"Off Duty"

What gave you the idea I am "off duty"?

Rather, at my own expense, I am investigating various forms of reserving parade spots in small Italian Villages.

So far, my one on one interviews on the subject indicate a certain level of "hostility" by the locals at even being asked the question "would you support reserving up to two weeks in advance spots along the parade route with duct tape?"

One local man, "Don" something, in a very sinister tone, asked me if I happened to own any particularly prized horses. He then followed that up with suggesting that parades are open to all who come on a "first come, first served" basis.

He finished by suggesting I quit asking about the foolishness of taping off parade spots while I still had a, err, umm, was ahead.

The practice of taping off spots for the parade has always struck me as civilized and polite. That people would honor such boundaries, rather than forcing parade-goers to rise earlier and earlier in the morning, seemed to me a mark of a respectful city.

So I have to say that I'm very disappointed in the rudeness of the anti-taping crowd, and hope it was a mere aberration not to be repeated next year.

It certainly is my intention that there be no need to rip up tape next year.

I hear he also gave Lisa Turley (runner up at Survivor Portland Style) the three weeks he is in Italy to 'fix the problem' at the 911 center regarding calls holding.

Impossible task.

Can't be done.

And he is holding he wrong person accountable.

What he ought to be doing is researching the problem and acquainting himself with the SOPs the Bureau adheres to based on agreements with user agencies and start from there.

Talk about hit and run.

RR

OK jack, you quit calling Leonard " Fireman Randy" and I'll not call him " Smell Bad Randy", in your blog.
I do wonder if he will come back with a bicycle mentality and want Portland to adopt the Euro. Every-time a pol goes to Europe they have such grandiose ideas,

Kiss, we're right, every time the mayor and council leaves on a "vacation" they make it a "taxpayer paid vacation" by bringing back another "idea" from foreign lands. I can't wait to hear about Randy's idea to have canals built in the Pearl District waterfront area at the Centennial Mill site and the SoWhat area.

Gee, some of us proposed those concepts 12 years ago but no action. But if Randy proposes it, its a done deal.

At least he's paying for his own vacation.

Given the attention that the practice of taping off public areas received this year, I'm surprised that group which wants to claim their personal part of the sidewalk never put together any effort to go back and clean up after themselves. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that one selfish act was followed up with another, but I would have thought that this year, given the backlash, they might have tried to be a Little more civil.

The practice of taping off spots for the parade has always struck me as civilized and polite.

Interesting...it always struck me as lazy and kind-of pathetic...

I hope Fireman Randy brings back some Italian ideas for freeway driving and what speeds the police allow their natives to commute at!