Rain Rain Go away…come again in 3 months ok?

All I am going to say is read this story and that is all I’m going to say.

http://www.oregonlive.com/weather/index.ssf/2010/06/oregon_rain_day_18_you_can_run.html

Spring time = Spring time Music

I LOVE music. Always have. Growing up in the country meant no cable t.v. and that, to this day, is okay with me. In the winter it’s a little harder to not totally veg out on a tube of nothingness, but on beautiful days give me some good music, and turn it up.

This weekend in Portland has been amazing. 70 and sunny is a rare beast this time of year, so soaking up as much Vit D as possible is what the doctor ordered. When relaxing in the sun I enjoy a good beverage and some good tunes, so I thought I would write a blog on some good spring music to tap your feet to.

Here they are in no particular order. And know this list could go on for days and will continue soon.

1. Picked it up today. Freelance Whales – Weathervanes. The catchy radio hit Hannah is a good start, but the album as a whole fits the spring bill to a tee.

2. Likely to be one of the greatest albums of the year, Jonsi – Go. Check out this awesome video for Go Do. It just makes you feel ALIVE.

3. Next up, Broken Bells – Broken Bells. I am sure you have heard the song the High Road. It’s a great song. Overplayed on the radio, but great. I highly suggest picking up their entire album. It’s sure to get you settled into spring and ready for summer.

4. Last but very much not least. A local CD I picked up last summer Friends, and Friends of Friends Vol. 2. It’s a compilation of Local Artists and favorite Artists of the Tender Loving Empire record label. Though Shoeshine Blue is one of my favorite bands, I couldn’t find any good videos. Here is Boy Eats Drum Machine – La La La La La .

Let the music play!! Get out there; attend a few good shows this year, buy some CD’s from local Independent Stores, and throw back a few with friends.

Summer here we come.

This American Life yet another awesome episode.

If you have never listened to an Episode of The American Life you have really missed out on one of the best Radio Programs EVER. This weeks episode, which can be found at www.ThisAmericanLife.com, is on True Urban Myths.

It starts with a prologue about rats found in toilets in my beautiful city Portland, Or. No longer will I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night without turning on the light; better to know than to be surprised. Then the story moves onto three acts on the core subject.

Act 1: What’s that smell? highlights a book written by Steve Poizner. Poizner is running for Governor of California and his book focuses on his experience teaching at a high school in Northern California. The myth is regarding his view on the city and the school in which he taught. Like the other acts, this act doesn’t give you a definitive answer on whether the myth is true, but it does get you thinking about the status of our schools.

Act 2: Fleeing is believing. I wish this act were a little longer. It focuses on refugees from other countries and their myths, which really aren’t myths, about the United States. One part that really struck me is the disbelief of Iraqis that the U.S. has homeless living on the streets. Not because of the homeless, but because we do not take better care of our families.  They are right, we should take better care of our people.

Act 3: Sleeper Cell. Do cell phones cause brain damage? There are a lot of studies out there. Some say cell phones are harmful, others say they are safe. This act points out that 75% of the studies that do not receive any funding from phone companies say phones cause tumors, and brain damage among other problems. On the other hand, only 25% of the studies that do receive funding from phone companies say cell phones have a harmful effect on our brains. Now who do you believe?

Check it out and tell me what you think.

Little Ones

There was a little girl quietly crying on the bus this morning. Giant elephant tears running down her face. Her mom and sister were sleeping silently in the seats next to her.

The girl kept looking over at her mom and gracefully slid off her seat. Her mom barked for her to get back on her seat and she did without hesitation.  She seemed so sad and alone.

Just before getting off the bus I handed her a tissue. A stranger unnecessarily thanked me.

Maybe I don’t know the whole story, but it seemed all this little one needed was a big hug and some genuine love.

Portland Mayor Sam Adams Recall Attempt

One of the things I like most about living in Portland is the accessibility to public transit and it’s ease of use.  I LOVE not having to drive to work in rush hour traffic. It’s so much better to pass the cars trickling along the freeway while I sit calmly listening to my IPOD on the max whizzing by. There is a draw back to the Max though. Besides its occasional timing issue, the Max often comes with people wanting you to sign a petition for something.

A couple of months ago it was for medical marijuana, also for taxes, or schools, or other things I had no direct interest in. Last week a man came by with his clipboard looking for people to sign the petition to recall mayor Sam Adams. I’ve been wondering, so I asked, “Why do you want to recall the Mayor?”. He paused, likely having not been confronted about this before, and proceeded to say, “Some people want to recall him because he lied. Some because he took a $70,000 pay increase and laid off 100 city workers. And some people want to recall him for his leadership.”.  So I said, “Hum…I’ll have to look into that.” Then, once he realized no one was signing, he got off the train.

If you are not from Portland you probably do not know the background behind Sam Adams so here is the brief. Sam Adams is the first openly gay mayor of a major city in the US. Before he was elected he had an affair with a 18-year-old. He lied about it, but later confessed after he was elected. That my friends is why people want him recalled.

I looked into the man on the train allegations. I found nothing about a pay increase, and no solid information on bad leadership. There is a lot of he’s gay and he lied and he must be held accountable.

Sure I have a problem with him lying, but I don’t think an affair is valid reason for a recall. Plus the guy on the train lied too, so why should I take his side? I am glad that I met the man on the train though. Now next time some new person tries to get me to sign the recall petition I have ammo. 🙂

It’s easy to hate what we don’t understand.

Saturday morning I was on my local Portland news website reading about the happenings around PDX. One of the main headlines was about the name changing of 39th Ave to Cesar Chavez Blvd. I really have no direct opinion on the subject, as I do not know enough about Cesar Chavez. I do know he was born in the United States, which makes him just as American as I am. I know he was an activist for farming rights and that he is remembered as a respected leader of the Mexican American community. Other than that, I have a lot to learn.

Though I didn’t really have an opinion after reading the article it appeared many other Oregonians did. I was shocked by the amount of hate response there was to the article. Most people wrote that the Mexican community shouldn’t be celebrated because they’re all illegal immigrants that steal our jobs, they take our tax dollars via state assistance, and they are criminals that fill our prisons. One person even wrote, “Unfortunitly the name change will not be know to most out of city people, so visitors wil get lost”. I left the typos and misspellings to prove a point. Not only was I shocked, but also disgusted at what I was reading. I had to remind myself that the bubble of Portland I live in is only a small part of Oregon. There are many people out there who really do not care to learn about, get to know, or care to understand the Latino community of Oregon.

What these hateful people fail to realize is that the Latino community was here for hundreds of years before the Europeans settled on this land. They taught us how to farm, so if anybody took jobs from anybody it was the Europeans who took the jobs from the Latinos. Yep, Oregon was Spanish territory until 1819 people. There is a great article you can read about the history of Oregon at SalemHistory.net. Sadly, I highly doubt that anyone who posted those hateful words would ever take the time to educate themselves.

I guess it really is easy to find hate with something that one doesn’t understand. It’s easier to continue to be ignorant than it is to educate oneself. Last week I was reminded that I am not immune to rejecting the idea of something I don’t understand.

I was having a conversation with a co-worker. She casually mentioned that she likes Sarah Palin. I cringe anytime I hear someone say they like Sarah Palin, but then at the same time I kinda understand what they mean. Yes, Palin says a lot of things I really do not understand, like in her resignation speech when she said, “It may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: ‘Sit down and shut up,’ but that’s the worthless, easy path; that’s a quitter’s way out.” or “Nah, only dead fish go with the flow.”

That said I can see how people think she is charming. She does resemble a reality tv star that would be fun to watch on Survivor, but that is a far stretch from being second in line to the President of the United States. She’s conservative and says things conservatives agree with, but she knows very little about politics as proven in her many interviews since 2008 and as exposed in Mark Halperin’s new book Game Change.

So let’s stop hating or prejudging what we don’t understand. If you disagree with something or someone at least take a little time to educate yourself and have a valid difference of opinion. And if you chose not to educate yourself a little maybe you should listen to the advice mothers have passed down for generations. “If you don’t have something nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.”

All things green…and more.

Having been a nomad most of my adult life – I think I have finally found my HOME. I have stumbled across, what I believe to be, one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Some people may not be so fond of the pacific northwest, but I think it is an amazing place. Particularly Portland, Ore and the surrounding areas.

I’ve been a fan of all things green my entire life. I am amazed everyday at just how stunning life is here. By life – I mean not only the people, but also the trees, the moss, the sunsets and sunrises, the multitude of hip neighborhoods, the urban chickens, public transit, farmers markets, front yard vegetable gardens, and so much more.

Today– it rains and like most people probably do, I have to remind myself this is one of the reasons this city (well, more like a town – really) is so stunning. Saturday was pay off for sure. My partner, her sisters and I started the day at the local creperie cart.  In case you didn’t know, food carts are HUGE here in Portland. I believe we are the mothership of the food cart culture. This trend is expanding nationwide in cities such as LA, NYC, and Seattle. In fact, while we were enjoying our tasty treats, we were caught in the middle of two separate media crews taking footage of our food cart quad. One appearing to be filming for a television show, while the other was taking pictures for and up and coming book on Portland food carts.

After our delicious blend of sweet and savory crepes, they went off for their sisters-only weekend. I took the great ball of fire blinding me in the sky as a sign that I needed to go for a little stroll. I headed to Mt. Tabor, a volcanic cinder cone right in the middle of the city, and hiked up to my  favorite sunset spot overlooking the Hawthorne district. The air was crisp, people were laughing, dogs were frantically wagging their tails, and I was at peace in my home letting my body absorb as much vitamin D as it could.

I know most people would be turned off by the rain; the moss that takes over in the winter, and the giant volcano lurking in the background waiting to explode, but I love it. Yes… the sunny days are nice, but unlike when I lived in southern California, here I have grown to truly appreciate them.

Photos Courtesy of T. Ramirez Photography.