I feel like Portland’s going through a rapid transformation of late. Rents are rising super fast and condos are going up just as quickly everywhere you look. The town’s having a huge growth spurt (this being good or bad is indefinitely debatable). With this huge and constant influx of new people, those of us who have been around for any length of time can almost start to feel like outsiders, like we’re the odd ones. Alex is definitely one of the “old guard” of Portland zine culture, and what we have here is a quick rumination on where Portland fits in her life, and other notions of acceptance and belonging—noting that relationship with parents sometimes mellow with age, with everyone eventually reaching a mutual respect and care. Alex has been doing Brainscanfor a long time, and she’s good at it. It’s a quick read, but a meaningful one. –Keith Rosson (Alex Wrekk, 5307 N. Minnesota Ave., Portland, OR97217)