The Simpsons Movie: A

MaggieVsMrTeeny, originally uploaded by nojam75.

Last night, Scott and I watched The Simpsons Movie at The Mission. It was great! 'Best episode ever!'

whirlwind OR tour with Scott's sisters (updated)

(Now that my computer is back, I'll try to catch-up on what I would have previously blogged about.)

Scott's sisters visited us for a long a weekend, so we packed nearly everything possible in that four days.

Hope at Multnomah Falls. Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Lacy in classic Charlie's Angels pose. Originally uploaded by sweber4507

FRI 09.14.2007
COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE AND LOST LAKE

Columbia River Gorge from Crown Point Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Multnomah Falls (lower) Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Lacy wading into Oneta Gorge Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Oneta Falls Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Trail around Lost Lake (aka the endless death hike). Originally uploaded by sweber4507.

Somehow this hike and 90-minute drive back to Portland, Scott and I managed to make an appearance at his company's huge beach party fundraiser shin-dig in The Pearl. Although we were too tired to really enjoy it, the party was amazing.

Lost Lake just outside of Mt. Hood. Originally uploaded by sweber4507.

SAT 09.15.2007 DEPOE BAY

Cute Depoe Bay harbor seal demanding fish scraps Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Somewhere in the Pacific. Yes, we finally had a successful whale watching cruise, but unfortunately no pictures. Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Sunset from Boiler Bay. Regrettably, I didn't accompany Scott when he took this picture. Originally uploaded by sweber4507.

SUN 09.16.2007 YAQUINA HEAD LIGHTHOUSE, NEWPORT, HECETA HEAD LIGHTHOUSE

Weather beaten, nautical bench at Cape Foulweather.Originally uploaded by sweber4507.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Watching the sea lions at the Newport bay front., originally uploaded by sweber4507.

Big creepy Japanese spider crabat the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Originally uploaded by sweber4507	Jellyfish at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Originally uploaded by sweber4507
Sea anemone at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Originally uploaded by sweber4507	Aucklet at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Originally uploaded by sweber4507
Lacy and Hope on the beach below Heceta Head Lighthouse. Originally uploaded by sweber4507	Rocks below Heceta Head Lighthouse. Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Heceta Head Lighthouse, originally uploaded by sweber4507.

Kitty outside of the lightkeepers house. Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Lighthouse trail. Originally uploaded by sweber4507

Heceta Head Lighthouse, originally uploaded by sweber4507.

computer upgrades

Scott and I have upgraded our computers this week. Earlier this week, he ordered some sort of Mac desktop -- not one from the latest models, but one from the prior group. And today, I found a good deal on a basic $450 Compaq notebook at Best Buy. We've spent the day setting-up our respective computers. Unfortunately, I don't think iTunes will let me re-download everything. I may salvage the harddrive from the old notebook if I think anything is really worth the effort.

French & Saunders do America's Next Top Model

Here's a parody I would not have fully appreciated had Scott not forced me to watch an America's Next Top Model marathon.***:

(Hat Tip: PerezHilton.com)

(***Wow, that is a terrible sentence.)

motherboard fried

A few months ago, I noticed the HP Pavillion Notebook I was using would only charge if the power jack cord was oriented in a certain position. At first, I assumed it was a bad A/C adapter, so I went to Frys and bought a new one (~$25). However, that didn't solve the problem. Since the notebook was a few months past its one-year manufacturer's warranty, I took it to a local computer shop which changed the power jack (~$175).

Last week, the notebook would not turn on at all. I assumed it was another bad power jack issue and took it back to the same computer shop and spent another $175 to diagnosis the problem. The shop discovered that the motherboard would not turn on at all and blamed the A/C power adapter. Although I'm pretty sure I matched the correct A/C power adapter, it was not an HP brand and I may have not understood a specification.

Now I need to get a new notebook, so I probably will not be blogging for a while. The notebook I had was not very expensive ($500?), and it sucks that I've spent nearly half the cost on diagnosis and repair of the old one.

gay rights = "Oregon's 9/11"?!?

Today is the day that we all think back on the awful Tuesday six years ago. While it's hard not to ponder the politics since then, it would seem sacrilegious to use this memorial day for political gain.

Unless you oppose gay rights. The Portland Mercury blog reports that the religious conservative group that is attempting to repeal the state's gay rights laws sent a mass e-mail solicitation today describing gay rights as "Oregon's 9/11":

Defaming To Destroy: Oregon’s Own 9-11
September 11, 2007

Oregon faces a less obvious September Day of Infamy, an attack from within our borders by those who seek to change Oregonians view of marriage and morality, no matter what we say or how we VOTE, and whether we like it or not. . .

. . .
Arise! Sign the Petitions!

Unless Oregonians, arise and SIGN THESE TWO PETITIONS BEFORE SEPTEMBER 24TH, AS ONE MAN, we will collapse from within morally, and our children will be victimized by our apathy, indifference, and inaction. We will not have loved our neighbor as we should.

Stardust: C

[PLOT SPOILER BELOW!!!]

Scott, ma and I saw a movie on Labor Day. Scott chose the movie, so I didn't really know what we were seeing. The last time I went to a movie knowing only the title it turned out to be cartoon, so wondered what I had gotten myself into. Scott said it was a fairytale, so I assumed it was the fantasy movie with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, but I knew I was wrong when we saw the preview for The Golden Compass before the movie.

I realized it was Stardust (IMDB.com). The premise of the movie is what happens when a villager's one night stand in a fairytale land ends up knocking-up a princess that is imprisoned by witch. The princess sends the baby to the villager who raises the child into a young man. The movie follows the young man's quest to find his mother and a fallen star in human form.

I liked how the movie didn't take itself too seriously and worked-in some cute comedy. Ricky Gervais was great, but his scenes were too short. It was also well-paced and I never felt bored. Michelle Pfeiffer was also great in the over-the-top role as an old, beauty-obsessed witch.

The one glaring scene was Robert De Niro's performance as a closeted gay drag queen pirate. I don't see how he was cast in such a badly stereotypical role. I don't mean to sound like an oversensitive gay image critic, but his limp-wristed gay man shtick was embarrassing and almost offensive.

lazy Labor Day weekend

Scott and I accomplished absolutely nothing during our holiday weekend (other than building our imaginary cities in SimCity 4). I honestly have no idea what we did on Saturday (blackout?).

On Sunday, we drove up to Trillium Lake near Mt. Hood. We thought about finding Lost Lake, but it seemed too lost to us (hahahaha!). Instead, we went back to something familiar, Trillium Lake.

Path around Trillium Lake, originally uploaded by sweber4507.

Trillium Lake at Mt. Hood, originally uploaded by sweber4507.

What Scott's photos don't show are the numerous beer drinking, yelling, sleeveless and shirtless folks that crowded the lake. By the end of the two-mile loop, I was ready to leave. I even got the car in a not-too-subtle-hint to Scott that it was time to leave and no, I would not wait two hours for sunset.

After a brief stop at Timberline Lodge, we decided to drive back via the Columbia River Gorge. As we saw the sun setting, I raced through the touristy parts of the old, scenic highway trying to get to Vista House. I thought we were too late, but when we arrived there were groups of sightseers and photographers waiting for the show to begin.

Admittedly, I'm a little dense when it comes to noticing natural beauty -- especially since the view from Vista House is so familiar. However, when the non-English conversations from the young (Russian?) wedding group turned to oooohs, aaaaws and stunned silence, I knew the sunset was peaking. The river reflected the sky's red. It was amazing.

Columbia River at Sunset, originally uploaded by sweber4507.

Again on Labor Day, we didn't accomplish much. We drove to Frys and then saw Stardust with ma in The Couv. We planned to once again chase the sunset after the movie. We first stopped at the St. Johns Bridge:

St. Johns Bridge at sunset, originally uploaded by sweber4507.

We then found SW Hall Terrace(?) in the West Hills and waited for the sunset:

Downtown Portland at Sunset, originally uploaded by sweber4507.