Portland, OR

Today was a lovely day for golfing — in November.

One of the many wonderful things about living in Portland, Oregon is that you can golf pretty much year-round. You may not be dry or warm, but technically, you can golf. I went out today and it was very pleasant. I wore a t-shirt, and rolled up the pants I was wearing, so if that tells you anything, it was quite warm. The rain held off for the afternoon, so rain gear was not necessary.

This picture has nothing to do with me or my day, I just thought it was funny.

I played 9 at Eastmoreland. The course is in good condition, not too muddy — actually not that muddy at all on the front nine. The course was wide open, with a single ahead of my twosome, and a single behind us. We played in an hour and a half if that tells you anything.

If I remember correctly, last year I played through the beginning of December, and then started up again in early February. I was in Florida for January, but my boyfriend said it was too cold to play in January.

If you golf, Portland is a dream. The city courses are cheap and kept in really nice condition. The golfers are nice and know their golf etiquette. The non-municipal courses are even better, and not much more expensive for the most part. You can find good deals online (golfnow.com) and a lot of the resort courses offer deals.

On another note, for anyone who plays golf on a gaming console, I have a bit of a bitch about Tiger Woods. Why is it that the last few years of Tiger Woods doesn’t allow for two players to play the PGA season in the game together? I finally got Tiger Woods 08 for the Xbox 360, and it won’t even let two player profiles to save in the system between sessions. It really pisses me off, and I am about the scrap the whole thing. It is so frustrating to have a game in which the only way I can play against someone sitting right next to me is to go out and buy two consoles, two televisions and two games so that we can play against each other online?!? WTF? Tiger Woods is lame. I haven’t liked the game since the 05 version.

That said, if anyone out there knows how to play it with two players, please let me know.

Portland, Oregon, golf, golfing, Eastmoreland, city courses, municipal courses, golfing conditions, Tiger Woods, Xbox 360, game, video games

I wrote last week about how much I was crying for the last few minutes of Barack Obama’s 30-minute ad/special/info-mercial/whatever. Well, let’s just say I went through a lot of tissue Tuesday night.

I meant to go out. When I got done with my class, I planned on heading out to the Gladstone pub to be around others for such a momentous occasion, but after sitting down and turning on CNN, then MSNBC, then Fox News (I like things fair and balanced afterall), then NBC — you see where this is going, don’t you? I got sucked into switching between the channels, being the political and news junkie that I am, and never left the house.

A friend called my from RonTom’s and said that they had a huge screen for the television coverage. She was heading over to Doug Fir, and though I was tempted, I was already crying after Ohio went Democratic, so decided to keep my tears and my overwhelming emotions private. Not to say that I would have been embarrassed to shed tears of joy and relief, but I get really snotty when I cry, so for the good of those around me, I stayed home.

I did, however, crack a bottle of bubbly and toasted my boyfriend when Obama took the stage in Grant Park.

And watching the celebration in Chicago was equally emotional for me, as I left Chicago and Senator Obama for Oregon. I totally missed Sweet Home Chicago that night. And I was a little jealous of all those who were there to witness history in person.

During my class on Tuesday, my students asked who I voted for. I said Obama, and careful to not inject politics too much into a class of grade-schoolers, I said that Obama had been my senator in Illinois and he had done a really good job. I didn’t feel the need to explain the larger picture, and as a few little girls had mentioned that they had voted (aw, it’s so cute when little kids vote in their classes) for John McCain, I wouldn’t want to make those little girls feel badly for supporting whomever they supported.

And that brings me to today’s point — finally, I know — the Obama presidency will not be about making anyone feel badly for thinking one way or another. A hypothetical McCain presidency was definitely showing indications of division. This nation has been divided enough. This world has been divided enough.

Bring us together, President Obama.

Barack Obama, election, Oregon, Chicago, Portland, Illinois, McCain, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NBC, RonToms, Doug Fir, Gladstone, Ohio

Last year, I was really excited about getting some trick-or-treaters. After living in Chicago, in an apartment, in a neighborhood of three-story six-flats, I was so excited to have a porch as a basis for my candy-giving adventures.

Three kids came to my door. Three.

I thought they looked familiar…

And I had the bomb candy, a veritable smorgasbord of treats, and all I got was three lousy trick-or-treaters. Ok, that is not fair, the kids weren’t lousy, it was just the turn-out that was lousy. I envisioned a constant barrage of children in cute, little costumes, some scary, some Disney no doubt.

I grew up in the country. A small farming town where there were three houses in my whole neighborhood, so needless to say, we did not get trick-or-treaters. Correction, we got our closest neighbors, before they drove to a more densely-populated neighborhood, with more candy per steps taken.

I live in SE Portland, and I figured it was prime trick-or-treat territory. Lots of houses, rather nice ones at that, and maybe ten or so houses per “normal” Portland block (which I always refer to as Barbie-blocks as they are not the big-city-size blocks, but instead about half the size of a Chicago block). But no, my block got nothing.

Granted, if I were an active trick-or-treater this year, I would head for the Laurelhurst neighborhood. Big, cool houses that are sure to give out good candy, right? Not so, usually. In my past experience as a pretty savvy “treater”, I found that the nicer the neighborhood, either no one was home or they gave you coins or something really healthy — and as this is Portland, Oregon, the land of Granola, I wouldn’t be surprised if Laurelhurst gives out organic, vegan candy.

Don’t get me wrong, I am into healthy foods and generally eschew the whole high-fructose corn syrup scene, but when it comes to Halloween, I take a day off and seek out the bad, the gooey, and the overly-sweet.

I wonder what neighborhood does give out the best candy in Portland. If anyone has an opinion on the subject, please drop me a line by leaving a comment.

To everyone, have a safe and happy Halloween. I have to work that night, but I will leave some candy on my front porch.

Portland, Halloween, trick-or-treat, trick-or-treaters, SE Portland, Laurelhurst, Chicago

I just finished watching the Barack Obama 30-minute campaign “special” — not really sure what to call it, but I know how it made me feel.

Of course, I had heard most of it before, but tonight, I spent the last five minutes of the what would you call it, a “simul-mentary”(?) crying. Actually, crying. Sure, the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics made me cry, too, but very few things make me cry like I did tonight.

It was tears of fear. It was during that last little excerpt (about 6:30 into the clip) from the speech Obama made at the Democratic National Convention, about being imperfect, but he will let us know where he stands and he will be honest with us…well, it was at that moment that the crushing frustration suffered over the last eight years of my life all came back to me and welled up inside like hastily-eaten soup.

I am so …startled.

No, but seriously, I am scared. That another republican can win the White House. It would really kill me. It would kill that beautiful optimistic side of me that keeps giving my pessimistic side such a hard time.

For those of you that have always lived in Portland or another fairly liberal city, you don’t know what it is like to live under the oppression of a dominant political party like the Republican Party. I’m sure there is a bad side to living in a super-liberal town, too…I just cannot think of one. But I grew up in the Republican Stronghold of Western Michigan. My older-than-most-kids parents were moderates from Detroit (which meant overall they were rather conservative by my Marxist standards), and upon moving west to Grand Rapids, even they were shocked (and awed) by the ultra-conservative nature of the area. It was uber-religious and the religion of all was the Christian Reformed Church, a very churchy group.

Now, please, don’t misunderstand, I have no gripe against religious people. I know great people of every creed, but what I do have a gripe about is how certain “conservatives” are so keen on imposing religious rules on those who are not of that particular faith. Nor do I have problems with Republicans, either. What I do have a problem with is a tendency to rule by fear. Very Orwellian with a strong Machiavellian undercurrent.

My tears tonight were shed for a frustrated childhood in a conservative city, where anyone who thinks a little differently is a threat. Other schools of thought and points of view are not respected, and we are seeing that in this Presidential election.

My tears tonight showed me just how hopeful I really am.

Please vote… for America.

Obama, 30 minute, special, campaign, ad, commercial, simul-mentary, Barack, presidential, election, vote, America, conservative, liberal, Detroit

Before I write anything else, let me say two things.

First, I am a Detroit Pistons fan. Can’t help it, born there, they are a great team to have as your home town team, so not really shopping for a new fav.

Second, I don’t really like basketball all that much. Other than being a Pistons supporter, I don’t watch a lot of basketball. For instance, skipped it during the Olympics. I just don’t dig it. I also don’t like baseball. I find both sports rather boring, in different ways. Baseball is not active enough, and basketball is too active. When I refer to “active,” I really mean how much both sports score. Baseball doesn’t score enough, and basketball the exact opposite.

Ok, so that said, I watched the Blazers’ opener tonight against the Lakers. I went to a sports bar to watch to the game. Figured I would see how this town watches it’s own.

Not that trailblazer…

I brought up the Pistons not only to excuse myself from being a Trailblazers fan, but also to give you an indication as to what I am accustomed when watching a game. The Pistons have been a strong team for quite a while now (since I have been alive anyway, with a few years off during the late 90’s and into 2001, so I am just not used to watching a young team figure themselves out. I was too young during the Thomas-Dumas years, and just busy during the last few “building” seasons.

And watching the Trailblazers tonight, well, it was new to me. They looked really sloppy in the first half, but you could also see that they were trying too hard. Ah, youth and nerves. The Blazers couldn’t sink a basket to save their lives. I moved on to something else at the half, checking in from time to time, but giving up on the ‘blazers.

I did see some hustle out there though, so I am hoping that the Blazers may be a good adopted team for me. I do tend to cheer on the teams of my respective “home towns” at the time in which I live at the time. By the way, have I mentioned that Portland is my favorite “home town,” thus far.

I was heartened that the bar totally filled up for the game. Mostly, dudes, but a girl or too. And everyone was definitely there for the Blazers. I was a little worried upon moving here, as I noticed that Portland has only one major league team. Did that mean that Portland is simply not a “sports town”?

Portland definitely has a sports side. You can see it most obviously during anything Beaver or Duck related. I am not a college football person, so I don’t get it myself, but let me tell you, this state has a huge Oregon State versus Oregon feel about it. Being from Michigan (and graduated from Michigan), I see a lot of similarity between my home state and my adopted state.

So an answer to the question as to whether Portland will support a franchise, so far, I would say yes. This town seems almost desperate to cling to a community-centered team. People here are rather outdoorsy, so they understand and appreciate sports for sure. And true, maybe that person will go out hiking on a Sunday rather than attend a game in an arena, but that same person will be more than happy to come see a game at least a few times a year.

Sure, it’s not a New York or a Chicago when it comes to rabid sports fans, but Portland likes sports, and even more, Portland likes teams and likes to support each other.

Trailblazers, Portland, sports, sportstown, sports town, Detroit, New York, Chicago, Pistons, franchise, major league, basketball, community

I remember last year, being downtown and seeing those signs that hang from street lights, and noticing that the signs were touting something called GirlFest. I did not know what it was, nor did I really care so much at the time. Fast forward a year, I am teaching little girls and during class today, GirlFest came up.

The Girl Scouts put on GirlFest. I have an application to volunteer with the Girl Scouts, but as I am already volunteering at the YWCA’s LearnLinks and for the SMART program as well as working two part-time jobs in addition to writing for this blog and others…so yeah, lost where I was going, but you get the point. I didn’t have time for the Girl Scouts, as I had to cut out something because if not, when am I going to play video games. But someday I will try and work with the Girl Scouts, as I think it is a good organization and not too churchy, like a friend of mine feared.

Oops, wrong Portland festival…

So, back to GirlFest. It is this Saturday at the Portland Expo Center, on Marine Drive west of I-5, and the hours are 10am to 6pm. Admission for registered members of the Girl Scouts is $10, and if you are not registered, you will pay $20 but half of that will go toward a membership. Even if you never plan on doing anything with Girl Scouts ever again, you can think of it as a donation to a worthy cause.

GirlFest is meant to celebrate “everything cool about being a girl,” according to the website. I remember being a little girl, and frankly I didn’t think it was so cool, so I really hope either this marketing campaign is effective or things have gotten better for little girls in America. For the skimpy outfits and high heels I have seen on 8 or 9 year-olds, I don’t see how things could be better. Although, the little girls in my classes are awesome, so I do have hope for the future yet.

And to the little girls of today, take advantage of the newly-discovered attention to girls’ development and education. I was one of the lucky ones and got shipped off to a gifted program, but others were not so fortunate. Educational activities outside the school proper were looked down upon as unnecessary during the Reagan and Bush I’s reigns and we are starting to see what kind of mess this country is in due to that lack of foresight. It is so nice to see girls excited about science in my classes. We need you, girls, so keep up the good work!

For more info on GirlFest, check out this link.

Portland, Girlfest, Girl Scouts, Oregon, Washington, education, science, girls, YWCA, Learnlinks, SMART

I am going to go out on a limb and say that, by Governor Sarah Palin’s definition, Portland is considered to be part of that non-”real America.”

Firstly, WTF? How does this woman get to go around and say things like that? On federal funds, no less. And don’t get me started on Michelle Bachmann.

Seriously? How did this woman rise such a high level of politics in this country? I would drum her out of office so fast for being so stupid. Ignore the bigot in her, she is just dumb. See, gentlemen, this is what you get when you vote with your willy.

Anyhoo, I really don’t ever, ever see Palin campaigning in Portland. Even if Oregon were a bit more of a swing state (it is a swing state, but if you trust the daily polling, you might chalk it up to the Democrats), would the McCain campaign visit Oregon? If so, which cities? Would he come to Portland?

I have referred before to Portland’s Republican-given nickname of Little Beirut. I first heard of the nickname’s origins in Chuck Palahniuk’s Fugitives and Refugees: A Walk in Portland, Oregon (a travel book of sorts). I cannot remember the exact story but it had something to do with George H.W. Bush’s reception in the city back in the early 1990’s. Protesters showed up after eating mashed potatoes dyed red, white, and blue with food coloring (I believe the blue-colored potatoes came up green unbeknowst to the planners — always pays to test things out first) and manually regurgitated those potatoes all over the sidewalks around wherever Bush the Elder was. That is paraphrased, of course, so I may have missed something. But if you haven’t read the source book, you might want to. It’s quite enjoyable, and you definitely learn some things about the city you don’t find in other guide books. And all of that framed with Palahniuk’s wit and sense of the odd.

This is what gets me about Palin and her ilk. They seem to espouse these ideals of less regulation and less government interference in people’s lives, and yet they support the government stepping in on the very personal in those same people’s lives — taking away certain rights, like the freedom of reproduction and marriage and religion and education. I just read over the Oregon elections booklet that details the candidates for the upcoming election, and my new favorite presidential candidate is Chuck Baldwin. If you have not read it, I urge you to, it’s hilarious. Same with Michael Marsh, a Constitution party candidate for State Treasurer. Who said elections are dull? These guys are crazy.

From Marsh’s blurb:

Leaders of the Democrat and Republican parties with their Ivy League educations are either incredibly stupid or are deliberately destroying us. It is time to return to Constitutional Government and become once again a land of opportunity for Americans. We have entered, voluntarily, into a slave relationship, with our government masters.

Come on, Marsh, I’d say that if you are a legitimate candidate for a State office, that is a good example of American having opportunity for all.

By the way, he goes on to talk about the microchip that is going to be installed in everyone and used by the banks and the Democrats and Republicans to suspend identifications and ATM withdrawals.

Disclaimer: I have a long history of voting for third parties (voted for Nader twice — always in a state that the Democrats had in the bag, so I am not responsible for George W.), so my little poking of fun at the Constitution Party is not an example of third-party-bashing.

Sarah Palin, Portland, Oregon, Little Beirut, Michelle Bachmann, Chuck Palahniuk, George H.W. Bush, George Bush, McCain, Constitution Party, Democrat, Republican, Nader

Seriously, has this not been the most awesome ever *wink* presidential election. You betcha. *Wink.*

No, but it has been quite the race over the last, what, almost two years now. It is one of my many major issues with the current state of American presidential politics and elections. Come on. Why does it take so d*mn long to elect someone president? That is way too much time for Senators to be not in the Senate. Check out both candidates voting records in 2007 and thus far in 2008. Very sad. You’d think that more people would make a big deal about that absence from their current jobs.

Personally, I am kind of afraid about what is going to happen after the election? What else will fuel my need for constantly changing story lines and new plots being hatched? The 24 hours news cycle making mountains out of mole hills has given my life the structure is has missed for so many years. I dare say that I have developed a bit of an addiction to this election. The dizzying highs, the terrifying lows…

I mean I guess I could still watch CNN, but why? Wolf Blitzer is an idiot, and I cannot decide if I have a weird crush on Anderson Cooper or not. Frankly, I would rather not face that side of me if it is a crush, and really what else does CNN show anymore? Or more importantly, what will it show once the election and subsequent bellyaching and recounting is over? I would be dumping my stock in CNN right about now, if I had any. Then again, that may be one of the few stocks doing well right now. Ouch, maybe not.

The bright side of my post-election withdrawal is that I will no longer be accosted by Obama people on SE Hawthorne asking me for money. I ALREADY GAVE! Please take that as a pass on being hassled for more. And furthermore, I am getting a bit over the constant emails urging me to donate before a midnight deadline. When you have that many deadlines, you really diminish the importance of any of them. No offense, Michelle Obama, love you girl.

election, obama, mccain, michelle obama, addiction, president, presidential, senators, voting records, American politics, American elections, Hawthorne, campaign, SE Hawthorne, CNN

So, if you must know, I am down with all kinds of non-profits and NGO’s, so I tend to get maybe thirty to fifty emails a day from such groups. I ran across this one today, and thought I’d share…

A very good organization, the Center for Health, Environment & Justice wants to stage a small protest against the Disney Corporation’s refusal to “go green” and switch over to non-toxic cleaning products for the all Disney theme parks, hotels and restaurants. It seems the Chairman of the Disney Board will be in Portland to accept some award and the CHEJ wants to distribute some flyers and perhaps have some people outside the award ceremony at the Oregon Convention Center. To that, I say huzzah, as I think it is sometimes necessary to urge larger companies to remember their responsibility to the public to use safe products as well as sell safe products.

To be fair to Disney, I think it may be safe to say that most American household have a toxic cleaning product around, maybe under the sink, but that is not excuse as there is truly little to no need to have toxic cleaning products when there are so many better alternatives. But if you must know, bleach is considered a toxic cleaning product — it is listed as a pesticide by the EPA for heaven’s sake.

However, especially as Disney not only caters to children, but also that Disney has a worldwide reputation, it is a bit remiss for Disney not to take the lead (well, if this were tens years ago) and show the world that you can own just about everything but still worry about the kiddies and the ol’ employees. You can still push your evil consumerist agenda, but with some environmental friendliness.

Ah, no matter. I think it is a good idea to protest. Will it do any good? Only if something really bad happens so that it can make the news. But hey, if we don’t say anything at all, then we are also to blame. Good luck, CHEJ. I cannot make it, but then I highly doubt that standing outside in late October Portland handing out flyers to disinterested passers-by will be a “fun and exciting event” as the email promises.

To find out how you can help…click here.

Center for Health Environment Justice, CHEJ, Disney, toxic, cleaning products, theme parks, parks, resorts, Portland, protest

Just ran across this in the New York Times…Thought I’d Share.

Steve Friess for The New York Times

A couple of Oregonians won the recent Escape from Berkeley Race, an “eco-race” requiring participants to travel over one thousand miles on anything but petroleum. The winners, Sharon Westcott and Jack McCornack, arrived at the finish line, in Las Vegas ironically enough, three hours before their nearest competitor, a Dodge running on burning biomass driven by Wayne Keith of Alabama. Mr. Keith actually finished the race first, but in terms of total travel time, Westcott and McCornack of Cave Junction were named the winners and received the $5,000 prize for first place. The winning time was 1418 minutes (a wee bit shy of 24 hours). The total mileage was roughly 800 miles. It’s funny that the article mentions the exact number of minutes for the race, but not the exact mileage. Good job, NYT.

Originally, the Berkeley to Vegas race was supposed to be 600 miles, but a snowstorm shut down the Tioga Pass, resulting in the race’s reroute and extra two hundred miles.

Jim Wilson for the New York Times

A little about the cars and their makers from the two articles in last week’s Times:

Jack McCornack, part of the Prisoners team and the owner of Kinetic Vehicles, a maker of alternative cars in Cave Junction, Ore., said his roadster could go 72 m.p.h. — and get 70 miles to the gallon — using nothing but vegetable oil.

“It’s extremely no-frills,” Mr. McCornack said of his car, which has no windows or doors. “It’s everything you always wanted in a sports car, and less.”

And for the guy who came in second, but really first, kind of…

Not all of the racers are Bay Area cognoscenti. Wayne Keith, 59, is a cattleman from Springville, Ala., who decided five years ago that he wanted to be independent from gas.

“When gasoline hit $1.75, I bailed out,” Mr. Keith said. “I’m a hostage to no one.”

His adapted lime-green Dodge Dakota pickup burns wood in a pair of burners in the pickup bed and uses the gases created by the combustion — primarily hydrogen and carbon monoxide — to drive the engine. He said the ready availability of scrap wood on his farm made his energy expenses almost nil.

On Saturday, Mr. Keith’s truck was also towing a table saw, in case he happened on any particularly large branches. “I don’t know if it makes me good or guilty,” he said. “But the wood’s going to rot if I don’t use it.”

Mr. Keith said the truck’s top speed is about 90 miles per hour, making it a favorite to win the race.

The other competitors included a Mercedes also running on vegetable oil, a recumbent bike for two, and a steam-powered carriage.

This part gets me. The race’s sponsor, Jim Mason, of Shipyard Labs in Berkeley, an open-air garage for tinkerers which creates workspaces out of shipping containers, chose the race’s terminus, Las Vegas, “largely out of contempt for the tourist destination, he said.”

“Vegas is a place of excessive spectacle and consumption of other peoples creativity,” he said. “This isn’t a place of production, of citizens making, expressing, creating….Vegas is the biggest contradiction of what we just did.”

Nice, but you are still contributing to Vegas just by being there, so not sure how well that message gets across, but still good for you, Mr. Mason for sponsoring such a race, and congrats to McCornack and Westcott for making it to the finish. Another stipulation for the race was that the racers could not purchase any fuel for the trip. Everything had to be found or donated. Luckily for Team Prisoners, people were more than happy to part with fry oil.

eco-race, biofuels, oil, vegetable oil, recycled fry oil, biomass, cars, racing, Berkeley, Las Vegas, Oregon, California. Nevada, Alabama, Dodge, Mercedes, recumbent, bike, bicycle

If you live in Portland, chances are that you know someone who makes wine, or at least makes their living off of wine. Portland lies in the middle of two rather important wine regions, the Willamette Valley and the Columbia Valley. The Willamette Valley is known for top-drawer pinot noirs and the Columbia, being a bit hotter, produces some truly brilliant syrahs and cabernets, along with pinots. Please note I am generalizing for the purposes of not making this post a two-thousand word essay on Oregon and Washington wine. Both regions produce many other grapes, in addition to there being other regions within both Oregon and Washington that I am not intending to omit for any reason other than brevity.

I spent my Sunday sorting grapes at a winery out in Yamhill County. In the picture to the left, I would have been standing on the left side of the table from the point of view of the camera, but obviously, I am missing as I am taking the picture. The others in the picture include (from left) Bob, Chris, Mike and Andrew. Andrew, a Brit, is one of the interns working this harvest, or crush, as they call it in the wine-making biz, with the rest of the sorting crew being volunteers, working for the sheer pleasure of being involved in the process. Also, as the winemaker is our friend, it is also a pleasure to help out a friend. As the winery is a smallish one (producing approximatiely five to six thousand cases of wine a year, depending on the year and the amount of grapes coming in), the extra hands are usually only needed the days that the grapes come in.

This is the time of year that many of my friends are either paid employees of a winery or a particular winemaker working at a “studio” or winemaking facility, or day-volunteers working for wine and food. It really is a fun process, although getting up early in the morning on a Sunday may not sound like a whole lot of fun. And of course, it is actual work, but work in a very good, honest way. You know, getting back to our agrarian roots, becoming more acquainted with the land and its bounty, and any other cliche about farming you can think of.

We had a full day yesterday, processing about nine tons of grapes. The morning started with chardonnay grapes, and then we moved onto the pinot noir grapes that took up the rest of the day. Sorting grapes means picking out underripe and damaged grapes, leaves, stems, sticks, and stones. White wines are generally easier when it comes to the grapes, as the white grapes tend to be less finicky and fragile, whereas pinot noir grapes are very fragile due to their think skins, and they are more susceptible to water damage. And as it is the beginning of the rainy season, it is crucial to pick the grapes before too much water causes them to burst. Some years, rot plays more of a role in damaging grapes, but the “veterans” at the sorting table were happy to see so little rot, if any at all. Rain is a major factor in rot, but even with the rains we had in the last two weeks, a rainy day was usually followed by a dry day or two, thus allowing the grapes to dry out and avoid rotting on the vines.

We did have a longer-than-intended lunch break, as the last batch of grapes, about four or five of the nine tons, were late in arriving. This is what happens when the grapes are late. I love this picture. It’s Leonardo (another intern, from Argentina), Andrew, and Bob, catching a few z’s in the afternoon sun.

If you are interested in volunteering at a winery, you should contact a winery and offer your services. Obviously, this year is taken care of, and I would recommend contacting a winery during the summer, maybe in August. You can also check out craigslist. Not all wineries need the extra hands, as some of the larger wineries already employ pretty big staffs, but you never know unless you ask. It is a interesting process that can illuminate the winemaking process that perhaps many of us boozers take for granted.

Portland, Willamette Valley, Columbia Valley, wine, winemaking, Oregon, Washington, harvest, crush, sorting grapes, pinot noir, pinot, pinots, syrah, cabernet, white wine, red wine, chardonnay, intern, volunteer, Argentina, winery

As I sit here watching a Project Runway marathon on Bravo today, I thought it would be an appropriate time to give a shout out to Leanne Marshall, a finalist on the show.

And yes, despite the fact that I have already seen every episode this season, I am happily re-watching every one of those same episodes. For some reason, I find Project Runway immensely re-watchable. Same with Top Chef, which is starting its new season November 12. Mark your calendars.

Anyway, back to Leanne. I didn’t really see her going all that far at the beginning of the season. But unlike so many of the contestants (read Daniel and Keith — was anyone else totally peeved when Keith came back for the Zodiac challenge? Come on, we finally get rid of him and he is back like, what the next challenge!!), Leanne took the judges comments to heart. Not so much to change her own aesthetic, I would think, but rather to win the damn game, am I right? That’s what it is all about. The judges are your clients, so make them happy and they will reward you for it, with cold, hard, less and less valuable cash. Ah, I kid. Not really, the dollar has been tanking for a while, and with the current crisis I don’t see it coming back anytime soon, but another day, another post.

Leanne Marshall’s designs since the third episode have pretty much rocked. I especially liked the third episode’s black skirt (at left), as well as the dress she made out of Saturn parts (below). She deservedly won that challenge. I did like the Diane Von Furstenberg purple dress she made, but I liked Korto’s dress a little better, but just a little better. There were some designs that missed the mark along the way, but even when I was really scared for her, say in the college grad make-over challenge, she smartly listened to Tim Gunn’s advice, and edited/re-designed wisely.

But beyond my little ol’ opinions, I think it is wonderful that we have a Portland designer represented on the fifth season of PR. It seems that the most interesting designers have been coming from cities outside the fashion meccas of NYC and LA. It’s not like Portland is BFE Ohio whence Jay McCarroll comes from, but when people think of Portland, I am sure fashion is not one of the first things that comes to mind.

Congratulations, Leanne! I really look forward to seeing your whole collection in the season finale next week, and I hope you win. I really, really hope that you at least beat out Kenley, because I cannot stand her. How annoying that you and Korto had to finish up the season with her. I seriously think that PR focuses too much on creating a villain, instead of just letting the designs speak for themselves.

Possible spoiler alert: Leanne is not taking any new orders as listed on Etsy, due to large volume. Could this be because of a PR win or simply due to the added publicity? Also, her website is rather outdated, with nary a mention of Project Runway. I did email her, and she oh so sweetly responded, telling me that her website is simply out of date, and she has a new person taking it over for her. I didn’t press the issue, and I really, really hope that she is hiding the win. (I have not searched for any spoilers elsewhere, so someone out there may know who the winner is, but I don’t want to know. I prefer conjecture and patience. I accidentally stumbled upon the Top Chef winner two seasons ago and it totally sucked watching the finale, knowing that Ilan Douchebag Hall won.)

Portland, Project Runway, Leanne Marshall, Leanne, Top Chef, Bravo, design, fashion, reality show, Daniel, Keith, Korto, Kenley, Diane Von Furstenberg, Jay McCarroll

Seriously.

Some days, I choose to look at Portland through an anthropologist’s lens, and something that is becoming increasingly clear to me is how ubiquitous the Apple iPhone has become. And in a fairly disturbing way. Is it that the price has come down, because that is what caused the crack epidemic in the ’80’s. A cheaper way to get a cocaine high and voila, the inner city is decimated. I’m being glib, of course, but it must have something to do with the now suddenly semi-affordable iPhone. It must.

In that, I am speaking of iPhone addiction.

Yeah, I know the picture thing is cool, but I still don’t really feel like looking at your pictures. And I can pull up the same information on my ol’ regular cellphone web browser that you can, too. Oh, wait, I do not feel the need to google something in the middle of our conversation. That said, iphones are becoming a nuisance, an invasive species that is choking out conversation.

I work in a restaurant, and I cannot begin to tell you how many people at tables, with other people, spend most of their meal, not talking with their companions, but instead peering myopically down at their iphone.

And there is something in that, too. All iphone users seem to huddle over the device, inwardly craning their bodies as if trying to squeeze themselves in their new BFF. Or instead caving into the need for constant email connectivity.

It’s ok to be offline. It’s ok to be a phone call away instead of instantly at someone’s command to read and respond to their every communicative desire.

That is what phones are for. Texting is great, too, I am all for texting. But we all need to unplug from our new tamagotchis. The iPhone won’t die if you don’t play with it.

apple, iphone, iphones, Portland, addiction, cell phones, cocaine, google, invasive species, tamagotchis

Hey Portland, our representative in Congress made the pages of Outside Magazine, talking about biking and how the government can encourage more people to bike both recreationally and as commuters.

Photo provided to Outside by Blumenauer’s DC office

Seems that bow-tie wearing, biking to work in DC Blumenauer is a biker’s silent assassin in Washington. Ok, not really, but he did tell Outside that the recent Energy Act (which opens up the coasts to off-shore drilling) has some sneaky clauses providing bicycle-riding commuters fringe benefits for riding to work on two-wheels-sans-motor. Neat. I ride my bike to work, so what does that mean?

I just read the text of the bill, the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Pact, and it’s true that there is a small “rider” (he he) that would allow employers give a $20 a month reimbursement for bicycle-related expenses. Here is the main chunk of the text as it relates to this fringe benefit.

QUALIFIED BICYCLE COMMUTING REIMBURSEMENT- The term `qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement’ means, with respect to any calendar year, any employer reimbursement during the 15-month period beginning with the first day of such calendar year for reasonable expenses incurred by the employee during such calendar year for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment.

As this benefit won’t start until 15 months after the beginning of the first calendar year after this benefit can begin, which is January 1st, 2009, so really, bikers won’t see any real benefit from this until, I believe, April 2010. I could be way off on this, and if Congressman Blumenauer stumbles across this little post, maybe he can clear things up for me. Is this a benefit that my employer can offer me, or does my employer have to offer me this benefit? Who actually pays the monies going to commuters? Is it the employer that then gets reimbursed by the government? Why not give the tax benefit directly to the employee, rather than making the business owner the middle man?

Seriously, I need these questions answered, so if anyone out there wants to clear this up, that would be just super. And I can pass on the information, of course.

Still, kudos to Earl for taking his message to the streets, er, rather the pages of a considerably more and more trendy magazine that I used to enjoy, but now only tolerate. I think it’s the “fashion spreads” that seem to adorn every issue. If I want to look at lame models faking it, I would read Vogue or some other lame rag. I read Outside because I want kewl pics, interesting adventure stories, practical advice, equipment reviews and guides, and not stories about some former pro-snowboarder that now sells real estate and hangs out with his trustfund college friends.

/End/ rant.

Earl Blumenauer, Congress, Washington DC, representative, Portland, Oregon, Third District, Energy Bill, Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act, Outside Magazine

A somewhat unique aspect to Portland is the roach coach scene. When I refer to a roach coach, I speak fondly of food carts or wagons.

Obviously, food carts or wagons are found across the country and for that matter, the world. A mobile restaurant is quite handy when following a carnival or festival circuit. Well, in Portland, they are everywhere and rather permanent.

I cannot say that I am a mobile food wagon connoisseur by any means. I eschew festivals and carnivals, so for most of my life, I simply have not had the opportunity to try these places out. You don’t see a whole lot of food carts in Chicago. There is that crappy pizza cart outside the Wicker Park/Bucktown triangle, outside of Underdog and Flash Taco, in a “bar-muda triangle.” Unfortunately, I did get a slice from that cart late one night, and as it wasn’t good, it underscored my rather snobby opinion regarding food carts.

But then, there is a big difference between a food cart and a food wagon. A “wagon” can be either a truck, but usually more of a trailer. But it has power and water. There is equipment to cook food, rather than simply keep it warm before serving. So Portland is a food wagon town.

I am almost done trying every one of the wagons in Sellwood, on SE 13th Ave and Lexington. First, I had a burrito at Uruapan, a small wagon farther down on Lexington, and when I say farther down, I mean twenty feet, maybe. The burrito was good, as good as a Chicago taqueria. Sorry to keep comparing to Chicago, but one) it is my background and two) Chicago is heavily hispanic in its street food (whereas I would say that Portland is much more Asian in its street food scene — there is bento everywhere). The steak tacos were authentic, with onion and cilantro only. No shredded lettuce, no cheese, no white people tacos.

The next visit, I tried the BBQ wagon, perhaps Chuckwagon BBQ, if I can remember correctly. Really tasty pulled pork sandwich. Almost went back for that one today, but instead tried Garden State. I found a picture of the guy who runs the wagon, so I am guessing this one is better known, or he put the picture up himself. I kind of remember seeing some laminated newspaper pages hanging up, and the picture looked familiar, so it is probably from that. Anyhoo, I had the chicken sandwich, which I really wasn’t that excited about, as I am not one of those “chicken sandwich, please,” kind of girls, but it was really, really good. It had slices of cured lemon on it, with arugula and a goat cheese cream that was tas-tee. My BF had the meatball hero, and though I tend to require veggies on a sandwich, it was damn good. Good choice of rolls on both, and that is so important, which makes it so sad when sandwich chefs overlook the bread. The guys behind the counter were charmingly Jersey. Wait, is that an oxymoron?

I also had fish and chips at Sellwood Pub’s wagon. Two pieces of battered halibut, almost greasy chips, really light and crisp slaw. I will return there, and I am not big on fried food, so that is a significant recommendation from me. Now, I wouldn’t eat fish and chips every day, mind you, but why would I when I have so many choices on a 1500 square foot area. I have yet to try My Sister’s Soup. I am waiting for a rainy day…which, hi, this is Portland, and it has rained like two days in the past three months it seems. I’m confused and sick of watering my garden.

Portland, food carts, food wagons, Chicago, roach coach, mobile restaurants, Sellwood, Chuckwagon BBQ, BBQ, Garden State, Uruapan, Sellwood Pub, My Sister’s Soup