5 Minute Observations

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Tag: portland

  • Bad Math

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    Joe Class III
    in

    The foam hits my knees. Two linebackers line up their play. Someone’s going down hard tonight—and it ain’t gonna be me. Where’s Jessica?

  • Meeting Jules at the Beaverton Fair

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    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Carnivals. Fairgrounds. Smells of cotton candy, that sticky, sweet, sugary smell mixed with fresh popcorn, caramel apples, hot dogs, funnel cakes, and the nearly burned smell of oil that all kinds of deep-fried food are dunked into. If you think those smells are bad, stick around for a few days. After a few days, the…

  • Rose Festival 1990-Something

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    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    On top of his Stussy bucket hat sat a stuffed black and white stuffed cow, which wasn’t an unusual sight. Not in Portland during the Rose Festival. Wearing jean shorts, white Reeboks, and a Camel t-shirt, his short almond-colored hair was barely noticeable under the hat. And, unless you got real close, you wouldn’t notice…

  • McMinimin’s: An hour later . . .

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    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “What’s his name?” Nolan read the EMT’s name tag: Harris. His partner, Garcia, ensured their patient was secure inside the ambulance. It didn’t take long for the ambulance to arrive, with the Fire Station less than five blocks from McMinimin’s. Nolan shrugged. “You don’t know the name of your bartender?” Garcia said from inside the…

  • Ground Zero: Melton’s Plan

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    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    Zander Melton wasn’t the brightest student in law school. He wasn’t as adept as his classmates at retaining information. And what he lacked in actual intelligence, he more than made up for in his ability to see where the pieces on the board were moving. Zander was a strategist, and a good one, at that.…