Now main streets whitewashed windows and vacant stores
Seems like there aint nobody wants to come down here no more
Theyre closing down the textile mill across the railroad tracks
Foreman says these jobs are going boys and they aint coming back to
Your hometown, your hometown, your hometown, your hometown.

–Bruce Springsteen, “My Hometown”

So I made my way to my hometown of Longview, Washington on Tuesday. Only reason I haven’t blogged about it until now is because I hadn’t had a chance to upload the photos.

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Today was pretty fast-paced from the get-go, which for me was around 11:30 AM or so.

Around 1 PM, I called my supervisor at the TV station to ask when I could meet with them (I was going to give her my two weeks’ notice in person as a courtesy to them). They asked what it was I wanted to meet with them about, and I basically had to tell them I was moving out in a couple weeks and wanted to give my formal two week’s notice. Right after I said that, there was an awkward silence, followed by the following conversation:

Them: “Well, good luck with everything.”
Me: “Thanks.”
Them: Abrupt click.

Thus ended my six-month tenure as a freelance videographer/editor for KPTV. I loved working there but simply didn’t get enough hours, which meant less of a chance to hone my skills. Oh well, there are a lot of great people at 12 and it was great to work with them when I got the chance.

Anyhoo, after that I headed out to eat lunch with Dani Dubois (it’s weird typing that, because I’ll always remember her as Dani Parker). We went to Red Robin and had a good time talking about life, old times, what the future holds, etc. A bunch of small talk but it was good fun small talk, and small talk I won’t have the opportunity to partake in come the 27th.

I then moseyed on over to Orchard Park to throw some discs and ended up with a 54 after 18 holes. That tied my personal best. I shot a 28 on the front 9 and a 26 on the back 9. I think I almost threw my shoulder out with an awkward sidearm throw on hole 2. I’m not trying that again anytime soon.

Then after that, I went to Sonic with Michael Perozzo and his brother Jordache. We took the MAX into downtown and took some great photos. Matt Long met up with us and we all went to VooDoo Doughnuts on SW 3rd in Old Town, and those were some of the best donuts I’ve had in a long time. After our downtown escapade, we got on the MAX and forgot to pay (seriously, we were in a serious conversation when we got on), and it bit us in the butt in Hillsboro when cops boarded the train asking for everyone’s farecard at the 185th Ave./Willow Creek station. The cops kicked us off the train and made us pay, asked for our IDs and ran checks on us, and let us go on our way on the next train after we showed them our passes. Ridiculous. Of all the times I’ve ridden MAX legally, and the one time I accidentally don’t and get bit in the keester.

That was my day. Tomorrow I am heading down to Rainier/Longview/Kelso to take photos of the place I grew up. Some people say that area sucks but I digress.

Here’s the story of Awkward Apple Store Moment #2. The first one can be found a few posts back.

Tonight I worked a 5-hour shift, 4-9 PM. Around 6, there was a young ordinary looking woman that walked in with a wad of cash in her right hand. She promptly asked what kind of iPod she could get for under $270.

To make a long story short, she decided on a 30GB white video iPod. I walked her up to the register where we would complete the transaction. We skipped through the line of about 10-15 people waiting for someone to help them (yeah, we were swamped), and I scanned the iPod and tendered it up.

“Your total tonight is $249,” I said. She handed over $260, all in $20s. Which means I had to count it all.

No sooner did I start counting it than in the middle of everyone standing there, she says very loudly and excitedly, “It’s SO COOL being a stripper. You get money like THIS, EVERY NIGHT!”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared the woman’s direction.

It caught everyone so off-guard that even my co-worker who was ringing up another transaction lost his train of thought and formed a blank stare on his face.

Usually, I am a man of witty comebacks, and I thrive on getting things back on track in awkward situations. But her comment came from so far out in left field — no, make that the left field cheap seats — that I could say nothing, except hurriedly finish out the transaction.

The woman, oblivious to how she presented herself, proudly walked out of the store — and left fifteen people in her wake, in absolute shock and disbelief as to what she admitted in the middle of the store.

Fortunately, I helped two attractive young ladies next. They stepped up to the register, put their hands up, and said “It’s okay, we’re cool.”

Story’s over, now I need to put another Band-aid on my ear. This bleeding won’t stop.

It’s not often you get to hear, and see, someone make a public embarrassment of themselves in church by absolutely butchering (and that’s putting it kindly) one of the best hymns ever written.

But today I will provide you that opportunity. I don’t know who the perp is, what church this is, whatever — but I’m going to find out.

Meanwhile, you watch this video. And I’m sure Dad and Jason will bust their guts laughing at this one. Take it easy though Jason, we don’t want your kidneys to fail you at the ripe old age of 19.

This guy sounds worse than the Kelso COGOP “Singspirations” that I had to sit through while growing up. The Singspirations, while a decent idea in theory, were an embarrassment in reality — they were hymn singing festivals where they tried to get everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, who was in church that evening to sing something out of the Blue Book. No one was exempt, even those who could not sing.

The result? Brother Baker lost hearing in his left ear.
The justification? “Oh, they’re singing for the Lord.”

Anyway, I now present “Omazing Grace.” It gets AWESOME around the two-minute mark. Watch it all.

And be sure to notice the communion table with the prominent text right behind him — “This Do In Remembrance of Me.”

Yesterday at work was pretty nice. I worked 4-11 PM — even though we shut down for the night at 9, about five of us stayed to help change the ads in the store and replace the old iMacs with the new ones. They let me go at 11 because I have to be at work at 9 this morning. Full day for me today, 9 AM - 6 PM.

Remember me mentioning I saw Kathye Blumenthal and her son Branden at Dani’s wedding on Sunday? The Blumenthals were great friends of mine for years and I seemed to lose contact with them since I left for the military. Well I had the opportunity to call Don (Kathye’s husband and my favorite youth pastor of all time), and we will be getting together for breakfast on Saturday morning before I go to work. I’m excited about that.

Psalms is a great book to read in the morning…especially when you’re eating Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast.

God bless everyone today…have a good one out there.

Here’s a bit o’ comedy to start your day. Especially if you thought Chuck Norris couldn’t act.

Dang, I sure hope Walker can cure HIV.

This is getting crazy.

Mom just called me and alerted me to the fact that my brother Jason fell out during a “ruck march” (basically for some reason the Army makes its people march with heavy backpacks on), and has himself landed in a hospital for the time being. He’s been admitted to the Army hospital in Fort Polk, LA, where he’s stationed.

She said she thinks it’s because he has heatstroke, and that sounds like the most plausible explanation. Kid wouldn’t have gone to the hospital if his superiors hadn’t told him to.

They’re running a series of tests on him now to make sure he doesn’t have appendicitis.

Thank God what happened isn’t severe, but it still sucks that he’s in the hospital. Pray for Jason’s recovery.

Start up the prayer chain, folks.

I received a call about ten minutes ago from Cris Birch, one of my good friends — during the call he told me his father Bob was in a horrific motorcycle accident just over the past couple days.

The way I understand it was that Bob was simply rounding a corner and his bike slid out from under him. He slid on his shoulder and face shield down a 20-foot embankment and into a tree. While the helmet and leather jacket he was wearing saved his life, he’s still in pretty rough shape — drifting into and out of consciousness here and there.

Bob is currently at Legacy Emanuel Hospital here in Portland. Cris told me he is working a half day today and will head out to visit his dad, and I will be joining him as well around 1 or 2 PM Pacific time.

When you read this post, please pray for Bob, the Birch family, and his church family at New Horizons Church in Washougal…and encourage others to do the same.

Yesterday, my good friend Dani Parker got a new last name. Her and Will DuBois were married at World Harvest Church in Portland, Oregon yesterday afternoon around 4 PM.

It was a nice ceremony, very low-key but really cool, and everyone looked great. Rick Bear officiated the wedding, and there were about 50 people there…I’d say a good amount from both families showed up.

It was great to see Uncle John and Aunt Benita again, as well as people I haven’t seen in five years such as the Bakers and Dillons. Kathye and Branden Blumenthal were there as well and it was amazing to see how Branden has now surpassed me in height.

Anyhoo, without further adieu, let me point you to the photo page I created. I’m not done editing the photos, so bear with me. There are thirty of them in all.

No joke, my calves are on fire due to my fourth day out of the last five that I have run three miles.

I’ve finally learned how to run properly for the entire duration of the run (flat-footed = WRONG), and as a result I’m really feeling the burn below the knees. It’s a pain I’m gonna get used to, and it’s one that I welcome because as weird as this sounds, it makes me concentrate on it more than anything else — such as breathing or those nasty sideaches I get midway through the run.

Be proud of me, I ran 13 miles this week. I feel good and I’m going to try to do this every day.

I have a special event to attend tomorrow, and it’s being held in Gresham — clear other side of Portland, but the cool thing is I can ride MAX from the Fair Complex/Airport station through downtown, out to Gresham on the blue line. I think it may take an hour and a half, but I don’t want to drive. A quarter tank of gas would cost me $10 or so, as opposed to a day pass on the MAX being $4. I’m all for saving $6.

Only reason I’m still awake right now is that I have clothes in the dryer. In about twenty minutes I’ll be out.