a bus to head to the western edge of town to visit Pittock Mansion. However, due to it being Sunday AND there being a festival in town, bus schedules were all messed up and our bus never came or we missed it or something. Rather than waiting around for who-knows-how-long, we decided to walk. Twenty-three blocks (minimum). Genius. We made it about 18 blocks, and then we came upon a bus stop with a bus driver waiting there. Turns out, he was just waiting to start his shift driving the bus that we needed to get on. Yay! We chatted with him while we waited for the bus to come. He was super nice...has two kids that are both going to college to be teachers, used to live in Alaska and Colorado, enjoys the mild winters in Portland...pleasant fellow. When the bus arrived, we boarded and headed towards the mansion. Our good luck couldn't last forever, though. Turns out, Bus 20 has two routes - the short route and the long route. We were on the short route, and needed to be on the long route. Bummer. So we got off (by this time, we were out of town a little ways, on a curvy road that lead up a forested hill) and began walking again. We didn't quite know where we were going, but we had a map and a general idea, so we progressed onwards. After receiving a little help from a kind woman driving a BMW, we made it to the mansion...finally!

The Pittock Mansion was completed in 1914, and overlooks the city of Portland. The rooms inside are absolutely gorgeous. We saw several bedrooms, the sewing room, the music room, the dining room, the social room, the kitchen, the refrigeration room, many bathrooms, and a grand staircase, all exquisitely furnished. Outside, the grounds have beautiful flowers and neatly trimmed lawns and trails. There was a wedding party being photographed outside, and another photo shoot going on, too. The views of the city and the river were amazing!













To get back to the bus stop, we had to complete a half mile hike through the forest and down the hill on a dirt path. Allison and I, both wearing sandals, were obviously well prepared. Somehow, we made it. Our feet were dirty and sore. And we had to wait about a half hour. But finally, the bus did come. I don't think I'm really doing an adequate job of describing how much our bus hassles had drained us of energy, but we were both exhausted! We made it back to the MAX, rode it to our stop, and then made a quick stop at Trader Joe's for some groceries before heading home.

After preparing tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, ironing my scrubs for the week, and preparing for tomorrow, it's finally time to call it a day. Rotation #1 begins at promptly 9am tomorrow...wish me luck!

Just Chillin'

Plain and simple - Saturday was pretty uneventful. It was a day to rest and get things done that needed to be done. We slept in. I had a quick meeting with the apartment managers, wrote out objectives for my rotation, and had lunch. Exciting :)

In the evening, we took a trip to FedEx-Kinko's so that I could print out my rotation objectives. Believe it or not, right next door to FedEx-Kinko's is a Trader Joe's (my favorite grocery store in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!). I've never lived this close to a Trader Joe's before! They have great food (a lot of natural and organic foods) for a very low price...lower prices than what I would pay at an average grocery store. Now I know where to go shopping when I need food! I was beyond just a little excited, and I'm pretty sure Allison thinks I'm crazy. She just doesn't know what it's like to have a favorite grocery store yet. We're going shopping there tomorrow, so that I can get food to pack lunches. More good news - there's a Park and Ride lot for the Max really close to Trader Joe's, so I can park there on the days that I need to go grocery shopping after work. Super!

Then we ate a quick supper at Jack In The Box. Neither Allison nor myself had ever been to one...and we discovered that it was just basic, run of the mill fast food. Both of us ate for about seven bucks. Nice.

We continued our lazy day by coming back to the apartment, where I proceeded to plan our itinerary for tomorrow. I think we've got some pretty fun stuff in store for us :)

At 10pm, we drove into neighboring Cornelius to catch the late night showing of "Hangover" at the local theater. The movie provided us both with some good laughs, even though the humor was a bit crude at times. Now, we're back at the apartment and I'm finishing up laundry. Soon it'll be time to crawl into bed...yay sleep!