XX EXCLUSIVE UPDATE: TOM HEADED TO THE UNR GAME IN ST. LOUIS XX

You heard it here first, folks. Tom and his father-in-law Ron (adult supervision) will be flying to St. Louis for Friday's UNR game against #3 Georgia Tech. His day has been cleared of responsibility so all he has to do is pack!

No, Tom, I'm not kidding! Yes, your wife arranged it. Thank her and give her a kiss!

Have a great time and don't forget the drink coupons.

UNR STILL ALIVE

It's official: The Wolfpack are THE underdog of the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Ranked #10 in the West, they're the lowest seed still standing.

UNR thumped heavily favored (#2) Gonzaga on Saturday to make it into the Sweet 16. I only got to watch the first four minutes of the game, but based on what I saw, I'd say it was basically decided that early. Gonzaga came out a little too aggressive and got into very early foul trouble, particularly their star forward. He had three fouls by the end of the first half. What, does he think he gets SIX fouls like the pros? So Nevada capitalized and took it to the hole aggressively - no one on Gonzaga ("Gone-zaga" - Dick V) could afford to foul.

They're next opponent is #3 Georgia Tech on Friday (26th). Who knows what the future holds? I do think (sorry Tom) that the six-day break is a bad momentum killer for UNR. Tech has the coaching advantage, so we'll see how this plays out.

BABY KICKING MORE AND MORE

Well, we're half-way through the 19th week and Jill reports that the baby is quite active, kicking and wiggling as babies are wont to do. Until last night, the kid hasn't been big enough to make movements that can be felt through the outside of Jill's belly until last night. Jill said the baby kicked around a lot and she even felt it from the outside. I, unfortunately, wasn't immediatley there so I didn't get to feel it. Soon enough!

KATE FINALLY ABLE TO READ THE WEBSITE

Hi, Kate! Looks like her firm finally changed their firewall and now she gets to look at all the vile content of this website. Though I suspect Blogger hosts others that are a little less SFW.

IF I WERE A CARPENTER...

The weekend was gorgeous: sunny, breezy and low 70s. So, we did much work outside. Mulching, mowing, weedpulling, planting. But the fun thing is we got one big project done and one that's nearly done and the latter involved power tools. On the first, we set two cedar posts and strung wire between for the raspberries to grow up on. Plus, it'll make the picking easier!

On the second, I'm nearly done building a new cedar planter box for the front walkway where the whiskey barrel used to be. We're going to put a trellis up against the front of the house between the patio and the garage door. We're going to grow:

'Nelly Mosier' clematis,


climbing hydrangea,


and possibly hardy kiwi - YUM.


Plus we'll stock it full of bulbs for springtime. It's going to look great.

FAST HARRY MAKES CONTACT

I received an email from Harold Kapp yesterday - he's presently in Corvallis. He's finished taking survey classes at OIT in Klamath Falls and mentioned he had spent the summer in Alaska surveying for the BLM. Kinda sounds like fun, except for hummingbird-sized mosquitos, I'm sure. I anticipate that the next time he heads up to PDX (his sister lives in Hillsboro), we'll be having a visit. I think I can line some work up for him, even.

UNR DOESN'T SUCK

Looks like this year's Cinderella Story at the NCAA tournament may be Tom's UNR Wolfpack. Last night they shocked #6 Michigan State with a 72-66 upset victory for their first NCAA tournament win ever.



The bad news is that their next opponent is #2 Gonzaga, which some analysts have predicted will take the whole enchilada at the end of the month. Last night, Gonzaga wiped out #15 Valparaiso 76-49. Valparaiso stayed somewhat competitive through the beginning of the second half, but the Zags shut them down with serious D for the rest of the game and never looked back.

Good luck, UNR. You'll need it. And, if it's any consolation, you can always look forward to an Awful Awful after its over. Tom - are you going to the game?

JAMAICAN ME CRAZY

Well, after a long drought, Oregon finally got its very own truly Jamaican restaurant yesterday. Montego Bay opened its doors, and after many days of driving by their location on our way home from downtown Portland, we saw lights, customers, drinks being served and so we stopped.

Dinner was good. We started with Jamaican beef patties, which are nothing more than spicy, savory meat turnovers (empanadas) in a savory pastry crust. They were very good. We had refillable Jamaican limeaid wash (overly sweet limeaid - Jill: "I feel like I'm drinking sugar water"). And then the main courses: curry chicken for Jill and curry goat for me. MMM.

Jamaican Patties


Both were good, but our ignorance of how Jamaican curries are served on the island might have detracted from our experience. Mainly, the curries were diced meat - with bones - curried as a thick stew, served with beans and rice and asparagus spears. The bones, well bone fragments, were not exactly easy to remove from the dish. They had to be extracted from our mouths, to a napkin, as we supped. So that was odd and perilous for our teeth, to say the least.

The owners were clearly excited that their new restaurant had finally opened - occupying the space that the Oregon Culinary Institute cafe once filled. After we finished, the female of the owner-couple proved garrilous as she talked our ear off, asking how the food was, if we enjoyed ourselves, how much work they had put into the place, etc. I don't know when it happened, but early in that monologue - I hesitate to call it conversation - we went from patrons to patronizers. I felt like a counselor obliged to validate her. Only we were paying her.

What I didn't say, which I wished I did, was that the prices were a little too steep for the dining experience they were providing. Dinner entrees ranged from $13 to $18 for the dish and a side of beans/rice and fried plantains - which they substituted with asparagus for whatever reason - I didn't complain. But their restaurant is very casual, open, not at all intimate and the dishes, though exotic, aren't exactly gourmet. For $13 to $18, I can have a more luxurious dinner in downtown or elsewhere and not be badgered by well-meaning owners. They were proud parents, so I shouldn't criticize too much. The problem is that their ingredients are clearly special order and their space might be very expensive, so they really have cost control issues. They're passing it on to customers, understandably, but once the luster and novelty wears off, they'd better be prepared to reprint new menus to reflect affordability.

While waiting to pay, I noticed something very interesting. When we arrived, a family of three were seated on the right side of the room and we chose a table just on the other side of them from the front door. But as the evening progressed, four black couples and families arrived to dine. As they did so, they chose to sit on the opposite side of the room away from the first family, all white, and Jill and me. A profusion of empty booths on our side eliminates the excuse of seating availability by us.

It reminded me of Prof. Henry "Skip" Louis Gates' recent special on PBS - America Beyond the Color Line - about the progress of the black community over the last twenty years. While seeing a profusion of economic improvement and entitlement, he openly criticized Black America's growing trend of self-segregation.. specifically in the Atlanta suburbs. Not to mention on the airwaves, i.e. the WB and UPN networks, and elsewhere. Despite Portland's progressive facade, it doesn't speak well of things when people don't want to eat near each other.

But I digress. We payed, left and when we sat down in the car, we noticed that some punk vandalized our windshield with a marker. Clearly writing his/her name or full contents of their vocabulary, the word "poop" was plainly scribed. Jill wanted to call the cops, but I urged circumspection and proceeded to the nearby convenience store for an overpriced kitchen sponge and bottle of Formula 409 for windows. Adding a little bit of elbow grease and the word was scrubbed from the window. And so, it was agreed, we wouldn't be visiting the restaurant again at night and until prices were more reasonable.

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY

Hopefully everyone is wearing something green today, unless of course you're a Loyalist and you're wearing orange - just like Mrs. Kirkpatrick, my old librarian at Campbell Elementary School in Anchorage. If so, go hifreann leat!



SOMETHING TO REDUCE PRODUCTIVITY

Here's a little game you'll find amusing. The object is to figure out the right sequence of events that makes everything grow and progress the fastest. Movements out of sequence cause other objects to grow slower.. give it a try!

GROW

OSAMA BIN LADEN WINS THE SPANISH ELECTION

So here's the lesson: If you massively attack an anti-terrorist democracy immediately before its election, that country will fold like a cheap tent and run.

No wonder the Mexicans hate them. So our Spanish friends have provided even greater motivation for Al-Queda to attack the U.S. this year. They won't be successful because they've signaled their strategy and they're not smart enough to try something new. If I were a Spaniard, I would not be proud. However, shock of all shocks, NPR actually had a Spanish supporter of the rulling PP (Partido Popular) party - Aznar's party.. Spain's Reagan.. saying "nations are like spouses - you stick together through thick and thin."

I suppose Spain just filed an all-our-fault divorce.

BUT - if Al-Queda truly bombed Spain for their support of the Iraq war, THERE'S YOUR PROOF OF A LINK!

More, better commentary than I can even dream of writing:

Andrew Sullivan
Jeff Jarvis
Glenn "Instapundit" Reynolds

But the BIG loser is: Latin America. How the heck could they be conquered by these Spaniards? I mean, really, their conquest by the Spanish can now only be viewed as a major miracle. I suppose the Conquistadors were right all along.. God truly was on their side. Spain, alone, is clearly incapable.

BABY UPDATE

Yesterday, Jill turned the 18-week corner. Not only that, but her rash is clearly clearing. So, to celebrate, I've found a photo of what the typical fetus looks like at 18 weeks. Many may recognize the image, but I do not know its origin.



Pretty cool, huh? Jill has definitely noticed that the baby has been moving around. She can sense its gymnastics during the day or night. It isn't large enough for me to feel its movements through Jill's belly, though. All in good time.

JOHN KORYNASZ'S EYESIGHT RETURNING

John went to the doctor the other day and learned that he will be able to forego surgery because his eyes are improving so quickly. As a matter of fact, the doctor said that he'll be able to get a pair of corrective lenses soon and he'll see well enough to drive. That's fantastic news and we're very happy for him.

UPDATE: JENNIFER RICE JUST READ THE BLOG

Greetings from Oregon, Jennifer!

OY, VAY I'M BAD AT UPDATING

As if that's much of a headline. I'm serving up a steaming load of update today...

MOM & DAD'S WASHINGTON HOMESTEAD

Just a couple of weeks ago, Mom and Dad were in town to look around at potential land for their next house. They want to be close to the soon-to-be grandchild, but also residing in the income tax haven that is the State of Washington - with sales tax-free shopping across the river in Oregon. It looks like they've narrowed their choice to a couple of properties:

A 40+ acre site near Kelso, Washington on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River and the lovely cities of Longview and Kelso, Washington.

A 5 acre site near Woodland, Washington also on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River, but with a better potential view than the other property.



At this point, it looks like they're leaning towards the 40+ acre site so that they can build a home on a larger lot and then sell off smaller lots (3-8 acres) to other people. So, it's really a commercial investment for them if it goes through. Looks like financing is working out so far, Dad just has to find an equity partner. The 5 acre site in Woodland (closer to Portland/Vancouver) is just big enough for a home.. it wouldn't be subdivided. I'll be working on due diligence for them at a bargain: only 5% of cashflow over the lifetime of development!

In the meantime, they've found an apartment in Vancouver, Washington to rent until they figure out what all they need to do. They should be moving in later this month.

MEETING ELLIE PHANT

Mom has a new travel companion: Ellie, a then 11-week-old hairless Chihuahua. She's a cute thing, and particularly hyper at night. Especially if she gets to chew on catnip for a spell. She kept Nino on the run, so that was something. I don't have pics yet transferred to the computer, but when I do I'll post. She has a couple of nice sweaters right now, which she definitely put to use while here, but she hasn't yet been outfitted with a rain slicker that fits. Again, photos will be posted when it happens.

TOM & KATE BATTLE THE OREGON BAR

While Mom and Dad were in town looking at property, Tom and Kate were at the Portland Airport Holiday Inn studying for and taking the Oregon Bar Exam. It lasted two days and after it was all over, they seemed to feel pretty good about it.. but neither would dare to say it was easy or they aced it for fear of a jinx. Here's hoping that they did just that, even though we will refrain from overconfident language here, also.

Upon return to Sacramento, Tom learned that he had leapfrogged a bunch of colleagues and was promoted to an assistant managerial position at ETrade due to his good performance and law degree. Congratulations!



But it doesn't look like there was much competition, does there?

ME-MA AND THE GIRLS VISIT

The following Sunday, Me-ma, Toni and Terran flew into Portland from Las Vegas for a visit and then they joined Mom in her honkin' huge Toyota dual-cab truck (with DVD player and in-flight service) for a drive up to Spokane/Idaho for a visit at Jim Ed and Andrea's. While they were here, we visited the Spaghetti Factory for plenty of messy fun, then that night they were entranced with slugs and earthworms. I'm pretty sure Gallup doesn't have the profusion of slugs that we so enjoy up here.
The girls got out their disposable cameras and snapped photo after photo of the slimy little buggers... here's a little bit of info.

On the way out, they apparently stopped at a bunch of waterfalls along the Columbia River Gorge on their way to Tri-Cities and then north.

THE DOWNSIDE OF PREGNANCY

Even though we're both as happy as can be about the new addition to the family, things lately have taken a pretty bad turn as Jill has battled a pretty severe pregnancy rash. I won't even begin to link a photo of what it looks like. Take my word for it, you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy. So far, only Jill's cousin Cecilia Wachdorf, a Ph.D. midwife and nurse, has had a grasp of what Jill has and she's been an incredible resource for us.

Thank You, Cecilia!

Photo courtesy of Les Hardison - www.hardison.info

The one doctor that would bother to see Jill misdiagnosed it as a third trimester-type rash, while her former OB/GYN wouldn't even see her and told her to just dose up on Benadryl. Jill's done that in combination with other treatment recommended by Cecilia.. and the Benadryl hasn't even been good about helping Jill sleep.

So, we have the TV and VCR hooked up in the bedroom and when Jill can't sleep, she watches a videotape until it does the trick. If we had WebTV, she could simply read this website and that would certainly do it. But she is showing signs that its slowing down and getting better. Tomorrow, she finally gets in to a dermatologist, so we'll see how that goes. We all hope she gets better very soon.

JUDY MANAGES TO FIND A QUACK DOCTOR

After being told by a knowledgeable foot surgeon in Medford that her foot can be fixed when she's ready, but now in Portland, she visited a Portland MD and they guy told her that she had to have her foot fused as it was a lost cause. So, after grappling with the unnecessarily bad news, she's on the look-out for a second, informed opinion here in the Portland metro area. Updates will come as we hear something.

BETTY RICE AND FAMILY DOING WELL

Dad's sister Betty (formerly?) of Plain-Old, Texas wrote to say hello and congratulate us on the pregnancy. She finally found this website after Dad apparently gave her the address but was missing some address characters for some reason.

She wrote to say that she's getting along fine in the real estate businesses in Dallas (refurbishing condominiums and townhouses and reselling, as I recall) so that's great news. Jennifer is now at The Ohio State University in Columbus working on her Master's and likely Ph.D. in Geography (I think..). She apparently enjoys it over there, but Betty noted they had a mild winter. What, like only 50 below? Jennifer has a boyfriend in Austin, so she's doing the whole long-distance relationship thing. Here's hoping all works out for her.

Gary is apparently raking in the money working for a mobile home distributor. Betty says he gets to travel a lot and is quite happy, so that's great news, too. If either of you read this and want to elaborate yourself, email me (wer@johnson-gardner.com - click my address over in the left margin) and I'll be happy to do so!

BILL GETS A SECOND-HAND PDA!

This week, my boss bought himself a new Palm Pilot PDA, so he gave his old one to me. The little devil is lots of fun. Any time I want, I can organize my schedule, write memos, to-do-lists, send emails, do expense reports and I even downloaded a schedule for the MAX light rail Blue Line so that I know when I can catch a train anywhere to head home or to work. Now if I could get it to do my taxes, clean the house, install interior door panels and cook I'd be set.

NEW STOCK INVESTMENT

I'm documenting that today, I sold 8 shares of Washington Mutual (NYSE: WM) and then purchased ten shares of Sanofi-Synthelabo (NYSE: SNY), a french pharmaceutical company. I do so because WaMu has slowed down in its price momentum AND it's too large a share of my portfolio. I need a foreign investment, so there you go.

Not only that, but they announced yesterday that their new test drug has had phenomenal success at helping to curb cravings for cigarettes AND help with weight loss AND reduce bad cholesterol AND the drug will likely be used to treat ANY addiction that has chemical mechanisms. By that, I mean that any addiction that releases endorphins (eating comfort foods, smoking, alcohol, drugs, etc.) will likely be successfully treated by this drug because it blocks the endorphin mechanism, thus killing the positive feedback loop that creates addictions in the first place. No rush or calm or general good feelings will be generated by smoking/drinking/insert addiction here with the use of this drug. So, I got in on it while it was early.

The price was right, too.. $34 and change per share, its P/E ratio is below 19 and it appreciated 33% in price last year without being overpriced as the P/E ratio I just quoted indicates. We'll see....