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December 31, 2007
Postponed
I said I'd post pictures of Morgan and Robin getting en-vowed tonight, but I don't have the time or energy. Sorry folks. Happy 2008.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:28 PM | Comments (0)
December 30, 2007
Newly wed
Morgan and Robin are now married. They did it in their living room this afternoon, with the minister who lives across the street officiating. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 08:59 PM | Comments (0)
December 28, 2007
Indulgence. Over, even, maybe.
Cranium, Cranium, Apples to Apples, Cranium, pizza messy rice, salad, orange rolls, cookies, potatoes, french toast, cracker corn, cookies, orange rolls, sweet potato casserole, pizza, apple crisp. This has been a week for indulgence in board games and food.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 11:18 PM | Comments (0)
December 27, 2007
My two cents
My parents are in town through New Year's Eve, as is my youngest brother, Chance. And of course brothers Austin and Morgan are always here, as is Morgan's wife-to-be Robin (they got the documents today and will file the married people paperwork pretty soon). It's nice to be so surrounded by the Sherwood clan, but my wittiness reserves are low so please forgive dull posts.
In other news, last week I added a small advertising bubble to the right side of this web site. I've already made two cents. At this rate, I may have a dollar by 2009. Hoo-ah.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)
December 26, 2007
Today's news
Morgan and Robin are getting legal. As in married.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:35 PM | Comments (0)
December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas!
I love this holiday. Here's my secret method for limiting the vast (and delicious) quantities of food I feel compelled to shovel into my mouth at this time of year: tights. If not tights, leggings. See, I wear a tighter pair of tights under my pants, which squeezes my tummy and makes me feel full marginally sooner. Instead of eating 4,500 calories, I eat 3,500 calories. Of course today was the second of three feast days, so no matter how tight my pants the food intake will all add up.
So be it. I love it.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)
December 24, 2007
Christmas Eve
Morgan, Robin, Austin and Chance came over for pizza and coke. We all played Cranium together. I laughed so hard I almost died.
Here's a pic:
Did I mention that I added a flickr stream to the right-hand side of this web site? If you scroll down, you'll see a tease of any recent pictures I've taken.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 08:48 PM | Comments (0)
I read many books.
At the start of this year, I made a New Year's resolution to read two classic novels from each decade of the 20th century, not repeating any author. Once I got into the '80s and '90s, I realized that there's not much consensus on which books are "classics," so I just went for well-regarded or influential.
It was a great experience. I discovered a few new favorite books, and maybe learned a few tricks that will help me with my writing. To track my progress, I kept a book log, where I've been writing thoughts and impressions of each novel as I finish it. This week, I started transcribing some of my reviews to Goodreads, an online community of the book. I also added a link to my Goodreads reviews to the right hand side of this site.
Here are the books that I read for my resolution:
1900s
Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
The Ambassadors, Henry James
1910s
My Antonia, Willa Cather
Winesburg, Ohio, Sherwood Anderson
1920s
Leave it to Psmith, P.G. Wodehouse
A Passage to India, E.M.Forster
1930s
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neal Hurston
Absalom, Absalom! William Faulkner
1940s
Razor's Edge, Sommerset Maughm
All the King's Men, Robert Penn Warren
1950s
The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway
The Long Goodbye, Raymond Chandler
1960
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Miriam Spark
Herzog, Saul Bellow
1970s
August 1914, Solzhenitzen
The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston
1980s
Neuromancer, William Gibson
The Satanic Verses, Salman Rusdie
1990s
Motherless Brooklyn, Jonathan Lethem
White Teeth, Zadie Smith
I also read some books not related to the resolution. From a King Arthur-themes series by Jack Whyte: "The Saxon Shore," "The Fort at Rivers Bend," "The Sorcerer: Metamorphosis," "Uther" and "Lancelot." Also, the finale to another series, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." And I'm still reading. Who knows what more I'll get through before the year is out.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:10 AM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2007
Lots of us, mostly tall
Darcy won't be coming to Portland for Christmas this year, but otherwise the entire Sherwood offspring clan is here, and they're all much, much taller than me. Austin (6') and Chance (at least 5'10") got here late last night, and are staying with Morgan (5'11") and Robin.
My parents started their long western train ride yesterday afternoon in Washington, D.C. They'll get to Portland the afternoon of Christmas day. Then we'll have a Sherwood food-and-presents extravaganza on the 26th.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 12:25 PM | Comments (0)
December 22, 2007
Life is fragile
Rian was pretty banged up last weekend when her car, a patch of ice, a mountain pass and a semi-truck collided. She's much more OK than she could be, for which I am grateful, because I don't know what I'd do without her in my life. The car was totaled. I don't know enough to say more, and I'm not sure it's my place to put my friend's life on display for the entire Internet. I'm shook up.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 10:56 AM | Comments (1)
December 21, 2007
Good Yule
Winter Solstice begins overnight tonight, a bit after 1 a.m. I'm not sure if that means that tonight is the longest night of the year or tomorrow is, but I do know that it means that the days will gradually start growing longer, beginning very soon. My old Norwegian ancestors would be saying "God Yul" right about now. Good Yule. Happy solstice.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:49 PM | Comments (2)
The busy season is upon us
This was a nice evening. Dinner with Amy, movie with Dan, Lindsey and Mike. Tomorrow we'll have dinner with Sara and Chris. Saturday Austin and Chance get into town. Tuesday it's Christmas with the Lincoln-Riles-Mullen clan. Wednesday it's Christmas, part 2, with most of the Sherwoods and affiliates. Later in the week maybe a ski trip, I don't know.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 12:02 AM | Comments (0)
December 19, 2007
Class action suit
I got a notice in the mail that I was on the winning end of a class action suit I'd never heard of. Apparently credit card companies were charging fees that were too steep for transactions made while overseas. Anyone who traveled overseas between Feb. 1, 1996, and Nov. 8, 2006, is entitled to a refund.
At first I was tempted to submit the easy form, which would net me a $25 check. Then I remembered that my parents were living in Australia for much of that time, plus I took a long trip through London, Paris and Hong Kong in the middle of that period. So instead of filling out the easy form, I estimated my total overseas travel during the period.
My back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that I spent perhaps 147 days outside the U.S. during the period specified. I have no idea whether that will net me more than $25 in refund money, but I hope it does. I hope it nets me a lot more.
The lawyers who brought this lawsuit will get more than $91 million. That must be nice for them.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:15 PM | Comments (0)
December 18, 2007
Book
"White Teeth" vs. "Satanic Verses." Zadie Smith is better at story-telling, plot, character development, understanding women, writing. Salman Rushdie is better at big ideas, themes, research, magic, logic. Both books had their merits. "White Teeth" was more fun to read, but "Satanic Verses" was more thought-provoking. If Rushdie's writing were a bit stronger I'd think his book were for the ages.
When I picked up "White Teeth" on Saturday, I had no idea that it was written in direct response to "Satanic Verses," which I finished Friday. I didn't know what either was about until I read it. Strange, considering my relatively in-depth study of late 20th Century post-colonial literature.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 11:08 PM | Comments (2)
My other blog
I'm becoming a regular business blogger at work. Today I wrote about real estate, employment and the electric utility. Check out my work for The Columbian's business blog here. I'm the primary contributor, but a couple of other folks from work post there too.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 09:13 PM | Comments (0)
December 17, 2007
Good night
I'm reading "White Teeth," by Zadie Smith, and I like it a lot. It's a good book to pick up right after "The Satanic Verses," both involve Indian subcontinent immigrant groups in London, the clashes between secularism and Islam, the immigrant's struggle against or toward assimilation. With 50-some pages left until the end, I like Smith's book better than Salman Rushdie's, though Rushdie may have had a bigger, firmer point to make, a more subtsantial idea underlying everything he wrote.
I want to finish "White Teeth" tonight, but the elements are not cooperating. It's cold outside, and without a strong blast of heat directed at me I start to shiver, I lose my ability to focus. With a strong blast of heat directed at me, however, my eyelids grow heavy and I have to go to bed. I think I'll go to bed right now, in fact. Good night.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 10:21 PM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2007
The Blazers
Portland's only major-league anything, the Trailblazers, are on a roll. For the past few years they've been at the bottom of the NBA. This year, they drafted a super-star basketball player, who then promptly had knee surgery that is forcing him to sit out an entire season. They're the youngest team in pro basketball, and nobody expected a lot out of them this year. Tonight they beat the Nuggets in Denver, a team that has regularly bested the Blazers, especially at altitude. It was the Blazer's seventh consecutive win.
Ben and I haven't been to a game yet this season. Hopefully there will be some tickets left for the home games that come after Christmas. The Rose Garden Arena has been selling out.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 09:17 PM | Comments (0)
December 15, 2007
Neat stuff other people are putting online
I want to share some recent online writings by people I went to college with.
Molly is a former middle school teacher who recently left her New Mexico life behind for Chicago, has a literary agent shopping her young-adult novel, and is working in a bank to pay the bills. In a very random moment, Ben and I ran into her on the El during the one day we were in Chicago earlier this year. Yesterday the bank Molly works at was robbed, and she talks here about the frightening, confusing experience.
Sarah was a columnist for the Grinnell College newspaper. She went on to earn an M.F.A. from the University of Montana's creative writing program before moving to New York, where she works as a lowly assistant by day and writes insightful articles by night. She has been examining the world of public harassment of women by men, and recently witnessed what happens when the tables are turned.
Kate is a public health worker who seven months ago left a non-government organization in Congo, where political instability was the norm, for a new job in Malawi. "The fact is, no matter how you slice it, eastern Congo is one of the worst places to be a woman today," she wrote today, in a brief commentary that shocked and enlightened me.
Michael, like Sarah, worked for the college paper, where he was a reporter and editor. He then went on to get a master's in journalism from Medill before working his way to the newspaper that also employs me. His political insights into a strange fluke of the Iowa caucus system have drawn national media attention.
Then there's Hilary, another college newspaper staffer. She was the sole copy editor charged with keeping us all in grammatical order. Since graduating she's lived mostly in Europe and pursued more fellowships and degrees than I can keep up with. Posting mostly from Berlin, with updates from all over Europe and occasionally from her hometown of Duluth, Minn., Hilary now runs the highly useful No Budget Travel blog, filled with useful tips for travelers who really know what it's like to be broke. As someone who once nearly missed a flight to Hong Kong because she didn't have enough money left to exit the Paris Metro station at the airport, I definitely appreciate this blog.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 11:33 PM | Comments (0)
December 14, 2007
I am turning into an old person
In the early/mid '90s, my generation fought for freedom from old lady blue jeans, those '80s jeans which came up over our belly buttons, and we won. But the next generation has taken the fight too far. Now it is hard to find jeans that come up over the pelvic bone, and if they don't top my hips how am I supposed to keep them from falling off?
I knew that the ultra-low-rise jeans posed a problem for women like me, women who want to wear jeans that were once called low-rise. Today I learned that even low-rise jeans are getting lower. After learning that American Eagle might have at least one denim model made of 100 percent cotton (no lycra for me!), I went shopping there on my lunch break. I was wearing a four-year-old pair of jeans from the same store, "low rise" on the label. I grabbed a pair of low -- not ultra-low -- rise jeans from the rack. The old low-rise jeans come up to about two inches below my belly button. The new model comes up to about four inches below my belly button. I tried on a pair of ultra-low rise jeans next. To wear them out of the fitting room would have violated public decency laws.
And don't even get me started on stretch denim. If I wanted my jeans to be as big as my belly, I would buy jeans that fit. If I am going to buy a pair of pants two sizes too small, it's because I want to be squeezed in tight and minimized in girth. Perhaps the ever-lower rise of denim is what has necessitated lycra in the cotton, a loosening of pants to lessen the inevitable "muffin top" effect. Too much flesh spills over the waist of ultra-low jeans that don't stretch.
Why can't I just get medium-low-rise 100 percent cotton stretch-free blue jeans, like we had when I was a teenager? The world is changing, and I feel compelled to complain.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 08:02 PM | Comments (4)
December 13, 2007
Book writing
In 2008, I'm going to try to wrangle my November novel project into something that doesn't fill me with shame. Meanwhile, I'm already thinking ahead to next November. I'm going to do it again. I'm going to write another book. The main character of the one I just completed was Neil Harmonica. Book number two will star Harmony O'Neal.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 08:19 PM | Comments (1)
December 12, 2007
Wish me luck
Realizing that I had the highest grade in my economics class did not motivate me to study very hard for the final exam. With less than two hours until I need to put away my text book and pull out some number two pencils, however, I'm starting to worry.
This has been an exciting time to study macroeconomics, with all the craziness that is going on in today's global economy. I wish, almost, that I could go deeper than the introductory stuff I have learned over the past few months. But first I need to master my shallow knowledge well enough to get an A. Gulp.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 05:35 PM | Comments (2)
December 11, 2007
Economics and academics
I've spent most of the past two evenings buried in my economics textbook as I prepare for tomorrow's final exam, which will determine 35 percent of my grade. I think I'll get an A in the class as long as I get a C+ on the exam, so maybe I don't have much to worry about, but I am still worried. Plus, I want to really understand this stuff.
Introduction to Macroeconomics is my second community college class - Intro to Microeconomics was the first. I found microeconomics to be much easier, but macroeconomics feels much more relevant.
As I ponder the Federal Reserve, the relationship between inflation and unemployment, and various ways of calculating exchange rates, I'm also thinking about what, if anything, will come next for me, academically. Im thinking of taking a class to learn Flash animation, which I could use to make really interesting interactive charts and graphs for work. Or maybe I'll take accounthing, which also has work applications.
On the other hand, these $300 a pop classes, while reasonably priced, aren't free. I'm not willing to go into debt for them, nor am I willing to sacrifice my savings goals. So maybe I'll take a break for a term, and enroll in a class next summer or fall.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 08:34 PM | Comments (0)
December 10, 2007
He's a strooooong man
Have I mentioned Ben's arms? He has been experiencing pretty awful knee pain for more than a month now, and is using a cane or crutches to get around. But Ben has not given up on the gym. He's doing upper body exercises. His arms are probably as big around as my calves (and I have muscular calves), and they just keep growing.
Update, 7:20 a.m. on Dec. 11:
Ben insisted to me last night that there was no way his arms were as big as my calves, so we measured, and he's right. My calves are 13 inches in diameter, and his arms are 12 inches in diameter. With all the exercise he's doing, however, his 12 could soon surpass my 13.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 10:38 PM | Comments (0)
December 09, 2007
Yum!
Dan, Tommy and Lindsey joined us for dinner tonight. We all worked together to make orange coconut curry with grilled vegetables, a vegan, gluten-free recipe from "The Now and Zen Epicure." It was incredible.
Here's a close up:
This was our second time hosting SNDC (which stands for "SNDC is Not a Dinner Club), and the first time with our new dining table. Our old table was so big that we couldn't fit the gang into our small eating nook. It was nice to really break in the table tonight.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 08:23 PM | Comments (1)
December 08, 2007
Wii got a tax refund
Ben and I got a check in the mail, our "kicker refund." Oregon tax laws cripple the state government and the schools by restricting their ability to develop stable, consistent budgets. When boom times are better than projected, the government is not allowed to save. It is required to return excess tax collections to the people. As a result, the state has no significant reserves. In recessionary years the government is not allowed to borrow, so reduced tax collections necessitate big cuts. There's an up-and-down funding roller coaster for local and state government, as well as for the schools.
But I'm not complaining today. It was a big check!
We were going to go buy a Nintendo Wii game system with the money, but I guess we were being naive. Apparently the Wii is sold out every where. People camp out when they hear that a store expects to get some in stock soon. Wiis are available at double or triple their market price at various online merchants, but are hard to come by legitimately. So no Wii for us, at least for now.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 09:37 PM | Comments (1)
December 07, 2007
Hair pics
Hair before (with Ben):
Hair after (no Ben):
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 11:32 PM | Comments (2)
December 06, 2007
Short hair
I just got a haircut. I think it looks pretty good. I've come to the conclusion that there's pretty much no reason to spend more than $20 on curly hair, because nobody really knows what to do with it. That's fine with me - the curls pretty much hide whatever crazy thing the stylist does, anyways.
If I can overcome some technical difficulties when Ben gets home in a little while, I'll post a picture.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:06 PM | Comments (1)
December 05, 2007
Television reflections
At Robin's suggestion, Ben and I watched the Sci Fi channel's miniseries "Tin Man" this week. The acting was good, the cinematography was strong, but the writing was garbage. As painful as it is to sit through six poorly-written hours of television, I also found the experience inspiring. I mean, I can write a book at least as bad as "Tin Man." I'm practically bound to get published, once I go through a couple of rounds of revision.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 11:01 PM | Comments (1)
December 04, 2007
Cross that one off the list
Today I ran three miles in 26 minutes and 30 seconds. Three years ago, I couldn't run a single mile without walking. A year and a half ago, it was taking me 36 minutes to go three miles. On Jan. 1, I pledged myself to the lofty goal of running three nine-minute miles. Today I did it.
I still have a few 2007 resolutions dangling over my head as we make our way into the final month of the year. I'm working hard on my upper body strength, but I'm not sure if I'll complete my first ever pull up within the next four weeks. I'll keep trying, though. I also have two reading goals I need to get going on, one regarding fiction and one regarding non. I think I'll make it through the fiction, but I'll probably have to push my nonfiction goal forward into 2008.
I wonder what else I'll resolve to do in the coming year.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 11:04 PM | Comments (1)
December 03, 2007
We get weather
The Pacific Northwest doesn't get hurricanes, or at least it hasn't so far in recorded history, but when two large swirling storms barreled towards the coast yesterday and today, the National Weather Service broke out the "h" word to get our attention. Hurricane force winds of 129-miles-per-hour whipped at low lying coastal areas, and even as far inland as Portland we got some pretty severe wind and rain.
Oregon and Washington's governors have declared states of emergency. Interstate 5 between Portland and Seattle has been shut down in both directions, and may stay closed through Thursday. Amtrak has canceled trains between the two cities as well. The only way to get back and forth is by plane.
We are, fortunately, not in a low-lying area. But a number of roads in the city are closed to flooding. People have been evacuated from their homes in some places. And emergency officials are handing out sand bags at designated distribution areas.
I was late to work this morning because I couldn't believe it could really be almost 8 a.m. and still be so dark, I had an hour-long commute home because of the terrible traffic, and my hair is very frizzy. Other than that, and some soggy clothes, all this rain and wind is nothing more than an interesting diversion.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 07:26 PM | Comments (3)
December 02, 2007
Music
Last Monday, Ben's jazz big band took part in an informal performance with some students from Cleveland High School's Jazz Band, which one of Ben's fellow sax players directs. It was a really fun, relaxed show to watch, and I took a bunch of pictures. Unfortunately, as this snap shot shows, the photos didn't come out very well. Bummer.
This weekend, I spent about 10 hours listening to music from 2007 for this project.
To recap, I am participating in a mix CD swap through metafilter. The limiting factor: each song must have been released in 2007. I was playing catch up in a major way, because I hadn't bought a new album all year. But I managed to track down a full mix, with a little help from friends and web site readers, and the four CDs I needed to send out are all now in the mail.
Here's a picture of the silly album covers I made, and the list of songs I included on my album:
Laura Gibson, "Hands in Pockets,"
Scotland Yard Gospel Choir, "I Never Thought I Could Feel This Way for a Boy"
The Bowerbirds, Untitled
Raul Midon, "Pick Somebody Up"
Suzanne Vega, "Frank & Ava"
Joss Stone, "Tell Me 'Bout It"
Patty Scialfa, "Looking for Elvis"
White Stripes, "Effect and Cause"
Joni Mitchell, "Night of the Iguana"
Bright Eyes, "Cleanse Song"
Glass Candy, "Digital Versicolor"
Living Proof, "N.W. Connect"
Modest Mouse, "Little Motel"
Brandi Carlile, "The Story"
Rilo Kiley, "The Moneymaker"
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 04:27 PM | Comments (0)
December 01, 2007
Whoop de do.
My mom and my aunt have both informed me that my high school has been rated The best high school in the country by US News and World Report. On Friday, the Wall Street Journal also included Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology as one of the few public schools on its list of institutions with a high admissions rate in the ivy league. Meanwhile, my college ranks 11th on the US News list of top liberal arts institutions.
For someone with such an allegedly elite background, I sure don't make very much money, have very much power or know very many movers and shakers.
Posted by Courtney_Sherwood at 10:50 AM | Comments (1)