Not In Control

If you know me well then you know I hate not being in control of my own situation. Of course, probably very few people know that. I generally hide that fact. It's a fear thing. How many of us run around proclaiming our fears to others? Ha, just me and I know it's probably a bad idea.

So, today I was driving to work. I was watching far ahead of myself and traveling toward a green light. I suddenly realized the car in front of me had stopped. I braked. I stopped in plenty of time with almost a whole car length between me and the stopped vehicle. I am not a tailgater. Woot for defensive driving tactics. Anyway, I thought it was strange that so many cars were lined up behind a green light not moving. I checked my mirror and saw that the car behind me had managed to stop as well. I thanked my lucky stars. Suddenly I heard a crunching sound behind me. My car was still, but the crunching sounded loud. I looked in my mirror again and saw that three cars back some idiot had not been able to stop in time. He rear-ended the next car which rear-ended the car behind me. Which was coming straight at me. I quickly moved forward to give the guy room. Lucky again. I didn't get hit. Traffic started moving. I thought about stopping even though I was one minute late to work. I saw a cop pulling over to the accident. Plus all three cars were pulling onto the side of the road to get out of the way of traffic. I guess nobody could have been too hurt.

It was weird. I've been very shook up all day. It just reminded me of how little control I have over people around me. My reflexes are good. But I always think there will come a time when they won't be good enough. Or maybe, when I'll be the car right in front of the idiot who couldn't stop. I have always been able to avoid car accidents -- lessened the impact of the one I was actually in by acting quickly. What will I do when I can't stop something like that from happening? Knowing me I will replay it in my head until I become OCD about the fact that I couldn't do anything to prevent it. I'm like Superman or something . . .

All Good Things Must Be Remembered

I dedicate this post to my blogging buddy Little Cicero. In three days his blog will expire (according to his statement, not mine).

LC, as I call him, has been a worthy blog friend for several years now. I still remember his first comment on my blog. I remember laughing at it. After a couple more similar comments I began to think I would never be rid of this annoying, highschool boy. Perhaps because I am too nice a person, perhaps because I attempt to see the good points in everyone -- I don't know -- I linked to LC's blog. I kept up with his writings and commented. I never directly said anything insulting. Over time I began to realize that my first impression of LC's comment missed the story by a lot. Yes, he is young. Yes, he has no problems with self confidence. However, he is also a very thoughtful young man with a pretty good head on his shoulders. LC is always willing to listen to the opinions of others. But he doesn't change his mind with every comment from a passer-by. He holds to his convictions. He argues in favor of them. He modifies them at times. He is a worthy writer. He puts his heart into his writings whether they are correct or not.

I am sorry to see him go. Very sorry. I know, he's still going to be around reading and lurking. But I will miss his writings on his own blog. I will miss his philosophy rants even though I generally disagree with them. I will miss his jokes. I will miss the long comment arguments he managed to spark from time to time. I have known few people as thoughtful and introspective as LC. I appreciate his sensitivity to his readers even when they are morons. I predict one day he will be someone great. Maybe not well known -- in anything other than a George Bailey sort of way -- but he will definitely give back to his community and world.

Here's to you my fine friend. *raises glass* Only you can't have any, you're not old enough to drink.

My 25% Latino Makes All The Difference

I just discovered this blog about Stuff White People Like. I have not been so amused in a long time. It's all so true and so hilarious. I am reminded of many of my white acquaintances at the very white college I attended. I guess I fall into the category of the "wrong kind of white people." Because I only like a few things on the blog and for totally different reasons than those given.

I Was Wrong

. . . and I'm not upset about that. David Cook is 2008's American Idol. So totally awesome.

I Predict The Finale

I think that David Archuleta will win American Idol this year. Why? Because he's a baby-faced 17 year old who appeals to all the teenage girls out there. Besides that he's a little emo and has a gorgeous voice. He's just the right kid at the right time. Personally I find his performances somewhat painful to watch. He always looks like he's about to choke or collapse because he is so dang nervous. He does always hit the notes spot on, I'll give him that. After each performance I wait for him to say something about "world peace" or "people who are worse off." He's like a little blue-eyed, bleeding-heart broken record -- plus he cries on stage after every performance. Not that I have anything against people who care about such issues. I care about things like that. I am not dumb enough to think one person singing a song is going to change much, however. And little David is. He just works well in an appearance oriented world on an appearance oriented television show (to which I admit I am addicted).

If things went my way David Cook would win. I doubt that will happen. He's already a rockstar as far as I can tell. He is comfortable with himself and comfortable on stage. He has a versatile voice. He can sing off-key and it sounds beautiful. David Cook has the harder, grittier, bluesier side to rock music down pat. His performances are mesmerizing because he never goofs up. Sometimes he picks a crappy song. Sometimes he seems a little arrogant. But he puts every foot in the right place and every facial expression works. Cook has only cried once and it was after one of his more stunning performances. He is always sincere and he likes to change things up, try new things and take risks. That's how he made it to the top two. He knows himself well and will take the risks necessary to prove that. I don't think he has any vague ideas about what he's doing. He is having fun rocking out and he's got personality to boot. I think that if he loses tonight -- and he will -- he will have a recording contract underway in no time. I would totally go to his concert. I'll buy his cd. I can't say the same for his opponent (about the concert and cd, not the recording contract).

So, you know what I'll be doing this evening. What are your plans?

I Have To Write A Blog Post

I have been working on a thoughtful post for several days. Here's hoping I finish it sometime soon and post it. In the meantime let me fill you in on how my life is going.

I am still waiting for the stupid bank to sell me the house I want. They take forever and a day.

I am reading that book "What Color Is Your Parachute?" and doing all the exercises. I decided it's time I figure out what I want to be now that I'm all grown up. Jumping from job idea to job idea just isn't working for me. I want to figure out what will keep my interest for at least 10 or 15 years. So, I'm doing a lot of thinking and processing. I have been thinking about grad school for a while. But I really want to take a step back and make sure that's where I want to go. The only problem with this process is the time it takes. I have the patience of Job when it comes to everyone else, but not for myself. Far too much of a perfectionist, I guess.

I am reading John Scalzi's "The Android's Dream" and it is funny.

In Smallville news the season finale was this past week. Guess what! Lana's gone! I have never been happier. She exited Clark's life. It was actually kind of sad and anticlimactic the way they broke up. I had always wanted her to get eaten by a White Martian. So much for dreams coming true . . .

Election what? I don't know what you're talking about? I haven't been keeping up because I have no interest in any of the candidates. Also, wtf is John McCain talking about global warming and how he's not going to abandon the cause when the value of our dollar is sinking down the toilet? I mean, people. Perspective. Puhleeze. Global warming is caused by the earth's core heating up and sunspot activity. I don't think taking a few cars off the road are going to change that. Science is such a lost art.

Oh yes, and my car broke down this past week. Fortunately, it was a small problem and it didn't cost much to fix.

Last week my church had a long term ministry planning workshop and it was kind of cool. I made a couple new friends (finally). So, yay for me on that. The news isn't all bad. See.

Back to work now.

It Seemed Relevant

I found this interesting article on women's mental health issues. It seemed relevant and excellent. Society has a way of stigmatizing women that is often ignored. It's nice to hear a positive message once in a while.

I'll leave you on that note with an inspiring quotation:

After awhile you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul, And you learn that love doesn't mean leaning and company doesn't mean security, And you begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts and presents aren't promises, And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open, with the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child, And you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans. After awhile you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much. So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. And you learn that you really can endure... that you really are strong, that you really do have worth.

Anonymous

I Really Want To Know

This is a question for my male readers. First, I'll explain myself. I was only asked out by one guy (major, effing jerk -- and I said "no") ever. I was 19 at that time. No other guy asked me on a date. Craig and I ended up dating because I asked him out. So, here I am. I am cute, funny, pretty and extremely intellectual. I was homeschooled, but I knew a lot of guys my own age when I was 16-20 (started dating Craig at 20). I was reserved, but not shy (I'm shy now). Am I intimidating or something? If you met a girl who wasn't clingy or desperate or annoying is there another reason you might not ask her out? What is it? This is a hypothetical question so think from the hypothetical standpoint that you are single if you are not when you answer it.

No, I'm not traumatized or anything. I'm a happily married woman. I am intensely curious, however. So answer the question already.

Incidents At Random

Craig and I made some new friends this past week on Sunday. This other couple at church invited several families over for a cookout including us. We had never met them before because our church has two different services. We attend the early service, our new friends attend the late service. So, we went to rsvp for the get together they were hosting. Since we had never met we decided to introduce ourselves. The husband is G., the wife is J. After introducing ourselves G. noticed Craig's rather conspicuous guitar coffin case. "Is that a guitar?" he asked. Craig replied in the affirmative and then I said, "No, it's actually stolen money and drugs." With a straight face. Okay, win one for first impressions. Fortunately, my new audience laughed. Yeah, I won't be saving that line for a job interview.

Sven called this morning. Yes, I was confused too. He told me he was from the Netherlands and he wondered if I could help him. He was trying to reach [insert random gas company whose old phone number now happens to be our home number]. I explained that we were a residence, but I did have the current number to [insert random gas company whose old phone number now happens to be our home number]. So I gave him the number. He told me that [insert random gas company whose old phone number happens to be our home number] should be paying me a fee for fielding calls. I totally agree.

No further news to report. Things are fine here, just fine.

On One Condition

The worst thing a person can do to another is offer conditional love. I submit that it is the cause of much sorrow and darkness. Perhaps the greatest cause. I would rather be hated than be the recipient of conditional love. To say that affection will only come if the object of affection does what the giver wants is a sentence of living death. You think I am being too extreme? Well, let's partake of an example then.

My favorite tv show is Smallville (I'm sure you all knew that). The relationship on Smallville that most interests me is the one between Lex Luthor and his father Lionel Luthor. It portrays the results of conditional love. I know, this is fictional, but stories can often illustrate to us what we find confusing in real life. When we first meet Lex he is the subject of his father's will. Lex is strong willed and emotional. He desires to be a good person and the audience cannot help but like him. Lionel is ruthless in his treatment of Lex. He places Lex in charge of a Luthor Corp plant and demands Lex achieve perfection in all his business dealings. Lex tries passive aggressive strategies to bypass his father's inflexible standards. Somehow Lionel is always one step ahead of Lex. It's like a horrible game between father and son. Nothing Lex does is good enough for Lionel. Lionel pits Lex against himself just to teach Lex how to be strong. We get a few flashback moments between Lex and Lionel. What we learn is that Lionel has always told Lex that he is weak and pathetic. That's how he tries to be a good father to Lex. Even when Lex does the right thing Lionel can find some mistake in it. Lionel himself is committing the greatest mistake a father can commit: conditional love. It is a mistake that teaches Lex he must be a perfect son or forever live ashamed and angry. Later in the series Lionel turns his life around and tries to reach out to his son. He is eventually able to offer the unconditional love that Lex never knew. But then it is too late. Lex is a bitter young man who refuses to believe his father could love him. Lex has taken conditional love to the next level. He distrusts everyone around him. He drives away even his closest friends because he constantly manipulates them in order to keep their friendships. And they tire of it. He is a lonely, sad, dark, obsessive, manipulative person.

So I repeat, the worst thing you can do to another human being is offer love based on their performance of your standards or wishes.

At the same time unconditional love can be taken to an extreme or used in an unhealthy manner. It's kind of like the battered wife principle: don't allow the abuser back into your life without proof of full repentance because that's unhealthy. Don't allow someone to take advantage of you just because you love them. Limits must exist in order for unconditional love to work. Those limits, however, should never be more important than the love we have for those around us. First offer the love, then the limits. If you go the other way round the person will probably never realize you care.

Do Not Want!!!11!!!

Warning: This post contains a major Smallville spoiler. If you are not watching Season 7 and you intend to get it on dvd you and watch it later than you may not want to continue reading. Remember, you were warned.

**Spoiler Space**

It was one of the best Smallville episodes I have ever seen. It was on par with Justice from Season 6 where several JLA characters team up to take on Lex Luthor. It was on par with the episode in Season 5 where Clark lives a day twice and Jonathan Kent passes away. It was better than the Season 6 finale where we are duped into thinking that Lana Lang has died (that would have been the best episode ever if only it had been true -- take the emo Lana, take it and go). It was even better than the Lexana wedding -- which was mainly good for reasons of writing and execution than storyline. The opener was the most stunning and intriguing opener I have seen on any Smallville yet. Lionel Luther died before the theme song. I cannot believe it. My favorite character is gone. I think he might be my all time favorite tv show character. John Glover's portrayal of him was so poignant, so ruthless, so amazing. Everything Lionel did was in character. Thus, it was in character for him to die the way he died: at the hands of Lex Luthor. Lionel never would have expected Lex to go that far. Not even when he hated Lex in the earlier seasons. I was stunned. I am stunned. I actually cried. Yeah, I'll get over it. But I don't know how I can keep watching without Lionel. They took the best part of the show.

Then again, Clark stepped up to the plate like the hero he is meant to be. That was encouraging. And Lex has become superbly evil. This could make the show worth watching. Having so many main characters has got to be tough on the writers. The elimination of Lionel Luthor may help them focus on Clark becoming a superhero and Lex becoming the biggest baddie ever. Who knows? This could be good. *sniff* But that doesn't mean I have to happy right now. . .

Ah, Logic # 15

I link to this article concerning the autism/vaccine erroneous link because I think the dissemination of accurate information on the internet is important. Also, because it is a very logical article. One of the best I have seen on this subject. I especially enjoyed the bit about getting information on the internet. People, there's a lot of crap out there. Try to use common sense.

Obsession

In which Star Trek: The Next Generation episode did Data ask Captain Piccard to deactivate him? No, this is not a trivia question. I can't find the episode and it's making me bonkers that I can't remember which one that was. If you know, please tell me.

"I Have A Bad Feeling About This"

Emotions are an interesting concept. I say this partly because I have sequestered most of my emotions. I tend to be extremely logical. To a fault in fact. Mr. Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series and I would get along very well. We both make the same mistake, we fail to evaluate the emotional level of those around us. The question then becomes, how did I get this way? Did I, like Spock, choose to emulate the behavior required of me? Did I ignore my emotions because I was taught that they are unacceptable and perhaps even evil? A Vulcan does not have emotions. A Christian should control her emotions.

It all sounds eerily the same does it not? We are societally afraid of our emotions. Especially in the Christian evangelical setting. The strange thing is, there are many in evangelical churches who rely solely on their emotions to understand God. You know all those slogans about how Jesus is "my best friend" and we have "to be on fire for God." (By the way, if you're on fire you should stop, drop to the floor and roll around to put the fire out, only then should you continue reading this blog post.) I am not writing this to condemn or vilify Christian evangelicals. I think there are many good things that they do. Outreach is definitely one of their strengths and I applaud them for it. On the other hand, I am pointing out a logical anomaly in their doctrine.

Many evangelical churches despise the notions of doctrine and theology. Yet these are important things. Wars have been fought over different interpretations of biblical passages. You cannot convince me that doctrine and theology should be ignored in favor of experiences. I am not saying we should wage war over it now, heck, we have freedom of religion so we can discuss it freely. I encourage a positive response to the questions of what different doctrines mean. I am merely pointing out that doctrine is important (not all important, no, not more important than God). I do not think it is possible for humans to know everything about God. There are things we have to accept. At the same time, the wishy-washy drivel you sometimes learn in church is not helpful.

It is not so much the positive aspect of that drivel that I want to discuss. It is more the negative aspect. The continual need to tell the youth that their feelings are invalid or they should be ashamed of them. The fact is, obsession is a problem. Feelings are not. They are feelings, neither wrong nor right, but simply there. It is healthy to accept them for what they are and discuss them without hurting anyone. It is also helpful for parents to teach children how to express their feelings appropriately as they grow older. What would you rather have: A child who throws her ice cream cone on the ground because she wanted a piece of gum instead of ice cream (I can't justify her decision, no)? Or a child who says, "I really wanted gum not ice cream"? Okay, duh. The second alternative. Well, telling the child that she is spoiled and cannot have everything she wants is going to get you the former. Telling the child that you love her, you understand why she wants gum, but today we are having ice cream might still get you a tantrum. But it won't get you a child who goes through the rest of her life believing her needs are invalid and she should be ashamed of them.

There is nothing wrong with feelings. Even feelings that are rebellious toward a parent or authority figure. The fact is, children need to know they are individuals. They will never learn to live with their independence if they are not allowed to disagree. Pulling away from an angry child or withdrawing as if hurt when a child disagrees is damaging. In a rather evangelical sounding statement, I submit that God would not do that to his children. Even if he could not agree with us, he would not walk away to a distance or make us believe that we are always guilty of something (even just having a feeling). Why is it that evangelicals treat the youth this way? Not just in their own homes even, but everywhere? There could be many valid reasons. In fact, I am open to hearing them if you wish to join in the conversation. I am expressing my opinion and my hope that things will change for the better. That is all.

People Are Gullible

This post is meant to precede a series of my thoughts on religion in the U.S. today. I would draw your attention to this article found on the NeuroLogica Blog. It's an interesting description of how psychics ply their trade (i.e. dupe people so they can make money).

After reading the article linked above I felt creeped out. This is not because I ever believed in psychics. Personally, I think it's all hogwash. This is because I have known preachers of Christianity who have employed the same methods to get money from people and have called it the gift of prophecy. I do believe that God can speak to us today. I am not denying his power. But I also think that most people who claim to be prophetic and then utter vague incantations that could be applicable to anyone are frauds. Most of what they say is geared to get a bigger offering. Or they might actually believe they are prophetic. That is possible. Let me try an example to help you understand. If you tell a Christian that she "reads the Word a lot" and "should remain strong in the Word to accomplish her destiny" then you are certainly not saying anything new or unheard of. Chances are if the person identifies herself as a Christian then she does read her Bible a lot. The whole thing about "destiny" is vague and inscrutable. It does not mean anything. For the record someone who claimed to be a prophet actually gave me the above "prophecy." Personally, it did more harm then good. I went around wondering what the heck that meant and where that left me for a couple years after that. I could have actually been doing something useful. But no, some weirdo said something that didn't make sense and my upbringing had taught me not to ignore such people.

Now, however, I am a different person. Aside from the fact that in Revelations it suggests that prophecy has ended, it's illogical to pay attention to every bit of reasoning that comes from the mouth of someone who claims to have a prophetic gift. Many Christians act like someone is an "unbeliever" if she questions the words spoken by a "prophet." I would say no. Paul did tell us to test the spirits. I consider it a matter of common sense. Why believe everything someone says? Especially when there is no way to prove them wrong. People who claim to be prophetic are often believed -- for a while at least -- by evangelical protestants. I have seen this time and again. Someone claims to have this "gift," stands up and makes a prophecy. The time for the prophecy runs out and nothing happened. Unless, of course, you search the news and stuff. You can always find something that will coincide with the prophecy and could be what the person meant. Yeah, I call bullsh**. If there are multiple events that could be interpreted as the prophecy, but nothing definitive than it's obviously not sensible to go on listening to every word that person says. Furthermore, I have known several people who actually make stuff up to reinforce others opinion of them. They lie. It's a sad commentary on today's religious culture in the U.S.

My favorite of the methods some so-called prophets use to gain credibility is the argument against those infernal "unbelievers." The person will hold their religious meeting -- seance-- and then they will see someone walk out of the meeting less than halfway through. The person will then come up with multiple stories concerning people who "don't believe" and who have "already gone home to gossip about this meeting." Essentially, the "prophet" wants the followers to realize that they are special for believing in his meeting. Frankly, it's creepy. People who have to put others down in order to reinforce their own reputations are up to no good.

On the other side of things I have known people who are overly critical of other Christians beliefs. Again, sad commentary on today's religious culture. But perhaps not completely. The fact is, we have the freedom to believe what we want to believe in this country. That is a huge plus. So long as we have that freedom I cannot dismiss everyone I disagree with. Religious freedom is one of our most important rights. So go on, believe what you believe. I would never make a law against your gullibility.

Another March Post

I found this interesting medical blog a couple months back. I have been meaning to link to it for some time now. I believe the best article I have read from it is this one. It talks about the problems between doctors and patients arising from differences in perspective. Of course, this is more about American health care than anything else. The blog often critiques various alternative medicine (including homeopathy, life energy stuff, acupuncture, chiropractic etc.) techniques. I think it's a valuable resource because in my younger days I was given to understand that some alternative medicine is legit. After spending some time studying the persuasive mumbo jumbo of "traditional healers" and remembering some of the things I have heard advocates of alternative medicine say I am convinced that most of them are frauds. The rest are well meaning quacks. The bottom line is that they advocate for treatments which are not based on science or any kind of clinical trials. Some of these treatments have been around for a couple hundred years without adjusting to the current body of biological knowledge. Don't be fooled.

The problem still remains, however, of the impersonal and rigid manner in which medical doctors treat patients. I have to say the eye rolling thing some doctors do when a patient refuses a treatment is just plain annoying. I hate it when my doctor corrects me before I have finished my thought. Not that he does that very often, he's a pretty nice guy. But still I am not some idiot patient who isn't going to listen to the doctor because I think he's in some sort of conspiracy to poison me. Something else I dislike about doctors is when they fail to finish their thought. They say something like, "Maybe you've had asthma for years and didn't know it." Then they stop and never explain the statement. So annoying. Then there's the propensity to treat people like they are hypochondriacs if their symptoms do not match with others. Who doesn't hate that? Why can't doctors assume that some of us just don't fit into the definitions of normal? I, for example, rarely have side effects from medications other than dry mouth. It's weird, but it's me. However, I did have a very bad reaction to a certain asthma med known as Singulair. Several times my doctor has asked me what happens when I take Singulair because I listed in my profile that I am allergic to it. After I get done explaining that it causes me to have asthma attacks he gives me this look which says, "I don't quite believe you." I would add that my doctor is probably one of the nicest MDs I have ever met. If even he has some of the annoying tendencies than it is no wonder people are often inclined to seek out methods of treatment based more on the personality administering the treatment than the science -- or lack thereof -- behind it.

Does Uranus Have An Aurora?

The title of this post is an actual question from the game Trivial Pursuit (the original game). I am not making this up. You can't make this sh** up. No, you can't.

Speaking of Uranus, I am currently taking a certification class for becoming a med manager. I am learning that if I continue in my job I could end up giving people medications in all kinds of interesting ways -- and places. Time for a new job? Methinks soon it will be.

House hunting is going along. We came close to making an offer, but then the house was purchased out from under us. Kind of sad. But logic had already told me it was the wrong time for us to buy that particular house. Someday it will be the right time and we will find another house just as beautiful and enormous. In the meantime, a smaller, cheaper house with low property taxes and a low energy bill would suit me fine.

All I seem capable of are random updates on my blog. Let me just say that aside from class, more work and house hunting I am working through some overdue troubles of the past. Part of it is related to shyness and finding friends in my area. Nothing to fret over, but I would not mind the prayers of those of you who pray.

Long Time, No Write

I went from posts concerning nothing but politics to no posts at all to random updates about what I am doing with my life. I have been very inconsistent with my blog lately. Rest assured, I am here. Things are just happening a lot and I have less inspiration for writing than I used to have.

House hunting is going. Definitely going. It really takes a lot of work to do this.

One of my favorite American Idol contestants got voted off this week. Bummer. Amanda Overmyer, I hope somebody out there signs you for a record deal. I would love to go to your concert someday.

Work is long and a bit dull. It's got to the point where I know what I am doing, there's nothing new to do and now it's boring me. I have to decide how long I am going to put up with this before I find a job that will not bore me after only 6 months. Like my last job, I could have done that one for a few more years without getting bored. It was always changing.

Politics, politics. I am not as up to date as I should be. Frankly, the presidential contest between two real Democrats and one pseudo-Dem got rather dull. I have less motivation to get out there and pay attention. I think I'll go back to reading foreign policy a lot and checking the status of the economy.

On the Smallville front (yes, I reserve the right to rant about my favorite tv show) I am excited. The storyline just got much more interesting. For those of you who read my post about Smallville jumping the shark a while back, well, it didn't really. It just pretended to jump the shark. It's back on track and more complicated and emo than ever. I love it!

Writing is slow going. I keep getting too tired to put in much time on it. And I am not sure where to start with editing so many novels. I keep going from novel to novel trying to decide which one to focus on. Then I think I should just start a new one. Ah, me. It's time to institute some self discipline.

In other news I have been reading a lot about alternative medicine lately and have come to the conclusion that it's mostly quack. I might write a post on that sometime in the near future.

I Have A Problem

I become easily obsessed with American Idol. So, tonight I watched the guys sing and tomorrow the girls will sing. I will not be watching the boring Thursday show in which we find out who got voted off. Why waste an hour of my time when I can check out the website on Friday?

Here are my thoughts on the competition this year:

-There's a really cool rocker chick named Amanda and I hope she stays in at least until the Top 12.
-Mr. Australian guy is just not doing it for me. Why do people like him?
-Ditto on Mrs. Irish girl. She has amazing vocals and always picks the wrong song.
-What's with the cute, teary eyed kid who can't stop talking about people less fortunate than himself and singing sad songs? He's turning into a parody.
-The tall, blonde girl named Brooke is fun to watch. They call Simon "Mr. Happy" every time she sings because of his "washing up liquid commercial" speech in which he described her singing as "happy and yellow."
-I have a tough time deciding between David Cook and David Hernandez, but this week it was definitely David Cook.
-Either Syesha or Asia'h could become my favorite female Idol this season.
-The guy with the dreads has a beautiful voice.
-Ramiele is my favorite girl. Here's hoping she picks a good song this week (not like last week when I couldn't vote for her because of song choice).
-Why does Danny dance? Someone should tell him to stop trying . . .
-Whatever happy pill Paula's taking is starting to frighten me.
-Randy never stops talking about singing and performing technique. Wait, that's how he's always been.
-Simon is still the voice of reason and after Paula's long, flowery speeches I really like to get the opinion of someone who does not have an open mind.

And those are my thoughts on American Idol this year. Enjoy the show.

Where Am I?

I am totally here. I just don't have much to say. I thought I would post an Oscars commentary. But I just didn't feel like it. I'm glad Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor. Why didn't Ellen Page win Best Actress? Stupid Academy. Anyway, I was going to give out my own set of awards, but can't seem to come up with anything funny enough. So whatever.

I was going to post some commentary on the election as it struggles along. I do not have much to say. I am sad that I will not be able to feel proud to vote for anyone this November. That's the way things look at least.

Looks like I might be getting a house soon. So that's exciting. And time consuming. I am going to be working more hours starting next week. Not too much more though. But it will bring in a few more bucks and that's always a good thing.

I will try to come up with an actual intellectual post in the near future. In the meantime, I am alive and around. But my brains are definitely smelly.