Vicoria's Secret

Have you ever wondered what Victoria's Secret was/is? I think I can tell you. It's their return policy!
I recently purchased a $44 bra from Victoria's Secret. It said clearly on the tag "hand wash". I would normally pay attention to something marked hand wash, but I own a few Victoria's Secret bras, and my roommate owns several as well and neither of us EVER hand wash our bras. So I happened to machine wash this particular bra and it ended up coming out of the wash a giant lumpy mess, and I was unable to reshape it back to normal. It was completely ruined. So I took it back to the store, with the receipt and was promptly told that not only would they not be able to return it, they wouldn't even exchange it, because it so clearly says hand wash on the tag. Now, if I had never heard of a person machine washing their bras before and I machine washed mine, I could see it, but considering that I have the absolute knowledge, first hand, that nothing like this has ever happened before, I have to keep pressing the issue. My entire point was that no $44 piece of cloth should do what my bra did in the wash! Victoria's Secret is obviously a huge, worldwide company and I know for a fact that they would not be losing out on any money by exchanging my deformed bra. I started to get frustrated so finally the girl called over the manager and after some coercing they agreed to exchange my bra, but only with the explicit understanding that I could not machine wash this next bra and expect them to exchange it again. And I got a detailed tutorial on how to hand wash things (which I definitely did NOT need) and I was sent on my way. I am still rather annoyed at how the whole transaction went down and I am pretty sure I am going to stop buying my bras there. My roommate said she's also had problems with returning/exchanging things there in the past. Not to mention one time when Becky and I got a great laugh out of the girl meticulously wrapping Becky's newly purchased sweatpants with many layers of tissue to protect them from the rain, on a clear 85 degree day. Anyways...just a word to the wise. Maybe think twice before buying from there, especially if you aren't sure about your purchase.

OMSI's planetarium

This Saturday Gabe and I went to the planetarium at OMSI and watched "Passport to the Universe" narrated by Tom Hanks and made by the American Museum of Natural History. It cost $5.50 to get into, and the show was only a half hour. The show itself was actually really good, and very informative and sparked quite the discussion between Gabe and I afterwards, but we both wished that it would have gone on longer than a half hour. They definitely could have expanded on much more.
It was nice and cool in the planetarium and it was a great activity for a Saturday afternoon when it's over 100 degrees outside. We both really liked how they zoomed out from earth and gave you more of a 3-D perspective on the stars and how far they are away. I really enjoyed when they got so far zoomed out that they showed our entire galaxy as just a speck, the size of the stars that we see at night. Considering our galaxy holds billions of stars, it's crazy to think about our entire galaxy being that tiny. Not to mention there are billions of other galaxies outside of ours. It definitely brings the concept of religion into question and the role of God in creation of these galaxies and in our own lives. We also learned about how stars are formed and that they are created of the same elements that lie within us-oxygen, carbon etc. I guess Carl Sagen said "we are starstuff" and that is very true when you realize how intimately linked with the universe we are. Needless to say, we really enjoyed ourselves, and our only complaint was the shortness of the movie.

9 Ways to beat the heat

Seeing as today is going to be 103 degrees here in Portland (with an overnight low of 71!), which is nearly unheard of, I thought I would offer a few ways to stay cool!

1. Sleep in your bathtub, filled with ice and cold water, just make sure and put a floaty around your neck so you don't drown. Just think of it as a pillow!
2. Take up permanent residence in any local fountain (I recommend the one right on the waterfront in Portland!)
3. Set up a slip and slide in your office parking lot and get all employees to partake. If you're worried about hitting the pavement at the end of the plastic then just add either a kiddie pool or a tub of ice cold beers. (my office would choose the latter)
4. Urban Kayaking-anyone who's seen "Jackass" will know what I'm talking about...taking a kayak into local fountains.
5. Drink enough cold alcoholic beverages until you pass out and you can't tell how damn hot it is outside.
6. Take ear plugs and a bandanna for over your eyes into the cheapest air conditioned movie theatre and take a nap. (I've done this in Las Vegas in 117 degree weather and it was worth every penny!)
7. Wait until everyone at work leaves then sleep in your air conditioned cubicle ( I think there is someone at my office doing this, and I don't think it has anything at all to do with the air conditioning)
8. Put your sheets in the freezer about 30 minutes before bed. I've never done this, but it seems like a really good idea.
9. If you happen to be in Las Vegas trying to beat the heat and aren't staying in a hotel (for instance you may be sleeping in the trunk of your car), sneak into the Luxor pool. I've done it a couple times and it's easier than any of the other pools in Vegas :)

Keep in mind any of these can be combined...such as #5 and #3...
If you happen to have any other good suggestions, please let me know and someday when I compile a book of ideas on how to stay cool when global warming has come into full effect and we're all roasting...I'll include your idea!
Ok a co-worker of mine gave me an actual good idea. She said that she used to spray her sheets down with a squirt bottle then with a fan blowing on them, they keep you cool for a lot longer than sticking them in the freezer :)
Also, my pregnant co-worker said the only thing she can do to cool down is to lay naked in the kiddy pool in the backyard. Add some ice and then you're good to go!!

Central Oregon-La Pine and Bend

I decided that I am just going to write about the places that I visit, whether they be local, or not. As a reference for myself and for others, so I can keep track of what I like and don't like. Last weekend I went camping at La Pine State Park. I've camped there before. It's a nice campground, near the Deschutes River. For as busy as it is, it's rather quiet and the views of the stars are amazing at night. A word to the wise-it gets very hot during the day, but surprisingly cold at night. Make sure and bring warm clothes and a warm sleeping bag!
On our way home we stopped in Bend and went to the "Old Mill District". I had never been in that part of town, but it's a newer shopping area, and it's situated right on the Deschutes River. It was a gorgeous day, as it usually is in Bend in summer, and there were many people floating down the river enjoying it. This area has all your typical stores like the Gap, and your typical restaurants like Red Robin, but it also has a really cool REI in an old converted mill with all the original brick and rafters etc. Every Sunday during the summer they have a free concert series at the amphitheatre. I was pretty impressed with what we saw. We saw a raggae band, that was pretty good and I was surprised how many people were out enjoying the free concert with their families-lots of kids and dogs! The amphitheatre is a good set up-the grass is perfectly maintained and there is plenty of room to bring blankets and chairs.
Apparently I have never seen the cool side of Bend, because we also drove through downtown Bend which has narrow streets with quaint restaurants and shops and looked like a lot of fun. Unfortunately we didn't have time to stop.
The other nice part of the trip was the drive over. I am used to taking Highway 26 over Mt. Hood to get to Bend and for the first time drove over the Santiam Pass taking the route past Detroit Lake and through Sisters. We ate a great little Italian place in Sisters called "Papandreas". They had huge, and very delicious calzones. The drive was gorgeous though, Detroit Lake is really pretty and there was water almost the entire drive to look at in the form of lakes or rivers. Seeing the mountains in Central Oregon up close is beautiful and the scenery around Sisters is unparalleled. It's about a 3 hour drive or so any way around it from the Portland area, but it is well worth the drive, and it's a fun place to go to. :)

My new blog

Thought I might start a blog where all I do is write instead of adding pictures. Solely my thoughts and blurbs :)