Record High Temperatures in P-Town

It’s been hella hot in Stumptown over the past week, so I thought I’d dedicate this video to us.

WARNING: Suggestive lyrics and imagery.

Ambiguous Fortune Cookie Fortune

“You are often unaware of the effect you have on others.”

WTF?  That can so be taken so many ways.  I don’t know about you, but when I crack open a fortune cookie, I want to be told about an actual ‘fortune’– premonition of untold riches would suffice.  I don’t want some hack psychology!

What’s the strangest ‘fortune’ you’ve ever gotten from a ‘cookie’?

Summer Means Beer. Lots and Lots of Beer!

One thing I love about summer is that a cold pint of beer is such a euphoric experience on an especially hot day. Now, it’s no secret that I love beer. Guinness is my brew of choice at almost any occasion. Take me to a winery and I’ll be jonesin’ for a Guinness. But, when a beer drinker is in Portland, one cannot limit oneself to one brand name regardless of preference. After all, Portland is “the center of the beer universe.” So, why not partake of the myriad choices?

There are nearly 40 microbreweries in P-Town, each having as few as four to as many as a dozen of their own creations on tap everyday. Among my favorite concoctions are as follows:

Black Rabbit Porter – McMenamins

Terminator Stout – McMenamins

Black Lab Stout – Lucky Labrador Brewing Company

Blackwatch Cream Porter – MacTarnahan’s Brewing Company

Black Strap Stout – BridgePort Brewery

Sockeye Cream Stout – New Old Lompoc Brewery

Space Stout – Laurelwood Public House & Brewery

And these are just from the dark varieties.  During the summer, I tend to also incorporate the lighter side of the beer spectrum– amber and pilsners. Some of my favored lighter drinks are:

Mac’s Amber Ale – MacTarnahan’s Brewing Company

Ruby – McMenamins

India Pale Ale – Bridgeport

Of course, this doesn’t mean I don’t imbibe the more nationally known beers, especially when offered in keg-form at parties. But, the Portland microbrews have found a special place in my belly heart that can never be replaced.

Raise Your Hand If You’ve Never Jaywalked?

Okay, I’m not saying that it’s a good thing to jaywalk. In fact, it’s illegal and you can get a ticket. But, if there are no cars coming in either direction, and you’re in a semi-residential area, and you are at a crosswalk staring at a ‘Don’t Walk’ sign–if it’s safe, shouldn’t you be able to go ahead and cross? In fact, it would seem downright silly (even borderline stupid) to not cross.

These were the conditions about a half-hour ago as I was heading home from the bar library and I crossed at a ‘Don’t Walk’ sign and this guy comes up to chastise me, saying “You know, you could’ve waited until the sign said ‘Walk’?”

So, naturally, I told him to “buzz off” (the actual words I used were more “R-rated”) and to mind his own business. Besides, it was a thousand degrees out I had to make a choice between standing still at that crosswalk while a blazing hot sun bombarded me with cancer-causing rays or traipsing “safely” across the street to a shaded area I’d spotted a few seconds prior.

I made my choice. Was I wrong?

What choice would you have made?

When You’ve Gotta Have Dessert…

I have the pleasure of dining out often through my work. Without fail, whenever I’m eating out, I have to have dessert. It’s one of those pleasures that I normally don’t partake when dining at home so why deprive myself, right?

Lately, though, it’s gotten so much so that I am having trouble picking my dessert. Sometimes, I attribute my hesitation to a partial jadedness– “If I ever eat another crème brûlée…” Most times, however, it’s because nearly every dessert tastes amazing that it’s tough to choose just one.

To make matters worse, there is a Pix Patisserie within four blocks of where I live! Pictured on the right is their award-winning Amélie— orange vanilla crème brûlée sits atop a glazed chocolate mousse with caramelized hazelnuts, praline crisp, and Cointreau génoise. Just reading the ingredients makes my mouth water…

What about you? What item on the dessert menu can you never resist?

Can We Survive Without the Telephone?

When you hear the name Alexander Graham Bell, what immediately comes to mind? Yup, the telephone. Although Italian inventor, Antonio Meucci, was officially recognized in 2002 as the actual inventor of this much-evolved communications device, the telephone truly was one of the greatest inventions of all time!

And, when you start thinking about the technology that we use everyday– like the television, electricity, airplanes– it’s staggering to imagine life without these modern conveniences.

There are plenty of lists out there of what people consider the “greatest inventions of all time,” like this list and this list. Do you agree with the inclusions on the lists?

Here’s my own personal Top Five Greatest Inventions of All Time:

(1) Beer. ‘Nuff said.

(2) Nail Clippers. There’s nothing more disgusting that untrimmed nails. Well, I guess there’s fecal matter, which brings me to…

(3) Toilet Paper. Consider the alternatives. Leaves? Sticks? Your hands? No way! Toilet paper makes messy work less messy.

(4) Febreeze. Need I say more? I mean, do you really want odoriferous things accosting your nostrils?

(5) The Internet. Well…

What about you? What would you consider to be among your top five greatest inventions of all time?

End of a Very Long Week

I’m sitting here slumped in front of my trusted laptop, typing in this blog for the first time in forever, thinking about the past nine straight days of non-stop work-work-work, and feeling exceptionally exhausted. Since my big shindig two Saturdays ago, it’s been go-go-go! I just completed managing a six-day business conference of nearly 200 retail managers for a gear & apparel company affiliated with the company I work for. They were a fun group but I had to be very hands-on. And this in spite of having to maintain client meetings for events and programs that I have coming up in the next couple of weeks. Luckily, one of those events is for a 200-person get-together at our warehouse for a bunch of fellow employees working in our Skate and Action Sports divisions, which promises to be one helluva party. I’m meeting with my client again on Friday and am hoping to sell her on a crazy interactive museum idea. She said her peeps are quite cynical and are no longer amused by the extravagant and showy. Hence, I’m going to suggest to her that we go to the other extreme but with a twist. And, because this is a bunch of skater dudes, I’m thinking about incorporating some, uh, “live” girls again. Hehe. I love my job.

Preity Zinta: Very ‘Preity’

Preity Zinta (Bollywood Actress)

Cheap Gas

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Happy Father’s Day!