Stuck in Portlandia with a Serious Case of the Januaries

Dispatches from around the Northwest reveal a serious epidemic plaguing the cities of Portland, Seattle, and everywhere in between. Symptoms include whining about the mud in the streets, tiring of biking through drizzle, dreaming of booking last minute flights to the Southern Hemisphere, and writing two mopey blog posts in a row about the winter blues. While the show "Portlandia" is taking off as a humorous look at the unique quality of life in the Rose City, the real Portlandia is elbow-deep in grey days, drizzle, and muddy yards - and its making me want to hibernate for a few months. I like to imagine people in California, Texas, and Florida sitting down to watch the premier on IFC, and all of a sudden the broadcast splits into a double screen - one half showing "Portlandia" and the other half a live-cam feed of people moping in coffee shops and getting splashed by muddy water from buses driving by. Put a bird on THAT and call it art, Carrie Brownstein.


I love this town. You know I love this town. I make a living from loving this town. But all that love doesn't make January any less difficult. Yesterday we had the most glorious break from the greys - all sunshine and 50˚ - but it was so short-lived that the net effect of Saturday is to make today even harder. I miss the farmers' market, even the piles of potatoes and turnips and kale that make up the bulk of the harvest in the cooler months. On the upside, the rain and greys make it really easy to read a few books a week, and my love affair with the Multnomah County Library is as healthy as ever. The truth of the matter is I (kind of, sort of) relish this time of year. All my malcontent will push me to do something creatively exciting, travel somewhere warmer, and caption enough silly pictures of Fred Armisen that by the time Spring is here I'll be more than prepared to embrace the reasons people love (and love to make fun of) this town. Here's hoping.