Bidwell-Aspen Coast Trip!

On Labor Day, I went with the residents and housing advisers from the Bidwell and Aspen Houses in the Grove to take full advantage of the long weekend. We decided to drive out to the Oregon coast to enjoy the sunshine and the ocean breezes. The two-hour drive from Reed’s campus to the small town of Manzanita, OR passed by quickly, but by the time we arrived, we were more than ready for a lunch break. A horde of hungry Reedies stampeded a small Mexican restaurant, and after ordering we walked down the main street to the beach to eat.The wind was a bit strong, but we all sat together, attempting to keep our burritos sand-free. As for myself, I was unsuccessful at protecting my lunch, but I was so starved and so happy to be at the coast that I didn’t mind the sandy crunchiness. While some took shelter from the wind by returning back into the town and buying hot chocolate, others embraced the beachside chills and frolicked in the sand. Although this wasn’t ideal tanning weather, it was perfect for windsurfing. Many locals took to the surf (and the sky), providing awesome entertainment for visiting spectators like us.After some time walking by the water and exploring Manzanita, we piled back into the vans and drove to a lookout point at a higher elevation. A precarious peak jetted out from the main crest of the cliff, creating a spectacular view of the crashing waves. Brave Reedies ventured to the tip of the lookout point, and everyone enjoyed the beauty of the Pacific Ocean. As we snapped photos with our cameras and phones alike, it seemed like it was the ideal ending to a mellow trip to the coast. On the return home, most of us slept, thoroughly exhausted from a fun day of exploration off campus. 

 

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Get Off-Campus: Gay Fair on the Square

What: Portland Gay Men’s Chorus Fourth Annual Gay Fair on the Square

Who: All LGBTQetc and friends, Free, All-ages

Where: Pioneer Courthouse Square (Downtown)

When: Sunday 9/16 12:30-5

Why: Learn all about dozens of LGBTQ groups and activities including sports teams, youth groups, and art communities. Listen to great live music, and hang out in the center of Portland!

How: Take the westbound 19 or 17. Both will take you right there.

 

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Did You Know? Weird and Quirky Facts About Portland #2

Portland’s Mill Ends Park is only 2.5 ft in diameter, making it the smallest park within city limits.

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OBD 3rd Annual CHILLFEST at Sauvie Island

HAs Lewis, Zach, and I (Ari Fischer) made plans to take our residents to Sauvie Island for a day of chilling at the beach and berry picking. The event was billed as ODB’s third annual CHILLFEST @ Sauvie Island. The trip left at 11AM. We started by hanging out at Walton Beach for about 4 hours and then finished the trip with some berry picking before heading back to campus. Our time at the beach was awesome; the weather was perfect and we staked out a sweet spot on the water. People swam all around the river, there were several sand castles being built, and lots of general hanging out and sun-bathing. HA Lewis and I did our best to board a police vessel that was cruising by, heckle sailors who were not sailing properly, and generally offer feedback to passing seamen from our positions floating just off shore. Our residents appreciated our work. 

After we decided to leave the beach, we headed to a berry picking farm and spent another 1.5hrs, or so, picking berries. The berries were great and everyone had a lot of fun picking them (or throwing them at each other in an attempt to alter the original color of their opponent’s clothing).

We arrived back on campus around 6:30PM.

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TriMet Fare Changes!

Just a reminder that TriMet tickets are now $2.50 and your ticket is good for all zones. There is also no more Free Rail zone, meaning you will need to pay to ride the MAX downtown. If you have old TriMet tickets, you can still use them but you will need to pay the difference (40 cents) when you board the MAX or bus.

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Sequoia Pancake Breakfast!

Like any athlete, a true student carbo-loads before a major workout.  Knowing this, my co-HA Alison Chavez and I prepared a delicious pancake breakfast for our residents before their first Humanities 110 lecture of the year.  We rose as the child of morning, rosy-fingered Dawn, first appeared on the horizon, to mix up a massive bowl of pancake batter, chop a giant pile of fruit, and swipe a glorious stack of dishes from Commons (to be returned as soon as the meal was finished, in line with the Honor Principle).


Nearly all of our new students turned out, including several early-rising upperclassmen bound for other classes.  As they polished off their pancakes, our residents showed classic signs of contentment, including but not limited to: smiling, laughing, story-sharing, and belly-rubbing.  And Alison and I were happy knowing that they set off for class with enough energy for a long day of learning ahead of them.  For as the Orientation shirts of Olde reminded us, Reed is not a sprint, but a marathon.

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Get Off-Campus: Not Enough! and the Belmont Street Fair

It’s a busy weekend for arts lovely Reedies. Get off campus and check out these cool events.

What: Not Enough! Queer Music and Arts Festival

Who: All Ages, $7-10 sliding scale *No one turned away for lack of funds

Where: Refuge (116 SE Yamhill)

When: Friday 8/7 from 5pm onward and Saturday 9/8 from 3:30pm onward

How: Check out Google maps and  walk or bike. This area is weirdly hard to get to on Trimet.

Why: Not Enough! encourages the Portland Queer community to meet, collaborate, and share their creativity. By attending, you get to benefit from all their amazing projects, hear some great new music, or even seek out a project of your own.

More Info: http://www.notenoughpdx.com/

What: Belmont Street Fair

Where: Belmont Street

Who: All Ages, Free

When: Saturday 9/8 from 12-7pm

How: Walk and get to know the area or grab the northbound 75 up on 39th to Belmont.

Why: First of all, there are going to be free trolly rides. Secondly, Belmont is great and it’s in the Reed neighborhood. Take advantage of this opportunity to get to know an awesome area of town while hearing some local music and eating some fabulous food.

More Info: http://belmontdistrict.org/whats-happening/street-fair

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Did You Know? Weird and Quirky Facts About Portland #1

Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state.

 

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Microwave Peanut Brittle

  • 1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts
  • 1 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter (or margarine)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

*Make sure to check if any of your floormates are allergic to peanuts before cooking with them in communal areas and/or using communal supplies.

Grease a cooking sheet and set it aside. Combine the peanuts, sugar, water, and salt in a microwave-safe bowl. Cook for 6-7 minutes. Stir in the butter or margarine and the vanilla and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the baking soda and stir quickly (the mixture will foam up a bit). Pour mixture onto the greased baking sheet and let cool (about 15-20 minutes) before breaking into pieces.

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5 Different Ways of Staying Organized

We can all agree that staying on top of things is important, especially when you’re managing classes, assignments, extracurriculars, work, and trying to have a social life. Even so, everyone has a different way to keep organized and it’s important to find a way that works for you. Here are 5 ideas to try.

1) Planner

This is the classic way to stay organized and personally, it’s the main one I use. I carry my planner everywhere with me and being able to see my schedule week by week really helps me remember everything. I tend to also obsessively color-code things so I can see at-a-glance which classes I need to focus on. The Reed planners in the bookstore have been working for me recently, but check out other styles like the Do-It-Later: Planner for the Creative Procrastinator if that isn’t a good fit.

2) Online Calendar

Online resources such as Google Calendar are great for updating and viewing wherever you are. You can also share these calendars with friends, making it easy to keep track of scheduling extracurriculars. I used Google Calendars to remind me of all my Hum reading freshman year, and set it to send me an email reminder of assignments a few days ahead.

3) Post-it Notes

So, maybe all the structure of a planner or calendar just isn’t for you. Why not grab a pack or two of post-it notes to keep you on track? Post-its are a great way to remind yourself of important things that need to be done NOW. They are flashy, colorful, and can be stuck anywhere from your desk to your roommate’s forehead.

4) To Do Lists

Sometimes seeing things day-by-day just isn’t the most efficient. Especially when I have a bunch of stuff happening at once, I love to just make a to do list. Listing everything in one spot and maybe even in order of priority guarantees you won’t forget anything. There’s also something so satisfying about crossing something out when it’s done.

5) White Board Calendar

I’m great at writing things in my planner, but I’m not so great at referencing it later. Having a large calendar posted in your room helps you see the big picture and keeps you from missing anything. Whiteboards also make it easy to edit a decorate whenever you like.

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