Dateline – Somewhere in the Kingdom of Eugene – Garbage cans rattle. Drunken voices. Bicycle tires. Squeaky wheels of a shopping cart – a late-night Target run or a homeless person’s migratory mischief? It’s a hot night in town, and the natives are restless. I keep one window open – not only for air but…
The world may be circling the drain, but there’s always time for bizarre banalities courtesy the ongoing performance artists of ‘Eugene, Oregon USA.’ Yessir, Eugenians are not being disingenuous, fully committing to the bit of suburban strangeness as though the whole world was a stage. For example, Joanie M. Starshine Kent was crowned the new…
Some Notes from Eugene while we wait for Global Silent Book Club Week (#GSBCW) to start. Eugene might be a beautiful place full of ugly people, sometimes the ugly people get their due as evinced by the saga of Ian on Olive. A neighborhood rapscallion decided that ‘hacking the system’ meant defrauding a lowly Doordash…
Sad news from Eugene – our Frog is no longer with us. Old fart’s been around for years selling cheap joke books for a buck at different festivals and events. Most people don’t know he actually had a case argued in front of the State Supreme Court. Always wondered if that was gonna be me…
Ninety-seven degrees today in Eugene – making us the Hot, Dry, and Stupid Capital of the World – for Thursday, at least. That means swimming down in Pioneer Park. The slithy toves of Eugene will only steal cars with functional air conditioning, and hammer-wielding desperadoes require sunscreen across their bald, larcenous heads as the scope…
Read More “Notes from Eugene – 09/05/2024 – Hot, Dry, and Stupid” »
“EUGENE, Ore. — The City of Eugene is seeking proposals to utilize $1,056,545 from the 2024 Affordable Housing Trust Fund to support housing developments that cater to the housing needs of low and moderate-income Eugene residents.” LOL – the check is in the mail. A million bucks wouldn’t cover the bar tab at the 2023…
Read More “Notes from Eugene – 01/11/2024 – A Warm, Lighted Place” »
They say when you can’t sleep it feels like the longest night of the year. That of course is nonsense, because tonight is the hibernal solstice, and I haven’t slept a full night since the raccoon came to town. It’s my landlady’s fault. RoseMarie refuses to put catches on the top of our trash barrels….
Today’s ‘Notes from Eugene’ is entitled: Ode to a dandelion on Mill Street. Here was a moment, and nothing else. You grew out of a crack in the sidewalk. Soft yellow petals, hardy jagged leaves. Glowing from a shaft of light in the clouds, a tiny traffic sign telling us to watch out – life…
Woke up to a smoky taste in my throat and red flag warnings across the state. Oregon is a character actor, and this week it’s playing a convincing role as Phoenix, Arizona: …EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING FOR TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING… * WHAT…Dangerously hot conditions. Afternoon high temperatures of 96 to 106 expected, warmest across the…
The phone call came in on Monday – he was in a panic. “They pulled together some BS HR claim,” he said. “I just lost my job.” I sat there, disappointed but not surprised. He had always been too nice, too open, too naïve. “Shut your mouth and lawyer up.” I hung up the phone,…
