Happy Halloween

(Ceiling fan)

Fallen

Speaking Of Old

I saw my brother. We met at an Oregon hotel and upon check-in I was asked if I had an AARP card. I was asked again the next day at breakfast. I was able to produce said card, qualifying me for discounts my little brother isn't old enough to get, but I liked it better when I was asked to prove if I was old enough to drink.

Reunion

I didn't go to my high school reunion. I graduated 30 years ago and for some reason, I never went back and stayed in touch with no one. It wasn't until very recently, through Facebook, that I only started to reconnect. Still, it wasn't enough for me to endure the awkwardness of a reunion with people I hardly knew. Old people, if the pictures are to be believed.

But the reunion found me. One did, anyway. I happened to be on Facebook lamenting the discomforts of our small apartment when I noticed a post from a high school classmate who was excited about promoting her novel on her first book tour, her current stop being Portland, just across the river from my tiny apartment.

A flurry of text messages produced phone numbers and before I knew it, we were planning time to get together. Right now she's giving an interview to the local newspaper at the Wordstock Festival at the Portland Convention Center and then we're off to lunch and 30 years of catching up.

The Secret

I think the secret to a long and successful marriage is this: Try not to kill your spouse.

Didn't Even Notice

3.2 magnitude quake rattles east Renton Thursday afternoon

Still True

America differed from Russia in that its government existed under the form of a democracy. The officials who ruled it, and got all the graft, had to be elected first; and so there were two rival sets of grafters, known as political parties....

The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, 1906

Goodbye, Netflix

I elected not to continue my streaming service with Netflix. As of today, I'm DVD only. Of course, Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO, sent me a personal message* of apology for screwing things up but that didn't change my mind.

And so, on my last night of streaming, I streamed Food, Inc., a very good movie that intrigued me as well as angered me in more ways than one. Something you should see.

And, so what? I liked the movie. I don't know why I reached out. I guess I was just frustrated by you always wanting more and more, but giving less and less. But, believe me, it didn't mean anything to me. It just sort of happened. Don't walk out on me!

Up yours, Netflix. Or, Qwikster. Or, whoever you are.

*Not only can you find the full text of his e-mail at this link, but you can also find Huffington Post's take on Mr. Hastings' follow up e-mails. Definitely, worth the read.

Ahoy!

It's International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Walla

I think we said, "Strawberry" or "This way, that way." All I remember is, "One orange cookie!"

We watched a movie where the subtitles indicated "walla." I was very entertained to find out what that was.

Kelley Point Park

Today's walk.

$16 Million and The Velcro Number

My husband remarked, to no one in particular, "We just paid $16 million for that guy!" We, meaning our local professional football team. And that guy, being someone who apparently wasn't doing his job last Sunday.

I know it's pre-season but I'm thinking, if my body was worth $16 million, the last thing I'd do is throw it in front of a 300 lb. gorilla.

I don't know how much our much esteemed football team pays for a kicker (I'm guessing less than $16M), but that's my guy. That's the jersey I wear. Last year it was #10, and before that it was #3. (Put those numbers together and you get my birthday.)

I'm worried the kicker's mom isn't in the stands to cheer for them. (I'm worried for all Special Teams but what can one girl do?) I'm worried that no one cheers for them or knows their names. So when #3 was on the team, I had a jersey made with his name and number on it, just like the bigger boys. And after a couple of years of cheering at the top of my lungs every time he ran on the field, he left me. Went to St. Louis. (Wham! Bam! Rams! - the traitor!) I met him. Had my picture taken with him. Worshiped him. And, he left.

I didn't get a #10 jersey which is good becauase he's gone, too.

Now, it's #5. (Go, Jeff!)

Now, I just wear a jersey with a Velcro number.

L'emmerdeur (A Pain in the Ass)

Rotten Tomatoes gives it 63% but the audience only gives it 50%. I vote thumbs up on this one. On Comcast, it's free* which raises its score considerably.

*Free with a subscription to everything else.

Brought To You By The Letter P

This week's menu so far has included:

Pork and Pasta salad and Peaches
Pizza
Poultry and Potatoes with Peas
Pesto Pasta with Poultry and Peppers

Tonight, it's Pasta Primavera and tomorrow, it's Pesto Pizza.

View From Vancouver Train Station

From Drop Box

"Welcome to the inner circle of tax data geeks."

Cool Treasury Data on the Revenue Effect of Past Tax Bills

The real purpose of this post was to see who’d click through to an entry titled “cool data…”

Just In Time For Fall

New leaf-peeping foliage app from Yankee magazine

Yankee's new Leaf Peepr app, free and downloadable for iPhones and Droids, lets users check color status by region or zip code, and also offers interactive elements like the ability to upload new reports and photos to YankeeFoliage.com's fall foliage map. Leaf color on the Leaf Peepr app is coded as green, turning, moderate, peak, fading and gone.

Read more.

Caution: Language Not Appropriate For Small Ones

In Case You Were Wondering

Bert and Ernie - not gay

Chicken Little

Paltry Poultry