Just the little things

I tend to amuse myself especially since I am now living alone. No offense to Elston but she can't tell me funny things. She can look funny or do weird things like stare into a fireplace but no quick, biting comments. I find that I'll read or overhear something little and chuckle to myself.

What are the things that have cracked me up or frustrated me this week? I should highlight quotes but I can't decide between these three which one outranks the other.

- Super annoying fellow rider on the train who blabbed really loud on her cell phone. She was giving a friend some advice. Bad advice. Quote - "Don't worry. The baby boomers are on their way out. Out. We can then wear what we want to wear."

- Just a little blurb in the paper about Peru's former President Fujimori who is allowed conjugal visits and his guitar. This is where my imagination steps in. I just have an image of Alberto strumming a ballad to his wife. Or entertaining his fellow prisoners with some rockin tunes? See where I am going.

- Iranian President Ahmadinejad's comment, ""Let me tell a joke here, I think the politicians who are after atomic bombs, or testing them, making them, politically they are backward, retarded." I know he is kinda crazy but that comment just cracks me up.

Colds

How come I can handle the big health stuff but a cold makes me think I am on my deathbed? I know the former is through a dose of denial but why I do get so shut down with some aches and a fever? I am home sick with a cold but it almost feels more flu like than anything. I am trying to share my dramatic thoughts with Elston but she is more concerned about getting ample nap space.

I never did follow up on the show last week - Peter Bjorn and John. It was a really good show. I can't remember the first opening band other than her wavering voice started to drive me nuts. Fortunately, I could concentrate on watching the crowd start to come in and enjoy drinking Terminator Stout since it was at the Crystal Ballroom. The second opening act, the Clientele, were pretty good. During their first song, I thought they sounded a lot like The Church. I moved up closer to the stage for PBJ. They put on a good live performance. I didn't feel weird being by myself and even hung out with some stranger during the opening bands.

Now I need to go rest again before I die from the Ebola.

Scala

At the end of August, a remarkable Chicago woman died. Florence Scala is familiar to anyone who has read Studs Terkel's books. She tried for Chicago's West Side what Jane Jacobs was able to achieve for New York City.

Blank thoughts

I haven't had much to say for the last few weeks. I guess I am trying to deal with some fog that has entered my brain. I was going to write some witty, snarky comment about 3 days of front page headlines about two deer that had been taken away from a family that had been raising it in their home. It was going to be another rant about the media and then I just couldn't think of the right things to say. I went from New Jersey politics to stories about deer and rabbit crazed owners.

Tonight I am seeing the first of many upcoming concerts. Peter Bjorn and John is the music for tonight. I have never gone to a concert by myself but I don't think it will be too weird. It isn't like I chat during a show and I'll probably get there right after the music has started.

Randomness

It has been one of those weeks when I am simply out of it. I didn't feel well all last weekend and was nursing a sore back. If I wasn't doped up, I was sleeping. I went to Seattle on Monday for a meeting and we left Portland at the ungodly hour of 5:30 a.m. I was still recovering yesterday from all of the different sleep patterns (or lack of) of the last 4-5 days.

The point I wanted to make in this post is how I can't shake something I read last night. I am reading Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. One of the characters is trying to recall a memory and is worried that the memory will soon fade. There are all sorts of little pieces of this memory that are still vivid - the feel of carpet, one specific image of a face and so on. I started thinking of memories I have of certain people and how they can still be so vivid even after many years. I can still smell certain things and instantly be taken back to a specific moment in time. Unfortunately, all of this memory gathering left me feeling incredibly sad. What happens when those memories start to fade? What happens when you can no longer build future memories with a person or a place?

Birthdays

Today is Elston's 10th birthday. Okay. The actual birthday is kinda unknown. Nicole and I rescued her when she was 6 months old so we made her birthdate six months from when we picked her up.

I have dreaded this birthday probably since the day we got her because post-10 doesn't get easier as a dog owner. Fortunately, she is in excellent health. She means the world to me so here is hoping to many more years of the little red dog.

Look at my personal DNA

This was kinda fun - click on benevolent experiencer to take your own test.

Wanna be a bus driver?

On Tuesday, Tri-Met put into effect some new schedule changes and switched our bus drivers. Why they decided to do both of these things on the same day is something I don't understand.

My energy drink selling driver is gone. Despite the pushing of energy, he was a great driver. He was speedy and knew the tricks of Portland traffic. I was usually early to work. Now I have Grandma Driver. We spent yesterday's drive telling her the stops of our express route. We had to tell her when to use certain lanes and when she should merge. I kept my mouth shut and let other passengers help her. At first I found it amusing then I felt sorry for her. Why would you put someone on a route with little assistance? I thought it was cute that she did a test run with her husband. She acknowledged driving the route in a car on Labor Day is different from rush hour traffic in a large bus. I started to lose some of my patience when she drove up the hill to work very slowly. Very slowly. Therefore, I am silently referring to her as Grandma. Afternoon bus driver? Fine.

This morning? Little better. The muttering to herself can end sometime soon. My focus turned today on a new commuter. A very talkative person joined our bus this morning. Talkative and loud. I am sorry. I just don't need to hear that much chatter that early in the morning. Unfortunately, some of the other regulars engaged her in conversation. I put on my iPod full blast and I could still kinda hear her. Between Grandma and Loudmouth, I am cranky. These are the days when I really miss driving to work.

We just aren't happy people

All sorts of gay stuff in the media these days.

Senator Larry Craig - I am not gay. Whatever. It isn't the issue. The issue is you pleaded guilty and there was all of the gay opposition you did for years and years. Trust me, we don't really want you batting for our team. At least I don't. Of course, now he is reconsidering his resignation. At least it gives Republicans some headaches and we turn our attention away from the people who should really be investigated - you know..the lies that led to a war. But, hey he isn't gay!

Jerry Lewis - I seriously thought he had died a few years ago. No he isn't gay. He just likes to say fag during the telethon. I haven't watched the telethon in 80 billion years but I hardly thought it was the venue for calling someone fag. Can't he come up with a better way of asking for dollars? Oh wait...he was just joking around with the cameraman.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Nangle has a new campaign that we only use the word homosexual instead of gay because gay people are clearly unhappy. Do you think he corrected Larry Craig after his press conference and told him to say, "I'm not homosexual"?

Animals

I've been thinking a lot about the entire Michael Vick thing and other things I've read recently about animals. Personally, I hope he never plays again in the NFL. I used to like him. I liked his style of play. Hopefully the downfall of his career will send a message out to others that this isn't tolerated. Here is another dogfighting story that was covered on ESPN. I went to high school with Gerald and had at least one friend who dated him during the height of his boxing career. I'm not surprised to hear that he was into dogfighting. By the way, I love the description of Freeport. Pretzels not menacing?

My other animal stories are from two recent stories in The Oregonian:

- There was an article about homeless and the central branch of the public library. There was one tiny sentence about a man resuscitating a dead rat on a bench in front of the library. The rat was revived. I really hope it was just chest pumping and not mouth-to-mouth.

- A woman was recently told to stay 100 yards away from rabbits. Huh? "She's having a very difficult time moving beyond having these rabbits." Huh? Well, she was found with 158 live rabbits in her house. Yea, that is a lot. I can see their point. The rabbits were taken away. She tried to steal them back. Little more strange. Recently, the police were called because someone looking through a window of her house saw some carrots on the floor. The woman's lawyer said that carrots are also human food.

Visits and food

Mary just visited Elston for a week. I was able to participate in the visit even though Elston had centerstage. I took off work for exploring and eating lots of good food. Highlights of the trip (focusing on food):

- what visit to Portland would be complete without at least some tater tots? We had lunch and dinner at two different McMenamins. I ordered the tots but I let Mary help herself. One trip was also combined with watching a movie at the St. John's Brewpub.

- Blackberry shake and Walla Walla onion rings at Burgerville.

- Breakfast at Camp 18. This was recommended by a friend when I said we were going to the coast for the day. Wow. Best breakfast ever. I came home with a bottle of their marionberry syrup that tastes great on vanilla ice cream. I am going to make pancakes tomorrow morning. Photos have already been loaded - link on right hand side to picasa site.

- Dinner at 3 Doors Down. This is the second time I've been there and both times have been great experiences. It has quickly turned into my favorite restaurant in Portland. I recommend the Marcona almonds, gnocchi appetizer and I've had two excellent pasta dishes. Great service and atmosphere.

- Two home cooked meals made possible by the neighborhood farmer's market.

- Pastries and coffee at Fleur de Lis and St. Honore Bakery.

- Dinner, drinks and a lecture at BridgePort Brewery. It was all part of the monthly Science Pub lecture.

I am sure I am missing some meals and snacks. We had great weather, a relaxed time for exploring, and quality time with the dog.

Texas cousins

Before I try to blog about anything else, I should point all of you in the direction of the news from Texas. These little suckers (long-jawed orb weaver spiders compared to the orb weaver spiders I have documented on here) have hit the national news. Concerned family and friends have been sending me links and the papers are showing pictures of the webs. Why the media is paying attention to these guys and not to the Portland warfare is beyond me. I will say that this story rates higher on the gross out scale.