Portland, How Do I Love Thee? Oh, crap, I’ve lost track of the number of ways

Do you like books? How about movies? Magic? Neil Gaiman? Yes? If not, what’s your problem? If so, well, go see Stardust. Obviously I’ll elaborate about this in review form soon, but for now, I simply gush. I came up northwards last night for a screening in Tigard (Tigard! When was the last time you had a good reason to go to Tigard?), at which I met up with a Portland-based movie-critic friend, gleefully sat in the media personnel section of the theater, missed my friend Lolly winning a book and giggled ferociously at the best parts of the movie. If only I could do that every week. Continue reading 

So … what year is it, again?

First I got the new issue of Rolling Stone, which features Guns ‘N’ Roses on the cover. Then I got a press release announcing the Black Crowes’ upcoming show at the Cuthbert. Sorry, but did I miss something? Did I wake up in 1990? Should my jeans be tighter and stretchier and my hair a couple feet longer? (The shirt, it will remain black and plain. Some things never change.) Continue reading 

Thursday Miscellany

• Confession: I’ve never read Beowulf. However, the trailer — stellar cast aside — doesn’t exactly make me seventeen kinds of excited for the movie. Note to Zemeckis: That Polar Express-style animation? It still looks stupid, even when you’re doing strange things to an ancient classic instead of ruining a classic children’s book. Continue reading 

$50 Worth of Cheese

That title is a shout-out to anyone who ever watched MTV’s sadly long-long The State. Except it was $500 worth o’ puddin’. This is $50 worth o’ cheese. Oregon cheese. Cheese that I will happily devour after it serves its intended purpose. Which is not “for rolling in.” I miss good television. Soon we will have cable, and I will have more to talk about. When’s the Eco-Challenge on, again? Continue reading 

Two-thirds? Around there.

I thought it was such a good idea to blog reading Deathly Hallows. I thought it’d be all this, that and the other thing every hundred pages or so. I CAN’T TEAR MYSELF AWAY. Not to do other work that needs doing. Not for the complicated project. Not to clean the house for the friend that’s coming tomorrow. I did make dinner, and then I ate too much of it (downright decadent homemade mac & cheese, if you were curious). Even now, the book is calling. Things are happening. Darkness and strife. Excitement and downtime. Continue reading