an update (wowow!)

Hello!

T Y P I N G  F R O M  P O R T LA N D~ I've officially moved and begun this chapter, and ahh! I've had very close to no bad vibes at all since I've been here and I think that's pretty rad. (Side-note: please maim my hands in some grotesquely creative fashion for concluding that using the word rad was ever a good idea. It seems right now but I have this feeling it's ickiness will haunt me sooooon?) I'm not really feeling another travel post so I'll summarize my second trek to Portland right here: Montana is vast, vast, vast and full of deer and folk-y accents and forests and (at least half of the time) lotsa fuckin' snow. South Dakota basically just, like, wishes it could be Montana. The rest of the states I went through were either kinda regular or unable to wake my road-trip slumber. 

Whew! Alright, onward. Actually no, backward.. yikes sorry? But the week leading up to ~moving day~ was much more ACTION PACKED than sitting in a truck for two days. It was my mind so effectively going to actual shit instead of staying in tight, healthy neurons. There was scrambling to say goodbye to people (and figuring out how to process those kind of emotions), deciding which of my possessions and clothes I absolutely needed and packing them into boxes jigsaw-style, handing over my bunny that I've had for yeeears, Wafer, to someone that didn't have to take him across the country and put him in a smaller place than he's used to as I would've, and just straight up preparing to move across the country. Dude that is so much.  It was a lot. The day we were going back and forth between the moving truck and the house loading boxes/furniture, I spent about three hours under the impression our two cats had escaped the house and were lost (nope. just well hidden in the basement from the confusing process of a move). Much sobbing ensued after those three hours, only for hella stress of similar origin to revisit the next morning when one was hidden somewhere in our house for another hour and a half. I mean, gawd, this whole process was one damn stressful thing after the other. I wouldn't think it too hard to imagine what a relief just walking around the new apartment was. This whole thing was something I've been anticipating, imagining, talking about, and planning for months now.

I've already gone on for too long about my feeeeeelings and shit on moving, so another lightning-round-style summary of things is in order, I think. So here.

1. I'm loving the way you can wear whatever your kawaii ass heart is capable of dreaming up in this hood. It seems like something pretty minute but sista let me tell you...it feels great. Not only is it cool to style yourself how you wanna, but it's easier than ever. The number of places to buy any kind of clothing, used and therefore for under $20 at most, is a thing of beauty.
2. I'm working on cutting out animal products from my what I eat, which has been challenging-ish for me. I haven't been a meat eater since I was a lil kiddo, but the whole veganism thing is a DIFFERENT ANIMAL (HA OH GOD PUNZ) entirely. Being in such a progressive city helps so much. But I like feeling like I'm just real conscious of what I'm eating.
3. I've been very happy here, I've enjoyed dressing up in my favorite clothes and navigating the transit system to spend time downtown sipping coffee/drawing/reading. 
4. I hope to do some art and upload it.
5. I have a goal of learning as many Beatles songs on my cello as possible in my spare time to practice translating music to instruments it's not often written for.
6. I've been applying for part-time work at a bunch of different pet stores.

Vibes are solid lately, homez. I hope the same is happening for you. 

LET'S JUST SUMMARIZE THIS WORK AS NIGHT-THEMED PROSE.

His words were moon light

so She napped until it was

half past recovered

my world is moon light
not looking forward tonight
I look back
filled with scratches on my arms
where my cat been
since momma left home
all the right ones
disappear
just like i feared
it’s by myself
when I figure it out
it's by myself

i just want a summer hot like my skin tone.
bed warm
like hungry children
hungry dying in third wheel
cut rate pornos
keep breakfast close
like my death notes
grades going down
oh no, okay
well fuck U.C.L.anyway

Bent your knees to look below
hello
cutting crystals
down from an aspirin-lover's sky
favorite toy
we spell out trouble

You can stay here,

You'll be safe until morning.

You get hotter every summer day.

Oh moon, you overdosed last Thursday

on too much screen time.

Among your transgressions was lying,

a deep lie she told to foggy parents.

She's strange and full of light that

like acid

burns

she likes the feel of acid

it burns

hopped off the plane at PDX

Just kidding, we drove. But that song definitely needs to be remembered, imho. WOW SO IMPORTANT BUT LETS START THIS POST NOW

It took 29 hours to go across Iowa and Nebraska, in and out of Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho, and most majestically...upwards into the bountiful state of Oregon to reach Portland.

"so how long-"
"1 day and 5 hours."
"..."
"..."
"fuck"

Driving across the country is generally a pretty crazy thing because of those long stretches of highway. If you're on a certain part of the highway, it's sort of assumed you have plans to go a really far distance in that direction, so according to whoever decides the location of interesting things, there's no need for anything very cool in your near vicinity. With both of us going to Oregon able to drive while the other rested up, we made it without having to stop for any longer than was needed for things like gas, bathroom breaks, and meals. This was the longest distance I was able to assist with driving and it was really chill. Nope, think even chiller. Like...really, really chill. The first shift I took started at 9pm not too long after Omaha, Nebraska and went until about 2 in the morning somewhere farther through Nebraska (which, by the way, continues to be devastatingly empty of anything with even the mere potential to be exciting). That was the longest I drove without switching (five hours), and the whole vibe of being the only one awake in the car with the black night sky was great.

YO ADD ME ON SNAPCHAT AT MICKEYF19 AND BE FULFILLED

So road trip things (It sucks that I have to gloss over hours of my life, hours that seemed to go on forever, but bruuhhhh if I didn't this post would be just a bad time. I crossed through states I'd never been to, bought snacks from people in gas stations whose sole purpose in the entirety of my life was done once the moment was, took some hella naps, and I drove. That's truly as savory as I can tell the story from here on out.) happened, etc etc. T'was towards the evening hours when we got into Oregon, which was an overall lovely entrance. The sky was sorta lavender, a very nice contrast to the particular pacific-northwest-type ecosystem it spanned over.

We spent time walking around the city, walking around a forest (and behind one of this forest's waterfalls), and walking around on Canon Beach of Seaside, Oregon, a brilliant little town I plan on returning to for surfing-related activities. Like surfing. HHAHAHA MICKEY IS JUST TOO MYSTERIOUS. Also, I took some time from four of the five weekdays I was there to visit/tour/shadow at schools I was considering going to. That's a very weird thing, walking into something so ridiculous and intriguing as another high school with zero knowledge of their hierarchies or fashion sense or lunchtime rituals...their things, what makes that school that school. It was even a little stressful at times, I never knew if I was accidentally giving a weird first impression, or if I was giving a first impression at all if it turned out I wasn't going to that school, because there wouldn't really ever be a second impression. Maybe you're seeing a little of how weird it can be sometimes? Eh. Well. I decided on a really nice place in the heart of Portland after all the kids kept telling me that the vibes were wonderful at their school. That stuck out to me and seemed to be a good sign. 

So hey, honestly the trip was great and there's kinda too much to go into for me to go into any of it. Wouldn't wanna be unfair in my approach to the comp. of a blog post, amirite? Right-o. The rest of this is as simple as clicking on a link to a flickr album I put together of my favorite pictures I took if you'd like to see those. 

This is the link. Please for daluvofgawd.. just don't miss this link. I swear on the most beautiful phenomenon of nature imaginable if you miss this fuckin link.

Have a fun time doing something that matches your definition of fun, and doing it to the best of your capabilities! Or just, a good day? Because like, that's probably the least you could manage. There's a holiday bonus waiting for you if you just, at the very least, have a good day. Ugh I DUNNO, BYEE

The planet's most "see you later, alligator" alligator ever