(3/11) The drive from 5am to the airport felt longer than the actual flight…and none of my manic energy really caught up to me until the last 10 minutes of the flight when I started nodding off…the kids were not used to being up at this hour and I knew I couldn’t rely on them to help ground me - I needed to help bring them from whatever was going on with them. PDX is a beautiful airport, but I clocked it on my watch - it was nearly 1.3 miles from our gate to the rental car - a bit *too* long for me and the family at that hour. We picked up our rental car but got news that we couldn’t get an early check-in to our AirBNB. Damn. We had like 6 hours to kill. First stop was Pine State Biscuits and it wasn’t as good as I remembered. Second stop was at a playground, but apparently my 10 year old grew up overnight and decided he was too cool. Third stop was a short hilltop hike that overlooked the city. And then I thought…why not just do some thrift stores? We hit up a few shops and not much stood out. Some Snoop Dogg x Skechers, a few random pairs here and there but nothing really interesting…and then…I spotted a random pair of Adidas I owned as a college student…back in like 1999. I had been bugging @eastbay.archive to send me some catalog pics for a few months but I couldn’t really properly describe them so they only lived in my memory…until today. I didn’t cop (even for $1.99), but it felt like a quiet nod - maybe I do belong here. Who else is literally in a Portland thrift store right now vibing off random shoes that they wore 25 years ago? A savant, maybe? We picked up a few snacks and then made our way to the Airbnb right around check-in…I took a quick shower in hopes of taking a nap, but I was just too wired. Impossible. After a few attempts, I rolled over, checked my phone and saw that a couple of guys were at the bar early. I know, from experience, that if I’m nervous - getting there early ALWAYS helps. So I hopped up, changed and started the 10-block walk over.