My Personal Interests...

There are a number of things that define my personal interests. Anything that is "typically Portland" can be found pretty high on my list of personal interests. Some of these things include running, cycling, hiking, eating locally, shopping at farmer's markets, and reveling in Portland's abundant and varied restaurant and cafe scene. Although I don't consider myself a "hipster-geek", which is very Portland, it did just dawn on me how stereotypically Portland I am. Beyond the obvious Portland overtures to my personality, I fancy myself a decent photographer, a seasoned traveler, a SCUBA diver, a dog lover, and a father-to-be in November. I'll expand on a few of these topics a bit further.

1. Portland

I've lived in Oregon nearly all my life. I spent my younger years growing up in Salem and Eugene. After graduating from Sprague High School (1994) in Salem I moved to Eugene to attend the University of Oregon. UofO is beautiful and I was surrounded by many friends - perhaps too many. My freshman year I witnessed "the pick" by Kenny Wheaton against the University of Washington, which sent us to the Rose Bowl and turned around the fortune and image of UofO football to this day. However, I decided to transfer to Portland State University in 1996 to focus more on academics and graduating. It was a decision that forever changed the course of my life.

Other than teaching English in South Korea and Singapore for a total of three years, I've lived in Portland ever since. I've come to absolutely adore this city. It has a culture that promotes and thrives on healthy, active living. Whether it's Nike, Oregon's track legacy, or simply in our blood, Portlanders love to run and I've certainly caught the buzz. Two of my favorite places to run are Forest Park and down around the waterfront. Although I've never taken on the full marathon bomber, I have raced in many 10K and half-marathons all over the greater metro area. My personal favorite is the Vernonia Half, which I've run twice and placed 13th overall this past April. The Forest Park Half Marathon is an insane trail run, which I placed 7th overall in the spring of 2009.

Great hiking is another luxury Portland has to offer. Whether it be locally in Forest Park (again!), or around Mt. Hood, or in the Columbia River Gorge, a national scenic area, there's something spiritually rejuvenating about getting out and hiking in nature. It's something I love to do with my wife, Karen, and our dog, Carter.

Every Saturday my wife and I head down to the Portland Farmer's Market to load up on produce for the week. Some people complain that the vendors are too expensive, but higher prices are something we're willing to deal with in order to get fresh, quality, local, tasty food in which to fuel ourselves with. Really, there's nothing more important in life than your health, and that starts with diet. With that in mind we're willing to spend more on food that's healthier for us, supports our local farmer, and tastes much more scrumptious.

Lastly, no mention of loving all things Portland would be complete without mentioning the restaurant and cafe scene. My wife and I have sampled just about every restaurant Portland has to offer. Some of our favorites include Laurelhurst Market, Ken's Pizza, Yuzu (Beaverton), and Beaker & Flask. One of the best websites to keep up with the restaurant scene is Portland Food & Drink. There is certainly no shortage of cafes and coffee houses in and around Portland. There seems to be a Starbucks on every corner, and most folks can tell you about Stumptown having some of the best locally brewed coffee in town. However, by far my favorite place to plunk down with a book, newspaper, or to catch a World Cup soccer match is easily Costello's Travel Caffe in NE Portland. It's run by a family of four, consisting of dad, mom, son, and daughter and it has a very European vibe to it.

2. Photography

I am by no means a "photographer." To this day, all of my pictures have been taken with a simple point and shoot digital Canon camera. But, I happen to think so much of photography lies behind the subject of the photo and practice, practice, practice. I've never taken a photography class, but I like to go to unique and beautiful places, which combined with a little bit of skill, timing, and iphoto work can make for a fantastic photograph. You can see some of them below or on the Flickr top left. Soon that Flickr link will have classroom photos as well.

3. Traveling

As I mentioned above, I spent three years living and teaching in South Korea and Singapore. I have many happy memories and lifetime friends from these two experiences. In addition, I have spent nearly a year of my life traveling throughout SE Asia. I met my lovely wife (pictured above) while waiting in the immigration line at the Kathmandu airport in Nepal. That chance encounter in the airport lead to six weeks of rafting, kayaking, and hiking through the Himalayas together, which in turn lead to three more months of traveling together in Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and Singapore.

On a previous trip to SE Asia I spent a month in Laos, including one week on a tiny island in the Mekong called Don Det (Don meaning island), three weeks in Cambodia, two weeks in Indonesia, and many months in Thailand SCUBA diving.

When Karen and I lived in Singapore we spent our vacations in either the Philippines or Indonesia diving some more. One of the best places we found in the area for SCUBA was Bunaken National Marine Park in Manado, Indonesia. The reefs and walls surrounding the island had an absolutely amazing array of sea life. The pictures below are some I've taken while scuba diving in the aforementioned locations.

Karen and I also spent two weeks in Peru for our honeymoon in August 2008. The picture at the top of the blog is from Machu Picchu. We're hoping to go to Costa Rica in March 2011 for a "babymoon."

4. Baby Girl On The Way

I've recently given up my motorcycle interest for strollers. Not entirely true, but the motorcycle is now gone and all sorts of baby gear is on the way. Who knew their was such an arsenal of baby-related products out there? Pretty much any parent, that's who. I've found myself researching and tinkering with all kinds of strollers, car seats, and cribs. Like most Portland folk, we're of course getting a B.O.B. so we can jog and get aggressive while walking with our baby girl, but the stroller link above shows my true favorite stroller. See how bad I've gotten? Luckily, Portland has a plethora of cute baby stores. Some of local favorites that help parents make sure their kids will grow-up to be hipster Portlandites are Posh Baby and Little Urbanites.

Okay...I think that's enough for one post.