Quick Takes

It's been a busy week so I'm only now getting around to what was a very eventful day Thursday.

It started innocently enough...

-- I altered my morning routine so I could start the day at the DMV getting some new license plate stickers and then stopped in at The Energy Bar for a latte. It had been weeks since I'd been there and what a pleasant visit it was to say hello to the proprietor, Mohammed, a guy who's served so many of us over the years at The Oregonian.

When the year began, I pledged to give more of my business to independent, small businesses like his versus the big corporate players, whether it was buying coffee, books or a meal out. With the realignment of bus routes and bus stops downtown, it had become much easier to stop in at Seattle's Best or Starbucks, so it felt good to give my dollars to Mohammed. Here's my public pledge (well, semi-public, I guess) to live up to the my word again.

...and it continued on a pleasant track...

-- At noon, I hosted a table at a fundraising luncheon for The Dougy Center. En route from the office to the hotel where the event was being held, I ran into two friends, which only served to remind me how small and familiar a place Portland can be, even in the downtown district.

I sat with friends Kay Balmer, Debra Gwartney, Tom Krattenmaker and Lynn St. Georges -- all of whom have a writing background -- and enjoyed the conversation, the healthy meal (an entree salad) and the various speakers who attested to the good that The Dougy Center does in the community, across the country and around the world with its group therapy services for children and their families who are grieving a death. Turns out we raised $90,000 at the event, a tidy sum for a nonprofit that relies entirely on fundraising and program fees in order to serve its clients free of charge.
... but, boy, did it end on a sad and jarring note...

When I got back to the office around 2 pm, I was startled -- and sickened -- to learn of the horrific shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, where 13 people died and 28 others were wounded. What can I say that hasn't already been said about the cruel irony of servicemen and women being shot by one of their own on a frickin' military base, of all places? What can I say that hasn't already been said about the unfortunate circumstance of the shooter being a U.S.-born Muslim? I know the full story of this guy, Major Nidal Malik, will emerge in the coming days. And while there will be speculation about whether his religion or ethnicity drove his actions -- heck, there have been accusations from the moment the news broke -- I'm keeping an open mind.

Selfishly, I was thankful to know that Jordan was 500 miles away from the carnage, posted to Fort Bliss in El Paso. Still, I learned when I got home that evening that he had called Lori to express his shock and sadness. How devastating, how threatening it must be to our enlisted troops to accept the fact it was an Army officer, a psychiatrist for God's sake, who went off on them.