The Buck and Mike Blog

I’m sure there is some virtue in keeping my desk clean and neat all the time, but obviously I don’t see it.

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries. —A.A. Milne, author of Winnie the Pooh.

A bill currently before the Minnesota state legislature would ban marriages between people who don’t love each other.

We can see that JoFong sells more, but what else? Any ideas?

So, you can visit this theater 24/7, but only Fridays and Saturdays? Huh?

You know those ads in the right-hand column of your Facebook page that are supposed to target you based on your demographics? I especially like this one that appeared yesterday.

I’m sure a lot of 61-year-old men would love to have this driver’s license picture.

Facebook

This church is near our local post office in Portland. Every time I see it I see a cross wearing headphones. Am I crazy?

You might remember Britt Savage from my blog earlier in the year about the dress she designed and built out of IRS tax forms. (See the blog post here and see pictures and the story of the tax dress here.) It was the best use I’ve ever seen for tax forms. She held an eBay auction and gave the money to charity.

Well, she’s back! This time, the ex-Playboy Bunny, gas station attendant, and $100,000 Star Search Female Vocalist Champion has created a wonderful dress made from Christmas gift wrap. She is wearing it to a singing gig in Nashville tonight, then selling it on eBay and donating the procedes to charity. Check out the auction and more pictures of the dress here. It’s a great gift for someone for Christmas.

It is unique and wonderful and fits within our Reduce/Reuse/Recycle ethic. More and more artist are beginning to recycle materials nowadays. I wish more fashion folks would do the same thing. It’s responsible, inventive, and great fun. Best of luck, Britt. How about a dress this spring made out of Easter grass?

Read a nice article and interview on Nashville Music Buzz and check out her music on iTunes and Amazon.com by searching for “Britt Savage.”

Britt Savage, Reduce/Reuse/Recycle, Nashville Music Buzz

Many people are posting their Christmas wish lists so friends and family have some hints. I don’t have one, so here is my list of things not to give me. Thanks, anyway, for thinking of me.

Kilt Beach Towel	Obama Chia Pet	Hello Kitty Toilet Seat
Viagra Switch Plate	Revolver Hair Dryer	USB-powered Toothbrush

A commentary. Click the image to learn more.

I ran to the Dollar Store for a couple things last week and couldn’t help seeing this display of finger puppets for the children’s fable “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” Don’t get me wrong, I love puppets and finger puppets are just plain fun. But the only one they had was the naked version of the Emperor. I’m wondering what kind of stories dads would tell their kids at night with just this one finger puppet.

So I’m sending it to my son-in-law to see what he comes up with.

A Portland phenomenon, the Zoobombers started their wacky rides in the autumn of 2002. They ride MAX to the top of the Oregon Zoo, then take an elevator even higher. Then they mount tiny children’s bikes and careen down the hill at breakneck speed (and there have been lots of broken bones). Assuming they make it to the bottom alive, they climb back on MAX and do it again. They often blow through stop signs, sometimes drink too much, usually make lots of noise, and at the end of the event leave the bikes in a pile for others to borrow for the next ride.

Unfortunately, the pile of bikes was an unsightly mess until early this summer. The Zoobombers joined forces with the Regional Arts and Culture Council to hire local artists Brian Borrello and Vanessa Renwick to create a piece of functional public art, now home to the mini-bikes. The Holy Pyle and Bicycle Library, topped by a gold mini-bike, was dedicated earlier this summer after a procession from the old site to the new one, including dance moves by the Sprockettes and a few words by the mayor.

Egalitarian, free, dangerous, artistic, youth-oriented, and weird, it’s all pure Portland.

On Friday, Portland stonemason Reed Cole (age 30) didn’t feel much like working. His boss spotted a beat-up piano left on the curb and, knowing Cole moonlighted as a musician, made him a deal. They hauled the piano to the work site and Cole got paid to play the piano while his boss cut stone all day.

Only in Portland.