Time flies

A wee 14 month blog break. I'm almost halfway through my fifth year of teaching in Seattle, and winter break just began, giving me some time to check up on this blog and other things that have accumulated dust.

Oregon relationship petered out shortly after the last blog post. I still think about her every now and then, wondering what could have happened differently. Probably not much.

I joined a lifelong friend for a section on the Pacific Crest Trail this summer. He and another friend did the whole hike, from Mexico to Canada. I joined them in Central Oregon for 96 miles in 92 hours, or thereabouts. The pace was a little ridiculous, but the terrain wasn't too bad--mostly flat. We had a lot of time to talk on the trail, and the topic of relationships came up. He is married with no kids at the moment. We talked about what we look for in a partner, and he brought up something that I had never really considered. My things were pretty straightforward: good sense of humor, nice, attractive, smart, sporty (and I think in that order, for me).

He mentioned "an adventuresome spirit" is something that he really enjoys that his wife has. That kind of blew me away, because I hadn't considered that a trait, and it absolutely is, and a very important one at that.

Everyone has their own goals and values and priorities and all that. Right now I am up to my neck in teaching and coaching, and I am loving it. I'm loving it to the point that I don't really have time for a relationship, or at least the kind of relationship I'd like to have (where I can spend meaningful time with the person). I know the draw of a relationship will intensify with time, but regardless of how busy I am, I always like the idea of an adventure--whether it is a long travel, a quick bike ride around Greenlake, or a day hike. I think I'll always find time to fit those adventures in.

It's been a month--crazy. Now I know what Brandon feels like.

I've taken a step back from poker, and I dove headlong into Everquest. I'm not sure if it is a good or a bad thing, but it is a lot of fun. I've also been doing alright in the fantasy pickem' league Hoyazo is hosting on yahoo. It feels a lot like March Madness, for six months!

In pretty crappy news, last night Stacey and I decided to break up. No big fight, just mainly her wanting to not be in a relationship anymore. We've had that talk before, and I've always fought really hard to keep the relationship going--but I finally realized that isn't the best for both of us. She's only 22 (I'm only 24), and we don't want to get married anytime soon--but we already live our lives like we've been married for years. We still love each other.

It gives her a great opportunity to focus on School, Work and her new band that is just getting its feet off the ground; and the break also puts me in the enviable position of being 24 years old and having almost no strings attached. I can travel, I can go take a road trip with my cat--I can do anything I want. I'm still just working temp jobs in Portland, so there is no reason for me to stay here.

Most all of my friends are in Seattle, so that will probably be my next location. I'll probably stay there for a few months, then hopefully take flight again.

I'm all cashed-out from Stars, Full Tilt and Neteller--how does the new legislation affect our pushup-challenge, Brandon?!