Nestled in at the edge of the shopping distrinct of upper NE Fremont is the quaint Cool Runnings Cafe, owned and operated by Cal Ferris and his wife. The character and food of the place, while inspired by the Islands, is varied and lends itself nicely to flavors from many regions, particularly those of the American South. Cool Runnings Cafe has been open since August of 2002, but has been serving dinner only since early 2003, which I feel is their true calling.

A smooth pour to a dark, frothy head. This beer promises a richness that it doesn’t quite achieve. The bite focuses towards the tip of the tongue, and the aroma is not full enough to be complimentary. The flavor is pretty good, though I believe it more likely to appeal to a Starbuck’s denizen than a beer lover. There is a slight hint of mocha, but limited character is apparent here.

Rabbit-Proof Fence is a true story of human spirit and the overcoming of adversity. The film tells the story of three young Aboriginal girls who are torn from their homes because they are of mixed decent, and taken to a camp where they are to be trained to integrate into proper society, in particular as servants, with the intention that white blood will scour the aboriginal blood from their line in a few generations as they reproduce with whites.

Marriage. Topping the list of What’s Hot right now. Fox is premiering several new blockbuster mega-hypo shows where the winners and losers get married to each other, themselves, and total strangers. Not to mention the past classics like marrying millionaire monkeys and throwing turtles at wed-shops in vegas. And ThankYou Joe (Evan). It’s freakin bizzarro to me, the trend. Now that the concept of marriage has been totally despoiled by the likes of wadded up right-wing Family Values groupies pulling anti-gay anti-choice propaganda, and our (me being pretty solid Gen-X) parents’s generation treating them like Kleenex, snotted or no.

In which grown men race old cars with pigs in their arms. A thing of beauty, the Pig-n-Ford of Tillamook County, I’ve only seen videos of it on televsion, and pictures on the internet. A lucky man I am, having a friend Jamie Dixson, who is a great Pig-n-Ford competitor, and a good man. Perhaps I can convince him to offer up a few comments on the Pig-n-Ford. Perhaps, I can obtain an interview.

Art is cool. Sometimes awkward. Rarely liberating. Is it coffee house art that is full of penis and twat? Or is it normal that challenge and beauty are found primarily in bizarro interpretations of sex organs and other private areas? Much less often the butt. Eyes are a popular target too, much more understandably. Never the focus, just part of the scene. Eyes are pretty cool, I can get into them.

This isn’t really my first time homebrewing. But it sure felt like the first time. It had been probably 8 years or more since my last foray, and I’ll say now that it didn’t go particularly well. Overzealous and underequipped (I recall transferring the brew from the carboy into a waste basket I pulled from a dumpster and sanitized), I gave a go at malting my own barley, and made a huge mess everywhere.

I’ve come across an interesting article today, in which Bill Gates speaks out against the estate tax. It is quite well-written, succinct, offering up a spattering of fact, some opinion, and a fair amount of implication. There’s something fairly convincing about the wealthiest man I can think of arguing that we should take his dough. Of course, he also writes this with full knowledge of who our manufactured leader is and the inevitability of a vast array of tax breaks for the wealthy.

A typical Pearl District interaction. (Choose scenario:) me sitting on sidewalk eating burrito me walking with friends/coworkers to bar or from burrito run me wandering aimlessly avoiding work, often with coworker r, driven by one person, or a delivery truck driven by two. They slow down, seeing harmless streetpeople (walkers), smile broad, and chime, “Excuse me, could you tell me how to find…