Love to Hate and Backyard Tire Fire

Usually I avoid writing about things I hate because that would be depressing. But there are a few things I LOVE to hate. I'm sure that says something about my psyche, but I don't care.

 1) Bananas - I hate bananas with the fire of 1,000 suns.  I hate banana flavored candy, banana bread, and bananas in my smoothies. If I was on a deserted island and had the choice to eat sand or bananas, I would pick sand. I haven't always had such a passionate hatred for bananas. They were never my favorite, but I could tolerate them. Then in 6th grade I developed a weird illness and the doctors thought it might be a potassium deficiency. Their prescription: eat bananas. A lot of bananas. I've never been the same. Thanks, pediatricians.

Enjoy this weird video someone made for Demetri Martin's banana joke

2) Twilight series - I'm fully prepared for hate mail on this one, but I'm steadfast in my dislike for this series. In theory, I should love this series. I love a good young adult romance, but even reading an excerpt made me want to claw my own eyes out.  I would have no problem with them if they were well-written, but they are TERRIBLY written. When I worked at the library and (mostly girls) came in to check them out, I always tried to get them to read something else. "Oh sorry, all 17 copies of the Twilight series are checked out. Have you read The Hunger Games?"

3) Internet-Speak - Being the mid-20something I am, I was around when the internet was invented. (Okay, not exactly. Researchers in 1972 blah blah blah ) I remember patiently waiting for this sound to finish so I could hear "You've got mail!" and see what sweet forwards and quizzes I had in my inbox. Sure, at the time I used my fair share of internet-speak, but I avoid it these days. BECAUSE I'M A GROWN UP. I make quick work of deleting facebook friends whose sTaTuS LOoKs LyKe DiS.

Don't say "C U laterz" Because you won't. Because you'll be on my dunzo list. C U neverz.

4) Baseball teams ending in Sox - Duh.

Go Tribe!

This week's hot jam is not something I love to hate, but rather something I love to love. It's How in the Hell Did You Get Back Here by Backyard Tire Fire. I have a soft spot for Backyard Tire Fire being the Illinois boys they are. (Ed and Matt Anderson grew up 30 minutes from me. Not that I knew them, but still). I like to support my fellow Illinoisans (except the White Sox, obviously) so it's about time they made the hot jam of the week. I love that this song sounds like it's being sung through a megaphone and all the random locals in the video. It looks like home.

Southern rock/alt-country is a genre with little room for error, it's really obvious when it's good, but it's also really obvious when it's bad. Luckily, Backyard Tire Fire is good.

Visitors and Osborne Brothers

This past week I had my first non-family visitor. Megan got here on Thursday and stayed for almost a week.

  We hadn't seen each other in 3 years (since our days at Teton Science Schools) so it was extra fun to catch up (in person.)

Sometimes I forget that Alaska is a pretty cool place. I definitely take the mountains and glaciers and moose, etc for granted, so it's fun to have a guest around to remind me of all the cool things to see and do.

 Like go to Exit Glacier

Or drive on the Seward Highway

Or take a (free!) glacier cruise

This week's hot jam is Rocky Top by Osborne Brothers (But according to the video, it's been recorded over 100 times) It's been stuck in my head all week, and now it will be stuck in yours too. You're welcome.

Dive Bars and Paul McCartney

Recently, Anchorage was voted America's Worst Dressed City, and based on subsequent news stories, residents appear to be wearing (no pun intended) the title with pride. (And for the record, Sarah Palin lives in Wasilla, not Anchorage.)

You want to see some really great Anchorage fashion? Head to one of the cities many dive bars. Fashion (or lack of) aside, there are a lot of things I love about dive bars (in Anchorage or elsewhere), including:

1) Bar games - Darts is my game of choice, but I've been known to play some shuffleboard too. If a bar has Big Buck Hunter (or any variation), it's all over, I'm moving in.

This is actually a bar trick rather than a bar game, but it's just as fun

 

2) Cheap beers - I've been known to buy a pricey 6 pack, but honestly, I'm just has happy to drink PBR or High Life. Maybe even happier?

At the Fairview in Talkeetna, you can get 3 sizes of PBR, 12, 16, or 24 ounces. All in a can.

3) Jukebox - They are full of classic rock and you know Bon Jovi is going to play at some point in the night. And who doesn't want to hear Bon Jovi? Good jukebox leads to awesome dance moves.

4) People watching - See Worst Dressed City.

5) Decor - I may not want my house to look like a dive bar, but I do love places with beer posters from 1987, decorated dollar bills stapled to the walls/ceiling, and neon signs.

This week's hot jam is Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney (who probably doesn't hang out at dive bars these days.) I realize it would be much more conventional to pick a Beatles-era Paul McCartney song, but it's my blog and I can do whatever I want. I'm a sucker for a love song and Maybe I'm Amazed is a great one. (According to Wikipedia, it's regarded as one of his "finest love songs." And if it's on Wikipedia, it must be true.)