Change of Plans

For whatever reason, I decided I wasn't feeling the Greece trip. It was Greek to me. And so I switched those tickets for 2 weeks around the Mediterranean, starting out in Milan and flying back home from Barcelona. As a bonus, friends are also going to be in Spain for part of that time. So I'm going to be cheerfully meandering with a back pack and sense of adventure coming up soon. If you have any thoughts on things I should see, do tell.

D.B. Cooper

One of the great Northwestern mysteries is what in the heck ever happened to D.B. Cooper. I am generally interested in criminal folk heroes and have been acquainted with Mr. Cooper for quite a number of years. I remembered he was vaguely supposed to have manifested in this part of the country, but it wasn't until the recent Oregonian article on his continuing saga that I realized that the legend of D.B. Cooper is based right here in Portland. Here's the tale, roughly:

In 1971, he hijacked a Boeing 727 Northwest Orient airliner and threatened to blow it up. Through hostage negotiations, he extorted $200,000 and then leaped from the airborne 727 with a parachute somewhere over the vast forested wilderness of Portland, near the Columbia river. He was never seen again—dead or alive. D.B. Cooper and the money were gone into thin air. In February 1980, an eight-year-old found $5,880 in decaying $20 bills along the river, which proved to be part of the original ransom. Folks have speculated that he must have crashed and died. But nary a trace of him was ever recovered. So is D.B. Cooper my landlord? Is he living out by the coast? Did he land in the river and get eaten by a sturgeon? We do not know. The authorities say he didn't survive the crash, but never recovered a body. So who the hell knows?

What I did find out, on inquiry, is that the D.B. Cooper matter is an open investigation by the FBI in Oregon and a federal assistant United States Attorney who I am friendly with has been tasked with bringing D.B. to justice, should he ever be found. In the Fort Worth/Dallas area where I grew up, the local conspiracy theorists are dialed into Lee Harvey Oswald and the magic bullet. Out here, the amateur sleuths theorize on D.B. Cooper and what became of that daring mad man and all that cash. The case is still considered unsolved and is one of the most extensive American manhunts of the 20th century.

I am hoping if he is ever found that he will have spent that $200K, be without the financial resources to retain counsel, and that I can represent him because that would be very cool.


It Ends With a Fall - Okkervil River

Take Me To the River - Talking Heads

Basketball

I got to go to the Trailblazers game on Saturday night. Never been to an NBA game before and here's what I saw: tall guys, no black guys except for the people who worked there and the players on the court, cheerleaders, a "stun team" that jumped on trampolines during intermissions to make slam dunks, many children, break dancers, and the Blazers beating the Timberwolves 94 to 90 or something like that.

Good Morning

Early staff meeting today, and I'm still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. A couple of things:

1. For all of you well wishers who want to know why I haven't been fast-tracked into becoming a federal judge, this Douglas Berman blog post put it about as well as anyone I've seen. I'm sure that's the only reason, right? I pay my taxes and surely the judiciary could benefit from the addition of an indie rock obsessive adventure nut.

2. Word on the street is that Sleater-Kinney really might do a reunion show tonight. DANG. And guess who has a ticket?

morning after update: No, Sleater-Kinney did not reunite. They were all under the same roof but they weren't all plugged in. GREAT show anyways, I say. Explode into Colors, Tu Fawning and Mirah were soooooo good.

Coffee Contest

The United States Barista Championship is being held at the Oregon Convention Center March 5-8. They say:

The USBC is an event designed to encourage and recognize professional achievement in the art of espresso beverage preparation and service. Competitors will prepare and service three coffee beverages - one espresso, one cappuccino, and one signature drink of their own creation - for four judges in a space of 15 minutes. The winner of the USBC goes on to represent the United States at the World Barista Championship.

How caffinated can I get? Last weekend I sweat through my shirt and couldn't sit still and that was just based on a couple of americanos. I am ready for the challenge, since the event is open to the public, free, and apparently will be rife with coffee samples and chocolate.

Minigolf Art Invitational

holocene mini golf freak out from jlowe on Vimeo.


This past week I was pleased and lucky to go to the Holocene Minigolf Art Invitational. Imagine a bunch of artists from around Portland designing minigolf holes. Then they transformed the Holocene bar into a giant putting course and Tender Forever played a set in the middle of the action. I cannot find any pictures that can capture the stunning mayhem of it all, but my two favorite holes were the big cougar looking one and the one made by Pancake Clubhouse Historic Township and Activity Destination for the Living Arts. If you got a hole in one, you got a free pancake.

This Thursday

I wonder who Corin Tucker's two special musical guests will be. This is my deep thought of the week. I got tickets today so I'll be reporting later as the mystery is revealed.