Portland, finally!

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RJM and I are finally able to come to Portland for a long weekend and some heavy Powell's action. We're debating on either Jan 13-15 or Jan 27-29. Portlandians, any reason to choose one over the other?

― Jaq (Jaq), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 20:21 (nineteen years ago)

The weekend in between would be bad! If you were here on the 9th you could see me read at Borders. But both of those weekends are fine. Hurrah!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 21:42 (nineteen years ago)

I think the 13-15 is winning, because it is sooner. Sad to miss the 9th :( The OMSI has a Northwest Animators thing going 13-15 as well. So, see you soon!

We're going to attempt the train and stay downtown. Possibly.

― Jaq (Jaq), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 21:52 (nineteen years ago)

That OMSI thing sounds good... We do have hotels downtown, and there is a train, so I think your plan is doable.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 21:55 (nineteen years ago)

Which Borders, Chris? What time? If I know this, I may decide to swell the crowd by one.

― Aimless (Aimless), Thursday, 5 January 2006 01:11 (nineteen years ago)

Are they doing the poetry readings once a month?

― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 5 January 2006 01:13 (nineteen years ago)

It's this one Aimless: http://www.bordersstores.com/stores/store_pg.jsp?storeID=65

― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 5 January 2006 01:14 (nineteen years ago)

It is indeed that one. The downtown one, Jan. 9 at 7pm, free. My goal is to read a poem for every person who shows up. We shall see.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 5 January 2006 03:18 (nineteen years ago)

And yes, those poetry readings are once a month, every 2nd Monday, and without any, uh, aesthetic agenda, just trying to get every poet in Portland to read there eventually. The two people I'm reading with will surely be nothing like me. (There is also the reading series that I co-organize and often emcee, which is of a more experimental bent and which is less rigorously monthly.)

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 5 January 2006 03:21 (nineteen years ago)

Chris, are you still interested in reading God's Secretaries? If so, I'll bring it along.

― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 5 January 2006 15:57 (nineteen years ago)

Well, it sounds like the sort of thing I'd be interested in reading... [checking Amazon...] Oh! Yes, I remember now. Yes, I am still interested. Thanks!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 5 January 2006 21:00 (nineteen years ago)

I went. I heard. I applauded. Thank you, Chris for the poem. I noticed the place was so jammed that you missed your goal of a poem per attendee. (And that's a good thing.)

― Aimless (Aimless), Tuesday, 10 January 2006 05:06 (nineteen years ago)

That was you! You didn't say hi! WTF!

Well hopefully you'll say hi more properly next weekend when Jaq and Mr. Jaq are in town.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 10 January 2006 08:49 (nineteen years ago)

I am glad you came and enjoyed it though. I was surprised at how well it was received.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Tuesday, 10 January 2006 08:50 (nineteen years ago)

I think a key to how well you were received was the contrast your poems provided to those of the two poets who read earlier. If you can forgive the comparison, it was like being let out of a lecture class to attend an assembly - and finding out you get to see a championship yo-yo team and a lesson on how to tie balloon animals. You had them wriggling with delight.

As for not saying hi, I meant no offense. In a crowd where you knew many, many of the people by sight and by name, you were quite surrounded with well-wishers afterward. It would have felt quite odd to burst through the crowd, shake your hand and say "Hi, Chris. I'm Aimless" amid all those uninitiates.

Also, you must understand that my idea of a great time is to walk alone into the woods until I am quite sure the nearest person is several miles over the next ridge. So, I'm by no means certain I'll go to the FAP next weekend, however warmly I regard Jaq (who bought my book and liked it, bless her!) The hubub of a cheery crowd is not my native habitat. I'll think on it though.

― Aimless (Aimless), Tuesday, 10 January 2006 18:22 (nineteen years ago)

Aimless, it would be lovely to meet you this weekend, but if not, perhaps another time. We will undoubtedly be camped out at Powell's for most of it, leveraging Oregon's lack of sales tax and feeding our collective book monkey. My thoughts keep focusing on the blissful reading potential of a 4 hour train trip, each way!

We could have an ILB FAP with each of us quietly sipping our pints behind stacks and stacks of books. I rather like that thought.

― Jaq (Jaq), Tuesday, 10 January 2006 19:13 (nineteen years ago)

Ah, Aimless, it's true, I am being too hard on you. And I have deleted a half-formed post about my own tendencies towards solitude vs socializing (and how clearly I made that event entirely about the social, but that the amount of strategizing that went into that perhaps indicates how late in life I came towards socializing, etc., etc.) but mostly I'm just going to say that I hope you do hope you join. And that I imagine a PDXFAP will be much less boisterous than a NYCFAP or what-have-you.

I did literally have Finn (the five-year-old) wriggling with delight, which is more than any poet can hope for.

― cas is logged out, Tuesday, 10 January 2006 20:49 (nineteen years ago)

Having checked out the thread on ILE, I do not see where a Portland FAP venue has been settled. Being as I am, a shy woodland creature, I would appreciate having that info posted here or to the other thread, so I may approach cautiously and sniff at it in my gentle, fawnlike manner. Thanks.

― Aimless (Aimless), Tuesday, 10 January 2006 20:53 (nineteen years ago)

In addition to hoping you do hope you join, I do hope you do join.

I hope I can get my brain to stop doing that.

― cas is still waking up, Tuesday, 10 January 2006 20:53 (nineteen years ago)

Perhaps quiet ILB FAP (Fancy A Powells) on Friday, bigger ILE FAP on Saturday? I have no idea what your schedules are like, though.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 12 January 2006 01:04 (nineteen years ago)

You can get some good reviews of books bought at Powells here: knownunknowns.blogspot.com

Also, Aimless, I gave a copy of your book to my son for Christmas!

― pepektheassassin (pepektheassassin), Thursday, 12 January 2006 01:28 (nineteen years ago)

Hurrah for pepektheassassin!

― Aimless (Aimless), Thursday, 12 January 2006 01:30 (nineteen years ago)

We have no real schedule while there, except to exit by train on Sunday afternoon. The only agenda items so far are:

Powell's

not think about work

meet some folks

revel in city-ness

We've found lots of good stuff at Powell's over the years. I got a first edition of Snowcrash there, which made me very happy. RJM languished for a very long time in their rare book room on our last trip. It gave me palpitations, being in there with so many lovely old $$$$ books - I had to leave and sit outside for awhile.

― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 12 January 2006 02:52 (nineteen years ago)

and, uh, OMSI. I forgot that one.

― Jaq (Jaq), Thursday, 12 January 2006 03:13 (nineteen years ago)

Yoicks! I was just looking at the Powell's website (checking their address - 3 blocks from the hotel!) and they have extended their rare book sale UNTIL THE END OF JANUARY! 30% OFF! AND! AND! AND! I GOT A SURPRISE BONUS CHECK!!!!!

― Jaq (Jaq), Friday, 13 January 2006 01:56 (nineteen years ago)

Sweet!

― Casuistry (Chris P), Friday, 13 January 2006 02:35 (nineteen years ago)

No kidding! "Bills? What bills? Let's go buy more books!"

― Jaq (Jaq), Friday, 13 January 2006 03:30 (nineteen years ago)

(Aimless: I have no idea if you got my e-mail today, but if not, do send me a working e-mail.)

― Casuistry (Chris P), Saturday, 14 January 2006 08:20 (nineteen years ago)

Okay, in Portland AND finally connected. Powell's has let us start a pile in their "Books on Hold" area.

Aimless, I'm still not sure what's up for tonight, and maybe some of us will get together for brunch on Sunday. Email me if you're amenable to a quiet meetup and let's see what we can work out.

― Jaq (Jaq), Saturday, 14 January 2006 19:10 (nineteen years ago)

Well, now we've got Powell's out of our system for awhile. Didn't spot much of interest in their rare book room (Laurie Colwin's Home Cooking, but I already have a nice copy), so didn't take advantage of their 30% off sale. We focused more on reading copies of books we have wanted to read, rather than collectibles though I did find a nice Robertson Davies The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks and a first of Laurie Colwin's short story collection Passion and Affect.

Two others of note: At Swim-Two-Birds and Making of Americans.

― Jaq (Jaq), Monday, 16 January 2006 18:28 (nineteen years ago)

seven years pass...

Thinking of spending some vacation time in Portland.

I've roamed the Internet for the big touristy stuff to do there, but can someone offer some stuff to do there in addition to that?

― c21m50nh3x460n, Tuesday, 16 July 2013 22:51 (twelve years ago)

Damn it, I just noticed this is in the I Love Books forum.

― c21m50nh3x460n, Tuesday, 16 July 2013 22:52 (twelve years ago)

So, this being I Love Books, we all recommend that you go to see Powell's City of Books on NW 10th and Burnside St. It is amazing and colossal. Also, stupendous.

― Aimless, Saturday, 20 July 2013 03:42 (twelve years ago)

i should probably live in portland. i like gray, rainy days and books.

― Treeship, Saturday, 20 July 2013 03:48 (twelve years ago)

If you can get work, this is a good place to be. Not electrifying, or likely to satisfy outsize ambitions, but fairly human-scaled and interesting, with room to spread yourself out and do stuff. But I am a native and therefore biased by my deep love for Oregon.

― Aimless, Saturday, 20 July 2013 04:10 (twelve years ago)

from everything i hear it seems like a good state. part of me is afraid that i am too much of a fast talking east coaster to ever fit in anywhere else.

― Treeship, Saturday, 20 July 2013 04:19 (twelve years ago)

This is Portland, we do what we like. This is Portland, we do what we like. this is the main ILE portland thread btw

― Clay, Saturday, 20 July 2013 04:37 (twelve years ago)

treeship, nobody who lives in portland is from portland anymore except for aimless and myself. everyone's a transplant.

― Clay, Saturday, 20 July 2013 04:39 (twelve years ago)

I just saw everyone's replies.

Cheers, guys.

I hear Vancouver and Portland have some similarities, so it shouldn't be too much of a stretch for me. I'm a Pacific Northwest person, for the most, I think.

Living in Los Angeles is kind of slowly killing my soul, though every so often I do attempt to perform various forms of artificial respiration.

― c21m50nh3x460n, Monday, 29 July 2013 20:46 (twelve years ago)

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