The Corvallist

Death Knell

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 03:49:00 +0000

Ladies and gentlemen, friends and stalkers... I'm folding up the blog. I haven't posted since July and had seriously slacked off prior to that.

It's time to admit that I'm done with the experiment. I am seriously preoccupied, what with school, work and raising a teenager. Even when I do find the time to post, I don't usually feel inclined to do so. Part of the problem is that my focus is not just on Corvallis. I often would like to write something up in the blog, but often that something has nothing to do with our fair town. So I'm considering starting up a more typical blog where I can rant and rave about whatever comes to mind.

I feel mildly guilty about this, because I do think that there is a lot to be said about Corvallis and the events that affect the residents here, whether or not others would agree that said events had an impact beyond our borders.

For example, a homeless man froze to death in our fair little city a day or two ago, despite the relatively decent resources offered here and the kindness shown by a police officer. And speaking of kindness shown by police officers, or lack thereof, there is the ongoing incident where Officer Cox arrested a completely sober man for driving under the influence -- a mark that will now stay on this man's record, despite the fact that no charges were brought. Because he was sober. Jesus.

Anyway, if I wasn't going to school, I would likely keep this up. But I can't do it.

Why post a farewell now? Because I just received notification that the URLs for the Corvallist blog will be expiring in January. I am curious, my lovely fellow Corvallists, if there is anyone who would like to take over the website and become the new voice of Corvallis. I would be willing to transfer the URL directly to someone new to avoid the site names being snatched up by those horrid link-spambot sites that currently litter the series of tubes.

I couldn't sign the site over to just anyone, of course. I would want to see a few writing samples, unless the person taking over was a local blogger I already *knew* well. The new blogger also would have to agree to maintain some sort of message indicating that the author of the blog was new since whatever date the site was taken over. And, of course, this new person would have to take over the annual cost of registering the domain names (corvallist.com, corvallist.org and corvallist.net) and find new hosting space, although I could continue to provide hosting space during a transition period.

If you're interested in taking on this project, please email me at corvallist@gmail.com. If nobody's interested, I may renew the domain names for an additional year just to prevent the site from becoming a child porn network.

Thanks for reading, back when I was writing. Happy Holidays to all of you!

Linn vs. Benton

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:44:00 +0000

Note: I thought I had published this a week ago, but it apparently saved as a draft instead. Hmph.

An article in the Gazette-Times today reported that the average home price in Corvallis has now topped $300,000. The housing market here has become absurd. We don't really have the economic base for homes that expensive, unlike say the Bay Area or the New York City sleeper communities. Despite having a decent income for a single mom, right around the median income for my household size, I couldn't afford to buy anything other than a manufactured home or small condo at this point. Thankfully, I actually prefer to rent right now. Nobody earning the median income in Corvallis could qualify for the typical mortgage, unless you find a shady subprime lender offering up an adjustable rate deal where you only pay interest for several years then faint when you see what the actual payments will be.

The article goes on to mention that Albany and other Linn County towns have become sleeper communities for Corvallis, as well as Salem and Eugene. At one point, someone says that a little bit of driving is worth it for the added quality of life. Sorry, but quality of life is precisely what keeps me in Corvallis, not in one of the surrounding towns. I like our green spaces, our downtown flower baskets, the sense of community and, yes, I like the tree-hugging, aging hippie liberalism. Besides, in a very literal sense, Albany stinks. Whether it is Wah Chang or the paper mill (a point of endless debate), that factory stench wafts into Albany and lingers. On hot days, it is unbearable. Albany is also very fond of concrete. Not all of Albany; North Albany isn't bad, and downtown Albany is worth visiting sometimes. But most of Albany is bleak.

As for other local communities, another article in the GT neatly demonstrated why I will always vastly prefer Corvallis. A couple in Lebanon decided to enter a contest for their dream wedding, and they won. Their wedding took place yesterday, on the theoretically lucky 07/07/07 (side note: happy birthday to my brother!), at Wal-Freaking-Mart. In a previous article about this couple, it was mentioned that the bride shops there every single day. The Wal-Mart cashier who married the couple, a retired pastor, said Jesus would approve. “I think it’s super,” he said, beaming. “I think if Christ were here on Earth, he’d be in the marketplace. This is the marketplace.”

I never pictured Jesus in a blue vest with a yellow happy face button before.

Uggly Oregonian trends

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 03:46:00 +0000

Listen up, ladies. I'm breaking my self-imposed hiatus to make an important request.

If it is warm enough outside for you to wear shorts or a mini skirt, please, please leave the Uggs at home. First of all, they were the height of fashion several years ago very briefly. But they were not then and are not now warm weather apparel.

(I know, this is hardly of earth-shattering importance, but a couple days ago I saw a gaggle of college-aged girls walking down the street wearing mini skirts and these hideous boots. It was wrong!)

Corvallisness

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 04:33:00 +0000

Due to recent events, our way of life in Corvallis is going to shift. The changes may be virtually imperceptible or it may rock the town's essential nature. Either way, some of these changes are inevitable, some are deplorable, some likely won't matter to the majority of those who live here.

I personally will mourn two losses that our town is facing. The first is the demise of the Avalon Cinema, best li'l theater that ever was. It didn't even really get a chance to be a theater pub; it was sort of like turning 21 and finding out you already have liver cirrhosis.

I will admit my own culpability; I work evenings, and haven't made it to the Avalon (or Darkside) in quite a long while. But the cause is multifactorial. The town went from five movie screens to 21 in a rather short time and, sadly, people seem to actually prefer checking out the latest Adam Sandler movie in stadium seats with overpriced, chemically-flavored popcorn than watching Pan's Labyrinth with takeout.

The Avalon will have one last great fling with the public by showing Rocky Horror Picture Show on June 30th. I have to work, again. But I do plan on making more of an effort to patronize the Darkside, because I don't want it to suffer the same fate.

The other great loss will be the beautiful stretch of land between Witham Hill Drive and Harrison Boulevard. This popular hiking area will be developed in typical ugly fashion by Legend Homes. Just what Corvallis needs... 220 more overpriced McMansions on teeny lots, just as the vacancy rate starts climbing, yet affordable housing. Two acres of wetlands will be destroyed and the oak savannah warped into postage stamp sod lawns. What a shame.

Some good things are happening, as well. There has been a spate of new restaurants opening up. New ventures in existing buildings are always good. Food variety is also good. I haven't had the opportunity to try Cloud 9 yet, and the new Tokyo Grill won't be open for a while, but Baguettes Vietnamese Sandwiches is amazing. Two shrimp salad rolls for $3.95 with a delicious mint peanut sauce. *drool*

The flower baskets are up downtown and I've just learned that Pink Martini will be playing at Da Vinci Days this year. We've been waiting for them to come back and play a local venue in Portland or Eugene for under $50 per person, only to find out that we can see them for the $15 it costs for a weekend pass at the festival. Awesome! Of course, I'm also supposed to move that weekend, but I'll probably need the break from packing and cleaning by the time the show starts.

The farmers' market still kicks serious fanny. We're all hooked on cherries and snap peas at the moment.

And finally, for now, if you missed Crime Watch this week, it's rather priceless. That suspicious philospher? I live with him. He just graduated from OSU with an actual degree in philosophy and he really is working on a book. He finds it peaceful and relaxing to write in the woods. I find it absurd that the police felt it necessary to question him in a public area at 2:30 in the afternoon, simply for sitting in his car, but that's just one more thing about Corvallis that doesn't really change -- there's not enough for the poor police officers to do. But hey, suspicious philosopher is a fantastic designation for business cards and such.

Hi?

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 11:15:00 +0000

It's been a crazy couple of months. I made it through my first year back at school with a better GPA than I expected. I was awarded a research apprenticeship that I am still trying to wrap up. I even won an award. And Corvallist kid somehow passed me in height and beat the odds to bring home a communicable disease to which she theoretically should have had immunity.

I thought I'd be back to regular posts by now, but my schedule won't allow it for another month or so. I somehow have to sort, sell, donate and pack all the STUFF that has been collecting dust in my garage and closets within the next couple of weeks in order to downsize from house to apartment. I loved this idea at first. I need to simplify. I need to purge. I didn't bother unpacking some of this STUFF since the last move, which means it's time to go. Plus, I decided I'd rather move to a smaller, cheaper place so grad school will be more affordable. The pool will also be nice, as will the location, which will enable both Corvallist kid and I to rely less on our vehicle for basic errands.

Of course, now I actually have to do all those things. In the interim, I'm trying to work overtime, deliver the kid to Grandma's house and squeeze in a visit myself, and finish this research project. Then I start summer classes.

Glutton for punishment? Oh yeah! But I do want to comment on a couple of things that have happened, so another post will be forthcoming before I sink back into hibernation.

Knowing when to fold 'em...

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 05:21:00 +0000

It doesn't look like I'm going to magically be able to fabricate extra time this term after all. A couple of homework-intensive classes, getting the Corvallist kid registered and set up for high school and now the honor of being awarded a research apprenticeship for the remainder of the term... well, you get the idea.

I have tried to keep up with local news, and I sometimes walk around thinking, "Gotta remember that for the blog," but when it comes down to actually finding a free block of time to write? It ain't happenin'.

I had tried writing some lighter "fluff" stories as filler, and was reminded by a local citizen that I was now charged with tackling local issues. But the real meaty issues take more than 5 minutes and I'd rather write nothing than write poorly.

So, ciao for now. If I find time to breathe, I'll come back and post. Otherwise, see you this summer.

April showers bring taxes and fresh produce?

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 05:07:00 +0000

Tomorrow morning, the Corvallis Farmers' Market returns to the riverfront. From now until November, you have the option of supporting local farmers and buying produce that travels less than 100 miles from earth to your table. The food tends to be fresher, taste better, and isn't artificially preserved with wax (like apples from Washington state) or laden with pesticides.

We do have a winter market and Wednesday market at the fairgrounds, but it's just not the same as the full-blown market Saturday mornings. There will be music, food demonstrations, activities for the kids (at least on opening day) and samples galore. You'll find more than just fruits and vegetables; there are always plenty of flowers, plants, honey, jams, free-range/hormone-free/cruelty-free meats, calzones from the First Alternative Co-Op booth and my personal addiction -- multigrain sourdough bread from Alpine Bakery.

The best part? It's all pretty inexpensive. When you buy direct from the farmer or vendor, with no middleman, you save money and the farmer keeps more of it.

The market will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. from April 14th through November 17th. For more information, go to the Locally Grown website.

Priorities, priorities...

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 13:46:00 +0000

Doesn't it just figure? Right after the lovely acknowledgment in the paper, right after a challenging term comes to a close and spring break (and spring weather) arrives, the lights in the blog window go out. Sorry 'bout that.

There are some exciting things happening for me rightthisveryminute that simply take precedence. I'm sure you'll understand. In addition to facing my first term with no days off (I've managed at least one day with neither work nor school for both the past two terms), I find myself blessed with some opportunities that require my attention:

I'm up for a research assistantship in my major that could actually fit into my schedule, which is important. I need one of these to qualify for "real" research positions in the future, and it automatically enhances the grad school application and resumé.
I'm in the running for a local scholarship that would permit me to take summer courses without a major financial hit when I need it least (need to save fundage for summer camp and minor travel and a particular teenager's upcoming birthday).
I've just been nominated for an honorary award at the university that would make obtaining scholarships a wee bit easier.

All of these things required compiling application packets, writing essays and attempting to wrangle letters of recommendation from the right people. That may not sound like much of a chore, but with a schedule like mine, with a brain that can handle only so many things at once (a limit I test frequently), I haven't even managed to sneak a peek beyond the front page of the GT in passing, let alone pay rapt attention to local issues.

"Yeah, yeah," you say. "We don't care. Get back to work!" *whipcrack*

Hopefully, now that the packets are completed and submitted, I will have some time to do just that.

Charity in the Off Season

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 04:25:00 +0000

Christmas is still nine shopping months away, although local retailers will probably deck the halls right after stashing all the back to school sale signs. The Salvation Army bell-ringers will start showing up right after Halloween and United Way will start their annual fundraising drive around the same time. Let’s just say the winter holiday season is still a solid six months away and call it good.

A lot of people give during the holiday season. They generously open their wallets and sign up for payroll deduction and pat themselves on the back for donating to the needy while loading up their carts at Walmart or wherever with more plastic goodness for the kiddies and tchotchkes for the in-laws and so forth.

Sometimes, it's a long time between Christmases for charity organizations. I was going to write this post a week or so ago when a tiny blurb appeared in the middle of the Gazette-Times asking people to donate towels and washcloths to Community Outreach. With an average of 50 or so low-income and homeless clients stopping in to take showers at COI on a daily basis, this seemed like a worthy call. There are often inexpensive towels at the Dollar Store and sometimes the Canned Food Outlet, plus almost everyone can spare at least a single towel from their own linen closets.

I put off the article when I was notified about my impending fame and glory (hah!) and then saw a second article in Saturday's paper about Community Outreach facing a $60,000 budget shortfall this year. A couple of towels won't be enough.

Some of us have the option to donate throughout the year through payroll deduction, but I know most of us probably also donate piecemeal to other charities who ask for money, and most often around the holidays. Why don't we continue the trend throughout the year? Community Outreach is an amazing resource for a town this size. They need our help. Even those of who you have criticisms about them drawing in homeless from surrounding towns (the argument I hear most often) can cough up $20 every now and then. If you have to justify this to yourself by saying it keeps the homeless guys from sleeping in your rose bushes, that works for me.

If you can't donate money (or don't feel like it... hey, your prerogative!), there are several charities in town that maintain wish lists for non-financial goods they need. This might be nothing more than a blogtastic guilt trip, but really, how hard is it to glance at the lists to see if that thing in your garage that you never actually use might actually be needed in the community?

Community Outreach's Wish List
Mario Pastega House (call 768-4650 for wish list items)
Home Life's Wish List
ARC of Benton County's Resale Stores (if you want to consign something)
Linn-Benton Food Share (primarily need money, but also freezers)
Heartland Humane Society Wish List
Boys & Girls Club Wish List
Vina Moses (general donation page)

A major caveat: Please do not treat charities as garbage repositories. I've known so many people who actually thought it was an acceptable practice to take their broken appliances and furniture or clothing with holes and missing buttons to charity drop-off points. That just raises the garbage bill of the charity; they aren't going to give unusable crap to the needy.

I like the fact that we have a giant Goodwill in town, mainly because I have a teenager with an appreciation for "vintage" finds that actually fit into her meager allowance budget, but I'd rather take my items where they will be given directly to the needy or used in some fashion on their behalf. Vina Moses doesn't charge for clothing, for example.

The Corvallis school system is also another worthy recipient for any spare change you have lying around. You can even help them simply by signing up your Safeway Club Card so that a percentage based on your grocery bill is forwarded to your school of choice. First Alternative Co-Op also donates 1% of their Wednesday receipts to a local charity that varies by month. This month, money will go to Stone Soup.

When all else fails, or when you simply don't have anything else to give, remember that you can always give blood. There are regular Red Cross blood drives here in town on campus, at the hospital and Corvallis Clinic, at CH2M Hill and at the Co-op.

Edit: Local cat-lover and cat-fixer Strayer has also recently added a donation button to her blog. The service she provides is valuable, so please help if you can.

Spring has sprung!

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 17:09:00 +0000

The view from my front yard this morning:

Launching my "Vast Media Empire"

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 07:43:00 +0000

That was my older brother's response to my excited announcement that this little blog would be one of those mentioned in the Lifestyles section of the Gazette-Times today. It's the official launching of my vast media empire. I'm still giggling over the very idea. My other brother suggested that maybe I could soon hang out with whomever writes the horoscopes. I'm saving myself for the person who writes fortune cookie messages.

But yes, 'tis true... I received an email from Theresa Hogue warning me that I would be receiving a mention in the Sunday paper along with other local bloggers, and here it is, complete with a snippet from one of last week's postings. (I love that 1951 Ranch Redo was one of the main blogs featured.) Flattering, especially considering how often the Gazette-Times has been the target of some of my rants. Like this one:

My relationship with the GT has always been of the love/hate variety. I loved working there, until my favorite people all left (including Beth Clark, former kickass publisher) and Lee Enterprises leadership decided Corvallis and Albany should be lumped together, to which I still say "Ew." I loved the newspaper itself, with its small town local news focus, until the typos and grammar errors increased exponentially and more and more AP wire stories were printed missing entire paragraphs. There are still some talented writers at the GT (I'm looking at you, Bennett Hall), but others confuse news with opinion a bit too often (remember Jennifer Gardner's anti-fluoridation propaganda in what was supposed to be a column about pets?), and the editorial page writing is timid and weak at best, Hasso Heringish at worst. (He deserves his own adjective.) I don't know what happened to Paul Davies, but he knew how to wrangle an editorial out of the editorial board.

Anyway, the real secret is that I do still read the GT, online some days, free copies at work other days, but I do shell out money for the Sunday edition most weeks. I prefer the Oregonian for actual news, but I'm a sucker for stories like the recent feel-good story about the two local kids and their dad donating money for the new Wildcat Park in honor of their late mother. And I'm a sucker for any newspaper that thinks I'm somehow newsworthy.

(If anyone reading today actually found the blog through the GT article, please leave a comment or send an email... and welcome!)

Laidlaw -- What a Bargain

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 04:11:00 +0000

It was reported in the Gazette-Times that Laidlaw Transit and the Amalgamated Transit Union are once again close to signing a new contract. They have to go through this huge rigamarole every couple of years to get this done. Indeed, the contract between the bus drivers and the company has been expired since June 2006.

What I find amazing is how the union and Laidlaw both fail the employees who actually have to drive the school buses every day. Laidlaw is notorious for underpaying employees while making idiotic business decisions that cost the company more money. But this union just stinks. They don't bargain well and they haven't accomplished much on behalf of the bus drivers.

Let's talk for a moment about Laidlaw's wages and benefits. There is virtually always a help wanted ad in the paper asking for new employees. They promise free training, a starting wage of something like $9.93 per hour, and even claim that there are also benefits and flexible hours. Oh really? No, not really.

Technically, the advertisement doesn't lie. If you manage to somehow work 40 hours in a week, then yes, you become eligible for benefits. However, the vast majority of their employees work a couple hours in the morning, break for the middle of the day, then work for a couple hours in the afternoon. Makes sense, when you consider what hours school buses are operating. But the schedule makes it difficult for most of the employees to hit that 40-hour mark. As for flexible hours, the school day starts and ends at fixed times. The only really flexible shifts are for the substitutes who fill in for a route here and there. They do always need subs, because they always need employees, but I wouldn't consider this a flexible hour policy.

Why do they always need employees? Because working 2 or 3 hours in the morning, taking a 4-hour break, then working another 2 or 3 hours in the afternoon for less than $10 an hour sucks. Not only that, but the brilliant decision to move the bus barn miles out of town means actually commuting to pick up the bus twice a day, unless the employees want to hang out at the bus barn for a long, boring lunch. I have it from a trusted source that the local Laidlaw management were completely surprised that their in-town lease wasn't renewed. They never bothered to ask; they simply assumed the lease would be renewed. As a result, they only had a couple of weeks to find new digs, and that's why the new digs are almost in Albany.

Also, let's be realistic. The kids are not all little angels. I had the opportunity to ride along on a few routes a couple of years ago (as a navigator for someone in training who didn't know the town well) and there's something up with Adair Village middle schoolers. Those kids are pure evil. Parents, I know it's tempting to believe that your children do no wrong, but bus drivers mostly don't have vendettas against children. If they write a citation for your child and Junior says, "It wasn't me," well, to be frank, your child is probably lying. I know it's disappointing, but you will make this world a better place if you actually discipline your child instead of threatening to sue the school district. Some parents, when confronted with video footage of their little angels punching other little angels in the face, actually claimed the children in question simply resembled their kids, but it couldn't possibly be their kids. Nice, eh? But I'm way off point here.

So yeah, it's a difficult job, for lousy pay and the turnover is high. What is the union doing about this? Mostly garnering a couple more cents per hour for the most senior employees, while the entry level wage still lingers under the $10 mark. They accomplish little, yet treat minor gains as stellar achievements. I say fire everyone except the actual bus drivers and start over.

Now here's another question. Why don't the school bus drivers fall under the Living Wage ordinance Corvallis passed in 1999? Every company that contracts with the city or agency of the city is supposed to pay employees a living wage (currently set at $10.47... still less than the $12 or so that Philomath and Albany pay their bus drivers). The Corvallis Transit city bus drivers start at $15/hour and actually work full time, so they receive benefits right away, rather than waiting years and years. Plus, they can work year-round. Laidlaw contracts with the school district, which should be equivalent to a contract with the city, no? Is the union really just so awful that they don't press for enforcement of this issue when the new contracts are proposed? Or is there some gaping loophole I'm missing?

At least the contract is nearly signed, nine months late. In a year or so, we'll be treated to more bargaining, threats of strike, and probably another contract that garners a nickel for the people with whom we trust our children's safety and well-being nearly every day of the school year.

Alpha Gamma Rho, again.

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Tue, 13 Mar 2007 21:34:00 +0000

It was announced today that Joshua Grimes, former OSU student and former AGR lackey, has pleaded guilty to charges that he shot Dennis Sanderson in the alley behind the frat building last October. As part of the plea bargain, two of the four charges were dropped, but he still faces a possible minimum sentence of five years. Good. Blatant disregard for human life should be punished, even if it was originally intended as some sort of idiotic prank.

Oddly enough, Alpha Gamma Rho made the paper in another incident this week, showing that they still don't have much compassion or understanding for the less fortunate. According to Crime Watch this week, the AGR boys held a "white trash" party, a theme they demonstrated by putting car parts and washing machine parts on the front lawn. (This was only referenced in Crime Watch after someone chucked one of these parts through a window.)

Honestly, that wouldn't typically register high on my list of things to be appalled by (and in fact, I have made white trash comments on Ye Olde Blog previously, I admit). However, this is a fraternity, theoretically an exemplary group of future leaders with philanthropic aims. Not only that, but one might think that a fraternity already under fire for their NRA-pleasing stockpile of weapons and the shooting incident referenced above would be a bit more cautious about the messages they are sending to the community. Ha ha?

A quick Google search led to similar incidents at other chapters of AGR, including a simulated lynching at Oklahoma State University and a hazing-related goat abuse case at Western Kentucky University. Maybe it's time for the fraternity leadership to explain exactly they mean when they say, "The world needs a few good men. The kind of men who lead by the example of their character and the value of their actions. For more than 100 years, Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity has successfully endeavored to make such men." (It's sort of fun to look at their list of values on the national website.)

(If my last post on the Alpha Gamma Rho shooting was any indication, that's sure to bring the belligerent frat defenders out of the woodworks, so gentlemen, please save your finger energy and don't bother typing hateful comments. I will simply ignore them this time around. Keep it civil or you'll have to bang your fists on your keyboard in frustration. And I will laugh and laugh, as you froth and really try to convince everyone that you are only criticized because the rest of us are jealous World of Warcraft addicts, or whatever. Have a nice day.)

I think they publish these Top 10 lists at the same time.

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 23:45:00 +0000

It's some sort of conspiracy, I tell ya! At least this latest list is something to make Corvallis residents proud.

Corvallis was named third in the nation in Country Home magazine's 2007 list of "Best Green Places" this week, beaten only by Burlington, Vermont and Ithaca, New York, proving we're a bunch of damned hippies. Yay us!

In more narrow categories within the eco-friendly ratings, Corvallis ranked second in the number of green public buildings, has more people who bicycle to work than anywhere else, as well as a significant number of people walking to work and using public transit, and, of course, has a high number of farmers’ markets and food co-ops. We're mean, green, biking machines, apparently.

While I agree that Corvallis deserves a spot on the list, I have to question a few of these places. The town where my mother lives (Hi Mom!) defines ugly suburban strip mall sprawl, but it managed to squeak into the top 20. I have a feeling that park acreage factors significantly. Even that doesn't really explain Champaign-Urbana, but whatever.

The top 25 green cities can be found here.

History of a marriage, in hotels.

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 06:12:00 +0000

This morning, I parked at the Corvallis Inn while it was being demolished so that I could take a few pictures. One wall with archways remained like something out of a low-budget Roman-era movie, with piles of rubble all around. I then proceeded to curse myself for not remembering that the batteries were dead, so the moment has been lost.

While I was standing there, it struck me that the hotels on 9th Street were odd landmarks that corresponded to events in my marriage. I have already mentioned that my wedding reception was held at the Corvallis Inn, back when it was still Nendel's, before the Ramada Inn briefly came in and ran in headlong into bankruptcy.

But when my ex and I were young and broke, we had this irritating roommate who would blast Air Supply (!) music every now and then, which more than once sent us packing to the Jason Inn for brief escapes, which was the only place we could really afford. The Jason Inn was torn down last year. If we had ever stayed at the C.E.W. motel before it was torn down, I might develop a complex and fancy myself a hotel destroyer, but that place was too scary even for a couple of low-rent fast food employees. At least the Jason Inn had the Toa Yuen restaurant, which had great food.

Two years prior to that, in around April of 1991, my ex and I were actually attending a birthday party that friends were holding in a suite at the Motel Orleans, which is now the Motel 6. We were bored... it was basically a bunch of people sitting around drinking beer and watching TV, so we decided to leave and go for a walk. We lived in the neighborhood at the time and decided to cut through the field by the DMV. It was a really pretty spring night and my ex chose that spot to propose. Salbasgeon Suites now stands where that field used to be.

If the Salbasgeon is ever torn down, I'll chalk it up to my secret hotel destroying powers!

Corvallis makes the Top 10!

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 06:46:00 +0000

Too bad it's the top 10 towns with the highest home price appreciation in the nation. Corvallis ranked 8th in the country, with a 16.2% increase in home prices in 2005.

Most of us who have lived here for any length of time already guessed it was a pretty steep rise. In 2000, the median price for a vacant home was $121,000. In 2005, when Corvallis was ranked 10th on Sperling's Best Places to Live, the median price had already jumped to $198,000.

I know that's probably a reasonable figure compared to many places along both coasts, but virtually all new housing being built in town is above the $200K mark. I think the costs were initially driven up by the mass production of $400K McMansions on Timber Hill, but now these fairly small houses in Southtown are going for nearly $300K and the McMansions are pushing $800K. I like looking at the housing flyers in older parts of town where cocky homeowners encouraged by the mad increases are trying to sell off their 800-square-foot shanties for $180,000. That does cheer me up a bit, because those places still sit on the market for a good long while, until common sense prevails.

But actual affordable housing in Corvallis now basically means $150,000 two-bedroom condos and trailer parks, folks. Or you can rent for all eternity and hope your landlord doesn't raise the rent every 6 months. I'm glad I like my landlord!

Taser Party at the Towne Pump

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 07:19:00 +0000

Fred Meyer was an auspicious place to be this morning at around 10 a.m. this morning.

First of all, there was this bizarre pseudo-hail floating down peacefully while the sun streamed through the clouds. It resembled those tiny Styrofoam pellets you find in bean bag chairs, rather than actual hail, and they were light enough that they just sort of fluttered to the ground.

Then there were the cops, all gathered around the Towne Pump gas station across the street, adjacent to 7-11. I was wondering why they needed four police vehicles there and figured someone had tried to rob the gas station or *gasp* had a broken tail light.

Nope! The cops tasered a homeless woman from Seattle who had called the nearby mosque asking for help. Using a Taser is apparently an effective way to get someone to stop punching a police officer... it's the fourth time they've zapped someone this year. They sure like their toys. Much more fun that simply handcuffing someone.

I jest, but to me, it seems like another case of a mentally ill person falling... no, plunging through the cracks. Corvallis has some good resources for the mentally ill, but as noted in the Gazette-Times article last Sunday, if you have no insurance and no money, good luck to you. I hear there are some other folks camping under the bridge... maybe they can help you. Benton County Mental Health, our town's best safety net (in theory) is turning people away more frequently. And every year, there are a few more stories about the police using a Taser or worse on someone who is belligerent without obvious cause.

Freaky Friday

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 01:21:00 +0000

While sitting in class on Friday morning, within the space of a bizarre 30 minutes, a portion of Oregon State's campus was evacuated due to a gas leak and we had a freakishly brief snow storm. Seriously, we had about five minutes of snow and then it vanished as though my classmates and I had suffered a quick mutual hallucination. Neither one was reason enough for us to leave class, but it's an interesting class, so nobody really seemed to mind.

I also had the opportunity to sample the new pizza place on Monroe, the aptly-named Slices. They promised New York pizza... how could I not go? I'll have to say, it's close. Closer than Cirello's, to be sure, but Cirello's still wins in the taste department overall.

The pizza is thin enough, can be properly folded like a NY slice, and almost tastes right. I think we've narrowed it down to the sauce. The sauce needs a little more... something. And there's not enough of it. Parts of the pizza had virtually no sauce between the cheese and bread. But these were the ready-made slices, so we may order a full pie and ask for a smidge extra sauce.

The strangest pizza on display was a baked potato pizza, which featured actual wedges of potato and bacon. It may sound a bit weird, but for a long time, Round Table pizza had little pizzas made in baked potato shells that were quite tasty. (Pizzatatoes? Something like that.) If you want pizza by the slice, this is the place to go. FAR better than American Dream Pizza.

Trans Fatless

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 04:19:00 +0000

According to the First Alternative Co-op's February newsletter, The Thymes, neither store will continue to sell products containing trans fats as of March 1st. Considering how many products contain partially hydrogenated oils, it's amazing that they've been able to find enough products to stock the shelves.

We started monitoring food labels for the words "partially hydrogenated" over a year ago, and with very few exceptions (every now and then, you just need a mint Milano cookie), we don't buy products containing such oils. Or high-fructose corn syrup. In the same period of time, more or less, I've lost about 65 pounds. That's not the only reason, but it sure makes it easier! In the same period of time, Corvallist kid has gone fishytarian (yes, I know the correct term is pescovegetarian) on me and I imagine I'll eventually follow.

But this weekend, I'm being treated to a nice steak at the Outback Steakhouse, and there's no way I'm turning that down. I'm not there just yet. I doubt I'll ever be a food Nazi... but it doesn't have to be one extreme or the other. Just because I occasionally eat out without grilling the waiter about the origins of my food doesn't mean I should give up and start eating at McDonald's every other day.

For a die-hard carnivore, I consider it major progress that all the meat we buy in our household is free-range, locally-raised, organic and adult. We even printed out a card from the Monterey Bay Aquarium for reference when buying fish, so we can counter the arguments from those who mock us and claim we'll just end up depleting the oceans with our factory cow avoidance.

Still, living in an area of agricultural abundance makes it easy to live and eat healthfully. Once the farmers' market is back in full swing, we'll continue taking these small, environmentally-beneficial steps and hopefully will continue reducing our "footprint" on the earth.

The best part? Local food just tastes better. It doesn't have as far to travel, after all.

Rob Priewe comes to his senses...or something.

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 06:23:00 +0000

Rob Priewe has been working at the Gazette-Times for more than 20 years. For the last nine of those years, he has been managing editor. And now he's moving on to destinations unknown, or at least not mentioned in the article announcing his resignation.

At least, I think the article is announcing his resignation. It vaguely mentions that he is "leaving" the paper. I seriously hope this was his idea, but Lee Enterprises has a tendency to run off the good employees, so I'm hoping that Rob has found some fantastic job where he will be appreciated and paid well.

Honestly? They should've made Rob the publisher instead of managing editor back when the GT merged with the Albany Democrat-Herald, but for some ungodly reason, creepy newspaper troll Hasso Hering was granted guru powers. That was the beginning of the end for the GT, I think. It has been sliding downhill ever since.

So good luck to Rob from a former coworker whom you might or might not remember. You deserved better than what Lee Enterprises gave you, and like all the other talented folk who inevitably flee for greener pastures, I imagine you'll end up somewhere better.

Ahhh... Crime Watch

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 06:29:00 +0000

It's consistently the best part of the Gazette-Times.

My favorite "crime" from this week:

CYCLES AND BASKETBALLS 6:11 p.m., 3300 block of Southwest Philomath Boulevard. A man in his late 20s riding a bicycle got mad when he nearly collided with a man in his 50s riding a unicycle and dribbling basketballs. The younger man chased the man on the unicycle and kicked his basketballs into a neighboring field before riding off.

I love this town!

In addition to the unicycle-prompted bike rage, we had some chick run out without paying for her manicure and a pizza delivery car stolen because it was left running while the deliverer was at the door bringing a tasty pie to some unknowing resident.

There's real crime, too. But in a larger town, these little crime nuggets wouldn't warrant space in a news column. Hooray for silly criminals!*

*Disclaimer: The Management does not actually endorse criminal activity. :P

Smooth Operator

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 06:34:00 +0000

A couple days ago, the family and I made a foray to North Shore Smoothies on Kings Boulevard, in the base of the Gem apartment building just off campus. The store opened up a couple weeks ago and has already gained a steady following.

The owners may attribute their early success to the plasma screen on the wall that shows a constant live feed (when possible) of Hawaii's surf, or maybe the giant surf chick in the corner with the "Hee hee, she's underage" notice posted next to her, or maybe the tropical emphasis in all their pre-fab smoothie recipes.

It's far simpler than that. It's the only dedicated smoothie shop in town. We have no Jamba Juice. It was a good idea and a perfect location.

The smoothies themselves? Well, really, they're pretty much like every other smoothie you've ever had. They're plenty tasty and all the trendy wheatgrass/echinacea/ginseng additives are available for those who fancy that sort of thing. They also serve food, but we just went for the frothy fruitiness. The Corvallist family gave hearty thumbs-up for the peach something-or-other and the strawberry/raspberry thingamajig (I forgot the official names).

Vagina.

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 05:21:00 +0000

There, I said it, right out in the open. Why? A couple of good reasons, actually.

First of all, Eve Ensler's Vagina Monologues (PDF) are coming back to Corvallis. The show will be performed at LaSells Stewart Center on February 22nd and 23rd and will cost you a mere $10, the majority of which will go to the Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence. A most worthy cause.

The Vagina Monologues are supposed to be empowering and demystifying, which is why it is utterly bizarre that the name of the play was actually changed to the "Hoohah Monologues" in Atlantic Beach, Florida. One of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, explains that the play was renamed "to avoid offended passers-by with small daughters who ask embarrassing questions...which seems, somehow, to miss the point on a scale that is positively awesome." That, dear readers, is why the title of this post proudly stands as is.

Also, there will be a Pap-A-Thon that Saturday, February 24th, from 9 a.m. to noon. If you are uninsured or underinsured, you can take advantage of Samaritan OB/GYN's free cervical cancer screening. Not only can you assume the stirrup position without a copay of any kind, but they will offer chair massages, child care and refreshments. (Not while you're on the table, probably.) That's the first time a Pap smear has sounded festive!

While some recommendations have been changed to suggest that women only need Pap smears every three years, for many women, this is their only contact with a doctor, so if you haven't been in a while, please go. To participate, call 768-5220 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Educational Priorities

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 06:36:00 +0000

The Corvallis Community Vision for Education project is seeking input from community members regarding education in our community and the future of the Corvallis school district. Even if you don't currently have children in the public education system, this is an opportunity to contribute ideas toward how we should be shaping young minds. Covered topics include everything from technology to social interaction to sustainability issues.

The community forum has already passed, but there is an online survey with plenty of room for comments. At the end of the initial survey, there is a link for those who missed the initial forum with a few additional questions. Please take a few minutes to take the survey, especially if you have kids or plan on having kids locally. We are blessed with a really great, responsive school district, so I figure this is a fairly painless way to get involved. The survey is located at http://www.360eval.com/login and the login code is CorvallisVision (all one word).

There will be a followup meeting on Tuesday, March 13 at 6:00-9:00 p.m., at Corvallis High School, where the findings will be summarized and additional feedback requested. The final "vision" will be released sometime in May.

Spam-O-Rama

noreply@blogger.com (Corvallist) — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 06:07:00 +0000

I've decided to turn word verification back on for comments, due to a major increase in comment spam over the past week. Certain old posts have apparently ended up on the spam circuit and I'm receiving upwards of 10 comments a day offering me Viagra. Oddly enough, I still don't need any.

Sorry for the inconvenience. I'll give it a month or so and then try to take the filter back down.

In other Spam-related news, Monty Python's Spamalot is coming to Portland at the end of August for a limited run at Keller Auditorium. Tickets are not yet available and rumor has it that tickets will only be available as part of a multi-show pass, which would suck, because I really don't have any real inclination to see Camelot or Riverdance, which will round out the season at Keller this year.

Finally, check out the Spam Fan Club!