Thursday, April 27, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
I'm breaking down and talking about TV.
American Idol, specifically. I had sort of avoided putting book, movie, and TV reviews here. I'm not sure why- maybe I just was thinking it was a cheap way to fill writing space and I wanted to explore my thoughts more or some such rubbish. Anyway, I have to talk about AI right now, all my friends are abed, and the TWoP boards are too danged cluttered!
So, I basically agreed with all the judges tonight. After Katherine sang Whitney, I was sooooo afraid that they were going to love it, because it sucked. I don't hate Katherine at all- well, maybe a little because she is too pretty to live, but she's cute and nice (seeming) and sings well, but Simon was totally on when he said that for someone to come out and sing a Whitney Houston song, they are claiming that they are as good. I've always thought that with Whitney, Mariah, Christina Aguilera, even Kelly Clarkson. For you to sing one of these big songs is pretty ballsy and you are trying to say that you are just as good as them, and most people ARE NOT. Sorry, Kat. And Holy Boobies! Ryan had to practically grit his teeth to not look at them.
I have loved Elliot right from the beginning and continue to vote for him almost exclusively. His voice amazes me every, single week. I am always surprised by how well he sings, although I do agree that he can be a smidge boring at times.
Taylor makes me frustrated when he doesn't sing a song as well as I know he can. It felt like he was being lazy, nervous, and just wanted to get through the beginning of the song so that he could get to the higher part and do his thing. Shame on him! He's done it before, though.
There have GOT to be songs out there that are appropriate for Paris. She amazes me, but I do get tired of her smoky jazz voice. I like her straight voice a little better.
I have liked Chris from the beginning- mostly because he's smokin' hot, but I also think that he's good. That said, he has been starting to bore me with his Frozen Asshole Robot Rocker thing. (Please excuse the language- it's just the title I came up for him during the show, and it stuck.)
Unfortunately, my DVR changed channels to tape Scrubs before Chris was over, so I didn't get to see the whole thing and the praise that the judges apparently gave him.
What I did see? RAWR
So, I basically agreed with all the judges tonight. After Katherine sang Whitney, I was sooooo afraid that they were going to love it, because it sucked. I don't hate Katherine at all- well, maybe a little because she is too pretty to live, but she's cute and nice (seeming) and sings well, but Simon was totally on when he said that for someone to come out and sing a Whitney Houston song, they are claiming that they are as good. I've always thought that with Whitney, Mariah, Christina Aguilera, even Kelly Clarkson. For you to sing one of these big songs is pretty ballsy and you are trying to say that you are just as good as them, and most people ARE NOT. Sorry, Kat. And Holy Boobies! Ryan had to practically grit his teeth to not look at them.
I have loved Elliot right from the beginning and continue to vote for him almost exclusively. His voice amazes me every, single week. I am always surprised by how well he sings, although I do agree that he can be a smidge boring at times.
Taylor makes me frustrated when he doesn't sing a song as well as I know he can. It felt like he was being lazy, nervous, and just wanted to get through the beginning of the song so that he could get to the higher part and do his thing. Shame on him! He's done it before, though.
There have GOT to be songs out there that are appropriate for Paris. She amazes me, but I do get tired of her smoky jazz voice. I like her straight voice a little better.
I have liked Chris from the beginning- mostly because he's smokin' hot, but I also think that he's good. That said, he has been starting to bore me with his Frozen Asshole Robot Rocker thing. (Please excuse the language- it's just the title I came up for him during the show, and it stuck.)
Unfortunately, my DVR changed channels to tape Scrubs before Chris was over, so I didn't get to see the whole thing and the praise that the judges apparently gave him.
What I did see? RAWR
Monday, April 24, 2006
Grown-up Giggles
Not many adults giggle, but one of my friends does, and I just love it. It's not like something out of poetry where, when she does it, it's like the breeze on a summer day or somesuch. It's small, not especially girly, but a giggle all the same. When I think about it after the fact, it makes me supremely happy. Yes, I will get a little poetic for a minute and say that it almost makes me cry.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
I heart the dollar store
You know, there are long stretches of time in which I completely forget about the dollar stores. I may even come to disdain them during those times, but every time I go back in, I am instantly smitten again.
If you haven't been, do check one out! Once we got married, my husband and I started filling each other's Christmas stockings at the dollar store. Sometimes it includes junk, but I quite often find what I'm looking for there.
Toothpaste? Check.
VHS tapes? Check.
Wrapping paper and gift bags? Oh, yeah, baby. Never buy them anywhere else.
And there are always surprises. Yesterday was my first trip in a long time, and I went in specifically looking for tapes, but I also came upon a bath pillow, cute magnetic notepads, and decorative rocks (aquarium-type). All things that I had been wanting to buy, and would have paid abour $4 or $5 for them somewhere else. Love it.
Side note for today:
I went to see American Dreamz today. The reviews have all been lukewarm, and I guess that I'll have to say that my impression is just a tad bit above that. I definitely laughed out loud a few times- mostly at the American Idol stuff. Yes, it could have been funnier, and it sort of fizzled towards the end, but I'll give it a 45-degree tilt of the thumbs up.
ETA: another reason I was happy about that movie was because Adam Busch was in it. He was Warren on Buffy, and I think that I always liked him because he reminds me of my sister's ex-boyfriend, who was more like a brother.
Aren't you glad that I put in that rambling sentence? I know that you are.
If you haven't been, do check one out! Once we got married, my husband and I started filling each other's Christmas stockings at the dollar store. Sometimes it includes junk, but I quite often find what I'm looking for there.
Toothpaste? Check.
VHS tapes? Check.
Wrapping paper and gift bags? Oh, yeah, baby. Never buy them anywhere else.
And there are always surprises. Yesterday was my first trip in a long time, and I went in specifically looking for tapes, but I also came upon a bath pillow, cute magnetic notepads, and decorative rocks (aquarium-type). All things that I had been wanting to buy, and would have paid abour $4 or $5 for them somewhere else. Love it.
Side note for today:
I went to see American Dreamz today. The reviews have all been lukewarm, and I guess that I'll have to say that my impression is just a tad bit above that. I definitely laughed out loud a few times- mostly at the American Idol stuff. Yes, it could have been funnier, and it sort of fizzled towards the end, but I'll give it a 45-degree tilt of the thumbs up.
ETA: another reason I was happy about that movie was because Adam Busch was in it. He was Warren on Buffy, and I think that I always liked him because he reminds me of my sister's ex-boyfriend, who was more like a brother.
Aren't you glad that I put in that rambling sentence? I know that you are.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Something Nice
I had a brush with one of life's pleasures today- hot guys who are super nice.
When I was in college, I referred to the species as guys who actually made me feel like I had a chance, although I knew that I did not. There was one guy who worked at the coffee shop at UofM-Dearborn. Awesome guy, totally breathtaking, sweet as could be. Treated everyone the same, flirted, made me blush.
A guy who works at a store that I frequent is of this variety. Not stunning, but the Hot Cool guy. Slightly skater-ish, looks like he could be a jerk or at least slightly "too cool for you", but he isn't. Every time I deal with him, it surprises me a little that he is so nice. He probably doesn't realize that he's a hottie. Of course, I'm married and he has a girlfriend, so there is none of that fear of anyone getting the wrong idea. Just good-natured jokes and conversation. *sigh*
He's nice.
When I was in college, I referred to the species as guys who actually made me feel like I had a chance, although I knew that I did not. There was one guy who worked at the coffee shop at UofM-Dearborn. Awesome guy, totally breathtaking, sweet as could be. Treated everyone the same, flirted, made me blush.
A guy who works at a store that I frequent is of this variety. Not stunning, but the Hot Cool guy. Slightly skater-ish, looks like he could be a jerk or at least slightly "too cool for you", but he isn't. Every time I deal with him, it surprises me a little that he is so nice. He probably doesn't realize that he's a hottie. Of course, I'm married and he has a girlfriend, so there is none of that fear of anyone getting the wrong idea. Just good-natured jokes and conversation. *sigh*
He's nice.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Impressions of Southern California
Well, I meant to post this while I was still on vacation so that my impressions would be fresh and whatnot. Now, I forget all the terribly deep things that I was going to say, so bother.
1) LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE
Okay, now that we've got that out of the way. I absolutely adore Southern California. I love all of California, but I'm really a heat and beaches kind of girl at heart. I really feel that California is the prettiest place I've ever been or seen. It just takes my breath away from top to bottom. (Well, the middle part up I-5 takes it away for bad reasons--ugh, cows and urine smell.)
I was so happy to see the beaches and all the mountains- I've learned that I'm a BIG FAN of mountains. Well, seeing them, not driving in them. I could take a picture of every mountain I see. I won't show them to you, I promise.
I asked God to never take away my child-like enthusiasm and wonder with the ocean and all of His creation. I cried, I clapped, I was giddy. I just love the ocean. Of course, mofo is COLD! Not Lake Superior cold, but not too far.
While still on the freeway, I announced to my husband that I was going to find a job and stay there and he could mosey on down with our things whenever he felt like it. Needless to say, this did not happen. I can't live away from my man. And I don't want to work full-time. Together, those add up to one residence and one zip code.
2) The San Diego Zoo is a big rip-off. Maybe I'm being harsh, but I went there with very high expectations. Pretty much everyone knows that it has the reputation as the best zoo in the world, blah blah blah. I've gotta tell you that I won't be going there again. Especially not for the price. We paid $32 each to get in and have access to the bus tours, so I was expecting a spectacular experience. No such luck.
It is a nice zoo, don't get me wrong, but I'm telling you that the price really weighs into my opinion. I have been to zoos that I'm much more fond of and cost a LOT less. I adore the Houston zoo- small, awesome children's zoo, just the perfect size- and I think that the price was raised to a whopping $5 when it went private. It was $2.50 the first time I went.
We went to the St. Louis Zoo last summer and had a lot of fun- free. Free!!
3) Seriously, I had commentary and observations all ready to go while we were down there. Gone! And to whom do I owe the honor of this inane entry? The hotel we were in. Nice hotel, lovely, upscale, total cheapskates. We drive around the country a lot, and I can tell you that most of the seediest, bottom-rung motels out there advertise free high-speed internet access and free local calls. Did our lovely, citified, three-star, business popular hotel have these things? Nope.
One time we used their "business center" because we needed to get online and look at our bank, look up a map, etc. That cost $5 for about 3 minutes. My husband had to go online to send in some paperwork so we dialed up a few times using the phone (high-speed was $10 for not even 24 hours). Cost of 4 local phone calls over the course of our vacation? $11.
4) We did Mexico all wrong. I can now say that I've been, but I don't feel that it really counts.
We walked across the bridge to Tijuana and stayed for 4 or 5 hours. I didn't have a map, we didn't take taxis, so we just plodded around looking for the museums I had heard about and anything off of Avenida Revolucion. Argh. Prostitutes. Broken-down buildings. Pharmacies. Guys yelling at us to go into their stores. It was bad, but I know that it a lot our own fault.
We did happen upon a very nice park/square once we got out of the touristy part. It was a lovely, shady place with a big grandstand in the middle. Old people and families covered the playground and the benches. We sat for a while to rest our weary feet and watched some kids play with these zoomy, squealy balloons that zipped all around when you let them go. It was fun.
I was also glad to speak Spanish. Of course, I was stupid and shy sometimes about it, but mostly I stepped up to the plate. I just don't understand the times when I got shy about it. My brain shut down and I just stood there, while my husband tried to figure out something in English. I'm weird sometimes. Luckily, my man is, too, so he has to put up with me.
What number is this? 5?
5) I can totally live as a surf bum/skater-type. I loved all the skater boys of all ages. I loved the little beach towns and the surf shops. We both plan on learning to surf next time we're down there- my husband is under the impression that he will have no trouble at all being good at it. We'll just have to wait and see.
I loved all the tattoos (I was REALLY jonesing to get one), the clothes, the vibes. I would be perfectly happy dressing like a little surfer girl, and my husband wearing shorts and t-shirts and sandals all the time.
I know that the fact that it was sunny down there and rained for, like, 3,000 days straight up here has a lot to do with my opinion, but I could really be happy down there. I have learned over the years how much weather has to do with my happiness, and it is just awesome in SoCal.
I will say this, though- San Diego is often said to have the perfect weather- hot sun, cool breeze.
Well, I'm not really down with breeze, especially cold. So, it has that marked against it. Of course, it was only in the high 60's last week, so I may change my tune in July.
Also, the tap water is pretty bad. Not horrible, but not good. Water is a big deal to me, so we may have to do bottled, which I hate, were we to move there.
So there!! Two strikes against San Diego! (sort of)
I'm done for now. I'm sure that I'll have more later. Lucky you!
1) LOVELOVELOVELOVELOVE
Okay, now that we've got that out of the way. I absolutely adore Southern California. I love all of California, but I'm really a heat and beaches kind of girl at heart. I really feel that California is the prettiest place I've ever been or seen. It just takes my breath away from top to bottom. (Well, the middle part up I-5 takes it away for bad reasons--ugh, cows and urine smell.)
I was so happy to see the beaches and all the mountains- I've learned that I'm a BIG FAN of mountains. Well, seeing them, not driving in them. I could take a picture of every mountain I see. I won't show them to you, I promise.
I asked God to never take away my child-like enthusiasm and wonder with the ocean and all of His creation. I cried, I clapped, I was giddy. I just love the ocean. Of course, mofo is COLD! Not Lake Superior cold, but not too far.
While still on the freeway, I announced to my husband that I was going to find a job and stay there and he could mosey on down with our things whenever he felt like it. Needless to say, this did not happen. I can't live away from my man. And I don't want to work full-time. Together, those add up to one residence and one zip code.
2) The San Diego Zoo is a big rip-off. Maybe I'm being harsh, but I went there with very high expectations. Pretty much everyone knows that it has the reputation as the best zoo in the world, blah blah blah. I've gotta tell you that I won't be going there again. Especially not for the price. We paid $32 each to get in and have access to the bus tours, so I was expecting a spectacular experience. No such luck.
It is a nice zoo, don't get me wrong, but I'm telling you that the price really weighs into my opinion. I have been to zoos that I'm much more fond of and cost a LOT less. I adore the Houston zoo- small, awesome children's zoo, just the perfect size- and I think that the price was raised to a whopping $5 when it went private. It was $2.50 the first time I went.
We went to the St. Louis Zoo last summer and had a lot of fun- free. Free!!
3) Seriously, I had commentary and observations all ready to go while we were down there. Gone! And to whom do I owe the honor of this inane entry? The hotel we were in. Nice hotel, lovely, upscale, total cheapskates. We drive around the country a lot, and I can tell you that most of the seediest, bottom-rung motels out there advertise free high-speed internet access and free local calls. Did our lovely, citified, three-star, business popular hotel have these things? Nope.
One time we used their "business center" because we needed to get online and look at our bank, look up a map, etc. That cost $5 for about 3 minutes. My husband had to go online to send in some paperwork so we dialed up a few times using the phone (high-speed was $10 for not even 24 hours). Cost of 4 local phone calls over the course of our vacation? $11.
4) We did Mexico all wrong. I can now say that I've been, but I don't feel that it really counts.
We walked across the bridge to Tijuana and stayed for 4 or 5 hours. I didn't have a map, we didn't take taxis, so we just plodded around looking for the museums I had heard about and anything off of Avenida Revolucion. Argh. Prostitutes. Broken-down buildings. Pharmacies. Guys yelling at us to go into their stores. It was bad, but I know that it a lot our own fault.
We did happen upon a very nice park/square once we got out of the touristy part. It was a lovely, shady place with a big grandstand in the middle. Old people and families covered the playground and the benches. We sat for a while to rest our weary feet and watched some kids play with these zoomy, squealy balloons that zipped all around when you let them go. It was fun.
I was also glad to speak Spanish. Of course, I was stupid and shy sometimes about it, but mostly I stepped up to the plate. I just don't understand the times when I got shy about it. My brain shut down and I just stood there, while my husband tried to figure out something in English. I'm weird sometimes. Luckily, my man is, too, so he has to put up with me.
What number is this? 5?
5) I can totally live as a surf bum/skater-type. I loved all the skater boys of all ages. I loved the little beach towns and the surf shops. We both plan on learning to surf next time we're down there- my husband is under the impression that he will have no trouble at all being good at it. We'll just have to wait and see.
I loved all the tattoos (I was REALLY jonesing to get one), the clothes, the vibes. I would be perfectly happy dressing like a little surfer girl, and my husband wearing shorts and t-shirts and sandals all the time.
I know that the fact that it was sunny down there and rained for, like, 3,000 days straight up here has a lot to do with my opinion, but I could really be happy down there. I have learned over the years how much weather has to do with my happiness, and it is just awesome in SoCal.
I will say this, though- San Diego is often said to have the perfect weather- hot sun, cool breeze.
Well, I'm not really down with breeze, especially cold. So, it has that marked against it. Of course, it was only in the high 60's last week, so I may change my tune in July.
Also, the tap water is pretty bad. Not horrible, but not good. Water is a big deal to me, so we may have to do bottled, which I hate, were we to move there.
So there!! Two strikes against San Diego! (sort of)
I'm done for now. I'm sure that I'll have more later. Lucky you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)