Goodbye to Ankeny Street Studios

I’ve been square dancing with the Rosetown Ramblers at the Ankeny Street Studio since June.  There is much to love about this studio, beginning with the fact that it is located in this nondescript building.

There are a variety of instructors who use the space, including ballroom dance instructors and folk dancers.

The  room we use is the Grand Ballroom and it’s huge.  It has mirrors and a beautiful floor.  Also a disco ball.

Along the side are tables and chairs.  The decorations on the tables change with the seasons.  One of my favorite details is the carpet-covered bumpers along the wall, which keep chairs from hitting the wall.Sadly, this space will be eliminated.  The original owner of the building was a woman who was invested in the ballroom dance community.  The building has been sold and the new owners are not interested in supporting the dance community.  The Rosetown Ramblers will be dancing in Milwaukie in the future.  And Portland will lose this unique space.

I am owsam

One of the fun things about being an “expert” at The Emerson School, is the thank you note that arrives in the mail after your informative talk.I was tasked with discussing why we use pickling salt instead of normal salt when pickling.  I imparted that knowledge (additives such as anti-caking agents and/or iodine cloud the liquid and can discolor the items being pickled) and assisted the class in making refrigerator pickles.  For my troubles, I got this very owsam thank you note.

Three sentence movie reviews: Love Jones

This is a great time capsule of 1997 Chicago and the black poetry scene.  It also is a love story of a couple who can’t quite get it together. I rarely see a movie with an all-black cast and that made this movie interesting, though I was confused by character motivations throughout and found that the movie dragged.*

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home

*I watched this movie because there was an article in the paper about a special showing with Theodore Witcher, the director. He was going to discuss that this was his one and only film.  It’s disappointing that he got one shot and nothing else, because I’ve seen far worse films by directors who go on to make other things.

I was quite impressed that the Multnomah County Library had it in its catalog.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/1997/love_jones.html

Three sentence movie reviews: Sing Street

One Mr. Adam Kempenaar of the Filmspotting podcast loves this truly and deeply, so much so that he gets mad whenever anyone doesn’t love it as much as him.  He needn’t worry about me, I loved this all the way through every change of persona the band made as they were trying on different music styles.  There wasn’t as much female-forward stuff as in Carney’s Begin Again, but it was delightful and with some great performances.*

Cost: Free from library
Where watched: at home, while painting toenails purple.

*Ferdia Walsh-Peelo carried the film as Conner, and I also enjoyed Mark McKenna as the multi-talented Eamon and Ben Carolan as the manager.  Plus, Jack Reynor continued the charismatic streak he started in A Royal Night Out.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2016/sing_street_ver4.html

Of note in Vanity Fair March 2017

Among the things I learned about the Director of the FBI, James Comey, is that he is very tall.  So much so that this picture of him and Attorney General Loretta Lynch had me very confused.  It turned out they were both standing, but I wasn’t sure on first viewing.

From a very interesting article of interviews about 1967 and the radical change in women’s fashion comes this great quote from Grace Slick about how someone is always standing on the outside of women’s fashion.  In this case, women who didn’t have straight hair. (Also, that’s a not-very-nice comment about Janis Joplin)

And this picture of Judy Collins taken during the photo shoot for her album Wildflowers.  I find her upper lip hair to be very prominent in this picture.  In looking images of the album cover online, that seems not to be as much of the case, but possibly because the images are smaller.

Interesting things to note about two buildings

This is the Pendleton Woolen Mills Corporate Headquarters.  I was interested in the sign over the office door.  “No Alcohol Beyond this Point”  Is there drinking only in this office?

Look at this little house, which has managed to survive all sorts of transformations around it.  It’s currently the Julia West House.

On the Truck-o-Pats at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade

I learned about the Truck-o-Pats from my friend Maureen.  She attended the neighborhood St. Patrick’s Day parade two years ago and was very excited to discover there was a Truck-o-Pats.  As was I. I couldn’t go last year, but this year the stars aligned.  Here are pictures from the day.

Motorcycle cops, a whole line.  I learned that the police that guide this march have double duty. In the morning, they work the Shamrock Run downtown, then head to Northeast for this parade.  This way, the parade gets the police for free.

The arrival of the Truck-o-Pats.  The vetting process to join was not difficult, Maureen asked around, we found the Pat in charge and I introduced myself.

Note my favorite detail on the truck:  green chrysanthemums in the windshield wipers, which were then extended out and turned on so they waved.

Parade participants begin to assemble.

This truck had no sign, so I’m not sure who they were affiliated with.

The parade organizer rallies the parade participants.  He has awesome pants.

The woman I suspect of being his wife also was nicely attired.

Some parade watchers.

The bagpipes are piping.

Footage is being captured.

Thus guy, who I’m a sure is not actually a zombie, stands in front of the Irish Wolfhounds.

The unidentified truck of kids watches the parade begin.

Here was a group of marchers.  I’m also not sure what their affiliation was.  They may have been festively dressed families.

And now the Truck-o-Pats is in the parade.  This is the home of the parade’s organizer, who makes good use of his yard for advertising.  He originally started this parade to lure his father-in-law over from Ireland for a visit.

Festive front porch parade viewing.

There was discussion if this priest was a dude dressed a priest, or an actual priest.  Either way, he was quite tall.

This firefighter walked behind the Truck-o-Pats in the parade.  He was ridiculously good looking in a way the camera did not capture.

Post parade, the Irish Mammies assemble for a photo.
And here I am in the Truck-o-Pats.
What a great parade. I plan to return next year.  And possibly bring my Aunt Pat.