Things to remember: My Journal

Give ‘em the axe!
the axe!
the axe!
Where?
in the oak!
the oak!
the oak!

Judge Barbara Miller has ruled in favor of UC Berkeley in building of the Student-Athlete High Performance Center (SAHPC). The injuction barring the university from cutting down the oak tree grove has been lifted.

The plaintiffs were also ordered to pay 80% of the UC’s legal fees. The plaintiff’s have 1 week to file an appeal.

Ok so my vacation back home in Bend, Oregon was AMAZING! Bend’s variety of food is somewhat lacking. They have a Thai, Indian, and ubiquitous Chinese restaurants but they’re all extremely mediocre. Bend does shine, however, at breakfast foods. While Michelle and I were there we went to Westside Cafe and Bakery and Jake’s Diner (formerly Jake’s Truckstop, but the Truckstop was torn down).

Jake’s claim to fame is the largest portion in Central Oregon. They were incredibly large. But Westside tasted better. Sorry forgot my camera, so these were taken with my phone.

Westside Cafe and Bakery’s Chicken Fried Steak. It also came with a biscuit that was quite good.

Michelle had the veggie scramble. Silly girl.

Here’s Jake’s take on the Chicken Fried steak. Note there was also a biscuit the size of dinner plate. Once again, didn’t fit on the picture.

And here’s Michelle’s “small omelet.”

And yes… I did eat the entire Chicken Fried steak at Jake’s with Hash Brown’s, Eggs, and a biscuit with an orange juice. The food was not as good as Westside but I had to prove that smug waitress at Jake’s wrong.

God bless American excess.

My friend Ryan had a friend who recently passed away committing suicide and was pondering why he was so bothered by it even though he hadn’t kept in contact with her throughout the years.

Visiting Bend this past week I noticed I would be recounting memories and excitedly point at their locations as I drove Michelle around my hometown.

“Oh! Look over there! I used to work for that record store!” as I excitedly pointed.

“Oh! That’s Jeff’s parent’s house, we used a police scanner to listen to his neighbor’s hillbilly phonesex.”

“Oh! that’s Heather’s house, I think her mom sold it. I spent hours swinging on her porch swing by the river.”

But it’s not there anymore is it? Tektronix packed up it’s Bend office and moved out. Jeff’s in Sacramento being a doctor. Heather’s mom sold her house, I think. Pieces of my past that I’ll never see again, and never experience again, even though 12 years later I can remember like it was yesterday.

You know, as I was writing this post, I googled the names of a few of friends I lost over the years, just hoping that there would be something left of them, some trace left behind. Kind of silly really, and of course I didn’t get any hits.

So I guess I’ll hold onto a few of their memories in my head as bittersweet as it is. Bringing me close to tears but still drawing a smile.

What’s making me smile right now? Taking Di Gilbert out to the Bend Golf and Country Club for dinner before the Junior homecoming dance. Going out to lunch with her, Bryan (Blondie) and Missy in Bryan’s old corsica.

Di, in an oversized sweatshirt with her arms pulled into the sweatshirt so the sleeves dangle and swing as she slides around in a circle in the high school hallway on flip flop sandals like some incredibly underprivileged figure skater.

Yea.. that’s making me smile.

And I don’t mean that in a good way.

I used to make fun of Swearfizz when she was trying to get me to join MySpace. I told her MySpace is for 14 year old whores and 47 year old men pretending to be 17. The constant visual bombardment by customized skins of pink/black themes. Oh.. the horror.

Facebook used to be my quiet retreat, where I could quietly cyberstalk friends instead of talking to them. Now I find myself being bombarded with new requests and more information then I can shake a stick at… all of which I really don’t care about.

I don’t care that Hendrick Lee is a stupid baby (he’s my cousin, it’s cool), I don’t want to have a sheep thrown at me, I don’t want to play another game of Oregon trail, I only kind of want to ninja-fight you, and I do.. want you to continue to poke me…

So here I am…. the crotchety old-cyberman sitting in my cyber rocking chair on my cyber-stoop waving my fist at the kids as they throw apple cores and jeer at me.

Does this mean I’m getting old?

PS. But please… feel free to send me cyber-gifts ;-)

and I guess the sheep are alright too.

Saw Wall-E today and it was pretty good. The beginning was a little slow since there was almost no speach for the first 30 minutes of the movie, but it was still really good and heavy on social commentary. Thoroughly enjoyable!