December 28, 2008 : 12:38pm
2008.

For me, it's hard to think about 2008 beyond these last few months. I'm still without a job and have no idea where I'll even be living this time next year.

That being said, it seemed like a good idea to list the positives of the last 12 months. There were certainly many, in no order...

Watching my son take his first steps, working to make his first word and celebrating his first birthday. The Freestylin' book. Milk. Obama. Lake Of Blood. The Spaced DVDs. Cock And Bull Ginger Beer. McQueen's Machines. Genghis Tron. At The Gates reunion show. Weekend motorcycle rides. The new Oasis record. PIR Wednesday nights. Have A Nice Life. The Dark Knight. SD.net shirts by Andy Jenkins. Local friends at BBQs. My wife's smile.

And if you're interested in a music list, past what I've sprinkled in above, Pitchfork's Show No Mercy column has more than a few good ones and the Deathwish picks are always good..


December 26, 2008 : 7:25pm
Milk.



Everyone should go out of their way and see Milk. What an amazing film and, more importantly, an amazing man. So very inspiring. I knew the basic facts (the murders, the Twinkie Defense, etc) but this film tells his story so well. This is REAL American history folks...

Also check out The Times Of Harvey Milk, which was made in 1984 and won the 1985 Oscar for Best Documentary.


December 22, 2008 : 8:23am
Nonstop.

And the snow keeps on coming. PDX airport is closed. Buses are stuck. I'd say this is like a east coast winter, but they have plows and are prepared on the east coast. Some recent photos...








December 21, 2008 : 12:10pm
Snowed In.

Yup, we're pretty much shut in. OK, technically we could chip the half-inch of ice off the entire car, dig out the drive way (I started to do both, the photo is after an hour of work) and be the first person to drive on our street (it's now noon and no one has even tried since yesterday)...but something tells me it would be just a bit dangerous. No one is even on Burnside. Probably because chains are required to even go out on the streets. Something tells me this city is going to be shut down for the entire week. Fun stuff.










December 18, 2008 : 10:33am
Northern California.

Down here in the Bay Area after an interview yesterday that I thought went quite well. The weather is, of course, leaps and bounds better than the Portland area right now. For the record, I don't have anything against snow but, as Bryce put it, "I prefer my snow in the mountains...not in the city."

Not sure how this is all going to end up...very crazy.

+ I've been browsing a few people's 'blogs' and it's just strange to me how people have giant, almost airbrushed photos of themselves all over the place. I don't think I've ever posted a photo of myself on this thing since the very beginning. And I like it that way.

+ I remember seeing BRATs when I was 10 or so and thinking they were the best vechicle EVER. I mean, it had plastic bucket seats in the bed and those toy-like mag wheels. Subaru needs to bring this back somehow...

+ 2008 Morrissey Tour dates...no west coast shows. Where should I fly?

.

December 15, 2008 : 2:19pm
The Scene Outside Our Window Yesterday.



And that image is the reflection of our ceiling lamp NOT an alien spacecraft. Although that would make a more interesting post.

Under 20 degrees, blowing wind and icy streets. And it's going to be freezing all week. Good thing we are planning on a Tuesday through Thursday trip to the Bay Area. Although it's supposed to be cold there as well. Meaning 50 degrees.

+ Stacy Peralta. From The Bones Brigade to Burger King. I can't believe that THIS is how he spreads American 'culture'. Sad really.

+ The only holiday party I attended this year.

+ This is the year that I completely fall away from ANY knowledge of what the current music 'scene' is. And I'm 100% OK with that.


December 12, 2008 : 3:51pm
My Son Wasn't Available For The Photo...



The album is scheduled to drop on February 16th in the UK. Tour dates in both Europe and the east coast have been popping up on Solo.

And what's with all these stupid rumors? Moz and Joyce on the same stage? Miserable Lie.

It looks like I'll be in the Bay Area a few days next week. I sure hope it's warmer down there. This is nuts...and it hasn't even gotten bad yet.


December 11, 2008 : 9:00pm
Motorbikes In December.



It's no longer motorcyle weather here in Portland. In fact, this weekend it's supposed to fall to 14 degrees and snow. Not the best time to start obsessing over motorcycle links...but what are you going to do...

+ Dues Ex Machina - This is an amazing shop in Australia that builds both motorcycles and track bikes. The motorbikes are flat out amazing and the galleries have some beautifully shot images. Plus, the products in the shop kill. When is this place expanding to the states? I've spent hours on this site. Hours.

+ Mooneyes Japan - If money was no option, I would fly out and see this show every year. It's crazy to see how deep Japan has embraced the bike / hot rod culture. The first page feature's Max's amazing 4Q knuckle...one of my favorite cycles of all time. Page after page of perfection. No West Coast / Orange County crap here.

+ The Vintagent - A daily visit blog with all things old bikes. Solid writing on this site as well.


December 6, 2008 : 9:58am
Working, Sort Of.

Busy dealing with some contract work. Full time on-site. The work is not as all what I'm looking for long term but it keeps me busy and the bills paid. I'm glad Bush finally said we're in a recession. Right in time as always. November had the highest job loss numbers since 1974 (533,000). Looks like I'm not alone.

---

While working this week, the girl's desk I was using had this print article clipped from the Portland Mercury:

Pious Prius

"You have a Prius. I see it everywhere. It's silver. It's red. It's blue. You are environmentally friendly. You love things that are sustainable and "green." You probably compost, sort all your recycling, and have a reusable shopping bag for your short drive to Whole Foods. You are the best! So, do we really need the Obama sticker? Yeah, the dude is cool, he's dreamy, whatever. I get it. It was bad enough that I had to read the Kerry/Edwards sticker on your fucking Volvo until 2007 when you finally traded in a perfectly good car. Now that you have your Prius, the Obama sticker is a fucking given. You can afford to be the best fucking person in the world. But if you were really concerned about the socio-enviro-political conditions, you'd have taken all that money you spent on the Prius, moved out of the Pearl, given the money to Mercy Corps or Habitat for Humanity, and ridden your goddamn bike! Now that would be a statement! Go Obama!"—Anonymous

Now, Portland is great. There are lots of reasons I enjoy living here: small in size so friends are close, great coffee, plenty of vegan food, many parks, cheapish housing...but this holier than thou 'green' posturing is unreal. The article above angered me more and more each day. So, who ever wrote this...you sold your car and gave all the money to charity? Really? You ride your bicycle every where everyday? I call BS. I mean, there are MILLIONS of people who drive a SUV and voted for McCain. And you are SO green and indy that you expect everyone to go beyond a hybrid car, recycling and voting democrat? And we're all supposed to be poor and live how you say? What a pant load.

The thing is, you most likely voted for Obama (Nader in 2012!) and waste as much fossil fuel as the rest of us. You better be a tree dwelling vegan who makes his or her own clothes, with no kids, who pedals their ass to their work place at an all organic farm. If not, shut up and keep your teenage minded 'green pride' to yourself. The world is bigger than your little Alberta loving, 'Keep Portland Weird' part of this city.



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