Aaron's 2 Cents

NYE 2012 - Don't Drive Drunk - Safe Rides Home in Portland, OR

2011-12-28T10:03:00.000-08:00

As New Years Eve approaches in Portland, I can't help but get excited to ring in 2012 in true festive fashion. If you are like my friends and me, this traditionally involves groups of people gathering at a house or bar, and consuming a couple of adult beverages. While this is always fun, there is a serious side. Far too many people overindulge and drive home! So, I've worked on compiling a list of ways you can get yourself home safely as 2012 starts!

1. Designated Driver - Appoint someone that will ACTUALLY stay sober and be willing to hang around a bunch of drunks while doing so. This is not easy, and still 'having a couple' is not ideal!

RIDE ON Portland, OR

2. Ride On Portland - This is a great FREE program that sends a designated drive and will drop you off anywhere in Portland! As they say Step 1: You call Step 2: You wait 3: You go home safe with your car! For more information call: 503.235.RIDE (7433) or visit their site: http://rideonportland.org/

I also received the following email from Ride On:

If you are making a post you may want to include it is $15 cash and we do pick up and drop off only in Portland Proper.

3. Radio Cab - (This would be my suggestion) If you cab to and from the venue, this eliminates the temptation for the DD to have drinks, or for anyone else to decide they're 'Good Enough' to drive. If you put 3-5 people in the cab it's not that expensive! To line up a cab call: 503.227.1212. (PUT IT IN YOUR PHONE NOW AND REMEMBER TO LINE IT UP EARLY FOR THE RIDE DOWN) or check out their site: http://radiocab.net

4. TriMet - TriMet busses, MAX, and Streetcar will all be FREE after 8pm and running until 3am on NYE. So, you can catch a bus, train, or the streetcar to and from your event! For more info and schedules visit their site: http://trimet.org/alerts/newyear.htm

5. Johnny Cab - While I have not tried them, Johnny Cab will take YOU and YOUR CAR home from the bar. If you drive down there, they'll pick you up and take you home for about the cost of a cab ride. For more info call: 877.503.JCAB (5222) or visit their site: http://www.johnnycab.net/

6. AAA Members - In many states AAA offers Tipsy Tow, but not in Oregon. However, if you are a AAA member you can call and tell them you are 'Unable to Drive' and they will tow you home along with your car. Just call AAA at: 1.800.562.2582.

7. Bartenders - Don't forget, you can always ask the bartender. They deal with this all the time and will have ways to get you home.

I hope this is helpful and feel free to share this with your friends in Portland, OR. If you're in any other city Tipsy Tow may be an option. Otherwise, go out, have fun, and remember to be safe! Here's to 2012 being the best year yet!

Mellow Mushroom in the Pearl District of Portland

2011-11-14T13:56:00.000-08:00

Mellow Mushroom
Pearl District, Portland, OR

As a resident of the Pearl District in Portland, OR, I've been waiting for a pizza place I can get excited about. After last night, I think Mellow Mushroom fits the bill! I'd driven by the location a few times, but had no idea what it was. After talking to a friend from South Carolina I found out it was a pizza place, and according to her it was, 'The best thing ever!'. So, I strapped on my walking shoes, walked down to Mellow Mushroom, and gave it a try.

I looked at the menu and decided on the Mighty Meaty and the Funky Q Chicken. I think I actually preferred the chicken, but both were great. The crust had a garlic taste or something special about it. They also have a whole wall of beer taps, and a bar to go along with your pizza. While I didn't have any libations, I'm sure you could find something to suit your fancy. Regardless, I'm happy to see some new blood in the Pearl District, and in Portland. Mellow Mushroom is definitely worth checking out. For more info go to: http://www.mellowmushroom.com/portland

Free Beer Hockey Club - Playoff 2011 Roster and Game Program

2011-06-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

For anyone that's ever attended a Free Beer Hockey Game, you've probably wondered who the guys are. Here's a Free Beer Scouting Report and game notes for the 2011 Sherwood Ice Arena Playoffs!

10-Stelle 99-Conway 18-Manchester

13-Johnson 16-O'neal 26-Meyer

17-Satterberg 25-Gaustad 77-Nichols

(23-Gustafson) 87-Currigan

44-Tuominen 19-Alati

22-Conyard 88-Borgomainerio

0-Rurak

Conway Line:

10 Stelle-Aaron Stelly has shown the depth and resilience of FBHC this season with his clutch tying goal in the first round of the playoffs and subsequent Facebook movement to attract 100 fans to support Free Beers quest for the cup! Keys to Stellys game are his consistent tireless work ethic and grittiness in the corners and in front of the net. Pound for pound, Stelly is easily one of the toughest customers in the league.

99 Conway-Jumbo Joe is one of the main reasons why Free Beer is such a tight team. One of the original Beers, Jumbo is highly respected by all of his teammates for his attitude, compete level, and take no prisoners playing style. Jumbo has been battling a back injury this season and has really stepped up to play in the Sherwood Cup Playoffs, this man bleeds Golden Foamy.

18 Manchester-Nicknamed Hammer, Brad creates big problems for the opposing D Mans when he comes down the off wing reminiscent of a locomotive who's destination is the net. Brads size and skill are a huge asset to the Beers and complements his linemates toughness with the finesse of his hockey idols, Jaromir Jagr and former winterhawk Marian Hossa.

O'neal Line:

13 Johnson-BJ let's his shot speak for itself. If there was an award for most vocal person on the team, BJ would not be nominated. If there were an award for most underrated or most dangerous or most sneaky, BJ would probably take all three. Brians escapabiliity has netted him and the Beers a ton of goals this season and when he's left alone in the slot, Gustafson would bet his bottom dollar that BJ will score in two seconds or less if given the opportunity to unleash the heavy lazer.

16 O'neal-Never in the history of Free Beer Hockey Club has one player made his teammates scratch their heads as much as Jake the Snake. Whether it's a breakaway out of nowhere followed by a shot that the other teams goalie doesn't even see coming, an incredible pass to Johnson or Meyer, winning a battle on the boards, or being the most slippery player in the league, Jake brings it for the Beers and is a huge asset to the team and has performed exceptionally well with his linemates this season. A key piece to the Beers championship puzzle this season.

26 Meyer-Cal is an agitator, pest, grinder, sniper, and battles Nichols for the smelliest bag on the team. Cal drives opponents crazy with his physical play, full bearded grin, and mouth that produces comebacks such as 'you've got daddy issues' the the Lagers Chris Rowland, not to mention he is big, can skate, is good on stickhandling and has a cannon of a wrist shot. Another stellar pick up for FBHC.

Gaustad line:

17 Satterberg-despite being one of the smaller players on the team, Johnny Rocker makes up for it with speed, long stick, and, if he can get it off, a big shot. Once a young gun, this self proclaimed Grocery Stick now focuses less on scoring and more on winning battles in the corners, backchecking, and getting open for his linemates on the PP for the one-T.

25 Gaustad-Rob is so good that he is the only player on the team allowed to show up after a few whiskeys at Malones after a long work day making sure that his customers are Insured. But that's not all, Rob provides insurance to FBHC as well by adding bottomless depth to an already talent laden roster. Robs snap shot, playmaking ability and other intangibles are valued highly by the Beers. He also keeps the mood light and relaxed in the locker room and on the bench as he can often be seen smiling and laughing, even in the middle of a play at the pace of the Gold League.

77 Nichols-Filling in for Gustafson, Mattys wheels are unmatched. The fastest player for the Beers, Matty decimates defenseman on the turn, gets to all the pucks first, and then wheels through a couple guys for a quality shot. He plays way bigger than his size, and is a Jack of all trades for the Beers playing both forward and defense on a regular basis. When Matts not mixing it up for the Beers, he can, 9 times out if 10, be found at the Gypsy on NW 21st, or moving to a different part of town.

23 Gustafson-Nicknamed Grease, Kyles playmaking ability is second to none. The most dangerous passer in the league, Grease knows what's going to happen before the play knows it's going to happen and this ability makes him and his teammates that much better. Grease is also looked to for his incredible insight regarding the game of hockey and assumes the role of player/coach in tight games. Grease will be missed tonight and the Beers welcome him back to the roster for the Championship game with open arms.

Defense:

87 Currigan-Curry is a forward turned Defenseman who makes the transition look easy. A gifted athlete, Curry understands the little aspects of the game that most people overlook. On the reg, Curry is the anchor of the transition game for the beers, moving the puck up quick, chipping it off the glass, or taking advantage of dumping it in from the blue line several times per game. On the offensive side, Curry is efficient in the sense that when he shoots from the blueline, he shoots for stickblades and skates, and his vision on the PP makes him a dangerous man.

44 Tuominen-Nicknamed Tonto, Juha simply loves playing hockey. Coming off of another terrific season, Juhas offensive abilities led him to score a beautiful goal on the backhand ala Teemu Selanne that sparked a steady comeback in a game that found his D partner playing goalie earlier in the season. Juha has a big shot from the point and is always paying attention as to when to make himself available offensively for the Beers. His patience and quick hands help him outmaneuver forecheckers in the neutral zone regularly, and his dedication to FBHC is bar none. Juha is loved by his teammates and he, along with a handful of others, is an original Beer.

22 Conyard-Choeys hockey roots run deep in Portland and he and his family have given so much in order for Portland Hockey to still exist and we express much gratitude for that. Choeys wisdom helped spark a huge comeback for the Beers in round one of the playoffs and the Beers look to him for veteran leadership in these playoffs. One thing about Choeys game is that he very difficult to play against, whether it's as a forward or defenseman, Choey is in the opponents face all night creating a claustrophobic type atmosphere that suffocated opponents to the point of insanity, often resulting in a PP for the Beers. Bothered by a knee/groin/undisclosed lower body injury for the second half of the season, Choey knows what it takes to win in this league and he keeps coming back for more.

88 Borgomainerio-Tony B is one of the most feared players in the league and creates a safe environment for his teammates to play to their skill level. The Zdeno Chara of Sherwood Hockey, Tony B is a one man brick wall on the one on one and moves the puck up well on the breakout for the Beers. He also chips in offensively from time to time, scoring a big goal for the Beers in game 1 of the playoffs. Aside from on ice ability, Tony B has bonded well with the Beers in the dressing room. Look for him to sign a long term deal with the Beers in this coming off season.

0 Rurak-Newly Acquired and splitting time this season, Deano has been a solid backstop with his great saves and his ability to play the puck up to his teammates. Deano also plays with an edge for a goalie, mixing it up with several players this season, Deano has claimed his turf in goal for the Beers and is a great locker room guy as well, supplying copious amounts of beves after games, perfect for team building. Look for Deano to take it to the next level starting tonight.

19 Alati-El Capitan, the Godfather, the Italian Stallion, Mr T, if it weren't for T's efforts we would not be able to call the Beers OUR TEAM! T's tireless dedication to FBHC deserves recognition and our thanks as players for being able to participate in such an awesome hockey experience. Yes it's just men's league, buy yes we want to win, yes we want to be the best, yes we are the best, and yes, T makes it happen for us year after year. Coming off a Cleanse, T has shed 20-25 lbs and is in the best shape of his life for these playoffs. T's positioning, neutral zone passing, and +/- make him a solid veteran defenseman for the Beers. Not to mention his negotiating ability with referees and league directors to get the best for his teammates, Free Beer is T's baby, and baby needs another Sherwood Cup!

Let's go Beers!
See you tonight, ready for battle!
Respectfully submitted,

Johnny Rocker #17

FREE BEER HOCKEY CLUB

Portland, OR, USA

Dine out Portland, OR! MercyCorps Benefit for Japan

2011-03-29T10:09:00.000-07:00

If you talk to people in Portland about what makes this city special, food and beer will traditionally be in the top 3. Portland is a city full of delicious food that is traditionally fairly inexpensive. The problem I have is that there are so many good spots it’s hard to figure out which one to try next. As of late my two favorites are Silk in the Pearl district, and Ya Hala in the Gateway district. This is not to say I don’t love a lot of other places, but I’d take out of towners to these restaurants any day of the week!

That being said, today, Tuesday March 29, 2011 there is a great reason to try a new restaurant. MercyCorps and a whole list of restaurants are participating in Dine out Portland. Not only will you be supporting the local economy and restaurants, but the restaurants are donating all or a portion of their proceeds to MercyCorps relief effort for Japan. This is a very personal issue to me as the Hamada family in Yokohama are like family to me. So, today is the perfect time to take your wife, girlfriend, or even buddy out for a great meal at a new restaurant. I can’t think of a better reason to sneak out of the house and enjoy a night in Portland.

For a complete list of the participating restaurants click here.

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Oregon Bills HB2214 and SB555 - Autism from a Parent's Perspective

2011-03-11T10:28:00.000-08:00

If you haven't heard or read about Oregon House Bill HB 2214 or Senate Bill SB555 you are probably not alone. The only reason I know about it is becasue of my coworker, Angela Wright, who sent me the email below. She is one of the most caring and wonderful people I have ever met, and I have seen and heard first hand about the strides she has made with her son. Please read the email below and please take the time to act on it!

I am desperately begging for all your help. I can't explain to anyone how important the Autism Insurance Reform Bills will be for not only my son, but thousands of other children in our State. Literally, Tyler's future is resting in if these Bills can get passed here in Oregon. Without the Bills, we can not afford to keep Tyler in his therapies that have been a huge miracle for us and especially for him in the future. I know you have seen my emails and my posts on Facebook, but I don't know if you actually understand what these Bills can do for families with children with Autism. Please read the update from Paul Terdal and pass this email to as many people as you can. We are trying for a "grassroots" movement to not let Insurance Companies get away with delaying the reform and to stop the discrimination against my son and thousands of other children.

Here is what I need you to do. It will literally take 2 minutes to send an email. That is all I ask..... actually beg of you!

• Contact your own state legislators – again – and ask them to call upon both the House Health Care committee and Senate Health Care, Human Services and Rural Health committee to schedule votes to approve HB2214 and SB555. Tell them that the insurance companies have dragged their feet long enough, and that we should follow the lead of 24 other states in passing comprehensive Autism Health Insurance Reform now. You can find your legislator’s contact information at: http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/

• Send an e-mail to Sen. Laurie Monnes Anderson, the Chair of the Senate Health Care, Human Services and Rural Health committee; ask her (politely) to schedule a vote on SB555, and to support it. Her e-mail address is: sen.lauriemonnesanderson@state.or.us

You can read below about more updates. I have attended two of the hearing and listened to the 3rd (invite only to Insurance Companies) on the web. There is substantial evidence this will actually save tax payers money and probably will not increase insurance rates by any more than $.20 cents a month per member, if that!!! It will actual save an estimate of 65 million dollars for the school budget by helping reduce the early intervention/special education as parents (like me) will provide this privately through insurance. This will open it up to the families of low income, who have no insurance, or who can not afford the high deductible and co-pays from the insurance companies. We stopped the County program (for free paid by tax payers) with Tyler once we started with his private services. If you want more information before you decide to support the Bills, please let me know. You can also visit www.autismvotes.org. I know State Budget and deficit is important to people, so I want to make it clear these Bills are not adding but will actual save in the State Budget over time. Goodness... the States passing these Bills are the most conservative red States there are!!! It is a very bi-partisan Bill and should have complete support from the citizens.

Please pass this along to your Friends and Family and ask them to take two minutes to send an email as well.

Pearl District Portland, OR - Qwiki

2011-01-25T13:24:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen Qwiki.com, this is a very cool site that is coming out. When I was working as a real estate agent, I was spending a lot of time working on ways to establish and brand myself in the Pearl District. If I was able to embed this technology into my website it would have been a really cool landing page I could have sent all of my potential clients to. Check it out, and when this becomes a full version it's going to be exciting! (This is the small version, you can make the video bigger)

Aaron and Justin Take New York CIty - Day 1

2011-01-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

As we started our trip to New York, I had an energy and excitement level that rivaled Christmas. I have heard so many things about NYC and how it is unlike any place on earth. So far, I am going to have to agree, it’s nothing like any place I’ve ever been. On Day 1 I was determined to see as much as I could!

Our first experience out of the gate was jumping in the cab to go from the airport to our hotel. While bobbing and weaving through traffic, and honking constantly, our cabby decided to give us his philosophy on life. He enlightened us to the fact that NY was a jungle and you’ve got to be a man. He also told us why we shouldn’t be hooking up with girls at the bars and that’s why he is ‘clean’, why it’s better to be safe than sorry, and that he likes to ‘f*#k with’ UPS drivers. However he only messes with UPS drivers when there is a green light ahead because they’d kill him. Our driver also decided half way through our trip that he needed to get air in his tire, so he pulled down a random side street in Queens and yelled at the random guy selling hubcaps and tires out of his garage, ‘Yo B, can I get some air!’ To which B replied, ‘Ya mon, just come on around.’ At this point, we proceeded to do an 87 point turn in the middle of an intersection all while honking and cursing at every car that tried to get through. Throughout this whole process my little spidey sense was going off the charts. I had no idea where this debacle was going to get us, and did have a small fear for my life. Welcome to New York! In the end though, B did get the tire aired up, and we were on our way to the hotel.

Once we had checked in to our hotel, it was time to explore. Since none of us had eaten more than a couple pretzels since 5am, we were starving and had decided Italian was on the agenda. From what I have heard, if you want Italian, you have to go authentic and headed to Little Italy. We walked through Times Square, and headed for the subway. Once we got into the subway station, the first thing that stuck out to me was all of the complex smells. There was everything from urine, to the food people were eating, to the stale stench of the underground air. Regardless, it all added to the experience.

As we exited the subway station we hit the street and tried to figure out where we were. Oddly enough, our 21st century technology, google maps, led us on a walking tour of nearly all of Soho before we finally figured out where were supposed to be going. Ultimately we got to Little Italy, and I was amazed that every restaurant had some guy standing outside trying to funnel people in. After shunning a half dozen of these cat calling restaurateurs, we finally decided on La Mela. This place was amazing!

Linguini w/ Muscles at La Mela

I settled on the linguine with muscles, but the spaghetti and meatballs as well as the penne bolognaise were delicious. We wolfed our food down like starving animals and decided that we needed to have an authentic cannoli. After once again wandering the wrong direction we finally found Caffe Palermo and walked up to the counter. Being a cannoli virgin, I had no idea what to expect. What I got was crispy sugary goodness filled with creamy sugary delight. It was delicious and I could feel my arteries clogging as I was savoring every bite.

Cannoli from Caffee Palermo

It was time to move on and we decided a paper map was a safer way to find our way around. We referenced the NY pop up map 2 and immediately started walking toward the subway station in Chinatown. It’s amazing to me how different 2 adjacent blocks can be. We went from Italian everything to instant China while crossing 1 street. Suddenly there were Chinese trinkets, and fish markets in every door. It was just incredible!

We jumped on the subway and were off to Rockefeller Center. Since it was a clear night we decided we needed to go to the ‘Top of the Rock’ and see the city from above. It was stunning, and the lights went on as far as you could see. I will say it was a bit on the nippy side though. With the wind on the very top, I nearly shattered an ear! We did manage to get a few photos though, and were off to find a nice quiet pub in Times Square, and call it a night. It is time to cash it in and get ready for Inman Connect Day 1…

The Joy of Golfing in the Great NW – Chambers Bay Golf Course

2010-12-30T14:05:00.000-08:00

Every year I venture out into the elements to get have a winter golf outing with 3 of my good friends. This year we decided it’s worth the time to take a road trip from Portland, OR to University Place, WA in order to visit Chambers Bay Golf Course. If you haven’t seen an article or pictures of Chambers Bay, it’s beautiful! Chambers Bay sits right on the Puget Sound and looks like something you’d find in Scotland.

Now for anyone that doesn’t live in Oregon or Washington, it should be noted that here in the great Northwest, the weather varies greatly. It could be 10 degrees with a foot of snow, or 60 degrees and partially sunny. This year we set our date, and on the wheel of weather fortune, we landed on 38 degrees and monsoon rains. Lucky us!

Weather aside, the view from the parking lot is fairly spectacular. The parking lot is perched at the top of a cliff looking down over the entire golf course with the Puget Sound as a backdrop. I really did feel as though I was on the Scottish Coast.

As we stepped up to the first tee, the wind had picked up and the rain was coming down as hard as ever. I pulled out my double bad weather gloves and was ready to go. After we all managed to put it in the fairway by some minor miracle, I couldn’t help but notice how well the course had drained. It had been a rough weather week, and was continuing to come down, but the course was surprisingly firm. My kudos to the groundskeepers for the condition of the course. I will say there were some bunkers that were still under construction, but I would assume that will be fixed shortly. The greens were firm, but not as fast as I expected. Beware though, the greens did have huge undulations. I would recommend having a caddy your first time through, just so you know where to miss. Something about turning a 3 foot put into a 12 foot putt coming back just irks me!

As you walk around the course, make sure you take your time to ‘smell the roses’. The views are breathtaking and the course is truly unique. There are elevation changes on almost every hole, and the contrast between the brown slopes and green fairways makes it visually appealing. I have no idea where all of the fans are going to stand, but the players are going to love this course when it hosts the US Open in 2015. If you happen to be traveling to Seattle, WA or Portland, OR I would take the time to drive to Chambers Bay. You won’t be disappointed!

Portlandia - Portland Dream of the 90's

2010-12-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

For anyone that hasn't been to Portland, OR, it is a unique place. 'Portlandia' is a new show coming to the Independant Film Channel (IFC) and the video 'Portland Dream of the 90's' sums up the 'Keep Portland Wierd' or new 'Make Portland Weirder' so well! The eclectic group of people in Portland is what makes it such an interesting city. There are food carts, artists, brew pubs, and interesting culture everywhere. All you have to do is walk around for an hour or so. So, check out the video and enjoy!

A Schmuck from Portland, OR’s Travel Guide to Maui!

2010-11-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

While I fully admit I am not a travel or Maui expert, but I did just get back to Portland, OR and I figured my experiences were worth sharing. First off, if you haven’t flown Hawaiian Air, you are missing out! As flying has become more and more tedious, I think Hawaiian Air has done the best at keeping up their customer service. They have direct flights to and from Portland, OR’s PDX daily. The flight I took out leaves at 8:45am and gets into Maui at 11:35am. Not too shabby. The flight back leaves around 2pm and gets back to PDX around 9:30pm. Round trip flights to and from Maui range from about $260-$400 depending on the time of year.

After arrival I went to the Enterprise counter, which I had lined up previously through hotwire.com, and got an upgraded Ford Taurus fairly inexpensively, about $100 for 5 days. I have to say, it’s been a long time since I have driven a Ford, but this car was actually really nice! It had leather, power everything, a sun roof, and was just an all around comfortable car. I would even consider buying one if I was in the market for a car!

Here is why the rental car is key. When I arrived in Maui, it was absolutely pouring rain and blowing like a monsoon. However because of the geography of the islands, it can be cloudy, wet, and windy on one side of the island, and sunny and 85 on the other. If you have a car, you just drive to the sun! That being said, if you are going to go there in winter I suggest going south and west. Lahina is a great little town on the west coast of the island and Kihei and Makena are on the south side of the island. Depending on where the sun is, I would check out any or all of the above. While it is neither south or west, I really liked Paia as well.
Ok, here are the must see places while you’re there:

• The Jewelry Stand Maui: This place has great gifts for all of your loved ones and is hand made on Maui. Plus the people that run the stand are really friendly! Check out their website: http://www.jewelrystandmaui.com/

Ululani's Shave Ice

• Ululani's Hawaiian Shave Ice: When I thought shave ice, I thought of a snow cone. This is nothing of the sort, it the best thing I’ve had in a long time! The one I got had coconut, leche, and strawberry toppings with macadamia ice cream in the bottom and mocha balls on top. DELICIOUS!!! Here’s their website: http://ululanisshaveice.com/

• Ono Gelato: Gelato, enough said! It was awesome! Check out their site: http://www.onogelatocompany.com/

Big Beach, Makena, Maui

• Big Beach, Makena: This was the most scenic and pretty of the beaches I saw. Beware though, the waves were big and crashed right onto the sand!

• Kimos, Lahina: This restauant sits right on the ocean and has a great outdoor deck. It’s a nice place for a happy hour or dinner. I had the mahi mahi sandwich and it was delicious! http://www.mauihawaii.org/restaurants/kimos.htm

There were many more places to see and I had other good food, but these stuck out to me. This place is worth the trip and I would go back in a heartbeat. Enjoy!

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Gary Vaynerchuk - Do What You Love!

2010-11-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know Gary Vaynerchuk, he wrote the book 'Crush it' and is renowned for his 'Wine Library TV' which took his parent's wine business and made it explode. The thing I love about Gary Vaynerchuck is his passion for what he does and his willingness to put himself out there. In today's world I think more people need to find the things they love, and strive to make them happen! There is no need to adopt the 'pilgrim theory' and settle. Strive to do what makes you happy, and it will reward you greatly.

In working with Realtors on a daily basis, I can see the passion that many of them have. However, I can also tell when people have lost the fire. The people that are living and loving what they do are finding ways to succeed and to push through the tough times. The people that are only at their jobs for the paycheck are struggling. Just think about what kind of experience you’d have at DMV if the people that worked there loved their jobs like Gary does. That's not to say there won't be a bump in the road once and a while, but doing what you love will push you through. Life is too short to be unhappy!

This video is worth every second, and I warn you there is some adult language.

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3 Tips to Maximize Your Blog in Portland, OR

2010-10-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

If you are trying to maximize your exposure through blogging in Portland, OR? Here are 3 tips to help out:

1. Use Geo-Targeted Titles. If you are trying to establish yourself as an expert in an area, blogging can be a tremendous asset. Talk about events, places, things, etc. that are happening in your target area. It's like creating a 'Farm' online! For example if I say: ‘Local Farmers Markets’ I will be competing with thousands of other people. If I say ‘Portland Park Blocks Farmers Market’ the search will be narrowed down to a smaller specific area. Also, leads that come from searching broad topics usually take much longer to come to fruition vs. leads that come from a narrow search result.

2. Limit your words. You do not need to write a novel every time you blog! If you limit your blog to between 300-500 words, you will maximize your efficiency. Most people will not take the time to read any post that is longer than this, and less than 300 words will not allow enough content to be valuable in most cases.

3. Add Pictures. It has been shown that adding a picture or 2 to your blog can take the average time on each page from 30 seconds to 3 minutes. This means more people are taking the time to actually read what you’re writing! Remember, a picture is worth 1000 words!

I am constantly sitting down with Realtors here in Portland, OR, and like most people, they are trying to figure out the most efficient way to get additional branding and marketing exposure. Blogging can be a terrific tool to reach a large number of people without having to invest a ton of time. If you are consistent and focus on these 3 tips, you will see the traffic to your blog increase. If you are looking for more ways maximize exposure for your blog, feel free to get in touch with me.

Aaron Stelle

Sales Representative

WFG National Title Insurance Company

1625 NE Weidler St

Portland, OR 97232

C: 503.707.9244

Email: astelle@wfgnationaltitle.com

It's Crockpot Season - Try These Recipes!

2010-10-11T10:34:00.000-07:00

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As the clouds and rain usher in another fall, it brings out the need for warming comfort food. To me a Saturday spent watching football and smelling dinner cooking is a little slice of heaven! Better yet, I love being able to throw all of the ingredients in the Crockpot before work and coming home to a hot, ready to eat, meal! Here are a few of my favorite recipes as well as several that have were recently passed on to me.

Melissa’s Simple Recipes, Thanks Melissa!

1 lb spicy italian sausage
1 jar (your favorite spaghetti sauce)
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1 small onion, chopped

break up sausage. slow cooker, six hours on low. delicious! i served it over jasmine rice, but you could serve it on spaghetti, or hoagie rolls. this was a really good sauce! :) my five year old was even gettin down on it!
OR

1 chuck roast
1 jar salsa
1 onion chopped
tortillas

cube up the roast, dredge and brown in olive oil. Cook on low 7 hours, with salsa, and chopped onion. After 7 hours, remove meat and shred. Return back to slow cooker for another hour. serve wrapped in tortillas, with your favorite burrito fixins.

Green Chile Chicken – Thanks Ashley!

Throw everything in the crockpot

Chicken Breast
Canned green chilies (1 can per 2 breasts)
Taco seasoning to preffered taste
Onions
Peppers
Jalapenos
Garlic
Salt & Pepper
Red Pepper flakes

Optional - Canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce (mexi section at grocery store) Gives some more spice and a smokey flavor....
Cook 4ish hours on low, shred and serve....
Lots of options in this recipe, never really measure anything, just throw it in according to what I like.....

Great for burrittos, or taco/salad, and great left overs to make enchiladas or yummy just reheated.

Coq au Riesling - Thanks Cherine!

Cooking time: 1 hour Serves 6

Ingredients
•2 tbsp garlic oil or oil and a chopped clove of garlic
•150g/5¼oz bacon lardons...or just normal bacon
•1 leek, finely sliced
•12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
•3 fresh bay leaves
•300g/10oz oyster mushrooms, torn into strips
•1 x 75cl bottle Riesling wine (it has to be riesling, i've tried it with cheap white wine and its just not the same!)
•salt and freshly ground black pepper
•dash double cream (optional)
•1-2 tbsp chopped fresh dill, to serve (you NEED the fresh dill- it makes the meal)
•buttered pasta, to serve (i use thick tagliatelle)

Preparation method
1.Heat the oil in a large wide pan and fry the lardons/bacon until crisp.
2.Add the sliced leeks and fry for 1-2 minutes, until softened.
3.Add the fried leeks and bacon plus the chicken, bay leaves, mushrooms and wine to a big pot, Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, or stick it in the oven for an hour. Stir in the double cream for the last few minutes of cooking time if you like.
4.To serve, sprinkle with dill and serve with buttered pasta.

Creamy Garlic Chicken w/ Broccoli

4-6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of broccoli soup
1 bag of frozen broccoli spears
1 Onion
1 cup milk
2 tbsp Minced Garlic
pepper to taste
Throw all of the ingredients into the Crockpot and cook 4 hours. You can add the broccoli after 3 hours if you want it crunchier. Serve over rice, quinoa, or Couscous.

Let me know what you think of these recipes and by all means pass on others if you have them!

Ya Hala Lebanese Restaurant - The Best Spot in Portland!!!

2010-09-20T16:38:00.000-07:00

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I can't even describe how much I love Ya Hala Lebanese Restaurant in Portland, OR. If you're looking for good Lebanese food, this is my favorite, bar none! Not only is it tasty, it's super cheap for what you get. The only drawback is that you have to drive out to 81st and Stark by Mall 205. However, it is worth every mile to make the trip.

When I go there, I always get the Veggie Mezza and the Shawarma Plate. I have had other things and all were great, but these are my favorite. They come with warm bread straight out of the oven and they have a good wine selection as well. Just go, it's worth it!

For more information go to their website: http://www.yahalarestaurant.com/. I will get off my soap box as the food will speak for itself. Enjoy!

An Evening For Haiti

2010-09-15T20:48:00.000-07:00

With our busy lives it is really easy to have something on our mind and then gone the next. The media is especially great at this! We will have some story or event that comes along with data overload, then suddenly it is gone as quickly as it came. Haiti is a prime example of this, as are most natural disasters.

When the earthquake in Haiti first occurred, it was big news and every channel and form of media was buzzing about it. However, after a short period of time, interest faded, and the story went away. However, just because the news is no longer covering the story, does not mean the people of Haiti do not need further help. There are still huge problems that need to be solved, and people that need assistance. So, Rubicon, a local company in Portland, OR is sending a team of people to help out.

In order to support this effort they are putting on a silent auction and benefit concert. (See Below) While I realize this is going up against both a Beaver and Duck football games, this is still a very important cause. I will work to support this effort in any way I can and hope others will as well.

If you'd like to attend, here is the info:

Time	Saturday, September 18th · 6:00pm - 9:00pm

Location	Uptown Billiards Club 120 Northwest 23rd Avenue Portland, OR



More Info	The Rubicon Foundation is hosting An Evening for Haiti” fundraiser event on Saturday, September 18th. Join us as we bring to life our message with a concert by Parfait where he will present his original compositions and the music he will be performing for the children of Haiti during our visit in late September. Also, come and participate in a silent auction that will include some one-of-a-kind items. Silent Auction will run from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and the concert starts at 7:00 pm. All proceeds will go to support our service learning project in Haiti.

William Scott Anderson - Vietnam Memorial Benefit Magic Show

2010-09-08T09:40:00.000-07:00

As a long time friend and fan of William Scott Anderson's magic, I would love to see a huge turnout for this event. If you have not seen his magic before, you should watch this video from his spot on 'America's Got Talent'.

For more information about the show, see the attached poster and show up!

Customer Service - The Lost Art

2010-08-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

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I was sitting at Chevron, and while my car was being filled up, the attendant washed my windshield and then proceeded to walk around my car and wash my back window. Now washing my windshield is not all that uncommon, and I'd say happens 30-50% of the time when I am getting gas. However I can't remember the last time a gas station attendant took the time to wash my back window, or any other window for that matter. I will absolutely go back to that Chevron and this got me thinking. What happened to doing the little things which create loyalty?

I can think of so many examples in my life where customer service has gone out the window. The easiest example these days is the airline industry. Does anyone actually enjoy flying anymore? It seems like all of the focus has gone away from making happy clients and instead is all based on spreadsheets. It seems like packing people in, slashing services, and just moving people like cattle is the business model. This does not create any kind of loyalty and I will not go out of my way to go back to them. However when I get great service, such as Hawaiian Airlines, I want to make sure I fly them as often as possible.

So my question became, 'How do I wash the back window in my business?' This will be different for every client, but I think if more people would ask themselves that question there would be a lot more loyal and happy customers out there!

Buy less house than you can afford - Inman News

2010-08-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

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As a Realtor, and now as a sales rep with a title company, I have seen a lot of instances where people buy way more house than they need. People seem to think they need absolutely everything in their home, and plan as though they are going to make as much, or more, money as they do now for all eternity. Then one of the 3 D's hits, Death, Divorce, or Disaster. Now disaster can be defined by any number of events, but the most common these days are illness, getting laid off, or just plummeting income. Suddenly they can no longer afford their home, or any of their other bills for that matter, and usually have very little savings. This is the type of mentality that put the country in the situation we are in right now. If people would use a little sensibility when picking out a home, and be prepared for unforeseen problems, we’d be a lot better off. I think this is an article that should have been put out in 2005 or 2006. We’d be in a much better situation.

Buy less house than you can afford
Don't base decision on low interest rates alone
By Dian Hymer, Tuesday, August 10, 2010. Inman News

Unsettling economic news at the beginning of July caused some economists to fear a double-dip recession. The stock market sold off, pushing the Dow below 10,000. A weak employment report increased fears of a tepid jobs recovery. Manufacturing activity fell to its lowest level since December.

The National Association of Realtors' Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) dropped a record 30 percent in May -- almost 16 percent below its 2009 level.

NAR's PHSI is an indicator of future home sales activity. The index is based on executed purchase contracts that have not yet closed. A drop in the May index was not unexpected. The federal homebuyer tax credits that were generally recognized as stimulating a struggling home-sale market expired on April 30.

The large drop in pending sales indicates a drop-off in buyer demand. It's impossible to know whether this will develop into a trend as buyers pull back in the face of worrisome economic news or until prices fall to a level they can't pass up. A certain number of buyers will retreat to the sidelines and wait until the news turns positive.

A big concern is the direction of home prices. At the end of 2009, it appeared that home prices were stabilizing. In some niche markets, home prices inched up a bit. However, David Blitzer, committee chairman of the Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices (a much-watched measure of U.S. home prices), reported in June that "consistent and sustained boosts to economic growth from housing may have to wait to next year."

It's impossible to generalize about a national housing market that is so fragmented in terms of location, price range and neighborhood. Prices at the low end of the market have dropped so far in some places that they may be good deals.

In areas with a lot of high-end inventory that's not selling, it may be difficult to find a good buy unless the sellers are motivated and are not in denial about the current market value of their home. Such a market provides a good opportunity for realistic sellers who prepare and price their home at or under market value.

Except for low interest rates, there's no urgency for most buyers to buy now. Buyers are content to wait for the right house at the right price. When one comes along, it can draw offers from multiple buyers who are also waiting for prime property. It's telling that the losing buyers don't snap up overpriced listings.

The question for many homebuyers and sellers is: How long do you wait for a better time to buy or sell? The herd phenomenon tends to apply to home sales. People feel more comfortable buying or selling when everyone else is. This approach turned into disaster for homebuyers during the recent bubble.

The contrarian strategy is to buy when others aren't and sell when the inventory is low. This buy-low, sell-high approach works well for investors. But, when you buy a home, your personal life limits your options. A death in the family, a divorce or job transfer could cause you to move in a down market.

Near record low interest rates are enticing, particularly if your home no longer suits your needs. But, you should only do so if you can live with the fact that the market value of your home could fall further before stabilizing. You should be financially secure and buy a home that will suit your long-term needs -- ideally at a price that is less than you can afford.

THE CLOSING: To cover the bases, buy an affordable house that will generate enough rental income to cover the carrying costs if you need to move during a down market.

Dian Hymer, a real estate broker with more than 30 years' experience, is a nationally syndicated real estate columnist and author of "House Hunting: The Take-Along Workbook for Home Buyers" and "Starting Out, The Complete Home Buyer's Guide."

Craigslist - There's always a catch!

2010-08-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

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For those of you that have ever bought or sold something on Craigslist.org, you know there are a few quirks with nearly every sale. Personally, I have been a craigslist aficionado for years now, as I’ve found it to be the best way to do everything from selling, or giving away, stuff you don’t want, to posting all of my listings as a Realtor. One way or another, there always seems to be someone out there that wants what you have!

That being said, I have been looking at patio sets on craigslist for a good 4 months now. Now if I am being truthful, what I really wanted was the holy grail of patio sets that was at Costco earlier this summer. It was a 4 person table, with a gas fire pit in the middle, and was at pub / conversational height. For my patio, it would be perfect! However, as hard as I tried, I could not justify spending the money it was going to take to bring this little beauty home. So, on to craigslist to be a pilgrim and settle!

The search has been hot and cold and I have found many o’ patio sets out there. Most of which are the standard glass top table with some sort of metal tubing and plastic strips. While perfectly acceptable, I could not bring myself to buy one of those. Pub height was a must, and I couldn’t get the fire pit out of my head! So my search continued until yesterday and then it appeared! My holy grail was sitting on craigslist at 1/5 the cost of the one sitting in Costco! Like all reasonable people, my first question was, ‘what’s wrong with it’? So I called, and the lady on the phone assured me that there was nothing wrong. She just needed to sell it and it only came with 3 chairs instead of 4. After thinking about it for about .4 seconds I decided that 3 chairs were plenty at this price, so I got the address and was on my way. The great part about this arrangement is this lady only lived about 10 miles from my place. The bad part was that she lived on Hayden Island. I jumped in my car, and since I was going after work, I proceeded to cruise up I-405 and I-5 at a blistering 2mph. It was awesome!

After an hour of cursing, blasting tunes, and banging my head on the steering wheel, I finally pulled into the floating home development where this little craigslist gem was located. The woman instructed me to park, walk down the ramp, and then just go to the right until I got to 5xx. I half skipped, half walked down the ramp and arrived on the dock / sidewalk that accessed all of the homes to the right. I took a look around and noticed that I was at house number 300. I proceeded down the walkway and noticed the house numbers are only going up about 2 at a time. This is the longest dock I have ever seen! I must have walked 500 yards by the time I finally got to the right place! But I was determined so I knocked, ‘craigslist lady’ answered the door, and this is exactly how the conversation went,

Craigslist Lady: ‘You must be Aaron, the table is right this way. Are you a good swimmer?’

Me: ‘Uhhhh, I can swim if I need to?!?’

She then just walked down the little side path to the back of the house without any further explanation. Needless to say I was more than a little confused! However, I’d come this far and I was going to get the scoop with my holy grail of craigslist patio sets. I walk around the corner and there it is in all of its magical glory! It looked just like the picture, was exactly as described, and would be perfect for me. I was ecstatic! Then craigslist lady says, ‘So I advertised it with 3 chairs, but there is a 4th. It just fell off the dock and is now at the bottom of the river. So, if you can swim down and get it, you can have it too as a free bonus. That’s why I asked if you could swim.’

That’s when the wheels in my head started churning. I wanted this table but there were a few problems I was going to have to solve. First off, this giant thing was not going to fit in the ol’ hybrid that I drove around. Secondly, I would have to carry this table around a floating home with a 2 foot walkway and a 4 foot table top just to get to the 500 yard long sidewalk. Then I would have to find someone with a truck, haul it home during rush hour, get it up the elevator, through my door and onto my patio. No problem, I just need to figure out who to call.

Me: ‘Jason, I need you to help me pick up a patio set.’

Jason: ‘Ok, what’s the story?’

Me: ‘Hehe, you’re going to love this…’

Here’s a quick side note, if you’ve ever owned a truck, you know that it can be the biggest curse of all times. You always get called for hair brained plans such as this, and to help people move! You spend half a day and $100 in gas for a couple of slices of pizza and a couple of cold beverages. Good trade!

Now back to the story. After about a 10 minute conversation, my brother Jason had signed on for this adventure, and was going to shower and meet me at my place. I had gone round and round about the ‘bonus chair’ and decided it was at least worth a try. So, I was headed home to change into my swim trucks, grab my swim fins, and wait for my brother to arrive.

After about 45 minutes of Jason sitting in traffic, he finally arrives and we are on our way back up I-5. To our delight, it’s moving at 20mph now! Believe it or not, this made the trip go fairly quickly. We rolled up to the gate, and after about 10 minutes were able to follow behind another car into the parking lot, pull into the loading zone, and walk down the ramp. At the bottom of the ramp Jason and I see a couple of carts which might actually make this process a little easier. The first one is a great little plastic cart with bicycle tires and the second looks like a 100 year old Home Depot lumber cart with solid metal wheels. I proceed to grab the nice smooth bicycle tire cart and am nice enough to allow Jason to push the other one. It takes us about 5 feet to realize that this lumber cart is quite possibly the loudest thing we have ever heard. Oddly enough 6 inch metal wheels on a wooden dock sounds like a rattling freight train when all else is silent. However we were not to be denied and continued down the walkway, as house windows rattled, and neighbors poked their heads out to see what all the racket was about.

After a few minutes Jason and I make it to the house with craigslist lady, and my fancy new table. Jason turns to me and says, ‘Dude, that was not 200 yards!’ Then I remember that I might have said 200 yards not 500 yards when I was talking him into this. It was a slight stretch of the truth.

However we’re here now so let’s make this happen. Craigslist lady answers the door and walks us around to the back deck. At this point Jason and I are fully committed to finding this 4th bonus chair. The lady hands me a pool hook and Jason lays down on the deck and starts probing around. Within about 5 minutes we realized that there is now way we are going to just stab around with a stick and pull this chair out. Jason turns to me and says, ‘Bro, the water may be really deep here.’

To which craigslist lady replies, ‘I think it’s between 10’ and 15’ deep.’

Craigslist lady hands me a mask and snorkel, I throw on my fins and jump in the water. Now let me paint you a picture. This water is not the crystal clear tropical blue water you see in post cards, but instead a nice algae green color with visibility stuck at about 18”. So, I grab the pole, prod around a little more and realize this effort is futile! It’s time to fully commit to this. I take about 10 deep breaths, dunk my head and start kicking my fins like crazy to get down the 15 feet. I kick about 4 or 5 good times and suddenly my face slams straight into the bottom of the river! This isn’t 15’ deep, it’s about 8’ deep!!!! Thanks for all of your help craigslist lady! My mask now has mud on it, and since I splatted my face at mach 2, there’s a cloud in the water so I can barely see my hand in front of my face. This is going to be tricky!

Through all this mess, I did manage to hold my breath and decide to start swimming around like a catfish in order to stumble across the chair. I’m literally swimming around by brail with my hands in front of me as to not have another face smashing incident. This goes on for about 30 seconds and just as I start to run out of air I see something white. Like the Titanic, my ‘bonus chair’ is sitting right there in front of me! It was glorious! I proceed to grab it by the leg and kick like crazy to get back to the surface. Once I surfaced I was bobbing around like a cork trying to swim myself and my new found chair over to the back patio. Jason reaches down, grabs the chair out of the water, and I now have a table and 4 chairs! Jackpot!

At this point I am fully vested, but still feel obligated to haggle with the lady in true craigslist fashion. She replies back, ‘If I had the 4th chair it would have gone for $50 or more above what you’re paying.’ To which I thought, ‘But you didn’t and I had to get my butt in the river, swim around like a catfish, and hike that thing to the surface!’ Either way, it was a little late to bargain so I paid her price.

While it didn’t go perfectly smoothly, we got the table and 4 chairs loaded onto our 2 carts, and are ready to head back down the walkway toward the truck. This time, however, it is not just the rattling freight train cart making noise, but instead we’ve now got a rattling table, 4 rattling chairs, and a freight train cart going down the walkway! It’s now almost 8pm and the neighbors seem none to pleased to hear us chugging down the tracks! About 20 earth shaking minutes later we are carrying the table and chairs up and throwing it in the back of the truck. All we need to do now is bungee it down and we’re ready to go home.

Jason: ‘Crap, I forgot the bungees at home, I only have 2!’

Me: ‘Oh well, we’ll have to make due, just drive slow.’

Now anyone that has ever moved knows these are famous last words! There is nothing we can do about it, so Jason and I strap the stuff down with our 2 cords and jump into the truck to head to my place. At this point we are now in a confined space and realize that we both smell like we’ve been rolling around in a tub full of salmon! This may come as a shock to you, but the algae green water I had been swimming in like a bottom feeder has an odor to it. It smells terrible! We have to roll down the windows and are now cruising down the freeway hoping all of this work doesn’t lead to my beautiful new patio set splayed out all over the freeway. We are cruising along nicely with no trouble to report until we get to the I-405 / HW 30 exit when suddenly there is a crash and all of the chairs and the table fall over in the back. Holy crap, the bungee gave out!!! Jason lets off the gas, veers over to the right, and we are watching the stuff sit in precariously the back with utter terror! Please don’t let it fall out!

We ease over to the right, take the first exit and pull over to the side of the road. There is nothing holding the stuff in and miraculously it all stayed in the truck! I still don’t know how it happened. I think this is karma giving me some love for all of the work I had put in to this point.

We pull to the side of the road, secure the cargo, and pull into my building. Saga over right? Not so fast! We carry the fish smelling chair and its 3 friends into the building and then bring the table to the elevators. However my eyeball calculation was a little off. The table is not only too big for my front door, it’s too wide for the elevator to even get upstairs! At this point we’re sitting in the lobby of my building trying to figure out how to take this thing apart, as a steady stream of my neighbors walk by and give me the head shaking, ‘you’re an idiot’ look. To be fair, the look is well deserved!

We finally figure out how to take the top off the table and we get it into the elevator and through my front door. However, the base is still too big to get through my sliding door and onto my patio. Ugh! So as it sits right now, I have a table top and chairs on my patio, and the base sitting in my living room. Tonight’s project, is to get the base out and re-assemble the table.

So what’s the moral of this story??? When buying things on craigslist, there is always an adventure and you ‘pay’ for what you get one way or another. It may be by dealing with flakey people, or simply just by driving 2 hours to save $5. Either way, you pay! Just like me though, you’ll get an adventure and at the end of the day you’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, I got the holy grail patio set that will eventually be in my patio, and all it cost was 1/5th the price, smelling like fish, 4 hours of driving, a swim in green water, and a little assembly.’ What a deal!!!

A lesson for men in Portland wearing suits

2010-05-19T08:46:00.000-07:00

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One thing most people notice when they walk around Portland, OR is that it is a pretty causual city. If you are showing up for a business meeting more often than not, niether party will be wearing a tie, let alone a suit. If you do show up in a suit, the preverbial question, 'Who's the car salesman?' will likely come out.

That being said, there are a few professions or occasions where dressing like Barney Stinson is a must. (Watch 'How I met Your Mother' if you don't know who Barney is, it's worth it!) For example, it's coming into wedding season and hopefully interview season! As it is commonly known, it rains a fair amount here in the northwest. So, all of the weddings get crammed into about a 4 month period. Also, when the sun comes out, jobs seem to pop their heads out as well. This means it's time to dust off the ol' suit, make sure it still fits, and probably get it cleaned. If it doesn't fit, it's time to pick up a new one or get it tailored.

All this being said, here is an article that I though was worth of passing on. Read and learn 'whether to button, or not to button':

Men’s Fashion: Part 1, Suits

— Rosecrans Baldwin and Andrew Womack are the founding editors of The Morning News.

It’s the one thing every man should own: a suit. THE EDITORS salute the suit’s ability to withstand expiration, bask in its enduring appeal, and offer advice on what to look for when you’re off to buy your own. If only we could be there to say, “Suits you, sir!”

A mask tells us more than a face.

—Oscar Wilde

Introduction to the Series

Welcome to the first installment of The Morning News Men’s Fashion Guide. Over the course of four articles, The Morning News will open its closets and show what we’ve learned: our sartorial successes, our embarrassing failures (involving capes in one case, dreadlocks in another), and our underwear, which we find both embarrassing and successful.

This week we’ll explain what we like, what we hate, and what we don’t know about suits, with shopping tips included. These lessons have been prepared over years of bad and good shopping, and are written for the ground-floor dresser, guaranteed trend-proof. Indulge in your vanity and join us in ours.
And now, the man’s little black dress if he could wear it into battle: the suit.

On Suits

Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.

—Cary Grant

Without suits, men would have nothing. In the hierarchy of style, a good suit remains a man’s only trump card. Even in this sad age of casual-wear, the suit still carries an air of success, taste, and sophistication. It is designed to make you look better, to break boundaries between social classes, to make a small man tall with pinstripes or a fat man rich with soft wools. The suit looks good in restaurants, trains, dinner parties or Paris; in short, everywhere you want to be. It is, in its best forms, a complete outfit that will never fail you.

And that is exactly what it will do, if you treat it right. Unfortunately the majority of suits you see look awful. This isn’t necessary. Even if you work ten hours with your jacket on, being mindful of your clothing will keep you ready for cocktails after work. Too many men either don’t care or don’t know how to wear a suit, and, suitably, look like shit. This is worth avoiding.

To start us off, a few general rules should be observed when approaching a suit, and most apply to good dressing in general:

•The suit, no matter the style, needs to fit your body, closely. This means all pieces should be cut and tailored appropriate to your form. Surprisingly, this doesn’t require a lot of money ($500 can, in fact, get you a good suit) but it does take an eye, and the strength to ignore any saccharine compliments from salesmen.

•Trends have six-to-eighteen-month shelf lives. If you plan to retire your suit in this window, feel free to splurge. Otherwise, shop considerately.

•Suits are made of wool or cotton, and their variations. Additional fabrics need not apply.

•You are an interesting, confident, multi-hued man. Let others learn that from how you behave, not from the label on your jacket.

•A suit jacket goes with suit pants, not with jeans or chinos. If you want a casual jacket, buy a sport-coat or a blazer. Stand-up comedians are regularly shot over this rule.

•If you’re not comfortable—if you don’t feel the suit’s appropriate for you—the salesman’s looking out for his commission, not your style.

•A modestly, well-dressed man has never failed to impress. Yes, never.

Assuming you’re not an investment banker, you don’t need ten suits; you only need four. This means you can be a discerning shopper and spend time accumulating, then keeping your suits in good condition (dry clean once a year, then more for spills; don’t you dare iron it yourself). Think of the process in terms of collecting, spending years searching for that one original-packaged Chewbacca.

The Fab Four

1. The Standard Blue: Great for business, lunches, New York Mayors, summer dinners, or casual parties. Can be worn with black or brown shoes, even white if you’re daring. Reflects well by a pool. Standard blue means navy, with no room for paler shades, even if you went to U.N.C.

2. The Classic Gray: Appropriate for everything and even makes a red-head look dandy. Grays also are the best with patterns, especially anything in the chevron family. Start with plain, move to window-pane. Even such, the gray is never controversial. It’s the Switzerland of suits.

3. The Basic Black: Our favorite and the perennial classic, it’s a fit at the Oscars or your sister’s wedding, the perfect compliment to a good white shirt, beloved by gangsters, designers, and undertakers (those jobs with the highest doses of fashion-conscious aptitudes; respectively, aggression, vanity, and wisdom). If you only own one suit, this is it. You can even be buried in it.

4. Any of the above, with pinstripes.

The Jacket

So. You’ve picked your color and you’re ready for the fit. First comes the jacket. Never was a suit bought for the pants and repeatedly worn afterwards. Pants are easily adjusted by a tailor, jackets can only have minor improvements. Think of true love: it must be close to just-right at first, with a slight thrill when you put it on, the coup de foudre as the French say.

First off: are you a single-breasted man or a double? While both styles can fit most body types, single-breasted jackets tend to flatter the slim while double-breasted jackets make the broad look mighty. This doesn’t imply being “skinny&” or “fat,” it’s simply about your tits; hence the term “breasted.” Choose the jacket style that you can best fill out—from there you’ll always look best. David Letterman, who can rarely be found not wearing a double-breasted jacket, skirts this rule by sitting behind a desk. Notice how uncomfortable he is during the monologue, fussing with his buttons while standing full-view before the camera.

To those opting for the single-breasted jacket, you’ll have to choose how many buttons you want. One? Hmm. Two? Excellent. And returning in popularity. Three? Certainly good, and was much sought-after in the recent past though it’s now reached near total market saturation. But, still classic, and hopefully always available.

Of course, jackets also come in four-, five-, and six-button styles, each with their own fifteen minutes of fame. Four-button jackets have been sported by everyone from The Beatles to Steve Harvey. Can you sport one? Of course! But no, not this season…

Last, the fit. Like we said before, close to the body, but no wrinkles when you button. Vents, double or single, are preferred to the vent-less jacket that, nine times out of ten, looks like a giant condom from behind. Shoulder pads should be avoided—you’re no linebacker—but a tailor will gouge you if you show up post-purchase and ask him to reduce the heft.

Finally, before we move onto trousers, there is one ticklish in-between: the vest. We can put this simply. If you’re ready to buy a vest, you’re either old enough to sport one or dangerously disillusioned. A good rule of thumb: Alfred Hitchcock looked great in vests. Young Jimmy Stewart looked out of his league. Pick your man.

The Trousers

You must now choose a trouser style. There have been, in the history of men’s trousers, a few trends that fucked with a good thing: bell-bottoms, bibs, clam-diggers, “cargo.” Unfortunately, all of these styles eventually found their way into suits.

Men, generally, will take any pants that come with a jacket. Being men, we want some control over how they look—“How they work,” thinks the man—but not too much. Hence, the cuffs-or-no-cuffs debate. Ask a man what he thinks of his pants and he’ll say, “Yeah, I had to go no-cuffs.” We won’t help you here except to say: cuffs are older, no-cuffs are not. Choose according to your image of yourself.

Next comes the pleats question: The only times pleats are wanted is in the single-pleat case, on a pair of wool pants. The case should be that the pants look crisp and well-folded, rather than puckered. How to tell the difference? Think of a pair of pants recently back from the dry cleaner. Remember the line down the middle of the leg. Does your new pleat-to-be look like that? If not, drop the hanger and run.

After cuffs and pleats, you need to worry about waist, swish, drape, belt-loops, ass-hugging, crotch-dangling, and whether or not you need a watch pocket. This is beyond our advice. Suffice to say, your ass is probably less than marble, though it shouldn’t be treated like a towel hook. Pants shouldn’t blow like a scarf in the breeze. The best way to judge a pair of pants is to ask yourself, “Would I wear these pants on a date without the jacket?” If so, they’re fine. If not, move on.

Finally, a salesman will often ask if you’d like to buy two pairs of pants for the suit. The idea is you can alternate pants with the jacket so they wear evenly over time, but since pants can be so easily ruined, you always have a back-up pair. This is similar to electronics store people trying to sell you insurance on an air conditioner; if you have the money, it’s not a bad idea, but it also isn’t necessary.

So now that you’ve picked out your suit, you have to know how to wear it. We’ll assume you know the basics of putting the thing on. (Yes, the jacket part goes on top.) And this brings us to buttoning. It is a historic dilemma, faced by every man. Here, for you, is our easy-to-remember rulebook:

•Two-button jacket: Button the top button, only, ever. Button the bottom button and you’ll look like a stooge. That’s really all there is to it.

•Three-button jacket: Button either the middle button alone or the top two. Important: the bottom button does not meet its hole. It will plead before a date, just when your stomach’s boiling, “Hey! Friend! Button me once, please. I’m sure we’ll look fine. Come on! Just once!” But you will not give in, you will be strong.

* * *

Now the suit’s on, and you’re ready to go. Comb your hair, have a cocktail, head out for the evening. Travel lightly when you go, meaning don’t bulge your pockets with a Bible-sized wallet. Your outside jacket pockets, in fact, should never be used unless your companion asks; at that moment chuck your pretensions and stuff them full. When you get home, brush down the suit, hang it evenly, and keep it in a bag. Wear it often, with pride, and don’t take shit for looking good. After all, no one can be Cary Grant, but everyone can try.

Oh yeah, another thing: Don’t roll up the jacket sleeves Miami-Vice style. We say this now, but then again, considering the fickle nature of fashion, don’t hold us to it.

Foreclosures plateau - finally. Repossessions soar

2010-05-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

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The wave of foreclosures is far from over, but hopefully this is a sign that it's at least going to be trending down. I have read for years that it would take 3-5 years to get through all of the troubled mortgages. Well, in 2008 things really started to cruble and low and behold we are about 2.5 years past that. So, but the 5 year scale we are half way though, and are hopefully going down! Here's an article from CNNMoney that I thought was worth posting.

By Les Christie, staff writerMay 13, 2010: 7:55 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The foreclosure plague may have finally reached its peak in April 2010 -- but don't expect delinquency statistics to plummet anytime soon.

The total number of foreclosure filings -- notices of default, auction notices and bank repossessions -- fell by 9% from March to April, and 2% compared with April 2009, according to data released Thursday by RealtyTrac, the online marketer of foreclosed properties.

This is the first time that has happened in the history of the report, which goes back to January 2006.

But the number of homes repossessed during April is at an all-time high of 92,432. That is a 45% increase over April 2009. If repossessions continue at this pace, more than 1.1 million homes will be lost in 2010.

"There were two important milestones in the April numbers that show foreclosure activity has begun to plateau, but at a very high level that will not drop off in the near future," said RealtyTrac CEO James Saccacio.

Saccacio said he expects the pattern to become the norm for many months, with the overall numbers of filings staying high, but not increasing, and repossessions remaining at record levels.

The reason that repossessions can rise while filings hold steady is that lenders are working through a backlog of delinquent properties, taking more of them through the entire process to repossession, rather than letting them linger in limbo.

Walkaways

The numbers of repossessed properties, also called real-estate owned or REOs, have been boosted by a spike in the number of homeowners voluntarily giving up their homes because their the value has dropped so precipitously.

These "strategic defaults" now account for nearly one in three foreclosures, according to a recent report from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management. That's up from 22% 12 months earlier.

Some homeowners walk away when they are "underwater," owing far more than the value of their home, because they realize that they will never recoup the losses. The further homeowners fall underwater, the more likely they are to leave.

About one in four U.S. homeowners is underwater, according to CoreLogic, a financial data provider. Nearly 5 million of those borrowers owe mortgage debt that exceeds their property values by 25% or more. The total of negative equity in these deeply underwater borrowers is a whopping $655 billion.

Foreclosure epicenters

Nevada continues to rank as the worst-hit foreclosure state, with one of every 69 households receiving some kind of filing. That's nearly six times the national rate which is one household for every 387 receiving a filing.

Foreclosures: How bad is your state?

Arizona had the second highest rate; Florida the third; and California the fourth. California, the largest state in the union, had nearly 70,000 filings, more than any other state. Michigan, where the vast number of foreclosures can be traced to job losses and economic turmoil, recorded more than 19,000.

The metro area market that recorded the highest rate of foreclosure filings in April was Las Vegas, where one of every 60 homes was delinquent, Second was Modesto, Calif., with one in 101, and neighboring Merced, where one in 104 homeowners was in some stage of default.

How foreclosure impacts your credit score

2010-04-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

By Les Christie, staff writer April 22, 2010: 3:49 AM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- If you're delinquent on your mortgage, your credit score will suffer. Everyone knows that. The question is, by how much?

Until recently, those answers were hard to come by. Credit bureaus were uncommunicative about expressing, in points, just how much impact different foreclosure types of mortgage delinquencies have on scores.

Recently, Fair Isaac, which developed FICO scores, pulled back the curtain a bit, revealing some estimates of point-score declines following mortgage delinquency problems.

Here are the average hit your credit will take:

30 days late: 40 - 110 points
90 days late: 70 - 135 points
Foreclosure, short sale or deed-in-lieu: 85 - 160
Bankruptcy: 130 - 240
To come to these figures, Fair Isaac created two hypothetical consumers, one who starts out with a fair-to-middling score of 680 and the other with a very good one of 780. (FICA scores range from 300 to 850.)

The hypothetical person with the 780 FICA has 10 credit accounts versus six for the 580, plus a longer credit history, lower utilization of total credit limit and no missed payments on any account. The other consumer has two slightly damaged accounts. Neither have any accounts in collection or adverse public records.

See the chart to see how each scenario affected each borrower.

Notice that for both borrowers a single one-time black mark results in steep drops, but it is when they fall further behind that things get really harsh, according to Craig Watts, a spokesman for Fair Isaac.

"The lending industry tends to regard an account differently when it has become 90 or more days late," he said, "The likelihood that consumers will resume paying their overdue obligations drops off significantly after the delinquencies have reached 90 days."One reason credit companies were so closed-mouthed is that they often can't definitively state how much each delinquencies will affect scores because there are too many variables.

Some borrowers will fall much more steeply than others for the same payment problem, according to Maxine Sweet, vice president for public education at Experian, one of the nation's main credit bureaus.

"If you picture someone who has just one mortgage and one other credit account versus a mature credit user like me with 15 accounts, if they miss one payment that would impact their scores a lot more," she said. "For me, one missed payment would just be a blip."

The point loss also depends on the borrower's starting point: People with very high credit scores have more to lose than low-score borrowers; the impact of a single blemish on an 800 score is more than on a 500.

Of course, it just gets worse when you face foreclosure.

Mortgage borrowers can lose their homes three basic ways: a foreclosure; a short sale, where the home is sold for less than than is owed and the bank (generally) forgives the difference; or a deed-in-lieu, in which the borrower gives back the property and the bank again forgives any unpaid balance.

Sweet said credit bureaus generally slash scores equally for those three resolutions to someone losing their home. The important factor, she said, is that "it's reported that you paid less on a settled account."

Some borrowers may think that because they never missed a payment, they can "walk away" from their homes with relatively little impact on scores. Not true. "When a deed-in-lieu or short sale is reported as a partial payment, it's treated as a serious delinquency," Watts said, "just like a foreclosure."

Even if borrowers made payments faithfully for years before short selling or doing a deed-in-lieu, their credit score will still take a hit. The total decline will run about 85 points for the 680 score borrower to as much as 160 for the 780 score.

Mortgage debt, combined with other financial problems, can send borrowers into bankruptcy, the worst thing that can happen to your credit score.

The effects are long-lasting, according to Sweet. In a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, which involves partial repayment over several years, the stain will take seven years to remove. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which involves liquidation, takes 10 years to get over.

It's gonna cost you

Absorbing a big credit-score hit can make many transactions more costly. It's not just paying more for credit card debt and auto loans, insurance can cost more as well.
The average savings for someone with a good versus mediocre credit score is about $115 a year for auto insurance and $60 for home, according to Loretta Sorters, of the Insurance Information Institute.
A low credit score can even make it harder to rent a home because landlords often use credit scores to weed out prospective renters.

Despite the problems a poor credit score can cause, Experian's Sweet recommends that people who are in financial dead ends, like totally unaffordable mortgages, it's better to recognize that and cut your losses quickly; don't prolong the problem.

"You need to do what you need to do to get your finances back in order," she said. "Don't worry about your credit score."

Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA) - Video Explanation

2010-04-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

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I have been getting a lot of questions about the new Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program. (HAFA) There is a lot of information, and misinformaiton, going around so I thought I would post some of the pertanant information. For a 2 minute summary watch the video at the bottom.

In 2009, the Treasury Department introduced the HAFA program to provide a viable option for homeowners who are unable to keep their homes through the existing Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). The HAFA program takes effect on April 5, 2010—although some servicers may implement it sooner, if they meet certain requirement--and sunsets on December 31, 2012.

HAFA provides incentives in connection with a short sale or a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure (DIL) used to avoid foreclosure on a loan eligible for modification under the HAMP program. Servicers participating in HAMP are also required to comply with HAFA. A list of servicers participating in HAMP (including HAFA) is available at: www.makinghomeaffordable.com/contact_servicer.html.

HAFA Provisions

•• Complements HAMP by providing a viable alternative for borrowers (the current homeowners) who are HAMP eligible but nevertheless unable to keep their home.

•• Uses borrower financial and hardship information already collected in connection with consideration of a loan modification.

•• Allows borrowers to receive pre-approved short sales terms before listing the property (including the minimum acceptable net proceeds).

•• Requires borrowers to be fully released from future liability for the first mortgage debt (no cash contribution, promissory note, or deficiency judgment is allowed).

•• Uses standard processes, documents, and timeframes/deadlines.

•• Provides the following financial incentives:

•• $3,000 for borrower relocation assistance;

•• $1,500 for servicers to cover administrative and processing costs;

•• Up to $2,000 for investors who allow a total of up to $6,000 in short sale proceeds to be distributed to subordinate lien holders, on a one-for-three matching basis.

•• Requires all servicers participating in HAMP to implement HAFA in accordance with their own written policy, consistent with investor guidelines. The policy may include factors such as the severity of the potential loss, local markets, timing of pending foreclosure actions, and borrower motivation and cooperation.

National Brokerage Surveys Place RE/MAX on Top

2010-04-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

Posted By susanne On April 18, 2010 @ 1:02 pm In Real Estate

RISMEDIA, April 19, 2010—Two surveys of elite real estate brokerages indicate that in 2009, RE/MAX significantly outperformed its national competitors. RISMedia’s 2010 Power Broker Report & Survey ranked 69 RE/MAX brokerages among their Top 300, representing 23% of all ranked brokerages. This showing placed RE/MAX 47% higher than its closest competitor. In the REAL Trends 500 survey, 122 RE/MAX brokerages earned a ranking, giving RE/MAX 24% of the top 500 brokerages in the U.S.
“We are so proud of our sales associates for earning such an impressive distinction, especially considering how difficult today’s market is,” says Margaret Kelly, CEO of RE/MAX International. “The fact is, only the best trained and most experienced agents will find ways to succeed and be able to provide valuable assistance to so many American families facing financial difficulties.”

RE/MAX sales associates had the highest agent productivity of all the national real estate brands. In the RISMedia’s 2010 Power Broker Report & Survey, sales associates affiliated with RE/MAX brokerages averaged an impressive 15.1 transaction sides per agent, an 18% increase over their winning position in last year’s survey, and a performance that placed them 26% higher than the next closest competitor.

Kelly believes a significant factor in the success of RE/MAX sales associates is the comprehensive educational resources available through RE/MAX University. “Our associates lead the industry in sales experience and professional designations. Within the past year, over 15,000 agents earned a distressed property designation from RE/MAX University, our on-demand, multi-media educational institution, and we have significant initiatives that will increase those efforts in the coming year.”

The National Association of Realtors® has said that nearly 40% of the current market consists of distressed properties, including foreclosures and short sales. However, because the short sale process has been difficult for distressed homeowners and Realtors to navigate, RE/MAX has led a lobbying effort in Washington, DC to revise the process. As a result, the Treasury Department announced that as of April 5, all lending institutions participating in HAMP must follow new, uniform short sale procedures.

“We worked long and hard for this reform, and are very pleased that Treasury has now put these short sale measures in place,” says Dave Liniger, Chairman and Co-Founder of RE/MAX International. “With Treasury, we produced a special satellite broadcast to train our agents on the new short sale process. We hope the result is that fewer families will go through the traumatic foreclosure process, and we can reduce the number of foreclosed properties on the market.”

The 22nd annual Power Broker Report is produced by RISMedia and the complete report can be found online at www.rismedia.com [1]. The final REAL Trends 500 survey will be released on May 1, but a preliminary summary is now available online at www.realtrends.com [2].
RISMedia welcomes your questions and comments.

Send your e-mail to: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com [3].

Article printed from RISMedia: http://rismedia.com

URL to article: http://rismedia.com/2010-04-18/national-brokerage-surveys-place-remax-on-top/
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[1] www.rismedia.com: http://www.rismedia.com
[2] www.realtrends.com: http://www.realtrends.com/
[3] realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com: mailto: realestatemagazinefeedback@rismedia.com
[4] Image: http://www.addmarx.com/

Portland Police Shootings

2010-04-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

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I have read all of the articles lately about the Portland Police shootings and have seen how polarizing of an issue it is. This morning I read an article in the Oregonian about the shooting at the Hoyt Arboretum and Officer Jason Walters. Since I was not at the scene, I cannot make a firsthand judgment, but from the sounds of it, this office was put in a very tough position. According to the article:

Walters fired four shots at Jack Dale Collins, 53, after Collins emerged from the restroom and walked toward him, refusing to drop an X-Acto knife Collins gripped in his left hand.

However, if you read the full article, it appears he was thrust into a situation lacking quite a bit of vital information. Then if you read the comments, which I am learning not to do, many of the readers are painting this officer as some sort of a vigilante gun slinging murder. This makes my blood boil!

Being the proud son of a police officer, I am definitely biased, but these people make me sick! This goes along with the protesters that were marching through Portland a week or so back. According to one commenter who posted several times:

Posted by OregonShout.com

April 08, 2010, 8:55AM

May I correct this,... it was a six inch X-Acto tool not a weapon as in WMD..but yes could be a weapon non the less...A startled officer who immediately as his training (military/police) has taught him to do responds with a gun pulled quickly and Jessie James then slams two bullets into the Villianized and crazed man screwed by the commienazisocialmarxist system...that was not bad enough..but then two more shots rang out in the hearing of witnesses...those were the Kill shots IMHO.(correction may be needed)

Last time I checked, you could kill someone with a box knife or an X-Acto knife. See 9/11 transcripts if you need this proof. Secondly, the so called ‘victim’ could have dropped the knife at any point and time and saved his own life. Why is it that there is no accountability for the people that actually caused the problem? He may have been certifiably crazy, but does that change the circumstances that Officer Walters was thrust in to? I don’t care how much ‘Mental Health Training’ the officer had, if a person is irrational, a rational discussion is not going to happen. I would like to see these people that cast stones at the officer insert themselves into the situation and resolve it. Feel free to talk until you are blue in the face, we’ll see if it gets Jack Dale Collins to drop his knife and quit threatening people.

Until you are put into a life or death situation and have to react, don’t throw stones! I have heard the first hand accounts, through my dad, about the life and death decisions officers are put into constantly. Luckily for him, he has never had to shoot anyone. This is not to say he hasn’t been close, but so far he has been able avoid firing his weapon at a person. I understand that there are bad officers out there, just like there are bad people, but for the most part these men and women are heroes. There have been far too many officers killed recently just for wearing the uniform. (See Lakewood) Also, when you’re casting your stones, remember who will be responding when you are in the biggest crisis of your life. It will be a police officer coming to your aid, doing their job, and everything they can do keep you safe and sound!