there are so many things to say, and i almost feel calm enough to sit here and get them all down. it's absolutely amazing how life can go from semi-calm and almost-boring (me, boring? never!) to slightly out of control and full of work (although still slightly boring). it just started to pour rain outside, and it's sending a welcome breeze through the windows. i love the sound of a hard rain, and the smell of wet outdoors, and how it can all start so quickly. there is no lack of this in portland either.

this is undoubtedly what always happens. vanessa decides she's like a 'real person job' and the benefits of a regular paycheck...or else some fantastic opportunity comes along. this usually happens when the vanessa jean * duct tape load is lighter than usual. this indeed happened, about 2 months ago. i've been working for a fantastic project in the great city of portland...the eastside hub project, and i have the grand pleasure of delivering biking (bicking), walking and transit information to the kind residents of se portland...by bike...with a trailer. for a goofy pic and of dork-face #1, read the most recent newsletter. anyhow, it's a really fun way to work 4 days a week...and get around portland and meet people and be super active...and as soon as this fantastic work started (and i got to come home and feel the brilliant exhaustion of 20+ miles of hill climbing with a trailer) vanessa jean work started to multipy and multiply and on and on. a nice article was published in the atlanta journal-constitution (which is archived and you have to pay to see online, i haven't read it yet) and brought in lots of nice southern orders...adn business just started taking off again...in the way it does sometimes...and then the kicker...i got a call from the indy racing league requesting wallets to include in the gift baskets for special attendees to the big race. what a very exciting phone call to receive! although not the largest order vanessa jean has received, it's a lot of pieces in a short time...and it's been keeping the team busy! but it's very exciting, and almost done, and then real life can commence. just kidding!

and so many other things have been going on too. i've been gardening (not with too much success, so cross your fingers for the tomatoes and newly planted starts). s got in a not-too-friendly bike wreck. someone hit my parked automobile. i started reading again.

it's hard to believe that a year ago i was leaving my job at anthropologie to spend every waking minute (and there were lots of them) planning for the big bike the vote trip (doc. trailer now available online), and enjoying the onset of summer. these photos and this person seem long ago and so very young. i had no idea what was in store for me. i had no idea how much i would see and go through and learn and how i would grow in the next year. moreover, i could never have imagined know how much it would influence what i wanted to do next...

(apparently i like elipses)...

so i ended up in portland and i am perpetually inspired by the great stuff that happens here...sustainability, transportation options, being on the edge of the up and coming on how to make the world a better place (in the green sense, sort of). i'm SO eloquent today. anyhow there is just so much inspirational stuff going and i'm so excited to get business in order so i can start working on the millions of neat projectst that i want to be involved with.

so that's my story. things feel a bit out of control because there is so much work to do. and so much exciting stuff to look forward to...like continuing to look for work (outside of duct tape) that has to do with transportation, landscape, sustainability or the likes. and continuing to figure out what to do next.

cheers.