This is Portland, we do what we like. This is Portland, we do what we like.

i think it's safe to say that cheap pbr's will be available as long as pdx exists, no? and i don't go to bars so i know nothing about that place, sorry -- though a web search says they had shuffleboard in there?! cool.

i was just thinking that another thing to love about this place is how (in part thanks to actual city planning) the "yuppies" tend to live in three areas, each of which might as well have a moat around them: the northwest 23/ 21st corridor, the pearl district condo city-states, and that south waterfront condo-land next to the base of the tram.

and yes, of course, we have a tram now. i've yet to ride it but it looks a little bit like the future. i need to take my nephew on it shortly...

We call that moat "the Willamette".

That mystery bar sounds familiar but it's been nearly 5 years since I've been in that boozey neck of the woods really.

Yuppies are now spreading to Irvington, parts of Mississippi, and Alberta

If yuppies = white people with money, then you can pretty much count everything in the city limits, at this point.

No, not necessarily. I'm talking about the areas of a particular flavor of gentrification.

At any rate, for those who are around, head to Ash St Saloon tonight. Poison Idea is playing a free show, and one of the opening bands is Dead Moon's Fred & Toody doing the first show of their new group.

If yuppies = white people with money, then you can pretty much count everything in the city limits, at this point.

haha yeah the vicious class warfare between groups of white people in adjoining tax brackets is one of the things i miss least about portland.

best place to american shuffleboard: the black cat in sellwood.

I like your fair city! Initial impressions:
1. Many restaurants, public places play this bizarre mix of lite jazz/muzak I haven't ever heard.
2. There are more strip clubs per capita than any place else I have ever been except for maybe New Orleans.
3. The homeless keep to themselves. I encountered well into the double digits today and not a single one asked me for change. This would never happen in Chicago.
4. A la the Chris Rock routine, unlike every other city in America, MLK Blvd here is not sketchy--well, at least the parts I've been on.

I think I might be at my free show tonight at Langano instead. We might be the last band to ever play there! I feel like the kiss of death for nice small clubs.

Noctural, we hardly knew ye, but at least we got to play in ye just before you stopped doing shows.

Red & Black, I remember you telling us our show was going to be the last "full band" show you were going to have. I can't imagine that you stuck with that, but it was an honor to be told we'd be the last "full band" to play there.

If the Towne Lounge ever books us they are doomed.

my roommate books the towne lounge (i think she still does anyway) so i'll warn her, okay.

Yes. I met her once a million years ago when I played a show at a previous venue that she booked, but there is no way she'd remember me.

Also, this is a smallish town sometimes. Not necessarily in a bad way.

yeah it took me about a week living here to figure that out. sometimes it's a good reason to go out -- running into lots of people -- and lots of times it's as good a reason (for me anyway) to just stay home, knowmsayin?

and if i were to go out tonight i'd most certainly go see the new dead moon people's "punkier" band, am fairly sure that'll be great.

Got back from wandering around downtown. the line for ash street was around the block, and still there 1.5 hours later, so we went to Ground Kontrol/the Shanghai Tunnel instead. A couple of pushers tried to offer their wares as we wandered off to the car, which was funny in that i haven't had that happen before, and there was a cop car about 10 yards away.

That must have been officer Muldoon.

Wait, really? A Car 54 reference?

A genuine Car 54 reference would have been officer Tooty.

Well, that's what I was thinking, but...

Also, apparently: "Toody". Who knew?

I did, suprisingly. Damn my nick at nite-centric youth.

I imbibed Car 54 from the pure source - as a network series -- wa-a-a-y back when it was still possible for Khruschev to land at Idlewyld (soon to be renamed JFK). Likewise, I was present when Dobie Gillis first hobnobbed with Maynard G. Krebs. Behold my hoary locks and kowtow lowly to my elderwit!

We're heading to the Pug Crawl today. Hopefully the break in the weather will stay.

And it didn't. Much rainy pug action, tho. Photos to come.

http://flickr.com/photos/13803131@N00/sets/72157600237591825/

Pug faces ahoy

Well, whaddayaknow, it seems that our esteemed Republican senator and Senate Majority Leader is in portland today, and hidden Bothan spies found out the where & when:

Just wanted to give you a quick heads-up. In just a few hours, there's a group of Oregon Democrats and folks from Veterans in Action that are gathering to "welcome" Senator Gordon Smith and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) when they arrive at a fancy-pants $1000 fundraiser.

Here's the best part. The fundraiser is on a boat in the Willamette -- and we've figured out what time they're departing.

It'd be fabulous if you could join the crew. Here's the story: At 4:30 p.m., folks are gathering at the corner of SE Water and SE Caruthers. Here's a map. From there, the group will walk one block to the boat dock.

We're expecting press. Should be fun.

i really want to go to school in portland :-/

I will be there tonight and am excited. Not sure about this 50 degree weather in June though.

a contact number for the event, if need be

river wolf what schools are you looking at? ohsu?

today i went and got 5 gallons of paint for the price of 2 at metro paint (all recycled/ city-run non-profit paint that goes on real thick) and also scored some amazing stuff from vinyl resting place, including all 3 volumes of the harry smith anthology in real nice shape (and they're the 1952 originals, even) at half what they'd be anywhere else.

so it's fair to say i'm in super consumer love with pdx today. yay.

that protest sounds awesome -- hope it goes well -- i have to go hang with my pops now, though.

Today was the Portland Adult Soapbox Derby.

<a href="http://imageshack.us";><img src="http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3011/img2590at0.jpg"; border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a><br/>

More to come.

Gallery also at http://soapboxracer.com/

argh

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/3011/img2590at0.jpg

The Portland Beavers are considering changing their name to the Green Sox or Wet Sox (not a joke)

Bucky Wet Sox will not be as nice a mascot.