A wild hare

The band a friend of ours is in was heading to Portland (Oregon) to play a set to benefit the Rock'n' Roll Camp for Girls, along with a band in which two other friends play, one of whom was my drum teacher at Ladies Rock Camp. Says I to my sweetie, Let's go down. Sure it's a six-hour drive each way. And yes, we should have spent the weekend doing all that Christmasy stuff we haven't done yet. But the lure of a road trip won.

Highlights only, lest this entry get too long (and boring):

Lunch at Subway on the way down was one of the last somewhat healthful meals we ate all weekend. A Monte Cristo and a double patty melt at the Alibi were not the height of good nutrition (although I did have a salad with mine). The Sunday morning breakfast burrito at the Morning Star Cafe was awesome but also huge. It did include some token spinach and mushrooms, but mostly it was full of yummy egg, potato, and cheese. Lunch on both Sunday and Monday consisted of cupcakes, first from Saint Cupcake in Portland, then from Trophy Cupcakes and Party in Bellvue. And Sunday night dinner consisted of a couple of truly awesome slices (and a beer) from Mississippi Pizza, which was where the gig took place.

It poured rain on the drive down, especially when we got past Olympia. I didn't push it, and we stayed safe, although it took some effort. At one point, we were in the left lane on I-5. A pickup truck on the right started inching over toward me. I honked the horn because we were about to get clipped. I then slowed down a bit since the lads were obviously intent on cutting us off anyway. For that, as they sped away ahead of us, we got the finger. Boys, if you ended up in a ditch later, I hope you didn't take anyone else with you.

Karaoke at the Alibi on Saturday night gets very full very quickly. We weren't going to fit 15 or so people into that room. K totally rocked for finding space for us at the Ambassador. They charge a cover there, and the drinks are expensive, but the karaoke setup was quite good. I made my solo debut. I've always been a singer, but I used to avoid karaoke like the plague. Now I'm kind of into it. Who knew?

Seeing Lather, Rinse, Repeat and Four on the Floor play on Sunday night was a real treat. I got to watch my drum teacher do some actual playing! She's really smooth. Loved checking out her technique. And our friend S, who has been playing bass for only about four years, was wonderful—not just playing but singing a couple of songs as well. And I tell ya, I want more of that pizza!

Social interaction this weekend was great! On the way down in all that rain, we stopped to see a friend and give her a wedding gift. On Saturday night, we got to see several of the women we had met at Ladies Rock Camp a couple months ago. Camp kept us busy, and I didn't get to know people very well. Facebook and a couple of blogs have helped that, so this mini-reunion was really excellent. And we met some new people as well. On Sunday, Sweetie and I had a lovely day together. Then in the evening, we got to see a few of the women we'd seen on Saturday plus some who hadn't made it. So on one or the other night, we had members of Cupcake Coalition, Bad Ladyfinger, Slutty Black Dress, M-Bedded (only me, sadly), and all members of Change Channel. Awesome! And we finished the night over beers with members and friends of Four on the Floor and some rock camp ladies.

I heard that the rock camp donation jar hit around $300. Woot! That's close to the amount that allows one girl to go.

Despite a few stops, we made it across the border and to a tree farm in time to get our Yule tree (they close when it gets dark, which happens early these days). It's a beauty too—a locally grown Fraser fir, just the right height and width for our rather small living room. I'd heard that imported American trees were hurting local growers, but this place seemed to be doing well. It's expensive to get this kind of tree, but I'm glad to help a family business. For some reason, our stand isn't holding it straight, even though it's secured. We're going to have to figure that one out toot sweet.

Ah, the Portland connection is strong, both to the city and to people we know. We'd like to win the lottery so we can have a pied-à-terre in Portland. Arrange this plz. kthxbai.