Breakfast at noon.

The ugly lovies: chicken fried steak, sausage, and other greasy heart-throbs.

The Best Meal Of The Day:

I’ve always been a breakfast man.  It’s my favorite meal of the day.  And, as you may have guessed, figured out, or remembered by now, yes, last night was New Year’s Eve.  A good dose of debauchery on New Year’s Eve deserves a good breakfast on New Year’s day.  So, I treated my Father, my Beloved one and myself to Central Cafe, (124 NE 3RD street, Gresham), where I’ve been wolfing down unhealthy breakfasts for quite sometime.  On Halloween the waiters typically dress in drag.  Today they sported shiny metalic New Year’s party hats, and red long johns that reminded me of Santa Clause, or Vintage Firemen.  As I’m always torn between the Chicken Fried Steak, or the Chicken-Apple Sausage, I decided that sometimes not making a decision is a valid decision, and I ate both.  It was ugly on the plate, but yummy going down. 

After breakfast, we wayward three took a puddle-jump across the Columbia to the McMenamin’s in Vancouver, Washington.  I’d only been there once before, and several years ago at that.  But I had vague memories of how wonderful the murals were in the restrooms.  Peaking in with curiosity, the flawed paintings of my memory bowed to what was actually on the wall.  A number of commedia dell’arte creatures or Jesters, riding fish, soaring through clouds, and dancing on multicolored light bulbs.  The mural is called ”Watts of fun” (no doubt in reference to the light bulbs) and was painted by local artist Myrna Yoder.  While it is certainly true and plain to see that all of the properties in the McMenamin’s Kingdom are gorgeously layed-out and adorned with wonderful quirks of art and murals, that one in particular has a special spot in my heart/imagination/memory.  I love it so much! 

Now, I am having a cup of coffee and thinking about my bittersweet New Year’s Eve, last night.  It marked two significant moments.  The first is that last night was the two year anniversary for my Beloved One and I.  Two years, two blissful, wonderful, thrilling years of adventures in love with my Victoria.  That made me happy. 

The second piece of significance was that at 12:01 am, Oregon pubs and bars went smokeless, including my favorite stove-side snug.  That made me sad.

Admittedly, I chain-smoked more than ever until midnight, savoring the last few carcinogenic drags of cigarette freedom.  I understand how laws like these come into affect.  There’s a lot about litigation and public health concerns, and all of that.  I sympathize with those who do not wish to soil their lungs, and I accept the fact that times are changing.  However, I do not like the effect it has on ME.  Personally.  Individually.  That trumps the fleeting fluries of conscientiousness.  This nonsmoking nonsense makes me angry. 

I’m watching the film Recount with Kevin Spacey,  Tom Wilkinson, and John Hurt.  It’s an HBO film about the vote fiasco during the Gore vs Bush Presidential race.  It makes me hope that the people who smoke will start petitioning.  That petitions for rule reversals will lead to some sort of vote in upcoming years.  It makes me hope our president-elect Obama will be fearless, and that he’ll smoke more and more publically.  That he’ll be the first accepted smoking-political hero in quite the while.  That a smoking icon will set a different mood.  That with a different mood, in time this ridiculous rule about smokeless bars, (BARS for crying outloud) will be flicked away in ash.

However, the times are changing and more often than not, the wisest tactic is to cope and evolve.  However, I’ll have my ears open for cigarette friendly speak-easy’s opening in my neighborhood. 

. . . . .

Words To Be Considered 

“I will not be a common man.  I will stir the smooth sands of monotony.”  (Peter O’Toole.) 

2009:

I have formed two resolutions for 2009.  Two for now, perhaps more will follow.

1.  To write at least once a day.
2.  To try to be of lighter, merrier, more embracing spirits through the year, and particularly next holiday season.

We’ll see what happens.  

There, I have written.

 © Jeffrey Puukka, 2009.