Exciting Saturday Night

Exciting! By which I mean sitting at my dinning room table writing a post while my girlfriend sits at the other end play World of Warcraft. I do have cookies though. And cookies are awesome. Alright, so I am figuring this post will be mostly an update as to what we have been up to. After that I will probably go back to intermittent silence punctuated with some rambling sports posts and other half formed thoughts.

First, Work!

I am still with the DA's office. If I haven't mentioned it, we recently (within a couple of months) moved into completely remodeled offices. It hard to describe the improvement, but let me try. When I started I had an 8x6 (give or take) office with a window. Pretty swank! Until you realize it wasn't in the DA's office. It was out the back door, kind of set off from everything else. It looked a lot like a broom closet door. Then the workers got started remodeling the 3rd floor of the courthouse where our offices had been. So we moved into some temporary digs on the 2nd floor (near the elk and deer heads). My "office" was a former file room that I shared with 2 other people. It was narrow enough I could touch both walls when I stood in the middle, and maybe 15 feet long. Anyway, short story long, my new office is awesome.

Really, work in general is pretty good. I have a pretty good handle on my caseload at this point and it feels easier and easier to keep all the strands in the old duder's head. This month is pretty light. It doesn't look like I have any trials set this month. I am going to a DUII enforcement conference at the end of the month. Being the giant dork that I am that should be pretty fun. March is shaping into a busy month on the trial calender. I will try to let you all know how that goes when I can.

Side note: The Girlfriend is starting a new job on Friday. We are excited. There may even be covert jig dancing. (Free associated note: An undercover officer infiltrating the mob actually used the last name of Covert. And they never suspected him...)

Second: Non-Work! (A broad topic, but I couldn't really think of other ways to break it down.)

I am working my way through FF XII when the mood strikes me. I am fairly impressed with it. I like it more than FF X to be sure. I never could get into that one.

I am also doing a bit of reading. I got started on the Three Kingdoms thanks to an awesome Christmas gift from Paul. It is fairly dense and it is taking time to make a dent. But it is good so far. I have also been reading my way through the entire transcript of the Rosenberg trial. I am not sure why I decided to do it. I remember reading a short news article about a motion (Petition actually,) to unseal the Grand Jury records on the case. Then I just decided, what the hell, the transcript is available in a nice handy .pdf, why not read it.

That is about it for leisurely pursuits at the moment. The weather hasn't been good enough for much outdoor activity out here. I don't mind getting wet, but when its wet, cold and windy I tend to stay inside. I watch a little TV, but nothing to exciting.

I think I want to subscribe to a couple of the criminal law journals that are out there. I have had a couple of ideas for scholarly articles, but nothing with any real creative/scholarly force behind it. I have been thinking maybe if I dig into some of the literature that is out there I might find a little more energy for it.

Closing - The house.

I will spare you a lengthy discussion of the plumbing ordeal from the last 2 weeks. The important thing is that now we can do dishes.

But maybe even better then the clean dishes: The house is, for all intents and purposes DONE!
There will always be a couple of little projects to attack, but it is done. Feel free to check out the pictures below. Also, if any of you (that is the "yous" that I actually know) want to come for a visit there is a functional and furnished guest bedroom. Day visits also rock.

What a weekend.

My oh my!

From Thursday on its just been unbelievable. The football, the work on the house. Fantastic!

I will mostly be talking about football here. But there is a slide show of the advances on the house below. Now, on to the football!

Number 2 looses again. LSU almost throws away the game against Auburn. How do you not kick the field goal at that point?!? Oklahoma struggles, Kentucky goes down, and so do the Cocks. But perhaps most important, Oregon jumps 5 spots in all the polls and controls its own destiny in the Pac-10.

Speaking of Oregon, what a game by the O-line. I have it on the DVR for whenever I want to watch it again this week. The offensive side of the ball was pure domination. The defensive side... well, I think Allioti was too stubborn on his game plan of blitzing Locker.

Also speaking of Oregon, feel free to start envying me and my tickets to the USC game. It is apparently the first meeting of Top 10 teams in Autzen. I actually know someone that has season tickets and won't be at the game. (He will be in Hawaii, but for Duck's sake,wouldn't you check the schedule before buying your plane tickets!!)

Anyway, enough short paragraphs. Not a whole lot to talk about really. I am sure you all get tired of hearing about the house, so I am done for now. Here is the slide show I promised.

Ramblings

Well, it has been a while, but then I have been busy. I think of things I should talk about occasionally, but I am too tired by the time I have a chance. Tonight, however, I have the time and a little bit of energy but not much in the way of things to say.

I guess first off, I am alive and doing well, as is Sam. Now that things are in good shape on the house, she is back to looking for work. The job market isn't the best out here, but I am sure she will find something soon.

I am sitting here watching the Florida vs. LSU game and I must confese, I feel quit torn. An LSU win would likely move Oregon up in the standings whereas an LSU loss would not. And yet, I hate LSU. I don't know why, but I always have. Maybe its because Shaq went there, I don't know. Maybe its because I resent Death Valley's being so much louder and more intimidating than Autzen... Damn fans actually caused an earthquake in 1988. I guess I should look at it as a no lose situation.

This is actually the first game I have watched today. I spent most of the day on the road driving into Portland to buy bamboo flooring and kitchen cabinets. It is looking like we should be done with most of the major renovations on the house done within the next month. (As for what he have gotten done, see the sideshow at the end of the post.)

Work is going well. We had one of the two new people start last Monday, and we have another starting this Monday. While I will miss the chance to get my hands on felony work as often, it will be nice to have the help. It has been pretty absurdly busy the last few weeks.

Of the work highlights recently was my 4th jury trial. (HOLY FUCK!!! Stanford drops USC!!!)
It was 2 day DUII trial against a former chief deputy of our office (she was the defense attorney, not the defendant obviously). The facts, frankly, were weak for my case. It was the investigating officer's first trial and only his 2nd solo investigation. He didn't see her driving (we did have strong circumstantial evidence on this point), she didn't give a breath test and she had a nice big sympathy card in that she had been at friends memorial service the day of the arrest. On top of all that, the officer made an error during one of the Field Sobriety Tests (FSTs) and one of the jail deputies testified that the defendant didn't seem that intoxicated. In essence, I had two FSTs (they weren't bad, but they weren't great) and some strange behavior by the defendant. Somehow, and while I have my theories I am not sure of any of them, but somehow I won. It took the jury just about two and half hours to return a guilty verdict.

Alright, that would be all I have to say at this point I think. I will close with a couple pictures of the house.

Saturday Wrap Up

My oh my what a day!

Despite giving up a good deal of the day to football, I did get quite a but done around the house. I know the house updates aren't the most thrilling, but the outside is starting to undergo some significant changes. I stripped the old cedar shake off of the garage and the lower half of the house (well half way around the lower half of the house). By the end of the day Monday we should have it all re-sided. Check back later this week for pictures :)

On to football!!

I am not sure there is a whole lot I can say about the Duck game that hasn't already been said, or that won't be said by some news outlet with 100,000 times the readership I have. Still, since I like hearing the sound of my own voice (or keyboard, as it were) I will mention a few key points.

- I think Chip Kelly has the offense on the right track. They may have left as many as 24 points off the board today, but I am not seeing the red zone futility of last year.

- I don't know if it was just Dixon maturing, or if Kelly has worked with him, but DD is throwing a very nice long ball at the moment.

- The Oregon defense is still a big question mark in my opinion. Yes, this week they looked much much better, but there still seems to be trouble stopping the run. Looked much better against the pass. r

- Special teams are looking better each week. I don't know if it was noticed by many, but early in the 1st half, Oregon even tried to steal a kick off back with a high pooch to the sideline. If it hadn't bounced out of bounds it would have been real close to Oregon ball again.

- Its a lot of fun to see the Ducks on ESPN's Top 10 twice in a single night (both with #1 and #10)

There has been a good bit of a shake up in the rest of the Top 25 this week too. I would look for Oregon to enter the Top 25 polls this week. I would say somewhere between 21 and 25, most likely at 24.

Next up Fresno State. They aren't the giant killers they used to be, but it will be a tough game nonetheless.

Oregon vs. Houston Report (and More)

I have shiny new wireless router, I am relaxed out in bed, I have a Mountain Dew near at hand, and Clapton on my headphones. Its time to get my blog on.

So I am just recently back home after a trip to the wonderful land of Eugene. I don't get back down there often enough, but that should change for at least the next few months (even if it is just for the football games). Paul, as usual, was gracious enough to play host and make sure I had a fantastic time. I am linking his blog there in the hopes that he actually posts something. Do it you drunk, lazy jack-ass!

Seriously though I had a great time. I got into Eugene around 9:30 and was greeted at my car with a big ol' hug. Of course, I was so excited to see him I locked my keys in my car. I didn't even realize it until Saturday morning when I was looking for my sunglasses. Paul, Jess, Josh and I got some dinner at the Steelhead and then went to the Starlight Lounge (sans Jess) for some honest drinking. If you happen to be in Eugene, and you are looking for a low key place that pours absurdly strong cocktails, give it a shot. It's about a block from where Cafe' Paradisio used to sit (now Jameson's Meat Market (aka Bar)). Saturday morning we woke up and rolled out for some tailgating. We found 2 of the 3 we were looking for and still made it to our seats for the pre-game video. Sadly, I think we missed the weather forecast. I will talk a bit about the game below. Spent the rest of the weekend just hanging around, crashing birthday parties, etc.

So, the game. The first half was every bit as lackluster as you have probably heard. The defense made some clutch plays, but the offense couldn't capitalize. That left the defense on the field for way too long and really started to expose some of its holes. I knew coming in the front seven was questionable. I am honestly quite nervous about facing any solid rushing team. And most of the good teams Oregon plays this year are running schools. The inability to stop the run, or sustain an effective pass rush left the secondary flapping in the wind. They had to sit in too many soft zones to deal with all the time the Houston QB had to through. Like so many Alliotti run defenses, they could look great on first and second down, but Houston converted way too many third downs. I am hoping (and it is more like a slim glimmer than any real hope) that facing a more traditional running attack may help. Houston runs a pretty unique version of the spread and I think that may have been amplifying Oregon's problems. I guess we will see how they fair against Michigan.

I am not sure that Oregon's defense even got better in the second half. I think it was more that the offense kept them off the field a little better. When they were able to get their breath they showed a little stronger. The offense was clearly better in the second half. Dixon (for the most part) made better decisions this year than last. He still tries to the force the ball into too many small windows. And he still has trouble getting back across the field in his reads. On one play in particular, he took the snap, saw the blind (and weak) side corner blitz and made a good move to buy time and dump it off to J. Johnson for a solid game. But had he made that same escape, set up and looked back across the field he would have seen J. Williams 1 on 1 with the weak side safety. Easily could have been a TD. You can't call it a mistake, but it could have been a more successful play. He did make some very good decisions to tuck and run. And despite what the people near me thought, I like him getting what he can and getting out of bounds... with his frame, he needs to limit the contact he takes.

Alright, if anyone who couldn't see the game has any questions, feel free to ask. Thats about all I have to say. Here is a look at where we are on the house though. Things should pick up and start moving quick again here pretty soon.

House Update

A few days later then I expected it to be, but its time for an update on the project house. The sheetrock is all up on the main floor, and we should be spraying texture tomorrow. Which means we can spray primer and paint the ceilings on Wednesday. All in all it looks like Sam and I will be moving on the weekend, more or less. I would like to get most of the stuff moved before the weekend actually, so I can take a load of debris to the dump... I didn't get a picture of the debris pile, but it is not small.

Anyway, here are the pictures.

Mostly About the New House

As the title says, this post will be mostly about what has been going on with the new house. But first, I have a question for the peanut gallery (that would be you): If you were, in some way, acquire a cast-iron skillet, and said skillet claimed to be "Pre-Cured" wouldn't you be surprised to learn (from the instructions included with the skillet) that before using the nice new skillet you needed to cure it?

I have been a home owner for a few hours over a week now. If you are a reader here you would have seen the pictures I took down below. Not much of what those pictures show of the interior is accurate anymore, at least not the main floor. The living room, dining room and back bedroom all have new sheet-rock hung, and most of the kitchen. We ripped down the acoustic tile ceiling in the bathroom, framed it in the right way, and have new rock up there too. Dad and I took care of the bug rot in the garage and we had a good friend make sure the wiring was up to snuff. All in all this is the best I really could have hoped for on this remodel. But, that doesn't mean there haven't been some hiccups. One of the more amusing stories follows below.

So last Sunday we are all working hard trying to get things done and make sure that Bob and his step-son Donny (they were there to make sure the electrical was all ok) finished what we had them out there to do. Around 11:30 we sent Mom and Sam to get lunch for everyone. During the time they were gone a lot of things started going wrong. After Dad and I screwed up trying to sister a new rafter into the garage roof I mentioned how shit tends to start going wrong around lunch time.

About that time Bob comes out bitching about having screwed up something or another and it was decided that it was beer time (for Dad and Bob at least). About that time I heard a yelp come from the house where Donny was still working. But when we asked if he was ok, he said he was. Just a few minutes later he comes walking out into the garage where the three of us are and he is rubbing his head. I swear it just looked like he just had his hair parted. But as he sat down I realized it was more than just a part in his hair. It turns out Donny was trying to get a whole drilled with one of Bob's specialty bits (they are in 4-6 foot long range) and he was having trouble. So he was really leaning into it and trying to get good downward force ton the bit. Then, next thing he knows his hair catches around the bit and the drill runs right down to his scalp (this, presumably, is when we heard him yelp). So, if you can imagine it, there was Donny, with the drill bit stuck in his hair, the drill well above his head, trying to thumb around and find reverse so he could free himself. I swear, the 2.5 inch groove down the side of Donny's head was so clean and neat it looked like he did with a razor. Mean though it may be, seeing Donny sit on the back of that truck pulling out little curls of his hair was far and away the funniest thing I have seen in a long long time.