Late summer tiny letter...
The Portland apartment
I consider myself extremely fortunate to have found my apartment. The building is pretty new, I believe it's about 10 years old. I've come to greatly appreciate modern, proper construction.
To start, there's enough sound control between apartments that I don't hear much from my neighbors. This is a first. Every shared building I've ever lived in has meant listening to others’ noise. Sometimes this is pleasant noise, like laughter, or someone working in the kitchen. Others it's just people who are unnecessarily loud. Shitty musical taste is the worst. (Why, in all my years, have I never felt the need to complain because someone was blasting The Nutcracker Suite at 11 PM on a weeknight?) I'm actually surprised by how very quiet this building is. I'm also very grateful that this allows me to practice my singing without bothering others.
When I lived in the Twin Cities, a neighbor below would make an enormous racket with their pots and pans. It's hard to imagine the visual for this, did they just constantly slam things into each other? When I complained to the management, the response I was given, I am not making this up: “your neighbors have an ‘ethnic cooking style’,” which was supposed to justify or explain the volume of their food preparation.
Mainly, it's nice to live somewhere that was designed for how people live now, rather than 50 or 70 years ago. These may seem like small matters, but having doorways that your furniture fits through without contortions, enough electrical outlets and internet wiring, along with proper fans, including the one that vents cooking odors and heat outside instead of circulating directly back into your face, all add up to a better living experience. Not running cords everywhere, jury-rigging things, etc., reduces friction. I also believe good design makes small space feel larger, which is gentler on both the wallet and the environment. This apartment has about the same square footage as the one I had in Madison, but it feels much larger. High ceilings help.
The Portland Ready Wit
One thing I noticed when I first visited was that, at least compared to the Midwest, people here seem to have a higher level of ready wit. As if improv comedy is an elective in high school. Case in point, after getting a dental filling, I go to the front desk to pay, and pull out my United miles credit card. I say to the office admin, “When I run up enough charges on this, I'll have the miles to visit Peoria,” and her coworker responds, “we can put all our dental work on your card too, and that will get you there faster.” Then the third coworker chimed in, and we were all laughing. I can’t remember the last time anyone at my dentist's office improvised like that.
Making friends, building community
While my past experiences as a visitor to Portland were overwhelmingly positive, I still had some anxiety about building friendships and community here. There are many factors working against this, especially in the United States, especially as we continue to deal with (or in some cases, stick our heads in the sand regarding) the impact of covid on human communication. But I am happy to share that I've never found making connections easier than I find it here.
Between classes and social events, Bumble app’s BFF feature (pro tip—it’s not the worst thing), and a few serendipitous connections, I'm gradually building community. Of course, making good friends, solid, loyal friends you'll know for the rest of your life, that takes time, and there aren't any shortcuts. Still, I appreciate the open vibe. And thankfully, it's not provincial—no one has asked me where I went to high school, or if I'm friends with so-and-so.
What’s different?
People here talk to each other. Often, but not always, it's small talk. But often something contextual, because there is often something interesting, unusual, or whimsical in the environment. For example, the sloth, koala, and other slow-moving animal icons encouraging drivers to go slow.
There's just more receptivity to chats between strangers. The woman who works at the store next door, working on her Star Wars-themed needlepoint on her break. The guy practicing free-form long staff twirling in the nearby park. People with unusual bikes or haircuts. Yes, this is probably the most fertile ground for my silly T-shirt ideas.
Activism works
At present, it's very easy to become discouraged by the rolling dumpster fire that is 2022. But stories like this remind us that activism, thoughtfully applied, can make a real difference.
“They are bending over backwards to bring the plant here.”
Those were not the words I wanted to hear last August when a local environmental advocate returned my phone call about the largest plastic waste processing facility in the world, slated for Macon, Georgia, where I live. Proposed by the San Francisco–headquartered company Brightmark and welcomed by state and city politicians, the plant would be situated 10 miles from my home. It would sprawl across a 5.3-million-square-foot site and would process up to 800 million pounds of plastic waste a year.
Author Jill Neimark walks through the strategy she and fellow community members used to prevent the construction of a dirty, dangerous processing facility in Macon, Georgia.
Vets today are like doctors yesterday
In years previous, I had a cat who lived to the ripe age of 17. Unfortunately, she had a lot of health issues, so I got to know the folks at the veterinarian's office pretty well. I often noticed that they offered more thorough care, were better health detectives, and charged far less then “people doctors.” And while I spent a fair bit of money keeping my cat healthy, I never had navigate the Byzantine world of insurance for her. I often felt she got better care from the vet than I got from my own physician. There was had more time for consultation, and explanations were more detailed.
Of course, there are many important differences between animal care and people care, but as I understand it, the training veterinarians receive is incredibly deep, and they have to deal with multiple species—and patients who don't speak English, or any human language. (Sorry, No-No-No Cat doesn't count.)
My grandfather, trained in an era before strong FDA regulation of medications, was mostly distrustful of medications. He much preferred talk therapy and psychoanalysis, seeing medications as a last resort when those failed. He was very conversant in the studies themselves, though, constantly reading journals to see the latest advances in pharmaceuticals.
Meanwhile, my mom was trained in an era before prior authorizations and the fear of malpractice suits were quite so pervasive. So my mom has always been very comfortable prescribing a variety of medications both on and off-label depending on her patients’ needs. She felt confident in her ability to help her patients navigate side effects when or if they experienced them.
The author goes on to lament the rise of electronic medical records, prior authorizations, the extremely high cost of malpractice insurance, and other factors layered on top of healthcare that make it so damn expensive and needlessly complex.
Read “Vets today are like doctors yesterday”
A few products that have improved my life
Don’t worry dear readers, I’m not diverging into Tim Ferris territory. But as much as I tend to agree with the statement “the best things in life aren’t things,” there are nonetheless things that make life better. Here are a few of mine.
Electric toothbrush
Dentistry is expensive. Anything I can do to minimize that cost, it’s likely worth it. The model really doesn’t matter, as long as it vibrates, it will get the job done. Beware though of the “disposable” models. Something that runs on electricity should not be designed to become useless in six months.
Sodastream
While decrying the foolishness of purchasing bottled water when what comes out of the tap is of higher quality, for some time I was buying sparkling water in 12-packs. While not quite as horrible for the environment, because the water isn’t sourced from distant streams, it’s still incredibly wasteful to transport water. This clever device sits on your countertop, and simply injects CO2 into your water. You can drink it plain or add flavoring, with or without calories. I haven’t done the math to see if it’s actually saving me money, but even if it’s more expensive, it’s worth it. If you go through a ton of sparkling water, you can hook up your own, oversize CO2 canister, which makes this even cheaper.
Instant Pot (pressure cooker)
Pressure cookers used to be expensive items limited to rich people and restaurants. Now you can get one for under $100. There like a crockpot, only fast. Even the least skilled in the kitchen can make something viable within. How do they work? Simply dump everything you want in your stew/dish, hit some buttons, wait, and your meal is done in 10-30 minutes. It also makes perfect hard-boiled eggs. GUDETAMA!!! (If you don’t know Gudetama, please introduce him(?) to your kids.)
Remote electrical outlet switches
Even in a well-designed space, sometimes you have to add lighting, or have electronics that don't come with a convenient switch. I use these little kits to create my own switches. They are great for overhead lights, accent lighting, powered speakers, and anything that uses wall warts (those black cubes you plug in to outlets).
Don't hug me I'm scared
This is one of the most bizarre, irreverent, scary/hilarious videos I've seen in quite a while. It's like The Muppets meets Kafka + bad drug trip. If you like “Too Many Cooks,” this will appeal. Do not show this to your young children.
This doesn't work, but the fantasy remains
Sometimes when I hear people spouting nonsense that they mistake for science, or more specifically, scientific expertise, I wish I could challenge them to read and explain an article like this.
The following is just the headline of an article about an antibody that could potentially be used in the battle against Covid.
Even the article abstract is beyond my comprehension, and I'm okay with that. Of course I also realize that throwing complex science at people who are in denial about how expertise works is not going to be effective. They will just dig in. As for me, I remain in awe of this expertise. Getting to the point where one can understand an article like this is not fast or simple.
This came to mind once again as my dentist injected me with lidocaine. I complimented him on his deft technique. And then I joked, if someone doesn't respect expertise, ask them if they would like to visit an amateur dentist, or be defended by an amateur lawyer.
Post-post PC comedian?
I love the way comedian Matthew Broussard points out the absurdity of political correctness, while still punching up, which good comedy generally does, and makes fun of himself.
No new music for you this time, I'm singing a lot of my favorites for practice, but I haven't discovered any new bands recently. Have you?
Closing quotes
“Being popular and well liked is not in your best interest…if you behave in a manner pleasing to most, then you are probably doing something wrong. The masses have never been arbiters of the sublime, and they often fail to recognize the truly great individual. Taking into account the public’s regrettable lack of taste, it is incumbent on you to not fit in.”
— Janeane Garafalo
“To try and fail is it least to learn; to fail to try is to suffer the inestimable loss of what might have been.”
— Chester Barnard