Thursday, November 13, 2003

 

Autumn in Portland

What gorgeous day here in Portland. The Fall colors are peaking (we peak late here in the temperate Pacific NW). My two crabapple trees in front of the house have turned a brilliant yellow and the sun shining out of the crystal clear blue sky made the trees absolutely glow this morning. Then there is the Japanese Maple up on campus that is turning its annual burning red. Get out there and enjoy it today if you are in Portland. The rains are coming this weekend and all those leaves will be driven off the trees driving us into the leafless months of winter. At least the leaves also come back relatively early (February-March) here.

posted by The Brooklynite 11:10 AM

Tuesday, November 11, 2003

 

Quick note on Veteran's Day

I paused a few times today to think about the past and present members of our armed forces. I find myself thinking about the present far too often lately.

As for the past, my Grandfather, who passed away before I was born, lied about his age and joined the Canadian Army for WWI when he was just 14. From what I've been able to track down looking at where he joined in Canada and when he joined, I think he ended up seeing some of the worst of the brutal battles fought in the muddy, deadly trenches of France.

As for the present, this is how I think. We are there and it is time for a lot people to just get over it and deal with that fact. Now we have a job to do. What worries me is the competence of the people leading us in this venture. Why not increase troops? Especially in the more volatile areas? Ask for the committment and this country will give it. Instead we are told to keep buying hulkin' SUVs and be good little consumers (Spend! It's patriotic!)


And for my favorite bizarre headline of the day:
Girl Scout Beaver Traps Upset Activists


I ain't even going to touch that one.

posted by The Brooklynite 5:46 PM

Sunday, November 09, 2003

 

A Catchy Tune Gets meme Status

I've had a catchy tune invade my brain in the last few weeks: "Hey Ya" by Outkast. How can you resist a lyric like "shake it like a polaroid picture"? Then last weekend, A & I were up late enough to catch Saturday Night Live (I think they are on an "up" year this season) and I got to see Outkast perform this insidious tune. But, as per the beauty of SNL live performances, it was more than just a song. They had this group of dancers/backup-singers dressed in tradional equestrian riding pants. When they started shaking little polaroids I just about lost it.

Then last night, I caught the beginning of a show that has consistently kicked SNL's a$$ (IMHO), MadTV. The show was billed as a celebration of their 200th episode. But it started out with totally hilarious Orlando Jones doing a send-up of "Hey Ya" and Outkast's SNL performance with video clones of Orlando dressed in the riding pants as the back-up singers. Totally f-ing hilarious. But wait; there's more. I channel surfed over to NBC at 11:30 to see the start of SNL with young tennis-star/Stiffler-look-alike, Andy Roddick, as host. And what do they do during the traditional SNL monologue? A send-up of last week's Outkast peformance with the female cast jumping in with riding pants. Too weird.


Oh, and to read some good reasons to avoid Safeway go read BoJack's experiences. He forgot to mention that the chain, at least in Portland, seems to locate itself in relatively poor neighborhoods, while charging much more than the other grocery stores. I'm convinced I could buy things cheaper at my favorite grocery store whippin' boy, Natures, er Wild Oats. For anecdotal evidence. I buy cheap shampoo. Good ol' Alberto VO5. At Safeway it costs $1.99. At Freddy's it costs $0.99. And that's the cheap shampoo!!!

posted by The Brooklynite 11:20 AM