Fifteen

My efforts to retrieve my misplaced favorite corduroy jacket are once again spoiled. I left it at a friend's house a few weeks ago. Shame, too, since it is beginning to get cool in the mornings and evenings (and I come home LATE, by the way).

I've been in the city a few times since losing it and I always phone the people that live there but none of them have ever been home to open the door. I asked Brendan about tomorrow night and he said it was likely everyone would be at the big Critical Mass. Apparently, it is the 15th birthday (or anniversary) of the monthly tradition that effectively ties up traffic at rush hour and induces utilization of public transit out of the city center. After a rough spring, the close-knit membership alliance has managed to stay out of the press.



I've only done CM once. It was Halloween 2005, I believe. Good time. I wore this amazing blond mermaid wig. (BTW, wigs will overheat one in a snap. If you wear one, dress light.) I kind of want to go again, should be a nice ride. Hopefully no old people in minivans will be assaulted and/or berated in public intersections by militant bike ninjas.

Field trip to Contra Costa County

My studio course, LA 201, Ecological Factors in Urban Landscape Design, took a trip to the bowels of Contra Costa County on Sunday. For almost 11 hours we toiled out there looking for any threads of environmental hope for this place. Anyway, below are some images of what we found:


Into the culvert we go....


Land slump


That's the way they do it in Pinole.


For some reason, my camera turns all skies pink lately...This is a channelized Rodeo Creek. Beautiful!


Great old building in Rodeo's downtown. Too bad its structural integrity is about zero based on the posted sign on the front window. I love the arcade entrance.


The coal fire plant in Rodeo off Hwy. 4.


What you see a lot of in Rodeo: powerlines on almost every hill landscape there is

To be Mayor...

The Oregonian carried a short story on my stepfather's annoucement to run for Mayor of Beaverton, OR. So far, I guess, the media coverage seems better than worse.

Good luck to him. The bid is for NEXT fall's election. All in time. Plenty of time for some skeletons to fall out of the closet, though.

It's a weekend. Really.

Well, kind of. It's going to be kind of a weekend. 'Kind of' for two reasons. One, I have nothing (big) due on Monday, so it feels like I have free time. Two, I have to go on some kinda hellish field trip all day on Sunday, from 7am to 6pm, up in Contra Costa County. We are going up there to look at about a gazillion things for our Ecological Analysis Planning and Design Studio.

So it is, therefore, kind of a weekend. I look forward to Friday night and Saturday as long as I get in before 12am. While Sunday is spoken for, the other two days got potential.

A major episode of 12 year old boy humor happened in my Plants in Design class. You wouldn't have guessed, but it did. While my professor was lecturing us with a powerpoint presentation on English Landscape Gardens, a slide flipped up with a map of Stourhead. Stourhead is one of those kinds of estates that are featured in all of the Jane Austen novels. Anyway, the map caught my attention because it included the location of an inn with a name that I cannot believe has not been changed or altered in modern times. See for yourself.

Also, in other news, my stepfather Bruce is announcing to the City of Beaverton tomorrow that he is running for mayor. This could get interesting. Hmm, I make an early prediction that the new Dalrymple-family Porsches are not going to impress local voters.

Let's go to Yosemite

From my drawing class:

My parents like cars or something

Since I left Portland this summer, my mother and stepfather have dabbled in conspicuous consumption to an extent that leaves me more than a bit queasy. There is little explanation to it other than the fact that my stepdad Bruce is an extremely easy sell for anything with four wheels. This past weekend, my mother and he decided to purchase two (yes, two) more (yes, more) Porsches. They already had one Porsche before last weekend, which I complained about at every opportunity, plus a Jeep Cherokee and a Mustang convertible.



I do think that buying two Porsches for two people, when those two people already have three cars between them, is a pretty idiotic idea. According to them, it would seem that one must have more than one or two choices of vehicles to be happy in this world.

I begin to wonder if we are related at all.

Sincerely,

Miss E
(proud owner of an 18 year old VW)

P.S. Five dollars says I won't be allowed to drive my mother's Porsche the next time I visit. Lame-o.

On the earphone

Jens Lekman, Oh You're So Silent Jens Lekman

Post Veteran's Day Music

The Walkmen have announced fall tour dates...

Tues, Nov 13, The Independent

WALK, don't run.

For the wrist challenged

Stephen Colbert has come up with a very keen promotion, advertising and public awareness vehicle: The Wriststrong Bracelet. The idea was hatched as a result of him breaking his wrist this summer.



Having just broken my own wrist this winter, I feel happy someone is taking the time to spread awareness for the wrist challenged.

Philippe's Inner Place Holder....Read strip below

Just



Keep



Scrolling




Down



Until




You



Can



*See*



The



Entire



Achewood



Cartoon!



Whoops



It



Will



Take



A



Few



More



Lines.

Philippe's Inner Machinations

Finally, a flow chart of my favorite otter. After I post another entry, you should be able to read the whole thing. Or I can do a placeholder....Let's see....

Give me a drop.

I think I suffer from persistent dehydration. Problem is, I don't really suffer from the typical symptoms of thirst that compel one to consistently rehydrate. The only time I must have water is when I exercise and after. I've gone entire days at school (typical 830am to 1230am) having consumed nothing liquid except 8 ounces of coffee. I get home and don't even feel that parched, but I do feel pretty terrible.

A couple summers ago, I went to a very nice place to have a full massage. Afterward, the masseuse woman told me she could tell I wasn't hydrated enough because of the way my skin felt - like she could lift it off my back and it would just "stay". So gross.

I need some kind of timer to remind me to sip water in class all day. Something like a low frequency vibration or electrical shock. I would do well in the desert...or at a behavior modification clinic. Ready and willing.

In other news, I will try to post thumbnails of my work from my drawing class this term. We just did a fun one on California landscapes and signage.

Also, in court today UCB failed to evict the tree sitters from the coast live oak grove that abuts our building. I guess they will be here for a while longer.

Ghosting Copenhagen

Today I learned a new term in urban historical research and mapmaking. "Ghosting."

Ghosting, as Herr Bosselmann verbosely described, is the exercise of overlaying new maps on top of old, examining each one through the other, looking to see the process of urban transformation over time, looking to see which historical forms have remained, looking to see which have not. And understanding precisely "why".

In sum, looking to the past to understand the present; taking it one step further to predict the patterns of our urban future.



It is quite a fascinating topic, for sure. That said, Herr Bosselmann is a little impatient with my current pace of taking his simplified chicken-scratch maps and turning them into a multi-layered smorgasborg of urban know-how. Thus is the reality of the student-professor digital divide.

Things I was told today:

"It is your job to outsmart the computer's laziness."
"Ghosting is going to teach this computer a thing or two."
"Yes, the reason that block disappeared so long ago is due to the tannery."
"We must not forget the moats, Rachel. We certainly must not."

Six years old...

Six years ago tonight I was at a PJ Harvey show with my boyfriend of the time, I'll call him Darren. The tickets, if I recall correctly, had been an early birthday present I'd received weeks before. The show was at the 9:30 Club, a nice venue near the U Street corridor on Washington, DC. PJ's most recent album was Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. A notable album for sure.

Despite the promise of a fulfilling evening ahead of me, I do remember I would have much preferred not to go. In fact, since way before I got these blasted tickets I'd been not too psyched about a number of things and been rather depressed.

Returning from the show that night around midnight on September 11, very frustrated and melancholy, I made a promise to myself. The promise was that the next day, as soon as I could, at the very first opportunity, I would sever all ties with Darren and start to be a happy person again. As I tucked myself into bed that evening, I made a plan to email him with the news before he'd even had his damn coffee. It would be harsh, but it was entirely overdue and I'd lost all patience at that point anyway.

Eight hours later and I am at work (Correction: our work, Darren and I were at the same organization). I believe I was writing down some points that I planned to include in the email. I remember I'd gotten there pretty early that morning, right around 8:15 am so no one was really around. My coworker Karen was already at work with me. She had gotten into the habit of getting to the Center early at the start of the week so she could go home to Alexandria, VA before 4pm. Karen was nearly 8 months pregnant at the time. I continued to draft my email, happiness ever increasing, until my friend Charlie chimed in over AIM to tell me to immediately go find a television.

And the rest is history.



I left the Wilson Center at 10:45 with Karen. I had a solid plan to walk north for nearly two miles to my apartment in Adams Morgan on Belmont Road, NW. Later, she could find a way for her husband to pick her up. It didn't matter, really. According to Karen, we just needed to get out of our office and out of downtown which was less than 1/3 mile from the White House.

Am I a heartless wench because I didn't check on Darren before I left work with her that day? Perhaps I am. No, I am. But considering the circumstances going on in the world at the very moment, I could have cared less. I still am glad I made the call to guide a very pregnant woman a couple miles to a safe place on Sept. 11. With every anniversary of 9/11, Karen, without fail, emails me to say thank you again and includes photos of her awesome kiddos. My efforts that day have been a gift that continues giving.



Later that night, even despite the fact that Darren grew up in New York City, and was really devastated by the terrible events of the day, I kept my promise to myself. I kind of hate myself for being so self-serving and cold, but it really had to be done. The idea of not breaking up with him and having to console him over the tragedy for a number of indeterminable weeks was simply too much. In retrospect, he probably appreciated it. At least, that's how I spin it.

Here's to being six.

So not on top of things

Apparently last night I missed a Kings of Leon show. I had no idea they were in town. I guess it isn't the end of the world, it was at the Warfield. I've heard from a friend they are good in concert, although I haven't heard their new album is up to snuff.

To add insult to injury, tonight I missed both Magnolia Electric Co. and Okkervil River play live shows at nice venues in SF. What IS my life coming to? One week back at school and I am practically a hermit. Aye!

So in light of this music-related oversight, I will try to be a little more proactive. Here are some upcoming shows that have caught my eye:

Oct 19 The Fiery Furnaces The Independent
Oct 29 Broken Social Scene The Fillmore
Nov 9 Jens Lekman Bimbo's 365 Club
Nov 23-25 The Decemberists "The Long and Short" Concerts, The Fillmore
Dec 19 Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks Great American Music Hall

Other than music, it's also been a contemplative week. Got a job with Herr Bosselmann. Sehr interessant.

Burning Man, seesaws, blueberry martinis

Saturday in the Nevada desert at 10pm the wooden effigy symbolizing the community-powered event called "Burning Man" was ignited and consumed by flames (for the second time that week). The same Saturday, many miles west of Nevada, in the sleepy college town of Palo Alto, an event also took place in the same spirit.

That event was in all respects a private party, at a private residence, where we drank beer, snacks, and drinks purchased from capitalistic grocery outlets. So I suppose, on the surface, the party lacked a lot of what the real Burning Man is about. However, at the same time there existed promising and convincing signs: there were people dressed in strange fur and horns, there was a geodesic dome tent swathered in many yards of hot pink fabric, and don't forget the hookah. Anyone with even the slightest amount of imagination could fathom its relation to the desert party some 279 miles east of us.

A highlight for the Palo Alto partygoers was the adult-scaled teeter totter (or see-saw) in the backyard. I've never seen such a large and dangerous looking teeter totter before. A couple people challenged each other to a knock off and it was very amusing to watch and participate.

Delicious drinks fabricated using Trader Joe's Blueberry juice rounded out the evening that had included some light, recreational drug use. I was very pleased, although the martinis would have been even more out of this world with a fresh mint and blueberry garnish.

The evening did not end with our burning down of any kind of human shaped wooden doll. Earlier in the evening, someone entertained the idea of fashioning a miniature one out of loose popsicle sticks, but that idea barely made it past the shelter of our geodesic dome.

Sundaze

Am listening:

St. Vincent, Marry Me


Okkervil River, The Stage Names

Will be listening:

Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam

Shows to goes:

1. Animal Collective, Sept 17, Fillmore
2. Treasure Island Music Festival, Treasure Island, Sept 15 & 16 (go Sunday)
3. The Clientele, with Peter Bjorn and John, Sept 18, Warfield



Random photoscapes: Angel Island, Quercus agrifolia grove.

Friday night office work

It's Friday night. The Bay Bridge is closed and there is no school this Monday. There is a big football game tomorrow. All signals point to going out, enjoying oneself, and taking it easy. My roommates took off to go camping tonight. Everyone is feeling the vibe.

Everyone 'cept me, that is.

Tonight I spent one hour running. I came home and spent another 2-3 hours filing all my paperwork that has accumulated in piles since late May. But it's DONE. All that crap is filed (well, my receipts aren't filed, but they are organized in a folder). I consider it an evening well spent. After all, before I did all this all that junk occupied a very large spot on my bed. Night after night, I would sleep next to flyaway papers and invoices, bill stubs, carbon copy receipts, and bank statements. But now the bed is clear. Sleep time no longer must be confined to an area 5 feet long by 30 inches wide. I could even have a sleepover. It's rather amazing.

Tomorrow there are many things to do. Seeing that there is a football game, I may want to avoid campus. Let's see what can be done.

I've been enjoying the radio coverage of the Larry Craig fiasco. What a douchebag.

Public service

Today I must report at 8:30 am to the Rene Davidson Courthouse in Oakland, CA. Lord, I just performed jury service last August.

In other news, a DCRP alum, TC, recently made the news in The Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

List of to-dos

This week many amazing things were accomplished. This week is a record breaking one in terms of the rubber hitting the road:

Car-related:
1. Car emissions tested. Car passed with flying colors.
2. Car registration renewed.
3. Berkeley annual parking pass procured.
4. New bumper sticker affixed.

Activity-related:
1. Ascended the summit of Mt. Livermore (that's on Angel Island)(Sat)

2. Walked-ran Strawberry Canyon Fire Trail (Fri)
3. Climbed Claremont Canyon Hill. (Wed)

Residence-related:
1. Carpets steam cleaned in dining, hallway, living room and my room.
2. Fridge and freezer cleaned and disinfected.
3. Shower curtain replaced.
4. Diseased and gross geraniums disposed of and replaced with California natives that require little water (update: only one of these new plants is dying since being repotted). My balcony will hopefully be an urban jungle by next summer.
5. New pictures hung in the apartment.

Financial-things:
1. Called student loan hotline to confirm a few things....and got the help I needed.
2. Paid part of my fees.

Other:
1. Cute next-door dog, Lilly:

Adieu. Farewell.

I will miss Portland. The last couple months living here have been awesome. Most of all I will miss my sister. We had family portraits taken yesterday.

Thirty

Gasworks Park by Richard Haig


Pipes are fun.


I sneaked in the fenced area to get this one...


Seattle skyline


Golden Retrievers at Marymoor Park

Best years to come

I am turning 30 tomorrow. Aye! What has the world come to? How did I start grad school at 26 (the young, vibrant mid-twenties) reach 30, and still find myself in essentially the same place as I was in 2004? It is really a mystery. (Drugs were not involved)

Last year I thought I would be celebrating this milestone in Spain. Lack of planning and buy-in from the potential financier of this journey (Mom) resulted in a downsizing of those plans. In early June we had thought Vancouver, BC would be a nice destination, and a decent compromise: still out of the US, supposed to be beautiful, etc. Again, lack of early planning made even those dreams fizzle by early July. Since then we have decided to still venture north, but our final destination is now Seattle, just a 3 hour drive from Stumptown.

These plans seemed solid and unbreakable (good hotel, good dinner reservation, good weather forecast, general excitement within the travel group) until Wednesday when I read in the paper that we are to expect many delays up the I-5 freeway. Apparently WDOT decided to close half of the lanes going through Seattle on my birthday weekend. Go figure.

We have a strategy though...forgo I-5 and head west to Bainbridge Island 50 miles south of Seattle. We will take the sunset ferry from the island to Seattle's Pier 52, thereby going around the bottleneck and delivering us only 4 blocks from our hotel accomodations. Yes, water travel can still trump car travel in times of construction.

So far, turning 30 has involved deflated expectations and logistical strategizing. And I am not even running for office. However, I remain positive. These are, afterall, supposed to be your most remarkable and productive years.

Update: The Fox is getting new spark plugs this weekend and perhaps a replacement to the fuse that lights up the AC and heat controls inside the car.

Fun with the Chipper

Have you ever come home to the ear-wrenching buzz of a wood chipper? My brother rented one last night. I couldn't help but think about that scene in Fargo.

Multnomah Falls, Oregon landmark




Hood River, Oregon. John Kerry came to windsurf here on the Columbia River during the '04 campaign.

Coolest thing all summer

This morning in the park around 6:00am near my home I witnessed a physical battle between these two animals:


Common urban crow. See also, nuisance.


Some exotic falcon or hawk, species unknown.

When I arrived in the park after a run around the neighborhood, I noticed a particularly rowdy mob of crows. Usually, after the weekend picnics and barbecues that happen here, the crows are really obnoxious, jumping around each other, tearing garbage out of the bins, and basically making me want to kill them. This morning they were especially annoying. There must have been twenty of them fighting over a McDonald's 1/4 Pounder with Cheese wrapper. I found an old tennis ball under a tree and decided the moment was ripe for crow harassment. I kicked it at them and then proceeded to charge the moxley bunch, running full speed through them. They got all in an uproar and swooped around, screaming and flapping around like idiots. I continued to chase them around and picked up the trash they'd dragged out into 38th Street (a Dairy Queen bag with fries in it). At that point, I decided I'd had enough of them and started walking back through the park toward my house.

I noticed a non-crow bird in the park on the way past the play equipment. I stopped and decided to watch it for a minute. Non-crows are very unusual in Wilshire Park. Crows here seem to have taken over habitat of all native birds - no warblers, finches, or sparrows. You MIGHT see a robin once in a while but it is rare. In fact, you rarely see anything flying around this area of town that isn't a crow. It's really sad. So when I realized that this non-crow was actually a hawk, I was mesmerized. I looked at it for a while and was wondering what the hawk thought about all these bastard crows. It saw me, but it's attention was elsewhere. I assumed it was eyeing the 3-4 fat little squirrels running around nearby. But I was wrong.

Just like me, that hawk had its heart set on a little crow harassment! It let out one of those cool piercing hawk calls, and then swooped down and attacked a passing crow in mid-air. The crows went crazy. They didn't go after the hawk though, they just went back to their garbage.



I was so proud of the hawk. Maybe it saw me bothering them and got inspired, I don't know. For the next 5 minutes I watched that hawk dive-bomb those crows with a snarling vengeance. It was pissed. It kept letting out these great hawk calls everytime it attacked.

I left the park feeling upbeat but a little worried about the hawk, given that it was outnumbered easily 1:50 out there.

I am not sure exactly what kind of hawk it was, but it kind of looked like something called a Cooper's Hawk.

Sold

I usually sell about one item per year on Ebay. This year it was my sister's Blackberry 8703e device. That thing was snatched up in no less than one hour into the auction. I wonder if I priced it too low? Anyway, $175 has been transferred into my Paypal account and all I gots to do is wrap up the sucker and mail it off. The guy who bought it is named Hussein and he lives in Philadelphia. The ad cost me less than $4 to post, but I had a credit with Ebay.

Today is an exceptionally beautiful Friday. It is about 85F and sunny outside. By 6pm, temperatures will have dropped to a comfortable 77F. My sister and I are planning to bar hop on bikes. I am supposed to meet her at Thatch. From there we go to Vendetta. I am still brainstorming for the final destination.

Death on Grove Street

A woman died in some terrible shooting only about 2-3 blocks from my house in Berkeley. Here's the coverage in the Chronicle. I haven't ever had a tangle with danger although the area has its share of corner liquor stores and questionable street activity. During the busy part of the year, I walk home from campus at 2-3am more often than I should allow myself.

Berry laden

My sister offered to give me her old blackberry (she bought it 7 mo. ago) in exchange for the phone I currently have (standard issue Verizon phone). Seems like a good deal on my end, but I am concerned about the monthly carriage fee. I will have to talk to the Verizon people (ech).

Currently I fork over about $50 including tax for my basic program. I would do the Blackberry if it cost no more than $20 more a month. Something tells me it would be more...

Doings

Bought:
Peter Bjorn and John, Writer's Block
Spoon, Gagagagaga

Consumed:
Everett Street Bistro

Died:
Tammy Faye Messner

Viewed:
Once

Drum roll

Make a mistake, pay the price.

Ray messes up again this week...

This past weekend I was in San Francisco. What a nice break to take. Although my time in Portland so far has been awful swell, I kind of missed some friends and the familiar territory of the Bay Area. I spent most of my time in San Francisco. Saturday a series of missteps caused Jason and I to miss out on tickets to the Spoon show at Cafe du Nord (no hard feelings, Woody). However, we did hear the band warming up downstairs from the street around 6pm, so I figure that's fair.

Later, fresh from our bad luck, we met up with another comrade, Mr. Lee, who drank many bourbons in our company. I am always hot on recruiting new bourbon swilling buddies! Something about that Kentucky limestone produces a great beverage. And then some.



Sunday I continued damage control measures on the apartment and managed to make it back into the city around 6pm. I met Christina in Dolores Park with some tall boys and we proceeded to enjoy the urban scenery. After the beers were expired, we headed to Range where a very delicious meal was enjoyed.

I took the 6:30am flight out of Oakland, back in my work seat in Vancouver, WA by 8:51am.

American Wedding

Have you ever been to American wedding?
Where is the vodka, where's marinated herring?
Where is the supply that gonna last three days?
Where is the musicians that got the taste?

-Gogol Bordello, Gypsy Punks

Skate or die

This video was found today by our staff on YouTube. The skate park is a project in construction that the Vancouver Clark Parks and Recreation Dept. is building in east Vancouver. The place is closed because construction is still going on, but skateboarders have been sneaking into the place for the last few weeks after the crews leave.

As you will see, this skate park is going to be extremely popular. The subcontractor, Grindline, is a crew of experienced skaters who now design and build these skateparks in the Pacific Northwest. This skate park cost a pretty penny.

I return

I return to the Bay Area this weekend for some much-deserved socializing and escape from the blistering weather of the Pacific NW. It's been in the 100s here. It reached 104 in Vancouver, WA, where I work, although I didn't notice it too much because I spent all day inside a refrigerator-esque office most of the day.

Later, I ventured up to Brush Prairie, WA to help with a public meeting to discuss with the community a regional trail project we are planning to build through a ton of people's backyards. It went surprisingly well, given that it's a property issue and it was the first time many people had heard it was going to happen.

Today, we hold the same meeting in the rural hamlet of Yacolt, WA. I am prepared to run into many cowboys, truck drivers, and other folks who have been deprived of an urban upbringing.

As for this weekend, it is fully booked. I simply hope no one cancels on me. That would mean spending time wandering around by myself, and I do that too much here in Portland as it is.

Foie Gras PB & J

The evolution of traditional French cuisine has created sentiments of wonder, disdain, delight, and bewilderment in American restaurants advertising "modern" takes on timeless, classic dishes. With Bastille Day awaiting us at the end of the week, this entry highlights one of the things about French culture that never ceases to amuse me - their obsession of what is "French" and what is not. In this case I examine a dish called a "Foie Gras PB&J." Such delight can be found at Le Pigeon, one of Portland's hottest dining destinations.

The fusion of American sensibility and quality French ingredients has resulted in stranger things, of course, but few as delicious or unanticipated. In this experiement of savory and sweet, the goose liver is playing the role of peanut butter. No one forgot the strawberry preserves, either.

Our group of three enjoyed a full meal at Le Pigeon last night. No disappointments. I enjoyed the veal with corn - a braised, generous cut of veal (I rarely eat veal, but I will eat it at restaurants such as this one on occasion) floating on a layer of herb infused corn-studded butter reduction.

For dessert we had the honey cornbread with bacon and maple ice cream. Pork in dessert is certainly a dining fad I am willing to ride out for a while....

Happy 231st

Happy 4th of July. I hope all of you out there will practice safety and not maim yourself or others with fireworks antics. How many people actually leave their homes at mid-afternoon to go stake out a spot along a waterfront or lakeside to watch professional fireworks displays?

Last year, I went to Buena Vista Park in SF to watch fireworks with Adam and his friends. It was nice, save for the beer that got spilled on our sitting area. We were so far away from the origination point of the show that I do not believe we could hear anything. I think that is an aspect of the show that goes unaccounted for. The screamers, whizzers, and array of other sounds are just as part of the holiday pyrotechnic tradition and the colorful and artful visual show that fireworks provide.

In other news, just in time for the holiday, our President commuted the sentence of a man who got in trouble because he did what the President's men told him to do. To add insult to injury, the $250K fine will probably be covered by donations in no time! He probably even has a new job already!

Rip City

In Portland, the big news the last two days is some tall guy from Ohio will play basketball here next fall. Whoooooopppeeeee is what I say. I guess I appreciate the monumentality of the first choice draft pick. However, I feel that the celebration they are having now is far too delayed. It's like finding out you won the lottery and having to wait a period of time to finally announce the amount of the winnings.

Anyway, people are excited about Greg Oden. I suspect most of the excitement and anticipation is what this means for Trailblazers season ticket sales. Apparently, they are up, too.

In other news - foiled UK car bombings, rat movies, iPhones, Putin in Maine, Family Jewels, and roid-rage...It's been a tremendous week!

I miss the Bay Area, but I realize I would be a tad bored there had I stayed this summer. I probably wouldn't have found full time work. My work in Portland (Vancouver) isn't really full time, although I am there 40 hours a week. But at least the tempo is increasing. Next week I will finally have a sizable amount of work to do. For the last three weeks I've only had enough workload to warrant a part-time gig. Hopefully it will continue to pile up. I am weird. I'd rather be overloaded with no end in sight than piddling around with 1 or 2 small scope projects on my snack plate.

Today I have to go to a birthday party for a one-year old. This will be interesting. I still haven't wrapped the book I purchased for Maddy. I better do that now.

Masu (east)

I went to a nice dining establishment tonight. I ate a tremendous amount of sushi and drank interesting lychee-accented libations. I tried something called a lotus roll. The unagi wasn't half bad, either.

And, to top things off, this Japanese restaurant did NOT offer mochi or green tea ice cream for dessert (snooze). In fact, we sampled American cherry pie and oozing chocolate egg rolls with raspberry ice cream.

Try to find THAT in Tokyo....I dare you.

House guest

4415 is graced with the presence of little Matty, a black lab mix. He will stay with us through Sunday when his owner gets back from Vegas.

Vegas, baby. Vegas.





If Matty's eyes look a little trippy, that is my fault. He had major red eye and I sloppily fixed it in Photoshop.

Delinquent

I haven't been my normal self for the last ten days or so. Hardly posting a thing - I guess no one reads this anyway - and being kind of in a dumpy mood. All this, despite the shiny new metal pedals and new brake pads I had installed on my bike. Pictures forthcoming...

Been attempting to resolve my melancholy with visits to EverydayMusic, usually at the late hours of the evening. I love the fact this place is open until midnight each night of the week. It is really a nice feature of this neighborhood. Now if they only had an ajoining bar with a handsome waiter...

Music to follow:

Blitzen Trapper, Wild Mountain Nation
These guys are local to Portland. Their new album got a solid review on Pitchfork.

Going to see Rufus here July 31 - his new album has a couple strong ballads, as usual. I'm going for the older stuff, though. I wonder if we will see his lederhosen?

Has anyone bought the new Clientele album? I'm curious.

In other news, my sister's house is getting A/C tomorrow. Not sure it really needs it, but I guess Mom is ponying up the money for it. You don't say no to Mom.

Slow times

I am convinced that I am possibly not meant to work in a traditional office, ever.

I go stir-crazy by 11am! Part of the problem right now is that the people I work with are too busy to delegate work to me. Today I spent my time putting together an introductory PowerPoint presentation on the county's trail and bikeway systems that can be used with groups like the Kiwanis Club or League of Women Voters. Pretty lame, but at least it kept me busy.

I am thinking that I will propose to go survey the 40 mile trail system in person - meaning I bring my bike to work and go out for an entire day to ride the trails. I actually think they would approve me to do that for TWO days in a row, if I sell it right. I like the idea of exercising on the government's dime...

Other than that, this weekend will be kind of fun. We start off with dinner to celebrate my friend Alexa's 30th. Saturday I will go for drinks and then enjoy the fine talents of the HBRSB. Sunday we journey to my mother's house, to have a Father's Day BBQ for my stepdad and brother (whose kids will be in town from Spokane).

Lots to do. How are you celebrating your father?

Gypsy Blowout

On August 31 an amazing event will occur at The Fillmore in lovely San Francisco.

Arguably the most dynamic and amazing band is playing, the gypsy punks Gogol Bordello. I last saw them in Spring 2006 at Slim's. My concert going experiences up to that point were totally eclipsed by Eugene Hutz's physical dominance, defying theatrics, and spiritual dynamite. The Slavic-derived band is led by accomplished fiddlers, accordianists, guitarists and the pair of devastatingly beautiful drum maidens.

Anyone up for a life changing experience, let me know by next week when the tickets go on sale...otherwise check your local venues for their appearance. Their shows sell out fast.

German cinema, offender crews

Tonight I went to go see a movie at the Fox Tower theaters at 10:10. I little late for a school night, some might say, but for me it was a necessity. A film I have been wanting to see for many months is only in theaters for a short time. I had to see it, otherwise I'd have to wait until late summer of fall to see it on DVD.

The movie was The Lives of Others. It was very good. I'd recently rented Goodbye, Lenin on video, so my head has recently been very engaged in the pre-Glastnost East Germany mindset. Very different movies but similar effect. All the performers in TLOO were outstanding.

Work today was also a new experience. My supervisor, Jane, told me that she wanted me to accompany her to some construction site checks. We visited two neighborhood parks in Vancouver currently in construction and talked to the PM (project manager) about the status of the work. While were were talking with him, I noticed what appeared to be a group of hired day laborers raking the soil for rocks by hand. It looked like pretty onerous work, I tell you what. I noticed they were all wearing various shades of red and pink t-shirts. I assumed nothing.

Soon enough, I heard the PM use the term "O-crew" and saw my colleagues nodding toward a gangly group of dudes hanging out, one leaning on his standard-issue rake. Assuming the worst, I figured they were convicted felons. Soon again, I heard the PM say that they've been doing good work so far, but once they get the playground equipment installed at the park the O-crew will not be coming back - just to be "safe".

From there, I surmised they were indeed felons, but also child sex offendors. Lovely.

There's nothing like an honest day out at the park to meet the trusted workforce, eh?

A Saturday in June with rain.

Having not spent one single significant part of the month of June in Portland since 1997, I kind of forgot about the prevailing weather patterns that exist here. In May it is nice and sunny, as most places are. In June, progress takes a pause and the rain returns. It was 57 degrees and cloudy yesterday, all day, until about 4 when it got sunny for one hour.

I woke up with hopes of a sunny weekend, but it is raining and cold. 56 degrees cold. I am sitting here in my running clothes waiting for a break in the down pour.

And I wait.

Your dedicated City of Vancouver employee

Yesterday I finally accepted the internship at the City of Vancouver's Parks and Recreation Department. Sure, it's not as sexy as some other companies or firms, but it will prove to be challenging and hopefully fruitful.

Here is a short list of the projects they proposed to me:

1. Develop concept designs for potential acquisition properties (land that old or dying people might donate to the district on the condition they like our proposals for)

2. Develop a composite map illustrating annexation and growth boundary changes as they relate to existing boudaries and park districts.

3. Finalize site selection and develop conceptual course designs for a community disc golf facility; work with local disc club to develop partnership guidlines, draft agreement.

4. Develop a conceptual design for a trail linkage system.

5. Develop revised policies and program for Vancouver off leash-facilities, including guidelines for site selection.

On an unrelated note, my "f" key is stuck on my laptop. I suspect a stubborn sesame seed or something lodged under there.

Home sweet not Berkeley!

I am here in Portland. I just got here a few minutes ago. I have some job interview appts. tomorrow so I had to race in here to check the ol' Gmail account. Things look ok, but I didn't schedule enough wiggle room between the appointments. I just put a phone call in to Employer #1 asking if we can move the appt. up an hour. Waiting to hear back on that one....

The drive up was generally uneventful except for about 5 minutes this morning when my car wouldn't go faster than 30 mph (in 3rd gear) on Interstate 5. Sitting overnight in the cool parking lot, I think the Fox didn't expect such a long day on the road again so soon and its internal gears, pumps and gaskets went into hibernation mode. I am not too surprised, something has always been wrong with the fuel injection or pump system. It probably needs a repair or replacement. Luckily the car recovered after only about 5 minutes and I was soon accelerating like normal. That would have made a very long day - driving on the shoulder up I-5 at 30-35mph. Not my idea of swift transport.

Out to wash the car. A little pampering goes a long way with a character like this....

Grants Pass, Holiday Inn Express

Today I left the Bay Area to go to Portland. I intended to leave my apt. in Berkeley before 9am on Tuesday in order to get to Portland before 6pm. That goal, however, was quickly determined unreachable due to the fact I didn't leave Berkeley until nearly 1pm. I'd been out the previous Monday night drinking too much. By the time I got home on that night, all I was prepared to do was head to bed - packing was yet again delayed.

I rolled into Redding, CA a little bit before 4pm today. For some odd reason, I had a notion in my head that Redding was very near the Oregon border. Sadly, I learned it is NOT. In fact, it is at least 3 hours from the damn border! And you have to go up a treacherous mountain range to get to the border. Along the way, there is a town called Weed, CA that I never seemed to actually reach. Twenty odd miles past what I thought was downtown Weed, I ran into the Weed Municipal Airport. I just kept wondering where the hell did Oregon start. Who gives a flying hoot about Weed.

I thought I could make it to Portland in one long stretch, but then I thought about my sad aging vehicle. Since it arrived in Berkeley in Sept. 2005 the thing has essentially been in automobile retirement. Pulling nearly 400 miles today probably stunned it a bit. I decided to pull into a new hotel in Grants Pass, OR to let the little soldier rest a bit.

Arriving in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express, I crossed what I later learned was a family barbeque. A family traveling in several large vehicles and what appeared to be a horse trailer were actually firing up a Weber grill right outside the south entrance. They were also smoking and drinking tall boys of Bud. Nice people - they asked if they could help me with the door as I moved my bicycle off the car bike rack into my room.

I watched some cable television special tonight hosted by Walter Cronkite. The special was about war correspondents in Europe during WW2. Very interesting. BTW, on Saturday I saw a great documentary about the looting of artwork and other masterpieces during WW2, which I highly recommend. Entitled, The Rape of Europa, it is playing in the Bay Area now as part of a film festival.

More from the road tomorrow, hopefully terminating in my arrival to Portland before noon PST.

One mistruth begets another

I have this bad habit of trying to soften news I have to break people by not being completely up front with them. The intention is well-meaning; I simply do not want to make anyone unhappy or uncomfortable if I can help it. While unhappiness in this situation is probably inevitable, I have this idea in my head that delayed unhappiness is the lesser of two evils one should suffer from. However, this line of thinking tends to get me in a little hot water now and then, such as this week.

The lesson I've learned is simple. Be straight with people! You'd think I would know that one by now. Eh....

The shit is getting prepared to hit the proverbial fan. Let's hope it's no big deal and I am concerned over nothing.

Email to the phone piece

Now you don't need a Blackberry or Treo to receive email on your phone....This is a new FREE service I learned about from the NY Times today. I just signed up so I'll let you know how it works.

The service is called Teleflip.

I'm Done. Africa's colleges.

This article made my otherwise cheerful Sunday pretty depressing:

Africa's Storied Colleges, Jammed and Crumbling

The Gates Foundation should address the issue of higher ed in places like Africa...help these places get on their feet. Without some kind of intervention, the next several generations of young Africans will be underserved by their institutions of higher learning. These young people are the ones that stand to benefit the most from quality higher ed like no other group in the world. I've been wondering about this issue for quite a long time. Take a peek at the photo slideshow, too, it's a goodie.

By the way, I am done. DONE. School's out for the summer. My last task was going back to Wurster Hall on Friday night at 10:30 and putting the rest of my studio crap into my car. Where it remains at this very moment.

Today I attended the landscape graduation at Blake Garden where I consumed many dixie cups of champagne. Tomorrow morning, I will attend another quick graduation to see my roommate and Jean Paul graduate...followed by dixie cups of champagne. Then I go to Jiffy Lube. Then I go into the city for diversions.

This week will be a whirlwind of social outings, errands, packing, interviewing, and cramming. In no particular order.

Mess

By Friday COB I have to clean out my spot in the studio. Somehow, between Jan and Feb, I managed to take over another neighboring desk that was empty. So now I have two full desks to clean out. You wouldn't believe the shit I've been finding under all these papers! I just found a $10 bill and some expensive jewelry I thought I lost on a field trip.



One thing to take home from the first year in design school: This work is wasteful (in terms of materials) and not easy to store. It's not like with books, where you can neatly throw them on a shelf. I have a stack of large format posters, 10 pounds of clay, a Mayline, two 36' metal rulers, two grocery bags scrap modeling wood (this shit is expensive, so you save the scraps), a 3'x3' piece of 1/4" plywood and a 42" Borco mat to take back to my apartment. Plus about 5 books. We use those, too, sometimes.

Worthy cause...

Recently, the roller derby ladies of the Bay Area got the boot from Dry Ice. All matches since late March have been cancelled. I hate to say this, but I kind of agree with the Fire Marshall. The facility is nice that it is small, but the way they pile the people in there (and allow then to sit IN the rink guzzling beer where there are only 2 teeny access exits) is just asking for a lawsuit. Not that I'd have it any other way....but I understand.



The Derby Girls are having a fundraiser in their quest to locate a new practice and performance space. Good luck.

Chocolate, textures, glue, Hotmail guy

Here are some things I recently decided I like:


Alter Eco dark chocolate with a dabble of milk chocolate.

Mayang's Texture Library
This site basically makes my life as a computer monkey much easier.

Weldbond Glue
This glue puts Elmer's to shame.

Us over at 3110 Grove Street in Berkeley hosted a rather successful end-of-the-year blow out celebration last Friday. Countless beers were consumed as was a 2.5 liter jug of Maker's Mark. As a Maker's honorary ambassador, I am obligated to serve copious amounts of this special bourbon at any social function I host or help host.

Aside from the good times had from the consumption of Kentucky moonshine, we had an notable guest at our party. The founder of Hotmail, Sabeer Bhatia, showed up at my crummy apartment.


This is Sabeer.

At one point in the evening, someone told me that a rich dude was at my party. Later, I saw some chap I didn't recognize in my kitchen doing yoga poses with some Brazilian ladies who my roommate Pedro invited. I assumed it was the Hotmail guy. Turns out I was right. I later found out my friend Stefan invited Sabeer to our party, so it wasn't like he just showed up unannounced. I wonder if he noticed our dirty carpet...

Haleh Esfandiari

You know the world is a messed up place when someone you used to work with gets sent to an Iranian prison...

Haleh, I hope to all that is holy that Lee Hamilton can get you out of there. If anyone can do it, it is Lee. You are a strong woman but you need help to get out of this one I fear.

My prayers are with you and Shaul.

******************
Tehran Jails Iranian American Scholar After Long House Arrest

By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 9, 2007; Page A12

Iran yesterday detained prominent American academic Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Smithsonian Institution's Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, according to center president and director Lee H. Hamilton and Esfandiari's husband.

Esfandiari, a dual U.S.-Iranian citizen who has lived in the United States for more than a quarter-century, has been under virtual house arrest since December, when the government refused to allow her to leave Iran after visiting her 93-year-old mother. Since then, she has been summoned repeatedly for interrogations by intelligence officials about U.S. programs on Iran. In particular, she was questioned about Iran programs at the Wilson Center, one of Washington's most prominent foreign policy think tanks.

Esfandiari was summoned by the intelligence ministry again yesterday but was then taken to Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, the sources said.
Esfandiari is one of three "soft hostages," all dual U.S.-Iranian nationals, whose passports have been confiscated by the Iranian government, rendering them unable to leave the country.

The United States has not faced such tension over Americans held in Iran since the 1979-1981 hostage crisis, when 52 Americans were held for 444 days. Until Esfandiari' s detention yesterday, the Wilson Center and her family had sought to avoid publicity in hopes that she would be granted a new passport.

Esfandiari and the other soft hostages appear caught up in an Iranian reaction to the Bush administration's $75 million program to promote democracy in Iran, which was unveiled last year. Tehran has since cracked down on human rights advocates, labor groups and women's rights campaigners, according to human rights activists.
"The government's justification for these actions is usually couched as a response to the State Department's announcement to provide financial support to Iranian civil society and nongovernment organizations," said Hadi Ghaemi of Human Rights Watch. "This has fueled a perception among the Iranian politicians that the U.S. is committed to instigating a 'velvet revolution' in Iran. Ironically, the Iranian Americans who travel to Iran mostly stay away from politics and are not by any means part of the 'regime change' advocates. But they have become pawns in the hands of Iranian government as it charts its strategy in engaging with the U.S."

During her interrogations, Esfandiari was pressured to make false confessions or to falsely implicate the Wilson Center in activities in which it had no role, Hamilton said. Esfandiari was contacted again a few days ago and asked to "cooperate" with intelligence ministry officials, which she refused. On Monday she was told to report to the Ministry of Intelligence again. When she arrived yesterday, she was taken to Evin Prison. It is unclear whether she has been formally charged with any offense.
Hamilton, a former congressman and Iraq Study Group co-chairman, wrote Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Feb. 20 appealing for Esfandiari to be allowed to leave. "I said the Wilson Center did not receive any money from the U.S. government for the purpose of trying to influence or to determine specific policies or direction of the Iranian government," Hamilton said in an interview yesterday. "We've been very transparent about our dealings. . . . We have offered a wide array of viewpoints. That's our role."

In a subsequent conference call with reporters, he added, "The interrogators could have gotten all the information with a few clicks on the Wilson Center Web site."
Hamilton's Iraq Study Group report in December urged the Bush administration to deal with Tehran on the issue of Iraq. "It is our view that in diplomacy, a nation can and should engage its adversaries and enemies to try to resolve conflicts and differences," the report said. "Diplomatic talks should be extensive and substantive." The Wilson Center did not receive a response from the Iranian president's office.

Esfandiari has brought in many scholars and analysts from Tehran to speak at the Wilson Center, one of the few places in Washington to offer a robust range of opinions on Iran. "The irony is, in Washington she faced criticism for bringing in people who were sympathetic to the Iranian government," said Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. "By detaining her the Iranian government only eliminates an advocate for diplomacy and strengthens the voices of those in Washington who say the regime is cruel and should not be engaged."

The ordeal for Esfandiari, a Potomac resident married to George Mason University professor Shaul Bakhash, began Dec. 30 when she was on her way to the airport to return to Washington and her taxi was stopped by three men with knives who threatened to kill her. They took her belongings, including her Iranian and U.S. passports. When she tried to get a replacement passport, she was "invited" to an interview with a man from Iran's Ministry of Intelligence. Interrogations continued almost daily for six weeks, up to eight hours a day. She was allowed to return to her mother's home at night.

Iran confiscated the passport of Radio Farda correspondent Parnaz Azima when she arrived in Tehran in January, also to see an ailing mother. She, too, has undergone interrogations and was asked to collaborate with intelligence, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President Jeffrey Gedmin. Azima's attorney was told last month that she would have to stay in Iran "two or three years." The third, who does not want to be identified, was refused her passport and right to leave the country for six months.

A fourth American, former FBI agent Robert A. Levinson, disappeared after he flew to Iran's Kish Island in March. Tehran has denied any knowledge of Levinson's location.

Imaginary places...

Today's earthquake

A mere 3.0, but Wurster Hall shook up a little bit over here in Berkeley. That's 10 stories of Cold-War era concrete moving around.



Side note: I find it a little troubling that this is the type of map the USGS web site still uses to notify people of where an earthquake took place. It looks like something from 1973. I don't even thing the bridge interchange is like that anymore and I don't know what the radio tower is.

I'm under 100

For the first time in five years, my LDL cholesterol is under 100. Usually, I run about 120, which causes my doctor a little disdain.

I have nothing to really attribute this point loss to other than the fact that I regularly take a lot of fish and flax oil. I began taking the oil every morning at the request of my eye doctor in January 2006. Taking a mixture of fish, flax and borage oils can help relieve dry eye symptoms, especially in the post-opt period after lasik eye surgery.

Apparently, it can also be correlated to improved circulatory health as well.

Reiteration

Albums to pick up...

Sondre Lerche, Two Way Monologue
Kings of Leon, Because of the Times (unfavorably reviewed by Pitchfork)
Bjork, Volta
Panda Bear, Person Pitch

Photoshop collage

Here is one of the multitude of Photoshop collages I will do over the next two years. God help me.

Kites, jobs (or lack thereof), relocation

Quick updates on the fly:

Tomorrow, Thursday, April 26, 3-6pm at Cesar Chavez Park in Berkeley there will be an amazing feat of kite flying. Students in our department have organized a great afternoon to make and launch kites. Prizes for person most able to maneuver. It shall be grand and amazing. We're closing the waterfront side of the park for OUR purposes ONLY, which is to drink free beer (hopefully), let loose on the kites, and maybe even play some frisbee when our kites fall apart in the wind. Throw in some cartwheels and photo opts while you're at it. Kind of wish I had a real kite...

No job leads for me yet. I am concerned, yet optimistic. The game plan is to relocate to Portland for the summer unless something comes up down here. I figure I can live for free in Stumptown and I'm ripe for a change of venues, anyway. I will look for some kind of menial service work if all else fails (and it probably will!).

I just at a box of Good & Plenty. Now I will close up shop here at school, and wander down to catch the Door-to-Door shuttle.

Long day, but a good one.

Guilty

I've done this.

Some new clothes, a fundraiser, and Spats

Nothing has been happening on this blog lately, save for a rollerskating ipod-listening Ray Smuckles. My life has been kind of boring lately, just working a lot, and feeling depressed about not having a job. The big job I wanted in Portland I ended up not getting. Not really a huge surprise, but I was actually hopeful about it. So now I have to figure out a backup plan. I wish I had more time to devote to this.

Last weekend I went to crappy Bay Street and bought some clothes. They weren't fun clothes, but just some things that I needed - jeans, sweater, tank top, and pants. I was quite economical in procuring the items. I spent about $250 in 2 hours. I felt good that I got something out of it. Spending time shopping and coming home empty handed is more than frustrating.

Saturday night I am going to a fundraiser in the Haight in the honor of Kaye Bock. She was our graduate advisor who suddenly died in January. People have raised several thousands of dollars since then to create a memorial scholarship in her name to help graduate students entering the city planning program at Berkeley. There are several fundraisers happening over the next few weeks. I have a ton of work to do, but I am going to cut studio and go to this fundraiser. It should be a nice party.

Thursday night some of my classmates took one of the undergrads in our department out to celebrate his 21st birthday. It's kind of strange, but all of us old folks have a great friendship with him, and we were all really happy to take him out to the bars. I think he had a good time, despite the fact we ended up at one of the creepier bars ever, Spats on Shattuck. They have a very precise bartender and a list of some of the weirdest drinks ever. I give them points for detail and presentation. The "Fog-cutter" is such a drink that draws wows. It's a small snifter glass serves on top of a large mug with dry ice in it. It comes to the table billowing fog. What I didn't know about dry ice until last night is that it is actually a heat-expelling reaction. The dry ice gives off heat as it interacts with air. I had no idea about that one.

Inspire

Here is a picture of the lifestyle I lead:



This is what the studio appears like after we've had pretty much three all nighters. Before I took the picture, I removed about 8 beer bottles and pizza crusts from the table in the center.

Two new albums

I've been in studio since Thursday pulling all nighters in anticipation for this Wednesday's final pin up. We are designing some artist's studio spaces that are built out of containers. Yes, freight containers.

During all this worktime, we listen to music together as a group a lot. Today, for I swear no less than an hour, someone was playing possibly every Van Morrison song ever recorded. It was AWFUL. I cannot stand Van Morrison. Listening to him is the worst torture. Anyway, it was during this torture session that I stormed off to Rasputin Music. I needed some new music that I could concentrate on and hopefully turn up over the drone of Brown Eyed Girl. Ugh.

Here is what I settled on, both albums are really quite good:

Willy Mason, If the Ocean Gets Rough
I saw Willy Mason live almost two years ago. I predict he is taking off. Soar-ing.

Stars of Track & Field, Centuries Before Love and War (not sure I understand why it's called this....)

Gee, thanks.

Today I received a check in the mail from the IRS. Strange, seeing that this year I owed money and actually wrote the government a check about a month or so ago for upwards of $3000.

The check just came in a simple window envelope with no note attached (perhaps saying something like "Hey, idiot, you overpaid your taxes. We are graciously cutting a check, but watch it next time....."). But I really do not think I overpaid my taxes. The only thing I think it might be is the Earned Income Tax Credit option. Last year, I filed my taxes, got a small return back, and later received another check in the mail with a note that said they figured out I paid too much. But this check had no such note attached. Just a check for $495. I wondered if it was some check cutting scheme (like the one Bush did in 2001), but I asked around my apartment and none of my roommates had heard that was happening again.

Has anyone else received such checks from the IRS?