blog #021 >> a strange lunch

Today I had the honor of eating lunch with Daniel Boone's' daughter.
No, lie... At least that's what she claimed and she looked old enough to be telling the truth.
Anyhow, today after I finished the paper I realized (as always) "Hey, I'm really hungry." I was driving by Two Brothers on 39th and Belmont (if you've never been there it's a very good restaurant with Balkan food. Thanks Dave and Trina for telling me about it.) And decided to stop for a quick, but late lunch. Well, I walk in the door and sit down at a table to wait for the waiter when a little old lady comes in and sits down across from me. So the waiter being confused asks if we're together. Moments before I had told him it was just me for lunch today. So I shook my head no, shrugged my shoulders and whispered, "no." But the little old lady either didn't notice or ignored us and asked to order some soup. I told him it was fine and I'd pick up her soup.
And that's how I came to have lunch with Daniel Boone's daughter. She was very sociable, and quite funny but must have had Alzheimer's Disease because she had a hard time remembering anything after World War II... Which she talked about a lot. I let her do most of the talking. She lived by herself which I gathered from her story of falling out of her kitchen chair. And she was married and only had one child... I think... which I could gather no additional information on. I was trying to get her to drop a name of a relative I could call to come claim their grandma. But no luck.
Apparently she came to Portland during her "Mid-School" years from England. Which I find very likely due to her perfect manners, green eyes and light complexion. She even knew how to eat soup properly by lifting the spoon away from you. Which she didn't mention, but I did pick up on.
During World War II she worked as an "engineer" designing light-weight sleeping bags and tents for paratroopers... "who were invading Alaska?" I also learned the difference between down and feathers. She also said that Oregon is the greatest country in the United States of America. And mentioned that all a restaurant needs is a good bowl of soup. She ate hers pretty quickly.
Just before she sat down she mentioned something about Fred Myers. Which is just two bus stops down from the restaurant. That explains how she got there. So I asked her again if she was trying to get to Fred Myers. And I think she answered yes, it was a bit choppy. So, I took her to the bus stop and watched her get on the bus. As it happens traffic was bad and I got stuck behind the same bus. Fortunately I saw her after the bus had pulled off in front of Fred Myers talking to a lady with a cell phone. It seems she found a new friend. Now I just hope she makes it back home.

blog #020 >> See what I made?

Thank you Ready Made Magazine for this great idea.
They're my new computer speakers! Disguised as an old radio.
Simply gut an old radio and stick you new computer speakers inside.
Does it sound great? No, not really. It sounds like an old radio.
Do I care? NO, not at all. Form before function... well, just so long as it's got some function left.

blog #019 >> even more photos

Oh yes, and above is only a small portion of the photos taken. Here's a slide show comprised of around half of them. And it's still an overwhelmingly huge sum of photos to take in:

View Album

Get your own

blog #018 >> getting to know the neighbors

Well, this one was a long time is getting up. Now it's practically ancient history; it's passed into ledgend. Everyone seems to know this story even if I've never told them. But just in case you've only heard it through the grapevine. My version is as follows:
Dave and Trina (my neighbors and two excellent generous and noble friends) don't like the heat. During these lovely sunny exuberantly/balmy days they prefer to hide in the comfort of a cool air-condioned room. They decided that their old air conditioner was not longer providing the refreshingly frigid tempature they desired. So my wonderful gracious neighbors offered me they're old air-condioner. I happily accepted, and asked them to leave it by the door.
Well... I got home and much to my surprise they had put it in the window. I thought, "Great! It's even in the window." So I went to turn it on... and nothing happened. After I quick investigation I realized, "Ah Ha! It's just not plugged in." I go to plug it in only... wait there's no outlet. Not even close. After a moment of contemplation to consider what should be done. It hits me, "I can't get online with the AC in this window." Well, if you know me at all than you should know. I am simply addicted to the internet. I can't even go a couple of hours without it... "How will I contact the outside world?" "How many e-mails will I miss?" It had to be moved. Yes, it was past midnight. But it was also production week and I needed to know what time to show up to work the next day, by e-mail. So... in my tired mind, moving seemed to be a viable option.
Now I realize these things are probably over half my body weight. But that particular window is level with my desk. I worked it all out in my mind. And it worked so perfectly. I got to work. I cleared off my desk and opened the window, stuck my head out to pull it in... and, "Snap!" the window breaks... It comes down and traps me between the window and the AC... the runner broke and it would only go down and not up. As I was trying to escape and wiggle myself out... I lost my holding on the AC and it falls from my second story apartment... Only I catch it by the tip of the cord. So, I'm still stuck in the window, but now I'm holding a fifty pound air conditioner by the cord. Well, I try my best to pull it up, but let's face it I'm not all that strong. As I'm debating what I will crush if I let it go... one of my other neighbors who was out having a smoke comes up and asks if I needed some help. "Yes!" Is the obvious answer. So, I let it slip gently though my hands and she was remarkably able to catch it! Once I was free of the air conditioner I was able to fiddle with the window and get myself out. Anyhow, after I was unstuck, I went down and my neighbor helped me carry it back up to the apartment.
Then after the adrenaline wore down I looked down at my hands and I had the worst rope burn I've ever had in my life. I ran and but my hands in some cold water and when I dried them off the whole first layer of skin came off too. After getting some frozen peas from the freezer, I really couldn't sleep. And I hear from my open window my neighbor relaying the story to her husband. So, I went out and sat with them and my peas for awhile. It made a very nice fan stand while I waited for someone to help me put it in the other window.
And remarkably it still works and now it is sitting happily in the right window... by an outlet.


Moral of the story: When moving an air conditioner use the buddy system.

blog #017 >> the accordion and i

Yes, I play the accordion... or at least play with an accordion.
Then one day I thought, "I should document this memorable moment." How would anyone believe that I play the accordion if no one is around when I play it? (And they're the fortunate ones.) Of course the answer is simple, take a picture. That way they can see me play without the pain of actually listening. Perfect! But it's not simple to take a picture of yourself playing the accordion. So, I employed Dave and Trina for the difficult task. (Thanks guys!) Armed with ear muffs... well no not exactly... we left for the park. You see, if your going to take pictures with an old accordion, you need to use an old camera. And if you're going to use an old camera, then you need to be outside. And if you're going to be outside taking pictures, then you need to be at a park. So, off to Laurelhurst Park we went. Three of us and a fairly large accordion all packed neatly into little Sophie, the sea-foam green VW Beetle. It was a beautiful day, but I had forgotten, it was Memorial Day weekend. And there where quite a few people at the park. And for some odd reason, when people see someone with a red accordion in a park, they kinda expect them to play it. I did my best without music, but I'm truly just below mediocre in skill. Well if anything, I looked great, and we got a lot of killer photos to send Grandma. (Not that I want to kill Grandma... it's just a figure of speech.) See below for a small sampling.





I was sort of going for the classic mistake box look. For those of you who don't know what a mistake box is... Growing up my mom always put all the family photos in albums, but the ones that didn't turn out or that she had doubles of went into the mistake box. These photos were later used for crafts or cutting up and putting in necklaces or whatever. It was always fun to search through the box for the really strange ones, some were blown out, or people turned at just the wrong time, or someone's head would be cut off, or someone would walk in front of the camera, or you'd just see a picture of feet. I always liked them. Anyhow I think these would have been some of the best in the box.

blog #016 >> a new bike

If I haven't mentioned it before... I am saying it now. Craig's List ROCKS!
I got this old yellow Schwinn bike FOR FREE! on Craig's List.
It came from a very nice lady in NE Portland who was cleaning out her garage.
And all it needs is new tires, new tubes, a new pedal, new brake wires, a new chain, and possibly new wheels and new handle bars... so that's practically nothing! It's a three speed with a very handy basket on the back, which I plan on painting blue. It should be ridable in... oh, a year or so.
But for FREE how could I go wrong. I already started fixing it up and getting the rust off. I used a box and a half of S.O.S. pads and worn out a bucket. You can see how much shinier the front fender is compared to the back, and see the now bright yellow frame.
Now all I need to do is remember how to ride one of these things. I haven't ridden a bike since I was sixteen and still have scars from that time. Oh, it also needs a helmet.

blog #015 >> i lost a friend

Today I lost a friend.
He was a good companion, always there for me and I always knew where to find him. We had so many nice evenings together drinking tea and reading. He was so comforting on those long nights when I was working late. But I'm sorry to say he's broken now and there was little hope in fixing him.
I'm afraid I have no one to blame but myself for the incident. He fell (actually I dropped him) and he shattered in the sink. Tragically both cup and saucer broke into bits (well in half). And, since there were missing pieces, (that fell down the drain) all the kings horses or all the kings men could put him back together again.
Now there is an empty space in my cupboard, (as well as my heart).
So long my fine friend.
You will be missed.