Month: April 2017

Poetry Reading at Shut Up and Eat

My friend C. came to town to participate in an open poetry reading and I got to accompany her. The location was the restaurant Shut Up and Eat.  I had a very good fried egg sandwich on a biscuit and settled back to hear some poetry.

David Cooke came to read his poems and also show his poetry boxes he has for sale.  He also read the poem “the New Colossus,” a poem which I have memorized.  For unknown reasons, he left off the last line.

I had this guy pegged as a poet even when he was standing in line for food.  He had the bulging notebook and taut mannerisms that pointed to a lot of thoughtful writing time.  Before everyone got started, he flipped through his notebook, reading this and that.  He also knew David Cooke left off the last line of “the New Colossus.”  What he did not do was read any poetry aloud.  Odd.

My friend going over her poem.  This picture also includes my phone, and the post-it note where I wrote down the bus transit times.

Another woman was taking pictures for a write-up of the event .

Reading.

This woman was the organizer.  She read also.

Listening.

A bevy of poems to choose from.

My friend’s poem went over well, and I enjoyed it.  I also enjoyed several other poems read aloud.  It was a great way to spend an evening.

REI Co-op Member #2

I don’t read the obituaries on a regular basis, but at times I’ll skim them.  What I have been doing for years, is match the birthdates of the current people listed in the obits with people in my life.  For many years, the people dying had birth years similar to my grandparents, 1908 and 1912.*  It’s now incredibly rare to find someone who was born in 1912, and the 1908 people have been out of the running for some time now.  Now I mostly find people my parents age, or my own age.

But here!  Mary Anderson!  Only one year younger than my grandfather, and three years older than my grandmother. What an exciting find!  As was the news that she was member #2 in the REI co-op.  My co-op number is much higher than hers.

*My other grandparents were born in 1898 and 1900, but by the time I started playing this game, everyone their age was more-or-less dead.

Three sentence movie reviews: Spy

Yet another excellent collaboration by Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy, this had me laughing uproariously alone in my living room.  I think Feig is perhaps the only man in Hollywood who can tap into the many slights and frustrations of the female experience, a lot of which were on display in this movie.*  All actors were hilarious, making for a perfect movie experience.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2015/spy.html

*He’s also really good at writing women characters into his movies.  This film included McCarthy and Rose Byrne, but also Allison Janney as the CIA boss and Miranda Hart as McCarthy’s friend.  Plus a bit part by Morena Baccarin.

New Cap

In the 80s, when I swam on a summer swim team, the only caps available were made out of latex.  They were hard to get on by yourself because the latex would pull your hair. Putting them on involved two people.  I would hold the edge of the cap to my forehead and someone else would stretch the cap backward over my head.  They would hold it while I shoved my hair into the cap.  Then they could let the cap go.

The caps were prone to ripping, which meant you never bought just one, because you had to always have one on hand.  The best part about them was that they would stretch a lot in the water.  Sometimes at the end of a swim meet we would jump in the pool and carefully stretch the cap out in the water until we could put one of the younger swim team members inside.

Now they have invited silicone swim caps.  Which are much better in every way but stretching to small-child size.  They don’t stick to your hair and they last forever.  My cap that just broke lasted for years.  (Granted, not all of those were swimming years, but it didn’t even break down like the latex ones would.)

So welcome to the new cap.  And thank you, new cap, for showing me how to properly treat you through graphics and Engrish.

View from Floor 21, American Plaza Towers

Librarian Book Group tonight was held at the American Plaza Towers.  I was quite excited to get to see the inside of these condominium towers.  In general, I love seeing the inside of any structure, but I’ve wondered about these since I moved to Portland.

I liked that the elevator exited to the open air.  It gave a feeling of openness, plus the view was great.

The condo had a great interior. It was two levels with a living/dining area, plus a kitchen that had a cozy hang-out space.  There was also a den/bedroom on the main level.  Stairs led to the two bedrooms upstairs.

This was the view from their deck.

I’ve been frustrated with the yard situation at my house and very much longed to move to the American Plaza Towers.  Currently the lowest-price condominium is advertised for $435,000 which is nowhere near my budget.  So downtown condominium living will have to be a dream deferred.