Wednesday, April 30, 2008

diamond when it's rough

okay, i'm going to post about american idol like it really matters. my love for all things neil diamond dictates that i say something.
i don't care what anyone says, neil diamond is the shit.

i remember when i was really little and my mom went to see Johnathan Livingston Seagull and came home with the record. I loved it. I still love it.

I remember in my tormented college days being heartbroken and driving around blasting "Love on the Rocks". I hid the cassette when I picked up my friend Lee and he saw and it was like "fuck yeah, I love Neil Diamond."

Just a couple of years ago, Galoot and I sang a moving rendition (if I do say so myself) of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers."....i remember all the things you taught me. i learned how to laugh and i learned how to cry...well you think i could learn how to tell..you..good..bye.

As for last night's performances:
David Cook: decent, he's the only one i really enjoy watching anyway. i would have liked to see him do "girl, you'll be a woman soon." think the kids would have recognized it from Pulp Fiction.

Jason Castro: I actually thought "Forever in Blue Jeans" was perfect for him. It was a little low key but that is his style. Sept. Morn was not a good choice. He should have sang "The Story of My Life" or possibly "Red Red Wine."

Syesha: not my style.

Brook: i was really pulling for her but wtf? why would she "i'm a believer"? also, bad decision to change the lyrics from New York city born to Arizona (sorry Neil, don't think you thought that one through). "I am I said" is an amazing song, she did okay on that one. She's very Carole Kingish. Instead of believer she should have sang "BE" although it's on par with "I am I said."

David Archwhatever: I wanted to come through the television and punch him in the face. That arrangement of Sweet Caroline was a travesty. That song should make everyone want to get up and sing at the top of their lungs along with you. By contrast, Coming to America was the only song he could possibly sing (maybe he could have chosen that E.T. song). Most of Neil's songs are sexual and have a maturity that this kid is not capable of portraying.

what i think about...

the polygamist compound in texas:
i was blown away when my step father said that he did not think the government should have gone in and taken the kids and that they especially should not have the right to take their dna.
i think it's about time someone did something to help those children. it's one thing to say that they are being brainwashed about their religion (because really, aren't we all?) but those kids were being abused. they HAD to take their dna because everyone was lying about who's kids were whose. total craziness. like really..crazy people.
could you even imagine forcing your child to marry a man as old as her grandfather when she is just barely a teenager? who in their right mind could agree with that? i also watched a program where they said that there are many (like hundreds) of babies who die each year in those compounds because of incest and that they are just discarded without funeral or care. so sad for the babies and so sad for the children who bear them.

i am not however completely against polygamy. i'm not certain that i personally could live in a multiple marriage (because i could never SERVE and take orders from any one person) but i can see the appeal of having more than one mom and wife.

Muslim woman (defendant) suing judge who ordered her to remove her veil in court:
general law trumps religious laws. sorry about your luck lady, if your religion is that important to you then move somewhere that does not have laws that conflict with your religious beliefs. i feel the same about pretty much all of those "politically correct" lawsuits. again. general law trumps religious laws. they can't create a different set of laws for every person and what they believe. some people believe in human sacrifice as part of their religion...are we going to create a new set of rules for them?

Reverand Wright:
wow, hope all of you who were arguing with me about him can now see that he really is a hateful man. he said that what barack was doing was "just politics." isn't baracks entire campaign about him not being a typical politician? woah, he pissed off obama. hilarious. it's like wright didn't like being dissed and had to have the last word or something. his ego was wounded. i guess the chickens are coming home to roost. (seriously, what does that mean anyway? why is it bad to have your chickens come home?)

price of gas:
holy shit! it took $90 to fill my tank last week. it's like having a freaking boat! i'm so glad that the weather is getting nice and we can get out the bikes and start walking again.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

that boy!


yesterday my boy turned four years old.
we had a party. it was fun.
he is SUCH a boy. he was walking around with a battery operated screwdriver (toy) and was randomly "screwing" objects (like the couch, the floor, the chair). and then...

aunt kathy: wow jude, that's a cool screwdriver
jude: hey, ya want me to screw your boobie?

the funniest part is that later in the kitchen, we were laughing about it and kathy remarked (in front of her husband), "i don't think i've ever had my boobie screwed." all eyes went to uncle chimp and he just said "no comment."


Monday, April 21, 2008

aruba

dang, blogger is not letting me upload pictures right now. i have some posted on my other blog if you want to check them out.

i went snorkeling and saw some nice fish. it was calm and about 10 ft deep. then they put us back on the catamaran and took us out where it was about 60 ft deep. we got to see a shipwreck, it was very cool. the waves were a bit daunting and the water colder but it was exciting.
when everyone was back on the ship, they had an open bar and some island music. people were dancing and having a good time.


i went parasailing. it was very very very windy. the first time a gust of wind caught my shoot and swung me sideways was a little scary. i kept picturing the rope snapping and flying off to Venezuela. i was able to look down and see about 5 sea turtles below me, that was pretty cool.


chowder, goat soup, lobster tail, lots and lots of rum drinks, island music, sand, heat, wind, casinos, jackpots, more rum drinks, dancing, lizards, adventure, fun, friends.

can't wait for next year's trip...anyone want to come with me? i'm tired of earning the trip alone.



later gator.

Thursday, April 03, 2008

top chef

okay, so even after my tipsy phone calls, i managed to stay up and watch the repeat of Top Chef.

i missed the quickfire though....i'm sure it will be on bravo sometime this week.

the elimination challenge was food that tied into a movie. because they had guest judge Richard Roper (chicago movie critic).

i was surprised by the willy wonka food. they said it was really good but i would have thought more whimsical and a lot more chocolate but at least they played up the "fizzy lifting drink."

i thought of preppygirl when the one team did A Christmas Story. chinese christmas dinner.

I really thought that most of the teams chose odd movies and the link from their food to the movie was weak (i mean, really, making beef and saying it was inspired by Top Secret??). It got me to thinking about what movie I would do and I have a list:


1. my first thought was Under the Tuscan Sun and I would make some kind of olive dish
2. Silence of the Lambs: duh..Lamb and favre beans
3. Lady & the Tramp: spaghetti and meatballs (too corny?)
4. Ratatouille
5. Soylent Green (could be a pesto sauce of some sort) would be funny to plate it with different shapes of pasta to make a person.

care to add any to the list?

btw. the dude who packed his knives has so far been pretty forgettable so no surprise that he got Das Boot.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

he is a star

so my son's first commercial is airing now. we finally got to see it and he looks adorable.

we happened to have been eating in a local restaurant where my son LOVES the pancakes (does not matter what time of day it is, he gets the pancakes). this was back in february i think. Anyway...we walked in and a film crew was in there making a commercial. We sat to down to eat breakfast and the film crew spotted our animated little diner and asked if they could film him

he took direction very well. they said take a bite of your pancake and he did. they said now look at the camera and give us a thumbs up which he did. of course he opened his mouth and showed off the chewed up pancake when he did it....ah...3 year olds.

they filmed him for a little bit and that was it. on my last visit to the restaurant, the owner said "jude is going to be in the commercial and it's airing soon." i asked what channels and he said FoxNews, HGTV, and ESPN. Of course not nationally but I was thinking it would be on our local cable access channel only.

then yesterday monkey's mom called and said she just saw him on tv. so i kept the tv on fox news all afternoon and finally saw it. I yelled for the kids to come in and watch. Magda laughed and jude had the biggest grin watching himself on tv. They ended up getting him just eating and looking out of the corner of his eye with a sly grin on his face. Super cute.

Later last night...i heard an argument erupt in the other room. "JUST 'CUZ YOU GOT YOUR OWN COMMERCIAL, YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS YOU KNOW!" my daughter yelled. She continued to say "YOU'RE NOT EVEN THE STAR". she is a little jealous of her baby brother.