I Need One of These

This is some funny stuff. What's really funny is that this guy is actually getting death threats because of the device.

Northwest Noise Podcast

I again had the honor to guest on the Northwest Noise podcast, the March 21st Spring Solstice episode. Gears, as usual, was to guest on the show as well, but due to some problems with Skype and his dial-up internet access, was unable to. So it was my first time just Timmy and myself, which was very cool. However, I had little input on the evenings topics; there wasn't much I had to add to discussions on the solstice, Justin Hopkins, and KBOO. However, I did get to tell a story of a surprising connection between Tim and myself, as well as discuss a Marriott ad which actually mentions podcasting as an activity a guest can do in their hotel rooms. For those of you if haven't yet heard a podcast, Northwest Noise is a great place to start, as well as Adam Curry's site at www.curry.com. As it's Spring Break, you all should have plenty of time to download and check out these programs, even with a dial-up connection (friggin' Gears...).

New DMB Single Out

I'm so stoked, the first single from Dave Matthews Band new album Stand Up is finally out. It's not one of my favorite DMB songs, and I'm not so sure it will be a huge radio hit, but at least it ain't even close to as bad as "I Did It." You can stream the song by clicking on the title of this post...

The Legend of Hatoon

Last week, Hatoon, the homeless lady next to the bookstore at UO, died in a car accident. I meant to report this right away as I was one of the first to find out about this (a couple of hours after she passed away), but I have been quite busy and haven't had any time to write about it. However, I'm glad that I waited as all sorts of interesting stories have been told about her these past few days. Most of these I'm sure are untrue, but it's interesting how a person can become such a legend.

My favorite of these stories is that she predicted her own death. Hatoon very obviously had a mental illness, which is why no one paid attention when she walked into the bookstore a couple of days before her death and claimed, "I know what's going on. I'm going to die." Creepy...

There was also talk that she actually was at one time one of UO's biggest contributers, before her mental illness took hold, which explains why she permitted by the administration to stay on campus.

I never realized until after she passed how much she meant to the students and faculty at UO. I never gave her much thought as I passed by her every day, but I have been told so many stories by those who have spoke with her and even lifted weights with her in the rec center (apparently she was quite strong). Even day, the bench next to the bookstore where she lived is loaded with flowers, candles, and other items paying respect to Hatoon.

I am amazed by the amount of people who spend a few minutes next to her memorial in silence. I don't know what they think about, but I know we have all talked about Hatoon at least a little over the past week and a half.

Still I am saddened that her own children seemed to completely neglect their mother. I obviously don't know their story, but I know that I couldn't leave my mother out on the street, and after hearing all the stories about Hatoon's personality, I can't imagine that she was so unbearable that they couldn't take care of her.

So would she be happier becoming a legend on campus, as she has, and being neglected by her own children, or loved and adored by her offspring and unknown to the rest of us? I don't know, but I do know she will forever be remembered on the UO campus.

Just Gizoogle It

Gears introduced me to a great new search engine and it is the shiz-nit, fo' shizzle. After typing in my name, here is what came up:

"Hey everyone fo' sho'! I'm an avid bitch of tha Northwest Noise podcast n am currently work'n on putt'n mah own podcast, as soon as I can figure out tha friggin' technology. Until thizzen, I'm on jppederson.blizzles. com"

Funny stuff. Check it out.

Time to Get Rid of These Love Handles

...or this love "spare tire", as it would be more appropriately called. I have my workout all ready to go, I just need to get it done. I'm really motivated now as I'm sick of looking at Marcus Chan's washboard stomach on his FaceBook pic. He really is making the rest of us look bad. You hear that, Chan? You're going down!

Mad Props to All New Listeners

I wanted to thank all of the new visitors for dropping by and checking me out. I've been getting a lot of traffic from the Northwest Noise site (who is getting a lot of traffic from the Portland Tribune) and also from FaceBook. There's a few readers now, so I need to be sure that I keep things updated as frequently as possible to keep things interesting. Thaks all for stopping by and hope you can find something somewhat enjoyable.

JP for Prez Campaign Proves Sucessful

I can't believe I still have yet to share my big news for the week: I was elected Alpha Kappa Psi, Kappa Chapter president for the next year. Granted I didn't run opposed, but I am still excited nonetheless. I really wanted this position and was lucky enough to get it. I'm very excited about next year, especially with the rest of the executive board that will be joining me. I expect good things...

Death of a Playwrite

Legendary playwrite Arthur Miller passed away last night at the age of 89. He is one of my favorite authors and The Crucible is one of my favorite plays. One of the first plays I ever watched was Death of a Salesman at Alan Hancock Community College in Santa Maria, California (where Michael Jackson is currently having his child-molestation trial). I'm not sure if he was still writing, I'm sure he was, but I will have to make it a goal to read one of his plays this weekend. Thanks for entertaining us.

Oh the Irony...

In a post last month, I accused Ian Crosswhite of the Ducks of participating in certain "extra-curricular activities". To be fair, I have not actually observed Crosswhite enjoy such activities, I received my information from others who have. I have, however, run into him at local bars on numerous occasions, many times the night before a big game. Wednesday, Crosswhite was suspended from the team indefinitely for undisclosed reasons. Hmmm, why could that be? Could there be some sort of connection? One can only speculate. Not that I expect athletes to be perfect role models, but they do have an obligation to be focused on the task on hand and not partying the night before a game. The Ducks are 3-8 in the Pac-10 and Crosswhite's play, or lack thereof, is a big part of that. I'm very interested to see what comes of this all.

Mad Props to West Bros.

Went to dinner with my mother last night at the West Bros. River Ranch Steakhouse. Besides receiving excellent service from our waitress, my mother mentions that I am a birthday boy and West Bros. picks up the tab on my dinner. They also buy me dessert, give me a coupon for $10 off my next visit and give me a shot at winning $500 if I can correctly pick the numbers of a combination lock (I wasn't able to). I must say, I was impressed with them before (they have the best BBQ in town), but now I am blown away with their customer service. We tipped them almost 100% (our bill came out to about $18, pretty good considering all the food; I still have a box in my fridge and that's after having some leftovers earlier. So if you are having a birthday and want to score a free meal, West Bros. is the place to be.

iPod Shuffle

My beautiful B got me an iPod shuffle for my birthday. I hadn't seen one previous to this and I must say they are quite cool. I know it has its critics, but I am a fan. My favorite feature is its size; it is ridiculously small, about the size of a pack of gum. I have the 512mb version which stores on average about 120 songs, or about 9 hours of tunes, plenty of music to enjoy around campus. The lack of a display wasn't too disappointing; I actually kinda liked not knowing what song would be next. And while this was a gift, the price is very reasonable. I'm guessing I'll be seeing a lot of these around in the next few months.

I should also mention that B got me a sweet jacket as well which I love. But you know boys and their toys...

Audio Nightcap Update

To my dismay and to B's delight, it looks like the podcast is temporarily on hold. I finally got a response from my friend that was to put together the website and unfortunately, he is too booked to get anything together right now. He said that this summer might work, so that's what I'm shooting for. While I am disappointed, it does give me time to work on a more solid format that will hopefully be more entertaining than the current one. In the meantime, I will continue to make audio posts on this site, so keep checking back.

G'Bye E-Man

A good friend of mine is leaving the ol' Courtyard by Marriott to move on to greener pastures. Lucky bastard. Work is gonna suck a little bit more now that Emmanuel is not going to be there. Good luck at the new hotel, brother. Thanks for leaving the rest of us to suffer.

Rest in Peace Elmer Pinedo

A former work associate of mine passed away last night. A funny little man by the name of Elmer, I never understood a word he said (those Peruvians), but he always had the ability to make me laugh. He will certainly be missed. Though he was older, it hasn't made it any easier for his family and friends and they are all in my prayers.

Sorry for the Lack of Updates this Week

I've been feeling a bit under the weather. Luckily, I have a beautiful Asian taking care of me and am starting to feel slightly better. Hurray for beautiful Asians!!!

Only in Eugene...

I saw the strangest thing while on campus today: an old man, probably mid-60's or so, with a mohawk that was dyed purple and red. Crazy...

It's Only Monday?!

I feel out of it. I don't know if it's the new pills I'm taking or what, but I'm not feeling 100% today. Luckily the hard part of the day is over, but it will be a busy week with two midterms and a psychology project to complete. I can do it; I'm a trooper.

The Ducks are still sucking at 11-7 overall, 3-6 in the Pac-10. I have no desire to pick up basketball tickets today; I don't like watching us lose.

Damn It, Ducks, What the F---?!

Another loss?! This is getting re-frigging-diculous. 11-6 overall and 3-5 in the Pac-10?! They should be much better than that. Guess it's all that weed that Crosswhite is smoking. But isn't it just like the Ducks to start off really good and then crash and burn? It sucks being an Oregon fan sometimes.

On a positive note, could a new AudioNightcap be coming soon???

I Can't Believe I Forgot the Career Fair Today

I showed up at school, wearing my nice little sweater that B helped me pick out, feeling like a million bucks, until I realized that the Career Fair was happening and even though I looked PIMP, I was still very under-dressed. After rushing home to change and pretty myself up a bit, I remembered that there aren't very many companies that I am interested in at the Career Fair. Oh well, I guess it doesn't hurt to check it out.