Stumptown "Berkie" 2008

What do you get when you mix six inches of snow with uncleared downtown roads and a handful of nordic ski fanatics? An impromptu Birkebeiner, of course! Being the first of this seasonally-annual event, the attendance was somewhat... low. However, the determination and spirit of the handful of participants more than made up for the lack of bodies!

In joyous celebration of the winter gods, humans reclaimed the roads! Even a photographer from the Oregonian was there, so with luck, this event will takeoff and become a somewhat beloved urban tradition!

The Humans are Coming!!

I wasn't aware that people do this... but now I want to try. Definitely check it out, and then challenge the metal beast yourself!

http://chasingthestreetcar.blogspot.com

Tillandsias and Noble Firs

I finally went to Pistils Nursery located on Mississippi Ave, and what a treat that store is! Hoping for some advice on my kitchen herb collection, I discovered the amazing terrariums and selection of succulents. The nice lady at the counter also informed me that there is no hope for keeping herbs healthy indoors. Sad.

However, I walked away with a handful of Tillandsias...

...which now reside in my Christmas tree (hanging in little glass globes). I'll post some pictures when the tree looks a little more complete. :)

* Pistils Nursery is having some terrarium workshops this Sunday and upcoming Saturday (the 14th and 20th). I'm definitely going.

Live... Bike!!

I love the pace of bicycles. Perfect for exploration, my personal history is intertwined with the bicycles of my life. Learning how to ride at a fairly young age, I first discovered my neighborhoods on the banana-seat. When I turned 9, my parents wanted to go camping and mountain biking with me... I never really did a lot of mountain biking, but when I outgrew that bike, I got another mountain bike simply because that's what I knew. That one lasted me all the way to my second year of college, when it was stolen from a locked garage that it was locked to. Boo to Eugene thieves. 

My love of the bicycle didn't become apparent until I visited Kyoto. Somewhat overwhelmed with the humanity and busy-ness of the city, it wasn't until I extensively rode around with my Japanese friend that I was able to understand what Kyoto was about. From that point on, the rest is 'history.' I came back, enthused about road biking. My friend introduced me to fixies, as well as the culture of road and cyclocross racing. 

Now I read, watch, and participate in everything I can that is bike related. Kazuma and I are currently planning our trip across the states, which will happen when we both graduate in a year and a half. I also dream of somehow building my own frame to create my ideal fixie... one thing at a time, though! 

*the above drawing is of the precursor to the bicycle; the velocipede, which had no pedals

It's not the 50's anymore, apparently...

I went caroling with a group of friends last night. We started off singing at people's houses that we knew, but then found ourselves knocking on the entire neighborhood's doors. I'm from Corvallis, which is a smaller town... but I didn't really think that people were nicer there, too. We were only successful in singing to half the houses; people would answer the door and then slam it shut when we started singing, or stare at us through the window! 

*sigh*

Maybe caroling is truly a thing of the past. I love it, though... so I guess I'll keep on trying! There was one house of elderly that started singing with us. As long as the old folks don't die off too soon, I'm good to go.  :)

Final Stop

On December 12th and 13th, you can check out the final showing of the Bike Film Festival in 2008. It will be held at Cinema 21, with after-parties at Holocene. Check it out at:

http://bicyclefilmfestival.com/2008_site/portland/friday.php#a

GO!!!

PostSecret

I found myself in Powells the other day and stumbled on the PostSecret book (a collection of  'confessions' sent to the author on postcards). 

People are... amazing.

HD

Ok, I don't mean to be so... obsessed. But I keep noticing things related to this 3d 'craze.' My friend just finished her CPA exams, and as a treat to herself, got a flat screen High Definition TV. When I was looking at TVs with her, it struck me; HD is kindof another form of 3d. The purpose of both is to create a more realistic image, but with very different approaches! I find it fascinating that society is going to such great lengths to make these images, which are mostly fabricated and not real, into 'realistic' scenes through the television screen. 

And then comes the question: is this a good thing? Is it good that we are making arbitrary and unrealistic images and situations into reality? We invest an enormous amount of money and time developing and enjoying this technology, but what do we do in the actual world?