What’s My Age Again?

Today was a random and amusing day.

While waiting at the bus stop downtown, a guy who had thrown his cigarette butt into the landscaped side of a Portland State building started a mini-brush fire. Well, it wasn’t really a fire–not yet anyway. It was more like a gentle smoldering that emitted a lot of smoke.

When I first arrived at the bus stop and noticed the smoke, I went over and tried to stamp it out with my feet. Then the guy who was apparently the cause of the incident, showed up and said, “Yah, don’t worry. I just talked to the firemen down the street. They are going to swing by with a bucket of water,” and then added nonchalantly, “hmm…looks like it could get serious.”

The culprit ended up boarding the number 12 bus with me, leaving behind his potential fire. When we drove by the fire station, I saw the firemen outside, enjoying the sunshine and washing their truck, apparently oblivious to the horrible potential danger down the street from them.

Later that day, Mike and I went to the opening of a new vegan BBQ restaurant. Well, it wasn’t really a restaurant, more like a few picnic tables and a huge grill set up in a once vacant plot of land on Alberta street. While we were gobbling down our  BBQ Tempeh, Spicy Soy Curls Pita Sandwich, and “Mac and No Cheese,” a gentleman came strolling down the street, loudly and proudly singing the lyrics to that classic song, “What’s My Age Again?,” by Blink 182. He had ear-buds in, so he apparently had no idea what he sounded like or how loudly he was singing. It was by far one of the most amusing and entertaining 30 seconds I have ever experienced.

After we got lost at The City of Books, we came home and clipped off the flight feathers of our pet chickens. Have I mentioned lately how much I love Portland???

Oh, and to top it off, I found this:

The Century of the Self

“The twentieth century was one of breathless, spectacular, relentless innovation. But we can forget about the horseless carriage, the radio, the polio vaccine, the wireless telephone and the PlayStation. The true triumph of the century was the invention of a whole new way of being–a new imperative of the self.

So, go ahead and express yourself. Be true to yourself. Enjoy yourself. Treat yourself. Find yourself. Spoil yourself. Distinguish yourself. Love yourself. Get some self-esteem. Some self-worth. A positive self-image. Achieve self-awareness. And self-sufficiency. Do some self-improvement. Self-actualization. Self-help.

Get out there, into the big glittering universe of the self. Measure it out in Me time and MySpace. Welcome to individuality. Population: You.”

– Adbusters: 79

The great sickness of our time is the solidification of the ego. We are a nation of self-perceived self-contained individuals. We are wrapped up in cardboard boxes, an army of Barbie dolls and GI Joes, marching single file while fearfully stealing glances at one another through the cellophane windshield.

Does a helping hand absent of financial gain or notoriety exist? Our nation’s ideology has always been along the lines of self-reliance-the new city on the hill, built by the hands of hardworking autonomous people. Like Stephen Colbert has said, to overcome adversity one must pull themselves up by their bootstraps. Not working? Then get longer bootstraps!

As globalism has become all pervasive, Americans are relying less on themselves more and more. We have traded in our blue collar factory jobs for comfortable air-conditioned service jobs, of which would not exist if countries like China and Mexico were not producing products and food for us. This myth of independence and “the self” is cracking, and when it falls to ruins all will be lost. When the bottom falls out, how will a nation who has forgotten the fundamentals of life-love, kindness, compassion, community-be able to rebuild?

This culture is self consuming; like the oroborus, we are consuming our own tails.

Veal and Rabbits and Colloquialisms

My boss bought me coffee. A “veal” cappochino. I think he was getting me back for how much I tease him about his bright orange floral gym bag.

While walking to the bus, I passed a guy who was peering into a coffee shop through a set of binoculars. When I walked by, he turned to me and emphatically asked, “Do you have any rabbits???”

On the bus yesterday, I ran into a cast member. On the way home, I ran into a housemate.

People at my work (mainly David and Paul) use really funny sayings. Such as: “I’ve got a fish to fry,” and “I’m going to eat the frog,” and “One sandwhich short of a sack lunch.” This amuses me so much that I have begun to compile a list on my computer. Dolcie made fun of me because of how excited I was about this new side-project. It goes along nicely with my recent obsession of collecting words for my personal lexicon, all organized in a black plastic recipe file box.

Today I made flaxseed onion bread and agave cranberry/apple cookies.

I can’t wait for Thanksgiving!

Why living with lots of people can be amusing

Reason 3,462,017 I Love Portland

Tonight with my naked helmet-less skull, and my un-illuminated rear wheel, I went for my nightly bike ride through the neighborhoods on Clinton Street. These rides are the best; I love the peaceful neighborhoods, the dozens of people who pass me by on their bikes, and the chance to smell dinner cooking as I ride by each unique house.

As I passed the intersection of 21^st and Clinton Street, I came upon a gaggle of gentlemen surrounded by flashing red lights; they were brandishing bike tools, framed by big signs which read “FREE BIKE LIGHTS.” They flagged me over. They said, “You want a free light for your bike?”

This shocked and amazed me. After spending a ridiculous amount of money on my used bike, a front light, rear saddlebag basket, and lock, I had not yet got around to purchasing a rear flashing light, which is a crucial necessity for night riding. I exclaimed, “Yes! I would love one!”

A pale boy displaying a feather topped fedora came over to me with a blinking light in hand, and proceeded to hook my bike up. But before he was able to bend down to begin working on the attachment process, he politely said, “One second. I gatta take this avocado out of my pocket.”

This young man, I soon learned, was not even part of the Community Bike Shop who was sponsoring this glorious event. He had just been riding by as well, and pulled over to get his own free light and decided to help out.

Tonight my personal belief was supported; at the core, people are good. There is such thing as kindness in the world.

And to top it all off, as I rode home, blinking safely away, a pint-sized 3-wheeled vehicle passed me (like the one in that “Mr. Bean” episode that flips over because Bean cuts him off).

Oh, Portland. How I love you!

Things Portlanders Like:

Dogs

Spending lots of money on dogs

Bringing dogs to restaurants

Babies

Making babies

Bringing babies to microbreweries

Food

Growing food

Shopping for food

Roof gardens

Free concerts

Talking smack about corporations

Barack Obama

Creating Barack Obama art

Going to Barack Obama art galleries

Displaying cardboard cutouts of Barack Obama on the front porch

Bumper stickers

Scarves

Tibetan prayer flags

Fixed gear bikes

Tight jeans

Having myriad options for transportation (Should I bus or bike? Maybe I’ll drive. No, I’ll take the streetcar…the Max? Pedi-cab!)

Exercise

The color green

The concept “green”

Tattoos

Hating Californians

Microbrews

Name dropping (“insert famous person/company here” is from Portland)

Are we turning into robots, or have we just gone crazy?

I walked by a girl who was laughing at nothing and was talking to herself energetically. Oh wait, I thought to myself, she’s not crazy; she is just hooked in with a piece of plastic and metal clipped to her ear. Call me crazy but I think that is crazier than being crazy.