Flu

I kind of feel like the flu is becoming the boy who cried wolf. I mean, bird flu, swine flu, SARS... I read today that the regular old flu we get regularly kills hundreds of thousands of people every year. Hundreds of people per week in the US. It's transferred the same way as these fancy-named-flus (i.e., it's airborne), so what's the big deal?

Maybe swine flu is a bigger deal than I'm making it out to be in my head, but maybe that is my point. If swine flu IS a big deal, they've already blown it by making those other airborne illnesses into big scary things that never actually do much. So I just sort of assume this is everyone overreacting. If a "state of emergency" is the only way to ship medicine to people, fine. I also think making people more aware of symptoms and getting checked out by a doctor when it could be bad is a good thing. But do they really have to do it in such a way that people think it's the black plague that is going to result in human extinction? Cause my assumption based on the past few years worth of info about "flu outbreaks" suggests that it's not.

Disclaimer: I could possibly just be grumpy that my trip to Cancun was cancelled due to people's fears about swine flu...

Music

Maybe this is easier one at a time... Basically, I've been working with my iTunes on shuffle. Songs catch my attention for two reasons: I think, "oh wow, I love this" or of course, "oh wow, next song please..." So yesterday it was Starfucker with the former thought. Today it is The Thermals with the latter.

• The Thermals - Now We Can See: People seem to love this band. A friend of mine couldn't wait to get his hands on this new album. So when it showed up in the radio station, I figured I should give it a shot. Then I remembered the time this same friend talked me into seeing them live when they were in town. On both occasions I was sorely disappointed. I think my problem is this: Wikipedia's entry on the band calls them "indie/alternative/post-pop-punk rock band." I like indie. I like alternative. Whatever post-pop-punk is...I am pretty sure I hate. It sounds like whiny ska/punk, on the verge of Blink 182 for some reason. I'm sure people will disagree with that statement, especially since they have such a strong following, but man...I haven't made it through a single song yet.

Music

If your hands are on the wrong keys, "music" comes out like "nysuc." And after that random piece of information - this is going to be a short music entry. I have a bunch of stuff I've been listening to that I could talk about, but not a lot of time. This album, though, is too good to not mention.

• Starfucker - Jupiter: I loved their album from last year. I love that they are still small enough that they are playing my campus radio station's birthday party this year. This album has a cover of "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" that just makes me smile. It's a perfect mix of electronic and good vocals and energy and the occasional hand-clap. I could give some standout tracks, but I really like all of them. It's in stores in May - but you can get it online now.

This made me cry

So maybe this just reveals that I am quick to get teary eyed, but I was seriously choked up watching this clip of Britain's Got Talent. This 47-year-old overweight woman with no make-up and an "old lady" haircut was expected to be laughed off the stage, but instead everyone was in awe. It probably didn't help my attempts to remain composed that she chose to sing one of the biggest tear-jerker songs from Les Miserables. But for me, the kicker is this - this woman that everyone in the audience wanted to ridicule purely based on her appearance is actually appreciating her talent for what it is - and not demanding the size 0 body to go with it. At least so far. I really hope they don't try to pile on the make-up and hair products to push her into whatever we have decided is an appropriate look for a performer. I hope we can really just appreciate someone's voice without attempts at making it fit our definition of beauty.

Kayak Across the Pacific Ocean

Apparently I can kayak from NW Washington to Honolulu in just over 14 days. Seriously. Google said so. Granted, I'm not sure that Google knows my physical capabilities or my skill level at kayaking on the open sea - or in any water, for that matter. Does that time estimate take into account navigation errors that will almost definitely occur when there are no points of reference to use for navigation purposes? Does my kayak come with GPS? And what if I would rather go via canoe? How does that change the time estimate?

This is all because we wanted to know how many miles it was to Honolulu from Eugene, and Google Maps told us. Via kayak. Also, you cannot kayak directly from Oregon. You must first drive to Washington. Out of curiosity, I checked the directions from LA. I mean, maybe I will want to go to Honolulu from LA... Still takes me through Washington.... So if I'm gonna do this, I should probably do it soon. Before I move. Otherwise, that's kind of a long drive.

I'm such a sucker...

I got a brochure in the mail today for the Bark in the Park 5K run benefiting the local Humane Society. I am not a runner. But my dog is. And I'm not NOT a runner. I play ultimate frisbee. I'm in shape. I dance. I occasionally do gym-related things. I hike. I walk a lot. I ride my bike. And 5K is really not that far.

And so after thinking it over for maybe 2 whole minutes. I logged online and signed us up. Ava and I will be running the 5K on May 17th. If you want to make a pledge to support us, you can: http://greenhill.dojiggy.com/cbohon

Here is one thing I noticed while registering, though. Why do these sorts of things never have shirts that fit women? There is the adult sizing - and you can get S, M, L, or XL. You could also get child sizes: S, M, or L. "Adults sizes" however always mean "Men's sizes" not really adult. So a size small in mens ends up awkwardly large for me. I end up sleeping in them or just giving them to Goodwill. So this time, I tried a child's size large. I would feel a bit safer if they had offered an XL, but of course, if they offered child XL, why wouldn't they just offer an adult XS? Either one would be superior to the current offerings. But no. According to all big organized events, people are just sized as adults (read: men). So much for equal opportunity between the sexes. I can't get a shirt that fits me properly...

Music

I'm at a weird stand-still with my dissertation, where I'm waiting for a response from my advisor who is currently in New Zealand, so I figured I would use this rare free time to update the blog.

So music I am currently listening to (bolded items I like more than the others - there are a lot of bolded items in this list - and not being bolded does not, in this case, mean I hated it, although I might...):

• Akron/Family - Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free: I really like this album. Well, all except for the song "MBF." What the heck is that? I skip it every time, after first cringing in pain. The rest is great. I love the song "River."
• Azeda Booth - Tubtrek EP: This is a free EP available online. It's pretty good - sounds like usual Azeda Booth, so fans won't be disappointed.
• Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains: Pitchfork loved this. I have no idea why. I am close to deleting it cause if I have iTunes on shuffle it hurts my ears. Actually, I take that back. The songs actually trick me - and some start out beautiful and then take painful turns in the middle. It's a love/hate relationship, I suppose.
• Death Cab for Cutie - Open Doors EP: This is stuff that apparently didn't make the cut for their last full length album, Narrow Stairs. I was totally bored by that album, so I wasn't expecting much from this EP. Bottom line? They should have used this stuff instead. I like the EP much better than the full length.
• The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love: This is supposed to be a musical/play/opera sort of thing, with different vocalists playing different characters. Some parts are nice, but the refrain where they sing "The hazards of love" gets old after a while and just feels a little over-dramatic.
• Fever Ray - S/T: This is the woman from The Knife. Its pretty electronic and her voice has been manipulated a bit, but I still like it. If you like The Knife, you'll probably like it. If you only liked "Heartbeats" by The Knife, you may or may not like this.
• Fol Chen - Part I: John Shade, Your Fortune's Made: I haven't heard this album enough to really have a full opinion, but I love the song, "Please, John, You're Killing Me."
• Jonathan Johansson - En Hand i Himlen: This guy is Swedish, which almost always means good things for me. He does a version of Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule The World" in Swedish. It is fabulous. The other music is nice, too. Pretty vocals over slightly 80s style synths.
• The Leisure Society - The Sleeper: Sometimes this bores me. Other times, I think it's great. Not sure what that means, except maybe I'm moody? I don't really feel moody, so it probably means that this is one of those bands who puts out decent stuff, but maybe doesn't have long-lasting stay-power. At least to stay in my most-listened-to-albums...
• Metric - Fantasies: I need to give this more listens, but there are a few standout, good songs on it so far, like "Help, I'm Alive" and "Sick Muse."
• Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix: This is great, but I have liked Phoenix for a while now. This is nothing new or unusual, so if you like old Phoenix, you will probably like this, and vice versa.
• Psapp - The Camel's Back: Not as good as their last release, but it has been growing on me. Standout tracks: "The Monster Song" and "Fickle Ghost."
• Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years: Good mix of stuff on this album. "Inaugural Trams" comes complete with a German rap by one of the Franz Ferdinand guys.
• Venice is Sinking - Azar: Pretty dream pop. Which I'm usually a sucker for. I would probably put it in the same category as The Leisure Society, though, in that I'll probably listen for a while, then forget about them later on. Or perhaps they will surprise me. My favorite track is "Wetlands Dancehall."
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!: Old Yeah Yeah Yeahs was hit-or-miss for me. I loved "Gold Lion" and "Maps," but the other songs were only so-so. This album, though, is great. I've listened straight through quite a few times without need to skip, which is saying something for me, as I have little patience for annoying or boring songs.

Market Surveys

I just got a phone call from Victoria's Secret. They want me to test a new bra. I get to keep it, and they will call me in 2 weeks to get my opinion about it. Weird part: they knew my bra size before I told them. Why I'm ok with that: I get a free bra...

Quick Love/Hate List

Things to love about LA:

• Death Cab playing with the LA Philharmonic, with Tegan & Sara and The New Pornographers opening
• This. I realize it defies the "Sunny California" stereotype, but it's pretty dramatically stunning. The ominous cloud and the color of the ocean...
  
• This. The sky. The building. The grounds.

Things to hate about LA:

• This. This is a time-lapse video taken by my friend Ida from the back seat of my car. We were on I-5 in LA. (Note: the original version is much longer than 2 seconds - something happened to it when Ida sent it to me via email)

Things to love about Eugene:

• This. Cardboard signs plastered around someone's yard saying things like, "To Pay Day" "To Keeping it Weird" "To Being Spontaneous"
  
  

Things to hate about Eugene:

• This. Yes, this is the same photo. That was not an error. Sometimes the quirkiness is entertaining and creative. Sometimes it gets old. Is weird still weird when everyone does it?