Too many things going on tonight to take notes while the episode was ongoing. I say this: Melinda Doolittle is the freaking best singer I have heard in ages. It is a joy to listen to her. My God, she is wonderful.
Going home: Based on vocal performance, Antonella and Alaina should be going home. But, based on America's stupidity, Leslie and Gina are probably going home. Though, based on their performance this week, they kind of deserve it, too.
Even with the weak performances, the girls still handily outperformed the guys. Again, I say, this year the contest is the girl's contest to lose.
UPDATE:
Dean also didn't post a synopsis, but still recognizes the women's goodness.
Sarahk thoroughly dissects the evening's goings on.
American Midol has stuff from Tuesday night, but will have updates later in the day, I'm sure.
Dial Idol has Melinda as their favorite (all is right with the world there) and their bottom three are Leslie, Stephanie and Gina. Looks like I might be dead on with the girls, but I'll at least be 50/50.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Idol threat 2/27
Well, Blogger doesn’t like me right now. So, I’ll just take notes and post ‘em later.
I’m not sure how much I’m going to write; I got to eat. My Tuesday night class met again tonight for the first time in two weeks, playing more in to my ROWR BUSY attitude from earlier today.
So, they’re dedicating their songs to their inspiration. Sorry inspiration, looks like you’re going to get what you deserve.
Phil Stacey – I’m not missing you at all, huh? Not too shabby, but not too great either. I agree with Simon here. It’s a good karaoke version of the song. But I further agree that he’s not going anywhere. Well, at least judging him as the first up. Things may change.
Jared Cotter – He’s obviously popular, but I just don’t hear anything special there. I mean, I can’t hear this voice as a radio voice. He sounds like the kind of good singer you meet in your life, the kind you want in your church choir, but not the kind you want to front your band.
A.J. Tabaldo – I really don’t like this guy. He whines, he whimpers and he swallows the end of his words. And he’s doing a song that’s WAAAAY too big for him. His tone isn’t good. He just doesn’t have any power in his voice and cannot convince me that he’s worth me giving him any attention. Randy – says it’s so much better than last week (it isn’t). Paula – have a really good voice (no he doesn’t). Simon – I have to say that was really good (did I mention I’m smoking crack?).
He sucked people! What are the judges on this week?
Sanjaya Malakar – Jeez, they’re showing kid photos – he looks just like his sister in these photos. He’s stepping out with his baby. Kid, it’s not that you don’t have the tone, you do, but this song requires a smoky, mature voice, and that you don’t have. That said, you’re not going anywhere because women around the globe and the North American Marlon Brando Look Alikes are all going to voting for you.
Randy – It was weird for me – like a weird high school talent show. Paula – you sang on pitch, you have an old soul. I find it odd that you sang that. Simon – I agree with Randy, it was like a lunch where the parents invite the kids to dress up and sing.
Well, I didn’t think it was quite that extreme. But the song was really outside his comfort realm, and that’s what I think they were getting at there. But, again, he ain’t going anywhere.
Chris Sligh – I just dig this dude. He’s dedicating his song to his hot wife, and he just earned more cool points for that (oh, and for singing the song to her, too). He’s singing “Trouble.” And it’s going with his voice pretty well. It’s a bit nasal, but it fits the song. He’s not being too adventurous and staying well in his comfort zone. Oh, he ends the song with some smoky soul and works it well.
Randy – Good to see you return – you were even better this week. Rely on your skills. Paula – I like you too. Watch your pitch – watch getting ahead of the music. Simon – the reason we put your through is that we thought you were a good singer and tonight you were a very good singer.
Sounds good to me.
Nick Pedro - Now Nick can sing. He’s singing “Fever.” He’s got a very nice tone and a little vibrato nuance -- which is nice in its subtlety. He goes off pitch a bit toward the end, but pulls it back in nicely.
Randy – Now what’s cool, everyone has come back and done so much better this week. You have returned to your thing. That’s the Nick that we love. Paula – you know I love the tone of your voice. Simon – thought it was good, but that you lacked charisma. You have a good voice, now we’ve got a charisma issue.
Blake Lewis - My favorite last week. Is this a Jamiroquai (sp?) song? I don’t know, it’s a decent song as I recall, but it’s not American Idol good. I really like this dude, but this was not a good song choice. A little beet box and it works in the context of the song; I’m glad he kept it short.
He's got great tone. Best tone, in my opinion, out of all of the guys.
Randy - Yo' that's what I'm talking about! I like you man! Paula - You were smart with this, smart choice. Way to go. Simon - I'm going to disagree with these two -- I'll tell you why - I like you ... this week, thought it was a bit copycat, the second part was great, the third part your pitch was gone. I was very disappointed.
I'm kind of with Simon on this, but not that extreme. I wish he'd chosen something a bit more mainstream. I just didn't think that it was as good as he could be.
Brandon Rogers - He's singing "True Colors." How cool. For a guy who's a powerhouse vocalist, this is a great way to show your versatility. Is there any doubt that this guy's a pro? The slow parts are a bit extreme on the vibrato, but overall very good.
Randy - Good sentiment, but I don't think it did enough for you vocally. You always gotta show what you got. Paula - Disagree with Randy; I felt your heart (answering an interjection by Brian). Simon - It's a singing competition ... you have got to come out here when you're as good as you are and make a "wow" impact.
Simon is right, of course, but I really did appreciate the sentiment. It was a very good version of the song and this guy's truly great.
*An aside, I'm avoiding talking too much about the snark going on among the judges and contestants, but I must say there has been some good stuff happening in that regard. Simon likes puppies. Who knew?
Chris Richardson - Said he's singing "Geek in the Pink." I do not know this song, so it's hard to judge, so let's just say that they guy has a good voice. He rocks the groove well. That said, he looks kind of funny -- his facial expressions and the way he moves on stage that is.
Randy - Chris is in it to win it tonight. I think that was hotter than the original. Paula - Does your grandmother know what that song means? (Neither do I, please someone enlighten me ... or, perhaps, not.) Simon - For me, best tonight by a mile.
Sundance Head - Singing "Mustang Sally" (How funny is that Shannon?) Well, we're seeing some of the old Sundance. He's singing well, but my problem here is that he's not all that good to begin with. He's a decent rock and roll singer, would be great in the bar circuit, but I just don't think he's got the versatility for this contest.
Randy - Wow, wow, wow. Welcome back, Sundance. You dropped the bomb on us tonight. That was hot. Paula - You gotta bring it like that every week. You're awesome. Best vocal we've ever heard from you. Simon - glad that we've got the Sundance back we love -- let's not get too carried away. That was a lot better, but there's still room for improvement.
So ... this week's a bit tougher to judge the bottom rungs. Vocally A.J. Tabaldo is the loseriest loser this week. I would put Jared down there too. I think Phil Stacey might be going home, and, lastly, I think, vocally now, Sanjaya put in an uninspired performance. You never know who's going to vote for whom, but regardless of how bad some folks sang, they're not in any danger right away. Sundance is like that. Based on his Dial Idol ratings from last week, this guy looks untouchable. Guess we'll just see. My end vote is that A.J and Phil are going home.
UPDATE:
Dean rates most of the guys pretty highly.
Sarahk attacks with venomous viewership.
American Midol doesn't have a review up yet, but check them out anyway.
Dudes ... I don't know if Vote for the Worst crew has a bigger coalition this year or some of these organized militias before they appeared live, but Sundance and Sanjaya are topping Dial Idol's prediction list. Chris Richardson, Nick Pedro, and Brandon Rogers bottom out this list meaning two of them are probably going home. Given the accuracy of their predictions last week, there's no reason to doubt that this is true. So, once again, Idol is less about the singing and more of a popularity contest.
I’m not sure how much I’m going to write; I got to eat. My Tuesday night class met again tonight for the first time in two weeks, playing more in to my ROWR BUSY attitude from earlier today.
So, they’re dedicating their songs to their inspiration. Sorry inspiration, looks like you’re going to get what you deserve.
Phil Stacey – I’m not missing you at all, huh? Not too shabby, but not too great either. I agree with Simon here. It’s a good karaoke version of the song. But I further agree that he’s not going anywhere. Well, at least judging him as the first up. Things may change.
Jared Cotter – He’s obviously popular, but I just don’t hear anything special there. I mean, I can’t hear this voice as a radio voice. He sounds like the kind of good singer you meet in your life, the kind you want in your church choir, but not the kind you want to front your band.
A.J. Tabaldo – I really don’t like this guy. He whines, he whimpers and he swallows the end of his words. And he’s doing a song that’s WAAAAY too big for him. His tone isn’t good. He just doesn’t have any power in his voice and cannot convince me that he’s worth me giving him any attention. Randy – says it’s so much better than last week (it isn’t). Paula – have a really good voice (no he doesn’t). Simon – I have to say that was really good (did I mention I’m smoking crack?).
He sucked people! What are the judges on this week?
Sanjaya Malakar – Jeez, they’re showing kid photos – he looks just like his sister in these photos. He’s stepping out with his baby. Kid, it’s not that you don’t have the tone, you do, but this song requires a smoky, mature voice, and that you don’t have. That said, you’re not going anywhere because women around the globe and the North American Marlon Brando Look Alikes are all going to voting for you.
Randy – It was weird for me – like a weird high school talent show. Paula – you sang on pitch, you have an old soul. I find it odd that you sang that. Simon – I agree with Randy, it was like a lunch where the parents invite the kids to dress up and sing.
Well, I didn’t think it was quite that extreme. But the song was really outside his comfort realm, and that’s what I think they were getting at there. But, again, he ain’t going anywhere.
Chris Sligh – I just dig this dude. He’s dedicating his song to his hot wife, and he just earned more cool points for that (oh, and for singing the song to her, too). He’s singing “Trouble.” And it’s going with his voice pretty well. It’s a bit nasal, but it fits the song. He’s not being too adventurous and staying well in his comfort zone. Oh, he ends the song with some smoky soul and works it well.
Randy – Good to see you return – you were even better this week. Rely on your skills. Paula – I like you too. Watch your pitch – watch getting ahead of the music. Simon – the reason we put your through is that we thought you were a good singer and tonight you were a very good singer.
Sounds good to me.
Nick Pedro - Now Nick can sing. He’s singing “Fever.” He’s got a very nice tone and a little vibrato nuance -- which is nice in its subtlety. He goes off pitch a bit toward the end, but pulls it back in nicely.
Randy – Now what’s cool, everyone has come back and done so much better this week. You have returned to your thing. That’s the Nick that we love. Paula – you know I love the tone of your voice. Simon – thought it was good, but that you lacked charisma. You have a good voice, now we’ve got a charisma issue.
Blake Lewis - My favorite last week. Is this a Jamiroquai (sp?) song? I don’t know, it’s a decent song as I recall, but it’s not American Idol good. I really like this dude, but this was not a good song choice. A little beet box and it works in the context of the song; I’m glad he kept it short.
He's got great tone. Best tone, in my opinion, out of all of the guys.
Randy - Yo' that's what I'm talking about! I like you man! Paula - You were smart with this, smart choice. Way to go. Simon - I'm going to disagree with these two -- I'll tell you why - I like you ... this week, thought it was a bit copycat, the second part was great, the third part your pitch was gone. I was very disappointed.
I'm kind of with Simon on this, but not that extreme. I wish he'd chosen something a bit more mainstream. I just didn't think that it was as good as he could be.
Brandon Rogers - He's singing "True Colors." How cool. For a guy who's a powerhouse vocalist, this is a great way to show your versatility. Is there any doubt that this guy's a pro? The slow parts are a bit extreme on the vibrato, but overall very good.
Randy - Good sentiment, but I don't think it did enough for you vocally. You always gotta show what you got. Paula - Disagree with Randy; I felt your heart (answering an interjection by Brian). Simon - It's a singing competition ... you have got to come out here when you're as good as you are and make a "wow" impact.
Simon is right, of course, but I really did appreciate the sentiment. It was a very good version of the song and this guy's truly great.
*An aside, I'm avoiding talking too much about the snark going on among the judges and contestants, but I must say there has been some good stuff happening in that regard. Simon likes puppies. Who knew?
Chris Richardson - Said he's singing "Geek in the Pink." I do not know this song, so it's hard to judge, so let's just say that they guy has a good voice. He rocks the groove well. That said, he looks kind of funny -- his facial expressions and the way he moves on stage that is.
Randy - Chris is in it to win it tonight. I think that was hotter than the original. Paula - Does your grandmother know what that song means? (Neither do I, please someone enlighten me ... or, perhaps, not.) Simon - For me, best tonight by a mile.
Sundance Head - Singing "Mustang Sally" (How funny is that Shannon?) Well, we're seeing some of the old Sundance. He's singing well, but my problem here is that he's not all that good to begin with. He's a decent rock and roll singer, would be great in the bar circuit, but I just don't think he's got the versatility for this contest.
Randy - Wow, wow, wow. Welcome back, Sundance. You dropped the bomb on us tonight. That was hot. Paula - You gotta bring it like that every week. You're awesome. Best vocal we've ever heard from you. Simon - glad that we've got the Sundance back we love -- let's not get too carried away. That was a lot better, but there's still room for improvement.
So ... this week's a bit tougher to judge the bottom rungs. Vocally A.J. Tabaldo is the loseriest loser this week. I would put Jared down there too. I think Phil Stacey might be going home, and, lastly, I think, vocally now, Sanjaya put in an uninspired performance. You never know who's going to vote for whom, but regardless of how bad some folks sang, they're not in any danger right away. Sundance is like that. Based on his Dial Idol ratings from last week, this guy looks untouchable. Guess we'll just see. My end vote is that A.J and Phil are going home.
UPDATE:
Dean rates most of the guys pretty highly.
Sarahk attacks with venomous viewership.
American Midol doesn't have a review up yet, but check them out anyway.
Dudes ... I don't know if Vote for the Worst crew has a bigger coalition this year or some of these organized militias before they appeared live, but Sundance and Sanjaya are topping Dial Idol's prediction list. Chris Richardson, Nick Pedro, and Brandon Rogers bottom out this list meaning two of them are probably going home. Given the accuracy of their predictions last week, there's no reason to doubt that this is true. So, once again, Idol is less about the singing and more of a popularity contest.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Stay classy class
As many of you know, I am in the last semester of my undergraduate degree. Friday night, I had the first meeting of the second-to-last class of my program (though I am taking three core classes that are lasting all semester).
This program, though geared toward making it easier on the "adult learner," can really take it out of you. Classes meet six times -- every other Friday night from 5 - 10 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Now, most instructors don't keep you there that long. You're usually out by 8 p.m. Friday night and no later than 3 p.m. on Saturday, sometimes much earlier.
But, this second-to-the-last instructor feels some desire to maximize that time. Which I guess would be cool if it was maximized with material. But no, we are being both regaled by tales of his awesomeness and being preached at about how to succeed in education and therefore, life.
Two class meetings down, four more to go. Then just one last class. But, know what? Our last professor is just like this one. Dammit.
The three core classes are going OK, I guess. Two are online and it's easy to keep up, but it's also very easy to get sidetracked and forget that you have a paper due or a test coming up. I am praying for May to hurry its ass up and get here.
This program, though geared toward making it easier on the "adult learner," can really take it out of you. Classes meet six times -- every other Friday night from 5 - 10 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. Now, most instructors don't keep you there that long. You're usually out by 8 p.m. Friday night and no later than 3 p.m. on Saturday, sometimes much earlier.
But, this second-to-the-last instructor feels some desire to maximize that time. Which I guess would be cool if it was maximized with material. But no, we are being both regaled by tales of his awesomeness and being preached at about how to succeed in education and therefore, life.
Two class meetings down, four more to go. Then just one last class. But, know what? Our last professor is just like this one. Dammit.
The three core classes are going OK, I guess. Two are online and it's easy to keep up, but it's also very easy to get sidetracked and forget that you have a paper due or a test coming up. I am praying for May to hurry its ass up and get here.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Idol threat 2/22
So, Amy, Nicole, Paul, and Rudy left us. No real surprise there.
Biggest surprise for me was hearing that Tony Bennett would be one of the guest celebrities this season. I look forward to that.
Biggest surprise for me was hearing that Tony Bennett would be one of the guest celebrities this season. I look forward to that.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Hemi included
So ... weren't feeling a minivan this time around.
A little wisdom from the 2006 Durango owner's manual: ESP (Electronic Stability Program) cannot prevent the natural laws of physics from acting on the vehicle ...
A little wisdom from the 2006 Durango owner's manual: ESP (Electronic Stability Program) cannot prevent the natural laws of physics from acting on the vehicle ...
Idol threats 2/21
Well, it's the girl's competition to lose, folks. There were some stellar performances tonight. I mean, these girls were off the charts compared to the guys; off the charts compared to some signed recording artists.
Very hard to chose my favorites, but I'll try: Stephanie Edwards, Sabrina Sloan, Jordin Sparks, Gina Glocksen, Melinda Doolittle, and Lakisha Jones. Like I said, very tough.
Much easier to say who wasn't good/should be going home: Antonella Barba was just plain bad, Alaina Alexander attempted to sing something she simply couldn't pull off, and Nicole Tranquillo should be sent home.
UPDATE: Dial Idol has Sabrina Sloan, Amy Krebs, and Alaina Alexander as their bottom 3. Top three are Lakisha Jones, Antonella Barba, and Melinda Doolittle. Well, it's as much a popularity contest as it is a singing contest. Well, if you leak pictures of yourself nearly (WARNING: NSFW-ish) nude and in compromising positions, I'm sure you'd get a few phone calls as well.
Also afflicted:
Dean was equally blown away by the women.
SarahK has the snark in full effect.
Not to be outsnarked, American Midol serves up some somber reflection.
Very hard to chose my favorites, but I'll try: Stephanie Edwards, Sabrina Sloan, Jordin Sparks, Gina Glocksen, Melinda Doolittle, and Lakisha Jones. Like I said, very tough.
Much easier to say who wasn't good/should be going home: Antonella Barba was just plain bad, Alaina Alexander attempted to sing something she simply couldn't pull off, and Nicole Tranquillo should be sent home.
UPDATE: Dial Idol has Sabrina Sloan, Amy Krebs, and Alaina Alexander as their bottom 3. Top three are Lakisha Jones, Antonella Barba, and Melinda Doolittle. Well, it's as much a popularity contest as it is a singing contest. Well, if you leak pictures of yourself nearly (WARNING: NSFW-ish) nude and in compromising positions, I'm sure you'd get a few phone calls as well.
Also afflicted:
Dean was equally blown away by the women.
SarahK has the snark in full effect.
Not to be outsnarked, American Midol serves up some somber reflection.
Idol threats 2/20
So, the boys failed to impress, eh? I thought that, overall, that was a bunch of pitchy crud. There were some who shined, some who were abysmal, but most were just, as Simon used to be fond of saying, "bad karaoke."
My favorite so far is Blake Lewis, the beat box boy. Man, who knew he could sing like that, too? I literally sat up in my chair to pay closer attention to his performance. I hesitate to make the comparison, but I really thought the kid's voice was slightly reminiscent of early Smiths stuff.
Although not my favorite, the guy who really owned the stage last night was Brandon Rogers. His voice is stellar and he has great stage presence.
Last in my top 3 is Chris Sligh. His energy and presence out there was palpable. The judges can say what they want, but the crowd gave him more of a pop than any other singer of the night and America is going to love him. We will put singers through on the basis of their charisma.
Worst performance of the evening? Sundance Head. Just bad, and not even in a "bad karaoke" way -- just b-a-d.
My bottom three: Sundance Head, Jared Cotter, and Rudy Cardenas.
Well, we've long known that this show is part popularity contest, and the Dial Idol predictions bear that out. I knew that Sanjaya would be popular, but he didn't give a top three performance, and I've already said all I want to say about Sundance. Guess we'll just wait and see what happens.
More Idolers:
The Curmudgeonly Dean Esmay sums up his feelings. While I don't agree with some of his individual assessments, I certainly agree with his central thesis.
Sarahk also blogged the show at IMAO and has some very interesting comments.
And how can I forget the irascible wit of curly mcdimple at American Midol? Again, I'm not in complete agreement, but do yourself a favor and read her humorous take on last night's affair.
My favorite so far is Blake Lewis, the beat box boy. Man, who knew he could sing like that, too? I literally sat up in my chair to pay closer attention to his performance. I hesitate to make the comparison, but I really thought the kid's voice was slightly reminiscent of early Smiths stuff.
Although not my favorite, the guy who really owned the stage last night was Brandon Rogers. His voice is stellar and he has great stage presence.
Last in my top 3 is Chris Sligh. His energy and presence out there was palpable. The judges can say what they want, but the crowd gave him more of a pop than any other singer of the night and America is going to love him. We will put singers through on the basis of their charisma.
Worst performance of the evening? Sundance Head. Just bad, and not even in a "bad karaoke" way -- just b-a-d.
My bottom three: Sundance Head, Jared Cotter, and Rudy Cardenas.
Well, we've long known that this show is part popularity contest, and the Dial Idol predictions bear that out. I knew that Sanjaya would be popular, but he didn't give a top three performance, and I've already said all I want to say about Sundance. Guess we'll just wait and see what happens.
More Idolers:
The Curmudgeonly Dean Esmay sums up his feelings. While I don't agree with some of his individual assessments, I certainly agree with his central thesis.
Sarahk also blogged the show at IMAO and has some very interesting comments.
And how can I forget the irascible wit of curly mcdimple at American Midol? Again, I'm not in complete agreement, but do yourself a favor and read her humorous take on last night's affair.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Blast from the past Tuesday
Five years ago I was in my last band. Last because it's the last one I was in; I didn't proclaim that I'd never be in another band or anything like that. I just haven't had the time or anything for a number of years. All of us in the band were active-duty Army. We practiced at an old, empty office building on the installation. The building was being used as storage by the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation folks (the guys who run all the clubs, restaurants, golf courses, etc.). They were using the building to store excess band equipment. We, and another band, used both the space and the equipment.
I have been in several bands, but we probably had more fun in this one than any other I'd been in. A couple of the musicians weren't very good and we didn't really gel together. But we wrote a couple of songs and just had fun getting out of the house doing something we all enjoy.These photos are from our one and only show, which we performed sometime in April or May 2002. We played three songs before the opening of a youth softball tournament. How hardcore is that? Take what you can get I guess. One of the songs we sang was a the Scooby Doo theme song. It was a hit.
If you click on the photo on the right, behind me, next to the bass player, you'll see a little guy playing guitar. That was the bass player's son. He wasn't plugged in or anything, he was just up there jamming away with us on his dad's old Kramer.
Funny thing is, as much fun as I had with all of this, I can't remember what we named our band.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Happy President's Day
To those who have a day off, I hope you enjoy the time with friends and family.
To those of you who do not have a day off ...
Ha-ha.
To those of you who do not have a day off ...
Ha-ha.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Audio Parole
Chris Cornell leaves Audioslave.
To be quite honest, I have mixed emotions about this. I love all the musicians here. BUT, I've never felt that Cornell's voice quite matched Tom Morello's musical tastes. And the songs driven by Cornell didn't synch well with Morello's sensibilities.
Hopefully they'll all go on to bigger and better.
To be quite honest, I have mixed emotions about this. I love all the musicians here. BUT, I've never felt that Cornell's voice quite matched Tom Morello's musical tastes. And the songs driven by Cornell didn't synch well with Morello's sensibilities.
Hopefully they'll all go on to bigger and better.
God, children, fools ... ?
Today has been a day. As you can see from the photo here, I may very soon be a former minivan owner.At around 2:30 p.m. today I get a call. It's my wife. All I get from here is a harried, "We got in a bad accident. I need you now."
I tell my coworkers I have to go as I grab my jacket and head out the door. Man. So little information leaves a mind to ponder as you make the 20-minute drive across town. My foot was leaden, but my attention was sharp even as my mind played out different horrific scenarios. Were my kids OK? Are they going to be at the hospital by the time I get there?
I pulled up and I saw my wife, my oldest daughter and my son standing next to a friend's SUV. The first thing I say as I exit my car is, "Where's S****?" fearing the worst. My wife points to the SUV and says she's inside.
Fortunately, everyone is OK. My wife tried to make a left turn across a busy street. She thought it was clear. It wasn't. My oldest was sitting next to that crushed door. My stomach sickens at the thought of what could have happened.
I will be driving Fords the rest of my life.
That door is crushed. The frame below is slightly dented. The rear fender is trashed. The front door there is messed up. The frame surrounding the front passenger and sliding door is bent. I am thinking it's going to be totaled. I can't imagine the cost of repairs being less than the vehicle's worth.
The irony? We were about to pay off the van with our tax return. We were hoping to get a couple of more years out of it. Best laid plans, eh?
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Idol threat 2-14
So we get our final 24 chosen tonight. No live blog from me, though. We'll just check the American Idol site tomorrow to see who they are. I doubt any commenting from me will mean that much anyway.
Valentine's Day redux
Here is an excerpt of my V-Day post last year:
She is awesome.
And this post from last year never gets old:
Da butt?
A professor of psychology has postulated that the symbol we associate with the heart and Valentine's Day is actually a representation of the female behind.
The, er, money quote:
How cool is that?
Well, neither the wife nor I did much special for V-Day. This is not really anything new. I am king suck when it comes to romantic gestures. I married a very understanding woman. Thank God.
She is awesome.
And this post from last year never gets old:
Da butt?
A professor of psychology has postulated that the symbol we associate with the heart and Valentine's Day is actually a representation of the female behind.
The, er, money quote:
"The Greek goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, was beautiful all over, but was unique in that her buttocks were especially beautiful," he explained. "Her shapely rounded hemispheres were so appreciated by the Greeks that they built a special temple Aphrodite Kallipygos, which literally meant, 'Goddess with the Beautiful Buttocks.' This was probably the only religious building in the world that was dedicated to buttock worship."
How cool is that?
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Idol threat 2/13: Welcome to Hollywood
Twice as many girls ... wonder what that says about the caliber of the male talent this year.
Jory: Not very inspired. Nothing I haven't heard a lot of teenage girls sing.
Geri, Kelly, Lisa: Not memorable
Christen: Horrible
Jeromishia: Not bad
And every one of 'em sent home. I agree with Simon, no originality.
So, Shakinda is going up next. Perla, singing that hips don't lie song, and doing a really bad job of it. She's going home.
Rachel: Decent, I hope she makes it through, but that was pretty nasal.
Awww. Rachel's going home but they kept Perla. I can't believe that. She really didn't deserve.
Wonder if we're going to keep Montage Girl? Of course we are. She's amazing. Baylie makes it with some other folks we don't see. I really think we could see Baylie in the end.
And now we find out that Sarah "I lied to my dad" Chick made her parents proud even though she gets sent home.
Lots of girls getting sent home. I'm kind of thinking this is indicative of the talent we've seen so far this year. Kind of lackluster except for the few standouts.
Nicole gets sent home. Maybe because she sang the wrong song. Who knows. But she's now set herself up to blame her mom for the rest of her life. Oh, hang on, mom's coming out to plea for her daughter. And now the show degenerates again. But she still ain't getting on the stage.
56 sent home. Wow. That's a deep cut.
And now let's see what's up with the guys.
I'm hoping that Sundance sticks around, but who knows. I'll reserve judgment until I see more.
Brian - born by the river? I just don't know if this dude's memorable. Decent enough, clean cut, just kind of, blah.
Navy dude, Jarrod ... I really liked him before. I'm not sure how that went over this time.
Matt - I'm not very impressed with this. Probably going home. Ew, dropped a note or two there.
Wow, Jarrod got sent home. Too bad. Curly hair guy made it through, even though we didn't get to see him. And Matt made it through. I'm surprised by that. I don't think Matt should have made it through.
34 guys made it through. Hey, Fidel made it through, awesome.
Group night
I love this portion of the show. Really separates those who really want it and can do it from those who don't quite have it.
And we start with 92. Heh, don't we lose, like, 60 of them after this? Awesome.
The geeks can't fill in somewhere. Poor Matt.
The cowboy harmony scene was hilarious. As curly hair dude and beatbox boy's choreography is equally funny.
Missing harmonies, dropping lyrics. Heh. Lyrics aren't important. They're just lyrics.
And the first day Simon says, "Don't forget the words." And so many people do. And they shouldn't have kept Matt because, wow, he was very bad.
Man, Gina is very good. This group ain't too bad, but the Shikinda girl shows how bad she is. And Perla's sent home. I mean, that was just inevitable.
Chris, Rudy, Thomas, Blake were fantastic. They came together rather quickly. I look forward to seeing more from them. All through. Good.
L'Paige is really bad, Robyn isn't much better, and Sundance doesn't stand out too much, but he's much better than the girls. He makes it, but just barely. Simon says she was generous with him, and I must agree.
Bailey and crew get up to sing, not a bad start, but Bailey drops her words. As does the next girl. Bailey gets sent home, I mean, because of the words, she deserved it. But one of the best singers of the show (that we've seen so far) just got cut.
Looks like we lost Fidel, too. Darn it.
I love the photo debate thing. They do it right on this show.
Room 1 Chris is there, cowboy is there, Gina is there ... and it's a yes room. As I thought it would be.
Room 2 Senjai (sp?) is there, Sundance is there ... and they're a go.
Room 3 And they know that they're all going home because they heard the first two celebrate. Bad way to go.
The Indian brother Senjai (who made it) rushes downstairs to console his sister who didn't make it.
We get our final 24 tomorrow. Nice.
Editor's note: This is really hard to do when your kids are running around you at the same time. They're going to be tomorrow night before hand.
Jory: Not very inspired. Nothing I haven't heard a lot of teenage girls sing.
Geri, Kelly, Lisa: Not memorable
Christen: Horrible
Jeromishia: Not bad
And every one of 'em sent home. I agree with Simon, no originality.
So, Shakinda is going up next. Perla, singing that hips don't lie song, and doing a really bad job of it. She's going home.
Rachel: Decent, I hope she makes it through, but that was pretty nasal.
Awww. Rachel's going home but they kept Perla. I can't believe that. She really didn't deserve.
Wonder if we're going to keep Montage Girl? Of course we are. She's amazing. Baylie makes it with some other folks we don't see. I really think we could see Baylie in the end.
And now we find out that Sarah "I lied to my dad" Chick made her parents proud even though she gets sent home.
Lots of girls getting sent home. I'm kind of thinking this is indicative of the talent we've seen so far this year. Kind of lackluster except for the few standouts.
Nicole gets sent home. Maybe because she sang the wrong song. Who knows. But she's now set herself up to blame her mom for the rest of her life. Oh, hang on, mom's coming out to plea for her daughter. And now the show degenerates again. But she still ain't getting on the stage.
56 sent home. Wow. That's a deep cut.
And now let's see what's up with the guys.
I'm hoping that Sundance sticks around, but who knows. I'll reserve judgment until I see more.
Brian - born by the river? I just don't know if this dude's memorable. Decent enough, clean cut, just kind of, blah.
Navy dude, Jarrod ... I really liked him before. I'm not sure how that went over this time.
Matt - I'm not very impressed with this. Probably going home. Ew, dropped a note or two there.
Wow, Jarrod got sent home. Too bad. Curly hair guy made it through, even though we didn't get to see him. And Matt made it through. I'm surprised by that. I don't think Matt should have made it through.
34 guys made it through. Hey, Fidel made it through, awesome.
Group night
I love this portion of the show. Really separates those who really want it and can do it from those who don't quite have it.
And we start with 92. Heh, don't we lose, like, 60 of them after this? Awesome.
The geeks can't fill in somewhere. Poor Matt.
The cowboy harmony scene was hilarious. As curly hair dude and beatbox boy's choreography is equally funny.
Missing harmonies, dropping lyrics. Heh. Lyrics aren't important. They're just lyrics.
And the first day Simon says, "Don't forget the words." And so many people do. And they shouldn't have kept Matt because, wow, he was very bad.
Man, Gina is very good. This group ain't too bad, but the Shikinda girl shows how bad she is. And Perla's sent home. I mean, that was just inevitable.
Chris, Rudy, Thomas, Blake were fantastic. They came together rather quickly. I look forward to seeing more from them. All through. Good.
L'Paige is really bad, Robyn isn't much better, and Sundance doesn't stand out too much, but he's much better than the girls. He makes it, but just barely. Simon says she was generous with him, and I must agree.
Bailey and crew get up to sing, not a bad start, but Bailey drops her words. As does the next girl. Bailey gets sent home, I mean, because of the words, she deserved it. But one of the best singers of the show (that we've seen so far) just got cut.
Looks like we lost Fidel, too. Darn it.
I love the photo debate thing. They do it right on this show.
Room 1 Chris is there, cowboy is there, Gina is there ... and it's a yes room. As I thought it would be.
Room 2 Senjai (sp?) is there, Sundance is there ... and they're a go.
Room 3 And they know that they're all going home because they heard the first two celebrate. Bad way to go.
The Indian brother Senjai (who made it) rushes downstairs to console his sister who didn't make it.
We get our final 24 tomorrow. Nice.
Editor's note: This is really hard to do when your kids are running around you at the same time. They're going to be tomorrow night before hand.
The awesomeness of my wife
This is a follow-up post to my G3 post below.
I gotta say, this concert thing caught me off guard. As I said below, we don't normally do much for Valentine's Day. But this year I wanted to get something for one another. To be completely honest, I wasn't expecting much more than a card. I wanted to get a nice necklace or something for the wife, but the concert just blew me away.
I just needed to go on record here as saying that I have an amazing wife. Someone who is selfless in ways I could never be and deserves far better than I can give her. I don't know why she sticks around, but I'm very thankful that she does.
I love you, honey.
I gotta say, this concert thing caught me off guard. As I said below, we don't normally do much for Valentine's Day. But this year I wanted to get something for one another. To be completely honest, I wasn't expecting much more than a card. I wanted to get a nice necklace or something for the wife, but the concert just blew me away.
I just needed to go on record here as saying that I have an amazing wife. Someone who is selfless in ways I could never be and deserves far better than I can give her. I don't know why she sticks around, but I'm very thankful that she does.
I love you, honey.
Monday, February 12, 2007
My fear
I do not fear the future, but I fear that my actions today will not leave me suitably prepared for it.
The wife and I briefly talked about IRAs, the Thrift Savings Plan (for federal employees), and the like last night. The reality is that the federal retirement system is insufficient as a retirement plan (and they are up-front that it is only meant as a supplement to an IRA or something) and I need to hurry up and get something going.
I should have been doing this for the past 10 years. I should not just be thinking about this now. And I'm not. I mean, we've done some stuff in the past, but we've always wound up stopping or pulling the money out for some reason or another.
Now I've got to get going. Or maybe I'll just work until I die. Either way. Maybe both.
On a completely unrelated note, my weekly post is up at Faster Than The World.
The wife and I briefly talked about IRAs, the Thrift Savings Plan (for federal employees), and the like last night. The reality is that the federal retirement system is insufficient as a retirement plan (and they are up-front that it is only meant as a supplement to an IRA or something) and I need to hurry up and get something going.
I should have been doing this for the past 10 years. I should not just be thinking about this now. And I'm not. I mean, we've done some stuff in the past, but we've always wound up stopping or pulling the money out for some reason or another.
Now I've got to get going. Or maybe I'll just work until I die. Either way. Maybe both.
On a completely unrelated note, my weekly post is up at Faster Than The World.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
How liberal or conservative am I
Stolen from ALa. I guess this is about right. The thing about ethics, I'm a firm believer in charity and helping people out, I just don't think that the government should do it. It's a community thing. I also think that corporations have an obligation to regulate themselves. But that's because of my increasingly unrealistic sense of morality.
| Your Political Profile: |
| Overall: 80% Conservative, 20% Liberal |
| Social Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal |
| Personal Responsibility: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal |
| Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal |
| Ethics: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal |
| Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal |
Friday, February 09, 2007
I’m going to burst
I wish I could hold this in for a full week, but I cannot. I am going to see G3 in Atlanta next month! Satriani, Petrucci, Gilbert. I am so amazingly psyched about this show, the description of my excitement pales in comparison to reality.We shelled out the money for premium tickets (not the highest level, but the next highest). Seventh row very near center stage. Amazing.
This is a pretty big deal to me for a few different reasons. Most obvious is that these are three of my absolute favorite guitarists. Second is that I hardly ever get out much and haven’t been to a show with my wife since before we were married. Sad, but true.
The last, and most important, reason is that for most of my adult life my wife and I have lived a pretty meager existence. See, this concert is our Valentine’s present to ourselves. We’re going to Atlanta for the show and will spend the night there. A nice night out. But it’s rare that we do anything like this. Rarer still that we get much more than a card for one another for Valentine’s Day.
I’ve spent most of the past 13 years in the Army. And most of that we lived on a single income. Now I work as a civilian for the government, but the salary isn’t that much better. And we’re still on a single income. Most of our excess funds go to our children.
It’s exciting beyond words to be doing something this cool with one of the people that I care about most in life.
And I can’t wait to tell all of you how the show went.
All this and an occasional post too
Life is busy, my friends.
Between work and school, I find it difficult to post anything of meaning here. I mean, I do have free time (I am watching American Idol obviously) but even then, I find it difficult to write anything meaningful. The times I have available to write, I really just don't want to think about things worthy of posting. And it's not going to get any better for the next few months. So, I ask that you bear with me over through this as I attempt to reconcile all the aspects of my life with my desire to blog.
On to a post
It's been '80s week at Faster Than The World this week.
Many of us who were born in the '70s and spent our formative years in the '80s often wax nostalgic about that dichotomous decade.
I was just thinking the morning about some of the heavy metal bands of that decade, not the hair bands, but "real" metal bands like Megadeth, Anthrax, etc. What I remember a lot of is how they dressed. It seems that black jeans, black T shirts (or concert Ts) were the uniform. Along with white tennis shoes. I, too was a victim of the all-black clothing, but thank God I never owned a pair of white freaking tennis shoes until I actually started working out. I was a combat boot kid. I did have long hair (not a mullet!) though.
My question to you today is, what fashion faux pas of the '80s did you fall victim to?
Between work and school, I find it difficult to post anything of meaning here. I mean, I do have free time (I am watching American Idol obviously) but even then, I find it difficult to write anything meaningful. The times I have available to write, I really just don't want to think about things worthy of posting. And it's not going to get any better for the next few months. So, I ask that you bear with me over through this as I attempt to reconcile all the aspects of my life with my desire to blog.
On to a post
It's been '80s week at Faster Than The World this week.
Many of us who were born in the '70s and spent our formative years in the '80s often wax nostalgic about that dichotomous decade.
I was just thinking the morning about some of the heavy metal bands of that decade, not the hair bands, but "real" metal bands like Megadeth, Anthrax, etc. What I remember a lot of is how they dressed. It seems that black jeans, black T shirts (or concert Ts) were the uniform. Along with white tennis shoes. I, too was a victim of the all-black clothing, but thank God I never owned a pair of white freaking tennis shoes until I actually started working out. I was a combat boot kid. I did have long hair (not a mullet!) though.
My question to you today is, what fashion faux pas of the '80s did you fall victim to?
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Idol threats 2/7: The final auditions
Man. Now we see where a lot of the talent was. This was a great episode. I do wish we'd seen a lot of these folks during the actual audition stop episodes, though. But man, some of those worst of the worsts were great!
I will never think of Chantilly Lace the same way again.
I will never think of Chantilly Lace the same way again.
The astronaut's stalker
OK, the story we all are being inundated with -- and it's pretty good news of the weird -- is the astronaut chicky and her diaper drive.
While you hear a lot about this story and what happened and speculation about this or that, what I wonder about is her children. She has three kids. What the hell do you say to them.
"Oops sorry honey, mommy just went a little spacey there."
How could she possibly win an argument with her kids, ever?
"You kids better be home by midnight!"
"OK mom, you want us to pick up some Huggies for you while we're out?"
She needs to change her name and move to freaking Iceland or something.
While you hear a lot about this story and what happened and speculation about this or that, what I wonder about is her children. She has three kids. What the hell do you say to them.
"Oops sorry honey, mommy just went a little spacey there."
How could she possibly win an argument with her kids, ever?
"You kids better be home by midnight!"
"OK mom, you want us to pick up some Huggies for you while we're out?"
She needs to change her name and move to freaking Iceland or something.
Stop-stop, drama, drama
So, I can be a selfish git sometimes and some of that came to a head last night.
I was really looking forward to live blogging Idol last night and being witty and doing a decent wrap up of the episode. My wife was doing some stuff for the kids and I really needed to help do some of that stuff. I wasn't happy about it and it was kind of tense.
Then I realized that all this was because I was wanting to blog about American Idol and that realization kind of stopped me cold. What the hell is that all about? American freakin' Idol. Sheesh.
Anyway, I do expect to write more about this year's Idol trainwreck, but there may very well be some next day wrap ups if the family needs me.
I was really looking forward to live blogging Idol last night and being witty and doing a decent wrap up of the episode. My wife was doing some stuff for the kids and I really needed to help do some of that stuff. I wasn't happy about it and it was kind of tense.
Then I realized that all this was because I was wanting to blog about American Idol and that realization kind of stopped me cold. What the hell is that all about? American freakin' Idol. Sheesh.
Anyway, I do expect to write more about this year's Idol trainwreck, but there may very well be some next day wrap ups if the family needs me.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Idol threat 2/6
First live blog of the season for me! Nice to have my wireless up and running finally.
San Antonio - last audition stop. Hopefully we'll see some better contestants this time around.
Why does Simon wear glasses larger than his head? Do the larger glasses offset the size of the hangover?
Camo pants guy is scaring me from the get go here. Ah, Brian, please let your voice meet up with some of your hype. Well ... guess not. At least he can yell. Rebel even.
Jeebus, how did that guy win a mock Idol contest?
We gots us a wedding singer, hopefully she hasn't been listening to a lot of Cure lately. What's up with the pants suit? Haley ... I'm kind of impressed. Kind of shouty in places, but I really like the timbre of her voice. And, considering that Randy and Simon will vote with their tripod, she'll be in ... and they're letting her go. Second chance ... they must not want her to have a swelled head or something.
>>>> Sorry missed some stuff dealing with family issues.
Blonde railroad chicky is singing quite well. She has the potential to be a much better Pickler, perhaps. Bailey ... Simon calls her commercial, a label makers dream. Paula is stuck on cows. I didn't catch if she had a sob story or not. Guess we'll find out.
-- Heh, the "talking trash for the camera" guy was hilarious. Too damn funny. Heck his cousin is pretty good. He is not connecting with his music very well, but he does have a good voice. Glad he's moving on to Hollywood.
Well, I'm getting kicked off here for some other stuff. Might add some more thoughts later.
San Antonio - last audition stop. Hopefully we'll see some better contestants this time around.
Why does Simon wear glasses larger than his head? Do the larger glasses offset the size of the hangover?
Camo pants guy is scaring me from the get go here. Ah, Brian, please let your voice meet up with some of your hype. Well ... guess not. At least he can yell. Rebel even.
Jeebus, how did that guy win a mock Idol contest?
We gots us a wedding singer, hopefully she hasn't been listening to a lot of Cure lately. What's up with the pants suit? Haley ... I'm kind of impressed. Kind of shouty in places, but I really like the timbre of her voice. And, considering that Randy and Simon will vote with their tripod, she'll be in ... and they're letting her go. Second chance ... they must not want her to have a swelled head or something.
>>>> Sorry missed some stuff dealing with family issues.
Blonde railroad chicky is singing quite well. She has the potential to be a much better Pickler, perhaps. Bailey ... Simon calls her commercial, a label makers dream. Paula is stuck on cows. I didn't catch if she had a sob story or not. Guess we'll find out.
-- Heh, the "talking trash for the camera" guy was hilarious. Too damn funny. Heck his cousin is pretty good. He is not connecting with his music very well, but he does have a good voice. Glad he's moving on to Hollywood.
Well, I'm getting kicked off here for some other stuff. Might add some more thoughts later.
It's a mad, mad, et al. world
Man. Busy.
We got two new employees in the office yesterday. Both of the new guys seem like they're going to be great. They both have tons of experience and are pretty excited to get to work here. So, it's great to have the extra help on hand.
The downside is that both of these guys are a good bit older than me. It's kind of intimidating, to be honest. Their experience and my upbringing makes it difficult for me to feel comfortable telling to do things. Thank God we're peers, so once they've acclimated it will be a case of us sharing information.
We got two new employees in the office yesterday. Both of the new guys seem like they're going to be great. They both have tons of experience and are pretty excited to get to work here. So, it's great to have the extra help on hand.
The downside is that both of these guys are a good bit older than me. It's kind of intimidating, to be honest. Their experience and my upbringing makes it difficult for me to feel comfortable telling to do things. Thank God we're peers, so once they've acclimated it will be a case of us sharing information.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
In defense on an unpopular war
I just read this amazing article by Sgt. Eddie Jeffers, USA (Iraq). It is an amazingly articulate, logical and impassioned plea for those who spout anti-War rhetoric to think about the psychological effect it's having on troops abroad.
He says:
Please read the entire article.
He says:
Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire" around and compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our second, or third times; some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so concerned now with politics, that it is interfering with our war.
Please read the entire article.
Friday, February 02, 2007
The Weight Wait week 1
Pardon me for this, but if I post my weight loss results here I feel as though I am creating some kind of accountability for myself.
So, week one. First of all, my scale was messed up during some previous weigh ins. Apparently a corner of the scale was on a floor mat which caused to scale to show more weight loss than I had really registered. So, no 15 pound loss in a week. Which kind of sucks.
BUT, I have lost 7.7 pounds since last week. That's still quite significant. Especially considering that I'm trying to do this the "right" way as opposed to adopting some fad which gives you high weight loss in the beginning.
The most difficult aspect of week one? Working exercise into my day. The way my school schedule works, it's very difficult for me to get exercise into my afternoons. So, I'm trying to do it in the mornings. Waking up early enough to do it has been very difficult. It's something I'm going to have to just start doing. Once it becomes part of my routine, it will become easier.
The easiest part of week one? Surprisingly, the eating. I haven't felt underfed. I haven't had any horrible cravings, and I've cut waaaaay back on both the amount of food I'm eating in a meal and the amount of calories I'm eating in a day. By waaaaay, I mean I've reduced my portion size and calories by more than half, so I've been kind of shocked that I haven't had bad cravings.
That's week one. I'll let you know about week two next Friday.
So, week one. First of all, my scale was messed up during some previous weigh ins. Apparently a corner of the scale was on a floor mat which caused to scale to show more weight loss than I had really registered. So, no 15 pound loss in a week. Which kind of sucks.
BUT, I have lost 7.7 pounds since last week. That's still quite significant. Especially considering that I'm trying to do this the "right" way as opposed to adopting some fad which gives you high weight loss in the beginning.
The most difficult aspect of week one? Working exercise into my day. The way my school schedule works, it's very difficult for me to get exercise into my afternoons. So, I'm trying to do it in the mornings. Waking up early enough to do it has been very difficult. It's something I'm going to have to just start doing. Once it becomes part of my routine, it will become easier.
The easiest part of week one? Surprisingly, the eating. I haven't felt underfed. I haven't had any horrible cravings, and I've cut waaaaay back on both the amount of food I'm eating in a meal and the amount of calories I'm eating in a day. By waaaaay, I mean I've reduced my portion size and calories by more than half, so I've been kind of shocked that I haven't had bad cravings.
That's week one. I'll let you know about week two next Friday.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Life imitates art
By now, everyone's heard the story about the Aqua Teen Hunger Force guerilla ad campaign causing a city to pucker up all day yesterday.
On the one had, this is the funniest thing I've ever seen. On the other, it's the stupidest.
How ironic is it that fake LED mooninites caused what the cartoon mooninites crave to cause?
Meatwad make the money, see?
On the one had, this is the funniest thing I've ever seen. On the other, it's the stupidest.
How ironic is it that fake LED mooninites caused what the cartoon mooninites crave to cause?
Meatwad make the money, see?
A new light on an old favorite
OK, I'm a big, fat geek, but this is fascinating. It's a look at Star Wars: A New Hope when taking Eps 1-3 into consideration.
Chewie kicks ass.
Chewie kicks ass.
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