RISTRETTO READING SERIES, DECEMBER 8, 7 PM
Please join us this Wednesday at 7 PM for what will be a fascinating and perhaps heated discussion about one of the most explosive issues and incidents in recent Oregon history, the spiritual guru/cult leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, and Rancho Rajneesh, the compound he and his followers established in Antelope, Oregon.
Win McCormack, publisher and editor in chief of Tin House magazine, will read from, “The Rajneesh Chronicles: The True Story of The Cult that Unleashed the First Act of Terrorism on U.S. Soil,” his newly re-released book on the rise and fall of cult leader, including the sex, the drugs, the Rolls-Royces and the poisoning at The Dalles.
Also appearing will be Lewis F. Carter, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Washington State University and author of the 1990 book, “Charisma and Control at Rajneeshpuram,” his field study of the compound and the followers of Rajneesh. Professor Carter will present a Power Point of images from Rancho Rajneesh during its heyday.
To say that McCormack and Carter are on different sides of the fence regarding Rajneesh is an understatement. We would love to have you there, to join in the conversation.
The series is held at Ristretto Roasters Williams, 3808 N. Williams Ave., Portland.
This event is free and open to everyone, as are all Ristretto Reading Series events. For more information, please see the Ristretto Roasters website, and the Ristretto Reading Series on Facebook.
An article of mine I thought was lost to time, Ode to a Greek Diner, about an old-school Greek diner on its last legs. It's closed now, and the decor is spectacular, wow; perfect for someone wanting to re-fab a diner and do it right.
This is Harper Bates, his wife Amie and one-year old daughter, Nari. Two years ago at this time, Harper, Din and I had recently celebrated the opening of Ristretto Roasters Williams, which Harper, an architect with Holst, designed. The entire process had been a blast, Harper coming up with concepts and then having us into the offices, where we would talk and tweak and where Harper, a ball of energy, would say things like, "Fantastic idea. I'm going incorporate that and we'll have another meeting when I get back." Back from one of his many hiking trips, including a gargantuanly long one, I don't remember where, only that Din and I were like, three weeks hiking and camping out? Better you than me, buddy.
It was following this hike that Harper took a tumble down a flight of stairs, he would later tell us, and that he figured, it was just exhaustion. He went to the doctor and, a week before his daughter was born, was told: not exhaustion, ALS. He was 37 years old.
I am crying as I type this because, it makes no sense. There's no reason, there's no fairness. When I was younger, it did not occur to me that these sorts of things would happen to anyone we know, because we were all made of Kyptonite. But we are not.
Harper and Amie are one of the families profiled in the 2010 Season of Sharing. If you can, donate, won't you? It's easy and it's the right thing to do.
Wonder what Portland's pretty, [p]arty people do late at night? Fashion/nightlife photographer and filmmaker (and good friend of my daughter's) Minh Tran shows us, in his latest series. Tavie well represented, including in this shot, doing one of her very favorite things. I once scrolled through the several hundred text messages we've exchanged, and 70% of them involved Tavie saying "yum!" about something.
Several years ago, I received an email from a friend: he had a friend, Steve Dublanica, well-known as the Waiter Rant guy, embarking on a new book on tipping. Steve would travel the country, watching and working with people in different industries that traditionally include tips, taxi drivers in New York, croupiers in Atlantic City and such. He also wanted to work at a Northwest coffee shop, and how did I feel about him hanging out at Ristretto Roasters? I felt fine.
Steve came, he worked, we adored him. I told him, when the book comes out, we’d throw him a party. While Steve reads from Keep the Change: A Clueless Tipper’s Quest to Become the Guru of Gratuity, at Powell’s on the 10th, you can also come hear him read at Ristretto Williams (3808 N. Williams Ave.) on the 11th, at 7 PM. Perhaps he will read the chapter he wrote about us, in which he says such kind things, I blushed. Might we pour a little wine after the reading? Yes.
This event is free and open to everyone, as are all Ristretto Reading Series events... you are a fan, right? Not yet? Come on in!
Coming December 8: Win McCormack and The Rajneesh Chronicles: The True Story of the Cult that Unleashed the First Act of Bioterrorism on U.S. Soil
NB: Lynn's brother John is a friend of mine.
TRAVIS DRUMS!
NOON, Sunday, August 1, 2010 (gather at 11:30 a.m.)
Portland Peace Memorial (East End of Steel Bridge)
Hello. I am Lynn Bradach.
My oldest son, Marine Corporal Travis Bradach-Nall, was killed by the explosion of a U.S. cluster bomb, during unexploded munitions clearing operations in Karbala, Iraq, on July 2, 2003. Since then, I have been working to end war, clear the refuse of munitions left from war and, most recently, for adoption of national legislation and the international Convention to limit and ultimately ban use of cluster munitions.
I was a speaker at the November 2008 Geneva meetings on the international Convention on Cluster Munitions and was in Oslo, Norway in December 2008 for the signing of the Convention.
Now, more than ever, I am pushing for U.S. adoption and ratification of the Convention.
The Convention comes into effect, for the 106 countries that have signed it and 37 countries that have ratified it, on Sunday, August 1, 2010. On that day, there will be a drum demonstration to bring attention to the coming into effect of the Convention, around the World. Details are at: http://www.stopclustermunitions.org/countdown/
I am seeking drummers of every type and talent to assemble with me at noon, Sunday, August 1, 2010 at the Overlook section of the Eastside Portland Esplanade, just north of the Morrison Bridge, to drum in observance of the occasion and to show support for the Convention.
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PLEASE JOIN ME!!!! For more information, or to confirm, email me at: lbradach@handicap-international.us
I have a feature I adore, Golden Girls, in the December issue of Portland Monthly. The photo (by Daniel Root) at right should tell you why. Dee's Golden Door is a beauty parlor around the corner from the first Ristretto Roasters; we share a parking lot. The hairstyles I see coming out of Dee's are amazing, bouffants and beehives and a safety-orange atomic swirl. I knew I wanted to write about Dee's, and owner Nancy Tilton was kind enough to let me be a fly on the wall.
Added bonus: they taught me how to do my hair in a 60's sex kitten style which is not only easy, but elicits the sort of disarmed, admiring glances a girl does not mind fielding.
You want to hear how cool Ryan Biornstad [blue vest], singer/guitarist/keyboardist of the band PYRAMIDD, formerly Starfucker, and current barista at Ristretto Roasters is? I worked with him ALL YESTERDAY MORNING, the day there was an article about his band changing its name ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE NEWSPAPER [note: for reasons unknown, NOT on the Oregonian website yet], and he said not one word about it, not one little peep. Whereas when I have an article on the front page of the paper, I ANNOUNCE IT WITH GREAT FREQUENCY, while trying to appear humble as I BREAK OUT THE BASS DRUM and (boom!) once again slip in that I have an article on the front page of the motherfucking paper!
Ryan didn't say a word.
Anyway, the band is great and getting very successful (not that this equals success but: one of their songs is now running on a Target commercial; yeah, you know you've heard it), and they really did run into trouble when called Starfucker, people not writing about them or booking them. I think this is idiotic, but it was a fact. Ryan and I talked about it a bunch of times; talked about his impatience with having to come up with a new name. Not that he was opposed, just, there were so many other things he'd rather be doing.
Including going on tour again next month, this time in Europe. We adore Ryan, adore adore adore. Yay PYRAMIDD or whatever you're called xxx
After two weeks of feeling as though we've been moving through soft butter here in Portland, what with the heat, I'm finally awake, and good thing: so much going on. Have to hit the road tomorrow, to drive to Baker City for a meeting. Looking forward to seeing the Eastern part of the state. My smashing TV appearance of last Friday is online, here; you can hear the lights crashing and a phantom radio come on, a radio that my husband (who was watching as we taped live) said the techie could not turn off and eventually just threw into another room. Oh, and we started the production in a black-out. It was total fun; host Joe Donlon is all-pro and made me laugh a lot. A nickel to everyone who can peg when during the interview my mind went utterly blank!
Biggish news: new food website ZesterDaily.com launches today, and I have a piece up, "Ode to a Greek Diner," about a restaurant here in Portland called Niki's. I'd been to Niki's a few months ago, when I interviewed Adam Arnold. I went back two weeks ago to hang around, and the article is what I found. That's Niki, in her kitchen.
If I can get my edits right, later today I'll have part five of Stott-Smith up, though not about her and her children, but the murder of another child.
More work from me (and two more pieces coming Monday!): food cart dining on the streets of Portland, Oregon, in the September issue of Bon Appetit. Yes, it's a topic that's gotten a whole lot of press -- and a phenom that my pal Cuisine Bonne Femme started following, oh, three years ago. But the carts are only getting better, with more and more interesting ones opening each month. I believe the piece I covered ten places; not sure if I'm not seeing a sidebar online, but anyway, check them out.
It's 105 degrees
My lunch with so very nice, funny and talented clothing designer Adam Arnold published today. A clip:
MIX: How long have you been sewing and did you know it would lead to a career?
AA: I started sewing 20 years ago. I grew up in Vancouver; I was living in my parents' basement and I would go out every night dancing. I'd get up in the morning and think who I wanted to be that night. This was the early '90s, lots of glitter and disco. People would see what I was wearing and say, "Wow, you should be a clothing designer!"
MIX: The clothes you design for men and women are pretty far from disco. The lines are so clean, so functional. They look expensive and yet they do not shout, ever.
AA: Good design is something that fits into your life.
It doesn't draw attention to itself, except that it's made well and it
fits you. How's your turkey sandwich?
MIX: It's good. I especially like that the French
dressing on the salad is the orange kind. You so rarely see that
anymore. And what are you doing with your fries?
AA: Well, I put stripes of mustard on the ketchup, and then I roll the French fry lengthwise. [He holds up a red-and-yellow striped fry.]
In other news, I am back in Portland since Monday night, drinking French wine for Bastille Day at Carafe, with Troy MacLarty and his pal Shannon, who is making Portland's best pomme frites bar none over at Laurelhurst Market. And then, last night, sitting in the beautiful, peaceful Southeast Portland yard of our great friends Josh and Heather. He grilled some steak and jalapenos, the latter of which let us just say caused a good deal of crying and coughing all around, an apoplexy only a few shots of good rum could fix. Then we sleep like babies and wake up in the sunshine. This entire summer feels, to me, like a gimme, as though I have been afforded this beautiful time as a gift.
We have two trips planned. First up: Panama in January. All suggestions welcome, and yes Brom, we will be seeing you xx
