whilst searching for skis

All I wanted was to find a deal on ski/boot rentals.

I never knew Oregon was spelled that way...fail

Disaster play...

Really?

A liberal arts education...

Not a bike rack...

I watched this guy labor over putting up this sign...5 minutes later
this bike appeared...

Clarification

In case you were unable to make the connection yourself.

arts and crafts (read: shenanigans)

We couldn't find the water balloons...so we used the next best thing...

A great friend of ours had a milestone birthday recently (not so much in years, but in deeds, let's say). We contrived to make it memorable by putting our elementary craft skills and drunkenness to work...the results of which were "hilarious."

Ian David wonders at the pinata medium

The mastermind behind the pinata, crafting her genius.

flour and water and boys

While not taking photographs I made silly faces

The other side had the Boston Red Sox "B" on it, oh yeah!

Sadly, my camera was not at the unveiling, but it was gloriously bashed in by the birthday boy with a baseball bat the next day.

Restricted information...

I know why this building is restricted, I just find the sign funny.

Big brother

This has a totally different meaning for me then it must for the intended audience.

The beauty of irony.

My phone rang last night--an exciting event all on its own, since I rarely pick it up, people have stopped calling...
It was exciting news on the other line, my good friends had just had the ultra sound appointment for determining their baby's sex...they are expecting a boy!

What was so fabulous about this phone call (besides the good news) was that my girlfriend pointed out that she had to call me to tell me because I wouldn't see it on facebook.
...I have thus determined that my anti-social behavior has actually caused me to be more social...

On celebrating Halloween...

I have decided that how you spend Halloween is determined by your age.
As a young child you enjoy coming up with costumes and dragging your parents (read: costumed Dad) around the neighborhood with you. You return home, dump your candy on the living room floor and start trading with your younger siblings. You always end up with the choicest candy (and the most....having slyly placed your pile in close enough proximity to allow stray candy from your siblings pile to defect to yours). This strategy is essential because your candy becomes quarantined on top of the fridge where your parents "tax it."

As a teenager you still dress up for Halloween in some capacity, maybe for a halloween dance, or for class. But you do not go trick or treating and those who do are censured by adults and chastised by their girlfriends who are at home doing homework instead of traipsing about the neighborhood dressed as the guy from the Crow.

As a college student you use halloween as an excuse to have adult candy (read: drugs, sex, alcohol) and wear the most temperature inappropriate costume as you can without freezing to death.

I think I officially qualify as an adult now. I am currently handing out candy (and watching the gamecast of the world series...so I'm handing out candy and world series scores) to the toddler group who make their rounds at dusk, their parents imploring me to bring my kids by their homes later and cheering on the Giants, thanking me for the update.

Your script is running slow...

...your computer may become unresponsive.
I love stuff like this

Ducks on the UO campus

...which I suppose isn't that rare, if you think about it : )

Seen in downtown

Yet another reason to hate grass.

the wiki is down

The wikipedia is down and somewhere undergraduate students are crying.

Intitating Project One Line

I was kindly asked by a good friend to "not disappear" when classes started. Well, classes officially start tomorrow.

So, I therefore initiate 'project one line' it is my goal to try to keep in email contact with people by sending out one-liners.

This is selfish in two ways (that I can see): (1) I want you to know how I am; and (2) I desperately want to be kept in the loop and know how you are.

Hopefully I will make good on this project and you'll see something from me every once in awhile...such as: Hello, I am grading and pulling out my hair; how are the kids? love Linds.

Thinking...

the Beatles make me cry.

On this day...

1810: Colombia declared independence from Spain

1881: Sitting Bull surrendered to federal troops

1969: Humankind took a "giant leap." The celebration of the 40th anniversary is being used to bolster arguments for a mission to Mars.

1999: Grissom's Mercury 7 capsule (1961) was recovered from the Atlantic

2007: W signed an executive order prohibiting cruel and inhuman treatment in the detention and interrogation of terrorist suspects

2009: I awoke on the occasion of the start of my 29th year and thought, surely, I live a charmed life.

We spent the weekend camping at Crater Lake, what better way to usher in a moment of aging?

Some highlights:

A self portrait, with my head blocking Wizard Island



I love typos in official print. These were in the menu for the super swank grand lodge dining room:

Appetizers will be "severed"
...and Lava Cake has "fresh fresh" whipped cream...use your own imagination









We opted to dine in the lounging area outside the dining room, kicking off our shoes and settling into a squishy leather couch:

Wizard Island through the tree stump:
Tent and trees:
Sun setting over Joe and Linds:

Taking photos of Phantom Ship at the top of our hike:

Grasshopper chillin':

Phantom Ship (to left) and debris flow (to right):

Some snow remains, I graffitied this pile with my hand prints (effing cold...and not refreshing on a 90 degree day cold...it was frostbite in July cold)

Coming down the mountain, hollowed tree and Wizard Island sneaking out:

Wildflowers were just beginning to peek out:

Thirsty, dusty, hot trail:
"Natural fire, do not report" - all weekend there was a blaze and some chopper activity:

At the top of the hike, sun-kissed and smiles, we shared some kettle chips and a bottle of Radiant (very refreshing).
Pano:

Banksy

Guerrilla Art.

Due west.

Not five miles from home.

Hello tommorrow, goodbye to yesterday!

I love school, I truly do. But I have never been happier for a quarter to end, ever. I officially finished this quarter at 3:25 pm today when I submitted my students final grades. (They're still emailing me of course)

I feel as if, with this benchmark, I can shut the door on the emotional upheaval of this past season. Forget the bad things...and focus on the good. So it goes.

To celebrate I planted some seeds and put them in the cold frame that Joe built out of a window I bought at the rebuilding center (for 1 dollar) and some scrap wood, replanted my lavender plants on the side yard, plotted out the front yard planting and went grocery shopping. I'm going to hit up the garden center tomorrow for some shade loving plants, herbs and ideas.

I have two whole days to myself before I have to be back in school mode. The week of spring break proper will find me at the Association of American Geographers Conference in Las Vegas.

The best thing I can say about it being in Vegas is that it's in the 80's there, so if I ever make it out of the hotel (I've tentatively planned to get some hiking in) I'll be able to see that bright round thing in the sky and feel warm.