Drinking and having fun in Eugene

Actually, this photo and these photos were taken months ago. It was summer, I'm pretty sure. Hmmm, June. Ryan, Jenaya and I visited the Bier Stein (finally!) for dinner and a selection of interesting (not always great) beers. Sandwiches were excellent and, as always with these two, I had a lot of fun. The woman sitting to my right asked me "Do you always take pictures of your food?" as though it was an odd practice, but . . . maybe it is. It does help to remind me of great meals and great evenings, even in Eugene in June.

The Bier Stein is a pub that specializes, oddly enough, in beer. Lots of excellent beers on tap and a huge selection of bottled beers in the reach-in coolers along several walls. You can buy beers to take home, or pick out something and have it poured into a reasonably-correct glass to consume on-premises. Since this is Oregon, they have to serve food, and it's very good pub food, well-suited to accompany something from the cooler. On this evening, we beat the rush; by the time we actually got to eat the place was jammed and no seats were left.

Random Photo of the Day

It's not my photo! My son, Alex, sent this to me and can't track down the original link. So if it's yours, I apologize and would love to give you credit. But it's a baby hedgehog! Soooo cute.

Spiders in the Park!

Spiders belong in the park, not in the tub! On a foggy Sunday morning, there are lots of dewy webs with the spiders off somewhere else sleeping until things dry out. Hopefully, the spiders are close by, and not sneaking off to certain people's apartments to lurk until dark. More pictures of fog and sun at Mt Tabor Park are here. There is even a photo of a spider!

Random Photo of the Day

Autumn is the best time of year! No more hot days (the window fans are all stashed away for the season), ovens can be used to cook wonderful Fall meals, and the leaves are turning beautiful colors even here in Portland. True, October here is usually more sunny and a bit warmer, but this year is what it is: cool and grey.

Random Photo of the Day

Sunday at the dog park. Beats going to church in my book. And Ralphie's.

Random Photo of the Day

Here in Portland, we're adding another light rail line along the path of the original Transit Mall, which opened in 1978. The track will run from Union Station on the north all the way to Portland State University on Fifth and Sixth avenues, where the train will share spaces with buses and cars. Over the past weekend, trains were shut down through central Portland to accommodate construction on this intersection, where the new track had to be cut through the existing track from 1986.

What I find most amazing about the project is the speed at which the road- and trackwork is being completed. There are portions in Old Town where the work is already finished, at least at the road level. None of the work to put in stations, overhead power, or the multitude of other work has even been started. I'll get some photos soon of some of the finished brickwork; it's really beautiful and a significant upgrade over the previous road surface, which didn't appear to have been touched since the 70s.

So go read the funny book!

Denis Cooverman has spent his school years (especially the critical pubescent years) sitting behind the exquisite Beth Cooper. Year after year, classroom after classroom, sitting in excruciating love, tumescence and devotion.

His big chance finally comes at graduation, in the guise of his valedictorian speech, where he finally and publicly declares his undying love for you, Beth Cooper. An unwise decision? Yes, in all probability, but it's a decision that is destined to change his entire life -- or at least the rest of graduation night, which is nearly the same thing.

Anyone who has survived adolescence, whether as a geek, a jock, the head cheerleader or a Goth, can find serious, important, life-affirming hysteria in I Love You, Beth Cooper. Larry Doyle, who is apparently young enough to remember the wrenching violations of high school and old enough to view it with amusement instead of agony, is a very funny writer, and Evan Dorkin is a very funny illustrator (each chapter features a new and more ravaged portrait of Denis -- see here ).

So, remember, I don't do book reviews any more. This is your only warning. Go get this book and read it.