Sunday evening, tired feet and calves......eyes burning. I need to take out the contact lenses. Sleep will feel amazing tonight. I love to sleep.
One week ago I was in Portland for a couple of days. Got some vareniki (basically pierogi) at Pelmeni Pelmeni, a food cart located at Hawthorne Asylum. The way they make them is smaller than the pierogi I am used to and they serve them with some red tomato (?) sauce/paste. This food cart is popular, I had to wait for my order but that is OK. I really like food carts. I had some borscht too, served with a slice of dark bread. My Mom's Polish barszcz is better (of course).
Driving through Sellwood I saw this sign and I had to stop and investigate. What is this? Another pierogi place?
Next time I am in Portland on a Saturday I will go and try the "perogies" at St. Johns (a church). I will hunt down every place that serves pierogis in Portland!
Guess what I made for dinner tonight? Yup - pierogis.
Can't visist Portland without a visit to Stumptown for a latte.
Tati the local pierogi guide has spoken. Keeping up on the latest pierogi news is exhausting.
I almost did not go to Burning Man this year......so how did that happen? I have been going since 2013 after all. I guess a break once in a while can be a good thing but the intention was to go and not to take a break.
I got my Burning Man ticket the day the general sale took place, back in April. The plan was to go with two other girls and I secured tickets for them as well. Everybody was on the same page....or so I thought. We had been talking about going to Burning Man since last year. I found a camper trailer for us to rent. Then one of them started talking about bringing her then boyfriend. Not even asking, just decided to add him to the mix. And when that relationship was over there was mention of bringing the new boyfriend (which I had not met) and I said no. After all, they had only been together for about a week at that point. Then the day before their tickets had to be purchased (end of July) they decided that they could not afford to go to Burning Man. Ok then. Thanks.
After recently dealing with another friend (former friend at this point) flake on plans just this past weekend, I can say that I am so over people that do not follow through. With some lame exuse as a poor explanation. I do not have the time for friendships like that.
So I first thought that I was out the cost of the Burning Man ticket and the vehicle pass, this year you could actually get tickets at the gate which has not happened since 2011. People that had a change of plans were selling their tickets for way less than what they purchased them for. I knew that selling my ticket and the vehicle pass would not happen.
And since I already had a ticket I felt like I kind of had to go. So I started looking into other options, I really did not want to go to Burning Man on my own. In the end I found a rideshare to Black Rock City from Portland with a fellow Burner that turned out to be really cool. And I found a small camp, Snow Cone Zone to stay with which turned out to be nice. First I thought about doing open camping but decided against it. And I stayed in my tent, a first since 2016. I had to cancel the camper trailer and everything worked out in the end.
Got my ticket and vehicle pass at Will Call. Getting in took maybe 1 1/2 hours so not bad at all. We left Portland Monday afternoon August 26 and rolled into Black Rock City around 3 am Tuesday.
Serious death or injury may result from attending Burning Man. It happens.
Having my morning beverage (London Fog) outside my tent and reading What Where When.
Biking out to the man during the magic hour, feeling that now familar breeze, the sand, the everything that is Black Rock City.
Well......I have been back from Burning Man since a week now. Ouch. Returning from a week at Black Rock City back to life in reality is not my favorite thing to do but it is what it is. Back to reality or the default world (the world outside of Burning Man) it is.
I went back to work, it was loud, abrasive, rough and I spent most of the time in the dressing room. I have been making London Fogs at home every day. I did all my laudry and dusted off and put away all the stuff I brought with me to Burning Man. And I have been putting Burning Man magazines in places for people to read. And now I will spend the rest of this Tuesday evening (it is past 9 here in my neck of the woods) watching the first debate of the 2024 election.
Besides that I have been spending most my time with my girls (dogs). And dreaming on rescuing animals in need.
This is Senna. She is amazing.
Until next time - Tati, Childless Dog Lady.
Car stuff - again. This time my car got a new outer tie rod end, two lower ball joints and a new CV axle. I actually know these car terms and where to find these parts in my car. My mechanic lets me watch and help while he is doing the repair.
Otherwise I would have no clue. Yea I have an old car, full of dirt and dog hair because I am too overwhelmed with everything else that I am dealing with to bother cleaning my car. I really DGAF anymore. But I do not have a car payment, I can sleep in my car comfortably with dogs next to me. I don't care about anything else. I do not need a nice car. But that's me and everyone is different and likes different things.
After working on my car for a few hours we were hungry and I made pierogis. That does not mean that I made pierogis from scratch......hell no I am way too impatient for that. That means I chopped up a large red onion and fried it up until perfect, put the pierogis in the frying pan, served with sauerkraut and sourcream. A package of these pierogis should have 12 of them, there were 13 - bonus!
The next day I took my car in for an alignment. Ended up getting four new tires, that was unexpected and I reluctantly purchased the tires. Not too happy about that whole ordeal but it is what it is. I have a few more things that I need to address on my car but that will have to wait for another time.
Tried some yummy drinks the other day at the cutest little coffee shop in Astoria - Slug Coffee. Operated by a lovely owner. Located in a food cart area here in town (Astoria OR). I really like going to food carts. Simple. I like simple. I can see how my food is being made too. Don't need anything fancy - just tasty food. Or in this case, a refreshing (oat milk) London Fog.
