ARCADE : 9 word story

via arcademagazine.org

The building's glazed look instilled paranoia in the architect.

Thanks for your votes!;-) they were enough to push me into the prize money.

Posted via email from sean o'connor

Portland Proves Itself AGAIN

I had a great - near peak - experience in PDX the other day. Finally got to visit the hat shop that's been on my radar for so long and it did not disappoint. I say Run - don't walk - to Pinkham Millinery. Old world craftsmanship, new world aesthetics, all mashed up by Dayna Pinkham. Seriously, visit her shop, buy a hat. Revive the industry that JFK single-handedly killed (by not wearing hats in public).

It can be a bit tricky to find - it's right smack downtown, but tucked in a little shopping plaza called Morgan's Alley.


Every hat in the place is a work of art. The materials are sumptuous and the sheer variety is a bit overwhelming.

If you like a deep-dive on a very specialized craft, then schedule your field trip today. Seriously.

The wood "blocks" are themselves antiques. Nobody is making them anymore...

One moment, madame, while I bring the coach around... Interesting to try on a top hat that actually fits.

According to Ms. Pinkham, I'm a "long oval" - my head shape - making it hard for me to find the right hat. But you know what they say...

Typos are like spinich in your teeth.

As a writer, I'm always on the lookout for typos. I don't always catch them, but sometimes they just jump out at you.

When I was engaged in the online dating game, I used to say that typos in a person's profile were the online equivalent of spinach in the teeth. Yuck.

Online and in most other media, correcting the occasional typo is pretty simple.



But when you're using giant stencils and permanent paint, you might want to take an minute or two to REALLY read what you're about to jot down. Just a thought

The right tool for the job.

I just got back from Peter Miller Books, one of my favorite haunts for getting hit over the head with inspiration. Among the artfully curated array of architectural books, gadgets and ephemera of a highly refined design aesthetic there are pens. I love pens. There are pencils, too. Many many many pencils. But I'm a pen guy. (There are 2 kinds of people in this world...)

Having picked up a couple of new Tombos to add to my quiver, I remembered this photo image of knives that I took while on a writing /performance retreat at Smoke Farm a couple of summers ago.

You've got your  pairing knife, your serrated bread knife, your French knife, your cleaver...


And you've got your ballpoints, felt tips, rollerballs and fountain pen.

Choose your weapon...

What's that address again?

Architectural signage is a key element on the exterior of any building... you hate to see a great facade compromised by signage that ends up being an afterthought. These numbers appear on the outside of the new Fairview Research Center, on the corner of Mercer and Fairview.

It would appear that the number spin individually on their own axis... but they may simply be fixed at different angles. More later...