Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Pro Quality. Fan Perspective.
Login-facebook
Around SBN: Explaining Jeremy Lin's Early, Surprising Success

What Goes Around has to Go Somewhere, Right?

I recently received the gift-of-the-magi in the form of some additional office help at my job. The sinister part of it, the part in which I tragically trade my hair for a now-useless porcelain comb, is the fact that the new co-worker drives me crazy. She is not a native Oregonian and only moved here days before receiving the job. Now that she has found an apartment in the outskirts of NW she ceaselessly spends her weekends meandering the city of roses like Bolivar jaunting through South America; pretentiously crafting an ethnography solely for the purpose of controlling everything she circumscribes. My fabulous luck has it that she shares this newfound knowledge in an ostentatious monologue that never ends, 8:30 to 5 pm, every work day. The sound of her affected voice only drowns out when the steely and overbearing imagined narration of O. Henry didactically expresses how my worldly desires are proved petty and simultaneously noble through some form of depressing human universality. Meanwhile I get to hear about this great part of town. It’s called the “Pearl District.” And in this “Pearl District,” they have all kinds of shops. They even have this one shop full of books. It’s probably the biggest book store in the world. They sell new books and used books and they have a coffee shop and oh my god I think I really am going to put this ball point pen through my eardrum right now.

Star-divide

 

As my depression grew, in came the realization that this was the tone of voice I frequently copped when talking to bored onlookers about the Blazers. About three or four years ago the average inebriates leaning on the bar at Blackwell’s didn’t know a thing about the Blazers or care to know a thing about them. They didn’t go to the games. They didn’t look at the box scores or recaps in the paper. And had Bassy himself wandered into the bar and opened fire they would have had no way of knowing a millionaire NBA draft bust was trying to kill them, and not just your average nutcase.

This lead to the kind of tone of voice I get now from my coworker. Well, attendance is really low right now but we have a couple players we’re developing and some of them don’t look too bad, so there’s some hope for the future &c., &c. The bored looks on the faces of my fellow drinkers never inhibited me from going on for hours, just as my pained expression and the sound of my teeth grinding never seems to stop my coworker. Certainly the two acts are not perfectly congruous, but the poetic justice is pretty thick.

So what have we learned? As usual for me, very little. I still think O. Henry is a crap writer and the only version of "The Gift of the Magi" I enjoy is the one where they copped the idea for Sesame Street. Bert traded his paper clip collection for a soap dish for Ernie’s rubber ducky and Ernie traded his rubber ducky for a cigar box for Bert’s paper clip collection. Oh the pathos! Luckily in this version, mister Hooper showed up at the ninth hour to return their sacrificed treasures as a Christmas present. God bless Deus Ex Machina!

So, pretty much, I hope KP and Mr. Hooper package my coworker in a sign and trade for Calderon.

 

Kirsten_20with_20ernie_20and_20bert_medium

 

The luckiest girl in the world


 

Poll
Who is the greatest muppet?
Gonzo.
28 votes
I'm a fool.
27 votes

55 votes | Poll has closed

Comment 57 comments  |  7 recs  | 

Do you like this story?

Comments

Display:

Deus Ex Machina?

2 former machines?

"Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss" Robert A. Heinlein

by 92wastheyear on May 23, 2008 12:41 PM PDT reply actions  

Kermit and the Muppets

another creation from a University of Maryland grad.

by timg56 on May 23, 2008 1:24 PM PDT reply actions  

Animal

There is no debating this

by two4larue on May 23, 2008 1:45 PM PDT reply actions  

au contraire

I’d have to go with Beaker.

by NWfan on May 23, 2008 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions  

As a child they annoyed me

AS an adult, they’re the best part of the show!

"I got the goose bumps." - Rudy translated by Alamart

by ratbastird on May 23, 2008 3:07 PM PDT up reply actions  

Hey!

Did you know that much of the Pearl District used to be warehouses! And there used to be train tracks in the street everywhere—not the cute little European style trolley, but real freight train tracks. And that across from that bookstore (which is, like, so old) there used to be a big brewery that really made beer, and that the whole place smelled like beer? Oh, and that there’s this other cool neighborhood called “Northwest 23rd” that used to be filled with hippies and such? Oh, and…..

Moral. Get yourself an iPod. Wear it at work.

by EngineerScotty on May 23, 2008 2:15 PM PDT reply actions  

Unfortunately

not allowed. Like all things that would make my life easier, it was too unprofessional.

Fortunately I’m only here for another month.

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on May 23, 2008 2:17 PM PDT up reply actions  

Then you should haughtily point out to her

that only clueless tourists refer to the “Pearl District”.

Those in the know call it the “Pearl”.

If that doesn’t work, tell her to go explore the fabulous shopping district known as “Southeast 82nd Avenue”.

by EngineerScotty on May 23, 2008 2:34 PM PDT up reply actions  

The sound of one hand clapping

"And there’s this whole stretch of parks and they have statues there, and there was a statue of Abraham Lincoln, and there was another statue, and—"

"Yeah, I know, that’s the park blocks, that’s—"

"—someone told me there was a bunch of fruit and vegetables there during the summer, and a whole bunch of people sell food and stuff right there in the park right downtown, and—"

"Yeah, that’s the farmer’s market, they have them all over, I—"

"—I couldn’t believe that they would sell food like that outdoors in the middle of downtown like that, and just up the way there was a college, and there were a bunch of bicycles and I—"

"Yeah, that’s Portland State, I graduated there. Do you realize I’ve lived here my whole life, or do you—"

"—couldn’t believe that people would just ride their bikes in the rain like that, and I saw a bar with a turtle on it, and they had really cheap breakfast food there…"

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on May 23, 2008 2:47 PM PDT up reply actions  

that breakfast

goes great with the turtle dew. mmmmmm….....

by DrivetheLane on May 23, 2008 3:46 PM PDT up reply actions  

Better yet...

...tell her that true Portlanders get drunk & naked and ride the Thompson Elk statue on hot summer days. Perhaps she’ll get arrested and be in the drunk tank for a day or so.

As an aside, I witnessed that on two separate occasions when I still lived down there.

by DonkeyShins on May 23, 2008 4:54 PM PDT up reply actions  

And this one time...

...at bandcamp

"Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss" Robert A. Heinlein

by 92wastheyear on May 23, 2008 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions  

Why does your flute

Smell like my sister’s swing set?

Two

by tominhawaii on May 23, 2008 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions  

lol

You’ve been sniffing the swing set again I see.

God: “We will never be able get that smell out of the fish”

"Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss" Robert A. Heinlein

by 92wastheyear on May 23, 2008 3:59 PM PDT up reply actions  

Teeter Totters have better impact

How would I know this.

Years of study, with the impact of scent, ingrained into the Cellulous of wood. It’s what sells those 2×12’s for shelving projects at your “Home Depot”!

"Always Willing, Ever Able" - rivbike.com
"A Dbl Shot O' Whiskey & A Pitcher O' Beearr" - BoilerMaker (It's Game Time Baby, see Ya Again, 'n the Second Half)

by BlueBooYay on May 25, 2008 11:49 AM PDT up reply actions  

but, Brooks leather bicycle saddles

Rule

"Always Willing, Ever Able" - rivbike.com
"A Dbl Shot O' Whiskey & A Pitcher O' Beearr" - BoilerMaker (It's Game Time Baby, see Ya Again, 'n the Second Half)

by BlueBooYay on May 25, 2008 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions  

I did know that

because my dad likes to wax poetic about the “good old days”.

Frankly, i like the shops and only miss the fact that i wasn’t around for the championship parade because I was still waddling in diapers… or maybe I was trained by then. Don’t really know.

"I got the goose bumps." - Rudy translated by Alamart

by ratbastird on May 23, 2008 3:08 PM PDT up reply actions  

I used to go to Powell's at lunchtime

The entire block smelled like stale beer.

Stale beer smell > The Pearl

Blazer Fan

by leeroyjenkins on May 27, 2008 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions  

that says alot...

I’m in DC and head out to W. Va often enough. It is pretty in places, but it is a hole. There are more books in Powell’s than in every bookstore in WV combined. The Pearl must seem like some sort of urban fantasia to her. They do know and love basketball there – maybe she’ll go rabid Red and Black soon. And they love their little mountains.

But be indulgent: she has been recently liberated from a chicken-fried hell.

"its tough to play with one eye, unless you're a pirate." Delonte West

by Honka Playboy on May 26, 2008 8:19 AM PDT up reply actions  

I hope

She finds out about the Shanghai tunnels before you leave. You need to learn about those too.

Three

by tominhawaii on May 23, 2008 3:36 PM PDT reply actions  

Sadly...

much of the stories about the Shanghai tunnels cannot be substantiated by historians; much of the history concerning them seems to be the imagination of the guys giving the tunnel tours.

Not that shanghaiing didn’t occur in Portland (it did)—just that claims the tunnels were routinely used for smuggling crimped sailors out to waiting ships, seem to be bogus.

Nah, just send her out to shop in felony flats. She’ll either disappear never to be seen again, find a new line of work along SE 82nd, or buy an RV and skip town. Unfortunately, the new MAX line to there doesn’t open for another year at least. :(

by EngineerScotty on May 23, 2008 3:46 PM PDT up reply actions  

Some woman on the bus

the other day was talking about how she got arrested in a prostitution sting out on 82nd, but the courts threw out the case because apparently some of her constitutional rights had been infringed. She kept claiming it was the work of her guardian angel. F’realz.

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on May 23, 2008 4:05 PM PDT up reply actions  

Lents Boy here

I ‘ear what your talkin’ ‘bout

"Always Willing, Ever Able" - rivbike.com
"A Dbl Shot O' Whiskey & A Pitcher O' Beearr" - BoilerMaker (It's Game Time Baby, see Ya Again, 'n the Second Half)

by BlueBooYay on May 25, 2008 1:52 PM PDT up reply actions  

I do know about those!

A friend of mine claims some prostitute ghost wanders them and the basement of old town pizza. And he’s hilariously serious.

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on May 23, 2008 4:04 PM PDT up reply actions  

I believe in ghosts...

I lived in a haunted house when I was a teenager. Of course, I also did drugs and watched scary movies, so…

Hey, was Zbo’s prostitute from there? Did he drag race drag queens?

He's on FIRE with a little Floater in the lane.

by RebelRogue on May 23, 2008 4:48 PM PDT up reply actions  

One of my wife's coworkers

See’s ghosts all the time. One even visits her in their office.

Three

by tominhawaii on May 23, 2008 5:07 PM PDT up reply actions  

BOO !!!

"Always Willing, Ever Able" - rivbike.com
"A Dbl Shot O' Whiskey & A Pitcher O' Beearr" - BoilerMaker (It's Game Time Baby, see Ya Again, 'n the Second Half)

by BlueBooYay on May 24, 2008 7:52 PM PDT up reply actions  

I used to work with a woman who nattered on and on

about anything that came into her fat little head. If she ran out of things to talk about she started reading aloud from a newspaper or whatever entertainment rag that happened to be laying around. She had one of those fat, squeaky little voices and it was like constantly having a gnat buzzing around your ear. She’s been gone for five or six years but people still talk about her. I empathize with you

"We comin along." Travis Outlaw

by annthefan on May 24, 2008 4:37 AM PDT reply actions  

isn't there work to be done?

I always find when I’m talking, I’m not working.
Depends on the work, I guess.

by Section323 on May 24, 2008 10:43 AM PDT reply actions  

Well, yeah, there was work to be done. I watched her fall asleep standing up

more than once. True. It’s funny in retrospect.

"We comin along." Travis Outlaw

by annthefan on May 24, 2008 11:21 AM PDT up reply actions  

incredible work

very nice.

"Honor Terry Porter." Email me with your TP stories and memories.

by Ben Golliver on May 24, 2008 1:02 PM PDT reply actions  

the swedish chef

memories of him still make me laugh

by bartender77 on May 25, 2008 12:27 AM PDT reply actions  

Is it OK to Ask Now

Why that girl is wearing a bathing suit at Sesame Street? Is there a water park at Universal Studios?

Four

by tominhawaii on May 25, 2008 11:39 AM PDT reply actions  

You just want

You just want to pretend you got her message in a bottle. You’re obssessed.

Bert and Ernie are HUGE! I thought they were like 3 feet tall. I’d rather they were if I met them in person. I’ve always prided myself on the fact that no matter how many fights I lose to normal sized humans, I could take tiny Bert and Ernie any day of the week. For the first time ever, I am starting to doubt this belief. And this is something I’ve based my entire ego, my entire being. I… I don’t know what I’m going to do now with myself.

Is Elmo huge too? I know Big bird is Big, so I wasn’t gonna start no stuff with him, but now I’m not so sure about the rest of the cast. TV doesn’t adequately reflect actual heights and weights properly, and I wish our government would get to work on fixing this.

Ernie’s big felt hand is waaaay too low. Now I’ll have to fight him just to defend that poor girl’s honor. Great, fantastic.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on May 25, 2008 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions  

Nah

I was scared she was at a park and two crazy guys dressed up so they could hug kids in bathings suits. I assume everyone is evil.

Four

by tominhawaii on May 25, 2008 2:32 PM PDT up reply actions  

See. You are a misanthrope. Me too.

It’s the Bert and Ernies of the world you have to watch out for. Still they aren’t as bad as as the Barneys and Teletubbies. Ugh. I shudder evey time I see kids watching that stuff.

"We comin along." Travis Outlaw

by annthefan on May 25, 2008 10:22 PM PDT up reply actions  

I couldn't find the Song, but it's funny

href=”http://file022b.bebo.com/0/large/2007/03/29/03/171742a3955023947b734088606l.jpg” target=”_blank”>http://file022b.bebo.com/0/large/2007/03/29/03/171742a3955023947b734088606l.jpg[/img]

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on May 27, 2008 7:42 AM PDT up reply actions  

LOL I have a confession to make

After reading the blog rules from another SB Nation blog this week (gasp! I’m becoming Tominhawaii! at least it wasn’t the L*ker blog), I realized that OT stands for off-topic. I had previously thought it stood for over-time, with the meaning being the same as off-topic, but it actually standing for “overtime.”

Yes, I realize my noobishness, but feel free to tell me about it some more. Heap it on.

Current team + Greg + Rudy = Blazers losing narrowly to the Spurs in the 2008-2009 Western Conference Finals. Book it.

by prezofdeath on May 26, 2008 8:16 PM PDT reply actions  

Coming late to the topic

(because my computer died.)

I cannot understand the logic that bans I-Pods but allows people to talk all day long. Both are equally “unprofessional”, but at least an i-pod would muffle the talker…

"As far as having a chip on our shoulder - we all have that." Martell Webster, May 15, 2008.

by jorga on May 27, 2008 9:05 AM PDT reply actions  

Ok....I pods are not always the answer

Night and Jorga ….listen and learn. This weekend the family went down to sourthern oregon to visit some family members. Me, my wife, my 2 kids and my mother all piled into a mini van to for a nice 4 hour drive to the Medford/Grants Pass area. With five people in the car no one can agree what to listen to on the stereo…that is just a given. But in this era of personal electronics that is not really an issue. So the kids brought their personal DVD player and sat in the way back, watching a movie with their headphones on. My wife and I sat up front and listened to the onboard stereo system with the speakers faded all the way to the front. Since my mom didn’t really like the kind of music we were listening to, she elected to listen to her mp3 player. Sounds perfect, right? Not so much as it turns out. My mother (all of 60 years old) cannot listen to music without singing along ….can’t do it….it is impossible. Me and my wife are trying to listen to some nice soothing death metal and Mom is in the back seat wailing out some Dolly Parton number to the point that it is drowning out the death metal. We made it all the way to Roseburg or so before I couldn’t take it anymore. We just ate lunch at Denny’s (I don’t know why, so don’t ask) when I pulled Mom aside and advised that she was …ya know…singing kinda loud when she sang along and that maybe she wasn’t aware that it was happening. Well anyway, she basicly glared at me (from the back seat) the whole rest of the way. What is the moral of the story? It was totally worth it !!!

How does this relate to the OP topic?....ummm….oh yeah…even an I-pod may not be the answer…your co-worker could be sitting singing Jewel songs all day long or Ricky Scaggs or something.

PS we weren’t really listening to death metal…....it was Rick Springfield ….but you get the point.

"Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss" Robert A. Heinlein

by 92wastheyear on May 27, 2008 9:33 AM PDT up reply actions  

Maybe you should have been listening to death metal

there is nothing in this world that moms love more than death metal

by tingeyga on May 27, 2008 11:34 AM PDT up reply actions  

all-time greatest song =

“dopesmoker” by sleep. 63 minutes long. not a live jam either. great guitar solo at the 42 minute mark.

ignacio

by ignacio on May 27, 2008 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions  

If you guys think Bert and Ernie are bad...

Go on YouTube and lookup an old 70’s kids show from the UK called Rainbow (search for Rainbow kids and it should be the first video up). The 3 minute clip is fairly disturbing, and very easy to see why it was banned. Makes Bert and Ernie look pretty mundane. Besides, I thought Bert and Ernie only slept with each other?

by MGNNoah on May 28, 2008 2:46 PM PDT reply actions  

And for a really good death metal band...

Check out Amon Amarth, whose last album was titled With Oden on our side.

by MGNNoah on May 28, 2008 2:51 PM PDT reply actions  

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

The ultimate coverage and analysis of the Portland Trail Blazers.

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recommended FanPosts

Small
The Blazers Future Regarding Free Agent Signings
Small
Thunderous Manboobies
Img_0878_1__small
Why do we hate LaMarcus Aldridge?
Small
Oregonlive "journalists" 2 new posts...same old drivel
2474796688_7cdc78828f_o_small
Greg Oden Suffers Life-Ending Injury; Gets 3-Year Extension

Recent FanPosts

Small
WHAT TO DO WITH NIC BATUM BECAUSE WE WILL LOSE HIM IF NOT TRADED.
Small
Trade that helps us out now and the future
Small
How can the All-Star game be more fun and competitive?
Small
Earl Boykins!
Small
LaMarcus Aldridge about to become the 10th highest scorer in Blazers franchise  history
Small
New trade that gets us a new point and a three point shooter
Small
Portland getting.....
Small
The Sun Behind the Clouds: Blazers still on track.
Blazers_small
What are we missing?

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

FanShots

Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.

Recommended FanShots

Double rainbow of sadness:

1) JBay is getting shorter
2) We never got to see him with a mustache

I miss you tiny raptor man.

via The Basketball Jones http://blogs.thescore.com/tbj/2012/02/09/things-of-note-for-february-9-2012/#more-34561
Blazers Broadcasters Mike Barrett and Mike Rice re-enacted NBA referee Scott Foster's controversial goaltending call on Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who was defending Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star forward Kevin Durant, during this week's edition of Blazers Courtside. Remarkably, no one was injured during the taping of this segment.

Original video of the play here. 
Quotes from the players and coaches here. 
The NBA admitting it got the call wrong here. 
Dave's  extended thoughts here. 
BlazersMakr's FanShot: Major Vegas action on OKC prior to tip here. 
Audio of Chad Doing of 750 AM The Game going HAM on Foster here.

OK, that should just about wrap up the goaltending discussion.

Courtside video via Blazers Broadcasting cameraman John Curry.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
In 2008 Tim Donaghy indicated that Scott Foster was a ref that also fixed games
Blazers Owner Paul Allen Ranked No. 3 American Philanthropist In 2011
Rhino

Recent FanShots

LaMarcus Aldridge Needs Support Around Him
LaMarcus Aldridge Finds Out He's An All-Star With His Teammates
Congratulations to Portland Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge, on his first All Star selection.

As seen on www.trailblazers.com
AWoj: Aldridge an All Star
It's pretty clear that the season is over already ;)
CRAZY stat from Houston game
NBA MVP Rankings... LMA @ #10
Celtics interested in Rondo - Gasol swap? ...
Batum - Top 10 NBA Sixth Men

+ New FanShot All FanShots >


Editors

Kitten_small Dave

Headshotsmall_small Ben Golliver

Lead Moderators

Getfuzzy-satchel_small Timmay!

Bucky3_small Cablinasian

Authors

Plainlc_small Storyteller

Moderators

Lamb_small T Darkstar

Small douglast

Terryporter_small prezofdeath

Small usmcr3049

Lrg_magpie_small Corvid

Wallpaper_small geoffm