From Portland with Love
Basking in the sunshine behind the Olympic Hotel in Centralia, my friend Peter and I were enjoying a good meal and some uncommonly fine service when the topic of Zoomstick came up.
"I'd like you to join Team Zoomstick," Peter said. "You could provide the Portland perspective that we're looking for."
I almost dropped my club sandwich into my clam chowder. Trying hard not to look like a 4 year old at Christmas, I kept my poker face and continued to listen to his proposition. "The pay is good and the benefits are even better," he continued. "Full medical, dental, vision, retirement, and a car are part of the package. And you get two weeks a year at the condo in Hawaii."
"Which island?" I inquired, eybrows raised.
"Maui. And of course we'll provide you with Blazers ticke..."
"Wait a minute," I interrupted. "Blazers? Could you hook me up with a suite at Safeco instead? Or Husky football season tickets?"
"We need you to write from a Portland perspective."
"Oh...right. Sure, I get it..."
Needless to say, the rest is history. I'll be covering the Portland beat for Zoomstick, which I imagine means, among other things, making fun of the Blazers and Ducks and stuff like that.
See you in the lineup.
"I'd like you to join Team Zoomstick," Peter said. "You could provide the Portland perspective that we're looking for."
I almost dropped my club sandwich into my clam chowder. Trying hard not to look like a 4 year old at Christmas, I kept my poker face and continued to listen to his proposition. "The pay is good and the benefits are even better," he continued. "Full medical, dental, vision, retirement, and a car are part of the package. And you get two weeks a year at the condo in Hawaii."
"Which island?" I inquired, eybrows raised.
"Maui. And of course we'll provide you with Blazers ticke..."
"Wait a minute," I interrupted. "Blazers? Could you hook me up with a suite at Safeco instead? Or Husky football season tickets?"
"We need you to write from a Portland perspective."
"Oh...right. Sure, I get it..."
Needless to say, the rest is history. I'll be covering the Portland beat for Zoomstick, which I imagine means, among other things, making fun of the Blazers and Ducks and stuff like that.
See you in the lineup.
posted by Small Fish at 11:33 PM
3 Comments:
Topics that I am interested in:
- Why is Portland called the Rose City?
- Is the AAA stadium nice? Who are the associated with? Are they any good?
- Does Portland have light rail
- Since you can't pump your own gas in Portland, does Portland recognize the 365 day calendar?
- How many hours behind Seattle is Portland?
- What was the name of the USFL team that played in Portland? Where they any good?
Hello, NHW.
Some of these topics will certainly be addressed in future postings. However, I'll take a moment to touch on a few of your inquiries.
Why it's called "the Rose City" is uncertain (I'll do some research), but I do know there are a buttload of roses in peoples' yards here. Which came first--the roses or the nickname--I don't know.
The AAA stadium has some endearing properties. You can watch a game from the street in left field or from the athletic club in right. Its boundaries are confined by the older, established city blocks and buildings, which gives it some character--a real funky shape.
Portland has one of the best light-rail/public transportation systems in the U.S. It's also a great place to sell drugs and do other illegal things. Everybody wins with light rail.
Although Portland shares the same time zone and calendar as Seattle, it's true we don't pump our own gas here. I, along with most Seattleites, used to make fun of that. But now I'm really enjoying it. That extra 3-4 minutes sitting in the driver's seat of my car affords me time to plan my next anti-war protest, think about which tree I want to hug next, and figure out which kind of granola to take on my next nature walk.
small fish - does this name have any specific meaning?
Not to ruin your day, but tomorrow, I am pleased to say I will have 5 trees removed from my property. Nothing like cutting down big trees in the name of property values!!
How much did the light rail cost?
Who is the biggest employer in Oregon?
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