"Survivor South Pacific" Finale Recap And Final Thoughts

After 39 days of close challenges, blindsides, dumb moves, and a whole lot of Bible-thumping, we finally have our winner for "Survivor: South Pacific."  We have two hours of events to talk about so let's get right into it.

We start with Brandon arriving at Redemption Island and explaining his dumb move in the last episode.  Ozzy notes that Brandon wasn't playing a game built around loyalty, but rather around blind faith, and that blind faith was not in God but in people that wanted to win a million dollars way more than he did. 

Over at Te Tuna, the remaining Upolus try to gather themselves after a very turbulent Tribal Council, and Albert angers Coach when he says he had no idea that Brandon was going home.  This, of course, is not true, since Coach and Albert had discussed who they were going to vote out at that Tribal Council and Coach had told Albert in no uncertain terms that he was targeting Brandon no matter what.  Coach then goes off on a rant about how he is sick of people "being holier-than-thou" and not owning up to their deception, and he yells at Albert for not being straight with him.  The entire discussion can be summed up like this:

The next day, Ozzy and Brandon receive tree mail telling them that they are about to compete in the final Redemption Duel.  They head over to the arena where Jeff Probst explains that the challenge is a simple endurance test: cling onto a pole for as long as you can.  They will start at the top of the pole, and there are several notches along the pole for them to slide down onto in case they lose their footing.  Last person standing gets back in the game.  After 45 minutes, both players were struggling to hang on, but Brandon fell down first and became the seventh juror, while Ozzy returned to the game for a second time.

Brandon left the game saying he forgives the people that backstabbed him and will leave the game with his head held high.  After all the emotional turmoil he experienced in this game, I hope Brandon will be able to take this and become a better person, but let's face it: until he made that final dumb move, he made for horrible television.  Hopefully this will convince the casting team to stop being lazy and picking people based on nepotism.  I don't want another Hantz on this show, and neither do a lot of people.

With Ozzy back at the Te Tuna camp, Coach immediately sits down with him and reaffirms the final three deal he made with Ozzy on Redemption Island.  He tells Ozzy that if he wins the next immunity, he will give him his hidden immunity idol and keep him safe.  Ozzy nods his head through the whole discussion, but in an confessional he admits he does not buy anything Coach says.  Coach thinks it is his game to lose because everyone wants to take him to the final three.  Did it ever occur to him that the reason everyone is sticking with him is that, one, he has the idol and therefore no one dares to target him, and two, the jury probably doesn't like him because of his honor speeches?

Now it's time for the first of two immunity challenges.  In this challenge, the players must use their left arm to pull down on a pulley that will level out a balancing board.  Then, using their right hand, they must use wooden tiles to create a tower tall enough to pass a red marker.  They each have a limited number of tiles, and if they do not keep the pulley steady, the board will tilt and the tower will fall over.  First player to create a tower tall enough to reach the required height wins immunity.

The game starts, and Coach, Sophie, and Ozzy pull away from Albert and Rick.  Then, Coach's tower falls over while Ozzy and Sophie run out of tiles to use, forcing them to take apart some of their tower and find a new approach.  In the process of rebuilding, both Ozzy and Sophie lose some tiles as they fall to the ground and out of their reach.  Sophie asks Albert to drop his stack and help her by picking up her tiles.  Albert refuses and Sophie begins yelling at him until Probst reminds her that this is an individual challenge and no one is allowed to help each other.  "If you want Ozzy out of this game," he says, "Beat him."

Eventually, Sophie's tower falls again, leaving it race between Ozzy and Coach, and in a season filled with close, riveting challenges, this one was incredibly fun to watch.  You can see the sweat pouring down both of the vets' faces as they slowly place more tiles on their stacks.  After a long, tense struggle, Ozzy finishes his stack first, and with a victorious punch to destroy his stack, celebrates another challenge victory while the Upolus prepare to do some scrambling.

Back at camp, Coach and Albert discuss voting out Rick, since both of them feel that the jury would vote for him because they like him and his work ethic.  Ozzy, however, isn't going to let it be that easy, and he plans to sow seeds of discontent amongst his competitors.  He proposes to Albert that they vote out Sophie because she is a brat, and he uses her behavior at the challenge as an example.  He then tells Albert about his final three deal with Ozzy.  When Albert confronts Coach with this information, Coach simply responds by saying that he can't wait to get Ozzy out of the game.

At Tribal Council, everything is put out on the table, including the Coach/Ozzy deal and Ozzy's belief that Sophie is a brat.  The latter especially hurts Sophie, as Ozzy tells her that while he was on Redemption Island, every person that talked with him called her arrogant, spoiled, and childish.  That was a little brow-raising for me.  I never saw Sophie that way, but it could be because I was too focused on people like Brandon and Cochran to notice.  Sophie breaks down and says this is the first time she has ever been called such things, and that it is really hard to hear Ozzy make such personal statements.

Rookwood Pottery Co. Revives Historic Line Through Product Agreement

The Rookwood Pottery Co., historic maker of one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted architectural tile and art pottery, is partnering with the largest family-owned supplier in funeral service, Aurora Casket Company, to make an exclusive line of cremation urns.

The deal marks Rookwood’s return to the funeral industry, where familial connections and legacies carry notable significance. In the 1940s, when World War II caused a severe shortage of metals in the United States, Rookwood produced ceramic urns to meet demand. In fact, one of the designs in the Aurora line is a modernized version of a 1940s classic.

Under the agreement, Aurora commissioned Rookwood to create a line of eight urns, comprising two designs in four colors. Rookwood’s artisans will produce the urns, which will bear the Rookwood logo and time stamp, at its Over-the-Rhine facility in Cincinnati.

The timing of the partnership with Aurora is important as demand for cremations continues to rise, with an estimated 44.4 percent of the population expected to choose cremation by 2015, according to the Cremation Association of North America. That compares with 34.3 percent of the population in 2007.

Chip DeMois, CEO of Rookwood, said the company decided to bring back its urns after recognizing this trend.

“In our research we find that most urns come from overseas and they are not ceramic,” DeMois said. “Aurora gives Rookwood a chance to revive American-made, ceramic urns. A Rookwood urn represents the finest in American ceramics and is one of the new business cornerstones of Rookwood’s current revival as the leader in architectural tile and art pottery.”

Aurora Casket has prominently featured the urns in its recent cremation products catalog. They are available to the thousands of funeral homes which Aurora serves, said Steve Jones, President of Meierjohan-Wengler, an Aurora subsidiary which manufactures and distributes cremation urns.

“We’re really honored that Rookwood chose us as partner,” Jones said. “Part of Aurora’s mission is to help bring an honorable closure to every life. Rookwood, because of its beauty and uniqueness, will help us take a step toward our mission. That is important to a family-run company.”

“Aurora, through Steve Jones, has demonstrated a true respect and appreciation for the quality that Rookwood represents,” DeMois said. “Likewise, the brand integrity and quality of the Aurora name ensures us the best opportunity to offer our urns throughout the country.”

Cozy kitchen at their command

From the day they bought their modest home in southwest Eugene four years ago, Erin Chaparro and Jeremy Hall wanted to remodel the kitchen “cave.”

But rather than busting out walls in the confined, dim kitchen right away, the couple dug deep into homework.

“We decided to live in the house for a while to see what the space needs really were,” says Chaparro, who entertains topics relating to home design, decorating and cooking on her blog, “Eugene Modern Monkey.”

Magazines like dwell, subtitled “At Home in the Modern World,” helped Chaparro, 35, and Hall, 37, envision a kitchen far better suited for time together and with friends.

“We like entertaining; we like having friends over. And Jeremy loves to cook,” Chaparro says. “We wanted a space that felt good to do all of those things in.”

But the remodel also had to be “aesthetically artistic,” Chaparro says.

“Yes, we knew that we wanted the space opened up, but we thought an architect could bring different ideas to the table than we could, just because they’re immersed in it all the time and we’re not. It’s not our area of expertise.”

They recruited two Eugene pros: young architect David Schmitz for both his design and structural expertise, and neighborhood cabinet maker Jonathan Plummer for sleek, modular woodworks key to the remodel’s contemporary flair.

The team stewed over details for another few months, and work finally began earlier this year. Now, some $25,000 to $30,000 later, the couple have a kitchen that commands attention on multiple levels:

Against modernistic elements such as stainless-steel countertops and appliances, thin-concrete floors painted midnight blue, and white-laminate cabinet doors, more natural warmth literally flows from a big, curved, handsawn walnut top on the island bar.

“Just being in the Pacific Northwest, we wanted something that feels cozy and brings in the elements, but that still has that modern aesthetic to it,” informs Chaparro. “So that’s what we were aiming for: modern organic.”

Valley Stainless Inc. in Eugene forged the stainless-steel counters as single units, one run for the cabinet wall with sink and the other for the island bar with cooktop. Cabinet maker Plummer estimates the counters — with sculpted sink in the cabinet-wall section — cost about $80 per square foot.

“Some people don’t like it that, over time, they show scratches,” allows Chaparro in regard to the shiny metal counters. “But we’re pretty active in our kitchen, and so the more scratches, the less you notice. You can still polish it up really nice.”

Likewise, she says it’s “really easy” to clean the white laminate fronts on many of the kitchen’s cabinet doors. “A little sponge, and it’s gone.”

No run-of-the-mill cabinets, Plummer built these with ApplePly, a plywood made by States Industries in Eugene. With about a dozen layers of hardwood, “It’s a very fine and regular layering,” notes architect Schmitz. Inside, the cabinets are faced in birch; outside, Eastern maple.

Artistic flair offsets the boxy wall cabinets. Above the sink, an off-white ceramic tile backsplash runs clear to a walnut display shelf — lined with glassware — at ceiling height.

Not only do cabinet doors push to open — good for when both hands are full and a knee or elbow can suffice — but logic pervades to nooks and crannies.

One cabinet drawer slides out for composting kitchen scraps; recycling bins tuck underneath the sink. A step stool, handy for reaching the high, slide-out liquor drawer, fits by design into a shallow crevice above the fridge and below the wall cabinets.

“There’s a space for everything now, and that really helps us keep the whole house cleaner,” Chaparro says. “There’s no question about where to put anything, because that space was built to put that item there. So that’s a joy.”

Even the island bar’s big walnut slab, cut from a whole tree by Curly Burly Milling in Cottage Grove, yields surprises beneath the surface. One swooshed out edge creates room below for a wine cabinet; another, display shelves.

Look up, and a ceiling cabinet above the island bar also includes display shelves.

But look closer at the birch frame with walnut divider, and you notice it contains a custom range hood over the cooktop.

What to know about what is overhead

The roof on a house is the first line of defense homeowners have against the elements. A damaged roof will experience leaks, which can lead to a number of problems beyond the obvious water pouring through the ceiling.

Rotting wood, cracked and peeling paint, mold and electrical shorts are just a handful of the potential disasters that could lie ahead. Keeping up with a roof and making sure it stays in good condition can be a chore. To keep it in pristine condition, it is important to know how to maintain a roof, the signs of damage and the various types of roofing available:

- Fiberglass-based asphalt shingles are probably the most common in use today. Although durable, extensive exposure to heat, cold and moisture can take a toll. Signs that indicate repair may be in order include cracked shingles, a loss of granules on the shingles themselves, granules piling up in gutters and shingles with curling edges. The average life expectancy is somewhere between 15 to 30 years for this type of roof. More often than not, repairs usually call for an entire roof replacement.

- Cedar shingle or shake roofs are most often made from split Western red cedar logs. You can expect a good 40 years out of this type of roof, and replacing individual shakes or sections due to individual shingle damage is fairly simple and inexpensive.

- Limestone, sandstone, slate, fired clay and ceramic tile roofs are less common than asphalt shingle roofs, but tend to last longer generally the lifetime of the house. Heat and sun can leave them dry, and they will crack easily when stepped on, resulting in water seepage. However, repairing them can be a relatively easy job: If only one or two tiles are broken or cracked, that's all that needs to be replaced.

- Today's metal roofs are nothing like the old-style "tin roofs," as they were usually called, that were commonly found on farmhouses of the early 20th century. Laid directly over spaced beams, they did allow for the beloved sound of rain patter, but provided next to nothing in terms of insulation and tended to rust quickly. Modern metal roofs are light weight and durable, resistant to fire, wind and hail, and come in a variety of attractive colors. They are expensive (about three times that of an asphalt shingle roof) but can last as long as 100 years or more with little or no maintenance.

- A sod or dirt roof tends to be a rarity in the U.S., although interest in green technology has spawned somewhat of a comeback. They are more complicated to install, but they are the least expensive of just about any type of roof in existence. Comprised of sod overlaid on multiple layers of birch bark, they tend to last about 30 years.

Regardless of what kind of roof you have, here are a few general rules to keep in mind:

- Build-ups of leaves, snow and water can add extra weight to a structure, causing significant damage or even collapse.

- Working on or near a roof line can be dangerous. If you suspect roof damage, check it out from the ground with a pair of binoculars.

- Clogged gutters and damaged flashing only spell trouble. Make sure they're always kept in perfect condition.

When the time comes to have a roof repaired, avoid potential disaster. An inexperienced do-it-yourselfer can end up with broken bones or even worse from unexpected falls. An experienced team of bonded and licensed professionals can handle the job quickly and efficiently, with no danger to the homeowner.

Home appeared on Property Brothers and Decked Out

One night last December, Raun Kaul was on Facebook and saw an ad for a new W Network renovation show called Property Brothers. He clicked on the ad and read what the show’s producers were looking for. “We fit their description to a T,” Mr. Kaul says. “I sent them an email and they responded right away. We were accepted.”

Mr. Kaul and his wife, Jasprit, got possession of their house on Jan. 7, and filming of the renovation began the next week. It was a three-week process with a reveal date of Jan. 31 and an air date of March 31. Things moved quickly.

The Property Brothers, Drew and Jonathan Scott, renovated four rooms. “We worked closely with the designer and were pleased with the result. We hired the same contractor and designer from the show to complete the house,” he says.

The best features of the house are the red oak open staircase, custom-made German tilt-and-turn windows and a modern fireplace, says Mr. Kaul of Re/Max 2000 Realty, who has co-listed the property with Mark Ianni. The windows are “not only incredible for sound but they keep the house cool in summer and warm in winter. They’re functional as well for cleaning,” Mr. Kaul says.

The chef’s kitchen has a white island and a walkout to a deck. Custom built-ins and custom blinds in the living room, Italian ceramic tile floors in the dining room and built-in closets in the master bedroom are highlights. The bathrooms have floating Philippe Starck toilets and pocket doors.

When filming of the Property Brothers wrapped, that was not the end of their renovation story. “The director of our episode of Property Brothers became a friend. Over the summer he was recruited to another production company and became director of the new HGTV show Decked Out. He thought our deck would be perfect for the show.”

Mr. Raul says he and his wife wanted a “very cool, chic Miami-vibe deck that was an extension of their indoor living space. We loved the white, the stainless steel and the color of our indoor hardwood and [host] Paul Lafrance was able to design an incredible deck that included those features outdoors and much more,” he says.

The 360-square-foot deck has a custom 12-person cabana that has built-in seating and a remote-control awning. The cabana is wired for surround sound and satellite television. A 13×8-foot custom pergola has a remote control awning.

“At night, the deck comes alive with over 95 LED lights, Mr. Kaul says. Stainless steel panelled walls along with custom stone veneer panelled walls are other deck highlights.

Create your own kitchen chalkboard with a floor tile

Decorating with chalkboards is all the rage. You can find them featured in everything from interior-design magazines to top design blogs. Many retailers have decorator-style chalkboards for sale at pretty steep prices.

You can make your own chalkboard for a fraction of the retail price. Paints such as Plaid brand FolkArt Chalkboard paints come in a variety of colors, can be found at craft stores and are easy on the wallet. Doing it yourself is easy and fun and the results can be outstanding.

The paints work on a variety of surfaces, so the sky is the limit when it comes to design ideas. You can make a chalkboard with an ornate frame, paint over an old globe to make a chalkboard globe, paint directly onto the wall to create a chalkboard surface or make a kitchen chalkboard from an old tile.

To make the kitchen design, you will need to gather a few materials. First is chalkboard paint. This design uses the FolkArt slate-gray color. Next you will need a surface. For this design, a ceramic 16- by 16-inch floor tile was used. You will also need a foam paintbrush, a piece of chalk and a hanger.

The design can be embellish using painted wood letters. For this look, I chose the word "EAT." The materials needed are wood letters, acrylic craft paint, paintbrush, sandpaper, small nails, thumbtacks and heavy-duty glue.

To get started, paint the tile with one coat of slate-gray Chalkboard paint. Be sure to paint only in one direction. Allow to dry for about 1 hour. Working in the opposite direction of the first coat, paint a second coat. Allow to dry. Paint a third coat in the direction of the first coat. Allow to dry.

Next you will need to season the chalkboard. To do this, rub a piece of chalk over the entire surface and wipe clean, and your board is ready for chalking.

To make the word "EAT," paint each letter a different color using acrylic paints. The colors used in the design are tomato red, moon yellow and medium blue. To create an antiqued look, dry-brush over the colors with medium-gray paint. To do this, dip a loose bristle paintbrush into the gray paint, tap off the excess paint and dry brush over the letters. Allow to dry.

Using sandpaper, sand the edges of the letters to create a rustic look. Push thumbtacks and small nails into the letters. Attach the letters to the chalkboard with E6000 glue. Using the same glue, attach a hanger to the back of the tile.

It is that simple and the results are so fun. Hang in a kitchen and jot down what's on the menu or who called or make a shopping list. When friends ask where you got your new chalkboard, be sure to tell them you made it.

Scratch the itch to remodel baths and kitchens with smaller projects

It's a reality of our fragile economy: Many homeowners who dream of the perfect kitchen or master bath are putting full-scale renovation on hold in favor of more limited changes.

"What's on everyone's minds is making the space feel a little better and function a little better until you can reach the ultimate kitchen or bath that you want," says Danny Lipford, host of a nationally syndicated home-improvement radio show.

But which small projects are worth it if you're going to remodel in just a few years?

Choose projects that offer big change at little cost or that serve as first steps toward eventual full-scale renovation, says Sabrina Soto, designer and host of HGTV's new series "The High Low Project."

Lipford suggests making changes to the biggest surfaces in a room, such as countertops or floors. Using a type of paint sold in a kit (Lipford recommends one found at Gianigranite.com), homeowners can paint over an old laminate countertop and then seal it with a coating that mimics the look and solid feel of laminate and looks surprisingly good, all for less than $50.

Tanya Memme, host of A&E's "Sell This House," agrees that big surfaces are a good place to start. "Any room will look bad if the floors aren't in decent shape," she says.

Cover a soon-to-be-replaced wood or tile floor with a colorful new rug, or put down peel-and-stick vinyl tiles. Good quality vinyl tiles resembling granite can cost several hundred dollars if you're covering a full kitchen floor. But the change is dramatic, so it may be worthwhile even for just a few years of use.

Old ceramic tile floors and tile walls can get a facelift for just a few dollars if you use grout stain, Lipford says. You can make dingy grout a pristine white again or change it to a new color.

Memme suggests adding a tile backsplash to a kitchen wall for a burst of new style. Do it yourself to save money. "It might seem difficult to put up tile," she says, "but actually it's very easy to do." Small tiles come on a mesh sheet, so you're not placing each one.

Installing under-cabinet or over-cabinet lighting probably isn't wise if you'll be removing the cabinets in a year or two, says Michael Hydeck, president of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry. But a new ceiling light can be installed now and still be used when kitchens or bathrooms are renovated.

Changing window treatments also can change a room's lighting and bring in fresh color. Remove old blinds or shades and replace them with inexpensive curtains.

Stageloft's 'Hamlet' plays up wit, humor

To paraphrase one of the many memorable quotes in Shakespeare's most famous play, “Ferocity, thy name is Sean Gardell!” !"

Does director Ed Cornely's latest production of “Hamlet” measure up to Stageloft's 2002 brilliant staging with Glenn MacDonald in the title role? The apples-and-oranges answer to that depends on what you're looking for. The beauty of Shakespeare is the opportunity for boundless interpretation in all his work, and is there a more complicated character in theater than the melancholy Dane? Or a more challenging role to take on?

Gardell took it on in fearless full measure and then some, giving a magnificently mercurial performance Saturday night, full of quicksilver intelligence and passion.

His Hamlet is by turns tortured, vengeful, funny, angry, playful, wickedly disingenuous, sorrowful and grieving.

Wouldn't you be slightly “mad” if your father's ghost told you that your mother plotted with your uncle to murder him? Since he didn't have the luxury of a psychiatrist to guide him through all those seething, conflicting emotions, Hamlet is forced to be his own best counsel. Lucky for us, that affords us the pleasure of listening to many glorious soliloquies— all of which Gardell delivers with astounding comprehension and slashing eloquence.

It's exhilarating to watch an actor who understands the role so completely and confidently that the invisible gears in his mind and heart manifest themselves in every vocal inflection, facial expression and physical gesture. Dare it be said that one almost feels as if he's making up his performance from moment to moment?

That's how thrivingly real Gardell's Hamlet is. He's a roller coaster of emotion, a bipolar wonder. When he isn't confiding in his best friend, Horatio (solidly enacted by Kyle Maxwell), with comradely intimacy, he's rejecting Ophelia (an admirably wayward and forlorn Briana Gardell) with the searingly delivered admonition, “Get thee to a nunnery!”

In stark contrast to a sentimental recalling of happier childhood days, holding court jester Yorick's skull in his hands, he lashes out at his mother, Queen Gertrude (Melissa Earls), with furious recrimination for her betrayal. Because Earls brings an exquisitely simmering sensuality to the role, she and Gardell intriguingly play up the Oedipal undertones. There's a subtle mix of guilt and complicity in Earls' elegantly rendered performance.

Fred D'Angelo's portrayal of Claudius is fascinatingly opaque, villainy masking itself with more than the usual stealth. D'Angelo plays the part close to the vest, rarely allowing Claudius' feelings to get the best of him, as in the play-within-a-play scene that Hamlet stages to “catch the conscience of the king.” D'Angelo's Claudius is a quiet viper of a man.

Dave O'Neil and Scott Bezoenik make a cute couple as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Cornely is to be commended for recruiting George Trevlakis, another Stageloft newcomer, for the pivotal role of Laertes. Trevlakis not only has considerable stage presence, but like Gardell, he gives one the sense that he's acting in the moment — a talent put to good use in the “to thine own self be true” father-to-son speech he gets from Ron Jolicoeur, who plays Laertes' father, Polonius. Trevlakis and Jolicoeur exploit the scene for all its potential humor — the dutiful son impatiently listening to his father's advice, thinking him finished and turning to walk away, only to be pulled back for more words of wisdom as he rolls his eyes. Some things are universal, no matter the time or place.

One of the major accomplishments of this production is how Cornely and his cast emphasize the surprising level of wit and humor that runs through “Hamlet.”

Considering the steadily rising body count and prevailing tragedy, it's nice to have a healthy, commercially motivated supply of comic relief.

As an added bonus to Gardell's indelible acting, he shows off his skills in a spectacular, harrowing demonstration of swordplay with Trevlakis in the Hamlet-Laertes showdown. It's a duel choreographed with unnerving intensity. Gardell wouldn't have it any other way.