My Christmas Vacation

So, I made it back to Portland safely, and the overall trip was easy despite the snowy weather in Oregon. My outgoing flight was delayed only an hour, and there were not any complications coming back from Houston, so I lucked out.

The trip itself was your typical Christmas. I had the chance to visit with my loved ones, received some great DVDs, and I had the chance to relax a little bit. Not a bad trip at all. It was also good to be back in Texas, even if it was only for a few days.

The only downside of the trip is the fact that it was cloudy and rainy for most of the time while I was there. I swear I can never leave the rain to save my life. I think rainclouds just follow me around. It was also very humid in Houston, which isn't anything new, but it just reminded me how much I've gotten used to the weather up here in Portland.

Being in Houston also gave me something to think about, especially when it comes to my next big move. I realized that I really, really, really don't like the heat and humidity, which could rule out Houston (or any where on the Gulf Coast) as a possible destination. Combine this revelation with the fact that I really enjoyed the snow in Portland, and I think I have a better idea of where I might belong, i.e. somewhere that has sun but also gets cold and snowy with little to no humidity. Where could that be?

My trip home was good, and it was nice to see the family again, but I was really excited to be back in Portland. Part of me actually missed the cold and snow, and for the first time in a long time I referred to Portland as home...maybe that will factor in my next decision as well.

My Snowball

So, apparently Portland's going to be buried under snow for the next couple of days. The storm really rolled in last Sunday, and it's been off and on, but it really came down today. We got like 8 inches.

I like snow well enough, but even I think I've hit my limit. It's not the snow that I mind; it's the being stuck in the apartment that is starting to get to me. Also, my hot water heater decided to spring a leak, so I had to deal with that. My apartment manager and I ripped up part of the carpet to avoid mold, and hopefully people will be by on Monday (assuming the city isn't shut down) to fix things up. It's kind of a bummer, but it could have been worse; it could have leaked while I was gone thus flooding my entire apartment. That's me, always looking at the bright side.

Back to the snow. It's been really beautiful seeing the entire city blanketed in snow, but I just wish the roads weren't so bad. Cabin fever's setting in, and I'm starting to freak out about my flight next week. Things are supposed to be slightly better on Tuesday (the day I fly out to Houston), but snow and ice are still in the forecast. We'll just have to wait and see. It has been a nice little preview for me though because I've always said I'd like to live in Colorado, and for some reason this is how I picture life in the Rockies.

So, sure it's been kinda boring being shut it, but I had the chance to watch Eureka: Season 1, had some hot soup, and I have a warm place to sleep. I really can't complain in the end.

My Jam

I've never considered myself a music person. For the longest time, the only music I really listened to was what ever was on the radio station. I did go through my R&B phase, and Boyz II Men were pretty much the greatest thing ever. Then, I had my Country phase which lasted a few years until the line between Country & Pop was annihilated (thanks a lot Shania!).

Over the last couple of years, I've realized that my musical tastes have been leaning towards chill, acoustic music over stuff like Hip-hop, Alternative, and Emo. Personally, I think it's because of my recent man-crush on Zach Braff. I have fine tuned my preference which now includes artists like Jack Johnson, Schuyler Fisk, Amos Lee, Joshua Radin, Tristan Prettyman, and my all-time favorite Griffin House.

Compared to the rest, Griffin House is still kind of under the radar, which is fine by me because I feel like I'm in the know. I stumbled across House's Myspace page a few years ago, and I really dug a song on his music player called "The Guy That Says Goodbye to You Is Out of His Mind" I was immediately hooked, and I was excited to see that a music video has finally been produced:



The video itself is pretty low-key, and straight to the point, but it's the song that really shines. Despite my love for Griffin House, I've yet to catch one of his shows, and he comes up to Portland a lot. He's scheduled to be back in January, and I should check it out...I just need to find someone who digs his kind of music to go with me.

My Season of Bowling

It's kind of hard to believe that the college bowl season starts this Saturday. This fall just flew by! I know that the it thing in college football is to clamor for a Division 1-A Playoff, but we all know that is NEVER going to happen. I'm in the minority because I actually like the bowl games, and I like the Bowl Championship Series. Say what you will, but the BCS makes November an exciting month due to all of the controversies...plus, the BCS screwed Texas out a National Championship, which is always aces in my book.

Now, the bowl season is far from perfect but it does create some buzz because it allows some unique matchups that we may not have a chance to see otherwise, and 30+ teams have a chance to go out on top. Of course, I do have some problems with the bowls:

1. Lack of Creativity
We still have good old fashioned bowl games who have a sense of identity and creativity like the Cotton Bowl. You hear "Cotton Bowl" and you know the game's taking place in Texas. How about the Gator Bowl, that just screams Florida. Unfortunately the current trend is to take away all of the creativity from the bowls. Now, we have the New Orleans Bowl (guess where that one takes place), the Texas Bowl (Houston), the Las Vegas Bowl, the Hawai'i Bowl (Honolulu), the New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque), and the St. Petersburg Bowl (sure the Rays finally started winning, but do they deserve a bowl) to name a few. Where's the originality? It's just plain lazy.

2. Corporate Takeover
Corporations and naming rights have ruined sports from the top down. I hate it that major sports facilities have to be named after a company. It's just sickening. Of course the almighty dollar has always had an impact on college football, and now companies have their own bowl games like: the Capital One Bowl (formally the Tangerine/Florida Citrus Bowl), the Chik-fil-A Bowl (formally the Peach Bowl), the Emerald Bowl (formally the San Francisco Bowl), Meineke Car Care Bowl (formally the Queen City Bowl), and the Papajohns.com Bowl (the worst name ever). It's hard to take a football game seriously when it's named after a pizza company's website. Despite my hatred for corporation tie-ins, I do think it'd be funny if the Alamo Bowl was renamed to the Taco Cabana Bowl.

3. Too Many Bowls
Maybe the lack of naming creativity is because we have way too many bowl games. There are 34 bowl games, meaning 68 teams received bids...there are only 119 D-IA teams, which means over half of the teams go to a bowl. We have teams who don't even have a winning record (ahem...Notre Dame) going to games. It just reminds me of kiddie soccer where everyone gets a trophy just for showing up. Only the best teams and matchups should be showcased in a bowl game, not anyone who managed to go 6-6. Seriously, who wants to see Florida Atlantic vs. Central Michigan or Ohio State vs. Texas (I kid...sorta)?

Despite all of the flaws, I do love bowl season more than any other time of the sports year. I'm really excited to see Boise State vs. TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl, a classic Rose Bowl (Penn State vs. USC), and Florida & Oklahoma in the BCS National Championship game. Good times! Enjoy all of the football!

My Snow Day

Yesterday was the first snow in Portland, so of course the entire city practically shut down. I'm not complaining because that meant I had a snow day today. I really didn't do much with my day off; slept in, watched some movies, surfed the net, took a nap, but it was a nice little break from reality.

I also remembered how much of a love-hate relationship I have with snow. I love it because it's snow! Who doesn't love watching the flakes fall, the world blanketed in white, remembering the joyous times as a kid when you played in it. Snow really is a cool thing...unless you have to leave your house. I've lived up here in Portland for close to four years, and it only really snows a handful of times per year, so my snow driving skills are limited. Add to this the fact that I grew up in West Texas, and you can understand why the thought of driving in the snow is stressful. I'd love to live in a place where it snows fairly regularly, but I'd never get anything done because I'd be cooped up inside the entire time. OK, so I know I'll eventually pick up the skills to navigate slick highway conditions, but it's still an unsettling thought.

The past two days have been a nice little timeout from the rest of my life. I had the chance to marvel at the snowfall like I did when I was younger, and I had the chance to take some time for myself. Why can't everyday be a snow day?

My Giddiness is in the Red

If you haven't heard by now, Scrubs is moving to ABC. If you don't watch Scrubs, I can't talk to you unless you catch up and start watching this January:

My Countdown

In roughly six months I'll be finishing up my graduate degree (fingers crossed), and starting the new chapter of my life. I'd be lying if I said I'm not counting down the days until I'm finished, unfortunately, I don't quite know what that next chapter will be.

I've been spending way too much time and effort trying to figure out what my next move is going to be. Sure, the picture is becoming a little bit clearer, but it's by no means totally in focus. Usually, this uncertainty excites me, but for some reason the unknown is freaking me out just a bit this time around.

Maybe it's because I have more questions than I have answers. There is still a part of me that is wondering if I'm really on the right track, moving towards the life that I'm meant for. I mean, I enjoy working in student services...I just don't love it. This lack of passion has me worried because I've always wanted to love what I do, and I just don't know if this is it. The thing is, it might be too late. I've spent way too much time and money to just change my mind and walk away. Plus, it's not like I hate what I do.

Add to this the fact that I have no idea where I'm going to be living in six-plus months, and I've had a lot on my mind. I'm pretty sure Portland's been taken off of the list, but then again I never say never. In all reality my next stop revolves around where I can find work, so it's kind of out of my hands, but I'd like to have SOME direction.

So, I'm ready to get going onto whatever life has in store for me next, but a little hint about what that might be wouldn't hurt.

My Two-Cents on Let the Right One In

I was finally able to catch Let the Right One In, and I'm glad I did since it's only at one theater at a time here in Portland, which is kinda sad since you can spit and hit a showing of Twilight. Now, I can't objectively say anything about Twilight because I haven't read the book, and probably will never watch the movie, but I cannot understand why someone would pick that movie over the superior Let the Right One In. Well, if you're a tween who cannot name a quality movie, then you'd might prefer Twilight, but I digress.

To label Let the Right One In as just a vampire movie is a huge disservice. This film is ultimately a bittersweet, coming of age, love story that has some vampirism thrown in for good measure. The movie is set in a stark, yet oddly beautiful Swedish landscape that really becomes a character unto itself, and it revolves around the budding friendship and romance between two twelve year olds, Oskar and Eli. Throughout the film, you feel the pain and isolation that sometimes comes along with growing up. You get to know these characters, and you feel for them, even though you know the deck is stacked against them. The relationship between the youths is organic and real, which makes you forget that you're watching a movie about a vampire.

The vampire components were almost secondary to me. Sure, there was some creepiness, violence, and gore throughout the film, but it all took a backseat to the bond that was developing between Oskar & Eli. Once you wipe away all of the blood, you get to see the heart that is the foundation of the movie.

I mentioned earlier that the landscape becomes its own character because you really experience the frigidness that the characters must be feeling, but the way it is shot is magnificent. The setting is cold, white, bleak, but beautiful at the same time. The cinematography in this film was phenomenal and probably the best I've seen in a long time.

The acting was good, but nothing too outstanding with the exception of Lina Leandersson who played the vampire Eli. She was able to create a character that was creepy while still being endearing, which is not an easy task.

Overall, Let the Right One In is probably one of the best movies (not just the best vampire movie) that I've seen in the last couple of years; definitely one of the best of the year. If you want to see a good vampire love story, PLEASE seek out this movie over Twilight.

My Giddiness is Out of Control

Seriously, I'm totally psyched!

My first impressions:

This snippet is classic Scrubs, and I like how they're poking fun at themselves (J.D.'s had so many sexy, wind-blown, reveals for new female characters, that his get on with it approach had me laughing out loud).

Also, I like J.D. with some scruff. I'm sure people are going to give Zach Braff some crap for this, but I think it finally gives the character some depth because he's not the same old J.D.

Is it just me, or does Courteney Cox seem like a natural member of the Scrubs cast? I'm a little bummed that she's only going to be a part of a three episode arch. I'm sure this is blasphemous, but I'd like to keep her around over having Dr. Cox take over as Chief of Medicine.

This may just be a small preview, but it's got me all worked up. I can't wait!