Excerpts from the University of Oregon

Sunday, 2:00ish AM

Walking back to the Carson dormitory with my friend Sam, we encountered two raccoons stealing away into a tree. When I got a little closer to get a better look, the two black and white inquisitively stared me down. If it wasn’t for the nut shells that I tossed their way, I might have been able to lock eyes with the pair for the rest of the night. This is my first raccoon sighting in Oregon, and definitely a memorable one. They proved that they have the capability to be the thieves that peruse our garbage in the middle of the night. I just happened to be as nocturnal as they were on that night, but it looked like we had the same idea of going back to our homes for the night and get some sleep. I had a train to catch back to Salem early in the morning; I wonder what their morning schedule holds. It also makes me question if I wandered Willamette’s campus at that hour if I would find any raccoons roaming around.

Sunday, 7:45ish AM

On my way through the campus on my lonely, quiet saunter to the train station I viewed the Sunday morning churchgoers. They weren’t the student that’s for sure, most of them probably had wicked hangovers, it was the variety of squirrels that I have failed to correctly recall their names. As dirty as they probably are, they seemed clean enough to enter a little squirrel chapel. One of them was presumably digging for his Sunday offering, likely a tasty nut of some sort. The squirrels were out in full force in the mornings but I do not remember seeing any at night. How many hours of sleep do squirrels need? And when all the students are out at night are they sleeping with their bushy tails keeping them warm or are they kept awake by the constant clamor and possible tear gas that police dispersed when there was a riot on Saturday night. With the addition of many crow sighting and the observation of many different trees around campus whose names are beyond me, it definitely constituted a wild weekend in both regards.

Reflection on Mascots

I see ducks in the Mill Race almost daily. I did not see one actual, avian duck at the University of Oregon. I have yet to see a living, breathing, furry bearcat on the Willamette campus. I could’ve sworn that I saw at least two or three bearcat looking creatures around Eugene. My better judgment tells me those were probable the homeless people around the train depot and McDonalds however. To conclude the observation I just think it would make sense if we became the Willamette Ducks and they got stuck with the Southeast Asian beast. GO DUCKS!!!!!