Meet my friend Tom Hekker

Here he us Boys & Girls....( & dogs & Cats)....Mr Tom Hekker who just turned 75 years old. I want you to know about this guy because he is quite fascinating.
Let me ask you these questions:
Have you ran with the Bulls in Spain & came close to getting your ass kicked?

Have you flown to Cuba and got so smashed you don't remember shit of your trip?

Have you taken a trip to Israel (for a week) and stayed a few months biking around & living off the land?

Have you sailed in the middle of the ocean with no agenda or schedule?

Have you ever raced cars as a profession?

Are you the Father of Nine kids (with only one wife!)?

Do you live on a cool Houseboat on the Willamette & the pad is solid cedar so you can smoke Cigars at your leisure without getting crap from your Wife?

Do you drive a VW Westfalia with 200,000 miles on it & drive to the outback in Alaska and hang out with Indians?

Expert Skier & Tennis Player (still today!)

oh....and this one
Did you re-create the Lewis & Clark trail adventure on a handmade wood boat from St Louis to Astoria?

Well....You have not lived the Life of my friend Tom Hekker.

(Tom did most of the above in the past 5-6 years)

Look who's happy now!

Since I started this blog (due to the encouragement of our beautiful-wonderful new daughter in law).....I keep asking my beautiful wonderful Wife "Did ya read my latest blog?"....and she always replies...."yes ...BUT you are always so negative about everything, why don't you write something positive? ....and I reply....because my 3 fans out there like the train wreck method....they are not into happy talk~~~~~~~They want DRAMA!

So tonight I will ramble on about what makes the Stumptown Blogger HAPPY!!!!!

In n Out double double makes me happy while visiting the south land, Watching a clip of Johnny Carson, Reading my daily newspapers, Watching Larry David on HBO do anything, Reading a great book, Smoking a wonderful Cigar after dinner, Putting on a t-shirt and P.J pants after work, Seeing my Wife in the morning happy, Coming home and seeing her happy, Talking to my two boys and our new Daughter! Taking Shelby our Cat for a walk on his leash (future blog)..........Drinking a Dr Pepper ice cold out of a retro pop machine, Going on a cruise, Going to Cannon Beach Oregon and staying at the Stephanie Inn, Mailing stuff to people with an old fashioned postage stamp, Going to the Post Office, Drinking a great cup of Coffee in the morning while reading my paper and not having anybody bother me, Getting a shoe shine from Uncle Milton, Listening to a great Sinatra song with Count Basie or Nelson Riddle behind him, Going to the movies and lucking out on a good one like Eastern Promises or 3:10 to Yuma, My Wife's terrific dinners and how she prepares them, Checking out my Son's latest photos on flicker, getting a call from my other Son who's married to our new daughter in L.A, driving and listening to my Sirius Radio channel 75, Art Galleries, Waking up to sunshine,

Those are a few things that make this guy a happy camper. Go Rudy!

Name ONE thing this slacker has done....Just 1 thing

What a massive disappointment in U.S. History. She was showcased as the Foreign Policy expert of all experts! I even googled with a search to find accomplishments during her tenure...I couldn't find anything but expensive trips on big jets and flashes going off as she sat with world leaders in those typical living room settings. If you know of any great things Sec Rice has done during the Bush years, please correct me.

TELL ME IF THIS IS JUST THE WORST!

I have been home sick all week with a really bad flu virus. This one has been a dandy! I'm more SICK of Judge shows, Springer shows, news being repeated over & over to the point of madness THAN THE FLU.

It's tough to read so what do you do? Surf 200 channels of crap. But the point I want to make is when your out & about-feeling great and you encounter a person, maybe shake their hand, talk to them...maybe a hug god forbid (I'm not a big hugger) and then after that wonderful exercise they point blank tell you "God..I can't beat this horrible flu"

COULD YOU NOT JUST PUT THEM OUT OF THEIR DAMN MISERY RIGHT THEN & THERE???????????

I get angry with these senseless idiots who should not be out in the first place!

Yeah...I tell them off and make their eyes really water. How inconsiderate of these animals who say that classic parting line to a healthy person. While I'm at it....This country is in a world of big hurt giving that DEVIL from Iran a stage fit for a Rock Star.....and do you think the show FRIENDS was really funny?

I need to take a Tylenol.

LUCKIEST GUY ON THE PLANET..RIGHT HERE

This is one that just stumps me.....Why in the world would CBS put this guy on Network TV? For one thing, he is not funny......and half the time you can't understand what he is saying. The show gets terrible numbers and I have never found one person that likes this guy's Schtick. He rates on my "Luckiest guys in the world list"..... #1

Lonely Dark House

This is a photo I shot of 1600 Penn Ave at around midnight. As I stood at the gate before the most photographed home (second to Graceland of course)...I thought how lonely it looked and must seem to this President who has fallen from grace due to his stupidity and horrible weak advise. How lonely those halls of the past must be for him, and when he looks at the paintings of LBJ, Richard Nixon and going back to Herbert Hoover what thoughts race through this lame brains head. Whoever it is that will move in & send this cowboy packing back to Crawford, I hope they will lead this country in a positive direction & still have the back bone to protect these shores.

The Greatest Salesman On Earth

Some say that Zig Ziglar or Tony Robbins are the greatest Salesmen on earth because they believe their own horseshit and sell millions of books.
I think the crook to the right is the greatest because he has made more than Tony or Zig and most of it is TAX FREE.
If your lifetime goal is to talk stupid people out of their cash, just watch the master of all masters, Benny Hinn. This Dude could sell beach property in Nevada! It is incredible when you read about some white collar criminal that took a group of folks for their investment (almost daily in your local papers) and get hard time for doing it, and this con artist just keeps opening the envelopes from Grand Ma's that are struggling on fixed incomes. Those $10.00 checks add up fast let me tell ya. Benny lives in a 20 million dollar mansion in Orlando, Wears only hand made suits, Rolex diamond watches, has full time around the clock security, and yes packs concert halls with people who have broken hearts or a life threatening disease. He is the King of the close up pitch on TV when the camera zeros in for the money pitch and before they get to that he makes people faint by touching their foreheads. Can Kreskin or David Copperfield do that? I don't think so! I hate this guy, but for some odd weird reason I'm glued to him when I catch him on the tube as I channel surf. How can something so wrong be so darn interesting? There outa be a law folks.

What Bed Would You Sleep In?

You know what it is like traveling across the country from the west coast to the East.....(Portland to DC)....It is a schlep & a half. After waiting two hours for the bags to arrive at the terminal & a wild Taxi ride to check in at the Hilton Hotel, the rude check in girl tells me (after grabbing my credit card) that the Hotel is oversold and I will have to sleep on a roll away bed that will be dumped into a "parlor room".....I show her my confirmed reservation, but that you can wipe your tolkas with folks! They did not want to make any changes in my room rate, not even a "I'm so sorry".....The next day I duked it out with the Manager and had them comp my room, but that was big time drama with this punk who tried to hold his ground and Hotel POLICY. Hilton has gone to hell in my opinion. Here's a comparison for ya...What year did President Lincoln die????

Long before Conrad Hilton had a clue to build a chain of overpriced rooms RIGHT???????? The picture below is the actual bed that Lincoln died in after getting shot by John Wilkes Booth on that famous night at Ford's Theatre.

At least Lincoln died in a comfortable bed.....What am I? Chopped Liver!!!!!!

You need to read this guy!

I was reading a book by a new Author and in the back pages they had a Q&A section. They asked this writer who he is currently reading and he replied "I'm hooked on Bukowski and can't stop".....This led me to a search on this Author who passed on to Literary heaven in 1994. Check out his web site at www.bukowski.net where you can learn more about his incredible life. At the end of this blog I will also give you a link to read about his 74 years in a snapshot. This incredible talent wrote a large host of books (most of them) based on his life & true events that shaped it. Bukowski was also known as a beat generation poet which is another story all together! Henry "Hank" Chinaski is really his autobiographical character in many of the novels and poetry stories. I started with one of his more famous books titled "Women"....then I bought "Post Office" and could not put either of them down. If you get hooked like me, you will want to make selection #3 "Ham on Rye" which is a gut wrenching book on his life growing up with monster parents....The writing is just incredible and it is the most REAL writing from an Author who never really had any formal training and was drunk most of his life.

These books are cutting edge and they do not get more true to life than this. Enjoy Charles "Hank" Bukowski

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001977/bio

Get to know my Uncle Milt......

This is my Uncle Milt who is a Master Show Shine Expert. There is a real art to giving a spiffy shine on a pair of leather shoes and Milt is the King of the trade.

A while back I asked Milt when he started shining shoes....He replied "That's a easy question, November 22nd 1963 the day we lost President Kennedy. Milt was learning the craft in Houston Texas from a shine veteran at a outside shoe shine stand. That makes it 44 years of making people happy with a pair of shiny shoes. Nothing makes your day better than getting a shine and Milton's are like no other! If you go to a generic shine man or woman in a Hotel or airport, the gloss will last maybe a week, with the secret sauce Milt sprays & rubs on the leather, a pair of shoes will look incredible for a month! Milt has his stand in the Governor Hotel on 10th & Alder in downtown Portland. The Hotel wanted Milton so bad to take care of their guests & walk ins...they offered a beautiful space for him at no cost! Milt is a great person, I enjoy talking with him on every visit. He always has a smile and a nice word to say, and as he walks the downtown streets you will hear people of all ages yell "Hey Milt!"... "Milt how ya doin?"......"Milton my man!"........"Milt ....I will see you later for a shine".........You can see that my Uncle Milt is a loved man who has had his knocks in life but I have never seen him without that huge smile!

Another thing that disturbs me.......

Fanny packs really disturb me...especially when worn by a guy. Or a guy that ties his sweater around his waist. Why even wear a sweater? Back to Fanny Packs.....What brings a Man to strap one of these stupid contraptions around their body? This ranks right up there with people who stand in line at Starbucks for 10 minutes and then get to the cashier and have no clue what to order (previous post-but will not let up on this...sorry)....How about a person who shakes your hand and THEN tells you that they are fighting a nasty flu bug that is going around......Just venting today because I'm fighting a nasty flu bug that is going around.....Don't shake my hand please.

BOY WAS I WRONG ABOUT THIS GUY!

We have all heard about the "chick flicks" at the movies...We go to make our gals happy...No question about this while we sit in agony through a Kate Hudson romantic comedy that is never funny.....or George Clooney movies god forbid. Now lets talk live concerts ok? For my Wife's birthday I scored two tickets 5th row on the floor to see an artist she likes (and 99% of most women on the planet)....Keith Urban. I enjoy some of his music, seen him countless times on the country awards shows....On Letterman now & then, but he would not be on this guy's list of singers or performers to see. Let me cut to the chase, we get to the Portland Rose Garden and watch a ho-hum opening act.....Then Urban walks out on stage and BLOWS THE AUDIENCE AWAY for 2 hours and 20 minutes....I'm telling you this is no Country Western show, Urban is a solid state rocker with a band that kicks ass and a show that never let us down from start to finish. I have seen almost all the major rock acts through the years, but this cat is un-friggin-real on that stage. Five stars for Keith Urban ....a show I will never forget. It now ranks on my top 10 best performance list. See him if you can while on tour. Terrific.

1

BUSH TRIED & FAILED

What a horrible legacy for this rich kid who had everything handed to him by his Pop and his cronies. Imagine waking up & looking in the mirror & thinking "What have I done?"...... It is easy for us to comment, knock the guy, swear at him when he appears on the boob tube, but just think what he has to face every day! Sure he made his bed & now he can sleep in it but no matter how strong you can be, it would make a recovered drinker want to slurp a few bottles of Crown Royal. I'm sure we can all agree that he wanted to be a loved President, to leave office with his head high and the joy of making a change for the country and maybe the world. That dream is over for Junior now. This photo tells the story of listening to advisiors when they say "WE WON GEORGE..NOW GET ON THAT NAVY SHIP & CELEBRATE WITH THOSE KIDS"......Many things amaze me about this President....First off I thought he was not the sharpest knife in the drawer when he was elected the first time, but I was sold on that cabinet of experienced DC pros that would lead him in the right direction. Now looking back, we would of been better off with fresh faces that might of made a few errors but would of never pushed him to put on that sham of a show about how Iraq was going to take our precious toys away! Ever wonder how they were going to get away with that side show? When this guy goes back to Crawford we will see very little of him, very much like when LBJ went home to the same State in shame. I was angry at Bush, now I pity him in many ways. You get the shot at the ultimate gig on the planet and screw it up so big. Tonight he was spinning the War again, who's listening?

BOTTLED WATER RACKET

There should be a law...or as we say in real life "There outa be a law. The bottled water we buy on a daily basis is a scam by the largest producers of this H20 product.
The TV & Magazine ads show waterfalls, and natural springs....But in reality if you look close at the label on the bottle many will say PWS. Guess what that means? PUBLIC WATER SOURCE! That translates into TAP WATER that has been run through a filthy filter. What a scam! Here's the brands that are screwing you on a daily basis.
AQUAFINA- OWNED BY PESI CO
DASANI- OWNED BY COKE CORP
CRYSTAL GEYSER #1 SELLER IN THE COUNTRY.
If you want to get true natural spring water the brands that are not ripping off the consumers are:
FIJI-EDEN-HAWAII-VOSS
{Yes the above costs more & theres a reason why)

It is shame that these huge companies can get away with selling us TAP water & market the bottles like its just spouted from a natural spring waterfall. Who in the heck knew what PWS was anyway! I learned this from a special report on CNN.
Drink em if ya got em! My Wife just commented that all my blogs are negative.
Do you really want to read a happy news story. OK...Heres one I made up.

On CNN it was just reported that Pres George Bush Junior admitted that he blew it bigtime on the Iraq War. He has decided to bring all the troops home and call it quits in the 119 degree desert. He also admits to being a total failure and wants to start over with a clean slate. Mr Bush will sign a bill to allow Stem Cell Research and is FIRING his Vice President for being a total asshole. Film at 11.

CBS NEWS IN SERIOUS TROUBLES

Tue Sep 11, 11:06 UPDATED 6 HOURS 46 MINUTES AGO
NEW YORK - If some people thought traveling to Iraq and Syria was a ratings stunt for Katie Couric, it didn't work out that way. The "CBS Evening News" tied a record low with just under 5.5 million viewers last week, Nielsen Media Research said Tuesday. Last week and Memorial Day week are the two least-watched CBS evening newscasts since at least 1987, and probably far earlier.

This was the news story that hit the wires today on the girl that Grandma wants every Grand Son to marry....Katie "I'm a serious news journalist" Couric. We should all agree that Katie was a solid talent assisting Wolfgang Puck how to cook great pasta at 7:20 in the morning on TODAY.....and you couldn't beat her game when it came to interviewing one of the Baldwin Brothers.....Or the chemistry between her and Matt, but lets face it Jury....the verdict is out and CBS blew it putting her in the chair that Murrow, Cronkite & Rather sat in.

No matter how serious she can appear, it just does not work in this venue. CBS is down 2.5 million viewers now compared to NBC & the big winner ABC. On some nights Cable News is eating her lunch! The best thing for CBS to do is pay her contract off which is a record amount of cash for that role as Anchor or let her anchor the CBS Early show which is almost as big of a dog as the prime evening news cast. Katie Couric could really do some serious damage against TODAY and GMA in that time slot. I just can't watch this person trying to do serious news.....Who's next? RACHEL RAY?

Why Netflix is so hot????????

Another miserable evening at the Movie Theatre...The wife & I go to see 3:10 to Yuma starring Russell Crowe...The Theatre is busy with a line at the candy counter stretching all the way to the ticket guy.

How many concession kids are pouring Cokes and bagging the overpriced popcorn? TWO. This has always amazed me when the theatres make very little on the actual movie tickets they sell....Its nickles and dimes actually....Where they make bank is at the candy counter. Why wouldn't they staff 2 or 3 more people at minimum wage to serve the customer. I stood there like a schmuck and finally walked up to the Manager and said "Why don't you get behind the Popcorn counter & help your staff?????? He looked at me like I was from Outer Space. He then looked at the line and did take it upon himself to get his ass behind the counter to take the cash & fill orders...(this was as 4 people fell out of the line shaking their heads so they could make the movie)......Almost as irritating as people talking during the movie...or people who climb over your feet because they are late....under-staffing the Popcorn counter really pisses this movie junkie off. By the way...3:10 to Yuma is an epic western and should be seen in a movie theatre....Some films just don't cut it at home even if you have a big screen.

Let me introduce you to the Coney King

Do you ever get the question asked "Whats your death row dinner? If you could order any dinner in the world and have it delivered hot to your jail cell? In my town Portland Or we have so many incredible Restaurants to select from. Portland has become the little San Francisco of dining so would it be a difficult choice? NO. It would take me 2 seconds to respond (maybe quicker). Nicks Famous Coney Island on S.E Hawthorne Blvd. Pictured to the left is Frank Nudo who owns Nicks and is a major sports fan (especially Baseball).......

The walls are covered in photos of sports celebs and team shots...also a special wall dedicated to Neil Diamond. The restaurant looks pretty much the same as it did in the 1940's except for the color TV off to the side of the bar that features ONE beer....Bud. The Conney's are a work of art using Frank's secret sauce and the Mac-Salad on the side. No bills are generated here when you are ready to pay, they just round out the number by looking at your plates and offer a number. Nobody ever challenges them on that number. It would be devastating to not be allowed back in. The ranting & raving of Frank is almost worth just dropping in especially if a guest starts knocking one of his favorite sports teams or god forbid politics. This is a special haunt that could never be duplicated or replaced. I love Nicks Coney Island.

The Health Report on Radio Broadcasting

The current health data on radio broadcasting is TERMINAL. The photo you see on this blog was the greatest Top 40 radio jock in broadcasting history. The photo was shot in the famous Kisn AM radio station "window" on 10th & Burnside in Portland around 1964. He went on to becoming a radio super jock at Boss Radio KHJ in Los Angeles. During the best days of radio was when this guy among others were doing their thing live and local on air. Today radio is 50% plus voice tracked which means a monkey/human goes into a recording studio at the radio station and reads a bunch of pre-loaded 5X7 cards and then through the magic of technology they get placed around the songs....This allows the radio stations to not have a fat payroll of live DJ's.

What this also does is make radio boring and not entertaining to listen to. So while XM-SIRIUS-WEB LISTENING-and other distractions increase taking the earrs away from old fashioned AM-FM radio....These broadcast owners are killing their golden egg by taking the LOCAL flavor from what the experience should be all about. If you tune in your favorite radio station and get no features-benefits or information ....why is their any point to listen????????

Today your radio stations in whatever major city you live in are owned by three companies (Thanks Ronald Reagan for that brilliant move while in office)...Clear Channel-CBS-Entercom. They own the majority of radio towers in the USA....How sad....and what they have done to the quality of radio. If you would like to enjoy radio when it was really great try this site http://www.reelradio.com/ (they charge a few bucks for membership) and its a steal of a deal to hear the days of when radio was brilliant.

Service SUCKS in America

Cell phone all of a sudden turns on me...Can't get calls....can't dial calls....So I run down to Cingular Wireless at 10:45am (they open at 11am)...Four employees are standing around the service counter...They see me clearly with a phone in hand....I yell to them through the glass " Could you just take a look at my phone for a moment?"....The punk waves me away .....OK...He has no clue about keeping a customer happy (lets chalk him down as a idiot)....So I wait till they open...A Man appears wearing a Cingular T shirt opening the door with a key to the store...I approach him and he is very nice and pushes a few buttons ...opens the back...and hands me back a phone working perfect...Took 1 minute. Shame on the punk that waved me away because the sign on the door said 11am.......Then.....I walk down to a high end Men's wear shop to buy my Bro a birthday gift (His birthday is 9-11 but we never celebrate it on that dreadful day anymore).....Their sign says open Sunday at Noon....A guy opens the door and says "what can I do for you?"....I said ....I see the sign...but I need a birthday gift for my Brother...wanna make a quick sale? He says "No...We open at noon"..Shuts the door and locks it. Why in the hell did he even open it?
What is going on anymore....Listen...I know they have hours...but this country is ready to enter a recession soon (you heard it from me....not first if you read a newspaper)......why not do whatever it takes to make a Customer happy?????
Thanks for reading.

shit that bugs the hell out me

Standing in a long line to order my morning java...theres 10-12 women (many with their friends) winding up their neighborhood walk & exercise only to order a full of fat raisin-cranberry scone.....and to listen to these yappers talk about their kids...their over worked husbands....what college Maddy is going to attend ---yaddah yaddah yaddah....and after standing there and not shutting their pie holes or having something interesting to say.....They get to the front of the line & the clerk says ..."Good Morning, what can we get you?"
and drum rolllllllll please......the stupid cow says...."Lets seeeeeeee (as she looks up to the menu board)....then turns to her stupid friend that reads too many romance novels with Fabio on the cover ...."what do you think I should order?"
and they DISCUSS this while people are standing there in a hurry with JOBS to go to. Let me tell ya fellow bloggers...This drives me into a mental frenzy to actually consider murder. Oh...and they always are wearing a baseball cap with their pony tail hanging out of the back....and Nikes that look like they have never been worn. Am I over reacting or does this misery happen to you at 8:00 am in the morning?

COFFEE ANYONE?

I live in the coffee capital of the planet....Portland Oregon...wheres theres a Starbucks on every Avenue....some kitty corner-facing each other on the same street! Sure they make a nice cup of brew and I'm a card carrying customer working down by balance on a daily basis..But I came across this small roaster in Cannon Beach Oregon by the name of "Cannon Beach Roasters"....I got turned on to them by dining at a Restaurant (at Cannon) that served their Java.
I stopped at their shop and bought a bag of their #1 seller...Monastery Blend.
Everyone has their favs in Coffee...so if you like a french roast type of cup...this is it baby....I love this coffee! Heres their web info www.sleepymonkcoffee.com
Cool people..Hot Coffee. Enjoy.

wine lovers wherever you may be

Well...I will make this short and sweet. We took a trip down from Stumptown (Portland Or) to Napa. All the Vino heads kept talking about a Winery named
Daroush....So we visited them & bought a few bottles of their Cab. Let me tell ya...its off the map incredible. You can visit them at www.daroush.com (hope I have the spelling right....too lazy to walk into the Kitchen & grab the bottle...But in the time it took me to write that...I could of....I guess. happy drinkin.
http://www.darioush.com/shop/product_34.html?sSID=554978a03a00100fe523708c3

Dining in Cannon Beach Oregon

Wow did we have a five star dinner in a little cottage house in charming Cannon Beach Oregon. The Chef is quite famous in the Northwest (was Chef at the highly rated Stephanie Inn) and then opened his own place right down the street. This is really a great place with wonderful selections and one on one service like the good old days before chain restaurants began to take over the Culinary world. If your taking a trip to Cannon do stay at the Stephanie (in the Carraige house) www.stephanieinn.com and have dinner there and make a night at Newmans located at 988 S Hemlock. www.newmansat988.com

greetings from Portland

Very depressing to hear that one of Portland Oregons best record stores (am I showing my old age) is closing due to the web hold on the young demographic buying music on line. This store was named "Record Store of the year" many years in a row (for entire country-not just PDX)......The store really had a soul to it with cool people working there & live shows on weekends that were always free. Many top acts would do a set before playing large venues. The selection was terrific with many hard to find selections from Jazz -Rock-Classical you name it they had it. The good news is they will exist with their original location in Southeast Portland. the store is Music Millennium and they have a great web site if you want to check them out at www.musicmillennium.com
The point I would like to make is this....Our lives are being dis-connected by the ease of a click. I find it sad that many young people (in time) will most likely never experience the wonderful shopping time in a cool record store! Worse than this is not enjoying an afternoon at a independent bookseller which are also fading into the sunset. How sad is that? Well...now that I got that off my chest...Have a great day & BUY your tunes & reads from a LOCAL independent shop.....We need to support these people to keep the dream alive. Thanks for listening. Oh..and to close...a great book to get is "Water for Elephants" now out in soft-back. One of the best books I have read in years.
DR