Happy Hour at Johnny's

I'm a big fan of happy hour. I really enjoy the after work happy hour crowd and the great deals. Fortunately, I have quite a few friends who also enjoy the early evening scene. So, Friday we ended up at Johnny's on Center St.

I was very impressed with their Happy Hour deals. They have half price appetizers and 50 cents off well drinks and draft beers. The drink specials are okay, but the food specials are amazing. They have delicious sweet potato fries! And then we each ordered a deli sandwich. The sandwich offered a choice of breads, lunch meats, cheeses and vegetables. It was quite good and quite filling, along with the sweet potato fries. The fries ended up being $2 and the sandwiches were $3.50.

In addition to the food, the music from the jukebox was really fun. Unfortunately, the free Wii wasn't working, so we couldn't try that out. The staff did try to get it to work for us for quite awhile, though, which was very nice. All in all, we had a really good experience at Johnny's and I think we'll probably go back for Happy Hour sometime soon.

A New Header

I've been playing around with my site and I figured out how to add a cool header. I really like this image, but I had to change some things to make it work right. Let me know how it looks. I'd especially like to know if it goes off the screen on the right hand side for anyone. It looks like it works on my computer, but you just never know. :)

Hope you like the new look!

February Rain

Usually, about this time of year, I start to feel desperate for sunshine. This year it feels oddly right to finally be getting downpour. Not that I don't love the sunny springlike days. I do. I do. But being a native Oregonian, I also enjoy a good rain once in awhile. It feels cleansing.

So, I plan on enjoying this rainy stint, reveling in the wind and wet. At least until I get tired of it and start to crave sunlight again. Then I'll start complaining with the best of them!

Saffron Supply Company

Has anyone noticed that downtown Salem has its own local hardware store. I don't know why I love hardware stores. I always have. I guess maybe it comes from weekend trips to the local True Value Hardware with my dad as a kid. I just love wandering around in them and finding all the interesting and odd little things that they sell.

The funny thing is that I'm not all that handy with hardware, so I don't really know what I would buy at these shops, but I like to look around just in case.

Well, Saffron Supply on Commercial may mostly sell to contractors, but I must say that they have an excellent array of sanding supplies for my little painting projects and a mass of knowledge that surely cannot be exceeded by all the people at the big box hardware stores put together!

Wonderful, Beautiful Salem!

It's one of those days when the sun comes out and reminds us that spring is really going to come again. On those days it's easy to feel a sense of peace and wonder when walking around town. I walked through Riverfront Park and wandered through downtown Salem and I felt it again. The feeling that sometimes comes when the sun is at exactly the right angle and the air is exactly the right temperature. I felt like I was where I belonged. I felt at peace. I felt like I was at home and I reveled in it. I felt pride in the beauty of the parks and streets and trees of my hometown. Everyone I saw looked beautiful. Everything I saw shined with life. I was happy and I was happy to be in Salem.

And that's saying a lot for someone who is a self proclaimed wanderer.

My Thoughts on the Salem Hospital Construction

I have had to go to the hospital a couple of times in the past few months. Not for anything serious or anything. Just visiting people or having bloodwork done or walking through the area on a walk.

What I have noticed is that the construction just keeps going and going. I'm sure there must be progress, but just about the time you notice one building looking a little more finished, you notice that they've torn up half of the lobby of another building. Exactly what is it that they are doing over there?

I also noticed that there are a heck of a lot of people coming and going from the hospital area and saw that a large portion of them are workers. Well, I imagine a lot of patients come and go as well, you just don't see them stream out all at once when shift is over. As I thought about it, I realized what a huge employer Salem Hospital is. And not just a huge employer of hospital staff, but of construction staff. Could they be single-handedly holding up our local economy? It sure looks like it when you head over there on a Tuesday afternoon, that's for sure.

So, although I have no love in my heart for the bizzarely expensive medical care in the country, I do see how having one of the major hospitals in the surrounding areas could definitely be a boon for the city that houses it.

Friday Comedy Night at The Space

FUN!
Comedy in Salem in a small venue. What isn't fun about that?

I love seeing live comedy in a small venue and The Space on Broadway and Belmont is definitely small. But the crowd was packed in. Before the show started they had to bring out more chairs and rearrange the existing seating, just to fit everyone inside.

Ed Forman, from Portland, was the comic of the night. He is a crazy, funny, guy with a spoof talk show that makes fun of our society, our media, and even ourselves. Even though he sometimes goes so far that it becomes slightly uncomfortable, amazingly you still find yourself laughing.

I'll definitely go back for more comedy at The Space. And I'm going to try some of their music offerings as well. For a $5 cover charge, you can hardly go wrong.

It's Winter, People!

Well, it's been a few years since this kind of weather has come our way. It feels more like we're up at Mt. Hood than in downtown Salem, Oregon. I haven't seen anything like this since a Thanksgiving snow storm we had sometime back in the 80's.

Here are some pictures of the Arctic Blast of 2008:)

Little snowmen with ice hats outside my apartment.

Great Mid-Century Vintage Couch

Anybody want to buy a beautiful green mid-century couch? My sister has one for sale. It's in great condition, especially considering it's age. Here are some pics.

It's Christmas Time in the City

I wandered over to the Salem Center Mall during my lunch today. I really wanted to get out of the office and walk a little, but it was bitterly cold outside, so I ended up walking through the mall.

Here's what I noticed.

• There is a new store that sells imported mahogany carved items and hottubs. What??
• The food court still offers free samples. :)
• A lot of old people shop during the day.
• Bath and Body Works has their foaming soap on sale for $3.
• The Salvation Army bellringers are located in the skywalks. And they have instruments this year. A trumpet and a guitar. It made me smile because they both reminded me of my a little of my dad, sitting their with their instruments singing their hearts out and playing Christmas carols. They weren't exactly excellent musicians, but you could see they enjoyed it. Ah, sweet. :)

Kudos to Rite-Aid Pharmacy

Can I just say I love Rite-Aid Pharmacy downtown?

I have been to a couple other pharmacies and they are usually just ok. But this one? This is excellent. Good service, nice people, and they are happy to work with you. A real person even calls you when your prescription is ready.

I must say, I am quite happy with them. :)

Christmas Trees!!

I went out to the woods and cut down a Christmas tree. Okay, well actually it wasn't the woods. It was more of a Christmas tree farm, but still, it was fun and festive. We went to Reinhart Tree Farm, where all the trees are $30. I actually got mine for $10 at a little homegrown tree farm down the road from Reinhart.

I went with some friends and we had a good time, wandering through the trees, talking about the merits of skinny trees vs. fat trees, trees with holes vs. perfectly manicured trees. It was a very deep and important conversation. One that should be had at least once a year, preferably at Christmas time and definitely with friends who have a great sense of humor. :)

I got a little tree. We named him Fred. He is about 5 feet tall and has some nice sprangly branches. He's a pretty little Noble Fir and he's perfect for my apartment.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

A Weekend in Seattle

You know what I always forget about? Seattle. I forget how close it is. I forget how beautiful it is on a sunny day. I forget how it has a big city vibe, but a northwest feel. I forget that the drive isn't bad at all, unless it happens to be foggy/rainy/dark/ or any other common weather pattern around these parts.

But, fortunately, this weekend was one of the nicest fall weekends I can remember. So, I made my way up to Seattle. I left Saturday morning because I didn't want to drive in the dark and possibly the rain. (Does that make me sound old or what??) It was a nice drive. I listened to talk radio as I made my way up I-5.

Seattle was saturated with sun and crisp, fall air. The leaves were colorful, the water was bright and blue, and the air was crisp and warm at the same time. I wandered around downtown for awhile, waiting for my friends. Then one of my friends called me to inform me that he was in a protest that was headed downtown and I should meet up with them if I was in the area. So I drove that way until I found the roads blocked by the police, found parking, and walked over to join the protest. I didn't happen to ask what they were protesting, but it became quite clear as soon as I arrived. The rainbow flags and the "No on Proposition 8 signs" quickly gave it away. It was a rally against the passing of the ban on gay marriage in California. It was quite loud and noisy and there must have been a couple thousand people there. The square was packed, as were all the stores and malls surrounding it. Apparently a lot of protesters were hungry, cold, and had to use the restroom. :)

Finally, my other friend showed up and we ended up finding a little sushi place to grab a bite to eat during happy hour. It was called Dragon something and it was in the bottom of a hotel on Pike street. They had half rolls for $1.95 and $2.95. Not bad at all.

We walked back to my friend's apartment, spent some time talking and having a glass of wine and then met up with other friends for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. It was a nice meal. I had my favorite: Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes. It's actually an appetizer, but I always just eat it as a meal. There is plenty of food, believe me!

We were going to head out dancing, but due to someone's broken foot, we decided just to head back to the apartment for drinks and socializing. We turned up the music, mixed up some drinks, and chatted and laughed until we couldn't keep our eyes open any more (which for me was about 11:30!). I fell asleep on top of the covers, pretending to still be a part of the socializing, which I was totally not. I was fast asleep. Talk about being old. :)

But feeling up and awake for brunch at Julia's on Broadway and the drive home was well worth it for me. Happily, it was sunny again and the drive home wasn't bad at all. I did hit a traffic jam in Portland. It seems that an RV had turned over on its side on the bridge and everyone had to get off at the Rose Quarter exit and then get back on the freeway. The poor little old grandma and grandpa that were driving it were sitting forlornly on the median wrapped up in blankets, but at least they were alright.

Fortunately, the Rose Quarter exit is right by my favorite pedicure place! I love Vogue Nails on Broadway. They do the best pedicures, and the have such friendly staff. The atmosphere is relaxing and I always come away feeling relaxed and refreshed. It was a great stop for the middle of a long drive. I felt happy and pretty and was able to drive home just a little bit happier. :)

Documentaries and Dinner

Thursday night in Salem. Ahhh. The amazing things we have to choose from. First of all, there was the Crystal Apple Awards for the school district. I chose not to go to that, but boy, oh, boy a lot of people chose to go. Salem was swimming in fancy clothes for once. :) People seemed to be taking the opportunity for a night on the town. The restaurants were full, and there was even what looked like a cocktail party going on in an empty storefront.

Since everything was so packed we ended up waiting to have dinner until after our movie. We went to Jonathan's for their delicious chowder and realized that it seems to be smoke-free. I don't know when that happened, but it was a delightful surprise.

I decided to go to a showing of a documentary called "Consuming Kids" instead. It was showing at the Grand Theater as part of the Salem Progressive Film Series, which happens every second Tuesday of the month.



What an amazingly interesting film. Depressing, but interesting.

There was a short film before the main feature that I thought was almost, if not more, interesting. It wasn't that there was so much new information in "The Story of Stuff," but it was just so well put.

It's a film I think everyone should see, just to be reminded.

Sunday Morning at Busick Court

Sunday morning was one of those perfect fall mornings that is crisp and cool, a little blustery, but not too much. I had breakfast with a friend and we decided it was perfect weather to walk down to Busick Court for their Sunday brunch.

First we put our names in on the list and found out that the wait was about 25 minutes. Since we had noticed that people were eating breakfast at Copperjohn's next door, we decided to stop in and see what they had on their menu. The problem was apparent the minute we walked in. It smelled like smoke. And that is not something I can stomach at 10:00 in the morning. I can deal with it in the evening, but not with my breakfast. Nevertheless, we looked at the menu, which was small, but looked delicious and reasonably priced. We asked about the smoking ban in January and found out that they are going to do a remodel to make sure the smoke smell doesn't linger. I might try their breakfast after that.

Back to Busick for brunch. I had the Broadway Joe scramble with a biscuit and gravy. It was delicious all around and of course there was plenty to fill me up and even take home. They have very hearty portions. My friend got a Chicken Cordon Bleu meal, but was disappointed that the sausage and ham were just piled on top rather than stuffed in the chicken breast.

The place was busy and seemed like it was a little understaffed. It took much longer than usual to get our coffee refilled. In fact, I only got refilled twice, when I normally drink 3-4 cups with a brunch meal.

It started raining while we ate, but we made our way home through the drizzle and the leaves by walking almost the whole way under the eaves of different stores and buildings. It was a beautiful way to spend a drizzly fall morning.