My street
I thought I'd take a moment and just sorta say thanks for whatever hand of fate stuck me on W Burnside as my home for these past (and forthcoming) months. With Burnside being the stretch of road the effectively links the entire city of Portland in one form or another and the section I live in being near a transit center and three bars... we get the occasional colorful characters... The majority of the upper NW and SW area is made up of late 20/early 30's gay couples, mid-20's hipsters, and PSU students who pay for mid level apartments in a nice area by working for the multiple corporate outlets (starbucks, cost plus, levi's, etc) and upscale shops on 23rd. The area is pretty diverse considering it being so close to the West Hills and downtown. Not THE picture of diversity, but not stark of eclectic feeling.
Regardless of all of that, I love it here. I've said that before (and I have of late acknowledged that I miss the East side a little) and I'll say it every time I have a morning like this one:
I woke up after an almost all-night bender with red wine and Xena episodes on DVD after closing the Ringside bar with one of my drinking buddies, Erin (of the aforementioned "M&E", Meg and Erin). After doing what Erin and I do best (making lists over happy hour specials and sharing war stories of dating and family), we went over to the Blue Moon, grabbed a bottle of their finest red, and kicked it at her place up on SW 22nd until we both passed out. As I left her apartment with a "terrific" pinot noir induced hangover, I stopped by the video store where I work to drop off my Serenity pre-street DVD and grab the last two discs of HBO's The Wire (one hell of a show). I chatted it up with a coworker, checked the schedule, and made my way out only to find one of my favorite bartenders (Jamie the Great) opening the Bitter End pub a little late (he too was hung over). I hung out with him while he opened the bar and he comped me some soda while we exchanged drinkin' horror stories. After finishing my last drink and wishing Jamie a good shift, I continued home down Burnside to the Portland Coffee House, on 19th and Burnside. This little independent coffee shop has always reminded me of an outpost of indy in the shadows of two(!) Starbuck's and a Panda Express. The staff don't know my name (they call me "Hollywood" because I usually stop in before/after a shift), but they have my drink down and there's rarely the need to actually order. I left, 12oz Cafe Mocha (with 2 shots) in tow, and made my last stop at the Marathon Taverna on 18th to grab some to-go lunch. Kathy and Gator were working. Kathy is THE coolest barmaid and Gator is the bouncer who never cards me because I go there too much. A burger and fries order to go later and I was home in my apartment just in time for the snow fall.
The point of that long and uneventful story is that I feel very at home on this street. Two bars where the 'tenders know my name (or face or whatever), a coffee shop with smiling faces and good drinks, a job that I spend more time in when I'm off the clock than when I'm on it and two "neighbors" that make every week nice with a night cap or a good show.
Can't beat it.
The true meaning of X-Mas
Let's get one thing straight: I love the holidays and I hate the holidays.
First, why I hate the holidays: it's the only time of year I could be called an alcoholic, mostly because I temper any of my insecurities regarding family with copious amounts of booze. Although, from talking to friends and associates, this is apparently normal. The downside is that my father has apparently given up drinking, so I was the only one at Thanksgiving slurring my words while trying to ask what the soup was. The sad thing is that I never do this except around this time of year. I don't get hammered nightly, weekly, or even monthly. I know my limits and I usually have a beer or two. Rarely do I venture into the hard A. S'just the setting. Who knows the reasons, eh?
Also, I somehow manage to overdraw my checking account every year. EVERY year... Not this time, though... No, no. Gotta plan this time... *does the best Mr. Burns impression he's capable of*
Why I love the holidays? I do not know. I'll tell you this: I have been known to get festive. I love Christmas shopping, I'm more charitable, and I even curb the cynicism for at least six to ten weeks. The most common response to hearing about this change in mood is, "Well, that's bullshit. Why can't you just be like that all the time?" To that, I say, "Feh!" It's the holiday season. Lighten up and stow it. Just accept that once a year people can put their selfish, narcissistic feelings in their back pockets. Don't demand that they outright change because, frankly, who has? Ok, besides Scrooge.
Lately, I've been hearing something from people when they find out I've gotten them a Christmas present. "Dude, don't do that. I don't want to have to get you anything. I'm broke and I'd feel bad." Again, I say, "Feh!" I'm not giving you a present to get something from you. I know you're broke. I'm not doing this to get more gifts. If I wanted stuff, I'd just use the money I spent on you to buy the things I wanted. I love my friends, I love my family, and I even love my drinking buddies and co-workers. I have gotten these people gifts of my affection. I didn't spend fortunes or pawn my worldly goods. I just got them things I knew they'd like and hoped that they had a happy holiday. The only thing I expect to get out of it is the look on their faces. They're my loved ones and I am imbued with rightious holiday spirit!
Christmas has a bad rep thanks to consumerism overkill. Black Friday, sales galore, gift cards and shopping sprees... That's the bullshit of the X-Mas time. Sitting around at Shari's (for the umpteenth year in a row), exchanging gifts while our parents are all nestled in their beds, waiting for us to descend on their houses and eat their food and so on... Tipping whatever poor soul got saddled with the Christmas eve shift as much as we can... Remembering the times of laughter and love... That's the holidays to me. I hope others find as much or even half as much solace as I do in those little moments.
A merry Christmas to all and to all... well, yeah.
I'm a super-hero! Finally! Dad will be so proud...
Your results:
You are Green Lantern| Green Lantern |
| 85% | | Spider-Man |
| 75% | | The Flash |
| 60% | | Superman |
| 60% | | Catwoman |
| 50% | | Iron Man |
| 45% | | Hulk |
| 40% | | Supergirl |
| 35% | | Batman |
| 35% | | Robin |
| 32% | | Wonder Woman |
| 25% |
| Hot-headed. You have strong
will power and a good imagination.
 |
Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...
Ahem! LIGHTS!
So remember the last two X-Men movies? Lord knows I do. The first one was just plain bad, if you ask me. Almost Fantastic Four bad. The second one was up there with Spider-man 2, Hellboy, and Batman Begins as a way to interpret years of material into one film and make an entire audience feel entertained.
With averages like that, I'm curious as how this next sequel will fare.
Take a look for yourself. http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/x3/
Comments if you have any.
P.S. That new blue, hairy guy? That's the Beast played by none other than Kelsey Grammer. Frasier's a superhero! I know at least that'll be cool.
The new Crusades
I'm of the mindset that if pop music had been around in the middle ages, the Crusades would have been fought against people who liked Mos Def more than Talib Kweli.
Seriously, though. Music seems to be the center of much more conflict among people in society rather than religion. By making this statement, I know I'm opening myself up for a deluge of comments (meaning three) regarding how ridiculous a comparison I'm making. How could I possibly sound so uneducated? Because, frankly, I've seen it in action.
Throughout my life, I've heard debate after debate about the "accuracy" or "virtue" or whatever about whose religion is the "right" one or if being religious is something that denotes character or fanaticism or whatever. I went to a liberal arts college that used to be a Baptist school. Ethics class was always a blast. The thing is that none of the debates at this institution had the level of passion that debating the merits of Green Day's new album or if Iggy Pop was cooler than Jim Morrison or if Rap is really music. To see the veracity in which people can get into these debates, and I'm not just talking about just music elitists or punk rawkers, is a sight to behold. Obscenities fly, food was thrown, wars have been waged. All over pop music. These aren't the music elitists of "High Fidelity," either. These are just a random sampling of college kids enjoying lunch one minute and launching into debates that'd make Howard Dean blush.
What does this say, then, about the true nature of passion in pop culture?
Starting with, probably, the 1970's rock vs. disco battles and moving into New Age vs. Punk during the 1980's, a new level of fanaticism, a subtle level of infatuation, has permeated the zeitgeist of pop music. The genius behind this little war of the verbals is that people who normally don't get too into conflicts of the melodramatic variety can be seen throwing down the, "you better not have said what I think you've just said" gauntlet over something as trivial as the merits of the Ramones early works and how Eminem is no better than Elvis.
I don't think I've ever seen the same piss and vinegar thrown around when Fundamentalist Christians attack Buddhism as "idolatry" or Mormons and Scientologist defend their religions as anything but cults. The fans of the Sex Pistols degrading anyone wearing a Blink 182 shirt seem to get twice as vicious.
I'm not sure what it is. Maybe it's just that music is something that everyone takes to heart because of how it can remind us of our feelings and our souls or some such Dr. Phil moment. Maybe it's because there's a type of music for everyone and since you could say that since 95% of the population has a passion for music in some variety than 95% of the population can debate about it with passion. I love theorizing statistics like I've actually researched this...
I'm not trying to disrespect the passion of someone with the courage to defend their lifelong commitment to a belief by saying someone who likes Madonna a LOT is more determined to show their belief. I'm just saying that it's been a lifelong observation of mine that if someone really believes that the Goo Goo Dolls should have died in a plane crash instead of Lynard Skynard they'll argue it harder than someone who believes Christ really was the son of God. Unless they're a Pentecostal. Them people are damn scary.
I don't know about you, but I don't know if I could ever admit my fondness for Journey in public for fear of vicious reprisal. I'd tell my Grandmother that I thought Catholicism was a crock before I'd do that.
You're wrong
Guess what? You're not as smart as you think you are. Seriously, I know this is hard to grasp, but you are not the comfortable, creamy center of your universe and you sure as hell don't have all the answers. Me? I got shit, so don't think I'm any better off.
That's the thing of it, y'know? We all think we know what we're doing to some capacity, especially when confronted about our decisions. In fact, that confrontation just hammers it home that you're right and they're wrong, because, dammit, they just don't have all of the facts that you did when you formed the opinion or made the decision.
I'm speaking to no one specific here, so no one out there get any ideas. What I'm getting at is that I've noticed when we let our guards down, listen to these people around us and start nodding in understanding, then maybe we can start making some decisions that don't make everyone nervous. Whether they be about college, grad school, women, men, jobs, whatnot, it's important to not mistake confidence in your convictions and your decisions for befuddled arrogance masking fear. We're all fallible and WHEN things don't go the way you planned (there is really no "if" in these realms, people, and that doesn't mean that it'll end badly), you're ready to adapt and shift into the next gear smoothly.
I know, off the top of my head, three very, very smart people. They're probably geniuses in their own right, but each of them has their moments when their confidence wavers. Rarely does it have to do with the fields that MAKE them geniuses, but when it deals with the situations that make them HUMAN, then they are just as stupid or smart as the rest of us.
Remember, just because you can recite facts or solve math problems or speak three languages does not make you smarter than anyone. In the end, you'll be heartbroken over a break-up or you'll miss the love of a parent when they dismiss you or you'll feel the pangs of failure when you don't get a job you got for. The "simple" people should keep that in mind, if they don't already.
I always think of the Fonz from Happy Days when I think of someone who has trouble admitting they're wrong. If you're unfamiliar with this reference, the Fonz was THE coolest cat in town and was always the smartest guy in the room about everything important (i.e. chicks). When those rare occasions occurred when the Fonz had made an error, he would be incapable of expressing his mistake in words. "I was wrrrrr... Wrroo... I was mistaken, Ritchie, alright?"
Well, keep that in mind. This isn't meant to humble the people who think they're smart. This is meant to remind the people who THINK they aren't that we're all the same when it comes to the important things.
