I just read a really heartbreaking and upsetting article this morning. It presented the findings of a report recently published by the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor, and Economic Growth (DELEG). Apparently, 1 in 3 Michiganders - that's 1.7 million people - "cannot read well enough to be hired for a job that will support a family. More than 40% of those potential workers, all who read below a sixth-grade level, also lack a high school diploma."
It goes on to provide the example of Greenville. A refrigerator plant closed down, putting 2,700 people out of work. However, a solar energy factory came in, creating an opportunity to put these people back to work. Unfortunately, most of them weren't able to because they didn't have a reading level high enough to take one class at the community college that was required for employment - the class taught the new technology this company was bringing to business.
You can read the article for yourself.
So basically, the problem isn't JUST that there aren't enough jobs available in Michigan, the problem is finding someone with higher than a 6th grade reading level to fill the vacancies. I know this sounds bad but reading this makes me even MORE tired of the complaining when part of the problem for some folks is just that they can't read. When you're a kid, granted, it is the responsibility of the teachers and your parents to ensure you are equipped with those basic skills. However, once you become an adult, if you weren't blessed enough to have good teachers or parents who cared enough, you gotta' now step up. You're now old enough to recognize that there's a problem and only YOU can take the steps to remedy the situation. So, these people didn't/wouldn't get themselves more prepared and now it's someone else's fault that they can't get a job? Ugh. I know that sounded much harsher than I actually wrote it to be. Please understand - Michigan has lost THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of jobs. Our unemployment rate is more than 15%! And most of these lost jobs are gone for good. And it isn't pretty. I'm extremely sympathetic because Mark and I have seen some of our best friends get laid off for reasons only due to the economy. Mark's company has had to lay some people off so he's seen it first-hand. As a state employee, I am required to take 6 furlough days that began on June 19 through the end of this fiscal year (September 30)...and it's VERY likely that there will be a lot more of those in the next fiscal year, even as much as one per pay period. And Mark and I feel so blessed that we can still pay our bills and keep our home and have healthcare benefits.
But there are still some places that are hiring. Unfortunately, a lot of these available jobs are things people don't want to do, like convenience stores and fast food place. And now, according to this article, there may actually be a few more jobs available than we realized but people aren't smart enough (i.e. being able to read...)
And don't get me wrong, I realize that illiteracy is a huge problem nationwide, but the problems addressed in this article have a lot to do with the age of manufacturing here in Michigan, when people either dropped out of high school or just got passed carelessly up the ranks to graduate high school so they could go to the factories and work. Seems to me that education should have always been a priority, if for no other reason than to have a sense of pride and feel good about yourself.
Ugh. And fortunately, I received an EXCELLENT education and also was blessed enough to have parents who engaged with me, having me read to them and going over my homework assignments to ensure I was hanging on, so I'm smart enough to know what's going to happen next...I'm going to have to give more of my tax dollars towards new programs that the state will HAVE to put into place to get these people educated and up to par. Is this perplexing to anyone else when we're already paying money towards the state education system (that we don't even have children in yet) and now we'll have to pay more to educate those who didn't get educated the FIRST time????
And this report was just put out, so this is not COMPLETELY to blame on the manufacturing mentality. This is also poor school systems, horrible teachers, kids out of control because of no parent involvement...that's what is truly heartbreaking about it all.
Just disturbing...and extremely sad.
As always, thank you for indulging me....
Your Favorite Princess and Mine....*me*
Friday, July 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Crazy Wonderful Stuff I've Found on the WWW
(Brace Yourself. You're about to have a moment: Close your eyes and hear the trumpets blaring announcing her arrival. The Princess enters. Wild, Uncontrollable APPLAUSE!!) *sigh* Hey, back off! A girl can dream.
I have come across some (in my gracious and quite important opinion) cool/fun/helpful websites out there lately and as my arsenal of resources keeps expanding, I thought I should start sharing. You may already know about some of these, but maybe not. So here they are, in no particular order: (ahem)
Spendji: This is a GREAT resource for completing a project that involves several people. It allows you to create task lists, budgets, etc. and because it’s web-based, everyone involved with the project (as long as they have an email address and internet access) can pow wow together without having to have/purchase special software.
Spendji: This is a GREAT resource for completing a project that involves several people. It allows you to create task lists, budgets, etc. and because it’s web-based, everyone involved with the project (as long as they have an email address and internet access) can pow wow together without having to have/purchase special software. 
Scrapblog: This is a free service that let’s you capture memories online - and not just scrapbooks, but also holiday cards and such. How COOL is that? For any of you scrappers out there who 1) hate all of the trimmings and other leftover trash you are blessed with when scrapbooking and/or 2) every photo you have in your possession is in electronic format and to print them all out to put in a scrapbook would cost a fortune, this is a perfect alternative. Click here to peruse the site's FAQs. Here's some 411:- You can either use one of their preset themes (there are a TON to choose from - most are free, but some do charge a small fee), or if those creative juices are pumpin', you can be brave and start completely from scratch (which is completely free).
- It's completely user-friendly, utilizing the 'drag and drop' method for building your pages.
- Share How You Want: People can follow your scrapblogs just like any other blog; Embed it into your own blog; Email a link to people, Have it printed.
- To print it, you submit a printing order to the company. Choose a hard or soft cover keepsake book, postcard, or holiday cards. Voila'! It's shipped where you choose - Definitely check it out!
Food Tidings: This online tool is GREAT for coordinating meal service for someone in need, whether it’s helping out someone who’s sick or has lost a loved one. You are able to organize everything right on this site and, just like Spendji, as long as they have an email address and internet access, everyone involved can access the group’s site. You can create the entire food schedule here. This would definitely come in handy for local assistance and bereavement groups, including churches.
Trip It: Ok, this is one of my faves and it even has an app for the iphone so you can use it anywhere. It's a trip planner - no big deal, right? All of the travel sites have them - Expedia, Cheap Tickets, blah blah blah...BUT, you can only use those if you make your travel plans using THEIR service. This is wayyyy cooler. You can keep all of your trips organized here and can share trips with people you designate. And here's the coolest part - after you make a reservation for something (airfare, car rental, whatever) and you receive the email confirmation from wherever you just made a reservation that shows your itinerary, you forward that itinerary email to plans@tripit.com and it automatically pulls the information from that itinerary and lays it out in their format. So, I just bought plane tickets. I forwarded the email and *poof* there's my flight itinerary. Then, I rented a car. *Poof* Inserted appropriately within the flight itinerary are the details about picking up/dropping off my car. NICE...very handy. Finally, it gives the weather for all of the days of your trip to wherever you're going to be. And you can edit this to coordinate with your trip - taking a road trip that will have you in a different city every day? You can input a different city for each day and it will lay out the weather predictions for those days.
OK Moments: If you aren't from Oklahoma or don't have any interest in Oklahoma, then you can stop reading. If you're still reading, then you should definitely go to this site and sign up for 'Your Daily Insights into the Oklahoma Spirit' - Once you subscribe, you will begin to receive a daily 'OK Moments' email with a link to a little video clip (I really mean little...like, one minute or less) about something neat/cool/interesting about Oklahoma - inventions, people, events...it's cool. The video is different every day. So far, I've learned about the shopping cart and the parking meter being invented in Oklahoma, the USS Oklahoma Battleship, Will Rogers, and on and on. You definitely want to check it out! In fact, TODAY'S clip is about Sam Bradford and Blake Griffin - two very cool, very talented dudes who have made Oklahoma proud. (And the site archives the videos so you can flip through past clips and see what you've missed!)99 Things on the Internet: Pretty self-explanatory. "Greg Rutter's Definitive List of the 99 Things You Should Have Already Experienced on the Internet Unless You're a Loser or Old or Something" Click on them one by one and see for yourself - some you've seen, possibly some you haven't. Some are fun(ny), some aren't. But these are deemed the 'classic hits of the internet'. Time Magazine even did an article about this list. Don't miss out -
Mozy: This is probably more for you techies out there. This is a secure, online backup storage system for your computer files. You can get 2 gb of storage space for FREE. If that's not enough room, you can get unlimited storage space for $4.95/month. It's completely secure and because it's web-based, you can't lose it if something happens like a fire or something that would normally wipe out your computer AND the back-up stored ever so safely in a file cabinet somewhere in the vicinity. 
Thursday, May 21, 2009
My Reality TV Hangover...
Oy. I'm hung over. But not just any hung over. REALITY TV hung over. No, I don't have the typical issues associated with the usual hangover but what I DO have is an extreme case of tired, mixed with occasional 'YAHOO!' while pumping my fists in the air and jumping up and down, and once in a while, a total recap in detail of the historical significance of the results shows.
First, Dancing with the Stars. This is the first season I've ever watched this show and I LOVED it. I sit there, swaying majestically to whatever music they are using to perform the 'Haitian Love Conga' or whatever, all the while imagining that it's actually ME being swung around, levitating above the ground with the utmost of grace...heck, just imagining ANYONE being able to pick me up, with or without background music, is a common pasttime...*sigh*
First, Dancing with the Stars. This is the first season I've ever watched this show and I LOVED it. I sit there, swaying majestically to whatever music they are using to perform the 'Haitian Love Conga' or whatever, all the while imagining that it's actually ME being swung around, levitating above the ground with the utmost of grace...heck, just imagining ANYONE being able to pick me up, with or without background music, is a common pasttime...*sigh*
I have specifically been watching because of Shaun Johnson. I think she's adorable. And she continued to be adorable on the show! And I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that she's a member of the 'Thick and Proud' club - she's adorable, she's sexy, she's comfortable in her own skin, and she's several pounds shy of being anywhere NEAR considered 'petite'...She is the ideal role model for young girls. Why can't teenage girls look up to someone like her? And I also thought it fun to see if I could spot any clues besides my own musings that she and her professional dance partner, Mark, are sweet on each other. Oh, don't worry, I KNOW they are - I was just hoping to catch 'em in the act!
With each week, the world and the media continued to feel more and more certain that Cheryl and Gilles were a SURE THING to win the competition. Even standing there on that finale night, you could see it in Shaun and Mark's face that they were ready to be second place. What was more adorable than anything was seeing their faces when THEY won! They were so taken back - and there I sat on the couch, three little weiners snuggled up around me and when they announced Shaun and Mark's names, I let out a whoop that I'm sure the neighbors heard, startled the weiners, and Norman even started trying to chew at me, certain I was an intruder who had interrupted their slumber. It was awesome!
That was Tuesday night.
Tuesday night was also the last performance night for American Idol.
Now, if you've been around me even for a minute or two, you are well aware that I do not like Adam. I am intolerant of his high-pitched warbling, and even more put off by the obvio
us bias displayed by the judges, then the media, then the rest of the world. People think I'm horrible, offensive even, because I don't have Adam's text line number to vote locked in my speed dial. Uh, no. Eww. Is it because he looks like the Tin Man??? Or Edward Scissorhands??? Nope. It's because he warbles..and it hurts my ears...and he's not very smart. He insists on being 'gender neutral'. Really?? Do you think that's necessary when there are photos all over the internet of you making out with men? Do you REALLY think the world NEEDS you to confirm or deny your sexual orientation because it's that big of a mystery? Get over yourself - quit swapping out gender specific terms like he, she, and me for less gender specific ones like it, us, you, we, baby...blah blah blah. I guess I could understand hiding it if it really was that unknown to the world but in order to successfully keep something secret, you should probably make sure all of the photos and youtube videos have been completely removed from the internet. Otherwise, you will be as successful as, say, Kris trying to stay 'relationship neutral' in order to hold on to more female fans while still wearing his shiny wedding band. Hmmm, not a very well-kept secret.But I digress...
So, just like with Dancing with the Stars, the media and the people went on and on and on about how Adam was a SURE THING...even Simon Cowell verbalized this message and he NEVER does that. And then the finale...let's see now, the ways it could have been the PERFECT finale...
- No horrible duet with Queen Latifah and what's her name.
- Steve Martin's banjo band WITHOUT Megan Joy...(it's the biggest night of the season-couldn't she have had the decency to at least LEARN THE WORDS??)
- Some kind of something for Matt Giraud. (Hello?? People who got booted BEFORE Matt did got to do a duet with a celebrity, but he didn't. What in the world is up with that?)
- Less glorification of Adam Lambert prior to the announcement in a generalized anticipation/assumption that he would be the winner.
What I LOVED were the American Idol Awards. First, I think Norman Gentle is the coolest thing since powdered donuts. He's hysterical and last night proved no different.
And then BIKINI GIRL - LOL! Once again, Kara showed her up which is just perfect. She and her new twins needed to decline the opportunity to sing. Yes Bikini Girl, it WAS as bad as they said it was. Oy.
So, two hours later (that's 120 minutes of all kinds of crazy), they make the less than one minute announcement of the winner. (Note: It's shows like this that remind me why I LOVE my DVR!) KRIS ALLEN!!!!! The world stood staring at their televisions with their tongues hanging out of their mouths while I, once again sitting on the couch with three weiners snuggled around me (do you see a theme here?), nearly came out of my shorts in a dance of jubilee!!! I was so happy. Not just for the obvious reasons, but like with Shaun, Kris always was who he was and was comfortable with that. He never tried to be something else in an attempt to sway America. He just was. And THAT is why America fell in love with him - he didn't need platform boots or metal cage-like angel wings strapped on to feel 100 feet tall~
What a week - and I couldn't be prouder of the winners that came out of this week.
Someone told me that now that these two shows are over I can start watching 'So You Think You Can Dance'. No, not so much - I don't think I have the strength.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Well Done, Chase!
Well, I must once again take time to rave about a good thing done by a ‘Corporate Giant’. Chase Bank/Credit Cards…whatever – For our purposes here today, we’ll just call them ‘Chase’. Now, before I start, let me say I know some of you reading this don’t have a good opinion of Chase – I’ve heard plenty of bad about them, in fact. But in spite of that, I think it’s important, maybe even more important for you skeptics, to see that they did a good thing…So the story begins –
Mark and I have a Sony Rewards credit card. It doesn’t have a huge limit on it, which is fine for us – Mark uses it when he travels, I use it to purchase Mary Kay…things like that. And we are great cardholders – always paying way more than the minimum and always on time. So one night, I sit down to use the card to pay for a Mary Kay order and it got declined. I knew something was up because this card doesn’t get maxed out. We don’t use it like that.
I start looking at my account online and notice that in the ‘Available Balance’ spot, there is $0.00. WHAT??? So I keep digging and finally realize that my payment scheduled for April actually went through early, missing the line by 2 days, and got applied as a second payment in March. SO, April not only showed no payment but also a $39 late fee.
I immediately got on the phone to talk to customer service. I explained the situation to the gentleman who was so fortunate to take my call – You would be so proud of me, I maintained the nicest tone of voice for the duration of the call…sometimes at varying volumes, but always a pleasant tone – But I digress. He told me there was nothing he could do about it. I asked him why since he could plainly see by looking at our account that we were excellent customers. He continued by saying that with ‘the way things are now’ they just can’t refund those fees. ‘They used to do it all the time’ but now they don’t unless they determine that it’s something they can do. I asked what criteria they used to determine they couldn’t do it on my account??? “It wasn’t our error.”
No he din’t. So, with my much louder pleasant tone, I pointed out to him that my husband and I and the millions like us who pay our bills, live within our means, and make the necessary sacrifices to always be responsible for our commitments, WERE NOT the reason the country is in the sad state it’s in, ‘you realize that, right???’ I think the poor guy thought I was about to make him get down on his knees, confess his sins, and walk him down the Romans Road to proclaim his love for Jesus right there in his little customer service cubicle, headphones and all… “Get down on your knees right now. GET DOWN now! Do you love Jesus? DO YOU? CONFESS YOUR SINS, you ungrateful sinner. CONFESS!”
So, showing me the love of Jesus, he offers to let me speak with a Supervisor. I obviously accept. Surprise! Voicemail. Double Surprise!! The dude/dudette didn’t call me back. SO, you’ll never guess what I did next. (yeah, right) I sat my butt down, googled and googled until I located the email address for Mr. Dimond, Chairman and CEO at Chase Bank (and in the process, also found the email address for the CEO of Credit Cards at Chase – heck, why not? Put his address on there too!), and proceeded to share my story with the head of Chase.
Would you believe it? Two days later, the assistant from Mr. Dimond’s office calls me back on my cell phone to discuss. She not only refunded the late fee, she also explained that after another billing cycle, the late payment would cause my interest rate to go up to 29%! I nearly swallowed my tongue. But she put a reminder on her calendar for the week following the run of the next billing cycle to go back and check and if the interest rate had gone up, she will not only take it back down to what we currently have but will also refund any additional interest and fees we paid because of the increase.
Holy Ravioli!!! So, as I’ve said so many times before, I am a huge proponent of complaining to the company because I’m also a huge proponent of complimenting them. I have complained and now I’m complimenting – it’s all in finding the balance in life.
In these extremely hard times we’re in that are only going to get harder before they get…um, softer…it’s important to find some way to keep an eye on the positive, and more importantly, the ability to turn something that wouldn’t normally be positive into a positive…Positive is relative.
Love, Kisses, Hugs, and Misses~
Princess Positivity
Mark and I have a Sony Rewards credit card. It doesn’t have a huge limit on it, which is fine for us – Mark uses it when he travels, I use it to purchase Mary Kay…things like that. And we are great cardholders – always paying way more than the minimum and always on time. So one night, I sit down to use the card to pay for a Mary Kay order and it got declined. I knew something was up because this card doesn’t get maxed out. We don’t use it like that.
I start looking at my account online and notice that in the ‘Available Balance’ spot, there is $0.00. WHAT??? So I keep digging and finally realize that my payment scheduled for April actually went through early, missing the line by 2 days, and got applied as a second payment in March. SO, April not only showed no payment but also a $39 late fee.
I immediately got on the phone to talk to customer service. I explained the situation to the gentleman who was so fortunate to take my call – You would be so proud of me, I maintained the nicest tone of voice for the duration of the call…sometimes at varying volumes, but always a pleasant tone – But I digress. He told me there was nothing he could do about it. I asked him why since he could plainly see by looking at our account that we were excellent customers. He continued by saying that with ‘the way things are now’ they just can’t refund those fees. ‘They used to do it all the time’ but now they don’t unless they determine that it’s something they can do. I asked what criteria they used to determine they couldn’t do it on my account??? “It wasn’t our error.”
No he din’t. So, with my much louder pleasant tone, I pointed out to him that my husband and I and the millions like us who pay our bills, live within our means, and make the necessary sacrifices to always be responsible for our commitments, WERE NOT the reason the country is in the sad state it’s in, ‘you realize that, right???’ I think the poor guy thought I was about to make him get down on his knees, confess his sins, and walk him down the Romans Road to proclaim his love for Jesus right there in his little customer service cubicle, headphones and all… “Get down on your knees right now. GET DOWN now! Do you love Jesus? DO YOU? CONFESS YOUR SINS, you ungrateful sinner. CONFESS!”
So, showing me the love of Jesus, he offers to let me speak with a Supervisor. I obviously accept. Surprise! Voicemail. Double Surprise!! The dude/dudette didn’t call me back. SO, you’ll never guess what I did next. (yeah, right) I sat my butt down, googled and googled until I located the email address for Mr. Dimond, Chairman and CEO at Chase Bank (and in the process, also found the email address for the CEO of Credit Cards at Chase – heck, why not? Put his address on there too!), and proceeded to share my story with the head of Chase.
Would you believe it? Two days later, the assistant from Mr. Dimond’s office calls me back on my cell phone to discuss. She not only refunded the late fee, she also explained that after another billing cycle, the late payment would cause my interest rate to go up to 29%! I nearly swallowed my tongue. But she put a reminder on her calendar for the week following the run of the next billing cycle to go back and check and if the interest rate had gone up, she will not only take it back down to what we currently have but will also refund any additional interest and fees we paid because of the increase.
Holy Ravioli!!! So, as I’ve said so many times before, I am a huge proponent of complaining to the company because I’m also a huge proponent of complimenting them. I have complained and now I’m complimenting – it’s all in finding the balance in life.
In these extremely hard times we’re in that are only going to get harder before they get…um, softer…it’s important to find some way to keep an eye on the positive, and more importantly, the ability to turn something that wouldn’t normally be positive into a positive…Positive is relative.
Love, Kisses, Hugs, and Misses~
Princess Positivity
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Marley's Home!!!
In an earlier blog, I wrote about the stray dog that befriended us for a weekend. Needless to say, over the past two months I have been checking the humane society's website regularly in hopes that I wouldn't still see his smiling face on the 'dogs available for adoption' site...but over and over I was disappointed. But not anymore!
This past Thursday, Linda, my friend who works at the humane society, called and left me a voicemail: "Rhonda, I was just looking in Kipper's (that's the name they gave him) file and it was two months ago today that you brought him in....and he just walked out with his new family!" My heart just started dancing! And he had become quite the little star since we first took him there. He was selected to be one of the two dogs they featured on a segment of the local news promoting rescue animals. Anyway, the teenage daughter of the family had come in the week prior and looked at Kipper. Then this past week, she came back because he had wormed his way right into their hearts just like he had with me and Mark! He's sneaky like that! :0)
So that's my really good news to the world today - another pet has been rescued from a shelter and now has a forever home with a family that will love him forever! Yahoo!!
Love, Peace, and Paw Prints...
The Princess
This past Thursday, Linda, my friend who works at the humane society, called and left me a voicemail: "Rhonda, I was just looking in Kipper's (that's the name they gave him) file and it was two months ago today that you brought him in....and he just walked out with his new family!" My heart just started dancing! And he had become quite the little star since we first took him there. He was selected to be one of the two dogs they featured on a segment of the local news promoting rescue animals. Anyway, the teenage daughter of the family had come in the week prior and looked at Kipper. Then this past week, she came back because he had wormed his way right into their hearts just like he had with me and Mark! He's sneaky like that! :0)
So that's my really good news to the world today - another pet has been rescued from a shelter and now has a forever home with a family that will love him forever! Yahoo!!
Love, Peace, and Paw Prints...
The Princess
Thursday, March 19, 2009
AI: Cheers and Jeers - Week 2
Alright..I know you've all been waiting patiently, longing for my thoughts about this week's Idol happenings...so here we go... (and forgive me for not remembering names - that's not my strong point. Don't worry - I'm GREAT at describing so you'll know who I'm talking about).
Let's start with the bad stuff. I'm torn about Alexis getting ye olde boot in the booty. I mean, the girl is great. I remember her in the first batch of 12 - she was the only one that we knew for sure would be going into the top 12. She was 'DOPE'. So why in THE WORLD did she pick a sacred tune? Why oh why did she take that sacred tune and drag it along like a broken toy on a string? Jolene should only be sung at one tempo and by only one specific bleach blonde...*sigh* And then, to make the situation worse, the judges tell her that they will consider saving her based on her 'Goodbye' performance...no fair! Having to sing that song, she was doomed before she even opened her mouth...and then she opened her mouth...and it was WORSE than the night before! Alexis, Alexis, Alexis...or Allison, as Randy liked to call her. (How embarassing was THAT??)
And since we're talking about the bottom, I absolutely believe Michael should have been standing there with her. IN FACT, I could have sworn he would go home last night because technically, she's better than him. She just picked a horrible song to sing which helped him stick around for another week. But I think we all know that there are key people who were not absolutely going home until they had made it into the top 10 in order to keep the group diverse as possible...the blind guy with the sweet precious demeanor, the rocker chick, the country singer, the girl with the flu...
Speaking of the girl with the flu...
Megan Joy - Can you say ewwww? I still like the quirky sound of her voice but I gotta' ask - was it just me or did her dress give a whole new meaning to 'lift and separate'? I mean, she was so lifted and separated that it looked like she was flat chested so the stage people put an orange on each side to spice things up. I just watched in horror and kept thinking to myself...please stop moving. STAND STILL. Ick. Big time ick. And flu or no flu, she's a weak one. She could go at any time.
Speaking of going at anytime, Lil Rounds. She's still bad in my opinion. Don't get me wrong. I KNOW she can blow. But last night, she BLEW in a bad bad way. And does anyone else have a hard time listening to her talk? I know it's a singing competition, but they should really shy away from lengthy interviews with the ones who's speaking skills are just a step better than nails on a chalkboard (ok, admit it - when you read that, you shivered, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU? I did. Ooooh - do it again. MuFASAH! Ooooh...but I digress) She will be going home soon too if she doesn't get some Mary J. pumpin' pretty darn quickly.
And then that will leave us with just one girl....Allison (I think that's her name...the redhead) She's just great. She's a rocker chick of the truest kind...she really has such a nice raspy edginess to her voice that's very easy to listen to. She is similar to Kelly Clarkson, I think. I could see her going very very far into the competition, but I can promise you - no girl is gonna' win this competition. Not with the kind of musical boy wonder deliciousness competing against them this year! Where oh where do I start...
Oh wait, before I get to the good stuff, there's something I gotta' say - Was it just me or did anyone else feel dirty after Adam's performance of 'Ring of Fire'? I couldn't decide if it was the American Idol version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show or if I had just worshipped satan. In the words of my friend, Muriel -I felt like I needed to bathe in holy water after he got done. Thoughts? The fire video effects didn't help it all... He just creeps me beyond belief and I gotta' tell you I think he thinks quite a bit of himself. Did you see sweet Randy Travis' face after he sang it??? LOL! Bless his heart, he just couldn't find ANYTHING nice to say, so he just laughed ackwardly as he looked away. Poor Randy-Don't worry, all of us watching at home did the very same thing.
So, now that the trash is taken out, on to the ear candy...
Anoop..shoop, a doop, shoop a...oh please, you know you've thought it before. I just happen to be the one who verbalizes what everyone else is thinking...Yes, he did a phenomenal job. And you could tell that Simon saying that he wished they hadn't made it a top 13 by keeping Anoop knocked the little guy down a few notches, which he definitely needed. But then, all it took was one good performance night and he's back up in his wherever he hangs out...Arrogance Land or wherever...Cockyville...I'm Too Sexy Township...wherever. I just don't like him. I don't. Not in the same way I don't like Adam, but once you're in the "Rhonda doesn't like me" boat, there are no subcategories to divide the boat up.
Kris (or Chris)...he sang Garth Brooks' 'To Make You Feel My Love'....no worries Chris, IIII felt it. Yes sir. Whoa, lots of love. He just sang the sweetest, creamiest love song all night. I felt like he swept the love song category. He'll be around for weeks and I hope he does another song like that again! (Ooohh, do it ag...um, anyway)
Scott - I'm gonna' say it. I think someone on American Idol has been reading my blog because they tamed the wild beast. Scott's curly locks were a wee bit shorter this week and had just a touch of a tossled look to them which was a great look. I just felt like the bad hair drew attention to him as the 'blind guy'. The tamer mane allowed his attention to be more 'just like everyone else'. He's got a lot of talent - no, his voice isn't near as strong as the others, but there's something to be said for someone who has to learn his words strictly by listening and memorizing AND learning the notes on the piano AND putting it all together while playing the RIGHT NOTES because he can't ever look down at his hands to make sure they're in the right place. And then he can sing to boot. I thought he blew that Martina McBride song out of the water. He's a musician by all accounts. What a gifted person!
Danny is just amazing. I mean, he seriously is. And I love his moments where he's power-ballading and he sounds like Michael Bolton! He's just awesome...but let's talk about his fashion. He looked like the Crocodile Hunter...or Milton on the Lido deck...not sure, but the jacket was bad...he looked like all he was missing was a pipe and an ascot...and maybe a cocked eyebrow. But when he was singing, I almost didn't notice what he was wearing. That's how good he is.
and finally, Matt. *sigh* Is it because he's a local boy? Is it because he's buttercream icing on the competition cake? I don't know but he is my favorite. I just wish he had the huge selection of fun eyeglass frames like Danny G. and he would be set. Hmmmm...I don't know if he could pull that off though. Better just stick with his pipes and ticklin' those ivories.
Well, that's it for this week. Sorry if it's a little lacking, but today was my very first full day of my Florida Excursion and, well, let's just say I'm ready to cheer on those Sooners...crispified. Any of you Michiganders need a little warmin' up this week with that next round of snow, I'm an all-natural heat source right now. Just come cuddle up next to me. And it's just hard to think clearly and maintain my bounce and sparkle when I'm on fire. I am now going to go lay flat and take out anyone that even thinks about touching me. Muuuuwaaahaaahaaaaahaaaahaaaaaaaaa.
Later Idol Lovers~
Princess of Quite Crispy
Let's start with the bad stuff. I'm torn about Alexis getting ye olde boot in the booty. I mean, the girl is great. I remember her in the first batch of 12 - she was the only one that we knew for sure would be going into the top 12. She was 'DOPE'. So why in THE WORLD did she pick a sacred tune? Why oh why did she take that sacred tune and drag it along like a broken toy on a string? Jolene should only be sung at one tempo and by only one specific bleach blonde...*sigh* And then, to make the situation worse, the judges tell her that they will consider saving her based on her 'Goodbye' performance...no fair! Having to sing that song, she was doomed before she even opened her mouth...and then she opened her mouth...and it was WORSE than the night before! Alexis, Alexis, Alexis...or Allison, as Randy liked to call her. (How embarassing was THAT??)
And since we're talking about the bottom, I absolutely believe Michael should have been standing there with her. IN FACT, I could have sworn he would go home last night because technically, she's better than him. She just picked a horrible song to sing which helped him stick around for another week. But I think we all know that there are key people who were not absolutely going home until they had made it into the top 10 in order to keep the group diverse as possible...the blind guy with the sweet precious demeanor, the rocker chick, the country singer, the girl with the flu...
Speaking of the girl with the flu...
Megan Joy - Can you say ewwww? I still like the quirky sound of her voice but I gotta' ask - was it just me or did her dress give a whole new meaning to 'lift and separate'? I mean, she was so lifted and separated that it looked like she was flat chested so the stage people put an orange on each side to spice things up. I just watched in horror and kept thinking to myself...please stop moving. STAND STILL. Ick. Big time ick. And flu or no flu, she's a weak one. She could go at any time.
Speaking of going at anytime, Lil Rounds. She's still bad in my opinion. Don't get me wrong. I KNOW she can blow. But last night, she BLEW in a bad bad way. And does anyone else have a hard time listening to her talk? I know it's a singing competition, but they should really shy away from lengthy interviews with the ones who's speaking skills are just a step better than nails on a chalkboard (ok, admit it - when you read that, you shivered, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU? I did. Ooooh - do it again. MuFASAH! Ooooh...but I digress) She will be going home soon too if she doesn't get some Mary J. pumpin' pretty darn quickly.
And then that will leave us with just one girl....Allison (I think that's her name...the redhead) She's just great. She's a rocker chick of the truest kind...she really has such a nice raspy edginess to her voice that's very easy to listen to. She is similar to Kelly Clarkson, I think. I could see her going very very far into the competition, but I can promise you - no girl is gonna' win this competition. Not with the kind of musical boy wonder deliciousness competing against them this year! Where oh where do I start...
Oh wait, before I get to the good stuff, there's something I gotta' say - Was it just me or did anyone else feel dirty after Adam's performance of 'Ring of Fire'? I couldn't decide if it was the American Idol version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show or if I had just worshipped satan. In the words of my friend, Muriel -I felt like I needed to bathe in holy water after he got done. Thoughts? The fire video effects didn't help it all... He just creeps me beyond belief and I gotta' tell you I think he thinks quite a bit of himself. Did you see sweet Randy Travis' face after he sang it??? LOL! Bless his heart, he just couldn't find ANYTHING nice to say, so he just laughed ackwardly as he looked away. Poor Randy-Don't worry, all of us watching at home did the very same thing.
So, now that the trash is taken out, on to the ear candy...
Anoop..shoop, a doop, shoop a...oh please, you know you've thought it before. I just happen to be the one who verbalizes what everyone else is thinking...Yes, he did a phenomenal job. And you could tell that Simon saying that he wished they hadn't made it a top 13 by keeping Anoop knocked the little guy down a few notches, which he definitely needed. But then, all it took was one good performance night and he's back up in his wherever he hangs out...Arrogance Land or wherever...Cockyville...I'm Too Sexy Township...wherever. I just don't like him. I don't. Not in the same way I don't like Adam, but once you're in the "Rhonda doesn't like me" boat, there are no subcategories to divide the boat up.
Kris (or Chris)...he sang Garth Brooks' 'To Make You Feel My Love'....no worries Chris, IIII felt it. Yes sir. Whoa, lots of love. He just sang the sweetest, creamiest love song all night. I felt like he swept the love song category. He'll be around for weeks and I hope he does another song like that again! (Ooohh, do it ag...um, anyway)
Scott - I'm gonna' say it. I think someone on American Idol has been reading my blog because they tamed the wild beast. Scott's curly locks were a wee bit shorter this week and had just a touch of a tossled look to them which was a great look. I just felt like the bad hair drew attention to him as the 'blind guy'. The tamer mane allowed his attention to be more 'just like everyone else'. He's got a lot of talent - no, his voice isn't near as strong as the others, but there's something to be said for someone who has to learn his words strictly by listening and memorizing AND learning the notes on the piano AND putting it all together while playing the RIGHT NOTES because he can't ever look down at his hands to make sure they're in the right place. And then he can sing to boot. I thought he blew that Martina McBride song out of the water. He's a musician by all accounts. What a gifted person!
Danny is just amazing. I mean, he seriously is. And I love his moments where he's power-ballading and he sounds like Michael Bolton! He's just awesome...but let's talk about his fashion. He looked like the Crocodile Hunter...or Milton on the Lido deck...not sure, but the jacket was bad...he looked like all he was missing was a pipe and an ascot...and maybe a cocked eyebrow. But when he was singing, I almost didn't notice what he was wearing. That's how good he is.
and finally, Matt. *sigh* Is it because he's a local boy? Is it because he's buttercream icing on the competition cake? I don't know but he is my favorite. I just wish he had the huge selection of fun eyeglass frames like Danny G. and he would be set. Hmmmm...I don't know if he could pull that off though. Better just stick with his pipes and ticklin' those ivories.
Well, that's it for this week. Sorry if it's a little lacking, but today was my very first full day of my Florida Excursion and, well, let's just say I'm ready to cheer on those Sooners...crispified. Any of you Michiganders need a little warmin' up this week with that next round of snow, I'm an all-natural heat source right now. Just come cuddle up next to me. And it's just hard to think clearly and maintain my bounce and sparkle when I'm on fire. I am now going to go lay flat and take out anyone that even thinks about touching me. Muuuuwaaahaaahaaaaahaaaahaaaaaaaaa.
Later Idol Lovers~
Princess of Quite Crispy
Thursday, March 12, 2009
American Idol: Cheers and Jeers
Well, American Idol is over for this week. I gotta' tell ya' that as far as the girls are concerned, I just don't think they have as much hoowah as the guys this year. The guys, on the other hand, are all that and a bag of bon bons. What they might lack in talent, they more than make up for by being endearing and/or having one heck of a story. They are a powerhouse.
But at week's end, I absolutely agree with Jasmine going home but wish that Jorge had stayed a little longer. I just think he's so sweet...I realize that is completely not the purpose of the competition, but he's so sweet with a pretty good voice.
The girls can be summed up pretty easily...Lil Rounds is the next to go. She's the weakest of the three link chain. Alexis and Allison, on the other hand, make me want to go out and die my hair vibrant red...or at least a big stripe...just to pay homage to two rockin' chicks with pipes to die for. They are MEGA talented and I can't wait to see how far they go. Megan doesn't have NEAR the vocal ability of the other two, but there is something very unique and easy to listen to about her voice. But Rockin' Robin? Are you serious? Just because it was a Michael Jackson tune doesn't mean you should sing it. It's like the color yellow - just because it's been proven to make people happier, doesn't mean it is a color meant to be worn by people of any complexion... no no - yellow is best left to lemons, bananas, and the occasional VW Beetle. Nothing more. And Rockin' Robin should be left in the Wurlitzer where a quarter can order up a dose of nostalgia... and only those that can dance get up and do so.... ackward dancers, including Megan, should stay seated. But like I said, there's something I like about her voice - for her, it's all going to be about song choice.
I REALLY wish Anoop had gone home this week. I think he's waaayyyy too arrogant for the product he's serving up each week. And what is up with that 'power look' he throws out there at the end of every one of his songs...it's sort of 'I'll Be Back' meets 'Ralph Lauren Underwear Ad'...it's just not working for me. Someone should tell him he's not that good. Besides, who in their RIGHT MIND, would touch a sacred tune like 'Beat It'??? I don't care if they salt and pepper it, poor ranch dressing on it and serve it to you on a silver platter. Dude, you do not bite out of that one! What he's missing in his vocals, well, he's missing in his brains too. He's definitely gonna' be next if he keeps that up.
MY Sweet Baboo for this season is, without a doubt, Matt from Kalamazoo. He's a dualing piano player in a bar in Kalamazoo and he has got the blues in every shade of every color. He is all over the place and it just melts my butter...hooowee, I'm getting goosies just writing about it. He's awesome and he's from Michigan, so he's got my vote.
My second favorite is definitely Danny. I love the fact that he's a Christian (Music Minister), PLUS he has a heartwarming (and breaking) story, PLUS he's got vocal ability like no one's bidness. He's a triple-threat. And what is up with all the different glasses? That is just too cool - most men with that large of a selection of any accessory would be considered of the man loves man persuasion...but not him. He totally pulls it off. Which pair he's going to wear each week is as exciting as what he's going to sing. He's just awesome!
And my #3 is Scott. I think it's amazing that he's blind and can play the piano like he does. Plus, I thought he ROCKED on 'Keep the Faith' this week. No, he doesn't have the strongest vocals and he needs to tell the hairdressers to tame the wild beast that is his head full of naturally curly locks...but he gets the 'sooo endearing and actually has some talent to go along with it' vote. I just love to see what he's going to do next - He has one thing on all the others....he doesn't have to 'perform passion'. It just oozes out of him which makes quite a beautiful thing to watch. Yea him!
Michael and Kris - well, hmmm....ok, good luck to them, I guess. Nothing special except that Michael is a 'Rufnek' which happens to be what the student 'spirit squad' at Oklahoma University is called...so that's kind of cool. But that's it with them for me.
And finally, Adam. He just freaks me out. I think it's odd that he wears power eyeliner and just coincidentally sings like a girl too. Don't get me wrong, he's extremely talented. Extremely. He's great. But his freaky deaky outweighs his talent for me. I mean, if I can't even watch him because I'm too creeped out, who cares how great he is, right? Things that make you go....icky.
Well, that's it...Norman is calling for me so I better call it quits for today.
Thanks for indulging me. I'm off to polish my tiara -
*Sparkle*
But at week's end, I absolutely agree with Jasmine going home but wish that Jorge had stayed a little longer. I just think he's so sweet...I realize that is completely not the purpose of the competition, but he's so sweet with a pretty good voice.
The girls can be summed up pretty easily...Lil Rounds is the next to go. She's the weakest of the three link chain. Alexis and Allison, on the other hand, make me want to go out and die my hair vibrant red...or at least a big stripe...just to pay homage to two rockin' chicks with pipes to die for. They are MEGA talented and I can't wait to see how far they go. Megan doesn't have NEAR the vocal ability of the other two, but there is something very unique and easy to listen to about her voice. But Rockin' Robin? Are you serious? Just because it was a Michael Jackson tune doesn't mean you should sing it. It's like the color yellow - just because it's been proven to make people happier, doesn't mean it is a color meant to be worn by people of any complexion... no no - yellow is best left to lemons, bananas, and the occasional VW Beetle. Nothing more. And Rockin' Robin should be left in the Wurlitzer where a quarter can order up a dose of nostalgia... and only those that can dance get up and do so.... ackward dancers, including Megan, should stay seated. But like I said, there's something I like about her voice - for her, it's all going to be about song choice.
I REALLY wish Anoop had gone home this week. I think he's waaayyyy too arrogant for the product he's serving up each week. And what is up with that 'power look' he throws out there at the end of every one of his songs...it's sort of 'I'll Be Back' meets 'Ralph Lauren Underwear Ad'...it's just not working for me. Someone should tell him he's not that good. Besides, who in their RIGHT MIND, would touch a sacred tune like 'Beat It'??? I don't care if they salt and pepper it, poor ranch dressing on it and serve it to you on a silver platter. Dude, you do not bite out of that one! What he's missing in his vocals, well, he's missing in his brains too. He's definitely gonna' be next if he keeps that up.
MY Sweet Baboo for this season is, without a doubt, Matt from Kalamazoo. He's a dualing piano player in a bar in Kalamazoo and he has got the blues in every shade of every color. He is all over the place and it just melts my butter...hooowee, I'm getting goosies just writing about it. He's awesome and he's from Michigan, so he's got my vote.
My second favorite is definitely Danny. I love the fact that he's a Christian (Music Minister), PLUS he has a heartwarming (and breaking) story, PLUS he's got vocal ability like no one's bidness. He's a triple-threat. And what is up with all the different glasses? That is just too cool - most men with that large of a selection of any accessory would be considered of the man loves man persuasion...but not him. He totally pulls it off. Which pair he's going to wear each week is as exciting as what he's going to sing. He's just awesome!
And my #3 is Scott. I think it's amazing that he's blind and can play the piano like he does. Plus, I thought he ROCKED on 'Keep the Faith' this week. No, he doesn't have the strongest vocals and he needs to tell the hairdressers to tame the wild beast that is his head full of naturally curly locks...but he gets the 'sooo endearing and actually has some talent to go along with it' vote. I just love to see what he's going to do next - He has one thing on all the others....he doesn't have to 'perform passion'. It just oozes out of him which makes quite a beautiful thing to watch. Yea him!
Michael and Kris - well, hmmm....ok, good luck to them, I guess. Nothing special except that Michael is a 'Rufnek' which happens to be what the student 'spirit squad' at Oklahoma University is called...so that's kind of cool. But that's it with them for me.
And finally, Adam. He just freaks me out. I think it's odd that he wears power eyeliner and just coincidentally sings like a girl too. Don't get me wrong, he's extremely talented. Extremely. He's great. But his freaky deaky outweighs his talent for me. I mean, if I can't even watch him because I'm too creeped out, who cares how great he is, right? Things that make you go....icky.
Well, that's it...Norman is calling for me so I better call it quits for today.
Thanks for indulging me. I'm off to polish my tiara -
*Sparkle*
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