This is Trinity, she the crazy weird one that likes to strange things. As soon as I took my hat off to set it on the table she ran over and climbed around till she could get it. She grabbed it and ran off. A few minutes later I looked out and there was Trinity filling my hat with grass.

I have no idea why, but really do kids need a reason for anything?

:-)

This is Tommy, he’s the oldest of the my sister kids. He’s the one that has all the pets and reptiles. Apparently they thought it was a good idea to pull my dads snake out and play with it.

Not sure how you play with a snake, but they were having fun.

Family is an amazing thing. I don’t really have to say much more than that. I spent a lot of time with my family while I was home, and I can’t wait to come back.

You probably don’t need to tell you this, but if you have family than you should hang out with them while you can.

I could rant about the classic pc vs mac conflict for a long time, but I think we all know how that one goes.

I know that is not just Steve Jobs who made everything apple, but he’s the big name we hear. So I’ll just say Steve and friends cause I know there are a crap load of brilliant developers out there that we should all be shaking hands with ever day. (even if you aren’t a mac person)

What Steve and Friends have done for us as culture is amazing. I sometimes wonder if they realize the impact they’ll forever have on the future of system interface and operating systems. I’m a mac lover, but not a super mac geek so I don’t know everything about how and why. I do know that with out Steve and Friends it may have taken an extra decade before the market realized that less is more and simple is more complex.

I think I’m going to make a shirt that says ‘I like Steve & Friends’, but its going to be made out of all 1’s and 0’s.

Thanks Steve and Friends, with out you I think the suicide count would be a little higher.

I’ve know Chris since I was 5, we grew up in the same town, went to the same school, and got in trouble with the same principle. Thing is, after High School we kept in touch. We both went our own ways here and there but some how we always managed to meet at the park for Disc Golf.

I lived with Chris here in Portland for about two years, I also lived with Chris a couple of other times in the past. Him and I have been through a lot of interesting times, and I don’t think there will ever be a day when I can’t just pick up the phone and give him a call as if we hung out yesterday. (which we actually did hang out yesterday)

I would have to say that it’s a fair bet that Chris probably knows me better than just about everyone. There are a few that probably know me better, but who’s counting.

I’m really going to miss Chris when I leave Portland, we had a lot of good time and a few crazy ones. He’ll always be one of my best friends, one of those people you can call up and actually talk about life. It’s really rare these days that anyone gets a chance to know a person as long as I’ve know Chris. I’m thankful for that.

This one’s for you Chris…

I chose Andrew this week mainly because he’s getting married and because someday he’s going to be our President.

When we were in High School Andrew was the only person who actually new what he was going do. In fact he had known it for about 15 yrs at that point. I believe he graduated West Point 2nd in his class, and i think is now a Cornel in the Military. (all i know is he is in charge of a lot of people) I haven’t spoke to him since our graduation day, but if there is one person I have ever met that I thought could go through the service and still be holding his integrity it would be Andrew.

I look forward to the day when I get to sit down and talk to him about life and what he’s been doing. I could only imagine the stories he has to tell.

Our Vision

Reader’s Circle aspires to renew the spirit of dialogue that animated the coffeehouses of early modern England and the salons of Enlightenment France. Franklin’s Junto and the Lyceums and townhall meetings of the 19th century also suggest the tone of American life we hope to facilitate. We feel book clubs bring people into the public conversation in a meaningful way, and reader’s circles are a format that we hope adds a new dynamic to the mix of social gatherings that make for a vibrant democracy.

Norman’s influence in the Reading community has began to span on a global scale. If you have done a search for a local book store or reading club you have most likely come across his site. It’s amazing what he has accomplished over the last 4yrs, and at his current pace I believe he will be leading the way for ‘Reader Based’ social networking outside of the web. (actual, physical interaction)

Just imagine if you had the chance to meet up with a group of bloggers face to face once a month, and simply exchange conversation and ideas. Check him out, and maybe you’ll want to start up a Readers Circle for bloggers.

Brian is one of those guys that can get along with just about anyone and he’s good at being social, which makes for an interesting time in public. We had a lot of good time together and even though we really didn’t get to hang out that much outside of work (cause he lives 50mi from portland) he was definitely my friend and not my ‘Boss‘.

Work is Work and there is always something to bitch about, something is always going wrong and thats just the way it is. Brian took the stress out of that negative mind frame of work. Thats hard to find in a forman. And a good quality in a friend.

Im going to miss him and all the crazy things we did at work. So if your ever in Washington and you meet a Brian that looks like this ↓ be sure to say something stupid about Longview. That will get his attention…!

Brian is the one standing by the truck, Mike the driver is another story….

Course there was a lot to be distracted with yesterday. The weather here in portland has been a little crazy. It’s been off and on rain, sunny then cloudy, all with in a 10min span. We got a tone of hail yesterday, it was cool. Check it out.

The best way for me to describe Jim is that he’s ‘a good ol boy‘. He likes to fish, drives a Ford and has a beer with a whisky backer. Jim and I worked for the same Company, and we started just about the same week. Once we got to know each other a little we started to hang out. I spent a good portion of the last two summers hanging out over in Jim back yard playing horse shoes and ping pong. So many good times in the back yard.

I’ve moved around a good amount in the last few years and I’ve noticed that i tend to meet a very small crowd in every town i go to and stick with it. Jim’s the best friend I’ve had since i moved here to Portland. He’s helped me out in a lot tight positions, also he made the days of Paving bearable. Jim is a good Friend and Im going to miss him when i leave here.

Here is a video of Jim and a little fish he caught when we were out by Bend, OR working on some forestry roads.

Ive known Brody since we were 7, we played little league together. He was first-base and i was out in the outfield picking the grass yelling, “hey batter batter”. We didn’t go to the same school until 6th grade and at that point we basically hung out every day after that. We were the dynamic duo (so to speak) in HS, we were those guys that didn’t make much sense but always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Brody’s parents lived with in walking distance of a huge Salvation Army. We abused the hell out of that privilege, it got us into a lot of trouble at the conservative Christian HS we went to. I think we made life a little more interesting for everyone our 4 yrs at FLCS. And once again there we were, Brody was at first-base and i was still in the outfield picking the grass yelling, “hey batter batter”. One time we even hit back to back home runs. (kinda cool)

So here is the inside scoop with a little back story, oh yeah and the positive part too. Brody has always been into music. (a lot more than me) It always seemed like he had something new to listen to, something a little weird or something i didn’t care much for but didn’t care enough to complain. I’m not sure what makes Brody different from the average person who has every album known to man, but he seems to know just about everything when it come to bands and musicians. It never really occurred to me that this would come in handy. Turns out that it helps to know a lot about music when you’re in the music industry.

Since Brody and Kristen have moved to TN he seems to have found his niche everywhere he goes. It’s absolutely amazing, and i think that most of you would agree. If you have met him or spoke on ichat or even email, you can tell you’re dealing with a genuine person. I think God has blessed him with that quality and it’s something that people are drawn too. Another point of fact is his perspective on life and the way things are. If you ever what to get a little bit of a new twist on how something is, ask Brody and there is a good chance you’ll raise an eyebrow and think, “huh, i never thought about it like that…”.

When i think back I remember all the activities that i was involved in, like sports and summer swimming, going to the river and going to friends houses. So many things that meant that my mom’s time was my time. Pick me up or drop me off, sacrificing all the time she had so that we could do the things we wanted to do. It’s just crazy how much my mom did for me and my siblings when we were young. It probably never ended.

If there is one thing you can always be sure of it’s that my mom will always make the favorite dish for what ever child is home visiting that week. When i go home to visit Im almost positive that we’ll have spaghetti. oh, how i love my moms spaghetti.

Above all the things that my mom did for us kids, she is an extremely kind hearted person. She is always thinking of other people. She is a wonderful person and if you ever get the chance to meet her im sure you’ll agree