Quick Takes

It's Friday -- production day for the Sunday Opinion section -- so I suppose it's only appropriate that I borrow a concept for today's post.

We run a regular feature called "Short Takes," in which readers are challenged to offer an editorial comment in 35 words or less. By now, I'm pretty lukewarm about it; seems there are 20 to 30 folks who regularly submit and some of them try way too hard to be clever or sarcastic. At the same time, I recognize that some readers really do like the feature and will call or write when it doesn't appear.

So here's my first whack at George's Quick Takes, with no 35-word limitation. (Hey, I'm the editor here...)

1. Something I'd rather not see in the men's locker room: Fat guys who insist on bellying up to the sink and shaving in the nude. Happened again today at my gym. Yecch!
2. Something that drives me nuts: Excessively courteous drivers who stop for pedestrians, even though there's no crosswalk, no stop sign, no traffic signal and no frickin' reason these people on foot can't wait for the car to pass before they cross the street. Believe me, it happens only in Portland. And when you're not expecting this show of politeness, you've got to react quickly to avoid a rear-end collision.
3. Something I didn't know: Jon and Kate are having marital troubles. I wouldn't know them if they sat down next to me, but according to the tabloids and the network morning talk shows, this is a big deal. A couple with a reality TV show are rumored to have cheated on each other, prompting speculation about the effect on their eight (8!) kids and their contractual obligations with whichever network is broadcasting their lives to the public. Am I supposed to care?
4. Something beautiful: I was running in the late afternoon on a path around a small pond in the woods during my last trip to Orcas Island. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted movement: A great horned owl, flapping its wings powerfully as it flew from one end of the pond to the other. Total silence. Total majesty.