Photo Essay: Civil War 2010

It's 6p.m. December 3, 2010, in the small town of Corvallis Oregon and theirs not a bar in town that's not completely packed. Why? Because this is the 113th civil war between the Oregon Ducks, and Oregon State Beavers and the Rose Bowl is on the line.



Ryan Myers watches the 113th civil war between the Ducks and Beavers at Suds and Suds, a local sports bar.




A Small group of Beaver fans celebrate after the Beavers make a big play in the civil war.



Off duty bar tender, Matt Gibbs, leads Suds and Suds in a toast saluting the Oregon State Beavers on playing a great game.

Environmental portrait with head shot

For this assignment I took pictures of pizza chef Andy Haley. Haley works at Nick and Willy's Pizza on Philomath blvd. and takes great pride in his job.

Here is the head Shot:












Nick and Willy's employee Andy Haley


and here is the environmental portrait:



Andy Haley cooks a pizza for Nick and Willy's Pizza

My Neighborhood..

Here's a look into the neighborhood of downtown Corvallis. This is where I grew up and have spent most of my life roaming the streets, meeting new people, and enjoying all the beauty this place has to offer.


A couple of Corvallis City employee's clean leafs out of a bowl at the Corvallis City Skate park




The clock tower is the symbol that has defined downtown Corvallis since the beginning.

























Shawn, a student at Oregon State University listens to tunes while he waits for the bus.

Action Photo!

Brendan Kelly singing and playing bass at the "Plea for Peace" center in Stockton, California for the Lawrence Arms, a Chicago based punk rock band.

Idea for photo essay...

People getting Hammered. It's as simple as that. going around to all the bars and getting faces and names of people that like to drink. maybe make it themed on all the different micro brews in the northwest. I can think of four or five bars in the immediate area that have brewery's inside of them and they even make there own beer.

The Lawrence Arms in Stockton!

What better way to start the string of Lawrence Arms shows than with what was a last minute addition to the tour that took place in a small room at the Plea for Peace center in Stockton, California.

(Brendan Kelly rocking the Bass and Vocals)

This wasn't like the other shows on the tour. Working their way up the west coast, the Lawrence Arms, had seen their fare share of big venues with big Stages, sound systems and class A security. But in a venue that wasn't there to turn a profit, the band and fans had nothing to loose.

(Neil Hennessey plays drums for the Lawrence Arms)

The set started as drummer, Neil Hennessy, took the stage to the music of AC/DC's "Thunderstruck." After receiving a loud cheer and heavy clap from the audience Neil busted into what can only be described as the signature Lawrence Arms beat that made the band what they are today. A short minute later, Neil was joined by the rest of the Arms, Brendan Kelly(Bass/vocals) and Chris McCaughin(guitar/vocals). keeping the beat, Neil counted one.. two.. one, two, three, four! and the band was off, playing "Cut it up" from the bands 2006 album "Oh! Calcutta!"

(Chris McCaughin singing and playing guitar)

The show went on for an extended amount of time. Chris and Brendan split the vocal duties, keeping it to almost a fifty-fifty ratio. Requests for classics such as "the Rambling Boys of Pleasure" and "Brickwall Views" were made and played and the band stopped at no expense to make sure every single fan in that room was satisfied. Never in my life have I seen so much fan dedication towards one band.

After the band played for well over an hour everyone knew the end was near. The Arms put down their instruments and attempted to leave the stage. luckily everyone was packed in such a small space that the only way out would of been for the band to walk through a thick endless sea of demanding punk rockers! needless to say the band played one more song finishing up the set with "Like a Record Player," a song about friendship, love and bonding that pretty much summed up the night.

The thing that made this show so great was the DIY attitude that was put forth by the people who put the show on at the Plea for Peace center. They weren't their to make money or take advantage of people. In return, all they wanted was the chance to see some great bands and meet new people. If there was one thing to take home about the night, it's that DIY attitude and positive social activism is what makes the world a great place, and when things end up being done for joy instead of greed it rubs off on others reflecting towards the rest of the world.

The Lawrence Arms Stockon Video!!!

I got some videos of the show in Stockton the other night. I was in the front of the crowd and getting pushed around a lot so the camera's a little shaky but it still gives you a good feel of what was going on!

(100 Resolutions)

(The Rambling boys of pleasure)

Holy Crap!!, I forgot about In-N-Out Burger

WooHoo!!!

Happy cows come from California!!

Well, I've made it to Sacramento and it's a warm, beautiful sunny morning here in the great state of California! God only knows what the weathers like back in Oregon. I don't really have much to do till I drive to Stockton tonight so I thought I'd kill some time by writing a blog entry!! hmm.. what to write about??...

Oh I know!! Celebrity Birthdays!! Lady's and Gentleman Mackenzie Phillips is 50 today!!! Alright Mackenzie Phillips and who else..., well. I guess that's the only one. shit, I don't even know who that is.. lame day for celebrity birthdays. Tomorrow we would of hit the jackpot with famous actors such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Demo Moore, oh yeah, and Fucking Marc Summers!! I don't know if any of you remember "Marc Summers and the Physical Challenge" on Nickelodeon but that show pretty much defined my childhood. I share a birthday with Burt Reynolds and Jennifer Aniston, hmm, I should feel special..

I don't know if any of you have heard of the band, Cobra Skulls, out of Reno? But they're a great band worth an honorable mention that's opening the show tonight. They released an album called, Sitting Army, on Red Scare Records in 2007 that's in my opinion one of the punk albums released in the last few years. check out the songs "Faith is a Cobra" and "Cobra Skullifornia" you'll be instantly hooked! that is unless you don't like good music..

I'm excited to visit San Francisco again! This'll be the 3rd time this year. I love this City. Next to Portland it's the best. they've got their public transportation down to. Once I get in the city I don't plan on driving anywhere. It only costs a dollar-fifty and you can ride the busses or subway anywhere for two hours! Don't try to use your transfer after after the times up though.. I had a nasty run in with a metro security worker last time I was there that almost resulted in me getting ticketed. Luckily I was able to use my speech craft skills in convincing him that I was a confused tourist that didn't have a clue. He still made me pay the fair...

I think I'm going to take a short nap before heading south. Maybe try to do some math homework, hopefully I can figure out how to multiply and divide rational functions on my own but if I was placing a bet at a casino I'd say I may be seeing the letter "F" in my near future, I'm sure I'll be seeing plenty of "B's" as well! Where "F" is for Failure, "B" is for Beer!! Have a Great Day!! and if you're in Oregon take a walk in the rain for me.

The Lawrence Arms tour California, I'm on my way!!

Tomorrow I will be driving to California to see the band the Lawrence Arms three days in a row!! The Lawrence Arms, from Chicago, have been my favorite band for almost ten years now and I've already seen them nine times. After seeing that They're going on tour but San Francisco's the closest they'll be coming to Oregon I knew I had to make plans to go south..

Not only am I jazzed to be seeing the Arms in both Stockton and San Francisco but I will also be seeing them at two really famous punk rock venues. The Plea for Peace Center in Stockton, and Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. It's been a dream of mine to see any band at these historic venues, let alone my favorite band.

The shows are on the 10th in Stockton, and 11th and 12th in San Francisco. Not only do I intend on bringing my camera for numerous photos and videos but I plan on meeting up with certain member of the band for interviews to be posted and used in an upcoming articles on this blog. Though I've interviewed the band before, this will be the first time I do so for any sort of publication.

Well I've still got a huge list of things I need to take care of before I hit the road so I'm going to focus my attention back to that. Be looking for Lawrence Arms show updates including reviews, photos, and videos as early as Wednesday morning!

Campus News Photo!

LBCC students walk through a large puddle of water that gathered in front of the learning center after a heavy downpour that occurred Friday morning.

Citizen Fish and the Star Fucking Hipsters!!

The Wow hall has always been a great place for punks rock shows in Eugene and Monday night it was no exceptions. Citizen Fish, a ska band from the United Kingdom and the Star Fucking Hipsters, fasted paced punk rock out of New York City rocked the house with a burst of highly political songs and lyrics that send a strong message fighting for the middle and lower class.

For those that don't know Citizen Fish contains Dick, Phil and Trotsky from punk rock legends the Subhumans. the Star Fucking Hipsters was originally started as a side project from Leftover Crack members, Stza(vocals) and Brandon(drums) unfortunately the project was put on hiatus till 2005 after Brandon Chevalier-Kolling unexpectedly passed away.

Enjoy the Photos!!
















(Citizen Fish Keeps the crowd dancing!)















(Star Fucking Hipsters rocking it as the kids push and shove!)





















(Guitar and Bass)

































(Star Fucking Hipsters vocalist Nico De Gaillo.)

Updated news photo

"Troy Laub and Bret Smith help replace a telephone pole after a truck ran into it at the corner of Kings and Garfield."

Strike Anywhere sets Portland on fire

Friday night Richmond Virginia punk rockers, Strike anywhere, brought an all out show to the Hawthorne Theater in Portland, Oregon with special guests Crime in Stereo, Ruiner, and Polar Bear Club.



























This is a show that I'd been waiting for months to see and it was sure to not disappoint. I'm working on a full review right now that will be up shortly. Until then enjoy some pictures of the band along with this video I shot of the song "Sunset on 32nd street."


I lucked out when shooting the video and managed to get the bands lead singer, Thomas Barnett, speaking out against racism and violence before the song starts. If you pay good attention you'll catch what is just a small glimpse of what Strike Anywhere stands for.


Unfortunately I've been having problems uploading the video, but I will try again tomorrow. Be sure to check in and look for it because I'm not going to give up on this one!

My Portland Adventure

I had the pleasure of going to Portland this weekend to see one of my favorite punk bands, Strike Anywhere, and managed to get some incredibly awesome pictures and even video of the band playing a full song! If you don’t already know, Portland is my favorite city in the world and this trip was no exception when it comes to loving the fair city of roses. Not only did I have an extraordinary time at the strike Anywhere show, but almost instantly afterwords I managed to find a house party with a Metal band from Olympia known as Christian Mistress.

Being in photo journalism I had to take advantage of the opportunity to snap as many pictures as I could in the overcrowded Portland basement. The band played fast, brain melting riffs that could power a whole city with the amount of head banging being generated in the damp basement. Unfortunately, you cant power a house from head banging and circuits were blown that lead to a completely dark house and an early exit for Christian Mistress who had easily made there point by then.



























After the band was done playing everyone shuffled outside and kept the party going. I made bunches of new friends here and got a real taste of the Portland scene. It was just like a Corvallis house party that had way more people and not just a bunch of college yuppies. When the cops drove by they didn’t even look at the place. In Corvallis the pigs would be watching all night just waiting for there chance to move in. Luckily, we were in a big city, and the cops just have more to do there.

After meeting some new friends and seeing some great music I decided to move along and headed towards Burnside to continue my Portland adventure. It didn’t take long before I ran into an aspiring street musician, Roby Dale Williams, who goes by “Lord Bullet Train Sugar Cane” and proclaims to be the “Lord of PDX buckets” I snapped a few shots and some video of Williams playing the bucket drums and after a short conversation realized that he actually played drums for the legendary Portland punk rockers, MDC(Millions of Dead Cops) in 1994-1995, I was talking to a legend!!








Once I parted ways with Williams it was getting late, the clock was pushing 2am and I still had to drive all the way back to Corvallis. But I had one more stop to make before making the long trek up I-5, Ground Kontrol, Portland’s famous video arcade/bar!

Knowing I had a long drive ahead of me I stayed clear of purchasing any drinks that could cloud up my head, but made sure to put my left over quarters to use and started making my rounds through the arcade. I started with the start wars fighter pilot game that had me blowing up tye fighters left and right until a shielding gun on the death start put my ship to rest. After that it was up to the second floor that was dedicated to nothing but pinball.

After a few more random games and a quick drive around the city It was finally time to head back to that small black hole known as Corvallis. Exhausted and tired I made sure to drive extra carefully because it was late and this was no time to be messing around. The drive home presented great opportunity for me to reflect on my evening full of extraordinary circumstance. Portland is a great city and on a night like this it doesn’t take long to realize that it is truly the heart of Oregon. One day I plan on making Portland my home but till then all I can do is take every chance I get visit and make the best of my time in the city of roses.

Photo critique..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anasantos/2899594955/

So here's a picture I found on flickr.com with three girl simultaneously jumping up in the air. The three are all wearing the same clothes and jumping at the same height witch leaves me to believe that this picture was probably set up. It's possible that they could of all been wearing the same thing and randomly decided to jump in the air for a photo but if I were to bet I would say they set it up long in advance. So I really like this picture. they put the label "Don't Worry, Be Happy" on the photo witch is very fitting. the girl in the middle is making a goofy face while the other two girls on the side are just looking happy. I really like this picture. It gives off a really good vibe. Like some of the comments on the picture state, the colors are really vibrant witch makes for a great visually apealing photo. The picture almost looks like the three girls might just be one girl that took three pictures of herself jumping in different places and put them together in photo shop or something. I don't know if the pictures set up or not but one things forsure, its a great shot of people in a good landscape with faces and distinct features sticking out and that makes for one great picture.

First Photo: Music for the Market

People Gather in front of the Eugene City hall to play Music together during the Eugene Saturday Market. People meet here to play every Saturday while the market is going on.

My first Blog Post...

For Photo Journalism. wow. I feel really unoriginal now seeing that the person next to me typed the same thing.. Oh well. It's gonna be a good term!! So I'm taking photo Journalism for a couple reasons. For one, it's the only journalism class at LBCC that I haven't taken yet. Also, I just wanted to have an opportunity to take some pictures and sharpen my skills! So instead of working on editing pictures I took the other day I'm going to work with some that I took in San Fransisco a couple months ago. I just feel like theirs more action in these pictures then the ones from the other day. I really enjoy big city's!

Last Story is Up!!

Alright!! it feels good to almost be done. This story was a hard one to write. It was hard to talk to the people I needed to. I wanted to take a more laid back approach for this profile story. I guess I was really just trying to fit the language that most people interested by the story would take to. This is why I continually say "the camp" and use Davids first name. Well, I'm in class right now so I should start paying attention again...checkin' out!!

Welcome to Camp (David Studios)

A band can only be as good as it’s recording. David Lindell, a Corvallis area native, has been recording bands and single handedly running Camp David Studio since late 2005. David started the camp in his moms garage. He quickly made enough money to move the camp into a storage unit in south town Corvallis, where it sat for 3 years before David moved it to Portland.

Why work at a gas station or in fast food when you could record bands. David started the camp so he could be his own boss, so he didn’t have to get a “real job.” He chooses when he works, and who he works with. I don’t think that David realizes the impact he has on other bands. He helps bands take it to the nest level.

Just a small list of bands that David has recorded includes Broadway Calls, the Angries, No City Lights, Arise the dead, Rental 58, The Reed Sea, Two Hands, Box Modern and many more.

The thing that really sets Camp Dave apart from other studios is David’s precise attention to detail. When working on the computer he’s known to pull every track apart down to the shortest of intervals fading out unneeded rings, leveling out volumes and adjusting the tones. This dedication along with the highest quality of equipment makes for one sweet recording.

Ross Goodman, of No City Lights, had the pleasure of recording with his band at Camp David Studio Several times. “He’s pretty professional, yet makes it a loose working atmosphere.” Goodman explained that the songs he’d recorded with David have helped immensely in getting shows and that David also helps gain bands recognition by featuring songs recorded by them on his MySpace page. “David has a lot of creative insight for the bands recording with him, whether they choose to accept it or not is up to them.”

If you’re in a band considering doing some recording, think about heading to the camp to lay down a couple tracks. David just urges that if you do come to record with him, “make sure you’re ready to go and bring a good attitude. I try my very hardest to make you sound good, you should too!”

You can contact David through the camp’s MySpace page, www.myspace.com/davidlindellaudio. He welcomes any questions you may have and would be glad to set up an appointment to record.





Photo by Mike Finn

One Story Left!!

That's right, I know we're down to the end here but I still have one story to go. I've just had problems catching David at the right time for an interview but I have one scheduled for tomorrow night. I plan on spending the rest of the night as well as some time Monday writing the story and then getting it posted no later than Monday evening. Enjoy the Facebook workshop story!! I plan on submitting that to the commuter tomorrow night, I'm just holding off because I would like to talk to Richenda so i can get a specific date for future workshops. Have a nice day!!

Getting involved with social networking

On May 20, in the LBCC library a workshop was held on social networking sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter. The workshop was taught by Richenda Wilkinson, a librarian at LBCC. The focus of the workshop was not only to get people more familiar with online networking, but to actually get them set up with accounts and networking for themselves.


Wilkinson started the workshop by explaining the importance of online networking. She explained that it’s about keeping in contact with people, re-contacting old friends, and basic social networking. She also explained the differences between Myspace, Facebook and Twitter, and explained why she prefers Facebook over Myspace. According to Wilkinson Myspace has more adds and she also stated that “Myspace is used more by younger people.”

Wilkinson also showed us some special social networking sites that focus on people having things in common with others, her example of this was a network for people involved with sewing.

Wilkinson also went over the advantages and geniusness of marketing and advertising through social networks, “it’s really a great tool for marketers.” The advertisers collect information from you through what you do on network and then display adds fitting to what you like or are into.

After a thorough explanation on how networking works Wilkinson proceeded to help everybody set up a Facebook account as well as register with the school they attended for high school. Within minutes people all through out the room were finding friends from high school that they hadn’t seen of heard from in decades. At that point the true importance of social networking became apparent and accepted by almost everyone in the room.

John McArdle, the director of development, attended the workshop for many reasons. For one, he has a son who is currently a sophomore in high school that has bought into the age of online networking. McArdle also stated that, “I’m trying to lean where this makes sense in the business world.”

Social networking is a great tool that a lot of people still don’t know the importance of. In the fastly changing world of technology it is important to keep an open mind and welcome new tools for the future. There are scheduled to be more workshops on social networking in the future so I would encourage anyone looking to embrace and take advantage of these new technologies to attend. I will update this as soon as I know when the workshops will be held, or you could keep checking the campus shorts.

Just keep in mind that if you don’t give social networking a try you may never know what you’ll miss or who you will find.

Upcoming story's!!!

So I've got two story's that will be posted in the next week. One is on a workshop I attended getting people more familiar with Facebook, Myspace, and other online networking sites. The other story is the profile on David Lindel. I've had problems getting an interview with David but I've got one lined up in the next few days. Stay tuned, there are story's coming soon!!

Rogue River story

So I got off the Rogue River yesterday and it was a great trip. I got some amazing pictures and I'm working on a great story about it for next week. Theirs also an interview with David Lindel of Camp David Studios coming. Great stuff to look forward to!!

ESOL host showcase at Benton Center

On Wednesday, May 13, the English for Speakers of Other Languages program held a showcase at the Benton Center featuring speakers and participants from all over the world. The showcase gave students the chance to show off their countries while publicly practicing speaking English.

The showcase was held to help spread awareness of ESOL and the impact it has on the community and world. “Many students don’t realize what a large ESOL program we have, and that there’s so many students from other countries who study right here at the Benton Center and in Albany,” said Mary Browning a faculty member in the ESOL department.

William Vargas, a student from El’ Salvador explained to me how ESOL classes have helped him in understanding the English Language. Vargas plans on becoming a permanent citizen so to him proper knowledge of the English language is a must.

The ESOL hosts this event every spring to kind of wrap up bringing an end to the year, but the showcase can be expected to be seen for many years to come. When asked about budget cuts ESOL instructor Kristi McMorran replied, “we’re lucky that we get a lot of federal funding for our program so we’re not just tuition based, so I don’t expect that we will have budget cuts within our program that will effect the students.”

The ESOL department hosts both credited and non-credited classes at three different levels; beginning, intermediate, and advanced that are designed for foreign students to sharpen their skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The classes are offered both morning and evenings every term in both Albany and Corvallis.

Upcoming Storys!!

As soon as I catch David Lindel online I'm going to do a Q and A interview with him and turn it into a great profile piece. I've already interviewed members from the band Rental 58 witch David has recorded many times in the past. For a speech story I really wanted to catch the LEAP presentation witch took place on campus earlier this week. Unforutunatly due to the chaos I had no chance of making it. I still don't know what I'm going to do for a speech story but whatever I do it's sure to be something good!!! Now onto what I'm really excited for. Wednesday afternoon I will be leaving for a 3 day rafting trip down the Rogue River. I'm going to bring a camera and snap some Beautiful pictures of the scenery. I really would love to do a photo essay on this but don't know if Greg will let me. One thing is for sure though, the pictures I plan on taking WILL be more beautiful then almost any of the pictures that have ever made the commuter. Even if I can't to a photo essay I'd at least love to do a great feature with some good photos.

Slacking off means low points for blogging week...

Well it's been about two weeks since I've posted a blog. That's not doing much for my grade ehh??? Truth is I've had an extremely busy few weeks in witch I've found very little time to do school work. So I decided to jump on here and put up a few posts. I know there's a class blog that I'm supposed to write about campus life. I Can do that, the problem is I don't have the acount name/Password. Ryan was cool enough to fill me in on all the info, I'm actually trying to call him and get the password right now however he did not pick up. I guess I'll just write the blog and post it here on my normal blog and them move it to the class blog later!!! Well I'd love to go on and tell you all about the hectic couple weeks I've had going on but I better get to more important things like blogs about what I'm doing for the class and stuff, Tah Tah!!

Random words of wisdom..

What's truly important to you?? what do you care about the most in life? Have you ever lied to yourself, trying to think you know whats best for you when you know it's not the truth.

Do you ever feel like the world is playing tricks on you???

Why is it in life we're always so quick to ignore what we really care about..

around the corner there's an entire world of new people, places, and things we've never seen before. Life is an adventure we've all been forced into taking. What path will you take, where will you go and where will you end up, it's all up to you. The important thing that you have to remember is to never give up. No matter how hard of a struggle it is, and beyond all else make sure you really know what is truly important to you. Just follow your heart and all your dreams will come true. If you don't believe it, well, you might just be lying to yourself.

Profile Story.

I really don't have a solid idea on who I'm going to interview for my profile piece. I might try to get a hold of David Lindel who runs "Camp David" recording studios. Davids recorded bands from all over Oregon and Washington, some artists he's recorded like Broadway Calls are even gaining national recognition right now. Camp David started out as an in home recording studio David started using his computer and some microphones out of his moms garage in Philomath. He soon moved into a storage unit in Corvallis where he recorded many bands. After a few years in Corvallis he took the studio up to Portland where he still runs it today. It might be kind of hard for me to get interviews with him living in Portland and that's why this profile might not work out for the minute but if it does work out it'd sure make a good one.

Record Store Day

On April 18 independently owned record stores all over the US will be celebrating the third annual Record Store Day. Record Store Day is a day when bands and musical artists come together with independently owned record stores to honor the unique culture that surrounds them.

Some of the things we can expect to see this Saturday in celebration of Record Store Day is the special release of vinyl and CD’s; only to be carried by participating record stores, and lots of musical performances from various bands all over the country.

Record Store Day was first thought up by Chris Brown and founded by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave, and Brian Poehner in 2007.

According to www.recordstoreday.com stores participating must consist of at least 50% music retail, and 70% of the stores ownership must be located in the state of operation. “We’re dealing with real, live, physical, indie [independently owned] stores-not online retailers or corporate behemoths,” said the web site.

Happy Trails is a local and independently owned record store in Corvallis looking forward to getting special releases from The Smiths, Bob Dylan, Jane’s Addiction, King Crimson, Wilco, and many more participating artists. “It’s just nice to offer something that you can’t get anywhere else,” said storeowner Doug DiCarolis. “The releases are strictly limited, they’re only printing a few, and they’re only going to places like this.”

Happy Trails has been in business for over 35 years and has been keeping up with the times while making sure to keep that old record store spirit. The shelves are filled with CD’s and DVD’s, and right up front are a number of bins filled with brand new and used vinyl. “Most of the stuff being released is on vinyl. That I’m excited about; how they emphasize the vinyl party” said DiCarolis in reference to the special releases his store is getting in.

While it may not be the biggest thing to look forward too, Record Store Day is there to honor those who work hard, and struggle to survive in an industry slowly being taken over by corporations and online media. According to Doug DiCarolis owner of Happy Trails Records, “You need to support places like this in times like these or we just won’t be here.” So get out there to your local independently owned record store and show some support so we can have something to look forward too for Record Store Days in many years to come.

Stimulating our economy while improving our school

We all know there’s been a lot of construction going around on campus. A lot of us are quick to judge the long detours and constant beeping but few are actually aware of the improvements taking place.

Administrative Assistant Ali Gray for one is “stoked.” “There building our new building, a lot of people that work here are excited about it.”said Gray in reference to the science department. That explains the construction that’s been going on through out this school year.

The new construction that started early last week is part of a Governor awarded stimulus package granted to the school. According to Gary Ruppert, dean of arts & letters, the money isn’t just to improve the school but to keep the economy going as well. “It is putting people to work.” said Rupert.

The construction will continue through out and after the school year starting at the College Center and working its way clockwise around campus.

According to Fred Haynes, dean of Engineering and industrial technology, the governor gave us about 2 million dollars that will be used for putting in new lights, Ceiling Files, installing energy saving walls, replacing transformers, paving the walkways and much more. Haynes said, “in some cases there will be minor inconvenience for students.”

Some student classrooms and instructors offices will be temporarily moved, and we’ll have to continue to put up with loud noise and construction crews. But Haynes insists that if we watch out to stay safe and keep an open mind about the Construction it will pay off.

Next story...

So last night a friend of mine got arrested in Corvallis for J-walking. I wanted to do a story about this but I can't really do an adequate news story without blasting out opinions so i think I'll save that one for a blog post/opinion piece. I bet you didn't know that April 18th is National Record Store Day!! I think I'm going to do my story on this. I plan on talking to my Buddy's at Happy Trails again, I'm not positive who my other sources will be but I'm sure I'll figure it out. Rock on, and a happy early Record Store day to all!!!

NEWS and REPORTING Story#1 Stimulas Construction on Campus

The story I’m working on is about construction accruing campus as part of a stimulus package awarded to the by the Governor. So far in preparation for this story I’ve talked to a couple people. The key guy was Fred Haynes, The dean of engineering and industrial technology. Fred was important in gathering the facts about what is actually going on. He’s the one that sent the email/press release with the bulk of the information. I also talked to a Lady who works in the science department, unfortunately I forgot my notes over at a buddy’s house so I don’t have her name at the second, but as we all know as for construction goes the science department has been next to a total war zone of jackhammers and nail guns. Witch is why I was pleasantly surprised to find that she was all for the benefits of the construction taking place. “Their building our new Science Building” she exclaimed. She referred me to another person she believes I should interview about the situation, once again the name is temporarily misplaced in my notes but I’m pretty sure his first name was Dan. Unfortunately Dan isn’t going to be in until sometime Thursday and of course the story is due Wednesday, but I still plan on getting an interview with him and finding some information to make my story’s final cut.
As far as my story goes I’ve got all the information I need to at least lead off to a good start. That’s the problem with me and story’s though is getting them started. Sometimes I start over and over. It’s all about finding myself in the right place with the right mindset. Sometimes it’s even easier to start from the middle or end. The trick for me is to just get something written down that I feel comfortable with. I guess you could call it a foundation. I need a foundation for my Story, and once I pave that worded concrete. My story will build itself from there like nothing else.

Blog on Bloging

So one of the biggest things I’ve got out of this class is a will to keep bloging. I believe bloging gives me the perfect chance to rant, rave, and spew my opinions. Though I haven’t exercised my bloging to much aside from class work, I plan take full advantage of this new era in digital journalism. In every story I’ve wrote so far I’ve managed to throw some personal opinion in at some point witch throws the whole thing out of whack. Writing a blog gives me the perfect chance to go off and state my opinion about whatever I feel.

The main influence in keeping me going with the blogs was when I found a blog written by one of my favorite musicians, Brendan Kelly, the bassist of The Lawrence Arms, a punk rock trio based out of Chicago Illinois. The Blog is titled “The bad Sandwich Chronicles” and can be found in the “Influential musicians” portion of my blog list. So Brendan has already wrote some of my favorite songs from the last 10 year, so it’s not like I haven’t already been impressed by his writing. He tends to write about 1000 words everyday about his life, what’s going on in the world, giving cheesy advice, and just going off about random bullshit. It’s so great! It would always make my day to come into class and slowly read through what Brendan had to say while Robs given’ us the low-down on what to do. I’ve even recently found myself logging on daily checking for updates.

Being a fellow musician I understand how important it is to exercise writing at every possible moment. Seeing similar thoughts as mine with a strong mix of humor and opinion mixed in that’s posted by someone I truly respect as a writer has influenced me to do a similar practice. I’m hoping to shoot for 3 blog posts a week. That’ll be the goal. I plan to Rant ON and ON!! Spew senseless Jargon about anything and nothing, and most of all, confuse the fu*k out of everybody!! So if you’ld like to stick around and see what the future brings, I invite you all!!! Who knows what crazy topics I’ll come up with!?!?! Anyone have any Ideas???

What I Learned from Steven King

First Off, I honestly wish I had put a little more time into reading this book. I tended to skim through a lot of it and though I did take in most of it, I’m sure there was still a lot more information I could of taken out of it. The main thing that I really took from Steven King and applied to my own writing was to “Kill your Darlings.” The reason I took the most out of this is because In my writing I notice that I love to go off on rants about things that don’t particularly pertain to what I’m writing. The rant can be connected to whatever I’m writing but normally it just tends to carry me away from my main subjects or interests and goes off in to a completely opinion based world in my head. Almost every article I’ve wrote so far has some kind of rant that I’ve looked over when I was done and said, “what was I thinking, as comically golden as this is it’s just got to go.” People don’t want hear about how much I hate George Bush in the middle of a review of my favorite show, Grey’s Anatomy . The Book also got me to clear my head, and clear off a spot to write as opposed to me cramming myself into the corner of the bed. The last and most important thing I’ve taken out of the book is to keep trying and never give up. You just have to keep writing even if you’re going nowhere, and then take the exercise you get out of it and to put towards future writing and projects.

Music downloading vs. the record store down the street

Happy Trails on 3rd and Monroe Corvallis has been in business for 35 years. The store has always brought us the best in hard to find and independent music. As we enter an age of digital technology where the downloading of music becomes easier and easier they see business getting harder and harder.

According to Doug DiCarolis, Happy Trails owner, the first big hit came against them came in the late 90’s with the invent of Napster. Since Napster was introduced and made music sharing become widespread Music stores all over the world have had problems staying in business.

Now days we’ve moved on to I-tunes a totally legit process of music downloading music. The problem with I-tunes is that although the music is all paid for and legal, it still doesn’t help the small record store. According to Doug, it takes away from the artistic qualities of the musician, “You don’t get the packaging and the sound quality’s not as good. People just don’t care.”

Doug pointed out a similar industry that’s starting to walk down the same line and that’s the book industry. What need is there going to be for a local bookstore when you can just download any book onto your electronic organizer. All it’s going to do is put more people out of work and ad to the already struggling economy.

One surprising thing that we’re seeing come out of this era of music downloading is believe it or not a rise in the sales of vinyl records. Another Happy Trails employee Dave Trenkel describes vinyl as “a one of a kind artifact that you just can’t replicate.” Record companies seem to be embracing the comeback of vinyl as well. A lot labels are even packaging vinyl records with coupons for a free digital download of the album purchased. Talk about new technology meeting the old.

All in all only time will tell what happens to the little record store on the corner. Music sharing was a huge hit for the industry and with the fallen economy on top of that things just aren’t looking to good. “Ultimately, it’s going to come down to a vote of what the people want, and so far they voted us out.” says Doug. All I can do is urge you to support your local music and book stores. Though the idea of downloading your books and music seems innocent and harmless enough, you’re never going to think of the little guys it’s going to hurt until they’re gone.

Ocean Profile

Monday night at Fireworks in south town Corvallis you're liable to find a bar completely full of people eating great food, drinking good beer, and listening to good music. Monday is Open mic night at Fireworks and is now hosted by Fireworks owner Ocean Liff-Anderson. Ocean is a Charismatic man who is full of triumphs in running and operated his restaurant but most of all succeeds in keeping the music playing almost every night.

As a musician I can definitely say that Corvallis has had a dying scene. Over the last few years I've seen a huge decline in amount of venues and events that help the music keep going in this town. It's truly great for a guy like Ocean to focus so much on upholding Fireworks as not just a restaurant but a venue as well. When I witnessed a local musician asking Ocean about booking a possible show before he could even give it thought he said "Let's go for it!!," with the kind of enthusiasm that this town needs when it comes to local music. Not a night goes by when you can't walk into Fireworks and find Ocean at his computer searching the net for his next artist.

Not only is Fireworks a great venue but a local producer, John Ulrich worked with Ocean and used Fireworks open mic night to film a Documentary on the Local Corvallis music scene called. "The Hearts of the Valley." The documentary features local musicians that have all come together to kill the fear and embrace the freedom of going up in front of an audience and performing what they want to at their hearts will. I will update my blog with information on where to find the documentary as soon as I find out more on it.

One of Ocean's may other achievements is keeping Fireworks stocked with organic locally grown produce along with locally brewed beers, my favorite is the Ginseng Porter by Oregon Trail brewing. I don't know how the corporate chains do things but I can go off forever on the good local re-sourcing can do for the economy.

Ocean is a man dedicated to bringing good food and local music together. The environment he’s set at Fireworks is that unlike any other restaurant or bar in town. The lighting, scenery, and a little running waterfall make it the perfect place to sit down and enjoy a choice beverage while listening to your favorite local artists. If you want to catch Ocean in action be sure to check out open mic night on Mondays at 9, or just stop in any night of the week for some beer and Pizza. Ocean this one’s for you, CHEERS!!!

Profile and Happy Trails story comming soon...

So my profile is done!! I just have to be able to sign onto the net with a differen't computer so I can post it. Also I'm working on a story about the Happy Trails Record store and the comeback of Vinyl records. This story is serisouly going to be great, I've already wrote half of it and interviewed some friends at Happy Trails. I figure this is my last story so I'm going to go out with a bang and put all I've got into it. I also intent on doing my presentation on Friday about this last Happy Trails story. Hope you'll enjoy!!

Leaving for San Diego Tomorrow

I'm so excited, this is going to be a great trip. About the story I'll be doing I've heard two people say "I would like to see where online journalism is going and how money will be made through online journalism in the future." Due to popular demand I will try focus my story on the future of online journalism, though we'll see where things really go when we get down there.

San Diego Journalism Convention

A few days short of a week from now I'll be heading out with the LBCC Commuter/journalism crew to attend the San Diego Journalism Convention and I couldn't be more excited, probably just because I need to get out of Oregon for a few days. And I've never been to San Diego. So I figure being at a journalism convention I might as well do some sort of a story about it. I think the main question here is going to be "What's new in journalism??" As for now I'm not quite sure who I'm going to interview and what my plan is going to be but I'll be updating my blog as soon as I have the game plan. I will be going to a meeting and talking to Rob and the crew to gather more information on what we are doing and what my possible story options are.

I'm playing a free show at Old World Deli tonight!!

Both my bands "Hermit" and "Missed the Exit" are playingat the Old World Deli(2nd @ adams), we'll start at about 7:30.. unfortunatly it's 21+, so leave the kids at home. Hope to see you there.. ROCK ON!!,
-Blair

I hate Hippies!!

Oh this story is going to be Great!! I've got people to talk to and opinions to state. There's also sure to be a certain level of Humour involved as well as a little piece of American history. In this story I plan on defining the precise differences between hippies and Punks witch are sadly often mistaken as hippies. A few people I plan on interviewing for this story: The guy from Bad Habits smoke shop in Corvallis, remember everything they sell is intended for Tobacco smoking purposes...So don't get any Ideas!!!, I also intend on interviewing one of my many "punk rocker" friends. I'm going to have to research them a little bit to find out who's hatred for hippies reigns deepest. Last I'm going to try to interview this guy that hangs out at the Peacock every night, I forget his name but I can remember several occasions when he's threatened to fight me because I was talking shit about hippies in front of him, his famous line, "Theirs a common misconception about hippies, and that's that we don't fight...." WOW.....now that's not nice..whatever happened to "Peace and Love," True Hippies are Dead, they need to except that the worlds changing and do what there parents did..."Get a Job!!!"

Battletoads: the challenge that will never die

Sometimes there is a game that defines a generation. For us, that game is Battletoads! Released by RARE in 1991, Battletoads introduces a new style of game play that can only be found on the Nintendo Entertainment System. With 13 levels of amazing 2- and sometimes 3-D graphics, Battletoads is the perfect addition to any Nintendo Collection.

The problem with Battletoads is if you're lucky enough to make it to level three you're likely to already be ripping your hair out, and the game only gets harder from there.

Battletoads consists of two different types of game play: There’s the traditional beat-em-up style made popular by games like "Double Dragon" and "The Adventures of Bayou Billy," and occasionally you'll find yourself on a surf board, or in a high speed racer dodging obstacles. In level 12 you get chased down by a gigantic ball of light. I've broken more controllers in half on this level then in every other game I’ve played put together.

In the story of Battletoads, Rash and Zit have to save the princess Angelica and their buddy Pimple from the Evil Dark Queen, but this is original Nintendo, so the story doesn't really matter.

My favorite part of the game is level three when you're in the "Wind Tunnel" and you jump on the high speed racer - immediately the three dimensional background starts flying past and you must dodge the dangerous rock slabs in the way. Another great level is the "Snake Pit" where you're jumping from snake to snake avoiding fatal spikes. If you're lucky enough to catch the warp you'll find yourself in the sewers beating up the rubber ducks and sharks.

While there are a lot of NES games out there that get old fast, Battletoads is not one of those. Battletoads will keep you occupied for hours, and with every attempt you'll be sure to make it a little farther while never getting bored along the way, so sign on to eBay or head down to your local gamming dealer to pick up this classic that is destined to be in any great collection.

Column and Review..

Since I've already wrote a column "How the Playstation 3 Changed my Life," I'm going to focus on the review this week. I will however revise my column after getting a few interviews so that I have some valid sources for the story. On the review I think I will write about the game Battletoads. Battletoads was a classic NES game. Even thought this game is almost 20 years old I want to review it to remind everyone just how fun the Original Nintendo games really were.

Profile's almost done!!

I just want to go to one more open mic night(witch is tomorrow) to get some pictures of Ocean in action and get one more interview about the video project that's being put together at Fireworks. Aside from that I have great introduction and conclusion to the article and the middle's coming together really well, I just need to get the facts down. The Full story will be posted on Tuesday and hopefully make this weeks Commuter as well, we'll see what happens!!

A place I know well

A place that I know well is the Rogue River valley below Galice, OR. This area of the river is known as the "wild and scenic" section because there is no roads along or anywhere near the river. This is one of the most beautiful places in the world. There's giant trees everywhere and rock walls surround the river. In the summer all you can hear is birds singing and insects buzzing while the smell of pine mixed with an endless amount different beautiful scents fills the air. If you try to walk along the river in a mile in either direction you'll be sure to find a number of loud roaring creeks, water as clear and cold as a stream could be. Wildlife roams the Area like nothing else. Dear, bear, blue herons, otters, beavers, ducks, and many other animals clearly own the land as they are to be found on every stretch of every corner. The Rogue valley is by far one of my favorite places in the world. I like it so much I'd be willing to drop everything and live there as a Hermit for the rest of my life.

Profile update!

So I've put the review on hold to focus on the profile story. I went to Fireworks for open mic night and watched Ocean at work. Ocean was hosting the open mic with a strong pressence that could definetly be felt. I've also interveiwed Santino Cadiz and John Ulrich who are local musicians heavily involved in the Fireworks scene. The profile is sure to turn out great and will be full of information on not only Ocean and Fireworks but a musical project being filmed at Fireworks.

How the Playstation 3 changed my life

About three days ago, I was at the end of my rope. Burnt out on the scene, lying drunk, naked in the gutter. The pressure of school and life had been building up, and just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, a sign of hope flew down from the sky like the stork delivering a long-awaited baby to the parent.

The Playstation 3 had come into my life. It had been a tremendous three-year wait, which in my eyes had seemed like an eternity. This wasn’t just any normal Playstation 3. It was a highly uncommon backwards-compatible unit that I had scored off craigslist over the weekend.

“Backwards-compatible” means that the unit will play both Playstation 1 and Playstation 2 games, as well as the intended Playstation 3. In my opinion, Sony has made a huge mistake and disgraced its customers by doing away with the backwards-compatibility feature on the new Playstation 3s. It’s sad to see a good thing go, but if you’re determined, you can still find one on E-bay or craigslist. They are out there.

Since bringing home the Playstation 3, I’ve had a whole new outlook on life. I’ve felt happier in life and the world just seems like better place. The irony of the story is that after spending more money than anyone ever should on a gaming system, I’ve found myself to have put in about 15 minutes on actual playstation 3 games, and about 4 hours on an original Playstation classic known as Final Fantasy 7. I’ve got one Playstation 3 game lined up to play and about 5 original Playstation games that I can’t wait to get to.

I know it seems odd to push aside the technology and advances in modern video games to play the classics, but I couldn’t be happier doing so.

Inauguration Story Update

I caught up with Callie Palmer in the hallway yesterday. She wrote a blog about her inauguration experience for the Democrat Herald that can be found here. She also gave me a link to some pictures that she took of the trip that can be found here. Enjoy!

Profile Update!!

So I think I've decided who I'm going to do my profile story on. Ocean, he is the owner of Fireworks resturaunt and bar in Corvallis. Fireworks is a great place to eat and drink, but the best part is that Ocean insists on there being live music every night. Fireworks is quickly becoming one of the best low key venues in town and Ocean is the man behind it all.

The Profile.

I don't quite know who to profile yet, but it's sure to be someone good!! Maybe the guy who runs Woodstocks and Suds and Suds in Corvallis, his name is Joe and he's running a great Bar/pizza Shack! He's just an Idea though. If I get any other Ideas I'll throw them up ASAP.

Review Story

There's so many options for me to review out there. I'll share a few Ideas with you. The new Dillinger Four album would be a option, you can hear a track or two from the CD here at the Fat Wreck Chords web site. Another option would be to review the movie Pineapple Express, I saw this movie the other day and would love to express an opinion about it. Not to mention I need to do a movie review for my Film Studies class, killing two birds with one stone!! Another Idea I had was to do "Old School Reviews" for the commuter. This was an Idea I had to review old things like Original Nintendo games, movies, and music from the 80's. I was thinking Battletoads on the NES would be a classic game to review. So many great option, I'm really looking forward to the review!!

LBCC's own attends inuauguration

On January 20, Barack Obama will be inaugurated into office of US presidency. This is tremendously historic on many different levels, and two LBCC teachers along with three LBCC students are lucky enough to be there in person.

Robert Harrison, Callie Palmer, Amanda Halama, Toni Snow, and Randy Herron will be attending the inauguration. I had the chance to sit down with Harrison and Palmer to get some information on their adventure.

When I asked Harrison what he believes Obama would do for The United States he replied with, “first I believe that he will pass a big stimulus package to give the country a boost and help turn the economy around, he will help lead the green revolution, Obama has his goals but will be willing to compromise to get things done.” Harrison also stated “I’ve been so disappointed at the last 8 years that’s why Obama is so exciting” I asked Harrison how he felt about Bush and he replied, “I don’t think he was capable of doing the job.” It’s easy to see the mess that’s been left for Obama; thankfully this is America where as long as we have the proper leadership we’ll have a chance to turn ourselves around.

I also had a chance to speak to Callie Palmer, the LBCC faculty consultant for multi cultural issues, who is also attending the trip to Washington D.C. In our discussion she talked about how the events of U.S. history affected Obama’s chances to win the presidency. For example, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech was a huge step in the right direction. In the interview Palmer stated, “I don’t think we’ve reached post-racial politics like the pundits claim”.

Not only is Obama coming into office exciting enough but he’s got a great cabinet of top advisors that he’s bringing with him. “Hillary Clinton is a great choice for secretary of state” Said Harrison. Palmer was excited for Joe Biden whose wife was a community college teacher as well, “She will help us out,” said Palmer in reference to LBCC and community colleges around the nation.

There will be a presentation held by Dr. Harrison, Palmer, Halama, Snow, and Herron sometime in late February, an exact date has not been set up yet.

Alright, my story is finally pretty much done!!

I'm just waiting from my girlfriend, MaryAnne Turner who is an expert in the field of jounralism and Managing Editor of The Commuter to wake up so she can proof ready my story and make sure that I didn't totally mess anything up...Because I probably did..hehe.. I should have my story posted within an hour or so, till then check out this great essay written by Barack Obama for The Washington Times in honor of Martin Luther King Day.

Story Update!

So the story's looking good, but as opposed to going in the direction of students attending the inauguration I seem to just be ripping on Bush a lot. I had a great interview with Robert Harrison yesterday and not only got more information than I need but learned a lot in the process. I need to look at this story less as ripping on Bush and more as a historical moment being witnessed live by students and staff of LBCC.

Inauguration Story

I need to get some interviews going here. Some students and a professor from LBCC are planning on going to Obama's inauguration. I'm going to try to have a word with some of them and get some opinions on how they think Bush handled his presidency, as well as what they believe Obama has in store for our great nation. I believe the biggest question is what has the old president done and what will the new president do for America. I plan on focusing on the administartions and cabinet members of the partys as well the president and president elect. Everybody knows Obama's taking the thrown but does anybody know whois comming with him?? hopefully when my story is complete it will give us a nice look at the people Obama trusts to run the country by his side.

First Feature Story Ideas

So I started my concept map with the idea of politics. After narrowing things down I've decided that doing a piece in honor of George W. Bush would be perfect. He's in his last few weeks in office and it's a great time to look back and reflect on all the great work he's done. From the war on Iraq to hurricane Katrina, it'll never be possible to list all the achievements but I'm going to do my best in covering everything that I can.