Caramel corn

Caramel corn
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Wow. I did not know one could survive a business soley on the sale of caramelcorn. On sw 5TH



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

The Book of Joe

just finished yet another great book. The Book of Joe by Jonathon Tropper was excellent. The plot is a 34 year old writer whose best selling book thrashes his hometown of his youth now has to return home when it father falls ill. Once back in town, Joe is forced to deal with his book and some past demons. Along the way, he figures some things out about his own life and rekindles some friendships before it's too late. What i loved the most was Troppers method of taking me back to his youth and describing the challenges of high school from a perspective of the wall flower. Dealing with the jocks and assholes who roam the halls and see where they ended up. the book made me cry on the max too, so that is immediately a high mark.

so, off to powells today to pick out something new for my commute and the trip. did i tell you i was going on vacation soon? hmm maybe. well, i'll keep moblogging and you can figure out where i'm at.

Change

Change
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

wow, i can't believe it $159.73. that's 410 quarters, 504 dimes, 260 nickels and 944 pennies. wow. my shoulder was sore after the walk to fmy. it took awhile to get all the change through the machine and it was dirty - way dirty. my fingers were black at the end and i had to use the bathroom (which was also a little dirty.) i then did some shopping and cashed in my voucher. for full disclosure, we did have around $175, but they charge 8%, so that's about $15.
the walk home was shorter. i got to about portland blvd and decided to take max home. i got into my book on the way and actually missed my stop. hee hee.

veggies tonight looked great. thanks farm.

more photos from the walk:

new new seasons

Picture(3.jpg
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

The new new seasons on n interstate.

Viking motel

Viking motel
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

While i am resting i thought i would share a pic from my walk. N interstate as some interesting motels as a result of a checkered and colorful past. The viking motel appears to be from the 50s or 60s based on architecture. I love it because it caters to a specific clientele but advertises a heated pool. I wonder how many of the guests actually take a swim. It could be an interesting adventure to check out one hot weekend.....



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

Almost there

Almost there
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Almost there. The bag is getting heavy. Had to stop by the u and i tavern for a $1 bud. And yes i paid with quarters. I am sitting here with a bag with probably $200 worth of change. Makes me giddy.



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

Change isgood.

Change isgood.
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

20 lbs of change and i am on my way to the store. I keep thinking of othe phrases.

Embrace change.

Chaange of pace.

change for the better.

Fuck change.



All i have to say is 20 lbs of change is heavy in the shoulder bag. I am at n ailberta now. If a panhandler comes, he'll get rich.



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

cool re-used building

cool reused building
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

while walking in the pearl, i came accross this wonderfully re-used building. not sure what it was back in the day, but i do know it was one of the first old buildings in what became the pearl to be re-used for condos/lofts. someone had a vision and did well here.

earlier this evening, we walked with frodo and pheobe down to Salty's Dog Shoppe to get some soft dog food for frodo. even after his visit to the doggy dentist, he is still pretty picky about his eating. we decided to pick up some soft food from paula. while there, we were entertained by Enid, paula's little jack russel. she loves to hang out in her display case during the day.

and

Squaredancing

Squaredancing
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

There is a big squaredancing convention in town this week. We've been seeing the folks walking around all week. I love it when people embrace the lifestyle and show us all there is more out there than fleece and nikes.



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

Walking the waterfront.

Walking the waterfront.
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Had a sack lunch down on the waterfront today. Sometimes i enjoy just relaxing in the shade and reading my book. It is beautiful here today.



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

Me Frodo

Me Frodo
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Guest blogger frodo here. I would ask you all to please think of me thursday morning. I have to get a tooth pulled and am really nervous. I'm only 5.5 lbs and the anasthesia scares me. Woof woof woof.



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

speaking of bikes

Bike
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

did you hear the one about the....

actually, had a good day of walking today. as stated, did a pretty good walk up to the brewery blocks and then back to work before the storm. it was excellent. i tried to get some pictures of me and that cool interactive sculpture accross from powells, but alas, the camera phone wasn't playing nice. good news - no one tried to run us over and stopped for crosswalks. weeee.
after work, i really needed some fresh air, so decided to walk at least some of the way home. my walk took me down the bus mall where i was able to hand out some dog food - segway segway segway - yesterday, we went down to Salty's Dog Shoppe on n. mississippi and picked up the largest burlap bag of sample dog food packages for my mission - end segway.
when i walk up to the homeless and give them dog food for their pups, i do get a strange look or vibe from them initially. it usually turns into a grin and a thankyou once they figure out what i'm going with. i hope i'm helping in some small way. more dog food tomorrow!
after the dog food, i hit my fav store - Rich's cigars - to pick up a cigar for the walk home and for later. as i strolled over through the park blocks and then up to pearl bakery, i truly enjoyed the air and the smells of the n. park blocks. it was so quiet also.
as i strolled down flanders toward the river, i came accross some interesting items. first was the quiet. begin in old town, i half expected a little more activity, but no, the street was pretty empty. before i crossed broadway, i came upon an older mini van and my eyes were drawn to movement. lo and behold, there was a young woman changing clothes inside. hmmm. interesting! i moved on making up intriquing stories about what that was all about when i came upon a building where the above bike was mounted on. pretty cool sculpture if that was the purpose.
speaking of bikes - i like walking accross the steel bridge. it may be loud, but in some ways it is actually quiet. one item i don't like is having to share the space with bikes. not trying to be a hater now that i have my bike out and really want to go, but the sidewalk is pretty narrow and can't accomadate both people and bikes. ALSO, there is a sign on both sides of the bridge if you are going with traffic that states - Bikes On Roadway. i interpret that to mean that bikes should be on the roadway and not on the sidewalk. when i confronted a bicyclist today about that, he stated that the sign was a warning for autos that there may be bikes on the roadway and to be cautious. ok, i'll bite. i actually felt a little verklempt because i hadn't thought about it that way. i still feel i may be right, but am willing to ask others for clarification. so, off to blogosphere i go.

Free food.

Free food.
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

While walking during lunch just before the big rain hit downtown, i eyed this lonely can of corn. We were in the edge of the pear (john hausman voice) so it was a little strange. It was a great walk through the farmer's market and then down the park blocks to the brewery blocks area. I almost succumbed to the urge to go into the diesel store, but chose to get gilatto instead.



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

for the upscale drinker in all of us

for the upscale drinker in all of us
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Found at ser le table. Shakers and flasks covered in fur. They also had pink aligator skin covered ones also.



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

night sky

night sky
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

wow, what an amazing sky evening. it began with me watering and then dropping everything to show someone the sky and the amazing colors and activity.

and lastly, a wierd photo of our crazy dog franka:

cameo restaurant

ever go to a place and just not feel right, but stick it out and in the end know your initial feelings were 100% correct. well, i'm not having a good day so far as a result of my breakfast experience. we decided to head out east off 82nd to a restaurant called Cameo on a friends recommendation. the first time we went, it was so packed, we couldn't get in the door. today, it was crowded, but we were able to be seated within a few minutes. that's when the frenetic stress began. first, it was the waitress thowing down the coffee cups and silverware and leaving the pot of coffee on our table while she cleaned another. then it was the constant running of the staff between tables. i just got stressed out from thier activity. when we ordered, i examined the menu pretty thoroughly - they offered a lot of choices for pancakes (which I do not like), so I went to the "other" section and chose the following: Rice, Vegitables and cheeze - served with eggs and bacon. Sounds healthy enough right? Well, when our food came, i got a pancake. yes, a pancake larger than the plate along with the two eggs and bacon and toast. this being more food than a family of 3 should ever have not withstanding, i got exactly the opposite of what i ordered and wanted. so, after tasting it and confirming it was not to my liking, i attempted for a few minutes to contact someone to ask about it. i had to resort to walking up and interrupting the staff to ask about this so called "pancake." "oh, it's a rice cake." well, if that had been the description on the menu, i wouldn't have ordered it now would I. well, not to be a spoil sport, i ate my eggs and a little bacon, but only made a small dent in the huge "rice cake." my counterpart also made barely a dent in her "pancake." we left dissapointed.

couple of points here - breakfast shouldn't be stressful, so why make it difficult. breakfast isn't rocket science, so why couldn't the menu spell out what i was ordering. lastly, why do restaurants feel they have to serve more food than one person should really eat in a day for just one meal. picture your largest platter for serving and that was how large these pancakes were - for 1 person. i feel that is irresponsible of the restauranteur for having soo much food go to waste every day.

enough ranting.

urban vigilante

lawbreaker
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

today, when a and i were walking home from wings, we were 1/2 of the way through the crosswalk when the assclown in this car gunned through the intersection, swerving around us. he was probably 2' way from us. he then pulls a u-turn and parks. i proceed to confront him telling hime what he did was illegal and he was like -"did I hit you?" what kind of assface answer is that. i kept calm, telling him what he did was illegal and he challenged me on that stating he had driven a cab for 10 years. oh, and all the while, sitting higher in his seat. we left it at me telling him i was going to contact the police and taking down his license plate number.
we came home and i did just that, calling the non-emergency number and they were going to send an officer out to take a report. I then walked down, got more information about the car and took this picture. luckily, the officer came within 10 minutes and we told him this story. he went over to the restaurant and a few minutes later, I drove by while moving my truck to the back and his lights were on and the three people were standing by the car - big dramma and all. i hope he walked into the restaurant and pulled them out, fully embarrassing them and ruining their day.
in the end, the officer called me back telling me he informed them they admitted to doing what I said they did and he informed them of the law. he also stated that the drive was an asshole, but there was nothing they could do about it. i felt satisfied.

moral? don't fuck with me in my neighborhood. i'll make it worth my while to make assclowns and chuckleheads understand what they did was wrong.

Oh so true!

Oh so true!
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Actually seen on a mini van.....



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

sunset off mississippi

sunset off mississippi
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

so much to tell you.... tonight we walked down mississippi to pick up some zaa and a burrito and it was just beautiful. there were people out and every place on the street was alive and well. on the way home, we eyed this chimney and the smoke had the sunset right behind it, creating a wonderful image that i tried to capture.

times like this, i love portland. the smell of the fresh downpour in june and a sunset walk down mississippi.

also, the bio-swale @ mississippi commons.

General camry-lee

general camry
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Moment of portland chucklehead Zen. after leaving southpark this afternoon we eyed this guy driving by and just had to chase him down and photog it. OMG, i can't believe someone took the time and money to turn a 1980 camry into thier version of the general lee. then again, who am i to judge. i want to wear a marching band coat for my birthday.....

it even had a trailer hitch....

Mmmmmmmm good

Mmmmmmmm good
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Cheezesteak goodness. I enjoyed the sandwich @ Fords and the coleslaw. There was plenty of melted cheeze and grilled onions and thinly sliced beef. I will return.



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

Lunch @ Fords

Lunch @ Fords
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Today, i ventured over to old town for lunch. I chose Ford on 5th. This new locale caught my eye a few months back because it is by the old Satyricon AND they serve food until 3am on the weekend. The menu is simple- sanswiches and salads. They are famous for thier steak sandwiches. I am opting for a traditional cheezesteak.



More later when i finish.



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

Happy Dance Happy Dance

Just got this off Orblogs:

FireFly to Return to SciFi

Weeeeee

White Stripes - August 10 - Keller Auditorium

IMG_4609
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

So, I may get in trouble for this, but WTF!

White Stripes are coming to town August 10. You can get presale tickets here today 10am.


Good Luck

Neighborhood kitch

Neighborhood kitch
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

I love when neighborhoods embrace the culture of the area. This is from old town/china town here in portland. It creates a disneyland feeling. Maybe in the suburbs the phone booths could be replicas of ford explorers or hummers.



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

Me idiot.

Me idiot.
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Seen on corner of 4th and Oak.



Sent from my phone, probably whilst I am out walking.

Mmmmm cocktails

Mmmmm cocktails
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Driftwood Room at the Mallory Hotel. Wish it weren't lunchtime or I woulda went in and had me a whiskey sour. This is an old school joint where a martini is always served with gin and 2 olives. check it out before a beaver game next time.



Sent from my phone, probably whilst out walking.

Boyd coffee company

Boyd coffee company
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

Local coffee company Boyd Coffee is a well known Oregon business. If you have had coffee at a local restaurant, you've probably drank Boyds. Problem is - they only have 1 locale downtown and it is way off the beaten track. Try to compete with starbuks with that.

Navy Ships in puddletown

ships bw
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

the white shirts are here! the white shirts are here! yep, it's "fleet week" in pdx. i blogged a bit about it yesterday, but today got to take it all in from the lower deck of the steel bridge. i'm not a flag waver or one to really talk up the military. i generally disagree with what they are doing. i also know, by design, the military is only doing what thier leaders tell them to do, so i get angry at the leaders mostly. the guy/gal on the ship or at thier security post should not be the victim of my disdain or frustration about the administration's current policy.
today, i did something that would probably shock most of my peers. i walked up to the marines guarding the boats and just said thanks. i felt that they were doing thier jobs and in thier own way protecting my ability to hang out with friends and drinking beer. so, thanks guys.
i walked down along the seawall to check it all out and take it in. i'm a sucker for machinery and anything big. i love that show on cable called mega machines. if i could go out to a mine and just walk up to a huge dumptruck, i would probably faint. well, when i see these big ships, i get a bit childlike. i take pictures and look all touristy. i love it. i hope all those sailors are enjoying the city.

meth dreams

meth dreams
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

we all hear stories about meth heads stealng guardrails in the country to sell for meth. i wonder when they will get wise to the assclowns who leave thier lawn chairs out for the rose festival parade almost 2 days before the event. hmmm.

music on mississippi

playing music
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

after a nice excellent flavorfully spicy dinner at Thai Monsoon, a and i wandered down mississippi to visit with michael and the comic book store. little did we know how big this 2nd thursday music walk would be. beginning around shaver, there was music and vendors almost everywhere. people were about also, enjoying and listening and taking it all in. just n. of pistals on a street corner, two guys were on drums and a keyboard playing their hearts out.

we then moved south and saw some vendors and listened to music from pistells, lorenzos and finally the mississippi commons (above.) i was giddy with excitement, not because of the music, but because of the positive vibes coming from everyone around.

the grand opening party @ bridge city comics was great. it was pretty crowded and we understand when we were there, it was a light crowd. well done sir (and you know who you are.

also, the ladies @ Salty dog - great to meet you Nancy and always good to talk with you Paula. we'll be back with the pups.

i am sooooooooooooooooooooooo looking forward to mississippi in the summer months. it's gonna get crazy!

bikes!

so, i was having an enjoyable walk - seeing the fun center, being told i can't walk this way or that by security (men with machine guns.) then i proceeded up over the steel bridge thinking it would be nice to see the ships from that vantage point. well, there were an additional 6 coppers up there, so i mosied up gingerly only to find out it was totally ok to cross the bridge. about 1/2 way accross, i was almost run over by some walrus on a bike (out for his yearly ride). i jumped out of the way just in time. i then began thinking - "wait a minute. in february, i had a similar experience and checked - Bikes are supposed to be on the roadway." As i crossed the bridge, i began looking at the signs in reverse and boom, there it was - "Bikes on bridge roadway!" now, walrus man wasn't the only bike who pushed me out of the way. a couple of bike messengers and bike nazis also were there. even though they were polite, it is wrong. there really isn't enough room on that walkway for both people and bikes. argh.

Ships.

Ships.
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

The ships are in. There are sailors everywere.

come walking with us

tonight on N. mississippi it's 2nd thursday music walk. we'll be walking down n mississippi taking in the music and doing some general people watching and such. also, my buddy over @ bridge city comics is having a grand opening, so come by, buy a comic and welcome him to the hood.

carnie chinatown

carnie chinatown
Originally uploaded by dieselboi.

even in carnie land, you too can get a taste of chinatown.

so, here are my photogs of yesterdays adventure at the "fun" center.