Tag Archives: Pine State Biscuits

Feb22

Biscuits, Archery, Tea, and a walk

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Saturday, 03-Feb-2024

I’ve missed doing in-town adventure days with friends… you know the type, when you have a kind of scavenger hunt planned out, going from one spot to another? Adventures, excitement, and exploration!

Well, a friend of mine mentioned that she’d be interested in Archery… so we planned it up and found a weekend day we could check it out!

The day started at Pine State Biscuits, of course, with a beautifully inspirational little inscription in the sidewalk next to where I parked. We ate, chatted, and I finally got to meet her dog!

Then archery, where I stepped up and didn’t do too poorly with my aim… though, honestly, nothing too exciting of note went down. I did try and see if I could contend for the Guinness World Record for fastest 10 arrows shot (currently held at ~39s)… but it wasn’t quite as easy as I expected. Not surprising, though I did come close… I could probably do it in 50s without practice, so… maybe something I’ll work on over the next month or two. We’ll see.

From there I split ways from my friend, taking a wandering tour of the small town we’d found ourselves in. That’s something I realize that I’ve missed, from previous lives… just wandering and exploring an unexpected area that I find myself in. I mean, why would I wander downtown Milwaukee, right? But I was there for the archery range, and because of that I found a beautiful little tea shop with exceptionally fancy drinks on offer.

I ordered up a pot of Chai, with some pork buns, and sat and reflected on what comes next in my life. Tides are shifting and changes are coming, so those quiet moments of reflection are becoming more and more critical. For now, though, I just enjoyed my new surroundings and an excellent cup of tea.

Feb19

A walk in Forest Park

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Saturday, 06-Jan-2024


It started at Pine States Biscuits. Because obviously I love Pine State, and need my biscuits and chicken.

I’m at a crossroads, in life. 2024 rolling around has kicked off some major changes – things I’ll get to in detail, here in this blog, when the time comes. Suffice it to say that I’m excited, terrified, manic, and crashing. It’s a lot, and it’s made getting out of the house to go on trips rather challenging.

When that happens, we do our best. I try to be gentle with myself, and reward small achievements. Like, for example, getting out of Wilsonville and going into Portland for a simple walk in the park.

Forest Park is… unique, among parks. The Wildwood Trail, the one that I picked, is 29.5 miles long. I’ve mentioned it in this blog before, but not for quite some time… and, of course, I wasn’t aiming to hike the entire trail. No – instead, today I was aiming for a much more modest (yet still quite respectable) 9 miles.

I parked, I walked. It rained a bit, and I put my hood up. I planned on stopping for a snack… but then the Sun started setting earlier than I’d expected (thanks, rain) so I pressed onward. The Sun set, my ring glowed creepily on my hand, and I made it back to the car.

I had a solo picnic in the passenger seat. 

It was lovely – the rain pattering off the soft-top roof, the car lights passing by… it was excellent.

I got pizza for myself. I grabbed a few language books from Powell’s books, in preparation for the changes coming, and relaxed. I drove home, proud that I’d gotten out of the house and finished an adventure… no matter how small.

Apr19

My Irish Spring – The flights out (Saturday and Sunday)

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Wow… How long has it been since I’ve done an international trip? How much longer since I’ve gone international solo?

Let’s see. The last international trip was to Scotland, right before the Pandemic hit. When I had that really bad flu… right before the Pandemic. With COVID. That presents sort of like a flu. That I’ve somehow avoided getting, as if I’d already gotten it and gained an immunity… Okay we’re not going down that road the last time I went abroad was January 2020. Three years and change.

The last time I went on a solo international trip? Well, that’d be New Zealand, back in 2012. 11 years.

It’s high time I explored.


I got accepted to Trinity College’s MBA program back in November, and accepted the offer that same month… though I delayed admission until 2024, to give me some time to finish up in Oregon and save up a bit more money. While talking to the admissions officer though, I learned about a Business forum put on by Trinity in March – a perfect opportunity for me to stretch my international adventure legs and see if Dublin would make a good home for a year or three!

I planned, I packed, and I set off on my first solo international trip in over 10 years…

(Please note that these are my raw notes from the trip. I’m proofreading them for obvious mistakes… but they’re still short-hand. Because life is busy, and blogs don’t need to be perfectly edited.)


Saturday and Sunday, 04-March-2023 & 05-March-2023


Get up fairly early, lock down the house, and head into the city. Pine State Biscuits for breakfast, then hop on the plane! Note the different philosophies of travel clothing… some people dress down, completely comfortably in sweats, whereas others dress up, stylish, in glorious suits like they’re going to the theater. Interesting.



Flight to Seattle, super quick and easy. Barely worth mentioning.

Seattle = quick chicken fingers and relax, then on the plane!

Flight to Paris = long, but I sleep pretty well thankfully. Blankets, pillows… it’s not bad. Read a ton of my book, and enjoy the easy overnight. Helps that there’s an empty seat next to me!

Paris = surprisingly quick, just through a second security that takes ~5min, then wander a bit and grab some lunch… quiche and gnocchi bolognaise!



Flight to Dublin = quick, though full… so not as much room. Try not to sleep too much, to help set my internal clock to Dublin time. Soon enough, we’re landed.

Dublin = Land, super easy, customs doesn’t include a bag search and takes ~5min. Easy peasy. Grab a cab, get to the apartment… and check-in goes just as quickly.



Settle in for a bit, then go out for a wander. Walk around the North Side, then through Temple Bar. Find a small restaurant attached to a hotel and grab a very mild and stereotypical Guinness stew with a good red ale. Wander around Temple Bar, and appreciate the memories of similar college party streets from when I was at Northeastern. Then head home, quick shower, and sleep surprisingly well!



First Impressions on the city:
– Can’t tell if its because I’m in a party area, but I feel like people dress up more here… I’ve noticed this in other European cities before too.
– It’s small… no particularly tall buildings, and not even Trinity has anything over what looks like 5 stories. The tallest building in Dublin is 22 stories, whereas Portland is 40, and Boston is 60.