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The year 2008 in review

January 24, 2009 in Life, Politics, Travel, Work | 3 comments

The people (specifically, two people) have spoken, and as a result I bring you this non-sports related update.  After all, this isn’t a sports blog, it’s supposed to be about my life, and a clearinghouse for my thoughts, adventures, misstatements and awkward encounters.  It just so happens that the last several posts have been about sports… well, this one will bring us current on my life and times.

With a new year comes reflection on the past year - so with that, I will bring you a look back at my 2008, and a brief look to the future…

The Texas Schoolbook Depository

The Texas Schoolbook Depository

The year began like many others - in January.  At the beginning of the month I was asked to travel to Dallas, Texas by work to attend a series of meetings aimed at improving the way large loss property claims were handled.  The meetings were successful, and resulted in the creation of a position I would assume in March, however the real story is that I got to explore the city of Dallas, including the former Texas Schoolbook Depository - the site of the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  As a history and politics geek, and as a kid who grew up idolizing Kennedy, this was a very special trip for me.  What’s strange is that through all the television shows and movies documenting the assassination, it seemed as though I’d already been there.  They’ve done a masterful job of creating a museum documenting the President’s trip to Dallas, the events leading up to it, and of course, the events of November 22, 1963.  I was surprised at the impact that the visit had on me, and I’m very thankful for having gone.

Nothing happened in February.  Literally.  March saw my second trip to Arizona for Spring Training.  This has already been documented, and it’s sports-related, so never mind.

April saw the first full month in my new position at work.  This was significant because it meant I was no longer traveling for work - everything (in theory) was now being handled from my desk, and specifically, from my dining room.  I still have mixed feelings on this transition, as I really enjoyed seeing the western US on the company’s dime, but I felt a responsibility to take the position that was offered to me, as I was instrumental in its creation.  I took the position after I was assured that I would still get to travel on occasion and would still have the ability to go into the field on my old claims, which I was keeping.

President Bill Clinton in McMinnville, OR

President Bill Clinton in McMinnville, OR

April also saw the visit of former President Bill Clinton to my former high school to campaign for his wife, then-Senator Hillary Clinton.  Although I was already an avowed supporter of Barack Obama, the prospect of seeing a President in the McMinnville High School gymnasium was too much to pass up.  I attended with my mom and seemingly the rest of the town.  As a liberal who grew up in a rather conservative area of Oregon, it was very encouraging to see a line wrapping around the entire school waiting patiently to be led into the gym.  It was during this campaign rally that it really began to sink in that the Democrats may actually win the election in November (foreshadowing!!!).  It was also encouraging to see that although the rally was a Hillary Clinton event, it became clear through talking to most of those in attendance, they planned to support the Democratic candidate - whether it was Clinton or Obama.  It was also encouraging to hear the little girl in front of me chant “O-Bam-A” when the crowd was instructed to chant the name of Hillary Clinton.

Sen. Barack Obama in Portland, 5/18/08

Sen. Barack Obama in Portland, 5/18/08

May saw another campaign visit - this one almost epic in scope, as Barack Obama packed an estimated 72,000 supporters into and around Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland.  I attended with Wells and his family, and braved the sun and 90 degree temperatures (as well as the horrible sunburn I picked up the previous day during a cleanup of the Willamette River with my dad) to be among the throngs welcoming Senator Obama to Portland.  The crowd was like nothing I’ve ever experienced in person - literally people filling every possible area, including the boats on the Willamette.  The official estimates were that 60,000 people were actually in the bowl area watching Obama, and another 12,000 filled the streets around the park.  It was here where I became certain Obama would easily carry the Oregon primary election two days later, which he did.  The future President did not disappoint, delivering the standard campaign speech, punctuated by exclamations of “wow” when face to face with the crowd.  The biggest takeaway from the event wasn’t in anything Obama said, but rather the enthusiasm for the candidate, and for the democratic process as a whole.  Never in my life had I experienced anything like this in a political campaign, and it is doubtful that this type of enthusiasm will be matched in the near future (now that the inauguration has passed).  More than anything, it was extremely refreshing to see the type of hope and promise for the future that was encapsulated by crowd - especially after the last eight years.

Brittany and I near Sedona, AZ

Brittany and I near Sedona, AZ

June passed by like an old man in his slumber as I waited for my July vacation, a second trip to Arizona for 2008 - this one to spend time with Brittany, who I reconnected with during my Spring Training visit.  Most of the trip was spent just going around town.  We visited with Vanessa, Eddy, and North, and went to her brother’s place for the 4th of July.  While attempting to jump into a swimming pool that evening I managed to knock my leg against a submerged rung of a pool ladder, causing a massive gash in my right leg, just below the knee.  As a result, I spent about 6 hours in the ER, received eight stitches, and now sport a wicked scar.  Following the debacle with my leg, Brittany and I took off for the cooler climate of beautiful northern Arizona, specifically Sedona.  I was able to find a timeshare that provided us with a deeply discounted room and dinner (we only had to pretend that we were a young about to be married couple interested in a timeshare…  the ruse worked perfectly - we are apparently good actors), and the rest of the time was spent hiking a few trails around Sedona and visiting shops - all the while trying to keep my bandage clean.  Despite the leg debacle, it was a great trip and one that made me realize I could in fact live in Arizona, if I wanted to.  I later decided that was probably a vacation high, but then again, housing prices are great near Phoenix…

Me and the Bean, Millennium Park, Chicago

Me and the Bean, Millennium Park, Chicago

In early August I visited Kayla in Chicago, however much of this visit was centered around various baseball road-tripping, so I will briefly cover where that aspect of the visit took us - Wrigley Field and US Cellular (New Comiskey) Park in Chicago to see the Cubs play the Astros and the White Sox host the Tigers respectively, Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva, Il where we saw the Kane County Cougars play the Beloit Snappers, Alexian Field in Schaumburg, Il to see the Schaumburg Flyers play the Kansas City T-Bones, and Miller Park in Milwaukee, WI to see the Brewers play the Nationals.

We also spent time enjoying some of the other things the city had to offer.  For instance, we took in our first day at the races at Arlington Downs, where we won about $20 combined on the ponies.  A day was also spent wandering the city, specifically the loop, Millennium Park and the generally everything that downtown had to offer.  This included, of course, pizza followed by drinks at Harry Carey’s.  If it weren’t for the extreme humidity in the summer, and the extreme cold in the winter, I would love to live in Chicago.

Just prior to my trip to Chicago, Miller arrived in Portland.  As such, he was allowed to “house sit” my apartment - basically, move in for a month.  It was great - we went to games, hung out like we did in college, and I got to witness a budding romance between he and Meredith (otherwise known as “Team Wilt”).  Unfortunately, he had to return to New York for the start of the school year, but if everything goes according to plan, he’ll be coming back permanently sometime later this year.

Las Vegas (file photo)

Las Vegas Strip (file photo)

With September came MusicFest NW, and four days of live music at various venues throughout Portland.  During the event, I was able to see Norfolk & Western, the Old 97s, Britt Daniel, Built to Spill, Nick Jaina, the Builders and the Butchers, Blitzen Trapper, Fleet Foxes, and many other less impressive bands.  I was also able to spend some quality time with my pal Sarah, and reconnect with Julie as well as meet a few new people.  September also saw a trip to Las Vegas with Derek, Esther, and Patrick during which I won $200 playing War (who knew that was a casino game?), $250 on a slot machine, and about $50 on college football games.  In short, I became a gambling degenerate.

The end of October saw the return of Peter from his six months spent wandering Europe and Africa, so a lot of time was spent hanging out with him and hearing stories of the adventures he experienced.  It also brought the beginning of the Blazers season and the heart of the Ducks football season, but again, this is not a post about sports.  The fall was actually quite relaxing - most of my vacation was spent with my earlier travels, so the daily routine really took hold during this time…  in other words, I spent a lot of time working.  When I wasn’t working, I was either at a Blazers or Ducks game, a concert, or hanging out with Peter, for the most part.  There were a few hikes, a few short road trips to see Wells or go to the coast, but aside from those, and the election of Barack Obama, it really was the dog days of fall.  One definite plus what that I was once again promoted at work, attaining the level of Large Loss Property Claims Specialist, which is pretty much as high as I can get for the foreseeable future (or unless I go for a management position) - this is assuming we all still have jobs in the foreseeable future, since the company was recently purchased by Liberty Mutual.  I’m not too concerned though.

My car, buried.

My car, buried.

December brought the holidays and a MASSIVE (6-8 inches) of snow and ice in the Portland area.  I spent the time wandering around the town, taking photos, and thinking of how to dislodge my car from its wintry, plowed-in grave.  For a while it looked as though I wouldn’t be able to make it home for Christmas due tot he fact that my car was still buried under a foot of snow and ice, however my dad came to the rescue and helped me big out the car.  Maddie the dog even came along for moral support.  Although the car eventually got stuck several more times in my parents’ neighborhood, at the end of the day, I was able to spend Christmas with the family, eat too much ham, and make it back home safely.

So that was 2008 - hopefully 2009 will be as eventful, but I have the distinct feeling it will involve much less travel.  Check back soon - this should be the last massive update, as I’ll be making more frequent contributions now that the site is re-designed and more user friendly.

Work Travels and Selling the Mustang

September 30, 2006 in Politics, Random, Travel | No comments

Hmm… where to start. Once again, I have taken an extended absence from updating this site… I seem to recognize a pattern forming. Yes, it is the same pattern that has been repeated consistently since the genesis of this website in the summer of 1997. Indeed, I am extremely reliable in the area of my unreliability. Sort of like a Yugo – a used one. I offer no apologies this time, nor any promises to do better in the future – I know better by now, and you should too. What I will offer, however, is a brief synopsis of the last several months, and a nice place to leave off, and hopefully continue in the not too distant future.

When we last left off, I had just been given a new position at work, and was in training – but a sort of on the job training. Nearly seven months later, I am still in that position, very much no longer training, and I am enjoying it. While not necessarily globetrotting in nature, it has taken me to some locales I had not previously seen – such as Wenatchee, Washington and a rural area east of Olympia. Ok, so basically I’ve seen Washington. But the travel has allowed me to check out minor league ballparks in Wenatchee, Tacoma, Spokane, Yakima, Pasco, and Everett. Not bad for one summer… but nowhere near as good as This Guy, whom I met at a Yakima Bears game. “Why so many minor league parks, Chris?” you may ask. Well, painfully, the answer is because I don’t have a girlfriend, and really, what else are you supposed to do when you’re stranded for a few days in eastern Washington?

Aside from tour the countryside, I sold the Mustang while I was away. This was actually a fairly recent development – I had decided that I did not have the time, space, or resources to keep working on or keep storing the car. At the same time, I came to the realization that I didn’t feel comfortable using it as a daily driver, while simultaneously coming the to the realization that I had some bills that I’d really like to eliminate. So, on craigslist she went, then off into the sunset she rode. Actually, it was around 6:00 pm, with the sun directly above, but you get the point.  I took a picture of it as it was driving away, but it turned out blurry, so it’s kind of like a 1966 Mustang Zapruder film still… very creepy. Also, it wasn’t driving itself, despite how this may read. I did however have one last afternoon of extreme frustration spent with it, as I spent about six hours the day before it sold finally repairing the fender damage it received while driving north for the last time from Eugene. Personally, I think I did a bang-up job.

Finally, I used the early portion of September to once again move, seeing as I apparently have issues with getting comfortable somewhere. Oh yeah – I also have issues with paying $850 to live somewhere that’s far from anything I want to be doing outside of work hours. So, in the spirit of saving money, and being able to do stuff every now and then, I have moved to Northwest Portland, to mix among the hipsters. So far, I still stand out like a sore thumb… First, I need to drop about 80 pounds and get some really tight, skinny-guy pants. A lofty goal, but there’s always hope. Actually, the move is going to work out great, especially since I just found out I’ll be able to start working from home soon, so now I won’t even have to worry about a commute. Not to mention the fact that I am nearly done with the plan I laid out on this very site last November… looks like Mr. Pratt may have his shit together after all!

Well, that just about gets us caught up. If you peruse the rest of the site, you’ll find a few updates here and there, and more to come – but again, with no specific timetable. You’ll also find a commentary I wrote on the state of the American Manufacturing Worker, inspired by a barge launch I witnessed in Portland last week. It may or may not be worthwhile reading – that’s your call. I just put it up, and point you to it.

A quick trip to the bay area to see the Ducks play at Cal this Saturday is on the docket, so hopefully I’ll have an adventure to detail, and pictures to show off upon my return. It’ll be great - like an electronic vacation slide reel! ‘Til then, thanks for sticking with me.

Election Recap, 2004

November 11, 2004 in Life, Politics | No comments

Well, it’s taken me a while because frankly, I needed to formulate a response. I’m not going to be one of those people who’s jumping on the voting machines as the reason that the good guys once again ended up on the short end of the stick, but they likely did not help. After a lot of thinking, the only thing I can figure is either we are out of touch with the American people, or the American people are out of touch with reality. More likely though, this election was simply an example of the power of fear, closed mindedness, and good old American bigotry. What’s this you say? Well, once again the right chose to attack the easiest target in America: gays.

It’s not that I think the US is full of bigots, rather, I believe this election played on the fears of the unknown, and of the different. As a consequence, we saw eleven states pass bans on gay marriage (including here in Oregon). This was no surprise. Did anyone actually think that Mississippi would vote down a ban on gays marrying? The key point is that in Ohio, which essentially decided the presidential election, the gay marriage ban passed by a 2 to 1 margin. This of course is a good indication of why Ohio, and ultimately the election, was lost. After all, Oregon and Michigan were the only states to vote Kerry, and pass a gay marriage ban – and Kerry victories in both were far from comfortable. What does all this mean? It means that, as they promised, the right did a very good job of getting out the evangelical vote.

But it’s not only evangelicals who voted for these measures, and ultimately for Bush. In the end, Bush’s team did a great job of scaring the hell out of people. Osama made an appearance shortly before the election, and suddenly, Kerry could not protect us from him (never mind the fact that Bush has no clue where Osama is…). Bush convinced a lot of people that it just wouldn’t be prudent to change leaders in the middle of a war (although it is clear this war is being severely mismanaged). And, unfathomably, the Bush team convinced a good number of Americans that he actually shares their values.

So, what you have are scores of poor southerners voting against abortion and gays, and in effect supporting the fact that they have no health care. You have former factory workers in the rust belt supporting a heavy-handed, ultra-aggressive US foreign policy, and turning a blind eye to the fact that their former job just isn’t coming back. And in the mountain west, you have scores of Mormons voting for Jesus-incarnate. OK, so that’s not exactly true, but you get the point… Basically, we’ve got some ground to cover.

Sometime in the next two years, the left must reconnect with the rest of the US. We must come up with a way to show everyone that an economic model built by liberals, where taxes are assessed fairly, where everyone pays proportionally to what they can afford, and where fiscal responsibility reigns supreme works best for Americans. We must make all Americans feel shame when any American grows ill or dies as a result of inadequate access to health care, and in turn convey the importance of guaranteeing health insurance for all Americans. Finally, we must make social conservatives actually respect the virtues they used to hold so high – namely fiscal responsibility, (this does not mean running up record deficits and slashing taxes in the middle of a war) a person’s right to privacy from the government (who cares what anyone does in their bedroom, so long as it’s not with either a kid or an animal?), and finally, freedom of, and from, religion (Jesus may be your savior, but Ahmed is an American too).

How are we to do this? I believe it all starts at a local level. Sure, everyone would love to find a Bill Clinton type who can show those in middle America that the democratic party is concerned about their well-being, and has their well-being in mind in policy decisions. But I feel it is much more important for local leaders to rise up and show the people that our ideas and beliefs are best for them at the nearest levels – on their water boards, their fish and game commissions, their city councils, school boards. We need to stick up for the small farmer and entrepreneur in state legislatures, while continuing to fight for the poor, the elderly, and the otherwise underrepresented.

Everyone knows at least one capable speaker with ideas and passion – get that person to make a difference, talk them in to running for office, or in being a visible member of a campaign or local organization. It doesn’t take much to be a “dynamic” speaker – just passion, ideas, and the ability to understand people – the last part only comes from listening, and living. This is an achievable goal. It may be pie in the sky, but I believe if we can all do our part, we can begin to create islands of blue across the big, red electoral map of the US, and ultimately, make a positive difference in not only the future of the nation, but in the daily lives of our neighbors.

Election 2004; Vote for Kerry

November 2, 2004 in Life, Politics | No comments

Ok, so another broken promise- no voter guide this year. But hey, if you were waiting on my say so on for whom to vote, I’ll save you the time: John Kerry. As evidenced by the photo on the left, I have made my choice. Today is election day, and as I write this, I have no idea who will come out on top. My heart says Kerry, my mind concedes there are a lot of ill-informed, self-interested people out there (apparently 50% of the American population…) who could tilt the scales of reason to Bush’s favor. I guess we’ll just have to see. I’m optimistic that we’ll have a president-elect tonight, but again, that remains to be seen. Nonetheless, I’ll be watching the results with the Wells family, having been invited to their election night shindig. My money’s on the Russert white board making an appearance somewhere tonight.

In other news, as first reported here in the last update, the orange Bimmer is no more. Well, technically it still exists, just not in my world. Three weeks ago I traded it in on a 2005 (the future is now!) Scion tC. The folks at Mac Toyota gave me a full $500 for the Bimmer, which was sort of a slap at the venerable car, after all the times we’ve had together, but was time for a break. It was a great relationship, but would you be seen in public with a significant other who was constantly leaving pools of black liquid on the wherever it went? I didn’t think so. It also rattled, and the seats were ripped… not to mention the 196,000 miles, so she was past her prime. I must admit though, it was sad to see it sitting on the lot with an ‘84’ sticker in the front window, parked underneath some massive powerlines on the Mac Toyota “Budget Lot.” In the rain. At night. It was only there for a few days, and has since left bound for destinations unknown to me. Hopefully it’ll find a nice pasture somewhere… or at least will be made into a nice, symmetrical cube.

Well, on the cube note, I’m off to watch returns… my early prediction: Kerry wins with 272. Check here for the update tomorrow.

Mike and Me

October 23, 2003 in Life, Politics, Website, Work | No comments

Yeah, I said that there wouldn’t be an update until I move to the new domain name, but here I am, updating. I expect to move to a new server in about a week, at which time I will hopefully adopt the name listed above. In the meantime, a short update will suffice, a little farewell of sorts to the University of Oregon’s Gladstone server… Really, I’m just looking for a way to be able to post the Meatwheels photo again.

Let’s see- what’s new? I’m still working at DPS, where I was moved to graveyard shift in September. Not surprisingly, I wasn’t too happy about joining my fifth new watch in a year and the job search has intensified a bit. I guess there’s nothing quite like genuine unhappiness to light a fire under my ass. Anyway, as I said, the job search has intensified, and as a consequence I’ve been looking at careers in nearly every field- from insurance to finance, from finance to public service, and on to baseball, I have literally sent out resumes and applications to nearly everyone I can imagine- hopefully I’ll hear back from some people in the next few days.

As for other things, I spent most of October watching postseason baseball, and witnessed perhaps the greatest playoffs in baseball history. I was a bit disappointed that the Cubs or Sox didn’t make it (of course, I was more disappointed that the A’s again choked, but that’s besides the point) but I was somewhat satisfied that the Yankees again collapsed. Speaking of collapse, I’ve gone to each Duck home game this year and have witnessed another round of historically bad defense, coupled at times with horrific offense. However, last week’s shutout of Stanford brings back memories of the Michigan game, and will hopefully be a harbinger of successes to come.

My biggest news of October would probably have to be meeting Michael Moore last Thursday. As you can see, while passing through the book signing line, Mike grabbed and pulled me across a table where one of his handlers took our picture. Before another person asks, no, he was not wasted, he was just very excited at the prospect of seeing me. Actually, I was among the last people to go through an hour and a half long line to have stuff signed by Mike after his speech in Portland, and he looked absolutely beat by the time I got to him. All things considered, he was in very high spirits, thanked me for coming, and stuck out his hand for me to shake before he would pass back my copy of “Dude, Where’s My Country?” In all, it was a successful brush with one of my heroes.

All of this will be covered in greater depth in the upcoming weeks as I get this site fully up and running, hopefully at its new web home. I plan on having the photo album and writings sections fully operable by then, and I will hopefully have more news on the employment front. Oh yeah, and I’ll be able to fill ya’ll in on how Simon & Garfunkel was…

Have we forgotten Chandra?

October 30, 2001 in Life, Politics | No comments

Lets see- it’s been a while since my last update- August 20th to be exact, but who’s counting? I could sit here and make excused as to why it has taken me so long to update the site, but let’s face it- we all know why- there just hasn’t been anything interesting going on. I mean it’s been at least two months since I’ve even heard the name Gary Condit on the news. What is wrong here people? Have we forgotten Chandra?

So these are indeed interesting times. As much as I would love to ignore the events of September 11th, (and believe me- on this front page of my website I will try to as much as possible), life has taken a sudden turn for the complicated in the past seven weeks. People are actually dressing like Uncle Sam for Halloween, constitutional rights have been proven meaningless, and it’s been at least two months since I’ve heard Bennie and the Jets on the radio. I see now that some things have improved.

However, as the saying goes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I shudder with fear whenever I see an airplane, just like I always did. I sing ‘God Bless America’ every night before bed, just as I always have, and I pray to the east just before opening unmarked mail, just like my papa taught me. And to think- Osama says that he’s the one who scared me.

Be it youth, arrogance, or a healthy mix of both, I am sure of one thing- I am invincible. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I find this supposed national fear quite laughable. Yes, what happened in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington was horrible. Yes, it was this generation’s Pearl Harbor, and yes, it will be impossible for anyone who experienced a part of it to forget. However, the quivering idiots who are keeping their kids from trick or treating, who are stocking up on antibiotics and who are standing by idly as we blindly give unquestioning support to an administration that favors a swift crusade over thoughtful response are doing far more to harm this nation than any four jets ever could.

Am I the only sane one in here? If so, what happened to rest of us, and why won’t all the fools go home, shut up, and put on their latex gloves and masks? I don’t know the answer to this and I’m not all that sure that anyone else does either. Oh well. If we did have the answer, I’ve got a good idea that people are so dead set on ignoring common sense that now it would go unnoticed.

I know that this is ending with sort of a thud, but barring unforeseen circumstances, this will be the last mention of the WTC and related US policy decisions on the front page of this site. I will be posting many articles on what has happened in the past two months, and what will happen in the coming months until this mess is over. Please stay tuned, this should be an interesting year.

Mid-Terms, Summer Staff

May 10, 2001 in Life, Politics, School, Work | No comments

Another round of midterms and another sleepless night for which I will pay the rest of the week. Its been two days now and I’m still a wreck. Alas, the paper was completed and handed in for what will probably be a B. Was it worth it? Based on my state of mind at the moment, hell no. But then again, one tends to be of a rather negative state of mind at 12:50am on a Thursday morning when you’ve been longing for the soft comforting arms of sleep for the previous three hours. I mean, tonight I felt as though I should have been waiting for the lasted “Diagnosis Murder” or a “Matlock” rerun- whatever all the septuagenarians are watching these days. You start to see things from a whole new perspective when you can relate to those who normally shuffle off to bed before the sun has entirely set. I suppose that I could continue to equate how I am feeling to the everyday plight of the elderly, but I feel that my comments have run their course and I would only be alienating what I’m sure is a very key demographic for this magical page.

Anyway… So you may have noticed that I haven’t updated in about a month. This wasn’t intentional, but while updating a few weeks ago, I became distracted by the fact that my computer was no longer functioning. Long story short, I was forced to reformat my hard drive and in the rush of the following week, my update was lost in the attempt to return my computer to its former glory. In the end, everything is once again working, but I’m about 500 mp3s short of what I had.

Needless to say, a few things have happened since my last update. First, it’s official that I will once again be a member of Ham Staff. Also in that category, it is official that I will be an RA in the Earl complex this summer, marking the first time that I will be spending a summer away from McMinnville- ever. I never went to camp or anything as a child, so I’m counting the days until I have a meltdown and start calling my parents twice nightly. It should be ok, as many of my friends will be staying here as well. It’ll just be different. Nonetheless, I am excited at the prospect of having a new room in about a month. Summer staff Hoo Rah! Or rather, hoo RA. I know that was horrible- just bear with me.

Also in the past two weeks, I have run for and promptly lost my bid for College Dems co-chair, which is OK I suppose. If there is any consolation, its that I was told by most who were present that I had the best speech, the most clear ideas, and had all the new people voted, I probably would have won. All of this begs the question of if I was so great, why didn’t I win in the first place? I have my own not-so-popular theories as to why this is the case, but I’ll choose to take the high road for now and not attack the person who has described my candidacy as a “coup” to one Dems member who was not present to vote. All this considered, everything is not lost. Upon losing my bid for chair, I promptly ran for and won the position of treasurer, which is great and all, but it kind of leaves me with the same taste in my mouth as would “Everyone Gets A Trophy Day.” But I guess it comes with the territory- after all, I’m not a woman.

Inauguration Day

January 19, 2001 in Life, Politics | No comments

It seems especially appropriate that today, on his inauguration eve, CNN spoke in great detail about the dark storm moving in to Washington. This could, of course, be a simple meteorological event. I prefer to see it as a sign that dark days are upon us, and whether or not Mr. Ashcroft is confirmed is the least of our worries. This said, I will be glued to my television tomorrow, watching George W. take the oath of office, I will also be asking God why I couldn’t have been born five months earlier, for I will certainly be in need of a stiff drink.

Cynicism aside, it will be interesting to see if George can keep up with the oath as read by Chief Justice William Rehnquist. I’m just waiting for that scared/confused look to come over him somewhere in the middle of a sentence as he’s accepting the reins of the nation, standing of course on behalf of Dick Cheney, Colin Powell and Alan Greenspan- the real presidents.

I guess that we’ll all know here in a little under 24 hours, a fact that makes me a little nervous, but ready to battle. After all, this administration officially marks the beginning of my 2020, 2024, 2028, and 2032 campaigns. Vote Pratt in ‘20.

In other news, life has been rather eventful over the past month or so, thus the total lack of attention paid to this website. I’m back in Eugene and classes are off to a good start, especially my porn, blasphemy and obscenity class. It’s exactly as good as it sounds. On other fronts, I’ve spent a lot of time with various members of Ham Staff, Mary, Curtis, Peter and Patrick in particular. I love visiting home, but I really grow to miss the people whom I know from Eugene during the breaks. Besides, when I’m at home I don’t have the joy of fuelling rumors about Mary and I. Well, not rumors that reach outside my family anyway.

I realize that this update is rather scattered, as I’m about to jump back in to reflection of Christmas Break, but bear with me- the next one will be better. Christmas itself was very good to me- I got The Massive ‘Beatles Anthology’ -the autobiography of the world’s greatest rock band. I also received a lot of clothes, which were very greatly appreciated, a huge stack of CD-Rs from my brother, pajamas (so I’m no longer wandering around Dunn 3 in my undies), a new wallet, and the glorious new VCR of which I have previously written. The vacation itself was possibly even better for me, as my life took many, many strange new turns. I won’t really write much about them here, but it’s seemed as though God doesn’t really hate me as much as I had thought…

I haven’t really made this much of an update, but in order to conform to the request of several visitors of this page (Lauren… I guess she counts as several) I will end this abruptly- for sake of brevity. Oh yeah- I also don’t want to spend all afternoon rehashing the past month. So there. I’ll be spending the next week performing basic maintenance of this site, then I’ll return to my practice of massive updates and finally, new material for each of the pages.

Adventure w/ Lauren; Al Gore & Misc. Dems

August 30, 2000 in Life, Politics, Travel | No comments

After working both Saturday and Sunday, I made a trek down to Eugene Sunday night to spend some time with Lauren, and eventually see Al Gore. As usual, I had a great time with her. The first night that I was in town, we hung out with Brian and Charles for a few hours, then went to the Bijou to see “But I’m A Cheerleader”, which was excellent.

The next day was spent at Elijah Bristow State Park on the Willamette. We sat out searching for water and came accross this park just 20 miles from Eugene. That afternoon we walked the trails that ran alongside the river, skipped some rocks and spent a lot of time talking, and for me anyway, thinking. It was a beautiful day and the scenery, coupled with the thoughts in my head will make it unforgettable.

Lauren convinced me to stay an extra day in order to see Al Gore at the Eugene airport as part of an invitation-only rally out on the tarmac. This was actually very exciting, aside from the heat and fatigue of staying up until 4:00ish, but we got to see the next president and Sen. Ron Wyden, Rep. Defazio and Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, as well as former governor Neil Goldschmidt. After waiting for two hours, we finally got to see Gore, who shook many hands and gave a short speech centering around health care. Following the rally, I treated Lauren to dinner at the Olive Garden, where she had to instuct me on the procedure of paying from the table and such intricacies as leaving a tip on the bill. It made her look if not smarter, at least more refined than I- which is ok, I suppose. I eventually made my way back to McMinnville, where I am now readying myself for a trip to Seattle with the family to see the Mariners take on the Yankees. It should be fun, but it will be tough to match the time that I had with Lauren over the past couple days.

Trip to Eugene

July 30, 2000 in Life, Politics, Travel | No comments

I got back from Eugene today, driving in 95 degree heat with no a/c. I had both windows and my sunroof open, but it was still well beyond uncomfortable. But I guess it was bearable as this weekend was very fun & complete.

On Friday Lauren, Karen, Emily, Arlie and I watched MST3K & some weird Indian movie until about 1:00am, when I proceeded to keep Lauren up until 2:30 complaining about various things (sorry, and I’ll get to work on that story soon =) Saturday was spent in Florence seeking salvation from the heat of the Willamette Valley. The coast was very fun- the sand was warm and we found a clean beach to play on, so it made the trip even more relaxing. Later Lauren and I went to a College Dems meeting at Coutney’s where we ate pizza and watched “Election”. On the way home from there, we frolicked through the sprinklers at 11:00 in front of Hendricks Hall. My adventure to Eugene came to an end today following lunch at the Glenwood with Vanessa. It was good, and we had fun listening to a guy behind us who was pretending to be a theology expert. His date didn’t seem very impressed though.