The last two posts have been move-related, and it seems I am now going to post another one! Anyway, it is now eleven years to the date that my family and I moved from Patterson, California to Medford, Oregon. I can remember us being excited about getting to see a new state (at that point, my brother and I had only lived in California and visited Nevada), although we were also saddened about leaving California, a place that had been our home for close to five years.
It was sunny and clear along the stretch of the I-5 from the Modesto area all the way up to the Rogue Valley. We had set off early, before 9:00am, and made it to Medford probably about around 5:00 in the evening, as I remember it being close to sunset when we arrived. We encountered few if any delays on our way up, and we did not rush the journey at all. It was exciting to see the "Welcome to Oregon" sign, and it was at that point that we knew the drive up was almost over: within a day we had gone from living in a valley and having mountain ranges on either side of us to actually living in the mountains...I will not forget the first time we saw our house.
To think how long ago that all happened: we did not expect that ten years on from that day we would then be getting used to living in a new country again (well, technically the old country, but the sheer amount of time we lived in the United States, plus the fact my brother and I grew up there, makes the United Kingdom seem like a totally different country). No, I am not complaining here...merely reflecting on the past and thinking about what has changed and what is still the same from back then.
Coincidentally, we met an American today, though she was not from Oregon (Tennessee, in fact). We have actually met several Americans since being back in the United Kingdom, but I did find it interesting to meet one on the anniversary of our Oregon move.
Showing posts with label Medford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medford. Show all posts
Thursday, 17 November 2011
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Aly & AJ
I blogged before about hearing Julian Velard's song "Sentimental" at a store in Littleport, and being glad I heard it. This is not the first occasion where I have heard a song in a store and really liked it: the previous time this occurred was in 2005 during a visit from my grandparents.
We all went to an Ashley Furniture store in Medford, and my parents found a sofa that they found appealing, so they discussed it with each other and with one of the clerks. While this was happening, a song playing from one of the televisions caught my attention: for the next two minutes, I watched the video and listened to the sound of "Do You Believe in Magic" by Aly & AJ (now going by the name "78violet").
This was my introduction to Aly & AJ, and I really liked the song: I took pleasure from the instrumentals that formed the tune, Aly & AJ's vocals, and the overall happy sound to "Do You Believe in Magic". I noted a few of the lyrics to look up when we got back home, and that was my task when I next went on the Internet. During my research I was pleased to see that they had an album out, Into the Rush, and I made sure to ask for it for my birthday later that year (and I received it). To date, Into the Rush is the only Aly & AJ album I own, but I am interested in their second studio album, Insomniatic, and their Christmas release, Acoustic Hearts of Winter.
Whenever I listen to "Do You Believe in Magic", I always think of that afternoon in Ashley Furniture. It seems odd to associate a song with a furniture store, but that merely adds to the charm of the song for me, and besides, I remember it being a beautiful day outside that day.
Regarding the aforementioned sofa, Mum and Dad decided to buy it, though it was ultimately sold in October of 2009, as it was unfeasible to bring to the United Kingdom due to its size. However, I am still listening to and will continue to listen to Aly & AJ's music.
We all went to an Ashley Furniture store in Medford, and my parents found a sofa that they found appealing, so they discussed it with each other and with one of the clerks. While this was happening, a song playing from one of the televisions caught my attention: for the next two minutes, I watched the video and listened to the sound of "Do You Believe in Magic" by Aly & AJ (now going by the name "78violet").
This was my introduction to Aly & AJ, and I really liked the song: I took pleasure from the instrumentals that formed the tune, Aly & AJ's vocals, and the overall happy sound to "Do You Believe in Magic". I noted a few of the lyrics to look up when we got back home, and that was my task when I next went on the Internet. During my research I was pleased to see that they had an album out, Into the Rush, and I made sure to ask for it for my birthday later that year (and I received it). To date, Into the Rush is the only Aly & AJ album I own, but I am interested in their second studio album, Insomniatic, and their Christmas release, Acoustic Hearts of Winter.
Whenever I listen to "Do You Believe in Magic", I always think of that afternoon in Ashley Furniture. It seems odd to associate a song with a furniture store, but that merely adds to the charm of the song for me, and besides, I remember it being a beautiful day outside that day.
Regarding the aforementioned sofa, Mum and Dad decided to buy it, though it was ultimately sold in October of 2009, as it was unfeasible to bring to the United Kingdom due to its size. However, I am still listening to and will continue to listen to Aly & AJ's music.
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
"Run Off"
One incredibly fun board game we were able to unpack and have been playing recently is called Run Off. The game involves the United States Presidential Election, and you need to attain the majority of the electoral vote to win the game (as you do in the real-life election); to win electoral votes, you need to answer questions correctly, and each correct answer is worth five electoral votes (you place your votes in a state of your choosing, and once you have more than half a state's electoral vote, you win that state). The question topics range from US history and geography to civics/law and general knowledge, plus quotes from historical figures.
The game is somewhat dated, as some of the information is now obsolete (some population figures, including the fact that the game is based on the 1990 Census when it comes to the Electoral College). However, it is still more than 90% correct, and it is heaps of fun anyhow. Here are the electoral maps of a select few of our games of Run Off (I am purple in all three):
This game was the very first we ever played, and was done years ago. It involved my mother, brother, and myself. My brother was defeated in the first round with only 145 electoral votes to my 180 and my mother's 213. When my mother and I competed for my brother's states in the second round, she won with 290 electoral votes on only 20 states and without D.C. This go remains the best electoral votes-to-states ratio for any of us to date.
This go was played in the last couple of weeks, with my brother and I going against each other. At 305 electoral votes to my 233, my brother currently holds the largest margin of victory out of us all.
Now this go was played just last night and past midnight: my brother versus me. As of now, it is the only time I have won Run Off (out of many games played), and at 270-268, it is the narrowest margin of victory possible without the election being a tie. Interestingly, my brother based the above result if it had taken place on the 2010 Census, and he calculated that the above combination of states would lead to a 269-269 result (he is sure that he got nothing wrong when he worked it out). I won 23 states but took D.C.
Run Off may be have been a board game we got for cheap at Barnes & Noble in Medford, but it is a very fun and educational game, so if you do come across it, I recommend getting it. A similar British-based game where you would have to win UK counties by answering questions correctly would be interesting too.
Note: above images are not originally mine, but rather, are our modified versions of http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ElectoralCollege1992.svg. Licensing is listed on that page.
The game is somewhat dated, as some of the information is now obsolete (some population figures, including the fact that the game is based on the 1990 Census when it comes to the Electoral College). However, it is still more than 90% correct, and it is heaps of fun anyhow. Here are the electoral maps of a select few of our games of Run Off (I am purple in all three):
This game was the very first we ever played, and was done years ago. It involved my mother, brother, and myself. My brother was defeated in the first round with only 145 electoral votes to my 180 and my mother's 213. When my mother and I competed for my brother's states in the second round, she won with 290 electoral votes on only 20 states and without D.C. This go remains the best electoral votes-to-states ratio for any of us to date.
This go was played in the last couple of weeks, with my brother and I going against each other. At 305 electoral votes to my 233, my brother currently holds the largest margin of victory out of us all.
Now this go was played just last night and past midnight: my brother versus me. As of now, it is the only time I have won Run Off (out of many games played), and at 270-268, it is the narrowest margin of victory possible without the election being a tie. Interestingly, my brother based the above result if it had taken place on the 2010 Census, and he calculated that the above combination of states would lead to a 269-269 result (he is sure that he got nothing wrong when he worked it out). I won 23 states but took D.C.
Run Off may be have been a board game we got for cheap at Barnes & Noble in Medford, but it is a very fun and educational game, so if you do come across it, I recommend getting it. A similar British-based game where you would have to win UK counties by answering questions correctly would be interesting too.
Note: above images are not originally mine, but rather, are our modified versions of http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ElectoralCollege1992.svg. Licensing is listed on that page.
Saturday, 30 July 2011
Rogue Valley Manor
Most times when we went to Downtown Medford during our life in Southern Oregon we could see the Rogue Valley Manor buildings (I think their names were Main Manor and Skyline Plaza, and the area is a retirement complex), as their position of top of a small mountain rising above the city made them easy to spot from afar. I always loved watching the towers get closer as we drove into Medford.
For several years, I wanted to take a picture of them, as I liked the buildings, and I was vocal about this, but the circumstances were never right to get a picture of them (the most common cause was not having the camera with us). In our last week in the United States, a chance finally arose for me to get a picture of them, but rather than just one picture, I took a few. Here is one of them:
It was taken in the evening from a parking lot for a shopping area, and I was able to get a picture without a car in the way. I do miss the varied views of the Rogue Valley Manor: I always thought they were impressive looking buildings, and I have not moved from that opinion.
For several years, I wanted to take a picture of them, as I liked the buildings, and I was vocal about this, but the circumstances were never right to get a picture of them (the most common cause was not having the camera with us). In our last week in the United States, a chance finally arose for me to get a picture of them, but rather than just one picture, I took a few. Here is one of them:
It was taken in the evening from a parking lot for a shopping area, and I was able to get a picture without a car in the way. I do miss the varied views of the Rogue Valley Manor: I always thought they were impressive looking buildings, and I have not moved from that opinion.
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