:: halloween 2011 ::
If you're going to a big (small, or medium sized) Halloween party this year, tonight is probably the night, as the real Halloween is on Monday, hardly a night to be partying, given the rhythms.
It seemed like at least half the people were in costume on Trimet tonight, hard to tell about the other half.
I looked "plainclothes" with my silvery hair, know-it-all glasses, black fatigue jacket (not really what it's called). No helmet though, so maybe not a costume. Had a cuffka though.
I wanted to scope out the Jamison Park operation, same as I'd done on Holladay. I got more out of the latter, in terms of work, food, and kudos for FNB (our Riseup list had been one of the planning vehicles). This maneuver felt more like a dodge, a diversion, a non-event, as we consolidated off camera.
Passers-by, mostly party-goers, were joking about the "1%" counter-demonstration they could stage, in spoof of the 99%'s. They could have champagne and caviar, and politely ding their glasses with silverware, repeating after the toastmaster in high GA style.
Some guy with a pizza was commanding the center, so clearly not an FNB operation in any case, though I did spy some familiar faces. Mostly I sat on a back bench near the horses, looking somewhat the part, then I got sidetracked taking pictures, didn't wait around to see what went down at the witching hour of midnight. I didn't want to miss the last 14 (timed it perfectly).
Earlier though, I did file my trailer report (CC a few others) sharing some details with the clan.
This has been an interesting learning experience, a rehearsal in a lot of ways (see below).
Koski phoned as I was heading to the bus. We've been experiencing more of the usual nerf brawls on Synergeo, a way of killing time given the world has no place for our little subculture. Gotta do something when you're in a petting zoo holding pattern, or whatever hell.
Last night, I stopped by the CTO's office coming back from PSU, and dropped off some Halloween stuff, authorizing Kuffka dot com on my Visa (same with Cuffka earlier). I like wearing either one (a joke: it's the same thing, just two names for one object, like in a Python namespace).
Speaking of Python, I graded about 95 "papers" today (all electronic, not tree pulp). I also answered a lot of student emails. A regular workday for me.
This has been an interesting learning experience, a rehearsal in a lot of ways (see below).
Koski phoned as I was heading to the bus. We've been experiencing more of the usual nerf brawls on Synergeo, a way of killing time given the world has no place for our little subculture. Gotta do something when you're in a petting zoo holding pattern, or whatever hell.
Last night, I stopped by the CTO's office coming back from PSU, and dropped off some Halloween stuff, authorizing Kuffka dot com on my Visa (same with Cuffka earlier). I like wearing either one (a joke: it's the same thing, just two names for one object, like in a Python namespace).
Speaking of Python, I graded about 95 "papers" today (all electronic, not tree pulp). I also answered a lot of student emails. A regular workday for me.
The next morning (October 30) I joined Jay Elder in representing Food Not Bombs at Coffee Plus, an SDW institution. I'd been on my way on my bike to Social Hour at Quakers, spacing out on this invite from Sara Fischer (I'm a creature of habit, on autopilot sometimes) when I got the cell call reminder.
I did a 180 and became an Episcopalian for the day, running into Clint Dodson, an old Friend, and joking more about Beanites. He'd been a ship's chaplain, is steeped in Christianity big time. I explained about my joining FNB cooking crews here sometimes.
Clint is quite interested in interfaith dialog, like with Buddhists, and seemed secretly please that our SE quadrant is known as "the Buddhist ghetto" in some circles (I'd not heard that exact phrase). That sounds exotic and fun, like "Little Lhasa" (a comeback to Bush Sr. staffers' "Little Beirut" -- all monikers for Portland more generally).
Jay did all the talking when our turn came to do a spiel. First though, was Oregon Food Bank, which had sent a volunteer. He and I got to talking, as I had a long history with OFB back when Patty was doing dispatch and allocations and stuff, and I was her dBase guy. I cut a lot of teeth working with that operation, learned a lot about food and food security issues.
As I was riding over to St. David of Wales, I was thinking my Grumpy T-shirt was inappropriate and planned to keep my coat on. Fortunately, SDW was selling its trademark "Got Ritual?" T in my size, so I grabbed one and did a quick change in a booth. First though, I did a little impromptu ritual myself, setting up this tableau and memorializing it with my camera:
That's my helmet, so this could be considered foreshadowing. I also got a shot in the mirror, later. I ended up wearing the jacket anyway though, rather than take off the Kuffka, which might have looked too menacing with the black T, worn by a relative stranger in their midst, albeit one with silvery hair.
