Fierce chops and other stray observations

I suppose every city represents juxtapositions of some kind or another. Certainly Portland does. I live in a place called the Pearl......which is a fairly upscale part of the city proper. We don't live in the thick of it, but we live there. Much like saying you ONLY got the base level BMW, you are still driving a damn fine automobile. Despite this, we are surrounded by the homeless. It is a startling contrast seeing someone begging for change outside an establishment that has the temerity to sell 'couture' t-shirts for better than $75 apiece. But yesterday, well, that had to take the cake. On my way to work someone had literally pitched a tent on the sidewalk, parked their cart out front of it and said 'fuck it, I am sleeping here' and then proceeded to do so. The difference from anyplace else I lived to here is that no one thought twice about it, they just stepped around. Odd indeed.

Speaking of odd, you have to love the 'individuality' of our denizens, even if they often end up trying to look so different from the mainstream that they end up looking kind of the same as each other. I had to go to work earlier than normal last week and both days I walked past a gentlemen with the fiercest pair of mutton chops I had ever seen outside of civil war reenactments. He was otherwise young and moderately dressed, certainly not traits one would associate with such a bold facial hair accoutrement. One wonders what kind of work he does and how this choice came to be. I am not one to state that you cannot express yourself in any way you choose, but I also understand that you also self limit your career options by doing so. Even if you boast sterling credentials, it is unlikely your neck tattoo, grizzled neck beard, and affinity for cranial accessorizing will net you a position of much import. Individuality does not need to be nakedly displayed. It should, in fact, run deeper than that. So, to mutton chops, I salute you sir, but I also have to wonder what you do with your days.

On Friday we saw some friends we had not seen for seemingly ages. It happens that way as a grown up (adult............er, teenager x2.........whatever). You end up not seeing people for months and then, when you do, you question why it has taken that long. Before long it has been another three months and the cycle repeats. One of the bummers about getting older is that you now have the money to do the things you couldn't when you were younger, but now you don't have the time. Then, at the point you retire and have the time, you probably won't have the money. Rather than go down that treacherous path, great food (Foster Burger is quite good), good friends, and I forgot how much Scattergories can be.

Time changes in the NW suck btw. I like the idea of walking to work.........I like less the idea of walking home in the pitch dark while it is cold and wet and I have to tromp over a slick mess of rotted leaves. The good news is this should all be over in just a scant 4 months or so (sobbing quietly to myself).

Speaking of slogging off to work, I best put myself to the task of sleeping so I can do it again tomorrow.