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Well, it was epic for me lately. Normally I fly everywhere. This was a special-edition trip planned for the specific purpose of collecting the majority of my earthly possessions from Seattle and transporting them to my new home in Sacramento. A pleasant byproduct of this adventure was being able to introduce my new(ish) love interest to some of my closest friends.

It turns out the best way to score free parking in a heavily populated, expensive downtown garage is have your van’s window broken out by a bunch of idiots who will steal your iPod converter cable, but leave your iPod in plain sight. But we’re not complaining, considering just about everything I own was stuffed in the back, and no one even bothered to look through it. I guess these brutish thieves have no use for women’s clothing, assorted kitchenware, and framed pictures of my friends and relatives. I almost feel bad for leaving my crystal meth in my other jacket. Hopefully they found some other way to scrounge up the energy to break into another van with more valuable stuff in it.

The parking attendant was pretty understanding and didn’t even question us or examine the broken glass all over the driver’s side windowsill as we told him what happened in 25 words or less. He just waved us through. The $30 saved wouldn’t be such a victory if we hadn’t gotten the optional insurance that I usually deny when I rent cars. At my man’s behest. I should probably include that, huh?

Until the break-in (and even after that), things went great. We met up with some folks at the Stumbling Monk and then went next door for cheese curds and other assorted junk food. I got to see Martin and Diana at Vermillion, my favorite bar/art gallery in Seattle/the world. And then we did shots at the Indian restaurant, Maharaja, for reasons unsure.

It was fantastic to see my friends, and equally so to make a new one down in Portland the following night. We had a few tasty special beers and burgers at Deschutes Brewery and followed it up with video games at Ground Kontrol. Our room at Hotel deLuxe was unique in an old-fashioned way, but with a giant flat-panel TV and an iPod-ready clock radio. The place is black-and-white movie themed, which gave it warmth and lots of character. It was probably one of the nicest hotel stays I’ve enjoyed this year.

Before heading back to Cali, we stopped at Voodoo Doughnut at the recommendation of just about everyone we know who has ever been to Portland or thought about going. I got one with nougat in the hole and another covered with frosting and M&Ms.;

Now that our fantastic weekend has come to an end, it’s time to find hiding places around the apartment for all the duplicate home items we have as a result of this trip.