i swear, there is some kind of conspiracy going on in portland. �it's like the crying of lot 49 by pynchon. �the other day i was riding across the hawthorne bridge to downtown, and i passed a man walking in my direction. �the whole time i was riding by, he was smiling ominously at me with one eyebrow raised. �he was very strange and pointy and his one-eyebrow-raising made him look creepy.

then, yesterday i was sitting in hawthorne powell's reading, when this guy walked in, put his business card on my table, and walked out. �a few people around me laughed and asked if i knew him. �i barely even had a change to see what he looked like. �i've had guys give me their number or even write me notes, but this guy-- had he been watching me through the window or something? �but i was sitting by the window and i hadn't seen him. �it was as if he knew i was going to be there, went to powell's, gave me the card, and left. �on the card were an email address, a website, and a name.