...In My Fabulous Opinion....

American Idol - Beatle Mania

2011-02-24T16:40:00.000-05:00

First off I have to say: TWO hours? Painful!

I am very curious to know why they started with a "theme week": Songs of The Beatles. All of the contestants jumped on the magical mystery bus for a trek to Vegas....a.k.a "Sin City". Where else would American Idol bring a bunch of young people? (minors included) Was it necessary? Does Hollywood not have enough airplane hangers available? Did they really need to have to use the Cirque Du Soleil stage in order to channel their inner Fab 4?

Unfortunately, there were some kids who claimed to have "never heard a Beatles song in their life!" This statement had me yelling at the TV: "WHAT?! WHAT?! SERIOUSLY?" Apparently, that statement was true. This was made obvious by the "vocal coach from hell" Peggi Blu. Wow. "You are going to die...on stage!". As harsh as that was, (which it was) I believe the vein popping out of Peggi's head should show these girls that this is a competition you must work hard for. Memorize those words! You can't just sing....you have to SANG!  It didn't help having Interscope Records', Jimmy Lovine and posse strutting around and making themselves comfortable while the VCFH humiliated her girls.

I'm going to be nice and say SOME of the duos/trios stood out as being original and in key. One stand out was Tim Halperin and Julie Zorirlla who did a piano duet of "Something". I wished they had kept playing instead of standing up to finish their song, but I understand why they did it:  Not only is it a vocal thing, but a visual thing as well. Another stand-out duo: Kendra Chantelle and Paul McDonald singing "Blackbird". Maybe I haven't been giving my 100% attention to the show, but I do not remember either of them! I think Paul has a unique voice and I'm sure he'll continue on in the competition a way.

One who annoys me: James Durbin. We already have Adam Lambert. I really enjoy "live tweeting" while watching the show. I find reading tweets during the show to be amusing - and enlightening. One dude tweeted, "Adam Lambert knows a little about music and James Durbin knows a little about Adam Lambert". Well said.

I'm ready to keep an eye on Casey Abrams, the stand-up bass/guitar/music-a-phone thing (was that him?) He is very interesting and very original. Although it was extremely off-key, I enjoyed his rendition of "Hard Day's Night" However, rumor has it that he had to go to, and may still be in the hospital. If that's the case, he can't film a pre-recorded show and will most-likely have to bow out. I sort of doubt it though... TMZ has a habit of blowing things out of proportion.

We mustn't forget our bridezilla, Ashley Sullivan who decided to quickly tie the knot at a cheesy chapel - one that Brittney Spears (whom Ashley admires) wed in. Sorry Ashley (and boyfriend), I do believe this is one marriage that will end up in a train wreck...or murder. "You will marry me...or I'll kill you..." On a different note, I don't think that Dave the Camera Guy woke up that morning saying, "I hope this is the day!! It could very well me my day...to be a witness!! Perhaps for a wedding...or a murder...either one...I'm not picky!!" Needless to say, Ashley got the boot but was completely THRILLED! Perhaps it was a ploy... some women pretend that they're pregnant...why not claim American Idol?

One huge thing that people can't stop talking about is JLo's breakdown. One by one, the contestants did the 5K runway walk of doom to get the "Yea" or "Nay" from the fearsome threesome.  The cuts seemed to be going smoothly; After the looong walk, the contestant sat down, completely out of breath to hear the fateful answer. Then the judges could take joy in watching the joyful souls take the looong trek back to the holding room to rejoice... or find Ryan Seacrest to wipe your snotty nose on under the pretense of a comforting hug. (My kids do that) When it was Chris Medina's turn. The conversation always does that, "So, Chris...how ya doin'? How's your fiancee? Good." When it was time to give the bad news, JLo got very emo. Who wouldn't? If you know that a guy was so sweet to stay with his girl through thick and thin and who has already gone through an emotional roller coaster - do you want to send him off on another run? I know I'm overstating it, BUT I am an emotional female. I'd be willing to bet that on tonight's continuation, JLo will pull it together, unless there is another sad story that I'm not remembering.

That's My Fabulous Opinion!

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The Ridiculous Behavior of Dancing With the Stars Fans

2010-11-20T09:49:00.000-05:00

First the dude with the gun shooting his television when Bristol advanced on Dancing With the Stars causing a 15-hour standoff with the Po-Po!! NOW white powder in an envelope?! Come on people! Is this competition really THAT important?! Believe me, I am a HUGE fan of the show! As a matter-of-fact (as lame as it sounds) it's in my top 5. I will "SHHHHH!!!" people if they are talking during the critique and the scoring...and yes, even Brook's painful attempt at interviewing. (Bless her heart) I vote like crazy (phone lines AND abc.com) I "live tweet" for fans to vote for (this season) Brandy & Maks. I even have a twibbon of them on my Twitter Picture!

I noticed the "white powder" story when I turned on my computer and saw this headline: "Was Bristol Palin Targeted in Dancing White Powder Scare?" All I could do was just shake my head.

Come on folks...just get over it! This is just getting pitiful. What's done is done. They just happened to put someone in who has a lot of fans. Chalk it up to a disappointing end to Season 11

My advice to the Producers of DWTS: Because there are a lot of fans who feel as if they've been cheated - I have heard/read many people declare that they won't be watching anymore. I suggest that for Season 12 they need a MAJOR cast. Perhaps an All-Stars? Bring back Mel B I would love to see Emmet or even Gilles! Avoid bringing back the obnoxious; (Kate Gosslin).

Come on Dancing With the Stars - redeem the show.

That's my fabulous opinion

Dancing With The Stars

2010-11-19T16:55:00.000-05:00

I just knew what was going to happen Tuesday night. Believe me, I was hoping for the best, but expecting the worst. As far as me and the other 8,000 of Brandy & Maks fans go - they should have won!! Not only because we're die hard fans, but we also know that Brandy was making great strides week after week!! Only a few short weeks ago I thought that BranDMC were going to go home with the Mirror Ball Trophy, until some of the "better" dancers started dropping off one at a time!

At the beginning of this season I said: "I appreciate where Bristol and her family are coming from... as far as a change of scenery, but she is opening up she and her family to some serious ridicule!" Look at the whole "Booing in the ballroom" incident! So many viewers, (mostly haters of Sarah Palin) swore up and down that the "booing" was at her. Those of us who are REAL fans of the show knew that the booing was toward the judges and their "8" scores given to Jennifer & Derek. Like Carrie-Ann, I agreed - 8's are really good scores for the first couple of weeks!

I'm not sure if this is the Sanjiah effect (American Idol). There was this whole push to keep the poor guy and his lack of talent in the competition - it seems as if the same thing is happening with Bristol. SOMEHOW each week she is getting pushed through! Many people are planning on the Republicans or whatnot - but I'M a Republican and I gave my votes to the BEST dancers!!

If Bristol DOES win this year, I will most-likely be REALLY upset....however, I will continue to watch the show! Hopefully, Maks will return with another great partner and will finally win!!

That's My Fabulous Opinion

The Fashion Show - ultimate collection

2010-11-15T16:41:00.000-05:00

What better way to start a review than with a little TMI!
I had to wake up at the ungodly time of 4:30 this morning. Hubby needed to get up and out the door, so I did the get-him-up-and-out-the-door thing. Needless to say, by the time I got the kids to school I was ready to drop.

So, when I got home, I wrapped up in a blanket (no snuggie for this girl), flipped on the tv and fell asleep to people styling hair with peanut butter, flour, squid, etc.
When I woke up, I was looking at people introducing themselves and how fabulous they are and what clothes they have designed. I said to myself, "Uh oh, this is the show I said I really didn't care about watching.... However, the mesmerizing song of the SIREN sucked me in....Teeeeerrrrryyyyy...realllllitttty ssshhhooooowwww! I figured, Okay, what the heck.

I think I can basically sum up this whole show by saying: SERIOUSLY?

When the designers arrived at the studio, they were asked to choose a "sewing kit" in which had a number. The designer then paired up with the anorexic-amazon model of the same number. The designer then had to dress their model in a garment which "best represents them as a designer". They had a quickie fashion show and at the end, all of the models were split in half striking their best pose when Iman himself....whoops HERself gingerly walked down the runway as if she was going to pull a Naomi Campbell and wipeout! Either that or she was concerned about breaking a hip! (After all - according to her Bio she DID start her career in 1975.) On a side note.... I tried searching youtube for a clip of the infamous NC fall - they had it, but I didn't want to see a whole interview - however, I found something just as (maybe more) funny!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyqyLWeRQeo

I don't know who these guys are, but they're FAH-NEE!!

Okay - back on track: (Iman walking onto the runway...walking slow to protect her geriatric bones...looking cranky)

The designers were "OMG'ing" like little school girls who were looking at the most popular girl in school hoping to be noticed by her! Then she spoke:"MINIONS! MAKE ME YOUR MUSE!"

Seriously?

Oooooooooooookay. "I want you to capture all of my sides...my glamorous side...my fun side.." I burst out laughing at that, just because I thought she was being sarcastic..and I love sarcasm. The more I watched, the more I realized that she was dead serious!! Fun side? Seriously? She barely cracked a smile!!

Just this amount of time into the show I was really missing Heidi Klum and the best prissy man on this planet Tim Gunn. Sorry, but Isaac Mizrahi is a poor man's Tim.

The designers were divided up into two "teams". They had to come up with some quasi-clever name. One was "NAMI (oooo. knock my socks off with originality.) and the second team was something lik Syx...something or other. There is always a single person who stands out from the crowd by being original, funny, stylish or just a jerk. Well...this show has the biggest diva of them all!! Unfortunately, you have to read the subtitles to understand what kind of diva he is! Yes, I'm talking about Tomato-tomato Calvin Tran. He wanted to be on his own and he was going to let everyone know it...in subtitles!! The syx house had some nice pieces, but wasn't fabulous....as lame as a name is, they had their sewing kits ruffled (which by the way, there was an overabundance of!)

At the end tomato-tomato was left standing along side Francine who had kind of a pretty dress, but not pretty enough. The question the glamazon brought forth: The person with the bad dress...or the person with the bad attitude? At that time I was jumping up and down on the couch going, "I know!! I know!!! Ooo!! I know!!! Why send the person home with the tomato-tomato attitude!? We need drama!! Well, drama they kept!!! Seriously?!
Yup, seriously!

So, this is my first and last time watching and writing about this show. I just had to tell the world what kind of disaster I thought it was!!!!

Jake and Vienna? Broke up?! Say It Ain't So!!

2010-07-07T10:48:00.000-04:00

Okay - major sarcasm in the title there. The whole world knew it was going to happen. If I remember correctly, I gave it six months.

I wanted to Tweet my fabulous opinion on the whole thing, but there just isn't enough room. I have some thoughts about Jake's behavior because I've seen this sort of thing before.

I didn't read People Magazine or Star or any of those things. It was one of those historical moments no one could escape. Kind of like the passing of Michael Jackson. Epic. Or actually, it was MADE to be epic. Everyone knows by know that Jillian & Ed just split. It was just a quick little blip on the media radar. No major ordeal.

Obviously, ABC decided to capitalize on this train wreck of a "relationship" by airing this he said - she said blood-bath. Hecks, if all of the other media outlets had their hands in the slander-pie...

I'm guessing that Chris had Jake come out to briefly express his thoughts because of two things:
1. Vienna had already dominated the media with her overly emotional side of the story.
2. He knew Jake wouldn't get a word in edge-wise!

For the record; I think both of them showed true colors: They're both completely out of their minds!! Vienna as a needy, attention starved, spoiled, immature child who demands people take "her side" in this whole fight and Jake as an impatient grown-up who demands to be treated like a strong, respectable, intelligent man...with a dash of "Don't you know who I am!?" Do I believe that the acting/Hollywood bug has bit him? Yup!

I can see how Jake would get more and more frustrated at Vienna's feel-sorry-for-me whining. It had a Kate Gosslin flavor to it which made her sound extremely annoying. She claimed that she had no attention during the time he was on Dancing With the Stars. Well Vienna, THAT is how the show (DWTS) works. A person has to spend hours on end trying to learn the Cha-Cha-Cha & the Paso Doble. Families get put on the back-burner.

Vienna's desire for intimacy is understandable. The girl is needy. She wants affection. That's her personality. Having "relations" (to put it delicately) is one way that makes her feel loved, which is too bad. (Bless her heart) The whole GPS thing reminded me of my mother-in-law. She may ask a question, to which she will receive a definite, confident and correct answer, but the answer will be ignored and a second and maybe third source will be checked. It's an insult to a person's intelligence. His reaction is one that my husband would have in that situation...he'll snap!

Let me give my fabulous opinion on Jake's "intimacy" issues which is causing him to be an incredible jerk to her: At the start of this whole Bachelor experience, Jake expressed that he was (is) a christian and that he was looking for a good, christian girl. When it came time to choose his bride, he was thinking more physically than spiritually. Otherwise, he would have chosen Tenley. I can see it dawn on him: "Waaaait a second, I claimed to be a christian and here I am, living with a girl and being intimate with her...which is against my beliefs...what kind of christian am I?!" So, what I have seen happen before with this kind of scenario: He's really mad at himself, not only for doing wrong in God's eyes, but having gotten to the point where he was in over his head...he was stuck and extremely disappointed in himself and taking it out on her which is VERY unfair (to her). He didn't have to be a jerk to her. However, having an amicable break-up with a person who has emotions all over the place is NOT going to be pretty!!

So, long opinion short: They are BOTH mental cases . They BOTH love the media attention and they BOTH need to get their sorry selves out of the spot-light and go hide somewhere away from the media! Do I think this will happen?! BAH-HAHAHAHAHA!!!

That's my fabulous opinion!!

Dancing With the Stars Line up

2010-03-02T19:10:00.001-05:00

Ugh. Because Kate Gosslin has been named as one of the contestants, it has completely thrown me off as to the other "celebrities". Even just writing the word "celebrity" makes me want to puke when it comes to her!! Let me just say a few things about this whole to-do.
Haven't the Gosslin chidlren already been put through waaay to much public humiliation?! Kate needs to stop being a self-centered media whore and get those kids out of the limelight into some sort of "normal" family life! The quicker she's gone, the more I will enjoy the show! Pleeeeease!! Let her be the first to go!!!"

Here is the line-up...celebs & professional dancers:

Evan Lysacek, 24, Olympic gold medalist, pairs with Anna Trebunskaya. (I can see them doing really well in this comp)

Erin Andrews, 31, ESPN reporter, teams up with Maksim Chmerkovskiy. (Hecks ya!! She better be somewhat decent, I'm tired of seeing my Maks go by the 5th week!!)

Nicole Scherzinger, 31, singer/songwriter, pairs with Derek Hough. (Ummm..isn't she one of the Pussycat Dolls or something? It will be an advantage for him...in more ways than one)

Aiden Turner, 32, soap star, partners with Edyta Sliwinska. (I don't know him, but from his photo...looks like a major hotty!)

Chad Ochocinco, 32, NFL star, pairs with Cheryl Burke. (Another I know not, but Cheryl does well with NFL stars)

Jake Pavelka, 32, 'The Bachelor', dances with Chelsie Hightower. (How can I miss you when you won't go away?)

Kate Gosselin, 35, reality TV personality, pairs with Tony Dovolani. (Poor Tony!! Hopefully she'll break something before the show starts)

Shannen Doherty, 37, actress, teams with Mark Ballas. (This looks like an odd pair, but hey...whatever.)

Niecy Nash, 40, actress, pairs with Louis Van Amstel. (I don't know Niecy...soooo good luck)

Pamela Anderson, 42, actress/model, couples with Damian Whitewood. (Who is Damian Whitewood? and HOW is Pam going to be able to keep the 'girls' off Damian for the Viennese Waltz???)

Buzz Aldrin, 80, astronaut, pairs with Ashley Costa (formerly DelGrosso) (Pretty cool...I have really missed Ashley - she's so sweet...anyway, I hope they have medics around...)

Where is sweet little Kim Johnson going to be?? I'll miss the bubbly blonde!! AAAANNNNDDD did they decide who was going to be replacing the ever-so-painful to watch Samantha Harris??

That's My Fabulous Opinion!! What's YOUR'S?

The Bachelor: and the winner is...

2010-03-02T11:09:00.000-05:00

Yesh...I was right...AGAIN. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to follow along and KNOW who the final bachelor/bachelorette will be. Sometimes, I'm okay with the choice, but this season - notsomuch. Vienna (bless-her-heart) is NOT "drop dead gorgeous" as Jake exclaimed to his family. If she's drop dead gorgeous, that leaves the rest of us so-so's to believe that we fell from the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down!! Again I say, notsomuch!!

Tenley's family visit was perfect. She was sweet, she had manners, she won over mamma AND daddy. As far as Jake is concerned - she's perfect, but something is missing. of course it is!! I'm guessing she didn't get all freaky with him as Vienna did.

Vienna's visit showed her lack of class. She was obnoxious and I really don't care what the family surmised about her by the end of the day - we know that they thought she was an absolute loser.

I'm going to be generous and give this "relationship" a year.

The next Bachelorette was announced and who should it be??? The girl who had to go and save her job. Alli. This ought to be interesting.

The Bachelor: Final 3

2010-02-16T09:29:00.000-05:00

Now that we have finished with the drama of Ali's exit, which imo was a total farce on her part! The reason why I say that is because; I am the baby of the family. I know fake "tears" when I see 'em!! That's another discussion for another time...

I'm not in the mood to get too in-depth on their dates, so I'll just give a couple of thoughts on each date!

Gia's date seemed to be a lot of fun...shopping with the (how did Jake put it?) "natives" around, playing their drums made up of old cat littler boxes and some with a regular bongo drum. Gia thought it would be appropriate to bust-a-move in the street. Oooookay. Well, she knows how to shake her booty, but in a sorry, pathetic way which made the "natives" throw money at her!

During their shopping spree, Jake purchased a necklace with a heart on it...to which Gia said, "I'll wear this forever". Suuuuuuure.

Their little beach supper was a really cool setting. Gia wore her necklace as a bracelet to show that she was wearing her; "heart on her sleeve" (Grooooaaaaannnn)

They got the key from Chris and decided to do the fantasy suite thing.

One last comment on Gia's date: She looked beautiful at dinner, but that whole "Kate" (Jon & Kate plus 8) hair drooping down in her eyes during their supper was completely annoying me!!

Tenley was next in line for her date. To show Tenley his passion, he took them for a...can you guess???...a helicopter ride!! They did the whole picnic thing, the talking thing, the supper/dancing thing, then the fantasy suite thing. Nothing major. Nothing mind-blowing. I DO like Tenley a lot, I think she's completely adorable and she's been my final pick for quite some time now. She's just so sweet and is really cute, etc etc. Sure, she has a little bit of baggage, but nothing that was in her power. (her husband leaving her)

Vienna was the last to have a date. Her date? Eh, nothing much. They rode on one of the ships used in Pirates of the Caribbean. Big whoop. Sure they lip-locked quite a bit, but it was the same thing with the other girls....but they were discussing rings.

They did the whole fantasy suite thing too, but in Vienna's case, it seemd that she was ready and willing to get down to bid'ness....she did the whole: slip-into-something-more-comfortable thing and basically slammed the door in the face of the camera-men. Desperate much?

Then came the "Ed" call from Ali. "I made a mistake." Sorry sista. Too late.

So, the girl who finally got the axe was Gia. Too bad - I liked her better than Vienna!

The upcoming final show is coming up and we'll see the results of who will become his woman. They showed him talking to both girls during the proposal time. Vienna did this face turn away thing in tears, which in my opinion is just something to throw us off track - she's totally gonna get the ring. Ugh.

Well Jake, have fun with little miss bipolar!!

Last Week's American Idol

2010-02-02T14:00:00.000-05:00

Obviously I wasn't able to do a blog last week over American Idol. I just had too much going on...well, it was either that or I was just so put out by Katy Perry and Avril Lavigne!!

I'm not sure if that's how you spell Avril's name or not, but personally - DKDC! (Don't know, don't care) The thing that really annoyed me about her, not just the whole hoodie with the horns on it, but the fact that she really didn't think that they youth pastor should move on to Hollywood because of, his family?! How many thousands of people have moved on who have families? Um...many!! I'm calling that a prejudice!! Ignorant little twit.

Katie Perry started to really get under my skin. She was saying "no" to things EVEN when Simon said yes. I'm thinking she had a crush on Simon, hence the personality mirroring.

I have no idea where they're going to be tonight, but I'm really hoping that we don't have any ignorant musician or whatever you want to call them, guest judges.

Btw- Did either Katie or Avril win any awards???? Hmmm...

The Bachelor: They're dropping like flies!

2010-01-30T10:22:00.000-05:00

Just about every Summer, I have this phenomenon happen in my kitchen. No, it's not cooking magic in the making, more like an infestation of sorts. I'll make sure food, and whatnot is put away, but somehow these little buggers decide to come over and hang out in my kitchen. I like to do a quick disposal of these little pests, so I just grab the bug spray and spray it into the air...and you know what they do? They drop!! BOOM! Just as flies should!

I am noticing this season that Jake is quickly picking through all of the flies... at a breakneck speed! Well...let me get back to that.

ROAD TRIP!

Yeah I said it. Road trip. Nothing says, "I want you to be my wife" more than cramming 4-5 girls in two RV's! They can't be the most comfortable things to cram into, especially with it being so narrow....and having a dinky little shower...and bathroom. ugh.

This episode had a one on one date, a group date and a two on one date. Are you following along?

The one on one date was with the lovely Gia the swimsuit model/city girl. She hopped on the motorcycle and off they went on their date..... basically across the field from the RV's. How.......romantic. Especially after the other girls started howling at them.

They chatted about how they were both very dorky and their first kisses were just unexciting, etc etc. So, after much drinking they decided on a game of (of all things) spin the bottle. Which, in my opinion, was the only interesting thing about this date. After they were just about done getting all makey-outey...Jake did what was expected: Gave her the rose. It would have been really lame of him to just kiss, then kiss off!

The group date was one I would have liked to go on!! Zooming around on the beach in dune buggies!! FUN!! There was a lot of sand, in shoes, underwear and yes, mouths. It's a good thing there was a lot of champagne to wash it all down!! Tenley got the rose although Corrie, Ali, Vienna, etc, etc thought that THEY should have had the rose.... if you ask me, all these blonds are getting confusing!!

Anyway, the two on one date is AAAALLLLLWWWWAAAAYYYYSSSS awkward. There's just a third wheel feel. (for real) <--- sorry, I know that was totally lame. Ella sat there and WOULD NOT SHUT UP!! I did feel bad for Kathryn because of it. Anyway, it was a painful "date" and both girls got the boot... of course, all of the others back at the trailers were shocked to see BOTH sets of luggage go!! Not too surprised there. Ella IS gorgeous, but at the same time - I think everyone knew she wasn't "it". The same goes for Katherine, it was just awkward....

All of that ugliness past, it's time for the cocktail party/rose ceremony.

In my opinion, the cocktail party was just kind of odd - one by one, the girls & Jason went and sat in different rooms to talk & such. There visits all seemed so awkward...all except for Tenleys. They seemed so easy going & chatty...the other girls, silence. *snore*

During all of these little chats the other hens (in true hen form) sat around and back-stabbed all of the other girls. ESPECIALLY Ali!! "If Jake chooses Vienna I KNOW that he's not for me...I'll say something!" There WAS a stir at the Rose Ceremony...it wasn't someone having a hissy because VIENNA did get a rose - ugh - but because Jake ran off to find Chris....The dude had his mind made up - There were two too many girls. Even though they were both AMAZING (interpretation: get your butt out the door!) it wouldn't work out..... so off went Asleigh & Jessie. Riding off in the limo of shame!!

Each year my friend Wanda and I have noticed a pattern: The girl who is usually the one to receive the proposal has been "played down". Let me see if I can explain that: currently Tenley seems like she would be the obvious choice - and in all honesty, I kind of hope Jake chooses her. They seem to be so comfortable together, etc etc - but because Corrie isn't shown being totally close, she may be the one he pops the question too. We'll see!!!

Coming up on Monday...San Francisco!

"If you are goin' to San Francisco...be sure and wear some flowers in your hair...if you're going to San Francisco...your gonna meet some gentle people there..." Mammas & the Pappas.

American Idol; Orlando

2010-01-23T15:10:00.002-05:00

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A STATE MAKES!! Chicago...so completely foolish and untalented having only 13 people going to Hollywood.

Last night our dynamic trio was joined by Kristin Chenoweth who is this cute little petite thing with a gigantic resume for Broadway, television & movies. Kara attached to her like a leech and wouldn't let go! Well, I'd probably do the same thing...just because she's like a little pixy....like Tinkerbell!!

Anyhoo...

These auditions had some really good clips in it - there were plenty of "good" auditions with some interviews that had some really touching stories.

Seth Rollins is a dad who has a son with autism - his dream is to have a record deal to provide help for his little boy...what better tear-jerking song did he choose?? "Someone to Watch Over Me" Seth had a really nice/smooth voice and OF COURSE he got a coveted Golden Ticket!!

Another back story which was more funny than touching: Matt Lawrence who was thrown into the clink for robbing (of all things) a bank...with a BB gun!! Oy. He ended up spending FOUR birthdays in prison... Who says that? Who counts things like that? A little kid!! "How many sleeps until Christmas?!" Anyway, chose his life's song: "Trouble" It didn't blow me away, mostly because it isn't one of those songs that shows off vocals...However, he made it through.

Jay Stone was SUPER obnoxious!! He's the one who did the beat box/singing version of "Come Together" a la Blake Lewis. Blake wasn't as annoying...I think ONE beatboxer/singer per decade is enough!! After the drenching rendition, he made it through...much thanks to Kara and Randy. Hopefully, he won't make it into the top 12...I'm already tired of him!!

Now, I love my sisters....they're fabulous and I think we're close, but these two..it was scary. Bernadette and Amanda Desimone decided to audition together which - in my opinion - isn't a good idea. Sibling rivalry and all. Bernadette WAS the better of the two with her choice of "Hit the Road Jack" personally...odd song choice, but then again... so was "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" just...eeh.

Cornelius Edwards was absolutely a RIOT!! He had some interesting dance moves which he learned from some of his friends who "shed their clothes for money"!! That just made me LOL!! However...it WASN'T as funny as the jump split which, "Done split my pants!" I have some lyrics that come to mind: "...lookin like a fool with your pants on the ground" After all of that he discretely made his way to the exit complete with golden ticket! Let's hope there won't be a repeat of this wardrobe malfunction!!!

We DID have an American Idol first!! No, it wasn't the first time we've heard "Amazing Grace" and it wasn't the only time we've heard it where we wanted to stab our eardrums out with pencils
...it WAS the first time someone was arrested during an audition!! Awesome... something to tell the grandkids. "Grandpa...tell us about the time you tried out for American Idol!!"

Let me leave you with the best audition of the night.....

American Idol...or is it America's Next Top Model??

2010-01-20T12:32:00.002-05:00

Wow. Chicago is chock full of delusional auditions. Complete with the masses waiting proudly and confidently proclaiming, "I HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BECOME AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL!! Oh wait, I'm trying out for American Idol!!" I think the girl was in the wrong line for either show...I'm think she was really trying to get into the Jerry Springer Show. I know some people from Chicago so, I mean no insult to them...unless they were in the masses of completely pitiful schticks to get on TV. You kind of wish they wouldn't give audience to the half-wits who do imitations of Carlton Banks from Prince of Bel Air doing Tom Jones' - Not Unusual. It annoys me.

The Tiny Tim guy was obviously there for some screen time. Miss Boob boxer was completely pathetic and needs a hobby..other than falling on the ground & shaking her girls all over the place. One would think a person would be completely embarrassed by their antics. Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of delusion in the water.

For those of you who were starting to miss the ever-so-lovely Paula; we were treated to Shania (I love your bottom) Twain and her very odd comments. They all knew what she was saying, it was just that you couldn't help but get this sneaking suspicion that her Coke cup had something illegal in it. "I love your bottom...I love your lips.." Creepy!! John Park just kind of awkwardly and uncomfortably and politely chuckled over her remarks. Mrs. Robinson remarks aside, John's rendition of "I'll Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" (Blood, Sweat & Tears - love them) was REALLY good. I think he'll do really well in this competition and I'm excited to see what Hollywood week holds for him.

Another ray of hope for the windy city was Angela who just can't seem to cut a break by getting past Hollywood week - Her father's death, getting a warrant for her arrest for parking tickets, her baby girl with Rett Syndrome. As was proven the past few times she auditioned; she can sing. Let's see if she can beat out her luck and make it to the finals.

Charity Vance; Who worked in her mom & dad's salon (located in their home) had a unique voice which I think will stand out.

One STAND OUT audition was Harold Davis.  He claimed that his poor singing was due to allergies - there was a resounding NO. He then hanged his head down and walked eeeevvvvveeeeerrrrr so slooooooooooowwwwwlllly out of the room. Let me say; I LAUGHED MY BUTT OFF!! My son did that when he was THREE!! It was funny every time and it was HYSTERICAL last night! I actually had to find it on youtube so I could laugh again!


HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!!!!

WHEW!! *wipes tears off face from laughing so hard!

So, So long Chicago...only 13 made it through - and not one a Top Model!!

The Bachelor: Early Dismissal...and That's NO JOKE!

2010-01-20T08:34:00.001-05:00

Yes, early dismissal it is! For my kids (12:00 & 12:30) but also for someone in this week's episode!

Finally we have a Bachelor/Bachelorette who gets some chutzpah and tells the whiner; "I think you should go..." I don't want to get ahead of myself here!!

After the not-so-subtle evacuation of Rozlyn and her cheatin' heart...she didn't even wait to cheat until after they were married! (perhaps I should have joined the girls at the comedy club) Chris Harris informed the rest of the girls that the show MUST GO ON!!

This week there were two, one-on-one dates and one, group date. The group dates are always very amusing to watch...and this week...it WAS.

The first date was a one-on-one with Vienna. That name always makes me think of those little Vienna sausages we used to feed my niece when she was a baby! Jake and Vienna took a...can you guess??..A helicopter ride.. what season could be complete without a helicopter ride?! During the entire flight, Jake just looked NERVOUS - well, I would be too if I planned to bungee-jump as a date!! The funny thing - he didn't try to be all macho! Instead he was panicky! (Bless his heart) So, Vienna saved the day by acting all motherly and cuddling his head... ugh. Now, I am PETRIFIED by heights! If I had some dude tell me that's what we were going to do for a date - I'd probably push him off the bridge...with no bungee! Over they bunged and while dangling decided to have some weird spiderman inspired kiss. Oh yeah...she went home with a rose. Much to the chagrin of the other cats.

Quick Terry story; A few years ago Craig, the kids and myself went over to the Snowbowl in Camden, Maine. This is a local ski mountain. They had some snow-tubing so that's what we did for Katherine. Nicholas was just a little baby then and I was completely satisfied standing at the bottom of this DEATH HILL. It took forever to get to the top, but she did it a couple of times - the 3rd time my darling and ever-so-loving and protective husband of mine urged me to take our daughter. As we were climbing, higher and higher I kept getting more and MORE scared!! I couldn't back down, because there was a huge line of people behind us. Finally, when it was my turn, I started to cry. There was absolutely no holding in of my fear! Dooooooooooooown I went in the tube SCREAMING in panic...people laughing...(Yeah. Funny.) Did my husband learn the meaning of hate that day? Why YES! Yes he did!!

My goodness! I need to be careful here - I'm starting to act like Vienna!! Making this review about myself!!

So, Vienna date over - she went back to the hen house all glowing and telling everyone about her jump & kiss, etc etc. Unfortunately, she didn't shut up about it. She was still "glowing" after a couple of days when the next girl was able to go on her OoO date, so she decided to repeat how fabulous HER date was etc etc. I wonder if Immodium A.D. works for diarrhea of the mouth!?

The group date was at a comedy club owned by Jon Lovitz. Their date consisted of the demand to make complete idiots out of themselves by doing stand-up. Ashleigh was as scared as Jake before he took the leap off the bridge. A couple of them SHOULD have! I'm not talking about Ali and her Tigger and Poo joke... or Tenley putting her feet behind her neck..that was actually kind of funny. I really liked Jessie's "My family is doing the sequel to 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding'...they're doing the My Family is so Fat You Can't Tell They're Greek." Elizabeth, who "has morals" was talking about a guy from Utah...the girl got BLEEPED out!! Whoa. Corrie just pulled a high school snob tactic...just making fun of the unpopular girls. Now the pitiful: Michelle. I don't want to call her a "poor thing" because she is MAJOR crazy!! I don't know if she really had any jokes planned or if she DID plan them, but they just stunk. You would think the crowd would have given her a pity chuckle - but NOPE! She got BOO'D!! Even Jon Lovitz had a kerflummoxed!

The roof top after party was...wow - it was just so many different things! The girls were just kind of sitting around all bored like and one by one went to Jake as if they were going to confession. Tenley tearfully spilled her past - having been married, then cheated on, then divorced in a short period of time. So...she's got a little bit of baggage, but nothing major.

Ashleigh just spent her time bashing Vienna.

Elizabeth spent her time regretting the whole I-don't-want-you-to-kiss-me-until-you-ask-me-to-marry-you. Of course he called her a tease...which she WAS! I am SO completely shocked that she was sent packing without a rose!

Michelle spent HER time proving how crazy she actually was. She asked if it would be awkward if she asked him to kiss her. Uuuuuh..just a little! Was it a passionate, hair-pulling totally sexy kiss? Not at all! It was PAINFUL for poor Jake!! And a complete riot for the rest of us! She told him that she wanted something MORE than that...eeeew. After that completely painful interaction...Jake told her to get her sorry butt off the roof before he pushed her off. Well...not exactly like that, but he sent her packing!! It was the most beautiful sight I've seen!

Thankfully Jake had a wonderful OoO date with Ella and in the spirit of Jason's season, her boy was brought in to spend the day with Jake & Mommy. Anyway, it was a nice date & Jake seemed very comfortable being on a date with the both of them. I wonder how he ACTUALLY felt though...

The cocktail party & rose ceremony was BORING! It was just nice to see the tease leave...I have do say though, she had such pretty hair.

Next week looks as it may be interesting.... asking Chris if he HAD to give out the final two roses?? OOOhhh - the plot thickens!

American Idol; Boston & Atlanta Auditions

2010-01-18T09:09:00.002-05:00

Of course, I can't start reviewing American Idol 9 without first commenting on three HUGE changes that we have this season, and the seasons following!

Change #1: Miss Abdul has left the building! With the first two episodes past, the auditions seem somewhat less drunk? (I'm not sure if that's the word I'm looking for.) Having Victoria Beckham a.k.a "Posh" from the Spice Girls and Mary J. Blige as our first two guest judges made the auditions somewhat more interesting. I would have LOVED the Boston auditions more if Victoria's uberlicious hubby, David Beckham stopped in!! Oh well.

Change #2: The toughest judge you'll ever love is calling it quits! Whoa. Simon!! What are you doing?! I feel like a little kid whose parents are divorcing! Will the show stay the same? Who will replace him? Will we get someone who is as brutally honest as he?? I am one of those people who HATES change! I have a very difficult time dealing with it...sure, Paula being gone, big whoop, but Simon?

Change #3: Ellen DeGeneres replacing Paula as the "regular" judge! Sure, I'm sure there will be a lot of funny comments, etc - which I like...but I'm pretty sure that Ellen isn't going to be a mamby-pamby judge who likes everybody and everything. She enjoys music enough to know what is good and what is... well... notsomuch!!

I don't want to give my fabu opinion on EVERY audition because I think that would be a little much! I WILL point out a few of my favorite best & worst auditions!

Obviously, I have to start out with the very first contestant; Janet, who if I saw correctly was from Somerville, Massachusetts which is where I am originally from. Sure, I was completely horrified at her representation of my hometown, but not everyone can be as awesome as the sisters Waters. ;) (can I get a "holla" from my sisters?! Oh wait..that's the other dude) aaaanyway, Janet loves to play the American Idol game and has claimed to have "mastered" it. After her rendition of Pocket Full of Sunshine it was obvious...the game is crap....and her jumping relaxation/pump-up technique...could have worked better if she had on a shorter tanktop.

On the "good" side I've got to give props to my pizano Amadeo Diricco! His rendition of Hoochie Coochie Man ..... was 'ow you saaay... boisterous..... molto alto! LOUD! but good!! I loved his family! It was refreshing to see some JOY in one of the back-stories...what I liked the best about this bit - his family clobbering him!! Awesome... now THAT'S a famiglia!!

Believe me - I WON'T forget the bizarro world Clark Kent. He actually started out as the mild-mannered reporter, Clark Kent, but after waiting the ENTIRE DAY, Andrew Fonton was mild-mannered no more. Actually, I don't think he ever is....Kara took an immediate dislike to him and I'm pretty sure the feelings were mutual. In all honesty - I don't think his version of House of the Rising Sun wasn't completely horrible.... then again, it wasn't whip-off-your-glasses-and-tear-off-your-shirt great either.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Atlanta had some real hum-dingers as well. A lot good, a lot bad and a lot who were just off their nut!!

The guest seat of honor was relinquished by Posh Spice and was taken up by the ever-so-fabulous Mary J. Blige. One thing that I really appreciated about Ms. Blige; she didn't do any Paula-isms. "Well...you look lovely" Nope.

First and foremost from Georgia: WE HAVE OUR HIT OF THE SEASON!! Last season it was "...You are my brother..." It's such a huge shame that I don't remember any of the words. Anyway, I didn't have the chance to see the entire audition of Larry Platt, it has gone the way of the viral video on youtube with people already doing their version! Larry speaks the truth! "Pants on the Ground" speaks the truth!! Lookin' like a fool with your pants on the ground! It's completely hysterical!!

One of my favs is Jermaine Sellers is a young church singer who takes good care of his mamma with spinal bifida. His rendition of "One of Us" was really cool. The runs at the end...mmmm... well, a little over the top, but cool.

The ditz sisters were (how do I put this politely?) Completely idiotic and obnoxious! As usual when you have two BFF's or even siblings audition together - one is considered better than the other! Lauren Sanders, a resounding NO! Carmen Turner, waaay better! I'm glad the judges didn't throw Lauren a pity ticket - that would have been a MAJOR waste!!

Bryan Walker was a complete dark horse. Chicken Little lives ON!! He's completely dorky, but he can SANG!

Antonio Skii Bo Skii Wheeler with the cocky attitude & misspelled shirt was one auditioner I can't wait to see gone. It will be just my luck if he ends up being in the top 4.

I don't even want to waste my time writing on captain inturrupt. Dude wouldn't shut up long enough to get advice. "I wish Paula were here!!" Sorry baby...she gawn!

We did have a young girl who had a Susan Boyle moment. The young lass who goes by the handle; Vanessa I-jump-breegis Wolfe. This girl, devoid of any other stimulation has had to resort to jumping bridges, hanging out on the porch & shopping at the dollar store. I have NOTHING against shopping at a dollar store considering many of my clothes are from Goodwill am I embarrassed about that? NOPE! I just make sure I don't wander around wearing fleece pajama pants. (Sorry MAJOR pet-peeve of mine) ANYWAY, Vanessa has a real old-timey country voice. I'm curious to see how far she'll go!!

Caio for now!!

Say Yes to the Dress: Dancing Around Dress Decisions

2010-01-09T14:25:00.000-05:00

This is actually the first time that I've blogged on this show! This is one of the shows that I listed as "enjoying", but never actually written a review on it!!

Say Yes to the Dress is a "reality show" on TLC. It has a pretty simple concept: Brides to be come in to Kleinfeld Bridal located in Manhattan to make the consultant's lives a living hell while they try on dress after dress after dress. There usually is some sort of entourage that tags along; Mothers, mothers-in-law (to be), sisters, step-sisters, cousins, soon to be sisters-in-law, fathers and even fiance's. (side note: fiances shouldn't be allowed. I know it's a little old-fashioned, but you know, all the mystery and surprise is gone) Normally, when you have such a group...it turns into a major free for all!!

Last night I kicked back and watched even though it was a repeat and even though it was an episode that left me feeling very hostile....ME....toward of the bridezillas!!

Bernadette is one of those super-picky people... I can understand being a somewhat fussy, but this girl was just majorly pathetic! Normally, the consultants will see down the BTB and ask them the first few general questions:
1. What is your price range?
2. What kind of dress do you like?
Both very crucial questions!

Instead of telling consultant Sara what kind of dress she was thinking about, Bernadette she just rattled off a major list of things she DIDN'T "like"!

No big ball gowns
No lace
No pick up skirts
No separate pieces
Nothing heavy
No Belts
Nothing plain
No satin (too 'heavy')
No wide seams

Annoyed yet?

So, Sarah bustled around the store grabbing a few presses that DIDN'T include any of the aforementioned "no-nos". Well, there were some, but that was discovered as each dress was carried through the door!

Sarah grabbed Randy, the fashion director and let him know, "Look, there's a crazy girl in dressing room 3. She claims she's here looking for a dress, but I think they just let her out of the OC unit for the day...please for the love of Vera Wang HELP!!"

Randy stepped in & said, "Listen here brat!! Stop messing around and tell me what you're looking for!!" Does she give a clear answer? NooooOOOOooooo!! One thing I really like about Randy.....he's a sneaky little devil!! (I wonder if he's the baby of the family...he has those traits.)

Randy: "How much are you planning on spending?"
Psycho Burnatette: "$5,ooo"

*Randy sneaks over to the mother

Randy: "How much are you planning on spending?"
Mother who is paying for the dress: "$3,000"

Randy...who had the stealth and uncanny deduction of Sherlock Holmes was able to pry out of the mother/daughter dynamic duo that there was ALREADY a dress... that was purchased...for UNDER $1,000.

I"m wondering if she actually had a fiancee or if she was looking... just like finding out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie-pop...the world may never know....

The Bachelor: SCANDAL UPDATE!! spoiler

2010-01-08T13:52:00.000-05:00

*******SCANDAL UPDATE!!*******

Okay... I know I'm seriously pathetic, but whatevs...don't care!

Anyway - one of the big reasons why I love Twitter is because you get all of the breaking news on important stuff...like who was the Cheatin' McCheaterson who hooked up with one of the producers!! Here's the link!!

http://www.theinsider.com/news/3146061_Jake_Pavelka_Talks_to_ET_About_The_Bachelor_Scandal?ttag=twitter

Here's a photo....

Rozlyn Papa

I wonder; What she was thinking? Or the producer for that matter?

Oh well - that puts a face to the skankdal...er...I mean scandal!!

The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love

2010-01-07T19:49:00.000-05:00

Seriously. "On the Wings of Love"?? How lame can it be to give The Bachelor that title? I know they do it basically every season, but this was just a little too trashy-romance-book sounding. However, when you watch the intro, that’s basically what you are witnessing: Jake, shirtless, staring wistfully off into the horizon. Jake, shirtless, drinking water. Jake, shirtless, lifting weights. Jake, shirtless…in the shower. Um…what? No filming of Jake, shirtless on the toilet?

I’ve gotten ahead of myself, I need to formally introduce Jake: In true Bachelor form, the next bachelor/bachelorette to carry the torch is one of the "favorite" castoffs from the previous season. This season, the favorite loser is Jake an airplane pilot from deep-in-the-heart (clap, clap, clap, clap) of TEXAS! Jake was one of the final guys standing last season with Jillian. After he was given the cold shoulder he went home licking his wounds and trying to figure out what we were all thinking: "Why the heck is Wes still around?! He’s already got a girlfriend!!" Wes was that cowboy who was basically on the show to attempt to launch his nonexistent music career. According to Wes…he had a country music hit. This said “hit” made it to #1 on the charts in some foreign country. I guess being #1 out of the country just wasn't good enough!! Anyway, all of the guys kept eluding to the "fact" that one of the guys had a girlfriend during the time of the taping!

Reenter Jake.

Because Jake cared SO MUCH for Jillian - he had to fly back and let her know that Wes was just a low-life scum-of-the-earth!! (Which he is!) Apparently, that whole superhero image endeared him to the hearts of (sing it with me) All the single ladies, all the single ladies…!

Compared to what we are going to see THIS season...the Wes scandal is not even going to come close to the scandal there will be this season!! I saw the previews and read Chris Harrison's blog & it's true - there's gonna be a little bit o'freeky going on in the Bachelorette Pad!! Well, freaky, plus a whole lotta "WHOA!" Obviously, this girl who (to put it nicely) hooked up with a producer on the show...that just completely blows my mind! The way it seemed is that Jake really liked that girl, but when the whole torrid affair...if that's what you want to call it... happened Jake was MAAAAAD!!! (To say the least) On one of the upcoming scenes it showed Jake going completely ballistic during one of the interviews and storming out shouting, "THIS INTERVIEW IS OVER! " I'll say it again: whoa. I may start some sort of fantasy football thing - only with what Bachelorette is the skank! I am going to make a sweeping judgment and call it now..yeah...by looks..and a tad bit of personality: Gia

Enter the ladies:

As is tradition; The premiere introduces all of the chicks. Each one of them does their own little introduction. There were a couple of models. A divorcee a couple of moms, etc etc. I honestly have to say though; This season the women are all gorgeous. I'm not sure if it's my imagination or not, but there are TONS of blondes!! As each one exited the limo they all had some sort of schtick. From peacock feathers, and dorky pickup lines, “Are those guns registered?“ to toy airplanes and...yup dirt!! How....flattering.
With the all-night cocktail party they all kept "stealing" (as they always say) Jake away for some one-on-one time. One poor girl actually tripped and ripped her dress - another changed into a stewardess uniform to make an impression....which it did...to all of the other women. One played "airplane" and then lets not forget the kicking off of heels for a full-on game of FOOTBALL

There were just too many things to comment on, but I do have a couple of quick things!

1. Michelle needs to access her un-crazy side. (As they say) She was all sulky because she thought that Jake should have just sought her out to have one on one time. Puuuleze...you're on your own sister!!

2. Some of them are a little too cocky for their own good.

3. Having Jillian & Ed interview all of the girls was really pretty lame. Why not Jason & Molly? Or maybe Wes!

Here's one last random thought: Since the very first Bachelor...How many times has Chris said "_____, ladies, this is the final rose"

My Epic Morning

2009-07-21T16:37:00.000-04:00

Oh I know it's an overly dramatic way to describe my morning, but hey, I'm the baby of the family and as such, I must do my duty and over-exaggerate things!

It was a bit nerve-wracking I suppose...

Last month, Katherine's little friend from school, Jasmine, asked if Katherine could attend a tennis camp sort of thing. I guess Jasmine goes every year and loves it, so she wanted a buddy to go along with her. Janet (Jasmine's mom) signed the two girls up - and paid for them by her credit card.

Last night after worship team practice, I was going to stop at the ATM in town to get cash. What should happen? About two or three fire-trucks were in front of the building! This is an apartment building which houses the bank. The last time I saw fire trucks there, it turned out to be someone forgetting that they were boiling eggs on the stove. I don't think it was anything major, because there wasn't billows of smoke pouring out the windows. Nor were there any elderly plummeting to their death trying to escape. Obviously, I couldn't just pull up and run in....so I just said, I'll run up in the morning before Jasmine arrived.

This morning rolled around and Katherine was up and dawdling as usual. I told the kids that I was just going to run uptown to the bank and get the money. This is normally a 3 minute task. All of the spaces in front of the bank block were taken, so I parked on a side-street....hit the ATM & got back to the car. When I got into the car, I tried starting it... it gave me this weak attempt at starting, then farted out on me! I tried again...nothing. I was doing everything except breaking into burlesque in the middle of the street! Dang...I should have tried it!

I called Katherine & told her what was happening - she was calm. I told her to hurry up and get dressed because Jasmine was planning to be at our house by 9:15 (It was 9:05)

I was really taking my life into my own hands, but I decided to do it anyway; I called my mother-in-law. Thankfully, she was home and was able to get me and give me a ride across town. I thought for sure that she was going to just give me the third degree, but she didn't say a word about the kids being by themselves. You know what? She may have not known. She may have assumed that Craig was home watching them.....

Well, what she doesn't know....

This afternoon we needed to drive to the post office & to my insurance office...because we had to drive right by it, I decided to stop real quick to see if the car would start...Did it? 'CHA! Figures right?!

I had a lot of errands (including grocery shopping) that I needed to do - but whatevs!! Life goes on.

Pen Bay Christian School VBS

2009-07-18T10:00:00.000-04:00

It was so nice to be able to have a couple of hours off every day for a week! :) The Littlefield Baptist Church VBS was actually pretty good...considering the size of the school. It's not THAT small, but at the same time, I didn't expect there to be enough man power to put together something extremely fabulous. Overall, they did a really good job! :)
Just like Trinity, they did "Crocodile Dock". Obviously it wasn't as large of a scale, but I saw about 50 kids - which was really good!! :) Mrs. Becknell (the pastor's wife) I'm guessing was in charge of it all. She did the majority of the singing with the hand motions, etc....she's a fantastic singer btw.
This coming week, Katherine was invited to do some tennis lessons with a girlfriend of hers from school. Katherine has mentioned wanting to do something like this before, but she also wants to try skydiving....soooo.... Now I just need to figure out what to do with the boy... he's NOT going to like her going to do something like this & leave him behind. He'll cope.

A New Day

2009-07-16T13:59:00.000-04:00

Five-thirty came early again this morning. Thankfully, the getting-ready-for-work process was much more pleasant. Craig didn't have to be the single-plumber today - instead, he was off to Mid-Coast Energy Systems in Damrascotta.

I mentioned a couple of entries ago that Craig has had it "up to here" with being a lone plumber.
Yesterday, Craig worked for Donnie at a Camden job. He was working on (kind of like) a laundry sink...just 100% fancier. The faucet alone was very modern and obviously purchased from Home Depot or Lowes or something. What people do not realize is when you purchase such a faucet from a box store, you are going to get a "lower grade". If you purchase the same fixture through your plumber/contractor it will cost you a little more money, but the quality is much better. It's kind of like buying something generic. You can purchase some great shampoo which smells good etc, then purchase the generic brand of the same...you can tell the difference. So, although the company...Kohler for example will sell the same type of model - there is a huge difference. Whereas the one the contractor can get his hands on is commercial grade (I can't remember if that's the term) is more solid. The one a Joe Shmo can get...is basically plastic on the inside. A faucet that a contractor gets, is basically all put together...the customer one - well, you need a degree in rocket science. When we had our business - we had some customers insist on getting their own stuff - there were a few times where we just out and out refused to install it... but every time, we would let them know right up front...WE WILL NOT WARRANTY IT!

As I was saying; Craig worked for Donnie yesterday and the faucet for this sink he was installing was one that takes 100 years to put together - he was working on that faucet & sink for 4 hours! Gee, no wonder he wants out!! I don't blame him! He has been offered his job back at MCES & has been thinking about it. My opinion: GO!! His whole demeanor has been as if we were back in business. An absolute replica of his late father! MAJOR jerk!! <----- that's being nice!

Before he wanted to give a solid "YES" to MCES, he wanted to write up something he titled "Simonotes". When I say "he" wanted - I mean...he wants ME to write it up. Isn't that an utter shock? So, this whole 5 page write-up was one ways to help the company to save money & help the business run a little more efficiently. Sure, we applied all of this to our business, we just didn't have the man-power, etc to do all of this work - so it fell on him. He showed it to one of the mucky-mucks & he completely agreed with Craig's assessments & advice. The head hauncho is coming in next week I believe and Craig is ready to sit down with him & go over all of this.... it kind of makes me nervous in a way. I don't know the boss that well, but Craig seems to think he'll listen and agree with Craig's thoughts.

I'm curious to see what kind of mood he'll be in when he gets home. Last night, I got yelled at for stupid crap. I'm not one to just take this - I'll yell back & tell him.... I'll even verbally hit him below his psychological belt.... but I wasn't up for it. I let him be a Dick Simoneau (his dad) & just ignored his moronic behavior.

I'm off!!

Blogger: A great place to vent!

2009-07-15T08:25:00.000-04:00

I wish that I wouldn't rant in my blog so much; but it's a great place to get out my frustration...you know...for whosoever sees it.

I got to see my chiropractor yesterday - this may sound kind of odd to some people...or maybe NOT... but I couldn't wait to get there! I dropped Nicholas off at my parent's house and couldn't have arrived there fast enough!! All morning I was so afraid that I was going to throw my back up, but thank God I got there!! Does it hurt like mad? Um YAH! Does it help...VERY MUCH!! I could feel those knots get worked out - it's kind of like a little bump type of thing, but you can feel it move and smooth. (lol) After I left, the muscles in my neck & back were soooo sore, but you know - today - still feels a leeetle bit sore, but after a few days of having some fiercely knotted up muscles... it's understandable! ALL IN ALL... soooo much better!! :)

This morning has been majorly crappy. Craig woke up cranky because he knew he had to work for Donnie today. Of course, when he's in a bad mood...I get the brunt of it! (Hence the need for a chiropractor!!) When I was getting dressed this morning I kind of said..."Ooowww", just because my muscles are getting back to normal - so he acted the same way...like a jerk!! 'WHAT?!!!" God forbid I don't feel 100%. Jerk. I can't wait for Craig to be done with Donnie - I'm sick and tired of hearing him whine and complain continually. I KNOW he hates working for Donnie....maybe I'll buy him a diary...or maybe some menstrual cramp pills!!

I'm out for now - hopefully, I'll be able to post a blog soon that won't be completely negative!!

BACK to normal...

2009-07-13T12:45:00.000-04:00

I love dorky puns. On my Facebook I wrote: "Tonight I have a weak back...I hurt it about a week back." I got some "Ughs" - and rightfully so! I would have done the same thing!!

Lame pun or not - My back was MAJORLY hurting yesterday!! Mostly the bone - I kept *snap*crackle* and *popping*! This morning I could feel the tightness (in the muscle) on my shoulders! I did the type of kneading that my chiropractor does - I could definitely feel the knots. Although I did quite a bit - my shoulder/neck muscles are still sore. I mentioned that yesterday it was killing...it was killing to the point where my fingers were numb. Pretty bad yeah? I know it's kind of

I called my chiro today to see if she could fit me in - unfortunately, she's closed on Mondays. (Dang) We'll see how I feel by tomorrow morning! If I keep finding myself grinding my teeth and having my shoulders shrugged, I'll be on the phone the millisecond she opens!!

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VBS for the Littlefield Baptist Church started today. They're doing the same Crocodile Dock thing that we did at Trinity. Having come fresh off of Trinity's Katherine was right on the ball with the whole, "FEAR NOT!!" response....AND the motions to the songs! It was pretty cool :)
I asked Katherine after how she liked everything, she said it was boring. Well, I would imagine so after the huge production we just finished up, it pretty much pales in comparison! She also told me that she didn't like her crew leader! I guess she's some old lady that has "lots of wrinkles and shushes us all the time". My whole thought on these matters: If you are (how to put this delicately) 'seasoned' in life and noise, smells, singing, chattering, cheering, children annoy you...LEAVE your sorry, wrinkly, grouchy heiny at home and watch Judge Judy!!

Nicholas seemed to like it. He isn't Mr. Over-excited about things - he just takes them in stride. "Did you have a nice time Nicholas?" "Yup." Unfortunately, his lack of enthusiasm didn't last too long. When we reached McDonalds after sitting in the noontime traffic on Mechanic street the boy basically DEMANDED that we eat there! A child demanding something of me? Aaaaaaaaaaaaa nah! He got over it by the time we got home. (surprise surprise)

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So, I'm pretty much home for the rest of the afternoon. Tonight is worship team practice and I'm certainly hoping that we won't be having a repeat of the past couple of practices. There has been MAJOR negativity coming from a person on the team. Just A LOT of criticism...UNNECESSARY criticism. If a person can't be a part of a "team" with a good attitude...well, just walk right out the door after the leader who can't stand being a part of VBS!!

GAAAH!!

2009-07-11T08:31:00.000-04:00

It's 8:30 Saturday morning!! Do you know where your stress is?!

Yeah. It's on my shoulders and in my jaw. If I were a drinker, I would probably have knocked back a few by now.

The kids have been fighting over one stupid spot on the couch....Katherine slept there last night, so I let her keep it. Nicholas can't have his way on everything...and shouldn't!!
Craig just heaped a TON of stuff in my head. i.e.: The future of "Rudy's Apartment"...being made into a nice bedroom and all the work it will entail - I also just sat for about a 1/2 hour while Craig complained about Donnie, (Who is a complete moron if you ask me) and about how Donnie treats Craig as if he's a five-year-old and can get away with it.

On numerous occasions, Craig has requested of Donnie some help from one of the other employees. It has nothing to do with being alone - it's just difficult trying to set a pedestal sink by oneself. Donnie has thrown him a bone by saying, "Oh...I'll send Austin to help you." Austin may help for about five minutes, then run outside to play on the tractor. Does Donnie give a crap? Uhhh nuh. Craig has sat down with Donnie a few times to let him know how he feels with this treatment...his response: "You'll be okay." What?!
He's been working off and on for Donnie and for Mid-Coast; it's an obvious choice where he wants to be, however; there are certain things he wants to discuss with the chief about how to save money for the company, utilize the crew, materials, deliveries. He IS knowledgeable with that sort of thing. That's where his trash-picking skills come in handy. So, "we" are putting together an epistle for MCES.

Donnie's book keeper who has the personality of a shrub and the personality skills to match it called me when I was at my sister's last week. "I need Craig's hours" This is something I fax in and honestly don't mind doing. In June (before we left for Mass) I had stopped at the office to see if we had any paychecks...they don't mail them or anything. Donnie said, "I don't think we have anything" Sure enough, there was no check. I had left a message for the shrub to call me and let me know what hours she needed.... You know what hours she needed? THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JUNE!! I have one fax that I sent in TWICE - not including the re-send from yesterday!! So, re-fax on all of the hours for June I did.... I called the shrub after I faxed them and out to make sure they came through...for the 200th time:

Me (in my nice voice) "Hello? I was just calling to see if the faxes finally came through?"
Shrub: (in a dry voice) "Yes"
Me: "There should be 4 pages"
Shrub: "Yes"
Me: "Okay...well...I just wanted to make sure that you all got them this time..."
Shrub: "Yup"

Of course, when I hung up I had to do my imitation of her in my best baby-of-the-family-mocking-someone-voice: "Yup. Yup. Yup. Yup." As awful as this sounds... the woman has the mullet looking "feathered" hair....she's stuck. Well, I shouldn't talk - I'm not out there changing my hair every 5 minutes to keep up with fashion.

So, the long and the short of it is:

Donnie is disrespectful. He thinks Craig is a pee-on ignorant loser.
He and his book keeper have their heads up their -----.
Craig doesn't want to go to work in the morning because of all this crap.
He really wants to go to MCES because he'll have help which Donnie doesn't want to give.
MCES has health insurance & I believe dental? That would be a good expense cut.

I was just about done with my rant, but I have another thought:

One of Craig's "best friends" is in the Gideons with us. Craig had shared his WWII hobby with him & this guy "got into" this hobby as well. I know that sounds like one of those, "He's copying me!!" Things, but it's true. So, in the past Craig had gone with his friend to WWII shows to buy patches & look at all things WWII. Within the past couple of years, this friend has gone off to these shows alone - which is kind of one of those, "Gee, thanks friend - I'm glad that you thought of me - you know - the person who has been serious about this hobby since I was 11 (That's not an exaggeration)." Now, the actual kick in the groin: This "best friend" has (within the past few years) become VERY good friends with Donnie. Donnie unknowing how annoyed this has made Craig has mentioned what great friends they have become & how they go out to eat all the time, etc etc. One of their daughters is getting married this Summer - has his "best friend" been invited?? What do you think?

Being a back-up friend is so fun!! I've had too much experience there.

Nicholas has a birthday party to go to today. This should be fun for him (I hope) The last time we went to a party, he didn't interact with the other children at all. In all honesty, I think I understand why now... there was so much noise and so much confusion that it was just too much over-stimulation. We've discovered that is something that Nicholas is learning how to deal with. ie; VBS week.

That was my vent for the day - now I need to go and chew some gum to get the stress off my jaw!!

VBS Week.

2009-07-06T13:48:00.000-04:00

I can honestly say that even though I love being a part of the VBS week at Trinity, the best part of being there for that week, is just begin near my sister & girls. It's awful to be so far away from them! Sure, it's a pain to be living out of your suitcase, but hey - it's worth it!!

The entire week was a lot of fun! Of course, by Friday everyone is ready for the weekend! Except me, I knew the weekend would be the close of my visit!! :'(

On Wednesday afternoon, Cathy, Rachel and myself went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch, then wander around the mall a bit. I guess, THAT is the mall where Paul Blart 'Mall Cop' was filmed. It was pretty cool :)

One super-cool thing that happened is that I got to watch my sister lead worship at their church! In my opinion, it's a pretty big deal. I know it's nerv-wracking for her, just because of the size of the congregation and all of the attitudes that come into play. I thought it was super-cool and I think she did a wonderful job! (I'm so proud! *Sniff*Sniff*!)

When we got home last night, I just felt kind of disoriented. My house seemed so old and it was damp. Just from all the rain I suppose. I really think that we need to invest in a decent dehumidifier. The ride home.... well, it was typical. Craig yelling at me because he has no confidence in what direction/exit we're supposed to take.
"Are we supposed to go at this exit?!!"
"What exit did you take when you went home...without me?!"
"NOW is NOT the time to be a B!"
I swear...one of these days....

Nicholas was pretty funny... a couple of years ago after having dropped Katherine off for a week, she was NOT HAPPY to leave! She screamed her little head off...."TURN THIS CAR AROUND NOOOOOW!!" Yeah, that's Katherine. Nicholas took leaving pretty hard. He loves his cousins, especially Danielle, who is a mother hen type. When we were saying our goodbyes, he looked at Daisy and with these tears pouring down his face was saying, "Daisy, I have to go now...I live very, very, very, very, very, very, very (etc etc) far away" Obviously I couldn't witness this without shedding a tear of my own...neither could Stephanie! It was so heart-breaking!!

"...And the award for the most sorrowful farewell goes to..... NICHOLAS SIMONEAU!!" My poor baby.

He seems to think that we are going to be returning next weekend. Again; poor baby.

We did have a nice distraction of watching the 4th of July fireworks. They postponed them on account of the rain. Nicholas was completely freaked out by the thought of going to watch them. We just went up across the way to Montpeillier. They showed up nicely and it wasn't painfully loud.... so it was a good thing. :)

First thing this morning when the boy woke up: "How is Danielle's house today?" I really don't get what he was asking.

That's all for now. I'm unpacking and doing laundry for Captain Helpless. He had no underwear left. Do you think he could grasp the way the washing machine worked? He knows how it works....he lived without his mommy for long enough!!

Trinity Evangelical 2009 VBS...day one

2009-06-29T14:30:00.000-04:00

Okay - I just completely freaked out. I had quite a blog going on here, but unfortunately a blend of drifting off & hearing someone screaming, "---- FELL IN THE POOL!!" I immediately jumped up and said, "WHO FELL IN THE POOL?!" (yup, freaked out) I jumped up thinking the worst: Nicholas falling in. Cathy, obviously irritated said, "No one fell into the pool! Someone stepped in poop"

It turns out that Daisey Bella, the cocker spaniel doggie has been having quite a few "accidents" since we've been here. There's been pee...she pooped in the girl's room this morning, and also dropped a load in the hall. *sigh* When Cathy opened the door, Daisey shot out and ran off down the street. Danielle was able to save the day by catching her at the neighbor's house. No more excitement please! Now we have a little doggie being punished by being sent to her room! (the kennel)

Having said that....

Today was the first day of VBS here at Cathy's church. Just like every year, I look forward to this week. It's a lot of fun, but I especially love being here with Cathy & Guy and the girls! :)

I honestly couldn't fall asleep last night...the biggest reason being I honestly didn't know what was going on!! Anyone who really knows me, that is one of those things I don't do: Go boldly where no one has gone before! Nope, not me...I like to KNOW everything about what is going to happen, what is going to be involved, etc etc. I need to know!

When I showed up, I had NO IDEA what my herd name was (Blossom's Buddies...or something like that) See, I really didn't know everything that was going on because being in Maine, I wasn't up to speed with everything. My herd leader called me ONCE a couple of months ago and that was the last of it!! She told me that she tried to email me information, but it was coming back. Hmmmmm..... interesting. My phone was still working though.

Once I got a hold of the main information that I needed - I was able to grab my standard issue back pack which includes; pencils, pencil sharpener, name tags, curriculum and that sorta thing. I also grabbed my photo i.d. from last year & took a look at the "staff" shirts. One of which was supposed to be set aside for me. Unfortunately....someone scoffed it and now I have large size tee, which looks dorky.

The first couple of minutes my head wasn't in it...mostly because I wasn't quite in-the-zone. By the time the first few songs were finished, my head was moving along. Katherine had to be one of the first audience "helpers" so she got a CD which doesn't surprise me. I KNOW the rain didn't help with my funk this morning. Blech. BUT It was nice to see the sun come out for about a half-hour....the kids decided to hit the pool! Yes, yes they did.

I'm hoping that tomorrow will be beautiful and sunny!!!