I took a (very brief) road trip to Montana the other day, and discovered that just like in the Pacific Northwest they are still getting rain as late as July.  I spent about twelve hours total there, which is a whole different story, but for now really I just wanted to show you a few pictures I took while driving home during the day.

And also to tell you this: Montana rest stops have some of the friendliest rodents around.  We pulled over just prior to crossing back through Idaho to stretch our legs, and I noted what looked like thirty or more chipmunks or squirrels running riot all over the lawn near the restrooms.  I wondered aloud whether it was mating season, but soon realized that these rodents had just keyed into a crucial secret of survival: if you hang out near where humans are passing by and are cute and fuzzy, humans will go crazy over you and shower you with food for your time.

I got a little closer to try and get a picture of one, and as I bent down with my phone to get a closer shot, the little bugger turned and ran right at me.  I backed up a step or too, trying to keep my feet away from him while trying to keep my phone close enough for a decent shot.  Thinking that surely I must be holding out some form of foodstuff for him, the little guy sat straight up and looked at me to let me know he was ready to receive his due.

Almost made me wish I had a cracker for him.

I took this one at a tourist shop on Government Avenue in Victoria, BC.  I believe the name of the store was literally “I Love Canada, Eh?”.  No, I’m serious.  Anyway, I liked the way this photo turned out.

Or, you know, it was just over a week when I snapped this photo when I was in town for a few brief hours last week.  It could be gone by now, and I probably should have published this sooner, but in my tradition of bringing you last week’s breaking news I am just now getting around to sharing it.

And now?  Well, now I have to go prepare for shenanigans with the Canadians later tonight.

Ciao!

I got out of town last weekend, dragging myself from the computer and far out of the way of any cell phone antennas, which made me realize how damn often it is that I plug myself into the internet in one form or another.  I twitched a few times from not being able to see what was happening on the twitter, but with the constant calming sound of a waterfall right next to our campsite I soon happily forgot that there was any world beyond what we could see through the trees.

It’s nice to check out every now and again, especially to spend time with some of your best friends.

It reminded me that I haven’t gotten in anywhere near the amount of recreation I’ve been wanting to this year, which is something I’ll have to remedy soon, because this whole showing up to work thing?  Not real rewarding lately.

But you know, I’m happy places like this still exist and that the Pacific Northwest is still as rugged and beautiful as it is. Next summer is going to need far more days like the ones I had this weekend.

For example, they have far more used gum than anyone else.

And while they may not have ALL OF THE CHEESES, those cheeses which are represented are available by the box full.

Like guitars?  They have PLENTY of guitars in Seattle.

Hand written manuscripts?  Piles of them.

Are underground vice dens more your speed?  Because Seattle has those.

And beautiful cloud free days that let you see all the way to the horizon?  Well, actually, those can be rare, so seize the day when they come around.

And despite the presence of the occasional unshaven curly-haired vagrant on the beach, Seattle seems like an amazingly cool city, and I can’t believe I’ve only been there twice in my many years of living in the PacNW.  I hear the summers up there are pretty sweet, so I imagine I’ll have to go back and hunt around some more.

(Thanks again, Matt!)

I got back to Portland two hours ago, and man will I be glad to sleep in my own bed tonight for a few hours before going back to work in the morning.

G’night, y’all, more posts coming this weekend.

P.S. If you’re reading this on Friday, did you know that it’s Repeal Day?  Are you going to celebrate it by drinking martinis with pretty girls?  You should.

I drove around until I found the temple in the middle of town.  Say what you will about the Mormons, but they know how to put up a striking building.  The temple at night was magnificent. My pictures don’t really do it justice.

There was a nice reflecting pool there, too, so I snapped a picture of that:

Right up the street from the temple is the state capitol building. I hadn’t noticed it on my first trip out here a few years ago, but it looked incredible lit up at night so I drove around until I found a spot to park, and then ran up there to stand in the freezing desert wind and snap a few pics:

Later, inexplicably, there were ducks.

And that wraps up the last few days. Is it Friday yet? I could really use some sleep. And when I say sleep really I mean a stiff drink.

Dear Vahid X. Huitzilopochtli,

We have received and reviewed a copy of your expense report for your recent TequilaCon planning trip.  While the accommodation, air travel, and dinner allocations all look above board, we have noticed certain irregularities in your submitted list of expenses.  The guidelines for travel compensation allow some leeway; however, as your expenses appear to be more than a little unusual for a business trip, you will need to provide some sort of justification for certain items before this office can approve them as a business expense and provide appropriate compensation.  These items are listed as follows:

* Architectural Cruise

“Every bridge tower is different? I had no idea.”

“Isn’t that the Oprah Winfrey building, the tall one by the water?”

“Like she owns it, or she lives there?”

“She’s the only one who lives there, the whole thing is hers.  Just her and Dr Phil.”

“I think the Trump Tower looks like a big penis.”

* Souvenir Photo Prints

“Hey, our picture is still up on the monitor.  Is it okay if I take a picture of it?”

“Uh, it’s not allowed to take pictures of the monitor.”

“I know, but I already bought the prints.  It’s not like I’m ripping you off.”

“Well…if I let you do it, then other people would think it was okay to do it.  I’d have total anarchy in here.”

“What if we took a picture of ourselves standing in front of the monitor pointing at ourselves in front of the Hancock Tower.  Is that okay?”

“Um.  The elevator is that way.”

* Martinis, Imported Beer — not consumed with meal

“See that huge line?  That’s the wait to get in the elevator to take you back downstairs.  So I hope you weren’t planning on doing a dine and dash.  We’d have to run around the restaurant until the line cleared out.”

“That sounds like a great idea for a sitcom episode.”

“We could base an entire series on that idea.  Every week the characters would try to dine and dash from increasingly ridiculous situations.”

“That line is still pretty long.  We’d better order another round.”

* Custom T-shirt

“Oh, there she is.  There’s my lady.  She’s going on my shirt.”

“What are you going to get on the back?”

“What you need to ask yourself is, what would a maverick write on their T-shirt?”

“Moose… be-yooo-ti-ful… “

“Something mavericky.”

* Tips — ‘Puppet Bike’

“You guys! Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, it’s PUPPET BIKE!!”

“Puppet Bike?! Wow!”

“Oh, I think I’m in love with Puppet Bike.  This is definitely worth a dollar.”

“Don’t put it in the box, give it to the puppet.”

“Here you go, one-eyed cat.  High five, little buddy!”

* Admission — Adler Planetarium

“I can’t believe we walked this far just to visit the Terror-arium.”

“It’s for science!  Also I want to see how my tax dollars are being spent.”

“I just read that poster and it says we’re all going to die.  The sun is going to expand until it consumes the earth.”

“Don’t worry about that, it’s called the Rapture.  We’ll be just fine.  Well, I will be, I know the right people.”

“Science is thirty times cooler if you wear 3-D glasses.”

“I’m putting my 3-D glasses up against the 3-D viewer.  I’ve got 6-D.”

“Okay, I think we can all fit in the photo booth.  You sit on the floor this time.”

“OH MY GOD, THERE IT IS!  The three million dollar projector!  Get a picture!”

As you know, we take our duties in regard to Tequila Oversight very seriously, in order to assure the citizenry of the blogosphere that their TequilaTax dollars are spent appropriately.  Please re-submit your expense report with apporpriate documentation attached as soon as possible.  You will not be recompensed for your expenses until such time.

Sincerely,

L. Jimador
Don Julio & Associates
TequilaCon GAO

and one at night:

Yet Another Marginally Interesting Recap of Events Over a Week Old

OR

A Bunch of My Pictures Because It’s Easier than Writing

You would have seen the Hulk!

Or Jabba the Hut!

Or giant bugs promising prizes!

Or life-sized props from upcoming movies!

Or renowned comic book artists!

But mostly you would have seen a lot of dudes who were into comic books wearing deliriously happy smiles, for one reason or another.

You can see all the rest of my Comic-Con photos on Flickr.