I'm a bit on the fence about the "improved flavor" of Wrigley's Spearmint.

I think it is a bit too pungent. Or I am getting crotchedy.

It is what the cool kids are doing.

I heart Stephen Colbert so much that I feel like I have to link his Op-Ed article in today's NYTimes (thank you, ocvictor). I think it may be a bit scattered, but then again I am also listening to Rachmaninov's 3rd Piano Concerto which I had meant to do 2 weeks ago. I work best when I am scattered.

His shameless plug:

Others point to my new bestseller, “I Am America (And So Can You!)” noting that many candidates test the waters with a book first. Just look at Barack Obama, John Edwards or O. J. Simpson.

As some of you may know, I am a huge NPR fan. Perhaps it is a prerequisite to listen to NPR before becoming a grad-student, but whatever. I just heard of this show, Radio Lab through This American Life and it is awesome. It blends nerdiness with quirkiness similar to my beloved Alton Brown on Good Eats.

The latest episode is Musical Language. This is the stuff I am interested in. As it says in the synopsis:

What is music? How does it work? Why does it move us? Why are some people better at it than others? In this hour, we examine the line between language and music, how the brain processes sound, and we meet a composer who uses computers to capture the musical DNA of dead composers in order to create new work. We also re-imagine the disastrous 1913 debut of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring…through the lens of modern neurology.

Next year or the year after I plan to dive into this a bit more so I can incorporate it into my dissertation (scary thought).

Seriously.

And it sucks.

I keep forgetting things. I just now put my iPod in my oboe bag and locked it in my instrument locker knowing full well that I would need it to go to the library and then to the gym. I didn't realize I had left it until I signed up for a time to use the eliptical at the gym (that I was going to use my iPod for), signed out a book on reserve (that I was going to use the headphones for), and signed out a laptop (that I was going to use my headphones to use the CDROM that goes with the book I checked out that was on reserve). So instead of doing what I had planned to do, I am wasting time on LiveJournal before returning the laptop, book/CDROM and walking back up the hill to the music building to retrieve my fucking iPod and headphones before 4 pm because going to the gym without my iPod would be cruel and unusual punishment.

And ya, with age comes confusing LJ entries.

Get used to it.

Aha

Springfield/Eugene is very nice. The people are nice. The weather is nice. The land is nice. The campus is nice. I realize I am still in the honeymoon phase, but I don't see the non-honeymoon phase being bad at all (perhaps this will change after a few classes). I just finished off a small bag of salted sunflower kernels (so good!), practiced oboe (and English horn), and read about 180 pages of "A Practical Approach to 18th Century Counterpoint" (a page turner, lemme tell you). I'm feeling very relaxed and content. Good times.

I'm here. I got here around 7 last night, local time. Pretty easy drive, just very long. And I didn't get bored until around Idaho, even the miles and miles of cornfields in Nebraska weren't boring. Rather redundant, but not boring. The sky is pretty overcast and I plan to explore the town, perhaps find a Walmart (I don't even know how anti-Walmart they are around here - like New England is anti-Walmart - dude, I just need some clothes hangers). I am supposed to drop by the Music building to say hello (maybe I'll wait until Thursday for that one). Yesterday it hit me how much shit I have to do in the next few weeks. Ugggh.

The most amusing thing about this trip is the crash course in geography of the midwest (more on that later - too tired now).

I am in Boise, ID, very tired, very annoyed about missing an exit earlier, and very happy to be in Boise. I plan to be in Eugene tomorrow evening, but I'll let y'all know when I am getting close.