Some of my favorites from Manhattan Beach :)

Beautiful apartments.

The first view of the pier...and the ocean!

Lifeguard cars.

Surfer!

Ashley could sell Drumsticks.

Yay!

Ashley next to a palm tree.

Another really cool looking tree.

Clickin'

Random recent pictures.

Close-up of the mug I got at Disneyland.

The angel Alitia made me for Christmas last year.

Just some of my many pairs of earrings.

My phone...always within arm's reach.

Close-up of a green vase I got at Value Village.

My lantern.

The most epic sandwich I've ever seen. Credits: Bess for modeling, Brian for making this amazing culinary masterpiece.

Oregon Basketball: A Field Guide

The Student Section:
You can generally spot these creatures lurking outside doors 7 and 8 of Mac Court up to two hours before the doors even open. Clad in yellow shirts and hyped up on adrenaline and alcohol, they enter the arena ready to give all spectators the Game Day Experience and uphold Mac Court's reputation as one of the worst places for opposing teams to play. In unison, their chants of "OOOOOOOOOOOOO", "Air Ball" and clapping along with the fight song and Dr. Who create a sense of unity that can be found few other places on campus. They support the team through the good times and the bad. --dedicated to the Insane-O's, Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity and Isaac Rosenthal.

The Team:
Unfortunately, due to a poor decision on the part of Oregon Athletics of hiring someone who kicks ass at recruiting but can't coach a team to win if his life depended on it, the Ducks really aren't looking so hot this year. However, they are still a collection of talented athletes who could do great things with the right direction. --dedicated to Tajuan Porter because he's short

Ernie Kent:
Screw him.

The Daisy Ducks:
A group of wonderful ladies who serve as the boosters for Oregon athletic teams. The OMB loves them because they bake yummy treats for us for away trips. During basketball games they sell bingo cards. It's pretty much the best part of halftime. --dedicated to that one lady who sold me a bingo card today

The Oregon Basketball Band:
This group of musicians is a small portion of the Oregon Marching Band who performs the music at all the games. However, they don't start their musical duties until winter term (the Green and Yellow Garter Bands, aka GaYGB, trade off gigs during the exhibition and non-conference games that take place during fall term and winter break), which is why several members of the student section were confused as to why the band suddenly got so big. They play a wider variety of music than the OMB (thank God) and only make Mac Court that much louder and more intimidating. In addition, they make signs and yell crap at the opposing team in an attempt to make them miss shots. They're pretty much awesome. --dedicated to Nathan Stokes, the OBB Trumpet Section and a couple of the trombones

The Cheerleaders:
They dance to whatever the band plays.

Puddles (the Duck mascot):
He walks around Mac Court and does things to entertain the crowd. He will steal your popcorn, dance like a gangsta, do crazy things with the cheerleaders and pose for pictures with your kids. Plus he plays drums, although that's rarely seen this time of year. He's also pretty cool. --dedicated to Mikey Navarro

CMS:
They walk around and make sure that no one enters without a ticket, no one brings bottle-like weapons, no one takes flash pictures, no one stands on the benches, no one blocks the walkway...etc. Other than that, they're pretty chill. Also, they know certain people in the Pit Crew on a first-name basis. --dedicated to that lady who loves Isaac for some reason

The Enterprising Reporters:
They sit up in the 100-level on their laptops and post constant Twitter updates on behalf of the ODE. Because that's journalism. --dedicated to Robert Husseman

The Audio Technicians (aka Popcorn Buddies):
They sit up in the 100-level, play on the computer and share popcorn with each other. Mostly, it's a really boring job. They run the reader board and play canned music while the team is warming up and before the band starts playing. But most of the time, they sit there with glazed expressions and wish the game was over already so they can go home. --dedicated to Josh Shere and whoever his popcorn buddy is

:) :) :)

Tonight was the worst basketball game I've ever seen played at Mac Court. Something needs to change, or we're in for a really, REALLY frustrating season.

However, it wasn't a bad night otherwise. I sort of fixed a situation I was having with someone, and Pit Crew was a blast as usual.

I am loving the happy right now. :)

all-american reject...

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years, if you're even a little bit close to me you know that I am in no way a stranger to problems when it comes to relationships, if not my own, then those of my close friends. Often, the two coincide.

For example, while I'm still trying to deal with a close friend leading me on and then dating a mutual friend, another one of my friends is in his apartment right now, sulking with a beer bottle because he messed things up with a girl he really likes. He told her he was going to ask her to band prom, and she said she wasn't planning on going. Which apparently is a "massive setback."

So I texted him to try and comfort him, like any good friend would do. Because really, that's all I can do. I've gotten so much practice at the "good friend" thing -- despite what people in my family insist on believing; they seem to be married to the idea that I'm a heartless bitch -- that I feel like a professional. I give advice and hugs like they're going out of style.

But in the end, it seems like I'm going to end up being just that, nothing more than a good friend.

Break away from everybody. Break away from everything.

I'm tired of people hurting me, over and over again. In the past few months I've lost a few friends because apparently I'm "too depressed." It's not something I can easily control or stop, as much as you'd like to daydream that that's possible.

And when you lead me on for months at a time, then suddenly stop hanging out with me completely, and then I have to find out on Facebook that you're going out with one of the people who I trusted with my heart and soul when I was trying to figure my life out just so I could function, it really pisses me off. And doesn't really help with the whole depression thing. Continually telling me that it's all my fault really isn't helpful either.

I constantly feel like I'm being shafted by the entire world. I've been alone in the world, searching for someone special for a year and a half after being jilted by yet another good friend. I'm not into dating or hooking up with people because I want to preserve myself as a valuable gift to the one person who I will finally give my heart to for good...hopefully.

However, as everyone around me finds happiness, it constantly seems like my shelf life is running out. And once it does...I'll go from valuable gift to unwanted sketchy clearance item just like that.

You used to be one of my best friends. I trusted you so much. I gave you second and third chances because you seemed so honest in confessing when you messed up. Now, I can't even watch Anchorman anymore because of that stupid song you posted on her wall.

This just hurts way too much. I can't be friends with you anymore. Not right now. Maybe not ever.

Goodbye.

Fun with friends!

One of my best friends, Alitia, came up to Eugene from Central Point for the weekend. She hadn't seen us since FOB -- a weekend when both Ashley and I were super busy with OMB stuff -- and there wasn't a football game this weekend because the Ducks had beaten the Beavers in the Civil War the previous Thursday. It ended up being really good timing too; she and her boyfriend for almost two years had broken up recently, and Saturday would have been their two-year anniversary (aka a day she really didn't want to spend alone, or near him...) So, she came up Friday night, and merriment ensued.

Friday, she joined me and a bunch of friends (both people she knew from OMB last year and some amazing new friends) for tailgating. Traditionally we do this the night before home football games, but Thursday's game would have put tailgating on the Wednesday night of dead week -- very few people would have been out and about at the bars and stuff, and we would have angered more people than we would have entertained. So...we rallied on Friday to celebrate the Ducks' victory over the Beavers and the trip to the Rose Bowl! Also, Brian got to come finally because he didn't have to work until the next day, and he borrowed some of my 'gating attire.

After tailgating, we got a yummy late-night dinner at Dough Co. and then went to the Walmart parking lot to eat and then walk around for a bit in the store. We finished eating, Alitia reminded me to lock the front door, we walked about 10 feet from the car, and...Alitia realized that she had left her keys in the ignition. So, our casual stroll through Walmart ended up turning into a frantic search for wire coat hangers and duct tape. About 45 minutes of freezing cold weather and hard work later, we had successfully broken into Alitia's car and were on our way back to my apartment.

Saturday was a nice, relaxed day. We both slept in because we were so tired from the night before, then hung out in my warm apartment while we waited for Ashley to get off work, retrieve her boyfriend Danny and come over. Once we met up, we went to Goodwill, where we managed to find some cheap Duck game attire for Alitia, who until that point had been limited to OMB gear. Then, we went to Jamba Juice and Taco Bell (two of our favorite foody places to go) and then to Valley River Center to kill time until 9:30ish when we had planned to pick up Chase and Adam. We found some good sales, I managed to get a few more people checked off my Christmas list and we took some funny pictures in the photo booth.

Then the craziness started.

We picked up Chase and Adam and went to Strike City for cosmic bowling. Alitia took a bunch of pictures to document the occasion, and as it got later and later we got more and more silly...
After bowling we went to Shari's, where we continued to decline as far as self-control goes.



All in all, the weekend was a huge success. I got to see people I hadn't seen in a long time and Alitia said that she couldn't have asked for a better day. :)