Troutdale Canfield

Gresham City Council Resignation: Mike Bennett

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:22:00 +0000

From the Gresham Outlook online:
"Mike Bennett announced his resignation from the Gresham City Council of the end of the Tuesday, June 2, meeting, citing work and time conflicts."

Ted Wheeler and Urban Renewal: On The Right Track.

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:54:00 +0000

From the Portland Business Journal:

"Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler wants business leaders and planners exploring whether to create a new Portland central city urban renewal district to take into account how the plan would affect other governments’ budgets. Specifically, Wheeler, a member of a mayoral task force studying the potential new district, warned that urban renewal benefits must be balanced with the needs of schools and human services agencies. Wheeler worries that the district could steer funds for education and social programs into economic development."

A Good Evening For Heron Watching

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:32:00 +0000

While going for a walk along Beaver Creek last night at about 8pm, we turned a corner and right in front of us, no more than 30 feet away, stood a blue heron in the middle of the creek. We were shielded by a tree branch and leaves, and both of us froze the second we spotted the heron. We were able to watch the heron poke around in the creek for over 15 minutes. When it stood still, it looked just like a piece of wood sticking up from the creek. If we didn't know it was there, we never would have seen it. When the heron finally spotted us, it turned and lifted off silently, flying upstream away from us. Its huge wingspan barely cleared the foliage on the sides of the creek. To be so close to such a beautiful creature for so long was a great experience. I just wish I had brought a camera.

A Day At Washington Park

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Sun, 17 May 2009 03:09:00 +0000

Memories of Mom

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:16:00 +0000

"The Wonder Years" wasn't just a TV show to our family. Thanks to our mom, we are living a lifetime of Wonder Years. Mom gave us a love of reading. Trips to the library were a regular treat. One summer mom and I got caught up in one UFO book after another, and we literally scared ourselves into believing aliens would kidnap us at any moment. It was the best kind of scared to be, because I knew my mom would be kidnapped with me when the aliens came, and it would be ok.

Even when times were tough, Mom gave us the gift of music. She bought Susie a violin, me a trumpet, and Debbie, well, Debbie had to be different. She wanted to play the drums. When I think of the expense of buying those instruments today, I am in awe of the sacrifices she made for us.

Mom did the laundry, made our meals, painted the house, refinished the kitchen cupboards, kept the house clean, kept the yard nice. Mom tried her very best to feed us good meals, but we seldom cooperated. We hid liver in our baked potato skins. We'd fill our mouths with veggies, ask to go to the bathroom, and spit out the offending food.

When we were young, mom knew how to keep us busy. A favorite trick was to give us a salt shaker and send us into the back yard. She told us if we poured salt on a bird's tail, the bird would let us pet it. We fell for this scam for years. Mom got us on the local kiddie TV shows- Heck Harper, Ramblin' Rod, and Romper Room. In fact, one of my prized possessions is my autographed picture of Romper Room's Miss Dorothy, dated March 30, 1962.

There were times that mom got fed up with all of us. Once, she pretended she was a robot for three days. Whenever we demanded something from her, she would say, in robot voice, "I am not your mother, I am the perfect robot". Our mom knew how to tweak her kids and have fun at the same time!

Mom was the one who rescued our sister Trisha from the furnace room after I locked her inside. Mom was the one who made sure I had the right clothes to wear for band concerts, even when I gave her only an hour's notice.

Mom also introduced my wife Tana to the pleasures of an afternoon martini on their many shopping trips.

The least few years were hard for mom as she was less able to get around. Our family is eternally grateful to my sister Debra for taking such loving care of mom over the last few years. Debra's caring and compassion for mom as she made the transition from her old life to a new life away from pain and suffering will remain with me always.

The loss of a loved one is a difficult burden to bear. It may seem impossible, in our grief, to find understanding or comfort. There is little physical or mental comfort from grief in the short term.

I think the Greek poet Aeschylus said it best over two thousand years ago when he wrote, "He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep, the pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God."

Thanks, Mom! We miss you.

Liberal Tactics Explained

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:07:00 +0000

I Need To Join This 12-Step Group Immediately

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 05:49:00 +0000

Opie Taylor, Commie.

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:30:00 +0000

Hollywood director Ron Howard (aka Opie Taylor, aka Richie Cunningham), interviewed Friday night on Real Time with Bill Maher, thinks the U.S. has jumped the shark, but things will be better under Obama's socialist regime. Howard said, "Our lives are going to be better” because “we're going to be more progressive.” Sounds like Ron Howard jumped the shark to me. Here's more of the interview (h/t to Newsbusters):

"BILL MAHER: Let me ask you about America, we've seen better days. We're sort of in place that has made a lot of people nervous. Some people would say this country has jumped the shark. What do you think the future is?
RON HOWARD: I'm a very optimistic person and I don't want to feel like there isn't growth, but there needs to be an adjustment anyway. You know, making Da Vinci Code and then Angels and Demons I've actually spent a lot more time in Europe and working with crew members and actors and understanding how they live and how they think and they grow up. And you know, I feel that we are going to -- that there is going to be an adjustment -- and that we are going to shift and that you know we're not going to-

MAHER: For the better.

HOWARD: I think ultimately for the better, by my standards, because I think our lives are going to be better, I think we're going to be more progressive.

MAHER: Because we're less bloated and less-

HOWARD: Yeah, and I don't think we'll be, at a certain point I don't think we'll be so consumed with being the pre-eminent super-power and, you know, driven by sort of militarism and this need to export, you know, democracy."

Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:43:00 +0000

(h/t to Harry Flanagan)

Fishing For Rocks

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 06:32:00 +0000

Our Dog's Rock Obsession

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 05:20:00 +0000

"I comprehend the hock of themselves is to coin this a wonderful 21st century Multnomah County library branch"

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 03:34:00 +0000

I wish I could take credit for the following article on library.musiced.net. Probably computer generated. But if not, it's still hilarious! Here's the complete text of the post:

Commissioners won’t budge on to the skin mall library site

“We contain a rightness best here.”
Commissioner Jeff Cogen, who said he initially backed the Discovery Block area help of care of of the interchange hew down help of put an end to year, agreed.
“All things being commensurate, I would’ve supported” a freestanding library, he said. “But all things are not commensurate. There isn’t such a subject as a pre-eminent describe here.”
Mayor Kight, who drummed up Troutdale City Council stomach at an difficulty appointment Tuesday, March 31, said he was enable to filch out like a light down in the consequence of the provisions appointment. He indicated, how, that he’s content to emigrate on to the next side in getting the library established. “Hopefully, residents discretion come away strings it to the the gen that there’s a oodles of shortcomings to this identified with area.

“They’re affluent to deliver in a library,” he said. A oodles of people discretion be enable to filch out like a light down that it’s clearly in Wood Village, on the western uptight of Troutdale. But at the pointless of the interval, I reckon people discretion masterpiece the library.”
He praised his comrade councilors to safeguard rallying to intent concerns help of care of of the provisions.
“The other urban department councilors, who I deliberating did a breathtaking affair, made completely compelling arguments in getting Troutdale more entangled with in the attitude steadfastness,” he said.
One affect that alone came to the council’s concentration this week is that Regency Centers - holder of Cherry Park Marketplace - has deliver the plaza up to safeguard bargain-priced.

Anchored during a Safeway supermarket, Cherry Park Marketplace also houses a Hollywood Video franchise, a US Bank branch and El Tapatio Restaurant. Along with the center’s contradictory facts of occupancy, it makes Kight less than carefree with the site’s long-term viability.
“That branch of the ransack mall is distressed,” he said. “(The owners) call for to call this means. A 20-year sublease with the county makes it a much more marketable commodity.”
Mike Sublett, with Multnomah County Facilities and Property Management, countered the personification that the center being to safeguard bargain-priced creates a concealed confound anent a protect sublease. I’m confident they’re popping their champagne corks.

He said the site’s 10-year sublease with three five-year options represents a longer hock than other developers offered.
“It does not smash us negatively,” he said, noting that the neat Albina library branch in Northeast Portland is in a shopping center that’s been bought and sold. “We’ve had branches where the means changed hands, and it was masked to us.
With siting questions contemporary resolved, he said he and comrade county officials look help of care of to cooperating with Troutdale leaders to intent the library concept toward facts in fact. It’s a well-written sublease.”
The library at Cherry Park could be operational during at daybreak 2010, Sublett said.
“I comprehend the hock of themselves is to coin this a wonderful 21st century Multnomah County library branch,” he said.

Multnomah County Commission Approves Cherry Park Library Site

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:08:00 +0000

The vote was unanimous. Read the agenda item here.

LIVEBLOG:Troutdale Library-Troutdale City Council Work Session

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 05:17:00 +0000

. . .at the troutdale city council emergency work session about Multnomah County library siting decision.

at 7:08pm March 31

Mayor Kight is complaining about the strip mall site.

at 7:13pm March 31

mayor kight is now promoting the downtown troutdale sites, implying the owners of the cherry park site are not troutdale residents and not worthy of selection.

at 7:17pm March 31 via

no multnomah county officials are present.

at 7:20pm March 31

Mayor kight reading a statement from the county that essentially said no site is perfect.

at 7:27pm March 31

councilor wand asking questions about city zoning and tenant improvement codes. City admin nelson replied conditional use would apply. Wand is now suggesting the city council could change land use code to restrict library siting in the strip mall.

at 7:32pm March 31

councilor daoust wants the city council to agree to some sort of counter proposal tn present to the county by the end of this meeting.

at 7:36pm March 31

councilor wand is claiming multnomah county officials showed much animosity toward strip mall sites in the past.

at 7:42pm March 31

developer dean herford saying its hard to keep the county focus on developer point of view.

at 7:46pm March 31

herford says county wont return his phone calls and has been leaving messages for 3 weeks.

at 7:47pm March 31

hereford wants to hold county to its own selection standards.

at 7:54pm March 31

one of site selection members said cherry park owner indicated that el tapatio restaurant could be moved so library could get endcap space.

at 8:04pm March 31

developer neil handy said county added wish list items on top of criteria. He also said county came to him to come up with a proposal. He said if he had known of cost criteria mentioned in diane mckeels press release, he would not have given a proposal. Handy said he felt deceived. He said the county gave us a jail, a dog pound, and now a library in a strip mall.

at 8:06pm March 31

some in this meeting say the cherry park mall is owned by a florida corp. .

at 8:34pm March 31

councilor wand is proposing the city play hardball and change land use code to prevent siting of library in strip mall. Says county is punishing us for not giving up 242 right of way.

at 8:37pm March 31

meeting attendees now advocating secession from multnomah county. Emotions running high.

at 8:54pm March 31

councilor daoust suggesting that city council ask the county to give city council opportunity to take over site selection process.

at 8:59pm March 31

mayor kight proposed a financial sweetener to help make other sites more attractive.

at 9:03pm March 31

a meeting attendee accused city council of buying a downtown library site. Mayor kight denies accusation.

at 9:08pm March 31

consensus on council seems to be ask county for 30 day hold on site selection vote

at 9:11pm March 31

councilor wand encouraging everyone to attend county comm. meeting on thur.

at 9:16pm March 31

county accused of *procedural mumbo jumbo* by a site selection committee member.

at 9:23pm March 31

meeting is basically over. City council is now working out talking points for presentation to county commission.

at 9:28pm March 31

i agree, joe! These meetings should be on streaming video!

at 9:37pm March 31

council now talking about an emphasis on approaching county commission with *spirit of cooperation*. Wow what happened to the pitchforks and secession bravado!?

at 9:40pm March 31

councilor wand says council should extend olive branch to county commission.

Troutdale City Council Shouldn't Second Guess County's Library Decision

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 06:15:00 +0000

The Troutdale City Council apparently got its feathers ruffled by Multnomah County Commissioner Diane McKeel's recommendation to site a new Troutdale branch of the Multnomah County library in the Cherry Park shopping center. I've heard all the arguments. It was the worst of all options. The County was only supposed to use the Cherry Park site as a bargaining chip when negotiating with other sites and/or developers. The proposed new library is too close to the existing Fairview library. The County didn't listen to the siting committee or other stakeholders. '

For the sake of discussion, let's say all of those arguments are true. Do any of those arguments change the fact that the library is a COUNTY library and not a CITY library? Does it change the fact that the library will be funded by Multnomah County and not the City of Troutdale? Does it change the fact that Troutdale is not the decision maker for anything having to do with Multnomah County libraries?

Our city council should keep its nose out of library siting decisions and put their grindstone to Troutdale's more pressing issues, such as the area's gang problems, Troutdale's impending budget crisis, how to find money to keep Troutdale's roads in good condition, and finding a developer for Troutdale's urban renewal area.

Troutdale Denies County Request For Vacation of 242nd Right of Way

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:03:00 +0000

I woke up this morning to read the news that the Troutdale City Council rejected Multnomah County's request to vacate the 242nd right of way. The vote was 5-2 against. I attended the city council meeting last night, but only until the 9pm break. All the big guns were there. County Chair Ted Wheeler, County Commissioner Diane McKeel, and plenty of their staffers attended. Also in attendance were Metro Councilor Rod Park and some Metro Staffers. Representatives from McMenamins and the Reynolds School District were there, but I left before they testified.

I won't go into the details of the meeting, but the issues and the arguments were pretty much the same as the last time the city council was asked to vacate the right of way. Read about it here.

I have one concern about this. The votes to vacate the right of way weren't there on the city council. My own informal poll of city councilors this week never tallied 4 votes in favor of giving up the right of way. There were only 2 solid yes votes and only one swing vote. The other 4 were solid no votes. This was a dead issue. So who was it on the city council that insisted on putting this issue back on the agenda, dragging this lame duck of an issue through a five hour city council meeting and wasting everyone's time when the end result was known to most of the players?

In a side note, I give a tip of the hat to County Chair Ted Wheeler, who stayed for the entire city council meeting until nearly midnight, and then was up bright and early this morning for a lobbying visit to Salem. I left the city council meeting at 9pm. We were both wrong on our "March Madness" city council vote predictions, Ted. But you win the endless meeting endurance race.

Bad Toastmaster Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:37:00 +0000

You're a lousy speaker. So you joined Toastmasters. Now, you're a lousy Toastmaster. There's a groaner of a bad joke. One of many bad ideas when you're in Toastmasters- don't tell a stale joke like this.

The #1 bad idea if you're a Toastmaster: don't obsess over the skills and techniques you've learned. I heard a story about a guy who knew he was obsessing over being a Toastmaster when, at an all-company staff meeting, his boss started talking about impending layoffs, and all the guy could think about was that his boss should get out from behind the lectern, and get rid of his notes.

Last year, I came up with what I thought at the time was a good idea- create a new duty at each Toastmaster meeting. In addition to the traditional roles of Toastmaster, Table Topic Master, Speaker, Evaluator, Timer, Ah Counter, etc., I believed a new duty should be added to each meeting: Godfathermaster. This bright idea came to me after giving a speech at a meeting last year. I thought it was a decent speech. But my evaluator kicked me to the curb. He trashed me. "I couldn't understand what you were talking about. And what I didn't understand, I didn't agree with you. Your speech SUCKED!!". Wow. Did that guy tick me off, or what? Ironically, the club voted my speech as the best of the week.

On the drive home from that meeting, I sucked it up and wrote off the experience as just another learning moment. But I fantasized about revenge. You remember the scene in the Godfather, when the big time movie producer wakes up in his bed, only to discover, much to his horror, that he has been sleeping with a bloody horse's head? That's the kind of revenge I fantasized about. In my mind's eye, I visualized my tormenter, the negative speech evaluator, slowly waking up in his bed, only to see his eyes open wider and wider in terror. Because he's looking at me, next to him in bed, showing off my "best speaker" blue ribbon. Ok, Godfathermaster. A bad idea. I get that now.

Finally, I have a suggestion for Toastmaster clubs everywhere: don't have your meetings in a location that has those hot air hand dryers in the restrooms. I heard about one club that reported a disturbing incident. In the men's room, someone posted a sign above the hot air hand dryer that said, "For a sample of this week's Toastmaster speeches, push button".

No respect, no respect.

Things to do while you're suffering from writers block

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:08:00 +0000

Listen to the radio.

Have another bite of corned beef.

Have another sip of beer.

Exchange a funny quip or two with the Mrs.

High-Five the Mrs. for her fantastic corned beef.

Put an Oregon Ducks sweatshirt on the dog.

Thumb through a Toastmasters magazine.

Wonder what happened to your first car.

Read Sam's short story.

Remind yourself to fix that towel bar in the bathroom.

Stare at the laptop screen and wonder where the heck did all the pithy ideas go.

Walk the fine line between motivation and procrastination.

Cross your arms and look at your watch.

Sit up straight. Get serious. Let the fingers fly on the keyboard. That didn't last long.

Look at your watch again.

Listen to the Mrs. say, "What's this?"

Watch the Mrs. squint at me when I don't answer her.

Have another sip of beer.

Fool around with your cell phone.

Read some e-mails.

Wish it was springtime and you were taking pictures on Steens Mountain.

Visualize the Fish Lake campground on Steens Mountain, and remember a certain cold September night when you and the Mrs. sat in front of the campfire and were awed by the horizon to horizon blanket of stars.

Quit fooling around and write something, anything.

Obama's High Ethics, Bipartisan Pledges? "So Last Year"

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:20:00 +0000

"Not long ago, after a string of especially bad days for the Obama administration, a veteran Democratic pol approached me with a pained look on his face and asked, "Do you think they know what they're doing?"
The question caught me off guard because the man is a well-known Obama supporter. As we talked, I quickly realized his asking suggested his own considerable doubts.

Yes, it's early, but an eerily familiar feeling is spreading across party lines and seeping into the national conversation. It's a nagging doubt about the competency of the White House."

---Michael Goodwin, in the March 15, 2009 Daily News.

Kia Hampsters Know How To Ride!

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 20:18:00 +0000

I'm Sure The Leftists Are Still Glowing

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:35:00 +0000

After watching President Obama's speech tonight, I was left with the bitter aftertaste of disgust. While hubris-laden leftists across the country are surely still chanting Obama's name. . .Obama ho renge kyo...Obama ho renge kyo. . . in their post-speech trances, it is depressing to think about the long term damage the Obama administration is about to unleash on our nation. It doesn't take a village to figure out what will happen to the good old U.S. after it gets hit by the socialist tsunami of nationalized banks, health care, education, mortgages, cars, etc.

California is the canary in the coal mine. And California is dying. With Obama in charge, the U.S. isn't far behind.

Paglia: "Is the government drunk/crazy?"

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:56:00 +0000

Link:

They Spent A Trillion Dollars of YOUR Money Without Even Reading The Bill

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:44:00 +0000

Valentines Day Stimulus Federal Oath of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:51:00 +0000

I stayed up late last night reading all 1200 pages of Obama's stimulus package. Much to my surprise, Valentine's Day will be taken over by the Federal Government, with many mandatory new rules. For instance, each "user" of Valentines Day will be required to sign the following "stimulus oath" of love:

"I promise to faithfully protect and defend the holiday of Valentines Day. I promise to spend no less than $100 for each recipient on my list of Valentines Day lovers, family members, mistresses, dominatrices, one night stands, high school school crushes, husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, or domestic partners. In the spirit of Valentines Day, I promise not to purchase as a Valentines gift any of the following items: vacuum cleaners, washing machines, dryers, sewing machines, bathroom cleaning supplies, botox injections, fast food restaurant gift certificates, SUV's, private jets, or any other items designated by this stimulus bill as "non-romantic" spending. "

Hidden deep within the stimulus bill is an appropriation of $14 billion dollars for "Valentines Day Gift Rebates". Valentines day users will be able to call a toll-free number and ask for a $100 voucher for reimbursement of any federally approved Valentines gift purchases. However, anyone who fails to sign the Valentines Day Stimulus Oath of Love will be ineligible for the voucher.

(FYI, this is a fantasy. Unfortunately, the "stimulus" is not.)

Bill Lumburgh Returns!

noreply@blogger.com (Troutdale Canfield) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 06:45:00 +0000

"Milt, we're gonna need to go ahead and move you downstairs into storage B. We have some new people coming in, and we need all the space we can get. So if you could just go ahead and pack up your stuff and move it down there, that would be terrific, OK?"

Bill Lumburgh and the rest of the TPS report fanatics met for a 10 year reunion of the classic film Office Space. Read about the reunion at the Dallas Observer.