A View Of A Hero

I respect our military. In the airport I often thank our service folks for their volunteer duty. I am proud they work for us. They sacrifice a portion of their lives. They become an asset of the government and forego their own interests for a period of time. I applaud them. Now, I must reflect on another hero. Those who are involuntarily assigned a battle they did not wish to partake. A battle that might disable them, strip them of their vanity, and eliminate their drive and will. This fight comes with dangerous injections and sometimes violent repercussions. This fight reigns supreme inside their bodies and wages war in a way that cannot be fathomed by the individual, reasoned by their inner circle, nor clearly identified by the medical community as to an outcome. Cancer brings tanks to a knife fight, and we, as humans, attempt to build warheads to aggressively defend our health. These wars are won and lost routinely, but never in vain. These wars are fought in the battlefields of living rooms, drives to the store, trips to the oncologist, and alone in the darks of the mind of those inflicted. Cancer is a bitch-whore on the second floor making noise in the middle of the night. Something you wish you could get rid of but haven't found the path to do so yet. Cancer remains a constant reminder in my life that life is precious. Live how you wish, and be who you mean to be, for it may be short. Don't settle for what is 'just OK' but rather take life by the horns and ride it through the years. For my friends I know who are in the fight right now, please dig deep and rely on me to assist you when you feel there is nothing more you can do. I will be here for you. I know you are strong and amazing and a power that can overcome. I am sorry you are in this position, but I am confident you are the person that can win. Bless you Matt & Brandie. We are here for you and fighting in spirit every day. You are my heroes.

New Group Calls It Out On The Carpet

A newly formed advocacy group was recently formed in the northwest to support the outdated carpet in the PDX airport. The newly formed PDXCAGUACT (Portland Carpet Advocacy Group United Against Carpet Terrorism) aims to bring awareness to the horrible plight of the seemingly aged Portland airport carpet. Sadly, the carpet has been ripped from it’s home like a refugee in the third world, creating massive hysteria and discomfort for 7 people in the northwest and some news outlets. In an effort to identify why the carpet has become the target of what is being described as the worst case of floor covering terrorism in recent history, we asked some folks at the Port of Portland to describe the hostile action. Johnny Highflier, who identified himself as a Port associate twice removed but still remotely related to the incident, stated “This carpet makes no sense anymore. It is dirty, aging, and hideous to the eye. It has created so much displeasure it has to go.” A spokesman from PDXCAGUACT countered with, “This carpet has a cultural significance that cannot be measured by microns of dirt and bodily fluids under UV. This carpet inspired me to become a dog trainer, and many more are devastated at the treatment it is receiving. Floor coverings just keep getting stepped on, and that’s not fair.” As of today crews are actively replacing the carpet, with get this - more ugly carpet. News of the switch to the new and improved ugly carpet had the PDXCAGUACT in a tizzy, not knowing what to do with it’s campaign as it seems to be losing coverage in news channels it once dominated for one newscast. However turbulent the situation, the new carpet is taking the situation as expected. When asked how it was feeling about replacing it’s predecessor, it had no comment.

As the old carpet is removed we can only speculate that the PDXCAGUACT will be forced to retire the supporting Facebook page and assorted useless merchandise it created for future landfill use. As always, we’ll keep you updated here as to the status of all parties. Oh, and Keep Portland Weird.

Hey All, We're Having A Garage Sale!

Keep an eye out here for news on our garage sale. Soon we will be liquidating tons of fabrics, hardware, webbing, etc. from our Carson warehouse. We will post notes as to when and where this will occur... Stay tuned...

The Passing of Stuart Scott

Today was bittersweet. When we lose someone in the community, in our family, anyone we feel a connection to, we reflect in so many ways and find so many emotions buried under our outward armor. This morning, about 8am, after a fitful night of sleep that saw my eyes open far too often, I awoke to the news online that Stuart Scott had died at the young age of 49.

I remember the first few times I saw Stuart on TV. I am sure I was not endeared to him. I am sure that I was a bit put off by his delivery. After all, I was a middle class seemingly white youth with only hip hop CD's to connect me to the African American community. My connection to his world was ancillary at the most remote of descriptive language. I was surely, no doubt, bewildered that a national cable channel could populate it's airwaves with his brash, and unorthodox, style of presentation of sport.

I was envious. Envious that man had found his calling at a young age and followed through with his dream, carried his passion, and delivered in an honest and dare I say authentic manner that rang true to so many, but perhaps a bit foreign to me. I turned him off at times because it wasn't what I was used to, or comfortable with.

I grew up one day, not entirely, but enough, to realize that I actually appreciated Stuart Scott. I not only appreciated him, but what he represented - Authenticity - Something I wish I could truly say I deliver today. It is so difficult to understand maturity if you are seeking it, rather, it makes itself apparent when the time presents itself. At some point you stop looking at our differences first, and start looking for our similarities instead. So much easier to find why we can descend on common ground than to battle at the differences that in most cases were not by our design. I believe I may have begun to understand our similarities over time, and allowed how dissimilar we were to become unimportant overall.

I cried today thinking of his loss. While I never knew him personally, I felt connected to him for the most unknown reasons. I respect the fact that he did not quit. I respected his professionalism. But mostly, I respect how he represented himself to the world. Well done, Mr. Scott. You leave a legacy behind that endears for the future. Rest in Peace Stuart Scott. I will miss you.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=11225895

Perfecting your craft.

I think we all, at some point, become inspired by others and their craft and find inspiration to dive into our own. It is inevitable that to be a crafty person, you seek and absorb stimulus from around you, what you seek, and sometimes from that which may have been unintended. I go in kicks - Fits of intense study and observation and eventually practice. I reserve a spot in my thinking chair often and surround myself with those articles of inspiration that fulfill my desire to engage in something creative.  Currently, my MacBook, the Toro Bravo cookbook, my Taylor guitar, and a residue of smoke salmon and cheddar knob in a small fiesta bowl litter my surrounding. Each of which has something to do with the fiercely creative mood I am in. Yesterday, I was able to find some walnut veneer to work into hangtags for Company 944, and in this morning's travel picked up 5 rounds of fir tree trunk that will play nicely into some form of retail POS. All in all, a wonderful weekend start mixed with the work I love and the inspiration I desire.

I had the extra special pleasure of taking my son to Tasty & Son's this week - Arguably the best restaurant on the planet (this week...) He tried something completely new - Chicken liver pate - and was marginally accepting but more likely not as impressed as the word liver means something somewhat negative to him. It's OK though, because he went out of his comfort zone and tried something new - something we can all take notice of and learn from. I loved the pate. It was the best damn pate I have ever had - made by a true artist who continues the pursuit of perfection of their craft.

Don't leave well enough alone. Continue to push yourself. Continue to explore and try new things. Turn things on their head, and back again, until the visual you see matches the abstract you were seeking. Get out of the comfort zone and try something ridiculous. It just might work.

Last US Bag Publishes Company 944 Catalog

LUSB has presented the newest member of the family, Company 944. This line originates to support one effort - Job Creation. In our efforts to revitalize a portion of Skamania County that we occupy, we fell short. We were unable to sustain the plant operations we hoped for, and reengineered our efforts to build from the ground up. The results? Remain to be seen, but we are confident we'll hire 4 new FTE's in 2015...

www.company944.com

Take a look and see what we are up to...

When Others Doubt You...

Use it as fuel. I have a few detractors in my life. Those that continually doubt your ability, tell you you 'can't' or 'aren't,' are those that most likely see their own shortcomings and wish to reflect those upon someone other than themselves. It is common for this type of bullying tactic to take place in the schoolyard, but when it is prevalent with those of a more mature age we have to question what might be holding them back. Here are two solutions to remedying this issue in the workplace:

1. Fuel for your Fire!

Place these fine words of 'encouragement' on your wall for motivation. Prove 'em wrong! Subtract the detractor from your equation by showing what you are made of. I do this all the time and it helps to build confidence over time.

2. Turn the Table!

No point in arguing - Ask the dark cloud in your life how they can help you succeed. Often times, they don't have anything to offer and this is a sure fire way to get them to realize they might not know everything as they think they do. If they are wise enough to recognize you are promoting a teamwork approach, maybe you can build a relationship of cooperation.

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At the end of the day, it is you that make the difference in your output. If others try to keep you back, send them to the rear view mirror and keep looking forward,