Professional Crastination

At a Glance: The DAC

2010-06-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

The Diversity Achievement Center is a resource center located in Student Union room F-202. All of the staff and volunteers are extremely friendly and helpful. The biggest goal of the DAC is to raise awareness and understanding of the diversity we live with everyday.

The Diversity Achievement Center

2010-06-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Diversity Achievement Center has a constant buzz about it. There's always traffic in and out of the large room and the sign in sheet fills with entries everyday. There's always a smiling face to greet you, an open table or computer to work at and an endless supply of positivity.

"I always do my home work in the DAC." said Kathrine Lee, a first year student and DAC frequenter. "It's an easy place to get work done and hangout with my friends between classes."

So where is this mysterious DAC? It's located in Student Union room F-202 and is attached to the Commuter office.

"I just walked in randomly on the first day of school looking for a computer lab, but I'm glad I did because now it's my favorite place on campus!" Said Lee about how she came across the DAC on her first day at LBCC.

DAC Coordinator, Toni Klohk is constantly showing videos, inviting speakers and hosting small celebrations every single week in the DAC. "Diversity Day" was put on by the DAC last week and was extremely successful.

"The whole point of these workshops, presentations and events are to raise awareness and understanding of the diversity issues we live with everyday." said Valerie Zeigler.

Zeigler is the Outreach and Retention Specialist for Non-Traditional Careers. Her goal is to encourage men and women to not only consider but pursue a gender imbalanced career field and successfully enter the job market.

The DAC is an extremely helpful resource and can help students in many ways. Even if you come to finish a paper or hang out between classes, you'll leave with a better understanding of the diversity that we are surrounded by.

At a Glance: Sasquatch

2010-06-03T13:42:00.000-07:00

The Sasquatch Music Festival is an annual event held in the gorge amphitheater in central Washington. The festival takes place over memorial day weekend and draws thousands of people from the U.S. and Canada. It brings in a wide variety of bands and musicians and offers an excellent opportunity for concert goers to see big headliners, up-and-comers and everywhere in between.

Sasquatch Sighting

2010-06-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

Thousands descended upon the gorge amphitheater in central Washington over Memorial Day weekend in search of the mythical creature know as Sasquatch. What they discovered will forever shape their understanding of live music. The ninth annual Sasquatch Music Festival was bigger and better than ever in 2010 with well over 20,000 concert goers each of the three days.

"I've been to Sasquatch for the last three years and it keeps getting better and better!" said LBCC student Mackenzie Moser.

The Sasquatch music festival has been quickly growing in popularity since it first started in 2002. This meeting of musical talents has brought more and more patrons to the gorge with each passing year. The festival's big name headliners are what bring the most people to the festival, but there are always other acts that manage to steal the show.

Deadmau5 didn't disappoint with his performance on the Bigfoot Stage Saturday evening. The Canadian mouse-headed DJ captivated thousands in attendance not only with his music but with a light show that made the famous Fremont Street in Las Vegas look like a lite brite.

Kid Cudi had the crowd on their feet Sunday afternoon with his set on the Main Stage. His unique style and infectious stage presence impressed more than just the hip-hop fans.

Band of Horses played arguably the best set of the entire festival on Monday evening and did so in front of the always picturesque backdrop provided by the gorge.

"Band of Horses was amazing!" said concert goer Hannah Zimmerman. "Every song was so great and I was blown away by how good they were live!"

Sasquatch has not only found, but has invited you to join him next memorial day weekend in the gorge for a what could be the greatest weekend of your life.... that is, if you believe in Sasquatch.

LBCC Students to Excavate Fort Hoskins

2010-06-02T20:40:00.000-07:00

Aside from a college football game, not a lot of people think about the state of Oregon when they hear "The Civil War". To most, The Civil War brings images of Gettysburg, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee... not the northwest.

"Most people don't think of Oregon during the civil war, but we had troops stationed here and they played a very important role." Said Dr. David Brauner, the organizer of the field school this summer.

Fort Hoskins was established in 1856 by the United States Army to regulate traffic from the coast into the Willamette valley and to monitor the Coastal Indian Reservation. It was one of three Military forts built in western Oregon in the mid 1800's. The first base commander, Captain Christopher Augur named the base after Lieutenant Charles Hoskins. Augur and Hoskins were in the same regiment, but Hoskins lost his life in 1846 during the Mexican war.

Oregon State's Dr. David Brauner is the man behind this entire project. He's been working for over a decade to piece together the history of the fort. Alongside Dr. Brauner will be a handful of LBCC and OSU students. Many of the students working at the field school are either Anthropology or Archaeology majors, but there are quite a few students that are majoring in something totally unrelated.

"Most of the field schools that I have participated in, as both student and staff, there has been a relatively equal number of archaeology majors and students whose majors were as diverse as Economics, Art, Ethnic Studies, and Architecture." Said Michele Wilson, Anthropology Professor at LBCC.

The students participating will be putting in some very long days, but they'll come away with very valuable experience. "For any participant, field schools give practical archaeological experience. Students learn how to survey and excavate using appropriate techniques and a variety of equipment." Says Wilson.

Wilson went on to say that these students will "exit with real-world, in-the-trenches work experience that they will take with them when they become archaeologists for hire."

At a Glance: Fort Hoskins

2010-06-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

Who: Dr. David Brauner, OSU and LBCC students

What: Excavating the Fort Hoskins site

When : The school is 6 weeks long and begins on July 1st

Where: Kings Valley Oregon

Why: To better understand the lives of the soldiers stationed at Ft. Hoskins and learn about Oregon's civil war legacy

At a Glance: Alex Nguyen

2010-06-02T17:06:00.000-07:00

Alex Nguyen is a local photographer and artist. The Oregon State senior will graduate this spring. He brings a refreshing look to the world of photography and to life in general.

Alex Nguyen

2010-06-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

"I've never really looked at myself as an artist," said Alex Nguyen as he unpacks one of his many cameras. He quietly positions himself and adjusts the focus as he finds the point of view he wants. When everything looks right, he waits until the perfect moment to take the photo.

"I let the moment speak for itself, and I fade into the background." he says as he takes the camera down from his eyes.

Alex Nguyen is a 22 year old senior at Oregon State University that graduates this spring. Like many graduates, Alex is excited to finish school but hesitant to join the "real world." He'll be graduating with a degree in graphic design, but thinks of it more as a "safety net that I can fall back on if I need to."

"I don't want a desk job." He clearly states. "I'll do something I love doing and however you want to measure that kind of success is up to you."

Although Alex has been taking pictures for 8 years he's never taken any photography classes or had any sort of formal training. But after taking one look at any of his photos you never would have guessed. Focus, lighting, composition, depth, balance, contrast, warmth, drama and personality are all captured in such a way that you feel connected with all of his photographs.

"Subtlety is what I strive to achieve my photos." Nguyen says, adding that he wants his photos to look "as if the viewer were remembering a moment in their head."

Alex's love for taking photos and creating art has helped him shape his future and pursue a collegiate degree. Now that his schooling is almost completed, he'll be able to take his talents out of the classroom and share them with the world. He is truly a modern day renaissance man and has many talents that include photography, art, music, and film making.

He will continue to take photos and bring his creativity to whatever projects the future holds, but it's his unique individual style and approach to not only his art, but life in general that will leave a lasting impression on his viewers.

Photo credit:
Top Right (self portrait by Alex Nguyen)
Bottom Left (Christina by Alex Nguyen)

New Development

2010-04-25T20:30:00.000-07:00

My story on the "Sleep Lab" didn't pan out so I'll be writing about the archaeological field school that will be taking place at the Fort Hoskins site in Kings Valley over the summer!

What I'm Listening To:

2010-04-23T00:22:00.001-07:00

The Tallest Man on Earth

Broken Bells

Mumford and Sons

Gang Starr

in memory of Guru

New Story?

2010-04-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

Sleep Lab.

What is this place? What happens there?

I must know.

Career Fair Story Revision

2010-04-14T11:09:00.000-07:00

Looking for a job? On April 29th jobs will be looking for you! LBCC will be hosting the 32nd Annual Career & Community Resource Fair On Thursday, April 29th, in the Activities Center (AC) Gym from 10AM to 2PM. This is an opportunity for students, graduates and community members to speak with employers of all fields and ask questions, hand out resumes, build interview skills and seek employment opportunities. This unique event brings employers from all over the area in search of qualified LBCC students. That's where you come in!

This Career fair will bring in over 50 employers that are all looking for LBCC students just like you! "If anything, the fair is a great way to get experience talking to employers, answering possible interview questions, and finding out which employers you might be interested in working for now or in the future," said Career Fair Coordinator Carla Raymond . At the very least, this career fair will help students build skills and confidence in an interview setting.

What should you bring to the fair? What do you need to know? Here are some helpful tips: You should come to the fair with copies of your resume, "nicer" clothes, and some questions to ask employers. If you really want to impress them you can look up companies/occupations that catch your interest, and do a little research before you even get to the fair! You can find a complete list of employers attending the fair on the LBCC Career Fair web page.

The more knowledge you have going into the fair will give you an upper hand in interviews and even allow you to ask questions that are beyond the normal "So what do you guys do?" Be prepared to tell employers why you are qualified and the strengths that you can bring. Valerie Zeigler, Outreach and Retention Specialist for Non-Traditional Careers, described this as "A 30-second commercial of yourself."

The goal of the career fair is to get LBCC students jobs. Although you may not get hired on the spot, the fair is a great way to network and establish connections with employers for the future. At the very least, it will provide opportunities to learn about jobs in our community. "You would be doing a disservice to yourself by not checking out these employers." says Raymond.

Contact Carla Raymond in Career Services to get on the mailing list of for more information: (541)-917-4788 or carla.raymond@linnbenton.edu

At a Glance: Career Fair

2010-04-14T11:01:00.000-07:00

On Thursday April 29th, LBCC will host the 32nd Annual Career & Resource Fair in the Activities Center (AC) gymnasium. Over 50 employers of all career paths and fields will be there to talk with students from 10AM until 2PM.

Career Fair Coming To LBCC!

2010-04-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

Looking for a job? On April 29th jobs will be looking for you!

LBCC will be hosting the 32nd Annual Career & Community Resource Fair On Thursday, April 29th, in the Activities Center (AC) Gym from 10AM to 2PM. This is an opportunity for students, graduates and community members to speak with employers of all fields and ask questions, hand out resumes, build interview skills and seek employment opportunities. This unique event brings employers from all over the area in search of qualified LBCC students. That's where you come in!

This Career Fair will bring in over 50 employers that are all looking for LBCC students just like you! "If anything, the Fair is a great way to get experience talking to employers, answering possible interview questions, and finding out which employers you might be interested in working for now or in the future." Said Career Fair Coordinator, Carla Raymond . At the very least, this career fair will help students build skills and confidence in an interview setting.

What should you bring to the Fair? What do you need to know? Here are some helpful tips: You should come to the Fair with copies of your resume, "nicer" clothes, and some questions to ask employers. If you really want to impress them you can look up companies/occupations that catch your interest, and do a little research before you even get to the Fair! You can find a complete list of employers attending the Fair on the LBCC Career Fair web page.

The more knowledge you have going into the Fair will give you an upper hand in interviews and even allow you to ask questions that are beyond the normal "So what do you guys do?" Be prepared to tell employers why you are qualified and the strengths that you can bring. Valerie Zeigler, Outreach and Retention Specialist for Non-Traditional Careers, described this as "A 30 second commercial of yourself."

The goal of the Career Fair is to get LBCC students jobs. Although you may not get hired on the spot, the Fair is a great way to network and establish connections with employers for the future. At the very least, it will provide opportunities to learn about jobs in our community. "You would be doing a disservice to yourself by not checking out these employers." says Raymond.

Contact Carla Raymond in Career Services to get on the mailing list of for more information: (541)-917-4788 or carla.raymond@linnbenton.edu

Don't Call It A Come Back

2010-04-06T10:41:00.000-07:00

This blog will rise from the ashes like a phoenix... The bird not the band, but just to make things confusing here's the band

Bands you should know about...

2009-05-13T01:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a handfull of bands I really like, but find that a lot of people haven't heard of (or have, but haven't actually listened to). I'm going to give you a little run down on each band and let you know what you're missing out on! Here they are in no particular order (which also happens to be alphabetical order).

The Avett Brothers

These guys have forever changed what I thought bluegrass could be. Lead by brothers Scott and Seth Avett, these guys combine all of the classic bluegrass sounds and put their own fresh take on it.

(Favotite songs: The Traveling Song, My Last Song To Jenny, Gimmeakiss, Backwards With Time)

Band of Horses

The best thing about this band would have to be the unique voice of their lead singer Ben Birdwell. His eerily high pitch, and oddly catchy voice is very refreshing. They've been around for a while and you should definitely look into them if you haven't heard of them already!

(Favorite Songs: The Funeral, The General Specific, Cigarettes Wedding Bands, No One's Gonna Love You)

The Black Keys

This duo rocks way harder than I thought two people could possibly rock. They have a gritty/bluesy/southern rock sound, and it's brilliant! I just goes to show that less is definitely more!

(Favorite Songs: 10 A.M. Automatic, Have Love Will Travel, Just Got To Be, Your Touch)

City and Colour

City and Colour is really just a guy by the name Dallas Green (Get it? City... Color...). His approach is simple. Play guitar, write incredible songs and sing them all very well.

(Favorite Songs: Body in a Box, Sleeping Sickness, Coming Home, Waiting)

Matisiyahu

Matisiyahu is a alternative/reggae singer that's also a hasidic Jew. Probably not the first combonation you would have guessed, but oh well. He's ridiclous (in a good way)! He can sing rap, beat box, and will blow your mind (possibly at the same time).

(Favorite Songs: King Without a Crown, Jerusalem, Time of Your Song, Youth)

Old Crow Medicine Show

They might sound like they're from decades ago, but that couldn't be further from the truth. These guys have taken bluegrass and breathed new life into the classic sound. They are with out a doubt one of my favorites.

(Favotire Songs: Hard To Love, Wagon Wheel, Tell It To Me, Minglewoob Blues)

Wolfmother

Even though they broke up in the summer of 2008, the lead singer Andrew Stockdale has put together a new line up and is working on a new album. Their 2006 self titled debut "Wolfmother" is one of my favorite albums of all time. They're the future of classic rock, as strange as that is to say.

(Favorite Songs: Dimension, Joker and The Thief, Mind's Eye, Where Eagles Have Been)

It's been awhile

2009-05-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

To all my fans out there..... Let me rephrase that. To the three, maybe four people that will read this, I'd like to apologize for not posting anything in awhile. It gets pretty easy to put something off that doesn't have a dude date anymore. Especially when the name of the blog is "Professional Crastination."

I started this blog for my journalism class last term, but since the class is finished things are going to be a little different. I'll try my best to keep it updated and post new stuff from time to time. My posts from now on will be shorter and will be more focused on random thoughts and things that have affected myself or others.

I'll try and get some new posts up soon!

What does the "M" in MTV stand for?

2009-03-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

November 16th, 2008 is a day that will live in infamy, the day the video really did kill the radio star, and the day the music died... the second time. I'm talking about the last episode of the popular MTV show "Total Request Live" or TRL for all of you hip cats out there. This show was the last sliver of musical programming on a station called MUSIC Television. So what happened to the "M" in MTV? Where did it go? Will it ever come back?

I'm not going to pretend like I have no idea why this is happening, because I know exactly why this is happening. It's all the fault of one show, and this show was called "Laguna Beach." If you haven't heard of it consider yourself lucky. To sum it all up, the show followed around some ultra rich high schoolers from southern California and gave us some insight on how hard it is to grow up filthy rich and get everything you've ever wanted. Sounds like a really great show right? But there's more, WAY MORE! Not only is the "main character" of this show a some what celebrity now for doing absolutely nothing, there have been multiple spin-offs of this show.

This reality show onslaught has only gotten worse and worse, and that goes for both the growth and quality of these shows. This "trend" is spiraling out of control and has only brought on more thoughtless shows like "The City," "A Shot At Love," "Bromance," "From G's To Gents" and "My Super Sweet Sixteen." When will this insanity stop?! I guess the music hasn't disappeared 100% yet, because after everyone of these horrible shows end, there's a 15 second clip of an up-and-coming artist. Cool, instead of taking steps forward we've powered up the flux capacitor and headed back in time.

It wasn't always like this though. No, believe it or not MTV actually played music at one point in time. When MTV started in 1981, the only programming they had consisted of music videos. This station is responsible for launching the careers of countless icons like Madonna, Nirvana, and how could we forget Brittney Spears! The phrase "I want my MTV!" was everywhere, and was even featured into the Dire Strait's song "Money For Nothing." I never thought I'd want a station called music television to start playing music. I've had enough of these mindless reality game shows. I WANT MY MTV...... BACK!

"That's It, That's All" Review

2009-03-06T11:31:00.000-08:00

If The Discovery Channel's "Planet Earth" series hooked up with a snowboarding video and they had a baby, "That's it, That's All" would be that baby. Instead of a Great White Shark leaping out of the water in super slow-motion, it's Travis Rice throwing a double backside rodeo 1080. And instead of a British narrator discussing the feeding habits of the Emperor Penguin, the film cuts to candid interviews with the riders and features a radical soundtrack.

The film stars Travis Rice, who is considered by most to be one of the best riders in the world. He travels all over the globe with some of the best riders around and they absolutely rip up every mountain they come across. Almost all of the video is filmed in the "back country" where the riders are flying off natural features and carving what looks like waves of powder.

"That's It, That's All" has forever redefined what snowboarding videos can be. The film is a combination of a documentary and a snowboarding video, but what really sets it apart form the average snowboarding video is the production. Some of the footage is shot from stationary cameras, but a lot of it it shot from a helicopter. This makes for insane angles of not only the snowboarders, but the landscapes, avalanches, and wildlife as well. The entire movie is shot in high definition and and it makes for the cleanest and purest shots I've ever seen.

The only bad thing about this video would have to be the rider's skills. It's not that they weren't good enough, it's actually just the opposite. They're too good. They're so good that they make the things they do look way to easy!

This video was released in September of 08', but to most people outside of the skiing/snowboarding community the film is still unknown. You can probably find this video at your local ski/skate shop, but you can always get it online or through iTunes. You don't have to be a snowboarder to appreciate this movie. You'll fall in love with it even if you've never seen snow before.

Happy Place

2009-02-23T11:44:00.000-08:00

There is a place I like to go, when I'm feeling down. Where all the rain drops are lemon drops and gum drops, and small woodland creatures can speak English. A place where unicorns exist, but no one likes them because they're way to into themselves. Garden gnomes break dance, clowns are illegal, 2D and 3D coexist, and my fairy godmother has nine tattoos and her favorite band is Metallica. Bowling is the national sport, The Wizard of OZ is president, and the national anthem can be whatever you want it to be. There is no nighttime, because in this place you don't need to sleep. The temperature never dips under 70, and it snows year round. Gravity exists, but you don't have to acknowledge it if you don't want to. The only weapons allowed are Nerf guns and toy light sabers. The only thing that might prevent you or others from going to this place is the fact that this place is not real, at least not to you.

...cause knowledge is POWER!

2009-02-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

I'm without a doubt a member of the so called "Microwave Generation." I have an attention span of.... who am I kidding? I don't have any form of attention span what-so-ever. It's very hard for me to sit down and read a book all the way through. My mind tends to wander when I read, and I have a really hard time getting into stories. In Stephen King's book "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft," he stresses that you cannot be a good writer unless you read and write constantly. I'm not going to say that I do either of these "constantly," but I would like to think that I write fairly often. Reading on the other hand, is something I'd really like to do more of. I'm making a conscious effort to read more and more everyday, and have already gone through a couple of books! I recently finished a great book called "Bang Your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal" and right now I'm reading a book by Chuck Klosterman called "Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs."

My latest and greatest

2009-02-20T11:34:00.001-08:00

For my last story I think I'm going to do a review on the groundbreaking snowboarding video "That's It, That's All." I'd like to do something a little more current, but if I can't find anything more recent I'll stick with it. Even though it's a few moths old, I feel like a lot of people outside of the snowboarding community still have no idea what this video is about. I'll make another post if I find something else to write about.

The Truth About The Whiteside Theatre

2009-02-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

If you've ever walked through downtown Corvallis you've probably seen The Whiteside Theatre. A dark and almost gloomy building, with the skeletons of neon tubes and burnt out bulbs covering the marquee that hasn’t been illuminated any time in recent memory, but it wasn't always this way. This theatre was once the most spectacular theatre in the entire state of Oregon after its construction in 1922. It was constantly buzzing with excitement and captivating the imaginations of all ages with movies that were often accompanied by a magnificent Wurlitzer Pipe Organ. The Whiteside has been a landmark in Corvallis since it opened in the 20’s, but since its closure in the winter 0f 2002 it’s future has been the topic of much debate, that is until now.

It’s a common misconception that the Whiteside couldn't compete with the other theaters in town, and ticket sales suffered. This is false, "Ticket sales weren't a problem at all!" said Louise-Annette Burgess, Chair of The Whiteside Theatre Foundation. In fact The Whiteside was selling more than enough tickets every showing. The biggest factor that contributed to the closure of the Whiteside was the theatre’s sewer line. “It’s broken in at least two places,” said Burgess. Another big issue came up during the removal of the projection and audio equipment after the theatre’s closure, most of the theatre’s electrical wiring was damaged and rearranged and is now a huge headache that will have to be sorted out by an electrician. For being built in 1922, the theatre is in great shape, but it still needs to certified by a structural engineer before it can be open again.

With the Whiteside being in the condition it was, and with the incredible investment needed to repair and renovate, not many people wanted to or could step-up to take on such a project. In 2008, a development group out of Portland proposed that the theatre be converted into a retail center with room for business offices. A local group of preservationist called the Friends of the Whiteside, came together and opposed this retail center concept. Some members of the Friends of the Whiteside along with other individuals came together to form a non-profit group called The Whiteside Foundation. The development group eventually withdrew their proposal and Regal Cinemas ended up donating the theatre to The Whiteside Foundation in February of 2008.

The Whiteside Foundation currently owns the theatre and is responsible for it's progress. hey’re ultimate goal is to rehabilitate the theatre and return it to its original, classic beauty. Right now “The focus is getting those doors open!” said Burgess, and that’s exactly what they’re working towards. Fundraising efforts have already begun and so has the rehabilitation of the theatre. In early February of 2009, The Whiteside Foundation received a grant from the Benton County Cultural Coalition to restore the Wurlitzer Pipe Organ. The theatre will no longer show new releases like it did before it closed, but will be host to live concerts and classic movies occasionally accompanied by organ! The Whiteside Theatre is slowly coming to life again and dare I say it… Coming to a theatre near you!

I'm going to find Sasquatch!

2009-02-09T21:43:00.000-08:00

This is maybe the greatest/most important task I've ever taken on in my life. I'm going to search for anyone who has seen this majestic creature and listen to their stories. I'll also be venturing deep into the Oregon wilderness to see if I can make contact with a Sasquatch. I'm very excited about this topic and will try my best to bring you the facts! Until then please enjoy this video about how cool Sasquatch is by the musical group Tenacious D!

Pepper Concert Review

2009-01-26T10:24:00.000-08:00

The same day Barack Obama was sworn into office, Pepper, the reggae-rock sensation held a concert at the McDonald Theater in Eugene. The inauguration was over and spirits were high, judging from the aroma in the theater so were many concert goers. The show kicked off with two groups from Pepper's own label "LAW Records," Passafire and The Supervillains.

Passafire started the night off with their laid back, alt-reggae vibes. Their sound varies from feel good jams, to songs about rising up and starting a revolution, but they all have the same relaxed vocals and bong rattling bass lines. After hearing these guys play you never would have guessed that they're fromSavann ah, Georgia. Never the less, their music transports you to whatever tropical island you thought they were from.

Feeding off Passafire's energy, The Supervillains brought the tempo up and made sure that everyone was having just as good a time as they were. If I had to try and sum up their style in my own words, I'd call them "ska-tastic punk for potheads who like reggae." The Supevillains have everything from trumpet and saxophone players, a guitar player with sweet dreadlocks, and their lead singer is also the drummer! They got everyone moving, and dare I say grooving to their tasty jams all set long!

Then it was time for the band everyone came to see, Pepper! They had the entire place going crazy from the second they stepped on stage, right up until their tour bus pulled out of Eugene. Listening to Pepper's Cd's and seeing them live are two vastly different experiences. In no way, shape, or form can a single compact disk or Mp3 file contain all that is Pepper. On stage they became reggae-punk-rock stars, and they had the entire theater jumping up and down and dancing all night. Not only did this concert take place on a day that will forever be remembered in American history (thank you Mr. Obama), the people that went to the show will forever remember their expirences and the atmosphere of that incredible concert!

Profile Possibilities?

2009-01-23T11:24:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to throw some profile ideas at you right now, because I don't even know what I'm going to do yet. I might try to talk to one of the band members of the local Led Zeppelin cover band "Stairway Denied." If I had my choice, I'd really like to talk to some one that's been struck by lightning, gored by a bull, abducted by aliens, or maybe someone that's seen Sasquatch. I'll see what I can do about finding a good person to profile, and when I find this person I'll ask them some questions along these lines.

What makes you so awesome?

What's an average day in your life consist of?

Do you have any hidden talents?

What did you want to be when you "grew up?"

Did it work out?

If not, why?

Pepper Concert

2009-01-23T11:04:00.000-08:00

My review is going to be on the Pepper concert I went to on Tuesday. I'll get that up soon but until then I'll leave you some pictures I took at the show.

And here's to you Mr. Robinson

2009-01-22T00:09:00.000-08:00

So as I watched the lead up to the Presidential inauguration on Tuesday, I couldn't help but feel a little let down. Not because a new president taking the office, but because the commentators on TV had no idea who Craig Robinson was. Before President Obama came out they were panning the crowd and throwing in their two cents about everyone that they saw, but when the camera found Mr. Robinson someone called him Barack's personal assistant, Reggie Love. The only problem with that is Mr. Robinson is not Barack's assistant at all, he's Michelle Obama's brother and the Oregon State Men's Basketball Head Coach. The news anchor that made the mistake eventually corrected it, but the damage had been done. I couldn't allow this injustice to go on, and I felt compelled to do something. I'll end this the same way I started it, with a Simon and Garfunkel song... kind of.

So here's to you Mr. Robinson, Corvallis loves you more than you will know...

oh, oh, oh

Check it out!

2009-01-15T15:45:00.000-08:00

This is the coolest website I've ever seen!

www.jacksonpollock.org

Update on The Whiteside Story

2009-01-14T11:19:00.000-08:00

I'm just going to be straight up with, I'm not going to beat around the bush, or tip-toe through the tulips, or try to come up with excuses, I'm going to stay on topic and.... Hey! Have you ever noticed how similar Whiteside and White Stripes sound? I like Legos too!

I'm a little behind. I was off to a pretty good start though, I contacted some really good sources and I thought I was right on time, maybe even early. Then I get the news the my first interview is going to be on Friday with the Mayor of Corvallis, Charlie Tomlinson. I'm really glad that I was able to get the interview with him, but that means that I'll be a little over the deadline. I've also got an interview with the Chair of the Whiteside Foundation, Louise-Annette Burgess. I'm excited to have a chance to sit down and talk to her about what's happening at the Whiteside right now.

...but until then. Here are the the questions I'll be asking in my interviews:

Why did the Whiteside close down in the first place?

Why has it stayed closed?

What's going on there now?

What are the estimated repair/renovation costs?

What do you think is the most realistic future of the theater is?

If you had unlimited funds to spend on the theater, what would you do with it?

and I might throw in a crazy bonus question, but that'll be a game time decsion.

Professional Crastination

2009-01-12T11:10:00.000-08:00

This has absolutely nothing to do with my story, but never fear! My article is coming together nicely. I'll be talking with the head of the Whiteside Foundation and will hopefully sit down and talk with Mayor Charlie Tomlinson about what's happening at the whiteside theater right now.
I guess while your waiting for me to write this ridiculously crazy awesome story, you can watch this video!

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What's going on with The Whiteside Theatre?

2009-01-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

My upcoming feature is on the current state of the Whiteside Theatre. I'll talk about what's going on right now with the building, and will try and interview some city officials to get there take on it. This story is going to blow your mind..... STAY TUNED.

The most rockinest poem you will ever read/hear…depending on your perspective of course By Peter Lee

2009-01-06T16:43:00.001-08:00

This is a short poem I wrote for a creative writing class I had last spring..... enjoy!

I’m here to grow a tree of poetry, cause that’s what I’m about
Just like Captain Planet, I’ll save the world… and I say that without a doubt
But don’t think I can’t do it, cause I’m not a super cartoon
To all you evil villains, I’ll shoot you with a magical harpoon
But HAHA, I’m only joking, I could never make such a threat
Just know that when I rule the world, you’ll all be in my debt…
Sorry if I got off track, can we let that one slide please?
I’m lost….. Where was I? Oh yeah! TREES!
Trees are cool, trees are awesome!Except when inhabited by a large scary opossum
But I can’t place the blame on the shoulders of the sapling
Instead, the sumo wrestler opossum is the one that I’ll be grappling
I’m sorry again for getting side tracked by these hoodlums
So please, let’s just get back to my poetic woodlands
I’ve got a forest of poems locked up inside my dome
In which you can find animated creatures and a real life garden gnome
But again I’ve gotten lost and wandered off into the dark
So I’ll just redirect you back to my poetic national park
But my park it is protected by a treacherous moat
And the only bridge that crosses it, is blocked by billy goat
Passing him will be a challenge and the opposite of easy
Cause to gain entry to my park you must beat him at Parcheesi
Now I don’t even know the rules of that game
But it doesn’t matter cause it’s the goat’s middle name
“It’s” location is in my brain, and by “it’s” I mean the park’s
And the goat's only real purpose is to defend me from sharks
But even though I hate to say it, it’s time I end this tour
Because for all I know you could be a sharky evil doo-er
So I hope you enjoyed looking at my forest of knowledge
Cause if this all works out, it’ll get me some credits for college.