Day 364

although today is day three hundred sixty four, this sunday day does mark the one year anniversary when it comes to aligning the days of the week. incredible, man. who would have thought all this was possible way back on day one.


but here's the second half of the reason i put up that 'so west coast' babble yesterday.

since settling in portland i've been continually finding that most of the people in this young adult crew from imago dei are not portlanders. they've moved here for school or for fun or in pursuit of the kind of community mentioned in a six year old, popular christian book. the hipster culture is alive here as well through these fixie-ridiing, v-neck shirting, yamaka beanie skinnies who play pinball and vinyl records. the art and music scenes as a whole is saturated with creative, eclectic, and interesting people. this part i like.

the neighbors' friend wandered to our front porch yesterday afternoon where i sat with a guitar. she asked if i could play any bonnie riatt and, since i can, she sat down and sang angel of montgomery and i wondered if, in her visiting mind, she considered me one of the boys in the house that are indefinitely known as portlanders. today i wonder if we're all pretty much fake when it comes to fitting the scene here. but everyone probably is. you really can be appear to be anything you want and that is a very dangerous thing because the amount of people who are able and knowledgeable to keep you accountable seems to grow smaller and smaller as life and relationships continue to expand.

but now that i'm over the whole hipster culture [and i should mention that the realms of all other middle class and outdoor adventurers and educators etc are alive here too. i'm just experiencing the aforementioned closest]- and consequently because of the vibes that i once carried after reading one six year old, popular christian book- i'm starting to find a flow in this mix of people and music and art and coffee and bookstores even if chrome messenger bags and stubby cyclist caps are inevitable stitches in the fabric.

in the park yesterday a friend told me how they felt that their life before leaving colorado for portland had seemed like a frustrating intake of knowledge and religious mindset. the whole 'religion vs spirituality' quest is sadly starting to become a more and more difficult clique to appropriate even though its no less valid or important. i can understand, then, through my own perspective and of this friend's story, how portland as a location and community has become less of a distant mental place and more of an epicenter for hipster generation pilgrims who's mecca has prodded the pursuit for outflow of genuine life and for seeking the aspects of spirituality and this community.


sorry to have all these fragments but the last parts of today turned out to be pretty sweet. we went to a massive goodwill this afternoon and i got two baseball gloves and a major league baseball for under ten dollars. what a steal. housemate andy and i rode our bikes like seven year old kids to the nearest field to play catch.

then much later after heading solo to powell's bookstore and staying until eleven p.m. closing time, i hopped back on my bike and zipped through the empty downtown streets. these wanderings eventually brought me to a connecting route to the bike path. under this overpass i found a massive collection of hippies with percussion instruments. one guy told me that they come every sunday night. my back pocket notebook is filled with a double backed page of notes and observations that i'll probably use to reword and remember the midnight beats under that bridge.