The introduction.

This be me...

Well my first post should be some sort of introduction I suppose. Not on who I am, because most of you have known me for a long time. If you haven't known me for years, then just make up something about my first 27 years of life that makes it interesting for you. This isn't a diary or a novel. If you're searching for a story, Netflix is only 8 bucks these days, have at it. Anyhow, the gist of it is that basically at the ripe age of 27 I decided to uproot my entire life and move across the country for a job. Need more detail, read on. If not, wait for the next post when I start to upload my pictures and videos of my journey and experiences. Shot with an iPhone (from someone who didn't go to art school, so let's all take a moment to lower those expectations).

My beautiful home, the twin cities. (Not my picture, and I don't know how it got on my computer, probably from pinterest. Sorry.)

Minor background on this life altering predicament: I worked in the beer industry, but as a quality assurance (QA- or QAQC in the science world: Quality Assurance Quality Control) technician for a raw materials supplier in the beer industry. I worked for Rahr Malting Co, the largest single site malting company in the

Barley grain that gets malted and put into beer.

 world. I took the job on a whim, because it involved a paycheck and a science degree. I fell in love with both the company and the industry. I mean, who wouldn't, it's beer?! I worked there for a little over four years. I loved what I did, but it just didn't fit. I had outgrown where I was. I needed more than my position or the company could provide. So I started looking elsewhere, and I decided to go back to school online for my associates in brewing technology from the Siebel Institute. Backtrack again: during my first few years at Rahr, I had a two week internship of sorts at Summit Brewing in St. Paul Minnesota. It was at this time I fell in love with the life of a craft brewery. The artistry, the passion, the teamwork and most importantly, the product! It became a type of business and science with a heart, and I never forgot that. Once the love of craft beer began, I ventured out with friends, and particularly my cousin, Andre Francisco,  in my drive to see, taste, and smell all there was to offer from the craft beer industry. Including multiple trips to the most extraordinary beer store on the planet, with the most incredible and knowledgeable staff, the Four Firkins. During this time I formed favorites, one of which included Deschutes Brewery, for their incredible Black Butte Anniversary series. For me, it started with orange peels from Spain and cocoa nibs from South America in an irresistible and unforgettable porter that was more like sophistication, sex, booze, and chocolate in a bottle. 

The one and only, Deschutes Brewery!

Fast forward: In my passive look for a new opportunity, most of which I was 5 years and some more continuing education away from being qualified for, I stumbled across a posting from the one and only, and one I was qualified for! I then did an awkward skype interview; which I'm thankful for since they couldn't see my shaking leg, or price tags hanging off my pant suit. Additionally, the poor light quality made it look like I had radiant skin instead of a glandular issue. I managed to impress them enough that they flew me out to see the place! Holy shit, right? I was a nobody and someone was willing to pay for my plane ticket, just on the chance I wanted to help them out. So now it was time for the scales; time to determine if the opportunity was worth the risk. New job for a company I admired, in a beautiful state, that would advance my career and education. On the other hand, I would be leaving everything I knew and loved behind. My family. My friends, which are my family. All the little secret spots I found throughout the Twin Cities or even in Minnesota. I knew where the speed traps were. The bars with the best happy hours. The Juicy Lucy. Minnesota craft beer. The culture. The Vikings, Twins or the Wild! 

Miles and miles of cycling or running paths! The world record setting Zombie Pub Crawl! My shitty, overpriced apartment that was in the center of absolutely everything. Where I once overheard a young drunk woman ask her friend, "Really, like, what is the purpose of bunnies?". People who tye-dye their dogs and you can hail a cab with an app on your phone. Outside of the entertainment, I wont miss the neighbor below me that constantly cheated on his girlfriend, only for her to come home and find him with the mistresses, and proceed to nearly beat down the door or window only to get the woman because she had "grade A p&$$y" and the other woman was the reject that needed to be sorry. Forget the cheating boyfriend, right? But now I live in the small town of Bend, Oregon, where I know no one. Where life moves at a different pace. Where you can't pump your own damn gas, but you can buy beer on Sunday. Where people are actually kind, instead of "Minnesota Nice", which is really just another way of saying passive aggressive as fuck with a bit of an accent and a hotdish, dontcha know? I find myself thinking that life is incredible, beautiful, and breathtaking, but also lonely out here. I've always been independent, but whether I'd like to admit it or not, I wouldn't be who I am today without a boat load of people. More like an arc. People who have helped, even when I've refused. And there have been many that have helped me on my journey to my new life out here. But now that I've arrived, I've slowly begun to test my true wings. To really make friends in a place where you have no connections. It's wonderful because no one has any bias or predisposition of your character, but at the same time, the sense of rejection weighs double on your shoulders when you have no comfort zone or support group to fall back on. When you fly, you're really up there, but when you fall, there are no cushions other than the drive to get back up and try again. 

So this blog will show my journey out here, and each new adventure out west. It's a way outside of facebook, text messages, emails, or phone calls to share my experience with my friends and family. Like a lot of correspondence, I'm sure I'll update infrequently. And it's nearly certain that at some point I wont find the energy or creative to rehash parts of my life on the internet. But for now, here it is.