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January 31, 2007
Flying high
I met Scooby, Rian's new bird, two weekends ago:
Then last weekend, Ben and I caught rides on Portland's new aerial tram.
I liked the view.
More pics from Life of Courtney are here.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 08:20 PM | Comments (1)
January 28, 2007
tram
Ben and I were among the first 5,000 members of the general public to ride Portland's new aerial tram today.
The trip was quick, the view was great, it was definitely worth the price of admission. Then again, we got free tickets. And there were cookies and candies when we got to the top.
With a $4 per trip price tag, it might be a good place to bring out-of-towners but I can't see myself becoming a regular rider. As to whether it was worth the cost to the public, I can't say I know enough to really judge. The initial estimate was $28.5 million, the final project cost was $55 million. That's a bit of an overrun. Time will tell how many cars the thing keeps off the road, and how many of the millionaires living in the new housing at the bottom of the thing will take advantage of it.
I got lots of great pictures. I plan to upload them (and some photos of Rian's new bird) pretty soon. I need to install some software on my computer first, though, and it's bedtime now.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 11:03 PM | Comments (3)
January 24, 2007
eating out
A month or so ago, Ben and I ate at clarklewis, a fancy Portland place that at one point was named the city's top restaurant. The food was OK, but I was really disappointed by everything else about the experience. We arrived promptly at the time of our reservation, but weren't seated for more than half an hour. Nobody offered us drinks until we'd been waiting for 15 minutes. Throughout, I felt really unwelcome. I left a note that I was frustrated by the service, and the next day I got a phone call accusing me of making a mistake about my reservation time. No apologies, nothing.
Today I read this, which perfectly captured my feelings. Apparently bad service has become the norm in New York. I'm glad Portland has a lot of other options, and that I can still go out for good food without feeling unwelcome.
After reading the New York Times article, I went back to look at the comments I posted on a local foodie web site. I guess some clarklewis folks took offense at what I had so say. Too bad.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 05:42 PM | Comments (4)
January 20, 2007
Corvallis
I'm getting ready to head out to Corvallis to visit Rian. Back tomorrow.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 12:24 PM | Comments (0)
January 19, 2007
Breaking the "Don't write about work" rule
The big event of the year for my colleagues (and for me) unfolds this morning: the 2007 Clark County Economic Forecast. More than 600 people are attending.
I'm moderating a panel and hosting some of the guests in just an hour. I'm pretty excited, but also quite exhausted, and I'm just one of the small players in this big event. If you click on the right spot on that link above, you can see a video of my editor looking really put together and talking about the event. She deserves major kudos for all the work she's done on this.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 05:58 AM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2007
winter!
It's snowing! For real! We've had a couple of very light dustings already this year, and each has sent school districts and meteorologists across the region into a frenzy. This is the first time I've seen close to an inch of snow on the ground in Portland in years, though. And big fat flakes are still falling.
I'm soooo going to be late for work. The roads will be awful. Portland's not equipped for any kind of weather. When we got a couple of inches two or three years ago, the city shut down for days. I'm thinking I should bring some extra warm clothes with me, in case I wind up walking or taking the bus home today.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:46 AM | Comments (2)
January 11, 2007
edumacation.
I've signed up for a web-based intro economics course through the local community college. Here's hoping I'll learn something.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 06:32 PM | Comments (0)
January 08, 2007
Another resolution
I'm giving myself the rest of January to get through a book series Ben's got me hooked on. Written by Jack Whyte, the books are about the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in Britain, and the attempt by some clusters of society to hold in to civilization in a vacuum.
Once I get through these books, I've got a reading resolution to busy myself with for the rest of 2007. I'm hoping to read two classic books from each decade of the 20th Century. I'll read them in chronological order, no two books by the same author, and nothing I've already read before. I've got a long list to work from already, but I'll gladly take recommendations, too.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:25 AM | Comments (1)
January 05, 2007
be it resolved
I skipped the gym this week, but next week I'm heading back with renewed vigor. One of my resolutions in the new year is to do my first-ever pull-up before my 29th birthday. I've got less than two months!
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)
January 01, 2007
2007
Running through thick chill air, splashing champagne, counting down a bit too late, hollering at invisible fireworks in the fog. This was a good start to a new year.
Good riddance 2006. We saw out the old with a Pink Martini concert. Carol Channing showed up. I resolve to calm down a bit, read some books, perform feats of strength. Details to follow.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 12:44 AM | Comments (0)