KATU is reporting that Gus Van Sant was arrested for DUII yesterday early morning. Van Sant is famous for movies such as Drugstore Cowboy (the heroin scene in NW Portland) and Good Will Hunting. Most of his films are done here in Portland also. Let this be a lesson to us all – if you are out celebrating, call a cab.

The MAX train was pretty abandoned this morning, what with no schoolkids (school’s out already?) and fewer-than-usual business commuters. There were so few people at my stop that I figured I had just missed a train. But I guess a bunch of folks are just lucky enough to have started their holiday (or Chistmas, whatever, I’ve got no war on) already.

For the rest of us who are still at least pretending to work for the next two days, I say keep your head up, the extended weekend is just around the corner… and the following weekend’s a three-dayer as well. I’m just hoping there’s not too much traffic this weekend as he head off to see family. What, a guy, can dream, can’t he?

“Police need help finding accidentally released sex offender.”

There is no way to spin that as anything other than a disaster. If I was in the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, I know what I would be asking for this Christmas: Mr. Moore’s speedy and uneventful return to custody.

Not sure if you watch The Colbert Show on Comedy Central, but if you do, you know where we’re going with this. Over the past six months, Stephen Colbert has created a wonderful little story that culminates tonight with a “Shred-off” between him and the guitarist from The Decemberists, Chris Funk.

I love Stephen Colbert. He spins the stories just right. Tonight’s special quote was the following:

“the rest of the band is back in Portland probably growing hemp and trying to find the most pretentious rhyme for salamander…”

Thank you The Decemberists for putting Portland on the map yet again. Booya.

You can catch the shred-off @ 10:30 pm on Comedy Central.

When it is clear, or even partly cloudy, I can get a good view of Mount Hood, 45 miles southeast of my back deck on the cliffside above NW 23 Rd.

Sometimes I think it looks something like the mountain in the Paramount logo at the start of Paramount movies.

And although I know the mountain was named after Admiral James Hood, I do think its pointy top kind of looks like a hood.

If I ever break out that telescope I bought on a shopping spree at Fry’s a few years back, I am sure I’d be able to pick out the skiiers on clear days.

Usually the mountan uplifts my spirit. Part of the whole “nature is my church” thing.
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Car horns, dog.

It seems that in the 1980s and most if not all of the 1990s, you’d rarely if ever hear a car horn in Portland. But now, its starting to get like midtown Manhattan. OK, maybe not that bad but horns everywhere.

I have several theories.
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So I found out on my birthday that as a work-related duty I am going to go to MacWorld in January, in San Francisco. Since I have never been there before, I am extending my stay through the weekend to do some sightseeing and find out more about the city.

It seems like there is always someone I know who is going or just came back from there, and I’m asking them but I’m asking you as well. What should I see? What sights/activities/attractions are not to be missed and which ones are a total bore? I want personal experiences, and it doesn’t have to be something in the guidebook I bought, but if you want to make a really good recommendation, either give me an address or a link so I can be sure to find the place. You know you want to-it isn’t like you’re doing any work today anyway, right? (:

A group of Lake Oswego high school students is trying to get the city of Lake Oswego to repeal its curfew ordinance. This local activism comes out of an assignment they were given in a Political Action Seminar class. The kids have apparently come to the conclusion that if you are a teen in Lake O, the curfew is an onerous burden to bear, and a violation of your constitutional rights.

The ordinance in question forbids kids younger than 14 to be in a public place between 9:15 p.m. and 6 a.m., and forbids kids between 14 and 18 years old to be in a public place after 10:15 p.m. and before 6 a.m. on weeknights (after midnight and before 6 a.m. on weekends) during the school year. In the summer, the curfew is midnight to 6 a.m. every day. Is this rather Draconian?

Not really. The ordinance grants an exception if the teen is in the company of a parent, or involved in “entertainment, night school or employment, which requires his or her presence.”

That doesn’t sound too unusual or unreasonable to me. But the teenage residents of Lake Oswego argue that the curfew restricts their constitutional right to move about freely, is discriminatory (it only applies to teenagers), and it takes away a parents’ rights to raise their children as they see fit. And they have the support of the ACLU.
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Over on PortlandOnline’s North Portland forum, Officer Christiansen (North Portland Neighborhood Officer and all around community hero) offers up a reminder for these cold winter days:

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but we are still seeing people leaving their vehicles running while they go back into their home, a business or employment when it is cold outside. Today, I saw a young lady park her newer Audi on Lombard ( left it running with the door unlocked) and ran into a business for a few minutes. It would have been easy for someone walking by to jump in and be gone within seconds. Fortunately nothing happened this time, but next time she may not be so lucky.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not leave your car running unattended. It is not worth the hours, days, weeks of hassel you may get for a minute of ease. It is also easier for a criminal to argue that someone gave him/her the car when they possess the keys. Home keys are often attached to the key ring as well. Lets not make it easier for the local criminals. Officer Christensen

Well said sir.

As the Mt. Hood climbers situation continues and we measure the length in weeks and not days, tonight I started pondering how much this adventure is costing the taxpayers of Oregon and specifically Hood River county. By coincidence I came across this article discussing the costs, which confirmed my suspicion that the taxpayers are on the hook.

How much responsibility does a society have to publicly fund rescues of individuals who choose to pursue dangerous sports? Does that responsibility shift if the individuals chose not to equip themselves with safety gear (such as a rescue beacon)? How long should a rescue operation be attempted when it might be more of a recovery effort? Is it appropriate to attempt collection of funds from a deceased individual’s estate in such circumstances?

How come we only ask these questions immediately following these types of situations?