inspired by:

SO, I’m typing this up on the plane and I know, I know… the past two updates were pretty intense and serious. Sorry, just working through some issues I had going on in my head. I was super conflicted over the past week, some would understand, others wouldn’t, but that’s okay, I don’t really expect people to understand my thought processes anyway. Besides, the whole point of Mister J: All Day is so I can find out about my own thought processes as well. Believe me, I’m just as confused about me as you are.

The trip was an amazing experience that I’m super happy to go through. Well, most of it I was happy to go through… the final day in both Seattle and Portland were perfect examples of why I lean on my friends for support. The day began innocently enough… me forgetting that I was in Yumi’s apartment. Wrapped things up there, took some final pictures and we were off, clunky bags in hand. I have to give it up to Miss Yumi for dealing with everything there. I honestly don’t know if I could stand being in that environment for too long… which is why I’m determined to get her back to Hawaii in the next year.


We hit up the neighborhood coffeehouse and picked up some stuff for breakfast. We then made our way over to the Matale Line for one last stop before sending me South. Got to hang out and see what she does on a daily basis… which is cool, but yeah… it’s still not Hawaii. See saw me off at the train station, which is kinda sad, knowing that I got to go back to Hawaii and warm weather and everything she wants, but can’t get right now. That’s kinda what inspired me to write the 1500 word manifesto down there. Sometimes, I wish I could just switch places with someone for a few weeks, just so they get to experience everything I’m blessed to experience on a daily basis… everything that I take for granted. Not too worry, the MIss Yumi - Hawaii tour is next month, so I’m hella looking forward to it.

The train ride… well, you only need to read the prior two posts to figure out what happened there.

Getting back to Portland meant finally kicking it with Kosty. I really miss kicking it with Brandon around the store and talking all types of trash with him. I kinda took Brandon leaving a little hard because he was the first person to notice the Threadless and boutique shirts that I rocked, so the connection was made immediately. Hand to God, Brandon was the first person that made me feel truly part of Apple, so to see him again is always a fun time.

What began as a trip to check stuff out downtown, turned into a retail buying session. Me buying toys and shop shirts… Brandon picking up toys and stuff for the house. Ended it with a trip to the Blind Onion, which had some pretty good pizza and interesting atmosphere. Pretty stoked about the apartment. Victoria, you’re gonna love the space you’re moving into. Optimal slouchability on the couch and a pretty fast internet connection = fun times. Well, as much fun as one can have in Portland on a Monday night.

Speaking of, we spent the rest of the night floating around downtown Portland, looking for things to do. We hit up Backspace, a dope cafe that managed to fit a treehouse, a computer repair spot and a LAN party room in one location. We worked our way around the corner and hit up Ground Kontrol, which is a retro arcade gaming parlor. Seriously, everything was here: NBA Jam, Marvel vs. Capcom, Street Fighter 2 and 3, WWF Wrestlefest, Mortal Kombat… and the ultimate: The Simpsons Arcade game.

Suffice to say, you know where the majority of those quarters went. I believe I spent about $3 in quarters trying to beat the game. Which, I’m happy to announce… we did. That totally made my night there and kinda helped me get over that emoness that I felt on the train. After the arcade, we just wandered around the city, looking at the buildings and staring at the fountains and how they worked.

After a ton of walking, we went and found Voodoo Donut, where they make some weird ass donuts, man. Kosty had the Cocoa Puff covered one… I opted for the M&Ms. Both were weird, but HELLA good. Definite thumbs up on that one. After another couple of minutes wandering around the city, I got dropped off at the hotel and best wishes were exchanged.

If there’s anything that I wish for the atypicalLIVING Northwest crew, it’s that they stay warm and stay up. I’m trying to make sure people don’t forget that Miss Yumi, creative Lauren, and Kosty are there and I’m trying to push the warm Hawaii vibes back their way. Just knowing that I was able to bring some sunshine into Yumi’s normally gloomy and dreary routine… knowing that me and Lauren are still able to act silly and make fun of white kids dancing, even after a few months apart… knowing that me being there allowed Kosty to speak Pidgin for the first time in a few months. The fact that I was able to bring a piece of Hawaii back to some homesick kids was very gratifying and I would gladly suffer in the cold for that cause.

The memories and lessons from the trip will carry over back into Hawaii, as I get my grind back on and prepare for the art show in August. I have my mission and the end goal is clear, now I’m just trying to make everything make sense in between.

Hawaii, you got a more focused Mister J coming back… you ready for that?