Author: Mitchell Laurren-Ring

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Vital Statistics

Portland’s daily newspaper, The Oregonian, has an article about barefooting today that has a few paragraphs featuring me. The interview and picture sessions actually happened last fall so it was a bit of a surprise when Aimee Green (the author) called this weekend to let me know if was coming out today. The printed version appears on the front page of the “Living” section and features a rather large picture of my feet on the escalator at Pioneer Place (a mall not far from CPS). There’s a second picture of me on the Max on the inside page where the story is continued.

Update 4/27: Some editions of yesterday’s Oregonian had a picture of my feet in the teaser frame on the front page. I made the front page!

When Aimee was researching the story, she found my web page on the Internet and emailed me. She described the article she was writing and asked if I would like to participate. I answered affirmatively and invited her to a Barefoot Hike, a monthly occurence during favorable weather. As it turned out, Thomas and I were the only ones to turn up at the hike, so she walked with us for awhile and we talked about all things barefoot.

Not long after that, she contacted me again and asked if she could join me for my commute some morning. I agreed and she and a photographer met me at the Gateway Transit Center for a Max ride and a short walk to my office. Having the photographer with us was weird because he kept running ahead of us and snapping photos of my feet. Aimee also had to keep dodging out of the picture as we talked. It was quite amusing, actually.

They returned for lunch the same day and we went to the food court in Pioneer Place with the intent of encountering as many people as possible to see their reaction. The photographer took more pictures and we went to the Apple Store, where I had no particular business but I always visit when I’m close. They wouldn’t allow any pictures inside the store, so we left after a short time.

And that was it until a couple of months ago when another photographer contacted me and asked if he could ride the Max with me. I’m not exactly sure why that was necessary, but I agreed to it. That’s why I’m wearing shorts in the picture on the escalator (fall) and sweats on the Max (winter). I’m happy with the picture of my feet, but I look terrible on the Max. I really dislike pictures of myself.

The whole experience was amusing and gratifying, I have to admit. Being able to ramble on about barefooting for many minutes to an engaged audience was unlike anything I had experienced before. It made me feel important and interesting. Funny, I know.

I still haven’t read the whole article (I’ll do that tonight when I get home), but I did read the parts about me. I find it a bit disconcerting that she chose to use the quote about stepping in shit, but I suppose that’s how these things work. Oh well.

Bike odometer: 6061 miles
Current reading: Forgotten Promise by Gretchen Von Loewe Kreuter, Smoke and Guns by Kirsten Baldock and Fabio Moon
Recent listening: Shaday by Ofra Haza, Not Blue by Various Artists, Tie Your Mix Down by Various Artists, Crooked Fingers by Crooked Fingers, Rainy Day Music by The Jayhawks
Recent viewing: Medium, CSI: Miami, Wizards at Cavaliers, Kings at Spurs, Sportscenter, Countdown
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: n/a
Imperative To Do: Bike repairs, get watch fixed
Cool link: Model Denied US Entry—The story is slightly amusing but the two pictures are priceless!

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Wizards at Cavaliers

  • What happened to Lebron James tonight was pretty unbelievable. Not only was he missing jump shots left and right, he was missing layups and even dunks. After showing that he was the real deal in Game 1 with a triple double, he turned in a 28% shooting night, had 2 assists, 10 turnovers and made some really bad decisions down the stretch. Of course, he’ll probably have a monster game in Game 3.
  • Neither on of these teams is good enough to go very far in the playoffs. There were turnovers and bad plays throughout the game. The winner of the series gets to play Detroit who will undoubtedly take apart either of these teams.
  • I can’t think of a basketball commentator that I dislike more than Jeff Van Gundy. He doesn’t provide any meaningful insight and tonight he was horribly biased for the Wizards. Unfortunately, he was teamed with Doc Rivers, who shares many of his coaching philosophies. When they both started talking about how much the fans loved to see a good hard foul, I just wanted them to stop. I’d really rather see basketball played. Coaches don’t really understand at all what fans want and they should just STFU on the subject.
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Vital Statistics

We had a good weekend. Thomas got 2nd in the Regional Pinewood Derby Championship and tied the track record for a short time before the 1st place winner smashed it. The weather was beautiful and we spent some time outside both days. The 2006 NBA Playoffs are also underway which is one of the highlights of my year.

Bike odometer: 6041 miles
Current reading: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
Recent listening: Dreamboat Annie, Copperhead Road, Rainy Day Music, Throw Down Your Arms
Recent viewing: Paycheck, Bulls at Heat, Nuggets at Clippers, Pacers at Nets, Lakers at Suns, Bucks at Pistons, Memphis at Dallas, Wizards at Cavaliers
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: Fixed Graham’s Pinewood Derby car (glued front axle), mowed lawn, paid bills
Imperative To Do: Bike repairs, get watch fixed

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Vital Statistics

I haven’t had much of a chance to truck shop this week, but I do have a few questions for you, readers:

  1. If I’m looking for an early 90s vintage small truck, which makes/models are typically low maintenance?
  2. What questions should I ask sellers when I call them?

Bike odometer: 6032 miles
Current reading: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
Recent listening: Buddy Holly, Grace, Has Been
Recent viewing: Countdown, The Colbert Report, Sportscenter, The Office
Recent playing: n/a
Recently Accomplished: n/a
Imperative To Do: Fix Graham’s Pinewood Derby car (a little glue), mow lawn (front and back)
Cool link: Pimp My Snack

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Vital Statistics

Saw another truck on my way to work this morning. It was a 1993 Mazda B2000 (or something like that) for a little more than $2000. I got the phone number and will call tonight.

Bike odometer: 6024 miles
Current reading: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
Recent listening: Buddy Holly, Rainy Day Music, Spirit Trail (Disc 1 only), Rock ‘N’ Roll, Love Is A Dog From Hell, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Has Been
Recent viewing: South Park, Countdown, Without A Trace
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: n/a
Imperative To Do: Fix Graham’s Pinewood Derby car (a little glue), bike repairs, truck shopping, mow lawn (front and back)
Cool link: Funny Video

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Vital Statistics

As promised, here’s a picture of the truck that I was thinking about buying:

After I asked a number of stupid questions, my co-worker concluded that I was not man enough for such a truck. Alas, I have to agree. So I have been browsing Craigslist to get an idea of what kinds of trucks are out there and how much they cost. I’ve been narrowing my criteria and this is what I’ve come up with so far:

 

  • $3000 or less
  • Less than 150,000 miles, preferably less than 125,000
  • Less than 15 years old
  • Extended cab
  • Gas mileage doesn’t matter much
  • Tags good, recently passed DEQ
  • Owner will let John Mechanic check it out at his home

My co-workers seem to have an anti-American car bias and recommend Nissan trucks. My sense is that both Ford and Dodge make fine trucks (my little Mitsubishi is really a Dodge). Although my preference is probably a smaller truck, I’m not going to use it for commuting, so bigger trucks are OK, too. I’ve always been attracted to SUVs, but not so attracted to SUV pricing. Does anybody make an SUV with a rear bed?

Current reading: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
McCartney Trivia: According the the book I’m reading, George Harrison’s “Something” was written about his then-wife, Patti. Years later, George’s best friend would write another song about Patti, with whom he had fallen in love. The friend was Eric Clapton and his song is “Layla”. (last installment)
Recent listening: Decade
Recent viewing: Nova, World Poker Tour, Saturday Night Live
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: Taxes done, entered and reconciled half.com transactions
Imperative To Do: Bike repairs, truck shopping
Cool link: Craigslist RSS feed: An RSS reader allows you to watch for new and updated postings. Unfortunately, you can’t save your search criteria (“truck” + price range) as an RSS address.

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Vital Statistics

After discussion with a co-worker about the merits of the 1975 Ford F-100 that I was considering for purchase, I have come to the conclusion that I am not cut out for such a truck. I’m not adept at vehicle maintenance at all, and contrary to my earlier beliefs, old trucks require quite a bit of maintenance (for example, tune-ups every 12,000 miles). I have decided to target the sub-3000 dollar market and am hoping to land a 90’s era truck. I hear Nissan’s are excellent, but please weigh in with your personal opinions in the comments below.

I’m finishing off my taxes today. This year I’m using TurboTax Online to fill out and file my taxes. It’s very much like the TurboTax CD-based software that I have been using for over 10 years but doesn’t require a local installation – just a web browser. Unfortunately, choosing to wait until the 14th to do your taxes online is not necessarily a good idea because there are evidently many other people dragging the servers down today.

Current reading: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
McCartney Trivia: John wrote “Because” after Yoko played the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven for him. John asked her to play it backwards and based the chords for “Because” on the backwards version that she played.
Recent listening: Rock ‘N’ Roll, Throw Down Your Arms
Recent viewing: The Alternative, Power Fuse, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: Neared completion of taxes
Imperative To Do: Taxes, lube bike, fix bike fender, fix bike pedal
Cool link: A Victory for Bicyclist

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Vital Statistics

I called the number on the truck and got some more information:

  • 1975 Ford F-100 with 124,000 miles
  • Four on the floor, new clutch
  • Rebuilt engine that has 24,000 miles on it
  • New radiator
  • Priced at $1800, but will sell for less (guy has a $1200 tax bill)
  • He’ll let me drive it to my mechanic’s across town
  • Has not done any work on the front end (including the bushings) and there is 2″ of sway (which might mean it’s hard to steer)
  • Won’t go over 85 mph because of the four-speed, but gets 14 mpg because of the 2-barrel

I snapped some pictures this morning which I’ll put up later today.

Bike odometer: 5990 miles
Current reading: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
McCartney Trivia: If is well-known by Beatle fans that “Sexy Sadie” was written for the Maharishi (substitute “Maharishi” for “Sexy Sadie” when singing). As the story goes, John became disillusioned with the Maharishi because the guru made a pass at a girl (often said to be Mia Farrow or her sister but was likely just a blonde who looked like Mia Farrow) in their camp. In fact, the allegation was probably fabricated by a guy named Magic Alex who was a well-known hanger-on who had attached himself to John Lennon. After Magic Alex got John worked up over the allegation of impropriety (which is not necessarily inconsistent with the Maharishi’s teachings), Lennon did not even allow the Maharishi to answer the charge – he just packed up and went back to England. Later, when recording the White Album, George begged John to change the lyrics because he still admired the Maharishi.
Recent listening: Decade, Amore
Recent viewing: Sportscenter, Countdown, Distraction, South Park
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: New truck stuff, found my missing W2s
Imperative To Do: Taxes, lube bike, fix bike fender, fix bike pedal, take truck to John Mechanic
Cool link: The Development Abstraction Layer: Why are some software companies successful while others aren’t?

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Vital Statistics

Got the verdict from my mechanic last night: 400 dollars if he only has to replace one valve. Add another hundred if I want to get my heater fixed. Tina and I already decided that we wouldn’t put more than 400 into it, so it’s sayonara to my old truck. I tried to give it to my mechanic, but he said he’s already got too many “projects” sitting around at his house. I’ll probably try Craigslist or I may donate it. I’ve considered taking the sucker apart and trying to fix it myself, but I’d probably have to pay to have it towed then.

Yesterday I spotted a replacement candidate on my ride to work. It’s a four-wheel drive, late 70’s/early 80’s old Ford. The sign in the window says $1800, I think. I wrote down the phone number this morning and will have more info about it soon. A sign in the passenger window claimed it had a recently rebuilt engine and a new clutch and something else I don’t remember. I think older cars are simpler to maintain but I could be wrong. Let me know what you think.

For the second day in a row, there was a FedEx truck blocking the bike lane outside my office. This time the guy was inside, so I stopped and politely asked him to please park closer to the curb so as not to block the bike lane. He said he would try but it’s hard when it’s a tight squeeze. I thanked him and left.

Bike odometer: 5983 miles
Current reading: Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, 9-11 by Noam Chomsky
McCartney Trivia: “I like writing sad songs, it’s a good bag to get into because you can actually acknowledge some deeper feelings of your own and put them in it. It’s a good vehicle, it saves having to go to a psychiatrist.” – Paul
Recent listening: Lifted or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground, De-Loused in the Comatorium, Throw Down Your Arms, Has Been, Science Friday, KBOO Bike Show
Recent viewing: Countdown, Sportscenter, CSI: Miami
Recent playing: Poker Room
Recently Accomplished: Got most of the tax materials together, dropped van off for repair
Imperative To Do: Taxes, lube bike, fix bike fender, fix bike pedal, buy a truck
Cool link: Rate My Professors: Every school in America is listed. Find your favorite prof and rate them.

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Illegal Immigration

We’re having immigration demonstrations in downtown Portland today and we had an impromptu debate about it in my office. I think people are resentful of illegal immigrants and fear that they are taking part of America from each of us, whether it be jobs, services, etc. I think those are valid concerns if those things are being taken away. I’m actually not sure that is the case. Don’t most government services require some sort of proof of citizenship? For example, when I recently renewed my license, I had to have two different pieces of citizenship proof. And doesn’t everybody agree that most of the jobs in question are low-paying jobs that most Americans don’t really want?

Here’s a couple of things to think about:

  • Jon Stewart joked about how he was going to have a hard time telling his son that he wouldn’t be able to live out his lifelong dream of becoming a hedge-trimmer or the guy who hands out towels in the men’s bathroom.
  • The local news interviewed a couple of illegal immigrants at a rally in Salem. One had been here for 25 years and the other had been here for 18. They have tried for years to become citizens.
  • When we talk about building a wall along 700 miles of the Mexican border, do we consider whether the cost of building/maintaining that wall is roughly equal to however much illegal immigrants are costing us in government services now?
  • Although illegal immigrants don’t always pay income taxes, they definitely pay other taxes like sales and property taxes. Also, those who are paid by legitimate employers put in social security and medicaid money that is a gift to us – they will never collect.
  • There are approximately 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. today. Does anybody deny that most of them are among the hardest working, yet lowest paid people in our country? Does anybody consider the economic impact of removing these people from the economy? What if lettuce farmers and meat packers and landscapers had to start paying real wages? Higher prices is what it means.
  • Without a local and cheap workforce, I’m pretty sure that more jobs would be moved overseas. While the loss of those jobs doesn’t directly impact American workers (since the jobs are currently occupied by illegal immigrants), there is an ancilliary economic impact.
  • Liberals tend to throw out the racism accusations a bit too easily. While I think there is an undercurrent of that, I don’t think wanting to limit immigration automatically makes you a racist.
  • WWJD?