So I’m up in Portland right now for my brother’s college graduation. He walked today in a graduation ceremony that was, just as I suspected, as boring as all the other ones I have been to. It has made me realize how much I miss college though. Not just the fun times of hanging out with friends, but the classes too. It is hard to find the same kind of intellectual engagement outside of the academic setting of a college classroom. It is especially hard to find people who want to have serious discussions about world or domestic politics without resorting to shouting at each other. I think it has rekindled some desire in me to work all the way through a PhD so I can teach at the college level. That is going to be a lot of work and a lot of years down the road though.

Being back up in the Northwest has also made me miss Seattle. Portland is actually quite similar to Seattle in the over all feel of the city, the coffee shops, bookstores, and crazy homeless people. Santa Cruz is a great time in my life and I still don’t regret moving there/here, but every time I am reminded of the Emerald City I find myself longing to return home. Anyway, that’s enough for now.

I’ve uploaded some fresh pictures to flickr so be sure to take a look over there. Chao!

Filed under: life by Jonathan Assink