Good evening Lj readers,

how are things? Here they have been balanced.

ETA : This particular Wednesday (yesterday), I remembered earlier on in the day that it was a "blog day", however indeed : forgot to post, heh. So I shall post now! After a while I'll 'post-date' this back a day to Wednesday evening for archive's sake.

Here is today's exercise :

* Neon Trees (part 1 of 2)

Courtesy a local radio promo, I was able to nicely meet band Neon Trees a while ago. The band was performing that evening at a local venue, and even though we were meeting them @ noon, they seemed to have a busy schedule ahead of themselves. The radio station, when this sort of thing happens with groups, often nicely gets free pizza for everybody attending, even though the band was neither late nor not-playing (they played two songs). They sounded good! I think some of their roots were in the genre of country ; although indeed as a band they are more rock-n-roll-based. I got a picture and, nicely a signed poster too!

* Neon Trees (part 2 of 2)



The band's schedule was so thorough, they literally had just enough time for greetings, to say thank you and get a picture. Zip!

* Player One

Courtesy the local library, I was able to recently read this book ; a recent work from Canadian author Douglas Coupland. PO, which was originally delivered in a very interesting medium (5 speeches spaced out over 5 locations) collects a narrative into (not surprisingly) 5 chapters on an "end of the world" scenario. Doug continues his useful stylistic pattern of changing narrators from paragraph to paragraph (chapter to chapter, etc), all labeled. Although very much a collection of differing philosophies all attempting to explain new types of vaguely-disgruntled scenarios, some astute observations about society appear in the writings as well. His seminal work Generation X seems light-hearted by comparison.
In the story the world starts 'anew' after an unforeseen event happens to drain all oil from the world. 5 ("or so") strangers meet in an airport lounge, then find themselves sealed in as chemical explosions nearby make going outside temporarily difficult. An interesting collection of "moving past" concepts like 'time', 'the internet' and 'the middle class' ; and certainly not without some non-bleak moments.

* Misc. other

Some other small things, for which I am thankful : actor Jim "Big Bang Theory" Parsons and singer Queen Latifah coming out of the closet (good for them!). tea with my neighbor Steve before his schedule is too busy. a convenient work schedule this particular upcoming week. cycling on the paths to a local shopping center and seeing fish in the river. finding websites which sell gift cards (w/ free shipping) at a discount.

Okay. Have a good night!

Take care,
* Geoff

Good evening Lj readers,

how are things? Here they have been nice & temperate.

Here are the one-time events of the day :

* Resurrect Dead: Mystery of the Toynbee Tiles

Courtesy the internet, I was able recently view this particular movie, a 2011 documentary which won a director's award at Sundance. I had originally encountered a mention of it on critic Roger Ebert's website.
RD is a relatively-tricky to find movie ; although indeed it is on Netflix. It tells a (true) story of mysterious tiles which began appearing around the US (and elsewhere) in the late 1980's, mostly in Philadelphia. The tiles referenced the movie 2001 and bringing people back to life. Random other clues scattered about, from references in plays to TV broadcasts being interrupted, might sound unrelated at first but soon start oddly connecting together.
Many Hollywood movies have raised the bar on "the fantastical" to great heights, however this movie is a good example of a realistically-interesting "situation" being studied by various people. Indeed, a reason for which documentaries can exist ~

* "Yelp" (part 1 of 2)

Earlier this week, helpful national site Yelp (a user-generated review site of places ; mostly restaurants) held some in a series of Columbus events loosely focused on yoga and relaxation. A local candle-making place hosted one such event with a generous gift of a free, custom-made full-sized candle as a gift. I RSVP'ed but the event was full. Taking a chance, I showed up anyway in case someone had cancelled. Indeed, they did!
I was able to make an "English earth" candle (a combination of scents 'earth' and 'English ivy') and pick up it after attending a separate event nearby at a tea house.

* "Yelp" (part 2 of 2)

I have been going to the tea place from around 8 or so months after it first opened ; in 2001. The owner was giving a presentation on the "101" of tea ; where it comes from, the various types etc. Also included was some food pairing information and a handful of samples (butterscotch, chocolate, strawberries and some shrimp & chicken bites for non-vegetarians). Brewing samples of around 10 or so teas were also made and set out to be collectively sampled via plastic spoon.
"And now", the owner said, "we can have a few words from a long-time customer". I looked around, wondering who else was speaking. Then he pointed at me : "Geoff". Oh my! With a mix of flattery and alarm ("flalarm", if we will) I said a few words about how I liked the place and how the menu used to be smaller (around 40 items) but was now larger (around 100). I kid about being alarmed ; I am lucky to have long since moved past any nervousness re : public speaking. It was very nice to be greeted by the owner. In all, some nice events!

* Misc. other

Some other small things, for which I am thankful : the generosity of some customers at work recently, who so-appreciated my 'customer service' they nicely gave me a gift card to a shoe place for $80 (!) (, I got some sneakers). the refining experiences that come with life. finding good deals @ a local Good Will recently (A & F shorts, pants, a button-down shirt and sweats, a long-sleeved Hollister shirt and a tank top, all for $20!). smelling some new scents at a local Bath & Bodyworks. My friend Scott telling me all of the Pride 2012 'gossip' over a recent lunch, heh.

Okay. Have a good night!

Take care,
* Geoff

Good evening Lj readers,

how are things? Here they have been organized.

Here is the blackness of the day :

* The Dark Tower (part 5/7) : Wolves of the Calla

While vacationing in Portland Oregon recently, I was able to read this book, the 5th of 7 in author Stephen King's series. The scope of the one tale that is of a gunslinger (with his allies) en route to the 'dark tower' is great, and some characters from other novels by Mr. King appear. The more one has read of him the more one can catch, although indeed it is neither necessary nor complicated. In this part of the tale (without saying too much), Father Callihan - he who battled vampires in book Salem's Lot years ago - he found his way to the place called Calla after being hounded by the low men with yellow coats ("Their sticks were sharp at both ends"), who themselves appeared in book Hearts in Atlantis with their clever / nightmarish way of tracking people via fake 'lost pet' posters. As is true with many longer tales, it takes some time to read but is a great story. Recommended if one has the time for it!

* Pariah

Courtesy the local library (and, originally, a mention by film critic Roger Ebert on his website) I was able to recently see this movie ; a 2011 feature by writer / director Dee Rees. Spike Lee, a famous established filmmaker, is one of the film's many producers as well. P tells the tale of a young woman named Alike, who lives in New York City and is set to graduate high school. She has long since realized she happens to be a lesbian, but this remains the "white elephant" in the room no one talks about. Her situation at home, only partially-related to anything with her personally, can be tricky at times. The story is wonderfully inspirational as it reminds people that greatness can rise up out of even difficult surroundings. It is a relatively short film (86 minutes), and set in the 'inner city', and these observations plus the narrative may not necessarily drive in a large audience, however it is a good story and certainly worth the time to see.

* BGSU : Founders Keepers (part 1 of 2)

This past Tuesday I headed up to my college town of Bowling Green (Ohio) to visit for the day and also swing by an eatery on campus which is set to be fazed out in June of this year. "Keepers" was the clever name of the cafe' in Founders Hall, a fancy dorm residency on campus. The story above it was 'open', allowing one to look down to the lower level. I remember eating here from time to time during my undergrad years. Windows against one side of the wall were essentially level with the sidewalk outside, so during the winter months the view would be white with snow.

* BGSU : Founders Keepers (part 2 of 2)

I met a few people from the world of computer chat here, including friends Colleen and Bill (IRC nicknames : Veronica and Moses, respectively). Across the way from the main place to eat was another room, which at one point had tables to eat at as well. In this room was a "watch free music videos" machine, which was essentially like a jukebox inasmuch as one could request songs from it. The request feature was likely relatively backed up, however in theory eventually it would cycle around to one's request. I remember sitting in here and listening to a Smashing Pumpkins song - I want to say it was "1979" - during my college times.
Keepers was ultimately fazed out only as it was considered "out of the way" to eat, campus-wise : in order to get to it one had to go in to Founders and then down a level (usually by a winding handicap-accessible path, which while longer than the stairs was organic and easy to use) and outside of the people living there, there was no direct entrance for people to use.
For a gallery of 5 pictures (for any who may remember it), one may click here. Thanks for the memories!

* Misc. other

Some other small things, for which I am thankful : benches in local parks. collecting 58 points worth of MyCokePoints caps and codes from people who recycled them, in the various bins & BGSU. a 20-cent raise at work, woo!. a nice dinner earlier on this evening with my friends John and Scott ("Chase Manhattan Scott"). listening to music via Youtube.

Okay. Have a good night!

Take care,
* Geoff

Good evening Lj readers,

how are things? I am back! : from a recent trip to Portland, Oregon. I was lucky when visiting and did not have a lot of rain - all of it was when I was either inside or asleep, except for one time (in a park). It was light and brief during this time so there were no worries.

Here are today's previous days :

* Wednesday

I flew out via Southwest and arrived relatively early in the day, PST - around 12:30. I had booked a Travelodge room in the south / west part of town (very near Portland State U) and took an airport shuttle (which indeed did not go to that exact hotel but one literally across-the-way north of it - so I just 'booked it' for there) there. I had lunch at a riverside cafe' and then crossed a bridge to the east side of town. After walking down some of diagonal-street-neighborhood Ladd's Addition, I swung into a local Good Will (but did not get anything). I stopped for a coffee @ Cellar Door Roasters, then headed north and east to the original Tao of Tea - a tea house (which sells their tea at a few places - I have seen it here in Columbus, too!). I had twig tea, tulsi ('tea' made from holy basil leaves) and green-tea-flavored tofu : all delicious. After all of the walking I made my way back to the hotel, and relaxed for the night.

* Thursday (part 1 of 2)

Today I walked north from my hotel (having elected not to rent a car while in town, I walked literally everywhere - great exercise and good way to 'know' a town!) to Keller fountain, a pretty display relatively close. KF has small pools which come together to form a whimsically-designed waterfall.
After here, I coincidentally visited another tea house in the city's Pearl district, which is an interesting combination of "Chinatown" and "the gay neighborhood". I tried some tea-infused hard-boiled eggs @ Red Robe, which were quite delicious with soy sauce. I moved on to Powell's, a warehouse-sized bookstore (w/ some tall shelves) which offered 4 stories of published material (yet, interestingly carried exactly zero books by Bruce Weber, or the Best American Poetry series, but of course one store cannot have 'everything', heh). Lots of great sections set up essentially a la a library.




* Thursday (part 2 of 2)

A quick detour to a Whole Foods beforehand led me to discover black radishes, of which I purchased one.
After a vegetarian reuben sandwich for lunch I continued on to Washington Park, the city's main large park just NW of town. I relaxed near a statue of Sacagawea (and fed a squirrel) before moving on past one of the park's reservoirs to some trails. I followed a winding one up, elevation-wise to the famous (currently non-blooming) rose gardens. Some rain fell just then, however I was under a roof so all was well.
A high elevation offered a great view, then I returned into town, stopping at a Thai place for dinner.

* Friday

Today I headed out to a downtown-mall Apple store to use their internet to 'check in' early for my flight. Unknown to me, my friend John had also so done. How nice of him! I continued onwards to a 24 / 7 fitness, hoping to use a "free 3-day pass", however alas it was for local residents only. As such I continued onwards to the northeast (industrial) part of the city, for a (free) tour of an ale brewery. I arrived early and was nicely able to go on an earlier tour!
We saw the large steel mills in which Widmer Bros. mixed everything and nicely tried 3 samples. Our guide gave us tokens for 2 more, for a generous total of 5, plus a free 'shooter' glass! I tried the 3 top-sellers plus a seasonal lemon blend, and an oyster-infused flavor, randomly. Prior to the ale tour a woman - literally randomly on the street and likely a spokesperson for Mentos mints - gave me some free samples including some overseas-only flavors : pina colada & mojito. How about that!
In the evening I visited the Portland Art Museum (during a 'free admission' period) and saw their 5 floors of art : 3 of modern (post-1960) works, a large Asian room and a room of Impressionist paintings. Very nice!
For dinner that evening I enjoyed some pizzas from local chain Pizza Schmizza.





* Saturday / overall

My hotel room was nice, with a mini-fridge, microwave and 'full cable' (e.g. "100 or so channels") included. I watched some of The Shining on BBC America one evening.
In the morning I checked out and walked north to the nearby University Place hotel to catch my return-shuttle ride to the airport. And soon, I was back home!
Overall Portland was very relaxing. The city gets a fair amount of moisture each year so there is a nice amount of green everywhere - even downtown. The vibrant emerald shades reminded me of when I visited Killarney Park in Ireland earlier last year (another place known for its rain). The overcast skies and temperate air of the Pacific Northwest are somewhat specific, however very comfortable for me!

For a complete gallery of 12 pictures I took while vacationing, one can check out my Scrapbook gallery.

Okay. Have a good night!

Take care,
* Geoff