This week’s theme is Most Popular Download. This means that I’ll probably have not heard the majority of these songs because I haven’t listened to “new” music in about two years. I just stick with my favorites from the 70s and 80s.
Anoop - I hated the song (Usher), but I thought he did okay. There were places where I couldn’t understand the words though. Randy didn’t think it was the right song, but the vocals were cool. Kara said it sounded like a bunch of Frat guys dared him to sing Usher. Paula said his vocals sounded really good, but to work on his stage presence. Simon thought it was “a complete and utter mess”.
Megan - Once again, Megan makes all songs sound exactly the same. I’m so over it. The look on Kara’s face said it all… Paula said Megan needed to take them all by surprise. Simon said the song was boring, indulgent, and monotonous. Randy said it was like watching paint dry.
Danny - I think Danny did a good job…as usual. Paula loved it. Simon thought it was Danny’s best performance. Randy loved it. Kara was moved emotionally.
Allison - Plays her guitar for the first time. She sings No Doubt and this is the first song I recognized and I’m not sure that she did much to change the song and make it her own, but I liked it. I don’t think it was her best performance, however. Randy didn’t like her outfit. Kara said she didn’t need to dress “rock” because the rock just comes out of Megan and it was a good performance, but not her best. Paula loved it. Simon didn’t like the outfit either.
Scott - sings Billy Joel, who is one of my favorite singer/song writers. While I think Scott did a really good job and he did make the song his own, I don’t think it sounded very current. I like the song, but I don’t think it could make it on the radio today…not like that. Kara thought it was a smart choice. Paula liked it. Simon thought it was his best performance so far. Randy said it was one of the best performances of the night.
Matt - This was probably the only one of Matt’s performances that I have really enjoyed. I thought this sounded like it was the song/genre for him and I could see him as an artist…finally. Paula didn’t like it because it wasn’t like his other songs in the falsetto. Simon didn’t like it either because it sounded like someone being like someone else. Randy thought it was the wrong song as well. Kara said he needed to commit to either the R&B side of pop or the rock side of pop. – Maybe this is why I finally liked it…because it didn’t sound like his normal style. I just don’t like all the falsetto stuff he’s been doing up to this point.
Lil - I loved the timpani in the background…I always love songs with a timpani. I hated her hair and make-up. I thought she did a good job, but I still don’t think there is anything unique about Lil. Randy liked it, but said she needed to “young it up a little bit”. Kara liked it. Paula said she didn’t want to see an adult/contemporary Lil. Randy thought it was like a wedding performance, which I think he said about one of her other performances. I don't think they liked the song, but didn't want to say so after she mentioned that in the video before her song.
Adam - Let me just start out by saying that I’m not buying into Adam’s whole punk/rock persona. I do not think he is punk or rock. I think it is all an act and I’m not buying into it. He is obviously a drama nerd and he is just using his acting skills. Listen to him when he talks…there’s no way he is punk or rock. He’s all showbiz and Broadway. But I digress… He turned “Play That Funky Music” into a Broadway show tune. Seriously. He just needs to go be in Rent and get it over with. And...I'm tired of the judges falling for his act. Just about anyone on Broadway could pull off the same thing, but that doesn't make them a pop star. Paula was creaming all over herself. I’m not sure she realizes that he is gay. Simon said it was brave and original. Randy loved it. Kara loved it too.
Kris - plays the piano for a change. I found his voice a little less annoying tonight than last week. I thought he did a good job. Randy said it was one of the best of the night. Kara said it was artistry. Paula loved it, and said it was his best to date. Simon said he showed confidence and also agreed that it was Kris’ best performance.
I think Megan should go home tomorrow. What do you think?
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Comrades!
500 channels and sometimes you just can't find anything good to watch on TV.
I remember the days when we only got 5 channels, and 2 of those didn't come in good enough to bother with. Those were the days when I was my father's personal remote control. My dad learned the art of channel surfing long before a remote was ever placed into his hand. But I digress...
Anyway, I had a friend over the other day and there was absolutely nothing good on TV and nothing good saved on my Tivo. After a little channel surfing, we discovered "World's Largest Chinese Restaurant". I just knew this would have to be good for a laugh or two. T and I weren't disappointed we chose this show. First of all, it was all subtitled because everyone spoke Chinese (apparently the world's largest Chinese restaurant is in China...go figure), and subtitles are always funny. Then we tune in to find a baby kissing a fish for good luck. Priceless.
Some family had rented out the restaurant to celebrate the birth of their son. I'm guessing this is a much bigger deal in China than I ever realized. There were over 400 people coming to this celebration. We had to watch through about 10 minutes of the baby kissing fish and getting smathered with a raw egg (probably for more good luck) before we hit Jackpot!
One of the male family members stood up in front of 400 guests and said, "Comrades, today we welcome a new penis in the family!" I thought T and I were going to die laughing. I'm not sure if he said something that didn't translate well, or if he really did say that, but either way... it was hilarious.
So next time a friend or family member is blessed with a son...don't be afraid to celebrate by saying, "Comrades, today we welcome a new penis in the family!"
I remember the days when we only got 5 channels, and 2 of those didn't come in good enough to bother with. Those were the days when I was my father's personal remote control. My dad learned the art of channel surfing long before a remote was ever placed into his hand. But I digress...
Anyway, I had a friend over the other day and there was absolutely nothing good on TV and nothing good saved on my Tivo. After a little channel surfing, we discovered "World's Largest Chinese Restaurant". I just knew this would have to be good for a laugh or two. T and I weren't disappointed we chose this show. First of all, it was all subtitled because everyone spoke Chinese (apparently the world's largest Chinese restaurant is in China...go figure), and subtitles are always funny. Then we tune in to find a baby kissing a fish for good luck. Priceless.
Some family had rented out the restaurant to celebrate the birth of their son. I'm guessing this is a much bigger deal in China than I ever realized. There were over 400 people coming to this celebration. We had to watch through about 10 minutes of the baby kissing fish and getting smathered with a raw egg (probably for more good luck) before we hit Jackpot!
One of the male family members stood up in front of 400 guests and said, "Comrades, today we welcome a new penis in the family!" I thought T and I were going to die laughing. I'm not sure if he said something that didn't translate well, or if he really did say that, but either way... it was hilarious.
So next time a friend or family member is blessed with a son...don't be afraid to celebrate by saying, "Comrades, today we welcome a new penis in the family!"
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Big City Comes to Small Town
I was able to spend part of the afternoon helping introduce one of my friends, T's, college friends to our small town. This is always a fun experience. Since T's friend is from Wichita, an Ozarks small town was a new experience for her.
First we went to the nearby "big town" to eat out. Now this is by no means a big town, but at 10,000, it isn't really a small town either, at least it's not a small town by our standards. For her, however, it was a small town. We gave her a tour of the town square, and that was about it.
The fun really came when we drove her down the road from my house to the local cult. Yep...cult. Just down the road from my house is a commune type place with what we locals call the "orange people". They are called this because they wear long orange robes. I'm pretty sure they are new-age Hindus, but I'm not 100% positive about that. They have a huge dorm facility and several other large buildings right out in the middle of nowhere. I told her how they have a huge gathering during the week around the 4th of July. 100's of people come from all over the world. They walk the road in front of my house in large groups and pick all the blackberry's along the roadside. It's all very annoying.
Anyway, T is going to take her friend to our small town tomorrow to go shopping. By shopping, I mean that they are going to the local thrift store. T loves it there because she always manages to find a funky t-shirt for 50 cents. I can't wait to hear about that trip. Already T's friend was enthralled with how far out we really lived and how many trees there are. You must keep in mind that T and I both live over 8 miles outside of town.
On a funnier note... You know you live in a small town when your cat just takes a nap in the middle of the road.
For more small town stories, check out On the Front Porch.
First we went to the nearby "big town" to eat out. Now this is by no means a big town, but at 10,000, it isn't really a small town either, at least it's not a small town by our standards. For her, however, it was a small town. We gave her a tour of the town square, and that was about it.
The fun really came when we drove her down the road from my house to the local cult. Yep...cult. Just down the road from my house is a commune type place with what we locals call the "orange people". They are called this because they wear long orange robes. I'm pretty sure they are new-age Hindus, but I'm not 100% positive about that. They have a huge dorm facility and several other large buildings right out in the middle of nowhere. I told her how they have a huge gathering during the week around the 4th of July. 100's of people come from all over the world. They walk the road in front of my house in large groups and pick all the blackberry's along the roadside. It's all very annoying.
Anyway, T is going to take her friend to our small town tomorrow to go shopping. By shopping, I mean that they are going to the local thrift store. T loves it there because she always manages to find a funky t-shirt for 50 cents. I can't wait to hear about that trip. Already T's friend was enthralled with how far out we really lived and how many trees there are. You must keep in mind that T and I both live over 8 miles outside of town.
On a funnier note... You know you live in a small town when your cat just takes a nap in the middle of the road.
For more small town stories, check out On the Front Porch.
Savings Sunday 3-29
I've blown my saving streak this weekend. I have already gone out to eat twice this weekend and I'm getting ready to go out again tonight. These were all very legitimate reasons, however. I went out with a colleague from another school district yesterday to discuss teaching methods and a possible shift (for me) to my hometown school district; I saw that lunch as a possible investment in my future, so I was okay with it. Also, one of my former youth group kids is in town for spring break, and I bought us a pizza when she came over after I got off work Friday. Tonight I'll be taking her and a college friend of hers out to eat for supper. I'm also okay with all of that because I enjoy getting to spend time with her, and I don't begrudge giving a college kid a free meal.
I did make a good purchase this weekend on the "savings front". Bath and Body Works was having their 5 for $15 sale on antibacterial hand soap. Their soap is all I'll use, so it was time to stock up. I've actually had a huge stock for the last year or so, but it had dwindled down to just 3 bottles left. I ended up buying 9 bottles of soap and one bottle of lotion. Even though they were a little over $3 a piece (with s&h), that is a good buy when it comes to B&BW soap. I also love having B&BW products around because they make great spur-of-the-moment gifts! No one knows that I didn't make a special trip to the mall to pick them out something, and they don't know that I bought it on sale!
How did your savings go this week?
I did make a good purchase this weekend on the "savings front". Bath and Body Works was having their 5 for $15 sale on antibacterial hand soap. Their soap is all I'll use, so it was time to stock up. I've actually had a huge stock for the last year or so, but it had dwindled down to just 3 bottles left. I ended up buying 9 bottles of soap and one bottle of lotion. Even though they were a little over $3 a piece (with s&h), that is a good buy when it comes to B&BW soap. I also love having B&BW products around because they make great spur-of-the-moment gifts! No one knows that I didn't make a special trip to the mall to pick them out something, and they don't know that I bought it on sale!
How did your savings go this week?
Thursday, March 26, 2009
American Idol Top 10 Results Show
FF through the recap of last night’s show.
I actually watched all of the group song. It was pretty good. I guess at this point in the stage, it should be.
The Ford commercial was okay.
FF through Ruben and his sweaty, bald head.
• Adam is safe (like anyone thought otherwise).
• Matt is in the bottom three (I am surprised at that).
• Kris is safe.
• Lil and Michael stand together…Lil is safe and Michael is in the bottom three (where he belongs).
FF through Smokey
• Allison is safe.
• Anoop is safe.
• Danny is safe (like Adam…not a surprise. Danny’s not surprised either)
• Scott and Megan stand together…Scott’s in the bottom three.
Matt, Michael and Scott
Ryan asks Randy who doesn’t deserve to be standing there and Randy, of course, picks Matt.
Ryan sends Scott back to the couches.
Then there’s a Motown Melody from Stevie Wonder. I love that he looks and sounds the same as he always has…well, he’s lost some hair, but other than that.
Matt’s safe and Michael is going home. There’s no way that the judges will save Michael.
Ryan brings Michael up to the judges after Michael sings his song, and Simon tells Michael that he’s going home.
I actually watched all of the group song. It was pretty good. I guess at this point in the stage, it should be.
The Ford commercial was okay.
FF through Ruben and his sweaty, bald head.
• Adam is safe (like anyone thought otherwise).
• Matt is in the bottom three (I am surprised at that).
• Kris is safe.
• Lil and Michael stand together…Lil is safe and Michael is in the bottom three (where he belongs).
FF through Smokey
• Allison is safe.
• Anoop is safe.
• Danny is safe (like Adam…not a surprise. Danny’s not surprised either)
• Scott and Megan stand together…Scott’s in the bottom three.
Matt, Michael and Scott
Ryan asks Randy who doesn’t deserve to be standing there and Randy, of course, picks Matt.
Ryan sends Scott back to the couches.
Then there’s a Motown Melody from Stevie Wonder. I love that he looks and sounds the same as he always has…well, he’s lost some hair, but other than that.
Matt’s safe and Michael is going home. There’s no way that the judges will save Michael.
Ryan brings Michael up to the judges after Michael sings his song, and Simon tells Michael that he’s going home.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
American Idol Top 10
This is my Reader’s Digest version of American Idol…
Motown Night
Matt - I think he did a pretty good job. Judges loved it.
Kris - Technically good, I didn’t care for the arrangement. Judges loved it, and said he did his version of the song.
Scott - I didn’t think this was Scott’s best performance (although not that bad), and I didn’t like the arrangement. Simon didn’t like the arrangement either. Lots of discussion with mixed review.
Megan - I’ve decided Megan makes all songs sound the same. It was original the first time, maybe even the second, but now her arrangements make all songs sound the same. The judges didn’t like it.
Anoop - Not my favorite Anoop performance. He went slow this time and I like it when he sings faster songs, but he did good. The judges liked it.
Michael - I still think he is mediocre. The judges didn’t like it.
Lil - This should be Lil’s best night. She does a good job, not sure she changed the song at all though. Randy didn’t think it was the right song. Kara said she stayed too true to the original. Paula loved it. Simon likes her singing, didn’t like the song choice.
Adam - 50’s Adam sings a slow, soulful song. It’s different from what we’ve heard before. It’s good, but I don’t really like his voice. Judges absolutely loved it.
Danny - Another good job, not his best. Mixed review from the judges. Simon thought it wasn’t as good as it has been.
Allison - Loved it. The judges loved it.
I think Michael should go home and will probably be in the bottom again this week. I think Megan, Lil and Scott all could possibly in the bottom. I think either Michael or Megan will go home.
Motown Night
Matt - I think he did a pretty good job. Judges loved it.
Kris - Technically good, I didn’t care for the arrangement. Judges loved it, and said he did his version of the song.
Scott - I didn’t think this was Scott’s best performance (although not that bad), and I didn’t like the arrangement. Simon didn’t like the arrangement either. Lots of discussion with mixed review.
Megan - I’ve decided Megan makes all songs sound the same. It was original the first time, maybe even the second, but now her arrangements make all songs sound the same. The judges didn’t like it.
Anoop - Not my favorite Anoop performance. He went slow this time and I like it when he sings faster songs, but he did good. The judges liked it.
Michael - I still think he is mediocre. The judges didn’t like it.
Lil - This should be Lil’s best night. She does a good job, not sure she changed the song at all though. Randy didn’t think it was the right song. Kara said she stayed too true to the original. Paula loved it. Simon likes her singing, didn’t like the song choice.
Adam - 50’s Adam sings a slow, soulful song. It’s different from what we’ve heard before. It’s good, but I don’t really like his voice. Judges absolutely loved it.
Danny - Another good job, not his best. Mixed review from the judges. Simon thought it wasn’t as good as it has been.
Allison - Loved it. The judges loved it.
I think Michael should go home and will probably be in the bottom again this week. I think Megan, Lil and Scott all could possibly in the bottom. I think either Michael or Megan will go home.
Springs Blooms
Here are a few spring pics that I took today. I love it when I come home to new flowers blooming.
Grape Hyacinth
Weeping Cherry Tree
Grape Hyacinth
Weeping Cherry Tree
Pear Tree with bee
AI FYI
Just as an FYI... I probably will not be posting an American Idol recap tonight due to our illustrious President's take over of prime time television. I won't be home until after 8pm tonight and I'm pretty sure I won't want to take the time to blog while watching AI tonight. It actually takes me longer to watch AI if I'm doing a re-cap, and I am tied to my computer, which means that I can't get anything else done around the house for more than 2 hours. So thank you Mr. President.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
CG'pa And The Computer
We've already established that my CG'pa is crazy. If you don't believe me, read this. I had one of those conversations with him the other day. It went something like this:
Me: hello?
CG'pa: I called because I needed to talk to someone smart. (there's always sucking up involved in these types of requests)
Me: uh-huh. At this point just about everything I say is short and slightly sarcastic. WAY... disrespectful, but this has been going on my whole life and I just don't have the patience for it anymore.
CG'pa: I need to put something on my computer.
Me: What do you mean "you need to put something on your computer"?
CG'pa: I've got a document that needs to be put on my computer.
Me: Where is the document now?
CG'pa: In my hand. It's a letter.
At this point I became totally dismayed. This was going to require a scanner. I wasn't even sure if the man would know what a scanner was. I told him he would need a scanner, and surprisingly he owns one. Go figure.
The problem is, the man has no idea how to use a scanner...or a computer. The next five minutes were spent trying to talk him through how to scan his letter. Scanning it wasn't the issue though. It was how to save the scan into the "program" that he wanted it saved into. I'm pretty sure by "program" he meant "folder".
Me: Now you need to go to File, Save, and then just choose where you want to save it.
CG'pa: Wait, slow down. Where do I find File?
Me: It's at the top. On the left.
CG'pa: Long pause... Okay, so I don't see the program I want to save the letter into. It's called Test.
Now I knew we were in trouble. There was no way I was driving over there (even though it's only 2 miles away) to figure this out for him. An 81 year-old man shouldn't have a computer if he doesn't know how to use it. Like I knew what Test meant. Was it a folder? Was it a file? I couldn't ask these questions because he wouldn't know what a folder or a file was. All he knows are "programs" and "documents".
Me: What options do you see when you click Save?
CG'pa: All kinds of things. Then he rattles off a list that doesn't sound anything like what he should be seeing.
Me: Do you see Desktop as an option? I'm thinking maybe he can save there and then drag it to Test (whatever that is).
CG'pa: Desktop?
Me: How about your C-drive. Do you see that?
CG'pa: Uhhhhhh... Yeah. CD. I see it.
Me: NOOOO... Not CD. C-drive. Nevermind. Can you see My Documents.
CG'pa: Long pause. Yeah. Oh, I found it. There's test. This actually occured after a discussion about what My Documents was.
Me: Okay good. Put it in there.
CG'pa: It worked. Thanks.
Me: Okay... preparing to hang up.
CG'pa: Wait. I want to make sure I did this right.
And then we started all over again. "I can't find Test." "Where's that My Documents thing?" And so on and so on. I felt like that children's song: "There's a Hole in the Bucket". He couldn't seem to do it again, and I finally told him I couldn't really do much more over the phone because I had no clue what was on his computer. I think I also threw in something about PC vs. Mac.
Do you want to know the really remarkable thing about this whole conversation? My CG'pa actually wrote a computer manual once. Yep. I'm pretty sure he plagiarized the whole thing because he never has had a clue how to use a computer. He writes books. About anything and everything. And pays to have them printed. It's a little embarassing.
Do you have family members like this?
Me: hello?
CG'pa: I called because I needed to talk to someone smart. (there's always sucking up involved in these types of requests)
Me: uh-huh. At this point just about everything I say is short and slightly sarcastic. WAY... disrespectful, but this has been going on my whole life and I just don't have the patience for it anymore.
CG'pa: I need to put something on my computer.
Me: What do you mean "you need to put something on your computer"?
CG'pa: I've got a document that needs to be put on my computer.
Me: Where is the document now?
CG'pa: In my hand. It's a letter.
At this point I became totally dismayed. This was going to require a scanner. I wasn't even sure if the man would know what a scanner was. I told him he would need a scanner, and surprisingly he owns one. Go figure.
The problem is, the man has no idea how to use a scanner...or a computer. The next five minutes were spent trying to talk him through how to scan his letter. Scanning it wasn't the issue though. It was how to save the scan into the "program" that he wanted it saved into. I'm pretty sure by "program" he meant "folder".
Me: Now you need to go to File, Save, and then just choose where you want to save it.
CG'pa: Wait, slow down. Where do I find File?
Me: It's at the top. On the left.
CG'pa: Long pause... Okay, so I don't see the program I want to save the letter into. It's called Test.
Now I knew we were in trouble. There was no way I was driving over there (even though it's only 2 miles away) to figure this out for him. An 81 year-old man shouldn't have a computer if he doesn't know how to use it. Like I knew what Test meant. Was it a folder? Was it a file? I couldn't ask these questions because he wouldn't know what a folder or a file was. All he knows are "programs" and "documents".
Me: What options do you see when you click Save?
CG'pa: All kinds of things. Then he rattles off a list that doesn't sound anything like what he should be seeing.
Me: Do you see Desktop as an option? I'm thinking maybe he can save there and then drag it to Test (whatever that is).
CG'pa: Desktop?
Me: How about your C-drive. Do you see that?
CG'pa: Uhhhhhh... Yeah. CD. I see it.
Me: NOOOO... Not CD. C-drive. Nevermind. Can you see My Documents.
CG'pa: Long pause. Yeah. Oh, I found it. There's test. This actually occured after a discussion about what My Documents was.
Me: Okay good. Put it in there.
CG'pa: It worked. Thanks.
Me: Okay... preparing to hang up.
CG'pa: Wait. I want to make sure I did this right.
And then we started all over again. "I can't find Test." "Where's that My Documents thing?" And so on and so on. I felt like that children's song: "There's a Hole in the Bucket". He couldn't seem to do it again, and I finally told him I couldn't really do much more over the phone because I had no clue what was on his computer. I think I also threw in something about PC vs. Mac.
Do you want to know the really remarkable thing about this whole conversation? My CG'pa actually wrote a computer manual once. Yep. I'm pretty sure he plagiarized the whole thing because he never has had a clue how to use a computer. He writes books. About anything and everything. And pays to have them printed. It's a little embarassing.
Do you have family members like this?
Monday, March 23, 2009
Life Altering ChapStick Issues
Life as I know it may be coming to an end... I think I might be allergic to Strawberry ChapStick!
This may sound like no big deal to you, but this is a serious problem for me. I love my Strawberry ChapStick. Not Cherry, not the original "Old Man" ChapStick with the black label, but Wonderful, Wonderful, Strawberry ChapStick.
At any time, I own no less than four tubes of SCS: one in my purse, one at work, one by my chair in the living room and one by my night stand. I usually also have a back up in my gum and ChapStick drawer (yes, I have a drawer devoted to ChapStick and gum), just in case one of my other tubes runs out. My drawer has lots of gum for The Niece and Nephews and asorted flavors of CS, even though I really only like strawberry.
So here's what happened:
Several months ago (maybe 3 or 4), I started noticing that the skin under my bottom lip itched all the time and I had developed a rash. It was while complaining about the rash that my aunt suggested that I might be allergic to my CS. I immediately dismissed this as ridiculous. First of all, I have been using SCS daily for about three years now. Second, I just couldn't stand the thought of being allergic to my wonderful Strawberry ChapStick.
The reason my aunt would even suggest that I could be allergic to my SCS probably has something to do with how frequently I apply my SCS, and how liberally I apply it. It's a little ridiculous actually. I usually roll that tube around my lips at least five times when I apply it...as if I could actually get anymore CS on my lips after about the second time around.
Anyway, shortly after the rash, came the split in the corner of my lips. I had a terrible crack on the left (my left, right as you look at me) side of my mouth. It just wouldn't go away. I couldn't understand how it would have even been able to get cracked considering how often I put CS on.
Then about a month ago, I got a crack on the other side of my mouth. What!?! Not only was this painful, but embarrasing. I just kept putting more SCS on my lips.
And when I thought it couldn't get any worse... I then developed a red ring around my entire mouth. I looked like a 3-year-old with a Kool-Aid mustache! And it was painful.
Last week I had finally had enough. I decided that maybe my aunt was right; maybe I had developed an allergy. *gasp* I decided to switch to Carmex. I chose Carmex because it has a completely different make-up and it has healing properties (it's medicated you know). My hope was that the Carmex (Cherry by the way, they don't make strawberry) would help heal my poor, damaged, looks-like-a-3-year-old, lips.
One week later and my lips have almost returned to normal. Yay! This could mean that I am allergic to Strawberry ChapStick. Boo! As soon as I am thoroughly healed, I am going back to the SCS as an experiment. I am really hoping that I'm not allergic to SCS and that I just needed a medicated lip balm to alieve the cracks and redness and I can now safely go back to SCS. We'll see soon enough.
Am I going crazy here? Could I possibly be allergic to ChapStick after all these years?
This may sound like no big deal to you, but this is a serious problem for me. I love my Strawberry ChapStick. Not Cherry, not the original "Old Man" ChapStick with the black label, but Wonderful, Wonderful, Strawberry ChapStick.
At any time, I own no less than four tubes of SCS: one in my purse, one at work, one by my chair in the living room and one by my night stand. I usually also have a back up in my gum and ChapStick drawer (yes, I have a drawer devoted to ChapStick and gum), just in case one of my other tubes runs out. My drawer has lots of gum for The Niece and Nephews and asorted flavors of CS, even though I really only like strawberry.
So here's what happened:
Several months ago (maybe 3 or 4), I started noticing that the skin under my bottom lip itched all the time and I had developed a rash. It was while complaining about the rash that my aunt suggested that I might be allergic to my CS. I immediately dismissed this as ridiculous. First of all, I have been using SCS daily for about three years now. Second, I just couldn't stand the thought of being allergic to my wonderful Strawberry ChapStick.
The reason my aunt would even suggest that I could be allergic to my SCS probably has something to do with how frequently I apply my SCS, and how liberally I apply it. It's a little ridiculous actually. I usually roll that tube around my lips at least five times when I apply it...as if I could actually get anymore CS on my lips after about the second time around.
Anyway, shortly after the rash, came the split in the corner of my lips. I had a terrible crack on the left (my left, right as you look at me) side of my mouth. It just wouldn't go away. I couldn't understand how it would have even been able to get cracked considering how often I put CS on.
Then about a month ago, I got a crack on the other side of my mouth. What!?! Not only was this painful, but embarrasing. I just kept putting more SCS on my lips.
And when I thought it couldn't get any worse... I then developed a red ring around my entire mouth. I looked like a 3-year-old with a Kool-Aid mustache! And it was painful.
Last week I had finally had enough. I decided that maybe my aunt was right; maybe I had developed an allergy. *gasp* I decided to switch to Carmex. I chose Carmex because it has a completely different make-up and it has healing properties (it's medicated you know). My hope was that the Carmex (Cherry by the way, they don't make strawberry) would help heal my poor, damaged, looks-like-a-3-year-old, lips.
One week later and my lips have almost returned to normal. Yay! This could mean that I am allergic to Strawberry ChapStick. Boo! As soon as I am thoroughly healed, I am going back to the SCS as an experiment. I am really hoping that I'm not allergic to SCS and that I just needed a medicated lip balm to alieve the cracks and redness and I can now safely go back to SCS. We'll see soon enough.
Am I going crazy here? Could I possibly be allergic to ChapStick after all these years?
Just Another Reason to Hate PC's
I had someone say that my font was difficult to read on my new background. I couldn't quite understand because it looked fine to me, but I changed the colors around a little, making them darker, etc. Now I know why I didn't see the problem...
Everything looks great and easy to read on my Mac, but when I checked it on a PC... Not awesome at all. Stupid PC's are still wrecking my world even though I don't own one.
The background is MUCH brighter (making the font harder to read) and the font looks so much different. It's like the difference between a fine point pen and a felt tip marker.
What's up with that? Stupid PC's.
Everything looks great and easy to read on my Mac, but when I checked it on a PC... Not awesome at all. Stupid PC's are still wrecking my world even though I don't own one.
The background is MUCH brighter (making the font harder to read) and the font looks so much different. It's like the difference between a fine point pen and a felt tip marker.
What's up with that? Stupid PC's.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Small Town Living
I truly love living in a small town. Actually, I live out in the country between two small towns: one is my hometown (school, church, etc.) and the other is the town where I work. I'm only about 4 miles closer to my hometown than to the town where I work, and both towns are between 2,000 and 3,000 people. Of course, as all small towns go, the population is based on those that live within the city limits and doesn't include all of us rural people.
Here is a list of some of the reasons why I love living in a small town:
1. If you don't know a person, you can bet that you both have at least one acquaintance in common. This usually forges a common bond, even among strangers. "Oh, you know Pete?"..."Yeah, Pete's my mom's neighbor" (you get the picture)
2. People help each other out. When you know the majority of people in town, you tend to feel more compelled to help someone out. No one is going to let little Suzie Smith sit by the side of the road with a flat tire for very long.
3. When you go to the local shops, they already know who you are, and might even know what you want. Take for instance the tire shop that I frequent. I walk in and end up spending my waiting time discussing my family with the owner. His daughter is one of my aunt's best friends, my uncle worked for him, my grandfather used to keep his semi truck parked behind the shop... This happens all the time to people in a small town. Also, when I go to the local medical clinic, I don't even have to give my name to the receptionist...we go to church together.
4. Since I actually live out in the country, I can walk out to get my mail with a towel wrapped around my head or still in my PJs if I want to. I have two neighbors and they're my aunt and uncle. Now, I don't believe I've ever gone out to the mailbox in my PJs, but I'm pretty sure I've gone outside in my PJs for one reason or another at some point in time. And I know I've gone to the mailbox with my wet hair still wrapped in a towel.
5. If people don't know me, they are likely to know someone from one side of my family. My mom worked at the local bank for over 20 years and gave many people in town a loan for one thing or another. My dad's family is fairly well known because of the large hog farm they had in the 60's-80's. My mom's parents are pretty big in the local Baptist church (G'ma plays the organ and G'pa leads the singing), and my brother is the preacher there. Also, my G'ma used to own a local business. One of my aunts taught in the high school for over 20 years. I'm sure I could go on, but I think I've made my point. Of course, all this can be a negative if someone doesn't like one of your family members...which sometimes happens when it comes to the CG'parents.
6. Traffic jams? What are those?
7. You need a job? My uncle's cousin Jim is looking for someone to work with him at his construction business...or something like that.
8. There is so much beauty in and around a small town. I live in the Ozarks and I believe it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. We have hills and valleys with lots of creaks and rivers (yes there is a difference) running through. In fact, I believe Missouri has more bridges than any other state in the US. You don't have to drive very far from where I live to be in a State Park. There is so much to enjoy and see.
These are only a few of the reasons why I love living in a small town.
For more about small town life, visit Wendy at On the Front Porch for her Small Town Snapshop Sunday.
If you live in a small town, let me know your favorite part of small town life!
Here is a list of some of the reasons why I love living in a small town:
1. If you don't know a person, you can bet that you both have at least one acquaintance in common. This usually forges a common bond, even among strangers. "Oh, you know Pete?"..."Yeah, Pete's my mom's neighbor" (you get the picture)
2. People help each other out. When you know the majority of people in town, you tend to feel more compelled to help someone out. No one is going to let little Suzie Smith sit by the side of the road with a flat tire for very long.
3. When you go to the local shops, they already know who you are, and might even know what you want. Take for instance the tire shop that I frequent. I walk in and end up spending my waiting time discussing my family with the owner. His daughter is one of my aunt's best friends, my uncle worked for him, my grandfather used to keep his semi truck parked behind the shop... This happens all the time to people in a small town. Also, when I go to the local medical clinic, I don't even have to give my name to the receptionist...we go to church together.
4. Since I actually live out in the country, I can walk out to get my mail with a towel wrapped around my head or still in my PJs if I want to. I have two neighbors and they're my aunt and uncle. Now, I don't believe I've ever gone out to the mailbox in my PJs, but I'm pretty sure I've gone outside in my PJs for one reason or another at some point in time. And I know I've gone to the mailbox with my wet hair still wrapped in a towel.
5. If people don't know me, they are likely to know someone from one side of my family. My mom worked at the local bank for over 20 years and gave many people in town a loan for one thing or another. My dad's family is fairly well known because of the large hog farm they had in the 60's-80's. My mom's parents are pretty big in the local Baptist church (G'ma plays the organ and G'pa leads the singing), and my brother is the preacher there. Also, my G'ma used to own a local business. One of my aunts taught in the high school for over 20 years. I'm sure I could go on, but I think I've made my point. Of course, all this can be a negative if someone doesn't like one of your family members...which sometimes happens when it comes to the CG'parents.
6. Traffic jams? What are those?
7. You need a job? My uncle's cousin Jim is looking for someone to work with him at his construction business...or something like that.
8. There is so much beauty in and around a small town. I live in the Ozarks and I believe it is one of the most beautiful places in the world. We have hills and valleys with lots of creaks and rivers (yes there is a difference) running through. In fact, I believe Missouri has more bridges than any other state in the US. You don't have to drive very far from where I live to be in a State Park. There is so much to enjoy and see.
These are only a few of the reasons why I love living in a small town.
For more about small town life, visit Wendy at On the Front Porch for her Small Town Snapshop Sunday.
If you live in a small town, let me know your favorite part of small town life!
Savings Sunday 3-22
I didn't really have any good savings to add this week. Even the coupons in this week's paper were pretty lame...unless you like Rhodes rolls (4 coupons...why?).
I did find out some pretty disturbing news. My mom went to Walgreen's this week and the man at the register told her that Walgreen's was going to get rid of their Easy Saver book. What?!?! Why? He told her that they were going strictly to Register Rewards, and that most people preferred them. Whatever. Now I have to want both the product that produces a RR and the product the RR is for. Not awesome. She wasn't sure if they were getting rid of the weekly ads with the instant value coupons in them. I hope they don't, but I am betting they do. They'll probably just have sales in their adds with the RRs that you can get. Apparently, next month is the last month for ES.
And just when I was getting into the whole Walgreen's thing.
What do you think about Walgreen's new system?
I did find out some pretty disturbing news. My mom went to Walgreen's this week and the man at the register told her that Walgreen's was going to get rid of their Easy Saver book. What?!?! Why? He told her that they were going strictly to Register Rewards, and that most people preferred them. Whatever. Now I have to want both the product that produces a RR and the product the RR is for. Not awesome. She wasn't sure if they were getting rid of the weekly ads with the instant value coupons in them. I hope they don't, but I am betting they do. They'll probably just have sales in their adds with the RRs that you can get. Apparently, next month is the last month for ES.
And just when I was getting into the whole Walgreen's thing.
What do you think about Walgreen's new system?
Saturday, March 21, 2009
A Spring Update
Another blog update!
I have been working on this for awhile and finally decided to unveil it today. I decided on a new look for spring. I hope that it is not too bright for you guys. I'm not really into "girly" colors, but still wanted something that reminded me of spring.
I am fairly happy with this background and layout. The only problem I have is that it has messed up my Label Cloud. It no longer looks like a cloud, it's just a list. I will try to take time soon to fix this. I intend to try to re-install the widget in hopes that that will fix the problem.
Let me know what you think. Do you like the new background and layout? Does it drive you nuts when I change things?
I have been working on this for awhile and finally decided to unveil it today. I decided on a new look for spring. I hope that it is not too bright for you guys. I'm not really into "girly" colors, but still wanted something that reminded me of spring.
I am fairly happy with this background and layout. The only problem I have is that it has messed up my Label Cloud. It no longer looks like a cloud, it's just a list. I will try to take time soon to fix this. I intend to try to re-install the widget in hopes that that will fix the problem.
Let me know what you think. Do you like the new background and layout? Does it drive you nuts when I change things?
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Spring Is In The Air
Spring is in the air!
I'm so excited for spring. Every day something new is popping up around the house. Jonquils are blooming. The pear tree is blossoming. In another day or two my weeping cherry tree will be white with blossoms.
There is so much to do around the yard to prepare for spring. I've considered hiring some of the kids to come over one day soon and help me clean up the corner garden. It was supposed to be a cottage garden with a fish pond in the center, but it has become really over grown and out of control. The pump went out in the pond and the whole thing needs to be cleaned out, the pump replaced and the filter system rebuilt. It's a big job and I'm just too lazy to do it by myself (plus it would take days to do on my own and I don't have that kind of time). It would be worth paying $150 and a nice lunch to get that cleaned up so I can enjoy it.
Happy Spring Everyone!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
American Idol Top 11 Results Show
I didn’t fast forward through this episode like I normally do because I was also working on Photoshoping pictures for a brochure, so I used the down-time to work on the pictures.
I was interested to see how the choreography would work around Scott this week. That’s one of my favorite new pass times. This week they sang “T.R.O.U.B.L.E.” and Scott played the piano. This was a terrible song to choose to do because it is a solo song, not a group song and sounded terrible as a group song.
The Ford commercial was cute, but since they were running around throwing water balloons at each other, Scott didn’t get much face time. I’m sure it is sometimes hard to figure out where to place him so that he doesn’t need to run around like the rest of the group.
Danny’s safe (big surprise *sarcasm*), Lil is safe (not sure why…she was the worst of the whole bunch, so she must have some fans), Anoop is safe (Yay!), Allison and Michael stand together, so you know one of them is in the bottom three. Allison is told she’s in the bottom three. (I can’t believe this. She was one of the best from last night’s performances.) Michael is also in the bottom three. (This I’m okay with because he should be in the bottom. I am, however, surprised that his “good ‘ol boy” status didn’t keep him out of the bottom three.)
FF through Brad Paisley’s country ballad.
Scott is safe (I’m glad, he’s so sweet and I would love to see him a few more weeks), Megan is also safe (and she should be after last night’s performance…while sick), Matt is safe (no surprise). Kris gets through with no problems. Alexis and Adam go up against each other. I’d be surprised if it isn’t Alexis in the bottom. And…Alexis is in the bottom three.
One goes immediately back to the couches…Allison is safe. Which is as it should be. She shouldn’t have been in the bottom three to begin with. I’m okay with the other two, but think Alexis is better than her performance last night and out of the two, is the one I think deserves another chance. Having said that, I bet Alexis is about to give her final performance.
FF through the majority of the Carey Underwood and Randy Travis duet.
Before going to commercial break, Ryan asks Simon if they would consider using their one save on either one of the contestants and Simon said they’d already discussed it and depending on who is chosen to go home, they would consider using the save.
Michael is safe and Alexis is chosen to go home. Now my guess is that Alexis is the one they would chose to save, but I’m not sure…let’s see.
Simon said that Alexis was the one they were thinking about saving, and that it all came down to her performance. During Alexis’ performance, they show the judges huddled up discussing whether or not they are going to save her. Remember, they only get one save all season. I’m not sure that Alexis doesn’t over do it, trying to prove that she deserves to be kept in the competition.
He said they were unanimous on their decision. The song was good, but not good enough and they decide to not use their save on Alexis. I wouldn’t have used it either. Michael should have gone home before her, but she wasn’t good enough to save.
Next week AI will be on Wednesday and Thursday due to the President’s speech on Tuesday.
Is your favorite contestant still in the running?
I was interested to see how the choreography would work around Scott this week. That’s one of my favorite new pass times. This week they sang “T.R.O.U.B.L.E.” and Scott played the piano. This was a terrible song to choose to do because it is a solo song, not a group song and sounded terrible as a group song.
The Ford commercial was cute, but since they were running around throwing water balloons at each other, Scott didn’t get much face time. I’m sure it is sometimes hard to figure out where to place him so that he doesn’t need to run around like the rest of the group.
Danny’s safe (big surprise *sarcasm*), Lil is safe (not sure why…she was the worst of the whole bunch, so she must have some fans), Anoop is safe (Yay!), Allison and Michael stand together, so you know one of them is in the bottom three. Allison is told she’s in the bottom three. (I can’t believe this. She was one of the best from last night’s performances.) Michael is also in the bottom three. (This I’m okay with because he should be in the bottom. I am, however, surprised that his “good ‘ol boy” status didn’t keep him out of the bottom three.)
FF through Brad Paisley’s country ballad.
Scott is safe (I’m glad, he’s so sweet and I would love to see him a few more weeks), Megan is also safe (and she should be after last night’s performance…while sick), Matt is safe (no surprise). Kris gets through with no problems. Alexis and Adam go up against each other. I’d be surprised if it isn’t Alexis in the bottom. And…Alexis is in the bottom three.
One goes immediately back to the couches…Allison is safe. Which is as it should be. She shouldn’t have been in the bottom three to begin with. I’m okay with the other two, but think Alexis is better than her performance last night and out of the two, is the one I think deserves another chance. Having said that, I bet Alexis is about to give her final performance.
FF through the majority of the Carey Underwood and Randy Travis duet.
Before going to commercial break, Ryan asks Simon if they would consider using their one save on either one of the contestants and Simon said they’d already discussed it and depending on who is chosen to go home, they would consider using the save.
Michael is safe and Alexis is chosen to go home. Now my guess is that Alexis is the one they would chose to save, but I’m not sure…let’s see.
Simon said that Alexis was the one they were thinking about saving, and that it all came down to her performance. During Alexis’ performance, they show the judges huddled up discussing whether or not they are going to save her. Remember, they only get one save all season. I’m not sure that Alexis doesn’t over do it, trying to prove that she deserves to be kept in the competition.
He said they were unanimous on their decision. The song was good, but not good enough and they decide to not use their save on Alexis. I wouldn’t have used it either. Michael should have gone home before her, but she wasn’t good enough to save.
Next week AI will be on Wednesday and Thursday due to the President’s speech on Tuesday.
Is your favorite contestant still in the running?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
American Idol Top 11
This is country week. Yee-Haw! Randy Travis came to help the idols out this week.
Despite that, this is a big week because whomever is left after this week gets to go on the Idol summer tour.
Michael sings “Aint Going Down Til The Sun Comes Up” This is not the easiest song to sing because of all the words and how fast they have to be sung (spoken really). And there’s the problem…much of the song is spoken instead of sung. Also, there were definitely times when I was afraid he was going to run out of air before getting all the words out. I still believe Michael is an average singer. However, he’ll probably continue to advance due to his “good ‘ol boy” popularity. Randy thought it was a cool song choice, but didn’t show anything new vocally. Kara said they got to see his personality, but missed the big notes. Paula thought it was fun and country suits him. Simon said it should have been good, but he couldn’t understand a word Michael was saying. He said it was a bit clumsy and karaoke.
Allison sings “Blame It On Your Heart” Her voice is just as suited to country music as it is rock. I thought she did a great job with this song both vocally and with making it her own. I still can’t believe she’s only 16! She is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Kara said Allison could sing the alphabet and that she made the song her own. Paula said it was another rock-solid performance. Simon thought it was good, but it was a little tuneless in parts. Randy said it was “dope”.
Kris also sings Garth Brooks…without the guitar. I really think he should stay behind the guitar, it gives him the personality he lacks without it. I’m still not buying into the hype surrounding Kris. He’s okay, but not as good as the hype. I think his voice is a little annoying…maybe because it’s slightly nasally at times and a little boyish. He stays on key most of the time and hits most of the notes though. Paula said he needed to watch the low notes. Simon said it was terrific and the first time he’s actually thought Kris had a shot in this competition. Randy liked the “tender moments”. Kara said it wasn’t even country…it was beautiful. I can’t believe Paula was the hardest on him.
Lil sings “Independence Day” Although I’m not a country fan, I did listen to it a million years ago and this is one of my all time favorites. I wondered how she’d get the whole story in and she managed more of it by leaving out the chorus at least once. Lil did an good job with the notes, I just didn’t buy her as the narrator of this story. Randy said the song didn’t feel comfortable on her to him. Kara also thought there were better songs Lil could have chosen. Paula liked her vocals, hair and make-up, and thought Lil should have done one verse and gone strait to the chorus so Lil could show off her vocals. Simon’s having problems with her name and kept calling her “Little”, which was pretty funny. He felt like she looked like someone forced to sing a song someone requested at a wedding and looked uncomfortable singing it (I think he’s spot-on by the way).
Adam sings a sitar version of “Ring of Fire” (and Johnny Cash was rolling in his grave). Randy Travis struggled to say something nice about Adam; it was amusing. I wasn’t into this arrangement. I would say that Adam made the song his own, but he admitted he heard this from someone else. I’m sure, however, that he will get props for making the song his own. Kara said it was “interesting” and “strange”, but she kind of liked it. She said the song left her confused and kind of happy. Paula said he’s true to who he is as an artist (and then she kissed his butt with a lot of other stuff). Simon said, “I think what Randy [Travis] was saying was…'What the hell was that?'” Then Simon said it was indulgent rubbish. (I’m so glad Simon feels this way.) Randy said it was current and like Nine Inch Nails singing a country song (as if I would want to hear that).
Scott sings “Wild Angels” and plays the piano. I think he did a good job; there were a few notes that were a little shaky, but not necessarily off key. I still think Scott will get into the top 5, no problem, but probably won’t win the whole thing. Paula said it was impressive and lovely, but the piano might be a bit of a crutch that separates him from the audience. Simon thought what Paula said was stupid (and then there was a whole argument with Paula) and that Elton John always sits behind the piano. Simon still thinks that Scott’s not picking the best songs. Randy said he’s still looking for the “hott, crazy, unbelievable” vocals. Kara said that they just want him to “up his game”.
Alexis chose “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. I didn’t like how she tried to change the song by shortening the last “Jolene” at the beginning of the song…it just sounded odd because it was so different from original, but there wasn’t much else that different from the original version. Overall, I think it was good, but not great. There were a few missed notes and it wasn’t a stellar performance. I still like Alexis, but this was not one of her best performances. Randy said there were pitch problems and it wasn’t a great performance. Kara said Alexis lost some of her edge. Paula thought it might have been a good choice because Alexis showed a different side of herself. Simon thought it was okay, but a little bit sound-alike and forgettable.
Danny sings Carey Underwood’s “Jesus Take The Wheel”. I really don’t like it when Idol contestants sing past Idolist’s songs. It feels like they are trying to get brownie points... but that’s probably just me. Danny does a great job as usual. I wasn’t sure at first, but then he hit the big notes that are in the chorus…no problem. Kara said the first half was not spectacular, but the second half was great. Paula disagreed because she loves when artists build a story and thought he was brilliant. Simon agreed with Paula because he thought the song should have some light and shade. Randy agreed with Kara and said he needed to support the verses better because they were a little pitchy.
Anoop sings “You’re Always On My Mind”. This is why I love Anoop. To me, it’s not just his singing, but his stage presence and connection with the audience. I think he made this a modern song again. This could be a top 20 hit on the pop charts right now. Paula said the song “fit him like a glove” and that he had tender, honest, amazing vocals. Simon said Anoop managed to go from Zero to Hero and said it was a good song choice and one of his favorite performances of the night. He took back the remark from last week and said Anoop definitely deserves to be here. Randy loved the arrangement. Kara said it was almost an untouchable song and hard to do what Anoop did and it was probably the best performance of the night.
Megan sings “I Go Walking After Midnight”. She takes the song and twists it around and makes it sound like something from Etta James. Although it wasn’t necessarily my type of music, I could definitely appreciate what she did with the song, and I think she did a good job. I would have said great job, but she missed a couple of notes. Randy thought it was going to be a train wreck, but he was impressed. Kara said it was the perfect song, and the perfect look. (Apparently Megan had the flu and had even been to the hospital. If that’s the case then I take back any mention of wrong notes because I’m sure it was due to the coughing, sore throat, etc.) Paula said she was fantastic. Simon said she should have the flu every week. Poor Megan coughed through the entire judging.
Matt sings Carey Underwood’s “So Small” (great… more ex-Idol) while playing the piano. He does an okay job. Not my favorite performance. Nothing spectacular in my opinion, but a solid job nonetheless. Kara loved it. Paul said he was “piercing through so many peoples hearts.” Simon said that Matt out-sang Danny tonight and that Matt reminds him of Michael Bublé. Randy said it was his favorite performance of the night.
I think Lil is in trouble, and will probably be the one going home tomorrow night. I also believe Michael should be in the bottom, but probably won’t be. Alexis might find herself in the bottom tomorrow night, but I don’t think she’ll go home.
Who do you think is going home?
Despite that, this is a big week because whomever is left after this week gets to go on the Idol summer tour.
Michael sings “Aint Going Down Til The Sun Comes Up” This is not the easiest song to sing because of all the words and how fast they have to be sung (spoken really). And there’s the problem…much of the song is spoken instead of sung. Also, there were definitely times when I was afraid he was going to run out of air before getting all the words out. I still believe Michael is an average singer. However, he’ll probably continue to advance due to his “good ‘ol boy” popularity. Randy thought it was a cool song choice, but didn’t show anything new vocally. Kara said they got to see his personality, but missed the big notes. Paula thought it was fun and country suits him. Simon said it should have been good, but he couldn’t understand a word Michael was saying. He said it was a bit clumsy and karaoke.
Allison sings “Blame It On Your Heart” Her voice is just as suited to country music as it is rock. I thought she did a great job with this song both vocally and with making it her own. I still can’t believe she’s only 16! She is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Kara said Allison could sing the alphabet and that she made the song her own. Paula said it was another rock-solid performance. Simon thought it was good, but it was a little tuneless in parts. Randy said it was “dope”.
Kris also sings Garth Brooks…without the guitar. I really think he should stay behind the guitar, it gives him the personality he lacks without it. I’m still not buying into the hype surrounding Kris. He’s okay, but not as good as the hype. I think his voice is a little annoying…maybe because it’s slightly nasally at times and a little boyish. He stays on key most of the time and hits most of the notes though. Paula said he needed to watch the low notes. Simon said it was terrific and the first time he’s actually thought Kris had a shot in this competition. Randy liked the “tender moments”. Kara said it wasn’t even country…it was beautiful. I can’t believe Paula was the hardest on him.
Lil sings “Independence Day” Although I’m not a country fan, I did listen to it a million years ago and this is one of my all time favorites. I wondered how she’d get the whole story in and she managed more of it by leaving out the chorus at least once. Lil did an good job with the notes, I just didn’t buy her as the narrator of this story. Randy said the song didn’t feel comfortable on her to him. Kara also thought there were better songs Lil could have chosen. Paula liked her vocals, hair and make-up, and thought Lil should have done one verse and gone strait to the chorus so Lil could show off her vocals. Simon’s having problems with her name and kept calling her “Little”, which was pretty funny. He felt like she looked like someone forced to sing a song someone requested at a wedding and looked uncomfortable singing it (I think he’s spot-on by the way).
Adam sings a sitar version of “Ring of Fire” (and Johnny Cash was rolling in his grave). Randy Travis struggled to say something nice about Adam; it was amusing. I wasn’t into this arrangement. I would say that Adam made the song his own, but he admitted he heard this from someone else. I’m sure, however, that he will get props for making the song his own. Kara said it was “interesting” and “strange”, but she kind of liked it. She said the song left her confused and kind of happy. Paula said he’s true to who he is as an artist (and then she kissed his butt with a lot of other stuff). Simon said, “I think what Randy [Travis] was saying was…'What the hell was that?'” Then Simon said it was indulgent rubbish. (I’m so glad Simon feels this way.) Randy said it was current and like Nine Inch Nails singing a country song (as if I would want to hear that).
Scott sings “Wild Angels” and plays the piano. I think he did a good job; there were a few notes that were a little shaky, but not necessarily off key. I still think Scott will get into the top 5, no problem, but probably won’t win the whole thing. Paula said it was impressive and lovely, but the piano might be a bit of a crutch that separates him from the audience. Simon thought what Paula said was stupid (and then there was a whole argument with Paula) and that Elton John always sits behind the piano. Simon still thinks that Scott’s not picking the best songs. Randy said he’s still looking for the “hott, crazy, unbelievable” vocals. Kara said that they just want him to “up his game”.
Alexis chose “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. I didn’t like how she tried to change the song by shortening the last “Jolene” at the beginning of the song…it just sounded odd because it was so different from original, but there wasn’t much else that different from the original version. Overall, I think it was good, but not great. There were a few missed notes and it wasn’t a stellar performance. I still like Alexis, but this was not one of her best performances. Randy said there were pitch problems and it wasn’t a great performance. Kara said Alexis lost some of her edge. Paula thought it might have been a good choice because Alexis showed a different side of herself. Simon thought it was okay, but a little bit sound-alike and forgettable.
Danny sings Carey Underwood’s “Jesus Take The Wheel”. I really don’t like it when Idol contestants sing past Idolist’s songs. It feels like they are trying to get brownie points... but that’s probably just me. Danny does a great job as usual. I wasn’t sure at first, but then he hit the big notes that are in the chorus…no problem. Kara said the first half was not spectacular, but the second half was great. Paula disagreed because she loves when artists build a story and thought he was brilliant. Simon agreed with Paula because he thought the song should have some light and shade. Randy agreed with Kara and said he needed to support the verses better because they were a little pitchy.
Anoop sings “You’re Always On My Mind”. This is why I love Anoop. To me, it’s not just his singing, but his stage presence and connection with the audience. I think he made this a modern song again. This could be a top 20 hit on the pop charts right now. Paula said the song “fit him like a glove” and that he had tender, honest, amazing vocals. Simon said Anoop managed to go from Zero to Hero and said it was a good song choice and one of his favorite performances of the night. He took back the remark from last week and said Anoop definitely deserves to be here. Randy loved the arrangement. Kara said it was almost an untouchable song and hard to do what Anoop did and it was probably the best performance of the night.
Megan sings “I Go Walking After Midnight”. She takes the song and twists it around and makes it sound like something from Etta James. Although it wasn’t necessarily my type of music, I could definitely appreciate what she did with the song, and I think she did a good job. I would have said great job, but she missed a couple of notes. Randy thought it was going to be a train wreck, but he was impressed. Kara said it was the perfect song, and the perfect look. (Apparently Megan had the flu and had even been to the hospital. If that’s the case then I take back any mention of wrong notes because I’m sure it was due to the coughing, sore throat, etc.) Paula said she was fantastic. Simon said she should have the flu every week. Poor Megan coughed through the entire judging.
Matt sings Carey Underwood’s “So Small” (great… more ex-Idol) while playing the piano. He does an okay job. Not my favorite performance. Nothing spectacular in my opinion, but a solid job nonetheless. Kara loved it. Paul said he was “piercing through so many peoples hearts.” Simon said that Matt out-sang Danny tonight and that Matt reminds him of Michael Bublé. Randy said it was his favorite performance of the night.
I think Lil is in trouble, and will probably be the one going home tomorrow night. I also believe Michael should be in the bottom, but probably won’t be. Alexis might find herself in the bottom tomorrow night, but I don’t think she’ll go home.
Who do you think is going home?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Busy Week
Last week was one of the busiest weeks I've had this year.
On the work front (which was at least 75% of the problem), it was the last week of 3rd quarter, and I had a lot of grading still left to do. All grades had to be entered by 3:00pm today. I barely made it. I'm usually better prepared than this. I like to have all the grades entered in time to be able to print out individual grades for each kid and let them go over them. This helps will typos and errors due to how many grades I have to enter. I just didn't have time this quarter. Hope no grades were majorly affected.
Some assignments I was just not able to grade in time to get them into 3rd quarter grades. I often try to do too much in my quest to be a great literature teacher. I want to push my kids and make sure that the only ones that pass my class are the ones who are going to read the assigned literature. I just don't think a student should be able to pass an English class without reading a single story a book all year, and there are many English classes where that is entirely possible...mine is not one of them. You wouldn't expect a kid to be able to pass an algebra class without being able to actually do algebra...would you? I have a whole theory about this, but it basically boils down to the fact that English teachers love to explain the literature to kids...which means students don't actually have to read the story to understand it or even pass the test. It's a lot more work for a teacher to give the kids extra assignments designed to check up on whether they are actually doing their reading or not. That's how I create a lot of work for myself. Currently, I should be finishing a short story and reading another short short...and creating notes for both of those in order for them to be passed out tomorrow. All this has to be done before my first class in the morning. I'll probably do it last minute.
Another part of my busy week comes from the upcoming school play. We are putting on "The Odd Couple" this year, and there's still a lot of work (actually, most of the work) to be done before the play. This means 2 hours of practice every day after school. That is taking up a lot of the time that I would usually devote to grading papers.
I can only force myself to stay in an empty school building for so long, so it is hard to go back to my room after practice is over and do another two hours of grading! This is only my second year teaching this subject, and I am still working on my curriculum. I am hoping by next year to have much of the lessons created so I will be spending most of my time grading. Also, I have realized that I need to cut back on the amount and length of assignments next year so that I can actually get them graded! I have to find that happy medium between enough assignments that I know the kids are learning and reading, and not so much work that I can't get them all graded!
I did have Friday off. It was the only day left out of our Spring Break that didn't get taken away in order to make up snow days. The only thing I did all day was go grocery shopping. I could have/should have done a lot of things, but I needed one day to myself.
I then spent all of Saturday over at my Mom's with my brother's family. I usually come home for awhile during the day (often to take a nap), but I didn't have time to this Saturday. I was kept busy most of the day. I watched the boys in the morning while Mom, the SiL and The Niece were shopping for beds for the kids. Then I went with the SiL after lunch to put the beds together at her house. As soon as we got back, I had to go out and take pictures of cattle (even though it was sprinkling! And I just had to do it again today) for my Dad for a brochure he's having made up for our beef. It was all very hectic.
Sunday was full of church services, praise team practice and youth team meetings. Not to mention that last minute grading that I had put off...just like a kid and their homework!
Now that I have bored you with how much I had to do this week, I will just say one more thing: I hope that I am back to being able to keep up with daily posts, both here and on my photoblog. That's the goal anyway.
Have you ever had one of those weeks where you felt like a chicken with your head chopped off?
On the work front (which was at least 75% of the problem), it was the last week of 3rd quarter, and I had a lot of grading still left to do. All grades had to be entered by 3:00pm today. I barely made it. I'm usually better prepared than this. I like to have all the grades entered in time to be able to print out individual grades for each kid and let them go over them. This helps will typos and errors due to how many grades I have to enter. I just didn't have time this quarter. Hope no grades were majorly affected.
Some assignments I was just not able to grade in time to get them into 3rd quarter grades. I often try to do too much in my quest to be a great literature teacher. I want to push my kids and make sure that the only ones that pass my class are the ones who are going to read the assigned literature. I just don't think a student should be able to pass an English class without reading a single story a book all year, and there are many English classes where that is entirely possible...mine is not one of them. You wouldn't expect a kid to be able to pass an algebra class without being able to actually do algebra...would you? I have a whole theory about this, but it basically boils down to the fact that English teachers love to explain the literature to kids...which means students don't actually have to read the story to understand it or even pass the test. It's a lot more work for a teacher to give the kids extra assignments designed to check up on whether they are actually doing their reading or not. That's how I create a lot of work for myself. Currently, I should be finishing a short story and reading another short short...and creating notes for both of those in order for them to be passed out tomorrow. All this has to be done before my first class in the morning. I'll probably do it last minute.
Another part of my busy week comes from the upcoming school play. We are putting on "The Odd Couple" this year, and there's still a lot of work (actually, most of the work) to be done before the play. This means 2 hours of practice every day after school. That is taking up a lot of the time that I would usually devote to grading papers.
I can only force myself to stay in an empty school building for so long, so it is hard to go back to my room after practice is over and do another two hours of grading! This is only my second year teaching this subject, and I am still working on my curriculum. I am hoping by next year to have much of the lessons created so I will be spending most of my time grading. Also, I have realized that I need to cut back on the amount and length of assignments next year so that I can actually get them graded! I have to find that happy medium between enough assignments that I know the kids are learning and reading, and not so much work that I can't get them all graded!
I did have Friday off. It was the only day left out of our Spring Break that didn't get taken away in order to make up snow days. The only thing I did all day was go grocery shopping. I could have/should have done a lot of things, but I needed one day to myself.
I then spent all of Saturday over at my Mom's with my brother's family. I usually come home for awhile during the day (often to take a nap), but I didn't have time to this Saturday. I was kept busy most of the day. I watched the boys in the morning while Mom, the SiL and The Niece were shopping for beds for the kids. Then I went with the SiL after lunch to put the beds together at her house. As soon as we got back, I had to go out and take pictures of cattle (even though it was sprinkling! And I just had to do it again today) for my Dad for a brochure he's having made up for our beef. It was all very hectic.
Sunday was full of church services, praise team practice and youth team meetings. Not to mention that last minute grading that I had put off...just like a kid and their homework!
Now that I have bored you with how much I had to do this week, I will just say one more thing: I hope that I am back to being able to keep up with daily posts, both here and on my photoblog. That's the goal anyway.
Have you ever had one of those weeks where you felt like a chicken with your head chopped off?
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Savings Sunday 3-15
I am beginning a new venture in my life as an adult…yes, I have finally decided to be a grown-up. I am going to work on my finances!
I have started an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my monthly expenses. That was step one. The list has all my monthly bills, but I have even broken down the list into smaller categories including: gifts, Amazon purchases (for my Kindle), eating out, make-up, clothes, etc.
I have major debt from college loans that need to get paid off. I already pay over the minimum payment, but at this rate it’ll take me over 15 years to pay it off! I also have some credit card debt. Not as much as some, but around $3,000. I used to be so good to always pay off credit cards at the end of the month, but I got into the habit of putting everything on the credit card, so it went up pretty fast. I also have a problem with paying bills on time. I don’t know why, but instead of paying them when they come in, I put them aside so I can do it all at once. I use online bill pay through my bank and it is really easy, but I still don’t do it immediately. This becomes a real problem when I forget there are bills that haven’t been paid…then I find them 5 days after they are due. Not good. I’ve combated this, somewhat, by setting up auto pays for my credit cards (as well as anything with a fixed amount such as my DirecTV). That way I know they get paid and then I can go in at any time and send an additional payment if I want. I’ve also stopped using my credit card for grocery shopping and gas.
Coupons and local savings ads are my next big thing to tackle. I’ve been reading through the advice my friend Phoebe gives on her blog, Cents to Be Debt Free. I’ve been picking up the Sunday paper for the coupons they have inside. I have also started a coupon binder. You can go here to see Phoebe’s binder. I am organizing mine by the aisles in my local Wal-Mart where I do the bulk of my shopping. This is basically the same as organizing by category, but a little more specific. I’m trying to learn the ins and outs of Walgreen’s. There’s a lot of saving to be had there, and I hope to snatch some of those this month.
After attempting my first foray into the world of Walgreen’s savings, I have found that I waited too long to go shopping for the big buys. I lost out on a few freebies (or near freebies) because I didn’t go shopping until the 12th. Next month I will try to get down there as soon as possible. I think my mom and I plan to go the first Sunday of the month. We’ll go eat after church and work through that day’s coupons, pairing them with Easy Saver Catalog and then go shopping. There is a specific way to work the Walgreen’s system. There are multiple savings sites that give out a Walgreen’s 101, but here’s a link to my friend Phoebe’s post.
I still managed to get some really good deals, including some freebies.
I am also beginning to work on creating a "home store". This is where I am going to store all the products I buy that I don't need yet. One of the keys to coupon shopping is to buy when things are on sale, not when you need them. This means that you end up with stuff that needs a place to be stored. I have a spare room that I use as a storage room (I don't have a garage or basement). Currently, it's a mess. My Christmas tubs are still stacked up in there. They usually go to long term storage in my Mom's basement, but she is re-modeling right now and has her storage room full and blocked off. Also, there are tubs full of old craft stuff that I plan to go through and get rid of most of it. Another problem is all the old Creative Memories products that I still have. I used to sell it and still have a lot of product in stock. Maybe one day I will actually get around to selling it on ebay or something.
Here's my current "home store" products. I will just go in and "shop" in my own home when I need one of these items. I'm really excited about this whole venture. It's like a treasure hunt between sale adds and coupons. This week I saved $17 at Wal-Mart and $42 at Walgreen's (before rebates)...and I'm just getting started.
What are you doing to save money?
I have started an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of my monthly expenses. That was step one. The list has all my monthly bills, but I have even broken down the list into smaller categories including: gifts, Amazon purchases (for my Kindle), eating out, make-up, clothes, etc.
I have major debt from college loans that need to get paid off. I already pay over the minimum payment, but at this rate it’ll take me over 15 years to pay it off! I also have some credit card debt. Not as much as some, but around $3,000. I used to be so good to always pay off credit cards at the end of the month, but I got into the habit of putting everything on the credit card, so it went up pretty fast. I also have a problem with paying bills on time. I don’t know why, but instead of paying them when they come in, I put them aside so I can do it all at once. I use online bill pay through my bank and it is really easy, but I still don’t do it immediately. This becomes a real problem when I forget there are bills that haven’t been paid…then I find them 5 days after they are due. Not good. I’ve combated this, somewhat, by setting up auto pays for my credit cards (as well as anything with a fixed amount such as my DirecTV). That way I know they get paid and then I can go in at any time and send an additional payment if I want. I’ve also stopped using my credit card for grocery shopping and gas.
Coupons and local savings ads are my next big thing to tackle. I’ve been reading through the advice my friend Phoebe gives on her blog, Cents to Be Debt Free. I’ve been picking up the Sunday paper for the coupons they have inside. I have also started a coupon binder. You can go here to see Phoebe’s binder. I am organizing mine by the aisles in my local Wal-Mart where I do the bulk of my shopping. This is basically the same as organizing by category, but a little more specific. I’m trying to learn the ins and outs of Walgreen’s. There’s a lot of saving to be had there, and I hope to snatch some of those this month.
After attempting my first foray into the world of Walgreen’s savings, I have found that I waited too long to go shopping for the big buys. I lost out on a few freebies (or near freebies) because I didn’t go shopping until the 12th. Next month I will try to get down there as soon as possible. I think my mom and I plan to go the first Sunday of the month. We’ll go eat after church and work through that day’s coupons, pairing them with Easy Saver Catalog and then go shopping. There is a specific way to work the Walgreen’s system. There are multiple savings sites that give out a Walgreen’s 101, but here’s a link to my friend Phoebe’s post.
I still managed to get some really good deals, including some freebies.
I am also beginning to work on creating a "home store". This is where I am going to store all the products I buy that I don't need yet. One of the keys to coupon shopping is to buy when things are on sale, not when you need them. This means that you end up with stuff that needs a place to be stored. I have a spare room that I use as a storage room (I don't have a garage or basement). Currently, it's a mess. My Christmas tubs are still stacked up in there. They usually go to long term storage in my Mom's basement, but she is re-modeling right now and has her storage room full and blocked off. Also, there are tubs full of old craft stuff that I plan to go through and get rid of most of it. Another problem is all the old Creative Memories products that I still have. I used to sell it and still have a lot of product in stock. Maybe one day I will actually get around to selling it on ebay or something.
Here's my current "home store" products. I will just go in and "shop" in my own home when I need one of these items. I'm really excited about this whole venture. It's like a treasure hunt between sale adds and coupons. This week I saved $17 at Wal-Mart and $42 at Walgreen's (before rebates)...and I'm just getting started.
What are you doing to save money?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
AI Results Show for Top 13
Two are going home tonight, so we can get back to the number of contestants we would normally have at this point.
Then we get an explanation of The Judges Save. Up until the Top 5, the judges can choose to save a contestant. This can happen only once in the process. This is to stop what has happened in the past when someone has gone home for one reason or another that probably shouldn’t have. For instance, Chris Daughtry and Jordan Sparks. It has to be a unanimous decision. No one will go home that week, but two will go home the next week.
Fast Forward through montage of them checking out where they are going to be living.
I stop and listen to the contestants’ singing. I never enjoy this very much and often choose to FF through much of it. I did get a little bit of a kick out of watching the choreography. They actually had Scott out there dancing. They had someone lead him (discreetly) when they had to move around on the stage. Then at the end, I swear Jorge was mouthing the wrong words.
FF through montage of last night’s show…I watched it… I don’t need the re-cap.
Ryan asks Michael about the experience so far and Michael sets us up to see our first Ford commercial. Bring on the sponsorship! I love that they call them “Ford Music Videos”
Onto our first group
Michael’s safe (big surprise), Allyson is safe (love her), Jasmine goes to the center of the stage to await her fate. Matt is safe. Kris is safe, but Megan has to go to the center of the stage with Jasmine. We need to get as much tension out of this moment as possible. Megan is safe and Jasmine goes home (to no one’s surprise…at least not mine).
This year it’s not so hard for the contestants to sing through the tears of disappointment because they are still waiting to see if the judges will save them. I’m sure there’s no hope for Jasmine. I normally FF through this part, but I like this song, so I listen. Randy lets Jasmine know that they aren’t saving her…big surprise (note the sarcasm in my typing?).
FF through Jasmine’s journey.
FF through Kanye West. I don’t like this guy or his music. I think he likes himself Way To Much!
Now to our second group
Scott is safe, Alexis is safe, Danny is safe (as if there was any reason for Ryan to try and draw out any suspense at this stage). Anoop is sent to the center of the stage. Adam is safe (I type that before I even get through Ryan’s re-cap to see that I am right…the judges are totally pushing for him), Jorge goes to the center and Lil is safe. We have to wait through a commercial break to find out of it is Jorge or Anoop.
Except that we really have to wait through a performance from Kelly Clarkston. I’m intrigued…I listen. I tend to like her songs (not that I listen to the radio anymore). Kelly looks like she is pregnant to me, although she talks about being single. Maybe she’s just gained a little wait. Her face is a little fuller than I remember and it looked like she had a bulge, but it was hard to tell because of the outfit. It was all black and there were layers…I think.
Commercial break and then we find out that Jorge goes home. This is not at all a surprise. My friends and I were talking about it at church tonight and totally picked Jorge and Jasmine as the two who we thought were going home tonight.
Simon tells Jorge that they’re not saving him (without any passion by the way) and we’re out (after I FF through Jorge’s journey of course).
Does your favorite(s) still have a shot at fame?
Then we get an explanation of The Judges Save. Up until the Top 5, the judges can choose to save a contestant. This can happen only once in the process. This is to stop what has happened in the past when someone has gone home for one reason or another that probably shouldn’t have. For instance, Chris Daughtry and Jordan Sparks. It has to be a unanimous decision. No one will go home that week, but two will go home the next week.
Fast Forward through montage of them checking out where they are going to be living.
I stop and listen to the contestants’ singing. I never enjoy this very much and often choose to FF through much of it. I did get a little bit of a kick out of watching the choreography. They actually had Scott out there dancing. They had someone lead him (discreetly) when they had to move around on the stage. Then at the end, I swear Jorge was mouthing the wrong words.
FF through montage of last night’s show…I watched it… I don’t need the re-cap.
Ryan asks Michael about the experience so far and Michael sets us up to see our first Ford commercial. Bring on the sponsorship! I love that they call them “Ford Music Videos”
Onto our first group
Michael’s safe (big surprise), Allyson is safe (love her), Jasmine goes to the center of the stage to await her fate. Matt is safe. Kris is safe, but Megan has to go to the center of the stage with Jasmine. We need to get as much tension out of this moment as possible. Megan is safe and Jasmine goes home (to no one’s surprise…at least not mine).
This year it’s not so hard for the contestants to sing through the tears of disappointment because they are still waiting to see if the judges will save them. I’m sure there’s no hope for Jasmine. I normally FF through this part, but I like this song, so I listen. Randy lets Jasmine know that they aren’t saving her…big surprise (note the sarcasm in my typing?).
FF through Jasmine’s journey.
FF through Kanye West. I don’t like this guy or his music. I think he likes himself Way To Much!
Now to our second group
Scott is safe, Alexis is safe, Danny is safe (as if there was any reason for Ryan to try and draw out any suspense at this stage). Anoop is sent to the center of the stage. Adam is safe (I type that before I even get through Ryan’s re-cap to see that I am right…the judges are totally pushing for him), Jorge goes to the center and Lil is safe. We have to wait through a commercial break to find out of it is Jorge or Anoop.
Except that we really have to wait through a performance from Kelly Clarkston. I’m intrigued…I listen. I tend to like her songs (not that I listen to the radio anymore). Kelly looks like she is pregnant to me, although she talks about being single. Maybe she’s just gained a little wait. Her face is a little fuller than I remember and it looked like she had a bulge, but it was hard to tell because of the outfit. It was all black and there were layers…I think.
Commercial break and then we find out that Jorge goes home. This is not at all a surprise. My friends and I were talking about it at church tonight and totally picked Jorge and Jasmine as the two who we thought were going home tonight.
Simon tells Jorge that they’re not saving him (without any passion by the way) and we’re out (after I FF through Jorge’s journey of course).
Does your favorite(s) still have a shot at fame?
American Idol Top 13
I love how Ryan asks the judges what the contestants should do… As if the contestants can change anything at this point. I especially love it when the judges say they should choose good songs. There’s no way they can change that at this point.
And for those of you who don’t know, the judges already know pretty much what they are going to say. They watch the contestants during rehearsal and prepare what they are going to say at that time. This has been obvious in the past when Paula has mistakenly said things that were completely incorrect. Last year she started talking about a performance that we hadn’t even seen yet.
It’s Michael Jackson night. Nothing like picking a broke pedophile as your artist.
Lil sings “The Way You Make Me Feel”. I’m not sure how I feel about this performance. Paula’s dancing, so I guess she likes it. I know I don’t like Lil’s outfit. I think the reason I don’t really like this is because of the way it’s arranged. It reminds me of a bad Pointer Sisters song (I liked them, this sounded like a song they might have rejected). Randy liked the bluesy vibe she added to the song. Kara thought that it was going to make the other contestants work harder. Paula loved the outfit (but of course she’s wearing feathers) and said Lil was a “force to be recond with” and “like angels singing”. Simon said he hated what she was wearing and that the second half was better than the first.
Scott plays the piano, singing “Keep the Faith”. This is a song that someone can really make their own because it’s not as well known as some of Jackson’s other songs. It’s harder for Scott to make a connection with the audience. I personally think he should “look” around because it would be less disconcerting if he didn’t stare into one direction. I think he did a good job with the song, not great, but good. Kara said Scott was true to himself. Paula said it was a lovely performance. Simon said he hated the song because nobody knows it. Scott said he wanted to be artistic, Simon said that AI was not the place to be artistic (this contradicts them wanting people to put their own spin on a song). Randy thought it was okay, but safe.
Danny has a great voice, even though I’ve never heard the song before. “P.Y.T.” Great energy and stays on key the whole way through. He’s definitely going to the top. Paula danced through the whole thing. Paula said he had a recognizable voice and was going to the finals. Simon said it was a little early to be saying that (I for once agree with Paula). Simon said the vocals were brilliant, but the dancing was hideous (totally agree with Simon). Randy said he liked it all. Kara said it was joyous.
Michael Goes with the whole ballad thing, and sings “You’re Not Alone”. It’s different enough that it doesn’t sound much like the original. It sounds more like something at a Branson show. The old ladies would love it. Simon said he’s not the best singer, but made up for it with passion and heart. Then Simon made a joke, saying that he just wished they knew what Michael did for a living. Randy said he was born to sing. Kara thought he did a great job. Paula babbled on about how lovely he sounded.
Jasmine sings “I’ll Be There”, which I’ve always thought this song sounds good sung by a girl as apposed to Michael as a young boy. Jasmine does a good job, although she has a little trouble with the high notes and doesn’t really change the song up at all. Randy said it was pretty good. Kara was surprised she did that well, but might have needed to be a half-key lower (for that high note). Paula thought she was poised, with good and bad moments. Simon said there wasn’t much to add, but she needed to lighten up a little bit and it was a little robotic. He told her to be her age (she’s 17, but seems much older).
Kris plays the guitar and sings “Remember The Time”. I really considered fast forwarding through this and after I heard it, I sort of wished I had. He’s not a bad singer, but I haven’t fallen in love with him yet. I actually think he has a good chance to make it pretty far if he continues to perform at a level like this. I’m hoping to get more into his style soon. Kara thinks the guitar helps him performance-wise. Paula said he was adorable-sexy with the guitar. Simon wasn’t sure that was a song to use with a guitar and thought that Kris shouldn’t have let the women know he was already married. Randy said it was very well done and compared Kris to Jason Mraz.
Allyson sings “Give Into Me”. Her voice is so much older than anything you would expect from a 16 year old girl. It almost sounds like she’s been smoking for 30 years. I thought she did okay. The only thing I didn’t like is she pronounced “okay” as “hokay”, which drove me a little crazy. I love her voice and think she’s got a shot to go a few more rounds at least. Paula said it was mind-boggling that she so young. Simon said it was a good performance and we know who she is. Randy said that she’s got it and could sing anything and was one to watch. Kara said her vocals were ridiculous.
Anoop sings “Beat It”. He’s never one to sing a ballad when he can sing something fast. Anoop is my favorite. I think I love that his style and voice are coming out of someone who looks so traditionally Indian. I just don’t think the majority of people would even dream of Anoop’s nationality if they were just listening to him. I think he rocks out the song and no way he’s going home. Paula and Simon fight over who goes first. Paula says she thinks that this song is untouchable and that it sounds too karaoke to her (she said she knew she’d get booed). Simon said he’d go a little further and said it was horrible because there was no aggression and was too lightweight. It was like a bad imitation. Randy agreed. Kara agreed, but said the worst part was that they didn’t get to hear any variation in his voice. Looking back it, it probably was a bit karaoke and I might have been listening through rose-colored headphones so to speak
Jorge sings “Never Can Say Good-bye”. I am really ready to say good-bye to Jorge. The whole “sex symbol” thing is not working for him, and although he can sing, I just don’t think he is good enough to get much farther in American Idol. His performance is all a little cheesy for me. Randy didn’t like the song because it was old-fashioned. Kara didn’t feel emotionally connected to the song, or Jorge (not sure which). Paula thought it wasn’t a good song choice. Simon said it was corny and Jorge was out of his depth.
Megan sings “Rockin’ Robin” (which isn’t even originally done by the Jackson 5 by the way). I like Megan’s voice, but I’m not 100% sold on this song choice. Having said that, I’m not sure what might have been better suited to her voice (or if their was one). All-in-all an okay job. She did this really weird bird noise at the end that she should have left off. Kara said Megan injected her personality in the song. Paula loves the uniqueness of Megan’s voice. Simon said it was a stupid song choice and the whole performance was clumsy. Randy said the song didn’t allow her to really be Megan.
Adam (who is obviously gay…not that there’s anything wrong with that, but let’s not market him for the tween girls) sings “Black n White”. Paula was up dancing, but although I think it was an okay performance, I thought there was a little too much screeching going on in the song. I also kept waiting for him to run out of breath. The voice is there, but I’m not sure he has the pacing down yet. Paula is beside herself. She said they had never in all the seasons seen anyone so comfortable on the stage. I thought she was going to cry…Adam teared up. Simon said it was in a totally different league than everything else seen that night. Randy said he could make a record right now. Kara is also loved it. Obviously the judges have chosen Adam as their golden boy.
Matt plays the piano and sings “Human Nature”. He reminds me a little of a poor-man’s Justin Timberlake. Paula was singing along. Matt seems to hit the notes and does a decent job of the song. I am not overly excited by the song or the arrangement of it. Randy said said he had the Justin Timberlake thing going (swear I wrote that before I listened to the judges). Paula said he is a talented guy. Paula said he was talented, sexy, amazing…blah, blah, blah. Simon said it was a meat and potatoes, solid performance. They were all really quick with what they had to say because they were running out of time after fawning over Adam earlier.
Alexis gets the coveted final slot. There is always some discussion as to whether this is really random or not. She sings “Dirty Diana”. The words almost seemed to come to fast for her at the beginning. I like Alexis and thought she did a good job. There’s a lot of voice coming out of that little body. Kara said Alexis was a naughty girl and liked it. Paula liked it and said to watch her over-singing. Simon said it was very over-the-top and probably not as good as Alexis thought it was. Randy said it was not great but good and liked the attitude. They spend about a minute and a half total on Alexis because they were totally out of time at this point.
Two of these will be going home Wednesday night.
And for those of you who don’t know, the judges already know pretty much what they are going to say. They watch the contestants during rehearsal and prepare what they are going to say at that time. This has been obvious in the past when Paula has mistakenly said things that were completely incorrect. Last year she started talking about a performance that we hadn’t even seen yet.
It’s Michael Jackson night. Nothing like picking a broke pedophile as your artist.
Lil sings “The Way You Make Me Feel”. I’m not sure how I feel about this performance. Paula’s dancing, so I guess she likes it. I know I don’t like Lil’s outfit. I think the reason I don’t really like this is because of the way it’s arranged. It reminds me of a bad Pointer Sisters song (I liked them, this sounded like a song they might have rejected). Randy liked the bluesy vibe she added to the song. Kara thought that it was going to make the other contestants work harder. Paula loved the outfit (but of course she’s wearing feathers) and said Lil was a “force to be recond with” and “like angels singing”. Simon said he hated what she was wearing and that the second half was better than the first.
Scott plays the piano, singing “Keep the Faith”. This is a song that someone can really make their own because it’s not as well known as some of Jackson’s other songs. It’s harder for Scott to make a connection with the audience. I personally think he should “look” around because it would be less disconcerting if he didn’t stare into one direction. I think he did a good job with the song, not great, but good. Kara said Scott was true to himself. Paula said it was a lovely performance. Simon said he hated the song because nobody knows it. Scott said he wanted to be artistic, Simon said that AI was not the place to be artistic (this contradicts them wanting people to put their own spin on a song). Randy thought it was okay, but safe.
Danny has a great voice, even though I’ve never heard the song before. “P.Y.T.” Great energy and stays on key the whole way through. He’s definitely going to the top. Paula danced through the whole thing. Paula said he had a recognizable voice and was going to the finals. Simon said it was a little early to be saying that (I for once agree with Paula). Simon said the vocals were brilliant, but the dancing was hideous (totally agree with Simon). Randy said he liked it all. Kara said it was joyous.
Michael Goes with the whole ballad thing, and sings “You’re Not Alone”. It’s different enough that it doesn’t sound much like the original. It sounds more like something at a Branson show. The old ladies would love it. Simon said he’s not the best singer, but made up for it with passion and heart. Then Simon made a joke, saying that he just wished they knew what Michael did for a living. Randy said he was born to sing. Kara thought he did a great job. Paula babbled on about how lovely he sounded.
Jasmine sings “I’ll Be There”, which I’ve always thought this song sounds good sung by a girl as apposed to Michael as a young boy. Jasmine does a good job, although she has a little trouble with the high notes and doesn’t really change the song up at all. Randy said it was pretty good. Kara was surprised she did that well, but might have needed to be a half-key lower (for that high note). Paula thought she was poised, with good and bad moments. Simon said there wasn’t much to add, but she needed to lighten up a little bit and it was a little robotic. He told her to be her age (she’s 17, but seems much older).
Kris plays the guitar and sings “Remember The Time”. I really considered fast forwarding through this and after I heard it, I sort of wished I had. He’s not a bad singer, but I haven’t fallen in love with him yet. I actually think he has a good chance to make it pretty far if he continues to perform at a level like this. I’m hoping to get more into his style soon. Kara thinks the guitar helps him performance-wise. Paula said he was adorable-sexy with the guitar. Simon wasn’t sure that was a song to use with a guitar and thought that Kris shouldn’t have let the women know he was already married. Randy said it was very well done and compared Kris to Jason Mraz.
Allyson sings “Give Into Me”. Her voice is so much older than anything you would expect from a 16 year old girl. It almost sounds like she’s been smoking for 30 years. I thought she did okay. The only thing I didn’t like is she pronounced “okay” as “hokay”, which drove me a little crazy. I love her voice and think she’s got a shot to go a few more rounds at least. Paula said it was mind-boggling that she so young. Simon said it was a good performance and we know who she is. Randy said that she’s got it and could sing anything and was one to watch. Kara said her vocals were ridiculous.
Anoop sings “Beat It”. He’s never one to sing a ballad when he can sing something fast. Anoop is my favorite. I think I love that his style and voice are coming out of someone who looks so traditionally Indian. I just don’t think the majority of people would even dream of Anoop’s nationality if they were just listening to him. I think he rocks out the song and no way he’s going home. Paula and Simon fight over who goes first. Paula says she thinks that this song is untouchable and that it sounds too karaoke to her (she said she knew she’d get booed). Simon said he’d go a little further and said it was horrible because there was no aggression and was too lightweight. It was like a bad imitation. Randy agreed. Kara agreed, but said the worst part was that they didn’t get to hear any variation in his voice. Looking back it, it probably was a bit karaoke and I might have been listening through rose-colored headphones so to speak
Jorge sings “Never Can Say Good-bye”. I am really ready to say good-bye to Jorge. The whole “sex symbol” thing is not working for him, and although he can sing, I just don’t think he is good enough to get much farther in American Idol. His performance is all a little cheesy for me. Randy didn’t like the song because it was old-fashioned. Kara didn’t feel emotionally connected to the song, or Jorge (not sure which). Paula thought it wasn’t a good song choice. Simon said it was corny and Jorge was out of his depth.
Megan sings “Rockin’ Robin” (which isn’t even originally done by the Jackson 5 by the way). I like Megan’s voice, but I’m not 100% sold on this song choice. Having said that, I’m not sure what might have been better suited to her voice (or if their was one). All-in-all an okay job. She did this really weird bird noise at the end that she should have left off. Kara said Megan injected her personality in the song. Paula loves the uniqueness of Megan’s voice. Simon said it was a stupid song choice and the whole performance was clumsy. Randy said the song didn’t allow her to really be Megan.
Adam (who is obviously gay…not that there’s anything wrong with that, but let’s not market him for the tween girls) sings “Black n White”. Paula was up dancing, but although I think it was an okay performance, I thought there was a little too much screeching going on in the song. I also kept waiting for him to run out of breath. The voice is there, but I’m not sure he has the pacing down yet. Paula is beside herself. She said they had never in all the seasons seen anyone so comfortable on the stage. I thought she was going to cry…Adam teared up. Simon said it was in a totally different league than everything else seen that night. Randy said he could make a record right now. Kara is also loved it. Obviously the judges have chosen Adam as their golden boy.
Matt plays the piano and sings “Human Nature”. He reminds me a little of a poor-man’s Justin Timberlake. Paula was singing along. Matt seems to hit the notes and does a decent job of the song. I am not overly excited by the song or the arrangement of it. Randy said said he had the Justin Timberlake thing going (swear I wrote that before I listened to the judges). Paula said he is a talented guy. Paula said he was talented, sexy, amazing…blah, blah, blah. Simon said it was a meat and potatoes, solid performance. They were all really quick with what they had to say because they were running out of time after fawning over Adam earlier.
Alexis gets the coveted final slot. There is always some discussion as to whether this is really random or not. She sings “Dirty Diana”. The words almost seemed to come to fast for her at the beginning. I like Alexis and thought she did a good job. There’s a lot of voice coming out of that little body. Kara said Alexis was a naughty girl and liked it. Paula liked it and said to watch her over-singing. Simon said it was very over-the-top and probably not as good as Alexis thought it was. Randy said it was not great but good and liked the attitude. They spend about a minute and a half total on Alexis because they were totally out of time at this point.
Two of these will be going home Wednesday night.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Becoming a Grown-Up
I can't believe how busy I was yesterday. So busy... that it was my first day to not post anything is a very long time.
I have a new weekly post planned, Savings Sunday...or maybe Super-Savings Sunday. Anyway, I had part of a post finished, but didn't have time to finish it or post it.
Part of my new quest to being a grown-up is to get my finances in order. I'm keeping track of what I spend my money on. One of my other new things toward this whole grown-up-thing, is coupons. I'm actually getting quite addicted.
My friend Phoebe over at Cents to Get Debt-Free has been my inspiration. Check out her site. I'll post my first Super-Savings Sunday next week.
I have a new weekly post planned, Savings Sunday...or maybe Super-Savings Sunday. Anyway, I had part of a post finished, but didn't have time to finish it or post it.
Part of my new quest to being a grown-up is to get my finances in order. I'm keeping track of what I spend my money on. One of my other new things toward this whole grown-up-thing, is coupons. I'm actually getting quite addicted.
My friend Phoebe over at Cents to Get Debt-Free has been my inspiration. Check out her site. I'll post my first Super-Savings Sunday next week.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Single Saturday
Many people think that being single is a negative, but I think that there are more positives than there are negatives.
One of my favorite things about being single is that my time is my own. I love that I can do what I want, when I want. Take this week for instance...
I was sick Saturday through Tuesday. Actually, I was sick longer than that, but those four days were stay-at-home-and-don't-bug-me days. And because I am single...that's exactly what I did.
I realized how lucky I was when my brother and Sister-in-Law were talking about how my SiL was sick for a few days this week. With 3 kids, this was not easy for her. She couldn't just check out for a few days and ignore everyone. Even with my brother helping out, my Mom and G'ma still had to go help out at the house. And even if my SiL didn't have to do much around the house, there's no way that she got to just sit around in the quiet of an empty house.
What did I do during my recouping time? I sat around in the quiet of an empty house. I literally lived in my recliner. I have one of those over-sized ones that can actually fit two people. It was perfect. I even had to sleep in it so that I could breath at night. I watched TV and slept. I got on the interweb and slept. I watched movies and slept. I read and slept.
So, being single isn't always that bad...especiallly when you need a little alone time.
One of my favorite things about being single is that my time is my own. I love that I can do what I want, when I want. Take this week for instance...
I was sick Saturday through Tuesday. Actually, I was sick longer than that, but those four days were stay-at-home-and-don't-bug-me days. And because I am single...that's exactly what I did.
I realized how lucky I was when my brother and Sister-in-Law were talking about how my SiL was sick for a few days this week. With 3 kids, this was not easy for her. She couldn't just check out for a few days and ignore everyone. Even with my brother helping out, my Mom and G'ma still had to go help out at the house. And even if my SiL didn't have to do much around the house, there's no way that she got to just sit around in the quiet of an empty house.
What did I do during my recouping time? I sat around in the quiet of an empty house. I literally lived in my recliner. I have one of those over-sized ones that can actually fit two people. It was perfect. I even had to sleep in it so that I could breath at night. I watched TV and slept. I got on the interweb and slept. I watched movies and slept. I read and slept.
So, being single isn't always that bad...especiallly when you need a little alone time.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Nothing To Say
I actually have nothing to talk about tonight. I think that's a first for me.
I guess I could talk about how I have decided to take a stand against the kids in my class who refuse to do any work. You know...those kids who are mearly taking up space in an already overloaded classroom and do nothing but cause trouble? Yeah...those kids. I wrote up discipline notices on 5 kids in one class yesterday for not doing anything in my class, then wrote two of those same kids up again today (plus one more) for truancy. I could tell you all about that...but I won't.
I could tell you about how I had a discussion with one of my female students (while I had to 'babysit' her while she made up missed hours at school) about how her parents should be punishing her more, and exactly what I would do if I was her mom. If I told you this story, I might tell you about how I got up on my soap box right after she told me that her mom couldn't take away her phone, computer or car because she (the student) paid for them. I might then tell you how I informed her if she was my kid she would not only have her phone, computer and car taken away, but also the electricity to her room and the door to her room (as well as having her windows nailed shut for sneeking out of the house) if she continued to fight back when I told her no. I could go into this long drawn out story...but I won't.
Instead I'll just say:
It was a great day with the temperature hovering around 85 degrees. Spring was definitely in the air. I had a half day at work, then a short teacher's meeting (without fights! yay!). I stopped by a nearby lake I've been wanting to stop by for awhile so I could take pictures for my photoblog. I got a few good pictures. I also spent some time with my niece and nephews. I hadn't seen them in two weeks because I had been too sick last weekend to go to my Mom's where we all convene on Saturdays. I just didn't want to get them sick. I'm looking forward to tomorrow (Saturday) because it should be another fun and beautiful day with the kids.
I guess I could talk about how I have decided to take a stand against the kids in my class who refuse to do any work. You know...those kids who are mearly taking up space in an already overloaded classroom and do nothing but cause trouble? Yeah...those kids. I wrote up discipline notices on 5 kids in one class yesterday for not doing anything in my class, then wrote two of those same kids up again today (plus one more) for truancy. I could tell you all about that...but I won't.
I could tell you about how I had a discussion with one of my female students (while I had to 'babysit' her while she made up missed hours at school) about how her parents should be punishing her more, and exactly what I would do if I was her mom. If I told you this story, I might tell you about how I got up on my soap box right after she told me that her mom couldn't take away her phone, computer or car because she (the student) paid for them. I might then tell you how I informed her if she was my kid she would not only have her phone, computer and car taken away, but also the electricity to her room and the door to her room (as well as having her windows nailed shut for sneeking out of the house) if she continued to fight back when I told her no. I could go into this long drawn out story...but I won't.
Instead I'll just say:
It was a great day with the temperature hovering around 85 degrees. Spring was definitely in the air. I had a half day at work, then a short teacher's meeting (without fights! yay!). I stopped by a nearby lake I've been wanting to stop by for awhile so I could take pictures for my photoblog. I got a few good pictures. I also spent some time with my niece and nephews. I hadn't seen them in two weeks because I had been too sick last weekend to go to my Mom's where we all convene on Saturdays. I just didn't want to get them sick. I'm looking forward to tomorrow (Saturday) because it should be another fun and beautiful day with the kids.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
American Idol Wild Card Show
Jesse – What in the world? I am not into the song she sings at all. You can’t even understand what she’s saying half the time. Her annunciation is terrible. I think she thinks it makes her sound bluesier. Her vocals aren’t terrible, but they aren’t awesome either. Randy thought it was just all right. Kara thought she had come out of her shell. Paula was impressed with her tenacity. Simon said she was the last person they chose for the WC, and he was glad they did, but that her song was self-indulgent.
Matt – It was a little shaky at first, but I think he’s got a pretty good shot at getting into the top 12. He has strong vocals and good stage presence. Kara says that he brought back the bluesy, soulful Matt. Paula said it was the perfect song. Simon said it was a billion times better than last week. Randy said it was hott.
Megan – Weird dancing…again. I’m not really into her voice tonight. Not only was it shaky (not sure if it was on purpose or not), but she would get off key fairly often and sometimes sounded like she was almost out of breath. Paula only said that she picked the right song, but didn’t say much else. Simon likes her and said that she was current, but not the best vocals. Randy agrees with Simon. Kara said they needed the variety Megan brings.
Von – I wanted to run away the minute Von started singing. Bad song, shaky vocals. He can only sing well when he sings full out…almost shouting. He just can’t do anything slow and soft. Simon said that Von was becoming boring. Randy thought Simon was right and that it was too serious and mentioned that Von had been off pitch at the beginning (when it is slow and soft). Kara said she thought it was a bad song choice.
Jasmine – Good singer, still not sure she stands out enough…not unique enough. Randy said the song was too big for her, but better than last time. Kara is confused because she didn’t know Jasmine had that big of a voice. Paula said overall she did a wonderful job. Simon said it was a pretty special and was a brave song choice, but a huge improvement.
Ricky – I think he did a good job, however, I hated the tight pants (circa last year) with the white 70’s shoes (think Saturday Night fever). Kara said he could sing his butt off. Paula said he nailed it. Simon said that he sounded good, but it was a bit karaoke and a bit weak. Randy said he had a voice, but the song sounded a little self-indulgent.
Tatiana – First of all…I don’t normally listen to the contestants talk before their performance, but I listened to Tatiana and for some reason her accent (that I never really noticed before) is very strong. Wonder if she heard Simon’s remarks the night before about how Jorge’s accent could be good for him??? And that doesn’t even have anything to do with her dramatic portrayal in the video. I really hate that she can actually sing. She sings Whitney (which most contestants try, but fail at) and does a good job. Vote 4 The Worst has to be absolutely beside themselves that she is back. The first thing Paula says is that Tatiana “grew an accent” that she’d never heard before. HEHEHE! Told you! She says that like Jorge (again…told you), when she’s really emotional she thinks in Spanish. Simon said that they’ve heard her sing that song 3 times already and he raked her for it. Randy said it started off rough, but there are good moments and bad moments. Kara said she’s confused and that it’s yet another version of Tatiana. You never know what (or who) you’re going to get when Tatiana shows up!
Anoop – (one of my favorites!) He sings “My Purgative”. I love that he chooses this song instead of some ballad like most of the guys have done. I think he is totally unique and contemporary. Paula was dancing through the whole performance. I want him to Go All The Way!!! Simon has to quiet down the audience in order to speak. Simon said he wasn’t the best singer, but people like him and that’s important. And they need to put people with personality (like Anoop) through. Randy said he slayed it. Paula said he was the showman and everyone loved the performance.
The judges decide who from the Wild Card Show get the 3 slots left in the Top 12. They decide over the break (which is pretty fast, so you know they’ve had to have already discussed this).
At this point my Tivo runs out of program (because it went long and only taped an hour), so I tried to Google the results to find the third choice. Google failed me (guess it was too soon), so I had to text a friend that I knew had watched the show live.
And sneaky AI…They chose a fourth person, so now we have a Top 13 instead of a Top 12!
Is one of your favorites part of the Top12 13?
Matt – It was a little shaky at first, but I think he’s got a pretty good shot at getting into the top 12. He has strong vocals and good stage presence. Kara says that he brought back the bluesy, soulful Matt. Paula said it was the perfect song. Simon said it was a billion times better than last week. Randy said it was hott.
Megan – Weird dancing…again. I’m not really into her voice tonight. Not only was it shaky (not sure if it was on purpose or not), but she would get off key fairly often and sometimes sounded like she was almost out of breath. Paula only said that she picked the right song, but didn’t say much else. Simon likes her and said that she was current, but not the best vocals. Randy agrees with Simon. Kara said they needed the variety Megan brings.
Von – I wanted to run away the minute Von started singing. Bad song, shaky vocals. He can only sing well when he sings full out…almost shouting. He just can’t do anything slow and soft. Simon said that Von was becoming boring. Randy thought Simon was right and that it was too serious and mentioned that Von had been off pitch at the beginning (when it is slow and soft). Kara said she thought it was a bad song choice.
Jasmine – Good singer, still not sure she stands out enough…not unique enough. Randy said the song was too big for her, but better than last time. Kara is confused because she didn’t know Jasmine had that big of a voice. Paula said overall she did a wonderful job. Simon said it was a pretty special and was a brave song choice, but a huge improvement.
Ricky – I think he did a good job, however, I hated the tight pants (circa last year) with the white 70’s shoes (think Saturday Night fever). Kara said he could sing his butt off. Paula said he nailed it. Simon said that he sounded good, but it was a bit karaoke and a bit weak. Randy said he had a voice, but the song sounded a little self-indulgent.
Tatiana – First of all…I don’t normally listen to the contestants talk before their performance, but I listened to Tatiana and for some reason her accent (that I never really noticed before) is very strong. Wonder if she heard Simon’s remarks the night before about how Jorge’s accent could be good for him??? And that doesn’t even have anything to do with her dramatic portrayal in the video. I really hate that she can actually sing. She sings Whitney (which most contestants try, but fail at) and does a good job. Vote 4 The Worst has to be absolutely beside themselves that she is back. The first thing Paula says is that Tatiana “grew an accent” that she’d never heard before. HEHEHE! Told you! She says that like Jorge (again…told you), when she’s really emotional she thinks in Spanish. Simon said that they’ve heard her sing that song 3 times already and he raked her for it. Randy said it started off rough, but there are good moments and bad moments. Kara said she’s confused and that it’s yet another version of Tatiana. You never know what (or who) you’re going to get when Tatiana shows up!
Anoop – (one of my favorites!) He sings “My Purgative”. I love that he chooses this song instead of some ballad like most of the guys have done. I think he is totally unique and contemporary. Paula was dancing through the whole performance. I want him to Go All The Way!!! Simon has to quiet down the audience in order to speak. Simon said he wasn’t the best singer, but people like him and that’s important. And they need to put people with personality (like Anoop) through. Randy said he slayed it. Paula said he was the showman and everyone loved the performance.
The judges decide who from the Wild Card Show get the 3 slots left in the Top 12. They decide over the break (which is pretty fast, so you know they’ve had to have already discussed this).
Jasmine Murray
Megan Corkey
(Tatiana goes home!!)
(Tatiana goes home!!)
At this point my Tivo runs out of program (because it went long and only taped an hour), so I tried to Google the results to find the third choice. Google failed me (guess it was too soon), so I had to text a friend that I knew had watched the show live.
Matt Giraud
And sneaky AI…They chose a fourth person, so now we have a Top 13 instead of a Top 12!
Anoop Desai
(they always leave the best…and most obvious…for last)
(they always leave the best…and most obvious…for last)
Is one of your favorites part of the Top
AI - Round 3 Reveal Show
Fast Forward through sappy montage of how the contestants got here
Started watching the singing. I noticed that the guys did a lot of sitting. I wonder if that had to do with Scott being in this group. It’s hard to choreograph a dance sequence when one of the six guys is blind. They had a couch in the middle and although a few of the guys got up and were replaced by some of the girls, Scott stayed on the couch. I’m glad they didn’t try to make him dance. I’m not sure how they are going to keep up this interesting type of choreography if Scott makes it as far as I think he will.
FF through montage of last night’s show and Ryan talking to the contestants. They really should make this a 30 minute episode instead of an hour. I’ve already watched the first 15 minutes in about 3 minutes.
Lil Rounds Makes it through. FF through her singing her song again. Heard it last night and didn’t like it then. Paula of course stood up and clapped.
FF until we find out who gets the next slot.
Scott MacIntyre Makes it to the top 12. I was not at all surprised by this. He did not have the best male vocals, but the people love him. I have no problem with him making it through. FF through most of his song.
FF through the awkward moments of contestants finding out if they made it through. I find this whole process ridiculous at the best of times, but even worse at this point because we still have the Wild Card show which means none of them are too upset because they could come back. This is not final yet.
Jorge Nunez makes it through. They pan to Simon who has an expression on his face that I’m not sure what to make of. Reluctant Acceptance?
Wild Card
Then we get to the Wild Card portion. I didn’t know they were going to reveal these tonight. I wondered why we were getting through the reveal so fast (I say fast, but my counter says we’re 40 minutes into the show…it’s taken me less than 10). The judges are picking 8 of the remaining contestants to come back. Simon points out why the Wild Card is a good idea. I agree that it’s a good idea as well. We will see these 8 perform next week.
Von Smith
Jasmine Murray
Ricky Braddy
Megan Corkerey
Tatiana Del Toro I seriously can’t believe thev let her back in. Dang it…I thought she was gone. Dramatic Tatiana was back. While she cried…the audience laughed.
Matt Giraud
Jesse Langseth
Anoop Desai Simon said this was the easiest decision and I can’t imagine that it wouldn’t have been. I think it was ridiculous that he didn’t make it the first time.
The show ends with Jorge singing. I fast forwarded.
Did your favorite make it through?
Started watching the singing. I noticed that the guys did a lot of sitting. I wonder if that had to do with Scott being in this group. It’s hard to choreograph a dance sequence when one of the six guys is blind. They had a couch in the middle and although a few of the guys got up and were replaced by some of the girls, Scott stayed on the couch. I’m glad they didn’t try to make him dance. I’m not sure how they are going to keep up this interesting type of choreography if Scott makes it as far as I think he will.
FF through montage of last night’s show and Ryan talking to the contestants. They really should make this a 30 minute episode instead of an hour. I’ve already watched the first 15 minutes in about 3 minutes.
Lil Rounds Makes it through. FF through her singing her song again. Heard it last night and didn’t like it then. Paula of course stood up and clapped.
FF until we find out who gets the next slot.
Scott MacIntyre Makes it to the top 12. I was not at all surprised by this. He did not have the best male vocals, but the people love him. I have no problem with him making it through. FF through most of his song.
FF through the awkward moments of contestants finding out if they made it through. I find this whole process ridiculous at the best of times, but even worse at this point because we still have the Wild Card show which means none of them are too upset because they could come back. This is not final yet.
Jorge Nunez makes it through. They pan to Simon who has an expression on his face that I’m not sure what to make of. Reluctant Acceptance?
Wild Card
Then we get to the Wild Card portion. I didn’t know they were going to reveal these tonight. I wondered why we were getting through the reveal so fast (I say fast, but my counter says we’re 40 minutes into the show…it’s taken me less than 10). The judges are picking 8 of the remaining contestants to come back. Simon points out why the Wild Card is a good idea. I agree that it’s a good idea as well. We will see these 8 perform next week.
Von Smith
Jasmine Murray
Ricky Braddy
Megan Corkerey
Tatiana Del Toro I seriously can’t believe thev let her back in. Dang it…I thought she was gone. Dramatic Tatiana was back. While she cried…the audience laughed.
Matt Giraud
Jesse Langseth
Anoop Desai Simon said this was the easiest decision and I can’t imagine that it wouldn’t have been. I think it was ridiculous that he didn’t make it the first time.
The show ends with Jorge singing. I fast forwarded.
Did your favorite make it through?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
AI – Round 3 of Top 36
Please be aware that I always write my opinion of the singer/song while they are singing. I often pause (Tivo remember?) and make sure I finish my comments before listening to the judges. I like to see how my thoughts compare with theirs. Of course this means that it takes a long time to watch the show.
Von Smith (22, Missouri) – Marvin Gaye. Okay, so he took me back to the age of Wheezie (aka: David Archuleta), If Von wasn’t singing all out he sounded out of breath. He sounded okay when he was singing all out, but not when he was doing the quiet soulful parts. I hated that last year, and I don’t want to hear it this year either. Randy was tickled pink. Kara said he was coming into his own. Paula loved it. Simon said he was reminded of Clay Aiken, but wasn’t sure if that was going to be taken as a compliment or not.
Taylor Vaifanua (17, Utah) – This girl seems MUCH older than seventeen. I have never liked this song. There were good parts and bad parts in this performance. I think she got off key in the low parts, but the end was okay. Kara said she had a voice, but wanted more of her personality. She actually said she wanted to know what it was like to go shopping with Taylor…can you really figure that stuff out by what a person sings? Maybe if they sing “Material Girl” or something…whatever. Simon also questioned the “shopping thing” and asked her what kind of cereal she liked. Simon said the song was generic.
Alex Wagner-Trugman (19, California) – Elton John (one of my personal favorite artists). This kid should cut out the dancing while singing. There was also a lot of weird grunting while singing. Pretty sure Elton never did that. First of all, he’s singing a song about having the blues because his love has left him. I don’t think it is a good idea to sing about something you don’t understand or haven’t experienced. I think he ended up singing this with the wrong emotion behind the song because he couldn’t understand that emotion. All in all…a terrible performance. Paula said he was entertaining. Simon said they had fun watching, but not listening. He also mentioned the “growling” (I called it grunting, but Simon is closer). Randy said he screamed the song and the movements were weird. Kara tried to put a positive spin on it, but I wasn’t buying it. They sounded like they were making fun of him.
Arianna Afsar (17, California) “The Winner Takes It All” by Abba (another personal favorite…didn’t know 17 yr-olds knew who Abba was and this is my favorite Abba song – yes, my heart has been broken before). She tries to make the song her own. I didn’t like the “histo-RAY” pronunciation. At least she showed the correct emotion for the song. She can sing (most of the time), but I had problems with the arrangement of the song, but then again, I’m a purist. No one can sing Abba like Abba can (although I really enjoyed Mama Mia). Simon said it was absolutely terrible and the song was too big for her and it was a dreary arrangement that made him feel like he was at a funeral. Randy said it was the wrong song for her. Kara said it was dark and depressing and not who Arianna is as a person. Paula, ever the optimist, said the song was old-fashioned.
Ju’not Joyner (26, Maryland) “Hey There Delilah” (not again!) – He takes a slow song and slows it down even more. Now it sounds like an old 80’s song. I really hated this arrangement. The other half of the BFF Boys did a better job with his arrangement. Randy said the arrangement was a smart choice and Kara agreed. Paula liked it (of course). Simon said it was better than he thought it would be, but it was a little safe. (no need to say that I disagreed with the judges…even Simon)
Kristen McNamara (23, California) – She's got that smokey-bluesy sound to her voice, and picks a song that really emphasizes that. I think was a great song choice for her. I think she did a great job, good voice, good stage presence. Kara thought her song needed more rock-edge, Paula also said she should be singing something like Kelly Clarkston. Simon thought it was an odd song choice. Randy agrees. I am wondering if I liked the song choice more than the judges because they have heard more from her than I have. None of them hated the song choice, but just thought she could have done something a little different.
Nathaniel Marshall (19, New York) – “I Would Do Anything For Love” by Meatloaf. This is the guy with all the facial piercings and crazy clothes. Super Drama Queen (yes, Queen). He even mentions that he’s a drama queen. He starts out totally off-key then goes into this weird Broadway musical version of the song. He was even snapping his fingers and pointing at the audience. Even if you liked the arrangement, he just didn’t have the vocals. Simon said it was verging on excruciating, but at least people would remember him. Randy asked him why he chose the song, and Nathaniel said he used to run around the house singing it with his mom, but they pan the camera to his mom who had a look on her face like she had no clue what he was talking about. Never mind…that was his aunt, not his mom. Paula said it was like a Boy George version of Meatloaf (that’s my favorite Paula line EVER).
Felicia Barton (26, Virginia) This is the girl that was cut, but then was called back after they had to get rid of one of the 36 because she had too many connections with AI staff. She sings Alicia Keys. She does a pretty good job. These were a few times that she got off-key and a few times when it seemed as if she was forcing it too much. All-in-all one of the better female performances in my opinion. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if this girl made it to the top 4…after being cut earlier! Paula loved her. Simon thought it was a bit copy-cat, but wasn’t too negative. Randy said it was hott. Kara thought she has “stepped into it” whatever that means, but it was meant to be good.
Scott MacIntyre (23, Arizona) – This is the blind guy. Just to remind you…I believe he will make it to the top 10, probably top 4 or 5. He has two things going for him: he can sing and he’s blind. Being blind wouldn’t normally be a good thing, but I think it will garner him some votes. He sang “Mandolin Rain” I used to love this song. His voice was not perfect, but there were worse tonight. It’s hard to rip him apart because I admire him too much. Randy said that the vocals weren’t perfect but the great parts were really great and he could feel the passion. Kara said he “moved mountains when he stepped on the stage”. (As a side note, I’ve decided that Kara is full of weird figurative sayings.) Paula said he blessed them with his gift. Simon said he wasn’t crazy about the lyrics, but that Scott was growing on him.
Kendall Beard (24, Texas) – Sings Martina McBride. She looked like she had a wig on… I’m not into country music, so I try to really focus on the vocals and forget the song. She did a pretty good job as a country singer. There were a few weird moments when she slid into some high notes and was way off key/pitch. Kara said she would start off with the positives…that’s never good. Paula commented on the clothes…also not a good sign, and she never said a thing about the music. Simon said that halfway through he couldn’t wait for it to end, and could have chosen a song better suited to her voice. Randy was okay with the song, etc.
Jorge Nunez (21, Puerto Rico) Elton John again…let’s see how he does with this classic. He does much better with the heavy accent, but I’m not sure it’s enough to break into the American market. He would have to sing Spanish-influenced songs. His voice is good though. The lisps in the accent make him sound a little “special” in my opinion. Paula said he sounded so good…I thought she was going to cry. Simon said they might have been wrong to tell him not to sing with an accent, that he has a good voice. Randy was all over Jorge. And yet another good line from Kara… “he was born to sing.”
Lil Rounds (24, Memphis) Okay, so I couldn’t watch her sing because she does this weird thing with her lips…pulling them way back. I really didn’t like the song. It had a weird rhythm to it and the words were sung in a weird way. Having said that, Lil has a great voice, very powerful. I’m not sure there’s anything super special or unique about her voice though, and sometimes that’s what it takes. Simon said it was brilliant and his favorite performance, but he didn’t like the song. Randy agreed with Simon (although I’m pretty sure he actually said, "I agree with Kyle"??), and said she “kept her swagger on.” Kara called her a power-house. Paula worships her…of course.
Wow. That took 2 nights! I’ll be glad when we don’t have to get through shows with this many performances. I don't even have enough time to fast forward through the reveal episode tonight...
Von Smith (22, Missouri) – Marvin Gaye. Okay, so he took me back to the age of Wheezie (aka: David Archuleta), If Von wasn’t singing all out he sounded out of breath. He sounded okay when he was singing all out, but not when he was doing the quiet soulful parts. I hated that last year, and I don’t want to hear it this year either. Randy was tickled pink. Kara said he was coming into his own. Paula loved it. Simon said he was reminded of Clay Aiken, but wasn’t sure if that was going to be taken as a compliment or not.
Taylor Vaifanua (17, Utah) – This girl seems MUCH older than seventeen. I have never liked this song. There were good parts and bad parts in this performance. I think she got off key in the low parts, but the end was okay. Kara said she had a voice, but wanted more of her personality. She actually said she wanted to know what it was like to go shopping with Taylor…can you really figure that stuff out by what a person sings? Maybe if they sing “Material Girl” or something…whatever. Simon also questioned the “shopping thing” and asked her what kind of cereal she liked. Simon said the song was generic.
Alex Wagner-Trugman (19, California) – Elton John (one of my personal favorite artists). This kid should cut out the dancing while singing. There was also a lot of weird grunting while singing. Pretty sure Elton never did that. First of all, he’s singing a song about having the blues because his love has left him. I don’t think it is a good idea to sing about something you don’t understand or haven’t experienced. I think he ended up singing this with the wrong emotion behind the song because he couldn’t understand that emotion. All in all…a terrible performance. Paula said he was entertaining. Simon said they had fun watching, but not listening. He also mentioned the “growling” (I called it grunting, but Simon is closer). Randy said he screamed the song and the movements were weird. Kara tried to put a positive spin on it, but I wasn’t buying it. They sounded like they were making fun of him.
Arianna Afsar (17, California) “The Winner Takes It All” by Abba (another personal favorite…didn’t know 17 yr-olds knew who Abba was and this is my favorite Abba song – yes, my heart has been broken before). She tries to make the song her own. I didn’t like the “histo-RAY” pronunciation. At least she showed the correct emotion for the song. She can sing (most of the time), but I had problems with the arrangement of the song, but then again, I’m a purist. No one can sing Abba like Abba can (although I really enjoyed Mama Mia). Simon said it was absolutely terrible and the song was too big for her and it was a dreary arrangement that made him feel like he was at a funeral. Randy said it was the wrong song for her. Kara said it was dark and depressing and not who Arianna is as a person. Paula, ever the optimist, said the song was old-fashioned.
Ju’not Joyner (26, Maryland) “Hey There Delilah” (not again!) – He takes a slow song and slows it down even more. Now it sounds like an old 80’s song. I really hated this arrangement. The other half of the BFF Boys did a better job with his arrangement. Randy said the arrangement was a smart choice and Kara agreed. Paula liked it (of course). Simon said it was better than he thought it would be, but it was a little safe. (no need to say that I disagreed with the judges…even Simon)
Kristen McNamara (23, California) – She's got that smokey-bluesy sound to her voice, and picks a song that really emphasizes that. I think was a great song choice for her. I think she did a great job, good voice, good stage presence. Kara thought her song needed more rock-edge, Paula also said she should be singing something like Kelly Clarkston. Simon thought it was an odd song choice. Randy agrees. I am wondering if I liked the song choice more than the judges because they have heard more from her than I have. None of them hated the song choice, but just thought she could have done something a little different.
Nathaniel Marshall (19, New York) – “I Would Do Anything For Love” by Meatloaf. This is the guy with all the facial piercings and crazy clothes. Super Drama Queen (yes, Queen). He even mentions that he’s a drama queen. He starts out totally off-key then goes into this weird Broadway musical version of the song. He was even snapping his fingers and pointing at the audience. Even if you liked the arrangement, he just didn’t have the vocals. Simon said it was verging on excruciating, but at least people would remember him. Randy asked him why he chose the song, and Nathaniel said he used to run around the house singing it with his mom, but they pan the camera to his mom who had a look on her face like she had no clue what he was talking about. Never mind…that was his aunt, not his mom. Paula said it was like a Boy George version of Meatloaf (that’s my favorite Paula line EVER).
Felicia Barton (26, Virginia) This is the girl that was cut, but then was called back after they had to get rid of one of the 36 because she had too many connections with AI staff. She sings Alicia Keys. She does a pretty good job. These were a few times that she got off-key and a few times when it seemed as if she was forcing it too much. All-in-all one of the better female performances in my opinion. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if this girl made it to the top 4…after being cut earlier! Paula loved her. Simon thought it was a bit copy-cat, but wasn’t too negative. Randy said it was hott. Kara thought she has “stepped into it” whatever that means, but it was meant to be good.
Scott MacIntyre (23, Arizona) – This is the blind guy. Just to remind you…I believe he will make it to the top 10, probably top 4 or 5. He has two things going for him: he can sing and he’s blind. Being blind wouldn’t normally be a good thing, but I think it will garner him some votes. He sang “Mandolin Rain” I used to love this song. His voice was not perfect, but there were worse tonight. It’s hard to rip him apart because I admire him too much. Randy said that the vocals weren’t perfect but the great parts were really great and he could feel the passion. Kara said he “moved mountains when he stepped on the stage”. (As a side note, I’ve decided that Kara is full of weird figurative sayings.) Paula said he blessed them with his gift. Simon said he wasn’t crazy about the lyrics, but that Scott was growing on him.
Kendall Beard (24, Texas) – Sings Martina McBride. She looked like she had a wig on… I’m not into country music, so I try to really focus on the vocals and forget the song. She did a pretty good job as a country singer. There were a few weird moments when she slid into some high notes and was way off key/pitch. Kara said she would start off with the positives…that’s never good. Paula commented on the clothes…also not a good sign, and she never said a thing about the music. Simon said that halfway through he couldn’t wait for it to end, and could have chosen a song better suited to her voice. Randy was okay with the song, etc.
Jorge Nunez (21, Puerto Rico) Elton John again…let’s see how he does with this classic. He does much better with the heavy accent, but I’m not sure it’s enough to break into the American market. He would have to sing Spanish-influenced songs. His voice is good though. The lisps in the accent make him sound a little “special” in my opinion. Paula said he sounded so good…I thought she was going to cry. Simon said they might have been wrong to tell him not to sing with an accent, that he has a good voice. Randy was all over Jorge. And yet another good line from Kara… “he was born to sing.”
Lil Rounds (24, Memphis) Okay, so I couldn’t watch her sing because she does this weird thing with her lips…pulling them way back. I really didn’t like the song. It had a weird rhythm to it and the words were sung in a weird way. Having said that, Lil has a great voice, very powerful. I’m not sure there’s anything super special or unique about her voice though, and sometimes that’s what it takes. Simon said it was brilliant and his favorite performance, but he didn’t like the song. Randy agreed with Simon (although I’m pretty sure he actually said, "I agree with Kyle"??), and said she “kept her swagger on.” Kara called her a power-house. Paula worships her…of course.
Wow. That took 2 nights! I’ll be glad when we don’t have to get through shows with this many performances. I don't even have enough time to fast forward through the reveal episode tonight...
Toddlers & Tiaras
Notice how the girl on the left is giving the winner the "evil eye"? Also, the girl on the right was on the episode I watched and she was a spoiled hellion! She kept yelling at her dad to "shut up" and he did nothing!So I was watching Toddlers & Tiaras today. I’d never seen this particular show before, but I’ll admit it…I’m fascinated by the craziness that surrounds these kids’ pageants.
First of all…the majority of these mothers are not lookers. At All! And…they usually come from lower-class families. Trailer-living, buck-toothed mothers… I seriously can’t get enough of watching this. It’s like watching a circus…in my own home! I just find this fascinating. It’s as if they are living vicariously through their kids. You can practically hear there thoughts: "No one ever told me I was pretty...but by gosh, my daughter will be told she's pretty!"
One mom of a seven year old kept saying things like, “her aunt lets her shave her legs” and “her aunt lets her get highlights in her hair” and then has the nerve to say that she thinks her daughter is too young for these things…You’re the mom! Don’t let her do it!
Another mom chose to put her daughter in pageants before she was even born! It’s not like she even knew if her kid was going to be cute or not. This is the girl on the right in the above photo. Remember the spoiled hellion!?! Yep, that's her.
It’s ridiculous. Put enough make-up, fake eyelashes, fake teeth (yes, teeth!), hair extensions, spray tans and expensive dresses on a kid and they’re probably going to pass for cute…no matter what they look like without all the beauty products.
Of course we all know that these people are just paying for the titles, trophies and tiaras. Those kids always come out with some sort of title. When there are only four girls in a category, they’re all going to win something. In fact, most of them win multiple titles by entering just one pageant. It’s all ridiculous. And, oh…how mad the parents are when their kid doesn’t win a major title...
But my FAVORITE part about watching these types of shows is when they show the mom. She’s always standing right behind the judges doing all the moves that her daughter is doing. It’s hilarious to see these grown women making the weirdest moves.
Am I crazy to find this insanity so fascinating?
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