Here's Johny!

I'm back in Portland!

Yay, rain. I missed rain and gray skies. Whew, it's a good thing the weather didn't let me down with more of that excessive sun that I've had to endure.

WWZJD?

Happy Zombie Jesus Day!

Let us all rejoice. Jesus is a shining example how to not let a little thing like death keep you down. Did he just give up and compost? No!
We should all aspire to follow his example.

Personally, I'm hoping to return from dead during my memorial service.

It would be a great way to surprise my friends and to reconnect with folks. I just hope they'll have lots of chocolate on hand as I much prefer chocolate over brains.

What would zombie Jesus do?

Bear Alert!

My car got broken into last night.

A bear busted out my passenger side window. There is glass everywhere.
Stupid me, I left some dog food in the back of the car. As if not bad enough the window was left down about 1.5 inches.
The bear pulled on the glass a bit and it shattered outward on to the ground.
Thankfully the food was all eaten with some dirt tracked onto the seats.
How do I know it was a bear?
The giant bear paw print in the snow and brown hair scraped off the window edge.

Is it solstice yet?

The days are short and gray clouds roll in one after another drawn like unending box cars behind an engine.

By 6:00 PM I find myself not ready to settle down for the day, yet looking out the window into the darkness I wonder what to do without finding resolve. A trip to the park with the dogs won't do, they don't run like they need to when there is so little light and muddy trails in the pitch are less then appealing.

Cold and wet the simplest pleasures of the summer are beyond me. Winter feels not unlike a prison, regimented and with few options.

And it's only just started.

This year I hope to have a different mindset as the day drew shorter though I find breaking out of that annual pattern more challenging than I'd expected.

As the sun moves toward perihelion I wish to battle the prevailing gloom. Your company is requested. Camaraderie provides the light and levity one needs to help abate the long nights.

I invite the opportunity to share beer, tea or food with you. Let us come together - drop me a line if you want to connect. Perhaps as simple as coffee in the afternoon or a more involved affair. I welcome it.

Renaming Streets?

I love this town but sometimes it's political figures do stupid or annoying things.

For a while now City Hall has been trying to push the idea of renaming Interstate Ave to Cesar Chavez. After that idea tanked they now want to rename 4th Avenue downtown instead

Personally, I'm against that idea. One of the things I like about downtown Portland are numbered streets, and the directional quadrant system. Seems that if you want to rename a street then do it to one that has a name and not a number.

Keep the logic and beauty of the grid system intact. If you [City Hall] insist on renaming a street why not rename Broadway?

Left at my door

Fedex used to be trustworthy. Now they just seem fly-by-night.

According to their computer they confirm a package was left at my front door at 11:45 am today.
I've been home all day and know that no package was left. There was never even a van in front of my house.
Our dog gets very excited by the mailman and deliver drivers. as they generally have doggy treats and she loves to see them. Had someone even been halfway down our street I would have known.
Now they say they'll look into and have the driver come by tomorrow.

I'm not feeling confident about the outcome.

Hell of a deal!

So I'm at Bi-mart today picking up supplies and I pass by an end cap that is selling 60 and 100 watter compact fluorescent bulbs for 99 cents.
Yes, for less than one dollar you can bye one of those cool spiral highly energy efficient bulbs. Typically they go for about seven bucks.
They even have 300 watt fluorescent bulbs. Nice to use in your craft area when you need extra light. I currently use a 300 watt halogen when I need good light for sewing and such. Halogens are power hogs though.

Bi-mart will have .99 cent bulbs while supplies last and I don't imagine that will be very long.