Top-10 reminders that I'm in Eugene, Oregon

1. As I wait for my ride here downtown, I’m sitting in a Starbucks and sipping on a latte amongst an army of mostly unemployed modern-day hippies. If this isn’t a stereotypical representation of life in Eugene, then I don’t know what is.

2. Quote from an article in today’s Eugene Daily Emerald entitled, "Hippie culture’s still here, man": “Hippies want to safeguard our planet and make sure the world is a safe place for future generations.”

3. The Oregon Invitational preview is the centerpiece article on the sports page of The Register Guard, and the meet isn't even until tomorrow. Now that’s cool. I saved a copy for my boss, maybe I can sell him on the idea.

4. I just saw my fifth VW conversion van. I haven’t even been in town for an hour yet.

5. On the subject of transportation, I’ve seen just as many bikes on the road as automobiles, or so it seems.

6. Make that six and seven VW vans. I've been here exactly 49 minutes.

7. 83% of the girls here might be hippies, and who knows what percentage of them actually shave their body hair, but man, the girls here are beautiful.

8. Judging by the number of long-haired, bearded Vietnam veterans that roam the streets in Eugene, it wouldn’t surprise me if Forrest Gump retired here after his next run across the country.

9. In two trips to this city, I still haven’t met anyone native to Eugene. One way or another, they all just seem to have ended up here. Weird.

10. What is with the drive-thru coffee shacks on every street corner? Seriously.