Good Ol' KEZI

Well done, KEZI. You have proven once again that you know how to dominate the news hour in a college market.



Gee, what does that look like?

It's Official

I officially graduated from college, and here's the proof:



I know you're normally supposed to hang things like this in your office, but since my office will be my house... can this hang on the fridge?

Barack Obama in Eugene, Round 2

Last night, I had the privilege of seeing Barack Obama speak for the second time. The first was in Mac Court, and was a great experience. It really inspired me and reaffirmed the reasons why I'm voting for him. This time is was on the quad in front of the library. It was really cool too, because it was out on the grass, in the sun, with just a mob of people that really felt authentic. It felt like everyone was there because they wanted to see this man, not just because they saw it in the paper or something.

I gotta say, though, that this speech was not as good as the first one. He seemed a little tired, exhausted from the nonstop campaigning I'm sure. However, he didn't sound like he was just going through the motions. It seemed like he meant what he said, and truly believed in it, but just didn't say as much. I felt like he assumed everone had already seen him at Mac Court, so this was just a reminder, or a follow up almost, so he didn't need to go into everything.

Overall, I'm of course glad I was there. It was exciting to see the next president twice in as many months. Here are some pictures from the event, from Obama's Flickr account. You can't see me, I already tried, but just look at how many people were there. This guy is amazing at getting people involved.

My Sites: LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a social networking site, very much like Facebook or Myspace, except it has a professional twist. Facebook and Myspace tend to focus on all the stuff that revolves around one's personal life, and not much on professional life. LinkedIn fills that gap. It's purpose, on the most basic level, is to facilitate the maintenance of professional relationships.

It allows users to enter professional information, including employment experience, both past and present, education details, and a lot of other information. It basically allows you to upload your resume. Then, the social networking portion kicks in. Based on where you worked, where you went to school, etc., it will link you to other professionals in that same position. But that's really only the beginning. Here's a screen cap of my public profile:

To see my entire public profile, go to linkedin.com/in/kregan.

Now, the beauty of this site is that it allows you to connect with business professionals from across the globe. The only requirement is that they have a LinkedIn account. And there are various ways you can find people to connect with. You can upload your email contacts and see if any of them have an account, you can search based on your past positions and workplaces and find colleagues, you can search for classmates that attended the same school when you were there, or you can just search them by name, email address, etc. Personally, I am only linked with 6 people (as you can see above), and while I have a few pending connection invitations, I plan to use this site liberally. By that I mean I'm not going to connect with people I don't know, like I sometimes have done on Facebook. (I don't have a Myspace, and don't even THINK about trying to talk me into it, I HATE Myspace). I plan to use this as a tool, which is how I think it was intended to be used, so having contacts I know and can communicate with will be valuable.

One of the great things about this site is that it's only open to college students and graduates. Hypothetically, you could sign up and falsely attribute yourself to a school or something, even if you didn't attend, but there is no value in that here. This is, and should be treated like, another way, in my opinion an easier way, to keep your business connections in order and potentially make new ones. I don't think this should be used as a tool to base hirings on, because it someone could just as easily lie about going to Harvard Law as they could about graduating with a major in underwater basket weaving from Kettering University. However, I think it is a very valuable personal tool for business professionals, and that is why I am using it.

I encourage all of my friends and others to sign up for this site if you haven't already. I think it can become, and is actually becoming, a very powerful tool. It may be new, but I think it would be foolish not to take advantage of the power of this tool, especially as it grows. If you are a member already, or sign up after reading this, I encourage you to seek me out and add me as a contact. If you're a reader of the Blogarrhea, you're a friend of mine, and I would love to be in contact with you.

My public address is http://www.linkedin.com/in/kregan, but you can also search for Kevin Regan and I believe I'm the first (and only) one that comes up. Hope you enjoyed the post, and I look forward to seeing you all on LinkedIn!

Barack Obama's Trip to Eugene

My roommate Jake and I went to the Obama rally at Mac Court last night, and man was it awesome. That man knows how to speak, that's for sure. There really wasn't anything he said that I hadn't heard before. If you have heard his other speeches, you pretty much heard the one last night. That doesn't mean it wasn't awesome though, because it absolutely was. Say what you want about him, but he's the only politician to inspire me to the point of smiling. I got chills. I saw Howard Dean and John Edwards speak on campus freshman year, and this speech by Obama, even just his presence, was 100x better than theirs.

When we got there, the line was around the block all the way to Hayward Field, and apparently even circled the track. Wow. If you know that area, you know how big that line was. Must have been over 3,000 people. Jake and I decided to check the other side of the building to see if there was a shorter line over there. What we found was an open door with about 10 people in line in front of it. We looked at each other and wondered if this really could be happening. Then we got in line. I felt bad, because we showed up and were two of the first people in, before a lot of the people who were standing in line all day got in. Some actually didn't get in, and were addressed on the turf fields before he came inside. But I got over it.

Some highlights of the speech and other extraneous things that happened can be read in Jake's post over on the Oregon Commentator blog. He posted about it earlier today, and he's a better writer than me.

UPDATE: You can view the whole speech here (thanks to JASON for the heads up)

I would also like to add to this post something I read today from Time Magazine about Hilary Clinton. It's a post on their political blog that gives 14 reasons why she should drop out, and I like it because it unintentionally hypes Obama. It also makes good points. You can read it here, but I've also posted the 14 reasons below.

1. She can’t win the nomination without overturning the will of the elected delegates, which will alienate many Democrats.

2. She can’t win the nomination without a bloody convention battle — after which, even if she won, history and many Democrats would cast her as a villain.

3. Catching up in the popular vote is not out of the question — but without re-votes in Florida and Michigan it will be almost as impossible as catching up in elected delegates.

4. Nancy Pelosi and other leading members of Congress don’t think she can win and want her to give up. Same with superdelegate-to-the-stars Donna Brazile.

5. Obama’s skilled, close-knit staff can do things like silently kill re-votes in Florida and Michigan and not pay a political price.

6. Many of her supporters — and even some of her staffers — would be relieved (and even delighted) if she quit the race; none of his supporters or staff feel that way. Some think she just might throw in the towel in June if it appears efforts to fight on would hurt Obama’s general election chances.

7. The Rev. Wright story notwithstanding, the media still wants Obama to be the nominee — and that has an impact every day.

8. Obama might not be able to talk that well about the new global economy, but she (and McCain) can’t either.

9. Many of the remaining prominent superdelegates want to be for Obama and she (and Harold Ickes) are just barely keeping them from making public commitments to him.

10. She can’t publicly say more than 2% of all the things she would like to say about race, electability, beating McCain and experience.

11. If she somehow found a way to win the nomination, she would have to offer Obama the veep slot, and she doesn’t want to do that.

12. This is a change election, and Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton can never truly be change.

13. Obama is having fun most days, and she isn’t.

14. Even though her campaign staff is having more fun than it has for a long time, there’s hardly anyone there who, given half a chance, wouldn’t slit Mark Penn’s throat — and such internal dissension won’t help her in the home stretch.

Barack Obama in Eugene on Friday

For those of you who I told I would be home tonight, I apologize. I am not coming home because I will be going to Mac Court to see Barack Obama. Or at least I think I am. Here's what the e-mail said:

Please join Barack Obama at a Stand for Change Rally in Eugene, where he'll talk about his vision for bringing America together and creating the kind of change we can believe in.

It says doors open at 7 and the event begins at 9. That leads me to believe that he's going to be there speaking, right? Well, I just was looking around his website and noticed that he's also scheduled for a similar event in Portland that same night, doors opening at 7:30, event starting at 9:30.

Even by plane it would be impossible to get from Eugene to Portland in 30 minutes, so will somebody please let me know what's going on? If it's a video feed or some crap like that, I'm not going to be very happy.

Anyways, I'll update you if I hear anything, but until then, I'll be playing video games, watching movies, and dreaming of Vegas.

California, what's the deal?

I want to make a disclaimer before I start this post: I'm pretty drunk right now. I was out at the bars, since my term is done, and it's St. Patty's Day, and Bella and I are enjoying some time together before I hit the pillow.

Anyways, I was watching TV just now and saw that California tourism commercial. This one:

I had a few questions about it. First, why is California, the most populated state in America, running ads for people to come there? Is the California economy really struggling? Why the hell would they waste the money on this commercial trying to get people to go there? Maybe that's SOP, but I wonder how many people go there because of this commercial. Is it really worth it? Or does Cali have a surplus and decided to invest in this? It's pretty lame, with Governor Arnold and (ugly) wife wrapping it up. It doesn't say anything people don't already know, and seems kind of unnecessary.

Is that state in need of tourism? No. Absolutely not. So why the commercial (that I've seen 100 times)? Is it just a local (Oregon) commercial? I hope so.

I was just curious, any thoughts?

In other news, Dad, I saw two of your legal interns at a bar tonight. They both go to Oregon, and I feel really bad that I didn't remember their names. I recognized them and said hi, and they bought me a shot. I told them to tell you they did so when they see you, so hopefully they do. You should act surprised, and humor them, but let me know if they do, in fact, tell you, because that would make my day. Don't tell them I forgot their names please.

Anyway, hope you all had a happy St. Patty's Day.

Applying Google Earth to Solve Real Business Problems (Courtesy of Mr. Feely)

Hey Bry, just want to let you know that I'm kind of stealing your post. I read it and thought about writing the same one, but decided to just give you credit for doing it better anyways. Hopefully you don't mind the (potential) extra traffic.

This term, in my business school capstone class, we worked on projects for actual companies. The one my group worked for was YOLO colorhouse, a high quality, no-VOC paint company. Our project was essentially to identify new markets that they should expand into on the West Coast. We decided to use Google Earth, which had many awesome implications, including Bryan being asked to talk to the head of the business school about it.

This is where I throw you to his post to read about how we did it and why it was so awesome. Thanks Bry. Check out his post over at FeelyWorks, "Google Earth as an Analytical Tool", then come back and tell me what you think.

Fall term wrap-up

Fall term is now in the books for me, and it feels good. I was done yesterday, celebrated last night, and have played Halo almost all day today. It was the best day I've had in about a week because the rest were spent either studying for my finals or worrying about studying for them. I get a little anxious before exams, regardless of if they are big, so I really just sit and think about studying, which is annoying.

Anyways, I had 3 classes this term, and here's how they turned out:

Marketing Communications
This class was a required marketing class, so as I've come to realize, that means boring and easy. The only real work we did was create a marketing plan for Oregon Baseball. That was fun and pretty routine because of my athletic department experience, but time consuming. Our teacher was one of the weirdest, most flustered guy, which was pretty funny to watch, but annoying to listen to everyday. I think I did pretty well, and I can only expect to get an A- because that seemed to be the only grade he gave out all term. I swear, I've never gotten so many A-'s in one class ever. It became kind of a joke for everyone by the end of the term because everyone seemed to get that grade. But seriously, I'm hoping for an A-.

New Product Innovation
I was most excited about this class going into the term, and it turned out to be pretty cool, but really not that educational or inspiring. We created a product over the course of the term then went through the process of developing a marketing plan and everything. The product my group created was a water bottle top with a filter in it so you could filter tap water as you drink it. It worked for the class, so we went with it. I know I got a B in this class, and I'll take it due to the crappy partners I had. I don't even want to get into that.

Human Resources Management
I took this class because I heard it was easy, and it was, but I'm not sure it was worth sitting through. It was boring and not at all something I care about. At least I now know that I don't want to go into HR. Studying for this class was the worst because it was a 160 question multiple choice study guide that was all out of the book, nothing from class, but it was still easy. So easy that I finished my 50 question final exam, I shit you not, in 5 minutes. That's a new personal record by about 15 minuted for any exam, let alone a final. I expect an A, but I really don't know.

So there you have it. Overall a pretty good term. Next term is a Japanese class, a music class, and a business class. Should be pretty relaxed. Now it's time to hang out for a month and enjoy the holiday season. Christmas music here I come!

Innovation: The Easy Shot Liquor Bottle

This term I have a new product innovation class, and today we have an assignment due for which we had to create a new product or innovation and explain how we would sell it and do all that other stuff. My innovation was the Easy Shot Liquor Bottle. I got the idea from a bottle of mouthwash that I posted about this summer. I think it's a pretty good idea, and if you really want to, you can take a look at my write-up after the jump.

BACKGROUND
After a recent trip to the dentist, I was encouraged to start using fluoride mouthwash regularly to help prevent cavities. When I left the dentist’s office, I went to the grocery store to pick some up, and that night when I used it for the first time, I noticed something different about the bottle. It had a tube in it, much like one you would find in a bottle of soap, that fed into a cup that was built into the neck of the bottle. When you squeezed the bottle, much like pumping a soap dispenser, the cup would fill up with mouthwash. With a fill line on the cup, it was easy to get the right amount to pour into my mouth, and there was no mess because no mouthwash could escape the bottle without squeezing it. Immediately after using this bottle, I had an idea: the Easy Shot Liquor Bottle.

PRODUCT
The Easy Shot Liquor Bottle would use the same principles as the previously mentioned bottle of mouthwash. A plastic bottle that holds 750ml, the standard “fifth” in the liquor industry, that has a plastic tube that runs from the bottom of the bottle into an opening in the cup/neck at the top, which is 1oz., the standard “shot”.

The overall design of the standard plastic liquor bottle would be the same; the only things that are changing are the design of the neck of the bottle (adding the shot cup), and the way the liquid is dispensed from the bottle (squeezed into the cup and then poured out). While an entire new version of the traditional plastic liquor bottle would need to be produced as the shot cup is built in to the neck, I believe that this change is more of a component innovation than it is an architectural one.

OPPORTUNITY
Being a college student at the University of Oregon over the age of 21, I have experienced the ways different people use alcohol. One of those ways is end user consumption; the end user being a consumer who goes to the liquor store and buys a bottle for personal consumption. Say, for example, a college student.

Part of the college experience is going to parties, and at parties, students drink. One of the primary ways they do so is by taking shots. Pouring shots can be messy, with spilling and over-filling often occurring because the wide mouth of traditional liquor bottles lets the liquid out too quickly. Plus, not everyone has a shot glass handy. The Easy Shot Liquor Bottle combines a shot glass with the bottle, so there is no need for an extra glass, and because you squeeze the bottle to dispense the liquor, the user can regulate the pouring speed very accurately, so the risk of spilling or overfilling is greatly reduced.

The second type of consumption I see most often is at bars, and this is where this product may really flourish. In order for this product to work, the bottle needs to be plastic so that it can be squeezed. The liquor that is generally sold in plastic bottles is less expensive and more mass-produced, which bars use typically as their “house” or “well” liquors. If any other bar-goers are like me, they often choose the less expensive route when they go out, meaning they buy these “house” or “well” drinks.

I can assume, then, that a bar goes through a lot of liquor that comes in plastic bottles. I will also assume that bars aim to maximize profits as any other business does, and one way of doing that is limiting the amount of alcohol they put into their mixed drinks. Often bartenders use shot glasses for this reason, but over pouring and spilling still occur. This new design will allow bartenders to regulate the amount of alcohol they put into drinks more accurately and without the over pouring and spilling because the shot glass is built in. This results in accurate pours more consistently, as well as less cleaning costs with the reduction of shot glass usage.

These are the two main uses I see with this bottle, only because they make the desired jobs of both of those customer segments easier. However, there is one other major player in the equation: the distributor.

MARKETING
The above opportunities explain how this new product will benefit the consumer, but those consumers will not be the same consumers that this product will be marketed to. The bottle needs to be filled with liquor before it reaches the end users, so the consumer I will be targeting is the distributor. There are many different liquor companies in the industry today, so likely there are even more distributors, as some companies may contract out. The knowledge conditions that I would need to be aware of in marketing this product is who the liquor companies buy their bottles from, and where exactly in the process the bottles come in. Essentially, who do I talk to in order to get my product used?

It may turn out that I have to talk to a bottle manufacturer and sell them my design, which they will then take, sell to the liquor companies, and distribute. These are all factors I need to research. However, I will assume that I will be undertaking the production of the bottles, and pitching them to a liquor distributor myself.

The reason why distributors of low-cost liquors that come in plastic bottles should adopt my product is to both differentiate themselves from the rest of the cheap bottles that essentially look the same and also to possibly elevate their cheap liquor into the next class.

To the cheap liquor drinker, cheap liquor is cheap liquor is cheap liquor. However, if one brand comes in a new, better bottle, the consumer is more likely to buy it over the others. Also, the perceived value of the liquor may be higher because of the new bottle, and thus it would seem like the consumer is getting better liquor for less money, and would likely pay more for it. This increased price would likely cover any initial production costs of the new bottle, and eventually, when it becomes mass produced, profits would increase because of that raised price.

It may also be worth noting that the perceived value to bar owners of the liquor they may conserve with this design through reduced spilling or over pouring is in fact not that great, as any bar with a trained bartender should have minimal spilling and bartenders may still be generous with their pouring. Therefore, you should not worry about losing any sales volume because of this bottle.

Another, potentially money saving possibility is to use this bottle on higher end liquors. Some of the liquors that are produced in more expensive glass bottles could be distributed in this plastic bottle instead. The move to a plastic bottle would reduce bottle costs, but would also be justified to the consumer because of the squeeze bottle technology. Therefore, a plastic Easy Shot Liquor Bottle of your product could be sold for the same price as the glass bottle, but would cost less to produce.

I have spent some time explaining how this could be profitable for others, but it can also be a profitable venture for me. If liquor distributors begin adopting my product, I could then market it to their competitors as a way for them to keep up with the industry. If I can leverage one against another, without burning any bridges of course, then this could grow into a company that distributes bottles to liquor companies.

I could also choose to sell the design to a manufacturer who is deeper into the industry life cycle than I am, knows the business and has the capital, and this could be a competence enhancing innovation for them. In a perfect world, this design could even become the new standard. However, this is not a perfect world, so I must also be prepared for that not to happen.

POSSIBLE PROBLEMS
There are a few possible problems that I need to take into account in this venture in order to be prepared. For example, what if distributors and/or manufacturers are not anxious to adopt my idea? I could take my product to bars myself and try and get them to adopt it and load the alcohol in the Easy Shot themselves. I could also put the product in catalogs that bars use to order liquor products such as shot glasses, pitchers, etc.

I could market this product online to end users and bars alike, through either a retailer like amazon.com, or on a website I create for the product with streaming videos showing how the product works and how easy it is to use, and a system to order them directly from me.

While these routes are ultimately not as profitable as getting a big liquor company behind my product, I feel that this product is marketable for all the reasons I have mentioned, and will be a success if it is given enough of a chance.

NCAA Baseball comes back to the UO

NCAA Baseball is coming back to the University of Oregon! Not this season, but the season after next (2008-09). The decision was announced Friday to bring back baseball, add women's competitive cheer, and drop wrestling. Oregon has been without an NCAA baseball team for over 25 years now, the last season being 1980-81, although we've had a PAC-9 club team. Baseball was the first sport to be played at Oregon, 130 years ago, just 1 year after the university opened its doors, and I'm among the many eager for its return. They're not sure where they're going to play yet, given that Howe Field has been strictly a softball field since '87, but they're waiting to decide until they get input from the incoming staff, projected to be in place by the fall.

I am happy to see baseball come back. Our club team has been great the last few years, so we have a strong base to bring it back already, and it's just a great college sport. Plus, with the success of Oregon St. lately, which we can thank for the return I'm sure, people will be looking to come to this state and play. Given the success of both OSU's team and our club team lately, I'm hopeful that we'll have an intense Civil War from the first meeting. Since we won't be around for another season though, we'll let them pick up a 3-peat before we beat them. All of you who just scoffed at that comment, please remind me of OSU's PAC-10 record last season? We have a shot.

While baseball will be awesome, it's too bad we had to drop wrestling. Why? I'm not sure, I guess just because I've watched all the crap they've had to go through over these last couple years, being kicked out of their home during the remodel, having to move into the student rec center, and now finally being put out of their misery. Sorry guys. Title IX's a bitch. Just ask the baseball team...

What do you guys think?

Official Spring Term Grades

While it took all but one of my professors to submit my grades until the very day they were due, today is that day, and I have my official term grades:
As you can see, I got a 3.85 with all A's (2 being A-'s). I am very pleased, although not surprised, because as I said in an earlier post, I was kind of expecting these. It was a pretty easy term.

This will be my last "report card" that will have 16 credits on it. From here on in, I'm taking it easy with 3 classes each term (plus a few 1 credit design classes here and there). I'm glad the last two terms of 16 credits have turned out so well, with A's in some form in the last 8 classes, because that means senior year should be a fun one.

That's all from here, just wanted to give you the final results.

Spring Term Wrap-Up

Overall, Spring term was really easy for me. The workloads for each of my classes were really light, the studying for quizzes and exams was routine, and the exams were straightforward. Either I had an easy round of classes, or I'm getting pretty good at this "college" thing. As I said before, the studying seemed almost routine, and that's how a lot of the term went, which I think is a good thing, because that just means I know what I need to do by now. It also didn't hurt that in one class, my previous knowledge covered 85% of the course material. As one of the guys I work with (who was a graduating senior) said when asked how the last few weeks went, "I got pretty good at drinking." It's true. During finals week, I enjoyed a beer almost everyday. Some at home after a final, some at a bar before a final (I was confident). The Pub Crawl, as posted about earlier, was by far the most alcohol I had all week, but when your 21, beer just seems to quench thirst a little better. Anyways, onto the wrap-up:

Overall, I think I did pretty good. There's only one grade that's official at this point, one unofficial, one assumed, and one relatively assumed. I'll explain.

In Marketing 435, we had the option of accepting our grade after midterm 3, or taking the final to try and improve it. I had an A- after midterm 3 (I had the class high for midterm 2), so I was happy to take that and forgo the final. He didn't curve the class at all either, so I actually earned the A-. This one is official, it's on DuckWeb.

In Finance 311, I had transfered into it during the second week, so I was a little behind the intro, and was out of "book buying" mode, having done PLENTY of that the last week (business books are ridiculously expensive). This being the case, I just never bought the book. He said it would help, but I decided, "let's try a class without the book." (I have always bought the course books). Turns out, I went to class, played World Series of Poker on my phone the whole time, hardly listened and didn't take notes, and I did great the whole time, got an 89% on the final leaving me with an A- in the class. This is posted on Blackboard, but is not yet on DuckWeb, so it's technically "unofficial."

In Music 358, I was exposed to really random world music, and enjoyed most of it besides the 10am start time. I went to every class before the first exam: 57/60. I went to about two thirds of the classes after exam 1 and before exam 2: 57/60. I went to maybe half of the lectures before the comprehensive final: 70/80. Depending on where he cuts the A's and A-'s, I will have one of the two. Music does come really easy to me though, so that may have been a contributing factor.

Finally, DSC 340. This was the class that I knew 85% of the material before it was taught. Everything before the final was super easy (and inefficient, but that's a different story), but for the final he threw us all a curve ball by making it difficult. I think I still did alright on it, but it was harder than anything else we had done. I haven't gotten the score back for it, so I am a little unsure of my grade, but I think I am safe to say it's somewhere in that same A- to A range.

So there you have it, my Spring term in a nutshell. I think living in the house that I live in helps productivity, most of us in the same classes and all hard workers and such. Now, onto my senior year, where I take 3 classes a term, chill out, and graduate on time. I think it will be a great year too, because like I said earlier in the post, I think I am just getting good at this "college" thing.

Until next time, keep it tuned to the Blogarrhea, and have a great summer.

New Transformers Poster

This is the new Transformers poster. Have I expressed how much I want to see this movie? Yes? Well, I guess I just wanted to reiterate. I have seen dozens of clips and trailers and pictures, oh my. This thing will (hopefully) be the highlight of my summer. This and Die Hard 4. Then comes The Dark Knight and Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods (working title) in '08. Have you seen the new Batman suit? Please do if you haven't. Anyways, here's the newest poster for the movie. I am so pumped! July 4th! The next post will be a Spring Term Review, probably. Sorry, it's been a while, finals week has put a damper on posts, but it was pretty easy. Hope you look forward to excellent grades. I know I do. We'll see. Keep it tuned to the Blogarrhea.

UO Pub Crawl

Last night was the 2007 UO Pub Crawl, which means you go to a series of 12 bars in one night and get a drink at each one before closing time. There was an order to it, which was listed on the back of t-shirts the guys who organized it made up, and there was a map. This was an organized event, I was surprised. I went with Adam, Jess, and Matt, three of my friends I met in the dorms, and we met most of the people who organized it, who were really nice guys, plus a bunch of other random people, on the route. Today, I've been hearing stories of people who didn't make it all the way, got kicked out of some places, and a bunch of other random happenings. I am happy to say that the four of us made it to all 12 bars, remember most of it, and have pictures to prove it. Here now, is the tale of our UO Pub Crawl '07.
Click to enlarge.

So it all began when Adam and I were talking outside of the bookstore after class one day, and he told me about this, and I thought that it would be a lot of fun, so I told him to send me the information and I would see him then.

It started at 7:00pm Thursday night, so after finishing my last little bit of homework, Matt, Adam, and Jess came and picked me up, and we headed to Taylor's, the starting point.

We got there about 7, and there were people with the shirts and stuff already there that would be doing the same thing that night, so we figured this was going to be a fun experience. We went inside, got our pints, and kind of relaxed for a while. We ended up talking about a plan of documentation that, between Adam and I, we would try to get a picture both inside and out in front of every bar we went to. Also, we were going to try and get a different pint at every bar. So here are the pictures and the story. The first picture will be inside the bar with a summary of that bar, and the second is from outside, with a description of how we all were doing along the way.

Pub #1: Taylor's
We started here around 7, I had a pint of Blonde Bombshell, and after relaxing for a while, we left before the rest of the group took off. We did this all night to avoid waiting in line for drinks. We didn't get a picture inside, but we're always here, so what's the point?


Pub #2: Max's
This is the bar that Moe's Tavern from The Simpsons is based on. The resemblance was noticeable, but I think it's been changed a little since Matt Groening was there. It's a really cool place, albeit small, but we had a lot of fun. You get free popcorn too, so we had a snack.

For it only being 7:30 or so, this place was really fun. I had a pint of some local IPA, and it was good, but it was heavy. Not a good choice when you know you've got 10 more coming. Oh well, off to the next one.




Pub #3: The Bier Stein
We were supposed to go to Indigo, but it didn't open until 9, so we decided to go to The Bier Stein instead, which has a selection of over 1,000 beers, but only about 10 on tap. There, I had the Eugene City 100 Meter Ale.


This place was pretty cool, having over 1,000 beers to choose from. It was a little out of the way, but a little walk never hurt anyone. This whole thing was on foot too, if you didn't already know.




Pub #4: Black Forest
So, I guess we kind of made a deal that every 4 bars we would have Jager Bombs. We had one here, but not anywhere else. They were pretty cheap here actually, so, cool.




This place was a dump, and the people there were just weird, so no thank you to this place ever again. By this point, it was almost 9, and we were getting to know everyone in the group, and the alcohol was hitting us.



Pub #5: Luckey's
This is where we met the people who we stuck with pretty much the rest of the night. Here, I had another IPA, which was also heavy, but hey, I was just saving the light beers for last. Picture of the night too.


This was probably my favorite place. They have live music, we actually left while a band was warming up, they've got pool tables, and they've got super nice leather couches. We were in the middle of downtown at this point.



Pub #6: Jameson's
Halfway home. Here, I had a pint of Stella Artois, which might have been the nicest beer all night, but this was the nicest place we went to all night. There was a bum selling puppies his dog just had too, and Matt almost bought one. $200 is a damn good price though.

This was a substitute for Diablo's, a bar out of the way that we really didn't want to go to, and it was nice. I don't think I'd go there again though, because it's just too high-brow for me. At this point, we were feeling the Jager.



Pub #7: Horsehead
Here's where the light beers start coming. A pint of Coors Light for me, and we had a lot of fun here. It was a big place, and it felt like a place college kids hang out. I hope I can get back there soon, but it is way downtown.


We came in here behind the group, because they went from Luckey's right to here, so we got our drinks, downed them, and caught up.






Pub #8: Sixth Street
Here's I think I had something else light. It didn't really matter at this point, because I wasn't really paying attention to what I was drinking. It was more or less just checking the place out, and I liked it a lot.


This seems like a place to go on a game day. It was packed, I guess it was almost 11, but I had a lot of fun there. Looking back at it, we should have stayed there longer, because the next few were a little weird.




Pub #9: Joggers
Joggers is a place that nobody wants to go. The atmosphere sucked, it was empty, and I just didn't like it. We didn't get a picture inside, probably because we left as soon as we could.




Pub #10: Rockin' Rodeo
Here, we spent a solid amount of time. It was a country western themed bar, so it was pretty empty, but whatever. Again, not sure what I had here, but by now, I'm pretty sure it was the drinks that were making me forget. We had already had 9 drinks, and it wasn't even that late, so they were catching up.

I actually danced with some old ladies here. Adam volunteered me when they asked us if anyone wanted to, so I just said what the hell. It gave me a good story, and I bet it gave them one too. I'm sure it was ugly though.


Pub #11: Good Times
This is a great picture, because this is me outside of Good Times after being kicked out. We are all still puzzled at why. Maybe I was drunk, but the other 3 had had the same amount as me, and no one thought I was acting like a jackass or anything.

We were here before the group, and they didn't let any of them in, so I guess it was the bar. I'm not sure if they don't like business or what, but there was hardly anybody there, and like I said, they turned away a lot of people. Not sure why, but I didn't care.


Pub #12: Rennie's
We didn't get a picture in or outside of Rennie's, but here's Taylor's. We made it. Full circle, and still standing. Rennie's was packed too. By this time, I was done, so I called Hayley, she picked me up, and that was my night.



This was one of the most fun experiences I've had in a while. While it might be stupid for 50 college kids to get drunk and roam the streets, it was a hell of a time. The highlight bars were definitely Max's, Luckey's, Horsehead, and Sixth Street. All the others I can do without. I'd love to do this again, maybe with some different places, but we'll see. I'm not exactly sure what else to say about it, but it was a great way to end the school year.

No Free Drinks with those Free Drinks

We have this coupon book here at Oregon called the Student Survival Kit, and it's got coupons for businesses all over Eugene that students can use. OSU and other Northwest colleges have the same thing. So I was looking through it for a deal on a haircut, because it's just time to get my haircut, let's face it, and I found this coupon for Pizza Pipeline, a local pizza place that has this huge 26" "Colossus" pizza.



With the coupon, as you can see, it costs $23.99 for the pizza, and you get four free drinks.










But then there's this small print right above the phone number.

You: "Yeah, can I order the 26" pizza with pepperoni, and I have this coupon that says it's $23.99 plus four free drinks."
Pizza Guy: "Oh, I'm sorry, we don't offer free drinks with that free drink coupon."
You: "Wait, what?"
Pizza Guy: "Yeah, sorry, but it says right there, 'sorry, no free drinks with this offer', so we can't give you those free drinks that coupon says you get."
You: "... You're serious?"
Pizza Guy: "I'm afraid so."
You: "F*** that"
(hang up)
Pizza Guy: "Uh, thanks for calling Pizza Pipeline..."

Fall Term Schedule

Here's what my schedule looks like for next Fall term. I'm only going to be taking 3 classes per term next year because I have 9 left to take to graduate on time with a minor in music. I could graduate early and not get a minor in music, but I figure why not take the one extra class so I can get another line on my transcript?

The 3 classes I'm taking this term are:

• MKTG 420 - Marketing Communications:
  
• A Marketing concentration pre-requisite that deals with advertising, sales promotions, public relations, and personal selling.
  
• MGMT 415 - Human Resources Management:
• This class is a business elective not affiliated with any concentration, and since we have to take 2 business electives outside of our concentration, here's the first.
• MKTG 445 - New Product Development:
• This is a marketing elective designed for entrepreneurs, but it sounds so fascinating and relevant that I couldn't pass it up, even if it is hard. It deals with techniques for analyzing and developing new markets, and the pricing, communication, and distribution of new products or services with limited resources.

Then, I also enrolled in FIN 380 - Financial Markets & Investments as a fall-back class in case I find out I don't want to take MKTG 445. It deals with financial markets and security investment decisions, analysis of risk and return, portfolio policies for individual and institutional investors, and financial instruments. It's taught by a professor I got an A from in the last class I took with her, and Amanda is taking it, and it's a business elective outside my concentration, so I figured it would be a safe plan B.

So there you have it. Taking 3 classes should give me time to better study for the classes I'm taking and have more free time my senior year to hunt for a job, work with the athletic department, or relax and do nothing. All good options. Hopefully three 400-level classes won't be too overwhelming, but the one I'm in now (that I have a midterm in later today) is going well this term, so I think it will be alright.

Bomb Threat Closes Lillis Tomorrow

I got home from playing a little basketball with Ryan at the rec and got a cheery little e-mail (minus the cheery). It read:

Over the weekend, the University of Oregon learned of a bomb threat made against the Lillis Business Complex. Upon receiving the threat, the UO Department of Public Safety immediately contacted the Eugene Police Department and locked down the complex. Law enforcement experts then conducted a sweep of the facilities. No explosive device was found. While UO and law enforcement officials do not believe the threat is credible, the decision has been made to close the buildings on Monday, May 7, 2007 as a precaution. As a result, all classes, activities and other business scheduled in the Lillis Business Complex have been canceled on Monday. The complex will reopen on Tuesday, May 8 at 7 a.m.

Dave Frohnmayer
President, University of Oregon

I hear this kind of thing happens all the time (mostly during Finals Week), but this is way too soon after the VT tragedy to be playing games, and I'm thankful President Frohnmayer feels the same way. Especially since this is where most of my classes are and will be for the rest of my college days. I hope this is a one time thing, because campus could become a scary place if it's not.

Week 1

So, week 1 of Spring term is officially in the books for me. I don't have class on Friday's, so Thursday is my Friday. That makes Sunday my... fun day? Lame. Anyways, I just felt like writing a post about it, so here goes.

I have 4 classes this term, like every other term, and I have a feeling they may all bore me to tears. First is Music in World Cultures. That's just a lot of weird music I've never heard before and will probably have to struggle to appreciate. Next is DSC 340 which is an MIS class. Last class we learned how to convert numbers to binary, hex, and base-16 notation. Wow, what fun! Then I have Econ 311 which is essentially another math class, 'nuff said. Then there is Marketing 435 which is a class on consumer behavior. This one is part of my major, and what I'm actually interested in, but so far we've just re-hashed ideas I already know, so hopefully that changes.

You know what else is going to change? Next year, instead of taking 4 classes every term, I only have to take 3. Long story, but basically, I could graduate early if I wanted, but I would have to sacrifice a minor. Or, I could go the whole year, get a minor, and have a lighter load each term. I'll take what's behind door number 2.

As the term progresses, I may or may not give more updates. It depends on how awful my classes turn out to be. Right now though, I have to go give a tour of the athletic facilities to some kid who wants to walk on. GO DUCKS!

Back to blogging shortly

Just wanted to let everyone know that I got home last night and will be blogging sometime before the start of the new term, Monday. I've been exhausted and trying to catch up with friends before I head back to Eugene, so it may be another day or so still. I had a GREAT time in Vegas, and I'll be sure to fill you in on how it went. Here's what I plan to cover in the next (big) post (oh it'll be huge):

• Highlights of the Vegas trip, with pictures. (this will take up a lot of space, so be prepared to see and read.)
  
• The Ducks Elite 8 run and Aaron Brooks winning the college 3-point contest.
• My thoughts about next term (school)
• Anything else I think is important and/or noteworthy.

Thanks for sticking around. I should be up to the usual 1 or 2 + posts a day soon.