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August 25, 2008

Satisfaction and Pride-garb

Ten things that gave me satisfaction today:

The popping noise made when plucking seed pods from the marigold plants.
The icy-cold can of coke in my hand
The sudden and brief downpour during which I got locked out of the house
The silent drive home from the car-repair shop
The cool and juicy tomato straight from a rain-soaked plant
The answer "estate" to the clue "will content"
The homemade oreos with milk
The bike ride to Jim and Patty's coffee shop
The tiny paper airplanes that doubled as packing peanuts
The glass planter now filled with plump little succulents

Something totally unrelated, but on my mind...

Before I left southern California, particularly the Biola area, I was shopping in Albertson's and saw a couple of sweatshirts with bold lettering across the front that read "La Mirada." I was tempted for a moment to buy one because I get sentimental like that and look for ways to hold on to places and people and things. But it was only a very brief moment because then I realized how cheap and silly it would be to have a La Mirada shirt. "Plus," I told myself, "nobody HERE would ever wear this so it must be a stupid tourist thing..." And it's true: unless you are on a college campus or just visiting, you don't wear clothing that brags of your whereabouts.

Unless, I'm learning, you live in Portland. I have seen more pro-Portland shirts worn by residents than anywhere I have ever lived. There's "Bike Portland," "I heart Portland," "Portland - please recycle or we'll kick your ass," not to mention the practically mandatory oregon state bumper sticker with a green heart in the middle. People seriously LOVE this place and this city. And I understand why, but it's still very interesting to see the sort of pride that I am used to getting from students on a college campus.

Posted by libbystokes at 09:26 PM | Comments (0)