EXTRAS: I finally got my laptop back and bought the gadget to take pictures off of my phone, so I have a bunch of pictures y'all have never seen. These are from my drive between Pullman and Spokane, WA. The drive took a few hours but it wasn't bad at all. I listened to a horrible book on cd by Whitley Strieber, a novel about UFO abductions & conspiracies by the government. You would think that based on the subject it would be a classic but somehow the author created a total piece of crap. Strieber made his name in the ufo community with a book called Communion, which purportedly described his own experiences being abducted by aliens in the mid-1980's. I was excited to see the abandoned hotel below...I had fantasies that I found it outside of Ithaca and all of us could get it back up & running, maybe add a bar, and live there while running the place.

DATELINE: Spokane Int'l Airport

Thank god I'm out of here - it's been a fairly disastrous trip saved only by the opportunity to see the peeps in Portland. And the Capitan Crunch w/Crunchberrys donut. I've got a pack of gum, a box of Altoids, 3 Nutri-Grain strawberry cereal bars, a bad paperback from the airport bookstore, and my burning desire to get back to my baby to carry me though this 13 hour trip home.

I was so busy I didn't even get a chance to continue my crypto-zoological investigations on the social lives of the Sasquatch. This is Bigfoot country.

DATELINE: I'm in Bigfoot Country & Lovin' It!!

DATELINE: On the road from Spokane to Pullman, WA

On the road between Spokane and Coleville, WA

DATELINE: My crappy hotel room

Man, the last few weeks have sucked. Not only have I been working all day & night and averaging 5 hrs of sleep, I hit the Business Traveler Trifecta: parking ticket, speeding ticket, and crack in the rental car windshield. That's not even including the "constructive criticism" about my general un-business like behavior. I picked a bad week to quit sniffing glue.

The one highlight was visiting Portland and a bunch of friends I haven't seen in years. And going to the most awesome donut shop, Voodoo Doughnut, where "the magic is in the hole."

(donut video will be uploaded tomorrow)

I stayed with the Blacker-Ross clan and got to finally meet their little bundle of joy Sammy Lu.

She is a bundle of fun, a super happy toddler (even when faced with the "yucky"). They were very gracious hosts & didn't even mind (or let on if they did mind) that I had to do some work while I was there. Holly made a fantastic breakfast, and tasty cornbread & greens to go with Juan Carlos' grilled pork loin. It felt like we hadn't seen each other for a few days, not four years.


I was also able to visit with Bean and Dickie (aka Jen and Scott). I've always wished we had been able to all live in the same city but I'll take whatever The Fates hand out to me. They're doing great - Jen is working on making recycling in Portland more awesomer (and that's not an easy gig) and y'all should check out the art stuff he's involved in.

The weekend was too short. Portland seems liek it would be a super fun place to live in, and the number one reason is these crazy people (reason 1B involves donuts).

hey hey hey - I've been super crazy busy but I think I'll finally have time to post more late tonight. I went to Portland to visit Juan Carlos, Holly, and their little baby Sammy Lu. I was also able to see two other friends, eat a donut covered in Capitan Crunch w/Crunchberries, and stress out about my work in a whole 'nother city.

I had no idea propeller planes were still used in the US. I don't think they'll fill the bathroom with roosters like Aerocontinente did (RIP).

I'm writing on my treo from the Spokane Tap Room at the Spokane airport. I am so glad to be away from the hotel room...I've been getting up at 630 am and working until 1am all week, and the stress & lack of sleep (I usually fell asleep around 2 - 230 am) has made a bit loopy. I've been pretty coherent during the interviews but have felt like Martin Sheen in Apocolypse Now while trapped in my hotel room. I'm heading off to Portland OR to see Juan Carlos, Holly & their little bundle of joy Sammy Lu. I can't believe I haven't seen them since the wedding.

One thing I like about airport bars is the opportunity to choose a 20 oz beer. While I would love to have a third I am not sure it would appropriate to greet them at the airport in Portland all liquored up.

I hope y'all have a good weekend & I'll be posting again Sunday night. chau

When thinking about my Taco Time meal yesterday, a Butthole Surfers song comes to mind, because it really is better to regret something you have done


than regret something you haven't.

2 pm meeting cancelled stop went to Taco Time and am awaiting 3 crispy beef taco special stop tacos arrived and taste like my mom's taco night stop I regret not getting Mexi-fries stop leaving restaurant for 3pm meeting stop if lucky 85 cent tacos will not cause problems during next meeting stop photos to come later stop

DATELINE: Spokane, WA

Because I've been really busy I haven't been able to take much time to eat lunch or dinner. I've ordered a pizza to the room, had crappy Chinese yesterday, even had microwave popcorn one night when I couldn't leave the room. I was able to have a tasty burger & fries at Dicks Hamburgers. There's a local chain of Dicks burger stands in Seattle that I used to go to during high school and I thought this must be part of that chain. It turns out that the Spokane Dicks is a copy-cat that opened up in the 1960's, about 10 years after the Seattle version started.

I think the burgers at this Dicks is actually better than at the Seattle version. They both have little, inexpensive burgers ($0.89 for a cheeseburger) but these are a little thicker and they let you custom order the burgers (I asked for no pickles, 'natch). Both have good fries but the Seattle fries are better (remembering back 18 years to my last order of fries there). The tie breaker will be the chocolate shakes, a favorite of the Seattle Dicks. I wish there were drive-in burger places in Pittsburgh. We don't even have a Sonic (there is one here & I am going to have to get a cherry-limeade and tater totz).

As an aside, I don't think I'm sold on the mascot. There doesn't seem to be a natural connection between pandas and burgers (like there is with clowns and royalty), and from the expression on his face it looks like the burger magically appeared in his paw & he's not too excited about it.

DATELINE: Spokane, WA

There's a seedy feel to this town. It wasn't my first impression, but as I drive around a little it's apparent that there are a lot of people down on their luck in Spokane. Walking along busy roads, leaning against buildings downtown, and killing time in front of their rooms at run-down motels are people, mostly white along with some native americans, who probably may be homeless on any given day. Yesterday I stopped at a mini-mart to get a popsicle and during the few minutes I was there 9 or 10 people came in to buy their $2 six packs and $1 packs of cigarettes. It reminds me some of Seattle where there was (and probably still is) a sizable population of hardcore homeless people, people who have been living a tough life for years that's evidenced by their worn and tanned faces.

DATELINE: Spokane, WA

I went there yesterday and am very satisfied with the lube job they performed.
Highly recommended.