Americana

A friend invited me to see some music on saturday afternoon. it was outrageously hot, but i decided to take the bus anyways. my does heat make portlanders CRANKY. including the driver. I escaped the bus with my life and most of my dignity up at Glisan and 30th in the northeast where I found The Laurelthirst Pub. Its a serious music fan sort of place, set up with a little stage. I had never heard Little Sue or Lynn Conover. My friend told me it was "alt country." Boy is that genre a mixed bag, so I was completely prepared for it to be crappy. Yay! it was charming!

From what i gathered, they each have their own bands and music things that they do and only get together occasionally. They sounded a little bit like Freakwater, but most of the tunes were covers with really unexpected arrangements, delivered in two part harmony with guitar and mandolin. My favorite was a version of the Velvet Underground song "I'll be your Mirror." What a pretty song. But even in the bar with nominal air conditioning, it was stick-to-your-chair hot. Little Sue and Lynn were both in sun dresses and bare feet which added to the americana-ness of the whole thing. I have a good feeling that I'm about to let these ladies lead me into the local country music scene.

I'll be Your Mirror - The Velvet Underground and Nico

milestone

Yesterday I filed by first brief in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and I think it might even be a winner. For the non lawyer readers, the Ninth Circuit is the appellate court with jurisdiction over Oregon, California, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, Idaho, Montana and Washington. Its huge. And it has the reputation as being a very cutting edge, individual rights oriented court, especially on immigration law and prisoner rights issues. A majority of the judges were appointed by democratic presidents and the Supreme Court of the United States relishes in overturning Ninth Circuit decisions. For a public interest lawyer like myself, getting to litigate in the Ninth Circuit feels a bit like arriving in Emerald City. Now the attorneys for the United States will receive my brief, attack my arguments, and generally play the part of the flying monkeys. But I have a good feeling about this one.

To celebrate, I'm going to see Leslie and the Lys tonight at Satyricon. Here's hoping that she'll bring The Mobile Museum of Gem Sweaters, the band's tour bus/gift shop/museum that serves as a shrine and sort of pet rescue operation for gem sweaters from the 80s. <a href="http://www.atom.com/funny_videos/leslie_gem_sweater/" target="_blank">Leslie and the Lys: "Gem Sweater"</a>

Leslie and the Lys: "Gem Sweater"

Ligaments and Firmaments

Indeed, I hurt my ankle. Its bad, but not as bad as i thought. I'm in a brace, not a cast. I'm off the crutches. But its CRAMPING MY STYLE. I like to walk everywhere all the time. I have a plan to hike to hot springs around Oregon. i have a plan to climb Mt. Hood. I want to go mountain biking in Bend. So much to all that. I guess i need to front load the kayaking plan for now. i guess there are worse things. How did I do it? At the starbucks, in the suburbs, stepping off a curb, sober as a church mouse on my way to a church. A mega church, in fact, that was hosting a dance recital where my second cousin once removed was performing her annual dance recital amid 200 other children, ages 4 to 18. All I could do was glower at the jazz, tap, ballet and hip hop children and resent their mobility as i propped my goose egg swelling ankle up on one of the back pews under a bag of ice. For three hours. The spectacular highlight was the church parking lot. So that the kabillion people can find their cars, they had it set up like an airport with parking areas marked with identifying signs. Signs named for books of the bible. I was so hoping that the rabbit would park us in Revelations, but it was full because it was closest to the entrance. Instead, I had to limp my way past John and Matthew, and down a set of stairs to Mark.

Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi

Fujiya & Miyagi - Ankle Injuries

The Louvin Brothers - The River of Jordan

Velveteria

The Velveteria, a velvet painting museum, is probably a one of a kind sort of place, with something for everyone. If black velvet is your thing. They have some very skillfully rendered pin up girl sorts of pieces that were painted by artists in the Phillipines, catering to an audience of returning GIs. They have lots of clowns, jesuses, cowboys, native american themed paintings, and a menagerie of notables: Kenny Rogers, The Honorable Elijah Mohammed, Michael Jackson, Sylvester Stallone, Liberace, and of course Elvis. The owners were really nice and supposedly will let you touch the velvet if you are careful so you can feel its velvety plushiness.

I think The Unicorn Comb-Over, (so titled by its owners) was my favorite.

Ankle Sad

The Unbelievable Sweat of Rhett Miller

So the other night I went to see The Old 97's play at the Wonderland Ballroom. My friend Katie, very sensible, asked, "Tex, do you wear earplugs?" because i go to a lot of shows and I guess I should get my act together and start doing that because she had a point. There was a pile driver outside my office at work for a couple of weeks in the winter and the HR folks bought everyone shooting range ear muffs. (you could still hear the pile driver and my water bottle would vibrate across my desk). But maybe I could wear those to the shows. or just get some nice orange poofy kind of plugs like everyone else. I have been listening to the Old 97's for years since they are from Texas and sound like it in a good way. About 3 or 4 songs into the show I leaned over to Katie and mentioned that the lead singer, Rhett Miller, was getting pretty sweaty. Everyone else in the band was shower fresh, but Miller's head was all wet and his shirt was starting to stick to him. She told me that every show he sweats so much that by the end, he's soaked to his drawers. And it was pretty amazing to watch him whipping his head around like a sprinkler set, spraying the stage and his bandmates with his honky tonk mansweat. he's not a big man. he's just a little guy. Where does all that liquid come from?




The Old 97's - Big Brown Eyes

The Old 97's - Dance with Me

Highs and Lows

Big times in the Portland with Michael and Alexis's visit. We ran them through the Portland obstacle course this evening. First, a multi-meat dinner orgy at Pok Pok in SE. Alexis ordered something i've never heard of before: drinking vinegar. They mix it with soda water and they have different flavors. It was really interesting in a basic (opposite of acid) kind of way, though not the kind of bev you feel the need to finish. And then it was a dash across the bridge to Annie Bloom's bookstore to see revered leader Steve Wax read from
his new book Kafka Comes to America. It was packed and it was inspiring and humbling to hear him talk about the various "war on terror" related cases he has handled through our office over the past several years, like the Brandon Mayfield debacle and Gitmo cases. I just found out this week that when he started out long ago he was a prosecutor on the Son of Sam case in New York. We packed the gang back in the car after that and hit the Portland Grill, because it was such a pretty day and you could see forever and ever out the windows. From the 30th floor, we then plunged down into old town Portland, where a gutter punk was playing the accordion out in front of Voodoo Doughnuts. So sad they are leaving tomorrow, driving all the way back to Seattle. And then my dad comes. And then Gretchen comes while my dad is still here (a brilliant bit of cross-programming).

Holding Up Traffic

I was among several hundred lesbians who decided to hold up traffic saturday night for Portland's annual dyke march. It was extra fun this year because I had a purpose. My friend Gretchen Phillips is coming to town next week to play a show so I had reason to approach the many to give them a little flyer. Yay!

soccer rowdy

The Timbers played Atlanta tonight. They didn't win but they tied. I was sitting with the rowdies in the Timbers Army section with my pals when the fourth goal was scored against our team and we were sad but unflappable. the soccer scene is totally one of the best things about Portland.

And almost immediately I felt sorry

I have spent the past days getting my financial act together, opening new accounts, trying to straighten things out after the dirty thieves went shopping on my credit. And what they say about American Express is true. They get you your card back right away. The rabbit is in Ohio, so I have been putting in the long hours at the office this week. Needing a reason to leave the desk, i went to see a reading at Powell's on a whim and sawKerry Cohen read from her new book, Loose Girl. It was really interesting. She's an Iowa MFA and a psychotherapist. The book was about how she was a teen and then young adult who went off the sex deep end and what that was all about for her. They say the memoir has been beaten to death but since the author seems to be coming at it from a pretty self-aware, rather than confessional place, it was revealing and talked about the pathology that goes on with girls who get wrapped up in that world. Sad, but fascinating in that familiar way about things you have seen around but haven't quite put your finger on before. I always liked the wild girls when I was a teen since they were the only ones who sized me up and would flirt with me, even though they were mostly straight and all. And then we'd just be friends.

The Velvet Underground - Stephanie Says

Liz Phair - Fuck and Run

Suck City

Went down to the Clackamas River Sunday afternoon for a little trout fishing. Didn't catch anything. Once again, my fishing expedition became a bird watching event. Saw a really good osprey. Walked around in the river in waders, a beautiful day UNTIL.... OH! UNTIL... we got back to the car. Some bastards broke into the vehicle somehow and stole my bag out of the trunk, and my friend's phone. And my bag had everything in it (on account of not wanting to drop it in the river). Wallet, phone, ipod, etc. By pure luck I had my house keys in my pocket, but everything else was gone. By the time we drove back to my friend's house to use the phone to cancel the cards, the thieves had gone shopping at Best Buy, Target, 7-11, Home Depot, etc etc. Professional sons of bitches. So now, AGAIN, I don't have your number anymore. Or an ipod to keep me company. Or anything besides the $40 that my friends lent me. the rabbit is in ohio for the week. sons of bitches.

Rev. Hason and the Rock Camp Girls

Shayla Hason is one of my dearest and oldest and tonight she had a colossal, fabulous opening at Nemo on Belmont. Blubird, a really good alumni band from the Rock and Roll camp for Girls played. Shayla's photos are so awesome and it was a great event and I wish you all could have been there. i am so happy for my friend.

That's no moon! That's a courthouse!

I've taken to calling the looming Hatfield Federal Courthouse by a nickname on account of its huge courtrooms, sterile lines, slight curvature, and purpose. Its The Fully Operational Death Star. Something possessed me to share this with a client when we were in the Isaac Asimov inspired elevator the other day. You know, to lighten the mood. He smiled but I think he was just being nice. When I told the rabbit about it she said I was a Fully Operational Goober. Point taken.

Tall Ships!

This scene unfurled outside my office window this afternoon. Raising the bridge at rush hour snarled up the traffic pretty good. There were more bicycles than cars stuck at the foot of the Hawthorne bridge but I don't think people minded too much because they were all hanging on the railing, craning their necks to get a look at the boats. You could see sailors climbing around way up in the riggings. i wonder if there's a way I can negotiate my way onto a boat like that...

The Liars - Sailing to Byzantium

The Voom Blooms- Nine Ships

Your Digits

I lost my cell phone at the sasquatch so if you haven't heard from me lately, that's why. I don't have your number anymore. You know you miss my whining and abrupt hangups. So email me your number, yes?

Oh, Columbus

Made it back to the stomping grounds for a hot 34 hours after my work conference. it was too short and crazy, but I did manage to drive by the old house, attend at least three house parties, and eat some really good local goat cheese. Mostly i wish the world revolved around me so i could pack everyone into a humongous suitcase and haul them back to Portland. Where they could ride the streetcar.