I was transported to the land of My-So-Called-Life era fashion and community centric collective consciousness.  A place where vegans go to find like-minded artisans making ironic products.  A spot where 20 somethings  go to retire, play bingo, and knit berets for the social media revolution.  A little hold-out where womyn gather in droves and chickens rule the roost.  It was a magical, organic, cage-free, grass fed, locally produced, sustainable, synergistic experience in Portland, Oregon!

Alright, alright.  I exaggerate, but only slightly.  I haven’t spent much time in Portland, so I arrived with a spirit of anticipation to experience for myself the People’s Utopia of Oregon.  I cruised into town with my sister Sal, who regaled me with tales of Portland’s neighbor to the north, Seattle– a dreary place where hipsters and TV doctors coexist for the greater purpose of drinking coffee and microbrews around the clock.  I had the pleasure of eating dinner #1 of the day at a delicious Thai restaurant where I reunited with the Suz and Patsy who just happened to be passing through town at that very hour.

I then had dinner #2 at a microbrewery with a herd of other EM applicants eager to eat free dinner and sip on equally free beer.  It is a cruel conundrum that we are encouraged by our home institution to limit ourselves to “just one drink” yet limitless adult beverages are being dangled before our salivating, desperate, insecure selves!  It was a delightful time, however, and I was able to mingle with two of my own classmates, a Scottish sonofagun that I worked with in Utah, as well as a few familiar ghosts of interviews past!  And the icing on the cake was that I got to head back to Andy & Jen’s house.  Andy is an old SAR crony who also goes to medical school.  He is currently taking the year to do an MPH, which he swears is as rigorous as medical school….

Breakfast of champions for MPHers?!  It was a lot of fun to catch up and see how much smarter we are getting.  I can’t wait until we are all doctors and refer to each other as such!  I wonder if it’s rude to send prank pages to friends at other institutions?  Consider yourselves forewarned.

I rounded out the visit with a trip to Voodoo Doughnuts, which is apparently a Portland staple.  I stood in a velvet-roped line for almost 40 minutes.  It actually felt like I was going to an underground punk show.  When I got inside my inner dialogue was telling me “Be cool… Don’t blow this… Hipsters will judge my sprinkle donut… I just told a homeless person I didn’t have change at a place that only accepts cash… I’m spending a homeless person’s money on donuts… Try to look aloof like you aren’t going to eat one immediately… ”  A few donuts later I was on my way to Seattle to visit with a few of my favorite people and kinfolk.

“Put a bird on it!”