Spring is here

Sorry for the belated post today, I've been busy with classes and such all day.

After reviewing my past posts, I've realized that I talk about the weather quite frequently. This is in part due to the fact that when I look for inspiration I tend to look out the window (in spite of my horrendous view of nothing), and in part because weather is such a relevant topic in Ithaca. However, I've done to death that topic and will try my best to avoid it (as much fun as beating a dead horse can be).

Spring is truly here. Flowers are blooming, leaves are growing, the weather is... irrelevant, and everyone just has that happy spring feel. I have not recommended any music recently, so I have decided to do so today.

Spring music is by
Far the best part of Spring, with
Upbeat, happy bliss.

Spring music, to me, is music which makes you happy. Makes you dance. Makes you want to run outside and soak in the sun. To me, this means fun and upbeat blissful music. To find that, look no further than Hey Marseilles.

Hey Marseilles is a Seattle based band, and I absolutely love a few of their songs. My favorite is probably "Rio," which you can see a video of here. A bunch of others are great too ("To Travels and Trunks" and "From a Terrace" are notable). To me, these guys are fantastic for Spring. Upbeat, optimistic and just plain fun. So give them a listen, and/or buy their CD.

The post title is a general statement, but in my case it's a reference to Tom Lehrer's "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park" (another fantastic Spring song.

Skuggs

If you've been paying any attention to my Twitter feed (if you aren't, you should. If only just to follow me), you will see that I put up a new haiku.

Whoever thought of
Wearing Uggs with skirts should be
Stoned to death with Uggs


I wrote and posted this haiku from my phone as I was walking to lunch. I counted 5 different people, walking in the feels-like-40-degree weather wearing skirts and Uggs. Let me count the things wrong with this picture (a list that could go on for much longer than this post).

First: It is freezing cold outside. Do not wear a skirt. Function before fashion. Oh, and not dying of swine flu before fashion as well.

Second: Uggs + Skirts = A no-no. Uggs are for winterwear, skirts are for summer. That would be like wearing your winter coat with a skirt (oh wait, people do that).

Third: Uggs in Ithaca are a no-no. There is a ton of salt used here, and they WILL be eaten alive by it before the 6 month winter is up.

Fourth: Uggs in general are a no. I'm sorry to anyone who likes them, but they are simply not practical. It would be like me walking around in the freezing cold wearing my house shoes, it's just not right. Only, you spent 80 dollars on those house shoes, they're uglier than house shoes, and they give you the illusion of having actual protection on your feet. They will absorb moisture like a sponge. They will easily be pierced by the smallest thing on the ground. Oh, and they're ugly, did I mention that? But I guess it's your money you're wasting.

And when I say "stoned" in my haiku, I mean killed by any means necessary that involves an ironic death brought on by Uggs. This could be resultant of a beating with Uggs, a stoning with Uggs, asphyxiation with Uggs, or the creation of an epic weapon using Uggs and a combination of scrap metal found around the Foundry (the art experiment building here).

I personally vote that anyone who wears Uggs with skirts be called a "Skugg" (a clever combination of "Ugg" and "Skirt"). It's about as attractive a word as the outfit is.

Sorry to any Ugg fans I'm offending.  As I said, it's your 80 dollars. And it will be gone within 1 winter. You could buy a pair of real boots for less than that, and they may last you your four years here.

Crush Their Spines

I have a confession to make.

When autumn finally comes around (if you could even say that Ithaca has a fall), I like to jump on dry leaves. I know, I know: It's amazing. Some may say that it's childish. Some may say that it's just plain silly. Others may say that its a metaphor for oppression and race-based discrimination, but I think those people would be reading too deeply into it. In any case, it's incredibly fun, and that's all that matters. When you live in a world with 6 month winters, its a good idea to take advantage of the short and sweet things autumn brings (by sweet, I don't mean taste... leaves are not especially tasty. Well, dead leaves that is... by which I mean crispy and brown. That took me a while to rule out lettuce). I guess what I'm trying to say is no, I take absolutely no shame in crushing fallen leaves with all of my might without a metaphorical meaning in it (all of you psych majors out there, please stop psychoanalyzing me. Thank you). Now, for my haiku:

Jump on fallen leaves,
Drink cider, carve your pumpkins,
Make good use of fall


That's right, I am encouraging you to get out there and enjoy fall while you can. Before you know it, snow will be here and you'll wonder why you didn't get a chance to drink your unfair share of cider from the dining halls (no wonder they run out each weekend); carve horrible, indecent, and occasionally offensive jack o' lanterns to place on your porch; or step on every crumbling leaf and pretend that you're crushing the spines of all of those who have done you wrong in life (not that I do that). So stop reading this, and go outside! Unless of course you're reading this at night, or if it's cold outside. Or if it's not fall right now where you are.