I Survived Swine '09

Okay, this post is mostly an excuse to include my favorite recent Times photo, the above tasty Hungarian hairy pigs.

But also, you might have read that the University of Delaware has recently been infested with the flu of the swine. Or H1N1 flu as we're now supposed to call it, so that no more countries accidentally order all of their pigs slaughtered. (And I guess it is better than "Mexican flu.") My students seem to be taking it in stride. Attendance is down a little bit, and the janitorial staff are having trouble keeping enough soap in the bathrooms, but the mood is largely one of resigned humor. One enterprising student is selling "Swine '09" t-shirts; I really hope I can get one.

Luckily the flu does not seem to have struck the music department. Thank goodness, because the teaching of music tends to involve more physical proximity than most subjects. Lots of sitting in enclosed studios, lots of sharing instruments, lots of spit on the ground. If one music major gets it, I fear we are all doomed.

The one sad thing is that all public events have been cancelled, including the semester's opera performance, Pirates of Penzance. We all know how much work goes into these college operas. It's the first major role for many of the singers, and everyone's been rehearsing all semester. The show is hopefully going to be rescheduled for a later date, but it's a rough time of year to find a free evening. So far the various student recitals for the weekend are a go; cross your fingers.