enjoy life!
rebecca & jomo greenidge

tech dweller, what are you talking about?????

here let me explain.  a couple of weeks ago, i was out eating lunch with a friend, and i had a sandwich that knocked my socks off.  i like sandwiches, and i was getting down.  so much so that i hadn’t even noticed that while i was killing that sandwich, that sandwich was killing my shirt.  i had crumbs AND stains from the juices coming off that sandwich.  i might as well have worn a napkin with a collar.  my friend pointed out the state of my shirt, and was mortified…but i did not care…the sandwich was that good.  in fact, i told the waiter it was the best sandwich i had ever eaten.

until…

last week, when i found a new-to-me jewish deli downtown.  they have a whole array of wonderful sandwiches, and i had one of the double decker ones.  MAN was it good.  after eating I realized that my previous favorite sandwich had some serious competition on the techdwellermeter.  In fact, i was with the same friend, and she asked me point blank, “well….which sandwich was better?” 

now it wouldn’t be fair to crown a champion without recognizing both combatants.  so first…lets meet the culinary contestants, as well as both of the restaurants that produced them.

the first sandwich is from Milo’s City Café.  I go their often… as their mushroom soup is off the chain.  on their lunch and dinner menu, they have a hot vegetarian sandwich.  now, i’m no vegetarian.  but this sounded so good i was having a hard time not ordering it.  my waitress could tell i was struggling with my decision and asked why the hesitation.  i told her that the sandwich sounded so good…but i just wished it had some meat on it.  then she said the following magic words… “well, you can always add a chicken breast to that sandwich.” that was it folks… sandwichian perfection.

sandwich #1:  backened chicken breast, broiled portabello mushrooms, tomato, sweet onion, pesto mayo, and swiss cheese on toasted sourdough bread.

sandwich #2:  roast turkey, pastrami, swiss cheese, russian dressing, and avocado on rye toast.

well there it is folks.  can you decide?  i couldn’t.  when challenged to crown a victor, i was unable to make such a distinction.  i just couldn’t decide.  the sandwiches are so different, and come from two completely different angles…it was hard to judge.  so i’m gonna leave it up to you, the reader to decide…because i can’t.  it’s kinda like ali vs frazier, speed vs power.  both are great… and hopefully you will find them to your liking.

i’m the tech dweller, and you can’t enjoylife, without a great sandwich.

ps – normally I cover tech/internet related goodness, so in the interest of continuity…please visit the above links and see the wonders of both Milo’s City Café, and Kenny & Zukes Delicatessen.  in addition, here are a couple of other sandwich related sites for you to partake of:

1. scanwiches.com - i really enjoyed this site.  a designer/blogger/sandwich lovers ode to ny sandwiches.
2. esquire.com – a great list of some of the greatest sandwiches in the USA.  a couple on the list are suspect, such as the mcrib (puhleez), but an interesting read none the less.

we’ve recently had a lot of tenants moving here from out of state and even other parts of the world. i want to take a minute to welcome you to our amazing city. there are so many things we portlanders can be proud of…but seeing as the sun is shining and i can feel summer starting to take hold, i want to remind each of us of the outdoor haven we have at our fingertips:

• i have to start with one of my favorite places in all of portland…the japanese garden. one of the most tranquil places and one that you’ll love to head to for a little grasp at peace in our busy world. membership is $55 for the year ($35 for students) and allows you to bring a friend for free each time you enter.

• i also love jamison square for a long lunch break. be aware this is not a quiet spot and there are lots of families and kids and dogs all around. but in the midst of laughing little ones and hulk sandals, the fountain is a great place to cool off for kids because it’s shallow and for us adults cause you can just roll up your slacks and enjoy the fun. don’t forget to grab a hot dog at the hot dog stand…delicious.

• the scenic willamette park is one of my favorite places to take a stroll in the cooler evening hours. such a joy to share with others too. take in the views of the river and downtown portland as you stroll along with the ducks and geese. pair up this one with dinner at one of my favorite spots, bamboo grove hawaiian grille…try them thursday-saturday in order to make sure you can get some kalua pig!

• pack up a lunch and head down to the south park blocks downtown or take a gander through on wednesdays from 10-2 between salmon and main and you’ll run in to the portland farmer’s market.

• for a sunset retreat, head to council crest park, the highest point in portland and take in the views! make sure to try out the acoustics in the center of the circular walls at the summit…stand there and shout or sing to your heart’s content.

ok…now i’m really ready to head out in the sunshine…so grab your gear and a friend and get out there too! then come back and tell me about your favorites!

i thought about canceling the home phone all together and sticking with cellular, but then i have to worry about dropped calls or bad service. more often than not i resemble the verizon commercial guy, “can you hear me now?”

sometimes the problem with not being heard is related to the words we use, not only the device we say them on. i chatted recently with a friend on facebook, then we made plans to meet at skidmore fountain. after driving downtown, actually finding a free parking space, then wondering through the saturday market crowd i stood at the fountain waiting for her. and waited. called her cell phone, no answer.  still waited.

finally, she called me from naito parkway and salmon street sitting in front of what she thought was skidmore fountain—nope, that’s the salmon street springs. but i was also at fault since i had been calling her office number, not her cell. thankfully once we were both in the same place we had a great time.

maybe i’ll continue with magic jack, maybe i won’t. but either way, it seems i have more listening to do before i can truly be heard.

growing up, i was a tree climber. one of my favorite trees was on my walking route to school each day. a glorious weeping willow tree perched in front of a mysterious house with low branches inviting the neighbor kids to stop, put down our backpacks and enjoy a good climb before untangling our limbs from the tree and heading home to open our books and eat our supper.

in honor of arbor day this month, i want to make a few tree related suggestions.

• check out the arbor day website and get 10 ready-to-plant trees sent to you by paying the membership fee of $10

• on the same site (and one of my personal favorites) you can buy note cards for $5.95 ea and a tree will be planted with each purchase of a card. this way, when you are running late to a birthday gathering and have nothing to bring, you can write out a simple card and give the gift of a tree all at once.

• visit washington park and explore the many tree species of the hoyt arboretum or on the wildwood trail.

• get out this month and join a planting team with our local planting organization friends of trees.

above all…look around you and enjoy the trees that clean our air, cool our land, shad our homes and provide such fond memories of climbing fun! happy april!

i previously lived in a home where a cherry tree stood proud out front. every spring, i’d watch daily for the progression of the cherry blossoms. with sheer anticipation, i’d long for the day when the tree would finally burst in to the most stunning shade of pink and light up the front of my home. within days, the blossoms had become faint and any little breeze would send them fluttering to the ground. this whole process…although i waited all year for it…would last only days. then the tree would return to its naked state before sprouting it’s summer leaves.

there are whole cultures that anticipate and celebrate the cherry blossoms arrival and her signal of life. i’m waiting this year because i think we need a sign of life. we need to be reminded that life is just around the corner, especially in these hard times. i can see the buds forming…it won’t be long now. so look up and enjoy the signs of life, breathe deeply, and fill your lungs with fresh air from a new rain. it will get better.

i bring this up because i consider myself a friendly person. more often than not i engage in random conversations with whomever i happen upon: bank teller, grocery checker, passer-by walking their dog—as mom would say, greet everyone with a smile and be cordial no matter the situation.

but in these facebook times of ours, i would be hard-pressed to call any of those folks “friends.”
webster’s definitions are:

1: one attached to another by affection or esteem,
2: one that is not hostile (is that really enough?)
3: favored companion

yet we throw the word around haphazardly. i think that is a shame. on the flip side, the ones I would call friends ask me how i’m doing and wait for an answer longer than “fine.” they have walked me through some of the hardest times of my life and also the most joyous. they allow me to do the same for them.

so i’ve been thinking, this year i may get to the back yard but where I plan to focus my time is cultivating those true friendships that will offer sweet aroma to my crazy world.

my favorite flower is called ranunculus. i know it’s a mouthful. i love ranunculus for many reasons but most of them have to do with how they relate to us as humans. i love seeing the resemblance of human nature in the outdoors.

ranunculus are flowers of just about any color. some are pale and shy; others are bright and bold. some stems are curly and wild and others are stick straight and conservative. the thing i love the most though is something we all share in common. the blooms are extremely layered. there are hundreds of petals in each bloom and they are packed tight in to little balls. when they flower, they blossom outward and display the many, many layers of their beauty. often, a bloom will have several color variances, able to be seen only as it fans out and displays it’s many layers for the viewer.

all of us have many layers to us. we often meet people and share no more than a few layers with them. at home, we are the housekeeper or the trash taker-outer. at work, we are whatever our title says we are. at our painting class, they know us as the person who loves to paint. but rarely do we get to share a lot of our layers with more than a handful of people. there’s a quote i love that says “if any of you have someone who really knows you and yet still loves you, cling to them and be thankful.” so here’s to spring, to our many layers and to being thankful for the ones who love us…layers and all…oh and a special bonus if you can spell ranunculus the next time i see you.