Culture Features

One of the reasons I moved to Central Oregon from New York City was to incorporate nature into my life. I had come to terms with the fact that Central Park, Prospect Park and Washington Square Park (especially Washington Square Park) were not considered actual nature. So in that vein, I've decided to take on any opportunity to get outside and experience all of the unique outdoor activities available here.
Last week, I was invited to a traditional Native American sweat lodge that a friend built on his property east of Bend. Let me say that this is not something I would have ever done back East. I tried Bikram Yoga a few times and figured that was about as hot as I could handle (110 degrees, or hot as balls). However, two days prior had been The Source Weekly's holiday Christmas party and, needless to say, I needed to cleanse my body of some toxins.

Four women huddle around a small flat-screen monitor, sharing two microphones as they gleefully fumble their way through a Britney Spears song. One of these women has just been crowned Miss Oregon USA a few weeks earlier but that doesn't stop her from smilingly belting out the pop tune.
Every seat in the already cramped bar is occupied, with several others standing on any vacant piece of floor they can find, many still wearing the hats and coats that had shielded from the falling snow and temperatures outside. And not one of these people seems to mind that this Britney Spears song, or almost every other song to be performed before last call, is mostly out of tune.

One of the reasons I started snowboarding was that the clothes were way cooler. Growing up skiing with my dad in the early '90s, I witnessed an embarrassing number of ski-related fashion mishaps. My father would routinely rock the acid-washed jeans/suspenders/neon jacket/cowboy hat combo. Since most of the other skiers on the slopes seemed to follow in his fashion footsteps, I came to terms with the fact that there was no hope for me. Especially when I was forced to wear one of those fleece hats with streaming tassels on top, which served no purpose other than to whip me in the face when I turned.
Skiers seem to embrace bad fashion. It's like there's some kind of magic in the neon and mirror sunglasses. While snowboarding clothes have evolved with the times, going from baggy hip-hop wear to more hipster-inspired duds, ski fashion has lagged behind. Skiers singlehandedly introduced the world to neon and they've been having a tough time letting it die.

It's 9:38pm on Thursday, December 3 and I see fireworks, literally. I am sitting on a bus packed full of Ducks and a handful of Beavers destined for Bend. The woman in the seat ahead of me is drinking from a mini-bottle of champagne. Autzen Stadium is alive with celebration as the University of Oregon Ducks just defeated the Oregon State University Beavers 37-33 in the 113th Civil War game, thus punching a ticket to the Rose Bowl.
I must say upfront I have nothing against the Beavers. In fact, my father was an OSU grad and there is photographic evidence of me sitting on the Easter Bunny's lap sporting a Benny the Beaver shirt, circa 1989. That said, I am an Oregon grad and I spent four of my best years braving the student section and bleeding green and yellow.