Construction part 1: Out with the old...

If you're a UO student who left Eugene for the summer, you'll likely notice that the west edge of campus looks drastically different when you return this fall.

Construction began Wednesday on a new LTD station that will serve the UO campus beginning September 2011. There will be dedicated boarding platforms, a bigger shelter, more bicycle parking and space for street vendors.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

At the same time, the City of Eugene will be completing road work projects on East 13th Avenue and on Alder Street designed to improve the road surface and create a safer route for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.

Both LTD and the city seem to have put a lot of consideration, coordination and planning into these projects to ensure minimal disruption to regular access to the affected roads and to preserve access to area businesses, many of which already struggle during summer due to their proximity to the now-empty UO campus.

The four routes that used to serve University Station north of 13th Avenue (28 to Eugene Station, 76 UO/Warren, 81 LCC/Harris and 98 Cottage Grove - the 79x is not affected as it does not run during summer session) will use a temporary stop set up just south of 13th Avenue (accessed via 14th Avenue).

The buses that usually use University Station South during summer (73 and the outbound 28) will continue to do so, except when the City of Eugene construction restricts LTD access to 13th Avenue; then, the buses will use 14th Avenue to access a temporary stop set up between 14th and 15th avenues.

The construction activities taking place on Kincaid between 11th and 13th avenues have blocked off about half the width of the street, although the street is still open to one-way traffic as usual. On-street parking on Kincaid between 11th and 13th is unavailable for the duration of the project.

The first phase of construction (lasting from Wednesday, June 15, to Friday, June 17) involved fencing off the area, removing eight trees (three new trees will be planted at the new station, and LTD will contribute funds to the city to plant at least 10 more new trees around town) and tearing out the parking lot adjacent to the University of Oregon computing center.











For more information on summer construction, check out the following links:
LTD University Station Renovation mailer
Map of Temporary UO Station Locations
Parking information

Things I've accomplished at work so far:

Updating Facebook and Twitter
Putting up dry erase signs in the band office w/#of FB and Twitter followers
Two fast food lunches in two days
Moving instruments around in Gerlinger
Data entry for summer music camps
Printing final camp packets for Concert Band and Marching Band campers
Laminating name tags for confirmed Concert Band and Marching Band campers
Nearly breaking the laminator in the process
Watching ridiculous YouTube videos
Uploading five videos onto the Oregon Athletic Bands YouTube channel
Changing the desktop picture - as awesome as Micah is, I don't really want to stare at him all summer
At least 50 trips to the restroom to blow my nose...yay being sick.

Yay. I could do this forever.

Graduation, deferred

Today was long, busy, surreal and bittersweet.
Aka the class of 2011 graduation ceremony.

Four years ago, I had imagined myself being part of this group. Instead, I will be taking another year to finish my degree, which meant I volunteered at the SOJC ceremony in lieu of being among the hundreds of people running around in green caps and gowns. I also attended the School of Music and Dance ceremony, at which I knew way more people than at the SOJC one.

I got to watch many of my friends graduate today and take their respective final walks across the Hayward Field or Beall Hall stage. It stings a little not being part of this group, but I know I'll walk next year with pride.

In the end, graduation is not so much about the destination as it is about the journey it takes to get there, and what you can accomplish once you reach that destination. It's a milestone, but definitely not the end of the road.

Congrats to the class of 2011. May the wind be at your back as you go wherever you're headed next. I'm with you guys in spirit (after all, most of us share the experience of being part of the high school graduating class of 2007) and the UO isn't going to be the same without you.

The real reason this blog came about (aka thoughts on shower curtains)

Yes, my first "real" post is about shower curtains. What of it.

Anyway, I was taking a shower this morning. (For those of you who haven't been following my life saga lately, I recently moved in with my friend Evylyn so I would have a place to live between the end of the lease on my old apartment and the beginning of July, when she moves out of her current apartment and I move in with my friends Brian and Aurora for the summer.)

ANYWAY...so I was taking a shower this morning, and every time I'm in there I can't help but look at Evylyn's shower curtain. It's super cute, with butterflies in various patterns in orange, pink, purple and green, and coordinates with the rest of her bathroom decor, a feat most of the college students I know haven't bothered to accomplish, as observed from the number of people I've visited (and whose bathrooms I've used.)

I was looking at Evylyn's curtain and I started thinking about the different options people have when selecting one. It's one of the most noticeable, visible items in your bathroom, and when you live in an apartment or other rental property and can't do things like paint the walls, a shower curtain is a great way to show your personality.

There are several things to consider when picking out a curtain (this is assuming your apartment has the kind of shower that comes with a bathtub. If your shower is the stall type that has a door, there are other things you can do, like put decals on the door.)

With shower curtains, you basically have two options as far as material goes: fabric or vinyl.

Fabric shower curtains, usually made of a water-resistant fabric, tend to be a little more expensive than their vinyl counterparts. However, there are almost limitless designs available on fabric curtains, and if you're really ambitious you can make your own (if you go this route, make sure the fabric you choose doesn't bleed, otherwise you'll end up ruining your curtain and possibly your floor.) Most fabric shower curtains also have the advantage of being machine washable, which comes in handy as curtains can become pretty nasty after a while from living in such a wet environment. Fabric curtains also tend to last longer because they don't have the same tendency to rip as vinyl curtains do. The downside, besides the higher cost, is that you will need to buy a vinyl liner, as fabric curtains are not waterproof. A liner will also help prolong the life of your curtain.

Vinyl shower curtains have the advantage of being relatively inexpensive, and come in clear, white, solid colors and prints, depending on your personal style (my personal recommendation is to reserve the clear liner as an additional layer for a fabric curtain - using it by itself sort of defeats the purpose of having a curtain in the first place!) The downside is that they have this annoying tendency to rip, particularly near the holes, if you're not careful. Vinyl curtains also can't be machine washed, so when they start getting full of mildew and soap scum you need to throw it out and replace it (although, like I said, they're cheap.)

In the end, it's entirely up to you which type of curtain you choose. Pick a solid color that coordinates with whatever decor is in your bathroom, or pick a fun, bold print to be the centerpiece.

Above all, have fun! Although many people don't think to decorate the bathroom, it's one of the rooms most often used and seen by visitors, and with a little effort your bathroom will have a lasting impression on your guests!

New blog!

Hey everyone!

If you're reading this, you probably got here from my main blog, Rock Journalism. This new project is an attempt to get back into blogging regularly. I find writing to be a wonderful creative outlet and a way to release tension and stress.

I have several other themed blogs, a Twitter account, several random Tumblrs, Facebook...the list goes on and on.

However, I thought about it, and I decided that all of these outlets were either too general, too specific or too uncensored for what I want. What I want is a way to chronicle what I hope will be my final year as an undergraduate at the University of Oregon (I love you UO, but I can't afford this relationship for much longer.)

Hopefully, this will be a good way to do that. I do have a steady work schedule this summer with a job that's almost full time. However, although you might look at that and ask, "Now how the hell are you going to have the time or energy to do all that and blog?"

The answer, my friends, is this. Unlike last summer, which basically consisted of me fruitlessly searching for a job, then staying up until 7 a.m., then sleeping until 5 p.m., working will pretty much force me to stick to a normal schedule (and sleeping pattern.) Therefore, I'll have structured blogging time instead of just adding stuff whenever I'm too bored to do anything else.

Hopefully this blog will be worth my effort. I'll work to consistently provide quality content, if the four of so of you* who end up reading this can give me your support.

*This might be a generous estimate.

My victory lap is coming up soon.

Join me on the journey.

A note on the title: Unfortunately, I can't take complete credit for the term "Victory Lapping." I actually heard it first from an acquaintance, Caitlin, who completed her fifth and final year at UO in spring 2010 and currently works in the admissions office in the SOM. I loved the phrase and even started using it myself when I told people that I would be sticking around for the 2011-2012 school year. Just thought I'd give credit where credit is due!