I have a million things to do which means I really shouldn’t spend time blogging but things are happening so fast, I want to make sure I write them down so I remember it all. Amid all the chaos around moving to Portland a month earlier than expected, I’ve also been training for the No Gi Worlds. I decided to enter this tournament because after the Italy trip, all I had to do this summer was write my dissertation (there's some sarcasm in that statement). Jeff was in Portland already and I was pretty bored and lonely a lot of the time. I figured I could remember the summer as the summer of writing, boredom and loneliness, or I could remember it as the summer I trained for the No Gi Worlds….I guess its clear what I chose. Not only did it keep me distracted, but it reminded me what a great group of people I’ve been lucky enough to train with for the last several years and it got me in great shape. BTW, I came in second.

I also visited Portland last weekend (the one before the tournament) so Jeff and I could find an apartment. We rented a great place downtown in the Pearl District, there are pictures on Jeff’s flickr page if you’re curious….or just come visit us once we’re settled in and see it in person. Portland is a great city to live in and to visit. The only down side – we’re going from a 1,000 square foot house with a garage and full basement (ie. really 2,000 square feet) to an 800 square foot downtown apartment. We have WAY too much stuff. My junk fetish is genetic on both sides, from my dad and my mom’s father. I’m in awe of Craig’s list which has helped with the purge and earned us $300 in the process.