- Liquor? In grocery stores? In Portland? No way.

- I haven't read local author Anthony Swofford's Jarhead* because everyone tells me it's nothing more than a series of meandering, anti-climatic anecdotes. Regardless of these critiques, the book recieved a huge amount of great press and sold something like 100 billion copies. A film adaptation is now in the works with American Beauty helmer Sam Mendes (?!) set to direct. While spots of the Southwest will fill in for Iraq, the part of Swofford has yet to be cast.

- "Burger Skank," the Burnside Burger King mentioned in the previous post, closed forever last week. It will probably be replaced by a large, eye-soring stack of condomeniums. Boooooooooooo! Hiss!

* Should the titles of books be underlined? Italicized? Placed in quotations? What about movies? Publications and grammar books all contradict one another. Does anyone actually know the answers to these questions? Didn't think so.