So, I've been trying to attach a disk array to one of my servers at work for about 3 months now. But, there's always something going on with that server, so scheduling any downtime at all is a royal pain in the ass.
I FINALLY got it all installed and functional on Wednesday. I moved some data off of local disks onto the array and the IO speed went through the roof. Needless to say, I was quite the hero!
Naturally, that didn't last. Exactly one day later, the damn thing completely crashed on me. And, of course, the customers were going nuts because they're way behind and working long hours to catch up - understandable.
Anyway, I drive into work only to find that one of the so-called failover controllers didn't failover properly and took the whole array out of commission. I tried forcing a failover, but alas no joy.
After exhausting all my options, I finally had to power off the array (they love it when you do that) and pray that the couple hundred gb's of data was still salvageable.
After a couple of hours of holding my breath and verifying/copying/restoring data, everything seems to be ok. The controllers are both up and cheerful, and the log files are conspicuously empty of content. It's ALMOST as if nothing happened - only, I know better!
What kills me is that I know that moving to the array was the wisest course of action. And I know that Sun equipment is, for the most part, hugely reliable. But godammit, I just can't catch a break!
Anyway, I'm planning on moving everything back to the internal disks (which will probably crash the server) and running a bunch of diagnostics against the array. If I can't find the root cause of the crash, I'm tossing the damn thing in the dumpster.
Yay me!
Now, go buy one of my houses!!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
YIKES!
(This one is kinda gross - strap in)
Completely off-topic and way out in left-field, but the other night a bunch of us were watching a UFC bout at a buddy's house. One guy's girlfriend said something like, "blah blah blah, blumpkin, blah blah."
Not surprisingly, none of us older people knew what the hell she was talking about.
She was shocked and so decided to enlighten us. "Everyone knows", she began, "that a blumpkin is when you receive a blowjob whilst simultaneously taking a shit."
* stunned silence *
Naturally, we (adults over 30) thought she was full of shit, no pun intended. But, oh no, apparently this is a well-known bit of debauchery to these disgusting young people.
Maybe I'm an old prude, but that is just filthy. Who in the hell came up with this one??? Really, nothing better to do, eh?
How the hell do you even suggest this to your girlfriend/lover/whatever? "Hey, babe, you know what would go great after that wonderful Thanksgiving dinner you put together? A big old blumpkin pie!" - Yes, a blumpkin pie is an even more disgusting variation on this already horrendous act.
I worry for the state of our country.
Completely off-topic and way out in left-field, but the other night a bunch of us were watching a UFC bout at a buddy's house. One guy's girlfriend said something like, "blah blah blah, blumpkin, blah blah."
Not surprisingly, none of us older people knew what the hell she was talking about.
She was shocked and so decided to enlighten us. "Everyone knows", she began, "that a blumpkin is when you receive a blowjob whilst simultaneously taking a shit."
* stunned silence *
Naturally, we (adults over 30) thought she was full of shit, no pun intended. But, oh no, apparently this is a well-known bit of debauchery to these disgusting young people.
Maybe I'm an old prude, but that is just filthy. Who in the hell came up with this one??? Really, nothing better to do, eh?
How the hell do you even suggest this to your girlfriend/lover/whatever? "Hey, babe, you know what would go great after that wonderful Thanksgiving dinner you put together? A big old blumpkin pie!" - Yes, a blumpkin pie is an even more disgusting variation on this already horrendous act.
I worry for the state of our country.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Democrats suck
So, I just got done watching the news... Ok, it was John Stewart, but still.
Anyway, I just have to comment about how disappointed I am in those idiot democrats in congress. With a Fillibuster-proof senate and a majority in the house, why in the hell are these people so frickin ineffective??
There is so much that could be done right now - Gays in the military, health care, gay marriage - it's amazing that NOTHING is getting done.
What the fuck are they waiting for??? The only people they have to blame is themselves. Even Obama, who could basically effect the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" with the stroke of a pen, hasn't really done anything useful. He should be beating people to death with his bare hands, but instead he's too worried about his image (or getting re-elected, or who knows what) to risk making a command decision.
This is exactly what happens whenever the democrats take over. They have full control to do anything, but instead bicker amongst themselves and wring their hands over the difficulty of their jobs.
Idiots. I can't say very many complimentary things about the republicans, but at least they know how to take advantage of a situation like this. Granted, they're greedy, soulless bastards but you can't say they're ineffective.
This just makes me sad all over again.
Anyway, I just have to comment about how disappointed I am in those idiot democrats in congress. With a Fillibuster-proof senate and a majority in the house, why in the hell are these people so frickin ineffective??
There is so much that could be done right now - Gays in the military, health care, gay marriage - it's amazing that NOTHING is getting done.
What the fuck are they waiting for??? The only people they have to blame is themselves. Even Obama, who could basically effect the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" with the stroke of a pen, hasn't really done anything useful. He should be beating people to death with his bare hands, but instead he's too worried about his image (or getting re-elected, or who knows what) to risk making a command decision.
This is exactly what happens whenever the democrats take over. They have full control to do anything, but instead bicker amongst themselves and wring their hands over the difficulty of their jobs.
Idiots. I can't say very many complimentary things about the republicans, but at least they know how to take advantage of a situation like this. Granted, they're greedy, soulless bastards but you can't say they're ineffective.
This just makes me sad all over again.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
I am Jon Stewart
Hello again out there in TV land, it's your old buddy Anthony back with another shot at health care.
I just finished watching last Thursday's episode of "The Daily Show". It featured an interview with a large breasted woman (Betsy McCaughey) who is an outspoken opponent of the new health care bill insofar as, in her mind, it is designed to kill old people.
The interview went so long that they had to air only the first 15 minutes or so and put the rest out on their website. It was a really awkward interview mostly because she would read a passage from the bill (that sounded like ordinary English) and somehow twist and morph it into something altogether alien.
Jon Stewart kept trying to point out the crazy in her argument, but she was not to be dissuaded. She also mentioned that President Obama wanted to cut 500 billion dollars from medicare in the next ten years which would almost guarantee that old folks would no longer receive quality health care.
It was the first time I can remember that Jon Stewart seemed genuinely frustrated and angry. He played it off pretty well, however.
I know exactly how he feels. I've got a lot of friends who are conservatives who are convinced that Obama is creating a socialist state and that their guns are about to be confiscated sometime in the next 6 months or so. I try to reason with them, but it's the same situation where, although it sounds like English to me, somehow it doesn't translate correctly on the other end.
Normally, I just laugh (because they're dumb), but it's also frustrating to try to point out the obvious to someone who is absolutely dead-set against seeing it.
Granted, I've been married for most of my adult life (to women) so I realize that some people (half the population) just can't be reasoned with. (I'm looking at you, ladies...) Even so, it's still really annoying to have all the facts, come to a sane conclusion based solely on those facts, and yet still have somebody argue the opposite. It's maddening.
And yet, that's what I deal with on a regular basis.
Thank the gods for Barnie Frank. He recently smacked down some retard in a town hall meeting who was talking about supporting Obama's Nazi programs (or some such horseshit). [It's funny, but I've read "The rise and fall of the third reich" and I don't remember anything at all about Nazi health care.]
Anyway, he basically told her she was stupid and there was no point in arguing with somebody like that. Naturally, he took a little heat for it, but I was wholly impressed. I wish more politicians would follow his example.
As for Jon, he eventually got her off his show and didn't lose his shit. I don't know that she'll be making any repeat appearances, if only because it wasn't particularly entertaining watching the stupid dripping from the set.
I just finished watching last Thursday's episode of "The Daily Show". It featured an interview with a large breasted woman (Betsy McCaughey) who is an outspoken opponent of the new health care bill insofar as, in her mind, it is designed to kill old people.
The interview went so long that they had to air only the first 15 minutes or so and put the rest out on their website. It was a really awkward interview mostly because she would read a passage from the bill (that sounded like ordinary English) and somehow twist and morph it into something altogether alien.
Jon Stewart kept trying to point out the crazy in her argument, but she was not to be dissuaded. She also mentioned that President Obama wanted to cut 500 billion dollars from medicare in the next ten years which would almost guarantee that old folks would no longer receive quality health care.
It was the first time I can remember that Jon Stewart seemed genuinely frustrated and angry. He played it off pretty well, however.
I know exactly how he feels. I've got a lot of friends who are conservatives who are convinced that Obama is creating a socialist state and that their guns are about to be confiscated sometime in the next 6 months or so. I try to reason with them, but it's the same situation where, although it sounds like English to me, somehow it doesn't translate correctly on the other end.
Normally, I just laugh (because they're dumb), but it's also frustrating to try to point out the obvious to someone who is absolutely dead-set against seeing it.
Granted, I've been married for most of my adult life (to women) so I realize that some people (half the population) just can't be reasoned with. (I'm looking at you, ladies...) Even so, it's still really annoying to have all the facts, come to a sane conclusion based solely on those facts, and yet still have somebody argue the opposite. It's maddening.
And yet, that's what I deal with on a regular basis.
Thank the gods for Barnie Frank. He recently smacked down some retard in a town hall meeting who was talking about supporting Obama's Nazi programs (or some such horseshit). [It's funny, but I've read "The rise and fall of the third reich" and I don't remember anything at all about Nazi health care.]
Anyway, he basically told her she was stupid and there was no point in arguing with somebody like that. Naturally, he took a little heat for it, but I was wholly impressed. I wish more politicians would follow his example.
As for Jon, he eventually got her off his show and didn't lose his shit. I don't know that she'll be making any repeat appearances, if only because it wasn't particularly entertaining watching the stupid dripping from the set.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Americans are stupid.
That's right, I said it. But, before I begin, let me blow some of the dust off the ol' blog here... Ok, now to begin.
So I'm watching the news about Obama's health care plan and people are freaking out. I'm trying to understand the fear and confusion, but all I'm hearing is the same thing that the morons on Fox News are saying. What I don't hear is anybody attacking any of the actual points in the plan, just the plan itself.
Some of my favorite arguments are:
- They're going to kill old people!
- They're turning us into socialists!
- This is just what the Nazi's did!
- It's going to cripple the health care industry!
- I won't be able to keep my own doctor!
- Why should I have to pay for health care for poor people!
The only one of those that is close to factual is the last one, of course, which is why you will seldom hear anyone admit it openly. Also, few people have the balls to admit that they're just greedy fucks who couldn't care less about anyone but themselves - especially when it comes to poor and/or brown people.
What bothers me most about this isn't that people are greedy fucks (I've come to expect that), it's that nobody actually investigates anything, they just take Rush Limbaugh's word for everything. Or Sean Hannity's, or Bill O'Reilly's, or one of the other bastards on Fox and Friends.
As long as I've been an adult, people have bitched about the cost, or level of service, of health care. I remember 10 years or so ago the big thing was HMO's (remember those?). Talk about socialized and fucked-up health care! That had to be the worst!
Obama's new plan will take money away from insurance companies and give it to doctors and, indirectly, the patients themselves. Boy, won't that suck. Also, people who aren't rich will still be able to get decent health care for themselves and their families. Even worse!
TANGENT: The other day, somebody was telling me how lucky those freeloading welfare families were... I honestly had no response for about 30 seconds. Then, once I finally composed myself, I remembered that I was at work so I couldn't really say what I wanted to say, so I ended up saying nothing.
IRONY: Most of the people I hear bitching about health care for poor and/or brown people are (supposedly) christians! This is the one group of people who are supposed to give a damn about the down and out! WTF. Apparently, they're not as familiar with their mythology as am I. I can probably quote three or four bible passages that would make my point...
TANGENT #2: christians don't get a damn about you, or your soul, or your well-being. The only thing that these repressed fuckwads give a shit about is stopping you from doing something that they'd really secretly like to do themselves, but haven't got the courage to potentially piss off their invisible man. I have to imagine that they believe that if they don't get to have any fun, nobody else should either.
Don't people realize that the people who are telling them that this new plan is bad are the same people who fucked over the economy and got us into at least two effectively unwinnable wars? Are Americans really this stupid?
Um, turns out - yes.
I was listening to the radio today and I heard an ad about how bad this new plan will be. They had the sound of a train in the background and I guess the idear was that the train was going to run us over or something. It reminded me of the "wolves in the forest" ads that they ran when "W" was running against Kerry. It turns out that fear might actually be the best motivator after all...
In the end, I don't really give a shit. I make a lot of money and my family and I are reasonably healthy, so I don't worry about health care. I don't like spending $300 a month, but I guess that's the cost of doing business in this wonderful (and apparently infallible) country of ours.
Don't you just hate freedom of speech? ;-)
So I'm watching the news about Obama's health care plan and people are freaking out. I'm trying to understand the fear and confusion, but all I'm hearing is the same thing that the morons on Fox News are saying. What I don't hear is anybody attacking any of the actual points in the plan, just the plan itself.
Some of my favorite arguments are:
- They're going to kill old people!
- They're turning us into socialists!
- This is just what the Nazi's did!
- It's going to cripple the health care industry!
- I won't be able to keep my own doctor!
- Why should I have to pay for health care for poor people!
The only one of those that is close to factual is the last one, of course, which is why you will seldom hear anyone admit it openly. Also, few people have the balls to admit that they're just greedy fucks who couldn't care less about anyone but themselves - especially when it comes to poor and/or brown people.
What bothers me most about this isn't that people are greedy fucks (I've come to expect that), it's that nobody actually investigates anything, they just take Rush Limbaugh's word for everything. Or Sean Hannity's, or Bill O'Reilly's, or one of the other bastards on Fox and Friends.
As long as I've been an adult, people have bitched about the cost, or level of service, of health care. I remember 10 years or so ago the big thing was HMO's (remember those?). Talk about socialized and fucked-up health care! That had to be the worst!
Obama's new plan will take money away from insurance companies and give it to doctors and, indirectly, the patients themselves. Boy, won't that suck. Also, people who aren't rich will still be able to get decent health care for themselves and their families. Even worse!
TANGENT: The other day, somebody was telling me how lucky those freeloading welfare families were... I honestly had no response for about 30 seconds. Then, once I finally composed myself, I remembered that I was at work so I couldn't really say what I wanted to say, so I ended up saying nothing.
IRONY: Most of the people I hear bitching about health care for poor and/or brown people are (supposedly) christians! This is the one group of people who are supposed to give a damn about the down and out! WTF. Apparently, they're not as familiar with their mythology as am I. I can probably quote three or four bible passages that would make my point...
TANGENT #2: christians don't get a damn about you, or your soul, or your well-being. The only thing that these repressed fuckwads give a shit about is stopping you from doing something that they'd really secretly like to do themselves, but haven't got the courage to potentially piss off their invisible man. I have to imagine that they believe that if they don't get to have any fun, nobody else should either.
Don't people realize that the people who are telling them that this new plan is bad are the same people who fucked over the economy and got us into at least two effectively unwinnable wars? Are Americans really this stupid?
Um, turns out - yes.
I was listening to the radio today and I heard an ad about how bad this new plan will be. They had the sound of a train in the background and I guess the idear was that the train was going to run us over or something. It reminded me of the "wolves in the forest" ads that they ran when "W" was running against Kerry. It turns out that fear might actually be the best motivator after all...
In the end, I don't really give a shit. I make a lot of money and my family and I are reasonably healthy, so I don't worry about health care. I don't like spending $300 a month, but I guess that's the cost of doing business in this wonderful (and apparently infallible) country of ours.
Don't you just hate freedom of speech? ;-)
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Amazon Kindle
So, for Father's day this year, my wife (and kids to a lesser extent) got me the new Kindle 2 from Amazon. If you really love to read, this is for you. Naturally, I love it.
She was torn between the Kindle and the Sony Reader. They're remarkably similar, but the Sony has a few more bells and whistles, but it's missing the 3G wireless capability of the Kindle. I would have been happy with either, I'm sure.
The kindle is cool because it has the ability to download a book without having to find a hotspot, or some other external network connection. Also, it has a built-in web browser and online dictionary that is really handy. It also has a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time... no wait, that's the Red Rider Air Rifle... Anyway, it's pretty Geektacular.
A buddy of mine found a couple of websites that have free downloads, mostly classical stuff, so I went ahead and grabbed a few dozen. Loading them to the Kindle was as simple as copying and pasting (the kindle attaches as a removable hard drive).
The only actual purchase I've made thus far is a subscription to Newsweek. It's only $1.49 a month and I can cancel at any time.
One final thing is this - you can download a sample (2 or 3 chapters) of pretty much anything to "try before you buy". When you get to the end of the sample, you're just one click away from purchasing the download (which only takes a minute or two).
I have to say, I'm really enjoying my new g-toy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go read my free download of Voltaire's Candide. Suck on that, chumps!
She was torn between the Kindle and the Sony Reader. They're remarkably similar, but the Sony has a few more bells and whistles, but it's missing the 3G wireless capability of the Kindle. I would have been happy with either, I'm sure.
The kindle is cool because it has the ability to download a book without having to find a hotspot, or some other external network connection. Also, it has a built-in web browser and online dictionary that is really handy. It also has a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time... no wait, that's the Red Rider Air Rifle... Anyway, it's pretty Geektacular.
A buddy of mine found a couple of websites that have free downloads, mostly classical stuff, so I went ahead and grabbed a few dozen. Loading them to the Kindle was as simple as copying and pasting (the kindle attaches as a removable hard drive).
The only actual purchase I've made thus far is a subscription to Newsweek. It's only $1.49 a month and I can cancel at any time.
One final thing is this - you can download a sample (2 or 3 chapters) of pretty much anything to "try before you buy". When you get to the end of the sample, you're just one click away from purchasing the download (which only takes a minute or two).
I have to say, I'm really enjoying my new g-toy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go read my free download of Voltaire's Candide. Suck on that, chumps!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Camp Quality
Back from camp - tanned, rested and ready!
I do this thing every now and again where I volunteer as basically a camp counselor. It's a 5 day long camp and it's always a lot of fun. I believe the kids even have fun from time to time.
This year, I got a new camper. I missed the last couple of years due to my forced exile in Sidney, so the camper I used to have grew up and moved to Jakarta, I believe.
Anyway, my new kid is 16 and his name is Alex. He's a good kid - smart, and kind of a trouble-maker. I have no idear why they paired us up... weird.
Anyway, we spent most of the time at camp trying to get away with stuff without getting caught. We did pretty well most of the time, but the director was wise to our ways and caught us as often as not.
The best part for me was the rock wall. It was about 40 or 50 feet high (but looked like a couple hundred). I clambered up that thing like a well-oiled monkey in record time to the amazement of the other campers and staff. Ok, they were mostly bored just waiting for their own turn, but it was pretty impressive nonetheless.
My camper didn't care much for the wall, so opted for the zip line instead. From the ground, he looked really nervous. But, little did we know he was just planning his ride. He jumped off the ledge and immediately spun to an inverted cross position. This, naturally, delighted most of the kids and a lot of the adults, but not so much the director or the staff. Something about liability and the fact that the harness isn't designed to be used upside down since all the support is in the other direction.
Not surprisingly, an edict was immediately put out warning any other campers that a repeat performance would be considered a violation of the "rules". Bah!
It was really cool. You've never lived until you've vigorously sung ridiculous campfire songs at full volume surrounded by like-minded weirdos, while simultaneously licking the remnants of s'mores off your fingertips.
It was a very fulfilling experience and I encourage you to give it a try if you ever get the chance. If you can imagine me in shorts and a t-shirt unashamedly singing campfire songs, eating lunchroom chow and braving the great outdoors (ok, it was a dorm with showers, toilets and AC), then surely anyone can enjoy it.
I'm already planning the end-of-camp skit we'll do next year! Something about the periodic table and a bunch of mini-einsteins running around... ;-)
I do this thing every now and again where I volunteer as basically a camp counselor. It's a 5 day long camp and it's always a lot of fun. I believe the kids even have fun from time to time.
This year, I got a new camper. I missed the last couple of years due to my forced exile in Sidney, so the camper I used to have grew up and moved to Jakarta, I believe.
Anyway, my new kid is 16 and his name is Alex. He's a good kid - smart, and kind of a trouble-maker. I have no idear why they paired us up... weird.
Anyway, we spent most of the time at camp trying to get away with stuff without getting caught. We did pretty well most of the time, but the director was wise to our ways and caught us as often as not.
The best part for me was the rock wall. It was about 40 or 50 feet high (but looked like a couple hundred). I clambered up that thing like a well-oiled monkey in record time to the amazement of the other campers and staff. Ok, they were mostly bored just waiting for their own turn, but it was pretty impressive nonetheless.
My camper didn't care much for the wall, so opted for the zip line instead. From the ground, he looked really nervous. But, little did we know he was just planning his ride. He jumped off the ledge and immediately spun to an inverted cross position. This, naturally, delighted most of the kids and a lot of the adults, but not so much the director or the staff. Something about liability and the fact that the harness isn't designed to be used upside down since all the support is in the other direction.
Not surprisingly, an edict was immediately put out warning any other campers that a repeat performance would be considered a violation of the "rules". Bah!
It was really cool. You've never lived until you've vigorously sung ridiculous campfire songs at full volume surrounded by like-minded weirdos, while simultaneously licking the remnants of s'mores off your fingertips.
It was a very fulfilling experience and I encourage you to give it a try if you ever get the chance. If you can imagine me in shorts and a t-shirt unashamedly singing campfire songs, eating lunchroom chow and braving the great outdoors (ok, it was a dorm with showers, toilets and AC), then surely anyone can enjoy it.
I'm already planning the end-of-camp skit we'll do next year! Something about the periodic table and a bunch of mini-einsteins running around... ;-)
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Fucktards on Jeopardy
One thing I really can't stand is Computer Geeks on TV who continue to perpetrate the stereotype. For instance, there were two geeks on Jeopardy recently who went way out of their way to be complete and utter douche bags.
Actually, one of these fucknuts had been on the show a couple of days as the returning champion. He cited his shiny, maybe-leather jacket for his success. He had some kind of really long, triangular-ish beard/goatee thing hanging off his chin (perfectly symmetrical, I might add) that lent an air of otherworldly mystique to his already super-cool image. Of course, this is all in addition to the receding-hairline-yet-still-wearing-a-ponytail sexiness he was pulling off. Truly, a complete and utter tool.
The other fuckwheel (my own word, by the way, thank you very much) was new to the show, but no less retarded. He wore a charcoal grey suit with a black silk-ish shirt and some kind of bizarre blue and black tie that I'm sure glowed under a black-light. To add to this visual delight, he shaved his head bald, affected a frightening, probably-a-Satanist glare, and a fu-man-chu mustache thing that only the most awesome system administrators could even consider trying to master.
If the first guy was a tool, this guy was a whole ratchet set. They both should have been doused in kerosene a set ablaze, if not for my immediate entertainment, then at least to help cleanse the gene-pool a bit.
I get it that you really only get one chance to make a statement on national television, but was that really the statement these assholes-in-a-hat wanted to make? "Hah! Who's laughing now, quarterback of the football team who used to beat me up and shove me into my own locker twice a week??"
People just sicken me...
Of course, tomorrow night is the first actual competition night for SYTYCD. The top 20 will be paired randomly (with maybe just a little help from the producers) and try to avoid becoming the first to be eliminated.
I'm only a little excited... tee hee. ;-)
p.s. Thanks for sticking in there, Fred!
Actually, one of these fucknuts had been on the show a couple of days as the returning champion. He cited his shiny, maybe-leather jacket for his success. He had some kind of really long, triangular-ish beard/goatee thing hanging off his chin (perfectly symmetrical, I might add) that lent an air of otherworldly mystique to his already super-cool image. Of course, this is all in addition to the receding-hairline-yet-still-wearing-a-ponytail sexiness he was pulling off. Truly, a complete and utter tool.
The other fuckwheel (my own word, by the way, thank you very much) was new to the show, but no less retarded. He wore a charcoal grey suit with a black silk-ish shirt and some kind of bizarre blue and black tie that I'm sure glowed under a black-light. To add to this visual delight, he shaved his head bald, affected a frightening, probably-a-Satanist glare, and a fu-man-chu mustache thing that only the most awesome system administrators could even consider trying to master.
If the first guy was a tool, this guy was a whole ratchet set. They both should have been doused in kerosene a set ablaze, if not for my immediate entertainment, then at least to help cleanse the gene-pool a bit.
I get it that you really only get one chance to make a statement on national television, but was that really the statement these assholes-in-a-hat wanted to make? "Hah! Who's laughing now, quarterback of the football team who used to beat me up and shove me into my own locker twice a week??"
People just sicken me...
Of course, tomorrow night is the first actual competition night for SYTYCD. The top 20 will be paired randomly (with maybe just a little help from the producers) and try to avoid becoming the first to be eliminated.
I'm only a little excited... tee hee. ;-)
p.s. Thanks for sticking in there, Fred!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Revealed! I am a Buddhist!
Ok, I'm not a buddhist in the traditional sense. Rather, like the Buddha himself, I try to comprehend the Four Noble Truths and follow the Eightfold Path.
The Path is really just a guideline for living and has very little to do with the afterlife, etc. Basically, it's the golden rule plus some good common sense: Treat everyone the way you want to be treated and take everything in moderation. Also, endeavour to become both aware and self-aware.
Clearly, I'm paraphrasing here. The Buddha was little more than a wise man who begged his followers not to make a religion out of his teachings. After he died, his followers said, "Hey, let's make a religion out of his teachings." And, so they did.
Idiots, these people.
The Buddha posited Four Noble Truths:
1. Life means suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. There is a path to the cessation of suffering - namely, the Eightfold Path.
So, here's a breakdown of the actual Eightfold Path:
(The first two relate to Wisdom)
- Right View: To see and understand things are they actually are.
- Right Intention: A commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement.
(The next three refer to Ethical Conduct)
- Right Speech: Words can break or save lives, make enemies or friends, start war or create peace.
- Right Action: Refers to deeds that involve bodily actions. Don't kill, don't steal, etc.
- Right Livelihood: One should earn one's living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully.
(The last three relate to Mental Development)
- Right Effort: Misguided effort distracts the mind from its task, and confusion will be the consequence.
- Right Mindfulness: The controlled and perfected faculty of cognition.
- Right Concentration: A state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular object.
There are some really good Buddha quotes, but if you've never studied the history of the Buddha (not Buddhism), they're probably not as interesting. For instance:
"Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity."
Few people realize that the Buddha was born a prince. He gave up his royal heritage for a life of asceticism . Eventually, that life of forced misery led to his enlightenment (or "awakening") after which he developed his own philosophy. It's a really interesting story...
So, there you have it. Now, back to SYTYCD! What a great night of dancing!! It was really sad watching people have their dreams smashed upon the rocks of reality, but the people who make it through the fire are going to be better for it. This season looks to be their best so far! The tall, blond gymnast is my early pick. She's ridiculously beautiful, graceful and limber, not to mention a fantastic lyrical/ballet dancer.
Tomorrow night is the final elimination to reveal the top 20 (10 guys and 10 girls). I can't wait to see if my girl makes it through!
The Path is really just a guideline for living and has very little to do with the afterlife, etc. Basically, it's the golden rule plus some good common sense: Treat everyone the way you want to be treated and take everything in moderation. Also, endeavour to become both aware and self-aware.
Clearly, I'm paraphrasing here. The Buddha was little more than a wise man who begged his followers not to make a religion out of his teachings. After he died, his followers said, "Hey, let's make a religion out of his teachings." And, so they did.
Idiots, these people.
The Buddha posited Four Noble Truths:
1. Life means suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is attachment.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. There is a path to the cessation of suffering - namely, the Eightfold Path.
So, here's a breakdown of the actual Eightfold Path:
(The first two relate to Wisdom)
- Right View: To see and understand things are they actually are.
- Right Intention: A commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement.
(The next three refer to Ethical Conduct)
- Right Speech: Words can break or save lives, make enemies or friends, start war or create peace.
- Right Action: Refers to deeds that involve bodily actions. Don't kill, don't steal, etc.
- Right Livelihood: One should earn one's living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully.
(The last three relate to Mental Development)
- Right Effort: Misguided effort distracts the mind from its task, and confusion will be the consequence.
- Right Mindfulness: The controlled and perfected faculty of cognition.
- Right Concentration: A state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular object.
There are some really good Buddha quotes, but if you've never studied the history of the Buddha (not Buddhism), they're probably not as interesting. For instance:
"Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity."
Few people realize that the Buddha was born a prince. He gave up his royal heritage for a life of asceticism . Eventually, that life of forced misery led to his enlightenment (or "awakening") after which he developed his own philosophy. It's a really interesting story...
So, there you have it. Now, back to SYTYCD! What a great night of dancing!! It was really sad watching people have their dreams smashed upon the rocks of reality, but the people who make it through the fire are going to be better for it. This season looks to be their best so far! The tall, blond gymnast is my early pick. She's ridiculously beautiful, graceful and limber, not to mention a fantastic lyrical/ballet dancer.
Tomorrow night is the final elimination to reveal the top 20 (10 guys and 10 girls). I can't wait to see if my girl makes it through!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
WCWS - Final word
They call me "The Amazing Anthony". Not only did I predict the College Player of the Year (Danielle Lawrie), I also predicted that Washington would win the series. Who's got two thumbs and went 2 for 2 on his predictions? This guy!!
(It's better if you imagine I'm pointing my thumbs at myself...)
It was a pretty sloppy game in the first couple of innings, but Washington was able to hold onto a one-run lead to seal the deal.
Lawrie struck out the last batter with a high change-up. Everybody cheered, except for the losers, of course, who cried.
So, you won't have to hear me rambling on about any more stupid softball. From now on, it's strictly SYTYCD only!! Ok, maybe I'll throw in a little political humor from time to time, or some religious stuff every now and again, but other than that, nothing but good old non-gay dancing.
Here's a non sequitur for you: I hate it when people say heighth, instead of height. It ends in a T, not a TH. That kind of shit drives me crazy.
Also, have you ever noticed that most of the women who are against abortion are women you wouldn't want to fuck in the first place? Hmmm... just a thought.
(It's better if you imagine I'm pointing my thumbs at myself...)
It was a pretty sloppy game in the first couple of innings, but Washington was able to hold onto a one-run lead to seal the deal.
Lawrie struck out the last batter with a high change-up. Everybody cheered, except for the losers, of course, who cried.
So, you won't have to hear me rambling on about any more stupid softball. From now on, it's strictly SYTYCD only!! Ok, maybe I'll throw in a little political humor from time to time, or some religious stuff every now and again, but other than that, nothing but good old non-gay dancing.
Here's a non sequitur for you: I hate it when people say heighth, instead of height. It ends in a T, not a TH. That kind of shit drives me crazy.
Also, have you ever noticed that most of the women who are against abortion are women you wouldn't want to fuck in the first place? Hmmm... just a thought.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Women's College World Series - redux
What a fantastic game tonight! The team that I picked to take it all (#3 University of Washington) has just beaten the #1 team (Florida) 8-0. At least 2 (and possibly 3) runs were scored as a direct result of errors on the part of the losing team - henceforth to be referred to as "The Losers". Even if you subtract those runs, at worst it's a 5-0 game.
I'm especially jazzed because I also accurately predicted the College Player of the Year, who just happens to be Washington's star pitcher, Danielle Lawrie. She's one of the few (if not only) hitting pitchers who, incidentally, knocked in a grand slam home run last night in a devestating victory over Georgia. Most other pitchers don't even come to the plate, relying on Designated Players or pinch hitters instead.
Since it's a best of 3 series, it ain't over till the fat lady sings, so I'm not counting any chickens yet. But, I like their chances.
The championship series was supposed to have been a pitcher's duel, but "The Losers'" pitcher never really got into the game and was pulled in the 5th inning (not that it did any good). Her self-esteem has got to be at an all-time low, unlike Danielle Lawrie who's confidence level is somewhere between Lance Armstrong at his best and any army that's ever faced the French. Hmmm, I guess that's about the same thing.
The point is, if Washington can pull out just one more win in the next two nights, they'll be the WCWS Champions, and "The Losers" will have to fly home to rainy, nasty, overcast Florida and hang their heads low... in shame... because they lost...
I really hope they win tomorrow night, because I don't want to have to decide on Wednesday whether to watch the third and deciding game or my favorite show of all time, So You Think You Can Dance. That's a tough call for me to make...
More tomorrow! Maybe I'll talk about something other than softball or dancing... Not bloody likely, though!
I'm especially jazzed because I also accurately predicted the College Player of the Year, who just happens to be Washington's star pitcher, Danielle Lawrie. She's one of the few (if not only) hitting pitchers who, incidentally, knocked in a grand slam home run last night in a devestating victory over Georgia. Most other pitchers don't even come to the plate, relying on Designated Players or pinch hitters instead.
Since it's a best of 3 series, it ain't over till the fat lady sings, so I'm not counting any chickens yet. But, I like their chances.
The championship series was supposed to have been a pitcher's duel, but "The Losers'" pitcher never really got into the game and was pulled in the 5th inning (not that it did any good). Her self-esteem has got to be at an all-time low, unlike Danielle Lawrie who's confidence level is somewhere between Lance Armstrong at his best and any army that's ever faced the French. Hmmm, I guess that's about the same thing.
The point is, if Washington can pull out just one more win in the next two nights, they'll be the WCWS Champions, and "The Losers" will have to fly home to rainy, nasty, overcast Florida and hang their heads low... in shame... because they lost...
I really hope they win tomorrow night, because I don't want to have to decide on Wednesday whether to watch the third and deciding game or my favorite show of all time, So You Think You Can Dance. That's a tough call for me to make...
More tomorrow! Maybe I'll talk about something other than softball or dancing... Not bloody likely, though!
Friday, May 29, 2009
We are the champions, we are the champions!
Of scrub-league hockey, of course. It was a tight, and often aggressive game, filled with action-packed excitement. Ok, it was scrub-level excitement, but exciting nonetheless.
Sadly, I had just come from the gym, so I had very little strength or energy left. I gave it my all, but there wasn't much left in the tank.
Even so, the rest of my team did great. Also, we get $30 off (each) next season's entry fee of $70, so that's cool.
See how boring this is, not talking about So You Think You Can Dance?? ;-)
Speaking of sports, it's time for the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. I had planned on going down to watch it, but couldn't juggle enough stuff to do it.
At any rate, I love women's sports, for two obvious reasons. 1: I love the look of really athletic women. And, 2: I think that level of competition is a lot more interesting to watch than men's sports (for the most part).
Additionally, I like the attitude that women have when it comes to sports. It's like most of them realize that it's really just a game, after all.
That said, this year in women's softball seems to have brought out some of the manliest looking women I have EVER seen. Holy hell. It's almost too disturbing to watch. And, it's kind of a sad, inverse proportion of attractiveness versus ability.
Ah, c'est la vie. Can't have everything, I s'pose.
Finally, the show last night was FABULOUS! Some really great dancers. Next week is Vegas week, though, so only really good dancers will be featured from here on out. Thankfully, I won't have Suzanne bitching anymore about "Why do they let these idiots on the show? Don't they know they suck??"
Please to enjoy.
Sadly, I had just come from the gym, so I had very little strength or energy left. I gave it my all, but there wasn't much left in the tank.
Even so, the rest of my team did great. Also, we get $30 off (each) next season's entry fee of $70, so that's cool.
See how boring this is, not talking about So You Think You Can Dance?? ;-)
Speaking of sports, it's time for the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City. I had planned on going down to watch it, but couldn't juggle enough stuff to do it.
At any rate, I love women's sports, for two obvious reasons. 1: I love the look of really athletic women. And, 2: I think that level of competition is a lot more interesting to watch than men's sports (for the most part).
Additionally, I like the attitude that women have when it comes to sports. It's like most of them realize that it's really just a game, after all.
That said, this year in women's softball seems to have brought out some of the manliest looking women I have EVER seen. Holy hell. It's almost too disturbing to watch. And, it's kind of a sad, inverse proportion of attractiveness versus ability.
Ah, c'est la vie. Can't have everything, I s'pose.
Finally, the show last night was FABULOUS! Some really great dancers. Next week is Vegas week, though, so only really good dancers will be featured from here on out. Thankfully, I won't have Suzanne bitching anymore about "Why do they let these idiots on the show? Don't they know they suck??"
Please to enjoy.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
SYTYCD!
Just finished watching my show. It was really good, except for a couple of parts. Ok, one big part: What the hell was the point of bringing that freak chick on the show??? I literally couldn't even watch that bit! Yuck.
Also, what was with that Sonia woman? It was like she was having an orgasm over every Lyrical dancer...
Speaking of which, it really pisses me off that every really good lyrical dancer gets a free pass to Vegas, but every really good (anything else) dancer still has to "stick around for choreography". What the hell is up with that? Is lyrical dancing so perfect and so difficult that every other style is just a cake walk? That's bullshit, man! (See, I can be butch when I want to...)
There were a lot of really good dancers featured tonight, but none that really knocked my socks off. I'm hoping that next week will reveal (to me, at least) my early favorite.
Of course, being my early favorite is almost a guaranteed kiss of death, so maybe I shouldn't even pick one.
Finally, I'm really happy that Lauren is back on the show. I loved her from day one.
Also, Matt Sera and Matt Hughes are going to fight on Saturday night. Hughes is gonna kick Sera's ass so badly, he'll probably lose his ridiculous New Jersey accent.
That is all.
Also, what was with that Sonia woman? It was like she was having an orgasm over every Lyrical dancer...
Speaking of which, it really pisses me off that every really good lyrical dancer gets a free pass to Vegas, but every really good (anything else) dancer still has to "stick around for choreography". What the hell is up with that? Is lyrical dancing so perfect and so difficult that every other style is just a cake walk? That's bullshit, man! (See, I can be butch when I want to...)
There were a lot of really good dancers featured tonight, but none that really knocked my socks off. I'm hoping that next week will reveal (to me, at least) my early favorite.
Of course, being my early favorite is almost a guaranteed kiss of death, so maybe I shouldn't even pick one.
Finally, I'm really happy that Lauren is back on the show. I loved her from day one.
Also, Matt Sera and Matt Hughes are going to fight on Saturday night. Hughes is gonna kick Sera's ass so badly, he'll probably lose his ridiculous New Jersey accent.
That is all.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
No AI, no peace?
So, my kid tells me that too much AI is not always a good thing. Therefore, I will keep my comments to a minimum where Adam and Kris (but not Danny) are concerned.
Last weekend, I took Chris (the older boy) with me back to loverly Sidney, NE. It was a LONG boring ride, but it was nice to see a couple old buddies. Also, I met the family who are now renting the house. They were a nice wholesome family, just like us... ;-)
Everything went perfectly on the trip and we made our way back to Omaha safely. Oh, and lest I forget, I made a cool $86 playing cards with the guys, which basically paid for the trip.
Suzanne had a little minor surgery on Friday. She's not great with needles, pain, doctors, patience, medicine, following directions, suffering silently, or stoicism. Therefore, it probably would have been better had I had the surgery myself... I'm sure it would have been easier to deal with. She came through without incident and I can tell that the pain is now almost non-existent as I'm no longer getting a minute-by-minute rundown of her current physical state.
Work is going well. We recently got another batch of servers that I get to build - which makes Anthony a happy boy. I just have to remember to do my other work and not just focus on the stuff I like to do - like building new servers for instance.
The new hockey season is going well. They decided to break the league up into A and B leagues. I am in the B league and rightfully so. I am much happier playing at the scrub level where I don't feel like I'm just some slow, old guy who's in the way most of the time. On the scrub team, I'm one of the better players! King of the scrubs, they call me.
Also, the weight training is going rather nicely, if I do say so myself. I mean, I have always been ridiculously good-looking, but now, with the extra muscle mass, I'm even better looking if that's even possible.
Tonight's the season finale of Survivor. It looks to be pretty good. Suzanne was so happy when they voted off coach last week, but I was a little disappointed. He's clearly nuts and adds kind of an awkward element that always makes for good TV.
Finally, Adam and Kris are going head-to-head on Tuesday. Honestly, as good as Adam is, it could go either way. Kris is a really good singer and seems to have a pretty strong following. If Adam goes a little too broadway in his performances, he might lose those all-too-crucial Danny votes.
I'll probably post more re: AI on Wednesday after the results show. Holy crap, I just realized that I totally forgot to mention SYTYCD! How could I have been so remiss?? Suffice to say, it's been too long coming! Thursday night, mark your DVR and set your TV to fabulous... ;-)
Last weekend, I took Chris (the older boy) with me back to loverly Sidney, NE. It was a LONG boring ride, but it was nice to see a couple old buddies. Also, I met the family who are now renting the house. They were a nice wholesome family, just like us... ;-)
Everything went perfectly on the trip and we made our way back to Omaha safely. Oh, and lest I forget, I made a cool $86 playing cards with the guys, which basically paid for the trip.
Suzanne had a little minor surgery on Friday. She's not great with needles, pain, doctors, patience, medicine, following directions, suffering silently, or stoicism. Therefore, it probably would have been better had I had the surgery myself... I'm sure it would have been easier to deal with. She came through without incident and I can tell that the pain is now almost non-existent as I'm no longer getting a minute-by-minute rundown of her current physical state.
Work is going well. We recently got another batch of servers that I get to build - which makes Anthony a happy boy. I just have to remember to do my other work and not just focus on the stuff I like to do - like building new servers for instance.
The new hockey season is going well. They decided to break the league up into A and B leagues. I am in the B league and rightfully so. I am much happier playing at the scrub level where I don't feel like I'm just some slow, old guy who's in the way most of the time. On the scrub team, I'm one of the better players! King of the scrubs, they call me.
Also, the weight training is going rather nicely, if I do say so myself. I mean, I have always been ridiculously good-looking, but now, with the extra muscle mass, I'm even better looking if that's even possible.
Tonight's the season finale of Survivor. It looks to be pretty good. Suzanne was so happy when they voted off coach last week, but I was a little disappointed. He's clearly nuts and adds kind of an awkward element that always makes for good TV.
Finally, Adam and Kris are going head-to-head on Tuesday. Honestly, as good as Adam is, it could go either way. Kris is a really good singer and seems to have a pretty strong following. If Adam goes a little too broadway in his performances, he might lose those all-too-crucial Danny votes.
I'll probably post more re: AI on Wednesday after the results show. Holy crap, I just realized that I totally forgot to mention SYTYCD! How could I have been so remiss?? Suffice to say, it's been too long coming! Thursday night, mark your DVR and set your TV to fabulous... ;-)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
AI - American Idol??
Not a bad night for AI... Poor Lil just can't pick a song to save her life, and Danny still hasn't gotten his groove back, Stella.
Kris kinda fizzled a bit, and the ventriloquist that controls Blind Melon still hasn't gotten all the controls figured out yet. Matt was a'ight, but not nearly as good as the judges gave him credit for. Meanwhile, Allison did a great job as usual.
Anoop might have done enough to keep himself alive one more week... he's kind of like the blob... just can't stop him.
And then there was Adam. I can't even describe what the hell I witnessed tonight. It's like he's in a different competition altogether. A buddy of mine said it best when he said that if you took the top 5 Adam songs against the very best of the rest, he'd win all 5. Therefore, the best anybody can do against him now is 6th place.
I re-watched his performance 3 or 4 times tonight and loved it every time. Even Suzanne was like, "Ok, fag, I think that's enough."
My prediction for tomorrow night's bottom 3: Scott, Anoop, and probably Matt. And, of those, I gotta think that Scott's finally on his way out. Let's hope so, anyway. Surely, that schtick has got to be getting old by now.
Kris kinda fizzled a bit, and the ventriloquist that controls Blind Melon still hasn't gotten all the controls figured out yet. Matt was a'ight, but not nearly as good as the judges gave him credit for. Meanwhile, Allison did a great job as usual.
Anoop might have done enough to keep himself alive one more week... he's kind of like the blob... just can't stop him.
And then there was Adam. I can't even describe what the hell I witnessed tonight. It's like he's in a different competition altogether. A buddy of mine said it best when he said that if you took the top 5 Adam songs against the very best of the rest, he'd win all 5. Therefore, the best anybody can do against him now is 6th place.
I re-watched his performance 3 or 4 times tonight and loved it every time. Even Suzanne was like, "Ok, fag, I think that's enough."
My prediction for tomorrow night's bottom 3: Scott, Anoop, and probably Matt. And, of those, I gotta think that Scott's finally on his way out. Let's hope so, anyway. Surely, that schtick has got to be getting old by now.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
AI and Retards on Jeopardy
First, let me explain the retard bit.
It's Celebrity Week on Jeopardy which means that would-be retards, only relatively intelligent when compared to other celebrities, take time out of their busy, b-list schedules to invade one of my favorite TV shows - all the while pandering to the lowest common denominator.
The reason I hate this week more than Kids Week is because the kids are actually smarter than the general population. And because they don't do that bullshit charity business.
"Who are you playing for, Jim?"
"I'm playing for Dogs without Borders, Alex. It's a little known charity, but they do some really important stuff. Like, um, they walk the dogs. And, uh, feed them and stuff."
"That's great, Jim."
"Oh, and I'd like to say I've got a new movie coming out and everyone should go see it. I'm pretty sure it's called, 'Help, the aliens are coming, and I can't get up'. It's a period piece."
"Um, alrighty then..."
SNL is the only show that should ever do Jeopardy Celebrity Week.
Anyway, on to AI. Some really fantastic performances, and some (hopefully) forgettable performances... I"m looking at you, Anoop.
Here's the breakdown from my somewhat skewed perspective:
1. Lil Rounds: Great job - Awesome booty. She started the season right.
2. Blind Melon: Couldn't be more boring. Simon is finally getting tired of this whole business, thank god.
3. Robert Downy Jr: Fantastic start to finish. Top 3, guaranteed.
4. Michael Oil Rig guy: Yawnsville. Ugly family to boot.
5. Jasmine: "Ladies and gentlemen, the 40 year old teenager." What's wrong with this girl? She's young and beautiful - why is she so boring??
6. Kris Allen: Fun song, well performed. Guitar was kind iffy, but he pulled it off. I agree with Simon - he'd do better to not bring up the wife in every other sentence.
7. Allison: Great hair color and great song! She's got an outside chance if she keeps this up - AND, remembers to be super nice to her stylist. Losing 10 or 20 more LB's wouldn't hurt, either.
8. Noop Dog: Hey, that's a good idear - "Beat it!"
9. Jorge: Sounded a little desperate. Also boring.
10. Megan Tattoo: Somebody PLEASE give this woman some advice! Enough with the stupid dancing, twirling, whatever the hell it is you're doing up there. And, Rockin' Robin??? WTF?? Michael Jackson made about 50 really great tunes, and you chose that?! jesus christ, girl, use your head and pick a damn song that works.
11. Adam MT: Wow. The vocals were good, but the stage presence really sold that performance. I wasn't as over the moon as Paula (shocker), but his might have been the best performance of the night.
12. Matt Piano Guy: Really solid performance. Nothing earth shattering, but he absolutely nailed the vocal. He chose what had to have been the perfect song for his skills.
13. Alexis: Wow - but not in a good way. What the hell was up with those ginormous, clod-hopper shoes she had on? She looked like a 6 year old playing dress up in Mommy's clothes. And could you possibly categorize that as "dancing" - that weird, herky-jerky movement she kept making? A really screechy performance of one of my favorite MJ songs. Sad, really.
Overall, a good night of AI, save a couple notable exceptions. My predictions for double elimination tomorrow night are Anoop and Jasmine. As hot as she is, she's just too damn boring. As for Anoop, well, the less said, the better. He's not good looking, he's not cool, he's not hip, he's just a lot of not.
Grade for these two: FAIL!
It's Celebrity Week on Jeopardy which means that would-be retards, only relatively intelligent when compared to other celebrities, take time out of their busy, b-list schedules to invade one of my favorite TV shows - all the while pandering to the lowest common denominator.
The reason I hate this week more than Kids Week is because the kids are actually smarter than the general population. And because they don't do that bullshit charity business.
"Who are you playing for, Jim?"
"I'm playing for Dogs without Borders, Alex. It's a little known charity, but they do some really important stuff. Like, um, they walk the dogs. And, uh, feed them and stuff."
"That's great, Jim."
"Oh, and I'd like to say I've got a new movie coming out and everyone should go see it. I'm pretty sure it's called, 'Help, the aliens are coming, and I can't get up'. It's a period piece."
"Um, alrighty then..."
SNL is the only show that should ever do Jeopardy Celebrity Week.
Anyway, on to AI. Some really fantastic performances, and some (hopefully) forgettable performances... I"m looking at you, Anoop.
Here's the breakdown from my somewhat skewed perspective:
1. Lil Rounds: Great job - Awesome booty. She started the season right.
2. Blind Melon: Couldn't be more boring. Simon is finally getting tired of this whole business, thank god.
3. Robert Downy Jr: Fantastic start to finish. Top 3, guaranteed.
4. Michael Oil Rig guy: Yawnsville. Ugly family to boot.
5. Jasmine: "Ladies and gentlemen, the 40 year old teenager." What's wrong with this girl? She's young and beautiful - why is she so boring??
6. Kris Allen: Fun song, well performed. Guitar was kind iffy, but he pulled it off. I agree with Simon - he'd do better to not bring up the wife in every other sentence.
7. Allison: Great hair color and great song! She's got an outside chance if she keeps this up - AND, remembers to be super nice to her stylist. Losing 10 or 20 more LB's wouldn't hurt, either.
8. Noop Dog: Hey, that's a good idear - "Beat it!"
9. Jorge: Sounded a little desperate. Also boring.
10. Megan Tattoo: Somebody PLEASE give this woman some advice! Enough with the stupid dancing, twirling, whatever the hell it is you're doing up there. And, Rockin' Robin??? WTF?? Michael Jackson made about 50 really great tunes, and you chose that?! jesus christ, girl, use your head and pick a damn song that works.
11. Adam MT: Wow. The vocals were good, but the stage presence really sold that performance. I wasn't as over the moon as Paula (shocker), but his might have been the best performance of the night.
12. Matt Piano Guy: Really solid performance. Nothing earth shattering, but he absolutely nailed the vocal. He chose what had to have been the perfect song for his skills.
13. Alexis: Wow - but not in a good way. What the hell was up with those ginormous, clod-hopper shoes she had on? She looked like a 6 year old playing dress up in Mommy's clothes. And could you possibly categorize that as "dancing" - that weird, herky-jerky movement she kept making? A really screechy performance of one of my favorite MJ songs. Sad, really.
Overall, a good night of AI, save a couple notable exceptions. My predictions for double elimination tomorrow night are Anoop and Jasmine. As hot as she is, she's just too damn boring. As for Anoop, well, the less said, the better. He's not good looking, he's not cool, he's not hip, he's just a lot of not.
Grade for these two: FAIL!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
AI - A crap fest of biblical proportions.
"I am become death - destroyer of American Idol hopefuls."
The first was my early pick, poor little Stevie Wright. Complete and utter faceplant. Tonight, I had high hopes for Taylor the Giantess. Not a complete faceplant, but let's face it (no pun intended), she ain't gonna make the top 12. Not with people like Lil "Baby got back" Rounds in the mix.
On a side note, me and every black man in America was LOVING Lil Rounds tonight! Holy Booty for days, Batman! My kid was like, "Wow, it looks like she's wearing a fake butt." All I can say is bring it on! I'm still a little shaken by the whole experience...
Where was I? Oh yeah, so anyway Lil is GUARANTEED a spot in the top 12. The only question is, who's going with her out of this sad crowd? Let's break it down, shall we:
Von - He did a'ight, especially compared to the dismal performances of most of the rest of the bunch.
Taylor - *sniff* It's ok, Giantess, I'm sure it was just the glossy black leggings that did you in (what was that all about??)
Alex - um, uh, yeah. I don't know how to break this to you, Junior, but Elton John you ain't. Get back on your exercise wheel and leave the singing to the big boys. (Simon killed me with that hamster reference.)
Arriana - On the plus side, you could probably get a couple gigs singing at your local mortuary.
Ju'not - Probably going to win the guy side of the vote. Not a bad performance, especially compared to the rest of that rabble. It's easy to be the shiniest turd...
Kristin - Sadly, she was the best female tonight (I still can't stand her, though). Up until Lil came in and blew the doors off the competition, that is!
Nathanial Uber Gay as Meatloaf - Ok, there are so many jokes here, I'm kind of experiencing sensory overload. Suffice to say, your hairbands are likely to be the only reminders of you still in Hollywood by this time tomorrow night. (There's a money shot joke here someplace, I just can't see it yet... give me time, it'll come to me... tee hee)
Felicia - Looked great. Sang... not so great. Although, I was surprised the judges didn't slam her more - I sure would have. And, yes, the double-entendre was intentional.
Blind Melon - The problem with America watching you beat up a blind man is you're never likely to live it down. Therefore, Simon (as much as he might have wanted to) took it pretty easy on him. I thought he sang ok, but if he wasn't blind, we would have completely forgotten he was on the show by now. Tres Patronizing. I'm pretty sure the American people, secure in their anonymity, will not bother wasting a vote on this kid.
Kendall Beard - Couldn't be hotter... Couldn't be less likely to advance. Another country music maven?? Whatever.
Jorge the Puerto Riqueno - Um, what? First they tell him to lose the accent, then Simon says, no, keep the accent. WTF. Although, to be honest, it's all pretty academic - he isn't going any farther than the parking lot.
Lil "Bootylicious" Rounds - What more is there to say. LOTS! But, I'll spare you my particular brand of lasciviousness.
All in all, a pretty dreary performance by all, save a notable few. I really had my heart set on at least one good night. Alas, it wasn't to be.
On an unrelated note, I don't know how much more of Kara I can take. She adds exactly zero to the show. If anything, she makes the one part of the show I hate the most even more unbearable. What were the producers thinking? Is this like when they brought Oliver onto the Brady Bunch, or Lawrence Fishburne onto CSI? Just trying to pump a little life into a show that might have begun gasping its last few breaths? I mean, even Friends had to end sometime... maybe this is the last season or two of AI. Only time, and ratings, will tell.
So, if I have to call it, I'm going to say Lil (duh), Ju'not, and the next highest vote going to Kristin.
I'll tell ya what, the performances next week had better come bigger than this. The only question now is, will it be Lil, Danny, Allison or Alexis. Smart money's on Danny, just because his repertoire is likely to be larger - (at least, that's what Nathanial was overheard to say...) - or Lil, presuming that she can stick to as much Mary J. Blige as she can possibly get her hands on. The other two are dark horses at best - as likely to fade away early as make it to the final two.
What do you think?
The first was my early pick, poor little Stevie Wright. Complete and utter faceplant. Tonight, I had high hopes for Taylor the Giantess. Not a complete faceplant, but let's face it (no pun intended), she ain't gonna make the top 12. Not with people like Lil "Baby got back" Rounds in the mix.
On a side note, me and every black man in America was LOVING Lil Rounds tonight! Holy Booty for days, Batman! My kid was like, "Wow, it looks like she's wearing a fake butt." All I can say is bring it on! I'm still a little shaken by the whole experience...
Where was I? Oh yeah, so anyway Lil is GUARANTEED a spot in the top 12. The only question is, who's going with her out of this sad crowd? Let's break it down, shall we:
Von - He did a'ight, especially compared to the dismal performances of most of the rest of the bunch.
Taylor - *sniff* It's ok, Giantess, I'm sure it was just the glossy black leggings that did you in (what was that all about??)
Alex - um, uh, yeah. I don't know how to break this to you, Junior, but Elton John you ain't. Get back on your exercise wheel and leave the singing to the big boys. (Simon killed me with that hamster reference.)
Arriana - On the plus side, you could probably get a couple gigs singing at your local mortuary.
Ju'not - Probably going to win the guy side of the vote. Not a bad performance, especially compared to the rest of that rabble. It's easy to be the shiniest turd...
Kristin - Sadly, she was the best female tonight (I still can't stand her, though). Up until Lil came in and blew the doors off the competition, that is!
Nathanial Uber Gay as Meatloaf - Ok, there are so many jokes here, I'm kind of experiencing sensory overload. Suffice to say, your hairbands are likely to be the only reminders of you still in Hollywood by this time tomorrow night. (There's a money shot joke here someplace, I just can't see it yet... give me time, it'll come to me... tee hee)
Felicia - Looked great. Sang... not so great. Although, I was surprised the judges didn't slam her more - I sure would have. And, yes, the double-entendre was intentional.
Blind Melon - The problem with America watching you beat up a blind man is you're never likely to live it down. Therefore, Simon (as much as he might have wanted to) took it pretty easy on him. I thought he sang ok, but if he wasn't blind, we would have completely forgotten he was on the show by now. Tres Patronizing. I'm pretty sure the American people, secure in their anonymity, will not bother wasting a vote on this kid.
Kendall Beard - Couldn't be hotter... Couldn't be less likely to advance. Another country music maven?? Whatever.
Jorge the Puerto Riqueno - Um, what? First they tell him to lose the accent, then Simon says, no, keep the accent. WTF. Although, to be honest, it's all pretty academic - he isn't going any farther than the parking lot.
Lil "Bootylicious" Rounds - What more is there to say. LOTS! But, I'll spare you my particular brand of lasciviousness.
All in all, a pretty dreary performance by all, save a notable few. I really had my heart set on at least one good night. Alas, it wasn't to be.
On an unrelated note, I don't know how much more of Kara I can take. She adds exactly zero to the show. If anything, she makes the one part of the show I hate the most even more unbearable. What were the producers thinking? Is this like when they brought Oliver onto the Brady Bunch, or Lawrence Fishburne onto CSI? Just trying to pump a little life into a show that might have begun gasping its last few breaths? I mean, even Friends had to end sometime... maybe this is the last season or two of AI. Only time, and ratings, will tell.
So, if I have to call it, I'm going to say Lil (duh), Ju'not, and the next highest vote going to Kristin.
I'll tell ya what, the performances next week had better come bigger than this. The only question now is, will it be Lil, Danny, Allison or Alexis. Smart money's on Danny, just because his repertoire is likely to be larger - (at least, that's what Nathanial was overheard to say...) - or Lil, presuming that she can stick to as much Mary J. Blige as she can possibly get her hands on. The other two are dark horses at best - as likely to fade away early as make it to the final two.
What do you think?
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Hilarious Dilbert Creator blog entry!
(I copied this hilarious post from Scott Adams' blog. Caution - this might make you pee a little bit...)
"Last week, my in-laws were in town. While they were out visiting some other relatives, I took my turn watching their dog, Mollie. At this point, I should pause and mention that I haven’t had a dog since I was a kid. And in those days, in the country, when the dog felt nature’s call, we’d simply let the dog out, and it would use any part of our 2.5 acres as its toilet. Later, if you wanted to throw a ball around, you just kicked the (usually) frozen logettes to the side to clear a path. In those simple times, you weren’t playing a sport unless someone ended up covered in dog feces. It was just part of the game.
These days, things are quite different. Today, if you go to school covered in dog feces, there’s a stigma. And of course there’s the leash law. But nothing takes the joy out of a walk in the fresh air quite like being required to carry a plastic purse full of dog poop.
Back to my story, I took Mollie for a walk, thinking I understood how this process worked. The leash was no mystery. It had a cool spring action with a pistol grip. I liked that part. And I grabbed an official poop bag on the way out of the house. I was ready for anything.
Within a minute, Mollie laid down a steamer. I think she had been eating the cat food, because it wasn’t the firm little log I was expecting. But I soldiered on, turning the bag inside out like a glove, and grabbing the warm pile that melted in my hand. It wasn’t pleasant in the usual sense of the word, but I experienced some satisfaction in a job well done. I tied the bag into a tidy little package and intended to head home.
That’s when I noticed Mollie had just begun to poop. I don’t know if she was trying to spell “HELP” in case a rescue plane flew over, or what, but by now she was in full production. Step, squat, step, squat.
I looked at my tidy little bag, now sealed, and realized I was screwed. I knew the neighbors would be looking, or feared they might. I couldn’t leave this Katrina-sized disaster and get another bag lest someone think, incorrectly, that I had abandoned my doody. So I decided to see if I could untie the pooper bag and have another go at the new deposits. This plan did not work as smoothly as I had hoped.
Do you know what is NOT effective for picking up warm piles of poop? If you guessed “other warm piles of poop,” you might have been in this situation yourself. It was like trying to pick up mashed potatoes with a catcher’s mitt. And I was hurrying, so needless to say, back at the house I needed the Karen Silkwood treatment to feel clean again.
Later, when my in-laws returned, I told the story. Larry, a laid-back gentleman from Arkansas, turned to his wife Cheryl and drawled “Mollie double-bagged him.” Let me tell you, the only thing that could have made my experience worse was finding out my in-laws have a name for it."
For more of The Dilbert Blog:
http://www.dilbertblog.typepad.com/
"Last week, my in-laws were in town. While they were out visiting some other relatives, I took my turn watching their dog, Mollie. At this point, I should pause and mention that I haven’t had a dog since I was a kid. And in those days, in the country, when the dog felt nature’s call, we’d simply let the dog out, and it would use any part of our 2.5 acres as its toilet. Later, if you wanted to throw a ball around, you just kicked the (usually) frozen logettes to the side to clear a path. In those simple times, you weren’t playing a sport unless someone ended up covered in dog feces. It was just part of the game.
These days, things are quite different. Today, if you go to school covered in dog feces, there’s a stigma. And of course there’s the leash law. But nothing takes the joy out of a walk in the fresh air quite like being required to carry a plastic purse full of dog poop.
Back to my story, I took Mollie for a walk, thinking I understood how this process worked. The leash was no mystery. It had a cool spring action with a pistol grip. I liked that part. And I grabbed an official poop bag on the way out of the house. I was ready for anything.
Within a minute, Mollie laid down a steamer. I think she had been eating the cat food, because it wasn’t the firm little log I was expecting. But I soldiered on, turning the bag inside out like a glove, and grabbing the warm pile that melted in my hand. It wasn’t pleasant in the usual sense of the word, but I experienced some satisfaction in a job well done. I tied the bag into a tidy little package and intended to head home.
That’s when I noticed Mollie had just begun to poop. I don’t know if she was trying to spell “HELP” in case a rescue plane flew over, or what, but by now she was in full production. Step, squat, step, squat.
I looked at my tidy little bag, now sealed, and realized I was screwed. I knew the neighbors would be looking, or feared they might. I couldn’t leave this Katrina-sized disaster and get another bag lest someone think, incorrectly, that I had abandoned my doody. So I decided to see if I could untie the pooper bag and have another go at the new deposits. This plan did not work as smoothly as I had hoped.
Do you know what is NOT effective for picking up warm piles of poop? If you guessed “other warm piles of poop,” you might have been in this situation yourself. It was like trying to pick up mashed potatoes with a catcher’s mitt. And I was hurrying, so needless to say, back at the house I needed the Karen Silkwood treatment to feel clean again.
Later, when my in-laws returned, I told the story. Larry, a laid-back gentleman from Arkansas, turned to his wife Cheryl and drawled “Mollie double-bagged him.” Let me tell you, the only thing that could have made my experience worse was finding out my in-laws have a name for it."
For more of The Dilbert Blog:
http://www.dilbertblog.typepad.com/
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Hah! The fix is IN! (and AI spoiler alert)
I knew it! I just watched the last episode of Top Chef Season 5. I've been surprised from time to time by what the judges say and who ultimately gets kicked off the show. After last night's episode, I finally have some proof of the conspiracy I suspected all along. Yessiree, the fix is in, but good...
Check out this bit of small print that they flashed up on the screen just as the episode was ending:
"Winning and elimination decisions were made by the judges in consultation with the producers. Some elimination decisions were discussed with Bravo."
Clearly, I wasn't the only person seeing a connection between decision-making and ratings. This was obviously written by lawyers trying to cover the asses of the Top Chef producers and the network.
Boo, I say, and again Boo!
Ok, now on to AI...
First impressions: This was no well-choreographed routine from SYTYCD. In fact, several people on stage appeared to be suffering from a serious, and itchy, skin condition. This show is without doubt NOT a dancing competition.
One thing that made me chuckle early on was Tattooed-Girl pushing Mischavon out of the way so that she and Adam could have a little more camera exposure.
Oh, and why oh why was Jesse vamping it up so hard? Somebody needs to remind that poor girl that she's not hot. While they're at it, maybe the could suggest to Jeanine that she dig a little deeper into her wardrobe...
Fashion aside, how did the rest of the night go? Not particularly surprisingly, Allison Red-Hair made the early cut. She's definitely not my favorite by any stretch, but she can certainly sing.
Back to fashion for one second: She needs to wear a slightly larger dress size, or drop about 20 Ell Bees. She'd better start stocking up on "Spanks", that's all I can say.
Next group had Kris and Tattoed-Girl up against each other. Apparently, America agreed with me that the kid did a pretty good job on "man in the mirror" after all. He just needs a little more confidence, and some really good song choices, and he might actually have a chance.
By the way, I was glad to see my girl Brooke back on stage and behind the piano. Cute as ever and not nearly as nervous as when she was on the show. Sadly, and I mean that sincerely, I hated her song. It just seemed really, really boring. She should be doing fun, uplifting, make-ya-smile songs. Ah, c'est la vie.
Finally, and again not particularly surprisingly, they paired Adam "I love Musical Theater" with Normal "Jennifer Hudson better watch out" Gentle. For one giddy second I really thought he might make it in. But, honestly, the better singer made it, which has me hopeful for this season.
At the end of Adam's song, Chase looked up and said, "Dad, that was really... really... gay." I nearly peed myself. He's a chip off the old block alrighty.
Next week looks pretty good. I wonder how the sweet blind guy will do... ;-)
But, another one of my favorites is due up: The Samoan giantess, Taylor Something-or-other. She's my new Stevie Wright.
Also up next week are Lil Rounds, Nathanial Uber-Gay, and Arianna Blahblah. I'm thinking those four will all be in the top 12, once they figure out the wildcard spots.
I've been thinking about the wildcard spots. My guess is the judges get to choose the wildcards, and they'll do it in such a way that there will be an even number of guys and girls. Therefore, if another guy makes the third spot next week (to join the Oil Rig guy and Kris Allen), then all three wildcards will be chicks.
To be honest, I'm cool with that. I realize that things need to be balanced. And, who knows, maybe Norman Gentle and/or Tattoo-girl will still make the top 12. Possibly even Tatiana, especially if the producers are as involved as they seem to be in Top Chef (once more... Boo!).
See ya in the funny papers. Anthony out!
Check out this bit of small print that they flashed up on the screen just as the episode was ending:
"Winning and elimination decisions were made by the judges in consultation with the producers. Some elimination decisions were discussed with Bravo."
Clearly, I wasn't the only person seeing a connection between decision-making and ratings. This was obviously written by lawyers trying to cover the asses of the Top Chef producers and the network.
Boo, I say, and again Boo!
Ok, now on to AI...
First impressions: This was no well-choreographed routine from SYTYCD. In fact, several people on stage appeared to be suffering from a serious, and itchy, skin condition. This show is without doubt NOT a dancing competition.
One thing that made me chuckle early on was Tattooed-Girl pushing Mischavon out of the way so that she and Adam could have a little more camera exposure.
Oh, and why oh why was Jesse vamping it up so hard? Somebody needs to remind that poor girl that she's not hot. While they're at it, maybe the could suggest to Jeanine that she dig a little deeper into her wardrobe...
Fashion aside, how did the rest of the night go? Not particularly surprisingly, Allison Red-Hair made the early cut. She's definitely not my favorite by any stretch, but she can certainly sing.
Back to fashion for one second: She needs to wear a slightly larger dress size, or drop about 20 Ell Bees. She'd better start stocking up on "Spanks", that's all I can say.
Next group had Kris and Tattoed-Girl up against each other. Apparently, America agreed with me that the kid did a pretty good job on "man in the mirror" after all. He just needs a little more confidence, and some really good song choices, and he might actually have a chance.
By the way, I was glad to see my girl Brooke back on stage and behind the piano. Cute as ever and not nearly as nervous as when she was on the show. Sadly, and I mean that sincerely, I hated her song. It just seemed really, really boring. She should be doing fun, uplifting, make-ya-smile songs. Ah, c'est la vie.
Finally, and again not particularly surprisingly, they paired Adam "I love Musical Theater" with Normal "Jennifer Hudson better watch out" Gentle. For one giddy second I really thought he might make it in. But, honestly, the better singer made it, which has me hopeful for this season.
At the end of Adam's song, Chase looked up and said, "Dad, that was really... really... gay." I nearly peed myself. He's a chip off the old block alrighty.
Next week looks pretty good. I wonder how the sweet blind guy will do... ;-)
But, another one of my favorites is due up: The Samoan giantess, Taylor Something-or-other. She's my new Stevie Wright.
Also up next week are Lil Rounds, Nathanial Uber-Gay, and Arianna Blahblah. I'm thinking those four will all be in the top 12, once they figure out the wildcard spots.
I've been thinking about the wildcard spots. My guess is the judges get to choose the wildcards, and they'll do it in such a way that there will be an even number of guys and girls. Therefore, if another guy makes the third spot next week (to join the Oil Rig guy and Kris Allen), then all three wildcards will be chicks.
To be honest, I'm cool with that. I realize that things need to be balanced. And, who knows, maybe Norman Gentle and/or Tattoo-girl will still make the top 12. Possibly even Tatiana, especially if the producers are as involved as they seem to be in Top Chef (once more... Boo!).
See ya in the funny papers. Anthony out!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
American Idol - 25 Feb 09
(I figured it was easier to just start using the date in my titles, as I'm beginning to run out of clever ways of mentioning American Idol stuff.)
So, I just watched the show. Two words: Pea Ewe. Not everybody sucked, but it wasn't great. Let me give a quick run-down of the performances:
1. Jasmine Murray. Super hot. "Love song". Yikes. 1 star (out of 5)
2. Matt Giraud. Piano guy. Coldplay tune? Yikes and double yikes. 0 stars! Yes, it was that bad. He basically imploded.
3. Jeanine Vailes. Wow (legs). "This Love". 2.5 stars. Only appeal is sex appeal.
4. Norman Gentle. Hilarious! Jennifer Hudson song. 3 stars. I'd vote for him...
5. Allison the Red. 16 years old. "Alone". 4 stars. Great voice, but she kind of looks like the guy who played "Rudy" and Samwise Gangi in Lord of the rings wearing a red wig. Not a pretty girl, but a lot of talent.
6. Kris Allen. David Archeletta's older brother. "Man in the Mirror". 3.5 stars. Good voice, good singer, but forgettable.
7. Megan. Tattooed-Arm-Girl. "Let your hair down"(?). 4 stars. Great, smoky voice, but kept doing that stupid twirly thing. Really distracting.
8. Matt. The Welder. "She loves me". 4 stars. Great voice, but should never, ever try to "dance" in public again. Judges didn't like his song choice, but I thought he did a perfect rendition.
9. Jesse. Kinda blah. "Bette Davis eyes". 3.5 stars. IMHO, her personal best performance. Judges didn't dig it as much as I did, and I don't really like this girl.
10. Kai Kalama. Good looking Hawaiian kid. Some old timey tune. 3 stars. Sang very well, but was kind of boring, mostly for his song choice.
11. Mischavon. Another blah. "Drops of Jupiter". 3.5 stars. Surprisingly good performance, but was it good enough??
12. Adam Lambert. Mr. Musical Theater. 3 stars. Paula wishes she was a guy so she could date him. I thought the song choice was terrible, considering the pitch of his voice, but the judges loved him to varying degrees.
Ok, that's pretty much it. I wasn't particularly impressed with anybody tonight. I thought the tattooed-arm girl and the welder were really good. Also, I really liked Kris Allen's interpretation of "Man in the mirror." I'd love to see Jeanine go through, just because she's super hot, but I can't see it.
So, if I had to guess who's going to make it through, I'd say: Tattoo-girl, the Welder, and Adam, the Musical Theater guy. But, if it was entirely up to me, I'd pick Normal Gentle over Adam. Allison Red-Hair, aka Rudy, and Jesse, aka La Blah, were close runners-up, even though I'm not a fan of either one.
Next week, Blind Melon finally makes an appearance. To be honest, he's the only one I can think of in the next group. And, sad as it is, I'll predict right now that he makes it through, regardless of his performance. Kind of like when that one-armed girl made it through on SYTYCD. She was ok, but nobody was about to vote out a one-armed dancing girl right away! ;-)
Speaking of SYTYCD, I just read that the new season doesn't begin until May 21st! That blows! I don't know how much longer I can hold on!! Oops, sorry, this post was supposed to be LESS gay than last night's post.
Um, nothing to see here... move along...
So, I just watched the show. Two words: Pea Ewe. Not everybody sucked, but it wasn't great. Let me give a quick run-down of the performances:
1. Jasmine Murray. Super hot. "Love song". Yikes. 1 star (out of 5)
2. Matt Giraud. Piano guy. Coldplay tune? Yikes and double yikes. 0 stars! Yes, it was that bad. He basically imploded.
3. Jeanine Vailes. Wow (legs). "This Love". 2.5 stars. Only appeal is sex appeal.
4. Norman Gentle. Hilarious! Jennifer Hudson song. 3 stars. I'd vote for him...
5. Allison the Red. 16 years old. "Alone". 4 stars. Great voice, but she kind of looks like the guy who played "Rudy" and Samwise Gangi in Lord of the rings wearing a red wig. Not a pretty girl, but a lot of talent.
6. Kris Allen. David Archeletta's older brother. "Man in the Mirror". 3.5 stars. Good voice, good singer, but forgettable.
7. Megan. Tattooed-Arm-Girl. "Let your hair down"(?). 4 stars. Great, smoky voice, but kept doing that stupid twirly thing. Really distracting.
8. Matt. The Welder. "She loves me". 4 stars. Great voice, but should never, ever try to "dance" in public again. Judges didn't like his song choice, but I thought he did a perfect rendition.
9. Jesse. Kinda blah. "Bette Davis eyes". 3.5 stars. IMHO, her personal best performance. Judges didn't dig it as much as I did, and I don't really like this girl.
10. Kai Kalama. Good looking Hawaiian kid. Some old timey tune. 3 stars. Sang very well, but was kind of boring, mostly for his song choice.
11. Mischavon. Another blah. "Drops of Jupiter". 3.5 stars. Surprisingly good performance, but was it good enough??
12. Adam Lambert. Mr. Musical Theater. 3 stars. Paula wishes she was a guy so she could date him. I thought the song choice was terrible, considering the pitch of his voice, but the judges loved him to varying degrees.
Ok, that's pretty much it. I wasn't particularly impressed with anybody tonight. I thought the tattooed-arm girl and the welder were really good. Also, I really liked Kris Allen's interpretation of "Man in the mirror." I'd love to see Jeanine go through, just because she's super hot, but I can't see it.
So, if I had to guess who's going to make it through, I'd say: Tattoo-girl, the Welder, and Adam, the Musical Theater guy. But, if it was entirely up to me, I'd pick Normal Gentle over Adam. Allison Red-Hair, aka Rudy, and Jesse, aka La Blah, were close runners-up, even though I'm not a fan of either one.
Next week, Blind Melon finally makes an appearance. To be honest, he's the only one I can think of in the next group. And, sad as it is, I'll predict right now that he makes it through, regardless of his performance. Kind of like when that one-armed girl made it through on SYTYCD. She was ok, but nobody was about to vote out a one-armed dancing girl right away! ;-)
Speaking of SYTYCD, I just read that the new season doesn't begin until May 21st! That blows! I don't know how much longer I can hold on!! Oops, sorry, this post was supposed to be LESS gay than last night's post.
Um, nothing to see here... move along...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
I love that man...
So, I just got finished watching the tail-end of the Presidential address. The most interesting thing about it wasn't anything that was said, or the ridiculous number of standing ovations he received, or even all of the feel-good stories about hard-working Americans, etc.
What got me most was the adulation of his legion of fans. Men, women, children, black, white, other... EVERYBODY seemed to want to talk to him, or shake his hand or get his autograph. Anything, just to connect with him in the slightest.
I saw a grown man actually kiss him on the cheek in reverence. He was quite literally mobbed trying to leave the senate floor (I presumed it was the senate, anyway). He must have signed 100 autographs.
And I ate it up with a spoon! I would have been exactly the same way. I am so proud of this country right now I could burst. I really didn't think the American people had it in them. I really expected that, somehow, John McCain was going to pull it out at the end.
So, now I'm basking in the sunshine that is Barak Obama. Just watching and listening to him speak, and seeing the adoration of the crowd, especially when compared to Curious George, was enough to make me feel a little bit better about life in general.
So, yes, I admit I have a ridiculous man-crush on the president. I'm not ashamed in the least. I've said it from the beginning, and I'll repeat it today: Barak Obama will go down as quite possibly the greatest president America has ever had. I certainly wouldn't want to be the person following him (Sorry, Hillary 2016).
Tomorrow, American Idol and Top Chef. (I promise to be slightly less gay.)
Oh, and before you go all the way to Sidney to buy my house, don't bother... We've got a renter lined up. We're going to end up eating about 300 or 400 bucks a month, but that's better than the $1450 worth of turd sandwich we were going to have to swallow every 30 days if the house would have stayed empty. Who knows, this guy could end up loving it and buy the sucker next year. Then, I'll be rich! Hah!
What got me most was the adulation of his legion of fans. Men, women, children, black, white, other... EVERYBODY seemed to want to talk to him, or shake his hand or get his autograph. Anything, just to connect with him in the slightest.
I saw a grown man actually kiss him on the cheek in reverence. He was quite literally mobbed trying to leave the senate floor (I presumed it was the senate, anyway). He must have signed 100 autographs.
And I ate it up with a spoon! I would have been exactly the same way. I am so proud of this country right now I could burst. I really didn't think the American people had it in them. I really expected that, somehow, John McCain was going to pull it out at the end.
So, now I'm basking in the sunshine that is Barak Obama. Just watching and listening to him speak, and seeing the adoration of the crowd, especially when compared to Curious George, was enough to make me feel a little bit better about life in general.
So, yes, I admit I have a ridiculous man-crush on the president. I'm not ashamed in the least. I've said it from the beginning, and I'll repeat it today: Barak Obama will go down as quite possibly the greatest president America has ever had. I certainly wouldn't want to be the person following him (Sorry, Hillary 2016).
Tomorrow, American Idol and Top Chef. (I promise to be slightly less gay.)
Oh, and before you go all the way to Sidney to buy my house, don't bother... We've got a renter lined up. We're going to end up eating about 300 or 400 bucks a month, but that's better than the $1450 worth of turd sandwich we were going to have to swallow every 30 days if the house would have stayed empty. Who knows, this guy could end up loving it and buy the sucker next year. Then, I'll be rich! Hah!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
AI and Top Chef - spoiler alert!
First off - Danny, Alexis and... the oil rig guy??? Talk about a shocker - Ok, not so much the first two, but the oil rig guy?!
I don't know why the producers of AI love to torment the sad, desperate, and in this case, certifiably crazy. Why oh why would you put Tatiana up against Danny, knowing Danny was going to win, but also knowing that Tatiana would still get her hopes up to the point of nearly passing out?? And then, drag it out with a commercial break??? WTF?! These people are cruel and sick, I tell ya. They could have put her anywhere in the line-up, but they purposely raked her over the coals for the ratings.
I'm not the world's most sensitive guy, Lola, but even I think that was pretty heartless.
I'm really sick of all the drama that they drag out on these decision nights. It should be a 20 or 30 minute show, with maybe a guest singer, and then straight on to the results. The other bullshit is just so much wasted airtime... especially when they ask Paula her opinion about something. In a word - Yikes.
Now, onto Top Chef. I started watching TC when I moved back here in December. I'd never watched any of the previous seasons because it just didn't seem that interesting. Well, now I'm hooked, so I'll probably go back and watch all the earlier seasons. It's sad, really.
Anyway, I just watched tonight's episode. The gist of it was that the two top-runners for most of the season were in the bottom two, so one had to go. The one guy was talking about his sick mother, and how much he wanted to be in the competition. The other guy - let's call him Dick - actually said to the judges, "Hey, I'm only 36 years old... if this doesn't work out, I'll just move on to something else." They'd commented several times throughout the season that he was pretty cocky, and he really showed his ass tonight.
Well, shocker alert, he didn't get booted - the fun-loving, genial, and otherwise non-offensive Italian guy got the boot instead. "Dick" somehow survived.
My problem isn't that he didn't get eliminated - my problem is that I'm sure the producers decided he should go on because they figured he'd be better for the ratings.
Am I saying it's fixed? Yep. Fixed like our little, female Chihuahua, Gidget, that we had when I was a kid. (Yikes, how's that for a disturbing simile??)
I'm really disappointed in Top Chef. I'm going to go online and see if I'm the only one thinking it was fixed, but I bet I'm not. In fact, the trailer for next week's finale shows "Dick" being a dick and fighting with the sweet and lovable Hosea.
Ah well, that's what sells tickets, I suppose. Even so, I'm a fan, so I'll continue to watch. I just want you to know how disgusted I am with myself.
Stay tuned for another exciting posting next week after AI. And, yes, I'm aware that the majority of my life revolves around reality shows. Maybe you should take pity on me and go buy my house... :-)
I don't know why the producers of AI love to torment the sad, desperate, and in this case, certifiably crazy. Why oh why would you put Tatiana up against Danny, knowing Danny was going to win, but also knowing that Tatiana would still get her hopes up to the point of nearly passing out?? And then, drag it out with a commercial break??? WTF?! These people are cruel and sick, I tell ya. They could have put her anywhere in the line-up, but they purposely raked her over the coals for the ratings.
I'm not the world's most sensitive guy, Lola, but even I think that was pretty heartless.
I'm really sick of all the drama that they drag out on these decision nights. It should be a 20 or 30 minute show, with maybe a guest singer, and then straight on to the results. The other bullshit is just so much wasted airtime... especially when they ask Paula her opinion about something. In a word - Yikes.
Now, onto Top Chef. I started watching TC when I moved back here in December. I'd never watched any of the previous seasons because it just didn't seem that interesting. Well, now I'm hooked, so I'll probably go back and watch all the earlier seasons. It's sad, really.
Anyway, I just watched tonight's episode. The gist of it was that the two top-runners for most of the season were in the bottom two, so one had to go. The one guy was talking about his sick mother, and how much he wanted to be in the competition. The other guy - let's call him Dick - actually said to the judges, "Hey, I'm only 36 years old... if this doesn't work out, I'll just move on to something else." They'd commented several times throughout the season that he was pretty cocky, and he really showed his ass tonight.
Well, shocker alert, he didn't get booted - the fun-loving, genial, and otherwise non-offensive Italian guy got the boot instead. "Dick" somehow survived.
My problem isn't that he didn't get eliminated - my problem is that I'm sure the producers decided he should go on because they figured he'd be better for the ratings.
Am I saying it's fixed? Yep. Fixed like our little, female Chihuahua, Gidget, that we had when I was a kid. (Yikes, how's that for a disturbing simile??)
I'm really disappointed in Top Chef. I'm going to go online and see if I'm the only one thinking it was fixed, but I bet I'm not. In fact, the trailer for next week's finale shows "Dick" being a dick and fighting with the sweet and lovable Hosea.
Ah well, that's what sells tickets, I suppose. Even so, I'm a fan, so I'll continue to watch. I just want you to know how disgusted I am with myself.
Stay tuned for another exciting posting next week after AI. And, yes, I'm aware that the majority of my life revolves around reality shows. Maybe you should take pity on me and go buy my house... :-)
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Another dose of Anthony - part deux
First of all, Amazon.com didn't completely disappoint me today, but neither did they make me jump up and down. As it turns out, when I called the OTHER number today, they had no idear what I was talking about. So they gave me a number to call... Yep, you guessed it - customer service!
I was once again greeted by a well spoken Indian person (presumably), who eventually agreed that, yes a mistake had been made by the promotional code people (not to be confused with the people I'd called earlier in the day) and that he should be able to sort everything out. The catch (yes, I know you're waiting for the catch): It won't go into effect for 30 days.
Therefore, it's entirely likely that I will see yet another $42 interest fee charged against my account before this whole business is truly sorted. So, I'm gearing up for a a third, hopefully last, call to amazon.com in about 2 weeks time.
Now to AI (American Idol for you non-idol fans): My early pick, Stevie Wright, went down in flames like the Hindenburg. She was so bad that I was actually grimacing during her performance. So, I was pretty devastated by that. BUT, despite my disappointment, no performance was as bad as poor, sad, Casey Carlson! Holy god did she stink it up!! Whewee.
I haven't seen a performance that bad since Rosanne sang the national anthem back in the late 90's. She sang something by The Police (every little thing she does is magic) that is nearly impossible to sing, unless you only have one name and that name is Sting. But the worst part was that she started off as a gorgeous, beautiful, sexy girl - by the end of the song, I literally couldn't even look at her. It was absolutely horrible... I'm still shaking.
I figure that Danny Gokey (or Robert Downey Jr. as I like to call him), Alexis Grace, and *gasp* Tatiana were the best singers of the night. However, Tatiana might just have blown her wad with the crazy earlier in the competition, so she probably won't make the cut. I'm thinking that Jackie will probably edge her out. Everybody else? CYA! Maybe the Chicken McNugget guy gets a wild-card spot, but that would be wishful thinking (on his part, not mine).
I'm hoping they announce who made it through tonight before tomorrow night's show. And I'm REALLY hoping that they quit with the after-song, family group hug and interview bullshit. I just fast forward through that crap.
I will be sad to see little Stevie Wright get the boot, but there's absolutely no way she's going to make it through. I'm more likely to win the bronze medal in female gymnastics before she makes the top 12 after that abysmal performance. (Shout out to Lewis Black).
I'll post again tomorrow night for you AI fans who just can't wait for another loving spoonful of Anthony-ness.
But, before you indulge yourself yet again, don't forget to go out there and buy my house!
I was once again greeted by a well spoken Indian person (presumably), who eventually agreed that, yes a mistake had been made by the promotional code people (not to be confused with the people I'd called earlier in the day) and that he should be able to sort everything out. The catch (yes, I know you're waiting for the catch): It won't go into effect for 30 days.
Therefore, it's entirely likely that I will see yet another $42 interest fee charged against my account before this whole business is truly sorted. So, I'm gearing up for a a third, hopefully last, call to amazon.com in about 2 weeks time.
Now to AI (American Idol for you non-idol fans): My early pick, Stevie Wright, went down in flames like the Hindenburg. She was so bad that I was actually grimacing during her performance. So, I was pretty devastated by that. BUT, despite my disappointment, no performance was as bad as poor, sad, Casey Carlson! Holy god did she stink it up!! Whewee.
I haven't seen a performance that bad since Rosanne sang the national anthem back in the late 90's. She sang something by The Police (every little thing she does is magic) that is nearly impossible to sing, unless you only have one name and that name is Sting. But the worst part was that she started off as a gorgeous, beautiful, sexy girl - by the end of the song, I literally couldn't even look at her. It was absolutely horrible... I'm still shaking.
I figure that Danny Gokey (or Robert Downey Jr. as I like to call him), Alexis Grace, and *gasp* Tatiana were the best singers of the night. However, Tatiana might just have blown her wad with the crazy earlier in the competition, so she probably won't make the cut. I'm thinking that Jackie will probably edge her out. Everybody else? CYA! Maybe the Chicken McNugget guy gets a wild-card spot, but that would be wishful thinking (on his part, not mine).
I'm hoping they announce who made it through tonight before tomorrow night's show. And I'm REALLY hoping that they quit with the after-song, family group hug and interview bullshit. I just fast forward through that crap.
I will be sad to see little Stevie Wright get the boot, but there's absolutely no way she's going to make it through. I'm more likely to win the bronze medal in female gymnastics before she makes the top 12 after that abysmal performance. (Shout out to Lewis Black).
I'll post again tomorrow night for you AI fans who just can't wait for another loving spoonful of Anthony-ness.
But, before you indulge yourself yet again, don't forget to go out there and buy my house!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Another dose of Anthony
Ok, so I've been busy...
I just got off the phone with Amazon.com. I just happened to be looking at my account online (for my new 52" super-hi-def, 120mhz LCD TV), when I noticed that the balance didn't seem right. Being half rain-man, I recognized that the amount I'd sent in on the first should have brought the total down to approximately $2100, but there was a balance of around $2200 instead. This "puzzled" me - by puzzled, of course it pissed me the fuck off because I'm positive that I haven't been late on any of my payments... if anything, I've been careful to be extra early so as to avoid having to pay the finance charges and/or late fees.
I dug a little deeper and sure enough, I'd racked up roughly $90 in "other" fees. Since I pay about $100 a month, and they're taking roughly $45 a month in fees, I was getting buggered pretty damn good.
Naturally, a call to the "customer service" people was in order. You'll notice I quoted customer service - that's sarcasm, Lois.
So, I call the 866 number and eventually get around to being directed to one of their live-human techs. When I heard his Indian accent, I nearly gave up right there presuming that I was about to spend a couple of hours in mind-splitting frustration. Don't get me wrong, I like Indian people, for the most part, I just didn't want to have to play "guess which language I'm murdering".
Surprise - the guy spoke perfectly well, and immediately diagnosed the problem: They never applied the promotional rate of zero percent interest if paid within 24 months. A simple mistake, he assured me, and easily remedied by dialing another number which he immediately proffered. He told me they'd be open at 9am tomorrow and would be able to apply the rate and credit my account appropriately.
Stunned almost to speechlessness, I thanked him and hung up. I was fully prepared to don the armor of righteousness and attack the dragon of corporate red tape. (The simile well is in great shape tonight!) Alas, I'm nearly disappointed. I can't remember going from red hot rage to cautious optimism in such a short period of time.
So, here's hoping that tomorrow's conversation with the promotional rate people goes as well. If so, I will be sure to sing their praises via a new post tomorrow night. I'm already desperately in love with my television, and pleased with every other aspect of the purchase transaction. I really hope that this is as easily remedied as I've been led to believe.
On another note, Suzanne and Chris just left this morning for Sidrock. They were here since last Wednesday night. It was great having them here, but it really pointed out how small my one-bedroom apartment really is - four people and two large German Shepherds take up every bit of available space. Not to mention, one bathroom is stretched to its limits under these circumstances. I'm really hopeful that we can get into a two-bedroom by the time they're ready to come out for good.
Finally, things at work are going great. I'm able to keep busy most of the time, and the work is usually pretty interesting. I'm doing a lot more Windows stuff than I've done in the last ten years, which has turned out to be oddly entertaining.
Oh, and my favorite kid (until Chris gets a little older) just turned 21 last week. I believe she celebrated by staying in. ;-)
That's about all I got for now. Oh, except to say that my early pick for this season's American Idol is Stevie Wright (not to be confused with Steven Wright, albeit a fantastic singer in his own right). She's really young and doesn't really stand out, but I got a funny feeling about that kid.
And, if you get the chance, please, I'm begging you, buy my house!!
I just got off the phone with Amazon.com. I just happened to be looking at my account online (for my new 52" super-hi-def, 120mhz LCD TV), when I noticed that the balance didn't seem right. Being half rain-man, I recognized that the amount I'd sent in on the first should have brought the total down to approximately $2100, but there was a balance of around $2200 instead. This "puzzled" me - by puzzled, of course it pissed me the fuck off because I'm positive that I haven't been late on any of my payments... if anything, I've been careful to be extra early so as to avoid having to pay the finance charges and/or late fees.
I dug a little deeper and sure enough, I'd racked up roughly $90 in "other" fees. Since I pay about $100 a month, and they're taking roughly $45 a month in fees, I was getting buggered pretty damn good.
Naturally, a call to the "customer service" people was in order. You'll notice I quoted customer service - that's sarcasm, Lois.
So, I call the 866 number and eventually get around to being directed to one of their live-human techs. When I heard his Indian accent, I nearly gave up right there presuming that I was about to spend a couple of hours in mind-splitting frustration. Don't get me wrong, I like Indian people, for the most part, I just didn't want to have to play "guess which language I'm murdering".
Surprise - the guy spoke perfectly well, and immediately diagnosed the problem: They never applied the promotional rate of zero percent interest if paid within 24 months. A simple mistake, he assured me, and easily remedied by dialing another number which he immediately proffered. He told me they'd be open at 9am tomorrow and would be able to apply the rate and credit my account appropriately.
Stunned almost to speechlessness, I thanked him and hung up. I was fully prepared to don the armor of righteousness and attack the dragon of corporate red tape. (The simile well is in great shape tonight!) Alas, I'm nearly disappointed. I can't remember going from red hot rage to cautious optimism in such a short period of time.
So, here's hoping that tomorrow's conversation with the promotional rate people goes as well. If so, I will be sure to sing their praises via a new post tomorrow night. I'm already desperately in love with my television, and pleased with every other aspect of the purchase transaction. I really hope that this is as easily remedied as I've been led to believe.
On another note, Suzanne and Chris just left this morning for Sidrock. They were here since last Wednesday night. It was great having them here, but it really pointed out how small my one-bedroom apartment really is - four people and two large German Shepherds take up every bit of available space. Not to mention, one bathroom is stretched to its limits under these circumstances. I'm really hopeful that we can get into a two-bedroom by the time they're ready to come out for good.
Finally, things at work are going great. I'm able to keep busy most of the time, and the work is usually pretty interesting. I'm doing a lot more Windows stuff than I've done in the last ten years, which has turned out to be oddly entertaining.
Oh, and my favorite kid (until Chris gets a little older) just turned 21 last week. I believe she celebrated by staying in. ;-)
That's about all I got for now. Oh, except to say that my early pick for this season's American Idol is Stevie Wright (not to be confused with Steven Wright, albeit a fantastic singer in his own right). She's really young and doesn't really stand out, but I got a funny feeling about that kid.
And, if you get the chance, please, I'm begging you, buy my house!!
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