Looking for Lunch in Stumptown?

Search no further than StumptownLunch.com.

It’s no secret that I love Portland. Born and raised and hopefully here to stay, I’m 4 feet, 11 3/4 inches of solid Oregonian. But I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know everything about my ever-expanding city, so I’m always open to learning more.

That’s why I like Stumptown Lunch. With a firm belief that the midday meal should be fun and affordable, the authors strive to provide regular, candid reviews of eateries from all over the metropolitan area. I originally found the blog because I was searching for something on Bellagio’s Pizza, but what caught my eye was a spot-on review of E-San Thai Cuisine. I’ve been there a few times, and after reading the comments here, I’m craving it all over again!

“Bourne” Legacy will continue

Anyone who’s seen The Bourne Ultimatum can’t deny that its creators left it wide open for a fourth installment of the hit franchise, despite Matt Damon’s statement that “We have ridden that horse as far as we can.” So it should come as no surprise that Variety magazine reported last week that Damon and director Paul Greengrass have once again signed on with Universal Pictures to continue the saga of Jason Bourne’s international adventures.

Actor and director had both insisted that neither would even consider the idea unless the other was on board.  Now that they’ve jumped in, however, no release date has been set for Bourne 4 due to their equally busy schedules.  Another collaborative project, Green Zone, is currently in production, and each has announced at least one more project, The Informant for Damon and They Marched into Sunlight for Greengrass.

Although no specifics have been released about the plot, it’s reasonable to suspect it could be based loosely on Eric Van Lustbader’s novel The Bourne Legacy.  Robert Ludlum wrote The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, the books on which the first three films were based.  After Ludlum’s death in 2001 and with the permission of his estate, Lustbader has continued the series.

The announcement of the next Bourne thriller ironically coincides with the news that its predecessor won Academy Awards for all three categories in which it was nominated: Best Film Editing, Best Sound, Best Sound Editing.

Beautiful Butterfly Wing Necklace

I’ve blogged about Little Splurge several times before, but it’s always been about shoes. This time, it’s jewelry that caught my eye. Specifically, butterfly jewelry. Surprised, aren’t you? (first time readers, look at my header )

Anyway, my reaction was about the same as the author. She wrote, “My first thought when I saw this necklace, made of a wing from a Scarlet Swallowtail butterfly, was, How pretty. My second thought was, Wait, is this person murdering butterflies?” Thankfully, that’s not the case.

On every Etsy listing, the artist PoPkO! includes a disclaimer that all the wings are from a conservatory “where the butterflies lived in a happy garden until they naturally expire.” In a comment on the Little Splurge post, she also explains that “Its one of those gardens where the butterflies can fly around and even land on you. Unfortunately they have a short life span. But I am lucky enough to share them beyond that.”

And I’d say we’re lucky for that, too! I love every one of these necklaces I’ve seen, and because each necklace is made to order, each one is unique. I admit, I haven’t seen one in person, but just from the photos you can see the detail and delicacy of the wing and how its translucency allows the silver backing to shine through in the light. They’re just gorgeous!

Prices range from around $38 to $60 depending on the pendant. There’s even a double-sided locket available!