Dog people: we don't all love your smelly dirty furry best friends. Oh YOUR dog isn't like that? Yes it is. You're just so covered in its fur and slobber that you stopped noticing. Us non-dog-people dread visiting your house where we're assaulted at the front door, our pants are covered with nasty snuffles within seconds, and there's nowhere clean to sit. Then you just assume that when we invite you over for the holidays there's a plus one policy for your muddy bitch?! Can you seriously not go anywhere without that animal? What kind of mental codependency problem do you have? Look at your life: you can only go to dog friendly restaurants and shops, the day's schedule is wrapped around pee breaks and carrying bags of shit around. My baby is easier to accommodate than your spoiled pooch. Leave it at home and don't be surprised the next time we all enthusiastically offer to host the holidays at our clean houses instead of yours. Xoxo, your cat person relative

For the last 12 years or so, I’ve been peeing on the same section of a remote Jersey barrier in St. Johns. It’s a ritual I do on my bike rides and is very interesting to see what over a decade of my piss will do to a small area of cement. (It’s almost like special powers!). Anyway, I encourage others to pick a random remote spot and do the same. Channel your inner dog and claim your spot!

It's the worst time of the year. Spending time with family not bad, but fuck the stress that goes with it. Don't want the drama of others politics, I swear to Christ people forget what little they know about driving during the holidays. Food? Traditional spread? Might have been awesome during the great depression, but now it's an unappetizing fiscal drain. Music? I'd rather blow my brains out than hear Christmas music, please stop playing that trash, it's torture.

These past couple years have been rough for many of us. We've found out who people really were, often with heartbreaking results. But another thing these times of difficulty has done is shown us who the real leaders of our society are. They are the people who are full of kindness and charity. They are the one's who show up and get things done without worrying about credit. They are the one's who hide from the spotlight rather than shamelessly self-promote. There are plenty of good people in this world. I'm incredibly thankful for all of them and I look forward to amplifying their nature during this next year.

Time to offer my personal thanks to all the non-bourgie community-based people and orgs that help preserve Portland's soul of giving and compassion. Here goes (and apologies to anyone I've omitted): JoAnn Hardesty, Central City Concern, the Scanner, the Urban League, the Miracles Club, KMHD's Baby Boomer and DJ Action Slacks, Sisters of the Road, Street Roots, Transitions Projects, all the folks at DHS, honest cops, the PPB Advisory Committee, and all the nameless workers, hippies, tripsters, single moms, caregivers, struggling addicts, anarchists, queers, and homeless folk doing their got-damnest just to make it through another got-damned day without getting bashed, assaulted, shot, or diminished by entitled powers. You all are heroes, and I thank you for inspiring better from us all.

I hate space travel. And I'll probably never get the chance to go to Mars, but if I was offered? At this point? I'd probably go. Sure it's a hostile frozen dead land with no atmosphere and can kill you with just radiation alone, but what it doesn't have? Is noise. Our world is way too loud! There's seriously no escaping it. I know they now have electric leaf blowers (they're still loud AF), but they're at least a little quieter. Do they work well? I've never used one. Do you landscapers want to use them? I feel so bad for you guys. Apologies to the gentleman who I banged on my bedroom window at at 7AM or whenever it was after getting woken up. I'm an asshole. You didn't deserve that and were just doing your job. Maybe soon I can blast off to Mars so you'll have one less 'not a morning person' to deal with. Or perhaps the Moon. I hear it's lovely this time of year.

If you're wondering why the hell people can openly and brazenly commit crimes against in the public in open view of the public (like say an insurrection or the murder of people of certain skin tones), there's a few things you should be looped into. So the basic problem is abuse of power this is mostly established at the local level, where those empowered with the use of state violence abuse the priviledge and public trust. Normally we're supposed to have a series of check's and balances to compensate for this behaviors, but they don't really work when the people who are supposed to be the checks are cowards and competing interests. The Mayor is supposed to be a check but he knows to stick to what he's told to do by his gym buddies and they're fine with the situation. The FBI is supposed to in theory be a check on corruption, but they have an interest in maintaining "partnerships" with local law enforcement that they prioritize over other interests. The DOJ is supposed to be a check, but they also prioritize "relationships with law enforcement" over more pressing public interests. Elected officials overwhelmingly benefit from law enforcement looking the other way on their own matters. Can you see the pattern? The lesson is simple, if you commit crimes, it would be stupid for you not to employ key figures or donate to certain groups in exchange for law enforcement to look the other way about your blatant lawbreaking and corruption. Anyone currently in office (or consider a political figure) NOT currently speaking out about corruption is a benefitting participant of the antipublic system. Now is the time to examine and strategize so we can clean house as quick as we can with the next round.

I experience varying levels of gaiety and joy whenever I ride the bus or MAX in Portland. Having lived in other cities and towns, I can testify to TriMet's superiority as a tri-metro-wide public transportation system. I mean, I can, literally, travel from one far-flung locale (say, Clackamas or Hillsboro) to the Expo in NoPo or downtown Portland with predictable ease. I also would like to give a heartfelt "thank you!" to all the Tri-Met drivers, who put up with more shit than a sewage treatment worker. Grace under fire is a rare quality among workers who are easy targets for chronic whiners and assorted anti-public boo-boo-kitties. Tri-Met and Tri-Met workers deserve our support and gratitude. Mobility is a basic human right, and Tri-Met is a vital lifeline for Portland Metro's disabled, under-employed, homeless, and otherwise isolated cits. Now... bring on the pedantic blatherings of the usual anti-Tri-Met grouchy-pants.

Though I be drunk, I am in my abode Unharried, nor shocked with cold, with rested leg. What ghastly winds might I have quivered 'neath Had I not happened on the nightly bus! Though you may remain, to our collective shame, Far less esteemed than you, by right, deserve, And far less compensated! I proclaim: Great thanks to Portland's operators who, Through stressful interactions remain calm! And in inclement weather maintain course! I can but do my part: give thanks to you, And bid my fellows, they should too give thanks. If not for you, our humble bus drivers, We would be stranded. You are recognized!

Dude I've been married forever. You might think I would get bored or whatever, or she would wise up. but no. We just sit here in silence drinking our coffee, scrolling, farting, scrolling. I say, "What am I thinking?" she says "choral bells" I"m like, wtf is choral bells? She's like " google it" I'm like HOLY FUCKING SHIT!! THAT" S EXACTLY FUCKING RIGHT!!" She's like, "I know."

Thats all I can explain it as. This is best I can explain, you're a Trimet bus driver that got to the stop a little early. Its a new kinda route Trimet is going through. It was pouring down rain, and you were 20 ft ahead of stop. As I've seen many drivers before, passengers would walk up to bus, and driver would let them on. I tried to do that as it was pouring rain but nope, you refused. I said seriously? I just want out of the rain. You said, "this is my layover." And made me go back to the stop. I stood there for 3 minutes, maybe, and then you drove up. I was thinking, a layover? Seriously, really? Then another day, you're the same driver but I'm on the bus riding now. Once again, you were early at a completely different stop and area, so you pulled over and waited 3 to 5 minutes. Then we drove 10 to 20 feet to pick up another rider. Seriously? Thats just cruel. Theres no way you didn't see that rider. If you didn't, you're aren't very good a your job. But also, why not just pick the rider up, then we can all wait there instead of letting him stand there wondering what is going on with the bus. You see how mean that is? Just evil. Just plain immature because I know there's some purpose to what you do because you don't like people. So you're in the wrong profession, driver..

FULL DISCLOSURE. I lived in Portland a short time ago, but I'm no longer a voting resident. It's upsetting to again see news stories of Wheeler and his cronies criminal incompetence on display whether that's their failure to properly capture public records or their literally selling off of Portland public property to donors at favorable rates during regular business hours. Yes, he needs to be recalled, and he can be, but you have to run a clear and realistic campaign that appeals to at least a segment of Gonzalez voters to get that done. It can't be a cool kid club or a campaign of veilled payouts within a certain political gang, it should be a campaign that people are willing to volunteer for, or donate their services to in-kind. Wheeler can be recalled. It's well within the realm of POSSIBILITIES but calling him a war criminal or a serious national security concern in the pockets of the Chinese interests isn't going to accomplish that. You can do this Portland. Again I don't even live there anymore, but there are plenty like myself through-out our country who would be excited to support Portland getting shit together and getting rid of this embarassment to our country.

No matter how much Portland city government changes or how the MAGAnauts are kept (mostly) out of city and county public office, racism, bigotry, queerphobia, etc. will likely continue to stain virtually every aspect of public and private security/policing. From rent-a-cops to the Portland Police Bureau, canoodling with Nazi and white supremacist gangs is an all-too-real phenom here in Portland. People who believe more cops, bigger PPB budgets, and the expansion of privatized policing and surveillance are viable solutions to the ills of a decaying, late-stage capitalist system are either blindly stupid or permanently trapped in the poop chute of their rock-rib political and social beliefs. At what point will we Portlanders garner the needed courage to completely rethink community safety, while acknowledging the root causes of crime, poverty, and addiction? (Asking for a friend.)

I don't want to spend too much time on this subject, but I think it's an important example that other anon participants will appreciate. Ol'musky is functionally implementing fascism at twitter. That's what you are watching. It doesn't matter what really is. It doesn't matter how "valuable" you are to the company, what everything comes down to is whether or not you've appeased the in-"ruler" or crowd. Accountability is only for those beneath them. Justice is whatever they "feel" it should be. And now more and more people witnessing this are forced to consider "what are the distinct differences between capitalism and fascism anyway?" (hint: there aren't that many). Sure, there are a few respectable "brands" left on twitter, but it's quickly becoming a even more reactive and unstable environment than it was already designed to be. It'll be interesting to see who'll still remains on the platform after thanksgiving and what excuses they may use to justify their participation in an dangerous, racist, violence-inducing, and anti-lgbt platform. I have no doubt that we'll hear the same excuses used for the justification of the use and participation in other racist, corrupt, and otherwise bigotted systems (looking at you America). But the cool thing will be how we figure a way to apply the lessons of the microcosm that is twitter to the macrocosm that is our world. Besides, Twitter was always awful, especially in the mornings, and it's demise can only really mean one thing: a communications disruption.