Sunday, March 29, 2009

Adventures in driving

Last night I took Tyler and his friend to a concert. I was driving in the fast lane going about 72 miles per hour when the car in front of me quickly changed lanes and cut off a trucker. To my left was a cement median with no shoulder and to my right was the cut off trucker. I immediately realized why the car had so quickly gotten out of our lane. In the middle of the road was a HUGE metal something with wheels. It was all mangled and taking up the whole lane. I was going fast enough that slamming on my brakes wouldn't have helped, not to mention I had cars behind me. My only choice was to run right over the top of it. It was soooo loud and totally freaked me out. I just knew that I did serious damage to my van (that only has two more payments on it). I got off the freeway and pulled into a gas station. The car still seemed to be running fine so I figured that whatever damage I had done wasn't that bad. Tyler and I looked under the car and the gas tank and other low hanging parts seemed to be intact. The only damage we could see was the front bumper was pretty gashed up. We drove the rest of the way to the concert and then home and everything seemed fine. The drive to church was uneventful as well so I am very grateful.
I didn't even think to look back and see if the other cars in my lane managed to maneuver around the thing. I probably should have called someone to get it out of the road. I was just in such shock from running it over that I wasn't thinking of anything else.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Results

I don't normally blog about the results show but I just had to say how much I LOVE Joss Stone. I have been listening to her for about six years now and she is wayyyy brilliant. She has some strange political views but I try to not hold that against her. I mean who in Hollywood doesn't? I hope she and Smokey release that song as a single. It was amazing.
No offence to Stevie Wonder but he sounded "pitchy". I ended up fast forwarding through most of the performance. I am sure it was a great experience for the contestants though to see him live.
I was pretty surprised to see Matt in the bottom three but happy he is safe. I guess I will have to vote more for him next week to keep him in. Ryan said he thought the top four would be Adam, Allison, Danny and Kris. I hope Matt can figure out how to edge Danny out. Then I would be happy. I think Adam may end up winning it all. We shall see.
Also I have always LOVED the group performances on results night but I didn't really enjoy this last one. The Ford commercial was pretty awesome though. I just read that they have started having the contestants lip sync the group song. That is pretty lame if you ask me but whatever.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

TOP 10

So the contestants singing tonight will make up the American Idol tour. Funny that four out of ten are wild card picks. There are also at least four contestants that I would never pay to go see.
I have never really liked Motown week just because these are some of the most serious overplayed songs in the history of music and it usually ends up being a Karaoke night to me. I am hoping the contestants can do something to make these songs sound original. I am excited to see what Adam comes up with and I wonder if Scott will do a Stevie Wonder song (I doubt it though because he doesn't have the range).
I have to admit that I cracked up with they pulled up to Hitsville and there were like five fans outside. Too funny. The whole crying bit with Lil Rounds seemed a bit put on to me but whatever. Sometimes these intros take way to long I am ready to hear some singing.

I think Matt seriously might be my favorite. That really was fantastic but I totally hate his outfit- those pants were beyond tight they looked gross and I hate that Kara is always making comments about sex.

Wait I think Kris is my favorite. Allias said he is like a David Cook/David Archuletta mix. I can see that a little bit. All I know is that I LOVE him. I think I am going to buy this song on Itunes. I am so happy we got to hear him go a little BIGGER with his voice tonight. His wife is so stinkin' cute. Kara said he did Kris and that he did everything right and I totally agree with her. I have no idea why Simon is telling Kris he needs swagger.

I am ready for Scott to go home. His vocals just aren't that great and he always gives these big annoying speeches at the end of his performances. I did like the backup singers by the piano though. That was pretty cool.
The crayon thing was a little silly. I laughed when I read another blog that said nice they bring out prop humour in front of the blind guy.

Whooaa Megan is wayyyyy off pitch. Vote For the Worst is going to be happy she is their gal. I can just hear Simon saying she sounded better when she was sick. This is way painful and she is yelling parts of the song. I wonder if they will ever dress her in anything that covers her tattoo sleeve. I didn't like it at ALL.
Kara is totally making sense tonight and Paula too. Wonders never cease. My Guy really would have been a perfect song for her.

Anoop totally looks like a college student tonight. This song is kind of boring but the vocals aren't terrible or anything.
I think the Wild Cards are really bringing it tonight and I am finding myself liking everything the judges are saying.

Michael doesn't even compare with the other guys this season. I am ready for him to go home too. He didn't take Smokey's advise at all and he sounds like Karaoke night at the bar.

Lil Rounds got a weave. She is recapping her experience at Hitsville. She doesn't sound genuine at all to me. I really don't like this kind of song and she is YELLING. It isn't original at all. Please don't let the judges love it. Randy and Kara got it right!!! Wooohoo for the judges tonight. I told Travis I totally need to be a judge on this show. I just read on another blog that she gave a shout out to Obama after her performance. Glad I was already hitting fast forward.

Adam is kind of freaking me out again. I laughed soooo hard when he came out. Tyler says he looks like Zach Effron in Hairspray!!! LOL! He really does. I am not sure what to think about Adam still. I think I like him and I think he has amazing range but he is kind of a freak. Kara can't count that was eight words. I don't know if I am as exuberant about his performance as the judges but I do think the word relevant fits.

Oooooo GO SOUL PATROL!!!! Danny is sooooo overrated. The other guys in this competition are way way way way better then him. Too bad the producers pushed him so hard in the beginning. Now he has this huge fan base. I am glad the judges have stopped falling all over him.

Allison picked the most perfect song for her voice. She totally rocked it. Way to come back from the bottom three girl.


The judges were really great tonight and I loved how Smokey told the story behind the songs. That was cool. I don't think he really gave anyone any great advise or anything but he was a nice guy and I think he helped build every one's confidence. I thought most of the contestants did a great job "making the songs their own".

I am hoping that the road will end for Michael or Scott. If I had to pick a top four right now I would choose Kris, Matt, Adam and Allison but I just don't see anyway that Danny isn't going to make the final four. Lame. I checked Dial Idol and no shockers there.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Washington DC

My friend and his family were sealed in the Washington DC temple last weekend so Travis and I decided to turn it into a family vacation. It was a trip fof our trip. We decided to leave on Thursday. I took the day off and Travis worked a half day. We both ended up getting about three hours of sleep the night before because Travis was on call and had to work most of the night and then had an early start the next day. There were a couple of little home projects that really needed to get done before we left and so Travis spent Thursday afternoon fixing our fence and installing bolt locks in all (4) of our doors. I think we finally got on the road around 7ish. Allias had totally cleaned out and vacuumed the van for our trip so that was very nice. We stopped at Kroger and got some road food and then ordered pizza from Papa John's for dinner. I was exhausted so I fell asleep. Around ten o'clock Travis woke me up and said he was falling asleep at the wheel and needed me to take over. I don't see well in the dark and since Travis ALWAYS drives when we take road trips together I didn't bring my glasses and I was also very tired but I took over at the wheel. I think my kids were pretty scared. LOL! I kept having to slow down to make sure I was staying on the road and I ended up drinking a couple of energy drinks to stay awake. We finally got to our friends the Evan's house at around 2:30 in the morning. We had never been there before and as we walked in their house (they left it unlocked for us) we were really hoping we had found the right place. I am bummed because we didn't think to bring the camera in and get some pictures while we were there but it was so nice to see them again and catch up and listen to their adorable kids chatter about webkinz and other kiddy stuff. We didn't leave their house until like one in the afternoon on Friday.
( Tyler trying to figure out the parking meter)
We headed downtown and parked. We toured the American History Museum and the Museum of Natural History. I was reminded of how hard it is to please everyone at once and I also decided that vacations with teenagers who would rather be doing anything other then walking around with their parents aren't really that much fun. Tyler ended up walking off on his own several times and every time I happened to bump into him he was with a different group of girls. Travis was getting tired so he headed out to the car. Good thing he did because when he got there we had gotten a hundred dollar parking ticket and a tow truck was on its way to pick us up. We had parked in a place that becomes a lane after 4 o'clock.
( Kailyn on the para sail)
(Trav and the kids getting ready to tour one of the museums)
Driving in DC is an absolute nightmare. There are so many people and cars and noise. I could never live in a place like that. It was way too busy for me. I chewed my fingernails down to nothing and I wasn't even the one driving. The only way to switch lanes is to cut people off and until we figured that out we ended up driving in circles (squares actually) for at least 30 minutes. And the pedestrians just walk or stand in the middle of the road. A group of people hailing a cab will take up a whole lane and everyone has to try and move over into traffic to get around them. It totally stressed me out. By the time we got to our hotel (which was NOT in the city thank goodness) my back and neck were killing me and I was ready for bed. Travis went and picked up some Chinese food and we all ate and then crashed out. Tyler discovered they had computers for public use in the lobby and I think he spent the majority of his vacation on myspace. The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel and then I headed to the temple for my friend's sealing. Our hotel had a Book of Mormon in the drawer along side the bible and it had the phone number and address for the temple so I assumed it would be close. I was pretty excited when I typed the address into my GPS and it said it was five minutes away. The ceremony was beautiful and it was so nice to see how happy Brian and his wife are and to meet their two darling little boys. When Brian got active and his wife was baptized they shared the gospel with some friends of theirs who were then also baptized. The Alexander's have three children and their family was sealed as well. It was sooo awesome to see what the gospel has done for these precious families. The Alexander's eleven year old boy was deeply touched and kept wiping away his tears. There really wasn't a dry eye in the place. The sealing was supposed to be at like 10 I think but their were some technical issues and so I think it ended up happening around 11 or so.
I got back to the hotel at like 12 and we headed back down to DC. We ate lunch at Subway and then we decided to tour the Holocaust museum. It was raining and we didn't have a lot of time since we needed to meet Brian and his family for dinner around 6. It took forever to find a place to park and by the time we started our tour it was 3:30. We didn't get to see the last part of the exhibits which was kind of a bummer but we all were touched by what we did get to see. Again Tyler kind of did his own thing but I don't think he met any girls. We didn't get out of DC until like 5:30 and traffic was pretty much stop and go. I can't imagine what it would look like on a weekday. We arrived in Stafford around 7. Our reservations were for 7:15. We stopped at Ross for a second and Tyler decided to disappear. Travis took the other kids and I to the restaurant and then went back to look for him. After several minutes Travis called me and I told him just to come to dinner. I told everyone at the table that I could bet Tyler would show up. Sure enough he did. We all laughed even though I was slightly stressed out. We had a great time at dinner and then we hung out at the Van Hoven's until late. It was soooo nice to catch up and to get to know Kim better. We had a GREAT time. I always leave places wishing i lived closer or in their case wishing they lived closer to me. I would/could never live up there.
(Travis and I with Brian and Kim and our families)
We were going to go to church in VA on Sunday morning but they were having Stake Conference so we decided to try and fit a few more touristy things in. It was raining again and we couldn't decide what we wanted to do. We stopped and did some shopping at TJ Maxx and then headed downtown. Traffic was terrible and by the time we got down there it was like 1 or 2 o'clock. The kids were being super rowdy in the car and Travis was talking on the phone and not paying attention to the GPS telling him where to go. I was upset and he pulled over and told me to drive. I just decided it was time to go home. It was actually a good thing that I did because traffic was sooooo bad getting out of DC that we spent at least two hours sitting in traffic. We pulled off around 3 and ate some fast food and then we pulled off again to get gas. We ended up getting gas in the same town as we had dinner Saturday night. I think it was around 5 or so when we got there so what should have been a 1 hour drive had turned into around 3 hours. Travis took over driving at that point and we got home around 9. I have decided that the best part about vacations are the time you spend visiting with family and friends. I don't know if you could convince me to go back to DC to sight see. Maybe in better weather where I could just park my car somewhere and walk around but I don't even know about that.
(the ride home)
You can see the rest of our pictures here

Thursday, March 19, 2009

(A Rush to Judgement)

This is probably one of the BEST blogs about the direction our country is heading I have ever read. WOW WOW and WOW. I agree with each and every word.
The Ordinary Opiner: A Rush to Judgement

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

11

I am running a little late on getting my AI recap up today. I am sure you are just dying in anticipation to see what I thought so I apologize and without further ado here are my ever so valued opinions.

I think this new judge entry is kind of silly but whatever and Ryan is looking kind of like Kermit the Frog to me lately. Also before we even get started I just want to say that Danny reminds me of Tayler Hicks (Soul Patrol). Remember him??

I loooathe country night. I am glad we are getting it over with early.

Michael sounds typical country- not anything to write home about but I love the harmonica. He does a good job remembering the crazy lyrics but we wouldn't be able to tell if he forgot.
Ack Paula (and the rest of the judges) are trying to make him country when he really is an R&B kind of guy. I HATE it when they do that. Look at Phil Stacey. So lame.

Allison sounded really great in the little preview and I love her hair and outfit. Her performance was okay.

Kris is still my favorite. He made the song sound very contemporary and fresh. I am wondering if he can do BIG though. His style reminds me of Jason Castro a little bit. The last note was a bit off but he is so adorable. It is funny because I can't stand the weird things Michael does with his mouth when he sings but I love the quirky things Kris does with his.

Lil Rounds just said "quite a few time together" NICE. This is a very sad song and she sounds okay. Nothing spectacular. And wow the judges aren't falling all over her tonight. Shocking.

Adam and Randy Travis together are CRACKING me up!!! Love it!!! I love Johnny Cash and I love this song. Wow Adam's take on it is kind of scary in a kind of cool emo way. Whoa drama but I almost like it. Simon is going to HATE this. I am totally getting a modern Queenish vibe from Adam. One thing I can say is that he has totally stayed true to himself. And just when I thought that Kara could never say anything intelligent she hits exactly how I am feeling about this performance right on the head, "confused but happy".

Scott was just okay for me. He has an interesting tone to his voice and it got better toward the middle but it was still kind of safe. I do like how they are making it possible for him to be on this show- like at the beginning they had Alexis kind of holding on to him as they walked out.
I totally disagree with Paula. Stevie Wonder is ALWAYS behind the piano- it is part of who he is and I think it is the same with Scott.

Alexis is not doing very good. The song is beyond boring and she is seriously out of tune and way "pitchy". And just when I thought I might be able to stand Kara she has to go and say stupid ANNOYING things. Alexis does not need to act/look/sing like a street walker to be good. Kara needs to give it a rest.

Danny looks terrible and doesn't sound much better. Oh my gosh I am dying laughing because I just told Allias that Danny is the new Soul Patrol (aka Tayler Hicks) and he said he was just thinking the same thing! This was Danny's worst performance- I really really really hope he isn't in the finals. Danny is a glorified wedding singer. If he wins I predict he will have just as much success as Tayler Hicks has.

Anoop is the comeback kid for sure! He sounds FANTASTIC. He is making the song fresh and new. I LOVE it. I am also liking him in eyeliner.

Megan has a very original voice. I am still getting the folk rock vibe from her and I actually think I would buy an album she put out if that was the route she went. She looks very pretty tonight but she sooooo needs dance lessons. LOL! I love how the judges brought up the fact that she has the flu and was in the hospital and she is coughing away. Way to milk it. They must really not want her to go home.

Matt is sooooooo BRILLIANT. He sounds so raw and emotional and I LOVE him. He is another one that I would like to see behind the piano every time he sings.

Ryan is right in saying that we have ourselves a competition. To me the Wild Cards were on fire tonight. I voted for Kris, Matt, Adam and Anoop and then threw in a couple votes for Allison and Megan to try and give them an edge over Lil Rounds.
If it were up to me Michael or Lil Rounds would be going home. I am not holding out any hope that Danny will be gone anytime soon.
I totally thought Vote For the Worst would pick Adam but I guess they stick by one person until they get sent home so they still chose Megan.
I checked Dial Idol as well and was kind of bummed out by who they predict to be the bottom three. I saw an interview with Ryan on Oprah and he told her if he had to choose who he thought would be in the finals right now he would pick Adam, Danny, Allison and Kris. I don't see Allison making the top four unless the judges use a save. Hmmmmm. You know what would make me really mad is if Danny is who ends up getting saved. Now I am stressing myself out. If I had to pick the final four today I would choose Kris, Matt, Adam and Alexis (but only if she stopped trying to be dirty and told Kara to shut-up).

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Interview

Today seems like a good day to answer these tag questions. I need a distraction! The super adorable always smiling Kristen Barnett sent me these questions to answer. If you want to play just leave me a comment and I will send you (via email) a one of a kind personalized by me interview.



1.) You have a fun, quirky, outgoing personality. What three things have helped you develop into the person you are today?
Funny I am always calling my daughter quirky but have never thought of myself that way. I guess she gets it from me! This is a hard question because there are so many things that have contributed to who I am. I guess I will focus on what helped me develop the fun quirky outgoing part of myself. There was a time in my life when I was very shy around people I didn't know but when I was with my parents they couldn't get me to shut-up. My dad even called me chatterbox when I was little. When I was in the 7th grade I started hanging around a few girls that were very LOUD and outgoing, they would talk to anyone, anytime. They totally helped me come out of my shell- probably a bit too much! Also when I was in Junior High I became friends with a teacher at the High School. He taught journalism classes and he encouraged me to get involved with the Yearbook. He along with a few other teachers along the way helped me realize that I had talents that I could share with others. I think joining the church is probably a given but it really helped me to figure out how to use my crazy outgoing side for good instead of evil LOL.

2.) If you could go back and give advice to your younger self, what would you tell her? And what do you think she would think of you today?
Wow my younger self needed soooooo much advice. The thing is if she had followed all the advice I would like to give her it would have totally changed the path her life took and so many good things have happened to her that it would be hard to imagine life any other way. That being said there are so many things she missed out on because of the choices she made so I would tell her to not waste her talents, to get an education, to wait until she was married to have sex, to party less, plan more and to treat others better. I think she would be totally shocked to see how "she" turned out. When I was younger I imagined myself well educated and doing things that would make an impact on the world. I wanted to go to Western University become a Speech Pathologist and work with the deaf. I wanted to join the Peace Corps and travel. I wanted to work with animals (gorillas especially). Because I was living in the moment I didn't see that my choices were pushing me further and further from those dreams. I don't think I could have told the younger me that I would never accomplish any of the things I had imagined for myself and still be living a satisfying life full of love and knowledge and hope. She wouldn't have believed it.

3.) You have three kids, a husband, pets, a job, church callings (do I need to keep going?) but don't seem to get overwhelmed by it all. What keeps you going with so many demands on your time and how do you "balance" it all?
For me sometimes it is just getting by minute by minute. I try to keep my focus where it should be and I always make it a point to set aside time for myself so I don't get burnt out. Honestly I do feel overwhelmed at times and when that happens I know I need to take a step back and just do absolutely nothing for an hour or two. Travis is a HUGE part of keeping me sane. He is always right there to do whatever it is that needs to be done to keep things running smoothly. I have also found that I need to keep a detailed schedule of events so I don't forget where everyone is supposed to be and when. The calendar on my cell phone has turned out to be a very valuable tool. I am sure there are sooooo many people out there that could give ME advise on balancing I wouldn't call it one of my strong points.

4.) You talk a lot about how much you love your sweet husband. How did you meet him and what was it about him that let you know he was "the one"?
Travis was "literally" put in my path. I was visiting an alternative high school one day and he walked by me. He had one of those wallets with a looong chain attached. I said "nice wallet" and he turned around and looked at me. I can remember thinking WOW he is soooooo good looking. There was an assembly that day and I pretty much stared at him the entire time. When I got home my foster sister asked me if I saw any cute boys and I was like yeah the guy with the shell necklace and the wallet with the chain. She said "oh that is Travis Nelson!!" The next day at school she wrote "for a good time call" and our phone number. I did end up going to that school but he got kicked out before I started. About a month later he called. I guess one of his friends needed a date or something. We ended up all going out to Denny's together. Travis had a girlfriend at the time and of course I couldn't stand her so I decided to try and break them up. We made plans to have Thanksgiving together but her parent's wouldn't let her go. I have to admit I was thrilled. We decided to go look for Jimi Hendrix's grave (he was born on November 27th and Thanksgiving fell on his b-day that year). It was soooo freezing cold that we didn't last long in the cemetery and we never did find his grave. We ended up a couple after that night and besides for a few minor break ups we have been together ever since. We got married exactly a year later. The moment I knew he was the one is very personal and I don't think I will share it here but the reasons behind it are two fold. First, Travis has always been so selfless in our relationship. He has always treated me like I was the most important person in the universe even when I didn't deserve it. I still get all tingly whenever he is around. Second; he is the most fantastic father. When I see him with his kids it makes me feel like everything is okay in my world.

5.) When you just want to relax, de-stress, and unwind what do you like to do?
Reading has always been a huge stress reliever for me. I can totally get lost in the pages of a book. I think my favorite place to read is by the pool on hot summer days. The combination of hot sun, cool water and a good book is the most relaxing thing in the universe.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Glenn Beck's conversion and the new project he is working on

Glenn Beck talking about his conversion



The new project he is working on. Pretty cool stuff.
http://www.the912project.com/

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Is it possible to be boring but good?

They tell people over and over again not to touch Michael Jackson and now they are using his music as a theme. This should be fun. I hope Adam does Thriller, that would be entertaining, but he better not try and sing Billy Jean that song totally belongs to David Cook now. Looking over the top 13 I think America and the judges did a pretty good job. I am actually getting excited for this season and hope they can pull off these songs.

First up Lil Rounds
The first thing I think of when I see her is how over rated she is. I just don't think she is as great as the judges (Kara especially) think she is. She is doing okay- it isn't blowing me away or anything but she looks pretty in pink. Thank you Simon for keeping it real.
Great Kara is going to be as obnoxious as usual. I keep hoping one of the producers will call her out of being so utterly annoying.
Scott is up next- I imagine he will be behind the piano- I am actually excited to see that. I wonder if he will use the piano each week. I am thinking he should- no offense but I am also kind of hoping he starts wearing shades when he sings. He kind of has a George Michael sound to me. I like him- he is making the song sound brand new which is something Lil Rounds didn't do with her song. The thing I like about Scott is you can tell that he totally feels everything he sings. I can't believe Simon said it is okay to be artistic just not on this show. That is an odd thing to say. David Cook was super artistic and look where he is.
Danny has an adorable family. They are making me like Danny better. Terrible song choice but I love his performance. He has a lot of rhythm. I am liking him better tonight even though the song seems a little safe and I just don't see him as selling millions of records. I am glad they didn't mention the dearly departed once. I still think he is way over rated and has been shoved down our throats by the producers for weeks. I will never vote for him no matter how far he goes or how good he gets.
Oil Rig Michael is hard to watch. I don't think he is good enough. I imagine he will be one of the first to go. I just don't think he is original enough and he bores me to tears.
Kara brings absolutely nothing to this show and why is Paula so weepy tonight?
Watching live is really lame. Way too many commercials but this four year old sending pictures on her computer is pretty adorable.
Jasmine looks so cute in pink. She really is an adorable girl- if her singing career doesn't work out she should totally try modeling. I guess that is why the judges keep calling her commercial. She also has a cute family. I am actually surprised that she is doing as good as she is. I think this may be the best I have heard her sing but I am not sure that it is good enough.
Kris is beyond adorable and has an equally adorable wife.
I ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ his voice. I have a feeling Simon is going to call him corny or something. But wow that smile. He is my favorite.
Allison's hair looks pretty tonight. It is so hard to believe she is 16 when she sings. She actually reminds me of Pink a little bit. I think it is funny how confident she seems when she is performing and then she falls apart when she has to have a real life conversation. I don't know if people are going to vote for her or not but I kind of like her.
This top 13 is turning out to be pretty good but other then Kris everyone seems a little boring.
Oh my gosh Anoop why oh why are you going to try and sing Beat It? I mean you are going to end up sounding like Weird Al singing Eat it. I am pretty sure that Beat It should be on some untouchable list somewhere. Especially if you can't dance. Beat It is just as much about the dancing as it is about the singing. Fall Out Boy and John Mayer did an okay copy of this song but you have to have A LOT of attitude to pull it off and I don't think Anoop Dog has it.
Wow Kara actually said something worthwhile. There is a first for everything. I agree with her that there was no emotional connection. I didn't think it was terrible but I think with the calibre of talent we have seen so far I am thinking that anyone who isn't perfect may be going home.
Jorge is easier for me to listen to with my eyes closed and I seriously think he just switched to Spanish part way through the song. I hit rewind just to make sure and I really think he did. Too funny. I don't think he sang very well at all. He may be in danger too.
Megan is wearing a bad bad bad dress. There is something very interesting about Megan's voice. I think that she could actually be good as like a folk rock singer. She sounds really good at points and I hear this funky original tone that I kind of like but then it falls flat more often then not. Her dancing is soooooo corny it makes me laugh. And she just said CAW CAW at the end of the song. WoW
Adam may be growing on me. I can't quite figure him out. Is he super cocky or super humble? Gay or Straight? Just when I start to like him and then he goes all dramatic and screechy. I would like to hear him sing something slower. I watched a YouTube video of a stage performance he did where he played Joshua (Old Testament) and he sang a song that was pretty slow and it was actually good. He seems pretty humble as the judges are talking to him. I am back to liking him again.
Dueling Piano Matt is another favorite of mine. I am sooooooo glad he is part of the top 13. He has such a nice voice and I l♥ve when he is behind the piano. There is so much soul in his voice. I hope he is around for A WHILE! He needs to work on his falsetto a little bit though- it was semi painful to me.
Alexis is so beautiful when she is with her daughter but I am HATING what she is wearing. I think she took Kara's advice to dirty it up a little too seriously. This song is actually perfect for her voice but I agree with Paula that she over sang it. I am telling you that I want to punch Kara in the face. Why is she such a hooker?

Other then tonight being a little on the boring side I think everyone did pretty well. It is going to be a hard choice. Vote for the Worst probably had a very hard time picking someone. I think this top 13 is decent and there are four or five standouts. My guess is that Vote for the Worst went with Anoop but he may be a little too boring for them. Just checked and they chose Megan because she said CAW CAW at the end of her performance. Mentioned something about the fact that Robin's don't go CAW CAW! Too funny.
I didn't really have a chance to vote because I was soooo tired by the end of the show. I did dial in for Dueling Piano Matt a couple times and tried to get through for Kris but it was busy. Hopefully they will still be standing tonight. I am excited to see what the change is and I hope it is something that makes the show better. I read some rumors that the judges are going to pick who goes home out of the bottom two or three. I really hope that isn't it. I think they will lose A LOT of fans if they do that.
If I was to guess who is going home I would go with Jorge, Anoop or Jasmine.
There is another website called Dial Idol that I check. It predicts who is safe and who is in danger. During the first couple of weeks it isn't super accurate but as the season goes on it's usually right on. I know some people don't like spoilers so I wont go into great detail but it looks like Anoop may have gotten the sympathy vote.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Me and Molly before and after

(I know Me and Molly isn't proper English but it sounds cute to me)

Molly was spayed this week. I was a nervous wreck for some reason but she did just fine. We gave her bath before she went so she would be all clean and pretty for the doctors. While she was in surgery I went and got my hair done. I decided that I was getting a little too blond so I had her add in some more dark pieces. I am in LOVE with my hair. I know that may sound vain but I really really really like it. It matches my eyebrows a lot better and I think it brings out my eyes quite nicely. I am also liking the way it is looking as it grows back out. I haven't had her cut it at all other then to slightly trim the ends. I love my hairdresser so much. I have never walked out of there not totally loving my hair. Molly was soooo sleepy when we picked her up. She was totally out of it but so super cute. She is healing fine and is back to her adorable spastic self.
Here are some pictures of Molly and I before and after.

Here is Molly after her bath! Don't you love her hairstyle?

Waiting in the car for check in.Still waiting to check in- You can see how blond my hair had gotten.
I look like kind of silly in this picture but it shows my hair well. This is the same day I got it done. I haven't totally figured out how to get it exactly the way she did but that is always the case. That being said I am still very happy with it. Molly recovering
One SideAnd the other

And finally the pitiful little puppy

Monday, March 9, 2009

15 Most Influential Albums (the early years)

Think of 15 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically, they shaped your world.


Here are the albums I can still remember as having a great impact on my childhood and early teens.
1. Michael Jackson- Thriller (I used to pretend I was Olivia Newton John and that I was married to him- I had a Michael Jackson barbie doll too.)
2. Olivia Newton John-Physical (I remember saving up all my pennies so I could buy this RECORD- I played it over and over again on my little record player)
3. Motley Crue- Girls Girls Girls- ( I had a fish tank and my fish were named Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, Tommy Lee and I had an Eel his name was Vince Eel.)
4. Huey Lewis and the News- Picture This (There is a song called The Only One that I can still sing word for word- I kept this tape LONG after CD's came out)
5. Prince- Purple Rain Soundtrack (My friend Jessica and I used to scream the lyrics to Darling Nikki while walking around getting into mischief we weren't very good girls)
6. Bon Jovi- Slippery When Wet (I cried every time I listened to it)
7. Guns N Roses- Use Your Illusion II (I just bought this again- it is still as amazing to me as it was when I was a teenager)
8. Bon Jovi- Young Guns Soundtrack (the movie and the songs were HUGE to me)
9. Duran Duran- Rio (I think Hungry Like a Wolf was one of the first videos I ever saw) It was a hard choice between Rio and Jane's Addiction- Nothings Shocking for this spot
10. Beastie Boys- Licensed to Ill (Timeless really- I still listen to it)
11. Violent Femmes- The Violent Femmes (I actually probably started listening to this when I was about 18 but I didn't include it on my other list so wanted to put it here. First concert I ever went to)
12. NWA- Straight Out of Compton (I would NEVER listen to this now but when I was in HS I could sing along with every song)
13. Sir Mix A Lot- Swass (LOL my posse spent plenty of time on Broadway, we also sang every word to every song while cruising the ave)
14. U2- The Joshua Tree (I haven't listened to U2 in ages- I am not really a fan anymore but this album was so amazing to me back then)
15. Madonna- Like a Virgin (man I loved the videos that came out from this album)
Okay Okay I will stop at 15 this time.
OH AND I TAG EVERYONE!!!!!

15 Most Influential albums

I posted this on my facebook but wanted to blog it too. I just realized I have two number 14s. Oops

Think of 15 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. These are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically, they shaped your world.

I chose mine from the last 17 years or so.

1.Pink Floyd- The Wall (Travis had this on cassette and we would listen to it over and over and over and over again listening to it brings back all the memories of falling in love with him)
2. Bob Marley- Legend (this Cd reminds me of my mom- it is also a perfect CD to listen to in the carpool line while waiting to pick up kids)
3. Nirvana- Unplugged in New York (I remember when I saw this on MTV- wow- I would put this album near the top of the best of all time list)
4. Hard-Fi- Stars of CCTV (Hard-Fi is one of my favorite bands)
5. Guns N Roses- Appetite for Destruction (Never gets old)
6. The Subways- Youth For Eternity (Billy Lund is beautiful)
7. Matisyahu- Youth (Another album that would be on my best of all time list)
8. Credence Clearwater Revival- Chronicles (I think Travis and I listened to this CD non stop for at least a year or two)
9. Led Zeppelin- III (just slightly edged out over Zeppelin II as my favorite Zeppelin album)
10. Linkin Park- Hybrid Theory (brilliant)
11. Matchbox Twenty- Mad Season (I can still sing all the words to every song- I listened to it that much)
12. The Doors- Greatest Hits (another album that reminds me of the early days with Travis. I have so many memories associated with this album)
13.Wolfmother- Wolfmother (so sad they broke up- most brilliant live show I have ever seen)
14. Fleetwood Mac- Rumours (Travis and I def had a classic rock thing going on there for awhile- this album also reminds me of my childhood)
14. Stephen Marley- Mind Control (I am so addicted to this album- I have it acoustic too it's beyond amazing)
15. Van Morrison- Moon Dance (And It Stoned Me is one of my all time favorite songs)
(I know it says 15 but I can't narrow it down)
16. The Who- 20th Century Masters; The Who- Best of The Who (The Who are fantastic- I love listening to Travis sing along with Pinball Wizard- I can totally picture it in my mind when I think about it)
17. Yellowcard- Yellowcard (I am a sucker for rock music with violins)
18. The White Stripes- White Blood Cells (Before I got my ipod I went through at least three of this CD)
19. Steve Miller Band- Greatest Hits 74-78 (so many amazing songs- one of the first CD's Travis and I bought together)
20. Blue October- Foiled (18th Floor Balcony is probably my all time favorite song- there is a part where his voice and the violins are going in unison ((4:12)) wow)
21. Joss Stone- The Soul Sessions (The first time i heard Joss I was blown away- she has shifted directions and I don't really care for her new stuff as much but her first CD is soooo fantastic- she does a remake of The White Stripes Fell in Love with A Girl ((hers is fell in love with a boy)) that I LOVE)
22. After Midnight Project- After Midnight Project- (I am FINALLY going to see them live this month!!!!!! I cannot wait- If you haven't heard them you totally need to check them out they are my favorite)
23 America- History (Another one Travis and I listened to non-stop)
24. Jimi Hendrix- Electric Lady Land (I lost this CD and it is sorely missed- I keep meaning to rebuy it)
25. Grateful Dead- American Beauty (Box of Rain was my ringback for like a year. The whole album is wonderful)
26. Alice In Chains- Nothing Safe- Best of Alice in Chains (Layne Staley had such an original voice- so sad that he lost his life to addiction- Alice In Chains remains one of my favorite bands)



I should do one for the first 17 years of my life as well. That will be my next post.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Why are we so blind???

I came across this article and seriously cried while reading it. Our country is heading in a very scary direction and I wonder if we will ever be able to come back from it. If there was ever a time when we needed to be doing ALL that we can to strengthen our homes and families it is this time.


March 06, 2009
Deception at Core of Obama PlansBy Charles Krauthammer
WASHINGTON -- Forget the pork. Forget the waste. Forget the 8,570 earmarks in a bill supported by a president who poses as the scourge of earmarks. Forget the "$2 trillion dollars in savings" that "we have already identified," $1.6 trillion of which President Obama's budget director later admits is the "savings" of not continuing the surge in Iraq until 2019 -- 11 years after George Bush ended it, and eight years after even Bush would have had us out of Iraq completely.
Forget all of this. This is run-of-the-mill budget trickery. True, Obama's tricks come festooned with strings of zeros tacked onto the end. But that's a matter of scale, not principle.

All presidents do that. But few undertake the kind of brazen deception at the heart of Obama's radically transformative economic plan, a rhetorical sleight of hand so smoothly offered that few noticed.
The logic of Obama's address to Congress went like this:
"Our economy did not fall into decline overnight," he averred. Indeed, it all began before the housing crisis. What did we do wrong? We are paying for past sins in three principal areas: energy, health care, and education -- importing too much oil and not finding new sources of energy (as in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Outer Continental Shelf?), not reforming health care, and tolerating too many bad schools.
The "day of reckoning" has now arrived. And because "it is only by understanding how we arrived at this moment that we'll be able to lift ourselves out of this predicament," Obama has come to redeem us with his far-seeing program of universal, heavily nationalized health care; a cap-and-trade tax on energy; and a major federalization of education with universal access to college as the goal.
Amazing. As an explanation of our current economic difficulties, this is total fantasy. As a cure for rapidly growing joblessness, a massive destruction of wealth, a deepening worldwide recession, this is perhaps the greatest non sequitur ever foisted upon the American people.
At the very center of our economic near-depression is a credit bubble, a housing collapse and a systemic failure of the entire banking system. One can come up with a host of causes: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac pushed by Washington (and greed) into improvident loans, corrupted bond-ratings agencies, insufficient regulation of new and exotic debt instruments, the easy money policy of Alan Greenspan's Fed, irresponsible bankers pushing (and then unloading in packaged loan instruments) highly dubious mortgages, greedy house-flippers, deceitful homebuyers.
The list is long. But the list of causes of the collapse of the financial system does not include the absence of universal health care, let alone of computerized medical records. Nor the absence of an industry-killing cap-and-trade carbon levy. Nor the lack of college graduates. Indeed, one could perversely make the case that, if anything, the proliferation of overeducated, Gucci-wearing, smart-ass MBAs inventing ever more sophisticated and opaque mathematical models and debt instruments helped get us into this credit catastrophe in the first place.
And yet with our financial house on fire, Obama makes clear both in his speech and his budget that the essence of his presidency will be the transformation of health care, education and energy. Four months after winning the election, six weeks after his swearing in, Obama has yet to unveil a plan to deal with the banking crisis.
What's going on? "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste," said Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. "This crisis provides the opportunity for us to do things that you could not do before."
Things. Now we know what they are. The markets' recent precipitous decline is a reaction not just to the absence of any plausible bank rescue plan, but also to the suspicion that Obama sees the continuing financial crisis as usefully creating the psychological conditions -- the sense of crisis bordering on fear-itself panic -- for enacting his "Big Bang" agenda to federalize and/or socialize health care, education and energy, the commanding heights of post-industrial society.
Clever politics, but intellectually dishonest to the core. Health, education and energy -- worthy and weighty as they may be -- are not the cause of our financial collapse. And they are not the cure. The fraudulent claim that they are both cause and cure is the rhetorical device by which an ambitious president intends to enact the most radical agenda of social transformation seen in our lifetime.
letters@charleskrauthammer.com

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Idol Results/Wildcards

The results didn't surprise me at all I was pretty sure of who would make it. I was a little surprised by the wild card picks. I laugh because I read/listen to a lot of opinions about American Idol and I hear two sides- those who say the show is totally set up and that the producers only let certain people through based on marketability and then the other side that says they let people like Scott and Danny through because they have a story that brings ratings and then bring in a little drama like Tatiana also for ratings. I imagine it is a little of both. I like the show regardless. It gives me people to love and people to hate for many different reasons and it makes good TV. I think they also try and put through someone for everybody. But think about if they didn't do all these things for ratings they wouldn't sell ad space and then there would be no more American Idol. The only thing I would change about this season is the adding of a fourth judge. Kara gets on my very last nerve.
As far as the wild card picks I was not expecting them to pick Tatiana but I do think people will watch to see what she does and Vote for the Worst will have someone to love and promote. Personally I would have rather seen them choose Normund Gentle, he is far more entertaining, but that is just me. I knew they would choose Megan but thought they would bring Kendall back since there really isn't another country singer in the group. I am thrilled that Anoop, Matt and Ricky are back and hope they all make the top twelve. I don't know what they were thinking with Jasmine I honestly don't think she is ready but Jesse was a decent choice even though I would have rather seen Misha or Tayler. I can't wait for tonight's show and for the "real" season to begin.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Idol Addiction (group three)

I am seriously cheesily addicted to this show. How do I know? Well for one thing in order to make sure that what I am going to blog is exactly how I am feeling and that the judges don't have any impact on my opinion I take notes while the contestant is singing. Another sure sign of my addiction; I don't like watching it with my family. It is something that is just more enjoyable alone. Tyler did watch it with me this morning and that was actually okay. I laughed my butt off when Scott was singing and Tyler said; "what would happen if he just walked right off the stage?"

Since I am sure you are all dying to know what I thought here it is.
First glance at this group I can tell you right now Lil Rounds is going to sing last. Honestly some things about this show are just way to predictable.

Von Smith- Well this is the best I have heard him but I am still not a fan.
Taylor- Wow she looks sooo pretty! It is a little boring in parts but also pretty awesome in parts. She sounds very nervous- her voice is almost shaking but she has a total pop voice. There is something about her that I like.
Kara is an idiot
Alex- ummm yeah this is somewhat painful and he also sounds very nervous. There is something somewhat original about his voice though he just kind of over did it or something.
Ariana- I HATED her audition and this isn't any better. DREADFUL BORING PITCHY. She sounds even more nervous then Alex or Taylor.
I am starting to think this is the worst top 36 in Idol History. Maybe the show is set up. They picked out who they wanted as the top 12 and then chose all other mediocre talent to fill in the gaps.
Ju'Not- started out a little rough but got better. I like that he put an R&B twist on the song but Jamal's twist in Hollywood week was much much better. Whoa buddy TMI about the cortisone shot in the butt. ACK
ummm Nathaniel scares me a little bit
Kirsten/Kristen (can't remember now)- I have never really been a fan but she actually has a nice voice and she looks very pretty tonight.
Kara annoys me!!
Nathaniel- song choice seems a little safe but I think he actually did good. I kind of like him but he really really needs to quit saying he wants to touch people with music.
Felicia- Gorgeous girl. So super cute. I really like her "phrasing" as Paula would say but she is trying to hard. Her kid is soooooo cute. He def gets his good looks from his mom.
Kara is soooooo annoying!!!
I agree with Simon that the first half of the song was better.
Scott- I really have thought from day one that he was way overrated but he is going to sing one of my favorite songs so I am going to give him a chance. ACK my satellite is wigging out but from what I can tell he is doing a really good job. OH my gosh how funny he is Hi 5ing Ryan. Hilarious. I kind of like this kid.
Kendall- I imagine that if she doesn't make it they will bring her back as a wild card. They like to have a country girl in the mix. Hmmm that is all I wrote in my notes and now I can't remember if I liked her or not. I am not a country fan so I probably didn't. All I can remember is Paula saying she liked her outfit and me thinking it looked like she was wearing a wrinkly bed sheet.
Jorge- Bet you money Paula is drooling or will be shortly. Started out a little boring but had some really really good parts. I think he is the first one tonight that actually sounds like he is on key. He is pretty adorable. I like it when they are sooo humble like him. If Paula would sit down I would like him even more.
Kara annoys me!!!!
Lil Rounds- Honestly I am going to have a hard time being objective when it comes to Lil Rounds I guess she is in the same boat as Danny to me where I feel like she has been shoved down my throat. Wow this song is actually pretty decent. She isn't screaming it which makes her much more enjoyable to listen to. The last little part of the song she started shouting again and made me remember why I don't like her. I am also thinking that people should vote for another girl in this group because there is no way the judges wouldn't pick her as a wild card. They practically worship her.
Ummm Kara don't try and act ghetto it is so not working for you.
I am so so so so very sorry for ever comparing my super adorable, sweet, funny sister n law Brittney to annoying, irrelevant, "package artist" Kara. No comparison.
Since I just watched it this morning I obviously didn't vote but my choices would have been Scott, Taylor and Jorge but I am sure Lil Rounds will make it. I totally thought vote for the worst would have chosen Nathaniel because of his antics but they chose Alex. Whatever.
I also saw that Ricky Brady, Anoop and Matt (dueling piano guy) were spotted back in LA with some of the other contestants that already made the top twelve. Maybe they are wild card picks. That would make me happy.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Boy Scout Service Project

Travis and the Boy Scouts had a service project planned for Saturday morning. The forecast was calling for rain but Travis said as long as it wasn't pouring they would still go. Saturday morning I woke up to the sound of pretty heavy rain but Travis didn't consider it pouring. I called Sister Miracle to let her know we were still coming and she was very surprised. They worked for about four hours and got pretty wet but did a fantastic job. I wish I would have taken before and after shots of the yard they cleaned up but here is a picture of all the boys standing in part of the pile of stuff they moved to the backyard. Enjoying a snack.
Denise said Boe looks like he is tossing Salad in this picture. They all took turns wearing Tyler's sunglasses.
contemplating how to get this out of the ground
heave ho!!!


They were sooooo filthy and wet by the time it was all over. I was inside helping with the packing and every time I looked out I saw Allias picking up piles of pine straw. He worked very very hard. All the boys did really. I think they actually had a good time and the lady who's yard they cleaned up was very grateful. After it was over everyone went home to dry off, eat and rest up for their basketball game that evening. It was a busy Saturday!