(Part 3) Best products from r/Portland

I'm putting this at the top so all y'alls see it. If you're dating, you should really read Aziz Ansari's book Modern Romance. I haven't finished it yet, but it's great and actually more serious than I was expecting (but still funny).

 

Dating in Portland sucks, but I assume that dating everywhere kinda sucks. That being said, I'm friends with some really smart and beautiful women and we've all had a waaay harder time dating than our male friends. I'm sure there will be guys on here that disagree, but in my experience they have a way easier time, but that could just be the social circles I run in. Like, they haven't had to lift a finger or do any relationship work because there's always another cute girl waiting in the wings that has left a note on their bike or baked them cookies or straight up asked them out. We, on the the hand get told we're "intimidating."


It seems like quality men that want to be in a relationship are already in one or they'd rather just play the field and sleep around a lot (which is fine, when they're upfront about what they're looking for). Sometimes it feels like I'm just waiting for people to start getting divorced and back on the market. At least it seems like guys in Portland are finally growing out of their Peter Pan Syndrome, but that probably has to do with being out of my 20s. It does anecdotally seem to last longer here that what I hear from friends in SF, Seattle, etc.

 

Every couple of years I try my hand at online dating and it's absolutely great experience to go on a bunch of first dates, but geeez it's also exhausting. This certainly has value in and of itself, but it's always felt more like an exercise in socializing and small talk and learning how to keep a conversation going than anything romantic. One date the guy pretty much only looked over my left shoulder instead of making eye contact and it took a huge amount of will-power not to keep turning my head to see what the hell he was watching even though I knew it was only a blank wall.

The last online date I went on was such a disaster I actually got another drink to continue watching the trainwreck (heck, I had nowhere else to be). He repeatedly asked if I was a stripper which wouldn't have been quite so gross (although still inappropriate!) except he was obviously not some sex-positive guy. It was really weird. He was also very surprised that there are bars on the East side (!) and kept referring to Henry's (where we met up, his choice, not mine) as a hipster bar. HAAAA. You can bet the dudebros around us were starting to look mighty attractive compared to this asshole.

Sometimes I think I'll reboot my OKC profile or try Tinder, but it's just been feeling like too much work for not a lot gain or even fun.

 


No, I'm not setting any of you heathens up with them.

I really like it, but you probably won't like the wintery half of the year. pandaflavor is right- we have less rain than a lot of places that aren't really known for being rainy.

The big difference is that these places tend to dump all their rain at once and have 'nice' weather occasionally otherwise. The Portland area tends to have a kind of pervasive, overcast, dreary, halfhearted periodic sprinkle for 9 months of the year. You won't see many extremes of weather in the Portland area. Snow, extreme heat, storms, downpours- these are all rare. Our weather is very... relaxed and mild.

The biggest thing to learn is not to expect anything from the weather, not be surprised by it, and be prepared for everything. Get a small umbrella to keep in your bag/purse. Layer. If it's cold, make sure you can take one layer off. If it's hot, make sure you can put one layer on. (Hoodies are good for this. You'll see them a lot.) Take a Vitamin D oil. Be proactive against mildew in your home.

If you're interested, I really like Rains All the Time, which might give you some sense of perspective on our weather! It sounds boring, but it's really pretty interesting.

Aside from all this, my biggest advice to you is to find a way to enjoy the rainy part of the year. Find a perspective from which you like it. Do you like coffee? There's nothing nicer than sitting by the window in a cafe with a nice book while it rains outside, sipping your favorite espresso drink. Are you artsy? Find inspiration in the rain. Do you write? Let the rain guide you. Are you in a bad mood and need to wallow a little bit? A walk in the rain can help. Are you into fashion? Embrace cute galoshes, umbrellas, and maybe rain coats. There will be something - it's just up to you to find it.

Depending on what you are looking for, here are a couple of recommendations to keep your eyes peeled for while shopping. You might be able to find them at various stores around town, but I’ve sourced mine from Amazon with no issues:

Casio Men's AE1200WHD-1A Stainless Steel Digital Watch - World Time

This guy looks sharp, has a metal band, and hosts quite a few features such as: light, alarm, timer, stopwatch, and date display. Kind of a “dad watch” but very clean and practical for the price.

Casio Men's MDV106-1AV 200M Duro Analog Watch, Black

This is a cool diver watch that is a huge bang for your buck. It looks quite a bit more expensive than it actually is. Has a one-way rotating bezel (dive function) that is very secure, a locking crown, and you can swap the band to tailor the look to what you are wearing. It is actually water resistant and I have seen people use it while diving. I put a striped nylon strap on mine to get that James Bond Rolex Submariner vibe.

Seiko Men's SNK809 Seiko 5 Automatic Stainless Steel Watch with Black Canvas Strap

This is probably my personal favorite. You can get it in a couple of different color schemes and I got mine (black) for around $60. This is an automatic watch so there are no batteries. It winds as you move, which is great if you wear it everyday, but not so much if you swap it out for a couple of days. It’s pretty small and lightweight and the lume (glow in the dark, Seiko is usually regarded at being very good for it) on the face is insane. While backpacking I’ve woken up in the middle night with the face still glowing as if I had just flashed it with light. You can swap the band on this as well, and I’ve found the NATO straps to be a little nicer than the standard canvas strap. It’s isn’t as dressy, but definitely a great watch. The movement is also a pretty unique Japanese movement that scrolls like most higher end watches instead of “tick tick tick” which can be loud and annoying at times.

There is also the Timex Weekender option. They are pretty cheap and you can find them everywhere. They are available in a ton of color options so for $100 you could probably grab a few different styles. They make a bunch of designs of them as well, but they are definitely just cheap everyday watches and can be quite loud.

I don't understand. This is a well thought of economics professor...

http://www.rdwolff.com/content/capitalism-crisis-democracy-now-urging-end-austerity-new-jobs-program-democratizing-work

http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-at-Work-Cure-Capitalism/dp/1608462471/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377196079&sr=1-1


He wrote this book about worker-owned coops. I've seen some video of interviews he did at the Mondragon hQ in Spain.

http://www.democracyatwork.info/about/

He's trying to lead a push for more of these style worker owned co-ops. Mondragon isn't the only worker owned co-op. So is Costco and REI.

"How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart

"...But not everyone is happy with Costco's business strategy. Some Wall Street analysts assert that Mr. Sinegal is overly generous not only to Costco's customers but to its workers as well.

Costco's average pay, for example, is $17 an hour, 42 percent higher than its fiercest rival, Sam's Club. And Costco's health plan makes those at many other retailers look Scroogish. One analyst, Bill Dreher of Deutsche Bank, complained last year that at Costco "it's better to be an employee or a customer than a shareholder."

Mr. Sinegal begs to differ. He rejects Wall Street's assumption that to succeed in discount retailing, companies must pay poorly and skimp on benefits, or must ratchet up prices to meet Wall Street's profit demands.

Good wages and benefits are why Costco has extremely low rates of turnover and theft by employees, he said. And Costco's customers, who are more affluent than other warehouse store shoppers, stay loyal because they like that low prices do not come at the workers' expense. "This is not altruistic," he said. "This is good business."

He also dismisses calls to increase Costco's product markups. Mr. Sinegal, who has been in the retailing business for more than a half-century, said that heeding Wall Street's advice to raise some prices would bring Costco's downfall....

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/17/business/yourmoney/17costco.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Worker owner co-op are a great idea. The concept is a winner. I don't know what's going on specifically with Orbea in China. Looks like I may have been wrong on some specifics on Orbea bikes. Does not disprove the concept of worker-owned co-ops because Costco has been just as successful with the model.

Amazon actually is a really good way to buy seeds for sprouts. Lot's of selection to either buy in bulk or variety packs.

If you want something more local then check the bulk aisle at your favorite stores. That's where I've often been able to get mung beans and alfalfa seeds for sprouts. You can ask the employees but also look. In my experience the employees don't always know what you mean when you ask about seeds for sprouts or they've never heard of it but that doesn't mean the store doesn't carry the seeds. They're usually in the bulk aisle and won't be labeled as "seeds for sprouts". Just make sure the seed isn't hulled. New Seasons is very hit or miss, Food Front almost always has them, and I've actually seen seeds you can use for sprouts at Fred Meyer sometimes (if it's one of the larger Freddies with a good bulk area).

I love fresh sprouts. Mmmmm!!

EDIT: I've bought from The Sprout House on Amazon before and have been very satisfied with them in both product and shipping. Many of their seeds are Amazon Prime eligible so if you have that like I do it's free shipping which is great. Here's a nice variety pack of 12 different seeds from them that's Prime eligible for only $16.30.

WHAT IS THE TOP SPEED FOR GEARS 3 OR 4?

YOU CAN GET A LITTLE LCD TACHOMETER DISPLAY FOR LESS THAN $15
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Meter-Tachometer-Yamaha-Kawasaki/dp/B0049IFX56 YOU CAN USE A SINGLE CYLINDER MODEL JUST REMEMBER THE RPMS ARE DOUBLED.

I SUSPECT THAT YOU AREN'T ACTUALLY HOLDING HIGH RPMS, 45MPH IN 5TH GEAR MEANS YOUR ENGINE IS RUNNING BELOW IT'S POWERBAND. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO 45 IN 4TH AND EVEN THIRD.

I'D GUESS THE COIL MAY NOT BE STRONG ENOUGH, BUT IT COULD BE A LOT OF THINGS.

I'D DEFINITELY READ THE SPARK PLUGS -
http://www.bmwclassicmotorcycles.com/parts/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Bosch-Spark-Plug-reading.jpg

DRIVE ABOUT 30-40 MPH IN FOURTH OR TOP GEAR ON A SLIGHT INCLINE SO THERE IS A GOOD LOAD ON THE BIKE, THEN CUT POWER TO THE MOTOR AND PULL SAFELY OFF THE ROAD, TO INSPECT YOUR PLUGS. YOU WANT TO SEE A PRETTY CLEAN TERMINAL, IF IT'S BROWN YOUR CARBS ARE TOO LEAN, SOOTY AND BLACK MEANS THEY ARE TOO RICH. THE PLUGS WILL LOOK DIFFERENT IF THE PROBLEM AFFECTS ONLY ONE CYLINDER, SO CHECK THEM BOTH.

ALSO, IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING BUT I'M ASSUMING YOUR CHAIN AND SPROCKETS ARE NOT OVERLY WORN AND THE BATTERY YOU'RE USING IS NOT SUSPECT?

OP - I've never taken lessons, but I highly recommend the Palmer-Hughes accordion series. http://www.amazon.com/Palmer-Hughes-Accordion-Course-Bk-1/dp/0739012916

I bought an accordion in college because it was just so beautiful, and my friends gifted me with book 1 for my birthday. Pretty easy to go through (especially if you have a piano background, but that's not needed), and slowly progresses. Don't know if you will need to start with book 1 or not, since it seems you can do some.

Anyway, worth checking out! I've enjoyed my books, and although it's kinda vintage-y, it does a good job of giving you different kinds of songs too (waltz, polka, latin, etc.)

I'm also really interested in answers in this post!

Finding a rental place for something like a sitar sounds like a longshot... For purchasing, you'll definitely want to go with someone reputable- cheap imported sitars are a quality crapshoot. This fellow has some more moderately priced student sitars: http://www.buckinghammusic.com/sitar/sitar.html. The cost is a bit more than you'll find on ebay, but worth it since he checks them over following import and only sells the ones that are good to go and playable. I've bought a sitar and loads of smaller items from him over the years.

As far as lessons go, I can't be much help there. Do you already play guitar? Sitar is one of those instruments that is relatively simple to pick up and get rolling on the basics quickly, but takes a lifetime to master, I personally don't think a teacher becomes necessary until you really want to dig in (but that may just be my learning preference).
When I was just starting out, this book got me rolling pretty quick as far as tuning and basic technique: http://www.amazon.com/Learn-Play-Sitar-Ram-Avtar/dp/8187155140/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1

good luck! sitar is super fun and you'll get all sorts of weird new calluses to show off.

Ross Island is the obvious close one.

Columbia Slough is hit or miss--it's very dirty in some places.

Smith and Bybee is great right now--you can probably still catch the nesting osprey.

Scappoose Bay is especially fun when the water is high, because you can kayak through the forest. I haven't gone this year yet.

Multnomah Channel is fun if you like goat cheese fritters at Marks On The Channel, which I highly recommend.

There are lovely sections of the Tualatin River, but stay away from the part that goes by Lake O because the current is dangerous.

Is Elk Island still an island right now or is the water too low? If it's still an island then that means it is likely hobo-free and makes for a good picnic spot.

There are literally over 100 boater-only campgrounds on the Willamette between here and Eugene. One of the best vacations of my life was floating from Eugene to Independence and camping along the way--for free. You don't even have to pack much food because nearly every river town has a store within walking distance.

I recently did Luckiamute but I would not recommend that place until you get a little more experience.

If you're looking for an easy overnight, I like Wells Island--especially if you have a fishing permit.

Nehalem Bay is pretty rad. Check the tide tables before you go, so you can float from Wheeler to Nehalem for lunch with the tide, then back to Wheeler as the tide goes out.

I have a few books that include many fun routes in the area. I think this is one of them.

I have this knife. I carry it every day, and use it a whole lot more than I ever thought I would. Never for self-defense, but it does provide a small bit of peace of mind just in case.

There's a few things I like about it:

It's cheap!

It's small and very well made.

It flips open like a switchblade, but isn't considered one. It also makes a cool sound when you do that.

It holds a sharp edge

The pocket clips don't wear out.

Sharpens nicely


You can carry a pocketknife anywhere in Oregon. It's no big deal whatsoever. Check out Oregon's Knife Laws here. Oregon is a super lenient state when it comes to knife laws.

Enjoy!

Dragon Age Origins is like $12 on Amazon right now. If you liked that Diablo game you had before and Shadows of Mordor, I think you’d like this one as it is also a fantasy RPG. I’ve played it through several times and can’t recommend it highly enough.

I feel like you might also like Mass Effect which is a science fiction shooter that’s won a ton of awards. The concession is that humanity finds the 0th element which gives participles mass and then is able to explore the galaxy and exposure to this particle can give super human abilities. And then you save the universe and stuff.

I'M REALLY SORRY YOU'RE HAVING A HARD TIME.

NOT SAYING YOU HAVEN'T TRIED, I COMPLETELY BELIEVE YOU. BUT IF YOU BRANCH AWAY FROM THE CODE-BOOTCAMP/WEB-DEV ARENA THERE IS CURRENTLY A MASSIVE SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE THAT CAN ACTUALLY PROGRAM. COMPANIES LIKE NIKE FLY IN DEVELOPERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY STRAIGHT OUT OF COLLEGE.

WE INTERVIEW SO. MANY. FUCKING. PEOPLE. THAT DON'T KNOW THE ABSOLUTE BASICS.

PUSH THE "WRITING SOFTWARE IN PYTHON" ASPECTS OF YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE AND DOWNPLAY ANY HTML/CSS/JAVASCRIPT STUFF. SPEND A MONTH LEARNING THE BASICS OF JAVA. THEN SIGN UP FOR LEETCODE AND CODERBYTE (FREE VERSIONS) AND SOLVE A PROBLEM A DAY FROM EACH, FOR 30 DAYS. IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW, GOOGLE IT UNTIL YOU DO. LEARN THE ABSOLUTE BASICS OF ALGORITHMS, EFFICIENCY, AND RUNTIME COMPLEXITY THROUGH COURSERA, OR A BOOK LIKE THIS, AND ADVERTISE THE SHIT OUT OF IT ON YOUR RESUME. THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.

SHOW UP LOOKING LIKE A NORMAL HUMAN, YOU'LL BE ABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EFFICIENCY OF CERTAIN ALGORITHMS OVER ANOTHER AND WHEN THEY ASK, YOU WILL SOLVE A WHITEBOARD PROBLEM THAT WILL LIKELY BE A WORD-FOR-WORD COPY OF ONE OF THE PRACTICE PROBLEMS YOU SOLVED ON LEETCODE. DO THIS AND I GUARANTEE THEY WILL JUMP YOUR BONES TO GET YOU ON THE TEAM. THAT'S WHERE THE MONEY AND MARKET IS RIGHT NOW, AND THERE ISN'T ENOUGH PEOPLE TO FILL IT.

Actually, if built right, straw doesn't have a problem here: http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/projects/straw-bale-code-supporting-documents

The thing about being off the grid and using rammed earth tires is you end up with off-gassing issues for years. The whole angle of sun, thermal walls and enclosed biome isn't a bad idea but you need sunshine and a good diurnal(sp?) swing. Meaning that the temp needs to swing a decent number of degrees every 24 hours for it to be really useful. Daytime sun warms up those thick earthen walls to be gradually radiated over a cool night. Wouldn't be helpful in our cloudy/rainy winters. You can design, by using lat/long, such that you maximize the sun you do get, and minimize in summer, but that is an important part of the earthship design philosophy.

And OP, you don't need to spend $7000 on plans. As far as code, typically as long as you aren't in a municipality, there isn't much inspection or code enforcement happening. Earthships were meant to be built and designed by you. The three originals will give you most if not all the info you need: amazon. If I had my copies I'd give them to you. The concept is solid, just saying the whole tire containment system is bogus, no need for it. To be honest, you'll have a hard time finding used tires suitable I'd bet.

But seriously, good luck on going off grid. Look into an all dc system with battery backup. AC (alternating current) is costly as it is VERY inefficient. There are DC fridges out there but aren't cheap. If done right the only other electrical you'll need is for lighting and possibly pumps. I don't know if they still do the solar composting toilets but that will probably take some getting used to.

I am already looking on Amazon :)

Some ideas for OP:

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Let-Pigeon-Drive-Bus/dp/078681988X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419580113&sr=1-4&keywords=pigeon

Plus - the boardgame that about the pigeon driving the bus. So cute, and great for social skills.

For your 7 year old: http://www.amazon.com/Book-No-Pictures-B-J-Novak/dp/0803741715/ref=lp_10238950011_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1419580437&sr=1-1

It is meant to read out loud - hilarious!!

These are awesome: http://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Gel-Pen-48-Piece-Value/dp/B000S161FO/ref=sr_1_1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1419580561&sr=1-1&keywords=gel+pens

And should go with this for the 7 year old:

http://www.amazon.com/Boys-Doodle-Book-Pictures-Complete/dp/0762435062/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1419580657&sr=8-14&keywords=doodle

And if you have some tolerance for crafting :) this: http://www.amazon.com/Klutz-Spiral-Draw/dp/B00BEKOAYW/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1419580776&sr=8-9&keywords=spiral+art

Does your little one need jammies? http://www.amazon.com/Leveret-Stars-Piece-Pajama-Cotton/dp/B00P1NL1JU/ref=sr_1_9?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1419580939&sr=1-9&keywords=pajamas

What about a backpack? This might work for the 7 year old: http://www.amazon.com/Everest-Backpack-Front-Pockets-Orange/dp/B00DQMWN6S/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1419580816&sr=8-5&keywords=kid+backpack

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