Where Have I been?

I apparently fell off the face of the earth.

Now it may be time for me to reappear. I've got a lot of thinking to do and that may come with some new writing. We'll see. I've also been taking a lot of pictures so check out my flickr page when you get a chance.

What? Me Quit?

I am a quitter.

I really enjoyed doing Portland Men On Sports. I really did. But I had to quit. At least as a regular host. My reasons are many.

1) Cable TV. Ironically, the show is on westside cable only. I live on the eastside. Plus I don’t even have cable so I can’t watch the show.
2) But lack of cable led to something else. I was finding that I was less informed than my co-host. Way, less informed. And that led to sloppy opinions and bad TV. Sure the internet gives lots of information but you have to seek it out a bit more than a nightly broadcast of SportsCenter.
3) Time. The show did not require tremendous time to produce, but prep work and the blog that we were trying to produce stretched me more than I wanted.
4) Fairness. It just wasn’t fair to the producer and co-host to have me do the job halfway.

There’s a chance I’ll do a guest spot every now and then or maybe a Timbers minute but not the regular show on a regular basis.

I am not a quitter.

1) I am still blogging here. Sparser than before, but still here.
2) I hope to blog more on Oregonlive.
3) The 107 Report is still going strong, maybe better than ever.

In addition to these things, my social life is also ridiculously active. Between quality time with several vital groups of friends I’ve also been introduced to a great woman, Heather, who has quickly become a constant companion. I won’t blog too much about her or the relationship, as that’s not really a comfort zone, but those of you that have met her know how great she is; full of life and smiles and laughter. Plus she’s super smart and we sometimes hold hands.

B!

Sick Like Me

So I am sick. Nasty sick.

There are sticky, icky things being produced when I cough or when I blow. Not pretty.

This cold/illness was pretty sneaky too. It started with a sore throat Sunday morning. No big deal. I had overused my voice the night before when the Timbers beat the Sounders 2-0 at PGE Park. So I didn't figure it was of any concern. I went about my happy, happy Sunday thinking nothing of it, really. Did my road trip to the beach as planned, tested my new keys to the house, had a cream ale at the Pelican, built a fire, etc. and spent some fantastic time with a new friend, Heather, and helped her get some awesome (ossom) photographs.

But by Monday morning the sore throat was still here and had brought along it's close friends; bodyaches, fever, phlegm, phlegm, phlegm and close cousin, the shakes.

And they've been here ever since. They are not my favorite houseguests.

There should be a few positives to this: I was here for the UPS guy to drop off my new bicycle. Yay. Except I don't even have the strength and concentration to assemble it, let alone test it properly. I can catch up on my writing. As you can see from the blog, I'm clearly winning that battle.

Nope. I'm in a delirious dayquil induced coma. In and out of dream states. With an incredible appetite and no taste buds. Weird.

Regardless, I hope to feel well enough to get into the office tomorrow. Without a voice I'll have a hard time properly doing my job, but I will muddle through it.

I hope all you gentle readers are faring better than I.

B!

Let's Get Quiet

We’re entering another quiet time on the blog.

Busy professional life, combined with an actual social life is severely limiting both the time I have for blogging as well as the content.

I will have things to say. But they will be brief and may not be very interesting or very juicy.

I guess we’ll all just have to deal with it.

B!

Blog Blog Blog Blog Blog

Blogs.

I am really starting to love blogs. I recently put up a poll question about how many blogs each of you visit regularly. I’ve got a few myself, they’re listed down there on the right. Way down.

Anyway, I want to recognize two blogs here today (and inadvertantly, a third).

The first is A Work In Progress by my friend, Stephanie Earls. Her blog was really the catalyst for my blog. She’s taking a break from blogging for a bit to concentrate on her overloaded duties of her real profession, a features writer for the Albany Times Union. Anyway, now would be a great time for any of you that like fun, lively writing and home renovation to check out her blog since it will be in a holding pattern for the next month or so.

The second is Mile 73 by Heather, a recent transplant to Portland. One of the good kind of California immigrants from what we know of her. Our mutual friend, Dave, of Daveknows: Portland, thinks her blog and mine have similar styles. A bit all over the place, with an emphasis on personal observation and neuroses. She’s a new read for me, but you should check out her blog and her vast links to other great, fun blogs on the ‘net.

That’s what I’ve got for now.

B!

Something's Gotta Give

Remember the episode of Seinfeld where Jerry, Elanie, Kramer and George enter the contest to see who can go the longest without, um, hmmm...taking care of their personal business?

Jerry delivers that classic line at the end, "Meanwhile, I'm in this Contest, I'm dating a virgin, somethings gotta give!"

I think I’m about to enter that territory. Between my work, this blog, the TV show, my podcast (which should start up again soon,) a possible writing opportunity, plus a slowly expanding social life (rising like yeast? Is that the worst simile in history?), I’m rapidly reaching saturation.

So, something’s gotta give.

I don’t expect it to be this blog, although it may suffer some collateral damage in the way of shorter or less frequent posts. More likely I will choose to scale back my role on the podcasts and may have to reconsider the TV show. This would normally make me really disappointed. But if things come to pass properly you’ll end up getting the very best of what I have to offer, just on another page and website.

We'll see. Stay tuned.

B!

That's No Moon. That's A Space Station!

Big moon this morning. Peeking in my window. Watching over me.

Why does the moon, massive in the sky, make me wonder things? I stare at it and dream some little dreams. Sometimes big dreams. It makes me feel small, but never insignificant. More like an inspiration. A muse. What a rock!

I ventured out into the night on Saturday and attended a Year of The Rat party at a friend’s place and then met up with a large group of Timbers Army folks for a gathering at a local bar, “Plan B”.

It’s always fun, these gatherings, but last night’s was different for me. I had several conversations with several different people about this blog and my approach to it. Why do I write and why do I write what I write? And, what’s really ironic is that I had that same conversation with myself yesterday afternoon, that, in turn, prompted the redesign, and the poll question you find to the right. Over there. No, your other right.

While some of my inspiration gets to remain a mystery, what drives the blog is a need to communicate. A need to form ideas. Something creative. Something small. Something that I care about. And then, in the final business of self-exploration, throw it to the world to see and to judge.

Being judged has always been something that I loathed. When I used to draw I hated displaying my artwork, as I never wanted to be judged. But almost everyone who saw my work complimented me on it. So maybe the judgment wasn’t the thing. I just might not take compliments well.

But that’s not it either. I got a lot of compliments last night. And I'd like to think I took them well. In fact, they fed my ego a bit, which, it turns out, was pretty hungry. Nice. But I also found out something I didn’t expect. And that’s that not only are people reading this and finding some entertainment, but some people are being fed something too by the blog. A combination of inspiration and optimism and understanding. A deeper connection to me that I wasn’t expecting. Wow. Well call it inspioptimundism, OK?

It’s not always easy to strip yourself bare in public. But it is almost always therapeutic. So, to my friends who chatted me up last night, thank you for the kind words. A lot.

There. Let me put this art on the wall.

Hey! Where’d the moon go?
B!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I got bored with the old look. So. Here's a new look for the blog. There are a few new elements available in blogger and over the course of time I'll continue to change things.

I want to thank everyone who reads and comments and gives me great feedback. If you want to be kept informed of when I post you can subscribe to the feed via email through the link at the bottom of the page. Or here.

An RSS Feed is also available although not directly supported by Blogspot on the page. You probably have an icon for Feeds (it's orange and white, looks like a radio transmission) in your browser's toolbar.

BORN STANDING UP by Steve Martin

I love Steve Martin. He was a significant influence on me as a kid. He had a strange, goofy style wrapped up in a clean white gabardine suit. He was all about the contradiction like that. He was one of the first comedians where I heard curse words that were funny rather than said in anger. Somehow that made them more acceptable.

I’ve just finished his (auto)biography. He doesn’t refer to it as a true autobiography because he perceives his stand-up persona as someone else. Someone he outgrew. The book is all about the growth of his act. The dedication to it. The work. The fears. The highs and the lows. What made him want to be a magician, then a comic, then an actor.

It doesn’t involve his acting and writing career much at all, its focus is on his stand up career. Which, both directly and indirectly, is about his father.

The book is a quick read at 204 not very cluttered pages. It’s funny and nostalgic and made me feel good while it also allowed me to feel Martin’s pain. Especially the final chapters about his parents. The book itself is structured like a good joke. Set up, set up, set up and then the punchline. Except the punchline isn’t funny. It’s poignant and compelling.

Because of this the book is uneven at first read. But knowing the revelations at the end I imagine that a second read will provide greater understanding of Steve Martin the man, as well as the comic.

I highly recommend this book for anybody who has or had a father. Um. That means you.

B!

Carolyn Hax

Anybody else enjoy Carolyn Hax's advice column? (It's The Washington Post and you'll need to register.)

The Oregonian started running her column a few years ago, three times a week. I instantly became a fan. I used to read the column aloud to a small gathering at work every Tuesday and Thursday to plenty of laughter and smiles.

She's got attitude. Sass. But she talks straight. Plus, she's a dynamite writer. Unlike other advice columnists of the past who avoided confrontation and conflict at all costs, she's a proponent of communication, no matter what the difficult conversation might be. Now, she's not heartless. She acknowledges times when you should just keep your mouth shut, but it's almost always because you were being selfish in the first place. Nice.

I encourage everyone to check her out. She tackles just about everything that comes her way with wit, humor and intelligence. I wish I could do that.

B!

TV Or Not TV

I did the inaugural edition of my new TV show last night. The show is called Portland Men on Sports (PMS) and is hosted by me and my friend Loren and produced by my friend Derek. The show will air on local cable access soon and we hope to do regular weekly or bi-weekly episodes. However, the first episode may stay in the can while we work out the bugs.

I did a decent amount of radio (years ago) and worked in TV production for several years but this is my first chance to really be on air, even if it’s just cable access. It was a lot of fun and I think it came off surprisingly well. Neither of us froze, stuttering and stammering was kept to a minimum and we stayed mostly on topic.

The show is a cross between Pardon The Interruption and The Sports Reporters. It’s sometimes informative, sometimes funny, not always entirely topical or relevant. It’s mostly our opinions but we hope to add viewer email and may end up doing live broadcasts with phone-in down the line once we find our rhythm.

I’m not sure how I’m finding the time for all of my current pursuits but so far there’s been no burnout. I’m still here writing regularly, I’ve started a routine at the gym, I’ve yet to succumb to a fast food joint, I haven’t missed any work and my social life is slow and steady. Once soccer season starts we’ll see if something has to give. I hope nothing does.

And that thing about the camera adding 10 pounds is a lie. It adds 20 pounds. At least.

B!

The Pencil is Mightier Than the Sword

There's a TV and movie fan movement going on to support the Writer's Guild in their strike against the studios. For $1 you can buy a box of pencils to be delivered en masse to the studio execs along with information about which show or writer you specifically support.

If you are interested in supporting this union which has produced an enormous quantity of quality entertainment, all relatively anonymously, click this link. Buy one box. Buy ten boxes.

They've amassed close to 400,000 pencils so far. You can check out the overall blog here.

B!

Why Now?

Good question. Why a blog and why now?

Well, recently I discovered that I had some things to say. So that's reason number one.

I've also recently seen what a good blog can really be. It can be more than a collection of random thoughts or pictures. When done well it carries its focus to the reader and can often enlighten. So, in a way, it's something to strive for. A good blog. Good words. Reason number two.

It's also time for me to write more. I've often written just for my own guilty pleasure. The challenge to write something that others might read and might enjoy is something I need to take on. The words are inside me, they must be freed. Reason number three.

I've been publishing a podcast about Portland Timbers soccer, the 107 report, for two years now. I enjoy it. It's fun and fulfilling. But it's often fractured and rushed in its composition. It doesn't lend itself to quality production as the content is disposable; it's mostly interviews related to specific matches. I'll continue to do it, but my deep thoughts should be published here, not there.

Different thoughts. Different medium.

Regardless, I hope you'll enjoy both of them and provide me your comments as you see fit. I have a short list of topics that I hope to share with you over time. Look for them soon.

B!