For those of you not already going to a party (or just staying home) on New Year's Eve, the Bulletin has a pretty good article listing many of the parties and events you can go to. They include details, times, and prices.

Some are expensive, some are cheap/reasonable. For instance, the Deschutes Brewery's Mountain Room party is $75 per person, while the Black Horse Saloon is waiving cover charges entirely. The Riverhouse's party is $10.

They've got a ton of places listed, so check it out—you might just find the perfect soirée.

Regarding the charmingly Nietzschian title of this blog post, I refer to Deschutes Brewery's new ultra-limited reserve series beer, The Abyss—their high-alcohol Imperial stout that has just been released. In fact, it's so limited that there were only 13,000 bottles produced (all waxed-dipped 22-ounce), and you're going to have trouble finding any of them.

I should know—I checked Newport Market on Thursday, the eastside Safeway today (found and bought the one they had left), Wild Oats, called the brewery itself (they were set to have some in the afternoon sometime), and Ray's Food Place (westside). No luck. The only bottle I had found was at the east Safeway. Well, I wanted several bottles to cellar, hence the scouring around town. Finally, a guy at Ray's told me he saw about a dozen bottles at the westside Safeway (just across the street).

So we checked over there and sure enough, they have a bunch. I bought four more bottles and was very, very sorely tempted to buy more. I may do just that. Though at $5.99 a bottle, that's not gonna be cheap.

In the meantime, though, if you're looking for some of this beer (which by all accounts is fantastic), try the west Safeway.

Though I'm probably sabotaging myself by telling you. :)

As I mentioned in my Christmas lights post the other day, I'd try to snap some pictures of displays if we were out and about. So, I took two; total amateur-hour nighttime productions, but you get the idea.

This is the house at 19911 SW McClellan, on the cul-de-sac. It's much more impressive in person.

My favorite house on Harmon Blvd, next to the park and Mirror Pond. Doesn't seem as lit-up this year, but still brighter than anything else around it.

This is the category of "Everything Else" that I couldn't fit on its own, for whatever reason. Some are suggestions, some are just single-entry categories. And, I wanted to more-or-less finish this out before it got too late to shop for the holidays.

The Home Brewer

Really the only place in town that sells homebrewing and winemaking supplies. Get someone the full package with a kit, or pick up individual supplies or brewing-related items. You can also enjoy some Silver Moon Brewing beers on-premise—that's where the microbrewery is located, as well.

24 NW Greenwood Avenue
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 388-8331

Wild Birds Unlimited

Yes, I know this is a chain store, but I'm going with Jen's recommendation:

I know "Wild Birds Unlimited" (across from Barnes & Noble) is a chain but they seem to be very knowledgeable about the area.

Bird food, feeders, houses, accessories—everything you'd want to attract and deal with a variety of birds. It's located out at the Forum Center east of town on Highway 20.

2680 NE Hwy. 20, Ste 310
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 617-8840

Goody's

Also a bit of a franchise, although Goody's has been in downtown Bend for a long time—long enough to have become a fixture. Not only do they sell handmade chocolates and candies (including sugar-free ones), but their downtown store is also an old-fashioned ice cream store—selling cones, shakes, malts and more.

957 NW Wall Street
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 389-5185

Bend Pet Express

The local pet store alternative to the chain stores. (Quick disclaimer: my brother works for them, too.) They carry a huge variety of pet supplies—everything you could want—and even make their own dog treats. They have two locations—east and west.

East:
420 NE Windy Knolls
Bend, OR 97701
541-385-5298

West:
133 SW Century Dr
Bend, OR 97701
541-389-4620

Iron Horse

This secondhand and antique store is located in a quiet, out-of-the-way spot just south and a little west of downtown. Don't expect anything fancy—in terms of atmosphere—and that's part of its charm.

210 NW Congress St
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 382-5175

I was checking out Bi-Mart today and I saw a sign on the cash registers: Beer and wine are 10% off from Sunday the 17th through Sunday the 24th.

That means you've got three more days. And Bi-Mart is generally cheaper compared to some of the other outlets, so it's not a bad deal if you need to stock up for the holidays.

I'm almost ashamed to say that even though I'm in the computer field, I don't know much of the offerings here in town. Part of that is intangible—I wouldn't put services and repairs only here in the shopping guide; part of that is, well, I just don't need to hit those stores much, I suppose. I'll likely be updating this particular post as I go.

Connecting Point

I like Connecting Point; they carry a variety of things, from equipment all the way to full systems, software, books, and a lot of Apple stuff—iPods especially. The times I've had to pick something up in a pinch (power supply, networking router), I've gotten a good deal and had no problems.

And right now through Christmas, their iPods are $20 off—the cheapest in town!

514 NW Franklin Avenue
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 385-6757

PHD Computers

A good wholesale computer dealer that Jake has recommended to me more than once. They have a warehouse on 2nd Street and a storefront in the Forum Center on the east side; I suspect they'd rather have walk-ins at the storefront.

2680 NW Highway 20
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 382-8335

DSI Computers

Another Jake recommendation. He says,

They've been here forever and while they might be more expensive than some, they've a nice bunch of guys and they'll take care of you.

I haven't been there for years, but they are one of the area's mainstays and were always fair.

145 NE Revere Ave #A
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 382-1536

I had lunch at Ernesto's Italian today and I wanted to blog about it because they have a really good lunch deal: an all-you-can-eat buffet for $7.50.

I think it's Monday through Friday only. Each day of the week is a different special on the menu; today (Wednesday) was BBQ baby back ribs, Friday is lasagna. (I don't remember what the rest were.) In addition, there's fresh pasta (spaghetti and another) with sauces, seasonal vegetables, rice, meatloaf (today, at least—this might rotate), pizza, and a salad bar.

It's good food, too. I like Ernesto's, I think they're one of the best Italian places in town—though not everyone will agree with me. No matter. It's a good lunch deal.

1203 NE Third Street
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 389-7274

When it comes to music, there's really only two stores in town to visit for retail. Unless, of course, you're looking for musical instruments, but I really can't help you there. So, here's the Holiday Shopping Guide for music.

Boomtown

Yes, I just recommended them for toys, but music is where they're at. New and used CDs and vinyl records covering most genres I can think of. They also have DVDs and a variety of other items (like the toys). Definitely the more metropolitan-feeling of the two.

910 NW Harriman St.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 388-1800

Ranch Records

Bend's iconic music store that's been around for ages and ages. They offer a good selection of new and used CDs and vinyl records, as well as movies (DVDs) and posters. Pricing is similar or the same as at Boomtown, though I think they carry more used albums. Ranch Records is more "Grateful Dead" to Boomtown's metropolitan, I think.

831 NW Wall St
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 389-6116

Today's Bulletin has an article on the front page of their Community Life section about local Christmas light displays. (No link—it's behind their paywall, grrrr.) I've been thinking about doing a holiday lights post; it's usually a tradition of ours to drive around and look at the lights, and if we do that this year I'll take some pictures.

As it stands, there's a few displays that we seek out every year because they are so over the top. Without knowing (yet) if they're up this year, the addresses (roughly) are:

• Harmon Blvd., fronting Mirror Pond and Harmon Park. This is my favorite, it's so garish and tacky and colorful and bright, it sticks out like a sore thumb—none of the surrounding houses comes close.
• Summer Shade Drive. This is a good area for lights in general, but the house on the western end of Summer Shade (it makes a loop coming off of McClellan Road) is well decorated—and, defying common sense, they string lights up their tall ponderosas, some 50 or 60 feet, I'm guessing.
• 19911 SW McClellan Road. This is one listed in the Bulletin's article; it's at the cul-de-sac at the end of McClellan (just down from the Summer Shade place). The breadth and scope of this one is pretty impressive; they spread out a lot and it's worth the trip.

The other ones listed in the Bulletin's article are:

• 61140 Parkwood Court
• 1658 NE Matson Road
• 1671 NE Matson Road
• Sarah Drive, several around 61245
• 257 NW Outlook Vista Drive
• 20734 NE Town Drive
• 61771 Arrow Avenue
• 19196 Shoshone Road
• 19683 Platinum Way
• 22830 McGrath Road
• 2730 NE Faith Drive
• 1154 NW Redfield Circle
• 2422 NE Ravenwood Drive
• 1808 NW Duniway Court
• 2360 NE Meadow Lane
• 2432 NE Crocus Way
• 1126 SE Gatewood Place
• 64727 Sylvan Loop
• 807 NE 12th Street
• 2260 NE Meadow Lane
• 52503 Sunrise Blvd. (La Pine)
• 701 NE Mariposa Avenue (Prineville)
• 2927 NE Sugarpine Road (Prineville)
• 4990 SW Quarry Avenue (Redmond)
• 1635 NW Teak Avenue (Redmond)
• 2840 NW Lynch Road (Redmond)

I mentioned in my shopping guide post yesterday that there was a rumor that Gambit Games was closing. I called over there today and confirmed that it is, indeed, true. Unfortunately, the person I talked to didn't know the details—when the final day(s) will be, when/if things will go on sale—but I'll keep an eye on them post updates here.

Time for more Holiday Shopping Guide. It's every kids' favorite topic: Toys and games!

Leapin' Lizards

The downtown toy store that specializes in non-mass-produced fare: all their toys and games are engaging, educational, unusual, active, goofy, and any and all combinations of those. My own kids love this place. No, they're not the cheapest, but then you don't necessarily want your toys to be cheap, either. And they gift wrap for free.

953 NW Wall St.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 382-8326

D's Hobbies

Simply the best—and I think the only—full service hobby and model shop in town. Radio control, models of all kinds, rocket kits, model train gear, they carry simply everything. The paltry model section of the big stores? Forget it; D's goes way, way beyond them.

926 NW Greenwood Ave.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 389-1330

Gambit Games

Bend's one and only gaming store; they have a huge variety of board and card games (many of which you haven't heard of), and are your source for role-playing game supplies. Plus, they hold weekly role-playing tournaments (with miniatures and everything), and even have a couple of poker tables for Texas Hold'em.

(A rumor going around has it that Gambit is actually closing its doors soon, and everything is on sale. I'll follow up on this with a separate post.)

815 NW Wall St.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 330-8196

Boomtown

Although they're known primarily for music, Boomtown also has an extensive section of unusual toys and gag gifts. Punching puppets, Accoutrements action figures, metal lunchboxes, disco ball keychains... lots of fun, and a lot of good things for stocking stuffers.

910 NW Harriman St
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 388-1800

Pegasus Books

Yes, I mentioned Pegasus previously, but they stand out as a toy store, too—comics, sci-fi and fantasy themed toys. Which means a lot of action figures, and a good amount of McFarlane toys.

105 NW Minnesota Ave.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 388-4588

I just heard about Café 3456' opening up the other night, and today there's an article in the paper about it. It's the new restaurant located at the Bend Airport.

...Yes, the Bend Airport, not the Redmond Airport. That seems to be other peoples' reaction, too. Everybody seems to forget that Bend has an airport. The restaurant is on the second floor of the flight terminal out there and serves up breakfast and lunch. They also have their liquor license and serve drinks.

The chef and co-owner is Dave "The Muscle Chef" Hatfield. Just thought I'd throw that out there. He's the closest thing we have to a celebrity chef (as well as a bona fide celebrity) around these parts and plus, he's a really good chef as well.

The Bulletin lists some of the menu items with prices—which are all extremely reasonable—and the food sounds really, really good. I've never actually been to the Bend Airport (I've only ever driven by it), and I certainly never would have imagined a restaurant being located there, but I now want to head out and check it out.

Bend Municipal Airport
2nd Floor
63136 Powell Butte Highway
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 318-8989

I got a haircut today at the L & K Barber Shop downtown, and wanted to write a review of it. I mentioned it briefly in my post on the Bond Street Barber Shop months ago, and figured it was time to give it the full-fledged treatment.

Despite my affinity for the Bond Street shop (and the free beer), I think L & K is my favorite place to get a haircut. Located in the O'Kane building on Oregon Avenue, they take walk-ins and appointments. The decor is very local (belt buckles on the wall, for instance) and old-school barber shop—that's how it feels to me, anyway.

All the barbers are women (I think; there used to be one man but I haven't seen him there in a while), and I've not received a bad haircut there. They don't use electric clippers much (at least, not with me), except for fine trim—it's all scissors cut. And you get the hot cream straight razor on the neck and sideburns.

(They'll also do old fashioned straight razor shaves, but I haven't done that.)

Contrast with the Bond Street shop, which is very sports-oriented and has all men barbers; something about getting a haircut there makes me feel like I'm getting some sort of sports buzz cut. I've not received a bad haircut from them, but it's definitely a different atmosphere and it seems to take longer.

They only have four stations so if you're a walk-in, there's always a chance you could be in for a wait. But they have lots of magazines and reasonably comfortable chairs. And, overall, really good service.

107 NW Oregon Avenue
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 389-1893

More in my "Holiday Shopping Guide"! This time I'm going with alcohol (hey, write what you know, right?)—beer, wine, booze. What shopping guide would be complete without it?

Liquor store

No real recommendation here; a liquor store is a liquor store is a... well, you get the idea. I am partial to the eastside store, it's big and convenient, but I also like the one in Ray's on the westside.

Newport Avenue Market

The best selection of bottled beer that I've found around here is, by far, Newport Avenue Market. From cheap American lagers to expensive high-end Belgian ales, it's the place to go. Don't forget to check out their Thirsty Thursday beer tastings if you're in the area. And you can pick up a growler of Silver Moon Brewing beer if you want to keep it really local. (And no offense to Deschutes, but you can get theirs anywhere.)

Can't find what you're looking for? Odds are they can special order it for you—but be warned, it's by the case.

1121 NW Newport Avenue
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 382-3940

Bend Brewing Company

You can only get Bend Brewing Company beers on tap at the brewpub, but they do offer beer to go—another chance to keep it local. Keep in mind these won't last long. They're filled from the tap and aren't sealed so they'll go flat. Drink quick!

1019 NW Brooks St.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 383-1599

Maragas Winery

Currently one of two wineries in Central Oregon (Volcano Vineyards is the other, see below), Maragas not only makes wine but is also starting their own vineyard to grow their own grapes locally (up north of Terrebonne). Down at their tasting room on Colorado and Bond you can buy their signature Legal Zin, as well as glassware and accessories.

And, sign up for a membership to get discounts on wine and receive their limited edition releases (three times a year).

643 NW Colorado
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 330-0919

Vino Mercato

Not just a wine bar and bistro, Vino Mercato sells wine by the bottle as well as a variety of specialty deli goods. So not only can you find the perfect bottle of wine, but you can put it together with a variety of cheese and meats, or even a custom gift basket.

916 Wall St.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 385-6979

Volcano Vineyards

The other winery in Central Oregon; whereas Maragas uses grapes from both California and Oregon, Volcano only uses Oregon grapes that they personally harvest. Down at their tasting room downtown on Brooks Street, you can not only try (and buy) their own wine, but:

In addition to our own Volcano Vineyards wines, we carry wines from other small production, self-distributed Pacific Northwest producers, such as Zerba Cellars, Mystic Wines, Spindrift Cellars, Anthony Dell Cellars, Eden Vale and Medici.

930 NW Brooks St.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 617-1102

The current issue of The Source Weekly is running a holiday shopping guide of their own: the "Naughty or Nice" over-$100 gift guide. I like the "over-$100" part—pretty much the opposite of what I'm doing here, but hey, it's fun.

And with gift recommendations like a leather couch, a chainsaw, Sirius radio, and a "Maya Dream Week Tortoise Eco Tour," it's hard not to like it.

It doesn't seem to be online, though, so if you want it you'll have to pick up the dead tree version.

Shannon aka Betsy Bones of the Renegade Rollergirls wrote a review of the new Juniper Swim & Fitness Center:

juniper swim & fitness center

on sunday i decided to work on my secret plan to rule the universe and skip roller derby practice. what that meant was that i still needed to get my cardio in for the day (my goal is 4 days a week). in friday's bend bulletin there was an article on the bend park and rec's new juniper swim and fitness center which opened the new fitness area to the public last week. last time i visited jwfc i wasn't impressed. the class room for winter conditioning was small and the fitness room was the size of a hilton hotel's fitness room for travelers.

as i drove up, there seemed to be more parking and i found a spot up front. the check-in for the facility is located near the swimming pools temporarily and the cost to work out in the exercise room is $4 per trip or $5 if you're planning to take a fitness class. after walking through a maze of signs directing you which way to go, i made it to the fitness room which was 3 times as big as before with all new equipment ... treadmills, bikes, stairsteppers, elliptical, weight machine and free weights. the elliptical i used was easy to get started and i rocked out for about 35 mins to my workout mix on my ipod.

i investigated the locker rooms, of course. all new and more room as before. the best thing about the facility — the steam and sauna room. the only other gym that has a steam room in this town is athletic of bend.

for more info on jsfc, click here.

for less than i'm paying for boot camp, i can sign mr. bones and i up for $72 a month. of course, that doesn't expire until april 1.

We were at the Bend Christmas Parade yesterday, and as promised, I snapped a bunch of photos before we were frozen out. We were right on the corner of Wall and Newport, so had a good vantage point for the parade.

Click through to see...

The first in my Holiday Shopping Guide posts, covering something I'm pretty familiar with: books!

Now I really like Barnes and Noble, don't get me wrong, but that's not what this gift guide is about. So here are my picks:

The Open Book

Bend's best used book store, and my favorite too. Paperbacks are half the cover price, hardbacks and large books are priced individually. They have a huge selection and cover nearly every topic—all but computer books. (They don't deal in computer books because those are too transient.) They also sell used CDs.

You can also sell books for store credit, and use your credit when buying (up to half the price of your purchase).

The only negative I can think about is that their parking lot is small, but that's expected considering their location.

155 NE Greenwood
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 388-3249

Pegasus Books

Yes, it's very much a comic book shop—the comic book shop in town—and it should be the first stop for any graphic novels or comics on your list. They sell used books, toys, anime, and collectible cards, too.

It's one of the longest-running businesses in Downtown Bend right now, and I blogged the other day that Duncan (the owner) has recently started a blog. He's a good guy and knows his stuff, so definitely ask for recommendations.

105 NW Minnesota Ave.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 388-4588

The Book Barn

The Book Barn is the big bookstore alternative: they have mostly new books (and some used), so you should be able to find any of the newest books out right now—and what they don't have, they can order for you. They also have a great section devoted to local writers.

Right now on their website, they're advertising 20% off on selected calendars. It's a good time to do some shopping—though if you need to make a special order, I don't know what their turnaround time is for that.

135 NW Minnesota Ave.
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 389-4589 or 877-389-4589

The Newport Bridge is finally open as of today! Apparently they had a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon. If it was done today and ready for a ceremony at noon, couldn't they have just opened it up in the morning and let the commuters get to where they need to go?

(Or did they do that, with the ceremony being purely symbolic?)

On an email list I'm on there was a heads-up that beer is again being served on tap at Silver Moon Brewing—at the tasting room that shares the space with the Home Brewer homebrew shop. Previously they weren't allowed to serve beer on-premise because of a construction issue, but that's apparently been resolved.

That's good news! Because that's a nice space down there for the tasting room. Stop in for a pint or two.

The Home Brewer/Silver Moon Brewing
24 NW Greenwood
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 388-8331

I thought it would be fun and useful to run a series of "Holiday Shopping Guide" posts as we get close to Christmas; basically my take on where to go for the best deals, stay local, stay small, and such. But then I figured, there's no way I can do all that by myself, so let's make this a collaborative effort.

So send me your suggestions—leave comments here or use the contact form. Where are the best places for holiday/gift shopping? Any type of item—food, books, clothes, whatever. The best deals, the local stores, the insider info, avoiding the big box stores (if possible) and super-spendy stuff.

I'll organize by topic and start running posts in a few days, both submitted suggestions and my own picks (I have a few).

Let's make this the definitive holiday shopping guide for Bend!

Just a quick reminder (I almost forgot!): tomorrow, Saturday the 2nd, is the Deschutes Brewery Garage Sale. It's at their Mountain Room on Simpson, from noon to 4pm. See you there!

Jen has announced on her blog the next meeting of the local web professionals usergroup on Wednesday, December 6th.

Programmers, SEO-er's, Web developers & designers in Central Oregon... This is an opportunity to network and share ideas with others in your field! This month's topic is citywide wifi. (Big thanks to Ricardo for suggesting this topic!) Frank Miller from Bendbroadband will be joining us to talk about Instanet To Go and other exciting technology coming to Bend in the near future.

Agenda:
6:00pm - Pizza and networking
6:30pm - Presentation by Bendbroadband

The meeting will be at Edge Wireless on Columbia Street. If you can attend, leave a comment on Jen's post or visit the Upcoming.org page for this event.