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Comments Posted By Talea
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Of Terror, Children, and Basketball
In the end, these sorts of events are always seen through our own personal prisms of experiences, both good and bad.
I pray for Kyron and his family, while recognizing that bad shit happens.
Sometimes for no apparent reason.
» Posted By talea On June 13, 2010 @ 3:14 pm
What People Wear When They Fly
Devlyn, you make me laugh. And I totally agree with your parameters of when “PJs” might be acceptable.
(and I would never be caught dead in Spongebob pajama pants. Maybe Firefly pajama pants, but that’s as far as I would go.)
Travel Geek: I’d be honored — all the best ideas are, er, borrowed. I can’t remember who I borrowed the idea from. (And BTW, Eddie Bauer, Travel Smith, J.Jill and some other catalogs offer summer tanks with built in shelf bras in a large range of sizes that are very comfortable to wear under shirts and jackets. Fred Meyer also stocks some.)
» Posted By talea On June 13, 2010 @ 3:10 pm
Sorry, Travel Geek, count me as one of those who goes for comfort when I’m traveling privately, i.e. not on business (on business, I wear a pant suit). I also quit wearing an, ah, upper torso undergarment after the 7th or 8th time a Portland TSA agent inquired at the top of her lungs if I was wearing an underwire bra. I figured that was none of the other passengers’ damn business. (By the way, such public inquiries about my unmentionables hasn’t happened in other airports.)
So now I wear a double layer tank under a shirt or jacket, comfy stretchy slacks with an elastic waist, hidden by said shirt or jacket, and easy to slip on and off shoes. The bra goes into the carry-on to be donned when I land. I look decent enough for a multi-hour cattle car ride. And decent enough not to be embarrassed in case I run into somebody I know. That’s only happened once and it was my ex-husband. He lives on the opposite coast. Go figure.
» Posted By talea On June 9, 2010 @ 6:52 pm
I think Anna’s point is that serious discussion has to take place on many of Portland’s issues. And occasional Tweets don’t take the place of that.
I think a tweet is a great way to direct people to a venue where such discussion is taking place. And to let people know how the process in progressing. But tweeting isn’t thoughtfult discourse and consensus building.
» Posted By talea On February 3, 2010 @ 9:45 am
I’d agree that fast train service to Seattle and SanFran/Oakland would make a lot of sense. East Coast folks have found for years that willingness to travel out of a number of airports between NY and DC and taking the Amtrak east corridor train to them often resulted in quicker and cheaper travel. The trains run often and it’s often quicker/cheaper to use them rather than drive yourself and park.
» Posted By talea On January 23, 2010 @ 11:13 am
My brother and I both moved to Portland (at different times) from big(but different) cities on the East Coast. We had grown up in Kansas City, whose SMSA is about the same size as Portland’s SMSA, but until we moved to Portland, I don’t think either of us realized the difference that geography plays in airline routes. KC’s not a main hub for much of anybody, but it is in the middle of the country and if you miss a flight, there’s always another one going through to somewhere close to your destination, usually within a few hours.
One spring break, I went out of PDX to the Bahamas. I didn’t know it was spring break; I’m not a parent or a college kid and I was meeting some East Coast friends there on a trip they planned for me. But I was in the line at the gate at PDX and heard the guy in the line next to me explain his secretary screwed up and forgot to make his flight arrangements to somewhere south of Portland. He apparently made this flight every month and was pretty upset. The gate agent said: “The earliest we can get you out is in three days. Because it’s spring break and everybody is flying OUT of Portland, so all flights are overbooked.” I couldn’t help myself; I interrupted and said, “Are you serious? Three DAYS? You can’t be serious.”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m serious.” That’s when I realized the difference that geography plays. In Portland, you’re at the end of the line in a 2nd-tier airport and the capacity to leave the city is finite. In the midwest or some other connecting city, you may be at a 2nd-tier airport but you’re rarely at the end of the line and can usually get a flight to somewhere on the way to your destination.
The guy ended up renting a car and driving north to Seattle to catch a flight south later that day.
The reality is that Portland’s airport is never going to have a lot of nonstops anywhere. Seattle, LA and San Fran are the gateways. Airlines aren’t going to have four hubs off the West Coast and since we’re the smallest of the major west coast cities — although not really small — we lose.
(And, BTW, Southwest has a nonstop to KC, which is important to me because that’s where the other half of my family lives. It’s the only airline with a nonstop to there. On average, the nonstop shaves 3 hours off the trip.)
» Posted By talea On January 22, 2010 @ 4:27 pm
Portland Police: The Problem is Perception
I totally agree, dieselboi. And if I hear one more time about the girl’s size, I may have to get out a beanbag (we use ‘em for ice packs) and beat somebody. Figuratively, of course.
» Posted By talea On December 9, 2009 @ 3:50 pm
Divebarwife, not to negate your experiences but I have been followed and hassled. And a polite no did not work in some cases — until I turned on my “east coast persona,” which I learned obviously while living on the east coast and which is not pretty.
I don’t like having to turn on that persona. That’s why I moved to Portland.
But I can’t believe that the chuggers are doing more good than harm. People in Portland don’t like confrontations of any sort.
For what it’s worth, I have never encountered a Greenpeace “chugger” in any other city I’ve been in. Even on the east coast.
» Posted By talea On September 25, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
I’m with dieselboi on this one. I, too, totally avoid the charities with lots of chuggers — and before I moved to Portland, that wasn’t the case. I’m also not really fond of the PGE “chuggers” who stand outside Food Front on 23rd trying to sign you up for the green energy option. I finally just started lying and said I was already signed up. That way, I got no guilt trip. And as a renter, I didn’t have a choice on where my energy came from.
» Posted By talea On September 24, 2009 @ 5:44 am
wow, meghan, you must be a lot younger than me (in my 50s); the Royals were in their glory days in the 70s and early 80s and nobody left early.
No matter where I’ve moved, I’ve never had as fun an experience as a fan as I did in KC growing up. (Chiefs games were fun, too, back then.)
» Posted By talea On April 21, 2009 @ 4:54 pm
Made in Oregon sign – a compromise? Really?
Yeah, I think you’re right Sadie; the Naitos do own it. And I didn’t know there was a store in that building; ever since I’ve been here, it was in the Galleria.
But my point was that the U of O wasn’t throwing “its weight around” by wanting to put its name on the sign — several other business have already done that.
However, I like the compromise. It is an icon and after all, this IS Oregon.
» Posted By talea On April 9, 2009 @ 5:57 pm
Top 10 PSU Saturday Market Survival Tips
Another tip: Feed the little ones first, rather than planning to “eat at the market,” thus saving yourselves 2 and 1/2 hours in various lines at extremely overpriced bakery booths and missing all the good fresh veggies and berries. You want expensive baked goods; stop at St. Honore first, then go to the market. The kids can eat in the car on the way to the market. Signed, an aunt who shakes her head at the beloved parents of the aforementioned little ones.
» Posted By talea On April 7, 2009 @ 11:35 am
OurPDX shared links for March 23rd
I canceled my O a couple of weeks ago, when I got notice that my admittedly almost criminally low monthly rate ($8.33 a month) was being raised more than 50 percent. They asked me why; I gave them several content reasons (several of their cutbacks have been nonsensical), followed almost off-handedly by the fact I thought I might be soon be moving from the area.
They haven’t called me once. I find that astonishing, based on past behavior when I’ve stopped a subscription.
» Posted By Talea On March 24, 2009 @ 3:54 pm
I totally disagree with changing the law. I would disagree if it were pedestrians proposing it, too.
Here’s my reasoning. First, very few bicyclists stop anyway (and very few are ever ticketed; c’mon, let’s be honest), but most of them at least pause or slow down long enough to assess if there is any danger coming their way. As well they should and as I do when I’m the bicyclist or pedestrian.
Second, when driving a car, I have to look in a lot of different directions at all stops, particularly in inner-city Portland where there are a LOT of bicyclists and pedestrians. Which, frankly, I like.
But the car driver shouldn’t be the only person who is saddled with the responsibility of making sure he/she and those around them are safe. So, THIRD, none of us own the road. And ALL of us should obey the same laws. That’s the basis of civilisation. There should be NO exemptions for special interest groups.
And, FOURTH, all those folks who have been killed in recent years because vehicles made right turns into them? Do you think in ANY WAY, this law will do anything to alleviate that? Or, using your common sense, isn’t it more likely to increase such tragedies, once bicyclists abdicate any sense of responsibility for their own well-being?
This proposed law does NOT pass the common sense test.
And, yes, I bike, drive and walk. Even if a law passes, I’ll still stop or, at least, proceed very slowly.
» Posted By talea On March 19, 2009 @ 4:54 pm
The Crud: Is it coming for all of us?
Nope, it’s not flu — at least not a flu that was covered by this year’s flu shots. My doctor sis-in-law says it’s viral: she has had it for a month and says a lot of her patients have come in with it. Her doctor finally threw antibiotics at the problem but she says they aren’t helping, nor did she expect them to.
I had a flu shot, but I now have “the crud” and it’s had me down for a couple of weeks but worsened considerably following a trip back east for a funeral 10 days ago. I slept all weekend, literally, and finally feel a smidge better.
Hope you feel better soon.
» Posted By Talea On March 16, 2009 @ 3:10 pm
It is good to see common sense break out. Sometimes in Portland, you don’t see so much of it.
» Posted By talea On March 5, 2009 @ 6:16 am
No excuse for not having a valid fare on TriMet
Dieselboi: I think you're missing biketard's point. We should be able to count on the ticket machines working. We shouldn't have to have "advance knowledge" that they often don't. I've ridden trains all over the country and around the world for that matter. I've never before run into the kind of unreliability that the TriMet system has.
If TriMet wants to turn the occasional or first-time rider into a regular, its ticket machines need to be reliable. Period. Itr's really not rocket science. The fact that they don't work reliably and that bloggers like yourself have to warn people to have a backup plan just kind of points out how bush-league the system is.
I agree people need to be prepared — but why should we settle for such a low standard of service?
» Posted By Talea On February 10, 2009 @ 4:18 am
I would agree that a regular rider should be prepared, but TriMet will build their regular ridership by capturing the occasional rider (like me) on how easy it is to use the system. If you gotta hunt for a ticket, it ain’t easy to use.
So in the end, it’s really TriMet’s problem to solve, so I agree with Steve R.’s last paragraph.
» Posted By talea On January 27, 2009 @ 2:06 pm
Dieselboi, I do agree about being prepared. And I do carry enough cash at all times to buy a ticket. But where does one buy a TriMet ticket if not from a machine (yes, I realize I can look this up on the net, but I’m not usually carrying a laptop when I need this info)?
I’m not a regular rider — but when I do ride I usually have toddlers in tow. It’s not easy to trundle them around in search of a ticket.
» Posted By talea On January 27, 2009 @ 1:39 pm
I totally disagree. TriMet needs to have ITS feet held to the fire.
If the agency wants people to pay fares, then it needs to provide reliable ticket-dispensing machines. Period. That’s ITS job. It ain’t rocket science. For example, say what you want about the smart parking meters but I almost always get them to work. I rarely across a vending machine that doesn’t work. From what I hear, the TriMet dispensers rarely work.
Handing out $90 tickets AND a condescending lecture because somebody just may be a scammer is kinda sleazy. Most people are really trying to do the right thing and get to work on time as well.
Yes, I realize some folks around have decided to play the system. But hasn’t TriMet taught them to, just by not doing ITS job?
» Posted By talea On January 27, 2009 @ 12:01 pm
Gang Violence Rips Through the Portland Community
I apologize for the garbled post above. I was editing myself and somehow it got posted in mid-stream. So ignore that and read this version (I do wish we could edit posts).
I feel safe in my NW neighborhood — and I say that as a victim of a crime that occurred when a stranger broke into my home (in another city) and roughed me up. As a result, I’m more nervous about crime than most.
But I have to say I wouldn’t feel so safe in many NE and SE neighborhoods that many of my friends live in. They feel safe, but I wouldn’t. And, yes, that’s because of the uptick in gang violence. It isn’t happening in far off parts of a big city — it’s happening within blocks of people I personally know.
However, just to show you’re never immune, I just found out from a neighborhood email list that there have been suspicious folks seemingly checking out houses a couple of streets over. They seem to be just casing out houses but who knows?
» Posted By talea On January 21, 2009 @ 12:54 pm
I feel very in my NW neighborhood — and I say that as a victim of a crime that occurred when a stranger broke into my home (in another city) and roughed me up. As a result, I’m more nervous about crime than most.
But I have to say I wouldn’t feel so safe in many NE and SE neighborhoods that many of my friends live in. They feel safe, but I wouldn’t. And, yes, that’s because of the uptick in gang violence. It isn’t happening in far off parts of a big city — it’s happening within blocks of people I personally know.
However, just to show you’re never immune, I just found out from a neighborhood email list that there have been suspicious folks seemingly checking out houses a couple of streets over. They seem to be just casing out houses but who knows?
So do
» Posted By talea On January 21, 2009 @ 12:49 pm
I read it as people aren’t really reacting to the having sex with Beau part — most of us consider the bedroom off limits — what they’re upset about are the cover-up lies. Now Sam is far from the first politician to lie, but unfortunately for him, I think people finally have had enough of that.
That’s certainly my reaction — Obama’s inauguration was all about new hope, yet on that same day, we had to deal with Sam and the same old Portland s***.
I personally am tired of it. I did vote for the guy, but now I want him out. His credibility has taken a severe hit and, frankly, this city has too many problems that need to be solved now. We don’t have time for him to ride it out.
» Posted By talea On January 22, 2009 @ 2:46 am
The start of a journey. OBAMA!
What a great experience for you and thanks — in advance — for sharing with all of us!!!
» Posted By talea On January 17, 2009 @ 9:44 am
So people really care if their COMMENTS are deleted from a deleted POST? It makes sense that commenters are concerned if their comments are deleted off an ongoing post because then they are being censored. But common sense says that if the entire POST is deleted, then of course comments would go, too.
And unless your rules state that all posts belong to ourPDX and not the individual author, I guess I have no trouble with an author who wants to take his posts and go home. For whatever reason — many authors are now choosing to consolidate all their web writing in one place.
But I’m not sure that I, as only a reader, appreciate the way you announced it, Dieselboi. (You asked, I’m just providing feedback.)
Had you left it at your first three sentences and then added a fourth that said: FYI, at his request, all posts he made have been deleted along with the comments and that at ourPDX, all posts belong to the authors, I’d be OK with that. I’d also appreciate it if you’d include his forwarding address (not me personally, but just as a reader in case I wanted to follow that particular author). The way you worded it — and asked for feedback, however, made me think you had issues with GeoffK’s decision. Which is fine if you do, but do I, as a reader and not as part of the authors group, really need to know that?
As far as I know, you have not announced when other writers have come or gone, so this seems weird and unnecessary.
So Option 1: Just reply by email to those who ask, take his name out of the authors list and leave it at that. If Geoff K wants to post a goodbye post, that’s his privilege.
Option 2: Have goodbye and hello posts for EVERYBODY that are cheerful, respectful and tell readers where next to find the author if they want to follow them.
I vote for Option 1. Less drama.
I prefer my drama to be confined to TNT.
» Posted By talea On January 13, 2009 @ 9:41 pm
Gotta love an event that celebrates bacon!
» Posted By talea On January 7, 2009 @ 1:52 pm
Snowpocalypse!!!111eleventy!! Storm Open Thread
I agree that PDX wigs out at the mere threat of snow but I do remember how the 2004 (or was it 2003?) week-long January snow storm caught me totally unaware — because like everyone else I pooh-poohed the predictions as hype. All my winter stuff was in my storage area downtown — I hadn’t used it for three years; I had no gloves, no hat, no heavy winter coat, no ski pants (for sliding down my hill on my butt to get to a bus stop), no snow shovel, no safety salt or sand for my front sidewalk. Then my car lock froze shut and I couldn’t find any of that defreeze stuff (a lighter didn’t work — I tried). And even the buses weren’t running much. At the time, I worked downtown so it was only 3 miles to walk, once I got off my hill (and it’s not very high).
And no groceries in the house.
This time, I’ve got most of the basics and food. And my ski pants are here somewhere.
The reality is that this city doesn’t handle snow — its de-icing is a joke; it has hardly any snowplows; it won’t use any salt (I’ve lived in several cities that threw salt around like candy and I never lost a plant or a car to it — not that I’m recommending it but a little can save a lot of auto body work) and it has some pretty serious hills. In 2004, a sizable number of TriMet drivers had never driven in snow and the MAX tracks were frozen solid. Plus 200 plus of the TriMet drivers didn’t come into work because they couldn’t get there — and TriMet did not set up dorm accommodations for them or send 4-wheel drives for them, like most cities do during major snowstorms.
However, it’s probably not very cost-effective to change most of that — since we RARELY do get really bad weather.
But what IS scaring me is the possibility for an ice storm — if that brings down power lines, my house could get really cold for up to a week — and there is no way I can walk back UP my hill if it’s a sheet of ice.
So I’ll make up a batch of Shrimp New Orleans — it’s very good cold.
» Posted By Talea On December 14, 2008 @ 1:03 am
Buy Lots of Books, Get a Burrito From One Loving Son
ditto capricious, although I’ll buy mine for gifts.
» Posted By Talea On December 11, 2008 @ 7:59 pm
OK, now you all ARE sounding like a feuding clique — or sixth-grade girls, pick your poison. I’ve noticed that I am the only non-insider commenting here.
Who the hell cares who contributes to how many sites? I, as a reader, can keep track of that for myself and come to my own conclusion.
Please get over whatever snit you guys are having and get back to blogging about your opinions and your knowledge about our city.
Thanks,
one person in your anonymous public, whom none of you has ever met. As far as I know.» Posted By Talea On December 8, 2008 @ 4:55 pm
«« Back To Stats PageAhh, I finally went back and read all the comments to Geoff K’s tech piece and I obviously misconstrued what Brewcaster was saying — he actually liked the discussion, I think.
Anyway, I apologize for getting it wrong.
But I still don’t understand why everybody’s panties are in a twist and why one post has resulted in a referendum on OurPDX.
With that, peace out.
» Posted By Talea On December 7, 2008 @ 4:42 pm
