Bryan

Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt.

Reading

Book Art

A Pattern Language

Christopher Alexander


    Notes

    There’s always those people who email you something right before the weekend or heading into a holiday with a message that sits with you the whole time, stressing you out when you’re supposed to be relaxing. To hell with those people.

    Notes

    Lions win ! But not without stressing me TF out! 🏈

    Notes

    Turkey and football. Lions have lost the last 7 Thanksgiving games. I think this year will be different. #onepride 🦁 🏈

    Notes

    My cheese sauce/roux recipe for Mac n cheese:

    6 Tbsp butter, 1/4 grated onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp Cheyenne pepper, 2 tsp dry mustard, 3.5 cups milk, 1.75 cups heavy cream, 8 oz cubed aged white cheddar, 6 tbsp flour, dash of worscestershire. 👨‍🍳

    Notes

    Scoping out urban condos, when 5+ units in the same building hit the market at the same time, you just know the HOA fee has gone through the roof to fund some deferred maintenance capital investment.

    Notes

    Last night I went to my second writers meetup at Lucky Lab beer hall in NW Portland. Meeting some really friendly and fun people. I can see this becoming a weekly thing.

    Notes

    Finished rereading: The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs 📚

    Notes

    I never feel more like a stereotypical middle aged dad than when I’m turning off every single light and fan in the house before I leave for work. I need more smart switches.

    Notes

    One thing I absolutely cannot understand about the left is how the party platform has switched from being protectionist to now being apparently pro global free trade? It’s a strange time to be alive.

    Notes

    I don’t think many people on the Right understand just how much low interest rates under the last administration contributed to inflation. Many people did cash-out refinances to fund renovations, pay off cars, go on vacations, pay off student debt…~$650 billion worth from 2017-2021.

    ...

    Notes

    I’m really hard on my glasses, so a year ago I sent in my Warby Parkers to Eyeglasses.com and had the lenses replaced with real glass. One of the best purchase decisions I’ve made in recent memory. Not a single scratch. They’d have been scratched all to hell by now with polycarbonate.

    ...

    Notes

    Spent time in Dundee and Newberg today with our friend Penny and her boy. Had perhaps the second best Reuben of my life at Red Hills Market. Fell on my ass on a muddy hill at Herbert Hoover Disc Golf Course (this name cracks me up). Swam for a couple hours at Chehalem Aquatic Center. Was a good day.

    ...

    Notes

    Photography

    Notes

    The failure rate of Shazam has gone way up since Apple acquired it.

    Notes

    The speed at which my children can absolutely crush $35 worth of fruit…

    Notes

    Is anyone else in Oregon who works professionally in planning, architecture or development actually seeing residential uses being built without parking? Curious because despite no minimum parking requirements, I’m seeing none in the 2nd largest jurisdiction in the state.

    ...

    Notes

    The paradox of tolerance.

    A comic illustrating Karl Popper's "Paradox of Tolerance," showing how unlimited tolerance can lead to the destruction of tolerance itself, featuring historical and philosophical depictions to convey the message.
    ...

    Notes

    Abolish zoning they said. It’ll be great they said.

    A McDonald's restaurant and a car wash are situated in a residential neighborhood surrounded by houses and parked cars.A quaint suburban street features an adult novelty shop prominently among residential homes and a school, with people and cars nearby.

    Notes

    Being from the Pacific Northwest means never being able to trust a national forecast or weather app.

    Notes

    I understand you’re trying to attract new business on your landing page, but for the love of god, include a login button for those of us who use your service.

    Notes

    A year ago I moved out of land use planning into campus, facilities and parks planning. Probably the best career move I ever made. Went from doing thankless, highly political work that no one was ever satisfied with, where nothing ever felt complete, to making positive changes I can see. Love it.

    Essays

    Open Enrollment Hell

    After several months of asking questions, trying to understand the coordination of benefits between my dental plan and my wife’s in preparation for some orthodontia, here’s the email I finally received from Delta Dental. 🦷


    I have an employee under Redacted who wrote in asking how COB works when a married couple both have family coverage through separate employers under Delta and the family is about to initiate an Orthodontal claim. The spouse is an employee of Redacted hospital ($2K ortho limit is the plan they are considering). The husband read his policy documents and then called into Delta …

    ...

    Notes

    In the eye of the storm, or did the bomb cyclone squeegee the sky?

    A suburban neighborhood is shown under a vast sky with a mix of blue and cloud coverage.

    Notes

    Halfway through The Death and Life of Great American Cities for the second time in my life (for a book club) and have come to the conclusion that it’s unreadable nonsense. Amazing how 20 years of professional experience can change one’s perspective so much.