I know, I know… it’s just spam. And ESL spam, at that. But someone, in some sweatshop in East Nigeria or Guangdong or maybe a basement in Bangladesh is doing his or her very best work, and this one (I blush to say) warmed my ossified heart just a little. Couldn’t let it slip through … [more]
Not all toasters are created equal
22-July-2011 by 3 Comments
You got yer raffles, and then you got yer SERIOUS raffles. Since it seems to be raffle week around Jaxworx, here’s another big chance to win, win, WIN! Seriously, who wouldn’t leap to buy a chance at a 1973 BMW R75/5? You say you wouldn’t? Yeah… okay, I get that. Although I’ve always had a … [more]
Portland rocks!
21-July-2011 by 1 Comment
So that was refreshing to hear… Pretty Publisher informs me that Litsam has successfully placed Nothing In Reserve at Powell’s Books. Powell’s is a particular fetish I share with millions of Portlanders, former Portlanders, imPorted landers and people who only wish they were hip enough to sashay through the Pearl District, but find it too … [more]
Unexpected consequences
7-July-2011 by 26 Comments
There’s an old story about Chinese luck. It’s probably B.S., which is why it belongs in this blog… An aged farmer’s stallion kicked down his stall and ran off. The farmer’s neighbors commiserated. “Ah, bad luck!,” they said, but Li Chien only shrugged. “Good luck, bad luck,” he said. “Who can tell?” Shaking their heads … [more]
Was it worth it for you?
1-July-2011 by 17 Comments
Everyone worth knowing will break your heart. They won’t mean to. Anything worth having is worth keeping, and you will someday give up your dearest friends, your parents, compatriots… even your children. That’s gonna leave a mark. There’s only one way around it: cut yourself off right now. Don’t go to that party with the … [more]
Cracked
23-June-2011 by 2 Comments
I was having quite a nice time on the Tiger when it suddenly turned on me and pounced on my leg. Okay, technically, it failed to turn due to my foolishly misplaced body weight, tipped abruptly left and pounded me into the Alta Tecate (antonym of Baja California) sand. We weren’t done riding, so I … [more]
Fellow Travelers
16-June-2011 by 1 Comment
Per Godwin’s Law, the longer an internet thread persists, the greater the chances of someone invoking Hitler or Nazism to “settle” the issue. A popular corollary asserts that the invoker is considered to have lost the argument through his or her specious hyperbole. Godwin’s adage would be more amusing if it weren’t so ecumenically … [more]
In Memoriam
27-May-2011 by 4 Comments
Fair warning: politics ahead. Outrage imminent. Abort! Abort! …or pick up your coffee and join me in a little thought experiment (for those looking for a calmer introspection on Memorial Day, there is this item in the P-I, written before I read this morning’s news). The only guarantee in this little thought experiment is that … [more]
"Jack Lewis takes the overall literary crown with his new book...there’s a lot more to Lewis’s work than what it feels like to ride motorcycles.” — Ultimate Motorcycling
"Insightful and from the heart ... a driven and much recommended look into the mind and conflict of the next generation of war veterans. " — Midwest Book Review (Reviewer's Choice)