Spiders in the Tub

I'm all in favor of spiders in theory. I imagine that without spiders we would have been overrun with bugs ages ago. Spider webs covered with dew are truly beautiful, although that Texas park covered in web, ick. Creepy. Spiders in person, I'm not such a big fan. And spiders in the bathtub?

Look, it's first thing in the morning, I'm still adjusting to the concept of being awake, and all I want is to suck on my coffee and have a refreshing shower. Why do I have to deal with a spider in the tub? I am getting efficient at this operation, because it seems to occur on a weekly basis. I have to put a robe on, open the front door, grab an unwanted section of the morning paper and then persuade a very skittish arachnid that the newspaper is a better place to stand than his other option: the drain. Once the spider has made his move, I quickly dash to the front door, balancing newspaper and spider, fling open the screen door and make damn sure he's off the paper outside the apartment. Slam door, slip tainted newspaper into the recycling, and get back to the shower business.

What worries me is how often this happens. It's obvious that any spider who wanders into the tub is stuck there, but if it's happening on a weekly basis, how many damn spiders are padding through my apartment at night? I never see them when the lights are on, and there really isn't a lot of available spider food in here anyway. Good screens on the windows means almost no bugs. So why are the spiders here at all? And what is it that they're up to in the apartment with the lights out?

Or is this the same damn spider every time?

Random Photo of the Day

A young bloodhound, who was towering over scores of other dogs at the Basset Olympics in Lebanon, Oregon a few years back. At the time, my friend Ralphie (50% basset, 50% beagle) was just a pup, used to playing with the Labs in the park. This event was the first time he'd really come eye to eye with dogs his own height. The bloodhound, needless to say, wasn't one of those dogs.

Basset Olympics

Random Photo of the Day

Havana? Miami? All those bright colors means Caribbean fun! Look at the beautiful blue sky. Who can forget those wonderful warm days under the beach umbrella, a big plate of ropa viejo or vaca frita on the table next to an ice-cold mojito. Sweet custardy flan for dessert. Mmmmm. Cuba!

What? Portland? Oregon? No way!

Pambiche restaurant, NE 28th & Glisan, five minutes from home (on a bicycle!). But it sure looks like Cuba. Or how I imagine Cuba. And the food is incredible.

Eatin' and drinkin' in Portland

One good friend came up from SoCal to visit this weekend, and two other good friends came up from Eugene to join in the carousing. We found some new favorite places to eat and drink, discovered the demise or downfall of several old favorites. Saturday dinner at Clyde Common, a superb new restaurant in the Ace Hotel (looks like downtown hipster heaven) was definitely on the plus side.
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Random Photos of the Day

Those of us who have lived in Portland a long time tend to have a poor opinion of the manner in which an old industrial neighborhood has turned into the environ of Yuppies with way too much money. Most of the old buildings in the Pearl District have been torn down and replaced with hideously-expensive condos, which from an architectural standpoint are admittedly very attractive. All the naked display of conspicuous wealth and consumption does creep me out, personally, but no more so than the equally conspicuous hipster persona of the new Mississippi neighborhood.

This particular building is one I always admired while it was still a commercial building and I have to admit, if I had a bazillion dollars, I might think seriously about buying a unit in the conversion. There is a garden on the roof, but it's not possible to tell from my lowly position on the street whether it's a communal garden or whether one of the residents has even more money than the rest. I confess to a sick feeling of envy.


A similar building is just across the street.

A Dram in Memory of Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson died a few days ago, apparently as a result of his Parkinson's Disease. Jackson was one of a rare group of people whose advocacy had a profound impact on the manner in which people came to view beer, for he was one of the first writers to take beer seriously, with the same gravitas given to wine. He helped to define the vast array of beers and breweries, and to awaken drinkers not only to the rising craft movement in the US, but to the obscure, the lost, and the disappearing beerstyles of Europe.

Jackson was likewise a booster and an educator on the subject of whisky, especially whisky from Scotland. I am sure he would have loved this dram of Laphroaig, 10 year old original cask strength, and I raise it in his honor and memory. The man lived a rich and bountiful life, with a planet full of friends to remember him, but he still left too early.

Random Photo of the Day

Another rose? Ah, well, it's Portland after all. This was taken in the Rose Test Gardens in Washington Park, and in the original photograph the red is almost blinding. The pity is that it's not possible to blog the aroma of the gardens, because there is something truly wonderful about the smell of thousands of blooming roses. More photos here.