This week we have the distinct pleasure of meeting Dogan, the  beautiful Golden Retriever you have probably seen wandering around the  building.  Dogan’s companion is Bethany from Blue Tree Strategies  located on the second floor.  I often walk past their office and see  Dogan chilling out by the glass partition, the remnants of various toys strewn around him.

Dogan is 4 years old and is originally from South Carolina.  He’s a fine Southern Gentleman who enjoys long walks on the beach and frequent  skinny dipping to retrieve balls.  Bethany adopted him from a rescue organization just over two years ago and gave him a wonderful second chance to have a meaningful, fulfilling life.  Together they drove out to Portland about 7 months ago, visiting over 12 states along the way.  His favorite foods are bacon (who doesn’t love bacon??) and cake.  Let them eat cake, I say.

Dogan visiting our office for his interview

Dogan is very lucky to be allowed to sleep on Bethany ’s bed, provided he gets her up on time and provides lots of snuggles.  He, unlike my dog Chica, is very generous with his space and sticks to his half of the bed.

Dogan has a girlfriend (he is such a handsome guy, after all - who could resist him?) Her name is Stevie (as in Nicks?) and she is a  German Shepherd.  I’m sure they make a stunning couple.

Next time you see Dogan, stop and say hi. He is very friendly and loves to meet new people.

This is a friendly reminder that Election Day is TODAY.

For more information about Measures 66 & 67, please check out the on-line voter’s guide here.

You can drop off your ballot between now and 7 p.m. at the Multnomah County Elections office (1040 SE Morrison Street).

Happy voting!

This week we are introducing Greta the German Shorthair Pointer.  At the tender age of 3 1/2, Greta presents herself as a very proud lady, as evidenced from her profile picture.  Greta’s companions are Holly and David from DC202 and Greta comes to work with them every day where she gets to hang out with the rest of the DC202 crew - human and canine alike.  She has lots of canine friends in the DC202 office including Suvi, Sid and Tucker (who we will introduce later in this series).  Tucker provides the local ear cleaning service which Greta seems to love.

Greta receiving Tucker's salon services

...and now for the right ear.

Greta’s favorite place to run is the beach and she makes the journey out to the coast often.  She also loves to roam around the area where she lives and, being as she is a pointer - originally bred for hunting, she loves the game of hide and seek.  David hides a tasty morsel somewhere in the grounds behind their house and Greta loves to go hunting for it.  She is also partial to bones and, if there are none to be had, she can often be found with her favorite toy - a ball.   Greta loves to play fetch and can play for hours in Forest Park.

So, next time you pass Greta in the Leftbank hallways, please stop and say hi.

Our newest Hive member, Jonathan Maus (Editor-in-Chief of BikePortland.org) recently interviewed Upstream’s Mel Rader about his involvement in a Transportation Seminar Series at Portland State University which investigates links between transport (greenhouse gas emissions) and health.  You can check out this interview here.

We have all been watching the horrors in Haiti unfold over the past ten days.   Some of us have been doing more than just watching.   Our Leftbank neighbors at Uncommon have been rolling their sleeves up and helping to raise funds for the disaster relief efforts of the Red Cross.  Please visit their website here to find out how you can be a part of this process.  Also, please don’t forget that you can easily donate $10 by texting “Haiti” to 9099 on your cellphone.

The submissions are in… 95 in all.  And you are invited to learn all about them.  Which vision for Portland’s Memorial Coliseum will win the hearts and minds of the Rose Quarter Advisory Committee?  On January 26th, all those who submitted an idea will have an opportunity to present their vision to the general public.  The event will be held at the Coliseum (a mere stone’s throw away) and doors open at 5pm.  For more information and to register for free tickets click here.

The members of dc202  have been busy brainstorming ways that we can support each other in healthy living and  actively participate in the community in 2010….

We came up with what we think is a great way to start putting our “collective” New Years resolution into action: the 2010 Shamrock Run on March 14, 2010.

Then we got to thinking…why not see if other Leftbankers want to participate too?

This event is for a good cause (Doernbecher’s Childrens Hospital Foundation) and would also be a fun way to foster relationships within our Leftbank Community and beyond.

….Plus,  can you imagine the cool shirts we could have made?!

Who’s in? If you’re interested in the idea of creating a Leftbank Project team for this event, contact Jaime in suite 202.

**in the essence of full disclosure…Jaime says, “I am not what some would consider a runner, so I’ll be striding”**

Calling all Leftbank bicycle enthusiasts… get involved in planning for the future of cycling in our fair city.  Would you like to see boulevards dedicated solely to bicycles?  Or, how about more bicycle parking around town?  It’s never too soon to stand up and support these issues.  So, without further ado, allow me to introduce you to the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030.  Yes, I know, it does seem a little early to be planning so far ahead, but think about the generations of cyclists to come after us.  We can help make things easier for them by giving a little support now.  There are, of course, some measures that will be implemented much sooner and, in some cases, immediately.  The plan is to go before City Council on February 4th, but you can show your support now.

For more information, please visit the plan website here to show your support.

Upright Brewing is hosting its first bottle release party Sunday January 10th.  We’ll have two special beers available for the first time and will be debuting some new and exciting draft beer as well. The most anticipated release is actually our very first batch brewed last March called Billy the Mountain. It’s a traditional English-style Old Ale that has been barrel-aged with a special yeast strain and cellared here in the Leftbank basement for over four months in the bottle. The Billy is ready to enjoy now but will mature gracefully for at least another year as the brettanomyces yeast continues to unfold new aromas in this very “live” beer. Our second release is simply titled Gose, a German-style wheat beer made with coriander and salt. Its history dates back to the early 18th century and is enjoying a bit of a revival here in Portland between ourselves and Cascade Brewing.

Come down and join us from one to six that afternoon. We’ll have special charcuterie out tailored to the beers along with bread and other small snacks. To keep up on other brewery happenings be sure to follow us on facebook and check out the brewery blog.

Cheers!

Hey Leftbankers.  If you haven’t already heard, there is a new law going into effect this Friday (January 1st) that will make talking or texting on a handheld device while driving illegal.  See below for details and stay safe out there:

Ban on using handheld mobile devices while driving goes into effect January 1st, 2010.

Oregon drivers have a new law to consider effective January 1, 2010. Oregon Legislation passed into law a ban on using mobile devices while driving. The traffic ticket for talking or texting on a hand-held cell phone will cost a driver up to $90, similar to the fine for driving without a seat belt.  Oregon joins six other states - - including Washington and California — that ban or severely limit using cell phones while driving.

Information above courtesy of LaPorte & Associates