James Beard Award-winning Chef Edgar Rico and Sara Mardanbigi bring their Michelin-recognized Nixta Taqueria from Austin to OK Chicken for a collaboration with Earl Nimsom, celebrating his new cookbook 'Nixta Taqueria: From Tacos to Tahdig.' Featuring Mexican, Thai, drinks, and cookbooks as part of the 2026 Portland Book Festival.
91.5% of first dates suck purely because of awkward, dull, boring conversations. Conversational Lube is here to FIX that.
You’re invited to the first real-time, live comedy dating show. Singles will be matched, meet for the first time, then join a comedian on stage (the lube) to have a first date. Yes, audience members will be put on blind dates in real time at the show. That means you, yes, you can come and possibly find your soul mate. (Or at the very least go home with a funny af story.)
Each couple will have a date on the stage and be joined by a licensed professional* (*fully unlicensed comedian) to lube up the conversation, make sure it flows, stays entertaining, and fully capitalize on any weird shit that comes up. (The last part mostly for the sake of the audience and laughs.)
Hosted by stand-up comedian and writer, Cait Chock, who is single for many reasons but not because she can’t dazzle a first conversation. She shines in a first impression, then actively decays like a free radical. She’s a lost cause, but she’s using her conversational skills to help you find love.
No guarantee that you'll find love, but it's guaranteed it will be a helluva lot more fun than another boring and slightly deranged Tinder meet-up. ALL are welcome, even you monsters already happily in love, can come, eat, drink, laugh, and watch everyone else squirm. Apps suck. Approaching strangers in the wild is scary. Hitting on your Trader Joe’s cashier is not cool. A comedy show is your best bet.
Don’t settle for shitty, boring, vanilla conversations…apply conversational lube.
Friday, November 27 6:30pm doors, 7pm show 21 and over at Al's Den
Sign up for the poster session here!
The 2026 Pauling Medal will be presented to Professor Wooley at the 2026 Pauling Medal Symposium on November 7, 2026, at Portland State University in Portland, OR, in recognition of her pioneering studies.
Information about the symposium is posted at the Pauling Medal web page. The symposium includes lectures by eminent scientists and the awardee, a student poster session, a reception, and an evening banquet with presentation of the Pauling Medal to Professor Wooley.
The symposium is free and open to the public. The Awards Dinner is open to the public but requires advance purchase of a banquet ticket. Please visit the Pauling Medal web page for event details and banquet tickets.
Schedule:
1:00 - 5:30pm: Symposium in Hoffman Hall
Symposium speakers