28 Days.

Less than a month to go until what some have claimed to be the most important American presidential election in our lifetimes. 28 days, to be exact.

The economy is in the toilet. People can't afford to drive to work-- but they've probably lost their jobs anyways. Many can't afford healthcare, or even a place to live. This is America, the land of dreams and prosperity, and we can't even take care of our own.

You would think that our politicians, especially those running for "leader of the free world," would understand which issues are important to us, which ones are worthy of their time to discuss.

But no. Instead, we get bickering about who voted which way and for what reasons, who doesn't regularly read a newspaper, who goes to what church, or who can't use a computer. Barack Obama articulated this problem in his book, The Audacity of Hope:

"No, what's troubling is the gap between the magnitude of our challenges and the smallness of our politics--the ease with which we are distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions, our seeming inability to build a working consensus to tackle any big problem."

So, as you're deciding to vote, please: stop paying attention to what shade of lipstick is on the pig. Get to know what the candidates actually support, or what changes they will actually make. Please. Our country needs it.

(And for a much more articulate argument, see this post by James Fallows: http://jamesfallows.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/10/our_capacity_for_selfgovernmen.php)

And they say caffeine is bad for you...

I am a total believer in the afternoon coffee. Maybe I don't get enough sleep, or maybe I just like rattling off my Starbucks order. Either way, I'm usually just looking for a little pick-me-up to get me through the last few (or several) hours of the work day. This is expected to come from the caffeine, but today I got another little jolt along with my latte, courtesy of Starbucks's long-running "The Way I See It" campaign.

For all those who are still looking for jobs, or who are stuck in jobs that they hate, or who are still trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives, I give you Mr. Keith Olbermann, of (former) Sportscenter and MSNBC anchor desk fame. (Based on this background, I'm pretty sure he knows what he's talking about.) Hope you like it as much as I did.

"The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you're not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct.
But do not do their work for them.
Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue any goal. Don't take it personally when they say 'no' -- they may not be smart enough to say 'yes.' "

No, YOU'RE my number one.

Just a quick post for now. Life is busy.

This guy may be my new favorite YouTube video. For one, it's a great song. But also, I love the attention to detail: not only does he know every word and give us coordinated dance moves, but he also has wardrobe changes! It's clear that he put a lot of work into this, which can only be the answer to my question: why aren't there more of him?! Hope this brings a little groove to your workday.

On a scale from 1 to T-Pain, Jesse McCartney?

This video reminds me of the scene in Dreamgirls when the little white boy singer records Eddie Murphy/Jimmy Early's high-powered song, "Cadillac." But he doesn't just steal it, he changes it into a sweet little slow jam, complete with blond back-up singers in puffy dresses, and robs it of all its soul.

Fast forward 40 or 50 years to today. Look at what Jesse McCartney has been covering on tour.


Is it sad that I kind of like it?

I could make a gold medal pun. But I won't.

I heard somewhere today (most likely on some NBC outlet) that advertisers have spent $1 billion on advertising during the Olympics. Some are decidedly better than others, and here are some of my favorites!

First up: Yeah, obviously I'm going to like the Nike spot. The song (by The Killers) is one I've enjoyed for a while, and it goes well with the clips of incredible victories and tragic defeats showcased in the ad. Extra points for featuring Prefontaine. Interesting, though, that a mega apparel brand like Nike focuses on the intangibles-- "Everything you need is already inside"-- instead of on the gear. But kudos for highlighting the passion of sport and the emotions of athletes.


Second: This just made me go "awwwww." Coca-Cola usually has pretty good ads, and I just think that this one is cute. I could only find a video of the instrumental music, and I'm pretty sure there was one with narrative/song lyrics about building their own Bird's Nest. If you find it, let me know.


Lastly: This has nothing to do with commercials, and everything to do with making fun of people's outfits. Which is one of my favorite pastimes. Check out this website for a hilarious rundown of the clothing choices displayed during Friday night's Parade of Nations. As for me, I'm going to sit in front of my TV until I can watch Michael Phelps swim again.

Target wins me over again.

I have always admired Target's ads. "Hello/goodbuy" is timeless, recognizable, and has long legs. Love the way they use normal household products to create artsy images and a high-end feel. So obviously, I think that the new TV spot for their new dorm line is great. It includes a song I love, even though I can't understand the lyrics ("Calabria," by Enur), cool dance moves I long to imitate, and a furnished dorm room that turns me an intense shade of envy-green.

Boredom has set in.

Discovered a new favorite website, thanks to my cousin Kristen's blog post from a few days ago. Wordle.net lets you input a bunch of text, pick fonts and colors and (sort of) layouts, and--poof--creates a really cool text-based graphic out of all your words! I messed around with it a little bit and came up with a few. My one major gripe is that you can't easily save the resulting image as a JPEG or even a PDF, you just have to screen-shot it. Which is clearly too complicated for me. But I, being the Internet geek that I am, made what I thought was a pretty clever Wordle... check it out here!

(This is, I think, a nicer way of Rickrolling someone...)

Genuine TV. No, not reality. Genuine.

Reality TV has its place and time. Like when nothing else is on and you want to watch Rob and Big and their misadventures with a mini horse. Or when you want to make yourself feel superior to the white trash on MTV's "Engaged & Underaged." Or when you find yourself strangely attracted to Bret Michaels's guy-liner... but I digress.

I, along with many TV writers, am afraid that quality TV is dying out. Which is why I get jump-up-and-down-in-my-chair excited when one of my favorite shows comes back for its summer season-- TBS's "My Boys." The stories of PJ, a late-20s female sportswriter covering the Chicago Cubs, and her circle of guy friends, are infinitely easy to relate to. So much so that not only do I want to be their friends, but I can see clear similarities between PJ and myself.

But my favorite part about this show is that the dialog (which I can never figure out how to spell correctly) doesn't sound like the writers are trying too hard to sound current, or hip, or trendy. In fact, the characters sound like real people. There are no contrived sayings, or Sex and the City-style puns and quips. (Not that I don't love Sex and the City, because I do, but come on, the only reason people talk like that is because we've watched too many episodes of SATC.)

For example, in last season's episode titled "The Douchebag Intervention," the crew notices a change in their friend Brendon. He has become more... "arrogant?" "No." "Cocky?" "No, not really." "Douche-?" "Yes, DEFINITELY." This use of one of my favorite, slightly inappropriate terms for what is previously known as a tool, made me feel like the writers had been sitting around a group of my friends.

If you're not convinced, check out this clip from the premiere of the second season. Wait for the scene when PJ and Stephanie are in the airplane bathroom. Notice her mid-sentence ADD ("Oooh, lotion") and her description of how she asked Bobby to Italy ("And then I might have said dude.") When my roommate and I saw this, we agreed that PJ and I are waaay too similar.
Enjoy it for yourself here, and check out the next episode tonight on TBS at 9:30!

My Closet Hippie is Pissed.

I have an alter ego. She is a hippie. She enjoys tie dye, flowy skirts, and being barefoot. She would let the ocean be her hair stylist every day if she could. She has always wanted a brightly colored Volkswagen van, except for the terrible gas mileage.

So imagine how pissed she was to see this ad for the Honda Odyssey. Groovy music, psychedelic artwork, and all for a boring, soccer mom-style minivan. Not cool, man.

He's Mine

Just watched a great video of one of my favorite performers, Jason Mraz, singing his "new" song, "I'm Yours." I say "new" like I don't believe it because I've been listening to the song for a few years now, it's one of my favorites, but he is only now releasing it on a studio album. I've had the opportunity to meet both Jason and Toca (his drummer that kind of looks like Mr. T) in person, and they were that special kind of music star that are actually as nice to their fans as you hope they will be. So I have no problem promoting Jason Mraz's new album, "We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things," that comes out June 9th. Love the song. Love the singer. Love sharing it with all of you! (And thanks to my dear friend Emily at The Vinyl Mixtape for making me aware of all of these great videos!)

Monday Morning Video Fun

Just saw this video on El Gaffney's blog (check out the full post here) and it totally made my Monday morning so much better. Apparently there is a dance battle going on between Miley Cyrus and this crew, via YouTube videos. I haven't seen the Miley video yet, but I think this one wins, due to its many A-list cameos (Lindsay Lohan, Chris Brown, Adam Sandler, Diana Ross, and the Jabawockees crew). Check it out if you need a 7-and-a-half minute escape from reality.

What? TV doesn't portray reality? No way...

I am experiencing a lull in my Netflix queue. Nothing's leaving and nothing new is getting to me. There is only one explanation for this: I currently have at home all 3 discs of the first season of Greek.

The ABC Family series, currently in the second part of its first season, follows the lives of a group of college students in different (fictional) fraternities and sororities at the fictional Cyprus-Rhodes University. Real-life Greek students seem to be split on the issue. At the outset, I was against the idea of a show about Greek life that uses a red keg cup as its logo. But one "maybe I'll just watch one episode to see how bad it is" viewing spurred more. And now I'm hooked.

But this is not a post about how the show misrepresents fraternities and sororities, as I could go on forever about details big and small that they get wrong--and, sometimes, right. The show is true to life in the sense that in any Greek community, there will be people that go to the extreme with the party lifestyle, and there will be people who live in moderation.

However. The show gets something wrong on not only in portraying Greeks, but simply in portraying modern college students.

Cell phones and texting are only minimally shown. Computers are only used in an academic sense. No one uses any form of instant messaging, or even vaguely references the Internet. Social media doesn't even seem to exist. And how realistic is that?!

From what I've seen, college students are always communicating in some form that does not necessarily include face-to-face contact. And sometimes, they are talking face-to-face AND communicating to someone else in another manner. They are connected to each other in dozens of ways, and Greek just doesn't ring true to me in that aspect. And if you ask me, the writers are missing out on some great potential plot twists. Why not have the dean find out about an illegal function via Twitter, or a ZBZ sister get dumped on Facebook? Situations like that happen in real collegiate and Greek life, so why not show it on TV?

Gotta go. The new episode is on.

Obsession.

It takes a lot for me to actually spend 99 cents on an iTunes song rather than steal it from one of my friends. This is one of those songs.

Chris Brown (18-year-old phenom) and Jordin Sparks (last season's American Idol winner) sang their hit duet, "No Air," on the Idol results show last week. It's hot. So hot that I sat on the floor next to the TV so I could be closer to it. (I don't care if that makes me a cougar, he's 18 and he's amazing!) It's refreshing to see young entertainers who actually have talent, and who clearly have fun doing their jobs.

Check out the clip below, and try not to love the song. (Also, note Chris Brown's new star tattoo behind his right ear. Rihanna, 19-year-old phenom rumored to be his girlfriend, also got a new star tattoo down her back. They're totally doing it.)

Millenial Insights

This term, I'm one of two teaching assistants in a class at the University of Oregon called Values-Based Leadership. I helped conceptualize and implement this class, and it's great to see it finally come into existence. The title sounds vague, I know, but what I prefer to call it is the Greek Leadership class. Open to new members of the University's fraternity and sorority community, this small class is helping freshmen begin to understand how they can be leaders in their chapters and on campus, by investigating their own personal leadership styles, exploring other styles, and discussing issues for our community. I have seldom met such an impressive group of 18-20 year olds. No, seriously. They blow my mind with some of their insights and comments about what leadership is.

That's why I'm so excited to see how they develop over the next 7 weeks. We have assigned to them a final project of a 3-5 minute documentary video about some issue that pertains to the Oregon Greek community. Today, we helped them brainstorm a list of topics, and seeing their wheels start turning was fantastic. To give them an idea of what such a video could look like, our director showed this video from Kansas State University. While it doesn't directly talk about Greek Life at all, it is A) a unique way to present information, and B) gives some quality insights into today's millenial students. Check it out below, and I'll post class updates from time to time.

Do Social Media Make You Schizophrenic?

Right now on Facebook, I "had a perfect spring term weekend."
On AIM, I'm "finance project, then dinner out with ali"
On Twitter, I'm " Blogging about social media kind of feels like a form of existentialism. I think."
On LinkedIn, I'm struggling to find a job.
And I have an entirely different personality on Blogger, mainly because I'm allowed way more characters.

As social media continue to explode, we suddenly have dozens, sometimes even hundreds, of different ways to express who we are. I'm not even going to list all of the ways social networks allow today's consumer to display information, because there are just way too many. But as a student of social media, it is interesting to note the different ways people tweak their personalities depending on which social medium they are using.

For me, Facebook is strictly for my friends, and people in my immediate (in real life) social circle. My status frequently includes current song lyrics that reflect my mood or plans, details about what I'm doing that week/weekend, or shout-outs to friends on their birthdays. AIM is the same, just a free way to talk to many people at once. My buddy list is solely people I know and have reason to talk to on a regular basis. My away messages, then, are pretty similar to my Facebook statuses-- what I'm doing, when I'm doing it, and how I'm feeling.

But I conduct myself differently in different areas of the Internet. I just started using Twitter, and I've found it more interesting to "follow" people I don't actually know, but who share my interests. With only 140 characters to craft your statement, it feels less creepy to follow someone via Twitter than to follow them on Facebook, with its over-sharing capabilities. So my "tweets" generally have more to do with what's happening in my chosen industry than anything about my emotions. And on LinkedIn, I'm just trying to job hunt, so I limit myself to professional information.

Managing all this information about myself can be daunting, and it does feel as if I have multiple personalities. Does anyone else feel this way? Is there a way that companies could capitalize on this in any way? Definitely good questions for the Web 2.0 age.

Random Thought of the Day

Why is coffee you make at home never as good as coffee you have at restaurants?

And I'm not talking coffee shops, that's a given that it's going to be better. I mean restaurants like your favorite brunch spot, where you can order large amounts of carbs and fats and grease to start off your day. (My personal favorite? Eggs benedict and home fries.) I think it's because when I ask for cream, I actually get cream in all its fat-full glory, whereas at home, I'm health-conscious and just splash in some fat-free milk. Which is basically water. And at restaurants, they have those handy packets of Splenda, which always seems to get my heart racing a little more quickly than actual sugar does.

So, in conclusion: Coffee at restaurants tastes better. Because I put bad-for-me shit in it. Next question: Is it worth it?

Part 2

In case the videos aren't working from the previous post, here are just straight links:
Interview: http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=163295
Duet: http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/videos.jhtml?videoId=156643

New(s) Habits

Morning rituals. Many people have them. For many, the morning is about waking up, eating breakfast, and absorbing that day's news. They may read the paper, watch the local morning news, or listen to NPR while they make their oatmeal. Sometimes this news consumption doesn't happen until they're on their way to work or school--grabbing a paper to read on the subway, sifting through online headlines on their iPhone on the train, or switching on the local newscast on the radio in the car. Either way, many people use "reputable" news sources to start their day, so that they are informed about the changes that have happened in the world.

I am one of these people. Except for that I'm a college student, and a senior, at that. My ritual is a little bit different.

Take this morning, for instance. Woke up without an alarm around 10:30 am (it's Friday, I don't have class, and my paper isn't due until 3pm). Checked my email and my Facebook, then read the latest posts on Perez Hilton. Analysts will note this as an interesting pattern. First, I care about me. Then, I care about what's happening to my friends. Next, I care about finding out gossip about people I don't even know, or who may not even be important in the world.

Then I make breakfast (granola and yogurt require no cooking) and my coffee (strong). Once I've woken up a little bit, I can actually focus on important news. Contrary to popular belief, college students DO pay attention to serious world matters. Technology (God bless it) has made this even easier. I have set up my iGoogle homepage to give me headlines from the New York Times, BBC World News, the Wall Street Journal, and Rolling Stone. The New York Times emails me a newsletter of all important political articles regarding the Democratic primaries. It lets me get an idea of what's going on, quickly. I'll read articles I find interesting (Hilary's campaign spent $5,000 on doughnuts?!?), which inevitably link to more articles, blog posts, etc.

But sometimes, I don't even get that far. Because my iGoogle homepage also has links to the previous night's episodes of The Colbert Report. And I love him. I always feel like I'm getting some actual news from him (although I usually get more substantial news from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), and I love his satire. (Yes, it IS satire, he didn't actually have a life-long dream of having a hot dog lunch with President Bush.) He always has interesting guests on, as well. Mike Huckabee's campaign got the boost it needed to stay in the race a little bit longer after he and Stephen played air hockey with puzzle pieces of the states.

Last night, Stephen had Grammy-award winning singer John Legend on the show. If you've read my blog before (hi, Dad), you know that John appeared in will.i.am's "Yes We Can" video for Barack Obama. Legend's commentary on what true patriotism is smart, informed, and modern. No matter who you support, you'll find it's true. Check out the interview here:


Also, the guy's got talent. And, surprisingly, so does Stephen Colbert! Here's the next segment, of the classic Paul McCartney-Michael Jackson duet, "The Girl is Mine." Happy news-reading!

The Cop-Out Post

After filling out one of these at least once a week in middle school, I never really got anymore emails of the "fill out these questions and send it to your friends!" variety. Until yesterday. With no class today, I figured I'd do some soul-searching (however shallow or deep), and post it here. Enjoy!

1. What is your occupation? student/blogger/professional procrastinator

2. What color are your socks right now? flesh colored... I'm barefoot!

3. What are you listening to right now? an iTunes playlist my friend Sarah made... currently playing Amos Lee "Night Train"
4. What was the last thing that you ate? vanilla yogurt with vanilla & almond granola from Trader Joe's
5. Can you drive a stick shift? I refuse to try. When I drive, my attention is either on a) the road or b) the radio. A stick shift is too much to handle.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Turquoise or very bright yellow
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Not including the drunk dials I got at 1:30 and 2:20 am... my friend Sarah, last night.
9. How old are you today? 21
10. Favorite drink? Nonfat vanilla latte from Peet's Coffee & Tea. Or a really good glass of pinot!
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? Baseball and college basketball
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Just recently gave into blonde highlights... The lack of sunshine in Oregon turned my hair brown.
13. Pets? Have a cat at home, will one day get a dog!

14. Favorite food? Red meat and chocolate.
15. Last movie you watched? Ocean's 13, but Michael Clayton is up next on my Netflix
16. Favorite Day of the year? A sunny day with the freedom to do anything I want. And Christmas.
17. What do you do to vent anger? Bitch to one of my friends.
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? My plastic Play-Skool birthday cake with snap-on frosting that you could "cut" apart! (Can you tell cake is a theme in my life?) The dress-up drawer was a big draw too.
19. What is your favorite season? Spring
20. Hugs or kisses? Depends on who they're coming from
21. Cherry or Blueberry? Cherry. I'm the kind of person that will only eat the red gummy bears out of the bag.
25. When was the last time you cried? When my brother totaled my car 2 and a half weeks ago and I didn't know where he was.
26. What is on the floor of your closet? My laundry bag, a clothes hamper full of shoes, and a plastic set of drawers.
29. Favorite smells? Gardenia, Tuberose, Jasmine, and Christmas trees
30. Least favorite smell? Anything that smells bad?
31. Who inspires you? Oprah. (Yeah, I said it.)

32. What are you afraid of? Ants, birds, scary movies.
33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Plain, with grilled pineapple. I'm also learning to love bacon cheeseburgers.
34. Favorite car? Large, black Range Rovers. (Environment, shmenvironment.)
35. Favorite cat breed? I like them all, but the hairless ones or excessively fluffy ones bug me.

36. Number of keys on your key ring? 2

37. How many years at your current job? almost 4... graduating in June!
38. Favorite day of the week? Sunny Fridays with nothing to do
39. How many states have you lived in? 2: California and Oregon. And London, for 6 weeks.
40. Do you think you're funny? I sometimes don't know if people are laughing WITH me or AT me. Either one is fine.

Super Tuesday Trumps Super Bowl Sunday

I realize that, as an advertising student, I should be all over the Super Bowl ads: which ones I loved (Tide To Go, FedEx pigeons, Justin Timberlake Pepsi), which ones disappointed (pretty much any Budweiser/Bud Lite ads), etc. But, as much fun as making fun of stupidity is, there is a much greater topic to be discussed.

Today is Super Tuesday. The day when 20 states vote in the presidential primary elections. In this toss-up of an election year, Obama and Hilary have been essentially trading wins back and forth. But with 20 states voting in one day, this one can't end in a draw. My one gripe is that I'm currently registered to vote in the state of Oregon, which doesn't hold its primary until May, so I may not make as much of a difference. Many of you, however, can, and absolutely should. I don't care what side you're on, what color your state is, or how lazy you are. Just get out and vote!

If you need a little push from some celebrity endorsers, I have just the thing. Although this video is clearly in support of Barack Obama, the message is still inspirational. We have the power to change our country, but you can only use that power if you get out and VOTE. If for no other reason, do it for me-- I can't vote until May.

I Love Parodies, Part 2

As a pretty frequent listener of Top 40 radio stations, the same songs get played out quickly. Granted, there are ones you will listen to no matter what ("Buy You a Drank" is one of them for me), but some just get old really fast. Jim Jones' "We Fly High" has definitely had its moment, but now it's just annoying. (You can only yell "BWAALLLIIIIIINNN" so many times before you're over it.) Thankfully, some white boys have parodied it to great success. Maybe I like it because I like parodies, or maybe it's because it reminds me of something my younger brother and his friends would do, or even have done already. Either way, it makes me willing to listen to the song again, which the artist can't complain about too much. My favorite parts: the fact that the boys are wearing Hollister and North Face--not urban by ANY means; and they included a token black guy. Enjoy it for yourself, below.

Does a Guitar Make You Sexy?

There must be some unwritten rule that all male singer-songwriters that I like must be somewhat odd-looking. (See: John Mayer, James Morrison, Jason Mraz, James Blunt. Also note that their names must start with J.) Maybe it's so that people will take their music seriously because they're not traditionally attractive men. This is akin to Jessica Alba saying she doesn't use her looks to get parts because she is a "serious actress." But maybe it's because these men were shy and insecure in high school because of their looks, so none of the girls wanted them, so they joined the band, picked up a guitar, and then spent all their time locked in their rooms writing moody songs about the girls who don't want them because they're in the band. Seems to have worked out in the end, don't you think? They serve as a lesson for high schoolers everywhere: the boys in the band will end up being hotter than the boys on the football team. Band boys, have faith. Girls, take note.

10 Things I Miss About Heath

If you've been living under a rock recently, you should probably sit down. I have some tragic news: Heath Ledger has died.

If you're not living under a rock, then you already know this sad fact. And you also know that his death is speculated to be a result of an accidental overdose, due to mixing prescription and over-the-counter sleeping pills. You also know that he has a sweet 2-year-old daughter, Matilda, who will never know her father. You also know that he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Ennis Del Mar in the ground-breaking Brokeback Mountain in 2006.

I will always remember Heath in his breakout role as Patrick Verona in 10 Things I Hate About You, one of the great teen movies of my time. (My 19-year-old brother has called it "one of the most underrated films in cinematic history.") He was the mysteriously sexy, but still sweet, teen heartthrob that even my mother loved. As many members of the media have pointed out, he could have been one of the great actors of our time, and his early death and career have been compared to that of the late great James Dean.

And so, in memoriam, I give you this, my favorite Heath Ledger movie moment. May he rest in peace.

News Flash: Kids are Idiots

This Australian news clip is making its way around the blogs today. Some kid had a party when his parents were out of town. Big surprise. Except this party got out of hand, with kids damaging the cars of both the neighbors and the police. But the kid feels no remorse, gives attitude to the newscaster, and claims that he would do it all again because all his friends say it was the best party ever. My favorite part is when he won't take off his sunglasses because he says "they're famous." Check out the video for yourself, it's worth a good laugh:

Dance Marathon, Part 2

Just a quick update on the aftermath of Dance Marathon.

Here are two articles in local Eugene papers about the event, if you're one of those people that likes their news unbiased and proofread. (Reporting, shmeporting.)

First, the Oregon Daily Emerald's piece is here.
Next, The Register-Guard's piece is here.

Another benefit of the articles in legit news sources is that they have pictures. But nothing can top this picture that ended the slideshow that was shown in the last minutes of the 15 hours of Dance Marathon 2008. It captures a DM dancer in all her glory: sweaty, wearing shades she found on the stage and beads she got from the Morale Director, fully experiencing a dancing delirium, and loving every minute of it.



















(Yes, that is me. And yes, it was hour 14 of dancing. Don't judge me.)

A Shameless Pat on My Back

Last night, I participated in one of my favorite philanthropic events: the University of Oregon's Dance Marathon, a 15-hour dance party to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network. This incredibly worthy cause provides funding to hospitals (in our case, Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene and Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland) to buy equipment for their neo-natal intensive care units. Local families who have benefited from the services that CMN provides came to DM and shared their incredible stories. One set of twin boys ran circles around their mother onstage as she told of their heart failure and teensy size as a result of their 3-months-too-early birth. Without the CMN-funded equipment, they would not have survived.

Here is the promotional video the DM crew made of last year's event, the first ever event of its kind on the Oregon campus.


Last year, I wore jeans and flip flops, had a great time, ended up exhausted, and helped raise $17,800.
This year, I wore workout shorts and tennis shoes, had an amazing time, ended up with blisters and a stiff back, and helped raise $32,000-- and the money is still coming in!

I woke up at 6:30 am to make it to my 7:15 check-in time, and pretty much didn't stop moving until midnight. If you think I was actually dancing uninhibited the whole time... well, you're close to correct. First, everyone learns the Morale Dance, a big line dance that is performed once an hour, partially to keep track of the hours and partially to get everyone doing the same thing at once to, you guessed it, boost morale. Here is a practice video of this year's dance:


Different DJs played sets, dance instructors taught us how to salsa and waltz, three different UO dance teams performed, a high school a capella group sang, and we played various games. But in between all of that, we were dancing and dancing and dancing. The only time I sat was when I was going to the bathroom and when I was putting Band-Aids on my feet to prevent blisters. (That didn't work.) I may be sore today, but getting together with a huge group of people for such a great cause was a blast. I felt so proud when they announced the total at the end of the night, because I know that all of that money is going directly into my community. Plus, I can never turn down a dance party.

Now where's my Advil?

Fighting Apathy

I fully believe that ignorance and apathy are diseases. Curable, but still, diseases. And with the presidential primary elections rapidly approaching, I felt myself coming down with a bit of ignorance. I knew vaguely who I wanted to vote for, but I needed to know more to feel better about my vote. But although I love researching things, I am also very lazy. I didn't want to slog through dozens of newspaper columns and heavily spun candidate websites. I wanted quick synopses, a yes or no, for or against, for every issue I cared about. I even wanted someone to look at me, take note of my beliefs, and then tell me who to vote for. (Yes, I'm that lazy.)

To my surprise, such a place exists! Glassbooth.org not only tells you, succinctly, where each candidate stands on each issue (with voting records and quotes to back it up), but--wait for it--THERE IS A QUIZ TO TELL YOU WHO TO VOTE FOR. Genius. It's a little more complex than the Cosmo quiz (thankfully). First, you assign points to how important various issues are to you, and then you answer questions as to how strongly you support or oppose various issues. Then, poof! In less than five minutes, you have a candidate to vote for. Or at least research further, if you're nerdy like me.

There. Now you have absolutely NO reason to shirk your civic duty. Learn! Vote!

Let's Go To the Movies

With a month off of school and a plethora of Oscar hopefuls flooding the multiplexes in time for the holiday season, I get a lot of good movie-watching done over the break. Some were on DVD, since I sometimes have an aversion to leaving the house, some were second viewings, and some were first-runs in the theaters. As the TV writers' strike doesn't seem to have an end in sight, these may be some acceptable substitutions.

- In the Land of Women: Starring Adam Brody (whom I miss dearly since I stopped watching The O.C. three years ago), and Meg Ryan (and her overinflated lips). Like a combination of a little bit of Garden State and a little bit of The Graduate, it features a love triangle between a mom (Ryan), her daughter (Kristen Stewart, looking somewhat like a heroin addict), and the new boy next door (Brody). Props to supporting characters of the crazy grandmother and the precocious little sister, non-props to scenes featuring Brody in a tshirt and basketball shorts... I love him, but his legs are just too skinny to wear that look. A good movie for a dreary day.







- The Simpsons Movie: I've never been an avid watcher of the TV show, but I always get a kick out of the implicit social commentary. Putting the town of Springfield under a giant dome was a good way to make the TV series expandable for the big screen. The "Spider-Pig" sequence was the only thing I was familiar with from the trailer, and even that paid off and was actually funny. Good for some mindless laughs, even if you're not intimately familiar with the characters.









- Juno: Pregnancy seems to be excessively trendy these days, even when unexpected. As my best friend put it, "Abortions are totally out." Even though this plot revolves around the unplanned pregnancy of a 16-year-old high schooler (who is NOT Jamie-Lynn Spears), the protagonist is seen as selfless, not scandalous. Michael Cera (of Superbad fame) is adorably dorkish as the "totally boss" Paulie Bleeker, and Ellen Page has a breakout performance as the title character. (Although seeing her tiny body with a pregnant belly is kind of painful.) The writing of Diablo Cody is the kind that makes me re-vow to write my own screenplay someday, and the teen dialogue is refreshingly believable. (One of my pet peeves is when writers are completely out of touch with teen and twenty-something slang.) This feel-good indie has been recognized with Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress, Best Picture (Musical or Comedy), and Best Screenplay, all of which are deserved.


- 27 Dresses: Shameless romantic comedy featuring the lovely Katherine Heigl and the very pretty James Marsden. Jane (Heigl) has been a bridesmaid 27 times, and has the closet full of ugly dresses to prove it. Kevin (Marsden) is the "Commitments" writer for the fictional New York Journal, and is assigned to cover the wedding of Jane's sister to the man that Jane secretly loves. Fairly predictable plot, but just when it starts to get a little too corny, writer Aline Brosh McKenna throws in a sarcastic line that perfectly cuts through the cheesiness. The people are pretty, Heigl's Jane is easy to root for, and I'm a sucker for wedding movies with happy endings. A great chick flick.







- Superbad: The second viewing of this member of the Judd Apatow dynasty of films is just as good as the first. Love Seth, Evan, and McLovin, could do with less of the cops. Again, the writing captures how high schoolers really speak to one another (but with considerably more swearing than in Juno), and has some very believable sequences, which doesn't always happen in high school coming-of-age comedies. Favorite lines include the infinitely repeatable "Chicka chicka yeaaaah," and the not-as-repeatable "No one's gotten a hand job in cargo shorts since 'Nam." Great for mindless entertainment, or maybe a drinking game.