Grandma's House

Thank you, thank you. I will continue to astound you all with my mental abilities next week onnnnnnnn Ammmmmmmerican Idol! Just kidding. I'm glad she's gone. Now, who shall we get rid of next?

Well, American Idol was interesting last night, wasn't it? I love, love, love Neil Diamond songs, and was surprised at some of the choices that were made. Baby Archuleta singing "America"? Sorry, that needed a much stronger voice, it's not a pop tune. Nobody sang "Brother Love" or "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"? I thought those were a shoe-in for selection. Anyway, the Cookster did another great job this week, Jason and Brooke were as thrilling as wallpaper paste, Syesha and Archie did all right. Seriously, both of Jason's songs sounded the same, and Brooke made I'm a Believer so dull you'd think she was an atheist. My choice to go home this week: Brooke. I'm tired of her.

I thought I'd throw this out here while I'm on the subject of American Idol: Back when there were 20 contestants, I made a list of them and where I thought they would finish. Here are the top 12 as chosen way back then:

1 David Cook
2 David Archuleta
3 David Hernandez 12th
4 Brooke White
5 Carly Smithson 6th
6 Jason Castro
7 Syesha Mercado
8 Kristy Lee Cook 7th
9 Michael Johns 8th
10 Amanda Overmyer 11th
11 Chikezie 10th
12 Ramiele Malubay 9th

Naturally, the second number is where they really finished. I'm pretty pleased I had them all in there, even though they aren't in the right order. I do think I've got the top two right, though. We'll see.

I really love this picture..I don't know why:



I got this from ihasahotdog.com if you wanted to check it out. I am going to try to post a doggie pic every so often for your entertainment. If there are any other requests, let me know. I have lots of pictures. Be nice.

I almost did it again! On April 25, 2004, I began this little walk down nature's trail, and what a weird trip it has been. Despite illness, adversity, and familial pressures that would kill a water buffalo, I'm still here. Be a doll, and order something from Amazon, okay? Get yourself something really nice, and pretend it's from me. After all, you don't have to visit here, and yet you do. I really appreciate it, and thank you wholeheartedly. Plus I get some bling when you order through the Amazon link on the right side of the page. Do it for your Grandma Deece, okay? Oh, one more thing...

HAPPY
BIRTHDAY
TO MEEEEE!!!!

We now return you to your regular blog-reading.

Here's the latest meme I've seen online (I got this from LawDog):

1. Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more.
2. Find page 123.
3. Find the first five sentences.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

Okay, here goes:

"Someone turned the earth upside down. The air had to move somewhere else to make room," Two Petals declared as she stared up at the great mound jutting into the sky atop the Cahokia bluff. The slanting sides of earth rose to a dizzying height, the building high atop the great mound looking small, the palisade like fuzz along the mound's lip.
From: People of the Weeping Eye, by W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear

That may sound a little strange, out of context like that, but this series of books about the First North Americans is the latest in a long line of fabulous books by the Gears. They have really done a lot of work in Indian archaeology and history, and each book is a delight to read. This one is about the Indians of the area around the headwaters of the Mississippi River. I'm planning to read it while on break between classes.

As far as tagging five people, I can't choose. Tag yourselves, please. I've got to get back to work. My final assignments are due in 24 hours, 4 minutes, and I've not finished them yet. See ya.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce you to the true definition of a coward. This 22-year-old punk not only goes to an event to harrass Mrs. Bush and her daughter Jenna, but when a man tells him to shut up and settle down, he hauls off and punches the man's daughter...who has cerebral palsy...and is confined to a wheelchair. I don't use "adult" language, but I've got to admit, quite a bit of it did come to mind.

Woo hoo! And we thought there wouldn't be anything more entertaining politically this year than the Democratic Convention. We were really wrong. Remember Cindy "the moonbat" Sheehan? She has decided to run against Nancy Pelosi! Watching those two fight it out could be a lot of fun. We better get two tubs of popcorn!

My visit with the radiologist was fairly uneventful, with one exception. The very kind radiologist looked just like Zack Braff from "Scrubs". Really. Wore his hair the same way, too.

I do have a rant, though. I live in a rural area. This internist, who just happened to be the only one in the region taking new Medicare/Medicaid patients, has scheduled me for not only the ultrasound on my liver, but also a mammogram and a bone density study. Normally I wouldn't have a problem with that, since I know they need to be done periodically. But if he thinks I'm going to drive into town (one plus hours each way) to three different buildings to have tests done that could all be done in one radiology department, he's nuts. I'm going to call my PCP on Monday and have her schedule the mammogram and bone density study in the nearer town (half hour each way), and just have them send the results to the internist. It's no wonder medicine costs so stinking much when you live in a rural setting.

I've gotta tell ya, I'm floored. I was lucky enough to watch American Idol last night (Mugley hates musicals, but he wanted to watch his Planet of the Apes movies, so we compromised), and I was pleasantly surprised. I thought it was going to be a laugh-fest, but it wasn't. There were some ugly moments though.

Jason Castro did not do a very good job on "Memory" from Cats, singing it as a young man instead of an old, near-death diva cat. Brooke White had to start over again for the second time this year, which is not endearing to me. And David Archuleta sang a song totally wrong for him. I was afraid, when I heard the theme was music from Andrew Lloyd Webber, that someone would attempt a song from Phantom of the Opera, my all-time favorite musical. I was right. Archie sang "Think of Me", a song meant for a full-voiced woman. I really feel for this kid. He's a good singer, but he keeps picking the wrong music.

There were some good performances, though. Syesha surprised me with her performance. I didn't know she had the spunk. Carly did a good job on the title song from Jesus Christ, Superstar, a play I never appreciated. (She should not, however, have pulled out that lame t-shirt after per performance. That didn't help her at all). The highlight of the night was, again, David Cook. When I heard he was going to sing "Music of the Night", a beautiful song, I thought to myself, how is he gonna pull this off? Wow! I cried, people. It wasn't as good as Michael Crawford, but few are. He was amazing.

RESULTS: Come on! You sent Carly home? That should have happened weeks ago. This week should have been either Jason or Brooke. Somebody wasn't listening last night. They just voted at nine o'clock without watching the show, except for the last few minutes to get the phone numbers. I won't miss her, but, Come On!!

I watched My Boy Jack on Masterpiece Theater tonight, and it was excellent! I had heard good things about the story of Rudyard Kipling's son John going off to fight in World War I, and frankly wanted to see how well Daniel Radcliffe could do as anyone besides Harry Potter. He was very good, as was Kim Catrall as his mother. She made me cry, when she was talking about never holding her boy again. Yes, I admit I cry at movies sometimes. I can do that; I'm a girl. Anyway, if you have a chance, see it for yourself. I can't picture how they performed it as a play, but the movie was just fine for me.

This video, sent to me by my brother-in-law Jim, just about floored me. Sit back and enjoy Greaser Babies!

A big congratulations goes out to Danika Patrick, my new hero. She won the Japan 300 Indy race this weekend, the first woman to win an Indy race. I knew it would happen eventually.

According to this test, I am only typing 82 words per minute. This is a little sad, since when I was in high school, I could do 102 without a mistake on an electric typewriter. Oh, well. That was a long time ago.

I am sitting here, watching Apollo 13 on DVD, and it hit me: the moon landing happened forty years ago next summer. Dear Lord, what happened to my life? I was just shy of 13 years old when Neil Armstrong touched toe to the surface of the moon. Seems like only yesterday.

Is there a full moon tonight? I'm feeling really moody. Almost started crying when I realized this stuff.

What an interesting day this has been! Today was my baby boy's 30th birthday (sob), and I had a nice chat with him on the phone. He was telling me all about the fun earthquake they had this morning. Actually, there were two, the first at about 4:30, and the second around 10 am or so. No damage to their home, and no injuries, other than fright on the part of the adults. The kids handled it just fine, but they did think there would be more this evening. Who knows? The epicenter of the quake was about 10-15 miles from their house, so they'll probably feel a little jello-like for a few days.

I finally called the doctor about the pain in my back and knee after my fall the other day. Basically, there's nothing I can do, other than take pain meds and anti-inflammatories, which I do anyway. We're pretty sure I just bruised the bone below my kneecap, and twisted my back. Life is good. At least I can feel pain, unlike a lot of people, so I keep that in mind to put things in perspective.

Boy am I glad it stopped raining! We had to empty the plastic on the ceiling three times so it didn't get too heavy and fall on us. I hate this place. I can't wait to get out of here.

I finally got to talk to my granddaughter yesterday. What a treat! After we get moved, she's gonna come and spend a weekend with us. Also got an email from my daughter. She's finally found a job, and is going to be getting an apartment of her own soon. I'm pretty sure that will make her life and the lives of my son and daughter-in-law a lot easier. I'm sure there's a lot of tension there. It is almost impossible for two families to live under one roof.

Yesterday morning I woke up early to go to the john (you know how it is when you're getting old). I had just reached the bathroom door, and my slipper caught on a tear in the carpet, and down I went! I can't tell you how long I sat there, trying to decide if I was hurt or not. Obviously, I survived, but man am I sore! I landed on my right knee and elbow, and I swear I felt taller when I got up. It was the strangest sensation. Of course, my entire right rib cage is sore as well, and my lower back feels like I was hit with a baseball bat. But nothing is broken, thank God. Now if I could just figure out how to get around without using my right side for a few days....

Created by OnePlusYou

Is that all? I guess I could send them to the five-year-olds I finished off if they're still hungry.

20

I guess that's not too bad. I know a lot of bloggers that scored higher; I guess I could just hang out with them.

I thought I'd try my hand at an American Idol review this week, since my homework is caught up for now. It's Inspirational Songs Week....on Ammmeeerrrrrrrican Idol!

Michael Johns – Dream On

I did not like this performance. He was definitely not hitting those ultra-high notes in the chorus of the song, and it made me want to turn off the volume on my television. I do like that song, but not the way he sang it.

Syesha Mercado – I Believe

This was pretty good, although there were a couple of really pitchy places. She really nailed that high note near the end of the song, didn’t she? There was a lot of ooh ooh at the beginning of the song, but that’s okay. It was better than Michael’s song.

Jason Castro – Somewhere Over The Rainbow

I really dislike this song, so much so that when he announced he was going to sing it I thought, “Oh, not that song, pleeze!!” He did the version of the song that is played on a ukulele, and messed up the words in the middle. It was like he combined two verses, which would have been okay if he hadn’t seemed to stumble. He did it again at the end. It just really did not work for me. Besides, every time I hear that version, I think of the episode of ER where Dr. Greene died.

Kristy Lee Cook – I Do It Anyway

I hate to say it, but she did a pretty good job this week. Of course, she usually does when she can stick to country music. I didn’t hear any pitch problems like some of the others, and there was some feeling there. I think she’ll probably last another week.

David Cook – Innocent

He looks so much better since he got his haircut, don’t you think? I had never heard this song before, but he did a pretty good job. The background singers were too loud and drowned him out on occasion, but overall I enjoyed it. It wasn’t as good as previous weeks, but there were definitely worse singers tonight.

Carly Smithson – The Show Must Go On

She’s doing a Queen song? Heaven help us. I got absolutely no emotion from Carly tonight. A robot could have done just as well as she did. I love Queen’s music, and this was heart breaking. What more needs to be said? People, stop singing Freddy Mercury’s songs.

David Archuleta – Angels

David is a wonderful singer, in my opinion. That being said, I think he is getting to his peak and won’t progress any farther. I’m not saying he will go home this week; I’m saying he’s not going to get any better. He was a bit pitchy again, and it is starting to get old. I was a big fan when this competition started, but he should not win.

Brooke White – You’ve Got A Friend

I really like this song. Brooke did a very good job on the song, both in tempo and pitch and in her emotional connection to the song. She’s in no danger of going home this week.

Bottom three this week: Jason, Michael and Carly. They were all equally bad, so I'm not picking the worst in the three. That's up to you.

A quick note for those of you who buy things from Amazon.com, I will be putting a link to them on this site very soon. Wait until then and buy your stuff through my website. That way I get a kickback (yay!). The more I get, the faster I get to move, okay? (While you're at it, that PayPal link is very lonely.) Don't forget to check out all the ads on the sidebar as well. Don't want them to forget I'm here, either.

At long last, I've updated my blogroll for your hours of entertainment pleasure (yeah, right). Here's a list of all the new blogs (to you) to check out, since you probably won't take the time to go down the list to see who's new:

Crime News 2000
HPANA - Daily Prophet (Harry Potter news)
Conservative Grapevine
Rachel Lucas*
Ken Levine
Mountaineer Musings
Snark Raving Mad
LawDog Files
Bayou Renaissance Man
Cassy Fiano
Marooned
M.D.O.D.
A Day in the Life of an Ambulance Driver(Ambulance Driver Files)
White Coat Rants
Scalpel or Sword
Bad Dogs and Such
The Knifeman
Voice in the Night*
Cute Overload
Xavier Thoughts*
Dad Gone Mad
Boobs Injuries and Dr. Pepper
Army of Dog*
Skippy's List

Now, for those of you who have delicate eyes and don't want to see any adult language, the blogs with the stars by them are not rated PG, okay? The rest of them have occasional language issues, but you can ignore them if you so choose. I enjoy every single one of these blogs, and read them as often as I possibly can. Some of them I get to every day, the others every other day. Being in school, I don't have as much time for reading as I'd like, but I want you all to check these out. These people put a lot more effort into their blogs than I do, and they deserve it.

I guess I'd only thought I'd heard it all. Now it seems even a duck can get an order of protection.

Just a quick reminder to my family... I picked Memphis to win the tournament over a month ago! Yay, me!

UPDATENever mind. I guess my Tigers choked on the lousy birds.

GO MEMPHIS!! TIGERS RULE, JAYHAWKS DROOL!!