Intern, Author at The Source - Bend, Oregon

The Mystery of the Hidden Artwork: Why Nancy Drew gave me unrealistic sleuth expectations

I’ve been pacing back and forth in the reference section of the Bend Public Library for a good twenty minutes now, every once in a

InternAugust 27, 2008June 27, 2024

I've been pacing back and forth in the reference section of the Bend Public Library for a good twenty minutes now, every once in a while stopping to pounce on the unsuspecting atlas or dictionary and rifle through the pages before sighing and shoving the book back into its spot on the shelf. Local artist Mark Bernahl told me that one of his random acts of art had been spotted amongst the stacks a mere two weeks ago and I was determined to find it. Possibly find it, take a picture of it in a cooler and proceed to call a national press conference. Maybe it was because I'd gotten way too into the whole Sasquatch-gate scandal or maybe it was just because I simply wanted to see one of Bernahl's creations for myself, but I wasn't ready to give up after twenty minutes, that's for sure.

Bernahl is every librarian and book purist's worst nightmare. His offenses are much worse than bent corners, creased spines and the occasional pencil scribbling or highlighted sentence. He cuts out entire sections of books and carves designs in the pages. The thing is, librarians don't know he exists. In fact, they don't even know the "damaged" book exists. Bernahl is an artistic phantom, leaving only hidden traces of his work for the random passerby to stumble upon. He uses books that libraries have gotten rid of, alters them, and stashes them back in the stacks where they sit, gathering dust, until the day someone finds them. Finding them, as it turns out, is another story altogether.

Bernahl says he has placed a total of 21 of his creations in libraries and bookstores throughout the Northwest. His work has infiltrated the stacks in libraries in Bend, Corvallis, Eugene, Portland, Boise, Vancouver and Baker City, to name a few. Bernahl does not keep a list of which book he's placed in which library, he only archives what he's created.

Culture

Will Paint for Money: The inaugural Old Mill artfest

When the fine editor of TSW asked me to cover the inaugural Art in the High Desert Festival, I immediately poured a rum and coke

InternAugust 27, 2008March 13, 2023

When the fine editor of TSW asked me to cover the inaugural Art in the High Desert Festival, I immediately poured a rum and coke and considered leaving town. Just what Central Oregon needs is another art fair with crafts by hobbyists who should do us and their families a favor and get real jobs. I guess Starbucks isn't hiring and Wal-Mart can use only so many greeters.

While scanning a handy guide provided by a far-too-perky volunteer, I took a grumpy swing through the tented camp of 100 artists next to the Deschutes across from the Old Mill. You could hear the cries of quiet desperation in the pleading eyes of the artists hunkered and hovering in their cave-like booths. "Please stop." "Please buy." "Is not my art good?" "Am I not worthy?" "If you prick us, do we not bleed?" OK, the sun or the morning shot of rum was getting to me. I decided to retreat across the bridge to the Lubbesmeyer Gallery. The twins, Lori and Lisa, are the only artists on the board of Art in the High Desert not in the show. With a gallery so close, they didn't have much need to be schlepping their collaborations into the late summer heat. Lori was one of the jurors, and I talked to her and Lisa in the cool of their gallery/studio.

"The screening process was tiring," said Lori. "Over 300 artists applied, and they were all excellent. Making considered choices was difficult."

Culture

High Octane Deadpan: Futuristic cult classic remake wipes out humor

The new David Carradine?This remake has so little in common with its predecessor and so much in common with crunch-fisted driving movies that it almost

InternAugust 27, 2008August 16, 2023

The new David Carradine?This remake has so little in common with its predecessor and so much in common with crunch-fisted driving movies that it almost defies comparison. Almost. The original, Death Race 2000, starred David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone as rivals in a cheesy, campy, primary colored, Roger Corman scuzz-fest that although stupid was also a laugh a minute. This version, however, is dead set on being dead serious.

The minimal plot is laid out as so: Ex-race car driver Jensen Ames (Jason Statham) is framed for murder and taken to the Terminal Island penitentiary to replace Frankenstein (the dead-by-the-first-car-crash driver), and participate in the highest rated show on TV via prison: DEATH RACE. Warden Hennessey (Joan Allen bringing the term "ice queen" to new heights) promises him release papers if he dons the frank-mask and drives. They're all here: the rivals, the bad guys, the worse guys, the goodhearted guys, the evil warden, the buffoon guard. It's stuff we've all seen before, so Race applies the majority of its focus on car racing. As with the original, this one pits Frankenstein against Machine Gun Joe (Tyrese Gibson) and a few deadbeat contestants. Oddly though, after the initial action sequence, the rest of the scenes seem to stay at the same level: spin out, shoot, curse, quick edit, floor-it, curse, smash-into, blow-up, etc.

Culture

Reality TV on the Big Screen: American Teen is a compelling snapshot of modern high school

I survived high school. I didn’t know anything about American Teen, but with that title I was hoping Kristen Bell had a lead role. Somebody

InternAugust 27, 2008May 2, 2024

I survived high school. I didn't know anything about American Teen, but with that title I was hoping Kristen Bell had a lead role. Somebody should have warned me. I hate documentaries. It's a character flaw. I hate self-awareness books; and of course high school is self-awareness on steroids around every locker-lined hallway and family dinner crisis. I don't like animation and this film has flotsam and jetsam of animation sprinkled about. Even with all that going against it and without Kristen Bell or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I liked Nanette Burstein's slick movie of high school angst. It was interesting. It was entertaining, maybe a bit enlightening and a trifle compelling at times. Some of the scenes and relationships seemed forced or even scripted, but so does my life at times. I'm always calling for rewrites and a stand-in.

The press info on the film has lines that remind me of the loudspeaker in M*A*S*H giving plots to morale boosting films in Korea. "Documentary follows the lives of four teenagers in one small town in Indiana….We see the insecurities, the cliques, the jealousies, the first loves and heartbreaks, and the struggle to make profound decisions about the future." Isn't that what everyone remembers about high school-all those damn profound decisions about the future? If we only knew then that events and not agonizing decisions sweep us along in life, we could have had more time for beer and sex.

It's senior year in a Midwest high school. There will be cruelty, humor, strangeness, scary moments, more talk of sex than actual sex, a dash of drinking, and a pinch of smoking. Yeah, some things never change. But a funny thing happened on the way to gym class. I ran across real people who could somehow carry on with their lives, perhaps not quietly but at times with desperation, and pay little attention to microphones and technicians and cameras. That is one thing that has changed in today's world: everyone is on camera; everyone is on the web.

Food & Drink

CORK: Who knew it had a happy hour?

Sometimes you want to have drink in a civilized environment and talk to your bud without using a megaphone or text messaging. Cork

InternAugust 27, 2008December 30, 2023

Sometimes you want to have drink in a civilized environment and talk to your bud without using a megaphone or text messaging. Cork is your happy place downtown for those times.

Food & Drink

CORK: Who knew it had a happy hour?

Sometimes you want to have drink in a civilized environment and talk to your bud without using a megaphone or text messaging. Cork

InternAugust 27, 2008May 10, 2024

Sometimes you want to have drink in a civilized environment and talk to your bud without using a megaphone or text messaging. Cork is your happy place downtown for those times.

Food & Drink

Spring, Summer, or Fall: Revamped Seasons features big ideas but uneven execution

Resorts with overnight accommodations have a built-in clientele for their on-site restaurants. Sometimes that can mean resort restaurants are lax in quality control and overall

InternAugust 27, 2008August 16, 2023

Resorts with overnight accommodations have a built-in clientele for their on-site restaurants. Sometimes that can mean resort restaurants are lax in quality control and overall dining experience. That's not the case with Seasons. There is no doubt the management and staff have made huge efforts in the re-visioning of this fine dining restaurant. Although the menu is ambitious and the attitude is one of dedication, the overall dining experience comes up short of expectations.

Over the last three years, the entire resort has undergone some drastic remodeling, changed its name and completely overhauled the dining facilities. What used to be a dark room characterized by a bad '70s motif, the resort's fine dining restaurant, Seasons, is now surrounded by big windows with views of the new pool area and patio seating.

The servers and management are exuberant about the establishment. After a slightly confusing walk to find the entrance, my dining partners and I were given a tour of the new dining room and bar before being seated.

Starting with appetizers, our party of four began with the Cracker Jack Oysters ($10) - big oysters coated in pulverized Cracker Jacks and fried to a crispy crunch. Slightly sweet, they were the best of the appetizers. We then moved on to the Carrot-Ginger Bisque ($3) which I found bland, even though it had some heat, The Tuna Salad ($13) had an unusual purple dressing surrounding seared ahi slices. It was slightly sweet with the intention (I would imagine) of offsetting the spice of the jalapeno and lime crust on the fish. It ended up being conflicting rather than complimenting. We ended our appetizer course with the Seafood Pistou ($12), a dish that comprised mussels, clams and halibut cooked in a pesto broth that lacked punch. However, the crusty toast for dipping was a nice touch.

Food & Drink

Spring, Summer, or Fall: Revamped Seasons features big ideas but uneven execution

Resorts with overnight accommodations have a built-in clientele for their on-site restaurants. Sometimes that can mean resort restaurants are lax in quality control and overall

InternAugust 27, 2008March 4, 2023

Resorts with overnight accommodations have a built-in clientele for their on-site restaurants. Sometimes that can mean resort restaurants are lax in quality control and overall dining experience. That’s not the case with Seasons. There is no doubt the management and staff have made huge efforts in the re-visioning of this fine dining restaurant. Although the menu is ambitious and the attitude is one of dedication, the overall dining experience comes up short of expectations.

Over the last three years, the entire resort has undergone some drastic remodeling, changed its name and completely overhauled the dining facilities. What used to be a dark room characterized by a bad ’70s motif, the resort’s fine dining restaurant, Seasons, is now surrounded by big windows with views of the new pool area and patio seating.

Starting with appetizers, our party of four began with the Cracker Jack Oysters ($10) – big oysters coated in pulverized Cracker Jacks and fried to a crispy crunch. Slightly sweet, they were the best of the appetizers. We then moved on to the Carrot-Ginger Bisque ($3) which I found bland, even though it had some heat, The Tuna Salad ($13) had an unusual purple dressing surrounding seared ahi slices. It was slightly sweet with the intention (I would imagine) of offsetting the spice of the jalapeno and lime crust on the fish. It ended up being conflicting rather than complimenting. We ended our appetizer course with the Seafood Pistou ($12), a dish that comprised mussels, clams and halibut cooked in a pesto broth that lacked punch. However, the crusty toast for dipping was a nice touch.

Music

If It Makes You Happy: Sheryl Crow and Lucinda Williams bring some big-stage estrogen to Bend

Even cowgirls get the blues. Since the official beginning of the summer concert series at Les Schwab Amphitheater in May, nine male-lead bands have taken

InternAugust 27, 2008July 2, 2024

Even cowgirls get the blues. Since the official beginning of the summer concert series at Les Schwab Amphitheater in May, nine male-lead bands have taken the stage in straight succession. It's a similar story with the Athletic Club of Bend, which has featured two male acts, and Midtown Music Hall has featured a slew of testosterone-fronted acts from E-40 to the Gourds, Tiger Army and The Melvins. This weekend, two female music power acts will take the stage in Bend, within days of each other, separated by less than a mile.

Sheryl Crow plays at Les Schwab on August 28 (with emerging folk pop star Brandi Carlile) while Lucinda Williams lights up the stage four days later at the Athletic Club. Bend's recent Lilith Fair-esque turn has brought two of this generation's most influential women in music to Central Oregon and we say bring on the estrogen!

First up, Sheryl Crow, whose 10th album release, February's Detours, peaked at number two on the Billboard charts, has nine Grammy awards, a slew of number one hits … and oh yeah, she's also beat stage-one breast cancer. Hardcore? Yes, quite so. Detours, Crow's first release since her battle with cancer, adoption of a child and breakup of her very public relationship with cyclist Lance Armstrong, reflects on everything from the war in Iraq to Hurricane Katrina along with plenty of songs about endings, beginnings and what happens in between.

Opinion

A Time Limit on Democracy

A local group called Infrastructure First is pushing an intriguing idea: Instead of letting growth happen helter-skelter and worrying later about paying for the sewers,

InternAugust 27, 2008January 8, 2023

A local group called Infrastructure First is pushing an intriguing idea: Instead of letting growth happen helter-skelter and worrying later about paying for the sewers, water mains, streets and other stuff that growth requires, do the infrastructure first - or at least within two years of when the new development happens.

Infrastructure First has been trying for a couple of years to get enough signatures to put its idea on the local ballot in the form of an initiative. It's been an uphill slog: The group has no big-bucks supporters to buy TV ads or pay signature gatherers. It's a true grassroots campaign.

Infrastructure First turned in 5,100 signatures to try to put its measure on the November ballot. That was about 1,000 names short. Now it's hoping to collect enough to qualify the initiative for the ballot next spring.

That irks Bend City Councilor Mark Capell, who wants the city to impose some sort of limit on the amount of time petitioners have to gather signatures. Last week, a majority of Capell's fellow councilors went along with him and asked city staff to draw up an ordinance.

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