I think we sorta missed Portland’s “Dog Days of Summer.” Or maybe we just sorta “luckily avoided them.”

First, we were gone for the first couple weeks of the month, on the road back in the Midwest, and second, it’s been raining a bunch the last couple weeks, which is strangely uncharacteristic for this time of year here. It’s been a pretty mellow fizzle to the usual string of hot summer days in August. “Sweatshirt weather,” right? And hell, it’s not like we are complaining. Thank you, Ma Nature. Bring on the fall.

Leigh’s busy at work figuring out her fall semester at Portland State. You go girl. You know what you gotta do. Awesome, all around.

Gary’s right here next to me, like he oughta be. He’s curled up like a little cinnamon roll, lightly sleeping, just waiting for the next unlucky visitor to bark up or the next chance to go out and take a pee. The basics. 20 inches long.

My front lawn still owns the coveted, “Worst Lawn on 67th Avenue” honor, and we’re giving these wild rains a couple more days to grow some green, so there’s something worth mowing, besides the tangled mess of dandelions out there. My neighbors hate me even more that usual, I’d bet.

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FROM MINNEAPOLIS’ NORTH SIDE: Mike Davis started up a new blog thing called, “So Much Pileup” and for fuck’s sake, just get on with it and add this one to yer list of “Daily Visits.” I’m betting you’ll be glad you did.

And while you are at it, go visit Burlesque and buy a poster or something. I know you got a wall or ceiling or something that could use one of these, or one of these. “Horkomania,” eh? Funny motherfuckers. Awesome. You need one of those. Buy one. Do it.

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OUR REVIEW: “Thumbs up on Tropic Thunder.”

Lots of laughs. Dumb as shit. Nice getaway. A nice reprise to a string of busy days. Jack Black steals the show each time he opens his mouth, we’d say. Robert Downey Jr was great.

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ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTRY: Tim Lahan updates, and man, he’s on to some cool stuff. Heck yes.

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WE JUST GRAVITATE TO THIS STUFF, HAVE A LAUGH, AND THEN, TURN UP AN OLD LIPS TUNE, AND JUST KINDA SMILE FOR A BIT: “A Wayne Coyne-signed drum head” that was sold for a couple pennies shy of 27 bucks. Ha.

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OF COURSE, WE’VE ALWAY GOT FIELD NOTES ON THE MIND THIS TIME OF YEAR: This “Embassy Memo Book” we dug up on Flickr really got me going, and then I remembered the “Back to Schoudal” savings they’ve got going over at Coudal.com!

15% off, shoppers! Stock up now. For the kids, you know? An honest memo book that’s a good size for “little hands with big ideas.”