My first train trip - will update periodically

6:30 a.m.

I'm lying in bed, after a restless night, when Ashley texts me from work. Apparently on her way to her job at the University of Oregon, she and her dad saw an LTD bus almost do a 180 in the middle of the road, nearly hitting their truck. Because of this, the Flocks will be giving me a ride to the Amtrak station at noon instead of me leaving my apartment at 9:30 a.m. and taking multiple buses to the other side of town while schlepping two rolling suitcases, a laptop case and my purse -- necessities for the next week split between Salem and Newberg. I quickly accept the offer and then tell her -- with some level of guilt considering she arrived at work at 6 a.m. to help shovel snow for the second time this week -- that I'm gonna go because I want a little more sleep.

10 a.m.

The trash is out, the dishes are done, my suitcases are packed and waiting in the living room. There is nothing left to do, and a little more than two hours until Ashley and her dad are scheduled to pick me up for my ride to the station. I hop online for a little while.

12 p.m.

Any minute now.

12:20 p.m.

I arrive at the station, lift my two ridiculously heavy suitcases -- packed this way so I wouldn't have to check anything -- out of the backseat of the truck and say goodbye to Ashley and her dad. I walk inside, go to the automated kiosk and scan the ticket confirmation email and pick up my ticket. Then I fill out three luggage tags for each of my suitcases and my laptop case and affix each tag to the appropriate bag. I'm not taking any chances. Then I take a seat on one of the wooden benches in the station. The room I'm in reminds me somewhat of the Newberg Post Office, except newer looking.

12:30 p.m.

I look out the window and happen to notice the board listing the arrival and departure times of the various buses and trains. Then I notice my train's late -- LATE?!? Yep. Amtrak's running about an hour late. Unlike my numerous experiences riding Greyhound, at least this time I know the train's late -- and about how much. I call my dad, who's scheduled to pick me up in Salem and my sister in Newberg in the same hour, and he decided to get Abi first. Then I call my mom.

12:35 p.m.

While I'm on the phone with my mom, it has started to snow. Not just a few small flakes either. Real, Polar Express kind of snow. It actually looks really pretty. I would have taken a picture, but I'm not close enough to a window, and I don't want to leave my computer unattended.

12:45 p.m.

A little girl, probably about eight or nine and wearing various shades of pink falls down near where I'm seated. Not surprisingly, she's wearing Heelys. Those things should be banned. Or at the very least, anyone should have the legal freedom to trip anyone wearing them in public buildings.

12:47 p.m.

Ashley texts me, after I texted her about my train being late. Apparently northbound trains are usually late because they have to let freight trains pass. Sigh. At roughly the same time, I discover a stray piece of tinsel from my tree on my jacket.

12:49 p.m.

The girl with Heelys is speed skating through the station. I really hope she falls again.

12:55 p.m.

I glance up from the computer screen and realize that it has stopped snowing...

1:01 p.m.

Good Lord. It's snowing and sunny AT THE SAME TIME. This is a prime example of Oregon's bipolar weather. Only "bipolar" doesn't even begin to cover it...

1:03 p.m.

Heely Girl's mom finally grabs her daughter by the wrist and leads her to a seat. Thank you.

1:10 p.m.

The bus to Portland is loading now. Sigh.

1:25 p.m.

There's an old Asian lady here wearing RUBBERS. I never thought I'd ever see those things in my life...I definitely didn't think people still wore them. Hers are clear and you can see she has shoes on underneath them.

2:55 p.m.

I'm on the train now, somewhere between Harrisburg and Corvallis. There are tons of interesting people on here... I text Ashley, who suggested I go to the sightseeing car. So I did...and now the train's kind of stopping...?

2:59 p.m.

WHY ARE WE GOING SO SLOW???

3 p.m.

Apparently there's a wine tasting in half an hour...too bad I'm not 21...lol just kidding.

3:01 p.m.

Still just crawling along...

3:05ish p.m.

Darn it. Firefox crashed. :( Now to restart...

3:10 p.m.

We're approaching Albany now...maybe I should consider going back to my seat soon...nah, a few more minutes won't hurt.

3:13 p.m.

I miss Eugene... :'(

4ish p.m.

I'm in Salem.

Crazy Christmas Lights

I came across this on a Myspace bumper sticker first, then found the video on Youtube. Most of us have already seen the house that synchronizes its Christmas lights to Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Wizards in Winter," but little did I know that they're not the only family who does this. I also found another one featuring Candy Apple Punch's techno version of "Jingle Bells."

Because I've seen so many similar videos, I was curious as to how these people pull off such an impressive display every year. The Youtube videos had a link to the family's website, so I decided to explore a little.

The Holdman family has been doing this for the past couple of years -- in 2006 and 2007 from their home in a gated community in Utah. However, traffic, safety and privacy concerns forced the family to relocate the 2008 display to Richard Holdman's parents' house in Lindon, Utah. The display is currently up and running, with over $600 collected for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah as of December 11.

Richard Holdman sees the annual light display as a way to combine his love of Christmas lights, music and computers to create a unique product.

Facts about the light display (taken from www.holdman.com)

The entire display is 100% wind powered. The Holdmans power the display using power provided by the local power company, and then replace the power back onto the grid with wind turbines. The display uses about 1800 kwH of power and 3000 kwH is replaced by the wind turbines.

The 2008 display uses about 150,000 lights. This is an increase from 45,000 lights used in 2007.

If every light in the display was on, it would consume about 33,000 watts of electricity. However, because the display is animated, only about 30 percent of the lights are in use at one time, which conserves power. During the Christmas season in 2007, the light display only added about $100 to the Holdmans' electric bill.

Everything in the display is controlled with software and hardware (user programmable light controllers, etc.) from Light-O-Rama. The display also uses about 7,000 feet of extension cords.

Richard Holdman estimated with the money he has spent on Christmas lights for his displays, he "could have bought a few 4-wheelers instead." He added that he tries to buy most of his lights for the next year after Christmas, when they are 50 to 75 percent off.

Definitely a lofty goal for the most avid of holiday decorators.

Christmas in Eugene

Instead of leaving town the second finals are over like pretty much everyone else I know, I opted to stay in Eugene another week to hang out with my friends who live in the area. Plus I'm paying rent for my apartment whether or not I'm actually here during break, so I figured an extra week in Eugene wouldn't hurt.

Of course, it's December, and there are few things I love to do more this time of year than go all out decorating and creating the perfect atmosphere. With my roommate's blessing -- well, actually, I suspect she was fine with my plans because she was leaving the next day and didn't have to deal with my holiday excess -- I bought a 6-foot, artificial Christmas tree from Walmart. I know, the epitome of evil, but I don't exactly have the means to go cut down a real tree of my own.

I also bought some cheap ornaments, two strings of lights and candy canes, and my friends helped me decorate the tree. The finishing touches were six packages of tinsel -- the night before, I had helped Bret and Alitia decorate their two-foot fake tree with a package of tinsel for each foot of tree. I'm pretty sure I now have one of two reflective trees in the Eugene area.
Walmart also had giant stockings, and Bret commented that I could probably live in one of them. With that in mind, I bought the stocking and decorated it with a welcoming message...
I also bought garland and saved it for Alitia, figuring she could do something creative with it. And boy did she deliver. The gold thing in the middle is a giant ball ornament, which prompted plenty of innuendos -- not surprising considering the group assembled in my living room... :)
And of course, the decorating wouldn't be complete without a tree topper that shows the true personality of the owner...as well as the DIY nature of this project...

Survey...man I need sleep...

The Best Myspace Survey

* . . About You . . *
Eye Color:: Blue
Hair Color:: Blond
Height:: 5'
Favorite Color:: Black, white, brown, red, purple, blue, yellow
Screen Name:: soyperiodista789
Favorite Band:: ohhhhh so many...
Favorite Movie:: Mr. Holland's Opus.
Favorite Show:: The Colbert Report.
Your Car:: the new Mitsubishi invisacar
Your Hometown:: Newberg, Oregon.
Your Present Town:: Eugene, Oregon.
Your Crushes First Name:: I don't have a crush.
Your Grade:: 14th.
Your Style:: Epic awesomeness.
* . . Have You Ever . . *
Sat on your rooftop?: Not my current rooftop. I'm pretty sure I'd get in trouble if I did that.
Kissed someone in the rain?: Yes.
Danced in a public place?: Yes.
Smiled for no reason?: Yes.
Laughed so hard you cried?: Yes.
Peed your pants after age 8?: I don't remember.
Written a song?: I've made up songs. I don't think I wrote any of them down.
Sang to someone for no reason?: Yes.
Performed on a stage?: Yes.
Talked to someone you don't know?: Yes. That's how you get to know them.
Gone out of your way to befriend someone?: Not too far.
Made out in a theatre?: No.
Gone roller skating since 8th grade?: Yes!!!
Been in love?: No.
* . . Who was the last person to . . *
Say HI to you?: Hailey.
Tell you, I love you?: My mom.
Kiss you?: Chase.
Hug you?: Alitia.
Tell you BYE?: Ashley and Chase.
Write you a note?: Kaila.
Take your photo?: Ashley.
Call your cell phone?: Matt.
Buy you something?: Adam bought me lunch a couple Sundays ago.
Go with you to the movies?: I don't remember.
Sing to you?: I don't remember.
Write a poem about you?: I don't think anyone ever has.
Text message you?: Ashley.
Touch you?: The lady who sits next to me in MUS 358 lecture.
* . . What's the last . . *
Time you laughed?: Tonight!!! Haha I love my friends!
Time you cried?: I almost did earlier today.
Movie you watched?: Titanic.
Joke you told?: I don't remember.
Song you've sang?: "Walkin' On Sunshine" in Wendy's!
Time you've looked at the clock?: Just now. I need to go to bed.
Drink you've had?: Sprite.
Number you've dialed?: My mom's cell phone, which is actually on my speed dial. So I just held down 3.
Book you've read?: I'm currently reading New Moon, the second book in the Twilight series.
Food you've eaten?: A couple of chicken nuggets.
Flavor of gum chewed?: Mint.
Shoes you've worn?: I'm still wearing my black Converse.
Store you've been in?: Union Market at the EMU.
Thing you've said?: "Goodnight" to Hailey.
* . . Can You . . *
Write with both hands?: Sort of. I'm still trying to get better at left handed writing.
Whistle?: No.
Blow a bubble?: Yes.
Roll your tounge in a circle?: Yes.
Cross your eyes?: Yes.
Touch your tounge to your nose?: Not quite.
Dance?: Yes.
Gleek?: Huh?
Stay up a whole night without sleep?: It seems like I'm about to...
Speak a different language?: Sí.
Impersonate someone?: I'm bad at this.
Prank call people?: Not convincingly.
Make a card pyramid?: No.
Cook anything?: Yeah.
* . . Finish The Line . . *
If i were a ...: flower growing wild and free all I want is you to be my sweet honeybee...
I wish ...: I wish those days could come back once more. Why did those days ever have to go?
So many people don't know that ...: I'm stronger than I appear.
I am ...: a flower quickly faiding, yesterday and gone tomorrow...
My heart is ...: human...my blood is boiling...my brain IBM...

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Halftime is game time!!!

After surviving almost a month and a half of the 2008 OMB season, I think it's safe to say that this year is going A LOT better than last year.

Last year, I waited in a humongous line for an hour and a half, surrounded by people I barely knew, to get a random collection of ill-fitting, unisex uniform parts (ummm hello, I barely fit into short size female clothing. Men's small will not fit me. Neither will a medium). Then the full band met later that evening for the first in a series of long, tedious rehearsals that would test the patience and good mood of bandos and director alike. At the same time that I was learning how to march for the first time (my high school didn't have a marching band, so I was one of only a handful of people who joined the OMB completely green), read drill and memorize long passages of music within a matter of days, my instrument broke on the third day of camp, forcing me to rent a really crappy instrument from UO. Luckily, I only had to play that clarinet for a couple of months before Michael Banks put it out of its misery. Unfortunately, he did so by stepping on it at FOB minutes before we were supposed to perform. After all the stress that year brought me, I decided...to do it again this year.

This year is a lot better. We have new uniforms (check out the awesome pictures!) that look awesome and fit a lot better. I can actually march this year, which is a good thing because the drill likes to put my dot in the front A LOT. Our shows ROCK! So far my instrument has not broken, although FOB's next week...things can still happen. And I know a lot more people! Yay!

Curious encounters in Portland

I love downtown Portland, but for some reason I don't get the chance to go there very often. So when I spent all day there yesterday with Mom and Matt, I was really excited. Part of my excitement was due to one of my birthday gifts from my parents: a copy of Oregon Curiosities by Harriet Baskas, which describes many interesting things that call our state home. When I read through the book -- in three nights -- I noticed that a good portion of the "curiosities" listed could be found right in the Rose City.

We arrived in Portland at about 11 a.m., parked near the Lloyd Center and ran down the sidewalk to catch the MAX train to our first stop, the Oregon Historical Society.
On the third Saturday of every month the museum hosts a free day, and there were several interesting exhibits. Across the hall from the restrooms, a series of historical photographs pictured students of Benson High School (Matt's old high school) in the 1920s. Upstairs, two smaller exhibits showed memorabilia from the battleship U.S.S. Oregon from its launch to its retirement and the first car completely built in Oregon. "Oregon, My Oregon" showed Oregon's history from its "discovery" to its settlement and ending with issues the state faces today. Downstairs, "Hungry Planet" showcased photographs of families from different countries with a week's worth of food, accompanied by smaller photos of family members preparing a typical meal. Finally, "Puppetry: An Out-of Body Experience" exhibited the work of Michael Curry, who created the puppets for the Broadway production of "The Lion King."

After the museum, we made our way to Pioneer Courthouse Square, where "Sand in the City" was going on.
The sand-sculpting contest, sponsored by Yoshida's Sauces, was a benefit for Kids on the Block, an organization that uses puppets to educate elementary school students about non-violence and non-prejudice. There were a lot of really interesting sculptures, including one of Mario! Then we went to Pioneer Place for lunch.

After lunch we rode the MAX down to the Saturday Market, located under the Burnside Bridge. There were many interesting things there for sale, including fused-glass ornaments, ceramics and tie-dyed shirts. We bought some cinnamon roasted almonds, which were pretty good. After a little while, we caught the MAX to the Lloyd Center for some shopping.

Throughout the day, we passed several continuously-running drinking fountains. The four-bowled fountains, known as "Benson Bubblers," were a gift from lumberman and civic leader Simon Benson, who hoped that their presence would encourage people to drink pure water instead of liquor. While the success of that goal is debatable, I drank out of six different fountains during my time in Portland; the final stop was at Benson High School, named after Simon Benson.After the mall, we stopped at Powell's City of Books, the country's largest brick-and-mortar bookstore. The store has three levels consisting of a total of nine color-coded rooms and stretches for an entire city block, making navigation difficult without a map provided by the store. I made my way upstairs to the Pearl Room, which contained a huge assortment of music books and photography books, then had trouble finding my way back to the Green Room where my parents were browsing through books about Oregon. We didn't buy anything on this trip ... maybe next time. On our way out, we bought a newspaper from a homeless woman. The publication, entitled "Street Roots," is written, produced and distributed by the city's homeless and discusses relevant issues.Our final stop before leaving Portland was the median strip at the intersection of Naito Parkway and Taylor Street. There, a hole of dirt surrounded by cement is labeled as "The World's Smallest Park."Mill Ends Park was established in 1946 when Oregon Journal newspaper columnist Dick Fagan noticed that a light pole destined for the hole located near his office never showed up. Fagan planted flowers in the hole and began writing columns about park "events," many involving a resident leprechaun colony. Although Fagan died in 1969, Portland Parks and Recreation still maintains the park, which became an official Portland park on March 17, 1976.