Brad Pitt, hero to men everywhere

I don't usually comment on celebrity news, but this one is so good.

Brad recently announced that he wouldn't marry Angelina "until everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able."

"What a coup for commitment-phobic males across the nation!," says our friend, Rachel. "A way to escape commitment AND project a hip image of social consciousness? A stroke of genius."

Oh Brad, you are so crafty.

Big purchases

This picture shows two of our two biggest purchases in the past six months. One of them is the biggest purchase in our life. Can you guess which?

At right is our "new/old" house. New, as in we bought it six months ago. Old, as in it was built in 1884. Our fate was sealed as soon as we crossed the threshold -- we loved it as soon as we stepped inside.

At left is our new car, a very practical station wagon.

A third purchase of note is the Thule Atlantis roof box (mounted on top of the car), which we bought last week, about one hour before we left for the Oregon coast with Laurel and Kevin.

I think each purchase says something about us.

The Thule box says, "We are now official residents of the Pacific Northwest. We are ready to camp at a moment's notice." I realized that my metamorphosis into a Pacific Northwesterner was progressing nicely when I bought my first pair of Teva sandals. You see, I have never owned Tevas or Birkenstocks, and I have never had any desire to do so. But suddenly, I am shamelessly galavanting around town in outfits accessorized by Tevas and wool socks.

The Focus station wagon says: "We are nerds. Pragmatic nerds. Nerds who have have cast aside any illusions of coolness for excellent gas mileage and ample space." It also says, "We are not truly Pacific Northwesterners because we couldn't afford the Subaru Outback."

The house says, "We are in debt. But we have finally found our home."

A weekend with Laurel and Kevin

Not to bore you with details, but please oh please allow me to wax poetic about the most wonderful weekend ever, which we spent with friends Laurel and Kevin (formerly of Cincinnati, OH, now of Eugene, OR).

SMH and I took our brand new station wagon (yes, we are nerds) on its first road trip, arriving in Eugene late Friday night.

Saturday began with the Bohemia Half Marathon, which included a beautiful course around a Cottage Grove Lake. I've never enjoyed 13.1 miles so much, thanks to Laurel's company and impeccable pace. Observation: Oregon runners are very, very friendly -- about 2000% friendlier than OlyWa runners. Or, maybe it's just that Laurel is about the kindest, friendliest and coolest person you'd ever hope to meet.

After the race, the four of us -- uh, five of us, including Loki -- packed up and drove over to the Oregon Dunes, where we camped Saturday and Sunday nights. On Sunday, after a 3-mile hike to the shore, we relaxed on the beach, with nary a soul in sight. Said relaxation included downing cheese and crackers and two bags of potato chips (overindulgence justified by the race the day before), flying Kevin's kite and -- my favorite -- watching a grey whale or two in the distance. (I should mention here that I have developed something of an obsession with whales.)

Then, we drove along the Oregon coast, which is breathtakingly beautiful. I won't even try to describe it. During the drive, we passed Heceta Head Lighthouse, stopped to see several stellar sea lions in their rookeries, then made our way to Cape Perpetua, where we spotted three more grey whales. (Have I mentioned my obsession with whales?)

The weekend was filled with lots of laughs and good eats, including a dinner of halibut and veggies (and s'mores, of course) cooked over the campfire. And breakfasts of blueberry pancakes, during which Laurel proved herself a champion pancake flipper.

The trip ended with a visit to REI, which yielded lots of on-sale goodies, all sales-tax-free.

Not sure what the best part of the weekend was. One minute was better than the next.