My grandparents lived in a small town in southern Minnesota where one of Birds-Eye’s plants was. Trucks came in everyday from the fields of Minnesota and Iowa loaded down with sweet corn. Locals would drop by the backdoor of the plant a couple times a week and pick up a full brown-paper bag of corn for just a few dollars. We ate fresh corn nearly everyday in the summer. And when I say fresh - I mean it was picked less than 24 hours ago. And in the winter we ate the corn she cut off those fresh cobs and froze weekly all summer long.

Now I know that we are in a bit of a food shortage* and that corn is on of the most talked about shortage items. But you know that the corn we at is not the same as the corn that is fed to animals, the corn that is used in Ethanol, or even the corn that is popped. Farmers may be planing more of the fuel type corn and less of the food type corn - but that shouldn’t mean that the sweet corn that is planted should be any less tasty than usual. And yet it is. Now I know I’m not going to find anything as sweet and juicy as that Midwest corn, but Oregon corn can be decent, and even for early in the season, the stuff this summer has just been abysmal! We had delicious ribs from Gartners last night, and alongside them, some really really sad sweet corn.

I’ve tried getting it at a variety of places - but so far not much luck. Any suggestions? A particular farmers market or stand? A certain grocery store? Your backyard?

Please help - I need my corn-on-the-cob fix!

*I have a really hard time saying ‘food shortage’ in a place where we eat so much and waste so much and for many of us it just means fewer fancy meals out, but for many people, I do know it’s truly a problem we must solve!

It’s obvious that something’s gotta give. Anyone who’s made the drive from Vancouver in the morning or to Vancouver in the evening knows that. On bad days, it can take more than an hour to cross the span. It’s a headache for both commuters and trucks making shipments. But is a new bridge the answer? The problem is more complex than it looks.

First, while I most definitely sympathize with truckers just trying to get across the river to make their shipments and do their jobs, our neighbors up in the ‘couve haven’t really done much to try to solve the problem of having too many cars on the road. For well over a decade now, our neighbors to the north have given the finger to mass transit. They voted down a MAX connection. They refused to pay three cents out of every $10 spent to prevent major service cuts for C-Tran. And now there are rumblings that they might try to kill the light rail portion of the new bridge, essentially dooming the project. I know that our suburban readers get pissed about perceived “bashing”. Unfortunately, Vancouver readers, the shoe fits here so you’re gonna have to wear it.

Compounding the problem is that the new bridge might not be effective after all. As reported here and here, the new bridge might not be all that effective in reducing congestion, anyway. According to the “O”, right now it takes a driver 16 minutes to get from SR-500 to Columbia Blvd. With the new bridge, that same trip would take 19 minutes. The reason is that the current bridge reduces the flow of traffic into existing bottlenecks in the I-5 system - bottlenecks that will still exist, even with a new bridge. By way of contrast, doing nothing would result in the trip taking 19 minutes - two minutes shorter than if the bridge was built. With information like that, I think that the city should at least look at some alternatives before building this thing. The Merc has some listed here.

So, what do you think?

There are only about 10 people in my office today - normally there are about 40. We have tomorrow off as well as Friday - so many people took advantage of using three days of PTO to get nine days off. I decided to work because my husband wouldn’t have the time off - nor would any of my friends, so I didn’t want to waste even 3 days of PTO to hang out at home alone and bored. A lot of the people gone though are using this time for their ‘big summer vacation.’ Heading out on camping trips, renting an RV and driving to Yellowstone, going to LA or San Fran or Chicago… it confuses me a bit.

Why do people feel compelled to take a summer vacation - when everyone else is doing so - prices are higher - it’s hot and sticky and gross outside? Now if you have school age kids it makes a little more sense - they’re already out of school. But I remember my parents taking us out of school for a week to go to Florida in November and things like that. A week out of school isn’t going to kill them.

Is it just so ingrained in us from childhood that summer means vacation that we have to do it? And especially 4th of July week or weekend - that’s just asking to end up with more people, longer lines and more hassles. Why not wait to camp next weekend? Go to the Grand Canyon in October. Hit Disneyland in November. Do Vegas in December. Or am I missing something? Is there really a compelling reason to do vacations in the summer?

A little while back I posted about the phone books that appear on our doorsteps several times a year. At the time we couldn’t find any way to stop their delivery - but now going to YellowPagesGoesGreen.org will end that extra pile of wasted paper coming to your home. Hooray!

Now we just need to get the Oregonian to stop tossing FoodDay on our doorsteps each week whether we’re subscribers or not. I thought maybe by leaving them in a pile for a month they’d just stop - but instead, my front walk just looks a bit whiskey-tango.

Or maybe when I get my new recycling roll-cart I can just leave one of the old yellow bins out there and they’ll drop straight in for me! (And stop with the plastic wrap in the dry months!!)

Hi… I’m new here.

No I mean…really! I just moved here on Sunday… the boyo’s family needed him home and so did his best friend, so I transplanted… for love! (kinda makes you cry, doesn’t it?)

So here I sit at 15th and Broadway in NE looking for work, WiFi and some inspiration.
Ok… that’s something I’d never see in Long Beach… a man with a record (yay for vinyl!) just rode by on a unicycle. First because I don’t know many people who still buy vinyl (myself excluded) and I know only ONE person who can ride a unicycle. I think I’m gonna like it here! - Or - My God! This house is freakin’ sweet!
You know, whichever way you remember it…

One thing I’ve noticed is that pub life, or rather bar life… is much more prevalent here than in LA. Of course, that might be because, unless you live in an area where you can walk to a bar, you’re driving… which… well, is not conducive to drinking. So far I’ve been to a couple of bars for meet-ups and happy hours as well and I’ve found those times to be much like my times in London. I like it in that it’s very relaxed and friendly like.

I’ve also found that the sport watching events are not limited to the major ones here. Monday, for instance, I walked into a bar (no joke!) to find people glued to the set for… golf! Yes, it was the US open, but seriously, short of football, basketball or baseball, I’ve not seen this since … well, a darts tournament that happened to be on the TV at the same time I was at this pub in London.
It’s good to have options.

Could it be that people actually drink more here? Is it the beer? Do most places in the city have such a close proximity to a bar?

Over all, I’m glad to be someplace where I can walk to a bar so far… which was exactly why I picked the last city I lived in, ‘cause those places are few and far between in LA. There’s just something very… laid back in such an atmosphere, in my opinion, and I dig it.

As you well know by now, there was a couple of serious incidents on Yellow line MAX in the past week.  Both incidences involved groups of teens attacking or intimidating passengers.  I have usually been a defender of MAX as I think it is one of the best Portland decisions of the past 25 years.  But wow, you would think that after all the negative publicity last winter that TriMet would have maybe figured it out.  They need security on the train!  Plain and simple.

Yet, in this past week’s incident at Prescott Station (where I embark and disembark daily) leaves me realing.  I’m angry with TriMet, but I’m also angry with my fellow commuters.  Yes you, the person sitting there hiding while some young punk starts beating up a woman.  In this most recent incident, a Vancouver woman came to the defence of another rider and was attacked.  I praise her as a hero for standing up against these jackasses.  Yet, as a result, she was injured.  I know for a fact these two women were not the only riders on that train.  6:30pm?  Give me a break.  How many other riders on that train just sat there and watched or moved away from the frackas because they didn’t want to get involved?  People, there are more of us than them and my experience has taught me that if more people confront an issue like this, it will get defused.  Portlanders should have come to the defence of this woman and helped her out.  We’re all in this together.

Let me leave you with this thought regarding the next time something like this begins to transpire.  When you see the aftermath of a disaster or where a group of strangers have been affected by forces out of their control, do you ignore it?  Do you put your head in the sand?  Or do you react and do something to try to help them - donate food, blood, money, blankets etc?  If you are one of those who do rise up to help out these strangers, why aren’t you helping out the person next to you.  They need is just as much.

This story is everywhere today. I am often the one criticizing cyclists holier-than-thou attitudes and disrespect to others - so I am definitely not on the ‘cyclists are uber-cool’ bandwagon - but even I’m appalled at this. I cannot imagine any sort of situation where not having a light requires being tasered.

Yikes.

Read all the details on BikePortland.org

We all have been hearing more than we want to about the mortgage crisis.  I don’t think it has hit Portland like it has hit California or Ohio or South Florida, but I do know our skyrocketing housing prices have slowed down a bit.  Also, it is harder to sell a house these days than it was a couple of years ago.  Couple that with $4 gas and you have yourself a little conundrum.  I still don’t feel the majority is being affected by $4 gas.  Every day on my walks home, I cross the Skidmore bridge over I5 north and 2 lanes are bumper to bumper while the HOV lane is empty.  That tell me the commuters are still willing to shell out the cash for their daily commute.  Many don’t have a choice.  They have jobs that don’t have flexible schedules or are in places not easily served by public transportation.  Others though do have choices and are just not making them in my opinion.  Buying my house in North close in was the best financial decision I have made in the past 12 years.  Wow, who’da thunk it.

This week, PDC announced that their South Waterfront project (all condos) isn’t living up to what they had hoped.  The high priced condos are not selling period.  One building has been turned into apartments.  Those must be swanky apartment.  Yet, the news states that construction down on the waterfront will continue.  Thinking about $4 gas and 1 hr commutes and topics like that, I begin to wonder if people will begin to move closer into the city in order to cut their commuting costs.  Living closer in costs more usually.  An average house in my neighborhood is around $300,000.  Condos downtown start around $500,000 unless your willing to live in a shoebox.  I guess I’m wondering if PDC or the City or a developer or whomever could devise an affordable option within the condo market to that family that is currently commuting from Gresham or Clark County.  A 3 bedroom, 2 bath with a park location for around $300,000.  The upside would be less commuters and more expendable cash for that family.  Urban Growth areas don’t always have to cater to the wealthy.  I know, this is pretty ethereal, but I see it as a way to shift the mindset that people have currently regarding their requirement to commute.  Just my two cents.

Yesterday one of my co-workers and I were walking down near the waterfront and the smell of corn dogs and fair food was in the air. Ah yes - the Waterfront Village - not my favorite part of the Rose Festival, but hey - the kids love it so I don’t have a problem with it. What I do think is lame however - is that there is an admission fee just to get in. Everything you would do inside costs money, to rides the rides, play the games, eat the food… but you still have to pay to get in.

If you’re going for an afternoon at the carnival - that’s probably not a huge deal - although it does add up for a family for sure. But we just wanted to pop in and grab a corn dog and some fried Oreos for lunch. We were more than willing to pay the inflated prices for the food - ’cause fair food doesn’t come along that often. But not when we would have to add another $5 on top of that just to get in.

I would imagine that the vendors could make a fair penny on downtown workers eating at the food stands if they were able to get in for free. Maybe not charge the admission fee until after 1pm on Mon-Fri, or even Mon-Thurs. Those who were are planning on staying all day can come early, get in free and probably end up spending more overall. And the rest of us can eat too much deep-fried goodness on a stick for a few days.

Hey PRFA - I think it’s a great idea - next year maybe?

UPDATE: So apparently I’m retarded. I thought I had looked all over the PRFA website and couldn’t find the fact that it is indeed free until 4pm - but I just missed it there somewhere.
Who’s meeting me tomorrow for corn dogs?!

Now that the two three-day weekends (at least for me) are over, things should be getting back to normal here, which includes me spewing about everything I have been saving up for the past week. Thusly:

The Columbia River Crossing project needs input from the public, and the current feedback period is only open until July 1. Last Friday, a coalition of 13 groups requested a 60-day extension to said period to give ample time for those people and organizations involved to read the 5,000-page Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) dealing with the project. I wouldn’t suggest reading it yourself - I got stuck around page 50, and struggled to get that far - but glean as much information as you can on the project (try here and here, for starters) and chime in with your $.02. This is a Big Deal that will affect major transportation in and out of our fair city for decades to come, and yes, it will affect you in some way.

Nextly: I took the train (and bus) to Vancouver BC with the boyfriend 2 weekends ago, and I must say: train travel is awesome, though travel to Vancouver could use some help. Supposedly, there will be direct train service to Vancouver BC from us down here in Oregon in time for the Olympics (a good bit of the city is torn up due to transportation additions to the waterfront and Olympic Village), but I won’t believe it until I see it. We’ve already had a review of the train ride from PDX to SEA, so here’re the bits:

• Pros:
• Far less security hassle than the airport: we arrived and boarded barely 20 minutes before our scheduled departure
• Access to a proper power outlet (120V) for unrestricted use
• We had the ability to use our cellphones where there was reception (though chose not to)
• The car we were in was incredibly quiet, and we whispered most of the trip
• One can bring his/her own liquids aboard! No more smuggling 3oz bottles of vodka! We brought our massive flask and some mixers and made cocktails at our seats
• The seats were comfortable and there were plenty of bathrooms to go around

• Cons:
• Delays - we were over an hour late to Seattle, but the connection was guaranteed, so some people got to wait on the bus for us. Sorry, people!
• When we boarded, the a/c was broken in our car, and we were sweating up a storm (hottest day yet of the year + running a suitcase from the MAX to Union Station = ick!), but it was fixed when we departed (which was, granted, nearly 45 minutes later)
• This is really about the bus - The bus sucks. It’s better than taking Greyhound the whole way, but the bus just seemed that much more crappy after such a pleasant train experience
• Price - It was less than $200 for both of us to get to Vancouver and back, but I would love to be able to take the train down to Sacramento and maybe across the continent without having to sell my firstborn and a kidney. Get the prices for 6+ hours of travel down to an affordable rate (i.e. cheaper than airfare), and I’ll start booking my travel today.

And one more quick one!! Holy crap, it’s Rose Festival season again! The rides are going up to make Waterfront park a muddy mess, should the rain continue (opening Thursday) and the fireworks kick everything off on Friday. The good stuff (boats!) will start floating in on Thursday (Tall Sailing ships, 5/29-6/5, then Fleet Week 6/4-6/8). I’m so excited - more on that soon!