For Emily

Klesko retiring from majors after 16-year career, agent says

IRVINE, Calif. -- Ryan Klesko is retiring after 16 seasons in the major leagues, agent Joe Sambito said Friday.

Klesko, an All-Star in 2001 with San Diego, hit .260 last season with six homers and 44 RBIs in 362 at-bats for the San Francisco Giants. He played in only six games the previous year for the Padres because of shoulder surgery. The 36-year-old became a free agent following the World Series and didn't sign.

For his career, Klesko batted .279 with 278 homers and 987 RBIs. His best season was 2001, when he hit .286 with 30 homers and 113 RBIs.

He spent seven seasons with San Diego after playing his first eight years in the big leagues with the Atlanta Braves.

The news of Klesko's retirement comes after a February report in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in which Klesko told his former Braves' teammate Chipper Jones he was opting for retirement. Jones and Klesko played together in Atlanta from 1993-99.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the Boston Red Sox were believed to have some interest in Klesko before signing Sean Casey to a one-year deal on Feb. 5.

For anyone who doesn't know: Emily once caught a ball at a baseball game that Ryan Klesko threw to her. No matter what happens - there will ALWAYS be Ryan Klesko.

April SNOW Showers...Bring May Flowers?

Warning: The images you are seeing are not from Montana. This is Oregon. Oregon in mid-April. Oh What? This has to be some kind of a record. I have never ever seen snow actually stick in Oregon this late in the year. So much for Global Warming.
So it did snow, but really? It wasn't really on the roads, yeah, there was a little bit of slush, but really not enough to cause problems. And we see this big truck that drove into a guard rail in the narrows. Sheesh. This guy has no business getting in a wreck. Give me a break!

Late Pass Wednesday

With all the blog slacking that I've been doing since we've been back in Oregon, I'm sure you can imagine that I'm starting to accumulate some really great Late Pass Wednesday materials. This one goes all the way back to Bozeman; its a cute little prank that my former Grad Students at MSU pulled on me during the last week at work. Over the course of the year they had become known for various ambush office decorations, mostly commemorating the various staff members birthdays. Since my birthday fell over the winter break when they were all gone I had slipped through the cracks, and bragged about this fact to great lengths. The Monday of my last week at MSU I arrived at work to find two of our Grad Students sitting outside of my office. This was odd since they usually didn't get there that early in the morning. So I was immediatly suspicious. Well, this is what I found:

My office filled up with 300 (give or take a few that popped) orange balloons. They had actually taken the time to write on each balloon a reason that I should stay or a funny inside joke or saying among the staff.
Naturally since one of the Grad Students was a big "The Office" fan, a few nods to the show were involved.
Well, I carefully read each one and popped them all that morning. I think the girls were a little bit disappointed that i popped them so quickly, because they felt it necessary to provide an encore performance the next morning.
So on Tuesday I decided to give them a little bit of satisfaction (I really didn't want to have an office filled with balloons for the third day running) So I ended up leaving the balloons as long as I could tolerate them. The rule was, if a balloon made its way out of the office it had to be popped, they ones that stayed in could live. I packed up my book shelves and most of my desk all the time working around the balloons. The girls accused me of trying to kick balloons out of the office so that they could be popped. I made it until just after lunch time when I started feeling a little chlostrophobic and staticy and popped them all and went on with my day.

As much as I complained to the girls about and and acted like I hated it, it was a really cute prank, and it did make me feel like I would be missed. It will definitely be something that I won't forget soon.

"The Office" Monday

Well, what to say? There was a lot of build up, and somehow it didn't quite match my expectations. There were definitely funny parts, but all in all I think my take away message is "Get back to the office!!!" The show started out about those crazy office dynamics and the strange characters that every office inevitably has. The whole Jan & Michael relationship makes me really awkward & I'm over it. Michael Scott deserves better! But there were still some great moments, such as:

• Serenity Candels by Jan - ??? for a one time hard core corporate woman, she really has that old school hippie vibe. Which leads me to...
• Hunter the Assistant's CD? Wow. Jan has some moves and she loves her some Hunter. Pretty sure that the song was written about Jan.
• Michael's 19 inch plasma screen TV. Really funny. And when Jan threw the dundie into the TV, i gasped out loud.

What did you think?

Next Week on "The Office"

NIGHT OUT 9/8c TV-PG 04.24.2008
Michael's (Steve Carell) fascination with a woman modeling a chair in an office supply catalog makes him feel things he hasn't felt in a while. With Michael distracted, Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) and Andy (Ed Helms) team up to win back Dunder Mifflin's stolen parking spaces, forcing them into a showdown with the bosses of the five businesses of the office park. Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Oscar Nunez, Angela Kinsey, Phyllis Smith, Mindy Kaling, Leslie David Baker, Melora Hardin, Kate Flannery and Creed Bratton also star.

This Week on "The Office"

Well is here one feature on the blog that I really have missed. This week I am on the road, so I am uncertain when I will get a chance to watch this week's episode. Worst case scenario I'll have Zeb DVR it and I'll watch when i get home on Sunday. Oh the drama! Anyway, without further delay, here is what you can look forward to on The Office this week:

DINNER PARTY 9/8c TV-PG 04.10.2008
GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER - Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski) find they have run out of excuses and are forced to go to Jan (Melora Hardin) and Michael's (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) house for dinner. When Andy (Ed Helms) and Angela (Angela Kinsey) are also invited to dinner, Dwight's (Rainn Wilson) jealousy gets the best of him. Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Oscar Nunez, Phyllis Smith, Paul Lieberstein, Mindy Kaling and Creed Bratton also star.

Rejected T-Shirts

Found these on ESPN.com Page 2 & thought they were funny. I especially enjoyed they Yankees, Mariners, Reds, St. Louis & my favorite was the Brewers. Which ones made you laugh? (Click on pictures for enlarged images)

Awareness Test

California Outdoor Living

Oh were to start? Last week, spring break for OSU, I spent on an extended road trip at UCLA and UW. It might seem like a random trip for the typically conveniently matched Pac-10. Due to the fact that neither USC or WSU have softball programs, their usual counterparts get matched as travel partners. Luckily my time in the Big Sky Conference prepared me for this type of madness (UCLA/UW you've got nothing on Northern Colorado/Northern Arizona!) So what does all of this have to do with a washer/dryer set outside of a cute little yellow beach house? Oh I'll get to that soon enough.

We left Corvallis on Tuesday and without a game to play at UCLA until Friday afternoon we had quite a bit of free time. I was lucky enough to have some friends and family in the area - so I took full advantage. First I spent one evening learning the finer points of California Outdoor Living with Laef & A-Ross. I can't count the amount of times I have heard them complain about their miserably small living spaces, but when I saw it with my own eyes, I have to say that I was pretty surprised. The actual living spaces (a wide open kitchen/living room) were bigger than either of the last 2 apartments I have had. yeah, the bedroom is small, but they are only a few blocks up from the beach and the cute little downtown Manhattan Beach area. The place itself was newly remodeled before they moved in, so it still has that fresh feeling, all in all it is really cute. But most importantly, and by far my favorite part was their outdoor laundry facilities. I can't even fathom how the machines don't get ruined, but they say it's because it only rains or has any type of precipitation approximately 5 days a year. I mean, really, doesn't the fact that it would even be remotely realistic to keep your washer and dryer outdoors basically summarize the appeal of the ENTIRE state of California? They were worried that I would make it look/sound a little trailer trashy, but that is just not the case. It was awesome, and so are you two. Thanks for a great evening, I can't wait to see you guys again!The next evening I got a chance to catch up with my Grandparents again. We walked around the Santa Monica pier and then went and got a great dinner at Gladstones - a fun seafood joint. Yes, those blurry figures below are us. We were forced to have the picture taken on my camera phone because the batteries died on Grandpa's camera. I think it was going to be really adorable too, darn it.
I failed to document my time in Seattle, but I can pretty much summarize the entire experience in one word. Freezing. Since when does it snow in the pacific northwest in late March???

Sometimes you just gotta....Bowl

Call it a little stress relief, call it whatever you want. This evening we hit up the old lakeshore lanes in Albany. We tried to go to Highland Bowl, but unfortunatly it was leauge night. No available lanes. Zeb beat us all & Damon taught bowling etiquette lessons which I was not very good at. Good stuff.

Benton County Courthouse Hippies

Recently it has come to my attention that the Benton County Courthouse hippies are breaking records. Apparently (according to Damon) they are they only protest group that has gathered every day since the war began in 2001. We may not all share their political views, but I think we can all appreciate their resolve, and take at least some sort of entertainment out of their clever signs. I know that on more than one occasion I have seen them protesting and thought....are they STILL doing this??
"...the daily vigil held by Corvallis peace activists outside the Benton County Courthouse that has happened every day since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001, and is the only such continuous protest in the country." (c) Corvallis Gazette Times

Check out the Corvallis Anti-War Vigil Website for more info on these persistent hippies.

Too Cute for Words

Let's just let it suffice to say that my entire existence has become one huge Late Pass, so in an attempt to rectify the sad, sad, state of affairs, here is something I've been meaning to post for a while! A few weeks ago when i was down at a softball tournament in Fullerton, I got to see my Grandparents. I always feel lucky when i get a chance to catch up with them, and this time was no exception. A few of the girls on my team saw me talking to them before one of our games and asked me if they were my parents, which tickled them to no end. The girls also thought that they were adorable, I agree.

Corvallis Top-10

1. OSU Baseball


2. Walking around the Waterfront on Weekends


3. Monroe Street


4. Zeb coaching for the Boys & Girls Club (a.k.a. The Bad News Bears)


5. Local Boyz


6. Fred Meyer(s)/being able to say Fred Meyer(s) with an emphasis on the S, just to annoy Damon.


7. Kicking it at Damon's Crib


8. Cinnamon & Sugar Bagels from Noah's


9. Crazy Hippie Protestors outside the Benton County Courthouse


10. Portland, Eugene & The Coast all within 2 Hours

Bozeman Top-10

Looking back, there were some great things about Bozeman, and of course, some things that we didn't enjoy so much. So without further delay, I give you:

BOZEMAN TOP-10

1. Montana Ale Works
2. Sage Spa & Salon
3. Famous Dave's
4. Only having to fill up my gas tank once every month and a half.
5. Hylite Lake
6. 5:00 PM Thunder & Lightening Storms in the Summer
7. Hiking the M
8. Yellowstone National Park
9. Target & Costco within 5 mins from home
10. Downtown at Christmas time

BOZEMAN NOT TOP-5

1. Snow from October - May
2. Having to drive at least 2.5 hours to get to any other Civilization
3. Real Montana Men don't use straws or lids when they drink Fountain Sodas
4. Brown Slush EVERYWHERE when the Snow finally starts to Melt
5. Making it a year and half without falling on the ice, and then slipping and full-on busting my ass in my last week there.

My New Office

Well there you have it, a snapshot of my new office. Dwight has a prominent place on my desk, as it should be. We've been here for more than 2 weeks, but it still feels like we just got here. At least to me it does. There are still several unpacked boxes scattered around the apartment, and more decorations strewn on the floor than actually hung on the walls. It is a work in progress.

This whole experience has been a huge learning experience - I mean, I thought that the whole interview process and waiting was going to be the most difficult part, but now that we're actually here, it is a whole different set of issues. The bottom line is that trasition is HARD. Yes, that's what she said. But seriously, the first week was very much of a struggle for me. With two road trips under my belt I am starting to settle in and get a little bit more comfortable. On the other hand, now Zeb has been on the job hunt for 2 weeks, and is starting to get a little bit antsy to find something already. I know that there is something great out there for him - but I think he will feel a lot better when he has that "something great" in his hands. Keep us in your thoughts & if you hear about any possible job opportunities, im sure Zeb would love to hear about them.

Hope this catches you guys up to date with us a little bit, I'll try to do better and get back in the swing of more consistent blogging. Love you guys!!

Return to Oregon Saga - Day 10

Whoa. We've been steadily working up to this point...but honestly? I didn't really feel like this day would come...still sort of don't. I'm having trouble wrapping my brain around the fact that we're F***ING MOVING HOME! With any luck, we take off this afternoon, spend the night in Spokane and roll into Corvallis on Thursday afternoon. Zeb says that he is so psyched that he has a stomach ache. We have a GINORMOUS U-Haul parked in front of our apartment (look forward to pictures later) If the Red Lion that we are staying at in Spokane has wireless internet, I'll be sure to update.

In other news - today is also my final check-up with my neighborhood Opthamologist. Last night I had a nightmare that my eye wasn't better yet. I ended up yelling at the Doctor. Let's all keep our fingers crossed that my appointment today goes better than my dream last night.

Farewell to My Office

Potentially one of the best things about my experience here at MSU has been my office. Well, that may be an exageration, but lets just go with it. I love my office. I don't share with anyone, it definitely has it's Heather Flair to it, & I am constantly rocking out to VH1 soul.com or more recently my Ipod. Now there are many amazing things about my new job at OSU, but an office of my own is not one of them. So in memorial for my office, which I have officially cleaned out today, let's all take a pictorial tour through all of it's glory.

my dipolmas and certifications

my lost & found box my "The Office" and Office Monkey Magnets
My rehab basket
My bobbleheads
My Yankees poster
My Computer
My Bo Jackson Poster

Return to Oregon Saga - Day 9

Big news. Move day has been moved up by one day, making it tomorrow. We're going to try to get to Spokane by tomorrow evening and then finish up on Thursday. I think Zeb unhooked the wireless internet at home, so this might be the last post before we arrive. Maybe not. Stan is here, and things are moving along. We just might make it.

Return to Oregon Saga - Day 8

I'm exhausted.

Return to Oregon Saga - Day 7

BREAKING NEWS - This just in, the president has officially declared our apartment a national disaster. Troops have been deployed to the area, and the appropriate funds are being distributed. Stanley arrives tomorrow.

We worked hard today and got a nice little break in the form of a going away gathering at a local restaurant. We are so thankful for all the amazing people we have met during our time here, and as excited as we are to be coming home we are definitely going to miss some of the friendships that we have made here. Bittersweet. Even Zeb got a little verklempt.
We got a good majority of the kitchen packed up, but the fridge is still full. Everytime I open it up, it makes me sick to think of all the food that we are going to have to either eat or toss. Over the next few days I think we are going to start opperating as a food bank and just handing out food to anyone interested.
And finally, here it is, everyone's favorite part of moving out of an apartment. Cleaning the oven. LAME.

Return to Oregon Saga - Day 6

Today I hit a wall. I did treatments, went to a 1st Birthday Party and made some serious progress on the packing, but somehow no matter how many boxes I take out to the garage, it seems like there is no less in the apartment. The next big territory to conquer is the kitchen. I think a majority of that will come tomorrow along with some hardcore cleaning. Zeb says we need to take baby steps and not get worn out, because we have a lot to do tomorrow...
I think he just wants to play his game for a while. Oh well, hes probably right anyway, so I'm blogging now and watching a Stevie Wonder special on VH1 soul. Gotta keep that balance.

Return to Oregon Saga - Day 5

Temporary set back in the packing world. Tonight was Cat/Griz Women's Basketball (the in-state rivalry game eqivalent in Montana to Civil War,) and also my last game as a Bobcat. It was a great game, the first time this staff has beaten the Griz, I'm pretty sure the first time that any of the players have as well. It was an amazing way to go out. The team showed a lot of guts, and I don't think I'll forget this performance anytime soon. Of course, celebration was called for afterwards, so I haven't touched a cardboard box today. Allegedly Zeb has, but I am too afraid to look at what he may have packed.

The next two days should be fast and furious, hopefully there will be lots of picture evidence soon.

Things that Will Change Your Life: Blik

Wall Graphics! Who knew? Here are a few of the cute ones that I liked, but there are soooooo many more. They have stuff that would fit just about any type of decorating style. I heard about this from one of our assistant coaches, and they look like so much fun. I definitely want to do this in our next place.
Because I think these are soooooo darn cute, I am replacing Gal as the world's best link. Congrats Gal, you had an excellent run, and congratulations to Blik.

Check out the website and let me know what you think? Which styles are your favorite??

Return to Oregon Saga - Day 4

I now submit for your approval today's progress:

The streak continues. I did a pretty good job again today, another ginormous travel bag stuffed with clothes 2 medium boxes and one small. Oh yeah, and 1 motivational speech from Laef on the topic of "streamlining." It appears that it can be done. On other fronts, not much progress, but we're really hoping to have the housing issue settled tomorrow.

Fantasy Baseball - Hall of Shame

I am proud to announce this year's alternative to Baseball Challenge. It's an old school style fantasy league that rewards crappy performance instead of the typical hits, homeruns and strikeouts. Basically you have to pick the crappiest players that actually get to play. We've got a regular style scoring leauge in the works too, but this one just seemed like too much fun to pass up.

Check out the details as linked below. And below I've included the pertinent details from the invitation email. Anyone is welcome to play, let's all share our misery this baseball season!!!

League Details

You have been invited to join dj_kretz's Custom League in Yahoo!Sports Fantasy Baseball.

In order to join the league, follow the link below or go to game frontpage, click the "Sign Up Now" or "Get Another Team" button and followthe links to "Join a Custom League". When prompted, enter the LeagueID# and password below.

League ID#: 27824

Password: oregon

Join "Walk the Mendoza Line" Now!!!

Only because I love you guys...

I'm posting this on the blog, purely for your entertainment. Yes, this is the eye sheild that I am required to tape to my face at night when I sleep. The first night I put it on Zeb said, and I quote "I can't even look at you, you're so ugly." Hmm. Yup, thats my husband. So supportive.

I realize that this thing is ridiculous, but I am horrified at the prospect of this thing not healing and not being resolved by the time we get to Oregon. Basically, at this point, I would do just about anything they told me to do.

So before you start the playerhating (Laef) just remember, I did not HAVE to show you all this. I did it out of the goodness of my own heart, and for the pure fact that I know as soon as you open the page and see this picture you are likely to fall to the ground and roll around in hysterical laugher, and then hours later are likely to randomly think of it again with out even seeing it and burst into laughter at the most inappropriate moment. Anyway, enjoy - and let the wisecracks begin.

Return to Oregon Saga - Day 3

Okay, so today I AM back on track. 2 big travel bags of clothes and 3 boxes. I've pretty much got my spare room done. Let me clarify - my spare room is the guest room, that is where my desk is, and where most of my random stuff is stored. Zeb has most of his stuff in the office - so my plan is to make him in charge of packing that room. We'll see.

Some other big accomplishments today - about thisclose to having the new apartment all sewn up. It's a 2 bedroom (probably a little small for us) but its a good price and most importantly allows up to 100 pound dogs (Bo Jackson - you are going to be mine) It's out by that safeway on the way to philomath, so still not too far from campus. Hope it works out!! Also, made appointments to get our taxes done, get the carpets cleaned at our current apartment (yeah, thats required) and have a time set up to get checked out of our apartment next week by the landlord. I can't wait for this all to be done.

Eye Update: Corneal Abrasion and Erosion

Unfortunatly, last week I had a horrible relapse of the eye injury that I chronicled a little while ago. This time I decided that enough was enough, and I made an appointment with the neighborhood opthamalogist.

After hearing my story, the Dr. quickly diagnosed me with Corneal Erosion, which as you will read in my educational flyers is a condition that originates from the Corneal Abrasion. Before I knew it he was squirting some "numbing" eye drops in the old peeper and coming at me with a pair of forceps. He proceeded to peel away all of the loose skin on my cornea and then scrape around in the hopes of encouraging a better heal. Oh sheesh. Talk about traumatic. The last step was putting in a non-corrective contact to act as a band-aid over the eye wound. I also have a really great aluminum eye sheild that I have to tape on my face at night so that I don't accidentally disrupt the healing process. I am now the poster child for the dangers of eye erosion. (Click on images to enlarge & learn more about corneal abrasion & erosion)

Return to Oregon Saga - Day 2

Well, day 2 of the saga was full of victories and defeats. We got the u-haul situation set up, let me rephrase that - Zeb got the u-haul situation set up, and he bought a bunch of moving boxes. He insistis I give him full credit. We also got a great lead on an apartment in Corvallis, so hopefully that will pan out. On the other hand though, I failed to pack a single box when I got home from work tonight. I guess i'll have to hit it double time tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to post up pictures of several packed boxes by tomorrow evening.

Return to Oregon Saga - Day 1

I'm considering this to be day 1 of the Saga that is Zeb and I going home to Oregon. I know technically I should have already started this process 3 days ago, but I guess we had to soak in the excitement. Now, however, it is time to get down to business. A couple of half empty closets later - and I've at least broken the ice. Hopefully I'll make more and more progress everyday, and if by the looks of the blog you think I'm not quite making it, could some of you PLEASE keep me in check?

Which "The Office" Character are You??

Take the "The Office" personality quiz. Pretty funny. I ended up being most like Jim. Not bad.

The Office Personality Quiz

Post up with which character you are most like!!!

It's a Great Day to be a Beaver!!!

Beyond my wildest expectations, today I accepted a job at Oregon State University. Is there much more to even say? The job is working with Softball & my first day will be February 18. I can't wait to be home and see everyone - can you say Unpacking Party!?!?

Thanks to everyone who has supported us regardless of weather we were close or far far away. We love you guys. Can't wait to see all of you Oregonians & Pac-10'ers very very soon!!!!