August 27th, 2008
“Son of a bitch, you’re running up the meter!”5 comments
August 20th, 2008
"Hey bro, remember me? You wrote that story about me in the paper."3 comments
August 13th, 2008
“It’s the Californians, man, the Californians are the worst.”13 comments
August 6th, 2008
The middle-aged man I picked up at Vendetta is in a hyperactively verbose lather ...0 comments
July 23rd, 2008
When I step into the obese old woman's apartment5 comments
July 16th, 2008
The obese old woman at Fred Meyer has a bad hip and a wheelchair...8 comments
July 9th, 2008
“...I need to take a shower first and wash all of this blood off.”6 comments
July 2nd, 2008
“So I’ve got these two women in the back of my cab who just refuse to get out...”8 comments
June 25th, 2008
“My friend’s getting divorced, and he’s really drunk,” says the bartender...8 comments
June 18th, 2008
There’s nothing like a good Friday night, and I’m referring to the money.3 comments
[May 21st, 2008]
“How you doing tonight, man?” I ask my fare, a bartender at one of the hipster establishments in the gentrified part of Northeast Portland.
“I am fan-tastic,” he says, stressing the first syllable. “Tonight’s my Friday; now I’ve got the equivalent of a three-day weekend to spend with my just-born son.”
“Wow, congratulations!”
“Thank you!” he says with gusto, obviously proud.
“How old is he?”
“Three weeks.”
“Wow, so really just born.”
“Uh-huh, my first one,” he says.
“So has your life just completely changed, the way they say it does?”
“Instantly, man. It’s like you just instantly become a better person. I mean…well, it’s like I’m just so much more patient now. And not just with him, but with the drunks. It helps so much with work.”
He’s silent for a bit as we wind through the western edge of Alameda, making our way toward Laurelhurst.
“And a big part of it’s that his mom is just such an amazing woman. I mean, basically we met, and then I got her pregnant. The odds…I’m like a poker player, right? And the odds, the odds that of all the people you meet, of all the people in world…. I’m just lucky, man.”
I nod, and can’t really think of a response. As refreshing as it is to speak with someone so enthused about life, it’s a bummer to realize just how stark the contrast is between him and the usual crowd of fiends and alcoholics.
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RECENT COMMENTS ON ““How you doing tonight, man?””
In many ways, NC3, this could be your best piece. But it doesn't piss anyone off. Get used to it.
I had that same conversation with a guy in the elevator. It must be boring for you out there if this is all you can come up with. Don't worry, summer might still show up and something unusual might ha...
Take 2 William S. Burroughs and Franz Kafka in the morning.
I rated the article 5.
