Portland, OR

Since I have moved to Portland, I have been struggling to find good delivery options for my lazy nights. Living in a college town and then a large city like Chicago, I have to admit that I have become rather spoiled. I know delivery exists in this town, but my luck so far has been spotty at best.

Which brings me to today’s topic. It’s more of a rave today, and Rudy’s Gourmet Pizza is my new favorite pizza place. I “dined in” the first time I went there, and if you go you have to look at the wall on your left as you go back toward the washrooms. It is an AWESOME pencil sketch of Michael Jackson. And there is a Ms. Pac-Man arcade game, the one you sit down at across from your opponent. The joysticks are a little slow to respond, but hey, it’s the novelty. I made it through four levels before I started getting annoyed. These new fangled video games we got now-a-days (I HEART MY XBOX 360!!) have absolutely ruined me for the slow, antiquated machines of my childhood, and yet still, I continue to plunk my quarters in them.

Rudy’s is at SE 47th and Powell, on the south side of the street. It has a small parking lot as well.

Dining in was nothing special atmosphere-wise, kinda like that pizza place all the stoners worked at in high school, but the service was quite good. Granted, we were the only two people there when we arrived, but as there are maybe twenty-five seats in the place, I don’t see service being a problem even when they are busy. The server was the cutest young girl, who had to get “Grandma” to serve the beer my boyfriend ordered. The beer selection is small, but well-chosen for the most part.

Side Note: How great is it living in Portland if you like good beer? Even small places strive to have only good beer to sell.

Last night, I tried Rudy’s for delivery, and what a pleasant experience. Not only was the guy who answered the phone polite and nice, helpful even, the pizza beat his thirty-five minute quote but a good fifteen minutes. That’s right, I got my pizza in twenty minutes. That is unheard of.

I am not entirely sure what the delivery zone is, but I am so happy that I live in it.

Here’s some specifics. The crust is thin and crispy, quite tasty, and the toppings are generous. The toppings are the usual quasi-gourmet style, with things like chicken and salami, polish hot dogs and meatballs, to veggies like artichoke hearts and portabello. My only beefs with the ‘za is that there are not cheese choices for the create-your-own’s. And the sauce is a bit on the sweeter side. That is not a problem, per se, I am just stating my opinion. There are also other menu items, of course, but I have yet to order anything besides pizza and Dr. Pepper. But the cute little girl that waited on me did offer Elephant Ears. Another time, perhaps.

Rudy’s Gourmet Pizza is located at 4716 SE Powell and the phone number is 503-771-8008. Oh, yeah, did I mention that the delivery was free of charge? Tip well! It’s worth it.

Rudy’s Gourmet Pizza, Portland, pizza, delivery, dining, Michael Jackson, Ms. Pac-Man, Chicago, Powell

If you did not know, Portland, Oregon is or should be a destination for all “cork dorks” out there.

Oregon is an ideal spot for growing wine grapes, in particular spectacular pinot noir, which is considered the hardest grape to grow and grow well. Don’t get me wrong, other grapes are grown here, including chardonnay, pinot gris, and very good rieslings, but in the world of wine, pinot noir is the crown prince. Cabernet sauvignon may be considered the king, but only in that Henry VIII sort of way. Big, fat, better marketing.

Some people out there may think that Oregon is a little too far north to grow wine, but oh, how wrong you would be. In fact, the northern part of Oregon sits on the famed 45th parallel. That’s latitude, people. Did you know that the Bourdeaux region in France is also along the 45th parallel?

And yes, the 45th parallel is the half-way point between the Equator and the North Pole. Also, the South Pole if you are at 45 degrees South, but if you were at 45 degrees South, you could only be in Argentina, Chile, or New Zealand, and each of those countries also produce fairly tasty grape juice in their own right.

Oregon pinot noir is something special though. There is such a great micro-climate for growing this particular grape, with the Pacific Ocean providing both warmth and rain, but the Coast Range of mountains protecting the vineyards from too much rain. Also, having a nice big river like the Willamette doesn’t hurt either.

So even though I hear many people lament that Oregon never gets hot, you can thank that temperate weather for producing awesome grapes which in turn produce awesome wine.

Portland lies about an hour away from the heart of the wine country out in Yamhill County. There are other areas to the south as well. In addition, you also have the Columbia River Valley wine country within a couple of hours with Walla Walla at the farthest reach.

So, if you are a wine geek, you really should think about an Oregon vacation with Portland as your base. Or if you live here, and have never been out to the seemingly gazillion wineries in the area, I cannot urge you enough to plan a day or a weekend and head out to Yamhill.

Portland, Oregon, Wine, pinot noir, vineyards, wineries, Columbia River Valley, Walla Walla, Yamhill County, Willamette River, Bourdeaux, 45th parallel, south pole, north pole, equator

I know, I am getting pretty good at finding out it is some national something week. This time, it is Air Quality Awareness Week.

A fact: I moved to Portland seeking cleaner air. I have asthma, and the Chicago air was literally killing me. Over the course of three years, my asthma became continually worse living in the city, and I had to make a choice. Luckily, that choice was a no brainer. I had happily moved to Oregon once before, but didn’t stay long as I went back east to finish school because you know, you really need that college degree.

Yes, that last line was sarcasm. I am a blogger after all. That University of Michigan degree has served me well. Well, indeed.

Here is a comparison between Portland’s air quality trends from the last few years and Chicago’s. I am throwing LA in just to laugh at LA.

Portland, Oregon

Chicago, Illinois

Los Angeles, California

I am not picking on Los Angeles. I am simply using LA as the measure for worst air quality in the US, as named by the American Lung Association last year. Don’t get too smug however, as Portland was beat out of the top twenty-five by cities like Miami and Reno.

Anyhoo, the prescribed “activity” for the official National Air Quality Awareness Week is to educate yourself on what causes poor air quality. Woo-hoo, here it is.

Air quality where you live can vary depending on how much air pollution is emitted in your community, how much pollution is carried into your community on the wind, and by weather conditions.

Ozone forms when two key pollutants, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) “cook in the sun.” These pollutants are precursors to ozone formation, meaning they must be present in the air for ozone to form. Particle pollution can be directly emitted (like smoke from a woodstove), but a lot of particles form when gases react in the air. NOx and sulfur dioxides (SO2) contribute to particle formation.

These ozone and particle-forming pollutants come from a wide variety of sources, including mobile sources, power plants, and industries. Natural sources contribute, too: wildfires and volcanoes contribute to particle pollution, while trees and other vegetation can contribute both to particle and ozone pollution.

Weather plays a big role in the levels of ozone and particle pollution in your community. Sunlight and heat, for example, promote ozone formation. Light winds and temperature inversions both can keep pollution from dispersing. And depending on its direction, the wind can bring in more pollution – sometimes from hundreds of miles away. Geography can affect pollution levels too; mountain ranges, such as those in southern California, can prevent pollution from dispersing.

With sunlight being a major factor in ozone formation, no wonder Portland doesn’t have smog, right?

Still, I don’t know. I really wouldn’t consider reading about smog formation an “activity,” but at least we all learned something. You can find more information for tomorrow’s activity by checking out the website here.

Air Quality Awareness Week, air pollution, ozone, smog, Portland, Oregon, Chicago, Illinois, Los Angeles, California, EPA, asthma

Waiting for the bus today, I noticed my first Sam Adams for Mayor sign in someone’s yard. I have noticed the Sho Dozono signs for weeks. Does this mean that my neighborhood is mostly Sho fans, and this one lone ranger has dared to put up a pro-Adams yard sign? Or does it mean that Sam Adams and his campaigners have only now made these signs available for those who want to show their support in paper and metal?

However, it matters not to me, as if I had to vote tomorrow, solely based on the yards signs for each candidate, my vote would go for Sho. Get it? Fo’ Sho.

Actually, the first time I saw the Sho Dozono sign, I said that he missed a great idea of just having that on the signs. FO’ SHO! But then again maybe not all the constituents would get that, but still, that would have been awesome.

The Sam Adams signs look like they are selling yard work or a new discount store. Seriously, Sam, whoever did your graphic design made a mistake. Red and yellow are clownish, whereas the calming blue of the Sho signs put people at ease. Sorry, but color has so much to do with it, and the font on your sign looks more like a McDonald’s franchise in a Sam’s Club warehouse store.

Here is a picture of what the graphic looks like. I cropped it from his website, so the actual sign doesn’t look quite like this. Instead, it is a white sign with this graphic aligned more left and up. Sorry, I didn’t get a picture of the sign itself. I am too lazy right now to walk down the street. It’s been a long day.

Ah, I kid, Sam. I vote on issues, not graphic designs choices. Besides, you get props in my book because you went on PDX 49 to show us your favorite Simpsons episode. Unfortunately, I cannot recall which episode he picked. I remember not being overly impressed with it being his so-called favorite, but it was a better choice than many of the so-called local celebrities.

By the way, my favorite episode is a toss-up between “Deep Space Homer” and “Homer at Bat” and “Bart Gets an Elephant.” I would rather choose a favorite per season. Whatever! I do what I want!

Sam Adams, Portland, Mayor, Sho Dozono, Simpsons, graphic design, PDX 49, Homer, Bart

Yesterday’s post about shopping for antiques in Portland got me thinking about recycling and all that it encompasses. As such, I wanted to draw your attention to Freecycle, if you haven’t checked it out already. Freecycle groups are popping up in many cities, so even if you are not a Portlander, you can find a freecycle site for your own city. Or you could start one…

A simple google search for “Portland Freecycle” will give you the best starting point for the Portland Freecycle site. I noticed that the freecycle site is also listed on Tribe.net, but once on that site, I had a hard time accessing it. Maybe it’s just me, but as FreeCycle is under the auspices of Yahoo groups, it is probably just best to go to the home page via Yahoo.

Here’s how it works: People enter listings or “offers” for things that they no longer need or want, and if it is something that you can use or want, you simply click on the listing, and there is a handy little “reply” button that you click on to write to the person giving the item away. There are some basic rules. Everything must be free, legal, and all ages-appropriate. Now, that last rule is a little odd, but really all it means is no porn or other “adult” items. Not that I see a big after-market for lovingly used dildoes, but you really never know, do you? This is Portland.

On the flip side, you can also add a “WANTED” listing for something that you are looking for and hope to find. This is a great way to not only get things for free, but also to help someone clean out their closets.

In my own experience on Portland’s Freecycle, I was looking for one of those old-timey push mowers that have the metal blades that turn as you push it. I have a small yard, with two patches of grass, and really, I don’t see the need to use electricity or gas for a yard so small. I put a “wanted” posting on Freecycle, not expecting much, but within the day, I received a very nice email from a woman who had such a mower to get rid of, as she and her husband had taken out all of the grass in their yard and instead put in vegetables (which is a great idea if you are looking to be a little more self-sustainable). And I got a great little mower — for free.

I also got a new home for my little turtle. I must have received five or six offers from very nice people that had aquariums to give away. And Turtle got a very nice ten-gallon aquarium — for free.

So, in my two recent experiences, I got an old-timey push mower and an aquarium. Two rather odd things to expect to get for free, right? Most days on Freecycle, I see listings for moving boxes, furniture, children’s items, that kind of stuff. Although, some listings are for very odd items. Egg incubator, anyone?

Portland, Freecycle, recycling, Yahoo, tribe.net

If you know who these men are, chances are you “antique.”

Ok, first, I am not one to “antique” as a verb, per se, but I am an avid viewer of PBS’ Antiques Roadshow, as well as Bargain Hunt on BBC, and I do have quite a collection of antiquated technology (cameras, a turn dial adding machine, a late 1920’s typewriter), but again, I am not one to antique.

No, really.

Fine, I antique. There I said it and admission is the first step to recovery, right?

Since I moved to Portland, I have heard it mentioned that the Sellwood neighborhood is kind of known for its antique shops. I resisted as long as I could, though I did happen to visit some antique shops out in Yamhill, and today, I decided to spend Earth Day finding treasures from the past. Recycling as it were.

I thought today would be a good day for it. Raining, for the most part, grey, and slightly chilly. And it may have been a good day to visit the plentiful antique shops in Sellwood, but I will never know personally. I didn’t arrive until a little after 5pm, and alas most, if not all, of the shops had closed up for the day. The world is not scheduled for slow-pokes like me.

So, my advice to anyone who decides to go “antiquing” in Sellwood: Show up before five. And there are not one but two areas for the antique shops. The first is along SE Milwaukie also known as 17th or 16th ave in that area, past and around the intersection at SE Bybee. There is a second more-densely-antique-shop-populated area along 13th around SE Tacoma. I didn’t know that, so maybe someone else out there can benefit from this information.

Sellwood, Portland, Antiques Roadshow, Bargain Hunt, antiquing, Yamhill, Earth Day

Guess what I didn’t know? My bet is that you didn’t either. It is National Playground Safety Week. Who knew that something so specific could be it’s own “week.” A day, I could see, but a week.

I have a feeling that this is made up. By the Playground Lobby in Congress, the second biggest lobby behind the Oil Industry.

So, I did a little research into this so-called week. And look what I found. There is a whole organization devoted to Playground Safety. I am not sure why I capitalized playground safety. The Lobby made me do it.

No offense, but does this issue really need a whole week, much less an organization? I know, I know, there are exactly 205,860 accidents each year that are serious enough to send a kid to the hospital, but really a whole week? If a kid isn’t smart enough to play safely, for his or her own sake, then maybe this is where the whole survival of the fittest thing comes into play. Ah, I am sure I am kidding. All kids are precious.

Maybe I should come up with a disclaimer for this site, huh?

Still, this whole playground thing got me thinking. Why is it that safety always trumps fun? Those new swings that are in all the playgrounds, those little kiddie swings with a whole harness seat rather than a rectangular strap that makes it easier to jump out of…I hate those things. I may not be a little kid, but guess what Playground Safety Lobby, I like to swing. Those little harnesses may be slightly safer for kids (wouldn’t they get caught in them somehow?), but what about bigger kids and even normal sized adults? Are we not allowed to swing?

I live by the Kenilworth Park, and the powers that be have put in a new playground area in the lower part of the park. The swings are not installed yet, and I am really, really hoping that the old school swings are installed rather than the harness style swings that are in the upper part of the park. I want to swing once in a while, dammit.

National Playground Safety Week, swings, Kenilworth Park

This Sunday, you can.

A town hall meeting is scheduled for Sunday, April 20, 2008, at the Friends Meeting House at 4312 SE Stark from 6-8 pm.

Sure, I know, you have gone to a couple of the war protests downtown, and maybe even the vigil last month to commemorate the lives lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. A citizen in a democracy should attend meetings and protests to add their voice and support to the causes in which they believe. It will be a sad day when there are no more protests or dissent.

Although, maybe you are one of those who would rather just stay home, and that is your prerogative, too. Long live apathy, right? Ah, it would be nice to not care, but highly unlikely — and dangerous. Some people don’t appreciate their rights until they are gone.

That said, the town hall meeting is an opportunity to voice your own dissent for the War in Iraq and Afghanistan…or you could go and support the additional need for funding the military. Just because all those around you say one thing, it doesn’t mean that you should subvert your own feelings. Maybe you don’t support the war, but you see the need for additional funds to help protect our troops and make their jobs easier (or Halliburton is a major percentage of your stock portfolio). Either way, join others for the town hall Sunday night.

Upon moving to Portland, I attended a town hall with ol’ what’s-his-name, Earl Blumenauer, and let me say this: Even if you have no desire to offer your opinion in a town hall meeting, the event can provide some entertainment, and free entertainment at that (I have filed this under cheap dates for those hardcore politicos among you). Some very interesting characters attend these kind of meetings, and the people watching is priceless.

Portland, town hall, Iraq, War, Afghanistan, democracy, protest, troops, Halliburton

I cannot begin to express how happy I am living in Portland and being a golfer. I grew up in Michigan, and golf courses were abundant. You could play a really nice course, or you could always find cheap greens fees at decent courses. Portland is a lot like that.

12th hole at Eastmoreland Golf Course via its website.

Living in Chicago made me question my devotion to golf, only because good courses were invariably an hour away. Not that they were far, necessarily, but with the horrendous traffic issues, it seemed that golfing 18 holes meant an entire day devoted to driving there, waiting behind people that seemed to have no idea what they were doing or how they ended up with a club in their hand, and then driving another hour to get home, and gee, now it’s dark out and I am so irritated after being stuck in stand-still traffic that all I want to do is start drinking.

Wow, that was a really long sentence.

Sure, there were courses that were closer in the city. I played a city course on the Southside of Chicago, Jackson Park, in August and no joke, I was hitting off bare dirt in the middle of the fairway. That ain’t cool. And it ain’t golf.

But seriously, golfing in Portland is a pleasure. I live about a mile from Eastmoreland. Colwood National, Rose City, and Glendoveer are twenty minutes away. These courses, despite being municipal courses, are in nice shape, they can be challenging, and the most 18 has taken me is 4 and a half hours. And that is on a really nice Saturday.

In Chicago, it seemed that 18 always took at least five hours. I am a fairly fast golfer. I don’t spend a lot of time dickering with myself about my club selection, or take five practice swings. It’s one practice swing, I address the ball, and I hit. Amateurs do not need to act like they are one shot ahead of Tiger at Sawgrass and take ten minutes to hit their shot.

So anyway, if you like to golf, Portland gets a huge plus in that you can pretty much golf all year. Sure, it’s not Tuscon with 80 degree days in January, but really, who would want to live in Arizona anyway? I kid. Arizona has its charms.

There are some really nice courses in the area as well. Mt. Hood provides some stunning holes and backdrops. I have yet to make it out there, nor have I been able to go down the coast or up the coast to that new course near Tacoma, that is hosting the US Open in something like 2015.

golf, Portland, Michigan, Chicago, Eastmoreland, Colwood, Rose City, Glendoveer, Mt Hood, Sawgrass, Arizona, Tuscon

This is a tale of brunch deferred. A sad tale indeed, but it comes with a happy ending.

I went to a neighborhood place, in the SE quadrant of Portland, but I won’t name the place outright, as I do not feel that my singular experience should be taken as a rant or a rave of such place. Anyhoo, I went with my boyfriend, and as we pulled up, there were three people waiting outside. Two together and one singularly, as it seemed from how they were spaced. I usually hate waiting at a restaurant for a table. I tend to immediately think that I will find another place, before realizing that by the time I would get to a new place, I would have already been sitting down at the first place I went.

However, I was persuaded to wait. We went inside, and there were more people waiting inside. A good sign, right? Two other couples or so I figured, but the woman who greeted us, a server, was so sunny and bright in her welcome, and I figured that even if I left, I’d feel like a jerk after that welcome.

The server informed us that we could help ourselves to some coffee. Aw, sweet. There were ample cups, and two big urns of coffee, but alas no spoons — no clean spoons, that is. There were thermoses of half and half and milk, but these were empty. I am sure I could have been “that girl” and asked for fresh spoons and milk, but everyone looked pretty busy, and I hate being a fuss.

A spate of tables left about twenty or so minutes later, and we were given a table. The special had just run out, but a new special was now available. I listened to a description that included smoked salmon, capers, and creme fraiche on toast. I was tempted, and decided to go for it, as it seemed an alternative for a favorite of mine, bagels and lox, a classic brunch dish, right?

The food came. I was served a scramble of eggs, non-smoked salmon, and capers, all cooked together. Where was the creme fraiche, and when did eggs enter the dish?

Here is the problem. It is not that I don’t like eggs, it is that I don’t like regular salmon. I like salmon raw and smoked, but when it comes to regular old salmon, I am just not a fan. I have had it right of the water, and still, not a fan. Unless we are taking Copper River salmon, and then it is a different story. But this salmon in the eggs with a few capers was not Copper River. Not by a long shot.

But I was in a pickle. Do I send it back? What do I say? My boyfriend suggested I simply say that the dish wasn’t what I expected. Ah, but who is to blame for that - me, the server who didn’t know what the special really was, not having seen it, or the chef that may have incorrectly described it to the server? Who’s to blame, Alice?

Anyway, I did nothing. I scraped the eggs/salmon/capers off the toast, and ate the toast. There were some potatoes in a little nest formation that were flavorless and swimming in grease, and though parts of them looked crispy, they were totally soggy and also inedible.

I don’t go out for brunch often. It has to do with my sleeping habits, mainly, but also I am usually disappointed in brunch. I make decent breakfasts myself, so I have little need for someone else to poach my eggs. And here I was, still hungry and frankly just sad.

Until…who I assume is an owner or manager (but also serving tables), came over and dropped off a cookie. A big, delicious vegan cookie. How did he know? How did he know that not only was I sad because my breakfast sucked, but also that a cookie would make everything better?

Granted, the cookie did not mean that I didn’t dwell on the experience for at least another hour or two afterward, but the dwelling was more about how much of a chicken I am when it comes to complaining about food in a restaurant.

Nor did that cookie make up for the painful Oscar Wilde monologue that served as, ahem, entertainment. Advice to Portland: Live entertainment is not necessarily a good thing.

brunch, Portland, SE, smoked salmon, salmon, copper river, vegan cookie, Oscar Wilde

Just because Hillary is concentrating her efforts in Pennsylvania right now, anticipating the “win or drop out” primary in the last of the big, industrial states that carry a lot of delegates, that doesn’t mean that Oregon won’t get our fill of the Democratic candidate.

I woke up to the email from the Clinton campaign announcing that Chelsea Clinton will be at Portland State tomorrow, Saturday, April 12 from 6:15 to 7:45 pm. The “event” is called “Our Economy, Our Future” and I have no idea what this event entails, and the email tells me nothing more that where, who, when, and how to rsvp for the event. You can go to the Clinton website if you’d like to check this out and officially rsvp.

Again, and I am starting to feel repetitious, this post is not an endorsement for Ms. Clinton. I am simply passing along any and all info that I receive from both the Clinton and Obama campaigns. If you have not read any of my earlier posts regarding the democratic race, I was worried that Oregon would not be much of a factor when it came to the democratic run-off (and it may still not be), so I am hoping that presidential politics will come to Portland.

And yes, I would be remiss if I did not mention that on Wednesday, I received an email from the Obama campaign asking me to become a “community organizer” for Obama, which entails getting people to register to vote. Obama started out as a community organizer, the email reminds me, so does that mean that I too can run for President some day? No, thank you. I have waaaay too many skeletons in my closet. Besides, I don’t like answering the phone at 3 pm, much less 3 am.

Chelsea Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Portland, State University, campaign, democrats, Oregon, Portland, Pennsylvania

If the clouds do break tonight, you may be in for a treat. The last couple of nights the moon has been in “crescent” mode, that is, it looks like the famous cheshire cat grin.

This cool effect captured by Doug Zubenel in Kansas last month. The odd crescent and shadowed moon effect is called a “Da Vinci Glow.” It was Da Vinci that first explained “Earthshine” which is the cause of this neat-o effect. You can read more about it here, if you’d like. It’s actually an interesting little story.

The moon has been increasing it’s “crescenticity” or “crescentness” or “crescenture” — sorry, I am having a George W. moment — since Sunday night where it was at 2%. Tonight it will be at 12%, so a little bit bigger than a slight sliver that would be a 2% crescent. That last sentence courtesy of Captain Obvious.

In addition to the crescent moon just being kinda cool, tonight the moon moves into conjunction with the Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters. The Pleiades is a group of seven stars, that actually look like six because two of the stars are in rotation with each other. Here is a great picture of all seven (plus a whole lot more).

Photo by amateur astronomer Robert Gendler via NASA’s website.

If you need help finding the Pleiades –well, other than tonight, that is, as the Moon will be right there next to ‘em– the Belt of Orion kind of points to them. If you find the Belt, go right of the line that the Belt creates, and you will find them. Currently, Orion is in the western sky. I used to think that the Pleiades were the terminal point on the horn of Taurus, but this sky map shows otherwise.

So, at sunset, if you can get a clear view of the Western sky, enjoy the view!

Portland, Moon, astronomy, pleiades, seven sisters, Orion, Taurus, crescent moon, NASA, cheshire cat, science, stargazing

It has been twelve, count’ em, twelve days since I got my first email asking me to volunteer for a democratic candidate for President, and that first call came from Barack Obama. Why has it taken Hillary Clinton almost two weeks before she started stumping for volunteers here in Portland? And allow me to mention that the email informs me that tonight is the “grand opening” of her Portland-based statewide office. Way to give people some advance warning there, Hil.**

**Please do not construe my good-natured ribbing of Ms. Clinton as an endorsement for Barack Obama. I am woefully undecided between the two candidates, as I see very little differentiation between them. I am resigned to the fact that I will be voting for one of them come November, whether I like them or not. I am resigned to the fact that I will not be voting for someone, but rather against someone.

Oh, that is sad, isn’t it? I am voting against someone. I really do want to vote for someone. I have since I was a young idealistic kid watching Reagan’s long-winded speeches and seemingly constant television addresses. But alas, not in my lifetime as of yet. I wish I could believe the hype of Obama, or think that Hillary Clinton is the answer to my lifelong quest to vote for a woman for president.

Ah, another day for me and all the little girls who want to believe that we can be equal with men. But before I start getting too serious, check out what I found. This picture is AWESOME. I found it on Snarkybehaviour.com. Don’t know where they found it, but it’s freakin’ sweet.

Anyhoo, Hillary Clinton is opening her office at NW 5th and Burnside, in case you feel like stopping by tonight for the opening ceremonies (for a campaign office — anything to attract volunteers, I guess). Congresswoman Darlene Hooley (OR-District 5, which includes Multnomah, but just a little) will be in attendance. Hmm, I wonder where Earl Blumenauer will be?

Hillary was in Eugene and Hillsboro over the weekend, and I expect we will be seeing more of her, but not too much yet, as she is campaigning heavily in Pennsylvania and its 158 delegates, whereas Oregon only has 52. Although Clinton opening an Oregon office is rather hopeful on her part that she will do well in Pennsylvania. If she doesn’t, she will most likely have to concede the nomination, but I am sure there will be the caveat that delegates can always change their minds at the democratic convention. Ah, politics, even elected delegates can flip-flop.

You can rsvp for tonight by visiting the Hillary for President website here. Not that I am urging you to, but I do like a good fight, so I would like to see Hillary stay in the race a bit longer. At least until the Oregon Primary.

democratic, candidates, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, volunteer, campaign, Oregon, Portland, Pennsylvania, Darlene Hooley, Earl Blumenauer

In the last couple of weeks, Portland has experienced some hail or sleet storms. Usually brief in duration, these “storms” contain small hail stones in the shape of, well, they look like Hershey kisses to me. Which I find interesting, because being from the Midwest (Michigan to be exact, and also four years in Chicago), hail stones to me have always appeared to be more round, or spherical.

The odd shape of our Portland hail stones made me wonder why the shape is different from other parts of the USA.

So today, I will pass along the information that I have gleaned from my research into the shape and formation of hail stones in a new feature I will call Science Friday, but not to be confused with NPR’s Talk of the Nation’s Science Friday. Wait, maybe I should call it something else…I know that NPR is brutal when it comes to copyright infringement, as I had a syndicated radio show called “Car Talk“, and boy, that Click and Clack surprisingly do not have a sense of humor when it comes to someone stealing their idea. My knees hurt just thinking about it.

So here is “Science Class Friday.” Yeah, that’ll work.

Hail is normally associated with thunderstorms, but as we have relatively few thunderstorms on the Pacific coastline, we can read that as hail being associated with cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds. Cumulus clouds are formed when moisture is forced upward, and when that cloud is forced even higher upward, then it becomes a cumulonimbus cloud, or a “thunderhead”. This is fairly basic meteorology, from junior high science class, so you are most likely already aware of clouds and their names.

The difference between Pacific Northwest cumulus clouds and Midwestern cumulus clouds is that the PNW has mountainous terrain that forces the air upward, whereas in the MW, clouds form when a warm front meets a cold front. And that warm front/cold front thing also occurs here in Oregon, but add mountains to the equation and you get yourself Portland’s odd weather.

Now, hail is basically rain that happens to freeze. The liquid precipitation becomes hail when it is forced back up into the cloud, rather than falling to Earth. Hail is distinguished from “sleet” or “ice pellets” by size. Hail starts out as an ice pellet, and when that pellet grows larger than a quarter of an inch or about 5 millimeters, it then becomes hail.

Round or spherical hail is mostly associated with small-sized hail. Irregular shapes tend to occur when the hail “pellet” is kept up in the cloud for an extended period of time. This is due to a strong updraft within the cloud or cloud system. Serious updrafts are the result of a serious difference in pressure, with is associated with temperature for the most part.

According to the National Weather Service’s JetStream Glossary, our “hail” may be correctly labeled as “ice pellets”. I failed to measure the hail or sleet or ice pellet when they fell, so I cannot say for certain whether or not we had hail or sleet. But there are some other critera that may come play when defining our icy hershey kisses.

Ice pellets are defined as:

Precipitation of transparent and translucent pellets of ice, which are round or irregular, rarely conical, and which have a diameter of 0.2″ (5 mm), or less. Ice Pellets bounce when they make contact with the ground. It is sometimes called “Sleet”. There are two main types:

1. Hard grains of ice consisting of frozen raindrops, or largely melted and refrozen snowflakes.
2. Pellets of snow encased in a thin layer of ice which have formed from the freezing, either of droplets intercepted by the pellets, or of water resulting from the partial melting of the pellets.

Our ice pellets were more opaque to me, but I guess they could have been defined as translucent, kind of. And the above definition seems to relegate “conical” ice pellets to a rarity. But our ice pellets did indeed bounce and the definition for hail does not include that little tidbit.

Precipitation in the form of balls or lumps usually consisting of concentric layers of ice. A thunderstorm is classified as severe when it produces hail 3/4″ or larger in diameter.

Both definitions come from the National Weather Service, which is part of the NOAA or for all you laymen out there, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ah, our tax dollars at work.

I have found some other definitions for “sleet” that also mention the bounce, so I am now inclined to label our “hershey hail” as sleet.

But wait, I still haven’t figured out why our sleet is conical.

The American Meteorological Society clears all of this rather odd debate up.

graupel—Heavily rimed snow particles, often called snow pellets; often indistinguishable from very small soft hail except for the size convention that hail must have a diameter greater than 5 mm.
Sometimes distinguished by shape into conical, hexagonal, and lump (irregular) graupel.

I think we have a winner. Portland experienced not hail, nor sleet, but rather a graupel storm. When I crossreference the definition of graupel with the NWS, this is what they have to say about it.

Small pellets of ice created when supercooled water droplets coat, or rime, a snowflake. The pellets are cloudy or white, not clear like sleet, and often are mistaken for hail.

Yep, graupel it is. I grew up with hail, indeed, and now I get to experience graupel. Neat.

Portland, Oregon, ail, Sleset, precipitation, storms, clouds, rain, ice pellets, graupel

Bill Clinton has come to Oregon, stumping for Hillary. My question is, Where’s Hillary? I’d rather see her at this point, but then again, Bill has always been entertaining to say the least.

According to MSNBC via the AP:

Campaign spokesman Isaac Baker said Hillary Clinton “will be campaigning aggressively all over Oregon, including campaigning aggressively in Southern Oregon.” No dates have been announced.

Nice tie, Bill.

According to Bill’s published schedule, he was in Medford yesterday, and spent this morning having way too much fun at Mary’s, I mean OSHU for a “Solutions for the Economy” event (at a hospital?). He then followed that good time up with a short stint listening to the old folks in SE Portland. Right about now, he is probably en route from Salem to Bend, which is a very pretty drive, where he will be speaking at Bend Senior High, where he will be holding a “Solutions for America” event. Oh, I see the pattern now.

Still, I am awaiting an email requesting me to make good on my checked box indicating that I am willing to volunteer.

If I were to volunteer for Hillary Clinton (and as of today, I have no real inclination other than out of curiosity or maybe that whole underdog thing), it would be the second time volunteering for a Clinton. I also worked on Bill’s campaign way back in high school, before I could actually vote. I was so young and idealistic back then…memories. Anyway, it was a lame experience with a bunch of older douchebags telling me what to do, like phoning people during dinner and making posters for a rally I was then denied entrance to, but hey, I could be part of the group of losers who couldn’t get inside the rally that stood outside and “welcomed” the candidate. And then Bill showed up, and made his way down the line of welcomers, including a snooty little me, who asked him as she shook his hand why she could not attend the rally despite the fact she had spent three hours the night before calling people in support of said candidate. Oh, and Slick Willy, he had a response. “If it were up to me, you’d all be inside.” Nice. Nice.

Bill, Hillary, Clinton, campaigning, Portland, Medford, Salem, Bend, Oregon