Thursday, April 17, 2008
Think About This Next Time You Get Into An Elevator
A lot of people have been linking this article and accompanying video so I'm not being original, but this is worth a look. Dawn and I talked about it and the video made us both very uncomfortable, very sad. Anyways, watch it, enjoy.
Monday, April 14, 2008
On the Way to Work or The Crazy Old Man Two Step
Guy 1 walks over to guy 2 on the train today. Guy 1 leans over guy 2 and coughs onto guy 2, then immediately turns and walks the length of the train. Very odd, gross. Guy 2, looking confused, continues reading and being a normal person on a train. Meanwhile, guy 1 has just turned back toward guy 2 and is walking with purpose. Guy 1 again gets to guy 2 and coughs, loudly, then walks off again. Still gross, now more odd. This time guy 2 looks mad but he sees that guy 1 has taken a seat at the other end of the train, so guy 2 shakes his head and continues to read. This lasts for maybe 10 seconds before guy 1 decides he has another cough in him. As he appoaches guy 2, guy 2 states, "if you cough on me again I'm going to punch you." Fair warning, well deserved. So guy 1, looking chastened, kicks guy 2 in the shin. Now comical. Guy 2 gets up and guy 1 starts making laps of the train until the next stop where he gets out. Ahh, public transportation.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Redesign
Sergio has been playing with HTML for the past few days, and figured out how to do a bunch of stuff that makes the blog more ours and less blogger. He was also the one to post the last three items, totally taking up my slack with the blog lately. Very nice. The picture at the top is Portland. We will continue to play for awhile, so bear with us while we learn. Also, you might let us know if anything we are doing is causing the page to load slowly for you. Otherwise, what do you think?
And The Poor Rich Get Richer While the Real Poor Get Dumber
Click here
My problem with this practice is not necessarily that private schools are getting title 1 funds but that the distribution model is different for private and public schools.
My problem with this practice is not necessarily that private schools are getting title 1 funds but that the distribution model is different for private and public schools.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Absolutly Hillarious
Some of you may have seen this on the news, but for those of you who haven't this is an advertisement Absolut Vodka ran in Mexico. It has apparently caused quite an uproar in the US but I think it's great, and in any case very good advertising.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Movie Reviews
Facing the Giants ♣♣
This is a simple little football movie that (I think) was made entirely by a church and its congregation. Writers, actors, caterers, etc. It is heavy on the religion, and not necessarily something we would have watched on our own. We both agreed, though, that the production value was incredible for a small independent film, and we applauded the project on the whole. Once in a while I broke out in a mild blush at a poor acting moment, or overly earnest dialogue, but not a bad way to spend an hour and half.
Enchanted ♣♣♣
Okay, I'll admit when I saw these previews I could not figure out who would want to see this movie. I don't know exactly what I thought it would be, but I was not interested. Neither was Sergio. But then something strange happened. It got great ratings and wonderful reviews, and of course, I had to know what the big deal was. One word: charming. No, wait...two words: charming and funny.
Michael Clayton ♣♣♣½
Good story, good acting. The only problem was Sergio telling me that this could really be what it's like for some lawyers. Scary thought.
The Darjeeling Limited ♣♣♣½
Totally Wes Anderson, but a little less goofy than his latest movies, like Zissou. Made me think more of The Royal Tenenbaums, which is my favorite...yippy!
Waitress ♣♣♣
I watched this awhile ago, so my rating might be a bit skewed. Sergio didn't pay attention, so this is all me. I wanted to see this movie because I wondered if the ratings had been skewed by the untimely and tragic death of the writer/director/actress. Verdict: I don't know. I liked it a lot, but I can see that some people might not. If you miss seeing Andy Griffith on television then check this out. He is pretty funny.
This is a simple little football movie that (I think) was made entirely by a church and its congregation. Writers, actors, caterers, etc. It is heavy on the religion, and not necessarily something we would have watched on our own. We both agreed, though, that the production value was incredible for a small independent film, and we applauded the project on the whole. Once in a while I broke out in a mild blush at a poor acting moment, or overly earnest dialogue, but not a bad way to spend an hour and half.
Enchanted ♣♣♣
Okay, I'll admit when I saw these previews I could not figure out who would want to see this movie. I don't know exactly what I thought it would be, but I was not interested. Neither was Sergio. But then something strange happened. It got great ratings and wonderful reviews, and of course, I had to know what the big deal was. One word: charming. No, wait...two words: charming and funny.
Michael Clayton ♣♣♣½
Good story, good acting. The only problem was Sergio telling me that this could really be what it's like for some lawyers. Scary thought.
The Darjeeling Limited ♣♣♣½
Totally Wes Anderson, but a little less goofy than his latest movies, like Zissou. Made me think more of The Royal Tenenbaums, which is my favorite...yippy!
Waitress ♣♣♣
I watched this awhile ago, so my rating might be a bit skewed. Sergio didn't pay attention, so this is all me. I wanted to see this movie because I wondered if the ratings had been skewed by the untimely and tragic death of the writer/director/actress. Verdict: I don't know. I liked it a lot, but I can see that some people might not. If you miss seeing Andy Griffith on television then check this out. He is pretty funny.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Spring Break Part Two
Before we get to the spring break trip, I think I would like to rant a bit. Since we moved to Oregon we have seen a series of commercials for a certain brand of chicken that comes from either California or Oregon. It features two goofy, redneck chickens trying to convince Oregonians that they aren't "from Arkansas." Of course, this is in reference to Tyson...but how many regular people know that Tyson is headquartered in Arkansas? The latest commercial, the one that finally set me off asks, "What's the opposite of Oregon? Arkansas."
Um...what? It basically just comes across as a smear campaign against Arkansas and all of our sneaky, dirty, backwoods ways. Also, I can't tell you how many times Sergio and I have compared the two states. You step outside Portland city limits and it's just not that different.
Anyway, back to spring break. After Oklahoma there was Texas and New Mexico. We stopped outside of Albuquerque for a night. Somewhere in Texas (I think) we saw an advertisement for the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere. We didn't bother to exit and see this cross because, HEY, it's BIG. We could see it from the road. Though it certainly was large, I felt like I had seen bigger crosses before at some of the mega-churches. I would be interested to know exactly how they are measuring. Perhaps the girth of the cross is what earned it the honored title of Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere. You have to love America and its dedication to completely obscure objects. Stay tuned for our brief encounter with the World's Largest Thermometer!
I don't know why we can't get some of our pictures to flip, but you get the idea. Also, I can't remember what state that Navajo store was in, and I missed the New in the New Mexico sign. The speed limit in both NM and Arizona was 75 mph, so you can see how I might not have had time to frame the shot.
Um...what? It basically just comes across as a smear campaign against Arkansas and all of our sneaky, dirty, backwoods ways. Also, I can't tell you how many times Sergio and I have compared the two states. You step outside Portland city limits and it's just not that different.
Anyway, back to spring break. After Oklahoma there was Texas and New Mexico. We stopped outside of Albuquerque for a night. Somewhere in Texas (I think) we saw an advertisement for the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere. We didn't bother to exit and see this cross because, HEY, it's BIG. We could see it from the road. Though it certainly was large, I felt like I had seen bigger crosses before at some of the mega-churches. I would be interested to know exactly how they are measuring. Perhaps the girth of the cross is what earned it the honored title of Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere. You have to love America and its dedication to completely obscure objects. Stay tuned for our brief encounter with the World's Largest Thermometer!
I don't know why we can't get some of our pictures to flip, but you get the idea. Also, I can't remember what state that Navajo store was in, and I missed the New in the New Mexico sign. The speed limit in both NM and Arizona was 75 mph, so you can see how I might not have had time to frame the shot.
Monday, March 31, 2008
This Land is Your Land, This Land is Our Land...Mostly Ours Since Eliot Marked Most of it Last Week
Our spring break trip in a nutshell: Fly to Little Rock and spend the day, then drive to Paragould and Pocahontas to get our NEW CAR! Turn right around and drive to Fayetteville the same day. Leave town and drive to Portland via Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California. Stop along the way to see the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial, Petrified Forest, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. Roughly 2,600 miles in roughly four days.
Part One:
We decided to stop at the Oklahoma City Memorial because we thought it was a shame that we had lived so close and never gone. If you haven’t gone and you have the opportunity to do so, do so. We agreed that it was one of the better memorials we have seen. I guess that could have something to do with the fact that we both remember that day really well. The Lincoln Memorial is fantastic, but I don’t have a firsthand memory of the guy.
The smaller chairs are representative of the children. Sad. We have a lot more pictures, but they seem stuck sideways for now. We will devote a proper post to the memorial soon. Tomorrow, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Part One:
We decided to stop at the Oklahoma City Memorial because we thought it was a shame that we had lived so close and never gone. If you haven’t gone and you have the opportunity to do so, do so. We agreed that it was one of the better memorials we have seen. I guess that could have something to do with the fact that we both remember that day really well. The Lincoln Memorial is fantastic, but I don’t have a firsthand memory of the guy.
The smaller chairs are representative of the children. Sad. We have a lot more pictures, but they seem stuck sideways for now. We will devote a proper post to the memorial soon. Tomorrow, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Dispatches from A bakery At the End of the World, Not Really, Actually From a Bakery by the Mall We Like
We are internet-less again. I would complain more but my friend Louisa just sent me a message from East Timor saying she is really enjoying her new job despite the fact that there is a 10 pm curfew ever since the President of that country was shot, and contracting malaria is still a real possibility. So...yeah...I guess I won't complain that I can't find free internet in my house right now.
It wouldn't have mattered much anyway. I am very busy. I am sure Sergio is too, but how would I know since I don't have time to ask him? I wanted to post on Thursday because that was our 4th anniversary. Last year on our anniversary I told you that our marriage was like a toddler. I guess this year we are in Pre-K. That is about as far as I can take that comparison this time as my brain is a little fried from the test I spent over half of my Saturday taking. Four Years. Everyday I feel a little more like an adult. I would feel all the way like an adult if we hadn't missed daylight savings time and been late for everything last monday. It's those small things that prove we still can't function without calls from out moms.
Sergio deserves recognition for totally making our anniversary nice this year. On wednesday he made me a really nice dinner and had a fire and stuff, and then on Thursday he sent me a fancy box full of fancy salamis (from Salumi in Seattle) and cheeses and chocolate. The eating of the contents of that basket was a gift for both of us, which was good, since I didn't do a thing for our anniversary except remember that it was that day. Cold, I know.
What else? How about a picture? Let me see what I've got.
Just under four years ago.
It wouldn't have mattered much anyway. I am very busy. I am sure Sergio is too, but how would I know since I don't have time to ask him? I wanted to post on Thursday because that was our 4th anniversary. Last year on our anniversary I told you that our marriage was like a toddler. I guess this year we are in Pre-K. That is about as far as I can take that comparison this time as my brain is a little fried from the test I spent over half of my Saturday taking. Four Years. Everyday I feel a little more like an adult. I would feel all the way like an adult if we hadn't missed daylight savings time and been late for everything last monday. It's those small things that prove we still can't function without calls from out moms.
Sergio deserves recognition for totally making our anniversary nice this year. On wednesday he made me a really nice dinner and had a fire and stuff, and then on Thursday he sent me a fancy box full of fancy salamis (from Salumi in Seattle) and cheeses and chocolate. The eating of the contents of that basket was a gift for both of us, which was good, since I didn't do a thing for our anniversary except remember that it was that day. Cold, I know.
What else? How about a picture? Let me see what I've got.
Just under four years ago.
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