Okay. So that’s not the best title. But here I am sitting at my desk and the soup I had 3 hours ago is spreading it’s aroma about my head… it’s sort of like the Pepe La Pew cartoon character — except it’s not a cartoon — it’s real — and I’m thinking that I never want to eat beef soup again.

It’s really sad that my last post was in July at the height of summer. Now it’s mid-September and the leaves are changing and the mornings are brisk and Eugene is getting the gray pallor that creeps in this time of year.

I have my excuses… not to be defensive BUT I did have a family wedding to attend (which included a week-long “vacation” with my in-laws… I’d say it was brutal, but who knows who is going to read this post, so I won’t — but, wink wink, you know the truth). And then I had weekend camping trips and a whole pile o’ work that wasn’t getting done…. in the midst of all of this, I also had the dangest time staying awake.

For those of you who know me, you’re probably thinking that this sounds odd as I usually have trouble with falling asleep (I am a sporadic insomniac). But through the month of July I just wanted to recline. Yes, that is the official word for July — RECLINE. I was out running and all I wanted to do was lay down on the trail and close my eyes…. I’d be riding my bike and I’d suddenly realize that I didn’t think I was going to make it home. Finally I quit fighting it and finally gave in to taking naps.

But is it really a nap when it begins at 9:30am and goes on until noon and then you take another one at 3 which lasts until 5? Are those technically naps, or is it really just that I never fully got out of bed?

Hmmmm. I don’t know. What I do know is that now the problem is solved! Yipee! I’m back at work and back to my insomniac ways where I wake up at 3am sure that the world is ending and that there is definitely a brain tumor forming on my frontal lobe and that I hope I don’t have an aneurysm because I think I just heard someone breaking into my house and sneaking in to steal my dog.

Isn’t normal grand?

This post is going to have nothing to do with the weather, but, geez, it’s 100 degrees out and i keep thinking of the scene in Laverne and Shirley where they were both in their bikinis sitting on the big ice block in their livingroom AND i’m thinking maybe I should give that a try.

Moving on… I received an invitation in the mail to a Committed Partners for Youth (CPY) thank you party. And so now I’m thinking about the good people at CPY.

Last fall, Gena and I created a video for CPY. We donated about 95% of our rate, and in return, they pretty much gave us creative license to do whatever we thought best as long as it addressed the need of fundraising.

I’m sure it was partially because we were left to our own devices, but I think it was also so great to do because CPY is doing so many things in Eugene that I find really important…. and shortly after we finished the video, Gena began volunteering her time to be on the Board.

CPY does really critical, hard work. I think on the last count there were close to 2000 kids in our area who have one or both parents in jail… CPY’s main program is hooking these kids up with a positive role model, someone who will hang out with them, take an interest in what they’re doing — you know, a mentor. The idea is that if kids have someone who supports them, that maybe they’ll make more positive choices. It’s a good one, isn’t it? And statistics are showing that it’s an idea that works.

In the past year my family has opened our home to a teen who needed a little support. He has been living with us since September, and I think it’s the combination of him being really amazing, and also us supporting him that has helped him make positive choices. Now this might be a bit extreme to some people — not everyone has the resources or the ability to foster a child — that’s where CPY steps in. They need mentors, they need money, they need people passionate about what they do. If you have a moment, I encourage you to check them out. And if you’re interested, feel free to watch the video we put together for them….

Well. Actually, we’ve been downtown for a few weeks, now, but who’s had a chance to write about it?

We are renting an office space at 8th and Oak for a few months, and who knows, it might be forever (me+her+officespace=4ever).
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It’s true. Gena and I both had a birthday this past week. Gena’s fell on the 17th, and then mine followed three days later.

Not to complain, BUT…. well… Gena and I have many of the same friends. Well, shoot, being that we’re family we share many people (Gena is my mother-in-law). So, the fact that her birthday falls less than a week before mine, well, it’s a little overshadowing.
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I fell in love recently.

I fell in love, and it is wonderful.
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I worked at Kinko’s in Missoula, Montana in the 90’s (I have two aprons and a nametag to prove my four years there…), and we did some fun things… we went on a couple of store raft trips (where I lost my expensive sunglasses and got a massive sunburn); a massage therapist came in and gave everyone 15 minute massages (the guy went too deep and I had trouble turning my head for about a week); and once we even did a rope’s course (trying to walk on a very thin peice of rope is more my idea of torture than team-building, but oh well)…
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We are currently doing a bunch of work with Osoeco… it has been an exciting project. Osoeco will be an online shopping and community portal where you can find all things sustainable…. the shopping and robust community portal will be launching in winter of 2007, but right now they have a “buzz” site that has some community stuff (like a bulletin board for connecting with others), some information about what the site will be offering, as well as the ability to give your own feedback about what you’d like to see the site become.
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His wordly possessions are on his bike and he travels along with his dog. The dog is old and arthritic and probably has cateracts. He drags his leash behind. The whole thing is tragic in one sense. But this man and his dog teach me about love everytime I see them. His dog moves along slowly and he waits for him to catch up. Never too far ahead. He talks to him and encourages him.
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Sigh.

We recently, like last week, launched the redesign of our website. And we’ve had some feedback.

Feedback, Schmeedback. That’s what I say.
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I think I’m about to become an info-mercial. Please forgive me.

BUT there’s something really amazing about a positive car-buying experience. Granted, we might bring the car home tomorrow and we might find that it’s a total complete piece of crap and we should have just bent over and kept our money, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.

At the same time, if you are a car buyer who is looking for a slick, high pressure sales team that puts the full court press on you the minute you walk into their establishment, well, don’t bother going to Green Eye.
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