Peyton Night Live

So, everyone in Indiana knows that Peyton Manning hosted SNL last night. For the most part, I think he did well with what he was given. SNL had been picking up in the past few weeks, but I thought most of the sketches last night left a lot to be desired. Peyton wasn't as stunted as other sports stars have been, and he seemed to have a nice flow. But I still wasn't impressed. My top 3 moments from last night were as follows (I'll insert the videos as I find them.)

3. The Idol spoof of Sanjaya and crying girl.

2. Seth Meyers had a line during Weekend Update that had me rolling. It went like this (paraphrased, of course): "A cat in New Jersey recently received the first ever hip replacement in a cat. The procedure only cost a couple thousand more than the standard practice: Total cat replacement."

1. The United Way spoof with Peyton.


All in all, these seemed to be mostly the only funny parts of the whole night. Did anyone else think that the opening monologue piece where they talked about the mom being a disappointment for not playing in the NFL might have been written for Peyton's older brother? Though, that would have been too low a blow since the brother probably would have been there if not for the congenital health problem. I just found it slightly odd that they didn't mention Cooper in the monologue, when he was there at the end presenting Peyton with the birthday cake.

I'm going to Kill Jim Halpert

The geniuses in the The Office NBC promo department have put together a 4 minute promo featuring the love quadrangle that is Roy/Pam/Jim/Karen. The show doesn't return for another 2 weeks, but they wanted to whet our appetites. It contains about 3:30 of remix of stuff we've already seen from this season, but then gives us a 20 sec preview of what happens after Roy utters the fateful line from title of this post. Trust me, it's good.



View directly on Youtube by clicking here.
* I haven't quite figured out the intracacies of inline posting. So the video may be shifted a bit.

The Winds of Change

So, I've been kinda mum about this whole topic for the last few months. Most of my regular readers know me in real life so they knew this anyway. But 2 months ago I quit my job. I didn't really discuss it on here, because at the time, I didn't really have a backup job. Not exactly the smartest thing to do. But you do what you have to do. Thus, although I was supposed to be buying a house a few months ago, I didn't. Which is why I didn't mention it again. I am still a renter in every sense of the word.

It's funny how things work out,though. Less than 10 days after I quit, I interviewed for a job which didn't really excite me. I got a bad vibe at the interview and kinda chalked it up as interview experience. And then I got a second interview. And then a third. By the time the third one rolled around, I had started to get my hopes up and realized just how perfect the job was for me. Luckily, they apparently thought I was perfect for it as well and offered it to me.

Obviously, I don't really want to talk specifics about it. I'll generally say that I feel like this job is using my law degree for the greater good. Also, there is no billable hour requirement. Which is the best thing since sliced bread. I started this past Monday, and although I've only been in training and observation, there are so many things about this job that I'm going to love. I'll get to do a fair amount of litigation without solely being stuck in the court room. And I'll be the only attorney in an office and spending my days with non-attorneys. Which will have its ups and downs. And did I mention no billables?

I've never really been a big fan of the whole "when God closes one door, another one opens." Not that I think it doesn't happen, I just think it's something we tell ourselves without really believing. But, it really rang true this time. I left a job I didn't realize I hated so much until the day I cleaned out my office, got an extended 8 week vacation laying around doing nothing but relaxing, and landed a job that couldn't be more perfect for me. So all in all, things are good. Different, but good.

American Idol: Top 11

Ok, live blogging, sort of. I'm watching it on DVR so that I can fast forward through the parts that make me want to gouge my eyes out. Which may be many. I always skip the backstage stuff because I don't care what the guest performers think. But I'm typing up as I watch. Here goes.

Haley "Tell Him"
I really liked her tonight. She seems to be having fun this week. And she doesn't sound half bad. She actually performs, which will more than make up for any bum notes. Not my favorite, but she's growing on me.

Chris R. "Don't let the Sun Catch you Crying"
Something about him bugs the bejeezus out of me. I can't put my finger on it, but I'm not a fan. I think it may be the fact that I think he thinks he's better than he is. I read an interview with him last week where he talked about how much Justin Timberlake looked like him. Yeah, not the other way around. Uh, no. Also, when Sundance was ousted, there was a big deal made about how some guy in the house was cocky and thinks he has the thing wrapped up. Many people speculated Chris S or Blake, but my money is on Chris R. I'm just not feeling him. The performance wasn't too bad, and though it may have been his best performance, it's all relative. The dude is going to skate by still on his looks, so he could stand out on stage and crap in a punch bowl and it wouldn't matter. I mean, he's attempting the eye seduction thing with the camera. Ew.

Stephanie "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me"
Her days are numbered. She doesn't have the performance to stand out. She started this whole thing out as one of the divas, but she's not progressing as much as Melinda or Lakisha. At the end of the night, I don't ever remember her performance. Which isn't a good thing. I was not impressed tonight.

Blake "Time of the Season"
Even though, in theory, Blake should get on my nerves as much as Chris R, he does not. I enjoy him so. Something about his voice reminds me of some band, but I can't think of it. Maybe Maroon 5? I like the way he mixes his songs and does enough beat boxing to not get on my nerves, but to make the song unique. While he doesn't have the oodles of talent the gals do, he'll undoubtedly have a post-idol career. I really liked the song tonight. I might actually rewatch it.

Seriously, is "you've got the yo factor" this year's "dawg". Stop it Randy.

Lakisha "Diamonds are Forever"
Ok, I did watch this background clip, and Lakisha's face was priceless when the lady was singing and trying to convince her to do the other song. I like the dress, hate the hair. Not to the chorus yet and I'm bored. Wow, and a really bum note there. There's nothing about this performance that's going to make me remember it. It's giving me a very James Bond feeling. And I don't mean that in a good way. Holy crap, this is a James Bond song. I swear, I typed this up before I heard that. The judges are agreeing with me too.

Phil "Tobacco Road"
He bugs me too. It's like he's trying to be Chris Daughtry with the mike stand and performance. Dude. You're not. He's also someone who should not be bald until he has to be. This year's contestants seem like the less talented versions of the past. Phil=Chris Daughtry, Stephanie=Fantasia. While Lakisha still reminds me of Mandisa in song choice and performance style, Lakisha is more talented. Back to Phil, I was busy typing and didn't really pay much attention to him. I didn't recognize the song, and I didn't like it. I wasn't listening much for tone quality, but i just didn't like it. Simon's with me here, saying Phil needs grit, which translated by me means he's the poor man's Chris.

Jordin "I, Who have nothing"
I like Jordin. While she's easily in the top 3 most talented on this show, I think her age will be her downfall here. I like it, but I don't. It's totally not my style. Great voice and intonation. Maybe if I heard this song more than just this once I'd have a different opinion. This is a big song which sounds great, but which doesn't have the immediate recognizability like a Whitney or a Mariah song where you immediately associate it with the past performer. Nothing really to hate on.

Sanjaya "You Got Me Going"
Ok, in the early rounds, I liked him. Then he opened his mouth. Actually, he doesn't really have a bad voice, but up till now, he's bored the heck out of me. He has no performance to back up the voice. And he's all shy. If he had more attitude, I'd like him better. Right now, he's still coming in every week as the joke. At least he recognizes he's not the best singer. Ok, don't like the outfit. Whoa, what is up with the girl they keep showing that is crying. This is different, he's got a bit more attitude and performance. I don't really like the voice. It's ok. I think he had to be different, and he was. And he'll still be around for another week. What did Simon mean?

Gina "Paint it Black"
Gina was pimped early and I liked her back then. But she's blending into the background after that. She looks like she's going to try to rock something. I don't mind it. It's definitely her style. I don't think the voice is really there tonight. Sounds pitchy in some points. It's like the soccer mom version of rock tonight. Wow, Simon's with me on another one.

Chris S. "She's Not There"
I liked him before. I'm kinda getting over him. He needs to bring a song that I like better than I've liked him in a while. Ooh, he's singing a song I know and one I like. Remember when I was talking above about the guy who thinks he's got this wrapped up, I could also see this person being Chris S. (Ok, completely random sidenote. I rewatched some SYTYCD clips recently, and on one they showed a guy in the audience saying "wow" to a girl standing next to him. I think it was after the Alison/Ivan contemp piece. The dude is in the audience tonight and Chris just walked by him. In a long sleeved blue striped shirt. I'm a bit embarrased that I've seen the SYTYCD clip enough to know that.) Chris kinda bored me tonight. I don't think he made it his own. It seemed slow and soft. Eh. Simon doesn't agree with me here. Stop it with the "fro patrol" dude.

There's an interesting article here about how his hometown is disappointed that he's performing mainstream music and not sticking with strictly Christian music. Which is bogus. If they mean on this show, they should know he'd be gone immediately for singing songs that no one knows. If they mean for pursuing AI at all instead of going the way of Michael W. Smith, they should realize that if he did that, no one would know who he was anyway and they wouldn't be interviewed for MSNBC. It's not like he's coming out and singing Tupac or something. I guess I just personally have an issue with these thoughts. It's like when I was considering what colleges to go to, the fact that I was going to go to a secular college was considered bad by many in my church because it wasn't Christian college. It's like they think the only way you can be Christian is to seclude yourselves with other Christians so you're not living "of the world". What. Ever. Suck it up town.

Melinda "As Long as He Needs Me"
It's no secret she's my favorite. Since she's going last, I expect that she's going to be brilliant tonight. If this is out of her comfort zone, dang. Ok, hate when they sit on the stage. And I'm not liking her hair. I do like the casual outfit for once. Wonder if they made her ditch the Gails and are making her use the AI stylists. But like the voice. I like her better when she's more upbeat. It's like Jordin, Lakisha and Melinda all chose these "torch" songs tonight that don't really have much of a beat. She's still fantastic. If she doesn't win this or at least come in runner up, there's something wrong with America. She really doesn't ever hit a wrong note or tone.

Have they always thanked the band or is that new this season? Seriously, what is up with this crying girl? Is this make a wish?

I'm interested to know my parents thoughts on this one since these songs are their generation. So, for once, they should know most of the tunes. I know my dad hasn't liked Blake, so maybe this week will swing him.

Predictions: I think the bottom 3 this week will be Phil, Stephanie and Gina. I think Sanjaya will be saved this week. The one going home? Phil?

The best part of waking up.

I can't even imagine waking up during a flight to this. Are you kidding me?

Don't you think it would be more disturbing to the economy class passengers to see airline personnel lugging a dead body through the cabin than to just let the person be? At least when he or she dies, he or she is likely sitting next to their own travelling companions rather than being uprooted and put next to total strangers.

If I ever die in-flight, I want my travelling companions to request in-flight, immediate cremation. Sure, the smell may be a problem, but at least the other passengers wouldn't be stuck looking at my dead body.

A Marked Woman

Growing up, my parents had several rules. Of course they did. They were the usual: go to church on Sunday mornings, brush your teeth before bed, don't lock your brother in his toybox. Luckily for us, they never made us eat all the food on our plate or make our beds. Because, really, I was the only person who ever saw my bed, so what did it matter.

One of my parents' favorite rule enforcers was the Saturday Sack. Here's how the Saturday Sack worked. We were responsible for keeping our things cleaned around the house. I have been plagued from birth with a nasty case of disorganization. Trust me, though they deny it, it's genetic. It also comes with a side of pack-ratism. Essentially these manifest by causing me to leave things around. When I was a kid, the left things consisted of shoes and toys and the like.

When Saturday morning rolled around, anything that had not been put away would be taken by the Saturday Sack. Once in the grasp of the Saturday Sack, you couldn't get it back until the next Saturday. Which, when you're 5, is an eternity. You would think that we would be smart enough to make sure everything was cleaned up before hand. We weren't. So Saturday morning, at the first glimpse of the Saturday Sack, we all started freaking out and running around the house like a bunch of yayhoos trying to grab as much as we could. Since we had small arms, it usually wasn't much. And there were always tears when a favorite toy or book was taken away.

I will give my parents kudos for their tenacity. The beauty of the Saturday Sack was that it didn't matter what got put in there, you didn't get it back. If you happened to leave one lone tennis shoe in the middle of the living room floor, the next week at school, you wore a different pair, even if they were dress shoes. I remember one time one of my siblings managed to get 2 separate shoes taken away and had to wear a mismatched pair for a few days. Luckily, we weren't in school yet and our social lives consisted of running around the backyard and going to the library so it wasn't too embarrassing.

Another one of my parents firm rules was no tattoos as long as you live under their roof. Which, of course, only made us want to get tattoos. My sister was the first to cave shortly after her marriage. She and the brother in law made a night of it and visited the local Christian tattoo parlor (yeah, that's right) and had themselves permanently altered.

I followed suit a few years later. I can remember to the day when I got my tattoo. It was September 8, 2001. 3 days before September 11th. I, like my sister, got a religious tattoo. It's the following symbol for the trinity:



There are conflicting reports online of the origin of the symbol. Some think it's paganistic. However, I believe symbols are what you make of them, so I'm sticking with my theory. I stole the design from a friend of mine, who is a missionary and preacher's kid. I knew for a couple of years that I wanted a tattoo, and I wanted it to mean something. When I saw hers, I couldn't resist. I asked her permission first, and she agreed since she had stolen it from the band P.O.D. I sorta regret having the same one now, but we live on different continents, so it's not like we see each other every day. But I have it in the same place on the inner side of my right ankle. When we are in the same place and people notice, I feel like a tool. But I've literally only seen her 3 times in the last 5 years. So I cope.

My favorite part of the tattoo process was the reveal to my parents. I had had it for a couple of weeks, but didn't mention it to them knowing how they felt. I went home to visit them for the weekend, and decided to get it out in the open. I was getting ready to take a shower, so I told my parents. I told them that I knew they were bound to see it and not like it, so I was telling them before I showered so that they could use the time I was in the shower to vent and have the "I can't believe another one of our children is tattooed" conversations. I knew they'd have that conversation, because I sat in on the first one.

Only when I got out of the shower, I was sitting on the couch and putting lotion on the tattoo to keep it from peeling. And my dad, ever the observant one, notices me and asks, "is that real? When did you do that?" Apparently he had missed the entire conversation where I revealed it and gave him a chance to let it sink in. Heh, not surprising if you know my dad.

To my knowledge, my brother is still tatless. Though, secretly, and he would never admit it, I still think my dad thinks my tattoo is pretty cool.

Game show first.

If you happened to miss Friday night's Jeopardy episode, like I did, you missed an historic event. For the first time ever, the show ended in a 3 way tie. All 3 contestants ended with $16,000. 2 of the 3 simply doubled their $8000 with the final question. The returning champion, however, wagered just enough to so that when he got the question right, he also got $16,000.

You can see the clip of the final question here.

I wonder if the returning champion didn't do it on purpose. I mean, there have been so many Jeopardy contestants over the series run, you have to do something to make yourself stand out. Surely he could have wagered 1 dollar more to be the sole winner, but what would be the fun in that. Instead, with the 3 way tie, he still gets to return next week and managed to take home his winnings from today. Plus, by making it a tie, he also enabled the other 2 to be able to take home $16,000 each, rather than going home empty handed. (They do go home empty handed or with a measly consolation prize if they don't win, right?)

In fact, on rewatch, when the returning champ turns to congratulate the guy on his left, it looks like he says "you're welcome." Before they reveal his answer, he says something to the other guys too. So if indeed the tie was intentional on the returning champion's part, I say, good form. Way to spread the wealth and not keep it just to yourself. Well played indeed.

Spoof

For those that love, or used to love Grey's Anatomy prior to the "oh, no they didn't go there" moment of last night and/or House, this spoof is for you. My favorite parts: the guy playing Cristina and the Burke part.

MadTV Grey's Spoof.

Shoe flu, don't bother me.

Fever: 100.2 degrees
Temp. of my apt: 70 degrees
Layers of fleece I'm wearing despite high temp of apt: 2
Migraines: 1
Times I've stopped myself from hurling: 6
Times I haven't: 1
Times I wish I'd gone to the grocery store yesterday so I had more food than milk and carrots: 5
Tmes I wished I wasn't on temporary insurance so that I could go to the clinic and not have to pay $200: several
Times I wished I were at home so my mommy could take care of me: too many to count

You go girl.

Kate Walsh is easily my favorite thing about Grey's Anatomy. Love her. When I watch first season reruns, I keep wondering where she went to. Seriously.

I'm a bit torn on whether or not I like the idea of the Grey's spinoff. While she definitely deserves her own show, they're taking away my Meredith buffer and may actually lure me away from Grey's. I am consoled by the fact that hotties Taye Diggs and Paul Adelstein* will be joining her. If this is the last year for Gilmore Girls as rumored, perhaps they could snag Paul's real life fiance wife, Liza Weil, as a perfect addition to the show. I'm reserving judgment until I see how the spinoff is handled.

One thing I can get behind, however, is Kate's new boy toy. She has apparently snagged the younger cutie, Dave Annable, whom I began admiring on the short lived series, Reunion. Seriously, how cute are they?

And I know this is yet another TV post. I promise more personal posts are forthcoming.

*Who knew Paul and Kate went back years? I love stories like this one.

American Idol: The Finalists

Well, finally, AI got rid of 2 of the bad ones. Unfortunately, they still kept one of the worst. Sanjaya will likely get the Vote for the Worst endorsement and hang around for a few more weeks. Sadly, I only got 1 of 4 of my predictions right last night.

However, I fared much better on naming the top 12 the first week of competition. I got 5 of the 6 girls right (I had Sabrina in Stephanie's spot), and 5 of the 6 guys (I said AJ would make it and the last spot would either go to Sanjaya or Chris S, who actually both made it). I'm pretty please actually. Not that I had any money on it or any pride even. I've just been bored and making predictions gives me something to do. On the other hand, lead me to Vegas.

American Idol: This seriously wasn't my best idea edition.

What's the point of the "Remember me" box if it's going to make me enter my email and password EVERY single time?

I have no original thoughts on Idol this week. The boys are subpar and 2 girls steal the show every week. As my dad said last night, no matter where they finish, Lakisha and Melinda will be bigger stars than the winner this year will ever hope to be. I'd love to see a top 2 of them, but face it, one will go home around 6 and the other around 3 with Blake Lewis or Chris Sligh taking home the prize. Since so few boys have any talent, girls who vote for the cute boys who can sing have fewer options and will push those two far.

I've so far predicted 3 out of 4 who would go home each of the two weeks. I only managed to do so by picking the ones who were obviously not the worst, but obviously not the best. Truly, on this show, the ones somewhere in the middle go home early. Now? It's anyone's call. For the first time all season, I agree with the TWOP recapper. It should be Haley and Antonella to hit the road. However, Antonella is the "vote for the worst" candidate, and I think there are still enough girls in the competition to keep the votes of real voters spread out and make the votes of the sabotogers (sp?) count. (And also, may I just say, she is obviously one entitled, spoiled kid with her whole "don't compare me to the other contestants." Hey, lame-o, that's what we do on this show. Sadly, no matter where she finishes, I think she'll get the Kelly Pickler treatment of making a star out of a pretty girl who can't sing. Gotta love our society.) I think the other dead duck will be Sabrina or Stephanie. Officially, I'll call Haley and Stephanie.

For the boys, obviously Sundance and Sanjaya should hit the road. But, that's not going to happen. It's tough to know if Sanjaya's boy charm and girl hair will carry him through another round. My gut says it will. Instead, we'll say goodbye to Jarred Cotter and, dare I say it, Brandon Rogers.

Oh, holy heck no.

(I must admit that my initial reaction was more along the lines of "oh the hell no", but my mother was not pleased with the reaction and I thought it best not to have it in big green letters here.)

Watching the morning news and they were discussing the opening of a new feature at the Grand Canyon. They have built a u-shaped cat walk that extends out hundreds of yards over the Canyon. While you're on it, the Canyon will be over 4000 feet below you. That's about 4/5 of a mile. If that weren't bad enough, when I saw the architect's redering and commentary located here, I saw that the floor of the cat walk is made of glass.

My favorite comments on that page were these:
"The skywalk will be built with more than a million pounds of steel beams. It is designed to support the equivalent of 72 Boeing jets and withstand an 8.0 magnitude earthquake 50 miles away, said Allison Raskansky, Grand Canyon West spokeswoman."

Really? I'm supposed to be comforted that it will withstand an earthquake that happens 50 miles away? How about the one that happens right there?

Here's another artist rendering here.

The only way you'd get me out on that thing were if I were dead and being dragged. K is visiting there this fall. Maybe she'll be a guinea pig and try it out for the rest of us.

Extreme Makeover: Exploitation Edition

It's families like the Leomitis in this story that make me sick. Sure, there probably is two sides to every story, but I find it unlikely that they would be able to explain to my satisfaction how they took in 5 kids, got ABC to build them a new 9 bedroom house, and then evicted the 5 kids making them homeless. While I understand the legal reasons why they can't sue on the contract, here's hoping their fraud case flies through.

He ain't heavy, he's my brother('s cat)

My brother's cat, who has lived with me for the last 2 years, has always had a problem with his weight. When we were concerned about him, we brought it to the vet's attention. The vet brushed it off and declared that he was "big boned." Actually, his words were that he was a jungle cat. Apparently doc wasn't too concerned that Max (appropriately named) was tipping the scales at 25 lbs.

Yet, despite his weight, he's a lively little sucker. A few months back, I invested in some automatic cat feeders so that I could leave for the weekend and not have to worry about him eating an entire weekend's worth of food in a few hours. Even though he doesn't need it, my cat is also treated to the diet cat food. According to the bag, for his weight, Max should be eating 1.5 cups of food a day. However, the feeders feed 3 times a day and I have them set to only feed a 1/4 cup at a time. Therefore, even if he were eating all of his own food, plus my cat's food, he'd still be under the limit.

Today, I found out that he has shed some weight and is a healthier 20.4 lbs. Not quite lean, but better off. I know he weighs this much, because he weighed himself this morning while I was getting ready. Yes, you read that right. HE weghed himself. I heard something click behind me and turned to see what it was. Max had climbed onto the scale and was sitting very still. He waited about 30 seconds and hopped off. And lo and behold, it registered his weight. I didn't think it was accurate, so I weighed him myself, and sure enough, 20.4 lbs. Apparently he's been monitoring himself when I'm not looking.

"Growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you’re in diapers, next you’re gone."

I've decided that perhaps the few of my readers who still come here are bored with my reliance on talking TV. Thus, I've decided to wander down memory lane and post a few posts about growing up. Granted, you may be sitting there thinking that the only thing more boring than posts about American Idol are posts about a young Heidi. You're probably right.

Anyway, I'll preface these posts by saying that I don't want anything to come off sounding cocky or self-indulged. The only way you can tell stories about yourself is to be honest. And self-depracating. And I'm certain my family will remember these stories differently than I do. Hey, it's my blog and I get to dictate reality. So we'll kick it off with a lighter topic.

Growing up in our house, my sister, my brother and I had to share everything. And I do mean everything. When I was about 5 or 6, the three of us had to share a room downstairs while my dad remodeled the entire upstairs. Which, we of course, loved. My sister and I got to share the big bed, and my little brother got shoved wherever he fit best. Mostly we spent our days tormenting each other until we got caught. Which was often.

At some point, my sister and I decided that we should teach my brother how to read and write. My sister was the oldest and spent her afternoons teaching me everything she was learning in school. I probably owe most of my early education to her since she had me writing and reading with her when she was in first grade and I was 4. I was like her own doll.

Anyway, our collective bedroom had this alphabet wallpaper with giant letters spread all around the room. When we weren't spending our time trying to peel it from the walls, we used our pens and pencils to write sayings on the walls. Luckily, my parents both have degrees in education and didn't care so much about the state of the walls so long as we were learning something. That, plus as long as we were writing on the walls, we weren't writing on each other. But I can remember teaching my brother how to write his name next to one of the big T letters on the wall. We also decided he should learn how to write sentences, so we wrote a few for him and had him copy them ad nauseum. The beauty of him not being able to read was that we got him to write dozens of times on the wall "T is a dork" or "T is a jerk." Which may not sound like much, but in our profanity-free household, those 2 sentences are the biggest insults you could hurl at each other without being severely punished. So the first sentences my brother ever learned to write were ones that insulted himself. That's learning from your elders.

Another thing we were forced to share was our one television set. We didn't watch a whole lot of TV when we were younger, but that didn't stop us from vehemently becoming addicted to our favorite shows. My sister was a huge fan of Captain Kangaroo. And we both loved to watch Indy's own Cowboy Bob. Kids these days with their cable cartoon channels will never get to experience the joys of a local celebrity kids show. Their loss.

We also were the biggest Dukes of Hazzard fans this side of the Wabash River. We adored that show and would hang out with our cousins reinacting the whole thing. My mom tells me that we used to encourage her to ramp over hills or jump ditches all the time. Luckily, she was wise to our ways and never obliged.

One show my sister and I did not agree on was The Brady Bunch. I absolutely loved that show and she absolutely hated it. The reason for her hatred was that it aired opposite her favorite show: Wonder Woman. Of course we were living in the days before cable tv, before VCRs, and definitely before DVRs. If you missed a show, as far as you knew, you would never see that show ever again. Which was a frightening thought. Of course, at the time, neither of us realized that we were already watching reruns of shows that had aired years earlier. To us, we imagined Bobby Brady and Wonder Woman living their lives at the exact moment that we were watching them. Back then, everything in our minds was live, reality tv. Unfortunately for me, my sister was older and bigger and always won the fights. So we were mostly a Wonder Woman household. Until she went to school and the TV was all mine.

As we grew older, we got a second television which we had to share. Don't fool yourself thinking that we could each watch a show on our own television. The TV in the living room was very much the parents' TV. Instead, the 3 of us had to share the TV upstairs for many, many years. Even today, my parents only have 2 TVs in their house. As pre-teens, we again had extremely diverse tastes in TV. Which made for some awesome fights.

My favorite show growing up was the Wonder Years. In fact, I'm hoping that they get the DVDs out soon so I can relive that show. I loved it so. Unfortunately, I only got to watch it every third week it was on. My parents, in their wiseness, made us alternate who got to watch. Don't think we didn't have a chart which detailed exactly whose night it was. We were obsessive about equality. I can remember specifically my excitement when I had the TV all to myself on Wonder Years night. My sister and brother had both gotten into trouble (for independent things I'm sure) and were both grounded from the television. I was in heaven. That night, I got all snuggled into my chair and anxiously awaited 8 p.m. and the start of my show. I kid you not when I say that at exactly 7:58 that night, the news cut in with the announcement that we were at war with Iraq. (The first one). And the news stayed on the entire night. The ENTIRE night. Granted, I'm sure most people cared more about the war than my show, but I was livid. In fact, most shows for the next couple of days were pre-empted with news coverage and the like. In other words, the entire time my siblings were grounded from the TV, the only thing I could watch was Tom Brokaw. Yeah, lucky me.

The moral of this story is that you should invest in DVRs early and often to keep your sanity and those of your children. Oh, and to stop going to war with Iraq and ruining my viewing pleasure.

The Littlest Consumers

My dad gets the opportunity to babysit my niece every friday. They have a pretty standard routine which includes lunch with my mom and the other teachers at her work. Every friday also includes a trip to Walmart.

Now, for the average 2 year old, I'm sure Walmart isn't very notable or all that exciting. For my niece, it's the best thing in the world. She LOVES Walmart. If you ask her if she wants to go, she'll run through the house grabbing her shoes and coat and yelling "I go Malmart".

Lucky for us, she's not quite to the stage where she throws fits if you don't buy her something. Instead, when she sees something she likes, she'll comment, "I get it." You then let her hold it for a couple of minutes until it's time to put it back and move on. But if it's something she really really wants, or knows she's getting, she'll brand it "mine" and you don't dare pry it from her hands.

The other day, mom, my sister, and my niece were driving to the big city to do some shopping. On the way, we passed the Walmart shopping plaza. It sets way back from the road and is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. While driving, from the backseat we heard my niece perk up. Then she excitedly started saying, "Look, look, Malmart... Malmart." The little bugger even recognizes the building. She's going to be quite the shopper when she grows up. And I'm sure Walmart just loves to hear that.

American Idol: It ain't getting much better.

I still love Melinda. I still like Lakisha, but not as much as the show apparently wants me to. Everyone else kinda bugs me at this point. I know I'm supposed to think Stephanie and Jordin are great, but I really just don't care. This show is making me really apathetic.

Unfortunately, there are more girls who should go home than there are exiting slots to fill. Off the top of my head, Antonella shouldn't let the door hit her on the way out. But after her scandal this week and increased interest in her, she's not going anywhere. And I must say, even though the x-rated pics have been shown to be fake, the ones of her putting on a wet t-shirt contest while slithering all over the WWII memorial are disgusting enough on their own. I'm starting to agree with the people who think this show is biased and racist since a first year contestant was kicked off for much less. But since Antonella is a pretty, all-american girl, it's not even mentioned and she's allowed to continue. The other three who should go are Leslie Hunt, Alaina Alexander and Haley Scarnato. Since I was ready for Leslie to go last week, I'll give it another shot and pick her. Haley turned on the tears after her critique, so I think she's going to squeeze in one more week.

So official predictions for the girls are Leslie Hunt and Alaina Alexander.