page contents Google

HALVE MAAN BREWERY, BRUGGE, BELGIUM

October 30, 2019 by

To start, I like beer. I seek out beer. New beer, old beer, good beer, or bad, I want to know more about beer. The Halve Mann brewery took me to school. Portland, Oregon beer has had a bad month, including the recent brewery closings. This link to Willamette Week lists the sad news for […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

CAGE FIGHT SHOWS GOOD MANNERS

October 29, 2019 by

The line outside a symphony hall finds civilized people on their best behavior, looking good and full of hope for a night to remember. It’s a well-dressed crowd on Broadway, a shuffling queue of elites found in cities around the world where even a mugger might receive a gracious thank you. By elite, I mean […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

LEBANON COOKBOOK IN MY KITCHEN

October 28, 2019 by

The Co-Cooking Cookbook  Growing up in my house, ethnic food meant warming up a can of Spaghetti-Os. More daring was a small town Chinese restaurant that sold more hamburgers than spicy chicken and rice. Then we all grew up and found another way: Books about cooking called a cookbook. Take it another level and invite friends to […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

EXTRA EFFORT GOES TO THE TOP

October 9, 2019 by

With a little extra effort, an image of the Fox Theater in Portland, Oregon could be an entire universe. I’ve heard stories, read interviews, of famous directors who said movie theaters were their whole world growing up. I saw a movie about a kid whose whole world was the village theater. With a little extra […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

PORTLAND PICTURE TO THE REST OF THE WORLD

August 27, 2019 by

The Portland picture shows up after you forget about the beach, the river, the mountain. People show up to see the city sparkle and shine like the pictures they’ve seen in tourist magazines for fine living in the great Northwest, Portland pictures that seem to say, “Join us in reverence of our beautiful discovery.” Portland […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

UGLY BUILDING IN PRETTY CITIES, PT 1

August 23, 2019 by

An ugly building grows on the people who see it every day. Living near ugly architecture doesn’t make anyone ugly, but it’s not wonderful reflection, either. Imagine seeing the same eye sore every time you went to town. You’ve got one where you live? There’s at least one for every city. Portland has one, Paris […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

TOM McCALL WATERFRONT PARK SUNDAY

August 19, 2019 by

We’ve heard the same thing all out lives: Get outside. More than once we’ve said it to others. How often do we tell ourselves to ‘get outside?’ That’s what I told myself Sunday and outside meant Waterfront Park in downtown Portland, Oregon. I knew my audience.

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

BOOK REVIEW: BLACK TAR HEROIN, SAM QUINONES, AND DREAMLAND

June 12, 2019 by

Do Millennials Hear Boomer Parents Talk About Black Tar Heroin And The Damage Done? Sam Quinones Says Not Much. The movie Traffic isn’t about black tar heroin. It’s heroin, though, and shows a group of affluent young people dealing with a friend’s drug overdose. They drop him on the sidewalk outside an Emergency Room and […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Learn The Tools, Then The Gun

May 27, 2019 by

War does one thing well, it gives a new vocabulary for death. One young man knew it front to back. “You’ve caught the best weather in Portland,” he said.  “Been too hot or too wet.  Not like this.” The weather?  It’s a start. He was built thick, maybe six feet tall. “Nice. After this I’m back […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

PORTLAND FUTURE: WHAT TO EXPECT

April 18, 2019 by

What I want to see happen How many times have I driven over the Willamette River and looked at the Eastside thinking of what a Portland future could be? Every time. Early morning works best, especially if you’re leaving town for a short time. When I get back I don’t expect the freeway to be […]

Filed Under: What's Up Tagged With: , , , , , ,