Awesome Portland Blogs: Overheard in PDX

Published
by
Rick Turoczy
on May 9, 2008
in culture
. 0 Comments

Overheard in PDXI don’t know about you, but I’ve managed to—often unintentionally—eavesdrop on some pretty interesting conversations here in good ol’ Portland. Spend enough time in coffee shops, on public transit, and at brewpubs and it’s simply bound to happen.

And sure, nothing beats a good “OH” tweet. But sometimes, you’re looking for a little more catharsis.

If only there were somewhere to vent your bile and snark on a larger stage. If only…

Enter Overheard in PDX

Part voyeur daydream, part sad commentary on life as we know it, Overheard in PDX is a never-ending stream of the strange things that come out of other people’s mouths, submitted by people who were lucky(?) enough to hear them.

A quintessential part of the Portland experience, I’ve heard it said that Overheard in PDX is an awesome Portland blog.

Portland Bridges

Published
by
jimgoings
on May 8, 2008
in culture and portland is awesome
. 3 Comments

I’m a transplant from the LA area. There, I said it. But I moved here not because of a job, but rather I got a job so I could move here. One of the things about Portland that amazes me on a regular basis is just how small this town is and how connected we all are.

I’ve been working downtown for almost 8 years now and I bump into people I know all the time. A couple of weeks ago I went to lunch with a buddy of mine and we bumped into some old coworkers from a previous employer. We weren’t talking on the sidewalk for more than 5 minutes when another fellow walked up that knew everyone else but me! Next thing you know, everyone is catching up and reminiscing about old times.

I like to promote local business as much as I can, and at the very least, I try to always work with local representatives. As such, I often run into people that used to work for so-and-so and now work with so-and-so.

One particularly funny incident came up when we realized that a new vendor we were meeting was someone we actually had a bad experience with when they worked for a different vendor a few years earlier. Only we we all met face to face did it dawn on us! We thought “oh no, it’s that crazy vendor!” and he thought “oh no, it’s those crazy customers!” We worked everything out in the end, but it just goes to show that you just never know who you’re going to run into.

The thing is, this isn’t an occasional thing… it happens all the time to me.

And recently, Twitter has become the way folks in Portland are staying connected. For example, did you know that the Portland Police is on Twitter? Further, the officer that posts is one of the funniest and most informative folks I’ve read on twitter. I’ve never felt such a personal connection to the Police before. It sounds corny, but I’m glad that the Portland Police Bureau is savvy enough to use this new medium to stay connected with us.

Of course, there are many awesome Portland Blogs that help us stay in touch with each other.

The moral of working and living in Portland is clearly “Don’t burn your bridges!” Post a comment and let me know other ways Portland stays connected.

Awesome Portland Blogs: Parent Hacks

Published
by
Rick Turoczy
on May 7, 2008
in culture
. 2 Comments

Parent Hacks“If only…” your geeky mind struggles. “If only I could be as adept at parenting as I am at managing information via RSS feeds.”

Okay, well, maybe that’s just my mind. But still.

You’re a geek. You’re a parent. You’re looking for hacks. Enter Parent Hacks.

With parenting tips, books, techniques, cool stuff, and firsthand accounts of actual parental successes (gasp!), Parent Hacks is the ultimate way to get more out of parenting. And maybe, just maybe, the thing that will keep your kid free of a service pack or two.

Besides, how often do you get to read a blog where one of the categories is “Poop, pee, potty, etc.“?

On second thought, don’t answer that.

Get the tips you need to succeed in all your parent geeking. Visit Parent Hacks, an awesome Portland blog.

Awesome Portland Blogs: DIY Alert!

Published
by
Rick Turoczy
on May 6, 2008
in culture
. 0 Comments

DIY AlertOne of the multitude of things that makes Portland awesome is its creative vibe. And that creativity often comes through in a variety of ways—culinary pursuits, brewing, coding, music. But more and more the one thing for which we’re becoming known is our vibrant crafting scene.

So much crafty stuff is happening around here on any given day, that it’s difficult to stay on top of it all. (And I’m not even into crafting. I can’t imagine what it’s like for someone who is.)

But have no fear craftaholics. Help is near. And it’s a blog called DIY Alert!

I swear, this thing is chock full of more craftiness than you can shake a size 13 needle at. (So much craftiness, I’m using dangling prepositions!) From knitting to felting to profiles on artists to fabrics to yarns… the list goes on and on.

Knit one, pearl two, indeed!

So, if you’re into crafty type stuff or you know someone who is, I’d highly recommend DIY Alert!, an awesome Portland blog.

Awesome Portland Blogs: Lost Oregon (the rebirth of Stumptown Confidential)

Published
by
Rick Turoczy
on May 5, 2008
in culture
. 0 Comments

Lost OregonAs a relatively short-time Portland resident (I mean, I’ve only lived here 13 years or so), I’ve always taken a particular interest in the history of our fair town. And for that, there was no better place than Stumptown Confidential.

Now, you’ll notice I didn’t link to “Stumptown Confidential.” And that’s because, unfortunately, that brilliant blog recently met with its untimely demise—due to a hosting problem.

Stumptown Confidential is history - my files were lost when the host flipped some switch. I’m saddened that all my work from 2004-2008 is gone for good. Thankfully I still have the photos and put them up on a Flickr account.

But the story doesn’t end there. The good news is that Stumptown Confidential has risen from the proverbial ashes as part of another of Schlockstar’s sites, Lost Oregon:

The goal of the site is the same as Stumptown Confidential’s - document the disappearing Portland and Oregon of the recent past - through postcards, photos and words. Due to my geographical location of Portland metro, the site might be more skewed toward the area though.

So, take a little trip down memory lane—an often kitschy memory lane, at that—with Lost Oregon, an awesome Portland blog.

Awesome Portland Blogs: Crappy Indie Music

Published
by
Rick Turoczy
on May 2, 2008
in entertainment
. 5 Comments

Crappy Indie MusicIf the name of this one alone—Crappy Indie Music—doesn’t convince you to click, I’m not sure that my explanation will. But I’m willing to give it a shot.

Portland has a thriving music scene. And it seems were are forever hearing about the big-name stars who make their home here. But what about those talented musicians who fly a bit below the RADAR?

Enter Crappy Indie Music, which carries local music news on bands you—even in your uber-hip Rose City musical expertise—have likely never heard of. And the writing is as lively and punchy as the title of the blog belies.

In its own words:

[Crappy Indie Music — The Blog] CIMTB is a Portland-centric, Vantucky-luvin’ indie music blog.

For more, visit Crappy Indie Music, an awesome Portland blog.

Awesome Portland Blogs: Around the Sun

Published
by
Rick Turoczy
on May 1, 2008
in technology
. 3 Comments

Around the SunIf there’s one thing we like in Portland, it’s free stuff… err… it’s utilitarianism. Make it useful—and affordable—to the largest subset of the population and we will forever be enamored of your contribution.

Blogs are no different. And so, I give you the misleadingly named Around the Sun.

Around the Sun promises a veritable treasure trove of money-saving ventures in the Portland area. What’s more, there’s a regular feature on “free things to do this weekend in Portland” which is—ironically—priceless.

I am not a financial expert; I’m just a regular girl who wants to make the most of my money and share what I learn along the way.

Why spend time looking for something to do when Around the Sun does the due diligence for you? I mean, really.

Every week, I find this blog chock full of interesting stuff in Portland, for which I have to spend nada, zilch, zero.

If taking a look at Around the Sun doesn’t give you some good ideas for something to do, I’ll give you your money back.

That’s right. It’s that good.

Awesome Portland Blogs: Portland Food and Drink

Published
by
Rick Turoczy
on April 30, 2008
in technology
. 2 Comments

[NOTE: I spend a lot of time combing through Portland blogs. A lot of time. And as I wander through various RSS feeds, I tend to find a number of really interesting—and, well, awesome—blogs that I don’t really have the opportunity to share. So, now I’ll work on sharing these “Awesome Portland Blogs” with you.]

Portland Food and DrinkSeems I can’t swing a piece of bacon without hearing rave reviews for Portland Food and Drink. And with good reason. For a town of awesome food and awesome “blogginess,” it seems only appropriate that we would have an awesome food blog or two.

And, perhaps more than any other, Portland Food and Drink typifies that “awesome Portland food blog.”

And here is the foundation of why Portland Food and Drink is so amazing, and so amazingly popular:

I am passionate about food, passionate about wine, and passionate about anonymity. I have a wide-range of food experience from my earliest years growing up in a food-obsessed family. During college, I worked in the restaurant industry on both sides of the house, later in the wine industry, and finally traveling/tasting my way around the world. My first few years in college were related to agriculture, so if necessary, I can prune your orchard, manage your vineyards, or back your baler through one side of a barn and out the other, without any problem. This site is a labor of love – I spend my own money reviewing restaurants because I am passionate about food and want to share my experiences with others. Whether you agree or disagree, you can always count on my unbiased opinion. I don’t take free meals, and the restaurants don’t know when, or if, I am coming.

If you happen to eat—ever—then you should be reading. Check out Portland Food and Drink, an Awesome Portland Blog.

People who welcome inexplicable things

Published
by
sarah
on April 23, 2008
in entertainment, events and portland is awesome
. 4 Comments

inexplicable knitting

You’d think that two women carrying around well-hatted babies and unfinished, knitted socks — and obsessively taking photos of them, and each other — would cause discomfort, if not outright consternation. But when Larissa and I participated in the Yarn Harlot’s ‘Inexplicable Knitting Behavior Scavenger Hunt‘ we were not once turned down for an extremely strange photo. We were welcomed with (largely) open arms and several eager smiles. And of course, some great one-liners. Such as:

  • “This is not the first time I have held The Yarn today” — Pioneer Square snack vendor
  • “I used to knit. When I was a logger. It was either that, or drink.” — Jimmy, who’s on his fourth step of NA, on the #75
  • “Whose turn is it again?” — Office of Neighborhood Involvement receptionist, upon being presented with a sock (”held by a City Hall employee”)
  • “Are you going to BUY it?” — Voodoo Doughnuts employee, when asked if he could ice “SOCK” on a Cock-n-balls doughnut. We did.
  • “Did you take your photo with the windup toys, too?” — Leo, who runs the windup toys station at Finnegan’s, and was worried we might miss out on points. Leo is the best windup toy station employee EVER.
  • “And she was handicapped!” — enthusiastic fellow knitter at the World Forestry Center, explaining why Larissa and I should have won prizes for our 5th- or 6th-place point totals, given we did the whole thing with babies and on the bus.

The thing is: in Portland, strange behavior is commonplace, encouraged, even. That the city can open itself to the possibility that strangeness might actually be worthwhile: that’s awesome.

Zakir Hussain Visits Portland

Published
by
galactictraveler
on April 19, 2008
in culture, entertainment and events
. 0 Comments

I love Portland because it attracts top notch world class musicians like Zakir Hussain. Zakir is revered as the best tabla player in the world and India’s music ambassador. He is also the son of Alla Rakha, a respected tabla player who played with Ravi Shankar in the 1960’s.

The performance was at the magnificent Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. We sat about 10 rows back from the stage; the short distance provided very intimate glimpses of drummers’ hands flying away to Indian and world fusion grooves.

Afterwards, my family and I got to share some sweet moments talking with Zakir. That’s the beauty of this hometown venue; security is not absurd and leaves room for human interaction.

Hands down, it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen and I look forward to his next tour through Portland. Zakir has played here every year, and like the turning of the seasons, his return is guaranteed.

I encourage all to catch his performance next spring and look forward to being transformed by his Indian rhythms once more.