Portland, OR

My friend Cav and I both religiously watch The Biggest Loser and chat through it. This week while watching, she had a great idea - let’s bring The Biggest Loser to Portland!

So, have you ever watched The Biggest Loser and thought “I wish I could do that!” or even felt jealous that the contestants were so supported by their peers to lose weight? Now nothing is stopping you!

Who can join? You can! Your friends can! Your co-workers are even invited! The more people who join, the better it will be for everyone!

What: A “let’s make Portland healthier” campaign - lose some of your body weight, gain more muscle mass, learn to cook great tasting healthy foods, climb 18 flights of stairs without passing out! Essentially this is a contest with prizes (cash, a makeover and a photo shoot) to those who lose the greatest percentage of weight.

When: At the first of the year, Portland’s own version of The Biggest Loser is set to begin. There will be approximately 90 days worth of competition (January through March) in hopes of making these life-long habit changes, not just a temporary fix up.

Where: Here. Portland. Our town. Our town that is slowing becoming more and more unhealthy.

Why: to get in shape, to tone up, to find some fitness buddies, to improve your life and to change your current habits.

How: Friend The Biggest Loser PDX on MySpace!
Go to SparkPeople (an amazing website that tracks your calorie intake, activities, weight and measurement tracking)
Add cavilleri as your friend on SparkPeople
Join The Biggest Loser PDX group!

***more on prizes and incentives in the next entry!***

Want to keep doing weird things in Portland? Check out the “weird” events that are occurring from now until Sunday! (This is a perfect time of year for weird Portland events, by the way!)

Fright Town - The Pacific North West’s Scariest Haunted House, October 24-31, under the Portland Memorial Colosseum, go to the website to get a coupon worth up to $10 off your ticket in! Baron Von Goolo’s Museum of Horrors adds a madhouse of humor & horror to Fright Town! Elshoff Manor is bigger & scarier than ever, and Black Box is a “non-stop free-fall” into darkness! Something to scare everyone if you ask me!

Glowing Greens Miniature Golf is presenting Blacklight Adventures at Halloween this year! They bring together black lights, putt putt golf and Halloween all in one location. They offer an unforgettable adventure while simply playing mini-golf!

The 13th Door moves to a new location this year (The Washington County Fair Complex in Hillsboro) but is still ready to share their “frite lights” with you. Get ready to be condemned!!! Oooh, and watch out for the ginormous spiders that are said to be roaming around the condemned building!

Darklady’s Haunted Gothic Wedding Polyween is not for those under 21 or for those with a faint heart. No matter what you call the end-of-October holiday (Halloween, Hallowe’en, All Hallows’ Eve, All-hallow-even, Oíche Shamhna, Allantide, Hop-tu-Naa, Calan Gaeaf, Samhain, or even Pooky Night) - Darklady presents a lustful event for those willing to branch out. There is a potluck, a real cloakroom, a vow renewel ceremony & celebration and even a wedding cake from The Naughty Baker!

About Portland OR, Portland OR, Portland, keep Portland weird, Halloween events in Portland

So, there are always weird things going on in Portland, but right now, the weirdest thing in my life is the list of “search terms” that people are finding this website for. I thought I would share them (and my reaction) with you. Do you have a website? Do you have weird search terms that come up? Share the weirdness!

“portland my pretty ponies” - your pretty ponies can be tied up to the rings all over downtown. Send me a picture when you get here!

“what’s the worst time to visit portland oregon” - rush hour. Avoid rush hour.

“trivial pdx wednesday” - Yes, Wednesdays in Portland can be trivial. Perhaps you meant trivia PDX Wednesday … you might have gotten better results.

“fun places to go during halloween in fort worth texas” - Portland! Come to Portland, Oregon for Halloween! That is probably the most fun to have in Texas for the holiday. Hopefully your search lead you to About Fort Worth, Texas instead of my website.

“eagle tattoos” - Uhm, I wouldn’t recommend one. Nope.

“artist sarah gould” - You think I’m an artist? Yay!

“what part of colorado was “why did i get married?’ filmed in” - I hope this lead you to here or here because I don’t know. Why did you get married, btw?

“health disease blog” - what do you think Portland is?

“portland whistle underwater” - whistling underwater? I can’t even whistle ABOVE water!

“good places in portland to go snowboarding at” - down Sam Jackson Parkway … OHSU busses will pull over for you and let you snowboard right down! (Who thinks you can snowboard in Portland, Oregon?)

“common sense comic” - comics have common sense? Have you ever listened to Keith and the Girl?

“is it possible for peanut butter to give you a sinus headach” - Well, if you don’t stop shoving it up your nose, of course you’re going to get a sinus headache!

Welcome to Portland … want to know if you’re really here? Check this out. I italicized the ones I know I feel!

1. You throw an aluminum can in the trash and feel guilty.
2. You never go camping without water-proof matches and ponchos.
3. You stand on a deserted street corner in the rain waiting for the light to change.
4. You’ve ever ordered a half caff/decaf, nonfat mocha grande with sugar-free cranberry whip.
5. The bride and groom registered at REI.
6. Know at least eight people who work for Intel or used to work for Tektronix.
7. You make $30,000 a year, yet still can’t find a place to live.
8. You can list more than five reasons why Starbuck’s is evil.
9. Every July 1st, it takes half a day to find your sunglasses and sunscreen.
10. You blame anything that is not right on ex-Californians.
11. You remember the date, severity, time of day, where you were, and how long you were out of power for every winter weather event for the last five years.
12. You know what and when the Columbus Day storm was. Bonus for having been there.
13. You go to a coffee bar and see two guys get into a fight over who makes the best IPA.
14. Own more than 10 articles of clothing that have microbreweries/brewpubs printed on them. Bonus for embroidered stuff.
15. You know that Boring is a place, not an adjective to describe your job.
16. You can point in the direction of two or more volcanoes even though you can’t see them due to clouds.
17. You have a bookstore, coffee bar, and brewpub within walking distance of your house.
18. You can give a 30-minute monologue on infill and the Urban Growth Boundry.
19. You think downtown is “scary” because you were panhandled there once.
20. When you drive out of town, every other guy in a pickup truck looks like the governor.
21. When you drive out of town, even the Hondas have gun racks.
22. You can name more than 10 kinds of berries and where to get them.
23. You can name more than 10 beer styles and their hop profiles.
24. When the weather gets above 50 degrees, you put on your shorts, but you still wear your hiking boots and parka.
25. When the weather gets above 60 degrees, you replace your hiking boots with sandals.
26. You think people who use umbrellas are wimps. - today, I was a wimp
27. You can recount more than five anecdotes why the east side is a crime-infested jungle. *OR* You can list more than five reasons why the west side is a boring, snobby, white-bread suburb.
28. You know what is between the east side and the west side, and how to pronounce it.
29. You know that Couch Street is not pronounced like what you sit on.
30. You are sitting at a red light surrounded by Subaru Legacy Outbacks.
31. “Today’s forecast, showers, followed by rain. Tomorrow: rain, followed by showers” doesn’t faze you.
32. You can’t wait for a day with “showers and sunbreaks”.
33. You can go skiing after work.
34. A tree or mudslide has ever damaged your house or car.
35. You live equidistant to a symphony hall, a winery, and a volcano.

About Portland OR, Portland OR, Portland, you know you’re from Portland when, silly list

Hey Portlanders! Have you picked up this week’s Willamette Week? It was the first (I believe) edition with the new redesign and I’d love to hear what you all thought about it. I still haven’t decided whether I like the old format better or whether this new, seemingly more “modern” format is more my style.

There were quite a few things in this week’s edition that caught my eye that I thought I’d share with you (and link you to, if possible) just because I’m nice like that!

The cover story this week is on Crafty Bitches! I consider myself a “crafty bitch” and so when I saw the newspaper on campus today, I knew I had to pick it up to read. The article spans almost 8 pages through the first half of the newspaper and I read every single word of the piece written by Beth Slovic (bslovic at wweek dot com)

“Against one wall, an IKEA bookshelf is packed with neatly folded yards of fabrics in bright colors and patterns. Piled almost to the ceiling, they give the effect of a vibrant quilt draped against the wall. Next to the shelf, in a corner near a window overlooking Southeast Division Street, dozens of spools of different colored thread are packed together like crayons. Against another wall, rows of vintage sewing manuals, craft books and knitting patterns promise hours of reading and many more hours of tedious, eye-blurring, finger-cramping labor.”

“Wool is a gateway drug to harder endeavors. Just walk through a store like Redux on East Burnside Street, and it’s clear Portlanders are working with a much wider variety of materials—everything from skateboard parts to bike chains—to make crafts as diverse as the people creating them. (It’s not just women.)”

If you craft anything, I truly think you’d appreciate this article! Check it out!

Other things that caught my eye!

The Chuck Close Prints on show at the Horror Show, an article on a newly released (Tuesday, October 9) documentary movie Crystal Darkness about the dangers of meth. It will air at 7:30pm on October 9 “on most television stations across the state and at 9pm on OPB. It will preempt Wheel of Fortune, Access Hollywood, Access Hollywood, Extra and the second half-hour of Everybody Loves Raymond.”

The Winners & Losers Section - especially the part about our oh-so-sad football teams from Saturday: “This week’s civil war between Oregon & Oregon State football fans is over who’s more depressed. UO fans are moaning over a four-turnover collapse to Cal that killed the Ducks’ national contention. Beavers fans also saw a fourth-quarter freefall when ULA outscored OSU 28-0. Hey, Portland State won.” Oh how that made me laugh!

The random Enhance your eyelashes PERMANENTLY ad. Uhm, that’s just weird. It only gets weirder when I take another look at it and realize that the ad is from Northwest Surgical Hair Restoration. Weird. WEIRD!

I was excited to see the small ad for The Greek Festival this weekend. Friday & Saturday from 10am-10pm & Sunday from noon-9pm there is a Greek festival on NE 32nd & Glisan. I went last year, had a grand ‘ol time (mmm, the food!) and I am hoping to make it down there this year as well. It’s free to get into, even!

If you’re interested in reading more, please follow some of the links to WW and check it out! You won’t be disappointed in this newspaper!

About Portland OR, Portland OR, Portland, Willamette Weekly, Portland newspapers, The Greek Festival, Oregon State University, University of Oregon, college football, weird ads, Crystal Darkness, methamphetamine, The Meth Project, Chuck Close, crafting, crafty bitches

photo courtesy of Sarah Gould

On my drive home from work today I got to thinking about the things in Portland that I love, so I mentally made a list!

10. I love the weather, whether it’s sunny or rainy, I love the weather. If it rains I wear different clothes. If it’s sunny I roll my windows down while driving.

9. I love driving in Portland. Yes, I love driving in Portland. Most people bitch & moan about the traffic, but I don’t mind it. I like to drive on the freeways, the highways, the main streets, the back streets and down golf cart paths. (Okay, I’ve never tried that last one!)

8. I love SEEING Portland. This is probably why I don’t mind driving in town. I get to see my beautiful city.

(more…)

If you live in Portland, OR there is not one street you can drive down or walk on where you don’t see a Starbucks, other coffe chain, small independent coffee shop or someone carrying a coffee in their hand.

But what is that makes Portland a coffee lover’s town, is it the insane amount of creative energy brought in by the diversity of Portlander’s that can only be enhanced by a cup of coffee? Is it the rain that chills our bones for 6-8 months a year, so we need something warm to gives an extra boost?

Well being a coffee lover myself, I am convinced that when you go to small coffee shops such as; STUMPTOWN, you feel a sense of community and there are always regulars working on laptops. When you go to Starbucks you can feel like you have social status because you are able to pay for a 5.00 cup of coffee.

Not only are we a city that lounges in coffee shops, or wireless cafe’s but we house the The American Barista & Coffee School, which trains baristas for the top coffee companies in the world.

Coffee, rain and lattte artwork! Amazing! And because Portland is such a city geared for coffee I will be highlighting a new favorite coffee shop every week! So check it out!

“The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., “Over the Teacups,” 1891

For the first time ever, I attended Alberta Streets ever growing, LAST THURSDAY, which is very different from the Pearl District’s First Thursday.

If you are expecting Posh galleries, and people dressed in their finest fashions think again. What you will encounter is an amazingly eclectic array of people from all parts of Portland uniting to celebrate the indivduality in the Portland Art’s Scene.

What you will find is tons of tables covered in homemade art, clothing made from tablecloths, photos of portland, original abstract artworks, tons of home made jewelery, vegan cucakes, mosaics, collages, etc. (check out some art here.. www.artonalberta.org )

Check it out, Last Thursday, will be the Last Thursday of every month. The next date will be.. August 30th, hope to see you all there.

While writing about Voodoo Doughnuts yesterday, I came across this really cool YouTube video about what makes their doughnuts so special. Some people are willing to go through just about anything to wrap their lips around one of the bizarre doughnut concoctions.

I got a personal kick out of the interview with Tres Shannon, co-owner of the peculiar shop, when he was asked about some of the more memorable people who come into Voodoo Doughnuts. A few years ago, I worked for one of the most successful indie record labels in L.A., Dimmak, owned by Steve Aoki, who also owns Cold Crush Records. So i got a kick out of it when they mentioned The Coup and Livesavas (a hip-hop trio based right here in Portland,) as some of the really cool people who come into the shop to satisfy their nighttime munchies! But that wasn’t even my favorite part of the interview, it was actually the part where Tres was saying that he “was looking at the hole one day, and just really understanding it.” Yep, you’ve really got to love the inherent weirdness of Portland!

Oregon has always been a mecca for hippies and outdoor lovers alike, and Portland is no exception. But aside from the ever popular outdoor sports of hiking, biking, kayaking, mountain climbing, sight-seeing, skating, skiing, snowboarding, and all of the other great outdoor activities that Portlanders and Oregonians love so much, there is an entire culture of people that embrace the hippy bohemian lifestyle. It has become a part of Portland’s reputation, part of its style, and part of the locals’ way of life. From eclectic dining experiences to eccentric style and fashion, themed restaurants to street fairs and waterfront festivals, Portland one proud-to-be-weird city!

Just a few examples of some of the weird things you can eat and strange things to do while in Portland:

• Voodoo Doughnuts - Not your typical doughnuts! Open 24 hours, 6 days a week, and lots of strange toppings on their menu. Things you may have heard of, things you’ve probably never dreamed of, such as vegan doughnuts, maple-bacon donuts, cock-n-ball or voodoo doll doughnuts, cereal-topped doughnuts, and even a Doughnut & Wedding Chapel, where for $175 you can get married and have doughnuts and coffee with 10 of your favorite people! They even have a Doughnut Eating Contest on the first Friday of the month!
• Apizza Scholls - Some of the greatest pizza, and the strangest rules, you’ve ever imagined. But you’ve got to time out your trip just right, because they open at 5:00 p.m., and when the fresh hand-made dough is gone - they close up shop! The rules are, no more than three toppings, no more than one meat topping, and no substitutions on house pizzas. Why? According to the pizza chef, too many toppings prevent crust from cooking to perfection!
• Horse Project - You’ll just have to find your own place within this project, whether you choose to find pretty ponies in the streets, decorate them, or just laugh at them, they’re everywhere. Just make up your own adventure, but be sure to check out the history of the project!
• GrassHut - Check out some really funky art at the Grass Hut on Burnside. Their blog is pretty strange too, but if you’re in the mood to take a wild and funky trip to their gallery to check out some of their artwork, you won’t be disappointed!
• My Father’s Place - For some great nighttime fun, and a taste of the truly fun and weird people in Portland, take a load off and go for a drink while you ponder the concept of mannequin parts on the ceiling - seriously!

portland, oregon, art, nightlife, weird, fun places, food, strange, pizza, donuts