Fifty-second posting - Oba!

Today was a big day for me, kids. First, I started my new job (more later). Second, I started my new “life” in the Pacific Northwest (more later, too). And third, I started watching this season’s American Idol. I offer no apologies for being a big fan, and I am proud to be one of the millions of show’s admirers. An early favorite of mine à Gina Glocksen, from the Chicago tryouts.

A friend asked that I cut these postings down a bit (A.D.D. problems?), so here are a few highlights from New Job Day I:

- I spent most of the day in New Employee Orientation. My favorite part was when the HR manager told us for the 3rd time how she could watch the Sexual Harassment video over and over because it’s so funny. Wow.
- My company has a full-size football field in the back, with stands. Of course, through the rain, it was a little tough to see, but it was clearly impressive.
- Being a fitness buff is by no means a requirement for employment. At this point, I would also venture to say that more than a handful of folks here could use a trip or two to the company’s world-class fitness center. Probably no different than most companies, just surprising to me.
- The company is located is Vancouver, Washington. Today I heard a nickname of this very family-friendly burg with a somewhat hick reputation – Vantucky. I wonder if that’ll work for other places (Flori-tucky, Minneapol-ucky?)

Just one thing to note about Portland. For dinner, rather than making it myself, I splurged on a great restaurant across the street called Oba! One travel guide remarked: “a serious dining room serving one Latino concoction after another… and a bumpin’ bar scene with trendy clothes and high pitched revelry.” Dinner was Haitian pulled pork with corn cakes, and dessert was the most indulgent carrot cake (stuffed with some sort of crème fraiche). My bartenders were Paul and Jamie, who are, at this point, my only friends in Portland. It may have been because they gave me dessert and a crazy vodka/mint drink on the house – although I think it didn’t hurt that it was Jamie’s first day, too, so she and I could share first day “war stories,” and that I figured Paul was more of a food guys than a bar guy, so we talked menus… Definitely a place to return to (and a 90 second walk from my place).

So far so good. NATHAN