As you know, my backpack was stolen from my car a few weeks ago, and I’ve been travelling a bit light without it. Since the back-to-school sales are in full swing this week, I went down to get a replacement.

I wasn’t aware of this, but apparently there are two companies making “Official Swiss Army Knives” – Victorinox and Wenger. Both companies have also diversified, breaking into the general outdoor gear department. Why does this matter? Because the knife in my pocket is Victorinox, the pack I just bought is Wenger, and they both bear the Swiss Army logo. (Although Wenger is just a white cross on a red square, not the Victorinox ‘shield’ logo.)

The pack is the Soho model, and I chose it because of it’s internal laptop pocket. I don’t currently own a laptop, but I will in the future, so I figured I’d plan for the upgrade. It has quite a bit of room, with two main compartments and two smaller compartments, and all the little organizational doodads in between. Included is one of those cd pockets with a headphones pass-thru that seem to be all the rage in backpacks now, which really seems like it’s three years too late. Most of the folks I know who buy packs like this use mp3 players. (Hell, Duke University gave iPods to all the students this year.)

In any case, the pack has a nice formed and padded layer on the back, so it fits comfrtably – it even has a mesh cloth for ventilation. The straps are nicely padded, and look like they will keep it from giving me the bruises or aches I have received from lesser products. A nice touch on the straps is that the lower end of the strap connects to a sturdy panel, which then connects to the bag – this will reduce stress on the bag’s seams and prevent a tear. The zippers all have decent fobs on them for grabbing, and the zippers themselves appear to be pretty robust.

And of course, it’s all black :)

The Oregonian has this story about what is being called by some a “back-door draft”. Here’s a snippet:

The soldier’s lawsuit contests an increasingly controversial tool used by the Army to bolster combat forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. What the military terms “stop loss” orders prevent soldiers from leaving the Army either at the end of their tour or in retirement if their unit is mobilized for Iraq or Afghanistan.

In Oregon and across the country, soldiers who thought they were about to finish their military careers find their tours overseas extended or they are dispatched with units mobilized from the United States.

I don’t know about you, but it sounds like fascism to me. As usual, write your elected officials and let them know how you feel.

Well, I talked to the EMC’s husband today, and they are seriously considering moving out of the area soon, due to the rising cost of housing here in the Rose City. I can understand their point of view, but they’re thinking about Spokane, which is a six-hour drive. This means I would AT BEST be seeing my daughter every other weekend, and chances are that wouldn’t work out.

Now, many of you know my history and know how important it is to be a larger part of my daughter’s life than that. So, we’re looking for other options to keep them closer to me, since I’m not leaving Portland. I’ve lived in enough other places to know that PDX has the best combination of climate, opportunity and people. It is just an unfortunate coincidence that right now it has a lousy job market.

Blurgh.

Today happens to be Friday the 13th, what many people refer to as an unlucky day. This has rarely been the case in my family. Today, my son proved that a calmly presented and well-reasoned argument can be used to get your way, even in high school.

So, let’s hear from the rest of you – any odd occurances on a 13th? Good luck, bad luck or just outright weird, let’s hear it.