days of naze

a thing of beauty
11:34 PM | Comments (0)

Oregon QB Dennis Dixon accidentally pitched the ball to right tackle Geoff Schwartz who promptly snagged it and gained 3 yards on his first rush as a Duck.

"That was a designed play, as you probably could tell," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti deadpanned. "We like Schwartz's ability in the open field."

#4 AP after sending the Trojans packing and a showdown with the vaunted, but untested, Sun Devils at Autzen on Saturday. It doesn't get much better than this.

October 27, 2007

she'll hold together
11:35 PM

Day by day, my hand assembled PC takes on more of the characteristics of a certain infamous Corellian freighter.

Just now as I was starting this post and firing up Part II of Sopranos Season Six, the damn thing made a line of text disappear and the DVD player just spun loudly, never recognizing Gandolfini or my need to get stuff done. And then it locked.

Yes, this is the temperamental machine that makes Half-Life 2 sing under the finger tips of my 14 year old. The same that runs six large apps simultaneously without slowing down.

And the same one that during boot up announces in a feminine British accent that my CPU fan has failed. The same that occasionally doesn't recognize the keyboard until you unplug and replug the USB. The computer that won't open the DVD slot when you press the button. Or sometimes until your 4th attempt to tell the OS to eject.

Twenty Firefox tabs at once? No problemo. Downloads? Like butta.

The Kessel Run in 7 parsecs? If she feels like it.

October 26, 2007

thank you...
12:17 AM

...for Piper-Heidseick champagne in Washington Park.

...for Bruce Springsteen and Warren Zevon.

...for Patrick O'Brian.

...for the first thumbs up on a Hawthorne diamond in the rough.

...a .38 Prineville bulls eye.

...October snow in Victoria BC.

...fried shrimp and fast talk at the Chinese Village.

...kitchen chairs and their many uses.

...diapers and 3 a.m. bottles.

...goofy rhymes.

...bravado and bullshit.

...sash cords and windowframes.

...pumping me up to go for KLC station manager - ridiculous and perfect.

...orchids in celebration of my big promotion.

...hauling my drunk 19 year old ass out of the Templeton mens room and driving me home even though you didn't have a drivers license.

...a Longview debate, a McDonald's police car, and Rimsky-Korsakoffee's.

...Jean-Georges, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and NYC.

...three beautiful children that are my only treasure.

It's gonna be alright.

October 22, 2007

baby!
11:10 PM

#5 BCS, #5 AP

My Ducks turned on the afterburners in the second half and left the Dawgs in the dust, 55-34. Oregon is a defensive coordinator's worst nightmare - 661 yards of total offense. But it gets worse - 465 of that is on the ground.

Survey those "above" us on the BCS. Arizona State has had a cake walk thus far and is facing a PAC-10 buzz saw, including us at Autzen in 2 weeks. LSU is a juggernaut and the toughest legit team out there but has serious questions about coach's decision-making. Boston College will play it's only real opponent next week - Virginia Tech. Weak schedule. Ohio State plays in the infamously weak Big 10, strapping it up for big games against #25 Penn State and #20 Michigan-Yes-We-Stomped-Them-In-The-Big-House.

A Top Ten finish would have been a dream this summer, but now I've got my eyes on the prize. We fear none and respect all. Trojans: Welcome to Autzen. It's time for a little payback, Oregon style.

October 19, 2007

laughed so hard i cried
09:11 PM

"This is the type of story a reporter waits his entire career not to report on."

Colbert on the Daily Show reporting from London on "Much Ado About Something".

via powazek

October 14, 2007

go ducks!
11:27 PM

The Washington State Cougars are actually one of my more favorite PAC-10 teams. My Grandfather Eades was a WSU alumnus. I regularly root for the Cougs.

Except when they play us. Then we shake hands and it's game on. Oregon is kinda famous for it's fourth quarter heroics and drama. But there is definitely something to be said about putting your foot on your opponent's neck and stepping hard. It relieves high blood pressure and lightens the spirits.

53-7. Next?

USC taken to the wire again and Cal goes down to those pesky Beavs.

It's good to be back in the high life. Number 10 in the BCS rankings, number 7 AP.

The Huskies are harder to hate now that New-weasel is gone, so we'll just have to run on desire now. You're in the way, UW. Duck and cover.

p.s. Catch the Duck crowd surfing Autzen. Sweet.

October 07, 2007

cleaning out
11:54 PM

My brother, Craig, and I got rid of three quarters of a ton of stuff out of my basement this weekend. Eleven hundred pounds of old furniture, box springs, clothes, toys, junk, and a few memories went right into the Metro Transit center in northwest Portland. Another four hundred pounds of the better quality junk went to hopefully be re-used at Goodwill.

Step one of finishing the basement, essentially adding 500 square feet of living space along with two bathrooms (to add to our one), is complete.

Craig is an unstoppable dynamo when it comes to projects. He's also one helluva brother.

October 01, 2007

partners
11:34 PM

I've been taking (and really enjoying) ballroom dancing lessons weekly for about 4 months now. I've taken rumba, foxtrot, and samba, but my favorites are definitely waltz and tango (as I expected), as well as quickstep (which I didn't expect).

I'm discovering very interesting connections between ballroom and my long involvement in another performance art, classical music. Skillful performance produces a shine or aura in the performer. The art inhabits you - you become better looking and more interesting. You've seen it a million times when you've become charmed by a performer.

A few years back, I had an opportunity to try out a really magnificent viola bow. The balance and weight were perfect. It drew out this big, rich tone. I really wanted that bow.

In dance class, part of the fun is getting to dance with different partners. You get all ages and many sizes. The collegiality and brief intimacy are central to the joy of ballroom. Contact is very defined and based on form and movement.

Sometimes you get a partner that is like that magnificent bow. In ballroom, good partners have great frames (how you carry yourself in dance posture) with lower bodies close and upper bodies apart. A great partner flows with your footsteps and responds smoothly to your lead. Well-matched partners possess a grace and harmony that are beautiful to behold. A great partner makes you a better dancer just as that bow makes you a better violist.

Differently than the bow, great partners let you know when it's really working. "That felt great!" or "Well done!" give you that rush of validation that you have shone.