I enjoyed living in Portland. It was amazing. Not because it was Portland, I actually could care less where I was. What made it amazing was that I lived with two really genuine people. Tyler and Mauricio. I feel bad, though. Mauricio and I never became that great of friends, our personalities didn't mix as well as Tyler's and I did. I consider Tyler to be my best friend, even though I don't think it is reasonable to "rank" people.

I present this argument a lot. Tyler actually helped fully articulate my thoughts to define my opinion. You can't compare anything, it just isn't fair. Especially people, because everyone is so different. You can't compare a truck to an orange and say "Bleh! This truck tastes gross!". An orange is meant for eating, trucks aren't. See, that example isn't totally clear, but it should make sense. When you compare people, it is just retarded. "Oh, Jenny is more direct and kind, where Sarah isn't direct or as kind, but she is prettier than Jenny." Anything like that just doesn't make sense to me.

I do acknowledge that everyone, as an individual has preferences. Say, you're interested in a girl, then another girl shows up, she is funnier than other girl, but not as pretty. You prefer a sense of humor to looks, but you've known the other girl longer and are more attached due to shared laughs. It just doesn't make sense to me, to do something like that. It isn't fair. You prefer what you prefer, just don't base who you associate yourself too based upon comparison.

Anyway, Portland was great.

It's a pretty funny story how I met Tyler and Mauricio. I knew of Tyler, but didn't know him. My friend Cody knew him pretty well. I called Cody one day wanting to hang out. He said he was at Tyler's and that I could come to. I offered to walk, but he told me no. Tyler, Mauricio, and Cody came to my house and we drove back to Tyler's.

At first, I thought Mauricio was some hardcore bad ass, but I know now that he's a sweet heart. I thought Tyler was some sheltered kid who was socially awkward, but that was because I didn't know him, of course. Some kid named Neil, or Neal, was there and we talked about video games. I was explaining how I used a laptop and it ran most games at around five or six frames per second. It was the most aggravating thing in my life, at the time.

Out of no where, Tyler points to this tower in his closet and offers it to me. I was a bit skeptical, because I hadn't even spoken to him for more than ten minutes. I eventually took it and thanked him endlessly. I still have it, it's amazing, thanks again Tyler.

Later, I forget how much later, Tyler, Mauricio, and I went driving. Or, Tyler drove, while Mauricio and I rode in the car. We were driving around downtown Salem at one am, I believe. We were yelling "drive-by-statements". Not insults, just general things that were obvious. When we saw a person riding a bike, we yelled "YOU'RE ON A BIKE!". A few people were confused. We joked that people would be relieved that they were told that they were on a bike.

On our way back down, or up, to Keizer, I had an idea. "Hey, do you guys possibly want another roommate?" Because, at the time, they lived in Portland. "I'll sleep on the couch, I just want to get out of here for awhile with the money I have made from working at Target.".

So, it's snowing heavily and I'm pushing carts. My feet are soaked from snow melting on my shoes. Cart pusher was a no-go, and pushing two carts at a time on slush wasn't working either.

My friend Devin and I just shoveled snow and spread salt all night instead. That was actually fun, spending time with my friend. I think the best part of it, was knowing that I going to quit soon. See, I had enough money to live in Portland for awhile and I wanted to spend time with my family for the holidays if I happened to live in Portland for a year or something crazy.

That was THE most fun I had at Target. I fucking hated that place, Jesus. Everyone was a lie, worse than high school. They all went to Target school and made working there their life career. I feel that they were bitter and irritated about their decision, because they seemed to take it out on everyone else.

To make work more enjoyable, I use to imagine that Target was a Goblin mining colony. I would push the carts full of ore and gems through the cave as the other goblins picked away at the walls or barked orders at us. These strange creatures from all across the land would awkwardly and violently grasp for the gems and ore to throw in their carts. They would then exchange the shiny rocks for goats or water. As soon as they were in, they were gone. They made a terrible mess, every one of them. Their children howled and thrashed about as their parents ignored them, because they were too busy looking at the pretty rocks. I would return to the real world when then sun went down.

So, after we got done shoveling the sidewalk and covering it with salt, we were rewarded a gift from Starbucks. By the time we got all of out gear off, our work was in vain. A new blanket of snow washed the salt away.

I sit down, take my shoes and socks off, and then ring my socks just outside the door. My supervisor asked me if I needed more socks or boots, but there weren't any in the closet, so I requisitioned some new ones. I grabbed a pack of 12 really expensive socks and said "These are the cheapest I could find."

Shortly after, I pushed in more carts and walked up to supervisor. "How would I quit, without causing a problem?" I asked.

She led me over to a cash register and pulled out a piece of paper. I signed it, grabbed my coat, and walked out. I had this bandanna to cover my face, it was great. My breathing made condensation, which froze, and stuck to my nose and lips. I couldn't see the road, which was scary, because skidding cars couldn't either.

A normal forty minute walk turned to to a two hour hike. My socks were frozen solid and my coast was frozen to me, but I didn't care. I just quit, I felt amazing. I haven't ever felt better in my life. It was this redemption of freedom that lead to a new life, in Portland.