When walking in central Portland today I came across a que of people lining up to buy from a shop called Voodoo Doughnuts.
I asked them what it was all about and apparently the people I asked had never been there but got fooled by the already long line and decided to add to it.
When I came back a few hours later the que was gone and I could easily stroll in and by one for my self. I had to know what was so special. They told me that a signature doughnut from "VD" as they called them self would be double sized one with bacon on top. I felt that I had not done anything bad today so punishment was not on the menu. I got a pretty standard raspberry filled and glacéed one. It was good, but not waiting in line good. Maybe next time I try the bacon-version.
NY
fredag 21 oktober 2011
The Haunted Woods
I got invited to go to a Haunted Wood/House thing/event.
Some people who have a house outside of the urbanized area and probably likes Halloween very much had put together a ghost-walk of sorts.
It consisted of a lady selling tickets in a barn where there where big cages with big bones in them and a small sized dog in one. Then you walked out into the darkness, hearing very horror like and over the top sounds from another barn we where lead to a scene where a car seemed to have crashed down into some marshland and a man in what to me looked like a orange prison jumpsuit stood very still further away. I started thinking that that man was just a scarecrow but I am not sure. When we got closer someone came out of the bushes and started following us. That had a scary effect, but then it all just broke down because all of a sudden there was so many different person lining the path we where on that it felt like a market place or something like that. Then one of the guys who where with us broke it completely by talking loudly about how he would smack anyone who came close to him. That took away much of the fun and he seemed to be having issues. Then a clown showed up with a chainsaw and that was a bit scary, clowns often are, but again to much in to little space. Finally we came to the loud barn where they had built a walk with black plastic bags and where playing loud music: Living dead girl with White Zombie actually, which gave us a bit of a Rave feeling: going out in the dark woods with glow sticks seeing people in strange attire. So we danced the last part of the walk and then we where at the cars again. Not that scary, unfortunately. What was more scary was when we drove to get to the place we went wrong and passed some "no trespassing" signs. Then it felt like that could actually be the tour. Later we where even informed that the neighbour was crazy and had been threatening people.
Some people who have a house outside of the urbanized area and probably likes Halloween very much had put together a ghost-walk of sorts.
It consisted of a lady selling tickets in a barn where there where big cages with big bones in them and a small sized dog in one. Then you walked out into the darkness, hearing very horror like and over the top sounds from another barn we where lead to a scene where a car seemed to have crashed down into some marshland and a man in what to me looked like a orange prison jumpsuit stood very still further away. I started thinking that that man was just a scarecrow but I am not sure. When we got closer someone came out of the bushes and started following us. That had a scary effect, but then it all just broke down because all of a sudden there was so many different person lining the path we where on that it felt like a market place or something like that. Then one of the guys who where with us broke it completely by talking loudly about how he would smack anyone who came close to him. That took away much of the fun and he seemed to be having issues. Then a clown showed up with a chainsaw and that was a bit scary, clowns often are, but again to much in to little space. Finally we came to the loud barn where they had built a walk with black plastic bags and where playing loud music: Living dead girl with White Zombie actually, which gave us a bit of a Rave feeling: going out in the dark woods with glow sticks seeing people in strange attire. So we danced the last part of the walk and then we where at the cars again. Not that scary, unfortunately. What was more scary was when we drove to get to the place we went wrong and passed some "no trespassing" signs. Then it felt like that could actually be the tour. Later we where even informed that the neighbour was crazy and had been threatening people.
Halloween
Halloween is truly important here. I thought it was just a fun time when you dress up and go trick or treating at other peoples doors much like what we do at easter in Sweden plus the tricking then. But was I wrong: the month of October will according to my predictions be renamed Halloween in the near future since October, the whole month is taken up by Halloween celebrations.
Any good American should:
- Decorate their house with pumpkin paraphernalia.
- Decorate their house with ghost.
- Decorate their house with witches.
- Decorate their house with tombstones.
- Decorate their house with cobweb.
- Decorate their lawn with pumpkins, skulls, tombstones and small lanterns.
- Make cookies out of cookies. See explanations further down.
- Throw a Halloween party, not necessarily on the night of Halloween, but sometime during the month of Halloween (known to others as October)
- Go visit a Haunted House (or set one up and have people come visit. I write about it here.)
- Buy a shitty costume in a shitty store located in a shitty strip mall. The shitty costume should be of such a low quality that it falls to pieces already before you leave said shitty store in afore mentioned shitty strip mall.
---
On Cookies
It is a normal behaviour for any American to buy cookies from the store and then re-bake them in another cookie dough to make bigger cookies. There is nothing to even lift your eyebrow on here... just accept it. (Oh, yes they are often good tasting and way to large but that is beside the point!)
Any good American should:
- Decorate their house with pumpkin paraphernalia.
- Decorate their house with ghost.
- Decorate their house with witches.
- Decorate their house with tombstones.
- Decorate their house with cobweb.
- Decorate their lawn with pumpkins, skulls, tombstones and small lanterns.
- Make cookies out of cookies. See explanations further down.
- Throw a Halloween party, not necessarily on the night of Halloween, but sometime during the month of Halloween (known to others as October)
- Go visit a Haunted House (or set one up and have people come visit. I write about it here.)
- Buy a shitty costume in a shitty store located in a shitty strip mall. The shitty costume should be of such a low quality that it falls to pieces already before you leave said shitty store in afore mentioned shitty strip mall.
---
On Cookies
It is a normal behaviour for any American to buy cookies from the store and then re-bake them in another cookie dough to make bigger cookies. There is nothing to even lift your eyebrow on here... just accept it. (Oh, yes they are often good tasting and way to large but that is beside the point!)
Transport Nutcases IV
Today riding the MAX light rail from Portland city centre a man approached me and wanted to sit next to me although there was plenty of space for him to sit not beside me but I indulged him. He then wanted to talk about the book I was reading, or actually he did not look like he wanted to talk at all, but he did talk to me asking about what I was reading and then with a glance he dismissed the Lovecraft book I am currently reading as "science fiction" wrinkling his nose if I was not mistaken.
He was already acting somewhat antisocial looking the other way while talking and in the pretty typical way here not listening. He claimed to know about the today largely forgotten and somewhat obscure writer Lord Dunsany, then asked me if I read the bible. So that was what he wanted to talk about. He exposed himself as the jesus-freak he was. From that point onward I knew that nothing good was coming out of this encounter.
I said yes I have read enough parts of the story book he was referring to and I am ashamed that the culture I come from have the scripture with the worst prose.
He did not really have anything to add to that so instead he looked away and started murmur something un-discernible. Save by the bell we reached the station and I went the opposite way from the jesus-freak. I think that he might have been out on a mission to convert someone. He did not seem to happy about it. I held my distance as well as you can in a confined space since there are to many weapons around here wielded by to many crazy fiends.
He was already acting somewhat antisocial looking the other way while talking and in the pretty typical way here not listening. He claimed to know about the today largely forgotten and somewhat obscure writer Lord Dunsany, then asked me if I read the bible. So that was what he wanted to talk about. He exposed himself as the jesus-freak he was. From that point onward I knew that nothing good was coming out of this encounter.
I said yes I have read enough parts of the story book he was referring to and I am ashamed that the culture I come from have the scripture with the worst prose.
He did not really have anything to add to that so instead he looked away and started murmur something un-discernible. Save by the bell we reached the station and I went the opposite way from the jesus-freak. I think that he might have been out on a mission to convert someone. He did not seem to happy about it. I held my distance as well as you can in a confined space since there are to many weapons around here wielded by to many crazy fiends.
Almond milk?!
I was told that Almond milk is better than normal milk. Less bad, more good - simple right? Then the very old truth must come in: good for you - bad for your tongue, right?
...
I just had a mouthful of Almond milk. Uuuharg. No. Don't do it, it is not worth it.
...
I just had a mouthful of Almond milk. Uuuharg. No. Don't do it, it is not worth it.
torsdag 20 oktober 2011
Portland, Oregon
Today I landed in Portland, Oregon. After some initial scouting of the airport I decided that it is not a big city. Riding the MAX light train seemed to agree with my assessment. Checking my observations with Wikipedia has Portland as an area at more than 2 million inhabitants, and the city as USofAs 29th biggest. Well it is big enough but people around the nation has their picture clear about Portland and Oregon: it is considered a back water, but a nice one. They say that this is the place for young people to retire in. The weather is supposed to be like that of Seattle and we have had some rain today so that seem to be correct, just out of observation.
The houses of down town Portland are shorter than skyscrapers and the whole town has a bit of a laid back mood this far. Tomorrow will give me more input. Time to sleep.
The houses of down town Portland are shorter than skyscrapers and the whole town has a bit of a laid back mood this far. Tomorrow will give me more input. Time to sleep.
Seattle - last words
So I have left the capital of Grunge. It was a very artsy city with many crazy people in all con-notations of the word. I was invited to a party starting the Art in the City week yesterday. It was nice, free food and drinks and some music. Mostly shitty music though. There was one guy wailing about like a struck child and dressed like some kind of clown. Hated that part of it. Finished my night at Bimbos Cantina with some spicy food. I rate Seattle as a pretty good city.
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