And so we come to the annual Civil War deciding which aptly named wet-side-of-the-State football team is better. Good luck to both schools, as I have no personal attachment to either institution.
The Civil War: what’s in a name,song and uniform
Posted inNews
Going Deep at Mt. Bachelor-It’s a matter of inches
Time was when a lot of local focus this time of year was on when the snowpack at Mt. Bachelor would reach 100 inches.
Posted inNews
Dweezil Zappa Plays the Frank Zappa Catalog Tonight at Bend’s Tower Theatre
Last week I had a chance to chat it up with Mr. Dweezil Zappa, who is bringing his mini-orchestra to the Tower Theatre tonight to play some well-known hits from Frank’s enormous catalog.
Posted inNews
Goodbye, Black Friday – Hello, Cyber Monday
Black Friday 2009 has come and gone. Thankfully, there were no fatalities this year.
Posted inNews
Hairy Upper Lip Mania! Mustache Bash for Schools at the Domino Room on Monday Night
Mustaches have been growing everywhere as of late, with some going as far as to rename the entire month, Movember.
We all know mustaches are either ridiculous or awesome: Awesome if you're holding a pistol, riding a horse while smoking a hand-rolled cigarette, driving a 1975 Dodge Charger, or happen to be a middle relief pitcher – and ridiculous if you're anyone else.
Posted inNews
Oregon GOP's Prize Turkey Is Back
Appropriately enough for the week of Turkey Day, political activist-cum-racketeer Bill Sizemore has announced he’s going to seek the Republican nomination for governor.
In a statement released to the far-right-wing NW Republican blog, Sizemore said he was running to “break the stranglehold the public employee unions have on the state of Oregon” because “he is the only one willing to challenge that behemoth head on.
Posted inNews
Hillstomp Returns to Bend to Help You Work Off Some of that Turkey
In keeping with what I hope to be an annual tradition, Hillstomp, the venerable Portland junkyard blues rock band, is returning to the Domino Room for another post-Thanksgiving show.
Those who made it out to the show last year will remember that Hillstomp has the ability (using only a guitar and a collection of junkyard percussion instruments) to turn Bendites into complete boot stomping, hands-waving freakazoids.
Posted inOutside
How to burn the turkey: And the stuffing, the mashed potatoes and the pumpkin pie
We all know by now that we won't be able to burn off the brandied yams this year by hiking up Mt. Bachelor. In order to reduce “safety concerns” associated with uphill traffic, Mt. Bachelor and the Deschutes National Foresthave designated all areas within the special use permit as closed to uphill traffic except for a designated corridor for access to the cone using Leeway run. No comment, but at least there are other options for counteracting the guilt from that extra slice of Aunt Mabel's pecan pie.
EXPLORE NEW TRAILS IN THE CROOKED RIVER CANYON
If you're not going skiing, you might try a new eastside hike to burn off that sweet corn pudding. The BLM has just completed three new trails in a system beyond Crooked River Ranch near Terrebonne – less than a one-hour drive from Bend.
Posted inCulture
A Giant Rabbit, a Final Curtain: 2nd Street Theater closes down with a spirited take on Harvey
Brian Johnson, director of 2nd Street Theater's last official production, Harvey, rallied his cast at the beginning of a recent dress rehearsal. He joked, “You should all feel honored and dismissed,” at being the final play before the theater closes.
In true “the show must go on” form, owner and artistic director Maralyn Thoma remains optimistic. She spoke of her love of the theater, the cast, the community, while lamenting the inability to finance the business during times when shows aren't playing. Others have shown interest in the space and Thoma sounds confident the theater will continue in new incarnations.
Posted inCulture
Life Lessons: School's out for star in the making Carey Mulligan in An Education
There were two movies at the theater this weekend portraying the experiences of teenage girls as they navigate the territory between girlishness and womanhood. One of these films claimed teenage girls to be the powerless victims of men's will and lust. That would be the other film reviewed on this page, the latest installment of the Twilight saga, New Moon.
The other film is one of the best of the year and gives teenage girls a space and respect they're rarely allowed. An Education is encouraging and supportive, centering on Jenny – a strong, rounded, complex character who makes decisions that have realistic consequences. It's a refreshing and heartening film, and by its mere existence questions the usually harsh treatment of young women in film. It also makes the bold claim that their minds are more important than their bodies, but if they want to have a bit of fun they don't have to be ruined. Jenny is not the mere facilitator of some man's fulfilled destiny, but the architect of her own.