He Said: Dance Class
By Zanger:
Sabrina Miller rang me up a few weeks ago.
“We’re going to do a dance class together,” she said.
“Huh?”
“Pick the one you want to take.”
Knowing that I really had no say and that there would be no negotiation, I went to the NW Dance Project website and took a peek around.
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I’ll be the first to admit that I was a very lazy track athlete in high school.
The term “athlete” might actually be a stretch.
As a sprinter and jumper, I looked at practice as more of a place to work on my tan. Suffice to say, the University of Oregon would never have recruited me for my glaring lack of commitment.
As I got older, though, I started to become more fond of running. Admittedly, I would much rather chase a soccer ball around but I have slowly come to enjoy running. I’m not what one would call and endurance runner by any stretch, but I am perfectly happy to get out there and knock out a 5k.
A few weeks ago, I was researching content for one of my shows on pdx.fm (shameless plug) and came across this little gem.
It’s an all-comers track meet.
This is where younger and older alike converge to try their hand (or feet) at an array of events. This may not be Hayward Field, but it is a Portland tradition, with nearly 2,000 participants in 2009.
It is definitely a scaled-down version of a “real” meet, but it’s great to have a tradition like this in a state that values its running so much.
There are two meets left in at the Lake Oswego HS track, July 21st and 28th. After that, there will be cross country meets starting in September.
I have July 28th circled on my calendar.
And we’ll see if I can manage to clear four feet in the high jump.
But at least I might be able to work on my tan.
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"My ride's here..."
Ever taken a bus ride and wonder, “How does the driver put up with this nonsense every night?” Those of us who work with the public know how much fun it can be; you see humanity at every level. A sense of humor is crucial.
Being one of the wacky late-night denizens, I see a lot of commuter nonsense, but not as much as this guy. Meet Dan Christensen, the unofficial voice of TriMet drivers.
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Portlanders crowd the Mississippi Street Fair
Yesterday, my sister and I went to the Mississippi Street Fair. I had heard that this was Portland’s largest street fair, but I wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of people! Never having attended before, I cannot state whether or not this year was the highest attendance, but I would not be surprised.
The first thing that greeted me was the smell of BBQ. We entered the fair from the south end of Mississippi, where most of the BBQ vendors had set up. I immediately noticed that many street vendors I love were here; Sol Pops had a cart doing brisk business in the 88 degree heat. I saw the newly opened PBJs, and met the owners Keena and Randy, who took time to talk to me despite the crowds of people.
There were also hundreds of vendors lining the street; my sister gravitated towards the dresses, while I ogled the hand-crafted earrings. When I spotted Vintage Journals, one of my favorite local craftswomen, I stepped into their shady tent to take a look. Amazingly, I spotted a journal called “The Donkey Who Wanted to be Wise”. Items to add to our doneky collection are often difficult to find, so I snatched this one up. Incidentally, Vintage Journals will buy your old hardcover books…check them out on Facebook.
Meatball Hero from Garden State
We finally made it to the north end of the fair, and stopped at Mississippi Marketplace. While The Big Egg was already closed, I did catch up with Kevin at Garden State, met his lovely wife, and ordered his delicious Meatball Hero sandwich. I also met Kirsten Jensen at The Sugar Cube, and by sheer luck, Nancy Ettinger from Savor Soup House–one of my favorite Portland carts–was helping her out! Kirsten had a special street fair menu, and her chocolate chocolate fleur de sel cupcake blew my mind; moist and sweet and oozing with yumminess! I’ll have dreams about that cupcake.
On our way back down Mississippi, it was clear that the crowd had grown in size. We squeezed our way back south, seeing solar baked cookies, a car painting project, the happiest dog in Portland, face painting for grown-ups, beer gardens, bike shops, balloon artists, and a young girl rocking a blues guitar. The Mississippi Street Fair is filled with all the things that make Portland great.
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Oh bowling alley, how you are majestically rising to the sky,
and I sometimes wonder why.
Where there were once fields of wheat,
there shall be funky-smelling feet.
I can see my future in bamboo lanes,
a turkey I shall try to tame.
As a younger lad, Grand Central was where good times were had,
where pitchers of ale flowed, no time to be sad.
Later in this life,
with the sound of mediocre scores Sunset Lanes were rife.
Na’er did I give the noble game a second thought,
a bowling ball I never thought would be bought.
But, here you are, with the moniker of Al,
And I’m quite excited to become your pal.
A league I may try,
with friends close and those gone by.
My days may be spent trying to break two hundred,
but I can’t really thing of anything that rhymes well with this so I will just leave it at that.
Suffice to say I am excited,
to try my hand at bowling unrequited.
And the truth is that the poem is somewhat lame,
but I am looking forward to making your acquaintance just the same.
Big Al’s is opening a new location near us at Progress Ridge on Barrows Road in August. Never thought I’d get so excited about a bowling alley — but it looks really cool and I have it on good authority that Big Al’s is really fun.
The best news, though?
Next year, we’ll be getting a New Seasons and Cinetopia across the street from the bowling alley.
Living out near the country ain’t so bad after all.
And yes, I am aware that this poem is really silly.
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