A Sneak Peek at one of this week's showers . . .

Will share pictures galore after this Saturday!

Punching The Clock: The Sunday Ride

What a difference a few days make. On Thursday, Mongo went for a ride with his buddy, Boonen and local legend, Diane. It was sixty degrees and sunny, and we had a brisk cruise for about thirty miles. It was my first ride on the road bike since I almost froze to death a couple of weeks ago, and I felt pretty good. My training on the hills with my mountain bike is legitimately showing results. Mongo is already in pre-negotiations with Chris Carmichael concerning a DVD release of my "Cat 5 Domination Training Method".

Feeling good about myself, Mongo saddled up LPE this afternoon and headed back to the MNR "Hammerfest" loop for another training session. The only problem was that it was thirty eight degrees and I had nothing in my stomach. The good news was that I was dressed properly, the bad news was that I only managed to ingest four hundred calories of fuel.

Mongo pushed hard the whole ride and had a strong performance. I've ridden this course seven times already this Winter. That's exactly seven more times than I did last offseason. By the end of the ride I felt like crap because of the aforementioned lack of food, but I think I might need to do this occasionally to keep my weight loss from hitting a plateau. If nothing else, my discipline has improved and my lameness has declined. There's something to be said for taking the hard way out. The results are more satisfying.

St. Anthony Cheerleaders

As some of you may have heard, the cheerleaders are once again state bound. This is the second year the cheerleaders have competed and also the second year in a row that the cheerleaders have made it to the state finals. Many people don't know what competitive cheerleading really is. The routine cannot be over 3 mins and 30 seconds total and usually consists of dancing and cheering. The dance portion of the routine cannot be over 1 min and 30 seconds. During the dance squads preform partner stunts, tumbling, and dance moves. The cheers are similar to cheers preformed at basketball games but more intense and usually longer. The more difficult the routine usually the better the score. Points can be deducted from squads if the performance is sloppy or if tricks are missed. Friday, February 5th the cheerleaders will compete in the first round of the state competition in Bloomington-Normal. And if the scores received are good enough, proceed to the second day of the state finals competition on Saturday, February 6th. So come out and support to cheerleaders, we appreciate it!

Kelsi Swanson

My first multimedia slide show

Oregon success stories

Since becoming Sunday Opinion Editor about 2 1/2 years ago, I've tried to dabble here and there in the new media world, knowing that it's essential to expand my skills set -- not just for readers, who increasingly want their news delivered in different ways, but also for the sake of my career. You can't afford to be Old School in a New School world.

Accordingly, I've moderated live chats between readers and writers; arranged studio interviews for an in-house videographer; edited audio; learned to download visuals to enhance our Opinion blog; and even shot and edited video for a project last year.

So it's with a fair amount of pride that I note my latest baby step forward: a narrated slideshow to go with a project on Oregon "success stories" that I conceived late last year. It went up on the blog yesterday, a day before appearing in print as "Beacons of achievement".

First off, I gotta give credit to my colleagues, photo director Patty Reksten and multimedia editor Rob Finch, for helping me boil down the script and making the slideshow look and sound so good. Patty did extensive research in our photo archives to come up with the dozens of images and then recorded and edited my voiceover. Rob came up with the framework for the piece and provided invaluable technical assistance to both Patty and me.

Getting this one under my belt feels good for a number of reasons: 1. It gave me greater appreciation for all the parts that must come together for a successful piece; 2. It gave me confidence that I can do this again; 3. It nudges me to think of more -- and different -- multimedia ideas to complement what we do in print.

I spent an extra two-plus hours at work Friday night, finishing off the blog post, but I'm glad I did. IMHO, I think it was worth it.

Czechmate

Zdenek Stybar wins the World Championships and confirms his place at the top of the sport. Two Americans finished in the top twenty...Tim Johnson in 14th, and James Driscoll in 19th.

(Photo:CyclingNews)

Useless, yet slightly intresting facts

You can lead a cow up stairs but not down.

The house fly hums at the middle octave F key.

The longest place name still in use is: Taumatawhakatangihangaoauauotameteat uripukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenua kitanatahu, a hill in New Zealand.

Tigers have striped skin, not striped fur.

If you yell for 8 years, 7 months, and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

Banging your head against a wall in one hour will burn 150 hours.

There are more chickens than people in the world.

This one's for you Mrs. Cross.- Winston Churchill was born in a ladies room during a dance.

Al Capone's business card said he was a furniture dealer.

There are 336 dimples on a golf ball.

The name, Wendy, was made up for Peter Pan the book. There was never another Wendy on record before.

The phrase "rule of thumb" comes from an old English law stating that a man cannot beat his wife with anything wider than his thumb.

Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. Vampire bats turn right--that's how you tell the difference... jk.

Thank you to the Freeman Institute for these useless facts.

Find more useless facts at www.freemaninstute.com/uselessFacts.htm

Haiti

Haiti was hit by an earthquake with a 7.0 magnitude. Since the earthquake there has been 72,000 bodies found so far and there is estimated to be a total of 200,000. 3,000,000 Haitians which is a third of the population is in need of necessities (food,water, and clothes). Since Haiti is in need of help we have been collecting money for a monetary donation and have sent some troops over there. Right now there are 11,000 U.S. troops in Haiti and we are going to send 4,000 more. The U.S. population has collected over 100 million dollars in donations. Over 20 million was by text messages. We have sent over 200,000 bottles of water and 600,000 food rations to help the nation out in these desperate times. St. Anthony as a school is collecting donations because we have a sister parish over there.

Back to normal in Texas

Our hopes were raised earlier this month when Jordan left for North Carolina and the first phase of what he hoped would land him a spot in the advanced training program for the U.S. Army's Special Forces.

Alas, he didn't make it. In short, it was the loss of certain equipment he needed to complete a field exercise rather than the punishing physical challenges that doomed his chances. It's too complicated to explain here, but suffice to say that any points lost early on are difficult to make up later -- and then there is no guarantee that just completing the three-week course gets you in.

We're awfully proud of him, though. Without exception, everyone who has learned that he was even trying to get in has expressed admiration for his resolve and ambition. Typically, it takes multiple attempts to qualify for the training so there's no shame in not making the cut the first time. A couple of Army guys we know say that to make it on your first try is the equivalent of landing on the the U.S. Olympic Team the first time you try. Jordan assures us he'll give it another go.

In the meantime, Lori returned late Monday from a whirlwind weekend trip to visit Jamie. They had a great time exploring El Paso (if you're a Portlander, think 82nd Avenue repeated every mile or so) together and getting caught up with each other. Lori says they found a nice apartment off base and Jamie is making friends and getting involved in different groups, so that's good to hear.

Lori returned with a new pair of cowboy boots and that should come as no surprise to those of you who know her love of footwear. "It was a great deal," she told me. "A discount I couldn't pass up."

Reminds me of the postcard she has on the refrigerator door up at the cabin" "If the boot fits, wear it!" **

** I stand corrected. "If the boot fits, buy it in every color!"

Inter Milan 2-0 A.C. Milan

Last Night at 8.45 pm (Italian time) "il derby della Madonnina" started between the two most important soccer teams of Milan. The tradition is that the whole city is waiting for the winner of this extremely important game. Inter Milan was leading the national leader board by 6 points on the A.C. Milan.The last minute news said that the Captain Alessandro Nesta (A.C.M.) # 13 was not available for the Coach Leonardo. Those were the team on the field:

Inter Milan: Julio Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Samuel, Santon; Zanetti, Cambiasso, Muntari (43'sh Cordoba); Sneijder, Milito (36'sh Balotelli), Pandev (21'sh Thiago Motta). Coach:Mourinho

A.C. Milan: Dida; Abate, Thiago Silva, Favalli, Antonini (32'sh Jankulovski); Gattuso (1'sh Seedorf), Pirlo, Ambrosini (35'sh Huntelaar); Beckham, Borriello, Ronaldinho. Coach:Leonardo

Referee: Rocchi

Goals: 10'fh Milito(Inter), 21'sh Pandev(Inter)

Red Card: Sneijder(Inter) , Lucio( Inter) double yellow card.

Yellow Cards: Favalli(Ac Milan), Thiago Silva(Ac Milan), Lucio(Inter), Muntari(Inter) and Beckham(Ac Milan).

Now Inter Milan is leading the Series A league (49 points) and the follower is A.c. Milan(40 points).

Giovanni

A Distant Ship's Smoke On The Horizon

"Mr. Vaughters...Even though you enjoy dressing like a cross between Elton John and Mr. Belvedere, and your sideburns are the only things you have left resembling a jawline, I would appreciate it if you would take off your shades and look at me while we do this interview...outside...at night."

(Photo:DanielBenson/CyclingNews)

Mongo Approved: Let The "Juice" Flow

(Photo:DanielBenson/CyclingNews)

Top Twenty?: U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

Jonathan Page (United States Of America)

Timothy Johnson (United States Of America)

James Driscoll (United States Of America)

Ryan Trebon (United States Of America)

Jeremy Powers (United States Of America)

Will Brett Favre return to the NFL next season

Brett Favre and his Minnesota Vikings lost a tough NFC Championship game Sunday to the New Orleans Saints. This battle went into overtime after Brett Favre threw an interception with just a few seconds remaining in the game. Had he not made this turnover the Vikings' kicker Ryan Longwell would have had a shot to make the game winning field goal to put Brett Favre and the Vikings into the Super Bowl. Brett Favre has said the past few years that he was going to retire but came back each time causing him to play for three different teams in three seasons. This season with the Vikings was by far the best one Favre has had in a while. Their regular season record was 12-4 and they won the NFC North Division. After their heartbreaking loss in overtime the big question is whether or not Brett Favre will return to the NFL for the 2010 season. It is hard to imagine that Brett Favre could walk away after his great season that ended in such a devastating loss. Brett Favre could not retire now considering his last throw was an interception that probably lost the game for the Vikings. Although Brett Favre is fourty years old he played this season as if he was twenty. I don't think he will retire considering he could have some bright seasons ahead of him.

John Elias Schultz

John Elias (Pete, Petey, Petey Pablo, Petey Pabs, Schultzie, Berny) Schultz is an absolutely marvelous young gentleman. He is a man who works hard and plays even harder. On the weekends he enjoys hanging with his homies and gangsta rapping. He loves his family very much and is proud of everything they do. He likes his little brother Charlie because he is a hot head and likes to get in fights. His older brother Jamie is a good friend to him and they enjoy watching movies and listening to music together. John's parents are his role models and they guide him to make the right decisions. He is looking forward to college and wants to be a sports broad caster.

Patrick Grunloh

Winding down on a Friday night

I've written before about how much I enjoy Sunday mornings. To me, it's the most peaceful time on the most relaxing day of the week. I've already decompressed on Saturday and I can look ahead most times to a day of leisure and some quality time with Lori.

Friday nights are another matter. And, really, I don't know why it's taken me so long to acknowledge here in a post. But here goes...

As Sunday Opinion Editor at The Oregonian, my work week resembles the long climb of a roller coaster. Slow at the beginning of the week, then turning to a definite arc on Wednesday and Thursday and rising sharply on Friday to a peak at around 7 pm if I'm lucky or 8 pm if I'm not. (Tonight I left the office at 10, so I'll let you draw your own conclusion.)

Once I reach the top of the figurative roller coaster, then it's a sudden drop to the bottom, represented by a walk to the bus stop and ride home, followed by the process of unwinding with a late dinner and either a book or a little TV.

As I write now, I realize I'm missing Austin City Limits (no biggie -- can't say I'm a fan of Steve Earle or Kris Kristofferson) and also a little too full from that late dinner. It occurs to me that Friday night really does represent the end of the week to me, even though the calendar says it's Saturday. Everything comes together, must come together, on Friday for me to be successful at work and, therefore, for readers to find something interesting or unexpected or provocative online or in print, starting early Saturday, when the first of a dozen or blog posts begin appearing as scheduled throughout the day Saturday and Sunday.

I love my job, despite the long Fridays. I think it brings out the best in me, both the ability to have a broad vision and the discipline to attend to a thousand details. Invariably, something unforeseen pops up -- sometimes multiple things -- and I've got to resolve immediate issues and often come up with alternative plans on the fly, while keeping my deadline fully in sight. (Jeez, all of a sudden it feels like I'm patting myself on the back. Sorry, don't mean to.)

In any case, it dawned on me that I shouldn't be surprised it takes a fair amount of time to wind down. I spend all week building up to this day; I pull together all the threads of what I've done since Monday and, together with a page designer and a handful of copy editors, weave it into a tangible product reflecting my editorial vision and judgments for that week.

On Sunday I'll make time to post something that helps explain why I was at the office so late night ... and why I'm detoxing now at this late hour.

Cartoon: Doug Savage

Super Bowl Bound

J-E-T-S Jets Jets. Yes, ladies and gentlemen the Jets are the real deal. The coach, a rookie at his job, and with a quarterback that just stepped on the NFL scene 19 weeks ago. The Jets season is lopsided and filled with many bumps and twists in the road. The Jets season started off great with a 3-0 record. Sanchez looking like a seasoned veteran throwing for and average of 202 yards per game, and a 4-2 TD to INT ratio. Also, with the coach looking like a genius by moving up in the draft to get his franchise QB, and a absolute mastermind on the defensive side of the ball.

Then, as soon as success started, it was ripped away from them when they dropped there next three games. Everyone in the NFL was considering them not for real, and no one was predicting them to go to the playoffs. So the season went by and the Jets had two must win games remaining on there schedule. The feared Colts with a 14-1 record and the Bengals who had already clinched a playoff birth. Luckily for the Jets the Colts rolled over barely playing their Hall of Fame worthy QB in Peyton Manning, and having most of the backups start. So the Jets escaped that battle by winning 29-15.

The next challenge was the Bengals who also rolled over by not starting their QB Carson Palmer so the Jets demolished there competition in the Bengals 39-0. Then on Saturday of wild card weekend the Jets played there first contestant in the Bengals. Who just the following week they had beat by 39 points. The Jets beat the Bengals in a rather controlling game 24-14. Though the Jets pulling the upset of the 3rd seed in the AFC playoffs, but no one doubted the fact that they could. Then the next week playing the San Diego chargers no one expected them to win except their rookie trash talking coach Rex Ryan. So the Jets flew to the west coast to take on the number two seed in the AFC playoffs. Who had won their last 8 games and were hot. The game started off slow with 7 points scored in the first quarter by San Diego, but this is the game the Jets wanted to play. They knew there defense could make plays, and all they wanted was a low scoring Defensive battle. So in the Second Quarter the Jets got their first, first down of the game with the offense looking terrible the Jets went into half still believing. The Jets came out in the third quarter and got a quick field goal in the third quarter. Then in the fourth with the help of the defense and the offense coming to life the Jets scored 14 unanswered points to put the score at 17-7 Jets. Finally the Chargers answered with 2 minutes and 14 seconds they scored by a Philip Rivers one yard running TD to put the game at 17-14. After the touchdown the Chargers were stuck in a sticky situation to either kick away or onside kick. The Chargers opted to kick away. So the Chargers had to stop the Jets and not let them get a first down or else time would run out. So the Jets ran it three times then on fourth and two the Jets decided to go for it on the Chargers 35 and made it, and the Jets won. Next week the Jets face the number one AFC seeded Colt and are extreme underdogs, but in my opinion I think they will win with their defense and power running game, and a Cinderella team will make it to the Super Bowl again.

AFC Championship game

The Indianapolis Colts have had quite a season this year going 14-2, and they won their first game in the playoffs against the Ravens. They will play this weekend for the AFC Championship game against the New York Jets. The Jets came into the payoffs with a record of 9 and 7 and they won their first game against the Bengals. Their second game game was a nail biter against the Chargers in which they only won by three. The Colts won their first 14 games of the season before losing their last two. Peyton Manning, a twelve year veteran, may be leading the Colts to their third Super Bowl win in franchise history. These two teams met on December 27 of this season and the Jets came out victorious which got them into the playoffs. This win ended the Colts chance of a perfect season. The Colts were playing their second string players for most of this game which is probably why they ended up losing. The Jets have a lot of momentum going into the championship game after winning their first two games of the playoffs but I think they will fall short in their battle this weekend. The Colts have a great team and their offense at times seems unstoppable. Peyton Manning has much more experience than the Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez who is a rookie. The Jets do have a great defense but I don't think it will be good enough to stop Peyton Manning and the Colts. I'm sure this championship game is going to be a close game no matter who comes out with the win.

How To Save Money: The Easy Way

Every time the weekend comes around I face the same problem: no money... so I have to ask my parents for some and they ask me the same question every time: what did you do with the twenty dollars I gave you last week? I never seem to know where it went. So i decided to find ways to minimize cost without lowering the fun in my weekends. I know some of these sound a little weird, but I promise, the money you will save will add up: trust me.

Step One: Instead of going out, invite your friends over to your house. This is the easiest thing to do if you want to save your cash. think about it: you save the money you would spend on things like gas, food, drinks, etc... This is a pretty basic rule, but it'll help you in the long run.

Step Two: Instead of buying gifts, make gifts. I know most guys don't do this, but this is also one of those no-brainers. you could make a plate of cookies or something instead of buying some at the store. It also looks better because the receiver knew that you had put thought into it.

Step Three: The thirty day rule. This is a system used to see if you really want something or not. It usually applies to the more costly things like video games, cameras, expensive clothes, etc. Once you see the item you want, wait about one month and ask yourself: do you really want it? If you do, buy it. If not, then guess what: you just saved yourself some serious cash!

Step Four: Yard/Garage Sale. This is an easy way to make cash rather than saving it. Yard sales are pretty self-explanatory: gather all the things you don't want, put them out for sale, and watch the cash roll in! It also helps remove clutter from your closets. Remember: One man's trash is another man's treasure, so if you don't want it, sell it!

Step Five: Bringing lunch to school. Whenever we have fish nuggets, I always order some pizza from Domino's. Those pizzas are four dollars each. And don't forget the drink, that's another fifty cents. Now instead of that, I can make a peanut putter and jelly sandwich, get some chips and put it in a bag, and guess how much that'll cost me: absolutely nothing!

Well, you're probably tired of me talking, so I'm going to wrap this up. Saving money is really important and can help you in the future, so learn these tips and hopefully, you'll have more money than you ever thought you could get!

-Jordan Tabbert

Derek Hutchison

Many know him as Jimmy Hutch's lil' brother, but who is Derek Hutchison? After spending a little time getting to know this peculiar character I came to find out that he is, in fact, more interesting than meets the eye.

Derek Hutch was born August 24, 1993 in St. Anthony Hospital. After staring at there child, his parents decided to name him Derek because it was easy to spell. Derek is the second oldest of five children. Although he respects his brother, Derek wants to shed the reputation of "Jimmy Hutch's Brother" because he is in fact, nothing like Jimmy Hutch.

Aside from their different personalities, Derek says the main difference is that they "have different life motives; different goals". Derek wants to go into business when he gets older, and plans on being successful. However, his number one goal in life is to have a smoking hot wife...Just like his father. My main advice for all of you who think of him as Jimmy Hutch's lil' brother is to get to know him; you will find out, just as I did, that Derek is nothing like Jimmy, and is a delightful young man.

John E. Schultz

D'oh!

Nope, this isn't my car you're looking at. But the image does help set the tone for this self-confession.

But before I tell this story, first a little background:

-- More than once, I've left the office to go out and plug a parking meter, only to discover I've left my wallet or my keys on my desk.
-- Once I rode the bus home from work, only to realize when I walked up to my house that I'd driven the car that day.
-- Another time coming home from work, I rode the bus to the intersection where I'd left the car that morning, figuring I'd drive home from there ... only to realize I'd left my keys at work. I sheepishly called my wife and asked her to come pick me up on a dark, rainy night. Just as she pulled into view, I discovered I did have the keys in a different pocket. She wasn't too happy about that. And, yes, I'm still living it down.

So...maybe it won't come as a surprise to learn of my latest bout of absent-mindedness.

After lunch today, I parked my trusty '67 VW Bug just one block away from the office, a most convenient spot. I realized I didn't have my wallet (D'oh!), but I did have two quarters -- enough to buy a whopping 18 minutes or so of time. I slapped the payment receipt on the front passenger window, as required, and slammed the door shut and headed back to work.

Just as the time was due to expire, I returned to my car -- wallet in hand this time -- and was startled to see the passenger door ajar. As I approached, I saw the seat belt buckle was sticking out a bit and had prevented the door from closing. I didn't realize it because I'd already turned on my heel as I slammed the door and walked away from the Bug.

The amazing thing about this is that nothing was taken or tampered with. Here, you've got a car in downtown Portland with who knows how many people walking past it and no one even bothers it? Was it because it was broad daylight? Was it because people are basically honest? Or was it that people felt sorry for the poor schlep who left his car door open?

I'd like to think it was part honesty, part sympathy for the absent-minded.

As for the above photo, it reminds me of the time I went out for coffee, put the cup on the car roof .... and, um, drove away.

The Fellowship Of The Ride Haiku

A day in the sun

Surrounded by friends and laughs

This is why we ride

If Douchebags Ride Treks, And This Guy Rides A Trek, Then...

"Heh, heh! I got strong arms...an' this bike's purdy light"

Overheard

"Cadel...I know how it feels to be World Champion, but...you don't have to wear the kit "all" the time!"

(Photo:EpicImages/CyclingNews)

Granite Peak Park/Rib Mountain

Over this last weekend my brother-in-law and I drove up to Wausau, Wisconsin to go snowboarding. The trip was eight hours long and two hours longer than it would take to get to Devil's Head. Rib Mountain was probably one of the best places I have been to. It included a mile long run, five terrain parks, and cross country skiing, which is adding up to seventy five runs! When I was up there it had a twenty two inch base, with half of it being ice. It was definitely worth the eight hour trip to ski up there both days, which it took just to go on all seventy five runs. Overall I would give the place a nine out of ten.

-Brennen

IMEA All-State

So for those of you who don’t know, the IMEA All-State Conference is just around the corner. Students audition in early October to place in the local district festival, and from those auditions, a few students are chosen to be sent to the All-State Conference. So basically, All-State musicians/vocalists are some of the best in the state.

The conference is held in Peoria each year towards the end of January and it lasts from the chosen Thursday to the following Saturday. Upon arrival, students audition again, this time for placement in either the All-State band/orchestra/chorus or the Honors band/orchestra/chorus. After seating, rehearsals begin that night and last until Saturday morning. The concerts then take place Saturday afternoon. All of this may sound like a lot, but yeah, it actually is - long nights, aching arms and backs, and bad hotel rooms... but I digress. Anyways, congrats to all who made it to District and All-State!

Garda Lake, Italy

The Garda lake is locate in the north part of the Italian peninsula. The Garda lake is pretty big , it was created by an glacial era and it is consider the most beautiful and bigger lake of Italy.



The position is great because it is exactly half way between Milan and Venice,The lake and its shoreline are divided between the provinces of Verona(to the southeast), Brescia (southwest), and Trento (north).

On the lake are present 24 different communes,the northern part is prevalent mountains and the southern one is completely flat.



The principal business of those town is the tourism and you can find a lot of tourism destination , including a number of exclusive hotels and resorts along its shore. There are many little island on the lake but the major one is called "Isola del Garda" where we find a venetian palace owned by the Venetian aristocracy.





it is also famous the peninsula of Sirmione where Catullo, famous roman poet, liked to spent the holidays in his castle during the Roman empire time.





I really recommend to go visit this beautiful place, because it locate in a perfect position for enjoy as best your holiday, you can famous city as Venice, Verona, Padova , Trento in less than an hour, you can ski with lake view in 20 minutes and you can do any kind of sport on and around the lake. I also recommend Hotel Kriss Internazionale, Barodolino, if you want to spend a prestigious holiday and Hotel al Sole Bardolino, if you are looking for something causal but complete.


Hotel Kriss International, 4stars http://www.hotelkriss.it/eng/index.cfm

Hotel al Sole, 3stars http://www.alsole.it/eng/
and you can find some information on http://www.hotelbardolino.it/eng/index.cfm

Giovanni L.

School Food

Here at St. Anthony High School, the food served at lunch is less than great. In some cases it is disgusting. There is no variety of food as they serve the same meals weekly. I would like to see a strong effort to improve the quality of food served here at St. Anthony's High School. They have recently redone the kitchen at the grade school but still they cook the same food that, I might add they have received countless complaints about. They don't even seem to cook the meals they already have to perfection, whether it be burnt pizza or just microwaved fries (no proof of the fries actually being microwaved that's just what they taste like). I hope that by the time I graduate, lunch time will be a time of the day to look forward to.

(Photo taken from St. Anthony Web Site) -Rory

I'm Rolling With Petacchi

You can have young Cavendish, Farrar, or Greipel, but Mongo is on board with "The Jet".

(Photo:CyclingNews)

NTC Tournament

The NTC Tournament has been a good one this year. The following teams are still in the tournament (1) Teutopolis Wooden Shoes, (2) St. Anthony Bulldogs, (3) Stew Stras Comets, (4) Dieterich Movin Maroons, (5) Altamont Indians, (6) Neoga Indians, (7) Brownstown Bombers, and (9) St. Elmo Eagles. The Bulldogs play against Brownstown Wednesday @ Altamont at 6:15 p.m., Stew Stras Plays against Neoga @ Altamont at 7:30 p.m., T-Town plays against Altamont @ Altamont Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Dieterich plays against St. Elmo @ Altamont at 6:30 p.m.Dieterich and St. Elmo are the only teams in the consolation bracket so far. The tournament will continue Friday and then Finish up Saturday with the championship games.

Joshua Hanner GO BULLDOGS

Flowers on Ceramics

I'm a sucker for vintage ceramics with flowers on them. This still life includes a handmade snow globe — Harleigh and I made them one Christmas for gifts — a pretty piece of scrapbook paper and, of course, shells.

Apple Tablet

For those of you who live under a rock, I've got news for you. Apple announces tomorrow (Wednesday January 27th) their release of a 'tablet' computer.

The company has been making a buzz about their tablet for years now, and although other large computer manufacturers have already released their version of a tablet, Apple has yet to do so.

Need some eye candy? Too bad, photos of Apple products before their official release are... well.. yea, they're impossible. Good luck.

Don't worry though, I'll be sure and come back tomorrow and post some new shots of the tablet as well as specs and any other information.

David Orr

Social Networking - Part 1

Dont lie, it controls your life.

Social Networking is now everywhere. From Twitter to Facebook, the world seems to care when people are 'liftin', 'wokrin', or 'sleepin'. I've heard countless people complain about social networking and its recent takeover. Well, I've got bad news.

Ya see, two Stanford University graduates got tired of their boring jobs as software engineers for some of the biggest companies in the world, so they ventured off on their own. Their new company is very similar to twitter, however, instead of status updates, their company gives.... (brace yourself).... purchase updates! That's right, http://www.blippy.com/ tells all your friends that you bought Miley Cyrus's new songs off iTunes, or that you bought a Double Stack from Wendy's.

Will it take off? I'm guessing yes. The company received over 1.6 million in startup funding alone, and they've already partnered with huge companies like Amazon, iTunes, and Mastercard.

I suggest heading over to blippy and registering JUST IN CASE the idea really takes over. That way, you'll have your favorite username already registered!

David Orr

Speech!

Why is Everyone Afraid of Speech?

Speech is scary. I mean to get up and stand in front of a group of people is scary. Why is that? Why do people stare at the person during a speech? It is hard enough already to have the guts to get up there let alone the mental strength to stare down the people who are starring at you. During freshman year, I was a little nervous about having to take speech. I had heard that it was a blow off class the way Mr. Slicer taught it, so that made it better. Then this year I found out that Mr. Slicer had left and we were getting a new teacher with a military background and a top secret security clearance. That's a little intimidating (sorry Mrs. Cross but it is). I found out that I had the new teacher, Mrs. Cross, for English II and Speech. So on the first day of school I went to my English class and met Mrs. Cross. The first thing she did was give us a speech on things we would have to do. All of a sudden, I guess, Brennen was doing something wrong but Mrs. Cross threw him out of the class. (I did not literally "throw" him--I let him relax in the hallway for a bit). I was slightly afraid for the next class, but as the school year went along we learned that she is just a "big softie" and only seems intimidating. After the end of the first semester I liked having class with Mrs. Cross but was still nervous about speech. Just the thought of speech class makes me not want to go. Which that is an awful reason to dislike speech actually I thought speech would be pure torture to go to, but it really isn't that bad; it is fun!

~ Hailey

It's Your Time to Help

I'm sure you have all heard about the massive, 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti near the capital of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, January 12th. It was the worst earthquake in the region in more than 200 years, with an untold number, estimates range from 50,000 to 200,000, assumed dead. As one of the poorest and least developed country in the world, Haiti needs all the help it can be given. As a human being we have an obligation to help all other human beings. There are many, many charities you can give to. Visit http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/01/13/haiti.earthquake.how.to.help/index.html to find out which charity is for you!

The Super Bowl Prediction

The Super Bowl will be played in Miami, Florida this year. The two teams playing in the Super Bowl are the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints. The star offensive Colts players are Reggie Wayne and Peyton Manning. Their star player on defense is Dwight Freeney. The two best offensive players on the Saints are Drew Brees and Reggie Bush. The Saints have a great defensive line and their best defensive player is the cornback, Tracy Porter. My prediction for the Super Bowl will be the experienced Indianapolis Colts. I like the Saints but they haven't been to the Super Bowl and the Colts have in the past three years. I have the Colts winning 28-20 in the XLIV Super Bowl.

Scott Deters

Fun Facts

10 Fun Facts for the Week

1) No piece of normal paper can be folded more then seven times

2) A shrimp's heart is in its head

3) Kissing is healthier than shaking hands

4) Natural pearls melt in vinegar

5) Marilyn Monroe had six toes on one foot

6) If you keep a Goldfish in a dark room, it will eventually turn white

7) Dogs and cats, like humans, are either right or left handed (pawed)

8) Your thumb is the same length as your nose

9) Horses can't vomit and pigs can't look up into the sky

10) The Pope has been known to wear red Prada shoes

Thanks to http://www.berro.com/.

Keri Utz

I am going to write my blog on homecoming rules for this year. This year we had more rules for homecoming then ever--one of them being if we leave the dance we cannot come back in even though we have already payed for the dance. I think that we should be able to get back into the dance because what if there was emergency and we had to leave but then wanted to get back in. I think that person should be able to renter the dance. I also didn't completely agree on the whole dancing front to front either. I think that we should be able to dance how we want to. I do however agree a little bit on the if you leave you cant come back rule because they could slip beer or anything else back into the dance. Even though that we had more rules this year I thought this year's homecoming was better than last year's.

The Advantages of Studying Abroad

Convince your parents and yourself that studying abroad is the right choice for you!

• There are many career opportunities when you have completed your study abroad.
• You improve your foreign language skills tremendously.
• Studying abroad looks great on a future resume.
• You get to explore the world
  
• Helps students better understand the world and different cultures.
• Studying abroad helps with accelerating skill building and strengthening strategic relationships.
• Helps you discover new interests and future career opportunities.
• Takes you out of your comfort zone.
• Makes you a stronger and more responsible person.
• Gives you the opportunity to make more friends.
• You can create a major impact on someone’s life by volunteering.
• You can learn more than you can believe.
• Studying abroad gives you the opportunity to interact with other people and work on your social skills.
• It is an opportunity of a lifetime.
  

Advantages taken from www.findcollegecards.com

Allie Kabbes

I Catch A Brief Reflection

"The soul contains the event that shall befall it, for the event is only the actualization of its thoughts, and what we pray to ourselves for is always granted."

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Eye candy

Sunday morning arrived as it often does in January: Quietly, with a gentle mist dampening the streets and sidewalks. I've never been to Scotland (heck, I've never been to Europe), but today's weather made me imagine what it might be like, though undoubtedly a lot colder and more blustery.

This month's National Geographic has an absolutely breathtaking photo spread on the Hebrides Island that lie off the northwest coast of Scotland. I hadn't heard of these islands before but the scenery is just spectacular. Unworldly, even.

Treat yourselves to the visual feast by clicking on the Photo Gallery at "Edge of the World."

Photograph: Jim Richardson

Stupid Is As Stupid Does: Surviving The Ride

It could have been such a great day. All indications leading up to 9:30 am yesterday morning were that I was going to have a strong ride. It didn't really turn out that way...sort of.

Mongo had decided to once again venture into the land of Doctors, Treks, douchebags, Litespeeds, and Cat 1 racers... A fifty-man peloton, 40+ mile, 19.5 average speed, multiple sustained climb, hard-ass ride. Under normal circumstances, depending on whether the racers are feeling frisky, Mongo is hanging on near the end of the line...But after these last couple of months of "Cat 5 Domination" training on LPE, I was feeling pretty good about improving my stock on this ride.

All weather reports from the night before said that it was going to be 51 degrees and partly sunny during the meat of the ride. Since I knew I'd be pushing hard all day, I didn't want to overdress. I felt pretty confident, based on riding in temperatures this Winter from the 20's to the 50's, that I knew what I was doing when it came to layering. Had the weather forecast actually been correct, I would have been fine.

Here's what I was wearing...Shorts/ Short socks/ Two long-sleeve Under Armour base layers/ Short-sleeve jersey/ Scull cap/ Fingerless gloves.

Have you ever left on a long ride and just knew that something was wrong? I had that feeling as soon as I left my driveway. It was overcast, misting rain, and cold as shit. I knew that I was under dressed, and for a split second thought about turning around, but I was running late for the start of the ride and I anticipated the weather forecast playing itself out as advertised. It never did.

While staging in the parking lot, Mongo had to assure at least five guys that I was "indeed" freezing, and that I was neither a douchebag nor from Belgium...and I fully understood how ridiculous I looked. When we rolled out, I knew I was in for a long day.

I won't go into the details of the actual ride itself other than to say I survived. It was honestly the most miserable I've ever been on a bike for a sustained period of time. There was even a brief moment where I didn't think I'd make it. My toes, fingers, forearms, and ass, were all numb and useless because of the cold. It misted rain most of the ride, the wind gusted to 20 mph consistently, and the temperature never got above 40 degrees. But...Mongo hung tough, never cramped, and finished ahead of about eight people. All things considered, I was proud of my effort. I have no doubt that had I not been half way to hypothermia, all of my Winter training would have paid off nicely.

Dude, where's my xp!

So, as most of you probably know I'm a pretty avid gamer in the "Call of Duty" franchise especially. So when I heard about this I just had to write and article about it. I know quite a few people out their play this game and a few of you are quite high level. Well, we all know about the 10th prestige hackers and the two-billion XP a hit glitched lobbies. However, I'm willing to bet most people haven't heard about the newest hack out their NEGATIVE XP. YES that's right I said negative as in when you kill someone you actually LOSE XP. As of right now this has only been reported on the xbox360 and the PC versions of the game. Now I know what a lot of you are going to say now "Haha I have a PS3 I told you it's better and it always has been enjoy your hacks idiots!" Well to you I say that I own both a xbox360 and PS3 and have literally one hour played time on the PS3 and am 10th prestige so don't think your immune to hacks also.

To get back on subject, the worst part about this is that you can't see it coming until it's too late and you can't do anything to reverse it either. At this point I'm sure most of you are thinking "eh no big deal what's -100 points?" Well it is a big deal because it isn't negative 100 XP it's much much more then that. Some reports have said negative nine- million XP while others have said it's in the billions either way it's enough to put you from level seventy to one in one kill. So, to anyone out their that has had this happen to them, you have my sympathy. To anyone else I might suggest staying off XBL for a few days until Infinity Ward addresses the issue.

Happy gaming,

wussupwussup

Top Ten Things to do when you are bored a random list

When presented with the very tough question of making up a blog I become bored then I

pondered. What other people do when they are bored so I used google and searched top ten

things to do when you are bored and here are a few I picked


1. Look up urban legends, and or ghost stories in your town investigate.



2.Look up the Top Ten Things to do when your bored.



3.Google all your friends.



4.Take an exam with crayons, paint, or fluorescent markers.



5.Bring a black marker. Return the exam with all questions and answers completely blacked out.



6.Go run a mile.



7.Do jumping jack's til you can't anymore.



8.Start a conversation with some random person



9.Think of places you would rather be.



10.Make up stupid pick up lines then use them.



Alright that's all I found on the web and there you go.

Zach B.

A boy and his dog

Scrolling through my photo archive the other day, I came across this picture of Jordan and Max. Two words: fond memories.

It was taken in 2008, I think, on one of our trips to Orcas Island. If you click on the photo to get a full-size image, you'll see signage in the background that makes it clear we were on board the ferry that crosses from Anacortes to Eastsound.

Jordan would typically sit in the back seat while Lori and I switched off as driver and front-seat passenger. And Max, rest his soul, would plop his big old head on the lowered head rest between the seats.

Max's last trip to the island was March 2009 ("Losing Max"). Thinking about it now, I guess Jordan's last visit to the cabin was the previous summer or fall. I know he misses the island vibe as much as we do.

If all goes as planned, Lori and I will head up there sometime in March.

I Really Should Be Paying More Attention

Mongo has to admit that I don't normally pay much heed to the Tour Down Under. It's usually populated by has-beens, never-weres, and mabe-somedays. My Pro Cycling juices really don't get flowing until the peloton hits the monochromatic countryside and unwavering flats of Qatar. There's just something special about an endless horizon of sand, oil wells, Sheiks, Supermodel-quality "companions", Rolls-Royces, and of course, Camels.

That being said, the TDU this year is chock full of stars. "Slappy", "Mellow Johnny", "BanVerde", "Face Spinnaker"...they're all here for one reason or another. It's a race set up for sprinters to take the overall, but this time around, even though Andre Greipel has won three stages, Cadel and a few others have made things interesting.

One of Mongo's favorite riders, "L.L. Cool 'Chez", wins Stage 5 in a classic battle with Evans, Valverde, and a fast closing peloton full of sprinters.

(Photo:Mark Gunter/CyclingNews)

Vintage Duvet

Found this at one of my favorite thrift stores for $3. I've been looking for a duvet for my down comforter. Didn't have a hint of yellow in my bedroom, but now I do with these yellow rose buds doing ring-around-a-rosy on a printed "quilt" background.

Blogging

• Definition-A frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links.


• A blog is often a mixture of what is happening in a person's life and what is happening on the Web, a kind of thing, although there are as many unique types of blogs as there are people. Blogging can be done by anyone.


• I personally don't like it... yet. I'm only doing it for speech.

Playoffs

The NFL playoffs are well under way, and have been exciting as ever so far. All that's left is the Conference Championship games and then the super bowl. It has been chalk in the NFC with the #1 seeded New Orleans Saints verse the #2 seeded Minnesota Vikings. Both teams had a bye in the wild card round and blew out their opponent in the divisional round. I like the Vikings tenacious pass rush, over powering running game along with Brett Favres passing abilities to defeat the Saints in a close game. In the AFC it has been a little more shaky. The first significant upset was made when the Baltimore Ravens beat the New England Patriots, to eventually get slaughtered by the #1 seeded Indianapolis Colts. The best underdog story in the Playoffs this season is #5 seeded the New York Jets barely pulling off the upset on the #2 seeded San Diego Chargers. Now the Jets have the odds stacked against them once again in the AFC Championship game against the Colts. Everyone should tune in next weekend to see how things play out.

By: Patrick Grunloh

Headed to El Paso

No, not me. My wife.

With Jordan in North Carolina, completing week No. 2 of a three-week training camp that he hopes will lead to a spot in Special Forces, now seems a good time for Lori to go visit Jamie and get a glimpse of life on and near an Army base.

Later this morning, I will take her to the airport and she will visit our daughter-in-law through the weekend, returning late Monday. Except for a layover in Houston enroute to Oaxaca four years ago, this will be Lori's first time in the Republic of Texas.

I've been to El Paso a couple times before. It's about the same size as Portland but different in just about every way -- geography, climate, demographics, politics, economy, etc. It's home to Fort Bliss, which I just learned is the Army's second-largest installation behinid the White Sands Missile Range in neighboring New Mexico.

Don't know just exactly what the two Oregon ladies will do, but I'm sure they'll have fun just being in each other's company. As for me, I'll take advantage of the long weekend to freshen up my materials for the class ("Opinion and the Blogosphere") that I'll be teaching a couple weeks from now at Portland State.

Photo by Nima Kasraie, who's originally from Iran. (The things you learn with a click of a mouse continue to amaze me. Look for yourself.)

Anything

Mrs. Cross told us that we could do a blog about anything, and since I couldn't think of something to blog about, I decided to take that literally.

• "Anything" can be used as a pronoun, noun or adverb


• The word dates back to before the 12th century.


• The definition of anything is "any thing whatever"; "any such thing" or "unspecified object or event".
  
• Synonyms for the word anything are: any one thing, anything at all, whatever.

Now you know a little bit of useless information about a word you use everyday, that has no real meaning.

-Jeff Repking

Pit Bulls

My opinion on Pit Bulls would be that they are good dogs and nice. Sure, they are used as dog fighters and pit bull fights lead to violence and death(Michael Vick's career). Some pit bulls are hard to sell as puppies so many mixed breeds with pit bull in them may not sell. For sellers to get around this they say it is part Chow Chow or Pincher or something like that. I personally would buy a pit bull with a chain collar and name him Goober because its a awesome name.