What's in your purse/pockets right now?

I have to confess, it's a little embarrassing...I'm one of "those" people. I have been for as long as I have been an internet user. Online surveys, you can usually count on me to fill them out. I act like it's an annoying waste of time and that I am only filling it out because I feel obliged to, I like to assure myself that my life is way to jam packed and exciting to waste time that I can never get back.

This actually isn't true. These surveys used to fill my AOL email box back in middle school, where we would would spend countless hours online after school, chatting on IM, filling out the email surveys and sending them to each other. Today they are mostly confined to Facebook, which may lead you to believe you are no longer victim to the obliging email forward. Not true again, you are now obliged to fill one out if someone 'tags' you in theirs.

When this happens, I tell myself, " Wow they must want to know more about me!" I'm really just flattering myself here.

The thing is, you really can learn a lot about a person by their seemingly mundane answers to random questions, these impromptu "innerviews" are fascinating to me.

So I signed up on Plinky. Like every other vice I have, (this blog for example) my original intent was virtuous. On Plinky, they call the random questions "prompts" and they are supposed to inspire you to compose great material. Considering the writing season is nearing high tide for me; contest submissions are due, conferences are looming, there's a half finished novel at home, and my mailbox is filling with rejection letters from publishers, a little inspiration can't hurt.

One question on Plinky I found particularly fascinating is what someone might have at any given moment in their purse, especially if they are random and unorganized like me. If you can swing it, you can learn a lot about somebody by what they've got in their purse/wallet. I remember once I was caught with a copy of "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene in my bag, that was the epitome of great coincidence, how often do you find someone carrying around a book about quantum mechanics? There was also a mini thesaurus, a pocket U.S. Constitution (don't ask) and a tape measure modeled like a cow.

I confessed to Plinky last night about my bag contents:

Christian Dior Makeup Palette I never use
I don't usually wear makeup...and I rarely reapply on the fly unless it's a special occasion, but what if it suddenly becomes a "makeup day" in the middle of the day? Heaven forbid I am unprepared! (Note: this has never actually happened)

Shu Umeura (sp) Eyelash curler
I'm usually tired, it makes me look awake

Bag of kumquats
I wanted some new food to try that I don't eat on an everyday basis. So I bought kumquats, they travel surprisingly well. Sour though...

Dior Sunglasses
There are a few things I get excited about purchasing and am willing to splurge for, one is designer sunglasses. A stupid frivolous purchase, especially in Portland. But I don't care.

Checking Account and Savings Register
Unlike my previous listed items might suggest, I am a prodigious saver! I actually save or invest over half of what I make. This springs from having a past where I was hugely in debt and always freaking out about bills. Now I am liberating anal retentive.

crackberry

About a million different lipglosses
(see item #1)

Lifesavers
I get dry mouth when I go running

Beware the Ides of March!

"Beware the Ides of March"

This foreboding comment was a warning made to Julius Caesar, which predicted his eventual demise. I think most of us are safe from suffering a similar fate, unless you've got a friend named Brutus who seems to be angry with you. But there is still something to be said about the Ides of March, March is just weird.

There is something surreal about the month of March in Portland.

First, the weather is weird. Given it's always weird to some degree; March is like Portland's PMS time. Only in March will you see ice and snow/torrential rainfall, beautiful sun, frigid cold and 60 degree days all peppered in together. Often times this will all happen in the same day. Perhaps our City of Roses is hormonal, she is feeling everything, all at the same time.

Another thing that is weird about March is spring break. The once much-anticipated week goes forgotten these days by most people, until one day you are walking down the street and notice a group of what appear to be grown-ups wearing Hollister, usually topping off their look with some blingy sunglasses. They are typically wearing big sunglasses, really tight jeans, have designer purses and wear flip flops. They are most likely all texting (probably each other).

This may reminds you that right now, somewhere in the world (most likely Cancun), Girls Gone Wild can't print waivers fast enough, margaritas are flowing, and there is such thing as sunshine.

Then there is the cabin fever. Thanks to lack of planning, a bad economy and subsequent waning resources, few of us are able to take trips to the exotic locales we are lusting for.

We've got months until summer, even more months until nice weather actually happens, the tires on my beach cruiser are flat from non-usage, I'm sick of the bottoms of my jeans getting wet. I'm tired of wearing close-toed shoes, and so sunlight-deprived that if I attend a Twilight release party, I just might fit in.

Some ideas to combat the Ides of March if your own personal spring break is out of the question:

• Treat yourself to a spa day. Get a massage, a facial, and a mani pedi. Then go barefoot inside and show it all off. I'm a big fan of following the last minute deals at The Dragontree Spa. You can like them on Facebook and get their Last Minute Deals in your feed.

• Go out wine tasting. Check out Walnut City Wineworks and arrange for a group tasting and feel like a high roller.

• Treat yourself to some new of the moment accessories to jazz up your boring winter clothes and help you transition your wardrobe to spring. I'm currently a huge fan of Send the Trend. You'll take a short little style quiz so they can get an idea of your style, all their accessories are only $29. You can become a member and for $29 a month they'll send you a monthly trend from your profile in the mail. It's like having a personal stylist.
  

The Art of Procrastination

There is an acquired skill that is so valuable, nobody should deny themselves this knowledge. This skill has led to the evolution of the greatest artistic and revolutionary minds we know. At the very least, it's contributed to the health and well-being of millions. Everybody does it, but nobody particularly likes to own up. It's the art of procrastination.

"Why is procrastination a skill?"

Procrastination can be a valuable tool if utilized correctly. Some do their best work under a tight deadline. Their vision is the most clear, the most creative, and the most objective. There's no time to waffle. That my friend, is what procrastination is truly about.

There are many methods of procrastination. However to truly and effectively get the most from this formidable skill, it's important that your procrastination technique is as effective for you personally as possible.

Consider the fact that the average adult spends 8-14 hours a week aimlessly surfing the net. While it is extremely important to make absolute certain you are 100% updated at all times on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, My Space, etc. This is not where the true essence of procrastination lies. Unless social media is what revs your engine and gets you out of bed each day, or you have your moments of Zen while tagging pictures of friends and creeping on your ex from high school, this is not procrastinating, this is wasting 8 hours.

Never ever waste valuable procrastinating time! Truly successful procrastination should leave you feeling rested, invigorated, creative, and energized. Think of it as an enriching nap for the mind and spirit. If you carve yourself time in your hectic and mind-numbing routine for some procrastination time, you will reap the benefits in other areas of life. So just say "NO" to the "To Do List" and say yes to wandering aimlessly on the waterfront, eating Italian ice and watching bums attempt aerobics.

Some of my best work so far is the direct result of very satisfying, enriching and formidable skill of procrastination in its purest form!

Procrastinate in an area near you today!

Places to Procrastinate:

NW Portland:

• Powells. duh.
• Sip & Kranz. Especially in the summer, when the people, dog and little kid watching is at it's peak.
• Rose Gardens/Japanese Gardens. This is especially productive if you enjoy smelling flowers and accidentally crashing weddings.
• Saint Cupcake. Have one of each tiny cupcake they are featuring that day. I reccomend the Red Velvet and the Fat Elvis. When you're done there, head over to Cupcake Joe's and do the same!
• Dazzle on NW 23rd. Look at the cute blazers from The Bella Sisters www.bellasisters.com. Their clothes are sustainable, fashion forward and unique! I have a jacket was custom-made for me for my birthday featuring felt owls, ruffles, pinstrips, puff sleeves and a sewn in hood, fantabulous! They also have cases of unique jewelry there reminiscent of Twist, but much more accessibly priced.
• Coffee and Crepes at Vivace on NW 23rd & Pettygrove

Greater SW Portland:

• Multnomah Village. As a promoter of books and independent book stores, of course I have to mention Annie Bloom's (they have a cat).
• The Buffalo Gap. Ten cent wings! Bring antacid.
• Multnomah County Library
• Try hats on at John Helmer Haberdasher
• Eat breakfast at McCormick & Schmidt's Harborside and watch the dogs (this is best in nice weather)

SE Portland

• Pambiche on 28th and Glisan. I highly reccomend the tres leches cake, empanadas, arroz con pollo and braised oxtail! And don't forget the lemonade made with real sugarcane!
• The Laurelhurst. Cheap movies, cheap food.
• All the random vintage stores!
• Andy and Bax in NE Portland
• Fleur De Lis cafe. Delicious scones and pastries! Good prices too.
• Luxe Autohaus (you can dream!) and Ecomotion, the electric cars are so cute!
• Furever Pets on NE Broadway is an adorable pet boutique. Get your dog a pupcake so he doesn't feel left out when you gorge yourself on cupcakes all day.
• Great cheap American Chinese food: Saigon on NE Broadway. Get the Won Ton Soup!
• The Kennedy School, for the same reason we like The Laurelhurst x2.
  

Stay tuned

How to Feel Inferior in Portland

Don't get me wrong, I love Portland. How can you not? Today on the corner of 2nd and Taylor I saw a man wearing a Carhart kilt! With Timberland-type hiking boots! He was definitely ready to hit up a construction site near you and perhaps play a bagpipe or something. It was most likely not Carhart brand, but it might have been....With the eclectic scene here, anybody should feel welcome, accepted and embraced despite their shortcomings. like a giant nudist colony (with no nudists).

KILT SIGHTING CHALLENGE ACTIVITY: If you can get me a good photograph of this alleged kilt I will buy you and any accomplises lunch!*************

So getting to my point, I have started running. I began on a training plan called The Couch to 5k a few weeks ago, and it's been going very well. I am almost done with it. This is not a joke.



So I heard that Thursday was supposed to be "nice," which for Portland in February "nice" means not pouring buckets, not frigidly cold, and you might be able to see pieces of the sky between the clouds. Feeling particularly ambitious this week, I bought some Power Bars (the "endurance" variety), and some Power-ade.

So I pack my gym bag this morning with my running shoes that the trainer picked out by analyzing my running gait. I also pack up all my new gym clothes in the weird materials that don't ever get wet, even fresh out of the washing machine. I obediently spend my morning appropriately "carbing" and overall doing everything I am told good runners do. Come lunch hour I put on my headphones and trot down to the waterfront. I feel a little out of place, being downtown amongst the skyscrapers in my gym clothes. It was almost like the "Oh crap I went to work without pants on" feeling we all have in those nightmares we get. Wait you don't get those? Well never mind....

So I start running and I am trying to "pace myself." This is not working out so well because the waterfront is full of runners. They are all wearing the same types of fancy weird fabric clothes, except I am sure they don't look nearly as weird in them...They are also running faster than me and this doesn't sit so well. So I try to ignore the prodigious running skills of everybody in the waterfront and focus on myself. 20 minutes later I am sweating profusely. Without my trusty treadmill guage I have no idea how fast I ran, how far, and how long I've been running. Also, I keep having to stop and walk. Only to feel the wind of everyone else, blowing by me, looking all athletic and runner-like. I might be running too hard, but how can I not try to run harder while eating everyone else's dust? At this point I am impressed that I was able to tie my shoes myself before heading down here.

Considering I'd like to stay gainfully employed and not collapse somewhere on the esplanade, I head back. The only problem is all those freaking runners are still passing me closely on both the left and right. Which made me think that there should be some type of driver's etiquette guide for running. So by the time I get to the fountain where I started, there is a lady in fatigue shorts and a tank top and she is leading a big group of runners in a workout that does not look like sunshine and daisy's if you know what I mean. I cross Naito and head back to my office feeling quite dejected. I can barely complete a simple running workout on my lunch hour, much less a boot camp. Maybe instead of training for a half marathon when I have never run before, I should have trained for an eating contest or something, like chocolate eating.

I return to work and continue my day, a little more tired, a little more stiff, and a lot sweatier. I hope nobody can smell me. So of course you're assuming that I am not a big fan of running...and I probably won't be doing this any longer. Wrong. My next workout is scheduled for Saturday.

I'm a glutton for punishment.



Upcoming races:

Adidas Shamrock Run 5k March 27

Portland Bridge to Brews 10k April 19

Seattle Rock and Roll half marathon June 27

Girl About Town's guide to Urban Decorum

When did it first really sink in that good decorum was an absolute must?

I was in high school, walking to the infamous Top Burger with my friend Natalie before cheerleading practice (yes I was a cheerleader, but in my defense I also served a stint as band president). So anyway, leaving top burger with whatever deep fried madness we were consuming we passed two girls sitting on the sidewalk, reclining really. Their legs sprawled into the street. Let me paint a picture: ratty black bra showing underneath a worn out light pink spaghetti strap tank top, LEI jeans, old sketchers, yellow hair with brown roots, tied back with a rubber band into messy bun. Fake nails, (with decals!) Brown lip liner and frosted lip gloss...They were smoking cigarettes and talking. Wait, change talking to spewing expletives loudly. Normally I wouldn't have given this a second thought, but Natalie quietly brought to my attention how unattractive this was. It struck me. It doesn't take much to cross the line. And it doesn't take much to set that precedent either. I think that observing decorum and good manners just might make up the difference between the "It Girl" and "That Girl."

However, Emily Post aside (sorry Marissa), the rules have changed, and I think it's important that somebody bring to light the all-important social niceties that we observe (or don't) every day without even realizing it. For the record, my friend Marissa is one of the most all around stylishly well mannered people I know.

In line at Starbucks (or any other coffee joint):
If the line is long, you have plenty of time to read the menu and decide what you'd like. If you want to look in the case and aren't yet conveniently located immediately in front, you can step out of line and lean, but if you walk completely out of line, you just forfeited your spot. If you must walk out of line, you need to politely notify the person immediately behind you that you are only stepping over to check out today's sandwich selection. They will understand.
For heaven's sake, be polite to the barista, they are making a liquid beverage that you plan to drink. Think about that.

In the elevator:
If you enter the elevator and other people are already there, you must take an available spot up against one of the walls that doesn't invade a bubble, (if there is one). If all the non-invasive wall spots are taken, you should stand immediately in the middle of the elevator, that way not one person feels awkward and singled out that you decided to invade their bubble.
If you are the one nearest to the button panel, you should push the buttons for new people entering the elevator, but don't get territorial about this duty! If someone wants to push their own buttons, by all means, let them push away.

When someone else's kid is driving you nuts.
For the most part, any commenting is prohibited. If an infant is crying, you personally need to suck it up and deal. If someone's kid is being obnoxious, you should give the parents ample time to notice and rectify the problem. Some parents are so numb to the antics of their kids, they might not notice that little Johnny is running around Subway like a hooligan, but once they figure it out, they will handle it the way they see fit.
If someone's kid is seriously hindering you or someone else's quality of life at the moment (ie: going through someone's belongings, interrupting strangers, ruining property, etc.) You should subtly gauge weather or not the rest of the people in the area are annoyed by this. In case of a mutiny, you want the troops behind you. If they have, you can politely mention to the parent what their child is doing, just don't be accusatory, people don't like feeling like a bad parent. "I'm not sure you can see, but little Suzie is ripping up that gentleman's newspaper."
The only time these rules don't apply is at kid-oriented establishments, let them have at it, that's why everything is made of plastic.

Smoking
Smoking may have been banned in all public establishments in Portland, but that doesn't mean people don't do it. If you need to smoke, you should definitely not walk down a crowded street smoking, as much as you might not care personally, the hoardes of people behind you don't enjoy walking directly into a stinky cloud.
So you should stand in a stationary spot and smoke, and dispose of the butt elsewhere than the sidewalk. Maybe a drain, an ashtray, worst case scenario, the area between the curb and the street is better than the middle of the sidewalk.
Don't smoke in someone else's car unless they smoke too and said it's ok. Even if you ask politely and a non smoker tells you it's ok to smoke in their car, they are most likely not wanting to offend you. If you want to smoke, drive your own car.

Airing your views about politics
This might be a no brainer for some, but don't ever assume that people have the same political views as you. Just because Portland is super duper blue, does not mean that everyone is on your team (same goes for the opposite), in fact there are so many political views and personalities, it's best to not bring it up at all in casual conversation. You may think that everybody in your office is super interested in your opinion and you are super qualified to give it. This is not a good idea.
Here are good places/times to talk political:
At political-oriented functions
At causes that certain political agenda's support (and in this case, stay on topic)
When you are absolutely certain that somebody has given you the green light to open debate.
*notice I didn't say only with people of your orientation. Just make sure it's welcome.

A Quick Note on Sushi in Portland

I have never been a big "sushi person." I turned the corner on sushi when my mom took me to a place that used to exsist in Vancouver called Moshi. I was obviously very apprehensive because it was in a strip mall. I always thought the best sushi was found at swanky trandy sushi restaurants.

Then I found San-Sai. It's on NW 21st Ave across the street from the McMenamins Blue Moon Cafe. There is a sign in the window advertising happy hour. It is always there. Do not be alarmed. The place is always buzzing, always bright and clean. And certain items on the menu are always 50% off, and the items that aren't, are reasonably priced. They don't have lots of creative cocktails, they don't have a big fancy fish tank with exotic fish in it that you are not actually eating.

San Sai is in the neighborhood Portland writers, but not actual Portland residents commonly refer to as "The Alphabet District."

Some of my personal San-Sai Favorites:

Crunchy Spicy Tuna Roll, Spicy Tempura Roll, Spider Roll, Mudslide Roll, Catepillar Roll, assorted vegetable tempura and miso soup.

Honorable Mention: $3 Warm Sake. (I don't like sake)

So I continued my thought that the best sushi was supposedly to be trendy and expensive. So I went to Sinju, which according to Citysearch.com is "the best in Portland." I spent a lot of money. (Keep in mind I am not usually cheap on the tip, unless you really deserve the "hint.") I drank a fancy cocktail and ordered all my usuals; hand rolls of the spicy tuna persuasion, tempura, and so on and so forth. It was good. Presentation was nice. But that's it. And in all actuality, I think San-Sai sushi is exactly the same...if not better.

Perhaps I was not wrong about Sinju?

This dirty dining report on Sinju refers to the Bridgeport location, not the Pearl location. Their score was only one point above requiring closure.

http://www.kptv.com/dirtydining/18598680/detail.html

http://www.sinjurestaurant.com/ <-----Very nice flashy Flash-based website.

We know never to judge a book by it's cover. Now we know not to judge sushi by it's accompanying cocktail menu!

Please post your replies and let me know about your local neighborhood sushi gem!