I’m Eugene’s First Citizen. I join a relatively short list of people who’ve helped shape our community. I feel proud and humble. I was honored at the Eugene Chamber’s Celebration of Business just a month ago.
So many people reached out to share my joy and say “thanks.” Flowers, plants, chocolate, hand-written notes, email and social media posts. […]
Posts Categorized: Life
Sun, sand and SCUBA make birthday getaway perfect
My girlfriend Leeza surprised me with a week-long trip to Hawaii for my birthday. I used to live there and she had never been.
I always talk about how beautiful it is and how I love to SCUBA dive, so it was an easy decision for her to make. She chose Maui because it was the only major island I hadn’t been […]
Catching the eclipse enthusiasm
Of course, you’ve heard there’s going to be a total solar eclipse on Aug. 21, a rare event with the “path of totality” stretching across Oregon in a narrow swath, including Newport, Corvallis, Salem, Madras and Baker City.
It would be difficult to miss the news stories about people’s excitement over this astronomical
phenomenon or the headlines declaring an “apoc-eclipse” with cautions about major traffic congestion and the possibility of […]
A fledgling – and fun – stop at the Oregon Country Fair
It seems like most people have strong opinions about the Oregon Country Fair. In the short time I’ve lived in Eugene, I’ve heard so many stories – some good, some bad, but all of them strange. I had to find out for myself what it was like. My girlfriend and I decided to go on Friday, […]
Is it copying or is it learning?
When I was in Yachats recently, I saw a display of work by pre-school children who were recreating a couple of works by great Masters – Van Gogh and Picasso. At first, I was impressed by how well they did. Then, I realized that I often hear people say, “I could have created that.” It’s easy to replicate, yet harder […]
Color energizes and connects us
I like to capture the seasons in my home. This weekend, I was bringing out glass balls to catch spring’s light (the weather was wonderful!) tucking dappled wooden eggs in baskets, and putting away an evergreen tree theme that hung around after the Holidays. I realized that this new color palette was energizing and by making fewer than a dozen […]
One biker’s view on texting in traffic and running red lights
I ride my bike everyday in and around Eugene, pedaling through traffic in the rain and fog over dimly lit streets. I look into the faces of people riding bikes and driving cars, and I see trouble in the streets.
Far too many people are using their phones and texting while driving. And judging by what I see, it is not […]
Slow down – you’ll get more done
Lots of people took some down time over the recent holidays, and now they feel like they have to shift into overdrive. We tend to live our lives in clumps: load up on rest, work an 80-hour week, do all our exercise on the weekend, overindulge in a spectacular night out, starve for the rest of the week. That yo-yo […]
Winter Solstice 2015
Sun lovers will celebrate the arrival of the Winter Solstice on December 22, because our dark days start to slowly become longer and lighter. Most of us will agree, bring on the light! This is the season when animals hibernate and nature sleeps, we humans tend to turn inward as well. Solstice marks the time to celebrate the light and […]
Flood the streets with art!
Are you up for a random act of kindness the day after Thanksgiving? For the third year, Scott Wong, an artist in Wisconsin, is encouraging people to make an art piece and leave it in a public place for someone to find, pick up, take home and love. Let’s see how much art and love we can flood into our […]