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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 2002)
Pulse Editor Jacquelyn Lewis jacquelynlewis@dailyemerald.com Tuesday, October 29,2002 Oregon Daily Emerald On Friday Mason West: The next American Idol? Students seek, plan autumn romance Natasha Chilingerian Ask Nat Dear Nat: There’s this girl I’m really into, and we’re both going to this Hal loween bash. I want to make my move that night, and I need a few tips so I won’t scare her away! — Wants Action on Halloween Dear Wants Action: Well, I can’t guar antee she won’t be scared away. She might encounter a fake bloody corpse that night and get spooked — and it would have nothing to do with you! In order to woo this chick properly, I’d start off with a hot costume. Stay away from the pumpkin, clown and jester outfits. Go for something suave, like a John Travolta look, com plete with tight pants, a silky shirt and gelled hair. Don’t forget to spritz on some enticing cologne — the sense of smell is very important when it comes to attraction. At the party, try suggesting some “get in the mood” activities. Remember that game where you pass an orange around a circle of people with your neck? It’s perfect for encouraging lots of flesh-to flesh contact. So grab a round piece of fruit and “neck” with your girl — racy thoughts are sure to follow. Dancing on Halloween is another great way to get someone’s attention. Since people are dressed up, they tend to take on traits of different characters and loosen up on the dance floor. Take this opportunity to show off your flirtatious moves next to her, and there’s no doubt she’ll boo gie on back. Aside from letting you in on the sea sonal advantages, I think you could use some everyday dating advice. When it comes to parties, it’s possible to start a relationship with a girl you’ve just met if you don’t come off as super-sleazy. Aim to act down to earth, sweet and caring, as well as talkative and flirty. If you keep up a consistent interest — but not a desperate interest — she won’t be frightened away. Then she can enjoy all the thrills you provide for her long after All Hallow’s Eve has end ed — no witchcraft needed. Dear Nat: My boyfriend and I are plan ning on having sex for the first time, and I’m a little nervous about it. What can I do to make the experience run comfort ably and smoothly? — First Time Jitters Dear First Time: Honey, the first time is hardly comfortable (in fact, it’s hardly painless). And smoothly? Maybe a little K-Y Jelly can help with that. First of all, I hope your “little” amount of nervousness isn’t actually a “big” amount. Because if it is, “losing it” may not be the best thing right now. Be sure your relationship is stable enough so that sex will only enhance things, not compli cate them. Turn to Ask Nat, page 8 Crafted with care Jewelry makers in Eugene create works with ‘soul’ Helen Schumacher Pulse Reporter Nome May first started selling her homemade jewelry at the Grateful Dead concerts she fre quented. Since then, her clientele has changed. These days, slightly more con servative crowds flock to her booth at Eugene’s Saturday Market. May has been selling her bead and silver work at the market for the past 13 years. She is one of many local jewelers making wear able art. “It’s one of the original arts,” May said “It’s one of the primary things people have done to adorn themselves. It’s a primal need.” It only takes a glance at the ears, necks and wrists of Universi ty students to notice the populari ty of handcrafted jewelry. According to Felice Garter, an other local jewelry maker, there is a good reason people prefer handmade goods to machine made ones. “People like to know the per son they’re buying stuff from — that they thought about what they were making, instead of it being cranked out in a factory,” Garter said. “They like that the jewelry is one-of-a-kind.” Garter described her pieces as integrating a lot of stones and wire work — inexpensive, but nice. She said price is a major factor for many of her customers. “Kids come wanting to buy stuff for their mom, like #5 earrings,” Garter said. She said the $5 glass and stone earrings are probably her most popular items. She also sells wire and glass anklets and necklaces at her booth at Satur day Market. Garter first delved into jewel Mark McCambridge Emerald Vendors at Designs by Dru chat at Eugene's Saturday Market while not busy with customers. ry-making while working as a salesperson for a jeweler in Key West, Fla. “He started showing me a few things and let me make a few things,” she said. “I also taught myself and took some classes.” From there, Garter’s hobby blossomed into a career that she said she really enjoys. “I like being self-employed and making my own hours,” Garter said. “I like making things with my hands, and I’m able to support myself.” May said her love of the materi al is the highlight of the job. “I got a thing for beads. I love their history, their look, their feel,” May said. “I like having all those beautiful beads go through my hands.” However, May said there are some drawbacks to making jewelry. “I really like making expensive, time-consuming stuff and using ex pensive stones,” May said. “But it’s hard to find people to sell it to.” Many local jewelers said stiff competition is another downside to the art. Becca Clark, who makes jewelry for her business, Firebird Silver works, said it’s hard to earn a living. makingjewelry. “You have to stay one step ahead of everyone else and be able to do different designs,” Clark said. “It’s not enough to just be a good silver smith.” She added, “In this coun try, artists aren’t appreciated.” Although jewelry makers may lament these hardships, it does lead to a lot of different styles of work — to the advantage of cus tomers who, as a result, are able to find creative, high-quality pieces at cheaper prices easily. During a walk through the booths at Saturday Market, browsers are likely to find silver, stones and beads being used in different ways to create a wide array of styles. Clark, who described her work as organic and inspired by nature, said people like artisan-crafted jew elry because a handmade creation is more than just an accessory. “It has soul,” she said. Contact the Pulse reporter at helenschumacher@dailyemerald.com. Late-night munchies are made easy If gourmet cooking isn’t your cup of tea, Rosen and Reiss offer an alternative Reporter’s notebook Jacquelyn Lewis Pulse Editor I procrastinated for weeks before opening the recipe book “Midnight Snacks: 150 Easy and Enticing Alternatives to Standing by the Freezer Eating Ice Cream from the Carton.” I knew I would eventually have to write the re view, and felt fear slowly building in the pit of my stomach — or maybe it was just laziness. Whatever the case, I realized I had a problem. First of all, I don’t cook. OK, I’ll admit it: I can’t cook. For some reason, I have always had trou ble following the directions; I find measurements tedious — meticulously sifting an exact cup of flour into a bowl of slimy eggs and sugar or wait ing an hour for a chicken to roast doesn’t exactly float my boat. Why not just dump in whatever amounts of any ingredients you think will taste good together? Bet ter yet, go to the store and buy that treat you’re craving pre-packaged. It’s faster and cheaper. But after extensive soul searching — OK, it was only about five minutes — I came to the conclusion that culinary artistry must possess some sort of intrinsic value. After all, thousands of men and women do it every day — and they enjoy it, too. My mom can produce a tasty snack in what seems like minutes. Even my younger brother can whip up a mean lasagna. So. I decided to get busy. I read the introduc tion. Mmm — authors Michael J. Rosen and Sharon Reiss promised everything from hang over remedies to full-blown breakfasts, all meant to be consumed at the stroke of midnight or lat er. Flipping through the 193-page manual, I even found recipes for dog and cat treats. (I wonder if my cats lie awake yearning for a homemade midnight snack?) The recipes seemed painless enough, and Rosen and Reiss promised “to uphold a certain moderation: No worrying about protein/carbo hydrate ratios, no delicate suspensions of egg yolks and oil, no sifting of powdered sugar through doily templates.” However, a few of the dishes seemed to defy this guarantee, requiring fancy embellishments, such as Norwegian smoked salmon and drizzles of olive oil. The book is divided into different hours with dif fering themes surrounding the recipes, such as “After-After Dinner Treats” and “Slumber Party Time.” Another of the cookbook’s merits is that it offers small portions — perfect if you’re a college student living on your own. The drawings of various food items accompa 0/VUckae£ (Ra&en aacf Skanoa (RdM nying the recipes were also fun to look at, but it was time to get down to business. First, I chose the buckeye bars, but decided that would be cheating, because the recipe didn’t require any baking at all. Eventually, I settled on the parmesan shortbread, which required minimal ingredients—save for the eight tablespoons of butter! — and only 25 min utes of oven time. The ingredients — lots of butter, sugar, Turn to Munchies, page 7
