Portland neon

It's an idea Chris and I have been batting around for a few years now: photographing the best neon signs in Portland, Ore., while they're still here to shoot. As we ease into 2009, we've resolved to actually finish the project this year — but we need help finding the best and brightest (ha!) signs in the city and surroundings.

You can see a few of Chris' neon shots at Photo.net. Besides these, we've shot several other locations (to be clear, Chris is the photographer; I'm the ... let's say ... "creative assistant"), but we want to make sure we're not missing any good ones.

If you have favorite neons around town, please post them in the comments section. No sign is too small; we're interested in any good-looking or iconic sign, even if it's just inside a window. One note: we are focusing on night-time shots, so we're especially looking for neon that does what neon is meant to do — lights up!

UPDATE: Chris just posted some more photos and details on the project. Enjoy!

One fine first lady

I've been admiring Michelle Obama's style for months (that I admire her intellect and taste in men goes without saying). She has a knack for balancing conservative looks with vintage touches and always looks like her own woman.

So, I love that she called attention to her J. Crew ensemble on Jay Leno this week. The folks at J. Crew took note and set up a page where you can buy Michelle's outfit — for a mere $337.98. (More than I spend on an average outfit, yes, but not bad for a national TV appearance. And considerably less than the stuff that other woman's been wearing.)

In the same interview, she also metioned that she likes to shop online. I can't wait for her to move into the White House!

I've been tagged

Apparently, this is a thing that happens. You know, in the blog-o-sphere. Thanks, Megan!

1. How many songs are on your iPod?
5,243

2. What music would you want played at your funeral?
I don't want a funeral. But there could be a party, and I guess I'd want Throwing Muses "University" (the whole album) played.

3. What magazines do you have subscriptions to?
BUST, Paste, Entertainment Weekly, Lucky, Glamour, Self, Portland Monthly, Portland Spaces (yes, I have a problem)

4. What is your favorite scent?
Diesel Fuel for Life or a glass of Clear Creek Pear Eau de Vie

5. If you had a million dollars that you could only spend on yourself, what would you do with it?
Travel, a house, a car, more travel, save/invest anything that's left (to spend on more travel later)

6. What is your theme song?
"Hot Freaks" by Guided by Voices

7. Do you trust easily?
Hmm. People I meet - I trust until they give me reason not to. Politicians/people on TV - never trust them.

8. Do you generally think before you act, or act before you think?
I'd say I do an intriguing combination of the two.

9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy these days?
Whoa. Have you been following the news at all lately? My bank failed yesterday, and there's apparently a chance that Obama might not be the next president. Yes.

10. Do you have a good body-image?
I think so. Definitely better than it was when I was anorexic. :)

11. Is being tagged fun?
It was, because it was distracting me from economic/political stress -- until question #9!

12. How do you spend your social networking (Facebook, etc.) time?
I love Twitter, because it lets me be a fly on the wall of friends (and strangers) around the country, some of whom have way more intersting lives than mine. Also hooked on Facebook, where I look at photos and play Text Twirl.

13. What have you been seriously addicted to lately?
Virus Buster, the game inside Brain Age 2. I pretty much see it when I close my eyes.

14. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Oh, I know what kind of person she is. Super cool!

15. What’s the last song that got stuck in your head?
"I Know What Boys Like"

16. What’s your favorite item of clothing?
Shoes!

17. Do you think Rice Crispies are yummy?
No. The taste like nothing, then they got soggy.

18. What would you do if you see saw $100 lying on the ground?
Pocket that shit!

19. What items could you not go without during the day?
Water, Internet, coffee (not necessarily in that order).

20. What should you be doing right now?
Working on the PR database or rewriting my article about cocktails made with Portland spirits.

Tag, you're it, That Jolie Girl, Danifesto, Record Store Geek and Pickle Sisters!

From one bitch to another ...

This just in ... Portland-based feminist rag (ah, gotta love that phrase) Bitch is in financial straits and needs donations to stay afloat.

Check out their call to action and spare them as many dimes as you can.

UPDATE: Bitch is saved -- for now! The next issue will come out on Dec. 1. Read it!

I cannot possibly choose

A few weeks ago, I was challenged to list my top five movies of all time. Only five?! I doubted I could accomplish the task, but I did as any editor would: started with a big list, then trimmed it down. My initial list contained 53 films. For the first round of cuts, I threw out any movie I'd only seen once (it can't really be a favorite if I wasn't compelled to rewatch it). Then I did some soul-searching, read some tea leaves, and got the list down to my top twenty. I'm sure I'm still missing some unmissables, but it's a start ...

Here's the list, in alphabetical order, because ranking them would make my head explode.

City of Lost Children
Dead Man
Dead Ringers
Do the Right Thing
Dr. Strangelove
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Fight Club
Glengarry Glen Ross
Harold and Maude
Heavenly Creatures
Lost in Translation
Memento
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Mulholland Drive
Princess Bride
A Room With a View
Rushmore
Spiderman
Spirited Away
Star Wars

$13 well spent

So, I scheduled an appointment with a new hairstylist last week. For late July. While the wait made me feel like I must be on my way to being initiated into an elite group, my shaggy do needed help now.

I recalled the $10 manicure I got at the Aveda Institute a few weeks ago. Not the greatest, but still — better than ones I'd paid twice as much for.

I just needed a trim, and I'm prety confident in my hair's ability to grow back from anything (hell, it's been — at various times— shaved, finger-short and crayon red), so I made the call.

Here's the thing about the Aveda Institute. It's like other beauty schools in that appointments take a long time as instructors scrutinize students' work and make sure you're getting what you want. But that's where the similarity ends. The obvious advantage is that they use all Aveda products, so you smell like a trust-fund goddess by the time you're done. (I actually think it's amazing that the Aveda "scent" is so popular. I love it, but it's really ... green ... and not like anything else.) There's a cool-kid vibe to the place, and every service concludes with a "Finishing Touch" — a cutesy name for a quick application of lip gloss, but still a nice gesture.

My hair cut was a fantastic deal. The service started with a scalp massage, then shampoo, condition, cut and styling, finished off with a hand massage. And the woman who cut my hair knew what she was doing — my hair looks cute! Definitely worth $13 (plus tip). And, of course, this being Portland, the stylist is into Web design and strongly suggested that I check out Ignite Portland in a couple of weeks. Here's the premise, according to their site: "If you had five minutes on stage what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Around the world geeks have been putting together Ignite nights to show their answers." I'm sold — I'll be checking it out at the Bagdad on June 18.

No coffee for you

Hoo boy. Looks like I really missed out on some fun at the Scum Center last night. Had I been there, I might have been the lucky recipient of the non-existent latte. I've certainly encountered more noxious fluids there ... ba-dum-dum.

In other coffee drink news, I can't believe this "case" made it to court. Takes me back to my Odd Blog days.

Now I'm thirsty. Where isn't that latte?

P.S. I almost forgot — the stupidest coffee-related non-story of the week (or month, or year)...

Dig, if you will, a picture

I just saw Paranoid Park this weekend. Portland finally got the movie it deserved. In addition to being a powerful film in its own right (similar to, but more accessible — and less disturbing — than Elephant), it's a tasteful postcard of Portland, showcasing the city's sights and sounds with a light touch.

My favorite Portland shout-out was Van Sant's cameo at Half & Half; I also loved seeing Jackpot Records and hearing Elliott Smith.



I saw another good movie shot in Portland not too long ago. Old Joy is a meditative film starring Daniel London and Will Oldham. I'd heard about it when it came out in 2006, but just happened to see it on TV a couple of weeks ago. Not much happens in this Jon Raymond story about two old friends who head to Bagby Hot Springs for a weekend, but it's evocative and moving — and a nice counterpoint to Paranoid's coming-of-age theme. Old Joy is about coming of a slightly older age, maybe even maturity.

Ebert liked it, too.

I confess ...

... that I just ate a bite of this little devil from Voodoo Doughnut. Right after eating it, I rushed back to my computer and went to one of my favorite websites: MyFoodDiary.com. As I meticulously recorded the quarter of a donut I'd devoured, I realized that logging what I eat feels like I imagine confession might — once I've logged a meal or a snack, a sense of calm (or is it absolution?) envelopes me, as I make peace with what I must do the rest of the day to stay on course ... or accept the fact that the day is a lost cause — but that I'll have a blank slate tomorrow.

This site is so cool (in a health-geek sort of way). In addition to tracking your calorie intake, exercise, vitamins, minerals, and fiber — and producing all kinds of cool, scientific reports and graphs — it allows you to enter daily notes. This is where I confess things like, "Ate a whole pint of ice cream. AGAIN," or record noteworthy occasions: "I think I felt my abs!" All of which adds to my clarity of conscience.

Hmm. Does this mean food logging is my religion?

Cool shit

While I've been working, toiling, aplying myself utterly and completely to my job, I've somehow also encountered several interesting / cool / covetable things on the internets this morning.

Please come live in my bathroom:



Finally, a place to hang my hat — or to shape my own felted hats:



Best for last ... competition for Google? Damn you for making me swear out loud at my desk!

P.S. There's more info about Searchme on their blog.