Eccentric miscellany

Well, it's been a long time since my last post. Life has been full of life and that's kept me very busy and somewhat unmotivated to blog. So, some of the results of the busy-ness are as follows:

1) I have finally downloaded Firefox and Ad-Aware (ok, the whole Google Pack) and am now whipping along at unheard-of speeds minus 100+ (!!!!!!) adware items that my Earthlink Protection Center software did not eem to find it worthwhile to mention.

2) I did laundry today and while doing so, witnessed a very clean but apparently homeless man camped out in the laundromat watching TV (HGTV, to be precise) sucking raw eggs. His grocery store bag also included a Rock Star and an apple. Go figure.

3) Hurray! I finally downloaded and cleaned up some new photos from last year's Arizona vacation! The one above a favorite. When the CCC built the dam in the '30s, they also put in some really interesting art. After having been inside a couple of dams in the past, I found the art outside more intriguing than the loud, noisy guts inside, as well as a lot cheaper (had I but realized it, you can walk around outside all you want for free if you park ACROSS the river and walk across the dam to the visitor center area. Somehow, it just seems that the insides of damns should really have windows looking out onto mermaids or large sturgeons or subversive Earth First divers or something. If you're in Vegas and need to get some fresh air to nurse a hang-over, this is a great place to go.

Book Recommendation: Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger

I'm not going to write long because I'm in the middle of a great book and want to get back to it. Peace Like a River is the story of a young boy, Reuben, who goes on the lam in 1962 with his father and sister to find a brother accused of murder. Reuben has asthma, his dad performs miracles, and his sister Swede writes Western poetry.

When I heard the above, the book sounded too over-the-top to be good. But it's one of those books that are so rich and real and truly themselves that I know the characters are going to live in my head for a long time. The prose is warm enough but not treacly and Swede is one of the most stalwart and intriguing girl characters I've read about in years -- much like Reuben himself.

Also, check out my friend Dan's blog. He writes a lot about sports, but I forgive him....

Two Fave Shots - Downtown Portland

Digital cameras are amazing! I took these over the weekend on the way to work.
Fox Tower always seems to float, and Big Pink in sepia has a noir feel....

Not So Profound Thoughts about Life and Laundry

It's been hard to post lately because about the time I pin anything down about anything in my life for one darn second, everything shifts and I don't know what the heck I'm talking about anymore. If I write, by the next day it's outdated. On the other hand, I seem to be getting nowhere fast and my life seems to have no concrete results lately.

Plus, are there any really truly unique ideas out there? Or are we all doomed to just re-create mushier, squishier, blander versions of the things we enjoy, respect, and wish for? I thought about writing about my life via my hatred of laundromats, but somehow it just sounded already done. And besides, no one really did anything interesting when I did my laundry this week. My co-launderers were well-behaved despite some moments of stupidity. Case in point -- a guy walks up and asks if that's my laundry hamper on top of the washer next to me. Anyone who's ever been to the laundromat knows that this is laundry speak for "I want to use that washer, annoying stranger, so get your shit off it." Ironically, that was indeed my hamper, but my wash was also merrily zooming around in spin cycle in it, so asking me the mystery question was not going to get him access to that washer. And, of course, the highly referential thought crossing my mind was, "Dude, here's your sign."

To say the least, it's been frustrating.