Weekend Update

So the past four days have been really good.  It all started with the home opener for the Ducks baseball team, the first in 28 years!  It was an awesome game as it came down to a ninth inning walk-off single by Andrew Schmidt to win the game 1-0. Then they won again on Saturday 7-1. Who did they defeat?  Only the defending national champions Fresno State.  PK Park is not complete yet, but the field looks really good.  It will be beautifual next season once the full stadium is finished.

On Sunday I took Morgan to her first Blazers game ever.  We drove up to Portland and visited her nana in the hospital first, then met my mom, aunt and uncle for lunch at Red Robin.  The game was against San Antonio, who had beaten us only 5 days before by 15 points, in Texas.  This time the tables were turned and we completely controlled the entire game, up by as many as 29, and won by 18!

I have to thank my brother for the awesome seats, as they were a birthday present which was all the way back in November.  It just took me a long time to pick a game, but man was it a good one.  And it was great for Morgan because it was her first Blazer game ever – a big win over a good team and free Chalupas…what more could you ask for?

How about a Civil War victory?  We got home just in time to see the highlights from the Ducks beating the Beavers!

By Monday it was the start of my new job at Hero-Web in Springfield.  I am a sales and marketing assistant.  the company has a whole suite of web design/e-commerce services tailored for small business.  I feel very fortuante to have found a job in this tough economy, and it only took me two months after my first lay-off.  This is a great opportunity to work for a really great company and develop my skills and experience.  

No Free Chalupas, So I Made Enchiladas Instead

So Wednesday night I went to the Blazers career fair.  The room was completely full and the other attendees were mostly my age - either still in college or just graduated.  The keynote speaker was from Mandalay Entertainment.  They dabble in television, film, and own several minor-league baseball teams.  He talked about the most common way to get into sports, ticket sales, and what it takes to be successful in selling tickets.  After the speech, we all had time to browse around and talk to the various companies that were there, and give them resumes.  This didn't go over so well because all the booths were crammed into a very small room.  With about 200 people, it made for a very crowded space.  I handed out my resume a few times, but there were no real prospects.  Nonetheless, it is always beneficial to here from insiders of whatever industry you want to work in.

After the career fair I went to the Blazer game, thanks to my brother who bought my mom a ticket too.  We sat in section 110, which is the closest I've ever been for the Blazers.  Below is a picture from our seats:

They didn't make it 100, which means we didn't get free Chalupas from Taco Bell.  That really bummed me, but I still had a lot of fun.  I was in the mood for Mexican still so last night I made enchiladas.  It was the first time I've ever made them and they turned out great.  I looked up several recipes online, but ended up making my own version.  Here it is:

• 1 large chicken breast, shredded
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• oregano
• chili powder
• salt/pepper to taste
• 3-4 whole wheat tortillas
• shredded cheese (I used a bagged Mexican blend)

In one quart pan I sauteed the onion, garlic, and pepper together.  In another, I cooked the chicken long enough to get it shredded.  Add the chicken to the onion/pepper mix and season with spices, salt, and pepper to taste.  I let that simmer together from about 15 min.  Meanwhile, I seasoned the condensed soup with some chili powder, thinned it out with a little milk, and brought it to a short boil.  I added half of that mixture to the chicken.  Then spoon the mixture into a tortilla, wrap it, and place in oven-safe baking dish.  Once all the tortillas are stuffed and wrapped, pour the rest of the soup/sauce over the enchiladas and top with the shredded cheese.  I finally baked it at 350 degrees for about 20 min, basically until the cheese was melted.  I enjoyed, and I hope you do too.

The Big "Aristotle"

Wow, it has been so long since my last edition - well, with Alpha Kappa Psi events, 3 consecutive weekends of being out of town for at least 4 days (including Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and Portland for my brother's wedding), finals, and more work - I just couldn't find anytime to write. But now I am back. I still have summer school, and work, and trying to prepare for my upcoming trip to Germany, but I will try to keep up with a few more editions before I leave... Now on to business.

I have never been a fan of Shaquille O'Neal. My utter distaste for him started when he was on the Los Angeles Lakers and beat my beloved Portland Trail Blazers. Now anyone who knows me will tell you that I am one of the most passionate sports fans around. I grew up rooting for the Blazers and they are near and dear to my heart, my favorite sports team of all time. I also never root for any other team in the Pac-10 other than my Ducks. I couldn't care less that the Oregon State Beavers have won two NCAA baseball championship back-to-back. So it understandable that I would never be a fan of Shaquille O'Neal even though what he did to the Blazers was so, so long ago. I cannot stand Shaq's arrogance, his smugness, and his attitude. He thinks he is funny, and he calls himself "the big Aristotle."

But tonight I watched his new show on ABC called "Shaq's Big Challenge." In this self-help reality series, he takes 6 overweight children in Miami and tries to help them lose the weight, gain never-before-seen self-confidence, and hopefully inspire others watching the program to follow in their footsteps. Naturally, Shaq thought that this would be an easy task. But man was he humbled tonight. I was just as shocked as he was when I saw these kids.

One was a video-game addict that never gets outside and still has a baby-complex way of life. One comes from a Cuban family with traditional large meals, and he just can't stop. One gained all her weight from depression when family problems came. The last three kids are just as overweight if not more, and because of their own unique reasons. After they all failed the Presidential Fitness Test, he took them to a child obesity specialist and there Shaq received the biggest shock of all. Every child was diagnosed morbidly obese. Shaq said that he knew what the two words meant, but not that the two words together could mean something so bad.

Well, if you saw the show like me, I am sure you are horrified as well. But for the first time ever, I saw a different side of Shaquille O'Neal. I saw genuine compassion, concern, and caring for these children. When he received the news from the doctor at the children's clinic, I could see the dismay and sadness on his face that these kids could die if nothing was done to help them. Although he still displayed is normal arrogance and cocky attitude, he showed me that he is not only about running over every single other player in the NBA and winning 4 championships.

So when the new NBA season starts, I can go back to rooting for any team that Shaq plays against. I can't wait until that first game when Greg Oden (a guaranteed Blazer come Thursday's NBA draft) goes up against Shaq. But for now, I will continue to watch "Shaq's Big Challenge" and be rooting for him to help these kids turn their lives around, as long as he doesn't rub that "Big 'Aristotle'" attitude onto them.