"It's like civil war re-enactment for gays."
A description of celebrity drag queen competitions, where men dress up like famous singers or performers and lip sync or karaoke to the appropriate music.
All Grown Up
11 years ago
Friday, March 31, 2006
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Geography lesson
Apparently I was wrong about the honeymoon destination. Dev pointed out that we are going to Victoria on Vancouver Island and NOT the city of Vancouver. My apologies to the citizens of Vancouver for getting their hopes up for seeing us this summer. I promise that we'll visit there next time we go north.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
A whole lot of Canada
Dev and I plan to spend a week after our wedding in Canada. And hoo-boy is there a lot of that north country north of our country. We're trying to narrow our trip down to two places to spend the week and man is there a lot of space from which to choose.
The front runners right now include Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, and Vancouver (the city). Both have lots of fun things to do. Horseback riding. Beaches. Spelunking.
Mmmm.
Spelunking.
The front runners right now include Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, and Vancouver (the city). Both have lots of fun things to do. Horseback riding. Beaches. Spelunking.
Mmmm.
Spelunking.
A glorious day to ride
Another beautiful day to ride my bike into work. Perfect temperature. Great breeze. Nice sun. Yup, it was a nice day to ride in.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Unintended consequences of law
Or is that backwards?
According to a recent article in The Oregonian, state and local government agencies might have a harder time implementing Measure 37 than anyone thought. And by anyone I mean, of course, everyone who voted in favor of the Measure. The drafters and supporters of Measure 37 purported to restore balance to property right in Oregon. Development rules are very strict in many places in the state and, the argument goes, these strictures unfairly steal property value from property owners. Measure 37 restores the land-use rights attached to property at the time of purchase to the owner of the land.
For example, fifty (50) years ago I buy some farmland. At the time I could conceivably build anything I wanted - a school, a factory, a housing development. Then ten (10) years ago the local government enacts some zoning that restricts my land use to say, farming. Measure 37 rolls back the regulatory clock to fifty (50) years ago for me, but *not* for anyone who has purchased land in the last 9 years.
Well imagine the confusion when people go to use Measure 37. They can't sell the property to a developer because then the updated zoning laws apply to the new owner. If they can't sell the land for the new purpose, and they don't don't have the capital to perform the improvements themselves, then the property owners don't benefit from Measure 37. And in other cases, the records for which laws apply to which properties creates an entirely new realm of red tape, record keeping and regulation.
But all this confusion and caterwauling misses the fundamental problem with Measure 37: the government is *and always has been* empowered to regulate property. For highway right of way. To encourage economic growth. The protect the health of it's citizens. The government (local, state, and federal) have jurisdiction over land use. To act otherwise is retarded. If you bought a farm fifty (50) years ago and NOW you want to try to benefit from urban sprawl, too frickin' bad. You should have been more involved with local ordinances or you should have sold at an earlier point in time.
According to a recent article in The Oregonian, state and local government agencies might have a harder time implementing Measure 37 than anyone thought. And by anyone I mean, of course, everyone who voted in favor of the Measure. The drafters and supporters of Measure 37 purported to restore balance to property right in Oregon. Development rules are very strict in many places in the state and, the argument goes, these strictures unfairly steal property value from property owners. Measure 37 restores the land-use rights attached to property at the time of purchase to the owner of the land.
For example, fifty (50) years ago I buy some farmland. At the time I could conceivably build anything I wanted - a school, a factory, a housing development. Then ten (10) years ago the local government enacts some zoning that restricts my land use to say, farming. Measure 37 rolls back the regulatory clock to fifty (50) years ago for me, but *not* for anyone who has purchased land in the last 9 years.
Well imagine the confusion when people go to use Measure 37. They can't sell the property to a developer because then the updated zoning laws apply to the new owner. If they can't sell the land for the new purpose, and they don't don't have the capital to perform the improvements themselves, then the property owners don't benefit from Measure 37. And in other cases, the records for which laws apply to which properties creates an entirely new realm of red tape, record keeping and regulation.
But all this confusion and caterwauling misses the fundamental problem with Measure 37: the government is *and always has been* empowered to regulate property. For highway right of way. To encourage economic growth. The protect the health of it's citizens. The government (local, state, and federal) have jurisdiction over land use. To act otherwise is retarded. If you bought a farm fifty (50) years ago and NOW you want to try to benefit from urban sprawl, too frickin' bad. You should have been more involved with local ordinances or you should have sold at an earlier point in time.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Amazing rant about South Dakota
This rant about the new law criminalizing abortion in South Dakota is truly wonderful. My favorite quote from the piece:
----
"What was that? You're all about a Culture of Life? Turns out if you don't have a Culture of Don't Send My Job to Mexico to go with it, we're not all that interested in listening to some silver spooner shovel that morality shit down our throats."
----
The author laid out some of the fundamentals in the political and ethical situation that generated this new law so concisely and clearly I almost cried from joy.
Enjoy!
WARNING: The rant has many, many, many curse words and vulgar images. If you have a sensitive nature DO NOT go read it.
----
"What was that? You're all about a Culture of Life? Turns out if you don't have a Culture of Don't Send My Job to Mexico to go with it, we're not all that interested in listening to some silver spooner shovel that morality shit down our throats."
----
The author laid out some of the fundamentals in the political and ethical situation that generated this new law so concisely and clearly I almost cried from joy.
Enjoy!
WARNING: The rant has many, many, many curse words and vulgar images. If you have a sensitive nature DO NOT go read it.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Big Birds in the Wild
So Devon and I took our bikes for a short-ish training ride this morning. We logged about twenty (20) easy miles today and passed through the multi-use trail in Smith-Bybee Lakes Park. On our way through the park, Dev saw a bird take off and start flying ahead of and away from us. It looked bigger than a hawk and it didn't fly like a buzzard.
Minutes later we caught up to this older gentleman and his hyper-active black labrador and he asked if we had seen the bald eagle. Two seconds later the bird flew back by us and we could see the snowy feathers on it head and tail. It was a very cool moment to see an endangered species out and around in the real world and not behind the glass of a zoo enclosure.
Minutes later we caught up to this older gentleman and his hyper-active black labrador and he asked if we had seen the bald eagle. Two seconds later the bird flew back by us and we could see the snowy feathers on it head and tail. It was a very cool moment to see an endangered species out and around in the real world and not behind the glass of a zoo enclosure.
Happy Birthday Erica!
Happy Birthday Erica!
I know your birthday was actually on Thursday (now) but my secretary got the calendar entry wrong (it's so hard to find good help these days!)
-sigh-
Anyway, happy 25 years! -wink-
And we'll see you at Henry's!
Friday, March 24, 2006
The "e" word
The Arkansas Times has a story about teaching science in Arkansas high schools. Now I understand why Arkansas leads the United States and the world in breakthrough research in biology and chemistry.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Taking his ease
Here's Cowboy (our 3 legged-Australian cattle dog) taking his ease on a blissfully warm summer evening.
Sneaker madness
Co-op America sent out an email update last night that talked about athletic shoes and sweatshops and labor abuses. They provided a run-down of some of the big names that get products from factories with labor abuses. I expected to see Nike given their past history. Adidas's and Puma's membership in the "sweatshop labor club" disheartened me. I dig Puma shoes. A lot. And now I won't be buying them.
On the up side, Co-op America provided some alternatives that seem pretty affordable. Some other alternatives are here and here. And thankfully, the very groovy Fluevog shoes come from European Union factories with good working conditions.
On the up side, Co-op America provided some alternatives that seem pretty affordable. Some other alternatives are here and here. And thankfully, the very groovy Fluevog shoes come from European Union factories with good working conditions.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
One man's trash...
is still trash when someone leaves it in a public space. Grrrrr.
Since my neck decided to fail me on Monday and laid me up in bed on Tuesday, I thought I might be smart and ride the bus to work today. The morning commute proceeded normally (and pretty quickly - it took slightly less than the usual hour to get to work). The trigger for my rant happened on the evening commute.
A young lady with a fast food establishment uniform on boarded the bus with a nearly empty soda cup from (I assume) her place of employment. She sat. She took one or two sips. She jiggled the cup slightly. She bent and placed the cup as far under her seat as she could reach. She then switched seats. And rode for 25 minutes. And then debarked the bus without her cup.
A soccer league plays soccer (as opposed to jai alai, I guess) in the park across the street every weekend. They seem to be fairly tidy folks. But non-league players also play soccer in the same park. They hang out. They play soccer. They leave. They leave behind beer bottles. And fast food wrappers. And, one time, a diaper. A *used* diaper.
I'm not sure what I want to say. Anyone reading this is not the sort of person who would leave trash behind. Everyone I know who would bother reading my words would carry their trash with them and deposit it in a trash container, whether it's 4 feet away or 40 feet away. But I get tired of picking up other people's messes. And I shouldn't need to shame someone (or 15 someones) into picking up their trash. And calling the police is excessive, and a waste of their already overextended resources.
Of course, respect for self sits at the root of this problem. If someone respects themself, they will not leave trash behind because that reflects badly on them. I just need to figure out how to impart that to others without being condescending or patronizing.
Since my neck decided to fail me on Monday and laid me up in bed on Tuesday, I thought I might be smart and ride the bus to work today. The morning commute proceeded normally (and pretty quickly - it took slightly less than the usual hour to get to work). The trigger for my rant happened on the evening commute.
A young lady with a fast food establishment uniform on boarded the bus with a nearly empty soda cup from (I assume) her place of employment. She sat. She took one or two sips. She jiggled the cup slightly. She bent and placed the cup as far under her seat as she could reach. She then switched seats. And rode for 25 minutes. And then debarked the bus without her cup.
A soccer league plays soccer (as opposed to jai alai, I guess) in the park across the street every weekend. They seem to be fairly tidy folks. But non-league players also play soccer in the same park. They hang out. They play soccer. They leave. They leave behind beer bottles. And fast food wrappers. And, one time, a diaper. A *used* diaper.
I'm not sure what I want to say. Anyone reading this is not the sort of person who would leave trash behind. Everyone I know who would bother reading my words would carry their trash with them and deposit it in a trash container, whether it's 4 feet away or 40 feet away. But I get tired of picking up other people's messes. And I shouldn't need to shame someone (or 15 someones) into picking up their trash. And calling the police is excessive, and a waste of their already overextended resources.
Of course, respect for self sits at the root of this problem. If someone respects themself, they will not leave trash behind because that reflects badly on them. I just need to figure out how to impart that to others without being condescending or patronizing.
One man's trash...
is still trash when someone leaves it in a public space. Grrrrr.
Since my neck decided to fail me on Monday and laid me up in bed on Tuesday, I thought I might be smart and ride the bus to work today. The morning commute proceeded normally (and pretty quickly - it took slightly less than the usual hour to get to work). The trigger for my rant happened on the evening commute.
A young lady with a fast food establishment uniform on boarded the bus with a nearly empty soda cup from (I assume) her place of employment. She sat. She took one or two sips. She jiggled the cup slightly. She bent and placed the cup as far under her seat as she could reach. She then switched seats. And rode for 25 minutes. And then debarked the bus without her cup.
A soccer league plays soccer (as opposed to jai alai, I guess) in the park across the street every weekend. They seem to be fairly tidy folks. But non-league players also play soccer in the same park. They hang out. They play soccer. They leave. They leave behind beer bottles. And fast food wrappers. And, one time, a diaper. A *used* diaper.
I'm not sure what I want to say. Anyone reading this is not the sort of person who would leave trash behind. Everyone I know who would bother reading my words would carry their trash with them and deposit it in a trash container, whether it's 4 feet away or 40 feet away. But I get tired of picking up other people's messes. And I shouldn't need to shame someone (or 15 someones) into picking up their trash. And calling the police is excessive, and a waste of their already overextended resources.
Of course, respect for self sits at the root of this problem. If someone respects themself, they will not leave trash behind because that reflects badly on them. I just need to figure out how to impart that to others without being condescending or patronizing.
Since my neck decided to fail me on Monday and laid me up in bed on Tuesday, I thought I might be smart and ride the bus to work today. The morning commute proceeded normally (and pretty quickly - it took slightly less than the usual hour to get to work). The trigger for my rant happened on the evening commute.
A young lady with a fast food establishment uniform on boarded the bus with a nearly empty soda cup from (I assume) her place of employment. She sat. She took one or two sips. She jiggled the cup slightly. She bent and placed the cup as far under her seat as she could reach. She then switched seats. And rode for 25 minutes. And then debarked the bus without her cup.
A soccer league plays soccer (as opposed to jai alai, I guess) in the park across the street every weekend. They seem to be fairly tidy folks. But non-league players also play soccer in the same park. They hang out. They play soccer. They leave. They leave behind beer bottles. And fast food wrappers. And, one time, a diaper. A *used* diaper.
I'm not sure what I want to say. Anyone reading this is not the sort of person who would leave trash behind. Everyone I know who would bother reading my words would carry their trash with them and deposit it in a trash container, whether it's 4 feet away or 40 feet away. But I get tired of picking up other people's messes. And I shouldn't need to shame someone (or 15 someones) into picking up their trash. And calling the police is excessive, and a waste of their already overextended resources.
Of course, respect for self sits at the root of this problem. If someone respects themself, they will not leave trash behind because that reflects badly on them. I just need to figure out how to impart that to others without being condescending or patronizing.
Doctor it hurts when I do this....
A pinched nerve in my neck relegated me to bed rest yesterday. Not much to report from yesterday.
So here's the internet version of a re-run. I posted this on my mac.com weblog before. No I''ve moved it over here. Enjoy!
----
Climbing Broughton Bluff
Pictures
Nate, Sue and Moto took me out climbing yesterday (February 26, 2006). It was only the second time I’d been outdoor climbing. The weather certainly wasn’t great: the forecast said the day would be partly cloudy and a little over 50 degrees. Instead, we got cloudy skies all day, a chilly wind and never left the forties. Regardless, we geared up and headed out to Broughton Bluff in Troutdale.
Once there, Nate set a top rope for a fairly easy face. Well, easy for him and Sue. Plenty rough for me. We played up the first face 4 or 5 times and then moved around a corner and ran up that face another 5 or 6 times (I went up one time each). Then we walked a few hundred feet down the trail where Sue started lead-climbing the last route on the face. She got to the area under the roof near a bolt and just didn’t feel solid or planted. She came back down and let Nate lead back up to the same point. He set a quickdraw in the bolt, moved out left and then went over the roof.
Once over the roof he got stuck on a slabby section. He said he could see the bolt near his face; he just couldn’t get his hands up to the bolt. And he didn’t have anywhere to set protection. So he came down and Sue went back up. She didn’t feel good about the rach to the bolt either. So she came back down and up Nate went one more time. He tried to find a surefooted way up to the bolt 4 or 5 times before he decided that it just was not the right day to top out this route.
Then we moved back along the wall for two more routes. Nate and Sue forced me to sight climb the first route. I got stuck at the crux for a solid 10 minutes (that felt like an hour). After 6 or 7 abortive tries I stumbled on the right combination of high feet and right-side lay-back. The foot holds stayed sketchy to the end but I made it all the way up top. Nate ran the route after me. He handled the crux handily but felt like he had “thugged” it a little too much. He didn’t find a more finely finessed sequence after 2 or 3 tries. So then it was Sue’s turn, where she proved once again to be the most graceful of our trinity.
We moved over to “Classic Crack to round out the day. I failed to learn much in the way of crack climbing skills on the route, but Nate and Sue topped it out with little trouble. Nate went up Classic Crack one more time and then lead up a route named Red Eye. And with that we packed up and headed in.
So here's the internet version of a re-run. I posted this on my mac.com weblog before. No I''ve moved it over here. Enjoy!
----
Climbing Broughton Bluff
Pictures
Nate, Sue and Moto took me out climbing yesterday (February 26, 2006). It was only the second time I’d been outdoor climbing. The weather certainly wasn’t great: the forecast said the day would be partly cloudy and a little over 50 degrees. Instead, we got cloudy skies all day, a chilly wind and never left the forties. Regardless, we geared up and headed out to Broughton Bluff in Troutdale.
Once there, Nate set a top rope for a fairly easy face. Well, easy for him and Sue. Plenty rough for me. We played up the first face 4 or 5 times and then moved around a corner and ran up that face another 5 or 6 times (I went up one time each). Then we walked a few hundred feet down the trail where Sue started lead-climbing the last route on the face. She got to the area under the roof near a bolt and just didn’t feel solid or planted. She came back down and let Nate lead back up to the same point. He set a quickdraw in the bolt, moved out left and then went over the roof.
Once over the roof he got stuck on a slabby section. He said he could see the bolt near his face; he just couldn’t get his hands up to the bolt. And he didn’t have anywhere to set protection. So he came down and Sue went back up. She didn’t feel good about the rach to the bolt either. So she came back down and up Nate went one more time. He tried to find a surefooted way up to the bolt 4 or 5 times before he decided that it just was not the right day to top out this route.
Then we moved back along the wall for two more routes. Nate and Sue forced me to sight climb the first route. I got stuck at the crux for a solid 10 minutes (that felt like an hour). After 6 or 7 abortive tries I stumbled on the right combination of high feet and right-side lay-back. The foot holds stayed sketchy to the end but I made it all the way up top. Nate ran the route after me. He handled the crux handily but felt like he had “thugged” it a little too much. He didn’t find a more finely finessed sequence after 2 or 3 tries. So then it was Sue’s turn, where she proved once again to be the most graceful of our trinity.
We moved over to “Classic Crack to round out the day. I failed to learn much in the way of crack climbing skills on the route, but Nate and Sue topped it out with little trouble. Nate went up Classic Crack one more time and then lead up a route named Red Eye. And with that we packed up and headed in.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Another quick doggie picture
Inspired by yesterday's great weather, here's a picture of Mr Bojangles (a.k.a. Boj) enjoying a little sun in the back yard by the garage last summer.
Happy Spring!
-grin-
Sunday, March 19, 2006
On any Sunday (but really today)
This Sunday had almost every element of the perfect day. Despite some insanely thick fog in the morning, the weather turned gorgeous by mid-morning; sunny and in the fifties. After a quick pass to pick up the mess in the house, Devon and I climbed on our bikes and made a leisurely ride down to Mississippi Avenue. We strolled through several great little stores like Salty's Dog Shop and Genome. We had a great lunch at Laughing Planet Cafe and then went over to The Fresh Pot for a little coffee and a few minutes with a good book. Eventually we mounted our trusty two-wheeled implements of travel-ation and headed home to prep for our third ballroom dance lesson at the Ballroom Parkrose. Our class seemed to frustrate our dance instructor Tim with our inability to step right or keep time. We were all laughing at the end of class, so everything ended well.
Devon and I had the busiest day doing nothing that we've had in a long time.
And it was *SO* much fun.
Devon and I had the busiest day doing nothing that we've had in a long time.
And it was *SO* much fun.
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Surf ot turf?
A lovely rant over at truthout highlights the fact that the "recent surge in violence" in Iraq has been surging like a glacier - continuously and with inexorable force for the ENTIRE THREE YEARS that we have been over there.
A worthy read.
A worthy read.
We're on a nowhere ride
Devon just finished her first 40 mile (okay 38.2 mile) bicycle ride with me this morning. Our training schedule for the Seattle-to-Portland ride is under way and only slightly behind schedule.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Does Billy Graham know?
Billy Graham's son, Franklin, knows how to foul the reputation of his family *and* his religion. According to a recent AP story here, Franklin continues his trend of bad-mouthing Islam as a tool of Satan.
My mom always lamented that she should have raised my brothers and I as Southern Baptists. But the "good" Rev. Franklin Graham makes me glad that my mother took a less structured approach to our spiritual education.
My mom always lamented that she should have raised my brothers and I as Southern Baptists. But the "good" Rev. Franklin Graham makes me glad that my mother took a less structured approach to our spiritual education.
From a conversation two days ago...
This exchange made me chuckle all the way home Wednesday night:
Jeff (not his real name) “I wish it would rain today so I could test the hood on my new jacket.”
Me “Don’t you have a shower at home?”
Jeff “Ooh, I didn’t think of that!”
Pauses.
“Knowing my luck, that would be the moment I have a seizure or a heart attack and that how the police would find me; dead in the shower with my raincoat on.”
---
-grin-
Jeff (not his real name) “I wish it would rain today so I could test the hood on my new jacket.”
Me “Don’t you have a shower at home?”
Jeff “Ooh, I didn’t think of that!”
Pauses.
“Knowing my luck, that would be the moment I have a seizure or a heart attack and that how the police would find me; dead in the shower with my raincoat on.”
---
-grin-
So tired...
We didn't land in bed until late last night. So now I've got sand in my eyes. -grin-
Too much new stuff; a public book reading, a new technology toy (blogger), and a new book kept us up way too late. Devon was bawling when I made it into the bedroom. Apparently the new book (The Dogs Who Found Me) is a good one.
Too much new stuff; a public book reading, a new technology toy (blogger), and a new book kept us up way too late. Devon was bawling when I made it into the bedroom. Apparently the new book (The Dogs Who Found Me) is a good one.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Doing good, one dog at a time
Devon and I just got home from Powell's Books on Hawthorne Boulevard where we saw Ken Foster talk about his new book "The Dogs Who Found Me." I enjoyed listening to him recount how he got snared into the world of dog rescue. In one of the best moments of the talk, he decribed his surpise in finding that all the dogs that he liked in New York were Pit Bulls; he had heard all the horror stories but never saw a picture of one. He had a really difficult time reconciling the killer reputation the breed had with the sweet-natured and loving dogs he knew from New York. I look forward to reading more in the book (which Devon had to have tonight - big surprise for you who know Devon.)
More on this after I've read some of the book.
More on this after I've read some of the book.
Another Rainy Day in Portland
As if that's the most exciting thing to happen in Portland, Oregon.
I'm trying this blog as an experiment to see how it compares to the iWeb blog publishing. While I like the flashy template and strong polish of the web pages and weblog that iWeb creates, I'm limited in a couple of fundamental ways. First, I can only publish from one computer (though Macworld says this article provides the keys to publishing from multiple computers.) The flexibility of posting from anywhere offers a very strong inducement to leave iWeb behind until it does allow posting from other computers. While I'm not going to update my blog on the clock at work, I would like the ability to post updates from internet cafes or other peoples computers while I'm traveling.
More importantly, the templates don't retain the changes I make as a template. The templates look great. Apple provided stylish and pretty starting points for the users of iWeb. However, each post or update I make requires me to change the same elements over and over again. So if I change the title element to reflect my taste, then every post I make after that requires me to change the title again. And again. Just like the first limitation, Apple could have created the option to create personalized templates based on the stock templates, but didn't do so. Yet.
Thus my entry into blogspot. I'm hoping I like this style of posting a little bit better.
I'm trying this blog as an experiment to see how it compares to the iWeb blog publishing. While I like the flashy template and strong polish of the web pages and weblog that iWeb creates, I'm limited in a couple of fundamental ways. First, I can only publish from one computer (though Macworld says this article provides the keys to publishing from multiple computers.) The flexibility of posting from anywhere offers a very strong inducement to leave iWeb behind until it does allow posting from other computers. While I'm not going to update my blog on the clock at work, I would like the ability to post updates from internet cafes or other peoples computers while I'm traveling.
More importantly, the templates don't retain the changes I make as a template. The templates look great. Apple provided stylish and pretty starting points for the users of iWeb. However, each post or update I make requires me to change the same elements over and over again. So if I change the title element to reflect my taste, then every post I make after that requires me to change the title again. And again. Just like the first limitation, Apple could have created the option to create personalized templates based on the stock templates, but didn't do so. Yet.
Thus my entry into blogspot. I'm hoping I like this style of posting a little bit better.
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