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New Year Summary of 2002

January 1, 2003 in Life, Random, School, Sports, Travel, Work | No comments

It has been brought to my attention that I have not kept my oft-repeated, oft-broken promise of updating my website. For this, I am utterly indifferent. Strangely though, I feel that I should provide an update, if for no other reason than continuing to reinforce my personal belief that throngs of people base their lives on what my website does or does not say. To assist those people on moving forward in their lives, I will provide a concise rundown of the last several months of my life, which will then (maybe) be followed by an update pertaining to the present. So, without further delay, the spring, summer, and subsequent fall of Chris. March 5, 2002- woke up, read for Ken’s class. This pattern continued until the end of the term, which I finished in respectable, if unspectacular fashion. Spring break. Worked as an on-duty RA for a few days, then went to McMinnville. I traveled to the redwoods with my family and looked at several very large trees, as well as the Oregon caves. I angered my mom by wearing shorts in the caves, which were 40 degrees. After the vacation, I returned to Eugene for a day or two, then departed with Lauren on a pilgrimage to the Bay Area. Saw Paul McCartney kick off his US tour in Oakland, wandered around San Francisco, then saw Carlos Pena beat the Rangers in the bottom of the ninth as the A’s squeaked out their second victory of the season. Returned to Eugene following the game, and promptly went to bed. Fell behind in class, then caught up. I Dropped Ken’s other class, but not much else happened in April.

In May I worked, a lot and tried to make it through some tough times with friends, with mixed results. I’m still not sure when I became a villain, seeing as I never really chose a side, but I think that I just tried to please too many people. In the end, I settled on just being Chris, and let the cards lay where they fell. Through silence, I probably made the wrong choice, but that’s what regrets are for. Forgiveness though, is a trait certainly in short supply today- at least in some of my former friends. Worked on my uncle’s campaign for Lt. Governor of Idaho. Found myself writing campaign literature for a Republican, which was an interesting proposition. Made statements about issues often ignored by Republicans and somehow made it through the experience without feeling like a whore. Uncle lost primary, but got over 5 per cent of the vote in a field crowded with people spending hundreds of thousands of dollars. Turned 22 on the 29th of May.

In June I finished spring term, as well as my career as an RA. It was time for a welcome change, and independence gained from being able to live and work at separate locations. The deer to the left are being viewed from my new bedroom window. Hired as a temporary public safety officer at the University of Oregon Department of Public Safety. Issued a badge, uniform, and bulletproof vest. Feel awkward, but hey, everyday is Halloween. Good thing since I would later work on Halloween. Assumed life of 40 hour a week worker for the first time since my detailing days, though now worked at 6:00am. Money good, hours bad.

Not much happened in July- Independence day came and went with little fanfare as I had to work, and my brother turned 14 on the 2nd. Startled by the revelation that my brother was going to be a freshman in high school in September, and suddenly felt old. Classes began for me near the end of the month, and I visited a hot spring with Mary. Fun experience, though some people really should keep their clothes on…

In August classes continued, as did work. It was an uneventful month until about halfway through, when there was suddenly a flurry of activity. First came a hellish five-hour wait for Lauren at PDX to welcome her back from France. I got there at 10:00pm; she got there at around 3:00am. I had to be at work at 6:00am. Obviously, I was more dedicated then than I am now, as I would now call off tired as hell. This didn’t occur to me though, as I somehow made it through the next day at work. A bout a week later, and a week or so shy of our anniversary, Mary and I broke up. This came as an unexpected cap to what had been a pretty good evening- I guess she wanted to get me full of dinner so I couldn’t really defend what was to come. Shortly after the end of one, I witnessed the beginning of another relationship, as my pal Melinda was married.

In September work yet again continued, and the “temporary” position was beginning to feel a bit less so. The first couple of weeks were spent simply working overtime and basking in the warm sun of a deserted pre-term campus. Of course, this “basking” was spent wearing about five layers of colors alternating from black to LAPD blue colored fabric, so broiling can probably be substituted for basking. Football season started and the Ducks won their first several games. Baseball season continued, and a strike was averted, thank God. With about a week to spare before school started, I took off with Lauren to Seattle and spent my “Anniversary with Mary” money on a delightful trip to see sights and baseball. We stayed in an inexpensive but nice hotel downtown and wandered the city for three days. We saw the Experience Music Project and the Pike Street Market (for the second time with Lauren) as well as the zoo, where we were able to look at several young gorillas, including a baby that had been born just two weeks before. The A’s lost to the Mariners that night, thanks to a A’s inconsistent bullpen, but it was fun. The rest of our time was spent eating and drinking in various establishments and visiting with assorted friends (Shannon, Shelby, Josh) of Lauren’s.

Upon my return to Eugene, I learned that I would be needed at work through the next term, though I would now be working graveyard. Money good, hours worse. This began ominously, as there was a large riot one block west of campus on my first night on the shift.

October continued in the same manner as September ended, as my shift made several arrests and was involved in as many physical takedowns in the span of two weeks as are usually expected in about a full year. I was suddenly feeling even more fortunate that I was no longer an RA, as this class of freshman seems especially angry. The A’s were knocked out of the playoffs, something that came as no surprise given the bullpen woes that I had witnessed in Seattle, and the Ducks followed their 6-0 start with several losses. Class continued, sort of, as I only had one class that actually had a regular attendance. I again saw Paul McCartney with Lauren, only this time in Portland. By the end of the month events at work slowed, though I was now completely prepared for the bad stuff. I went through defensive tactics training over the course of a day, allowing me to carry an asp baton and OC spray. Of course, as part of the OC training, I was sprayed in eyes with the stuff and commanded to complete a course using each of the defensive tactics that I had learned throughout the day. By about the second of five stations I was pretty much blind, as well as screaming expletives at a rapid-fire pace. I made it through, though I’m surprised that my lieutenant did, as I hear it was quite dangerous for him to be holding one of the pads that I was forced to attack. The day was successful, though the illusion of mid-mannered Chris Pratt was gone for all who witnessed my rampage.

Work, sleep, school, and repeat. November was a drag. Nothing happened in November. My work schedule caught up with me, and much of my free time was spent sleeping. The Ducks’ collapse culminated in losing six of their last seven, and I had to work on Thanksgiving. School went well though.

December came with the promise of less school, more work, and more money. I could now return to working the 40-hour week that I had enjoyed during the summer, as student employee restrictions are lifted during break. The department took full advantage of this, as I worked the first 14 of 16 days of break. I also found out that I would be working both Christmas and Christmas Eve, as well as New Year’s Eve. In between though, I enjoyed a Blazer game with Wells and my brother, as well as a nice post-Christmas visit to McMinnville. I was quite disappointed with working the holidays, though not as much as I’m sure my mom was. Through it all though, she was pretty cool and didn’t let what I’m sure was a fair amount of anger come to the surface. I did well on Christmas, getting a lot of good clothes, CDs, books, a new watch, and the promise of new brakes for the Mustang, so long as I help my pa with putting brakes on my mom’s bimmer. I did however anger my mom by wearing shorts for the duration of my stay. December ended with my equivalent of the ball dropping in Times Square- the Department of Public Safety’s FCC-required call of “zero hundred hours, Wednesday, January 1, 2003. KVD770.”

Well, that was the last nine or so months, I’ll return shortly with a real update, but this week will be busy as I will be starting classes again and studying for the Praxis test on Saturday for the education program. Stay tuned… there’s more to come.

Another Mass-Update; Break-ups, Reunions

March 4, 2002 in Life, School, Travel, Work | No comments

Happy New Year!!! hehehe… yeah. So I’ve been gone a while… you’ve noticed. You’ve questioned me, harassed me, some of you have even stopped coming to this site. Does the fact that it hasn’t been updated in six months make it any less relevant? I say no!

So here I am again, and as if I never went away, I am once again procrastinating. It just wouldn’t be right any other way. With that statement, many could be asking “Chris, has nothing changed?” The short answer would be no, and being as I am a very lazy man, I would normally be apt to give that answer.

However, as I am currently putting off reading 70 more pages in “Black Mass” for Ken’s class, I will give the more in-depth answer of no. You see, it isn’t that things haven’t changed, it’s just that indeed, the more things change, the more they stay the same. For instance- I am in a relationship with Mary. While this may be no new thing, we also broke up. Now, had I updated on December 7, 2001, this page would have said that I was single until the update of March 4, when in fact, the single period ended on December 18, 2001. This could have had disastrous effects on both my relationship, which was on the mend, as well as the scores of would-be heartbroken women who had been led to believe that I was available. Sally comes to mind.

However, that would not have been the only problem. Perhaps I would have posted an angry reaction to my pal Curtis’ semi-forced removal from staff. I could have written an expletive-laden update directed towards University Housing in regards to both Curtis and the creator of the wonderful picture of my selves above, Chris Wells. Perhaps I would have posted something about my desire to find a way for the RAs at the University of Oregon to organize, a la those at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Oh wait, that update may yet come…

But those are currently cold topics on my mind, waiting to be stoked at a later date.  I’ll have to weigh the amount of trouble I could get in for simply exercising my 1st amendment rights. Anyhow, it should be an interesting update.

As far as other happenings in the life of Chris, yes, me and Mary are once again happily together, and we celebrated our sixth month together just a week ago, on February 26. Don’t bother me about the math, we don’t count the earlier break up. In other news, it is now official, in case you couldn’t tell, that I will not be returning as an RA next year. I have decided to take the high road, and get out while I am still at least as sane as I was when I came in to the job. This will mean that I will be living off campus this summer, as well as next year, in a yet to be determined place with yet to be determined people. I am looking forward to the change, and it should dramatically lower my stress level, although I’ll have to work more.

In more recent news, it looks as though I will be going to Oakland to see Paul McCartney with Lauren on or about April 1. That is, of course, if we can find tickets. It will be a challenge, but it’s probably my last chance to see a Beatle live that’s not Ringo. After all, if my theory is correct, Ringo will never die. (Rest in Peace, George) In addition to the concert, we will be in town at the same time that the Major League Baseball season starts, so I’ll force Lauren to watch the A’s kill the Rangers in the season opening series. It should be an awesome road trip, if it happens.

But it remains to be seen if that will indeed take place. I am also planning on going to the Redwoods and several other attractions in northern California and Southern Oregon with my family over Spring Break. That should be awesome, especially since I’ll actually get to see stuff this time, unlike last summer’s late night/early morning jaunt down to (What’choo talkin’ bout) Willits with Mary and Christina. It’ll be nice to get to spend a period of time longer than an afternoon with my family for once, which is also a plus about not being on staff next year… OK, enough with my work frustrations.

Birthdays, Concerts, and Catch

August 20, 2001 in Life, School, Travel, Work | No comments

Just so you know Vanessa, this update is not being written in response to your request- I genuinely do feel like updating my page. So there.

Now that that is out of the way, I can get started. The last few weeks have been very busy, with nearly every day consisting of either research for my Ted Kennedy/Chappaquiddick paper (now finished, thank you), or working at DPS. In other words, it has been a thrilling month. On the bright side, I did get to browse through about two years worth of New York Times microfilms in search of editorials on Chappaquiddick. Oh wait, that’s not exciting…

I’ll skip over the mundane details of the past few weeks (you know- the ones that have kept me from updating this page) in order for me to talk about things such as Eric Clapton and going home for a few fractions of days. Oh yeah- I spent lots of time working. Damn… did it again. Anyway, the month began very poorly, by getting shut out of the Tool concert at the Hult Center. You see, the EMU ticket office is inept, and managed to get through about twenty people in the course of 45 minutes- the forty five minutes that it took for the show to sell out. I was fairly irate, but so were most of the other 100 or so people left ticketless after waiting in line for more than three hours. However, I opted to go home before a riot broke out, if only to avoid having a run-in with a few of my evening co-workers. Secretly though, I wished that the dude behind me in line would follow through on his threats of looting the place.

A few days after the scheduled concert, Lauren, Brian, Chris Wells and I made our way to the concert that we already had tickets to- Eric Clapton in Portland on the 7th. The show was very good, though the sound could have been better. He played all the songs I wanted to hear, including Layla, Bellbottom Blues, Cocaine, Badge, and Sunshine of Your Love. What was really awesome was the fact that Billy Preston was on keyboards and, as everyone knows, he is amazing. Clapton surrendered the first song of his encore to Preston for his hit “Will It Go Round in Circles.” The crowd was really in to it, and you could tell that the band was having a great time- especially Billy. After the concert, we walked past an array of people selling bootleg concert t-shirts at a much lower price, shouting “T-Shirts, $10! Chris and me, along with occasional help from Brian, began brainstorming what Eric Clapton related items we could sell following the show. I think my favorite was the Official Eric Clapton Tour 2001 Backrub.

As previously stated, the rest of the week was spent working, with the exception of Sunday, which was spent in Portland celebrating the anniversary of Peter Marie Boss’ birth. It was a nice lil’ party, during which Peter and I (with help from Brandi Church) got pizza. It was very good pizza, thus the mention. The rest of the evening was spent lounging with Peter, Mary, Brandi, J. Christ, Jessico, Robin, and a friend of Peter’s whose name I do not recall. We talked a lot, then watched Futurama and the Simpsons. Although Peter maintains that it was a bad party, I had a very enjoyable time. Before arriving in Portland that day, Mary, Brandi and I visited my home, where I said hi to my family and allowed Mary an opportunity to converse with them in an attempt to no longer feel intimidated. I think it worked, but in the process she managed to leave her shoes at my house. This of course went unrealized until we were thirty miles away purchasing Peter’s gift, The Beatles Anthology. We were forced to stop at Mary’s place in Lake Oswego to get a different pair of shoes, as well as wrapping paper. In a way I felt bad for the fact that she worried about ruining whatever impression she had left on my parents by her forgetfulness, and I told her that such a mistake would not make them think poorly of her. Especially since she had already done and said enough earlier in the day to accomplish that feat. =)

The next week went by with little taking place other than work- though I did spend quite a bit of time studying and writing. I spent most of my little free time hanging out with Mary or worrying about my paper (which was due on Friday). This past weekend was spent both recovering from my paper and the sleepless nights involved in it’s making, and driving home again, this time with Vanessa. You see, it’s always good to confuse your parents, so I try to bring a different girl home with me each time I return- the last four have been Lauren, Mary, Vanessa and Wells. I guess that with this lineup, the more confused the parents are, the better. Anyway, the point of this weekend’s trip was to get new shoes, as well as say hi to everyone. Both of these items were accomplished, with me picking up my shoes with my mom, saying hi and talking to dad, and playing catch with Brandon. It was pretty cool- I was wild at first, but I think that I hurt his hand with a couple fastballs. I didn’t really get to spend much time in McMinnville though, as both Vanessa and I needed to work at 8:00. We left at around 5:30, ate dinner at Arby’s, then proceeded to drive until about 7:45, when we arrived in Eugene. It was very fun because I got to spend significant time with Vanessa for the first time in a couple weeks. We talked about people and work, and I got to fling wild accusations in her direction, which is always fun. The only disappointing thing about the trip was the short amount of time that I got to spend at home, but on the bright side, I’ll be back there with Mary this weekend.

That brings me to my next topic- this coming weekend. It starts off with the exciting event of my second and final class of the summer- PS 399, Mafia in Russia. That, while exciting, is not the high point of the weekend. That will come on Saturday, when I drive home to prepare for my date that evening with Mary. We’ll be going to the Newberg Drive In, where we will enjoy an evening of cinema from the comfort of a 1966 Mustang Coupe. I’m looking forward to it, but perhaps what I like most is how excited she seems to be. It should be a great evening, no matter how the movies are, and when it comes down to it, I really don’t care what’s playing- It won’t really matter if I’m with her.

Summer Update

June 24, 2001 in Life, School, Work | No comments

Summer is again upon us and with it this page once again finds itself the focus of a major update. If you’re a frequent visitor (and I know there’s more than Peter and myself), you have probably noticed what has become a long period of inactivity on this site. I won’t go into the drawn-out “I really meant to update” excuse that I would normally use, rather I will simply skip over it. You know, like the details in a Reader’s Digest condensed book, or the period in George W’s life between ages 16 and 45. It’s really not that important anyway.

The important thing is that yet another year of college has passed by, with it another year of my life, as I have turned 21 since my last update. (Insert your own excuse for my online absence here.) I made it through last term relatively unscathed, earning an A and two Bs while also surviving my final week as an RA on Ham Staff 2000-2001. Even though I once again had to force myself to stay up in excess of 40 hours as the end of the term neared.

After all- what would college be without the end of the term procrastinator’s test of manhood? Oh well. With all the idiocy that comes in saving a final paper (which I had a week to write) for the last ten hours of the term, I managed to earn an A on the paper itself (my third such A paper in two terms, I might add). In all, I must say that I’m rather proud of my grades this term. After all, it is only the second time in my life that I’ve earned a 3 point. I am so smrt.

In other news, my life on summer staff has officially started. So far I’ve taped meal cards and handed out blankets to people. In other words, they may as well be paying me to live at the mission. But hey- they’re paying me, so there’s no complaints here. Aside from that, there really hasn’t been much going on with me in the past couple of weeks. I’ve moved across campus, but with that nothing has really changed aside from my phone number and where I put my TV. I did buy some new furnishings, but I’ll be damned if I spend more than a sentence talking about my splendid new entertainment center and poster frames.

As for this coming week, I’ll be going home Wednesday to travel to Seattle with my family and watch the Oakland A’s kill the Mariners. In the process, I’m hoping to get the Mustang insured so I can bring it down to Eugene for a month or so and actually get some use out of the roughly $500 that was spent getting it to run. While I’m in McMinnville, I hope to see some people who I’ve inadvertently been ignoring for the past month. In addition, I will be wishing my brother a happy 13th birthday, as I don’t think I’ll be around for his actual birthday, July 2nd.

That will have to be it for this update. In the coming week I hope to have several new pictures online, including the infamous “swollen lip” shots, which I have now had developed. Watch this page and all attached, as this should be a week of updates. In the meantime, farewell.

Summer Staff Retreat

May 23, 2001 in Life, School, Work | No comments

A Wednesday morning and relatively little to do… hopefully this will become some sort of trend. Actually, things were quite different this morning, as I was deep in the rush to finish a geography paper and study for my spanish exam. I think that both went fairly well, but I didn’t want to start this update with yet another small rant on how tired I am for having stayed up nearly all night. I start off far too many an update with complaints about my procrastination, but when it is a trait so deeply engrained in one’s actions, it is difficult to simply stop.

This said, it’s really not my fault this time. You see, I am a member of Conference Services’ summer staff, and being so, I was required to attend a weekend retreat with my fellow staff. While this in itself is not a bad thing, as many of my friends are on summer staff, I probably could have used the two days that were lost to write my geography midterm. Oh well.

As it turned out, I had a pretty good time, save for a few mini-disasters. The trip began with a long drive in a Chevy Astro van to the Oregon coast. This in itself is not bad, nor was the fact that we were separated from half of the group (2 vans) once we reached Florence. It’s not that I really wanted to get away from anyone in either of the missing vans, it’s just that I really like it when something goes awry with scheduled fun time. We eventually stopped at Strawberry something (fields? hill?) and scared the seals. After about an hour or so there, we retreated to Haceta Head where we played on the beach and looked at the lighthouse. It was here that the other vans found us, and the scheduled fun was now set to begin.

We headed back to Deadwood, where we spent the night at a pretty nice cabin-type thing with a yurt and a hot tub. We had about an hour of staff time, but for the most part it was just sitting around getting to know people. I spent about an hour in the hot tub, then retreated to the house to watch a riveting Mel Gibson action/drama. I can’t remember exactly which one it was, but in the end does it really matter? At around 12:30 everyone was starting to go to bed, and I decided to follow suit. I brushed my teeth, then returned to my room, where Curtis was already sleeping in the lower bunk. This turned into more of an adventure than I had hoped.

You see, I am short, and the bed was tall. In other words, try as I might, I could not get up to the top bunk. And boy, did I try. The bed was positioned in a manner that I could not use the end as a ladder, and nothing in the room was tall enough to use as a substitute. Furthermore, as I have short arms, there was nothing for me to grab onto to pull myself up. This resulted in a very comical action that in many ways resembled a penguin attempting to jump onto an ice sheet. Needless to say, I would land on the bed for about two seconds, then slide off. DA Scott and Curtis were laughing hysterically, which was surprising as Curtis had just woken up. Curtis decided that he would show me how it was done, and being as he is a tall, skinny freak, he pulled himself up to the top with ease. After I had resigned to sleep on the bottom bunk, Scott decided that he would imitate my jump. On the first attempt, the corner of the bed went crashing to the floor. It seemed that the bed had just taken too much. After witnessing this, I sat there wondering how I was going to sleep on my now drastically slanted bed, and Curtis and Scott sat there watching and laughing. In hind sight it was pretty funny, but I was too preoccupied with the tingling sensation that had been present in my lips since brushing my teeth.

While propping extra blankets under the corner of the bed to return some sort of normalcy to my sleeping position, the tingling began to seriously worry me. Still, it didn’t feel this it was much to be concerned with. This being the case, I returned to bed. While laying there discussing the broken bed, I began to speak with a lisp. I immediately felt my lips, which were beginning to feel hard and slightly enlarged. I commented on them, but otherwise ignored it. After another 15 minutes or so, it could no longer be ignored. I asked Scott to turn on the lights so I could see what was wrong. I knew that it was out of my hands when as soon as the room was lit, Scott burst into laughter… followed by Curtis. I looked at my reflection in the window and saw what it was that they found so humorous- my lips were easily 2 times their normal size, pushing 2 and a half times. It didn’t hurt, but it looked ridiculous. I went into the bathroom to examine the situation further and found that yes, my inner lip was now on the outside. It was still tingling, and being as they had been normal until I brushed my teeth, I connected that fact to my present state.

I braved the comments for the rest of the night, vowed never to brush my teeth again, and went to bed. When I woke up six hours later, the swelling had gone down almost entirely, though it was still noticeable and I still suffered from a slight lisp. I ate breakfast and watched Curtis break the news of the bed to Ben, then I got in the shower. The rest of the day was spent doing summer scheduling, then driving to various places, lastly Eugene. While afflicted with my inflated lips, I made Scott take a few pictures, which will hopefully soon accompany this description. As for everything else, class is ok, though a little busy at the moment. Next week should be cool though, as my birthday is May 29th.

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.

Grades, Music, Writing

April 9, 2001 in Life, School | No comments

For one reason or another, I’m feeling very creative right now. Actually, it’s been this way for the past week and a half or so, but especially now. The other night I was looking around my hard drive and found two stories that I began to write last year, but never finished. Normally I would have read them, reacted with whichever emotion was appropriate (laughter, sadness, joy, anger, etc.) then simply closed the file and return to my bed, where I would then watch the 2:00am showing of Saturday Night Live on Comedy Central. But not this week. That’s right- I actually wrote something creative for the first time since September. (That is, of course, if you’re like me and recognize no part of this web site as creative.) Sigh.

Anyway, as I was saying, I wrote. It wasn’t too much- only a few paragraphs, but it’s a start. Hopefully I’ll actually finish the confounded story in a couple weeks… or at least before I die (whichever comes first…)

Speaking of dying, my grades weren’t as bad as I thought they would be. You see, grades tend to go down when someone misses about a total of a month due to illness during a term, as I did last term (for the second straight term, I might add). But I did a lot better than I had previously thought. I actually had a 3 point for the second time in my life, entering finals week. Of course, I’m a horrible test taker (unless it’s strictly an essay test), so my grades in a few classes (Spanish, Geology) went down, but they were offset by rising grades in my two poli-sci classes. Unfortunately, in a panic earlier last term, I switched one of those classes to pass/no pass, so my improvement is not visible in my GPA. Oh well… I still gained about .50 on my GPA from last term, which is good enough for me (for now).

So why am I talking about grades you ask? Well, because I worked my butt off at the end of last term, and I’m happy with my work. To put it in perspective, I had two tests and a BIG paper due on the same day during finals week, as well as two papers that ended up being 12 pages each due the next day. Yeah, that was stressful… I ended up writing the two twelve pagers in a total of 8 hours on Wednesday of finals week. That feat in itself was pretty impressive, but even more so was the fact that I got As on both of them (yay Chris). Out of that experience has come a new vow- I WILL be on top of my work this term. I know, I say that every term (as does everyone), but I really mean it this time. (for now)

In other news, Sexshun 14 actually has an MP3 now, and yes, it’s available on this website. Check out the new, official band page (found on my music page, for those of you who don’t know how to click on highlighted text. It is complete with the MP3, alternate takes of “51 Feet,” Guitar Tabs and even band pictures! Personally, I think it’s a bit too much for a “band” with one song, but hey, we’ll soon have two songs.

As far as other updates go, I’ve added folk to the friends page, and more writings (school-related and creative) will be added to the Writings page soon. I’ve been a little slow on the other updates that I’ve promised because my scanner seems to be busted, but I’ll have more new stuff soon… Look for more frequent updates in the next term. For now, good evening.

Papers and Recording

March 11, 2001 in Life, School | No comments

I’m tired. Actually, I’ve been tired for upwards of a week now, stemming from my all-night political science writing and reading adventure. Yeah, that was about as fun as it sounds. I spent from about 6:00pm Monday night until 11:30am Tuesday morning reading for a midterm and writing a paper on the fight for suffrage and abolition, and how statements made from lead figures in the respective movements were looking for broad social change or simply the enforcement of the rights granted in the Declaration of Independence. Don’t ask me for the answer- All I wrote was “yes.” Actually, it was a pretty good paper. I even learned a lesson from the experience- don’t stay up for more than 30 hours.

Yes, I know, all sorts of drug addicts stay up for days on end, but I’m simply not man enough for it. As of 11:30am I had been up for 27 hours, and had an afternoon of various classes and meetings ahead of me.

When I finally got back to my room at 3:30, I played guitar instead of going to bed. I was certain that if I fell asleep, I would wake up at about midnight and then I’d be screwed. Well, after I realized that at one point I had been staring out my window playing an A minor for about ten minutes, I decided that I could spare a nap. I woke up a few hours later at the insistence of my alarm, and ever since I have been a little less than energetic. It’s pretty sad when I have to look forward to the “comfort” of finals week to catch up on sleep. Oh well, at least I got a B+ on the midterm.

In other news, the Bin Lauden gig actually yielded an award of sorts for Sexshun 14. “51 Feet Away” actually made it to the second round of the new song contest, where it will win sometime next term. In other words, we’re an award-winnin’, singin’ sensation! It was great; all of the judges and audience members were laughing like mad. The only disappointment was that we only had three representatives of our immense fan pool present- Lauren, Melita, and Taka’s girlfriend, whose name I don’t know how to spell. I guess that was ok, seeing as Mary was in Lake Oswego and Vanessa in Redmond. Hopefully we’ll be recording the song in a few days, but based on mine and Peter’s attempt at recording the song on a four track last night, we need some more practice. It’s kinda hard to squeeze out talent from where there is none. However, when it is recorded I will post a MP3 somewhere on this site.

That’s about it for now- tonight I’ll probably make updates on a few pages, including the friends page, sports and music, so go ahead and take a look. For now, it’s laundry time.

School, Songwriting

February 12, 2001 in Life, School | No comments

Hmm… I know that about two months ago I promised to update more often. After two months and four updates, we can all see exactly how well that promise has turned out. Perhaps I shouldn’t say too many things during my presidential campaign. Apologies for my lack of timeliness aside, it has been a good month.

School should go relatively well this term, which is good since last term didn’t go as well as I would have hoped, and the non-school aspects of life are also going quite well at the moment. Mary actually got me out on a dance floor a few weeks ago, though exactly whose date I was could be left for debate. Anyhow, I attended the first dance lesson of my life one Friday night at Gerlinger “dancing” swing. I felt kinda bad because she actually had some shred of talent, so after about two and a half hours of both lessons and open dance, I stepped off to the side with the other mutants and watched the real people dance.

After about a half hour of doing that I walked back to Hamilton with Josh, where we met up with Peter Boss, Curtis, and Taka to commence song writing for our new project, “Sexshun 14.” We didn’t complete any songs that night, ut it was nice to gauge the group chemistry and observe the creative genius that is Sexshun 14. Not to mention that we made great strides in completing our first song- “51 Feet Away,” which is now in its final stages.

In the time since, I have spent a lot of time both working and trying to regulate my second floor, which seems to think that I give up easily… mwah-hahaha!!!! However, in the extra time that I have spent in my hall I’ve gotten to know some of my residents better, which is cool. Oh yeah, and I’ve learned what an annoyance to some my very presence can be. Oh yes, my life as an RA is so far good.

I could go on about sorts of other things that have happened in the past month, but I would be writing forever, creating yet another VERY large update. I won’t do this. Rather, I will spend that time updating and creating other pages to complete this site and detail the various adventures that I have had in the past month. Stay tuned for updates on the Music, Adventures & Friends, Sports, Biography, and Writings pages. But for now, good day.

Isolation in Dunn Hall

December 12, 2000 in Life, School, Work | No comments

Now that winter vacation is upon us, it seems as though fall term 2000 went by in a matter of weeks… say, ten. OK, so maybe that’s an exaggeration, but this fall has certainly had its share of ups and downs. Right now, however, I must say that it’s on an upswing- for me anyway. To begin with, the residents of Dunn Hall have gone home, or at least somewhere other than here. Don’t get me wrong- I love my residents, well, most of them,

but it’s nice to rest in quiet solitude from time to time. Second, I have emerged from finals week relatively successful- or at least not as horribly as I could have. **—Chris’ stream of thought is suddenly interrupted by a flood of emergency vehicles speeding down Franklin—** I wonder where they are all going? Oh well. On to other news…

So I suppose that the lights and sirens really weren’t THAT distracting, or maybe they were… you’ll never know, and that’s what makes this fun. You see, I could have that short of an attention span, or I could simply be bored with calm reflection on the term. Either way, I’m moving on.

As alluded to earlier, I am now currently one of four residents of Dunn Hall- which, in a way, is very nice. It’s great- I can play my music loud without feeling like a hypocrite, I can be gone constantly without one iota of regret, and I get to eat out of cans! Well, I suppose that the meal situation isn’t necessarily stellar, but I do get to test the nutritional limits of Chef Boyardee Ravioli, Chili Dogs, and toast. In my spare time, I’ve been watching movies and procrastinating the update of this website. This weekend was, as a whole, quite uneventful. Friday night was spent with my staff, wishing everyone a good vacation and eating a cheeseburger and tomato soup at the Glenwood. Later that night Mary, Josh, Curtis, Jessie, Pete, Cassie and I asserted our dominance of the Hamilton Complex by watching “Clerks” on the big screen in the basement. As these things usually go, Pete (boss Peter, not Peter Boss) eventually shot Josh and Curtis as Mary and I attempted to dodge the fire. We were both eventually hit, but I believe Jessie escaped without injury. Cassie had already left, which leads me to believe that she was in on the whole thing. And to think- I had just given her a ring and professed my undying love to her. Oh well- I guess that all women are the same.

Saturday was spent shopping in preparation for Vanessa’s birthday, and yes, watching movies. After wrestling with the crowds at VRC and Albertson’s, I retired to my room to watch my two latest purchases, “American Movie,” and “Three Kings.” Both were very good, as was my celebratory first microwaved chili dog of winter break. Later I wrapped Vanessa’s gift and went to the birthday dinner at Red Robin. My second cheeseburger of the weekend was quite good, as was the decidedly birthday atmosphere at the restaurant. I say birthday atmosphere because there was no way in hell you could escape the birthday chanting from the Red Robin employees. I think that everyone was equally mortified when the birthday merriment made its way to our table, and the blame was to be placed squarely on Vanessa- first for being born on December 9th, and second, for ordering the drink that informed the waitress that it was in fact her birthday.

After dinner, we went back to her apartment where we proceeded to watch the Kids In The Hall tape that I bought for her. She seemed to like my gift, which was good, but the evening ended fairly early for me, as Vanessa left with her roommate to go out to a bar. Realizing that I was not yet 21, I retired to my room where I proceeded to go to bed. Sunday is a blur… I more or less sat in my room all day, then I went to work. Monday was more of the same, except I cleaned my room and talked on the phone for a while. Later today I should be receiving a visit from Mary- she says it’s to get stuff that she forgot- I say that she loves me. Later, I’ll go to work. I anticipate the rest of the week having more of the same- I’ll work at night when I can, and I go on duty Thursday. This weekend should be cool- I’ll be on duty and confined to my room, but Vanessa has pretty much committed to keeping me company.

As for this site, look for wholesale updates this week, with new material on the writings page (nothing that exciting, mainly assignments for class), an updated bio, good & bad list, and much, much more. That’s about it for now- I’m aiming to for at least one for addition to this page before I go home on the 19th. For now, it’s bedtime.

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