I have a sign conveniently located on my front door. It is tasteful but not discreet. It’s very easy to see as you walk up the front steps. It says “No Solicitors”.

Most times it works; actually I only get a few knock knocks on my door a month from people I don’t know. Our neighborhood is pretty heavily trafficked by magazine sales people, evangelists and canvassers. I get the occasional kid who ignores the sign or doesn’t know what it means (I know because when they knock IF I answer the door I usually ask – Did you read that sign? Do you know what it means?) There was once a guy delivering Chinese takeout menus throughout the neighborhood who was completely unsure as to whether or not he should leave one… luckily I got home from an errand in time to take the menu… can’t have too many of those you know. My point is that he stopped and earnestly considered whether or not he should leave the menu for us because we had the sign. He even told me he wasn’t sure if he was soliciting or not. Yes, he was, but I wanted the menu so it worked out in the end.
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Can you smell it? Since the beginning of July, all diesel fuel sold in Portland must contain 5% Biodiesel. Granted, with only 5%, you are probably not going to smell the tell tale french fry when driving behind that full size pickup. We weren’t surprised by the change the last time we bought diesel for the car since we have interchanged diesel and biodiesel since we bought our car. The attendant did make a point to tell us the change though which I commend him for.
One thing to note. Before this change, B5, defines as 5% Biodiesel and 95% diesel sold for about 15% more than regular diesel. Since the change, advertised diesel fuel in the city hasn’t changed much in price. I am surprised the gas stations haven’t taken advantage of the ability to charge more. Oh crap, was that my outside voice?

Oh, and if you are a station owner, make sure you have the proper mix, as the city has hired Oregon’s Department of Agriculture to go and sniff around for the proper mix.

Bank of America is replacing their ATMs with new fangled machines that don’t require an envelope when depositing checks. You even get a scan of the check on your receipt. Blah blah blah, just give me my money. Well, I was at bright new red ATM in the Congress Center on 5th ave and was ready to take my money and run when the ATM Ambassador approached me wondering about my experience. Yep, they have a guy out there making sure your experience with the new ATM went well. Seriously!

Some questions for the Ambassador: If I were a Wells Fargo customer, could I ask you for asylum? Where is your consulate? Do I need a visa to patronize non B of A ATMs and where would I apply for one? Are you actually part of the B of A intelligence agency in disguise?

I am easily bored but lunch options downtown. I end up going to the same place time after time after time. One can only have so many Fuego Burritos no matter how yummy they are. The other day, I was venturing to Whole Foods for their extensive salad bar when I happened upon Clyde Common in the Ace Hotel. I knew they had been open for a while now, but didn’t realize they served lunch, which they now do. I sat at the bar and lo and behold, the bartender used to be a cashier from my New Seasons. Small city, eh? The space is very open with long family style tables. The kitchen is open style, so you can see and hear the action. The bar is rather large – obviously knowing who they are catering to later in the evening. The bar is also very well stocked I could see.

I’m not a food reviewer, so won’t try and get into the details of my lunch. Suffice it to say, I was impressed. I don’t normally order chicken for fear it will be dry, but the menu had a “grilled chicken piri piri sandwich” which intrigued me since I had no idea what piri piri was. The bartender told me it was a Portuguese sauce I think. It was excellent. The sauce accented the chicken perfectly and it was served on a light roll. I was in heaven.

The menu for lunch is 4 pages, three of those pages dedicated for wine listings and cocktails. Like I said, they know who they are catering to. The lunch options are pretty low key with salads and soups, a hamburger and vegetarian options. The prices range from $6-10. Pretty reasonable for a restaurant where one can sit and enjoy a good meal with a book. Lastly, I love the bottom of the menu that reads:

The Liquid Lunch:
Heirloom Tomato Bloody Mary, Champagne & Roses: Cava with rose petal sorbet, or a Classic Plymouth gin dry martini.

mmmmm. liquid lunch….

Clyde Common
SW 10th/Stark

So as Betsy mentioned – part of August’s First Thursday includes the 5th Avenue Street Fair and the Red Bull Illume installation. Metblogger friend PAgent took some great photos of the installation wondering what it was as it was being set up on Monday, and there was some concern over on Jack Bog’s blog that the art was tying up construction addled streets for several weeks (only 10 days actually), but I think it’s pretty amazing.

I don’t personally have any issues with streets being blocked off as long as there is some advanced warning – I can get around it. I do understand that it can cause some inconveniences for people, but I really just figure that the downsides get balanced with the joys that go with living in a vibrant city that knows there’s more to life than work (or getting to work). This is a Red Bull sponsored event and I’m sure there will be no shortage of Red Bull shwag, but it is way more than a marketing promotion – it is art.
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On my way home from work last night, as the MAX train passed Pioneer Courthouse Square, I saw a guy with a beautiful German Shepherd walking beside him, and it took me a minute to realize that the dog was not on a leash. Actually, it was probably when the dude kept walking while his dog stopped to sniff something that got my attention.

Look, I don’t care how well trained your dog is (and this one was pretty good — besides the one stop-and-sniff, it walked next to him down the next block), downtown post-rush hour is not the place to be walking your dog off-leash. Like all those folks who say “oh, but I’m a great driver”, it’s not you or your dog that I’m necessarily worried about, but everyone and everything else around you. You never know when someone might be afraid of your dog or a little kid might reach out and grab a tail, causing your dog to snap at it, or when you might encounter another (even leashed) unfriendly dog coming around a corner that will affect your animal. There’s just too many unknown, out-of-your-control factors for anyone not to have as much control as they can, and that means leashing your dog, if only for its own sake.

I’m sure that there’s a law on the books of some sort in regards to this, though a quick search at Portland Online only brings up the on/off leash rules at parks. It’d be nice to think that people would use common sense in non-park areas, but we know how well that usually works out, eh?

Do you live in or around Portland? Is Halloween your favorite holiday? Do you like scaring the crap out of people? If so Team Von Goolo is recruiting actors and artists for this year’s Fright Town. The crew at Elshoff Manor have already started working on props for this year’s Asylum, and I know the Baron has some crazy insane ideas for his features. They are planning workshops for both actors and artists during the summer, and will be starting production soon. It’s a fun opportunity to meet some creative if somewhat strange people, and to be involved in one of the best haunted houses in Portland, according to popular opinion.

If you’re interested go to http://www.baronvongoolo.com/gool/beagool.html to sign up and get more information. I showed up last year just to see what was going on and ended up having a really fun time. I currently have two skeletons residing at my apartment who are on their way to becoming rotten corpses. It takes a lot of time and latex, but the results are really cool. The picture above is one of my makeup experiments.

Here’s your chance to own a cool toy. Dave over at Descending Ashtray is finally letting go of his giant Labyrinth game he and some friends built for Holocene’s Annual Mini Golf Invitational. They even won the “Hole I’d Most Like to Take Home” award. I follow Dave’s blog as he is an amazing woodworker and the items he creates inspire me to think outside the woodworking box. You should check out his photos and the Criagslist listing. This game is huge. Me? Well, I’m holding out for either a vintage Asteroids or a foosball table.

Apparently Old Town is celebrating the end of light rail construction on 5th Avenue with a street fair Thursday night from 5-10 pm.

Festivities will occur on 5th Avenue between Burnside & Glisan, will include performances by Talkdemonic, Hello Damascus and Siren’s Echo, a belly dancing demonstration, poetry readings, and more. They’ll have the obligatory beer garden there, along with the promise of ‘great food.’ There will even be shuttle bus service to send people over to First Thursday events and/or downtown to Pioneer Courthouse Square for the Red Bull Illume installation (more about this later.) And you just know that Commissioner Sam Adams – the Energizer Bunny when it comes to public appearances – will have to be dropping by at some point, right?

It’s all very rah-rah, to be sure. But will we be having street fairs for every completed milestone, I wonder?

Tonight is the last of the summer concert series for the Sellwood Riverfront Park. If you want to catch Melao de Caña you should come on down. The show starts at 6:30 but most of the good spots will be taken by then so head down a bit early, enjoy the Portland air, the river, the lovely green trees, take a picnic and make a night of it.

With this lovely day it should be good times…