pod

Some photos of Pod, the interactive public art across the street from Powells, in downtown Portland. This picked up the enduring nickname "Satan's Testicle" shortly after it was installed, and all the tourist guidebooks will tell you you simply can't leave town without getting a photo of you giving it a shove with one arm and giggling, while the other arm holds one of those pink donut boxes from that one donut shop we don't talk about here.

If you're feeling ambitious and are either extremely tall or have a bestie who can give you a piggyback ride while another takes photos, you might be tempted to lick it instead, because of the nickname, and maybe because someone dared you. This is where I remind you about that one scene in A Christmas Story and suggest not doing this if it's freezing outside. Or if you really and truly must try it, maybe because of a triple dog dare, at least make sure your friend with the strong piggyback shoulders doesn't have any pressing appointments coming up and won't leave you dangling in midair by your tongue, which would probably hurt quite a lot, on top of the public embarrassment. And you might be surprised to discover how few passers-by stop to help; people will see you and assume all this dangling and flailing around is some kind of wacky Cirque du Soleil promo, and worry that intervening might get them flagged to be pulled on stage at the next show they go to. Nobody wants that kind of trouble.