The Furious Spinner

In times of old, The Furies protected Mother Right. If a mother (or any woman) was harmed, The Furies swooped down and took their vengeance. They were one of the last vestiges of a world that existed before the patriarchy. When we feel righteous anger, it is The Furies who are calling out to us to make what is wrong right again.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Friday Dusk in the Little Big Town

Went to Portland tonight. Stopped at Tao of Tea. She brought out my Zen tea (hot water) without being asked. Remembered our order of chana chaval and dal and rice. So sweet. Mar and I talked about writing projects.

Mario & Buddha

She's everywhere; this time on the second floor in a building next to Tao of Tea.

This is what you see coming into Portland via Burnside; during the holidays the nose on the deer lights up red.

The sublime & the sleazy just before Chinatown

Chinatown

Going down Burnside toward Powell's

Yep, here's Powell's. Been coming here for twenty-three years. Someday I'll write a book that takes place here. When we first came here all those years ago, a friend of ours said, "Yeah, but you should have seen in way back when. You could find anything for a nickel. Now you have to pay fifty cents." It's doubled maybe even tripled in size since then, and they have lots more new books. But this is the actual place where Powell's Books is located, at least the "main" place. Powell's was known for years for its snarky employees. (It's not that way anymore, for the most part.) After I'd been going there fifteen years give or take, a Powell's employee said to me one day, "Can I help you?" I looked around, wondering who she was talking to, and then said, "Are you talking to me?" She nodded. I said, "I've been shopping here since 1983 and no one has ever asked me if I needed anything. What's going on? Some new policy?" She grumbled something and then admitted that yes, there was a new policy. I had to keep from laughing. I love the place, what can I say? I did a program here when Charles de Lint came to town. Much fun, although their arm was twisted to get me a gig. They don't seem to cotton to local writers, except Chuck Palahniuk. That's all right. I still love Powell's; besides, I know Elliott Bay Book Co (in Seattle) loves me.

Here are my girls on the Powell's shelves.

Went to the kitchen place next to Powell's next. Mario saw this (see photo) and said, "And here we have the bird flu collection." As I was taking the pic friends of ours came up. We talked for a long time—first about family, then about the present state of disrepair of our country. Nice seeing them.