Category: Notes

Rereading Jane Jacobs: Reflections on “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” [https://lowvelocity.org](https://lowvelocity.org/rereading-jane-jacobs-reflections-on-the-death-and-life-of-great-american-cities/)

There’s always those people who email you something right before the weekend or heading into a holiday with a message that sits with you the whole time, stressing you out when you’re supposed to be relaxing. To hell with those people.

Lions win ! But not without stressing me TF out! 🏈

My cheese sauce/roux recipe for Mac n cheese:

6 Tbsp butter, 1/4 grated onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp Cheyenne pepper, 2 tsp dry mustard, 3.5 cups milk, 1.75 cups heavy cream, 8 oz cubed aged white cheddar, 6 tbsp flour, dash of worscestershire. 👨‍🍳

Scoping out urban condos, when 5+ units in the same building hit the market at the same time, you just know the HOA fee has gone through the roof to fund some deferred maintenance capital investment.

Last night I went to my second writers meetup at Lucky Lab beer hall in NW Portland. Meeting some really friendly and fun people. I can see this becoming a weekly thing.

Finished rereading: [The Death and Life of Great American Cities](https://micro.blog/books/9780679644330) by Jane Jacobs 📚

I never feel more like a stereotypical middle aged dad than when I’m turning off every single light and fan in the house before I leave for work. I need more smart switches.

One thing I absolutely cannot understand about the left is how the party platform has switched from being protectionist to now being apparently pro global free trade? It’s a strange time to be alive.

I don’t think many people on the Right understand just how much low interest rates under the last administration contributed to inflation. Many people did cash-out refinances to fund renovations, pay off cars, go on vacations, pay off student debt…~$650 billion worth from 2017-2021.

I’m really hard on my glasses, so a year ago I sent in my Warby Parkers to Eyeglasses.com and had the lenses replaced with real glass. One of the best purchase decisions I’ve made in recent memory. Not a single scratch. They’d have been scratched all to hell by now with polycarbonate.

Spent time in Dundee and Newberg today with our friend Penny and her boy. Had perhaps the second best Reuben of my life at Red Hills Market. Fell on my ass on a muddy hill at Herbert Hoover Disc Golf Course (this name cracks me up). Swam for a couple hours at Chehalem Aquatic Center. Was a good day.

The failure rate of Shazam has gone way up since Apple acquired it.

The speed at which my children can absolutely crush $35 worth of fruit…

Is anyone else in Oregon who works professionally in planning, architecture or development actually seeing residential uses being built without parking? Curious because despite no minimum parking requirements, I’m seeing none in the 2nd largest jurisdiction in the state.

The paradox of tolerance.

Abolish zoning they said. It’ll be great they said.

Being from the Pacific Northwest means never being able to trust a national forecast or weather app.

I understand you’re trying to attract new business on your landing page, but for the love of god, include a login button for those of us who use your service.

A year ago I moved out of land use planning into campus, facilities and parks planning. Probably the best career move I ever made. Went from doing thankless, highly political work that no one was ever satisfied with, where nothing ever felt complete, to making positive changes I can see. Love it.

In the eye of the storm, or did the bomb cyclone squeegee the sky?

Halfway through The Death and Life of Great American Cities for the second time in my life (for a book club) and have come to the conclusion that it’s unreadable nonsense. Amazing how 20 years of professional experience can change one’s perspective so much.