Happy (Somewhat Sad) Valley

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Yes, that's a dateline.

I'm in Marisa's apartment, introducing her to Radiohead's "In Rainbows" and relaxing after graduation day and night at The Pennsylvania State University.

State College is Corvallis or Boone on HGH. Looking out my sister's third-floor window, one could almost mistake the view for that of a bigger, more bustling city. And in many ways it is. An island metropolis in a sea of farm land.

I like it here. I'm glad I finally was able to make the trip up, just in time to see Missy pull out of here with three degrees — a double-major and a minor — after four years of work. Show-off.

I only regret not visiting here earlier. One of my bigger regrets going actually. It's taken me far too long to meet her comrades (a very hip crew) and actually see the place that's been such of a big part of her young life. No reason to dwell though — but it's something I certainly plan to change in the coming years, wherever either of us end up.

Jack and Mike left this afternoon. I'll see Jack in another couple weeks, when she visits some friends in Florida. So that goodbye wasn't too tough. Not as tough as Tristan and Matt's.

Missy and I walked over to her friends' house, and I was front-row center for a pair of farewells. Tristan and Matt have lived together for four years, and it was like watching an end of an era unfold before my eyes. An artsy gal dropped by and handed off some ceramic bowls to Tristan. Then, on the verge of tears, she left the room with "have a great life, guys."

Tough. But hey, Happy Valley will be happy soon again. I'm looking forward to hanging with Marisa the next two days and nights, climbing Mount Nittany tomorrow, eating the world's best ice cream (so I'm told) and finding a shirt with Joe Paterno's face on it.

Nealon made it so.

I was called out on a certain blog to rip this survey a new one. So let it be written, so let it be done.

Four jobs I've had:
1. Baseball field maintenance monkey
2. Red Robin douche
3. Car wash attendant
4. Sports editor

Four movies I've watched more than once:
1. The Big Lebowski
2. Rocky I-VI
3. Final Shot: The Hank Gathers Story
4. Uncle Buck

Four places I've lived:
1. California
2. North Carolina
3. Oregon
4. Florida

Four places I've been:
1. Jerusalem
2. Auschwitz
3. Joplin, Mo.
4. EPCOT

Four TV shows I watch:
1. Playing Lessons From the Pros
2. Scrubs
3. The Newshour with Jim Lehrer
4. Meet the Press

Four people who email me regularly (doesn’t include blogging comments):
1. Kappa
2. Travelocity
3. Facebook
4. MySpace

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
2. In-N-Out Burgers
3. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
4. Other healthy things

Four places I would like to visit:
1. Belgrade
2. Augusta
3. Cooperstown
4. Morocco

Four things I'm looking forward to in the coming year:
1. My sister's graduation
2. Oregon and the Simpson, Kinney and Johnson weddings
3. Breaking 80 on a consistent basis
4. A Democrat in office

Four people I've tagged (to do this, too):
1. Noe
2. Kappa
3. Someone in Sanford (Hi!)
4. AndySnacks

There you have it. The chain lives on!

Find me, Ben Bailey

If I'm ever in Manhattan, I won't hail a cab unless it's a minivan cab.

This should exponentially increase my chances of being on "Cash Cab."

And yes, I'll take the video bonus question, Ben.

Phew. For a minute there, I lost myself.

Sarah and I visited with Radiohead last night in Tampa.

Surrounded by young people (!) and the faint odor of times past, the greatest band on the planet came through two-plus hours of ROCK.

It was as if Thom and the boys emailed me the night before asking for a setlist. All day leading up to the show, "The National Anthem" was blaring in my head, and after dabbling in some new stuff, they played the shit out of it. They immediately followed with "Idioteque," and after I woke up out of my joy-coma, they proceeded to play two encores. Overall, a fantastic show. One of the best big-arena shows I've ever been to, if not the best.

Riding the high of Brit-love, I hit the links today for the first round of Highlands Ridge's summer golf league. Along with co-worker Mandy, team journalism rocked the shit out of the front nine and easily defeated the duo of Adam and London. I even eagled the ninth to roll in with a 38.

Needless to say, the last 24 hours have been pretty damn solid.

A poem Sarah wrote about Portland

slim like scallions, the newly minted natives are smoking the center, gauging

the thrust and mellow hum of the small pond pandering for big and bigger fish

having not so many minutes for suburbany hills and the tall tree patches that clash like

a pattern of marked-down carpet samples, they instead prefer to storm unnecessarily and

plot their hazy visions, peddling each parlor trick across damp sidewalks and soggy

weeklies, dragging their gigs efficiently over stretchy bridges basted with rain

pillaging a city is exhausting work and if they slept they'd be asleep by now

we just flew in from (some state here) and man are our arms tired

yet on they go! swimming with an equal mashing of stutter and champ they enunciate

every wet minute, pausing only to breathe, to stall and mix and shake out their calves

in time, a collection stands haltingly in a heap of several Stark and Grand seasons

kicking them aside, they could be ready to go west go east go

anywhere else and they might

on an accidental whim, they tuck inside one wild night's decision to scram –

goddamn let's do this - and soon their Focus is caulked and they're floating the

Columbia, sailing to Los Feliz or Minneapolis as a way to save their party

it's been too long, too small, too intimate

and yet a lovable place, they'll say, sheepishly admitting to dry and absent

friends yes we enjoyed our pale sickly shoulders, the moody gutters

cramped with leaves and a handful of chances for odd-flavored beer

Now that's talent, people!