Tuesday 24 March 1998

And I’m at Dr. Simon’s office… once again in Hollywood. For my thyroid blood test. No, what? at the H-wood B. Bar? The interesting girl who works there, who is my favorite reason for going there, isn’t there on weekdays. I like them all—and the place—but... I’d rather go there on Saturday when she’s there. Where should I go for breakfast, after my doctor office visit?

Now I’m at the Beaterville Cafe—a place I’m at for the first time. It is a place that’s been around awhile—and I think they might have moved recently, but I’m not sure. Anyway, it’s very bright and clean, almost too nice, except the prices seem good. I guess we’re in an area of intense gentrification here—N. Killingsworth. The coffee is good—did I say that already? Good coffee is an excellent place to start. Good potatoes, too—the eggs are eggs, but those are the best homefried potatoes I’ve had in a while—very tasty, they taste like they’re roasted. I sat at the end of the counter and can see into the kitchen to the boxy, stainless steel dish machine. Part of me is disgusted by caring about his—like why don’t I just go get a goddamned dishwasher job? Well, I probably couldn’t, for one thing. For another, now that I have health insurance, the thought of whimsically dumping it seems crazy. Especially after I just went to the doctor to get a blood test for my thyroid replacement this AM. I don’t think that’s exactly a shallow desire, to be actually able to go to the goddamned doctor. There’s a swell restroom here, big and clean. It looks like a place where you could actually take a shit. Someone’s talking about buying their house near here. The buying house obsession in Portland gets on my nerves more and more. Aaron Elliott was right about Portland—about people disappearing into their domestic home-owner life. (Not his words, but I think his sentiment?) There’s a bumper sticker on the wall: “I Closed Quality Pie September 12, 1992.” I think that was a good diner in NW—now gone (since before we moved here, quite)—I’ve heard about it (from Aaron, for one). Probably the last good diner in NW, too—sad (except that Joe’s Cellar is really OK).