Nutritious breakfast – check
Caffeination level HIGH – check
Comfortable walking shoes – check
One size too-small pajamas for return – check
Gift cards from Target, Home Depot, Fred Meyer & Meier & Frank – check
Beer chilling in the fridge for post-shopping decompression – check
Ok, I think I’m ready for some shopping now.
Should be called “Crappy’s” or “Icky’s.” this was probably one of the worst restaurants we’ve been too. Then again, maybe i shouldn’t have worn my pink cowboy shirt- that may have skewed the service a little. Spiffy’s is N. on I5 just past the creepy roadside sculptures. We were hungry and had just braved the 7mph traffic coming out of Olympia and gave it a try. We should have know by the grandma kitch for sale in the entrance and the bible brochure on the table that we weren’t in a happy place. The veggie dish was a salad with a side of bacon. “Bacon is a vegetable, isnt it?” we joked. I read the situation and played it safe and ordered a sandwich. You can’t do too wrong with a club sandwich. Well, my driver decided on “Steamed Fish with rice pilaf” trying to stay healthy. It came with a salad which was ok. The vinegar and oil containers though had a scary film of something unholy all over them. The meal came and we just sat there staring at it. Then the chuckles started. The “green beans” were actually “bacon beans,” green beens with huge chunks of bacon that had been boiled to almost mushiness. I actually tried it and almost spit it out. I could only hope the “steamed fish” wasn’t steamed in beef broth……or bacon..
In the end we were both just overwelmed at how bad it was. Nothing had taste and salt was your only friend. Even scarier was that it was packed. People were putting themselves on a waiting list too.
The driver won’t talk about the bathroom experience. Too dark a memory. oh, and no one working there asked us how everything was when we were leaving. is that a sign that they too know how horrible the food is?
next time on your own trip along the most boring stretch of I5 known, do not- i repeat- do not stop at Spiffy’s if you want to keep your soul.
Sent from my communicator, probably while hiding from the man…
Some of you may remember a while back I blogged about not being able to find a good company to come out and inspect our chimney. Well, some of you friendly bloggers out there suggested I try Portland Chimney. I did and they Kick Chimney Ass! They called the day before to confirm the appointment. They showed up on time for their scheduled appointment. Then they cleaned and inspected the chimney all for only 80 bucks! A great price considering one company wanted to charge us $500.00 and they didnÔøΩt even look at the chimney! It turns out our chimney is fine and we could have had been burning logs in the fireplace since we first moved in, over a year ago!
Anyhow, thank you Portland Chimney and thanks to all those that left commets with advice!
Listen in tonight to OPB radio (91.5 FM in PDX) for some great Holiday delights! The annual Jonathan Winters’ A Christmas Carol is on at 8PM but first at 6PM it’s, it’s Live Wire! PortlandÔøΩs own comedy, variety radio show! On this Live Wire There is a wonderful interview with Gill Dennis. (From Portland and screenwriter for ÔøΩWalk the LineÔøΩ.) There is also some lovely Holiday music from Linda Hornbuckle and Janice Scroggins. Plus Scott Poole reads some of his hysterical poetry. As always thereÔøΩll be lots of comedy and other yummy goodies. Great radio to wrap presents by!
Speaking of Live WireÔøΩ DonÔøΩt forget about the new Live Wire Live CD that the A&E just gave an A- review. Even though The CD got reviewed right here on Portland Metroblogging a week ago! (Bloggers Rule!) ItÔøΩs still a really nice write up for a lot of Portland musicians! Go check out the CD! ÔøΩLive Wire LiveÔøΩ
Well, it’s here. after the shopping fever has waned and everyone is recovering from getting prepared for today, it’s the time to relax with the family or friends and enjoy a couple of days to celebrate. our social environment will force some to relax the visa cards as almost all businesses are closed from about 3pm today until Monday. yeh, there will be a plaid pantry and gas stations open tomorrow for those of you eager to get your post Christmas shop on.
Chanuka starts Dec. 25 this year, so to my Jewish friends – Happy Chanukah
Kwanzaa is celebrated from Dec 26 through January 1.
Happy Holidays Portland.
As proclaimed by Frank Costanza – Festivus for the Restofus. Festivus is celebrated today – December 23. To celebrate, there are a few things you must do. First of all, you need an aluminum pole in lieu of a traditional tree. that’s your decoration. Then have family and friends over for the “Airing of Grievances” which is their opportunity to vent their hostilities toward each other. After a Festivus dinner, “The Feats of Strength” are performed until the head of the household is wrestled to the floor and “pinned.”
I remember when we were first introduced to Festivus on Seinfeld. One of those 90’s cultural references that has stuck around.
Happy Festivus all…
…that was the scene tonight at Keller Auditorium, where the oh-so-dressy young girls in the crowd, faces alight in anticipation, put the rest of the Nutcracker Ballet audience to shame. (Flip flops and sweatpants? Ye gods…)
My own seven year old daughter, similarly dressed to the nines, was in raptures all throughout the evening, although she’s not quite got the whole ‘ballet decorum’ part down yet (if you were there and saw the young girl in red velvet pumping her fists and cheering loudly at the end as if she’d just witnessed a great hockey brawl on the ice? Yep, that was my kid…)
And who was that bon vivant up on stage as the ‘late guest?’ Why, none other than Mayor Tom Potter, who threw in a few dance steps of his own.
From what I could tell, plenty of mothers and daughters (or extended families) were there as part of their holiday ritual. And from my daughter’s reaction, we’ll be making it an annual routine as well.
the one time i was downtown in a car and driving home, i swore i had seen an Isetta in front of me. now i am sure of it!
The Isetta is actually a BMW and yes, it’s tiny. One actually opens the entire front in order to get in the single seat. my memory of the Isetta is seeing one in Berlin – an East Berliner had used it to smuggle himself and another out over the border after the Wall had gone up.
Parked in a Portland parking lot, i’m excited to see it. obviously someone feels safe with such a small car amongst the crazies of portland’s drivers. good luck.
so, just got back from the Crow Bar – boy do they make great greyhounds. well, there were 7 of us at this holiday edition of the Graphic Novel Reading Club. as you may know, we read Finder this past month. [disclosure: i ended up not reading the book this month.] the general consensus was that the story had some value, but the way it was presented and written left the reader wondering what the heck was going on. the discussion revolved around the disjointed aspect of the book, the fascinating characters, the gender question of the characters, and even the font used for the lettering. eventhough i didn’t read the book, i learned a ton about lettering and the history of lettering and how it is done now. i love this.
in the end, the consensus was that this may have been a situation where the first book isn’t necessarily a good book. some may proceed with more issues of Finder, others may not.
This coming month, we plan on reading “V for Vendetta” by Alan Moore. Alan Moore is famous for “From Hell” and “League of Extaordinary Gentlemen.” Check it out and join us on January 19 for the next rendition of the Graphic Novel Reading Club.
