Home is where no heat is?

My spunky roommate laughed at me as I left the apartment in a brown raincoat, boots, and a Palestino, in 80 degree LA weather. I didn't care, I was headed north (said with an adventurous twang). For those who haven't heard, Oregon is my new default. Faced by unemployment and the realization that Monaco is cheaper than California, my parents moved to McMinnville, Oregon, which, so far, I associate with three things: fog, farm, and trees. Here's my proof, taken (today) Wednesday morning, when I went out for a "run"="a-fifteen-minute-need-warmer-pants-give-up".
That's home! Whadya think? I'll be honest. I'm inclined to get bored here; it reminds me too much of Greenfield, IN, my home for 8 years where I met one black person and drove a half-hour to get anywhere (though I did meet incredible people I will never forget; so don't any of you reading this think you didn't make it worth it for me). The differences (so far) are that there may be less plastic and more wood.
But FOOLED YOU! My overall impression of being here has nothing to do with the temperature. "It will be so nice to breathe fresh air again," said my friend James, who was on the plane North (zarathustra music) with me. And the landing in Seattle, WA got me feeling just that. We landed as the sun was going down, leaving a laser orange hole. I felt like I had flew into a raindrop. The city was gray and peaceful and it sparkled as the sun went down like my Irish scarf. In addition, as James duly noted, "there are trees in a city. It's fantastic." It's not just that there are trees in the Pacific Northwest. It's that they are pre-eminent, all-encompassing, and somewhat menacing. Portland exudes the aura of healthy mud, crawling with evergreens and rain and nature. I LIKE IT. And a few days ago while taking a walk off-campus, my new friend from Irvine asked me, "So you're going home to the Pacific Northwest for Thanksgiving right?" Keep in mind I am not friends with him on facebook, and had never told him where my parents lived. I remarked about how that was weird and he said, "Oh, well, you just give off an Oregon vibe."
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's true. People think Oregon and they think green, hippie, liberal, raincoats, colors, um...and when people think of me, 7/10 times "green" or "hippie" or "colors" is part of the description.
In other words, this is meant to be. Wish me luck. Today I'm going for a bike ride through downtown, to buy a new phone, get my haircut, and thrift store shop. I will take pictures of the middle of nowhere and post them with much love.