Thursdays in PDX

I love this time of the year. The weather starts getting nice again and it stays light out until 8:00. It is Thursday night in Portland and for several years now it has been the night to see and be seen in town. I think it started with the art walk in the Pearl, then tailspun with PGE Park's Thirsty Thursday ($1 beer night), and more recently Last Thursday on Alberta. Whatever the reason, you can always guarantee that there will be a good crowd on a Thursday night in most Portland bars. In fact, on our way home tonight I observed a few different crowds of people at a couple of places. Seeing those people made me thirsty for a beer. So when I got home, I cracked open a Corona, grabbed the dogs, and parked myself in my backyard to enjoy the city skyline. The sun was just setting behind the West Hills, leaving traces of pink and purple hues in horizontal stripes just above the trees. The air is warm and smells of fresh cut grass. My beer is cold and as I take my first sip, I begin to reminisce about Thursdays past. And Wednesdays, and Fridays, and....

In college, the big night was Wednesday. "Wacky Wednesday" we called it. My sophomore year, I lived in my sorority house, and we had a ritual every Wednesday night. It all began promptly after dinner. The bathrooms were bustling with activity. There were showers to be had, outfits to be selected, hair and makeup. Then of course, you had to locate your "party bra"--cute and for some padded, just in case you planned on "mashing" with a boy. Waiting for us at the fraternity house were Upside Down Margaritas and cold Milwaukee's Best beer. Mmmm! The following week, awards would be handed out at our chapter meeting commemorating the mayhem that occurred on Wednesday night. "Morning Sneaker" which was a dirty Ked given to the girl caught sneaking back into the sleeping porch the next morning. And then there was "The Masher", a potato masher given to the girl who had the best hook up.

After college, it was all about "Wet Wednesday", the amateur wakeboard competition on the Willamette River. Although there were some serious competitors each week, to me it was never about the wakeboarding. No, it was all about being cute, drinking beer, and checking out all the cuties on the deck of Who Song's. I loved Wet Wednesday. The Thursday afterwards was usually always a little rough!

Then I discovered "First Thursday" in the Pearl. It is really meant to be about the art, but for me it became about being cute, Cosmopolitans (you can't drink Coors Light in the Pearl), and checking out the cuties at Oba's. Not long after, I discovered "Thirsty Thursday" and later "Last Thursday" and well, my month was pretty full. Alas, it had to come to an end someday, right?

So this Thursday, the only girls that I am hanging out with our my puppies, Bella and Ginger. And I am sipping on a beer from the fridge in a green lawn chair. I am wearing jeans that I have worn for a couple of days in a row. And as I look down, I notice they are covered in paw prints from "my girls". I have to laugh. I did have plans, but those were canceled. Someone had a sick child and another gal had other more important things to tend to. I was invited to a stamping party, but somehow I manged to space that (probably subliminal, as I am not a big fan of crafts). Across town, one of my "Wet Wednesday" partners is on the eve of giving birth to her second child. All of a sudden the beer has lost it's appeal. The sun has gone completely behind the hills. It is time to come inside. I linger just a little longer, but I cannot stay. Spring awaits around the corner and with it comes new beginnings. I pour out my beer and make my way into the house.