Another 5 day weekend

This time, it wasn't so random since we get two days off for Thanksgiving. A totally made up holiday, but hey, we get 2 days off.... And we added a day off on the Monday after just for fun.

Before the weekend even started, it was already fairing well with a Dhani Harrison show. I found out about this show because Spektor posted about it, it intrigued me, then google kept pestering about it (through ads everywhere... I guess google nows the kind of music I like...).. so I gave a listen and found it interesting enough to go for it. It was at a small venue and pretty cheap, so why not? As we digged more into his songs, I found one that I loved, seriously one of my favorites songs of the year:



The show itself was unusual. It was such a small venue and the crowd was super mixed, from teenagers to old-old people (that were clearly there because they were Beatles fans....). It started with a pop duo (singer and guitarist only)... not my kind of thing. Then Summer Moon came out, and they were great, surprisingly. It was like a mix of qotsa, rhcp and modest mouse with a little rockabilly thrown in. We looked into them after, but their recordings dont do them justice. Dhani Harrison and his band was great and played my favorite song from them, so it was awesome. It's the best feeling hearing a song you really like, played live well.

Definitely worth the lack of sleep, great show by Dhani Harrison and Summer Moon!

A post shared by Angélica Chacón (@angelicachac) on Nov 21, 2017 at 12:03am PST

The weekend started off very well with Coco, enjoyed it like most Pixar movies. I was hesitant of the subject matter to be honest, but they did a great job. After, it continued on its great streak with a Mogwai show. It was on Thanksgiving, I don't care one bit about Thanksgiving but Chuy is a fan of the feast portion of it, so when he almost wanted to sell the Mogwai tickets when he realized when the show was, I had to convince him to just do a feast on the day after haha The great thing about it being on Thanksgiving was that the streets were empty, it made for a very enjoyable bike ride, yup cars are bike ride joy killers. As usual, the Mogwai show felt more like a meditative experience rather than a show, they are mostly instrumental and their music is like sonic landscapes of raw emotions. It's great, here's a song if you have no clue what I am saying:

Mogwai! blowing minds as usual! 😃 such a pleasant night for bike riding as well... almost no cars!

A post shared by Angélica Chacón (@angelicachac) on Nov 24, 2017 at 1:18am PST

Then we had the feast that Chuy looks forward to hahah

Then it was time for the Arch Enemy and Trivium show. It was a long show and we decided to not go for the 2 opening bands, even though we heard them and one of them was cool enough that I would have wanted to see them. It started early and it just wasn't feasible. So we got there late, and it was a sold out show, Trivium had just started their set, we jumped around quite a bit trying to find a place to be able to see the show well. A couple of really tall people (6ft plus) kept following us around and placing themselves right in front of us ughhhhh By the time, Arch Enemy came out, we had found a spot, so were set. It was fun, I hadn't been to a metal show in a while, gotta get my metal fill now and then.

Hadn't seen Arch Enemy in more than a decade, it was about time! 😊 And having Trivium on the bill was a nice plus! Note to self: don't be late for sold out shows, it doesn't bode well for short people 😒

A post shared by Angélica Chacón (@angelicachac) on Nov 26, 2017 at 12:25am PST

The next day, we went to see Wonder. Sophie had read the book and was looking forward to it. We watched it and enjoyed. Or at least I thought we all had enjoyed it. Sophie informed us that it was far inferior to the book, that they butchered the story and she felt sorry for us for not reading the book haha

On Monday, we were suppose to do stuff, but after that weekend, our bodies disagreed and we did nothing, it was great.

Random 5 day weekend

We were suppose to go to Seattle, but things didn't end up working out. We were suppose to find another place to roadtrip to, but it was a rainy everywhere nearby weekend. We were suppose to bike and hike, but the forecast put us off (even though it was a nice day in the end). So many suppose tos, and mainly we just got lazy. We've been up and out most weekends, so it was about time do a bit of not much. A weekend of movies, a comedy show (Myq Kaplan and his arrangement of odd comedians....very funny, the tiniest venue - more like a small bar crammed with chairs), electronic craft (remember that lamp i was making out of a camera? yeah, i had forgotten about it too, im so close, but i blew out the switch i stole from Chuy so I got to get another one), wood crafts (giant desk), sushi go, cooking as a family (leek pie and smores rice crispies bar), and going to the movie theater (Thor - surprisingly entertaining because im not big on superheroes, and Subirbicon - surprisingly good, just because the reviews had said it sucked).

I am always trying to find ways to fill our days with places to go or things to do, because I know our tendency is to stay home and laze about. But sometimes that's what you really need. And we could have used that 5 day weekend better, but I enjoyed it, and Sophie and Chuy did too. Isn't that what matters? This FOMO thing can be draining. Gotta take things as they come, but still plan things so you do something besides laze about. A balance that I will forever try to find, and probably never will. I think the main reason of this FOMO thing is work, it eats up a hefty portion of my week and my energy. And then when we have free time (on the weekend) we want to cram all the things we want to do, then we get burnt out or we never get to rest.

Early retirement is where it's at, imagine the freedom...

Powell Butte and Birbiglia

Last weekend was the first time in months that I get to sleep in until I woke up naturally, it was glorious! I thank our new window shades and an unusual quite morning!

We also went hiking to Powell Butte, which is awesome and only like 40 min away by bus (we are so dumb for not going more frequently). We stopped for donuts on the way there because we seem to have an unhealthy tradition of eating donuts before every hike. At least the donuts are worth it, so good. I was quite taken with Powell Butte because it has a very different terrain than what is usual around here, which is very foresty. This place was all grasslands surrounded by a perimeter of forest, it is quite beautiful.

Such a lovely butte 😍

A post shared by Angélica Chacón (@angelicachac) on Nov 4, 2017 at 8:07pm PDT

On Sundays, Sophie has tennis class, I would usually hate to do anything at all on Sundays, but the ride to the class is nice, we get to walk around a pdx neighborhood we don't hang out in that much, and after class we usually go to a nearby vegan bakery, grab a pastry and coffee, and swing by a vegan grocery for some last minute buys. It's becoming a routine I look forward to. Of course, right after we get home, I don't want to do anything at all....but while out, it's nice.

Walking around while Sophie has tennis class is becoming a Sunday morning favorite 😊

A post shared by Angélica Chacón (@angelicachac) on Nov 5, 2017 at 2:43pm PST

This Sunday, I had to muster the energy to get out again at night to see Birbiglia, easily one of my favorite comics. I love his concept/story telling comedy specials. I laughed hard and was in such a great mood, I suggested we stayed out even later (even though that meant a sleepy workday the next day) and go to the movies (since we have moviepass...unlimited movies at the theater for a monthly subscription)...we did that, and well, let's just say that we gotta be more choosy with our movies because that felt like a total  waste of time. Oh well... you can't win them all.

Birbiglia didn't disappoint tonight, hilarious! One of my favorite comedians for sure!

A post shared by Angélica Chacón (@angelicachac) on Nov 5, 2017 at 11:59pm PST

PS I took a video while we were riding our bikes, but it was a fail... The vibrations of the bike made the video weird...and I kinda missed the window to get fall at it's peak...but here it is anyway, hopefully next year, I'll figure something out that works out better:
PPS Pretty much all i post here is a slightly longer explanations of my instagram feed haha

Hikes and random shows

This fall we have taken the hiking more seriously.. Maybe because we saw the rain approaching and we wanted to get some hikes in since we really slacked it in that area over the summer. Anyway, we went hiking on Saturday and I'm always amazed at how much I enjoy it, it's recharging. And there's endless places to hike around here. 

Worth waking up early for 😍

A post shared by Angélica Chacón (@angelicachac) on Oct 28, 2017 at 10:51pm PDT

After that we went to some Halloween event at an animal sanctuary. I'm the worst vegan since I don't really find animals cuddly and cute.. I just respect their right to live. But we still go to the animal sanctuaries cause Chuy and Sophie are good vegans and like all animals and want to pet them all. I observe. And donate. That's enough for me. 

We didn't do much the rest of the weekend. I like days of nothing too. A lot. 

PS We went to another random show. This time recommended by Mari. On a YouTube downward spiral nights, Mari would always put the following song by Chelsea Wolfe. It grabbed my attention and then I saw she was coming so we went for it. The opening band was like techno metal goth music, I didn't like it, I felt like if I was in a club. But then Wolfe and her band came out and played haunting, slow, chill, heavy music, it was great. But what's up with bands playing less than 1.5hrs... I don't like it and they played for 70 min only... Still enjoyed it though.

Great show by Chelsea Wolfe + band! Thanks for forcing us to listen to her during YouTube nights @chaconmari 😜

A post shared by Angélica Chacón (@angelicachac) on Nov 2, 2017 at 12:28am PDT

 

Long weekends

We usually have some pto (paid time off) days left when the end of the year starts approaching. Around September, Chuy and I coordinate our calendars and ask for the same days off for the rest of the year. We usually do it in a way that we get to go somewhere once and we get a bunch of long weekends the rest of the year. This year, we're going to Seattle for a bit and we no longer have 5 day working weeks for the rest of the year!

Today, we rode to have some donuts and coffee for breakfast, hit up a movie (Professor Marston and the Wonder Women) at the time when retirees go to movies, went for some lunch at a place we never get to go, and played tennis with Sophie right after she got after school. And we got paid while doing all that. We got home at the time I would be getting off work. I like the sense of freedom I feel on these days!

PS We went to a random show (the show was recommended by an app that alerts us on shows around here and we listened to a few tracks and decided to go, which is as random as we get with shows) by mewithoutyou on Tuesday and it was fucking wild, I've never seen a show in which at least half of the floor is moshing... which leads me to believe that the music I usually listen to is chill, even the metal bands or only old people like it.... 

Really enjoyed mewithoutyou tonight! Crazy crowd, crazy band! 😊

A post shared by Angélica Chacón (@angelicachac) on Oct 17, 2017 at 11:36pm PDT

PPS Fall is in full swing right now, and it's absolutely gorgeous. October is my favorite month. It's not cold yet, just chilly. It doesn't rain much yet. It's not hot. And the trees put on a spectacle.

Riding in the fall is the best even if those beautiful leaves are super dangerously slippery 😁😍

A post shared by Angélica Chacón (@angelicachac) on Oct 22, 2017 at 2:06pm PDT

Veg week and fest

So, last week was all about veg week. Veg week is when some participating restaurants sell a vegan dish of theirs at half the price. Usually we eat out once a week, but we made major exceptions for veg week. The first restaurant we tried was loyal legion, they had a corn dog special and chuy is obsessed with corn dogs for some reason.

The next outing was a double outing, a French dip sub at off the Griddle and a middle Eastern lentil dish at bar maven. We didn't know that bar maven was 21+ so we had to order take out, bastards! The sub was amazing but we knew that, and the lentil dish was tasty. 

The next day we had the day off, sophie had the day off and it was the last day we had to hit the veg week spots so we ate all day at 6 places! Yes, we are crazy. We started with a pizza at virtuous pie, always delicious. We walked across the street to get a great falafel bowl at Aviv, and we stopped by papa gs but they had sold out and it was barely 1pm Wtf! After that we headed for a tasty burger at next level burger, then we got some amazing bowls at fatsquatch who had an unofficial veg week special, and we were gonna go to see Wonder Woman and to kill time until the movie started, we stopped at laughing planet for a decent veggie wrap. 

After Wonder woman (yes, I liked it), and yes we did have popcorn, we went on a mini date to xico for our last veg week meal, a delicious potato guisado and a mushroom empanada. 

The day after, the eating continued all day with millions of food samples at VegFest. It was great haha I always enjoy vegfest quite a bit, I don't know why, in paper is everything I hate, super crowds and people trying to talk to you about their products. But there's something nice about knowing it's all vegan. 

Who knew eating could be so exhausting!? 

If they do veg week next year, you can be sure we are gonna break our record of outings, oh the sacrifices we make for veganism 😜

Made it to 9 spots for #pdxvegweek and capped the weekend with #pdxvegfest 😊 So much deliciousness! #veganaf @avivpdx @loyallegionpdx @fatsquatch_pdx @virtuous_pie @offthegriddlepdx @laughingplanetcafe @nextlevelburger @xicopdx

A post shared by Angélica Chacón (@angelicachac) on Oct 14, 2017 at 10:31pm PDT

ride in the rain

So the shoes that I took so long to pick finally made their debut in the rain. ... today it was raining after work, I had my rain jacket and waterproof shoes. ... my pants were drenched when I got home but even though my shoes looked wet, my socks were completely dry. .. they are a little bit slippery for the bike pedals but once you adjust, it's no biggie. .. and they are super comfortable. ... so far, no regrets haha so I hadn't blogged because there was another release this week and work has kept me busy, I had a few rants I was gonna post but I never had the time and now I don't remember them haha