The War Between Developers, Designers and Project Managers

Cutting Edge Scientists	Baby with a Paintbrush	Big Wig Doing Nothing	Office Space	Homer
Fat Naked Lady	Victoria Secret Supermodels	Demolition Man	Total Nerd	Forest Gump
Factory Workers	?	President, Politicians	TSA	Sarah Palin
Monkey Programmer	Kid with Fingerpaint	Task Master	Superheros/td>	Lazy Consumers
Ultimate Role Playing Nerd	Da Vinci	Bill Lumbergh	Robots	The Most Interesting Man in the World

Occupy Portland

The first demonstration I've ever seen in Portland. I've seen my share of protests (Sweden, France...) but to experience it at home, that's a new one.

"The NEEDS of the 99% are being Silenced by the WANTS of the 1%"

Occupy Wall Street Spreads to Portland

By IBTimes Reporter

Occupy Portland, the latest in the Occupy Wall Street movement sweeping the nation's cities, began this morning at north Waterfront Park in downtown Portland, Ore.

Demonstrators are on the move again, currently heading down Second Avenue, after settling in Pioneer Courthouse Square for much of the afternoon.

Occupy Portland didn't obtain a permit for their march. The group decided late Wednesday not to seek a permit or to submit a route in advance. "For best impact," the group stated in a fax to Portland Police, "we will march in the streets and disrupt the city."

Despite this, officers said they were prepared for the protest and were ready to ask for help from other police agencies, if need be.

"Our focus is having a safe event, just like their [focus]," Sgt. Pete Simpson told Fox News today. "Success to us is no arrests, no property damage, everybody goes home happy and talking about how this was a really positive event in Portland."

The crowd, estimated to be as large as 5,000 members, has been peaceful, and no arrests have been made. The large group has, however, been affecting public transportation. TriMet has announced all green and Yellow MAX service along the Portland Transit Mall on 5th and 6th avenues has been halted. Downtown businesses were warned about the protest by the Portland Business Alliance, which sent out a security warning and asked everyone to use caution.

City officials say they've been in contact with organizers. "My team and I are working hard with the organizers and all the other stakeholders in the central city to put on a peaceful event," said Mayor Sam Adams.

"I support Portlanders in their right to protest and exercise free speech rights, and I encourage all who participate to do so peacefully and with respect to the rights of others," the mayor said in a statement as the march began. "Most of the people that are going to participate in Occupy Portland--as with most of the participants in cities across the country--are there to voice their legitimate concerns about national issues. A peaceful event is the most effective way for participants to deliver that message."

Demonstrators will choose a base tonight and settle there indefinitely. "We gather in solidarity with the ongoing protest in New York City," the Occupy Portland web site states.

Occupy Portland is only the most recent addition to the Occupy Wall Street movement, which has spread across the U.S. and to some areas abroad. More than 100 cities have clocked in under the "Occupy" moniker, with more names appearing on the movement's unofficial cyber bulletin board, occupytogether.org, every few digital minutes. So far, Occupy Washington, D.C., Occupy Madison, Wisc., and Occupy Mobile, Ala. have sprung up, as well as protests in Adelaide, Australia, Cork, Ireland, and Cologne, Germany.

All of the Occupy movements are unified by feelings of social and economic injustice, but none have yet advocated a particular policy or targeted a particular institution. However, Occupy Wall Street did adopt a general list of grievances last week.

"The closest thing Occupy Together has to a message right now is our structure," said Ivy Knight, a 20-year-old who has helped facilitate communication between the Portland movement's loosely organized committees. "Having a leader," she told Fox, "makes it too easy for voices to be drowned out."

That has also made it difficult for authorities to predict their actions or deal with organizers. The Portland Police Bureau has twice released statements saying it's open to working with organizers of the event to clear a route for Thursday's march.

Hiking - Summer 2011

If you told me this past April that by September I'd have done 5 Washington/Oregon hikes and summited two mountains, I wouldn't beleive you. I don't know where the hiking bug came from, but the more I do, my desire to go to new places and conquer more trails grows.

Ruckel Creek
It all began in June when I was invited by a co-worker to hike Ruckel Creek. It was a difficult climb for me, partly because it's a steep trail with what seems like never ending switch backs, but also because it my first hike of the season, the first after many years. We ended our hike at a place called "The Hanging Gardens" which was sort of an anti-climactic end to all the hard work we'd put in. It occurred to me there that I prefer having a definite end to a trail, a finish point where you feel you've conquered something. The Ruckel Creek trail continues beyond the Hanging Gardens, but we didn't venture any further. I was sore the next day, my frequent running wasn't much preparation for the hike which worked an entirely different muscle set in my legs.

Ruckel Creek Trailhead

The view at this point was better than what was offered at the end of our hike

These flowers were pretty cool

The Hanging Gardens

Dog Mountain
The next trip was Dog Mountain. Once again, it was tough, but doable. I think I was distracted by engaging in conversation with one of the guys in our group, which kept me from focusing on the difficulty of the hike. I was surprised how quickly the end of the trail came, thinking that there was more to climb when I reached it. The view was just awesome, much more satisfying than the previous hike. And the weather was perfect, with clear blue skies and the right amount of sun. Aside from my summit climbs, Dog Mountain was my favorite hike.

Dog on Dog Mountain

Perfect for panoramic view

Saddle Mountain (2x)
My first trip up Saddle Mountain was unfortunate due to the weather. The trail is easy, mostly flat and only gets steep in the last 1/2 mile or so. From the top, you are supposed to be able to get 360 deg. views, but all we got were clouds. Kind of cool in it's own way. The trail has a lot of mesh wire (sort of like chain link fencing) tying down the loose rock which I guess is supposed to make it easier to climb. But with the light drizzle, the metal became slippery and my running shoes weren't exaclty suitable for the hike. I ran a lot of the way down, it just gave me more of the workout I desired. We did check out Humbug peak which is very close the the trailhead, nothing too special. It's steep, but short. Oh, and I also took a pee in the bushes and midway through realized I was in a bunch of poison oak (ivy?). Luckily, I was unaffected by the encounter :)

At the top of Saddle Mountain

To the cloud!

The second time up Saddle Mountain offered slightly better views. The weather was still overcast and I wonder if I'll ever get up there on a clear day.

Saddle Mountain - take 2

View of Astoria from Saddle Mountain

Mt. Defiance (Mt. Defail)
I was really excited about this hike. I had done some leg training to prep me for the trip, since it's supposed to be one of the hardest hikes in the area. Really pumped, I set out on the trail with the group (of seven), but due to unfortunate circumstances of a friend, the two of us turned back after about a mile in. He was in too much pain and wasn't going to make it up the mountain. The worst part of this adventure was that since the seven of us had all come in one car, my friend and I were stuck down in the parking lot for 6 hrs. We managed to kill the time by exploring the waterfront close by (Viejo Beach) but it was disappointing nonetheless. I intend to attempt this hike again, hopefully this year.

View of the parking lot, where I spent most my time :(

Viejo Park

More about my mountain summits to come.

Go UCSB!

And Vigna was my professor...ahaha

You Live in Oregon

by Jeff Foxworthy

• If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you've worn shorts, sandals and a parka at the same time, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you measure distance in hours, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' and back again in the same day, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both doors unlocked, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Central, Southern or Eastern Oregon.
  
  
• If you design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over 2 layers of clothes and under a raincoat, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you feel guilty throwing aluminum cans or paper in the trash, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you know more than 10 ways to order coffee, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you know more people that own boats than air conditioners, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you stand on a deserted corner in the rain waiting for the "Walk" signal, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you can taste the difference between Starbucks, Seattle's Best and Dutch Bros, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you know the difference between Chinook, Coho and Sockeye salmon, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Clatskanie, Issaquah, Oregon, Umpqua, Yakima, and Willamette, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you consider swimming an indoor sport, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you know that Boring is a city and not just a feeling, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you can tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese and Thai food, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you never go camping without waterproof matches and a poncho, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you have actually used your mountain bike on a mountain, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you think people who use umbrellas are either wimps or tourists, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you buy new sunglasses very year because you cannot find the old ones after such a long time, you live in Oregon.
  
  
• If you actually understand these jokes and forward them to all your OREGON friends, you live or have lived in Oregon.
  

I Want Another Dress-Up Party

P.S. This is Post #100!

The Museum of Me

The Fifty Nifty United States

50 State Stereotypes in under 2 minutes - by Paul Jury

Alabama – Our state bird is the NASCAR.
Alaska - I can see seasonal depression disorder from here.
Arizona - Keeping Indians in and Mexicans out.
Arkansas - Great scenery, brilliant peopl- Sorry. We've got Walmart?
California - Gay Mexican boobjob computer hippies who really wanna direct.
Colorado - Snow! Cocaine, I mean, but we're also known for skiing.
Connecticut - Great schools, because there's nothing else to do.
Delaware - Come, we've got low incorporation fees. No seriously, please come.
Florida - The more north you go, the more south it gets.
Georgia - Atlanta! We're kind of ashamed of the rest of it, though.
Hawaii - If you lived here, you'd be lazy too.
Idaho - Potatoes and Napoleon Dynamite, god we're cool.
Illinois - Look, a non-corrupt politician for once. So far.
Indiana- You have to drive through us to get somewhere better.
Iowa - 56,000 square miles of dull.
Kansas - White-breds make wheat bread.
Kentucky - Farming from the future, textbooks from 1925.
Louisiana - Thanks BP, as if we didn't have enough problems.
Maine - A wicked lot a' moose, eh?
Maryland - Have Jeeves bring the lobster boat around.
Massachusetts - Our chief export is obnoxious Pats Fans.
Michigan - Cereal makers, serial killers
Minnesota - Too nice not to elect douchy governors.
Mississippi - I'm gonna need a bigger Bible belt
Missouri - We're #1 in Meth.
Montana - Speed limits don't matter when you're drunk.
Nebraska - Footballs, drawls and overalls.
Nevada - No laws, no problem! Except all the murders.
New Hampshire - Half hippie, half French, all upper class.
New Jersey - Guidos, Turnpikes, Leeching off New York.
New Mexico - Like regular Mexico, but with more UFOs.
New York - World's 14th biggest city, 1st biggest ego.
North Carolina - First in flight and lung cancer
North Dakota - Somehow even worse than South Dakota.
Ohio - People care about us at election time!
Oklahoma - Ten days tornado free!
Oregon - Dreadlocks on Caucasians.
Pennsylvania - Even our Amish will fight you.
Rhode Island - No seriously, we're a state.
South Carolina - Still accepting confederate dollars.
South Dakota - At least we're not North Dakota
Tennessee - Where white people music comes from
Texas - Everything is bigger, even our morons.
Utah - Multiple homely wives.
Vermont - Gay marriages on maple syrup farms.
Virginia - From the center of civilization to Hicksville in 20 minutes flat.
Washington - Richer hippies than Oregon
West Virginia - The inbred love child of Virginia and DC.
Wisconsin - It's too cold to be sober.
Wyoming - We don't have any gay cowboys, alright? OK, maybe a few gay cowboys.

Hockey

Tied 3-3 that went into sudden death overtime. The winning goal was shot in 56 seconds. Yup. I was there.

After each Winterhawks goal, they play "TNT" and the whole crowd stands up and chants "Fight! Fight! Fight!" It's contagious. You'll be the odd man out if you don't join in. Gotta give some props to the Winterhawk fans. There may not match in numbers to Blazer or Timber fans, but they still have a crazy passion for their team.

A co-worker of mine went to a game with his son the first time. At the ticket box, a sweet old lady probably around 70yrs told the kid, "oh you're going to want to yell fight, fight, fight!" He was shocked that such a nice old lady would encourage a little boy to egg on violence in hockey. It became clear what she had meant after the Winterhawks made their first score :)

Yay for Karma

The Westboro Baptist Church is just abominable. After educating myself on who they are and what they do, I was beyond shocked. There are some news reports which can be seen on YouTube that drive the point home. From Wikipedia:

The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is an independent Baptist known for its extreme stance against homosexuality and its protest activities, which include picketing funerals and desecrating the American flag. The church is widely described as a hate group. It is headed by Fred Phelps consists mostly of members of his large family; in 2007, it had 71 members.

ANYWAY... here's the great part

A couple of days before (a funeral), one of the Westboro protestors ran his mouth at a Brandon gas station and got his arse waxed. Police were called and the beaten man could not give much of a description of who beat him. When they canvassed the station and spoke to the large crowd that had gathered around, no one seemed to remember anything about what had happened.
Rankin County handled this thing perfectly. There were many things that were put into place that most will never know about and at great expense to the county.
Most of the morons never made it out of their hotel parking lot. It seems that certain Rankin county pickup trucks were parked directly behind any car that had Kansas plates in the hotel parking lot and the drivers mysteriously disappeared until after the funeral was over. Police were called but their wrecker service was running behind and it was going to be a few hours before they could tow the trucks so the Kansas plated cars could get out.
A few made it to the funeral but were ushered away to be questioned about a crime they might have possibly been involved in. Turns out, after a few hours of questioning, that they were not involved and they were allowed to go on about their business.

Awesome.

Portland has Major League Soccer!!

Riding the MAX home from work today, I saw a huge crown outside the "Jeld-Wen" (whatever, it will forever be known as PGE Park) stadium. People were lining up for the home debut of the Portland Timbers, our brand spankin new Major League Soccer team. So awesome! We all know Portland has the best fans, partly due to the fact that thus far we only had one Major League team (the Blazers) to cheer for. But, no doubt, we love our teams with interminable passion and there's room in our hearts for both sports. You won't find a better crowd in the US.

Yahoo Sports: Look for a scene to make other teams green with envy. The game against New England saw attendance at 7,114. Portland will play the home opener in front of almost 20,000 of the best fans in soccer. The game is sold out, so fans without tickets will have to gather at their favorite pub or watch from home.

And guess what? We won tonight! Portland Timbers v. Chicago Fire 4-2. There's history in the making here.

April Flowers

Reality TV Junky

I'm a big fan of "How I Met Your Mother," a sitcom on that airs on CBS. There's an episode in which Barney is telling Ted that Ted needs to ditch his high school friend, Punchy. The dialogue goes:

Barney: "Seriously dude, he has got to go. You need to be like:
'You are the weakest link, goodbye'
'Bungy, the tribe has spoken'
'Please pack up your knives and go'
'Your work of art didn't work for us'
'Your time's up'
'I have to ask you to leave the mansion'
'You must leave the chateau'
'Your tour ends here'
'You've been chopped'
'You've been evicted from the Big Brother house'
'Your dessert just didn't measure up'
'Sashe away'
'Give me your jacket and leave Hell's Kitchen'
'I'm sorry, you did not get a rose'
'You have been eliminated from the race'
'You are no longer in the running to be America's Next Top Model'
'You're Fired!'... "


This scene is hilarious if you understand it's cultural reference. Barney is reciting the sign-off phrases for multiple reality TV shows. I suddenly realized just how much reality TV I'm exposed to, as I was able to identify the majority of the quotes. When did reality TV become such a dominant force in the realm of television? Just look at the number of shows that pit contestants against each other in some type of competition to realize an ultimate prize. There's really no value in watching these shows, but it's addicting! Brainless entertainment - we all have our guilty pleasures. Will our fascination with reality TV fade? Will we be over saturated by these silly battles and loose interest in watching people duke it out over designing the best filet mignon? I think reality TV will run it's course, and I wonder what will become the next big thing.

Heureux Tous les Deux

Heureux tous les deux Lyrics, Frank Alamo

Je ne sais pas pourquoi,
Pourquoi je t'ai suivie un soir chez toi
Mais en tout cas
Je sais que depuis ce jour-là
On est heureux,
Si heureux tous les deux

J'ai changé grâce à toi, oui, je l'avoue
Je n'oublie plus mes rendez-vous
Je suis moins fou
La vie est comme un ciel tout bleu
On est heureux,
Si heureux tous les deux

[Refrain:]
Je t'ai trouvée sans te chercher, mon amour
Je t'ai trouvée
On s'est aimés sans se cacher, nuit et jour
On s'est aimés

On ne peut jurer de rien
Après la joie vient le chagrin
Tu le sais bien
N'y pensons plus
Faisons le vœu de vivre heureux,
Si heureux tous les deux

[au Refrain]

Je nous vois tout cet été
Courant sous le soleil doré
Sans se quitter
Et rien déjà que d'en parler
On est heureux tous les deux

Je n'saurai jamais pourquoi
Je t'ai suivie un soir chez toi
Mais en tous ca
Je sais que depuis ce jour-là
On est heureux,
Si heureux tous les deux [x5]

I Don't Speak "Bleep Bleep Blurp Blurp"

Holy crap. What have I gotten into?

Will I ever understand? Help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Information Overload

If you recognize the logos below, you speak "bleep bleep blurp blurp".

I have SO much to learn...

I Didn't See It, but I'm Sure It was LEGEND...Wait for it... ARY

Wahooooo! India won the Cricket World Cup! Did I watch it? No. I suppose I should be more in tune with cricket, considering I am related to Ravi Shastri (tee hee... related, yes, although I don't actually know him). I've never understood the game of cricket. Ball, bat, running back and forth in lines - I don't get it. Well, the win is exciting nonetheless (after 28yrs... heck yeah!). The last time they won was the year I was born and now they've attained victory in my golden year. Yay India!

Beardo Bingo

“A beard is a friend who is always there to give you a hug"

What is it with Portland guys and their beards? Ever since my friend Sabina pointed it out, I've come to notice the insane number of men with facial hair around here. After some digging I came to learn that Portland may be the beardiest city in America (Portland Monthly Magazine)

And then there's the gallery:

“A beard is a scarf that works great while bike 
riding
in this climate —it’s better than wool!

“A beard is a confident vote for manliness"

"A beard is a bullshit filter. It keeps me from working at lame places and 
interacting with lame people."

Is it any surprise that Oregon was the host of the first ever Beard Team USA National Beard and Moustache Championships?

I also found this Beard Type Chart

I think I might start using this as a score card and checking off beard types as I see them. My guess is it wouldn't take too long to get a Bingo Blackout. Anyone game?

These were kind of funny too:
Whiskey History: Trendsetters of the Pacific Northwest
The Beard FAQ - John Dyer's Beard Page

You've Been Hired!

So what was the exactly that I'd hoped for (and received) yesterday? Just a little gift called EMPLOYMENT! My new job starts Monday, April 2nd.

Yup. March 28th - it's my golden birthday. It's my very special, unique, once in a lifetime....

The day when your age matches your birth date.

Given it's context, I don't need to tell you how old I am. Had I been feeling more adventurous, I'd have thrown a "Golden" theme party... I envision it as a dress-up party with everyone wearing gold. Maybe gold food(?), gold decorations, could I even have possibly found gold music? Considering my history with dress-up parties, it'd have surely been a hit. Unfortunately, I can't say "well maybe next time..." because their won't be a next time! I'm just going to use the idea for someone else...(ahem) a certain family member happens to have her golden bday this year too (hint, hint).

Some of those past dress-up parties...

Muppet Party 2007	Viking Party 2008

Parties aside, if all goes well, I might be getting exactly what I'd hoped for for my birthday. More details on that later...

Ike's Debut

Let's just say its been a long time coming. Sadly, I've left Ike-the-bike sitting in the garage in a bike box for far too long. Ike's been on quite a journey, moving from Santa Barbara to Denmark to Sweden and then returning home to me in Portland. Admitedly, I did have a driving force to finish this task. I promised T that I would have Ike unpacked and assembled by my birthday. T had so kindly, carefully, lovingly wrapped and boxed Ike and shipped him from Sweden (and that wasn't an inexpensive ride). I really owe it to T (and Ike) to get my trusty bike back on the road. I don't even want to tell you the last time I rode him... it's just embarrassing. Some photos of Ike's grand release:

Ike the bike in the garage, where he's been sitting collecting dust. Finally the box has been opened!

Ike's first breaths of fresh air as he's release out into the open

All the king's horses and all the king's men managed to put Ike together again. Yay!

Missed Opportunities

I've been working with my handstand collection lately, and suddenly I realized that I missed 4 states during our 2009 x-country roadtrip. 4 states!!! Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina. What a bummer. Will I ever go back?


Speaking of which - since I only started the tradition in 2006, I missed all the crazy traveling I did in Europe in 2003. What are the chances I'll be back to all those cities?
(Paris, Bordeaux, Marseilles, Nice, Toulouse, Lyon, Strasbourg, Monaco, Munich, Venice, Florence, Rome, Amsterdam, Madrid, Grenada, Lisbon, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dublin, Cork, Brighton, London, Brussels, Antwerp, Brugge, Frankfurt, Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken, Neuchatel, Biel, Bern, Lausanne, Vivey Montreux, Geneva, Barcelona, Athens, Delphi, Kalambaka, Milos, Santorini) Fat chance :( But, who knows? I do have a "Men in Uniform" collection from that time period. Glad I ditched that concept (well, mostly)...there were some stubborn officers that would refuse to take a photo with me and it was always such a pain.

Maybe, Hopefully

Good news for me! I'm still job searching, and this is promising... a glimmer of hope in the bleak past few months sending out application after application

OREGON TECH JOBS SURGE AGAIN, POST BIGGEST ANNUAL GROWTH IN SIX YEARS

Go Gauchos!

It's March Madness! And UCSB, my beloved alma mater, made it to the NCAA Tournament this year. Unfortunately, they didn't make it past round 1 :( Final Score: Florida 70 UCSB 55. Ouch.

Nasty Gators... did you really have to eat up our poor innocent Gauchos? It was probably all that grilled meat in their bellies that tipped the Gators off... damn Argentinian cuisine.

Get Motivated!

On Monday, March 14th I attended the "Get Motivated" seminar at the convention center in Portland. The speakers were actually next door at the Rose Garden Arena but they were broadcasting live to my location. In fact, the Rose Garden reached capacity (it can host around 20,000 people!) and the overflow ended up in the convention center anyway. The event featured a pretty impressive panel of speakers. Included were: General Colin Powel, Rudy Giuliani, Steve Forbes, Laura Bush, Bill Cosby, Howard Putnam, Krish Dhanam and Terry Bradshaw. There was definitely a buzz of excitement just being around so many people, and in the presence of such prominent leaders. The event was very well organized and the experience is unforgettable. And to think that it cost only $1.95? It was well worth the money.

"Motivation gets you going and habit get you there. Make motivation a habit and you will get thee more quickly and have more fun on the trip" -- Zig Ziglar