Decided that home was the last place I wanted to be today, so struck out across the neighborhood today with no serious agenda outside of wandering and maybe finding a place to hole up and write. It’s fun to be out walking on a Saturday morning when folks are picking up groceries from the farmer’s market, getting coffee, and running errands. You get to see all the little stuff you miss when you drive by insulated in your car with climate control on and the radio going full blast.
I wound up at the Hollywood Library, where Personal Telco is supposed to have a free Wi-Fi node. Since I had the iBook stashed in my satchel I thought I would check my mail and blog a little about my morning. Continue reading 'Trying to figure out Personal Telco'»
The ever industrious president of my company also owns a couple of vineyards, so whenever we wine and dine out-of-town clients it takes place at a restaurant where his wine is served, such as Higgins Restaurant in downtown Portland. The clients were impressed with the meal as well as asking for bottles of the wine to take home with them, so I would definitely count the evening as a success.
I enjoyed peppered halibut cheeks with a chile polenta and succotash with bacon. This was my first taste of halibut cheeks, which are more dense and a bit sweeter than the rest of the fish. Definitely something I would order again. My dining companions also seemed pleased with their meals, which ranged from seared Oregon Albacore tuna to a honey & chili-glazed loin of pork.
Dessert was just as tasty, consisting of a blackberry tart paired with basil ice cream and a fruit glaze. I ordered it because I was curious about the basil ice cream, and it complemented the locally grown blackberries marvelously.
When I dine with clients, I’m always a bit self-conscious about my knowledge of etiquette. I took a crash course class in dining etiquette during college, and I remember the usual things like “napkin goes in the lap” and “utensils in the top right corner of the plate when you are done eating” but I think I’ve forgotten a lot of the finer points. It would be wonderful to take a refresher course, and judging from where a few of my companions placed their cutlery, I’m probably not the only person in Portland who would benefit from it.
I found a class offered by Wine Press Northwest in Seattle on Sept. 13, but a class here in Portland would be more preferable. Does anyone know of a local business that caters to the “missed finishing school, but still interested in becoming couth” crowd? Or a local class being offered? I’m sure some of the universities offer classes, but I would imagine they limit enrollment to current students. Maybe I need to check into that.
Finally tracked down a copy of Hanging with the Balls today. Storm is absolutely amazing! The CD is powerfully overwhelming, and the scary part is that it barely holds a candle to hearing her perform live. I’ve always had a weakness for out-of-the-ordinary cover tunes, and Storm exploits that weakness to the highest degree. If you don’t know who she is, there’s a good chance you saw her on the cover of Willamette Week a few weeks ago for the Best of Portland 2004 or on Oregon ArtBeat last week. (If you missed the broadcast, you can also see it here.) Storm Large and The Balls have a regular gig at Dante’s every Wednesday night, but only through early September. Must see! Must hear!
Just as cool as finally getting my hands on the CD is the great experience I had with CDbaby getting it. They’re locally based here in Portland, and focus exclusively on selling CDs by independent artists. I placed the order, then once I got my confirmation email realized that their warehouse was so close it seemed silly to pay to have it shipped. (That, and I am all about as-close-to-instant gratification as possible — I wanted it NOW!)
Emailed them back and asked if I could pick it up, fully expecting to get turned down. To my surprise they agreed, so after work I visted the non-descript warehouse in Northeast Portland that houses CDbaby. The inside of the warehouse is the complete opposite of non-descript… album posters and random bits of ephemera on every wall, and shelves filled with CDs as far as the eyes could see. Daniel (aka Count Warehouse) was very friendly, very accomodating, and within minutes I was on my way with my CDs. Hooray! Mad props to CDbaby for providing my Storm fix in short order.
The rather popular antique appraisal show winged its way through Portland today, and I had a front row seat. Rather, I was on a production crew and spent twelve hours on my feet helping to document family heirlooms and lucky thrift store finds. Somewhere between five and six thousand people made it through the gauntlet at the Oregon Convention Center today, and through some pretty remarkable event coordination (and nearly a hundred volunteers!) it went off without a hitch. Continue reading 'People of Portland, ransack your attics!'»
We’ve all heard that “every little bit helps,” but for a retired couple from Battle Ground, every little bit did help. Last week Modest Needs sent an email to their subscribers about a family in Washington who had to make the difficult decision between their health and their mortgage payment.
This couple made they only choice they could make. They chose their health. And as a result, on 15 August, the couple’s lifetime investment – their home – was going to be sold at auction.
This couple had written by mail (they have no computer) to ask for our help in saving their home. They needed $1200. I felt strongly that it was our moral imperative help this family, but because the amount necessary to save their home exceeded Modest Needs’ maximum grant, I left it to all of you – the active members of Modest Needs – to decide whether we helped this family or not.
Their request hit close to home because I remember how difficult it was to make my mortgage payments after I had been laid off. With a couple of clicks, I increased my monthly Modest Needs contribution.
276 other people also “put their money where their mouse was.”
End result? For an average donation of $13 per person, the couple’s home was saved from the auction block. There was also enough additional funding to pay a rent deposit for a family in Michigan whose house was sold out from under them, to transfer a cosmetology license for a woman in Ohio so she could work and care for her children, and to provide medical treatment for a two year old girl in Rhode Island whose legs were born twisted. (Details in this month’s editorial)
The beauty of Modest Needs is that it helps with the little things — when a small amount of money can make all the difference in the world. This week has proven that when many individuals help with just a nominal amount, some pretty amazing things can happen.
