Super Bad

Posted inOutside

Super Bad

The Source Staff

It's the Super Bowl this weekend, and while we can't
predict what will happen in the game - who knows, maybe the officials
will throw another championship to the Steelers (yes, Left Field is
still bitter about the Seahawks getting screwed in '06) - but we can
foresee a few events that will absolutely happen at your Super Bowl
Party.

1) Someone will bring a six-pack of Coors Light and one of your beer snob friends will lambaste them for it.
2)
One of your friends will spend the first quarter feeling out which team
the majority of partygoers are backing and spend the rest of the game
arbitrarily rooting on the opposite squad. Violence will ensue.
3) You will eat chili, Velveeta or a combination of the two.
4)
No less than four partygoers will find themselves horribly drunk by the
end of the game and have the worst Monday of their lives.

Posted inOutside

The Magical Methow Valley: A winter road trip to Nordic heaven

Pam Stevenson

THE METHOW
The Methow- Mecca for Nordic skiersWe arrived in the Methow during a Christmas Eve snowstorm.
Our hosts, Belinda and Mark, had thoughtfully stoked a fire in the
woodstove inside "The Shed," their 100-square-foot cabin outfitted with
an electric tea kettle, a collection of coffee mugs and a string of
Tibetan prayer flags. Unloading our gear for a long weekend, I found it
hard to fathom that Belinda had actually lived in the tiny Shed for
five years while building her house at the base of Lucky Jim Bluff. But
it was a perfect home for four days of idyllic cross country skiing in
this tranquil valley.
The 55-mile-long Methow Valley in north
central Washington is home to only about 4,000 residents, but it's
jammed with tourists during summer when it serves as the eastern
gateway to North Cascades National Park. During winter, however, when
the highway connecting it to Seattle is closed due to snow, it becomes
a secluded Nordic skiers' Mecca. The Methow's 200-kilometer system of
meticulously groomed X-C ski trails is second only to the 330
kilometers at Royal Gorge near Lake Tahoe and puts Mt. Bachelor's 56
kilometers (depending on how you count them) to shame.

Posted inCulture

Better Late Than Never: The top games of 2008

Shawn Wallbaum

Yes it's (almost) February, but every other website or magazine
started, or ended the year, with a "Top 10" or "Best Of" list, so it
must be a good idea, right?
Either way, we're not sure if 2008
stacked up to 2007's monster gaming year, but there were certainly a
few bright spots worth revisiting.
10. Metal Gear Solid
4: Guns of Patriots. The original MGS was what hooked me on the first
Sony game machine and this title was well worth the wait. Could this be
the end of Solid Snake? Don't bet on it!
9. Mario Kart Wii. Even
though the Mario Kart franchise is 16-plus years old it still kicks
ass. With on-line multi-player for the next generation and addictive
game play, MK Wii never gets old.

Posted inCulture

Neighborhood Blotch: Misery in the ‘burbs gets yet another take

Mike Bookey

DiCaprio returns for another season of mad men. It's been ten years since Kevin Spacey got his head blown off in
American Beauty, and director Sam Mendes still has a lot more to say
about living inside the box. And while he doesn't cover much new
territory here, at least he hasn't lost his melancholy spirit.

Revolutionary
Road, Mendes' latest take on how rough it can be when carpet swatches
and cul-de-sacs run your life, stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet
as Frank and April Wheeler, a married couple living in a nondescript
suburb outside of New York City in the mid 1950s. The film opens with a
high-angle night shot and a '40s-era ballad cutting through the
soundtrack. I only remember this mundane detail because that also
describes the opening scene in The Shawshank Redemption. Point being,
both are essentially prison movies.

Posted inOpinion

Please Return the Obama Posters

Eric Flowers

This week's letter comes from Minny Purinton who helped to organize the Obama inaugural bash at Boondock's last week, raising more than $8,000 for our local homeless shelter. Unfortunately some of the party goers made off with her commemorative posters that Purinton was planning to auction for the benefit of local schools. Can the folks who, we hope, unwittingly absconded with the posters return them to their rightful owner? Yes they can. Read on to find out how. In the meantime, Minny can collect her winner's prize, a pound of Strictly Organic Coffee, at our offices, 704 NW Georgia. - The editor.

 
I want to thank all those who participated in Bend's Inaugural Ball. From the feedback we received, many folks seemed to have had a truly whomping good time. We made enough to donate $8,500 to the Bethlehem Inn, thanks to your support. Well done, Bend!

Posted inOpinion

Government Goes Overboard on Groundwater

Eric Flowers

In March of 2009 Deschutes County citizens will be voting on a local rule that was adopted by the Deschutes County Commissioners.
This local rule only applies to residents of South Deschutes County who have septic systems (which are not hooked up to some type of sewer system). The reason this rule was adopted was Deschutes County participated in a study with other agencies and determined there were nitrates in some wells that maybe could exceed DEQ limits in 50 to 100 years. The DEQ has never issued a health hazard on this matter.
This rule is unfair to South County residents; we are being penalized by this rule. Now the Deschutes County Commissioners are asking all of the County residents to vote on an issue that does not affect them, presently. But don't get complacent; all it takes is for the Commissioners, by a stroke of the pen, to make it law for All of Deschutes County who are not on some type of municipal sewer system.

Posted inCulture

Championship Bout: Rourke gives his performance the ultimate fight

Mike Bookey

Has anyone seen my stapler?Part of the draw for The Wrestler is how close the storyline tracks
Rourke's real life rollercoaster. After his rise to fame in the '80s,
followed by his boxing stint and subsequent weird-guy tabloid filler,
Mickey had been reduced to bad movies and bit parts. There are a few in
which he truly shined, such as Marv in Sin City, and stunning
performances in The Pledge, Spin, Animal Factory and Get Carter. In The
Wrestler he finally puts all his cards on the table, hanging himself
out like a skinned deer for us to gawk at. It's the proverbial car
wreck and we're unable to avert our eyes.

The plot of The Wrestler is
nothing new. It follows a familiar comeback formula, but it shines by
turning convention on its head. We shudder at the thought of Rourke's
battered character Randy "The Ram" Robinson stepping in the ring again
for a few wrinkled dollar bills and nearly cheer when he contemplates
retirement. But the gritty realism, honest performances and tight
storytelling drive this moving character study. We know Randy's time
has come and gone, but he doesn't. The parallels to Rourke begin
immediately - physically battered, broken down, beat up, empty and
drained, he still clings to some kind of hope for redemption, or at
least another shot.

Posted inOpinion

Make Highway Safety A Priority

Eric Flowers

Dear Source,
We, 100%, support your stand regarding the ''Jersey Wall'' needed for Hwy 97!!!
But we dare say you do not go far enough (literally). The jersey wall needs to separate the entirety of Hwy 97 (or as it is better known, ''Blood Alley'') from Redmond, through La Pine, on to Klamath Falls.

Posted inOpinion

Solar Picture Remains Bright

Eric Flowers

In response to Bob Bates' letter, "The Solution," I need take issue on a few points. With regard to the sustainability of current solar cell technology, I assume the consumption being referred to is the energy cost of manufacturing vs. the output energy of the cells and is not referring to a cell's efficiency (which is mostly irrelevant since the sun is an unlimited source of power). Solar cells do not decay with use or time so their total output power is determined only by how long they are in service whereas the energy cost is a fixed amount. In other words, they can be sustainable if they are used for a long enough time.

Posted inFood & Drink

It’s Always Happy Hour at M&J

Alice Finer

M&J is the kind of bar that every town needs. It's got cheap
drinks, friendly bartenders, the best tequila selection this side of
the Rio Grande, two pool tables, a jukebox with everything from Willie
Nelson to Phish to the Beastie Boys, and, of course, the adjacent Sip N
Suds, so you can enjoy a pint while you wait for your laundry to dry.

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