Ignite Portland 10 is upon us!  On Thursday evening of February 9th we will be congregating at the Bagdad Theater for some great company and stellar talks.  Admission is free, of course, and you won’t want to miss this one!

If this is your first IgnitePDX or even your tenth (whoo! double digits!), we’re sure you will still want some guidelines for how to make it a great night:

• Doors Open at 5:00 PM for those with OFB donations.  We are partnering this year with the Oregon Food Bank to get some donations out to those in need.  Bring a can or two and get in early!
• Doors Open at 5:45 PM for everyone else – as usual, No Ticket Needed. As of IP7, we’ve done away with the ticket system. Too complicated. Just come on down, and we’ll let people in until the Fire Marshall says we can’t anymore.
• Overflow next door at Back Stage. If you’d rather take in the proceedings in the Back Stage bar environment next door to the Bagdad, we’ll be showing the talks on the big projection screen there.
• Live Video Stream. As has become tradition, we’ll have a live video stream of the night’s proceedings. Come back here to IgnitePortland.com on the night of and you’ll see a stream where you can watch LIVE and hang out in the chat with the other cool kids who are watching. This is for our friends who couldn’t make it in person to the Bagdad, and for any Ignite PDX fans out of town.
• Please, No Seat Saving. We know you’re excited to watch the show with all your friends. And maybe they couldn’t make it down as early as you did. But it’s not fair for one person to squat on a whole bunch of seats with coats, etc. so their friends can saunter in late. Please don’t be a jerk about this. We’ll have ushers milling about to help you remember. We want everyone to have a fair chance at getting a good seat. It’s fine to hold a seat for yourself, so you can get up and order drinks/food, but if your friends come a little later, they’ll have to find their own seats. It’s only fair. Thanks for understanding.
• Keep the Beer/Food Lines Moving. One of the awesome things about the Badgad Theater is you can your favorite beverage with a slice of pizza, a burger, or some cajun tots in the lobby, and have ‘em bring it right to you inside the theater! Please do order as much food and drink as you’d like. Just try to keep the lines moving smoothly. Doors open at 5:00 PM, but the show doesn’t start until 7PM. The smart patrons will get themselves some food before the show at a nearby restaurant (hint hint).

Tonight, Jan 23, 2012 is the beginning of the Chinese New Year. Midnight will usher in the Year of the Dragon;  it is a celebration that lasts for 15 days culminating with the Lantern Festival. Maybe we should all go out for Chinese food!!!!

Well, the reporter did as well as Portland Firefly :

Reductive:

So today, there she is napping away.  I have heard her make little sounds and little barks and growls while sleeping so I know that she is dreaming.  But today she did something I have never heard or seen.  Picture this…. my little white ball of fluff is all curled up in her little bed sound asleep and there is no sound but the sound of her tail wagging as it hits the floor repeatedly!  Then the wagging gets faster, then slows, then gets faster again!   She is such a happy little doggie!  She even has happy dreams!

But not without planning!!!   The night before I mapped out my route for the stores that I wanted to go to on Monday.  I then checked their store hours on-line.  Luckily for me, one store opened at 8:00 am and the other one opened at 9:00.  They were about 20 minutes away from each other, both near different major shopping malls.

With my plan in mind I went to sleep ~ clothes all ready to jump into early the day after Christmas.  My plan was to arrive at the first store as close to 8:00 am as I could possibly manage.  I wasn’t going to be unrealistic –I just wanted to get in and get out before the crowds and traffic started.

I woke up a little before 8:00 am… plan still in place, I quickly dressed, applied minimal makeup (I wasn’t going to see anyone I knew, right?) and put my tea in a togo cup and grabbed some yogurt to eat in the car.  At the first long light, I just enjoyed my yogurt and tea…. This is going well, I thought!  With almost no traffic, I arrived at the first store about 8:25.  Not bad.  There was no one in the returns line.  Yeah!  I returned one  coat and headed out the door.

Instead of backtracking the way I came, I headed out to get on the freeway from the other direction… and there was the other store I needed to go to!  I was going to drive another 20 minutes to make the returns to that store because I didn’t realize that there was another one RIGHT HERE!

Returns made and other shirts purchased, out the door to head on home.  And I even arrived home before the traffic started! I was tired… time for a time for a little nap before attending my dinner party.

Oh my goodness, what shall I wear for my interview?!!!!

Check out how to catch all the action.

Whew!  Looks like we dodged the bullet on that one!

Mercedes Frog Dog by Pdxfirefly

When is a dog a frog?  On Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all you ghosts and goblins out there!   The sun will set about 5:00 pm so your little ones can go out trick-or-treating nice and early and still get to bed by 8:00 pm! (Yeah sure!) Hey! Don’t eat all their candy while they are sleeping!

October 26th!

Christmas is just two short months away!

There were a lot of birds early in September, but not as many as there were last night!  Also the first time we went this year, we never saw one raptor (hawk) getting his dinner.  But last night was a different story! It was more fun last night because there was more action.

The Vaux Swifts were just beginning to fly down the famous Chapman School chimney when the crowd saw the big black bird come swooping into the flock of Swifts.  The crowd ‘oohed’ in unison as the flock scattered in the air. Disoriented, the hawk kept flying then disappeared.  But only for a while.  Soon he was back for another try.  No luck this time either. And it actually looked as if the flock of tiny Swifts were chasing that big old black hawk away!  They circled and dodged each other for many enchanting seconds.  Then nothing and the crowd went back to watching the birds fly into the chimney.

And then I felt it…. at the same time I saw it … the Hawk was on a diving run and just a few feet right over my head!  Zoom!  I think  I heard the rush of wind on his wings he was so close to us on this dive bomb run!  Again it looked as if he missed.

Ah.  But Mr. Hawk was still hungry and was not about to give up.  The crowd was in for two or three more thrilling hunting passes.  The flock scattering each time.  Finally the hawk gave up (did he get his fill?) and the last of the little Swifts went into the chimney for their nightly rest.  The crowd applauded in joy and appreciation and collected their picnic baskets, blankets and trash and headed home with smiles on their faces.

Will you see me there???

http://audubonportland.org/local-birding/swiftwatch

Since I get tired easily, I had to devise a  method of letting her know that play was ended (I’m tired).  So, I taught her baby sign language for ‘all done’.   She is a fast learner and when I do the sign for ‘all done’ she immediately takes her toy and goes and gets in her bed!   She is usually tired,too!

Do you remember Black Jack, Clove & Beamens?

Enter the Hewlett-Packard Touchscreen!  A  cool futuristic ebony swath that is just as it names implies!   You can use the keyboard, use the mouse or (fanfare blowing in the background!) just touch the screen with your fingers!!!

I sometimes will use all three depending my frustration level.  But for now, the novelty is still present.

Oh, yes, that is one of the reasons why I haven’t written too much during the last month.

Friday, July 15th, 9:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Saturday, July 16th, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday, July 17th, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

For more information go to:  http://www.sandinthecitypdx.com/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=462136&lis=1&kntae462136=985942A9029643B593E9E9C728CBF238

Now to get some marketing done so peopel will know that my book is available.

This year the saying proved to be ture.  Well actually it stopped raining here around June  3oth;  July 1st was beautiful and it stayed a little cloudy on July 2nd. By the Fourth of July we were at 80+ degrees and today, July 5th, it’s back up in the 80′s.

And now comes the complaining…. Portlanders are so used to cool cloudy days that we complain when it gets about 78 degrees because now it is — you guessed it –TOO HOT!

I remember  something that occured just after I moved to Portland from the midwest which is famous for its seasonal weather extremes.  I was waiting in line at the checkout counter at my local grocery store .  The clerk at the checkout counter had initiated a conversation about the weather by stating to the man in front of me in line  “Everyone is wearing coats and hats and gloves today. Is it cold out?”  His comment was “Yes, it is really cold out. I hope it doesn’t last long because everyone is freezing.” 

I was wearing my lightweight midwest winter coat and didn’t feel the need to wear gloves or a hat for this trip to the grocery store so I was interested in the comment.  As I went outside into the 38-40 degree air I remember thinking  ”if this is freezing cold here in Portland, I am really going to be happy here!”  And I have been.

Except now I have become used to the mild temps here and so the heat today (84) is hotter than I like.  Well, I do have another reason to not like the heat.  It is this new Chemo drug that I am on. Doxil.  I cannot go into the sun at all without sunscreen on or my skin will blister.  This has presented a challeng when driving, so I keep a quilt in the car and use it to cover up my arms when I am driving if the sun is shining on my hands and arms.  But at least I am not over fatigued as I was with the Carbo/taxol drugs. 

And so Happy summer!  Be sure to wear susnscreen!!!