Culture: Page 241

It’s About Time – February 2014

About Time

“Typical is not normal; normal is not typical” is my weather mantra. This year is no exception to the Rule of Exceptionality. I have always believed that Oregon weather was more variable from year to year, each year more likely to be an exception to normal greater than in other parts of the country. The growing season is less predictable as a consequence. Now that climate change is becoming more and more evident across the continent, testing my belief has become more difficult. Continue reading →

Sex & Love

Culture

Emily Aguilera, 26, single What is the best part about being single? Not having to answer to anybody but yourself. What is the worst part about being single? Nobody to split dinner with, half and half. Share portions, get that variety when you go out to eat; you’re stuck to that one dish. Have you ever been cheated on? Not to my knowledge. Have you ever cheated on someone? Continue reading →

Erotic Heart

New book examines intimacy in relationships

Culture

Local author and real estate investor Bill Syrios has written a new book about relationships that might make his four grown sons blush. “This book may contain more about good old Dad than you wanted to know!” he writes in the dedication to Intimate Conversations for Couples: Turning Your Relationship into a Lifelong Love Affair, published by Crossover Press in Eugene and available in print this Valentine’s Day. Continue reading →

A Bad Wrap

UO scientist wants to create the ultimate condom

Culture

It’s a common experience. You’re walking down the street, pleasantly enjoying the scenery, when you look down and almost step on the horror of all horrors: a used condom lying on the sidewalk.  We all know that condoms are readily available and people use them all the time (even if we don’t want to see the rubbery aftermath at our feet). The problem is that they’re not using them enough or with any kind of consistency. Continue reading →

Sex Scandal Roundup

Who did what, or who in the news

Culture

People having sex isn’t “news.” Sex is how our species survives, after all. Sex scandals make the headlines when the sex is had in awkward places, with ill-chosen or inappropriate people, including, as it turns out, one’s own self. That’s when sex makes the pages of not just tabloid news but the rarified newsprint (and websites, for endless sharing) of The Oregonian and The Register-Guard.  Continue reading →

Lovely Libations

Drink

This being the month when we celebrate the pursuit of Eros, Amor, love in all its forms — oddly appropriated to the name of a saint (Valentine/Valentinus martyred by beheading on Feb. 14, 273 CE) — we want to send some love to two figures whose passionate pursuits add pleasures to our lives.  First, let’s welcome the opening of an elegant oasis on Eugene’s urban wine trail: Friday, Feb. 7, will mark the grand opening of Pyrenees Lounge at 946 S. Willamette in the former, now-refurbished Woolworth Building.  Continue reading →

The Slice is Right

Chow

If there’s one thing that everyone’s got an opinion on, it’s pizza. Folks get downright adamant about the “best” in town. We decided to visit a few of the local favorites for some pizza and put together a little guide to who has what. One thing that is hard to get around is the fact that pizza is amazing. Even mediocre pizza is still pretty damn good. But what sets our entrants apart is in the details. Whether you’re a sauce man or a crust kind of gal, no two slices are quite equal. Continue reading →

Baked Goods on Broadway

Chow

Walk into Noisette Pastry Kitchen and you know you’re somewhere special. Sun pours through the glass walls and, even in winter, the open kitchen with its bustle and chatter makes the place feel alive and exempt from cold-weather hibernation. Noisette’s menu is visual, with names of dishes written on the parchment paper lining cases of sweet and savory pastries, sandwiches and salads. Continue reading →

Tiny Tavern, Big Makeover

Chow

Reviews on Yelp for the Tiny Tavern range from “Ever wonder what the gateway to hell looks like? Check the men’s bathroom” to “Smells like pee.” The Whiteaker’s classic dive bar suffered from an unfavorable reputation, but in recent months the oldest bar in Eugene has undergone an extraordinary transformation. With new management, the Tiny Tavern is serving exceptionally tasty bar food, offering live music and entertainment throughout the week and is slowly returning to the epicenter of Eugene’s bar scene. Continue reading →