1. Lazy day II: I changed the sheets on my bed.
2. I went to Billy Mac's and, for the first time in decades, I drank a couple of Seagram's 7 and 7 UP. To be fair, I think Billy Mac's serves Sierra Mist and think my second drink was Canadian Club, not Seagram's 7. No matter. It was Canadian whiskey, my favorite, and it was carbonated lemon lime soda pop, a great mixer with Canadian whiskey.
3. After the whiskey, it was off to Sixteen Tons to meet with the Senior Warden and the Junior Warden. They were delayed by matters of gravity at the Vestry meeting, so I had drunk two half pints by the time they arrived: Burnside Sweet Heat and Giganitic's Ume Umai and closed out with an old favorite of mine: a half pint of Gigantic's The Royale. The beer was delicious and debriefing with the Senior and Junior Warden only enhanced a splendid evening.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 12/10/12: Lazy Day, Roast, Shopped
1. Lazy day. I cleaned up the kitchen. Twice.
2. I roasted a two pound sirloin roast in a puddle of Ninkasi's Oatis stout with mushrooms, yellow onion, and yams.
3. I did a small amount of shopping from my chair in the living room. Lazy day.
2. I roasted a two pound sirloin roast in a puddle of Ninkasi's Oatis stout with mushrooms, yellow onion, and yams.
3. I did a small amount of shopping from my chair in the living room. Lazy day.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 12/09/12: Malachai, The Royale, Relaxing
1. I was the lector for the 11:00 service and got to read a splendid bit of poetry from the prophet Malachai, 3:1-4, to be exact. It's a hopeful, stirring passage of promise. It was really fun to read.
2. I am happy that Sixteen Tons is open at 12 noon again. It's refreshing and relaxing to stop in for a pint after church and reflect upon the mass and make plans for the day ahead. I enjoyed a pint of Gigantic brewery's The Royale, a fine Belgian Pale Ale.
3. I enjoyed a slow Sunday afternoon and evening. A few Bushmills and Ginger Ales spread far apart from each other, a delicious squash dinner prepared by the Deke, going over pictures, posting a few, reading up on the NBA, contemplating Christmas gifts. Very relaxing.
2. I am happy that Sixteen Tons is open at 12 noon again. It's refreshing and relaxing to stop in for a pint after church and reflect upon the mass and make plans for the day ahead. I enjoyed a pint of Gigantic brewery's The Royale, a fine Belgian Pale Ale.
3. I enjoyed a slow Sunday afternoon and evening. A few Bushmills and Ginger Ales spread far apart from each other, a delicious squash dinner prepared by the Deke, going over pictures, posting a few, reading up on the NBA, contemplating Christmas gifts. Very relaxing.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 12/08/12: Breakfast Spirits, More Delta Ponds, Margarita Break
1. Mike, Jim, and I kept our morale high and helped the hungry people we served breakfast to feel welcome as we dished out eggs, potatoes, sausage, and toast at this morning's Saturday Breakfast.
2. Russell and I went to Delta Ponds and took pictures for an hour and a half or so. I struggled a bit with my 200 mm Vivitar lens and the tripod and was more comfortable when I mounted my 50 mm autofocus lens on the camera. I liked a lot of my pictures. I wished I had had my 200 mm lens mounted when a heron was near the walking trail, sitting still, unperturbed my people and dogs walking by. But, with the lens I had, I created a set of silhouetted pictures of the heron, like this one:
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2. Russell and I went to Delta Ponds and took pictures for an hour and a half or so. I struggled a bit with my 200 mm Vivitar lens and the tripod and was more comfortable when I mounted my 50 mm autofocus lens on the camera. I liked a lot of my pictures. I wished I had had my 200 mm lens mounted when a heron was near the walking trail, sitting still, unperturbed my people and dogs walking by. But, with the lens I had, I created a set of silhouetted pictures of the heron, like this one:
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3. I got done grocery shopping and decided to stop in see what was happening at Billy Mac's where things were moderately busy and I had a refreshing margarita and some pleasant chat with Cathy. Ever since I moved to Eugene in 1979, I've wanted a bar I could rely on for a place to relax, watch a ball game, have a drink, possibly a bite to eat, and where I could shoot the breeze with the people working there. Billy Mac's has turned into just the place I've always wanted.
Three Beautiful Things 12/07/12: December in Eugene, Brails Fun, The Best of Beers
1. One reliable and uplifting thing about this often silly town I live in is that the climate is mild and a killer freeze often doesn't come until December or January and some times not at all. It's December 7th and we haven't had any kind of a killer freeze and so I can walk the neighborhoods near where I live on cold, dark, gray days, with the clouds nearly on my shoulders, and find many flowers in bloom, berries alive, and fall colored leaves: much color all around. I took pictures of flowers and berries and leaves today on my walk to Brails and back, as a defense against the shrinking hours of daylight and the general early December gloom:
2. Breakfast at Brails was fun. Yes, the bacon and eggs with hash browns, English muffins and Boyd's Ambiance blend coffee tasty, but shooting the breeze with the Troxes and the witty service of Ian made the meal.
3. The Troxstar and I decided to go Belgian at the Bier Stein late in the afternoon. What a great variety of Belgian and Belgian style beer we drank. Get a load of this: a glass of Dupont's Avec Les Bons Voeux, and then we split bottles of Onibroue's La Fin du Monde, Logsdon's Oak Aged Bretta, and Logsdon's Seizoen. We were on foot and put no one in danger as we staggered several blocks to the Rogue Public House and each drank a pint of splendid Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout on nitro while enjoying an order of onion rings. It was a high quality bierfest. And a great time for me and the Troxstar to air out our wit, tell tall tales, and plan a future Oregon beer pilgrimage to Oakridge, Bend, Hood River, Portland, Corvallis, and back home again.
2. Breakfast at Brails was fun. Yes, the bacon and eggs with hash browns, English muffins and Boyd's Ambiance blend coffee tasty, but shooting the breeze with the Troxes and the witty service of Ian made the meal.
3. The Troxstar and I decided to go Belgian at the Bier Stein late in the afternoon. What a great variety of Belgian and Belgian style beer we drank. Get a load of this: a glass of Dupont's Avec Les Bons Voeux, and then we split bottles of Onibroue's La Fin du Monde, Logsdon's Oak Aged Bretta, and Logsdon's Seizoen. We were on foot and put no one in danger as we staggered several blocks to the Rogue Public House and each drank a pint of splendid Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout on nitro while enjoying an order of onion rings. It was a high quality bierfest. And a great time for me and the Troxstar to air out our wit, tell tall tales, and plan a future Oregon beer pilgrimage to Oakridge, Bend, Hood River, Portland, Corvallis, and back home again.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 12/06/12: December Color, First Chicken, Graceland Forever
1. I very much enjoyed walking from home to the Cornucopia for breakfast, winding my way through the neighborhood south of 13th, up and down Lawrence, Lincoln, Washington, and Jefferson streets. I had my camera, but I wasn't taking very good pictures. Late in the walk, I realized that on such a gray day that it might be fun to photograph flowers and other colorful survivors in the natural world. I'll walk again tomorrow and take pictures of flowers, of color. Late in today's walk, I did, however, take this picture.
2. Until today, I had never roasted a chicken before. Crazy! I know. Right? I had a fun time following the buttery directions of America's Test Kitchen cookbook and it turned out pretty good. The Deke and I had a nice dinner of roast chicken, green beans, brown rice, gravy (Deke's), and cranberry relish (Deke's).
3. While I was eating breakfast, my twenty-something server strode back toward the kitchen singing, along with Paul Simon, those unforgettable words: "You can call me, Al". I thought how Graceland has been alive, been omnipresent for twenty-six years now and that the album might be older than this fellow and how when I was his age there was not one song, not one album from the year of my birth, or thereabouts, that I ever sang along to at work or anywhere else. Heh. It's been a new world for a long time.
2. Until today, I had never roasted a chicken before. Crazy! I know. Right? I had a fun time following the buttery directions of America's Test Kitchen cookbook and it turned out pretty good. The Deke and I had a nice dinner of roast chicken, green beans, brown rice, gravy (Deke's), and cranberry relish (Deke's).
3. While I was eating breakfast, my twenty-something server strode back toward the kitchen singing, along with Paul Simon, those unforgettable words: "You can call me, Al". I thought how Graceland has been alive, been omnipresent for twenty-six years now and that the album might be older than this fellow and how when I was his age there was not one song, not one album from the year of my birth, or thereabouts, that I ever sang along to at work or anywhere else. Heh. It's been a new world for a long time.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 12/05/12: Grades Done, Dead Memories, Mini-Mini Pub Crawl
1. I submitted my grades and fall quarter is over for me. Every student who completed WR 115 is ready to begin WR 121. Each of them examined their own minds, experiences, ideas, and reasoning and did so both in relation to material they read and in relation to their own experience without the accompaniment of reading. Of the thirty-four students enrolled at the end of the quarter, thirty completed the course. That makes me happy.
2. The coffee conversation between me and Michael, Jeff, and Margaret was free wheeling and we'd all read a recent New Yorker piece on the Grateful Dead and we all enjoyed it a lot and reading this piece and talking about it today took me back to December of 1987 when I went to my first Grateful Dead show on New Year's Eve and the days leading up to the show became one Grateful Dead seminar after another at Jay's flat, as Jeff played the Europe '72 cd for me with all of its variety and we listened to acoustic Dead shows and took a detour and listened to the Flatlanders and then as a small crowd of people staying at Jay's and sleeping on the floor came in and out they, too, prepped me for my first show and they were all very good to me and I remember how I enjoyed the show, even though I couldn't talk intelligently about it, but Jeff and Jay's friends could and I'll always remember that time in San Francisco for a Jerry Garcia Band tape Jeff made for me that had Nicky Hopkins on it and the most beautiful version of "Mission in the Rain" I've ever heard. I've since lost the tape. But not the memory.
3. I went on a mini-mini pub crawl after coffee. The Troxstar had recommended a farmhouse ale being served at the Beir Stien: La Fin du Monde. As the. server poured my beer, the keg blew before the glass was quite full and so it was on the house. It was terrific. So was the saison that replaced it: Avec Les Bons Voeux. I finished my beers and my beef on rye and chicken soup and strolled over to 16 Tons to see if another saison might be available. Well, Gigantic's The Royale isn't strictly speaking a saison, but close enough. It's a fruity Belgian Ale and it was a perfect cap to my mini-mini pub crawl.
2. The coffee conversation between me and Michael, Jeff, and Margaret was free wheeling and we'd all read a recent New Yorker piece on the Grateful Dead and we all enjoyed it a lot and reading this piece and talking about it today took me back to December of 1987 when I went to my first Grateful Dead show on New Year's Eve and the days leading up to the show became one Grateful Dead seminar after another at Jay's flat, as Jeff played the Europe '72 cd for me with all of its variety and we listened to acoustic Dead shows and took a detour and listened to the Flatlanders and then as a small crowd of people staying at Jay's and sleeping on the floor came in and out they, too, prepped me for my first show and they were all very good to me and I remember how I enjoyed the show, even though I couldn't talk intelligently about it, but Jeff and Jay's friends could and I'll always remember that time in San Francisco for a Jerry Garcia Band tape Jeff made for me that had Nicky Hopkins on it and the most beautiful version of "Mission in the Rain" I've ever heard. I've since lost the tape. But not the memory.
3. I went on a mini-mini pub crawl after coffee. The Troxstar had recommended a farmhouse ale being served at the Beir Stien: La Fin du Monde. As the. server poured my beer, the keg blew before the glass was quite full and so it was on the house. It was terrific. So was the saison that replaced it: Avec Les Bons Voeux. I finished my beers and my beef on rye and chicken soup and strolled over to 16 Tons to see if another saison might be available. Well, Gigantic's The Royale isn't strictly speaking a saison, but close enough. It's a fruity Belgian Ale and it was a perfect cap to my mini-mini pub crawl.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 12/04/12: Merry Christmas --or Whatever, Group Photo, Less is More?
1. Last week, on the last day our WR 115 class met, I made sure my students knew that when they brought me their final folders that they were free, at that awkward moment when one wonders if it's acceptable, to wish me a Merry Christmas. Or Happy Holidays. Or Have a Good Break. Or to just walk mutely out the door. This announcement made my students laugh. Many of them today, grinned broadly when they turned in their final folders and wished me a Merry Christmas. I returned the senitment. I think we all felt like we were getting away with something! (For the record, those who wished me Happy Holidays, Have a Good Break, etc. smiled, too, but not as mischievously.)
2. I took portraits of all my WR 115 students at the beginning of the quarter. Four of my students, who had taken writing classes together previously, had their picture taken together. D.T. framed their picture and gave it to me as a parting gift as he turned in his final folder and wished me a Merry Christmas.
3. I didn't push my WR 115 students really hard this quarter. I wanted to see if their writing would seem all that different from past terms when I assigned more reading, more writing, and packed more instruction into the course. The writing was not much different. In fact, I thought some of my students did better work than I remember students doing the last time I taught WR 115 about five or six years ago. The older I get, the more I teach, and as I enjoy the liberties of teaching in my retirement, the more willy nilly it all seems. I mean, how would more reading, more writing, and more pressure to get things "right" necessarily result in better writing? I've been wondering this for the past five years or more. Maybe being rested and relaxed helps inspire the best writing....
2. I took portraits of all my WR 115 students at the beginning of the quarter. Four of my students, who had taken writing classes together previously, had their picture taken together. D.T. framed their picture and gave it to me as a parting gift as he turned in his final folder and wished me a Merry Christmas.
3. I didn't push my WR 115 students really hard this quarter. I wanted to see if their writing would seem all that different from past terms when I assigned more reading, more writing, and packed more instruction into the course. The writing was not much different. In fact, I thought some of my students did better work than I remember students doing the last time I taught WR 115 about five or six years ago. The older I get, the more I teach, and as I enjoy the liberties of teaching in my retirement, the more willy nilly it all seems. I mean, how would more reading, more writing, and more pressure to get things "right" necessarily result in better writing? I've been wondering this for the past five years or more. Maybe being rested and relaxed helps inspire the best writing....
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 12/03/12: Kitchen Pep, Blazer Eruption, Derrick's a Good Dude
1. My busy weekend left me moving slowly this morning, so I got myself pepped up by diving into the mess in the kitchen and getting dishes taken care of and things straightened kind of got me going.
2. When the Blazers' Luke Babbit knocked down a 3 with 22 seconds left, tying the Bobcats, and, as it turned out, sending the game into overtime, the patrons at the bar at Billy Mac's erupted with whoops and high fives and the whooping continued as the Blazers went on to win. Yes! I said, "Erupted!" For a game on December 3rd against the Bobcats! Wow! These are passionate fans. If I hadn't had my senses about me, I'd have thought it was June and the Blazers had just won a playoff game.
3. Derrick didn't have to help John. It wasn't his shift. He was just sitting at the bar, cap turned backward, enjoying a drink and watching the Blazers. But, Billy Mac's got slammed and, being the good dude he is, Derrick jumped into action, like a volunteer fireman, and helped John serve the restaurant.
2. When the Blazers' Luke Babbit knocked down a 3 with 22 seconds left, tying the Bobcats, and, as it turned out, sending the game into overtime, the patrons at the bar at Billy Mac's erupted with whoops and high fives and the whooping continued as the Blazers went on to win. Yes! I said, "Erupted!" For a game on December 3rd against the Bobcats! Wow! These are passionate fans. If I hadn't had my senses about me, I'd have thought it was June and the Blazers had just won a playoff game.
3. Derrick didn't have to help John. It wasn't his shift. He was just sitting at the bar, cap turned backward, enjoying a drink and watching the Blazers. But, Billy Mac's got slammed and, being the good dude he is, Derrick jumped into action, like a volunteer fireman, and helped John serve the restaurant.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 12/02/12: St. Andrew's, Lunch with Rita, Willy Wonka at Cottage Theater
1. Lawrence Crumb invited me to the Cottage Theater to see their production of Willy Wonka... and I started the day in Cottage Grove by attending the Eucharist at the church, St. Andrew's, where Father Crumb serves as priest. I enjoyed the service a lot. I enjoyed being a part of a small congregation in a small church, enjoyed Lawrence's sermon, and very much enjoyed the fellowship during and after the service ended.
2. When I knew I'd be worshiping at St. Andrew's, I hoped Rita would be there and she was. We went to her house in Creswell after church and enjoyed coffee and a fine lunch and talked about all the things we've enjoyed talking about over the years, including poetry. We looked at a book titled Faces of Poetry and listened to Galway Kinell and others read their poems on a CD and talked about all the things going on in our lives now. Hard to believe it's been thirteen years since we last stood side by side in a classroom and co-taught philosophy and composition.
3. The Cottage Theater is a beautiful facility and the performance of Willy Wonka was full of spirit, energy, and fun. It might have even given us all some things to ponder about honesty. I look forward to seeing more plays at the Cottage Theater.
2. When I knew I'd be worshiping at St. Andrew's, I hoped Rita would be there and she was. We went to her house in Creswell after church and enjoyed coffee and a fine lunch and talked about all the things we've enjoyed talking about over the years, including poetry. We looked at a book titled Faces of Poetry and listened to Galway Kinell and others read their poems on a CD and talked about all the things going on in our lives now. Hard to believe it's been thirteen years since we last stood side by side in a classroom and co-taught philosophy and composition.
3. The Cottage Theater is a beautiful facility and the performance of Willy Wonka was full of spirit, energy, and fun. It might have even given us all some things to ponder about honesty. I look forward to seeing more plays at the Cottage Theater.
Three Beautiful Things 12/01/12: Making Do, Hating War, Talking Witty
1. EVERY time, not just once in a while, when mounting a show like the Shakespeare Showcase, stuff goes wrong. Today, one of the things that went wrong was that after working just fine at rehearsal, the light on my stand wouldn't work. No light on my stand would work. I read the narration when the theater is blacked out. I need a light to read by! But, ingenuity prevailed. One student pointed out that Sparky's IPhone has a flashlight application and Olive, the sound effects wizard, was carrying a strong bike light. So, it all worked out. It's what I love as much as anything about doing live theater. Sometimes you've got to make stuff work.
2. Between shows I watched the first forty-five minutes or so of The Hurt Locker. When I was younger, I used think I'd want, some day, to teach a course in literature and movies about war. I had quite a list of works in mind that I thought would make a compelling course, a compelling study of human character. While I was watching the early part of The Hurt Locker, I realized I can hardly bear the sight of war in movies (or broadcast by any means) any longer. I'll finish watching this movie. I see much to respect and admire in it: writing, story, acting, the recreation of disabling IEDs. I can't distance myself, though, like I once could. I hate the sight/reality of war more and more the older I get. It's not a political response. It's more raw than that. I hate what war does to all and everything involved, to those who fight, to the cities wars are fought in, to landscapes, animals, buildings, everything. War occupies, it takes over. I hate it.
3. The Deke picked me up after the second Showcase performance and we dropped in for a drink at the Cornucopia and as we departed had a fun time talking witty with Chad and Star.
2. Between shows I watched the first forty-five minutes or so of The Hurt Locker. When I was younger, I used think I'd want, some day, to teach a course in literature and movies about war. I had quite a list of works in mind that I thought would make a compelling course, a compelling study of human character. While I was watching the early part of The Hurt Locker, I realized I can hardly bear the sight of war in movies (or broadcast by any means) any longer. I'll finish watching this movie. I see much to respect and admire in it: writing, story, acting, the recreation of disabling IEDs. I can't distance myself, though, like I once could. I hate the sight/reality of war more and more the older I get. It's not a political response. It's more raw than that. I hate what war does to all and everything involved, to those who fight, to the cities wars are fought in, to landscapes, animals, buildings, everything. War occupies, it takes over. I hate it.
3. The Deke picked me up after the second Showcase performance and we dropped in for a drink at the Cornucopia and as we departed had a fun time talking witty with Chad and Star.
Three Beautiful Things 11/30/12: Rehearsal, Pictures, Nightcap
1. It's time-consuming, pains-taking, tedious, and sometimes nerve-wracking, but I love the long dress/tech rehearsal for the Shakespeare Showcase and to be a part of every detail of this complicated show of over twenty scenes from Shakespeare's plays come together into a show.
2. I took over 200 pictures during the rehearsal, shooting for the first time in the challenging lighting conditions of the Blue Door theater, wishing at times I could get closer to the action. It was invigorating and some of my pictures turned out pretty well...well, at least, I thought they did.
3. After the long rehearsal, I dropped into Billy Mac's and enjoyed a prime rib sandwich and a few Hefeweizen beers. Derrick asked me if I wanted another and I said, "No. I'm going home and pouring myself a Jameson and ginger ale for a nightcap." He replied, "You gotta try one of mine." I smiled, "You make one here?" Derrick smiled back. "Hell yeah. We make our own ginger ale, too." I was in. It was mighty tasty and made having a nightcap at home totally unnecessary. It was a great way to wind down.
2. I took over 200 pictures during the rehearsal, shooting for the first time in the challenging lighting conditions of the Blue Door theater, wishing at times I could get closer to the action. It was invigorating and some of my pictures turned out pretty well...well, at least, I thought they did.
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| Othello Imagines Desdemona Enjoying Cassio |
3. After the long rehearsal, I dropped into Billy Mac's and enjoyed a prime rib sandwich and a few Hefeweizen beers. Derrick asked me if I wanted another and I said, "No. I'm going home and pouring myself a Jameson and ginger ale for a nightcap." He replied, "You gotta try one of mine." I smiled, "You make one here?" Derrick smiled back. "Hell yeah. We make our own ginger ale, too." I was in. It was mighty tasty and made having a nightcap at home totally unnecessary. It was a great way to wind down.
Three Beautiful Things 11/29/12: WR 115 Farewell, Rogue Lunch, Brad Pitt's Damn Good
1. I liked the way WR 115 ended today: good sense of trust with my students, time to talk individually with students who needed attention, time to spend time looking at one student's pictures she'd taken over the last few months, and everything ready for the final folders to come in on Tuesday.
2. I stopped at the Rogue Public House for lunch and tried a couple of beef sliders with too many very tasty fries and couple of very satisfying pints of Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout -- on the nitro.
3. I finally watched Moneyball. It made me think of how much I hate celebrity news. Celebrity news makes actors like Elizabeth Taylor or Paul Newman or Nicole Kidman or Brad Pitt seem like people who only are on the screen because they look good. They are/were all terrific actors. Brad Pitt made the complexity of Billy Beane, his regrets, his agony, his daring, his joy, his riskiness, his strong will and much more, come alive in this movie. I loved it.
2. I stopped at the Rogue Public House for lunch and tried a couple of beef sliders with too many very tasty fries and couple of very satisfying pints of Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout -- on the nitro.
3. I finally watched Moneyball. It made me think of how much I hate celebrity news. Celebrity news makes actors like Elizabeth Taylor or Paul Newman or Nicole Kidman or Brad Pitt seem like people who only are on the screen because they look good. They are/were all terrific actors. Brad Pitt made the complexity of Billy Beane, his regrets, his agony, his daring, his joy, his riskiness, his strong will and much more, come alive in this movie. I loved it.
Three Beautiful Things 11/28/12: New Route, Cornucopia Warmth, Clay on Jefferson
1. I went on a different route than ever before when I took a photo walk today. I headed south from 13th and zigzagged in the neighborhood bordered by 13th and 17th between Jefferson and Lincoln. It was fun. The Amazon Creek in its mediocrity, with its remains of the day, cuts through this area. I liked photographing it, as well as gardens, home fronts, and, when lucky, some people. About the remains of the day:
2. I called the photo walk the Cornucopia walk because I went to the Cornucopia tavern before retracing my steps and returning home: grilled cheese and celery soup and a couple glasses of Oakshire's Milky Way Chocolate Milk Sweet Stout. It was a warming meal -- it was also warming to run into Kirk and meet Christina.
3. I was walking home down Jefferson and I heard someone call my name. It was Clay! Over on the porch of the McNail-Riley house! He was getting ready to lead a meeting and he showed me the fine interior of the house and told me about his project and we had a splendid conversation. What a fine surprise!
2. I called the photo walk the Cornucopia walk because I went to the Cornucopia tavern before retracing my steps and returning home: grilled cheese and celery soup and a couple glasses of Oakshire's Milky Way Chocolate Milk Sweet Stout. It was a warming meal -- it was also warming to run into Kirk and meet Christina.
3. I was walking home down Jefferson and I heard someone call my name. It was Clay! Over on the porch of the McNail-Riley house! He was getting ready to lead a meeting and he showed me the fine interior of the house and told me about his project and we had a splendid conversation. What a fine surprise!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 11/27/12: To Write, Shaq and Rachael Ray, 17 June 1994
1. Really, if a writer can develop enough detail so that the reader knows what is on the writer's mind, structures grammatically sound sentences into coherent paragraphs that fit together to create a unified essay, moves purposefully between the abstract and the concrete, and does these three things fearlessly, without anxiety about grades and other silly external pressures, that writer has a foundation to work from that will work in every writing situation. It's simple, but difficult. That's what I hope my students in WR 115 learned this quarter. Structure. Development. Abstract. Concrete. Let it rip. ("It also helps to have something to say and to know the subject," added Dr. Obvious.)
2. The George Foreman grill works best for me when I throw a pound of ground beef in a bowl, season it with Montreal Steak seasoning and garlic powder, add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and a sane amount of Frank's hot sauce, and break an egg in it, stir it up, make two half pound patties, throw them on the grill and give them about four minutes. Man. It's tender and tasty. It's comfort food. Tonight, I cooked these patties and served a mushroom/onion mix sauteed on the side. I learned the basics of this way to prepare ground beef when Shaquille O'Neal was a guest one afternoon on the Rachael Ray show. Shaq pwned Rachael Ray.
3. June 17, 1994. The World Cup opened in Chicago. Arnold Palmer played his last round of golf at a U. S. Open. The Rangers were confetti bombed in their Stanley Cup victory parade. The Knicks and the Rockets played game 5 of the NBA finals, tied at 2-2. And, with a gun to his head, O. J. Simpson went on a tour of Los Angeles with Al Cowings at the wheel in a white Ford Bronco. All of these events and more are stitched together in an unnarrated documentary in ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Its title? June 17, 1994. It was a sobering, moving, and exciting movie for me.
2. The George Foreman grill works best for me when I throw a pound of ground beef in a bowl, season it with Montreal Steak seasoning and garlic powder, add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce and a sane amount of Frank's hot sauce, and break an egg in it, stir it up, make two half pound patties, throw them on the grill and give them about four minutes. Man. It's tender and tasty. It's comfort food. Tonight, I cooked these patties and served a mushroom/onion mix sauteed on the side. I learned the basics of this way to prepare ground beef when Shaquille O'Neal was a guest one afternoon on the Rachael Ray show. Shaq pwned Rachael Ray.
3. June 17, 1994. The World Cup opened in Chicago. Arnold Palmer played his last round of golf at a U. S. Open. The Rangers were confetti bombed in their Stanley Cup victory parade. The Knicks and the Rockets played game 5 of the NBA finals, tied at 2-2. And, with a gun to his head, O. J. Simpson went on a tour of Los Angeles with Al Cowings at the wheel in a white Ford Bronco. All of these events and more are stitched together in an unnarrated documentary in ESPN's 30 for 30 series. Its title? June 17, 1994. It was a sobering, moving, and exciting movie for me.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 11/26/12: Grading, Heat Miser, Wonderful Dinner
1. I read and graded papers for much of the day and let myself believe that many of my students are thinking more deeply about the meaning in their lives, whether connected their values to happiness or seeing the intelligence demanded of their jobs, many which are widely considered menial. If nothing else, I think I've helped them think about things in new ways.
2. I waited at the Steelhead for Deke to get manicured and, wary of the slightly higher alcohol content than I'm used to, order two glasses of Heat Miser, a winter ale. I didn't drink much. I loved what I drank.
3. The Deke arrived at Steelhead and we made our way through a hummus plate and an order of Buffalo wings. The food tasted really good to both of us and I pulled back from the winter ale and enjoyed a couple pints of one of my favorite beer at Steelhead: the refreshing, light Orange Wheat Ale. It pairs nicely with hot wings and is a good session beer, thanks to its low to moderate level of alcohol by volume. I left the Steelhead feeling satisfied and happy.
2. I waited at the Steelhead for Deke to get manicured and, wary of the slightly higher alcohol content than I'm used to, order two glasses of Heat Miser, a winter ale. I didn't drink much. I loved what I drank.
3. The Deke arrived at Steelhead and we made our way through a hummus plate and an order of Buffalo wings. The food tasted really good to both of us and I pulled back from the winter ale and enjoyed a couple pints of one of my favorite beer at Steelhead: the refreshing, light Orange Wheat Ale. It pairs nicely with hot wings and is a good session beer, thanks to its low to moderate level of alcohol by volume. I left the Steelhead feeling satisfied and happy.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 11/25/12: Delta Ponds (Again), Deke's Casserole, Dead Legacy
1. I will return to Delta Ponds as often as I can and find new ways to use my camera and become more deeply knowledgeable about my handful of lenses. Today, I had a great time using my Vivitar 200 mm lens, zeroing in on an egret, some plants, some reflections, and a particular bridge and its nearby boulders. I also tried and tried to take a good picture of these bare trees. As with everything I did today, I had to use my feet a lot, had to get more acquainted with my tripod's mechanics, and had to be very patient. Here's the best I could do:
2. The Deke's takeover of the kitchen continued this evening as she prepared a scrumptious turkey, butternut, barley, red pepper, onion, and feta cheese casserole. Mystikal good.
3. That New Yorker article surveying the history of the Grateful Dead and accounting for what's happening with the vault and their show music these days was enjoyable. I've never been a Dead jock and all the names related to Dead history always fail to stick with me, but I enjoy their music, flawed as it can be, and reading about the band and what they thought of themselves and what others think of them.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 11/24/12: Market, Quiet, Ginger Whiskey
1. Rain made outside picture taking next to impossible (for me...), so Russell and I went to the indoor Farmers Market and, briefly, to the Saturday Market. Overall, I struggled with taking any very good pictures. I did, however, like the clarity of this shot of Russell waiting for our mushy vegetables and kind of oily rice and flat chutney at the Afghani food both:
2. I spent a few hours alone at home. For much of that time the dogs were quiet. The neighborhood was quiet. No louts were talking loudly in the alley on their way from the mall to the park. No one was blowing leaves. I sat in the chair in the living room after looking at the pictures I took, and fell into a nap. While I was asleep, Oregon scored four touchdowns and extended a 20-17 lead to 48-17.
3. I brought home a pint of Jack Daniels for the Deke and a pint of Jameson's for me. I somehow imagined that a drink I'd never fixed before would hit the spot: a Jameson's Ginger Whiskey. I was right. It was refreshing and relaxing and helped extend the ease of my day.
2. I spent a few hours alone at home. For much of that time the dogs were quiet. The neighborhood was quiet. No louts were talking loudly in the alley on their way from the mall to the park. No one was blowing leaves. I sat in the chair in the living room after looking at the pictures I took, and fell into a nap. While I was asleep, Oregon scored four touchdowns and extended a 20-17 lead to 48-17.
3. I brought home a pint of Jack Daniels for the Deke and a pint of Jameson's for me. I somehow imagined that a drink I'd never fixed before would hit the spot: a Jameson's Ginger Whiskey. I was right. It was refreshing and relaxing and helped extend the ease of my day.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 11/23/12: Mary's in Town, Crockpot Alchemy, ESPN Films
1. Mary comes to Eugene at Thanksgiving time to see Anne, Russell, and Allie, and again this year she joined Russell and me for a photo stroll. We went to the Holiday Market. Normally, I would rather be tear gassed than go to Holiday Market, but meeting Russell and Mary was fun, and became even more fun when we walked over to Laughing Planet (another tear gas place for me) where I enjoyed a Marrakesh Bowl and couple refreshing stubby bottles of Session lager.
2. It's been a Total Deke Takeover in the kitchen the last two days, and today she made a flawless turkey soup that not only nourished and warmed my body but make me feel like I was feeding myself spoonfuls of hope, peace, joy, reconciliation, and grace.
3. I've been on a 30 for 30 roll lately and tonight deeply enjoyed the way "The Announcement" moved me and then enjoyed how informative and entertaining I found "Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL".
2. It's been a Total Deke Takeover in the kitchen the last two days, and today she made a flawless turkey soup that not only nourished and warmed my body but make me feel like I was feeding myself spoonfuls of hope, peace, joy, reconciliation, and grace.
3. I've been on a 30 for 30 roll lately and tonight deeply enjoyed the way "The Announcement" moved me and then enjoyed how informative and entertaining I found "Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL".
Friday, November 23, 2012
Three Beautiful Things 11/22/12: Church, Evacuation, Dinner
1. I attended our Thanksgiving service this morning at St. Mary's Episcopal Church and was the lector. I loved reading this magnificent passage: Joel: 2:21-27. The Rev. Betsy Tesi delivered a smart, sometimes funny, and most insightful sermon exploring how easy it is to be thankful, but how difficult it is to be trusting, not to worry. It was the best Thanksgiving sermon I've ever heard.
2. I went on a neighborhood stroll with my camera and was immediately struck by how vacant the neighborhood was, as if I lived in a Zone A evacuation zone: empty park, empty porches, empty alleys, empty streets. When I did see any humans, they either seemed to be peering into the emptiness or, in one case, contemplating the wisdom of breeding.
3. The Deke fixed our Thanksgiving dinner and it was perfect: roasted turkey, baked yams, cranberry-apple-orange relish, dressing made from wheat bread, chanterelle mushrooms, leeks, and turkey, and a splendid gravy. I love sweetish white wine with turkey and so we had a bottle of Gewürztraminer, It was a perfect meal and its leftovers will last us for a good while.
2. I went on a neighborhood stroll with my camera and was immediately struck by how vacant the neighborhood was, as if I lived in a Zone A evacuation zone: empty park, empty porches, empty alleys, empty streets. When I did see any humans, they either seemed to be peering into the emptiness or, in one case, contemplating the wisdom of breeding.
3. The Deke fixed our Thanksgiving dinner and it was perfect: roasted turkey, baked yams, cranberry-apple-orange relish, dressing made from wheat bread, chanterelle mushrooms, leeks, and turkey, and a splendid gravy. I love sweetish white wine with turkey and so we had a bottle of Gewürztraminer, It was a perfect meal and its leftovers will last us for a good while.
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