Monday, March 12, 2018

Morning neighbors! It’s Monday, March 12, 2018, and here’s the Drip’s daily attempt to make sure everything is plumbob and copasetic and that the world is still here. Yup, pretty much! We must talk about the weather, because of what it is–wonderful–and what it symbolizes: a warm and comfortable future. Winter is past. The beauty of the weather–66 yesterday, maybe 70 today–might even overshadow the break room talk about what a macropain the change to Daylight Time is, having to locate instructions for all the nonsmart clocks in our realm. And having an hour docked from our lives. And having every one of our physical systems that think it’s an hour earlier than society now says it is. An hour’s shift is real. Driving will be impacted. Maybe a good way to stay awake is to realize that guy in the next lane is probably taking a nap.

Sunrise 7:28 AM, sunset 7:12 PM. When those numbers get close, that means the sun is near an east-west alignment, and drivers are fighting the glare both in the morning and evening.

A Canby woman who wrote nine science-fiction novels and was a longtime member of the Oregon aviation community died in the crash of her Piper Cub at Daybreak Field, an air strip between La Center and Battle Ground. Mary H. Rosenblum was 65. She authored titles such as titles such as 1993’s “Chimera” and the 2006 novel “Water Rites.”

A sightseeing helicopter with six people on board splashed down into New York’s East River last evening. Only the pilot survived.

A woman fell off a trail near the quaint and remote Carson Hot Springs Resort along the Wind River in Skamania County. She’d regained consciousness by the time she was hoisted out by a Coast Guard helicopter.

Ahead of tomorrow’s nationwide student walkout, the White House today is releasing the president’s latest plan on gun safety. He backs away from his call for raising the minimum age for assault-style weapon purchases to 21, encourages veterans and retired cops to become teachers who carry weapons, and puts Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in charge of a federal commission on gun safety.

The Portland Trail Blazers go for an eye-popping ten in a row tonight at home against Miami. Hey, is something sneaking up on us? Blazer-P1’s out there, enlighten the P2’s: Is this the real life, or is it fantasy?

Huge high school basketball weekend…Grant beat Jefferson 63-62 to win Class 6A boys’ state title…Southridge routed Benson 46-27 to win the girls’ crown.

Filming begins in Manzanita and other NW locations this week on the pilot episode of an ABC police drama about a hard-charging NYPD detective who screws up big and gets banished to the boondocks (that would be our state) where she is partnered with a Twin-Peaksy state trooper who talks to trees and flies kites, played by John Kitzhaber. Kidding!

Oregon Governor Kate Brown will be named an honorary Girl Scout for Life today, on the group’s the 106th anniversary.

Happy birthday to Oregon baseball great Dale Murphy, born this day in 1956. Not in the HOF but should be. I know guys who played with him at Wilson High School (if memory serves), and Murphy is like, mythical to them. Roy Hobbs-ish.

It’s James Taylor’s 70th birthday. May we have him around for a long, long time.

It was 30 years ago today that Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” hit #1 in the US.

Tell me something good, okay?

–“‘Superwoman’ surgeon thanked for eight-mile snow trek”

–“Mayor wants to grow an urban forest over Honolulu.”

–“Despite border tensions between Pakistan, Indian surgeon to visit Karachi to perform liver transplants, train doctors”

–“Groomer saves dog with CPR”

–“Good Samaritan saves dog stuck in the mud”

–“Groomer cleans mud stuck on a dog”

–“World’s last male northern white rhino on the mend after infection threatened the species”

–“A Singapore reporter’s Oscars adventure: Kicked out of the press room for not wearing a long-enough gown, and finding a fairy godmother from Black Entertainment Television who raced with her to the store and bought one that met the standards. At Target.”

OK. I’m sitting here typing this, and drifting away…should’ve put the real beans instead of the decaf into the grinder this morning instead of the decaf placebo. But we’ve all been yanked from our REM cycles an hour before we’re ready. So caution and kindness will get us through the day!