Swine Flu Day 3

I'm going to live! No fevers today, but I'm still coughing up green goblins and the sore throat is still intense. Still bed-ridden, and achy, but overall a better day. I'm ready to join the survivors of pandemic 2009. Hopefully more recovery tomorrow.

The only bummer is that I missed Halloween. The kids had great costumes. This year they went as Gnomeo and Juliet... Get it!?! Juliet looks cute as usual, but Hank makes me bust up every time I look at him. There's something about tiny suspenders and a beard.

This next sentence makes me the biggest wussy on the planet... I miss hugging my wife and kids! I've been in quarantine in our house for the last three days. No one is coming within 3 feet of me and everything I touch is being wiped down with disinfectant. At least Oregon crushed USC this evening... Goodnight from your local leper.

Swine Flu Day 2

Ever get so sick that your sense of reality starts to warp? I spent the day battling high temps again, in and out of sleep having weird dreams, and painful coughing spells. Thankfully I got some antibiotics from my parents to go along with tamiflu (Papa Pete you are my hero). Going to the pharmacy was a huge journey. Once they know you're infected it's like everyone starts to avert the eyes. Receipts are handed to you with a stick. Children are hidden. I have become the elephant man.

Swine Flu Day 1

Karma... You know what they say. Initially I dismissed swine flu as yet another media-hyped creation of our hypochondriac-filled culture. After a couple of months of teaching kids about avoiding H1N1, washing my hands every five minutes, and seeing a lot of them succumb - I now have it. It's as bad as they say it is; a severe form of flu. What sucks about it is that it combines the worst features of several forms of sickness (fever, achy back, sore throat, headache, sinus pressure, ridiculous green snot, cough, watery eyes, fatigue).

So far the Tamiflu is not really doing anything miraculous. Viruses are such a strange robotic thing. I understand the science behind it, but it still seems like science fiction. I must make amends with my body. G'night.

I'm Becoming a Hunchback! Fall Music...

I'm beat today... Work stank. Do you ever feel like you're working really hard to push the ball up the hill and it keeps rolling down over the top of you? Today is thus. Smoten, jinxed, awry. Best to just wallow in the beauty and peace of music. Here are some picks for the brooding fall season. Warning! Retroness is nigh!

The Helio Sequence - ultra cool band out of Portland (my home town). Great background music for hanging out around the house.



The Raconteurs - I've been revisiting their first album. It holds up really well three years later. Jack White is the man. If you're a fan, check out "It Might Get Loud", the documentary he made with Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, and The Edge from U2.



The Pixies - My friend Chris is canceling his plans to attend the latest Pixies reunion tour in Seattle next month so that he can go to a remote cabin with his brosephs. You are a good friend, Chris. If Frank Black were coming to Ashland, I'm not sure I could be so loyal. As a tribute to you, I give you an ancient rendition on the BBC where they all still have hair!



Pinback - a band I learned about from John in the Morning at KEXP. I like the simple drawings in this video.



Massive Attack - What's not to like about the combination of Massive Attack and Elizabeth Fraser from the Cocteau Twins? I find this song very soothing, but I hated the original video for it - a singing fetus!?! I'm still surprised that Fraser is not a superstar in the music biz.



Here's to a new day tomorrow.

Money! It's a hit...

This year I'm teaching a year long advanced digital media class. We're getting deep into Photoshop, Flash and Dreamweaver as well as a little Illustrator and Indesign. Right now my students are ready to burn me at the stake while I teach them the vagaries of Illustrator. One of our first projects was to create a piece of custom currency in Photoshop. Money is an interesting graphic system that seems simple at first, but is really very complex. My students did a fantastic job, so I thought I'd show some of the best efforts here...






I'm enjoying my time with these young'ns. They're a talented crew, I'm lucky to be their teacher!

You Are Correct, Sir!

Hank just turned 6! He had an awesome birthday yesterday. Key highlights included a totally chocolate breakfast (hot chocolate and chocolate chip pancakes), a shopping spree at Toys R Us (excellent toy choices btw), and a small party with his buddies Sam, Jack, and Grace (and Juliet of course). Hank is wise beyond his years, as evidenced by this sly video clip...

...and, like his father, he knows how to correctly tuck his t-shirt into his underwear. I love you, Hank! You're a stylish and witty lad!