I'm sitting in my room at the Ramada Inn & Suites, getting ready to do my online math homework, but I thought I'd steal a few minutes in order to post about the trip to Portland.

I'd like to say it's been a total blast, and incredible, & I've had so much fun, but I believe honesty is the best policy. Actually, it hasn't been completely terrible, but I've been sick, which tends to dampen one's enthusiasm, for some reason.

We started on the road about 11 am yesterday - a later start than I'd intended, but I really didn't want to be stressed & rush out the door, and the important thing was to be in Portland in time for the game. I always understimate the drive time, because I once made the trip in just over 2 1/2 hours, but I have to remember that I didn't have kids with me, I was in my Honda, & that it was between midnight & 2 am. This drive was closer to 5 hours. I started getting progressively more sick the further we drove & my sinuses were on fire, my throat was raw & I had a hard time keeping my eyes open. We did make it safe & sound, however, & found the motel with relative ease. I was dying to take a nap, but realized upon check-in that we had just enough time to eat dinner & catch the shuttle to the airport, where we would take the Max to the Rose Garden for the game.

I was a little nervous about the whole Max thing, because I know how easy it is to get misrouted on buses & trains in a big city & I had three boys with me. But I asked a gangsta looking guy for help & he steered me in the right direction. So, we board the Max to discover that the half the city of Portland has been experiencing a power outage, which affected the train, which meant we were rerouted to the public bus system, who was going outside their normal route & taking at least twice as long to get there. By the time all was said & done, we arrived at the game right around 8 pm & it started at 7 pm. Once we entered the stadium, all of that stress disappeared & the awe set in. The boys were completely enthralled by the entire scene & of course knew all about the different players.

The halftime show consisted of a local drumming band, who were absolutely incredible & had so much energy. The performance was choreographed so that, at one point, there was a loud pause ended by all the musicians jumping into the air & landing in unison with a thundering drum beat. By the end of the performance, their band leader was standing on his stool thrashing on his drum set in a frenzy. (Obviously, this was the highlight for me!)

The Blazers won 107 - 104, so that was really cool. Also, because they scored over 100 points, everyone in the crowd got a coupon for a free chalupa at Taco Bell, which had the boys stoked.

After the game, the Max ride was essentially uneventful & we were shuttled back to our motel, where the boys set up camp in the other room. The setup worked really well, especially with me being as sick as I was last night. All in all, I succeeded in giving Tyson a memorable 12th birthday.

Now I've got to finish my homework, get the guys some grub & hit the road. I have 4 tapes waiting for me to transcribe when I get home!