sugar mountain

My kind part-time coworker often brings in treats to the office break room to share (and solicit donations for his charity). Lately, he has been extremely generous as seen with this mountain of candy and doughnuts.

What's a bit odd though is that -- not counting him -- I'm the only other person who regularly works in the office, so I guess this is all intended for me. I do have some self control, but it is challenging to be here all day with sugar mountain just down the hall. Apparently he is trying to give my diabetes.

Inception: B

Inception Chibis, originally uploaded by nicoleleepeterson.

To beat the heat, Scott, Ma, and I went out to a movie on Saturday afternoon. I'm not sure how theaters are staying in business as there have been very few movies this year that I wanted to see. The Regal theater we went to had only the manager working concessions and the multiplex seemed vacant -- on a weekend.

Anyways, we settled for Inception. My main reluctance to seeing Inception were the comparisons I heard of it with The Matrix. Fortunately, Inception doesn't take itself as seriously as Matrix, but it is as convoluted with endless revelations regarding the shared dream sci-fi tech premise.

Ellen Page's college student character is supposed to be the audience's newbie stand-in walking through the technology with wonder, awe, and questions. Although it's a bit surprising a college student in the field doesn't know the intricacies of the technology. What kind of irked me was that she basically plays the same character in her Cisco ads in which she again wanders into the technology with wonder, awe, and questions:

Overall, it was an entertaining movie. Yes, I will make my standard complaint that the movie was too long. It's probably an unfair standard to hold against filmmakers, but my knees have a limited time in theater seats, so a movie had better be compelling to keep my interest past 90 minutes. Unfortunately, the dream within a dream within a dream premise and psycho-babble foreshadowing made for a predictable ending that merely had to play through.

Gma's revenge from beyond the grave

Years ago, one of the oddest comments my late grandmother made was that the city should cut down the giant trees lining the streets in historic Ladd's Addition. Her reason? They were a safety hazard because she slipped on some fall leaves while picking up my sister at Abernethy Elementary. Oh grandma...

Well, Gma somehow got her revenge. Although we saw the signs about the Dutch Elm disease, it was very surprising to see the stumps this weekend around Abernethy. It is very sad.

Save Our Elms is trying to save the neighborhood trees.

Predators: D

Trailer

Ugh. Scott and Sheena dragged me kicking and screaming to Predators on Saturday. With so few movies worth seeing this summer, I didn't have a good counter-argument or a compromise movie to offer. Also, Scott insisted that I owed him for last weekend's documentary.

I'm really not a movie snob, but the reviews for this movie re-affirmed that this would be a pointless sequel. I vaguely remember not caring for the original 1987 Predator starring Schwarzenegger and this sequel seemed to have the same basic story. I really have no idea what the sequel's purpose was. The whole movie seemed very dated -- especially considering that first-shooter action games would be far more entertaining than a traditional movie. No fast-paced cinematography tricks or styling was used to update this 20-year-old sequel. Even the soundtrack, which Scott said was based on the original's themes, seemed dated and more like a bad TV movie. Worse, instead of just killing all of the annoying and unlikeable characters, the movie ended setting up for the unlikely sequel. (Geez, can you imagine creepy Gov. Schwarzenegger coming back?)

Happy Independence Day!

I think I've been watching too much History Channel, but I really wanted to decorate the house for Independence Day. We went to Elmers Flag and Banner. I admit that I was a bit weary about putting up a flag. Will neighbors assume the worse -- that we're gun-toting, right-wing, Republican? The awkward trip to Elmers didn't settle my weariness. It's probably just me, but I couldn't help but feel like we walked into some secret Tea Party/militia man's basement bunker. That said, I was happy to find the same flag kit my grandmother had.

Joan Rivers – A Piece Of Work: C

Wow. I can't recall when I last saw a movie in the theater (or when I blogged a review for that matter). Scott and I did see IMAX's Hubble 3D last weekend during our impromptu day trip to the Evergreen Air Museum. We have been watching more movies at home. I probably did miss blogging whatever the last movie I saw, but I haven't been going to the movies as much. There really hasn't been anything compelling us to go out (wow, that sounded middle-aged suburban).

Ma, Scott, Sheena and I saw Joan Rivers –A Piece Of Work at Cinema 21, which is another place I haven't been to in a long time (Good news! They finally accept plastic!). The previews for 9500 Liberty, Countdown to Zero, and Winnebago Man looked promising.

I mainly know Joan Rivers from the praise she regularly receives from Kathy Griffin, her 2009 Comedy Central roast, and her recent Fresh Air interview. Unfortunately, Fresh Air aired the most interesting moments and spoiled the documentary. But it was still interesting to actually see what was happening. That said, I probably would have never heard of the documentary if not for the radio program.

A Piece Of Work follows Rivers through a year and shows Rivers as being painfully self-conscious, professionally narcissistic about her brand/business/career, thankful for her successes, and very bitter about her losses. Rivers' non-stop work schedule at 75 is amazing and while she whines about the unfairness of the entertainment industry (and is a bit excessive at portraying herself as a victim), she seems to enjoy her craft.

Overall, an interesting documentary about a barrier-breaking woman, but not a ground breaking movie. It did drag on a bit toward the end. I hate to admit it, but some TV reality shows like My Life on the D List do a better job of making entertaining documentaries.

Kitchen cabinets: DONE!!!

Yesterday, we finally finished the kitchen cabinets (mostly). The cabinets and microwave/hood for the kitchen's east wall have been sitting the basement for more than six months, but we finally got back into the kitchen remodeling mood.

Originally uploaded by sweber4507	When we originally bought the house a year ago. The east wall had an old electric stove, tiny spice cupboard, and tiny base cabinet. The first thing we did was pull out the cupboard and cabinet (which is how we discovered everything in our 1929 house is held in with nails and can be easily pried loose with enough tugging).
	Although it's a bit tacky, we decided to install the new full-size fridge next to the stove and blocking part of the window. We had new electrical outlets installed, the furnace people installed a gas line, and we installed an old gas stove from craigslist. We also installed some metal racks above stove before we committed to cabinets.
	Installing cabinets on the east wall wasn't really a priority; however, IKEA had a sale if we bought two appliances. So, we added the microwave/hood and east wall cabinets to our order. And then left them in the basement for seven months.
	The electrician installed a dedicated circuit for the microwave/hood according to my detailed drawing.
	I did a terrible job patching the electrician's hole, but it doesn't matter 'cuz it will be hidden behind the cabinets, right?
	Last weekend, I got my first jigsaw and stupidly practiced my first cuts into our cabinet making a less than perfect hole for the hood vent. Even more stupid, I realize that we can't vent out the side of the kitchen because a stud in the exterior wall (and we have no interest in opening-up the wall to move studs). So, the jigsaw hole was for nothing -- although it will be helpful for when we do eventually decide to vent.
	Yesterday, we hung the cabinets and microwave. For some strange reason, IKEA assumes we would leave space above the cabinets to reach around and screw-in the top molding. Our cabinets are nearly to the top of the wall, so we're going to ponder how to attach the molding.
	Scott demonstrating that the cabinets were a terrible idea now that we will have to reach over the fridge to get to our precious cereals. More than the cabinets and microwave, Scott is excited about simply having a light over the stove.

The only left to do now are to get some knobs from IKEA, finish the molding .... and tile the backsplash, and tile the floor, and maybe some more lighting, and the hood vent, and....

2010 Primary: Results

Because my blog isn't boring enough, I'll graph the results of the primary.

Oregon Turnout	386k Democrat votes 863k registered Democrats 327k Republican votes 656k registered Republicans 120k other votes 513k registered other
US Senator	89% Wyden 332k 41% Huffman 109k
OR Governor	64% Kitzhaber 241k 29% Bradbury 109k 39% Dudley 122k 31% Alley99k
OR Treasurer	64% Wheeler 215k 29% Metsger 114k 213k Telfer
OR Supt	50% Castillo 349k 49% Maurer 346k
OR Supreme Ct, Pos 4	98% Kistler 446k
OR Supreme Ct, Pos 5	71% Landau 399k 28% Arlow 156k
OR Measure 68	65% Yes 495k No 265k
OR Measure 69	71% Yes 544k No

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US Rep. 3rd District

US Rep., 3rd Dist.

91% Blumenauer 73k Sweeney 6k 98% Lopez 19k

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METRO: 208k ballots (Clackamas 36k, Multnomah 106k, Clackamas 64k)

METRO President

36% Hughes 76k 34% Stacey 72k 27% Burkholder57k

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Multnomah County: 139,784 ballots

MultCo County Chair	77% Cogen 81k 11% Darger 12k 10% Soderback 10k
MultCo County Sheriff(2011-)	78% Staton 89k 20% Ra'oof 23k

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City of Portland

Clackamas (< 200) and Washington (< 200) county results omitted.

Ptld Comm. Pos. 2	79% Fish 77k 10% Nichols 9k 6%
Ptld Comm. Pos. 3	55% Saltzman 55k 11% Volm 11k 8% Cornett 8k

2010 Primary: Endorsements

Here are my picks for the 2010 primary election and a comparison of the significant newspaper and PAC endorsements. Click for details on how I decided on each vote.

	ME	WILLAMETTE WEEK	PORTLAND MERCURY	THE OREGONIAN	JUST OUT	THE SKANNER	NARAL	OTHER
US SENATOR (OR DEM)	WYDEN	WYDEN	WYDEN	WYDEN?		WYDEN
US REP. (OR-3RD DEM)	BLUMENAUER	BLUMENAUER	BLUMENAUER					SIERRA:BLUMENAUER
OR GOV. (DEM)	KITZHABER	KITZHABER	KITZHABER	KITZHABER	BRADBURY	BRADBURY	BRADBURY KITZHABER	SIERRA,OLCV: BRADBURY/KITZHABER PTLDTRIB:KITZHABER
OR TREASURER (DEM)	WHEELER	WHEELER	WHEELER	WHEELER	WHEELER	METSGER		OLCV,PTLDTRIB:WHEELER
OR REP. (42ND DEM)	BAILEY		BAILEY				BAILEY	BRO,OLCV:BAILEY
OR SUPREME CT. (POS. 5)	LANDAU	LANDAU	LANDAU	LANDAU
OR SUPT.	MAURER	MAURER	CASTILLO	CASTILLO		CASTILLO	CASTILLO	BRO:CASTILLO
OR MEASURE 68	YES	YES	YES	YES				LWV,OLCV: YES BOJACK: NO
OR MEASURE 69	YES	YES	YES	YES				LWV,OLCV:YES BOJACK: NO
MULTCO CHAIR	COGEN	COGEN	COGEN		COGEN	COGEN	COGEN	SIERRA,OLCV:COGEN
MULTCO AUDITOR	MARCH
MULTCO SHERIFF	STATON	STATON	STATON	STATON
PTLD COMM #2	FISH	FISH	FISH	FISH	FISH		FISH	PTLDTRIB,OLCV:FISH
PTLD COMM #3	SALTZMAN	SALTZMAN	CORNETT	SALTZMAN	CANNOT BACK ANYONE		CORNETT GARREN SALTZMAN VOLM	OLCV,PTLDTRIB:SALTZMAN BOJACK:VOLM
PTLD AUDITOR	GRIFFIN-VALADE
METRO PREZ	STACEY	HUGHES	STACEY	HUGHES		STACEY	BURKHOLDER STACEY	BOJACK,PTLDTRIB:HUGHES SIERRA,OLCV:STACEY
METRO AUDITOR	FLYNN

2010 Primary: OR Measure 69

May 18, 2010, Oregon Primary Election
Oregon State Measure 69

"...Referred to the Electorate of Oregon by the Legislative Assembly of the 2010 February Special Session..." OregonVotes.org

Amends Constitution: Continues and modernizes authority for lowest cost borrowing for community colleges and public universities.

The Way It Is Now
State bonds cannot be used to remodel campus buildings or buy buildings from someone else. Colleges and universities cannot use these bonds to pay for buildings that are used for both teaching classes and community service.

What Measure 69 Would Do
Measure 69 would let community colleges and public universities remodel campus buildings using state bonds. It would also let them buy buildings from someone else and build buildings that are used both for teaching and community service.

LWVOR.org

[X] Yes

"'Yes' vote continues and modernizes state authority to issue lowest cost bonds to finance projects for the benefit of community colleges and public universities." OregonVotes.org "People FOR This Say: The rules we have now about the use of state bonds for community colleges and public universities need to be brought up to date." LWVOR.org

[_] No

"'No' vote rejects modernization of authority to issue lowest cost bonds to finance projects for the benefit of community colleges and public universities." OregonVotes.org "No arguments in opposition to this measure were filed with the Secretary of State." OregonVotes.org "People AGAINST This Say: Oregon’s Constitution should not be changed everytime someone wants to do something with state bonds." LWVOR.org "...We think that any change that encourages the state to drag the taxpayers further into hock is a bad change. This is a time to pay off debt, not rack up more of it. And so we're voting no on both measures..." BoJack.org

The "modernizes" language irks me as heavy-handed. I doubt universities are currently bartering chickens and beads. However, I can't find anyone opposing this change, so I'll support it too.