Question

Why do people in Eugene hate Columbus Day and heart Halloween?

I mean seriously, no one batted an eye at one of our few national holidays and today everyone, including professors, was dressed up.

It is crazy to live so far from the Atlantic.

Feeling the Love

This week marked the end of a few things here in Lakeview. On Sunday, Warner Canyon, the local ski hill closed for the season. With the exception of three trips out of town I spent every weekend there since returning to Lakeview on January 6. There I met most of my favorite people, I honed my tele skills, lived the dream of ski patrol and got in the majority of my 29 ski days. It was awesome. I also made a number of older friends. Friends who have skied there forever and would take me into the woods or out of bounds for a sweet run. Steep and deep. Steep and deep. And then they would let me go first. Unreal. It made me sad to see it close. As I was sitting in the parking lot on the back of an old Ford surrounded by these older men having a cheap american lager, I was pained to think it would never happen again. Its weird to do something and know I am good at something and just leave it...

I also completed my first grant application. It was for a new well and some other improvements at Warner Canyon. I worked with the ski board. It was amazing to see a group of people with the same passion (skiing) come together with all of their individual skills: drafting plans, excavating, dousing, writing, finageling county commissioners, doing math... I am really beginning to focus on the process of things. A huge departure from my regular goal-oriented self. But it is nice and I feel like I am really living each day/moment. So I guess right now I am keeping my fingers crossed for the 47k.

This week was also marked the end of two six week small business classes I've been teaching. (I know. I know.) Every Monday and Tuesday I have spent with adult learners reviewing business basics: budgeting, pricing the product, quality standards, and marketing. I've gotten to know 15 folks from around the county. It is crazy to hear their life stories. A few details:

• 11 kids, going for 12 because 13 is an unlucky number for the family, wanted 3 but had to have more because #3 would be a terrible spoiled child
  
• one son is on his 4th tour in Iraq
• taking the class to help with the ranch that has been in the family for 4 generations
• 95 year old weaver, been retired from Boeing for 31 years
• a woman had four kids and married a man with 3, their two oldest ended up having twins

The end was also suprisingly sad. Although they do want to have reunion bbqs this summer. It was so nice to have the opportunity to meet folks and hear about lives I couldn't even imagine existed. I mean you can't make this shit up.

Non-profit Sector or West Coast

I work at an office and receive many work related emails each day. And since I've moved out here I've noticed that there is over use of explanation points, smiley faces, and other sort of teen typing moves. I have a very difficult time taking any of these emails seriously. People just didn't use these sort of expressions when I worked at Carroll & Scribner PC.

Below is an email I received from a woman who administers a $3 million grant in five targets around the state of Oregon. Are you kidding?

Good Morning Target Area Leads-

TOMORROW (Wednesday, January 23) is the first CORE Conference call of 2008!!! It is scheduled for our regular time of 1pm- 3pm. Attached are the minutes from the last conference call in December. J Below you will find the conference call agenda and the call in information.

Please contact Katie at the RDI office if you have any questions. J Looking forward to talking to you tomorrow!

**Sorry this is not as dramatic as it was in my inbox. For every random J that is a smiley face.

Let It Snow

I arrived safely in Lakeview after a wonderful holiday in the Northeast. Since I've been back it has not stopped snowing. I think snow will be my salvation during this long, cold, lonely winter in the Oregon Outback. Although I have permission to ski on Wednesday mornings the ski hill is not open. It is only open on the weekends. Bummer.

There is no way for me to check the weather here. I looked at weather.com and they say there is light snow. That is not true. I do not trust those bastards. I just found npr on my radio and will now listen to that for information but it is based out of Portland and any sort of report on this part of the state I would have to question its validity. What I am saying is that all news outlets have no idea what happens here. I will only know what happens by going outside and evaluating the situation myself. I am very comfortable with this. I love seasons. I love winter.

All of this only encourages me to continue reading the NY Times and not the Oregonian. I am in a bizarre position here, no local news, and only news from the East Coast. I am not really sure what this means other then when I bring up things to discuss with Ronne Lindsay she has no idea what I am talking about for example the assassination of Bhutto or McDonalds hiring barristas.

I am excited to head home after work to shovel my driveway (again), drink some hot coco, and read the New Yorker.

New Year's Resolutions 2k8

Dear God, its me, Erin Margaret,

Every year at this time (as you know), I take a moment to write down a few tasks and goals for the new year.  This year is 2008.  Five years out of college, about three months into a commitment (my first lease), maintaining my own home...

Here goes, divided into seasons, some things on list transcend seasons, so I will place them where I feel is the most appropriate place.

WINTER

• ski 30 days while continually pushing limits
• apply to grad school
• get accepted to grad school
• learn solja boy dance, thats right god, solja
• doing dishes the day I dirty them
• bake whole wheat bread
• learn to roast a chicken

SPRING

• attend a branding
• cut balls off young male bovine + eat
• catch a 20 inch rainbow trout
• ride horse and do ranch work simultaneously
• run up Camels' Hump 
• attend my 5th year college reunion
• work on not making small piles all over my house
• ride cowboy

SUMMER

• get tan
• enter my first fly fishing tournament
• cook lots of steak perfectly
• summit Oregon peaks higher then 10,000 feet
• changing my sheets every week
• go to the last great Communist Society and see what the deal is
• go to Mantana

FALL

• begin grad school
• catch steelhead
• notice when I need to sweep the floor
• live with other people
• vote for Obama

All of these and work on accepting things: other people, their choices, my imperfections.... continuing to learn the guitar as the newest member of the Oregon Ole Time Fiddlers Association.  And, as always, be swept off my feet my an Irishman.