Looking For A Better Way To Get Up Out Of Bed Instead Of Getting On The Internet And Checking A New Hit Me: Finally Found It

A friend of mine taught me a cool technique recently. Instead of reaching for Fbook/email/Instagram first thing after the alarm goes off.

Step 1: Put down the cell phone after disarming the alarm.

Step 2: Take 10 deep, slow, mindful breaths.

Step 3: Focus on what you want to do this morning, visualize your ritual, consider the sequence, consider the significance of each action.

Try this one morning.
If it doesn't work for you I will gladly refund twice what you paid for this advice.

The Civic Critic: Blue Star Donuts on Hawthorne

I don't generally advertise this fact, but I love Donuts. I remember when Krispy Kreme came to the Northeast when I was a kid, it was literally a revelation.

This past January, when the family-owned Chinese Restaurant on Hawthorne posted a notice in the window that they would close down for good, forced out by ballooning rent, I was of course saddened. However in a city that is blowing up this isn't a unique story.

Shortly after they closed work began on what would become another location of Blue Star Donuts. For the cynic inside of me this was too much:
"Of course we need another coffee & donuts place right in-between the Peet's and the Starbucks on Hawthorne!"

But when the furnishings started going in I couldn't wait for opening day. A friend had advised me that Blue Star on the west side had some of the best doughnuts around, but I had never made it there.

Now of course something must be said about Portland's most famous doughnut shop: Voodoo.
When I first came here I was enamored of it, as a local the $5 and later $8 bucket of day-olds seemed like a steal. Repeated exposure to the donuts made me realize that while innovative they were sometimes good, sometimes bad (Double bubble flavor?) and never mind-blowing. I stopped indulging.

Of course I found other donuts to explore, Annie's in NE was nice, classic, unpretentious, but merely good. Donut Queen in a little hut next to 7-11 at East Burnside and 60th has even better classic donuts and a charming Vietnamese proprietor. A visit is recommended for all, if only to chat with him.

This week (2 months ago) I finally got around to check out Blue Star. After driving a friend to the airport I showed up at 6am to look in upon the baking team in action. The hand written sign on the door made it clear, donuts start at 8am. The glass frontage allowed me to give the body language of 'WTF' to the man at the counter. He shrugged back, implying: "yeah were closed, can't you see us working the dough right now?"

Seriously only in Portland could a donut shop get away with this. Typical morning rush for donuts is pre-work. Tall coffees to perk up the brain and a dozen for the officemates. Really though this was a telling sign about Blue Star.

Like Voodoo, its not a donut shop in the traditional sense. Blue Star is more of a luxury, an artisanal creation, and the prices echo this fact.
They don't want you to grab-and-go for a breakfast in the car, because how could you appreciate their hand-crafted donuts if you did?

They probably also don't want you to order a dozen (even though you can buy 12 and get a 10% discount). Blue Star is only open until the product sells out, so if they did a steady business by the dozen they would probably piss off a lot of potential customers later in the day.

The Donuts:

The Old Fashioned Buttermilk is gigantic, one of the biggest non-fritter donuts I have seen. It is also amazing. The crumb is dense but not too heavy, like a rich pound cake without the acidity which sometimes plagues this style. The oily/crispy crust and thinly applied glaze stuck a perfect harmonious chord of donut bliss.

The Citrus/Widmer Hefe was a special donut for Portland Beer Week. The cake was less rich than the old fashioned but retained terrific moisture and a perfect crumb. The beer element was light enough to be just barely there and the lemony icing too wasn't overwhelming. A nice donut but the multiple elements never felt like they came together in a coherent taste.

The Blueberry Bourbon Basil glazed donut is a customer favorite. The glaze has rich fruit color and a delicious creamy and not too-sweet mouthfeel. The star ingredients play nicely together with the herbaceous basil balancing the tart fruit notes from the blueberries, a hint of bourbon helps balance out this perfect melody. The yeast risen donut base doesn't really do it for me, and this is true for all yeast risen donuts at Blue Star. I taste a slight off flavor in them but that is likely just my mind playing tricks. I have such an attachment to Krispy Kreme yeast risen doughnuts that all others just taste wrong. Friends of mine love the yeast risen donuts at Blue Star.

The Fried Chicken Donut takes up prominent wall space as a featured item. It takes a few minutes to make, this is one donut shop with a cooked-to-order experience! Unfortunately this donut was a disappointment for me, I had dreamed of a luscious piece of fried chicken leg but instead got a cut up fried tender/breast. It is served on top of a glazed yeast risen donut, and while some carb with my protein is always nice and drowning the whole thing in Franks Red Hot Sauce makes a gloppy good mess, the glaze's sweetness is out of place in this dish. If you want to try it I would ask that they make it for you with an unglazed yeast risen donut.

The Marionberry Filled with Peanut Dust. When I ordered this donut I was expecting a nice local/fresh marionberry experience and was confused by the idea of the dust. One bite and I was left smiling and laughing, It's PB&J in your mouth. The yeast risen donut provides the carbs and the peanut dust hydrates in your mouth mixing with the sweet berry filling. Grade-school memories flood forth. This donut is a pure delight, and was for me a total surprise. Having it with a glass of The Funky Buddha Lounge and Brewery's No Crusts would probably be the best thing ever.      

A friend had insisted I try the Crème Brûlée donut. Since I didn't see one I asked the server about it. The cook said she could make one for me, though it would take 5 minutes. She didn't seem super-enthused when I said of course I'd wait for the donut, but she made it anyway. Service points scored, tip earned.

What I got was a creme-filled with a burnt sugar crust and a disposable eyedropper full of sugar water sticking out the top. This strange appearance was a true sign of what was to come: This was indeed a novelty donut. The creme in the middle was too much like vanilla custard/boston creme and not enough like the rich vanilla-scented creme of the eponymous desert. The sugar water injection appeared to serve no purpose other than to thin the filling out and force it out of the front of the donut, making a mess. Maybe I didn't get that this is the whole point, the donut is really a pastry gun that pushes creme into your mouth. The burnt sugar top was a nice contrasting flavor and texture but it couldn't save this donut from being a mess. The three elements, doughnut, filling and sugar crust just never worked together in harmony.

And then you're left with a piece of plastic to throw away at the end (The disposable eyedropper). Voodoo has some gimmicky donuts but at least no part of them has to end up in a landfill at the end of the day. On this note Blue Star earns some serious demerits. There was a bin by the coffee station (Stumptown regular or decaf is what you get), but it had no markings. On the wall there were two nearly-identical blue bins, one had a recycling symbol while the other had no markings. I asked the cashier about compost, and which bin was which. He struggled to explain the system which is in fact a lack of a system. I looked in the recycle bin, to find it was full of empty paper coffee cups, which are of course not recyclable due to their plastic lining. I put mine in the trash. Fortunately it was trash day and there were bins out front so I walked out and put my greasy parchment paper in the green compost bin. At the bottom I saw some dough remnants. It was Blue Stars' own compost bin! I'm not-sorry... in Portland this doesn't cut it, especially for a place which generates mostly compostables (soiled paper, dirty napkins, crumbs). [Update: I was hopeful that this situation would be sorted out after the frantic opening weeks had passed. Unfortunately two months later I must report that there has been no change.]

One note on the Decor. The shop is small but has a nice enough bathroom. The sterile white look is a bit shocking to the eyes but makes the space feel bigger. The all-glass front opens up the store to the street and provides for ample people-watching, which is always an enjoyable pastime on Hawthorne. Blue Star's interior makes it clear this is not a "third space" the stools are uncomfortable for a longer sit, the seating is limited and there are no electricity outlets or wifi. It's as if they are saying, "This is our house, line up, bow down, make your offering, eat your donut, and leave."

For the orgasmic delight which is their Buttermilk Old Fashioned, I will do so with pleasure.

Why We Do Awesome Things

As if doing awesome things needed defending. But since I've quit my job it seems that life has been full of awesome adventures and things like: Pedalpalooza rides; Birthday every-brewery-in-Portland bike tour; What The Festival.

Why?

Is it simply a way to fill the time? I can say from my experience that this is not the case. The last time I quit my job I found that it was really easy to fill the time with weed, food and Netflix. Its far harder to do awesome things; for one it requires getting out of your house every once in a while. But seriously it is stressful, at least for me, where I am at now. I have felt the cortisol flow through my body this past week. In fact I'm almost tempted to go for the vanilla Ice Cream right now (it is still 77° past 1 in the morning).

The answer starts here: For the past year I have said, both to myself and out loud, that If I were to die this instant I could be grateful for a lifetimes worth of rich experiences. And its not just something I've said, I truly believe and inhabit this mind-state. I am fortunate to have had so many experiences, more than most people get in a lifetime. Sure I have things I'd like to do next week, next month, next year. But I don't feel the hunger, that I've been deprived. No desire to plead with the Angel of Death, "Please, I need more time, I haven't yet _____."

A few years ago back in Rhode Island one of the phrases I was working with was:

Live every day as if it were your last.

I made it my own by transmuting it into,
"I could be dead on the side oftomorrow."

I worked with the phrase but I'm not sure how deeply it affected me.
It was during this period that I certainly saw the phrase in the light of how not to do it. Shortly after I started working at the factory one of the shift leaders Rob was retiring.

He wasn't more than 55 years old. The story I accrued was that he had lived stingily for many years while pouring his heart and money into the dream of an early retirement in Florida. He had even spent his vacation day in Florida working on the house. He had finally built the house of his dreams and saved up enough for him and his wife to move down there, live thriftily, work part-time and just relax. For Rob the rat race was over.

I was of course happy for his retirement, and sad to loose a great co-worker and mentor, but I couldn't for the life of me understand his scheme. What if his wife got cancer next month? What if a hurricane came along? What if he was dead on the side of 95 tomorrow?
Would all the stay-in dinner-from-a-can nights have been worth it? It seems to me that life is to uncertain (tenuous?) to put all your eggs in one basket like Rob did.

I think I finally understand on a deep level "live each day as if it were your last" because I'm living it. I'm not building my dream day by day through deprivation
I'm living it for me and the world through exultation    
 

 

Lookin For A Better Way To Get Up Out Of Bed, Instead of Gettin On the Internet and Checkin a New Hit Me

Its Monday Morning, I don't have to be at work till 5pm. Facebook before get-up, almost assuredly. Here's a little video to start your day off right.


The video was created by SYPO, a Netherlands-based microlending NGO, to show the world how small business loans have helped impact their lives. Hmm for $300, I might just give this a try myself.

List of State Mottos That Make Sense

A List of State Mottos That Make Sense

Alabama - Audemus jura nostra defendere - We Dare Defend Our Rights
California - Eureka 
Florida - In God We Trust
Kentucky - United We Stand, Divided We Fall
Massachusetts - Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem - By The Sword We Seek Peace, But Peace Only Under Liberty
Michigan - Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice - If You Seek A Pleasant Peninsula, Look About You
Minnesota - L'Étoile du Nord - The Star Of The North
Mississippi - Virtute et armis - By Valor And Arms
New Hampshire - Live Free Or Die
New Jersey - Liberty And Prosperity
New York - Excelsior - Ever Upward
Oklahoma - Labor omnia vincit - Labor Conquers All Things
Oregon - Alis volat propriis - She Flies With Her Own Wings
Tennessee - Agriculture And Commerce
Texas - Friendship
Vermont - Freedom And Unity


And now a list of state mottos that don't make sense to me:

Arizona - Ditat Deus - God Enriches
Colorado - Nil sin numine - Nothing Without Providence
Connecticut - Qui transtulit sustinet - He Who Transplanted Sustains
Georgia - Wisdom, Justice, Moderation
Louisiana - Union, Justice and Conficence
Maine - Dirigo - I Lead
Montana - Oro y plata - Gold And Silver
Nevada - All For Our Country
New Mexico - Crescit eundo - It Grows As It Goes
Washington - Al-ki - By And By

The rest? I know not enough to pass judgement.

But these 10 states, what a wonderful opportunity you have, to pick a new motto that is alluring and fitting. In 1987 Oregon changed from the bland Civil War-referential 'The Union' to the beautiful and fitting Alis volat propriis. 

Louisiana -- a state with a unique, storied, and long history has a motto that has no significance and came out of thin air in 1981? ... come on. (Hint: try something in french this time)

Nevada, all you have to do is steal Montana's motto, it makes more sense for you.

The rest, get on it.

Looking for a Better Way to Get Up Out of Bed Instead of Getting on the Internet and Checking a New Hit-Me, Get Up

How far we've come in 5 years. Still this one's worth a full watch through, something so simple and delightful to the way its done.
Happy Tuesday.

Water Water Everywhere

Perhaps its the nice weather making me cruise around more on my bike, but the Portland Water District issue has gone from 'I hear rumblings of a ballot initiative' to full-blown 'My God, the lawn signs are everywhere!'.
It could also be that we're now just 43 days away from the May 20th ballot.

My intent in this post is not so much to be political but to use this issue-of-the-moment as a demonstration of the way I think about a lot of issues... and also, hopefully, to demistify what has become a complicated mess.

A lot of the arguments you hear are something like: "$X of water funds wasted on pet project Y" -or-"Rates set to rise X% next year, stop the rate increases" 

Both of these points are examples of a micro-focus perspective. We are talking about who controls ALL of the city's supply and waste-water infrastructure, some $15 billion dollars worth of assets. Compared to this grand scale, what the rate increase is next year or who mis-spent a few million dollars 3-years ago is simply small potatoes.

So lets zoom out and see what the proposed change to a Portland Public Water District really means. 

Currently: The Portland Water Bureau (PWB) is a part of the municipal government and is overseen by the elected members of the city council. The city's Bureau of Environmental Services controls wastewater treatment. PWB sells water wholesale to Tigard, Tualtin, and Beaverton.

Proposed: A Portland Public Water District (PPWD) is overseen by an elected but unpaid board of directors representing different zones of the city, and would control water supply and wastewater treatment.

Functionally there are a few differences. 

Separating the water board from the city council allows it to act independently. The independence of the board could be used to: increase rates; decrease rates; fund water-saving education programs; zealously protect the water supply in opposition to other city projects; fund a celebration of National Ice Cream month on July 19th; zealously guard corporate water interests in opposition to city priorities. Thus the change to an independent board is a neutral change in function, it can cut either way.

City Council members are highly visible and accountable... for everything all at once, you can't simultaneously vote for Dan Saltzman because you like his youth projects and against Dan Saltzman because you disagree with him on water policy. You only get one vote.

With the PPWD board you would be able to vote for candidates with a single issue frame -- in theory. In reality, that far down the ballot, neither you nor I would have heard of any of the candidates or know enough about 'the issues' and 'their stance' to make an informed decision; PPWD board members would be largely invisible. 

Where does the PPWD initiative come from? It is financed by the largest industrial users of water in the system. PPWD supporters often talk of taming rate increases so its not a stretch of the imagination to predict that a newly elected PPWD board would cut rates and necessarily cut spending.  

To add to the confusion there is a proposed People's Water Trust which is entirely unrelated to pipes and infrastructure. The proposed trust names present and future residents and local ecologies of Portland as beneficiaries of the trust (which includes all water resources). The City of Portland is named trustee and is charged with

• Providing water equitably and affordably
• Protecting trust assets through policy and legal actions
• Commissioning independent audits
• Avoiding conflicts of interest
• Ensuring transparency and public involvement
• Avoiding privatization 
• Demonstrating fulfillment of the above

So the debate over a Public Water District appears to be simple case of a few corporations with local facilities and huge water bills stirring a ruckus in order to lower their own water bills.

But lets zoom out once again and see that whats going on here in Portland is actually a symptom of a much larger national issue. 

Cities across the nation have aging water and sewer systems that are not only incompletely mapped but also past design-life, failing, and failing to protect our waterways from sewage-laden stormwater runoff.[1-A] [1-B] [1-C]

A huge amount of money (capital) is needed to repair and maintain our water systems. It is a daunting prospect, one which many cities have responded to by playing the avoid-and-ignore card. But as we see avoiding the necessary spending now only increases the infrastructure deficit. 

[2]

We know that putting off needed infrastructure spending actually increases total costs. [3] 

Another cost pressure on municipalities is the implementation of Phase II of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) as part of the federal Clean Water Act. In brief the EPA is coaxing cities to do more to clean up stormwater runoff. 

How does Portland measure up? Its infrastructure is commensurate to the city's age, which is to say much or it is ~80 years old. Projects of the 21st century have soberly acknowledged the need for better asset management and runoff control. 

The Big Pipe was completed in 2011, and bioswales continue to sprout all over the city. Sewage overflows into the Willamette and Columbia Rivers have been reduced from the rate of 50/yr to ~3/yr. Comparably sized metro areas like St. Louis, San Diego and Baltimore have only begun planning or recently started runoff reduction plans. 

In 2004 the PWB formed an Asset Management Group that worked to get its house in order enough to identify deficiencies in data gathering and management of its infrastructure. In '07 PWB developed an Asset Management Charter and committed itself to best practices in the field of asset management to optimize long term cost. These programs alone place Portland ahead of many other cities in the country. [4]

Still, routine maintenance suffers and the PWB has not followed through on many of its plans from '07.[4]

Rates have increased mostly because of increasing payments to service debt related to construction of The Big Pipe. PWB now spends 32% of its revenue servicing its debt, up from 18% in '07. [4]

By zooming out twice from day-to-day muck slinging we have gained the perspective to see the big picture: water rates are going up nationwide to pay for overdue maintenance and systems to protect our waterways from urban pollutants. 

Rates have gone up in Portland because we have already completed our stormwater runoff reduction plan and are starting to deal with antiquated pipes in need of replacement. This puts our city ahead of the curve, other cities will face the same issues and will also have to raise rates. In short we're doing well but need to recommit to maintenance objectives already laid out. 

Where does ballot measure 26-156 fit into Portland's needs? 

In my view replacing one group of elected officials with a different group of elected officials to oversee Portland's water system does nothing to prioritize routine and long-term maintenance of the ~$15 billion in assets at stake. It would impose a large switching cost as PWB becomes PPWD. 

Ballot Measure 26-156 did not come out of left field. It is a stems from a serious national issue, increasing water infrastructure and maintenance costs to deal with crumbling sewers and overdue EPA rules. 

Portland should be proud that our city has moved further than most other cities in dealing with these expensive issues. Rates have gone up but not without good reason. The debate over BM 26-156 is simply a distraction. With whatever energies we have to devote to water systems, we should recognize the challenge, be thankful that Portland's leaders have met the issues head-on over the past 15 years, and we should recommit to maintaining our water infrastructure.