In Music We Trust is having a holiday hootenanny at the Doug Fir. CD Baby employees are performing. It is free. A hootenanny sounds like fun. This should be cool.

Yesterday, while I was walking near Portlandís living room, I passed near a guy carrying a large white cross. The cross was obviously some kind of lightweight material. The guy was preaching up a storm. Holding the gigantic cross on his shoulder with one arm and gesturing wildly with the other. Oh yeah, and he was smoking. As I paused near by to gawk a little he looked directly at me stopped preaching and said, ìMerry Christmasî. Then he took a big drag on his cigarette, looked away and started preaching again. Weird!
Unfortunately, Iím working with stone knives and bearskins so I couldnít get a picture of him but as I walked away I wondered what he was trying to symbolize. I could just see Jesus dragging his cross through the streets pausing briefly to balance the almost unbearable weight then take a big drag on his cigarette and I have to ask myself, what would Jesus smoke?

just went by the rose garden on max and there are about 15 officers with dogs wandering about. according to a gentleman who got on the train, there was a gang shooting just N of the rose quarter transit center. does anyone have any info on this?
sent from space while monitoring your personal phone calls

Come join us for the our 3rd rendition of the Graphic Novel Reading Club put on by Bridge City Comics. We get together and discuss a predetermined Graphic Novel and Graphic Novels in general. This month’s choice was Finder by Carla Speed McNeil.

Graphic Novel Reading Club
Crow Bar – 3954 N Mississippi Ave, Portland
Thursday, Dec. 22 – 7-9pm (Happy Hour drinks)

Been hard at work on this research paper, and I’m starting to drift from my Libertarian principles in that I’ve had a revelation about land use.

From the paper I’m writing:

In the end, all we can say to the land use advocates is that their arguments rest on faulty principles. No individual owns the land, only a shaky public confirmation of faith in their ability to build sensibly on it. Land use is limited in the sense that the government has the right to condemn behaviors that damage other properties or people. The land is in a common trust, and the government is obligated to ensure that no individual uses his or her land to the detriment of their neighbor.

This is not, of course, anti-competitive. Nor is it communist. It’s just a really weird notion that you can destroy the trees and the watershed, simply because you own the land. Decisions you make ramify further down the chain, and people must be held responsible for that. The simple answer is that nobody actually owns the land. You have the right to profit from the land, you have the right to sublet the use of the land, but you don’t have the right to harm other people through your use of the land.

How does this apply to Portland? Well, logging, the PDC, the Urban Growth Boundary, automobile pollution…the list just goes on and on. I can’t run a nuclear power-plant in my basement, because in all likelihood it would irradiate my neighborhood.

Is it socially acceptable to break ground on a development fifteen miles from anywhere, knowing that your customers (the people buying condos and houses in your new suburban city) will have to drive themselves into the city to work, and dump hundreds of extra pounds of pollutants into the air? Not really.

i’ve been feeling a bit tired all day and just figured out why… it’s the shortest day of the year. Its Winter Solstice. wake up and it’s dark, go to work and leave work when it’s dark.

Happy shortest day of the year portland. it is also a very spiritual day for many.

Winter Solstice

Walking

Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

was wandering about the other day when it wasn’t raining downtown. it was cold, but not raining. i prefer the cold. i stumbled into this cool store – Canoe – on SW 11th and Alder. it’s a cool boutique of modern hme, office and life items. have you ever picked up ID or DWELL magazine and wondered where you could pick up that cool set of uber designed glasses or coasters or a design book? well, you may find it here. Canoe is a great place to pick up that something unique and special for the holidays. Check them out. I got my honey something special, but can’t divulge it here as it’s in her stocking now.

Canoe
1136 SW Alder
Portland OR

Even the otters have Christmas spirit

Originally uploaded by dieselboii.

Uh oh, i said the “C” word. Well, use the comments to rail against me haters. Saw all of the public sculptures today with red bows on them. The bear, the beavers, the otters, even the salmon in the bears jaws had a bow. It was so cute and made me love portland and its Christmas Spirit.

way to go portland!

Sent from my communicator, probably while hiding from the man…

(more…)

While determining the bias(es) for one of my sources on a research paper I’m writing, I came across this nifty little slideshow that showcases the Urban Growth Boundary in action. Click! It’s got shades of purple!

two years ago, when we had a significant storm with ice and snow, i remember seeing stories about MAX being delayed due to ICE on the likes and on the tracks. that was a significant story which shut down the city for 3-4 days.

on Sunday, we had a dusting of snow and a little freezing rain. i say “a little” compared to two years ago. while i understand that the city work crews cannot be at every corner and every street plowing and sanding the exact minute the snow and ice start, but this was not a surprise storm as the O reported yesterday. we knew since friday that this was coming.

this morning, i learn that the reason MAX wasn’t running Monday morning was because of ICE on the overhead wires. i understand a train was actually stranded due to the ICE. what was tri-met doing Sunday afternoon when this started? what have they been doing for the past 2 years to mitigate such events? i guess last night, they ran the max every 6 minutes to keep the lines clear. hmmm, a little too late people.