I, of course, have no comment until and unless I actually hear from her, since that item was the first I'd heard of it. Heh.

Of course, b!X won't allow her to blog unless she comments endlessly (yawn) on the JTTF. As far as I know, nothing else is going on in our fair city.

Of course, b!X won't allow her to blog unless she comments endlessly (yawn) on the JTTF. As far as I know, nothing else is going on in our fair city.

Which would suggest you read no other oulet but mine, in which case whose fault is that?

If for whatever reason Mayor Katz and b!X don't come to terms, I would be pleased to offer her a comfortable if far more obscure corner of the blogging world. But it seems to me that she would be a good fit for BlueOregon.

shameless self-pluggers! the lady is more than good enough for her own. Somebody needs to set it up for her, Any volunteers in Portland creative/internet community? How about a little design contest here?

I guess Jack's incessant trashing of his hometown by now just passes through everyone's mental filters untouched, huh?

On Vera: perhaps she should co-blog with Andrew Kaza, and they can have Kazablog/Katzblog.

One True Ka!z?

For what it's worth, she's been offered a slot at BlueOregon; and I'd even be happy to help her set up her own KatzBlog.

That said, it strikes me that the reporter (Anna Griffin) may have been confused between blogging and commenting-on-blogs. After all, he mentioned that Randy Leonard is "a frequent contributor" to Communique, BlueOregon, and IndyMedia. Well, he comments at the first and third - but blogs at Blue.

Maybe the Mayor just wants to start commenting and Griffin mis-understood. This is a common tic among members of the dead-tree press - confusing the difference between blogging and commenting. Argh.

How is it "trashing" to say that the quality of life here is slowly waning? In case you haven't noticed, it is. But at least it's a slow process. And yes, FWIW, it's still not as bad as the larger cities on the West Coast.

I have noticed, and it's not--it's improving. Jobs are up, revenue is up, the battle against big boxes has been won, big money has taken it on the chin in city politics, and the artistic/musical cultures are positively booming. You can get from upper 23rd down to the river for a buck and change, and you can get nearly to the tip of North Portland on the Max. I rode down Sandy last night, and starting about 70th westward, both sides of the street are filling up with new independent businesses. A single owner has brought some stability to the Beavers and Timbers, and our new Superintendent of Schools isn't paralyzed by the desire for constant consensus when tough issues need to be dealt with.

You've lived other places in this country; it's continually curious to me how short your memory seems to be for what it's like in other cities.

I'm not a pollyanna. I respect and even agree with some of your specific complaints about certain projects or efforts. But I tire of the overweening pessimism that pervades your thinking on our town.

Good. Go away. Focus on your minor league baseball. Vera Katz will be blogging soon, you can go over and drool with her.

the battle against big boxes has been won, big money has taken it on the chin in city politics, and the artistic/musical cultures are positively booming... I'm not a pollyanna....

Uh huh. Please get your little last word in, and then go away. I mean it. And give my love to Erik Sten.

"Leave me alone with my misery!" Now there's a fine sentiment. I confess I don't understand the pejorative connection between Katz, Sten and myself, unless you mean to infer that they also refuse to see Portland as a shitbag town on the decline. Given your intractable dissatisfaction with the City, perhaps it's you who should consider "going away."

No, think I'll stay and tell the truth, which you apparently can't handle. Do you ever get a property tax bill or a water bill in this place? Do you ever try to drive somewhere between 2:30 and 6:30 p.m. on a weekday? Ever tried to get a cop after hours? Tried to put a kid through public school? Tried to get out of town to someplace quiet and unspoiled? Trust me, it's waning, my friend. A mere shadow of its former self. However, "shitbag," I believe, was your characteristically snotty word, not mine.

so much for that last word...

No, seriously, you go ahead. I'm flaming now. I'll stop.

Look, there are lots of good things happening in Portland. I know that. I wouldn't live here if there weren't. But there are many other "feel good cheerleader" media and government outlets that tell us that every day. That ain't my job.

No one's asking you to be a cheerleader. I'm not, anyway. I tried to make clear that your particular analyses of individual projects, or lack of attention to specific areas, are often educated, rational, and deserving of consideration. It's the framework of curmudgeonly disdain that I object to. Not running the City down constantly and unnecessarily, does not equate to mindless cheerleading.

Interesting argument.

For me, "quality of life" is a completely subjective term, and it depends an awful lot on outside factors, such as: whether you have a family, how much money you make, where in the city you love, what you value... blah, blah, blah...

Its entirely possible that the "quality of life" for Joe is improving and the "quality of life" for Jack is declining.

Pull the plug, Justin--pull the plug!

(just kidding)

BTW looks like Ö pulled a fast one on everybody with that story on Vera joining b!X. I still think she should blog though. She can handle situation like above.