Last night we honored a man known for many things:enduring songs that defined an era…

songwriting that captured our hearts…

and keeping polyester pants and sequined shirts in the American consciousness.

Paula, however, went to new heights with her amazing analysis of Jason Castro.

She can sing, she can dance, AND she can foretell the future!  What a lady!

Anyway, that being said, Jason and Brooke definitely deserve to be in the bottom two.  Unless VFTW gets a hold of Jason, I think his number might be up tonight.  At least one can hope.

Yesterday we played hooky from church, using the “it-was-a-late-night-when-we-had-to-drive-back-from-the-campout” excuse.  So what did we do to fill all our free time?  We went SHOPPING!

I won’t bore you with all the details, except to say my “I hate Wal-mart” stance was reconfirmed.  Then we went to Costco, where Matt discovered a really cool doggie bed.  This isn’t the doggie blanket we currently have on our living room floor, folded twice to try to make it LOOK a little more comfy.  No, this is a microfiber, fluffy pillow with a backrest along one side.  Total doggie comfort, and machine washable to boot.

After bringing it home, I put the doggie’s sorry little blanket on top to show him that this bountiful bed, this cozy, snuggly, cushy thing is HIS.  And his alone.  And why not?  He’s old, he’s arthritic, he’s suffered on concrete and wood floors long enough.

So how did it work out for him?  Just unfold to see pictures…

Read the rest of this entry »

This was supposed to be a post about Crisana’s 5-year portrait session yesterday, but Searsphoto.com has not uploaded our session yet.

I was going to write about how the Mavericks and Rangers both finally won last night, but I know most of my readers a) either know that already, or 2) don’t care about sports.

Today is the graduation campout for Trey’s Cub Scout pack.  Weather predictions have major storm action occurring anywhere between 11 P.M tonight and 10 A.M. Sunday with “high winds (up to 70 m.p.h.), heavy rains, localized flooding, and lightning” a strong possibility.  Watching timecast on the news last night has a blob of green-then-yellow-then-red-then-PURPLE-then-BLACK-then-omgwhite! moving through north Texas between midnight and 6A.M.  Somehow the idea of weathering a storm like that in a TENT doesn’t sound fun…or even remotely safe, though it would make for great storytelling.  So we’re going to make it a day trip.  A late-night day trip.  Knowing our luck, we’ll be driving home as the storm hits, but at least we’ll be warm and dry.

*sigh* So there you have it.  Life as we know it.  Crazy.  Unpredictable.  Busy.

And with that, I must go.  I’ve got a cooler to pack.

Or, in other words, the night of “Phantom of the Opera.”

I loved this show.  I have been looking forward to ever since last week’s results show.  And though a strange choice of mentor for a self-proclaimed “pop” show, I thought it was a smart move, considering the Idol finalists who’ve had great success on Broadway (Diana DeGarmo, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, to name a few).

I was not disappointed.  This was a great evening of some stellar performances, some not-so-stellar moments, and some surprising comebacks.  This show had it all!

Syesha began the evening with a defining performance.  Her showmanship was fantastic, she worked not only the song but also the crowd, and getting Ricky involved in the act certainly played into her hand.  Though I still don’t think she deserves to win, I do think she showed her amazing potential as a Broadway star, and as a result will sail right through to next week.

David Archuleta provided the first of our “Phantom” showcase with “Think of Me.”  According to Simon, the challenge for the contestants tonight would be to take these songs that were written for musical theater and make them relevant to a pop audience.  David did it.  His song would be a hit on any Top 40 list, hands down.  I loved his arrangement of the song, though he did make me laugh a little with his concerted effort to keep his eyes open.  This kid continues to amaze.

Jason Castro…what can I say?  Yikes.  Not good, my friend, not good at all.   Bad suit.  Bad interview.  No, make that REALLY bad interview.  Bad vocals.  Really, REALLY bad vocals, though that’s not entirely his problem.  Bad choice of song for him.  Frankly, I skipped through most of his performance.  It was really more than I could handle.   He’s had a great run, but I believe tonight, he may fulfill the promise of his song and become…a “Memory.”

Brooke White.  Oh, dear.  That false start really shook her.  She sounded so much better in the sound bytes with SALW.  I felt a disconnect between her and the song - the emotion wasn’t about what she was singing as much as it was about her own foible.  She’s been a strong competitor, but I’m not sure if this performance was enough to carry her past her own failings.  She may find herself in the bottom category tonight.

Carly Smithson came out and turned it around!  I am so glad she chose not to sing “All I Ask of You.”  “Jesus Christ, Superstar”, though an odd choice, really worked for her.  She showed amazing personality, she gave the audience a great performance, and chose a song that connected well with her vocal skills.  She’s definitely moving on, coming closer to becoming a superstar in her own right.

David Cook closed the night with a rendition of “Music of the Night” that showed a totally different side of him.  Though I wouldn’t say it was the best vocals, or even his best performance, he made it work and reemphasized why he has eluded the bottom of the pack every week.  No problem, David C., we’ll see you next week.

If Jason Castro doesn’t go home tonight, I’ll be sorely disappointed.

I’m getting this in just under the wire! I managed to nail the bottom two last week - let’s see if I can do it again!

Safe:

I wasn’t wowed by Cristian’s performance like the judges. I thought his footwork was a little off, his frame seemed small, and he didn’t hold his posture as high as he should have. But what do I know? Apparently very little, as the judges were overwhelmed with his dance. Based on the judges’ scores alone, I’d say he’s safe. The fact that he’s delicious eye certainly doesn’t hurt his chances.

Each week, I am left in awe of what Jason can do on the dance floor. He has such grace and natural elegance, which is astounding for someone involved in such a full-contact, violent sport as football. He has amazing lines and makes his dances look so effortless. I won’t make the same promise as Len did with Cristian, but I will say he definitely does NOT deserve to be voted off this week.

What can I say?  It was fantastic.  Kristi is definitely a competitor, and she is in it to win it.  She is used to being in the spotlight and she seems to catch on quickly.  Is there nothing this woman can’t do?

This dance was a bit x-rated - but technically he did a great job.  He captured the essence and the spirit of the rumba and made it his own.  I just wish it would have been a little more family-friendly.

Again, I thought her footwork was a little off, and she missed some spots here and there.  It wasn’t a stellar performance, but solid enough to get her through to next week.  And she just looked like she was having too much fun out there.  Gotta love that.

Notsomuch:

She definitely didn’t have that sparkle and pizazz that the other dancers had, and that she’s had earlier in the competition. These dances have gotten inside her head a bit and made her doubt her ability to do it.  There’s no denying her heart or her spirit, and I think on inspiration alone, she’ll make it through.  But the judges scores will put her in the red spotlight.

Despite their “showmance” and the Barbie-and-Ken charisma, Shannon just doesn’t have the shimmy and shake necessary to catapult her into the next round.  Sorry God didn’t bless you with curves, honey.  Bye bye.

SUMMARY OF THE PAST YEAR ON MY COMPUTER !

I must send my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rat poop in the glue on envelopes because I now use a wet towel on every envelope that needs sealing.

Also, now I scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa’s novena has granted my every wish.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

I no longer drink Coca Cola because I’ve learned that it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer buy gasoline without taking a friend along to watch the car so a serial killer won’t crawl in my back seat when I’m pumping gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put ‘Under God’ on their cans.

I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

I know that I can’t boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face…disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones or allow my children to play in ball pits because one one of us could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don’t support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica , Uganda , Singapore , and Uzbekistan.

I no longer have any sneakers — but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike.

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus or Mrs. Fields since I now have their recipe.

I know I can’t use anyone’s toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my hiney.

And thanks to the great advice, I will never pick up $5.00 I dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I know if you don’t send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur be cause it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor’s ex-mother-in-law’s second husband’s cousin’s beautician.

If you don’t believe me, just go check it out on Snopes.

Have a wonderful day….

If it’s going to be an extreme makeover, it’s going to take a looooong time.

But this week, we started what we hope will become an extreme makeover of our landscape. With our decision to have me stay home another year, our financial outlook is quite different from what we had expected it would be and so the long-term projects have become even longer-term. And the different phases of the projects have been broken down into sub-phases to make them more financially manageable.

A year ago, we began our landscape dream with a single tree. A single 1″ caliper, 10-gallon tree. And for the next year, that’s where the dream sat. Under the measly shade of that one pitiful little tree.

Now, a year later, we not only have a shiny new landscape plan (shiny because it’s laminated), but we have a patio plan, and a shade structure plan! This week our plans finally broke ground as we had the first phase of our patio poured. Despite a spring thunderstorm “event” on Thursday evening, our patio seems to have survived intact. Hopefully we’ll be able to get approval from the developer for the shade structure and have that built so we can enjoy our patio some this summer.

The Heard Museum nature conservatory near our house has been hosting their annual native plants sale all week, so I went yesterday to check out their bogo deals. While most of their small pots were picked-over, I did manage to find some trees that were on our plan, so I picked up 6 for $90. Four are Eastern Red Cedars and two are Possumhaws, which we will plant in our front yard and thus initiate the grand landscape plan for the front yard.

Pictures will be forthcoming, but for now, I gotta go do me some planting!

It’s a one-word answer quiz!

Not easy for a verbose person like me. But I’m up to a challenge. Besides, it’s Friday morning and it’s just too early for lots of words.

1. Where is your cell phone? purse

2. Your significant other? work

3. Your hair? bedhead

4. Your mother? alive

5. Your father? missed

6. Your favorite thing? chocolate

7. Your dream last night? vivid

8. Your favorite drink? carbonated

9. Your dream/goal? decorating

10. The room you’re in? studio

11. Your hobby? scrapbooking

12. Your fear? disaster

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here

14. Where were you last night? bed

15. What you’re not? abrasive!!!!

16. Muffins? Blueberry

17. One of your wish list items? landscaping

18. Where you grew up? Miami

19. The last thing you did? devotions

20. What are you wearing? Pj’s

21. Your TV? Diego

22. Your pets? geriatric

23. Your computer? dusty

24. Your life? content

25. Your mood? optimistic

26. Missing someone? always

27. Your car? Pe-paw

28. Something you’re not wearing? shoes

29. Favorite store? Target

30. Your summer? HOT

31. Like someone? hmmm…..

32. Your favorite color? rainbow

32. When is the last time you laughed? now

34. Last time you cried? yesterday?

35. Who will most likely comment? Matt

It was a night of contradictions. Obviously the producers don’t listen to the judges. For seven seasons, we’ve had it beaten through our heads by our three favorite Coke-cup wielding music-industry experts that there are certain undeniable, indisputable, irrefutable, unwritten “rules” regarding creating a performance that will WOW the masses:

1) be unique, yet true to yourself

2) take a risk, but don’t mess with the classics, dude (a la Ace Young trying to redo “We Will Rock You” on Queen week a few years back, or Chris Sligh remaking “Endless Love” to sound like Coldplay)

3) stay away from Mariah and Whitney songs…all they do is open you up for comparison.

So what do we have tonight? An entire show devoted to Mariah Carey songs. Ay ay ay. *shakes head*

The top performance of the night once again goes to:

He just knows how to make a song his own. He knows how to perform, how to get inside the song and really connect with the song and the audience. He continues to amaze me week after week.

Running a close second was…

His strength is song selection. He knows how to pick songs that really showcase his amazing voice. My problem with him is that I’ve only seen one side to him - that soft, sentimental, crooner side. I want to see something young and hip and fun. He tried that once and it didn’t go over well. I think he needs to try again.

Our third place contestant is…

I hate to admit it, but she’s hit her stride at just the right time. It wasn’t a GREAT performance, but it was solid, and I think it was good enough to get her through to next week. By picking a less-familiar song, she was able to avoid comparisons and take greater liberties than she would have been able to had she done something more well-known.

Bringing up the last of our “safe” performers is…

Once again, Jason delivered enough to keep him out of the bottom 3. I liked what he tried to do with the arrangement, but I would have liked to see him do more with the whole Spanish flair and rhythm. I think it could have been more dynamic, but he’s another one who has peaked at the right time.

And now, for our bottom 3:

As much as I love Brooke & Carly, they faltered this week. I actually enjoyed Carly’s performance, but the judges have been absolutely merciless with her all season long. I fear their opinions will sway greatly the court of public opinion. Brooke, for the first time all season, showed her nerves - and her performance was not the stellar job we have come to expect of her. Syesha did well, but it wasn’t amazing, and I think her time has come. I’d like to predict Syesha is the one to go - and frankly she deserves to go more than Carly or Brooke - but based on last week I’m going to have to go with Carly.

Yeah, like the professionals wear non-skimpy costumes.

I’ll make it quick. Not haiku-quick, mind you. That would actually take more time.

Last night: Rumba. Samba.

Good:

Meh:

In danger:

I fear Priscilla will be leaving us tonight.