They're busy expanding the Oregon Convention Center, despite clear taxpayer sentiment that it's not worth it. And after sponsoring an event there yesterday, let me say amen to the taxpayers.

The size and scale of this place is truly ridiculous for a place like Portland. But perhaps more importantly, the existing structure appears to have been built out of cheap particle board, with pitifully little concern for acoustics. Yesterday, as our cooped-up guests tried to absorb complex tax law developments, we were serenaded through the wall all day by a bad lounge singer who sat at a piano across the huge, vacuous lobby from our conference room. The guy did a bad impression of Louis Armstrong singing "What a Wonderful World" at least 10 times as the day wore on. To the out-of-towners in the crowd, I am sure Portland seemed ludicrous.

After an overpriced rubber chicken lunch, several Convention Center staff members decided to have a loud, extended conversation in the hallway behind our conference room. Again, despite the doors being shut, we heard every word, almost as clearly as we could hear our featured speaker. When I eventually went out there to ask them to move, they actually said, and I quote, "Oh, are you having a meeting in there? We're sorry."

Indeed.