Simple pleasures

Josh Huff scores on an 85-yard run vs. Arizona

Funny how a simple change in weather can brighten your outlook. It's sunny and 40 degrees as I write this, yet it feels 10 degrees warmer after last week's cold snap and this week's constant drip-drip-drip with dark gray clouds on a light gray horizon.

It's not that I was down in the dumps, by any means. It's just that I find myself in a particularly good mood this morning and so I'm taking note of simple things, such as:

-- People gearing up for tomorrow's Civil War football game. I noticed two clusters of Beavers fans, wearing their orange and black, as I ducked into (pun intended) a coffee shop for my morning caffeine. The only Ducks fan I've seen so far with an Oregon T-shirt is Trish, the co-worker who sits on the other side of my  cubicle. I'll be at work tomorrow when the game gets under way. I expect the UO to kick some butt and earn a berth in the national championship game. (Can't resist sharing these photos from last week's win against Arizona.)

-- A tasty slice of chocolate cake with peppermint cream cheese frosting from Seattle's Best Coffee. Hmmm. I've made an effort to snack on fruits, nuts and yogurt this week but somehow when Friday comes, it feels like a "reward" is in order. (Hey, at least I ran this morning. And I've got carrots and another apple to go with my tuna sandwich today.)

-- The CD mix I made last night and left for Lori to give it a listen this morning. She likes it. Yay! Typical of my decade-hopping, genre-jumping tastes, the playlist includes: the B-52s, Michael Jackson, The New Radicals, Aerosmith-Run D.M.C. (What else but "Walk This Way"?), Eric Clapton, Susan Tedsechi, Robben Ford, Buddy Guy, Lisa Stansfield, Stevie Nicks, Eminem, Journey and Stevie Ray Vaughan.


Photograph by Thomas Boyd, The Oregonian