migblog

so-crates. fast break. pants yourself in the face. totally bodacious, dude. triumphant. msg-comm.

the oregon roadtrip to eugene was a mighty success (once again, with the exception of our highly inconsistent bears). it all started off with sec's comm boding over at michelle's place, and we were all pretty much conked at around two. call time for the bus was five-thirty.

besides being ass-early, the bus was packed full of people. there were fifty-two bandsmen plus the driver, but seat capacity in the bus was only fifty-two. including the driver. one person had to sit at the aisle the whole time. and after a few hours of unconsciousness and drizzle, we eventually reached redding, where we played for an elementary school and earned ourselves a free lunch. the kids at redding were so enthusiastic and excited about our being there; every time we did a horn flash, their faces would light up; every time we danced, they giggled; and every time we were just mingling in workshops, they asked for our autographs. it was a really good feeling seeing them smile so big. not to mention that they all sang to us, too.

after redding, the "party" officially started: after steve finished onramp, the drinks started, and pulp fiction was on the vcr. the rest of the way was pretty much the same, looking out at the scapes of northern california and oregon and taking in some really nice views.

we reached eugene at around five or six in the evening. there was a constant drizzle -- not too bad, not so wet and not so cold -- but we managed with only a few layers of clothing and keeping close together for body warmth. a bunch of us ended up spending a chunk of the evening munching on wendy's, and then hanging out at our room at the hotel and looking for porn shops in the immediate area. we searched the phone directory, but it seemed as if the closest video store was a mile away, so we tried for the seven-eleven across the street to see what we could find.

lo and behold, right next to the seven-eleven was a video store of unbridled seediness. we headed straight for the porn, and after a few minutes of consensus-making, we settled for wicked rain and cornhole cowboys. we soon headed over for some debauchery at the other complex, where the drinking and the pot and the smoking was. it felt a little weird, since i had already drank so much but was not feeling anything. a few rounds of fuckshitbunny, a gin and tonic, and i was out for the evening (at least, in the debaucherous sense).

around one in the morning we -- bruno, will, ling and i -- all took a stab at a cbk. let's just say the results will be in at wednesday rehearsal, when we all look uber-spiffy with our brand new university of oregon shirts and we're sporting something else other than our instruments.

the next day, sam, julie and i went to downtown eugene for the picc-a-dilly flea market, where we ended up procuring some random-ass shit, like a knife, a few crystals, old lapel pins, and huge bags. a few moments later, we were in the middle of eugene, next to the public library, and soon after, at the fifth street marketplace. after a good lunch and some more browsing, we headed toward the university bookstore, meeting up with some folks along the way. we soon found ourselves heading towards autzen, and then back to the hotel for a bit of downtime.

the game was disappointing, although the lights blew out for one portion of the game, giving us somewhat of another halftime. we just ended up playing for everyone there.

after the game, we were invited by the oregon band to partake at their pizza party. good times -- they're really good people, although i don't think it quite registered that they knew that we are really good friends with the university of washington, too. in any case, i ended up getting a hat from one of the clarinet players. we sang toast to thank them; they sang their alma mater right back. and, like they said, in the end, the band always wins.

i passed out soon after we got back from the place. and the ride back was sweet and sound. drinking songs abounded, jeopardy came around, a round of "get as naked as miguel" was enjoyed, and the views on the bus of the surrounding area come sunset was beautiful. tinges of gray and blue and orange and purple seared the skies as we passed the giant front that had been haunting us since oregon. the shroud of mist that enveloped the trees near grant's pass was astounding; and the sun setting past the mountains in a grand sunburst was awesome.

we got back to berkeley rather uneventfully (just in time for dance block auditions, coincidentally). at least it wasn't raining, and it wasn't ass-cold. i was just glad to be back. but anytime i sat down anywhere, i felt as if i was still going on forward momentum, even when i was juct checking my email or watching alias (which, by the way, was really good).

now it's monday afternoon, and there's no class tomorrow. i think i'm just going to turn in my paper today, go to the basketball game, and just rest. i am so tired. and so behind.

and to think of it, i wouldn't mind living in eugene or going to school there. it seems like a pretty chill place. but i'm still happy that the sun is up here at berkeley.

posted by Open Source Food @ 12:03 PM