After a BEAUTIFUL weekend here in the midwest, it's back to work. Weather is making it difficult to spend indoors. I finally hit the golf course this past weekend for my first round of the year - nothing horrible but nothing spectacular. I was actually happy with how well I was hitting the ball for my first time out. No Tiger Woods type stories to brag about, but maybe later in the season!
Big Sports weekend though.... Red Wings came back to win a game finally, #24 pulled off a win at Talladega (where did 17 finish????) - 2nd week in a row for the Gordon-haters of the world..... don't hate Gordon because he's dating a supermodel! NBA playoffs are in full swing with Chicago winning their first series since Jordan. Go Bulls, and go Warriors (up 3-1 on Dallas)!
Big hype this week with Spiderman 3 opening on Friday. This one looks pretty good but of course I'll wait till it comes out on DVD. I did see Spiderman 1 in the theatre while out in Washington DC and of course I pissed off people in the theatre with some of my comments. I also had a bunch of people laughing at key parts of the movie - another example of why I don't go to movies in theatres. I think they call this "summer blockbuster season"... you know, there is award show season with Grammys, Oscars, and MTV Moonmen - then there is Spring Break season, now "summer blockbuster season" which I would assume starts this Friday. I am already disappointed since Danny Elfman will not be doing the soundtrack for Spiderman 3 after a wonderful job done on the first 2.
Today is the 59th anniversary of the creation of the state of Israel. Hard to believe all the political turmoil between Israel and its neighbors, all of which happened in the past 59 years. Probably because most of the animosity goes back 4000+ years. But for the history books, the modern state of Israel is only 59 years old today. The Gaza strip is still to be determined! Your history lesson of the day.
Today is also "National Honesty Day".... HONESTLY!!! So congress probably won't be in session today in order to celebrate (or avoid doing what they should be doing).
Haiku of the Day
Eighty-one degrees
Too cheap to turn on AC
Too hot for April!!
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Deja Vu this weekend (Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer.... who isn't flying a plane with cool sunglasses in this movie). I didn't really know what this movie would be about, but it was AWESOME! A good Sci-Fi action movie that I thought did a really good job of convincing me of the real life ability to do what they did in the movie that makes it "sci-fi". I was convinced, plus it's one of those movies that gets you thinking at the end and makes you contemplate life:) Go rent it sometime.
Weblink of the Day - This guy summarizes my life really well... NGS is a real disease with no knowable cure! I couldn't have written the article any better and I thank this guy for making people aware of our common problem.
Monday, April 30, 2007
Friday, April 27, 2007
TGIF
Not a lot of time today - It's Reorg Day here at work!
Sad news in the musical world as Rostropovich died this morning. He was an incredible cellist who not only changed the world by how he played, but also how he dealt with the changing government of the Soviets/Russian areas. He was the one who played the Bach Cello Suites in the shadow of the Berlin Wall was being torn down. He studied with Shostokovich and Prokofiev and many famous 20th century cello concertos were written FOR him. He was basically the inheritor of "best cellist" title after Pablo Casals died (which is probably now with Yo-Yo Ma).
I did get to see Rostropovich perform about 6 years ago while I was out east. I went to a concert in the summer at Tanglewood with the Boston Symphony Orchestra who performed Don Quixote by Strauss with Rostropovich playing cello. Can't remember who played the viola part but does it matter?
Anyway - hope everyone has a good weekend!
Sad news in the musical world as Rostropovich died this morning. He was an incredible cellist who not only changed the world by how he played, but also how he dealt with the changing government of the Soviets/Russian areas. He was the one who played the Bach Cello Suites in the shadow of the Berlin Wall was being torn down. He studied with Shostokovich and Prokofiev and many famous 20th century cello concertos were written FOR him. He was basically the inheritor of "best cellist" title after Pablo Casals died (which is probably now with Yo-Yo Ma).
I did get to see Rostropovich perform about 6 years ago while I was out east. I went to a concert in the summer at Tanglewood with the Boston Symphony Orchestra who performed Don Quixote by Strauss with Rostropovich playing cello. Can't remember who played the viola part but does it matter?
Anyway - hope everyone has a good weekend!
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Movin' On
American Idol Gives Back was on last night. I can honestly say that I'm glad I recorded it and was able to fast forward through most of it. Nobody went home, performances were pretty week (I don't bother watching the country performances) and even Kelly Clarkson looked "average". Bono was much hyped and he made a 3 minute appearance at the end of the show and other than that..... two folks go home next week. As for bringing an Elvis impersonator and a Canadian hack???
Jack Black was the best part of the show - having Seal tell him he was good at singing "Kiss From a Rose". JB and KG are nuts!
Anyways.... while you were focussed on American Idol, you probably missed the following important stories:
Haiku of the Day
Imposter Elvis
From La Crosse - seriously!
The King should go home
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Night at the Museum last night and it was not very good in my opinion. Maybe I'm too biased since I hate Ben Stiller. I think the idea was ok and the graphics in spots were well done, but it's pretty much what you expect (funny parts in the previews) and life goes on. Much over hyped but maybe kids like it more.
Weblink of the Day - Forget Elvis and Celine..... watch the Beatles and Nine Inch Nails Come Closer Together. Pretty interesting mix and someone knew what they were doing.
Jack Black was the best part of the show - having Seal tell him he was good at singing "Kiss From a Rose". JB and KG are nuts!
Anyways.... while you were focussed on American Idol, you probably missed the following important stories:
- Why rent a limo when you can go to your senior prom on a tractor? And folks in North Dakota wonder why we make fun of them.....
- Reese tells Jennifer to back off of Jake... if you're interested
- Spinal Tap is reuniting (for real) - time to turn it up to "e-lev-en"
- Math shows how to pour a perfect head of beer.... good ol' math coming through!
Haiku of the Day
Imposter Elvis
From La Crosse - seriously!
The King should go home
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Night at the Museum last night and it was not very good in my opinion. Maybe I'm too biased since I hate Ben Stiller. I think the idea was ok and the graphics in spots were well done, but it's pretty much what you expect (funny parts in the previews) and life goes on. Much over hyped but maybe kids like it more.
Weblink of the Day - Forget Elvis and Celine..... watch the Beatles and Nine Inch Nails Come Closer Together. Pretty interesting mix and someone knew what they were doing.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
An (un)Inspiring AI
So the idea of "One Hit Wonder Night" would have been better than "Inspiration" night on American Idol. And where was Bono? 60 minute show, 6 contestants... so that's 10 minutes per performance/commercial break right? WRONG!!! More "feel good" and more commercials so still only aobut 4 minutes per person.
I see why they got rid of Sanjaya - he just wouldn't have fit on the "Give Back" show.
1) Jordin - I'll give you the "Rogers and Hammerstein" clue.... what musical is it from? No, not Sound of Music. Did you even know it was from a musical? That was pretty good and honestly she didn't do as good as Elvis did. Yes, I have that recording of the King if anyone's interested. So back to Jordin, she may be the new favorite to win.
2) Melinda - sounded like a James Bond theme.... I think she has a future in that area for some reason. It was pretty good and I agree with "very original" performance.
3) Blake - Here's how I see this.... People like that song so the "over 30" crowd will vote based on the song, the under 25 females are going to vote for him because "he's cute", and since he was bottom 3 last week the "Wheeler Theory" will come into effect and he'll be safe. He's smart but I'd still rather have an upbeat performance with beatboxin'! Has he done that in a while?
4) Lakisha - She was last week's bottom 2 so this week the "Wheeler Theory" should kick in but of the three ladies, she was the weakest. I thought she kicked some ass compared to the weeks past but will the votes for her come in?
5) Chris Timberlake - Still has the Justin look going on. I thought the performance was ok, but he just doesn't have the appeal to win this thing. Going first will hurt too - bottom 3.
6) Phil - He's the last one that "needs to go" so we can get on with the real competition. That was a pretty crappy performance. American Idol should "give back" the 4 minutes I lost listening to that. Plus I hate Country. Should have gone with Elvis like a real winner would have!
So hopefully we see the beautiful Kelly Clarkson tonight.... maybe a duet with Bono? That'd be pretty kick ass. Unfortunately, rumor has it that Celine Deon is singing.... glad I have DVR to fast forward through that crap!
Not much else is new today.... so any random thought I have, I'll just save for tomorrow!
Haiku of the Day
Work five days a week
Sometimes six and long hours
Is it Friday yet??????
Book of the Day - I finished Mitch Albom's For One More Day last night (very quick read as is usual for his books). It was pretty good and another typical "Happy Feal Good" story that he is known for. Not sure how many more of these I can go through. But I recommend it to anyone who needs a pick up in life, or just wants to read a well thought through book. And of course the "twist" at the end was pretty cool. Pick it up at your local library today! And yes, that's 3 books for me in the past 2 weeks or so which is probably more than I read in 5 years of college (text books included... thus my "average" GPA).
Weblink of the Day - The bunnies are back with parts 1 and 2 of Pirates of the Caribbean!!
OR
This week's cartoon from HomeStar Runner on dating.... I need to take tips from The Cheat!!
OR
if cartoon's aren't your bag baby - how about this article from Forbes on IBM and Google? And a possible comparison to McDonalds?!?!?! We don't have the orange drink around here although that might be kind of cool!
I see why they got rid of Sanjaya - he just wouldn't have fit on the "Give Back" show.
1) Jordin - I'll give you the "Rogers and Hammerstein" clue.... what musical is it from? No, not Sound of Music. Did you even know it was from a musical? That was pretty good and honestly she didn't do as good as Elvis did. Yes, I have that recording of the King if anyone's interested. So back to Jordin, she may be the new favorite to win.
2) Melinda - sounded like a James Bond theme.... I think she has a future in that area for some reason. It was pretty good and I agree with "very original" performance.
3) Blake - Here's how I see this.... People like that song so the "over 30" crowd will vote based on the song, the under 25 females are going to vote for him because "he's cute", and since he was bottom 3 last week the "Wheeler Theory" will come into effect and he'll be safe. He's smart but I'd still rather have an upbeat performance with beatboxin'! Has he done that in a while?
4) Lakisha - She was last week's bottom 2 so this week the "Wheeler Theory" should kick in but of the three ladies, she was the weakest. I thought she kicked some ass compared to the weeks past but will the votes for her come in?
5) Chris Timberlake - Still has the Justin look going on. I thought the performance was ok, but he just doesn't have the appeal to win this thing. Going first will hurt too - bottom 3.
6) Phil - He's the last one that "needs to go" so we can get on with the real competition. That was a pretty crappy performance. American Idol should "give back" the 4 minutes I lost listening to that. Plus I hate Country. Should have gone with Elvis like a real winner would have!
So hopefully we see the beautiful Kelly Clarkson tonight.... maybe a duet with Bono? That'd be pretty kick ass. Unfortunately, rumor has it that Celine Deon is singing.... glad I have DVR to fast forward through that crap!
Not much else is new today.... so any random thought I have, I'll just save for tomorrow!
Haiku of the Day
Work five days a week
Sometimes six and long hours
Is it Friday yet??????
Book of the Day - I finished Mitch Albom's For One More Day last night (very quick read as is usual for his books). It was pretty good and another typical "Happy Feal Good" story that he is known for. Not sure how many more of these I can go through. But I recommend it to anyone who needs a pick up in life, or just wants to read a well thought through book. And of course the "twist" at the end was pretty cool. Pick it up at your local library today! And yes, that's 3 books for me in the past 2 weeks or so which is probably more than I read in 5 years of college (text books included... thus my "average" GPA).
Weblink of the Day - The bunnies are back with parts 1 and 2 of Pirates of the Caribbean!!
OR
This week's cartoon from HomeStar Runner on dating.... I need to take tips from The Cheat!!
OR
if cartoon's aren't your bag baby - how about this article from Forbes on IBM and Google? And a possible comparison to McDonalds?!?!?! We don't have the orange drink around here although that might be kind of cool!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Movie Soundtracks
I attended a wonderful set of concerts in Ankeny last night given by the 5th graders at two of the elementary schools. After only 8 months of playing their instruments, they played wonderfully and brought many smiles to the faces of all the proud parents in the audience. There were probably 20 video cameras and more than 40 digital cameras clicking and recording the experience - I thought I was in the midst of a press interview announcing world peace!!! It was a lot of fun and congrats to their wonderful instructor Heather on a job well done!
On my drive to and from Ankeny, I had time to think about today's blog.... yesterday I had an employee stop by and we played the "what movie is that song from" game and during my drive, I came up with a bunch of examples of songs that were big hits on the radio, but are now permanently associated with a movie from the past. Can you guess the movie?? (Answers will be in the post below when I get to it). Eddie - I expect 100% correct from you, no less! Brian - most would have required cable growing up so I'll give you props if you get 20% correct!
1) Roxette - Must Have Been Love
2) Bryan Adams - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
3) Peter Cetera - Glory of Love
4) Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody
5) Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone
6) Berlin - Take My Breat Away
7) Metallica - I Disappear
8) Guns N Roses - You Could Be Mine
9) The Boo Radleys - There She Goes
10) Smashmouth - All Star
11) Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)
12) Huey Lewis and the News - The Power Of Love
13) Bob Seger - Shakedown
14) Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
15) Seal - Kiss From a Rose
16) Tina Turner - We Don't Need Another Hero
17) The Police - Roxanne
18) The Cardigans - Lovefool
19) Trammps - Disco Inferno
20) Red Hot Chili Peppers - Love Rollercoaster
21) AN EASY ONE: Kenny Loggins - Footloose
Which makes me think of American Idol tonight - they should have "Movie Soundtrack Night" where you have to sing a song taken from a movie. This season's "themes" have been pretty shitty in my opinion so we'll see what they do tonight.
Haiku of the Day
Down to 6 "singers"
Please don't vote for Phil tonight
Go Go Gadget Mic!!!
Entertainment of the Day - so if you want to watch a strange movie (who doesn't?!?!?). I checked out Spun this weekend (mainly because it had Brittany Murphy in it) and it was bizarre, but not so bizarre that it was a bad movie. Shows the life of some junkies and how their addiction consumes everything they do. Interesting camera work and well done from an "artistic" point of view.
Weblink of the Day - If you thought I was quick at the Text Messaging - these folks make me look slow! There's money in being able to type using 9 keys!
On my drive to and from Ankeny, I had time to think about today's blog.... yesterday I had an employee stop by and we played the "what movie is that song from" game and during my drive, I came up with a bunch of examples of songs that were big hits on the radio, but are now permanently associated with a movie from the past. Can you guess the movie?? (Answers will be in the post below when I get to it). Eddie - I expect 100% correct from you, no less! Brian - most would have required cable growing up so I'll give you props if you get 20% correct!
1) Roxette - Must Have Been Love
2) Bryan Adams - (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
3) Peter Cetera - Glory of Love
4) Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody
5) Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone
6) Berlin - Take My Breat Away
7) Metallica - I Disappear
8) Guns N Roses - You Could Be Mine
9) The Boo Radleys - There She Goes
10) Smashmouth - All Star
11) Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)
12) Huey Lewis and the News - The Power Of Love
13) Bob Seger - Shakedown
14) Survivor - Eye of the Tiger
15) Seal - Kiss From a Rose
16) Tina Turner - We Don't Need Another Hero
17) The Police - Roxanne
18) The Cardigans - Lovefool
19) Trammps - Disco Inferno
20) Red Hot Chili Peppers - Love Rollercoaster
21) AN EASY ONE: Kenny Loggins - Footloose
Which makes me think of American Idol tonight - they should have "Movie Soundtrack Night" where you have to sing a song taken from a movie. This season's "themes" have been pretty shitty in my opinion so we'll see what they do tonight.
Haiku of the Day
Down to 6 "singers"
Please don't vote for Phil tonight
Go Go Gadget Mic!!!
Entertainment of the Day - so if you want to watch a strange movie (who doesn't?!?!?). I checked out Spun this weekend (mainly because it had Brittany Murphy in it) and it was bizarre, but not so bizarre that it was a bad movie. Shows the life of some junkies and how their addiction consumes everything they do. Interesting camera work and well done from an "artistic" point of view.
Weblink of the Day - If you thought I was quick at the Text Messaging - these folks make me look slow! There's money in being able to type using 9 keys!
Answers
1 - Pretty Woman
2 - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (not the tights one)
3 - Karate Kid 2 (note it was the 2nd one... where they go to Japan)
4 - Ghost
5 - Top Gun
6 - Top Gun (top 5 soundtrack of all time?)
7 - Mission Impossible 2 (or "MI2" for the in-crowd)
8 - Terminator 2 (although for some reason I associate the entire Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 with this movie)
9 - So I Married an Axe Murderer
10 - Shreck
11 - The Breakfast Club
12 - Back to the Future
13 - Beverly Hills Cop 2
14 - Rocky
15 - Batman Forever (U2 song was better but not as well known among non-U2 freaks such as myself)
16 - Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (two men enter, one man leaves)
17 - 48 Hours (think of Eddie Murphy on the bus with headphones.... the only rendition of the song I can listen to)
18 - Romeo and Juliet
19 - Saturday Night Fever
20 - Beavis and Butthead Movie
21 - Footloose (duh!)
How'd ya do?
2 - Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (not the tights one)
3 - Karate Kid 2 (note it was the 2nd one... where they go to Japan)
4 - Ghost
5 - Top Gun
6 - Top Gun (top 5 soundtrack of all time?)
7 - Mission Impossible 2 (or "MI2" for the in-crowd)
8 - Terminator 2 (although for some reason I associate the entire Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 with this movie)
9 - So I Married an Axe Murderer
10 - Shreck
11 - The Breakfast Club
12 - Back to the Future
13 - Beverly Hills Cop 2
14 - Rocky
15 - Batman Forever (U2 song was better but not as well known among non-U2 freaks such as myself)
16 - Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (two men enter, one man leaves)
17 - 48 Hours (think of Eddie Murphy on the bus with headphones.... the only rendition of the song I can listen to)
18 - Romeo and Juliet
19 - Saturday Night Fever
20 - Beavis and Butthead Movie
21 - Footloose (duh!)
How'd ya do?
Monday, April 23, 2007
What Would You Like To Hear??
It's National Playground Safety Week! Are you prepared? On a more serious note, it is indeed National Karaoke Week which should be celebrated by everyone! When and where we going? Remember - I don't make this stuff up!
Another season of the Apprentice is finished with Stefani being hired. I haven't watched the entire episode from last night yet, but of the remaining four candidates, she probably was the strongest. She would not have been my choice having watched the entire season, but I'm sure she'll make some surprise appearances on next seasons's show. How many more seasons will they do? Who knows.... I know it's not as popular as in seasons past, but i still enjoy it.
A good weekend in the sports world (in my opinion) - Detroit took two games from Calgary to make it into the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs. Saturday's game got ugly with a lot of cheap shots and now $125k worth of fines. But they are moving on! Gordon took the win Saturday night in the Subway-Have-To-Listen-To-Jarred-All-Night 300! Was a decently clean race (for once) with the Car of Tomorrow... only wish the #17 car would have crashed. That's always my wish. And Atlanta Braves took 2 of 3 at the Mets to hold onto the top spot in the NL East. Red Sox swept the Yankees (always root against the Yankees) and Barry Bonds hit another homerun. Why's that good news you ask? Because I think the faster he breaks the record, the less we have to hear about it in every sports report.
My concert season is officially over with my performance yesterday in Austin, MN. It was nice to finally play the Rachmaninov Variation on a theme by Paganini which is a wonderfully written piece for Piano and Orchestra. Not much for a bass part, but still fun to play. And another performance of Hanson Symphony #2 (Romantic) is done. Another great sounding piece with a boring bass part - a theme this weekend in Austin. So I'm done with concerts till October and now I enter the wedding season. I'll be playing at Amber's wedding for those planning on attending - just not sure what I'll be playing. Any requests? And no, Freebird is not an option.
Big concert in Ankeny, IA tonight!!! SE and East Elementary Bands show off their abilities and I'll be heading down to hear them! Anyone want to ride along?
Haiku of the Day
Rain is better than
The snow from two weeks ago
Spring is finally here
Entertainment of the Day - I watched a "plethora" of movies this weekend to share this week. First being School for Scoundrels with Billy Bob Thornton and Napoleon Dynamite... it was an interesting movie and pretty funny in spots. Worth a viewing if you're bored.
Weblink of the Day Nice easy Monday morning game to play.... use the arrow keys to move, spacebar to "pull". Good luck
Another season of the Apprentice is finished with Stefani being hired. I haven't watched the entire episode from last night yet, but of the remaining four candidates, she probably was the strongest. She would not have been my choice having watched the entire season, but I'm sure she'll make some surprise appearances on next seasons's show. How many more seasons will they do? Who knows.... I know it's not as popular as in seasons past, but i still enjoy it.
A good weekend in the sports world (in my opinion) - Detroit took two games from Calgary to make it into the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs. Saturday's game got ugly with a lot of cheap shots and now $125k worth of fines. But they are moving on! Gordon took the win Saturday night in the Subway-Have-To-Listen-To-Jarred-All-Night 300! Was a decently clean race (for once) with the Car of Tomorrow... only wish the #17 car would have crashed. That's always my wish. And Atlanta Braves took 2 of 3 at the Mets to hold onto the top spot in the NL East. Red Sox swept the Yankees (always root against the Yankees) and Barry Bonds hit another homerun. Why's that good news you ask? Because I think the faster he breaks the record, the less we have to hear about it in every sports report.
My concert season is officially over with my performance yesterday in Austin, MN. It was nice to finally play the Rachmaninov Variation on a theme by Paganini which is a wonderfully written piece for Piano and Orchestra. Not much for a bass part, but still fun to play. And another performance of Hanson Symphony #2 (Romantic) is done. Another great sounding piece with a boring bass part - a theme this weekend in Austin. So I'm done with concerts till October and now I enter the wedding season. I'll be playing at Amber's wedding for those planning on attending - just not sure what I'll be playing. Any requests? And no, Freebird is not an option.
Big concert in Ankeny, IA tonight!!! SE and East Elementary Bands show off their abilities and I'll be heading down to hear them! Anyone want to ride along?
Haiku of the Day
Rain is better than
The snow from two weeks ago
Spring is finally here
Entertainment of the Day - I watched a "plethora" of movies this weekend to share this week. First being School for Scoundrels with Billy Bob Thornton and Napoleon Dynamite... it was an interesting movie and pretty funny in spots. Worth a viewing if you're bored.
Weblink of the Day Nice easy Monday morning game to play.... use the arrow keys to move, spacebar to "pull". Good luck
Friday, April 20, 2007
Happy 4-20!!!
If you don't know, I'm not going to explain.
Not sure if there's a reason today is so close to Earth Day (a day which also involves "natural" enjoyment) or just coincidence. But Happy Earth Day this weekend as well! Earth Day is a chance to learn something new about the environment or an attempt at giving back to the earth in a non-destructive way. At least that is what it means to me. No real plans for Earth Day this year (or any year actually) other than a mention on my blog.
In sad news, rumor has it that the Ames establishment of People's Bar and Grill is closing at the end of May. Where will all the Greek Freaks go to get drunk and lucky? Where will people stand in line for 3 hours to get in (even though there are 6+ other bars less than a block away WITHOUT a line to get in)? Where will we drive by in our limo and laugh at people standing in line during VEISHEA? Where will the underage sorority girls go for a drink with their fake IDs? All these questions and still no answers!!!
I do remember People's because I have always made fun of people who waited in line for the local band (usually Mr. Plow - who SUCKS) despite the weather. One Friday night, someone was playing there and Shelly wanted to go there so we all waited in line and went to the band (I think Drew and Amber were with me and Brian inside). We made it in, the band was ok... but SHELLY DIDN'T EVEN SHOW UP when she was the one who wanted to go in the first place. Ahhh... memories. Miss ya Shelly!
Which reminds me.... I am walking in this year's Pre-Eclampsia Foundation Walk-a-Thon which takes place every year on the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend. If you are interested in joining me for the Minneapolis walk on the morning of May 12th, let me know. I have room for 3 people in the car or just meet me up there! There are also walks in Davenport and Madison if either of those are closer for you!
Concert in Austin, MN this weekend. I have rehearsals tonight and tomorrow morning, then concert on Sunday. We're playing Hanson Symphony #2 (gorgeous work, but a boring bass part), Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini which is one of my favorite piano with orchestra pieces out there. Not sure we'll play it very well but I still am looking forward to saying I performed the piece. And then some Barber piece.... not sure (haven't looked at it). I also am practicing for Amber's wedding.... any requests? I have 5 weeks to work some stuff up.
Have a good weekend!
Photo of the Day - last one of these... but here was one of the funnier things I've seen in a while. It was at the Minneapolis Airport before I found my flight to Mexico. An iPod vending machine!!! Just swipe your credit card and purchase away! I am curious how well they do as either Juanita or Jill pointed out - there's no music on there so unless you have your laptop to throw something on there while you travel, what's the point?
Book of the Day - I finished 2 books during my vacation last week - the other non-fiction book was Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping. I just love books or any type of information that deals with why humans do what we do. There's no genetic reason for a lot of the reasons things in a store are placed where they are, but there is definitely a human culture that we have created through experiences and habits. Because of this, the author of the book has a team who studies shoppers and their tendencies to help stores produce a better experience and hopefully increase revenue. It was a little dated (written in 2000) and the only part of the book that I didn't like was the section about online shopping since a greater percentage of people shop online now than they did in 2000. The other 95% of the book was fascinating. If you want a good weekend read, pick the book up (or look at your local library - that's where I found this one).
Webpage of the Day - My mother submitted today's link... a gift for every man in your life!
Not sure if there's a reason today is so close to Earth Day (a day which also involves "natural" enjoyment) or just coincidence. But Happy Earth Day this weekend as well! Earth Day is a chance to learn something new about the environment or an attempt at giving back to the earth in a non-destructive way. At least that is what it means to me. No real plans for Earth Day this year (or any year actually) other than a mention on my blog.
In sad news, rumor has it that the Ames establishment of People's Bar and Grill is closing at the end of May. Where will all the Greek Freaks go to get drunk and lucky? Where will people stand in line for 3 hours to get in (even though there are 6+ other bars less than a block away WITHOUT a line to get in)? Where will we drive by in our limo and laugh at people standing in line during VEISHEA? Where will the underage sorority girls go for a drink with their fake IDs? All these questions and still no answers!!!
I do remember People's because I have always made fun of people who waited in line for the local band (usually Mr. Plow - who SUCKS) despite the weather. One Friday night, someone was playing there and Shelly wanted to go there so we all waited in line and went to the band (I think Drew and Amber were with me and Brian inside). We made it in, the band was ok... but SHELLY DIDN'T EVEN SHOW UP when she was the one who wanted to go in the first place. Ahhh... memories. Miss ya Shelly!
Which reminds me.... I am walking in this year's Pre-Eclampsia Foundation Walk-a-Thon which takes place every year on the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend. If you are interested in joining me for the Minneapolis walk on the morning of May 12th, let me know. I have room for 3 people in the car or just meet me up there! There are also walks in Davenport and Madison if either of those are closer for you!
Concert in Austin, MN this weekend. I have rehearsals tonight and tomorrow morning, then concert on Sunday. We're playing Hanson Symphony #2 (gorgeous work, but a boring bass part), Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini which is one of my favorite piano with orchestra pieces out there. Not sure we'll play it very well but I still am looking forward to saying I performed the piece. And then some Barber piece.... not sure (haven't looked at it). I also am practicing for Amber's wedding.... any requests? I have 5 weeks to work some stuff up.
Have a good weekend!
Photo of the Day - last one of these... but here was one of the funnier things I've seen in a while. It was at the Minneapolis Airport before I found my flight to Mexico. An iPod vending machine!!! Just swipe your credit card and purchase away! I am curious how well they do as either Juanita or Jill pointed out - there's no music on there so unless you have your laptop to throw something on there while you travel, what's the point?
Book of the Day - I finished 2 books during my vacation last week - the other non-fiction book was Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping. I just love books or any type of information that deals with why humans do what we do. There's no genetic reason for a lot of the reasons things in a store are placed where they are, but there is definitely a human culture that we have created through experiences and habits. Because of this, the author of the book has a team who studies shoppers and their tendencies to help stores produce a better experience and hopefully increase revenue. It was a little dated (written in 2000) and the only part of the book that I didn't like was the section about online shopping since a greater percentage of people shop online now than they did in 2000. The other 95% of the book was fascinating. If you want a good weekend read, pick the book up (or look at your local library - that's where I found this one).
Webpage of the Day - My mother submitted today's link... a gift for every man in your life!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Wait for it.... Wait for it....
Unfortunately in life, many times people leave this earth without ever fully realizing their full potential.... Elvis was only 42 and had many many gospel albums left in him. Chris Farley was only 33 when he passed away, with at least 4 more movies with David Spade as his trusty sidekick left to make. David Spade's career was over when Chris Farley left us. Other funnymen like John Candy, Phil Hartman, and the great "Joliet Jake" John Belushi all left us way too early.
And so now we add to that list.... Sanjaya Malakar. Even Drew voting for him couldn't save the end of Snajayamania! So long..... farewell...... and even an auf Wiedersehen, good riddance. Next week hopes to be an exciting week with the 10 hour version of Idol gives back the "need-to-do-something-with-the-extra-money-that-they-don't-know-what-to-do-with-from-all-the-commercials-and-sponsors". Where's the crying girl now? By the way - did you hear the use of "it is what it is" from Blake last night? I HATE THAT EXPRESSION! Makes me cringe every time.
This is my 401st posting by the way.... can ya believe it? Anyone still reading these?
NBA regular season is over - Timberwolves lost their last 7 and finished the pathetic season that was. And again the unknown of KG lurks. Why would he want to stay in Minnesota when they have done NOTHING to help him? Bulls fall to the 5th seed which isn't helping their cause. Only two teams with losing records make the playoffs this year!
Kurt Vonnegut died this past week. While I know him by name and reputation only (never read one of his works), I did find an interesting write up from John Irving on his friend Vonnegut. Note that Irving is working on a new book (plus has anyone read Until I Find You which came out in 2005 by Irving?).
That's all I have... Seacrest Out
Photos of the Day - More wedding photos to share:
Brian enjoying some sushi
Even Mexico has a Hooters... with an Iowa Convention Center - made us feel like we were at home:)
Finishing our "lunch" so we can go out for the day!
Entertainment of the Day - Finished Tenacious D - The Pick of Destiny and it was pretty funny. Not Borat level funny, but still pretty good. Especially if you were already a fan of the D. If not, you might think JB and KyleG are on something (which they probably are).
Weblink of the Day - Not for the faint of heart... but vote on which of these sounds are the most horrific (and yes, there are some bad ones in there).
And so now we add to that list.... Sanjaya Malakar. Even Drew voting for him couldn't save the end of Snajayamania! So long..... farewell...... and even an auf Wiedersehen, good riddance. Next week hopes to be an exciting week with the 10 hour version of Idol gives back the "need-to-do-something-with-the-extra-money-that-they-don't-know-what-to-do-with-from-all-the-commercials-and-sponsors". Where's the crying girl now? By the way - did you hear the use of "it is what it is" from Blake last night? I HATE THAT EXPRESSION! Makes me cringe every time.
This is my 401st posting by the way.... can ya believe it? Anyone still reading these?
NBA regular season is over - Timberwolves lost their last 7 and finished the pathetic season that was. And again the unknown of KG lurks. Why would he want to stay in Minnesota when they have done NOTHING to help him? Bulls fall to the 5th seed which isn't helping their cause. Only two teams with losing records make the playoffs this year!
Kurt Vonnegut died this past week. While I know him by name and reputation only (never read one of his works), I did find an interesting write up from John Irving on his friend Vonnegut. Note that Irving is working on a new book (plus has anyone read Until I Find You which came out in 2005 by Irving?).
That's all I have... Seacrest Out
Photos of the Day - More wedding photos to share:
Brian enjoying some sushi
Even Mexico has a Hooters... with an Iowa Convention Center - made us feel like we were at home:)
Finishing our "lunch" so we can go out for the day!
Entertainment of the Day - Finished Tenacious D - The Pick of Destiny and it was pretty funny. Not Borat level funny, but still pretty good. Especially if you were already a fan of the D. If not, you might think JB and KyleG are on something (which they probably are).
Weblink of the Day - Not for the faint of heart... but vote on which of these sounds are the most horrific (and yes, there are some bad ones in there).
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Spring Weather
Honky Tonk night on American Idol. That means most of the show was spent on fast forward. I, like Simon, am not the best judge of Country Music - just like I'm not the best judge in synchronized swimming or women's hygienic products (there's a correlation in all three of those somewhere). Martina McBride was a good addition to the show since she has amazingly beautiful eyes (giving Carmen Electra a run in that category). There's no Kelly Pickler or Carrie Underwood this year to save country night.... well, you know what I mean. First week without my beautiful Haley:(
1. Melinda - I agree with Simon, she's far enough that she should expect to be winning this thing every week.
2. Jordin - at least she wasn't "pure" country in her performance
3. Lakisha - again, not too bad but I just don't get excited about country
4. Phil - I think he gets my prediction to go home this week - since Sanjaya isn't going anywhere. Depends on if there are any country fans watching (probably not since nobody this season has a country label as in seasons past.... where's Bucky when you need him?)
5. Blake - That was Pitch-crap-tafic!! Should have done some Big N Rich and beat boxed!!! Note that none of the judges mentioned how OUT OF TUNE it was!
6. Chris - That was crappy, and not because it was country... if you missed it, imagine Justin Timberlake singing Big N Rich songs (out of tune at that).
7. Sanjaya - that was pretty horrific, even for Sanjaya... plus no sister in the audience always makes his performance worse. At what point as an American Idol director do you "fix" the results?
Country is the night that I'd boycott and couldn't make it past as a contestant. Unless I pulled out the "BOOT SCOOTIN' BOOOOOGIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" No props for the band tonight.
With all of that said, I could honestly see Jordin selling the most CDs when all of this is said and done and we're talking about "back after season 6". But also, that could mean she could go home any day as it is rare for an AI winner to sell the most records.
Get your taxes done and submitted? Deadline was midnight last night. I had mine done by February 8 or something.... not to brag. It's also the 3rd anniversary of the VEISHEA riots (I was not there.... was at a wedding though, not too far down the road).
Photos of the Day - #1 - at lunch (where I was getting the hot sauce and food poisoning at the same time) with a kick ass mariachi trio playing for us. I would love to hire them to follow me around EVERYWHERE.
#2 - Ignore the hat on the goofy guy with the cute wife....
#3 - The pretty (and newly married) couple!
And since we didn't get to see her last night:
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Borat last night.... one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. That guy has some major... guts. I loved it and will probably buy it to watch again whenever.
Weblink of the Day - In keeping the AI theme, here's a funny video of the UK version of Sale of the Century. Yes, I used to watch this in the afternoons when I was home from school, right after Scrabble and before Tic Tac Dough. Recognize the funny looking contestant on the left?
1. Melinda - I agree with Simon, she's far enough that she should expect to be winning this thing every week.
2. Jordin - at least she wasn't "pure" country in her performance
3. Lakisha - again, not too bad but I just don't get excited about country
4. Phil - I think he gets my prediction to go home this week - since Sanjaya isn't going anywhere. Depends on if there are any country fans watching (probably not since nobody this season has a country label as in seasons past.... where's Bucky when you need him?)
5. Blake - That was Pitch-crap-tafic!! Should have done some Big N Rich and beat boxed!!! Note that none of the judges mentioned how OUT OF TUNE it was!
6. Chris - That was crappy, and not because it was country... if you missed it, imagine Justin Timberlake singing Big N Rich songs (out of tune at that).
7. Sanjaya - that was pretty horrific, even for Sanjaya... plus no sister in the audience always makes his performance worse. At what point as an American Idol director do you "fix" the results?
Country is the night that I'd boycott and couldn't make it past as a contestant. Unless I pulled out the "BOOT SCOOTIN' BOOOOOGIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" No props for the band tonight.
With all of that said, I could honestly see Jordin selling the most CDs when all of this is said and done and we're talking about "back after season 6". But also, that could mean she could go home any day as it is rare for an AI winner to sell the most records.
Get your taxes done and submitted? Deadline was midnight last night. I had mine done by February 8 or something.... not to brag. It's also the 3rd anniversary of the VEISHEA riots (I was not there.... was at a wedding though, not too far down the road).
Photos of the Day - #1 - at lunch (where I was getting the hot sauce and food poisoning at the same time) with a kick ass mariachi trio playing for us. I would love to hire them to follow me around EVERYWHERE.
#2 - Ignore the hat on the goofy guy with the cute wife....
#3 - The pretty (and newly married) couple!
And since we didn't get to see her last night:
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Borat last night.... one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. That guy has some major... guts. I loved it and will probably buy it to watch again whenever.
Weblink of the Day - In keeping the AI theme, here's a funny video of the UK version of Sale of the Century. Yes, I used to watch this in the afternoons when I was home from school, right after Scrabble and before Tic Tac Dough. Recognize the funny looking contestant on the left?
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Mourning Today
Very sad day yesterday hearing some depressing news nationally, as well as some closer to home. Just know that my thoughts and prayers are filled with requests for God's comfort to surround everyone who has experienced a loss lately. I know some people have troubles in time like this asking "why did God let this happen"? But while we will never find an answer, we can find comfort in God knowing that somewhere after we all leave this evil filled earth, there's a place where all of us will feel no pain, feel no sadness, and can sit back and listen to Elvis sing for us whenever. I'd like to think that Heaven has a daily Elvis show.... kind of like Vegas. How many times have you heard Heaven and Vegas compared today?
I am back - was actually back in the office yesterday, just played catch up all day. Mexico was absolutely amazing and one of the more memorable trips I'll ever be on. Congrats to Eddie and Juanita who definitely know how to plan a wedding.... right next to the ocean, right before sunset. It was a little windy and the wedding was translated into Spanish as well (you Catholics have to do everything the long way!!) but the wait and anticipation of this trip over the past 6 months was well worth it!! Always a good time to be around the "old gang" and try to cause as much trouble as possible. I'll post some different pictures for a while and see how jealous I can make everyone:)
Congrats also to my cousin Erin who also was married this past weekend in Nebraska. Unfortunately during her wedding, I was actually sick in Mexico but I was thinking of her and my family enjoying themselves! Yeah, I found some amazing hot sauce on Friday while in the downtown area of Puerto Vallarta... but the food/sauce didn't like me. We think it was food poisoning as I was pretty much out of it for about 24 hours and spent most of Saturday in the hotel room alternating between sleeping and using the restroom. Some call it the "wrath of Montezuma", some say it was just Friday the 13th lingering.... whatever it was, I don't want to go through it again. I'm back to about 98% today... still just a little tired.
We had beautiful weather the entire time there...... there were a few thunderstorms at night, but not outside, it was Brian snoring and waking up the entire hotel while he slept. He was snoring so loud that he broke a pipe for the sink in our bathroom at 4am! SERIOUSLY!!!! Well, the pipe breaking part was true. Water dumped all over our room in the middle of the night.... again on Friday the 13th.
VEISHEA week this week.... tomorrow marks the 3rd anniversary of the riots for anyone counting at home. SO HAPPY VEISHEA TO EVERYONE!!!!
Photos of the Day -
Book of the Day - I finished The Memory Keeper's Daughter on this trip... this is the book that I started about a month ago while at Barnes and Noble but hadn't had a chance to finish it. Saw it at the airport so I picked it up and finished it on the trip. It's not the worst book I've ever read, it's not the best book I've ever read. Very unique and intriguing plot and I did enjoy the story line for the most part. I did not care for the way it ended, but I didn't write the book so I can't do anything about it. Let me know if anyone wants to borrow it since I now own the book.
Weblink of the Day - Are you smarter than a 5th grader? Beware the Prime Number question.... it's been a long time! Now to give this to a 5th grader to see how they do!
I am back - was actually back in the office yesterday, just played catch up all day. Mexico was absolutely amazing and one of the more memorable trips I'll ever be on. Congrats to Eddie and Juanita who definitely know how to plan a wedding.... right next to the ocean, right before sunset. It was a little windy and the wedding was translated into Spanish as well (you Catholics have to do everything the long way!!) but the wait and anticipation of this trip over the past 6 months was well worth it!! Always a good time to be around the "old gang" and try to cause as much trouble as possible. I'll post some different pictures for a while and see how jealous I can make everyone:)
Congrats also to my cousin Erin who also was married this past weekend in Nebraska. Unfortunately during her wedding, I was actually sick in Mexico but I was thinking of her and my family enjoying themselves! Yeah, I found some amazing hot sauce on Friday while in the downtown area of Puerto Vallarta... but the food/sauce didn't like me. We think it was food poisoning as I was pretty much out of it for about 24 hours and spent most of Saturday in the hotel room alternating between sleeping and using the restroom. Some call it the "wrath of Montezuma", some say it was just Friday the 13th lingering.... whatever it was, I don't want to go through it again. I'm back to about 98% today... still just a little tired.
We had beautiful weather the entire time there...... there were a few thunderstorms at night, but not outside, it was Brian snoring and waking up the entire hotel while he slept. He was snoring so loud that he broke a pipe for the sink in our bathroom at 4am! SERIOUSLY!!!! Well, the pipe breaking part was true. Water dumped all over our room in the middle of the night.... again on Friday the 13th.
VEISHEA week this week.... tomorrow marks the 3rd anniversary of the riots for anyone counting at home. SO HAPPY VEISHEA TO EVERYONE!!!!
Photos of the Day -
Book of the Day - I finished The Memory Keeper's Daughter on this trip... this is the book that I started about a month ago while at Barnes and Noble but hadn't had a chance to finish it. Saw it at the airport so I picked it up and finished it on the trip. It's not the worst book I've ever read, it's not the best book I've ever read. Very unique and intriguing plot and I did enjoy the story line for the most part. I did not care for the way it ended, but I didn't write the book so I can't do anything about it. Let me know if anyone wants to borrow it since I now own the book.
Weblink of the Day - Are you smarter than a 5th grader? Beware the Prime Number question.... it's been a long time! Now to give this to a 5th grader to see how they do!
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Next Stop - Mexico
Damn Snow... hoping it doesn't delay me going to Mexico. This will be my last transmission on this side of the fun in the sun! MEXICO - HERE I COME!!!!
American Idol - Latin night which was interesting, but appropriate for my trip to Mexico.... I thought the genre was well done by the folks but the music is only appealing to probably not quite half of the American Idol audience. Ryan's suit was horrible... reminded me of something a 9th grader wears to Homecoming or something. Plus, I HATE GLORIA ESTEFAN, almost as much as I hate Sting. You get docked a position for singing Gloria (sorry Haley).
1 - Melinda - I actually thought it was well done and disagree with Simon.
2 - Blake - that was good (probably one of the better musical performances) but I want to point out that most of his songs lately are starting to sound way too similar. And what's with the dorky hats?
3 - Lakisha - I hated that song when Gloria did it.... I hated most of the songs she did. It was ok.
4 - Chris - hated that song the first time too.. Band again stole the show on that one (a common theme lately)
5 -Jordin - you're killing me... why not sing a J-Lo song instead of this crap?
6 - Haley - she looked hot, sounded pretty good, even with all of that.... it's Gloria.
7 - Phil - that was piss poor for final 8. The "Simon Cow" thing was kind of funny.
8 - Sanjaya - ok, here come my most comments for this week's show..... It was actually well done, but he gets last place for a couple of reasons. First off, it was a song done by Andre Bucelli (who I hate most of all tonight), plus that shitty facial hair.... seriously, that was pathetic. He'll be around next week though (doubt he'll even be bottom 3). The boy knows how to play the game and he'll be around for a bit yet.
One other note, I think J-Lo had over 300 bracelets on her wrists. She's a weirdo!
Off to Mexico! Have a good week!
American Idol - Latin night which was interesting, but appropriate for my trip to Mexico.... I thought the genre was well done by the folks but the music is only appealing to probably not quite half of the American Idol audience. Ryan's suit was horrible... reminded me of something a 9th grader wears to Homecoming or something. Plus, I HATE GLORIA ESTEFAN, almost as much as I hate Sting. You get docked a position for singing Gloria (sorry Haley).
1 - Melinda - I actually thought it was well done and disagree with Simon.
2 - Blake - that was good (probably one of the better musical performances) but I want to point out that most of his songs lately are starting to sound way too similar. And what's with the dorky hats?
3 - Lakisha - I hated that song when Gloria did it.... I hated most of the songs she did. It was ok.
4 - Chris - hated that song the first time too.. Band again stole the show on that one (a common theme lately)
5 -Jordin - you're killing me... why not sing a J-Lo song instead of this crap?
6 - Haley - she looked hot, sounded pretty good, even with all of that.... it's Gloria.
7 - Phil - that was piss poor for final 8. The "Simon Cow" thing was kind of funny.
8 - Sanjaya - ok, here come my most comments for this week's show..... It was actually well done, but he gets last place for a couple of reasons. First off, it was a song done by Andre Bucelli (who I hate most of all tonight), plus that shitty facial hair.... seriously, that was pathetic. He'll be around next week though (doubt he'll even be bottom 3). The boy knows how to play the game and he'll be around for a bit yet.
One other note, I think J-Lo had over 300 bracelets on her wrists. She's a weirdo!
Off to Mexico! Have a good week!
Monday, April 09, 2007
Random Thoughts
Happy Belated Birthday to former-roommate-Adam. Knowing him - he was probably stumbling home from the bars while the rest of us were getting our Easter pretties on for Church yesterday morning.
Easter has come and gone - next holiday is..... Mother's Day? Is there candy specific to Mother's Day? What takes over the candy aisles at the stores? They've been constantly stocked since 2 months before Halloween and I believe it's too early for 4th of July candy. Just curious. No Easter candy for me this year. But the Prime Rib turned out A-OK!!! Good decision and some good hints from Pitzen! Thanks buddy.
Zach Johnson won the Masters this past weekend.... he's from Cedar Rapids! That's where I'm at right now! He used to play on Elmcrest which I've played! He went to Drake (also in Iowa)! I went to school about 30 min from Drake! Pretty cool to see an Iowegian beat out Tiger. I didn't think he could do it either.
Red Wings finish in first place in the West - see if they do better with it this year than they have in years past. Rematch from 2004 against Calgary starts Thursday night (while I'm in Mexico) - yes, I remember that Calgary upset them back then.
Interesting episode of The Apprentice last night. He fired the only two candidates that I liked (of those whom were left). Heidi (the hot one) and Kristine (another cute one) were both axed for unusual reasons. There are four left and I hate three of them. Looks like the 4 of them will compete for the final position so we're arriving at the end! I think this is going to be a bad week for reality show hotties with these two leaving and I believe my beloved Haley is going on American Idol this week.
I'm giving a presentation to three different classes of 8th graders today at my mom's school. Tell them why they need to pay attention in Math and Sciences classes and why it's important to stay in school or something. I put together a nice little pitch on different careers that all involve math and science. See how well I do. I'm taking in the Wii which will probably get their attention.
Haiku of the Day
Zach wins the Masters
And dominates the TV
Plus from Iowa!!
Entertainment of the Day - We watched Rocky Balboa the other night. Sly is OLD and the whole movie, I'm thinking that he's going to coach the younger dude to box for him... but sadly, no - Rocky gets back into shape at age 200 or something and goes all 10 rounds against the current heavyweight champion. Boxing is no longer fun in the real world ever since Tyson died off.
Weblink of the Day - A strange game, but still kind of fun and addictive - Jelly Jumper.
Easter has come and gone - next holiday is..... Mother's Day? Is there candy specific to Mother's Day? What takes over the candy aisles at the stores? They've been constantly stocked since 2 months before Halloween and I believe it's too early for 4th of July candy. Just curious. No Easter candy for me this year. But the Prime Rib turned out A-OK!!! Good decision and some good hints from Pitzen! Thanks buddy.
Zach Johnson won the Masters this past weekend.... he's from Cedar Rapids! That's where I'm at right now! He used to play on Elmcrest which I've played! He went to Drake (also in Iowa)! I went to school about 30 min from Drake! Pretty cool to see an Iowegian beat out Tiger. I didn't think he could do it either.
Red Wings finish in first place in the West - see if they do better with it this year than they have in years past. Rematch from 2004 against Calgary starts Thursday night (while I'm in Mexico) - yes, I remember that Calgary upset them back then.
Interesting episode of The Apprentice last night. He fired the only two candidates that I liked (of those whom were left). Heidi (the hot one) and Kristine (another cute one) were both axed for unusual reasons. There are four left and I hate three of them. Looks like the 4 of them will compete for the final position so we're arriving at the end! I think this is going to be a bad week for reality show hotties with these two leaving and I believe my beloved Haley is going on American Idol this week.
I'm giving a presentation to three different classes of 8th graders today at my mom's school. Tell them why they need to pay attention in Math and Sciences classes and why it's important to stay in school or something. I put together a nice little pitch on different careers that all involve math and science. See how well I do. I'm taking in the Wii which will probably get their attention.
Haiku of the Day
Zach wins the Masters
And dominates the TV
Plus from Iowa!!
Entertainment of the Day - We watched Rocky Balboa the other night. Sly is OLD and the whole movie, I'm thinking that he's going to coach the younger dude to box for him... but sadly, no - Rocky gets back into shape at age 200 or something and goes all 10 rounds against the current heavyweight champion. Boxing is no longer fun in the real world ever since Tyson died off.
Weblink of the Day - A strange game, but still kind of fun and addictive - Jelly Jumper.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Happy Easter!!
Easter is much much better than Christmas for many reasons. It's SUPPOSED to be warmer... but it's nasty cold here lately and very windy. Might be a little better by the end of the weekend, but we're getting around 25mph winds and windchill around 0 degrees.
Easter is also a lot less stressful than Christmas overall, thus more enjoyable. The religious impact of what Easter signifies is much more important than Christmas (besides - historians have shown that Dec. 25 is most likely NOT the time of year that Christ was born). There are far less annoying songs on the radio (although they should stop playing all the Gwen Stefani songs the day after Easter... wouldn't that be sweet?), the candy is better (although I no longer crave Peeps.... dang challenges from my lab days), and usually (and I do mean USUALLY) the weather is better. Not this year.
Caught up on some movies lately. The Prestige which is the movie about the battling magicians.... it was ok. Interesting plot and good acting, but I didn't care for how it ended. Confusing in some parts and kind of long, but worth a viewing (I know I say that about pretty much any movie. I also watched The Departed which is another long movie, pretty well done, kind of confusing, and another sort of disappointed ending. I still can't watch a movie with Marky Mark and not sing "It's such a... GOOD VIBRATIONNNNNN".... or "I am a bright shining star". He's not that good of an actor.
I was told to wait another 15k miles for my brake replacements... by the guy at Midas so I'm not going to argue with him.
I'm off from work next week, but not off from blogging! Lucky you! Have a wonderful Easter!!! We have notification that the final passport for the Mexico crew has finally arrived!
Haiku of the Day
Prime Rib for Easter
It's my first try at cooking
One to Perfection
Entertainment of the Day - Another Easter tradition for me over the past 7 years or so is to watch Jesus Christ Superstar over the Holiday Weekend. It's a great musical, movie, and inspirational... not controversial. Give it a try! I'll be enjoying the movie on Sunday with my folks.
Weblink of the Day - Join the Peeps fanclub... seriously! Be notified when Peeps go on tour, or the latest Hollywood gossip on Peeps.
Easter is also a lot less stressful than Christmas overall, thus more enjoyable. The religious impact of what Easter signifies is much more important than Christmas (besides - historians have shown that Dec. 25 is most likely NOT the time of year that Christ was born). There are far less annoying songs on the radio (although they should stop playing all the Gwen Stefani songs the day after Easter... wouldn't that be sweet?), the candy is better (although I no longer crave Peeps.... dang challenges from my lab days), and usually (and I do mean USUALLY) the weather is better. Not this year.
Caught up on some movies lately. The Prestige which is the movie about the battling magicians.... it was ok. Interesting plot and good acting, but I didn't care for how it ended. Confusing in some parts and kind of long, but worth a viewing (I know I say that about pretty much any movie. I also watched The Departed which is another long movie, pretty well done, kind of confusing, and another sort of disappointed ending. I still can't watch a movie with Marky Mark and not sing "It's such a... GOOD VIBRATIONNNNNN".... or "I am a bright shining star". He's not that good of an actor.
I was told to wait another 15k miles for my brake replacements... by the guy at Midas so I'm not going to argue with him.
I'm off from work next week, but not off from blogging! Lucky you! Have a wonderful Easter!!! We have notification that the final passport for the Mexico crew has finally arrived!
Haiku of the Day
Prime Rib for Easter
It's my first try at cooking
One to Perfection
Entertainment of the Day - Another Easter tradition for me over the past 7 years or so is to watch Jesus Christ Superstar over the Holiday Weekend. It's a great musical, movie, and inspirational... not controversial. Give it a try! I'll be enjoying the movie on Sunday with my folks.
Weblink of the Day - Join the Peeps fanclub... seriously! Be notified when Peeps go on tour, or the latest Hollywood gossip on Peeps.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Quick Thoughts
- Tongue Pierced Gina goes home.... was hoping it would be Phil (as I predicted) but at least Haley sticks around for one more week. I need to vote more next week obviously. Too many people now voting for Sanjaya just to be funny. Only reason he should stick around is if his sister is also shown on TV.
- Masters starts today and if you're tired of hearing about Tiger.... don't tune in because I have a feeling he is going to dominate as he usually does. The man has been playing possessed lately.
- Another homerun for Barry.... I wish he'd hurry up and break the record so we can all be done with listening to the steroid controversy. Bad for baseball. Twins in 1st is good for baseball!
- Have you tried these new hotdogs - FAST FRANKS - from Oscar Meyer? They are with bun already and you cook the whole dang thing in the microwave. Whoever thought of this is a GENIUS.... they should have found a way to release ketchup and mustard at the end of cooking to make life even easier. At least one person will see the significance of me mentioning these this morning... and that's all that matters. I like how there are three in the package and the "Servings per container" says "about 3"..... not sure how that's supposed to be "about" when talking about hotdogs.
- New brake pads going on the Trail Blazer tonight.... hopefully not scrounging for pennies in the couch after I get the bill.
- Mexico next week! In 7 days I'll be relaxing on the beach watching the ocean.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
The Bangles... for Pat, the "Toolbox"
NEW BABY ALERT!!! Congrats to Kahn and Holly with the birth of Cody. Plus Happy Birthday Payton!
American Idol (again) - Final 9 with Tony Bennett (who's getting OLD... wow). The slow balads are very hard to pull off and not wise to do (another hint from me... see what happens). I'm trying to do some unique constructive criticism that I felt the judges missed:
1) The Backup Band... they really kicked ass tonight!
2) Blake - I really liked it, but he needs to a-nnun-ci-ate better... more consonants will help. Singing 101 lesson there.
3) LaKisha - Thought she was right on tonight.... Took the cake for the ladies in my mind.
4) Melinda - Pitch problems I felt in the first part (agreeing with Simon), but granted she had easily the most difficult song. Can't finish first every week;)
5) Jordin - Another tricky song that she pulled off pretty well with some good pipes!
6) Chris - I have to dock him for picking a song that will always be associated with Harry Connick Jr (When Harry Met Sally). And Chris's version wasn't there in comparison.
7) Haley - Looked damn good, ditched the slow song just in time to be saved, last note took a second to center correctly. Of course she gets my vote again just to see her come back!
8) Sanjaya - actually pulled off a decent performance (in comparison to his usual). Props for the white suit... I need one of those! He'll stick around though.
9) Gina - Tongue stud on display tonight! She knows how to get a bonus point there:) Not too bad but again, slow songs just don't get the votes this week. Last note needed some help in the upwards pitch direction.
10) Phil - By my count, he was UNDER pitch 3 times, OVER pitch 2 times... but he did hit the final note right on. But what do I know? I do think he was worse than Sanjaya... deal with it.
11) Paula - I think she gets drunker as the show goes on... seriously!! What's really in those coke glasses?
Am I the only one that notices the pitch issues?? There were not a ton of comments from the Judges. Maybe it's me tonight.
And in other news of the Rock and Roll.... Keith Richards tells the world that he snorted his father's ashes mixed with cocaine. What can you say in response to that? Well having thought of this all night, here are a few thoughts that come to mind:
Haiku of the Day -
Dropping weight like mad
Just in time for Mexico
No Diet next week
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Man of the Year this last weekend which is the Presidential movie with Robin Williams and Lewis Black (among others). I was hoping for a more prominent role from Lewis Black but it's still a funny movie. There's a little bit of science-fiction that rings home with the computerized voting aspect of the plot. How far away are we from something like this? Worth a viewing.
Weblink of the Day - The Way of the Swayze: How Patrick Swayze stays manly but gets all the chicks due to his sensitive side! I bet he can have square plates in his house and get away with it!!!
American Idol (again) - Final 9 with Tony Bennett (who's getting OLD... wow). The slow balads are very hard to pull off and not wise to do (another hint from me... see what happens). I'm trying to do some unique constructive criticism that I felt the judges missed:
1) The Backup Band... they really kicked ass tonight!
2) Blake - I really liked it, but he needs to a-nnun-ci-ate better... more consonants will help. Singing 101 lesson there.
3) LaKisha - Thought she was right on tonight.... Took the cake for the ladies in my mind.
4) Melinda - Pitch problems I felt in the first part (agreeing with Simon), but granted she had easily the most difficult song. Can't finish first every week;)
5) Jordin - Another tricky song that she pulled off pretty well with some good pipes!
6) Chris - I have to dock him for picking a song that will always be associated with Harry Connick Jr (When Harry Met Sally). And Chris's version wasn't there in comparison.
7) Haley - Looked damn good, ditched the slow song just in time to be saved, last note took a second to center correctly. Of course she gets my vote again just to see her come back!
8) Sanjaya - actually pulled off a decent performance (in comparison to his usual). Props for the white suit... I need one of those! He'll stick around though.
9) Gina - Tongue stud on display tonight! She knows how to get a bonus point there:) Not too bad but again, slow songs just don't get the votes this week. Last note needed some help in the upwards pitch direction.
10) Phil - By my count, he was UNDER pitch 3 times, OVER pitch 2 times... but he did hit the final note right on. But what do I know? I do think he was worse than Sanjaya... deal with it.
11) Paula - I think she gets drunker as the show goes on... seriously!! What's really in those coke glasses?
Am I the only one that notices the pitch issues?? There were not a ton of comments from the Judges. Maybe it's me tonight.
And in other news of the Rock and Roll.... Keith Richards tells the world that he snorted his father's ashes mixed with cocaine. What can you say in response to that? Well having thought of this all night, here are a few thoughts that come to mind:
- Do the ashes add anything to the "experience" other than symbolic purposes?
- His words were "My dad wouldn't have cared". I think my dad would come back to life and kick my ass if I tried to do something like this.
- His father died in 2002. Do ashes get better for snorting like a fine wine?
- What's the going rate on blow/ashes mix?
Haiku of the Day -
Dropping weight like mad
Just in time for Mexico
No Diet next week
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Man of the Year this last weekend which is the Presidential movie with Robin Williams and Lewis Black (among others). I was hoping for a more prominent role from Lewis Black but it's still a funny movie. There's a little bit of science-fiction that rings home with the computerized voting aspect of the plot. How far away are we from something like this? Worth a viewing.
Weblink of the Day - The Way of the Swayze: How Patrick Swayze stays manly but gets all the chicks due to his sensitive side! I bet he can have square plates in his house and get away with it!!!
GPS Innovations
Florida wins yet another championship (*yaaaaaaaaaaaaawn*). Still don't feel sorry for Ohio State being runner up in yet another sport. I did average on my brackets this year - I promise to do better next year!
I saw an article this morning that was interesting:
The question that everyone's wondering.... should I watch the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Game (We got game) or American Idol???? or maybe not. Final 9 on Idol tonight. I have a hunch who's going home and it's not who everyone thinks should be going home. Just remember what I said, if you don't vote, you can't complain at the outcome!!!
Snow today in a lot of Minnesota! We should see rain/sleet here in Rochester, but still not fun to think that it was just 70+ degrees and now we're back in this crap. By the time I get back from MEXICO next week, should be clear of the snow stuff.
Haiku of the Day -
No longer the champ
of b-ball tourney picking
even Drew beat me:(
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Babel this weekend. Not even close to what I was thinking it would be, but I did enjoy it a lot. An unusual story that tries to bring all the plotlines together at the end to show how around the world we are connected.... only problem was that I failed to see the strong link between the gun gift. Wish they would have had a better story there, but it worked. I thought it was well done and worthy of the nominations it received. The title Babel refers to the land in Genesis which comes from the Hebrew for "to confuse or confound". Think of the different languages spoken in the movie and how they all have a connection even though they come from a different culture.
Weblink of the Day - New Bunny cartoon... SPIDERMAN!!! (both 1 and 2)
I saw an article this morning that was interesting:
Isaac Daniel hopes the next time someone wears his sneakers, the footwear may prove to be life saving. The 38-year-old engineer has developed a line of running shoes with a tiny Global Positioning System (GPS) chip that can locate the wearer anywhere in the world with the press of a button. Daniel believes can help save children in trouble or even Alzheimer patients, will hit stores in May or June with more than 30,000 orders already pouring in from retailers worldwide. The solution was a line of men's and women's sneakers in 19 color combinations outfitted with a GPS chip that communicates with four international satellites. Next on his agenda is a "cell phone shoe" and a "game shoe.”So here's my thought.... some people will see the benefit of this in just what it was intended - helping find people that may go missing. But at what point is this the next step of invasion of privacy? I can see some kids taking knives to their shoes in order to remove the devices like some bad Arnold sci-fi movie. But aren't there more uses than those that Daniel lists? These shoes could be used to spy on cheating spouses, help with stalkers who are obsessed with some girl, or even by Paparazzi to figure out which club Paris and Britney are invading on any given night. I do wonder what will be the benefit of a "cell phone shoe" or "game shoe"... interesting concepts and I look forward to seeing how they can market that.
The question that everyone's wondering.... should I watch the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Game (We got game) or American Idol???? or maybe not. Final 9 on Idol tonight. I have a hunch who's going home and it's not who everyone thinks should be going home. Just remember what I said, if you don't vote, you can't complain at the outcome!!!
Snow today in a lot of Minnesota! We should see rain/sleet here in Rochester, but still not fun to think that it was just 70+ degrees and now we're back in this crap. By the time I get back from MEXICO next week, should be clear of the snow stuff.
Haiku of the Day -
No longer the champ
of b-ball tourney picking
even Drew beat me:(
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Babel this weekend. Not even close to what I was thinking it would be, but I did enjoy it a lot. An unusual story that tries to bring all the plotlines together at the end to show how around the world we are connected.... only problem was that I failed to see the strong link between the gun gift. Wish they would have had a better story there, but it worked. I thought it was well done and worthy of the nominations it received. The title Babel refers to the land in Genesis which comes from the Hebrew for "to confuse or confound". Think of the different languages spoken in the movie and how they all have a connection even though they come from a different culture.
Weblink of the Day - New Bunny cartoon... SPIDERMAN!!! (both 1 and 2)
Monday, April 02, 2007
Everything Baseball
Baseball season has officially begun. So for the next 100 weeks (or so it seems), you'll be seeing baseball scores and highlights. Also means that there's an extra hour of Baseball Tonight on ESPN for that same time. 162 games are played before the post season can begin. Here are some predictions/observations for the upcoming season:
Tim was fired on The Apprentice last night.... and not sure I agree with how that whole episode went down. Arrow designated themselves someone to focus on and Tim was an easy target. I liked Tim and agreed with his defense in the end. I hate pretty much all 3 of the surviving Arrow team and hope they lose a couple of weeks in a row to get rid of them all. I seriously hate Frankie....
What else.... Happy April! Enjoy the rain (could be snow - remember that and appreciate it).
Haiku of the Day
Hundred sixty two
That's pretty much half the year
I hate the Yankees!
Entertainment of the Day - there are a lot of good baseball movies though to mention today. Brewster's Millions, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, Major League (Numbers 1 AND 2... ignore anything after that), Fever Pitch, The Natural (oldie but a goodie), Mr. 3000, and Fever Pitch (Which is shown constantly on HBO I believe). Take your pick from any of those.
Weblink of the Day - There are a lot of us nerds in the world today. This guy figured out how to build a robot to bowl a perfect 300 game in Wii Bowling everytime! Something to do on the weekends:)
- By the end of April, the Cubs will be mathematically eliminated from post-season contention (as usual)
- St. Louis will not make the postseason after winning it all last year.
- Detroit Tigers could be dangerous again this year... hopefully the Twins can keep pace with them again.
- Braves are still looking like an "ok" team but they did beef up their bullpen for this season. Hopefully that inspires the starting rotation a bit again and they return to their championship ways. Smoltz doesn't have too much left in him, Hampton is way overpaid for as little as he actually plays, and Hudson might surprise some folks this year. Andruw is also on the last year of his contract so they need to make a move this year!
- The Yankees are still the devil of all baseball teams. And just as I was starting to be indifferent about Andy Pettitte, he goes back to the Spankees - Jerk! I hate them all!
- Mets and Red Sox aren't much better than the Yankees anymore. $$$$$$$
- I still consider most baseball players whimps. A hockey player will get knocked unconscious and they still want to go back into the game. Some of the greatest players play 20+ years in the NHL, barely have any bones left that haven't been broken, and still want to just be stitched up so he can go finish the game. (Red Wings back in 1st again)
- The Barry Bonds controversy is going to heat up very quickly as he's still hitting a lot of home runs in the preseason. This is going to get old very quick (as if it isn't already).
Tim was fired on The Apprentice last night.... and not sure I agree with how that whole episode went down. Arrow designated themselves someone to focus on and Tim was an easy target. I liked Tim and agreed with his defense in the end. I hate pretty much all 3 of the surviving Arrow team and hope they lose a couple of weeks in a row to get rid of them all. I seriously hate Frankie....
What else.... Happy April! Enjoy the rain (could be snow - remember that and appreciate it).
Haiku of the Day
Hundred sixty two
That's pretty much half the year
I hate the Yankees!
Entertainment of the Day - there are a lot of good baseball movies though to mention today. Brewster's Millions, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, Major League (Numbers 1 AND 2... ignore anything after that), Fever Pitch, The Natural (oldie but a goodie), Mr. 3000, and Fever Pitch (Which is shown constantly on HBO I believe). Take your pick from any of those.
Weblink of the Day - There are a lot of us nerds in the world today. This guy figured out how to build a robot to bowl a perfect 300 game in Wii Bowling everytime! Something to do on the weekends:)
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