I took notes so I'm a little more organized this week. I offer a break down of the show contestant by contestant. Aside from a couple of standouts, the judges consistently said the women chose the wrong songs.
Catherine McPhee - good training, nice voice, decent performance. Good enough to keep her in the competition.
Kinnik Sky - She sang a country song, dressed like a cowgirl. Eh. I predict she'll be the 8th one eliminated after making it to the final 12. She'll probably have a good career as a backup singer. On the plus side, she is very pretty and her first name is a palindrome.
Lisa Tucker - the judges can't believe she's 16 years old. I do. She's been performing since she's a kid so it's not surprising that when she sings she sounds very polished. She's an excellent performer and will make it to the final four.
Melissa McGhee - she brought it. She was great. She sang a Reba McIntyre song about phones or something but she did it well. I'm not the biggest country music fan. If anyone can beat Paris Bennett, it's Ms. McGhee.
Heather Cox - she sang a Mariah Carey song and didn't do such a great job. I think she might be a little bit crazy. She may be going home Thursday night.
Brenna Gethers - what was she thinking? She sang a terrible arrangement of Last Dance and didn't even come close to sounding anything like Donna Sommers. She's yet another singer, who sang a song because she it was something she enjoyed singing as a little girl. For something who has been singing since a young age, she sure did suck. If you've been singing since you're a little girl, you should sound like Paris or Lisa Tucker. I think she maybe the other one going home tomorrow night.
Paris Bennett - she hammed it up a little bit and sang Wind Beneath My Wings. It was a truly boring performance. What is this? Star Search? She made a bad song choice and that's what the judges told her. She won't make that mistake again. I still predict she'll win.
Ayla - the Senator's daughter with the basketball scholarship and great pipes. I missed that performance because I had to tape the opening of the Amazing Race for someone. I don't really feel like I missed anything because I'm not really a fan of hers. No offense Ayla. I went to High School with 10 girls like you in the '80's and I'm not that into the over-achieving off-spring of workaholic politicians.
Kelly Pickler - Jeez Louise. I've gotten so many hits becuase of this woman - about 100 in 10 minutes. She is SOOOOOO popular and I understand why. She's really sweet. And it's refreshing to see someone who hasn't been polishing their image for the last five years. She is the exact opposite of somone like ACE what's his face, the good looking 25 year old from LA. You could tell all he's been doing since he got to LA is work on his image and he's soooo boring.
She admitted that since being in LA she's tried her first spinach salad, which is amazing. I would think that even in North Carolina, one could find a popular leafy green like spinach - but she's playing the country bumpkin card so I'll let it go for now.
Mandisa - she's a power singer who also picked the wrong song but sang it really well.
All these women with great voices keep playing it safe when all we want them to do is belt one out for us. That's what we want to hear - big voices singing big songs.
If the contestants are googling themselves and come across this site please sing a song for all of us who wish we could sing but can't. I'd love to be able to belt something out - in tune - for that one guy in the back of theater - but I only have a one octave range and I have trouble singing in key.
So belt one out for me next week. Please.
February 28, 2006
Unnatural Death
Just so you don't think I sit around, night and day staring at television like a lobotomy victim, I've been known to read a book every now and then.
Last week, I finished Unnatural Death:Confessions of a Medical Examiner by Michael Baden. You might recognize that name from the HBO program Autopsy. That's his show.
Before shows like Law & Order and CSI grabbed hold of the imaginations of television audiences, people satisfied their crime scene curiosity with books written by experts in the field of criminal investigation. Profilers, detectives, forensic anthropologists and pathologists alike wrote books for audiences that were just dying to know what happens during a criminal investigation.
In the book he shares some interesting cases.
The most important case he discusses is the Kennedy Assassination but Kennedy's story is too involved to neatly sum up for the sake of this post.
He talks about the Preppie murder case where he found the evidence that supported Chambers claim of accidental death by rough sex play.
He talks about the sad case of Marybeth Tinning, who kept giving birth to and then murdering her babies - killing 9 children in total before authorities started an official investigation.
He shares the information he found during an investigation he conducted for Attica investigators after the prison riots (which began on my fourth birthday in 1971), that helped to establish who killed who.
He talks about the politics of being a Medical Investigator in New York City from 1978 to 1979 and how he sued Mayor Koch for wrongful dismissal (leaving out that he didn't win the suit).
And much to my delight, he talks about his experience as an expert witness for the defense at the very famous Claus von Bulow trial. (Did he or didn't give his wife an injection of insulin? According to Baden, the medical evidence did not support the prosecution's theory that Claus was responsible).
Baden gives you enough information to support his claims for each case. And in some cases, to question the meaning of truth and what truth means to different people.
Unnatural Death also argues in favor of employing more qualified personnel to conduct proper medical examinations. According to Baden, one of the biggest hinderances to successfully finding the truth of a criminal case is the sloppy work of an inexperienced or unqualified medical examiner. That was 20 years ago. I'm not sure what the situation is now.
It's a good read.
Last week, I finished Unnatural Death:Confessions of a Medical Examiner by Michael Baden. You might recognize that name from the HBO program Autopsy. That's his show.
Before shows like Law & Order and CSI grabbed hold of the imaginations of television audiences, people satisfied their crime scene curiosity with books written by experts in the field of criminal investigation. Profilers, detectives, forensic anthropologists and pathologists alike wrote books for audiences that were just dying to know what happens during a criminal investigation.
In the book he shares some interesting cases.
The most important case he discusses is the Kennedy Assassination but Kennedy's story is too involved to neatly sum up for the sake of this post.
He talks about the Preppie murder case where he found the evidence that supported Chambers claim of accidental death by rough sex play.
He talks about the sad case of Marybeth Tinning, who kept giving birth to and then murdering her babies - killing 9 children in total before authorities started an official investigation.
He shares the information he found during an investigation he conducted for Attica investigators after the prison riots (which began on my fourth birthday in 1971), that helped to establish who killed who.
He talks about the politics of being a Medical Investigator in New York City from 1978 to 1979 and how he sued Mayor Koch for wrongful dismissal (leaving out that he didn't win the suit).
And much to my delight, he talks about his experience as an expert witness for the defense at the very famous Claus von Bulow trial. (Did he or didn't give his wife an injection of insulin? According to Baden, the medical evidence did not support the prosecution's theory that Claus was responsible).
Baden gives you enough information to support his claims for each case. And in some cases, to question the meaning of truth and what truth means to different people.
Unnatural Death also argues in favor of employing more qualified personnel to conduct proper medical examinations. According to Baden, one of the biggest hinderances to successfully finding the truth of a criminal case is the sloppy work of an inexperienced or unqualified medical examiner. That was 20 years ago. I'm not sure what the situation is now.
It's a good read.
February 27, 2006
Flavor of Love - New York v. Pumkin
Before you say anything, I already know that Pumkin is spelled incorrectly but that's how the producer's of Flavor of Love decided to spell her nickname - most likely for the sake of cuteness.
But Ms. Pumkin wasn't acting all that cute in last night's episode. Pumkin (whose real name is Brooke) was not one of the final two to receive a clock and immediately after being eliminated called out the crazy woman named New York. This led to a heated face-in-face argument which culminated with Pumkin spitting at New York. She spit at New York. Spit at her. Spit. Yuck!! And the producer's totally got into it by adding sound effects like roaring and whimpering when New York lunged at Pumkin grabbing at her hair and then finally pushing her into a nearby camera. Pumkin ran out but Flav stopped New York from chasing after her and "whooping her bleep".
Moments before this big confrontation, Flav told Pumkin (Brooke) that she was being eliminated because she didn't tell him about her time spent in front of the cameras on Blind Date and several other shows on which she'd appeared. He found out about her TV appearances in the worst possible way. The hook of last night's episode - Flav met the parents of the remaining contestants. At the end of Pumkin's time, Flav asked Brooke's mother how she felt about her daughter doing a show like Flavor of Love and her mother replied that she was used to it by now because of all the shows her daughter's been on.
So, when she was eliminated Flavor Flav said he wasn't looking for someone who is fake. When Brooke heard that, she yelled something about New York being an actress and called her out as the ultimate fake which led to the argument which led to the spitting which led to the pushing which led to the dramatic momentum that carried through the rest of the show.
But New York was really egging her on. . .she kept saying "BYE BYE PUMKIN. JUST KEEP WALKING PUMKIN." in an antogonizing and F*** you kind of way. Pumkin was pushed into a confrontation because New York was behaving like a sore winner in a display of very poor sportsmanship.
But Ms. Pumkin wasn't acting all that cute in last night's episode. Pumkin (whose real name is Brooke) was not one of the final two to receive a clock and immediately after being eliminated called out the crazy woman named New York. This led to a heated face-in-face argument which culminated with Pumkin spitting at New York. She spit at New York. Spit at her. Spit. Yuck!! And the producer's totally got into it by adding sound effects like roaring and whimpering when New York lunged at Pumkin grabbing at her hair and then finally pushing her into a nearby camera. Pumkin ran out but Flav stopped New York from chasing after her and "whooping her bleep".
Moments before this big confrontation, Flav told Pumkin (Brooke) that she was being eliminated because she didn't tell him about her time spent in front of the cameras on Blind Date and several other shows on which she'd appeared. He found out about her TV appearances in the worst possible way. The hook of last night's episode - Flav met the parents of the remaining contestants. At the end of Pumkin's time, Flav asked Brooke's mother how she felt about her daughter doing a show like Flavor of Love and her mother replied that she was used to it by now because of all the shows her daughter's been on.
So, when she was eliminated Flavor Flav said he wasn't looking for someone who is fake. When Brooke heard that, she yelled something about New York being an actress and called her out as the ultimate fake which led to the argument which led to the spitting which led to the pushing which led to the dramatic momentum that carried through the rest of the show.
But New York was really egging her on. . .she kept saying "BYE BYE PUMKIN. JUST KEEP WALKING PUMKIN." in an antogonizing and F*** you kind of way. Pumkin was pushed into a confrontation because New York was behaving like a sore winner in a display of very poor sportsmanship.
Flavor of Love - Meet the Parents
(To see who Flav chose and for a complete recap of the final episode click here)
As mentioned previously, the main focus of Episode 8 was for Flavor to meet the parents of the three remaining contestants. Hoopz and Pumkin both had parents that seemed pretty real. New York?s parents seemed incompatible and may have even been actors hired by New York to play her parents.
The first one up was Pumkin, aka Brooke whose mother resembled how Brooke may look 23 years from now. Although she was friendly and polite to Flav, you could tell she wasn't entirely proud of her daughter. They all seemed to get along very well at the beauty salon where Flav treated the mother/daughter team to manicures and pedicures. There was a little tension and some obvious embarrassment being emoted which is probably why Brooke's mom sabotaged her by telling Flav how much Brooke likes to appear on game shows and reality shows. When Brooke's mom let that slip, you could see that Flav was disappointed and later in the show, it was the reason he cited for not choosing her. Apparently, in a previous episode she had a chance to come clean about appearing on Blind Date, when it was discovered another contestant had appeared on that show.
Nicole Alexander aka Hoopz went with Flav and her mom to medieval Times - the restaurant where you eat with your hands and watch people joust like knights. Flav wore his most ridiculous outfit on this outing - crown, robe and scepter. During their meal, one of the wait staff approached Flav and informed him that he was to be knighted - which he was - Sir Flav-A-Lot. In the car on the way home, Nicole's mother was flirting with Flav. You could tell from Nicole's comments and her demeanor that her mother does this a lot - going after Nicole's boyfriends. But it helped to make a good impression on Flav and is probably the reason why Hoopz was the first one chosen to get a clock in the elimination ceremony.
Perhaps the most interesting parental encounter was when Flav met the parents of the woman known as New York. Her real name is Tiffany Patterson. Through out the previous 7 episodes of Flavor of Love you could tell that there is something not quite right about Tiffany Patterson. Every episode she becomes increasingly jealous of the other women vying for Flav's affections. Every episode she declares herself the only one for Flav with absolute confidence and every episode she confesses to the television audience that her bags are packed because she's not sure in what direction Flav's heart is pointing.
I wasn't surprised to see her mother acting hostile toward New York. Tiffany behaves like someone who hasn't gotten enough love from the people who take care of her. Throughout their visit, Mrs. Patterson was picking at Tiffany's appearance and taste in men, not giving a flying f*** whether or not she embarrassed her needy and desperate daughter. She walked through Flav's house and criticized his taste in art (which really does need criticizing).
Flav tried to impress her uptight parents. Although he planned a tennis outing to get on their good side, it didn't work. His outfit was too much for Tiffanny's mother. Actually, his outfit was pretty awful. A do-rag, baggy tennis whites and a freakin' clock. While Tiffany was sitting with her mother, her mother couldn't stop trashing Flav. She told Tiffany under no circumstances was she to marry Flav.
While Tiffany's mother was torturing her with derisive put downs, Flav and her father played tennis - a game that Flav had never before played. The two of them got along fine.
Tiffany was very upset by the end of the visit and her mother succeeded in driving her further into his arms.
As mentioned previously, the main focus of Episode 8 was for Flavor to meet the parents of the three remaining contestants. Hoopz and Pumkin both had parents that seemed pretty real. New York?s parents seemed incompatible and may have even been actors hired by New York to play her parents.
The first one up was Pumkin, aka Brooke whose mother resembled how Brooke may look 23 years from now. Although she was friendly and polite to Flav, you could tell she wasn't entirely proud of her daughter. They all seemed to get along very well at the beauty salon where Flav treated the mother/daughter team to manicures and pedicures. There was a little tension and some obvious embarrassment being emoted which is probably why Brooke's mom sabotaged her by telling Flav how much Brooke likes to appear on game shows and reality shows. When Brooke's mom let that slip, you could see that Flav was disappointed and later in the show, it was the reason he cited for not choosing her. Apparently, in a previous episode she had a chance to come clean about appearing on Blind Date, when it was discovered another contestant had appeared on that show.
Nicole Alexander aka Hoopz went with Flav and her mom to medieval Times - the restaurant where you eat with your hands and watch people joust like knights. Flav wore his most ridiculous outfit on this outing - crown, robe and scepter. During their meal, one of the wait staff approached Flav and informed him that he was to be knighted - which he was - Sir Flav-A-Lot. In the car on the way home, Nicole's mother was flirting with Flav. You could tell from Nicole's comments and her demeanor that her mother does this a lot - going after Nicole's boyfriends. But it helped to make a good impression on Flav and is probably the reason why Hoopz was the first one chosen to get a clock in the elimination ceremony.
Perhaps the most interesting parental encounter was when Flav met the parents of the woman known as New York. Her real name is Tiffany Patterson. Through out the previous 7 episodes of Flavor of Love you could tell that there is something not quite right about Tiffany Patterson. Every episode she becomes increasingly jealous of the other women vying for Flav's affections. Every episode she declares herself the only one for Flav with absolute confidence and every episode she confesses to the television audience that her bags are packed because she's not sure in what direction Flav's heart is pointing.
I wasn't surprised to see her mother acting hostile toward New York. Tiffany behaves like someone who hasn't gotten enough love from the people who take care of her. Throughout their visit, Mrs. Patterson was picking at Tiffany's appearance and taste in men, not giving a flying f*** whether or not she embarrassed her needy and desperate daughter. She walked through Flav's house and criticized his taste in art (which really does need criticizing).
Flav tried to impress her uptight parents. Although he planned a tennis outing to get on their good side, it didn't work. His outfit was too much for Tiffanny's mother. Actually, his outfit was pretty awful. A do-rag, baggy tennis whites and a freakin' clock. While Tiffany was sitting with her mother, her mother couldn't stop trashing Flav. She told Tiffany under no circumstances was she to marry Flav.
While Tiffany's mother was torturing her with derisive put downs, Flav and her father played tennis - a game that Flav had never before played. The two of them got along fine.
Tiffany was very upset by the end of the visit and her mother succeeded in driving her further into his arms.
February 26, 2006
Don Knotts - Dead at 81
Don Knotts died. He was 81 years old at the time of his passing.
My earliest recollection of seeing Don Knotts on screen was in the Disney film, The Apple Dumpling Gang of 1975 in which he shared top billing with Tim Conway. It may even have been one of the first movies I'd seen in a theater.
Gosh. As much as I remember seeing him in that movie, I hardly remember the movie itself. My only specific memory is of him wearing suspenders, standing in a mine with dirt on his face. Other big actors starring in that film were Harry Morgan, Colonel Potter from M*A*S*H and Bill Bixby - the greatest actor who ever lived.
Don Knotts was a funny guy. He was another one of those great character actors that used his seemingly negative traits - knobby knees, buggy eyes, squeeky voice - and turned them into advantages in a long and busy acting career. He was funny and lovable and any time I saw him working on TV it always made me happy to see him working.
Everybody pretty much loves Don Knotts. I don't know anybody that doesn't. How could you not like him? He was great!!
He even had his own website where he took the time to acknowlege his fans and share himself with people and casting directors I guess. On the site, he listed his resume and links to fan sites. It's a pretty good resource if you're interested in learning more about him.
My earliest recollection of seeing Don Knotts on screen was in the Disney film, The Apple Dumpling Gang of 1975 in which he shared top billing with Tim Conway. It may even have been one of the first movies I'd seen in a theater.Gosh. As much as I remember seeing him in that movie, I hardly remember the movie itself. My only specific memory is of him wearing suspenders, standing in a mine with dirt on his face. Other big actors starring in that film were Harry Morgan, Colonel Potter from M*A*S*H and Bill Bixby - the greatest actor who ever lived.
Don Knotts was a funny guy. He was another one of those great character actors that used his seemingly negative traits - knobby knees, buggy eyes, squeeky voice - and turned them into advantages in a long and busy acting career. He was funny and lovable and any time I saw him working on TV it always made me happy to see him working.
Everybody pretty much loves Don Knotts. I don't know anybody that doesn't. How could you not like him? He was great!!
He even had his own website where he took the time to acknowlege his fans and share himself with people and casting directors I guess. On the site, he listed his resume and links to fan sites. It's a pretty good resource if you're interested in learning more about him.
February 25, 2006
South Dakota Blues
The Roe v. Wade decision took a kick in the nuts this week as South Dakota legislators voted YES, ALL THUMBS UP against all kinds of abortions, except for the ones performed as an emergency measure to save a woman's life. We knew this was going to happen. The recent appointments of Alito and Roberts to the Supreme Court gives pro-lifers hope that Roe v. Wade will be overturned. State by state the decision is going to be overturned until 10 years from now, the Supreme Court will be faced to decide again on whether or not it is within a woman's rights to choose what she wants to do with her body.
It seems like I'm tying together a lot of different ideas. I guess I understand what's going on better than I can explain it.
The South Dakota courts make exception for women who need abortions to save their lives. But how do you define what saves a life? A 14-year-old whose parents consent to let her have an abortion because they want her to have a shot at future personal and academic success could have her life if she has that abortion. A single woman in her 40's who became pregnant as a result of a violent rape could benefit greatly from not having to deal with the birth of a constant reminder of something she wants to forget. A young couple in their 20's, just starting out shouldn't have to be burdened with something they cant' afford and are not ready for.
And what about the children born into situations where the parents either aren't ready or don't want them. Advocates who speak out against abortion say that child abuse should not be blamed on children being born into shitty situations. Granted I'm simplifying their argument but hey. . .that's how I understand it.
There are not enough good people in the world to adopt and care for the unwanted children that will be forced to live in cruel circumstances as a result of a complete ban on abortion.
Oh . . . and don't get me started on the safety issue. Women will be forced to use unconventional and medically unsound alternatives to carrying an unwanted child to term. Suicide. Dirty doctors. Poisoning themselves with homeopathic medicines meant to induce "spontaneous abortions."
And then there is the class issue. Rich women who could afford to go to countries where abortion is not illegal and still safe will fly off to get their procedures while poor and middle class women will have to use the methods described above.
Argh. What is wrong with the pro-lifers? I am pro-life and pro-abortion so there. I believe in quality of life and helping others to improve the quality of their lives. And sometimes an abortion can do that.
It seems like I'm tying together a lot of different ideas. I guess I understand what's going on better than I can explain it.
The South Dakota courts make exception for women who need abortions to save their lives. But how do you define what saves a life? A 14-year-old whose parents consent to let her have an abortion because they want her to have a shot at future personal and academic success could have her life if she has that abortion. A single woman in her 40's who became pregnant as a result of a violent rape could benefit greatly from not having to deal with the birth of a constant reminder of something she wants to forget. A young couple in their 20's, just starting out shouldn't have to be burdened with something they cant' afford and are not ready for.
And what about the children born into situations where the parents either aren't ready or don't want them. Advocates who speak out against abortion say that child abuse should not be blamed on children being born into shitty situations. Granted I'm simplifying their argument but hey. . .that's how I understand it.
There are not enough good people in the world to adopt and care for the unwanted children that will be forced to live in cruel circumstances as a result of a complete ban on abortion.
Oh . . . and don't get me started on the safety issue. Women will be forced to use unconventional and medically unsound alternatives to carrying an unwanted child to term. Suicide. Dirty doctors. Poisoning themselves with homeopathic medicines meant to induce "spontaneous abortions."
And then there is the class issue. Rich women who could afford to go to countries where abortion is not illegal and still safe will fly off to get their procedures while poor and middle class women will have to use the methods described above.
Argh. What is wrong with the pro-lifers? I am pro-life and pro-abortion so there. I believe in quality of life and helping others to improve the quality of their lives. And sometimes an abortion can do that.
February 24, 2006
Blase Friday
Friday.
Fourth day of a four day work week.
Feels good.
------------------------------------------------
Last night, I watched teenagers on ice (according to my friend D) aka Women's Olympic Figure Skating. You really are watching teenagers for the most part.
They were fun to watch. I'm impressed by people who can glide on ice. It's something I've never been able to do. The ability to rollerskate or ice skate has always been just out of my grasp. I can almost do either as long as I'm holding on to the wall of the rink.
I always want the Russians to win in Olympic ice skating events. Why? Because whenever the producers of the Olympics run those short bios on the skaters, the Russians always have the saddest and most compelling stories. Last night was no exception. The 27-year old gold medalist hopeful whose name and photo I will post later had a story that had me on the verge of tears. The short film they showed, included photos of the skater with her mother while her voice was played over the images telling the story of how her mother is dying and in need of a new kidney. A previous kidney transplant had failed. Then the film cuts to a silhouette of the Russian skater in her dark apartment, sitting by a window bathed in hopeful morning sunlight. We learn that she suffers from Vasculitis - which means her blood vessels swell, a very painful condition - and that she continued skating against the advice of her doctors.
Now, I'm not going to say that she deserves to win more than anyone else. The Japanses skater that won was beautiful and skated a perfect program - she deserved to win. I'm just saying that these stories always make me wish the Russian skaters finish first.
Fourth day of a four day work week.
Feels good.
------------------------------------------------
Last night, I watched teenagers on ice (according to my friend D) aka Women's Olympic Figure Skating. You really are watching teenagers for the most part.
They were fun to watch. I'm impressed by people who can glide on ice. It's something I've never been able to do. The ability to rollerskate or ice skate has always been just out of my grasp. I can almost do either as long as I'm holding on to the wall of the rink.
I always want the Russians to win in Olympic ice skating events. Why? Because whenever the producers of the Olympics run those short bios on the skaters, the Russians always have the saddest and most compelling stories. Last night was no exception. The 27-year old gold medalist hopeful whose name and photo I will post later had a story that had me on the verge of tears. The short film they showed, included photos of the skater with her mother while her voice was played over the images telling the story of how her mother is dying and in need of a new kidney. A previous kidney transplant had failed. Then the film cuts to a silhouette of the Russian skater in her dark apartment, sitting by a window bathed in hopeful morning sunlight. We learn that she suffers from Vasculitis - which means her blood vessels swell, a very painful condition - and that she continued skating against the advice of her doctors.
Now, I'm not going to say that she deserves to win more than anyone else. The Japanses skater that won was beautiful and skated a perfect program - she deserved to win. I'm just saying that these stories always make me wish the Russian skaters finish first.
February 23, 2006
Morning Commute - NYC
This morning's commute was long and tedious - as usual.
I stood on the platform and let a train pass for being too crowded, then waited 10 more minutes for an emptier car. While I was waiting the platform filled up again and I realized that I'd just better get on the next train no matter how many people were piled on to the platform with me.
When my W train stopped to open its doors for me and the other waiting passengers, a man of both tall and wide stature was standing in the path of the oncoming foot traffic. After two seconds, this big oaf realized his enormous body was preventing the ebb and flow of disgruntled commuters and he moved out of the way. We piled on in a collective sigh.
A quick scan of the car revealed that the empty seats that I'd seen through the door before entering the train were quicly filled by my more aggressive co-travellers so I latched on to a nearby pole with my free hand and with the other sipped my coffee. Looking around the train, I spotted a creature I see practically every morning - a woman putting on makeup. I am always amazed by this behavior and once I've spotted a woman doing this, I can usually be caught staring at her unblinkingly.
I couldn't stop watching. The train was going from station to station, shaking and lurking back and forth. With a steady hand she curled her eyelashes with one of those strange contraptions that look similar to scissors. With all the movement from the train, I thought for sure she was going to yank out all of her lashes, but she didn't. She held firm and curled them expertly. I thought for sure the mascara was going to end up all of her face but she held that mascara wand firmly and lengthened her lashes with ease. She then applied blush and eye shadow.
It was fascinating.
I stood on the platform and let a train pass for being too crowded, then waited 10 more minutes for an emptier car. While I was waiting the platform filled up again and I realized that I'd just better get on the next train no matter how many people were piled on to the platform with me.
When my W train stopped to open its doors for me and the other waiting passengers, a man of both tall and wide stature was standing in the path of the oncoming foot traffic. After two seconds, this big oaf realized his enormous body was preventing the ebb and flow of disgruntled commuters and he moved out of the way. We piled on in a collective sigh.
A quick scan of the car revealed that the empty seats that I'd seen through the door before entering the train were quicly filled by my more aggressive co-travellers so I latched on to a nearby pole with my free hand and with the other sipped my coffee. Looking around the train, I spotted a creature I see practically every morning - a woman putting on makeup. I am always amazed by this behavior and once I've spotted a woman doing this, I can usually be caught staring at her unblinkingly.
I couldn't stop watching. The train was going from station to station, shaking and lurking back and forth. With a steady hand she curled her eyelashes with one of those strange contraptions that look similar to scissors. With all the movement from the train, I thought for sure she was going to yank out all of her lashes, but she didn't. She held firm and curled them expertly. I thought for sure the mascara was going to end up all of her face but she held that mascara wand firmly and lengthened her lashes with ease. She then applied blush and eye shadow.
It was fascinating.
February 22, 2006
American Idol - The Boys
Night 2 of American Idol.
12 male singers competed for America's votes. 11 were good.
One stood out as just plain bad.
Bobby Bennett sang Copa Cabana by Barry Manilow and somehow screwed it up. This is a song that people know note for note yet somehow he missed every note. When Simon Cowell dared to express the opinion that Bobby's performance was no good, he got some shit for it. Randy and Paula gave him a hard time and Seacrest demanded that Simon give Bobby constructive criticism but he didn't. He said that it would require a longer conversation than he had time for to set Bobby Bennett straight. You may not like everything Simon says but you have to admire him for sticking by what he says.
I agree that Simon could go a little easier on the contestants but if you're on American Idol: Season 5, you know by now that he is very hard to impress. That's what makes his compliments so amazing.
He told Elliot Yamin that he had the best voice of all the guys who have competed on the show to date. That means something. It's not fair when there are people on the show who are really great for the judges to treat everybody the same, especially when they have raw natural talent like Elliot (right) and the next American Idol, Paris Bennett (see previous post).
My prediction is that the final two standing will be Taylor Hicks and Paris Bennett
12 male singers competed for America's votes. 11 were good.
One stood out as just plain bad.
Bobby Bennett sang Copa Cabana by Barry Manilow and somehow screwed it up. This is a song that people know note for note yet somehow he missed every note. When Simon Cowell dared to express the opinion that Bobby's performance was no good, he got some shit for it. Randy and Paula gave him a hard time and Seacrest demanded that Simon give Bobby constructive criticism but he didn't. He said that it would require a longer conversation than he had time for to set Bobby Bennett straight. You may not like everything Simon says but you have to admire him for sticking by what he says.
I agree that Simon could go a little easier on the contestants but if you're on American Idol: Season 5, you know by now that he is very hard to impress. That's what makes his compliments so amazing.
He told Elliot Yamin that he had the best voice of all the guys who have competed on the show to date. That means something. It's not fair when there are people on the show who are really great for the judges to treat everybody the same, especially when they have raw natural talent like Elliot (right) and the next American Idol, Paris Bennett (see previous post).My prediction is that the final two standing will be Taylor Hicks and Paris Bennett
Paris Bennett is the Next American Idol
I've spent some time here talking about Kellie Pickler because she impresses me. Her life has been hard and yet somehow she has remained strong enough to keep her self-esteem in tact, so much so, that not only is she competing on American Idol but has already done a circuit of talent shows and beauty contests to help get ahead in entertainment - or so I've read. Who even knows if what I read is accurate? But if what I read is true, she is a special person who knows the meaning of hard work and deserves a shot at Idolhood as much as anyone else who made it through.But I don't think she's going to win. She'll make it to the final 6, but she's not going to win.
Paris Bennett will win. At 17 years old, her natural talent and obvious
training put her in front of everyone else. She is going to win on the basis of her young and bubbly personality and sheer talent. I can tell you right now that she is going to be the judge's favorite because two of the three judges (Simon and Randy) recognize, reward and celebrate talent and training.She'll get lots of votes because she's that good. Kids will relate to her more so than Pickler whose life has been hard beyond an average teenager's comprehension - an absentee mother and convicted drug addict father, practically an orphan, she was raised by her grandparetns.
Paris Bennett seems like a regular teenager, oozing with talent, but still a regular kid.
So there you have it. Paris Bennett is going to be this year's American Idol.
Talk amongst yourselves.
February 21, 2006
New Addition
Jon and I splurged this weekend and bought ourselves a new flat screen monitor. The SONY SDM-HS75P/B to be exact - 17 inches of heaven. The quality of our lives has been improved greatly by this sleek new addition to our office. Jon's monitor was dying. He bought it in 1995 which means he got almost 11 years of use out of it. It was a good monitor but it was enormous and took up about 1/3 of our desk's workspace. It was so big we couldn't even fit our keyboard and the monitor together in a comfortable manner, but now. Oh boy. Everything fits and the desk looks so much neater.
February 20, 2006
The Time Traveler's Wife
While I was on vacation. I read The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger, a wonderful book about a marriage between two special people. One has a metaphysical genetic disorder that sends him traveling up and down his timeline. The other sits around and waits for him. I've long been a fan of sci-fiction, particularly the kind that addresses the mind blowing issue of time travel. And who doesn't like a good love story. Audrey Niffenegger found a way to combine these two classic literary themes into one extremely original romance novel.It's hard to write something original. There are only so many themes writers can apply to their works which is why so many books we read seem either comfortable and familiar or boring and trite. When an author can find an original way to relay a classic theme, it's refreshing and in the case of the Time Traveler's Wife, enjoyable.
Ms. Niffenegger likens time travel to a disease of the brain like Epilepsy. According the rules of the book, there are people in the world who have CDD - Chronic Displacement Disorder. In times of stress, their brains create an involuntary response and send unwitting sufferers to various points on their timeline. In the book, the sufferers can only travel through time as they have lived it or will live it.
Henry first meets his wife Clare when she's six years old and he's in his 30's. She's a little a girl playing by a stream when a naked man appears before her. He asks her for a towel so he can cover himself up (this isn't a Lolita story although Niffenegger does refer back to Humbert's character a few times) and Clare's life is never the same.
I don't want to give anything more away because that would ruin the experience and the book is experiential. There are many surprises, twists and turns.
I will say this. I like the author's approach for telling her story. She uses the voices of her main characters, Clare and Henry, alternating between them to describeevents and advance the story.
I did a search for the book and author to see what links I could give readers.
I found this one, that uses the prologue in the review. Once I read the prologue I was hooked. So if you want to get flavor the book I recommend you visit this review at ABOUT.
I also found the author's website, which still seems to be under construction. She's not just an author. She's an interdisciplinary artist and professor of art. I'm looking forward to seeing how the website develops. It already looks interesting.
She has an entry in Wikipedia.
And finally, if you want to buy the book, here is a link for Amazon.com.
February 19, 2006
Flavor of Love
It was a complete surprise when Flavor Flav chose New York over Goldie in tonight's elimination ceremony. Of all the contestants, Goldie was the closest to being a genuine person. She seemed like the woman who was behaving the most as herself. She's not a stripper, model or actress and being on the show seemed to come second to being chosen by Flav as the last Hoe standing.I was surprised because the woman he chose instead of her, New York, comes off as being very unstable and not very pleasant. She refers to Flav as "my man" and claims to already be in love with him.
In the previous episode, Brigitte Nielsen (in an attempt to squeeze the last drops of exposure out of her weird comeback thanks to VH1's Celebreality programming), gave the 6 remaining women a lie detector test to help Flav figure out who is and isn't being honest with him. Goldie was the only one who finished as 100% honest. The others all lied about something. Now, I know that's not really an indicator of anything, except to help make my point that Goldie was a genuine and real person.
She also happens to be the heaviest of all the contestants and the least polished when it comes to personal presentation. I don't hold either of those points against her, in fact, I appreciate her realness - her Mother Earth qualities. But I also know how men are.
I was hopeful when in tonight's episode Flav chose Goldie over New York to join him in an overnight one-on-one date that he might actually be looking to choose someone for their personality over their looks.
But the fact that he chose the easy-to- look at but difficult-to-tolerate New York over the sweet down-to- earth Goldie proves a point that I made when I first started writing about this show; that Flavor Flav is not really interested in finding a woman to settle down with but just to fuck around with.
With that thought in mind, he probably did Goldie a favor because as much fun as she is, she is the marrying kind more than any other contestant on that show and doesn't deserve to be led around for a month just to be dumped in favor of Flavor Flav's next flavor of the month.
Geysir
That pile of steam back there is actually the geysir that started it all. It's been dormant for 25 years. For a while, park officials were putting in a mixture of soap and baking soda or something to feign eruptions but realizing this may not have been the best thing for the environment, they stopped. So now it's just a bubbling pit of the clearest water you'll ever see.
Geysir, Iceland
February 18, 2006
A Geysir Named Strokkur
The only non-dormant geysir at Geysir is Strokkur. It erupts every 5 minutes and then 2 or 3 times in a row. Here it is looking like a regular piece of real estate.
Just before Strokkur is about to erupt an enormous turquoise bubble rises to the surface.
And then the rush of water starts to break through.
Here is the rest of that photo sequence. You can't tell from the photo but that's 15 - 20 feet high and the fountain can blow as high as 35 feet.
February 16, 2006
Howling Wind
I´m in the lobby of the Hotel Klopp in the heart of Reykjavik listening to the wind howling. Right now, with wind chill, it´s about 11 degrees. I just checked the forecast and they are expecting snow and a high of 26. That´s bad news because today is the day we go horseback riding and then to the famous Blue Lagoon for the warm, healing waters - outside.
Two days ago we took a tour of the Ring Road. We saw an incredible crater lake, a tremendous waterfall, geysirs including the original Geysir that gave geysirs their name, and the original location of the Viking Parliament which has to be the MOST beautiful place on earth.
Tuesday night, we were in the mood for seafood, so we went to a place recommended by the woman at the front desk. The specials included PUFFIN as an appetizer. Yes. That cute little bird is a staple in the Icelandic diet. We didn´t order it. Not because the idea was so offensive to us but because it was just TOO expensive. This coutnry is outlandishly expensive.
For dinner, Jon had the cod (I made this a new paragraph because I don´t want the following to lose it´s impact among a bunch of words) and I had the whale meat in pepper sauce. When I asked the waitress if the whale meat was fishy, she replied that it was more like steak and then I thought 'Of course. It´s a mammal.' and what a tasty mammal it was. Yummers. It was delicious. So delicious. Whale is so popular here, you can buy it in the supermarket. If you ever come to Iceland, definitely try the whale. You can´t get it anywhere else.
Oh. . .yesterday. We played tourguide to ourselves. We visited two museums and we saw the Volcano Show which will I will write about seperately once I process the experience.
Two days ago we took a tour of the Ring Road. We saw an incredible crater lake, a tremendous waterfall, geysirs including the original Geysir that gave geysirs their name, and the original location of the Viking Parliament which has to be the MOST beautiful place on earth.
Tuesday night, we were in the mood for seafood, so we went to a place recommended by the woman at the front desk. The specials included PUFFIN as an appetizer. Yes. That cute little bird is a staple in the Icelandic diet. We didn´t order it. Not because the idea was so offensive to us but because it was just TOO expensive. This coutnry is outlandishly expensive.
For dinner, Jon had the cod (I made this a new paragraph because I don´t want the following to lose it´s impact among a bunch of words) and I had the whale meat in pepper sauce. When I asked the waitress if the whale meat was fishy, she replied that it was more like steak and then I thought 'Of course. It´s a mammal.' and what a tasty mammal it was. Yummers. It was delicious. So delicious. Whale is so popular here, you can buy it in the supermarket. If you ever come to Iceland, definitely try the whale. You can´t get it anywhere else.
Oh. . .yesterday. We played tourguide to ourselves. We visited two museums and we saw the Volcano Show which will I will write about seperately once I process the experience.
February 15, 2006
The Golden Circle
Our Ring Road tour, the Golden Circle, was amazing. We saw really pretty stuff. The air is so fresh here and I am so bedazzled by beauty that I am incapable of writing another word.
February 14, 2006
Happy Valentine´s Day from Reykjavik
Happy Valentine´s Day!!
Jon and I finally made it to Reykjavik yesterday, 6 hours later than originally scheduled.
While we are so happy our flight wasn´t cancelled, due to snowy conditions at the airport, only one runway was open - meaning we idled on the runway for about 5 hours before taking off. There were so many planes waiting to land that we had to wait for them to land before we could leave. So, the planes were alternated - two or three would land and then two would take off.
But that´s okay. . .because our plane did leave and we arrived to mild weather. It´s not that cold here. As a matter of fact, I learned from one of the residents that it hasn´t snowed here in five years - except for the mountains.
The first thing we did was get something to eat because we were starving. We found a quaint vegetarian restaurant with three items on the menu - all good.
Then I took a nap while Jon went to the Icelandic tourist center to pick up our tourist cards. With those we have unlimited access to museum, the busses, the municipal pools. While I was napping Jon also visited the Culture House which houses the oldest manuscripts on Iceland and he spoke with someone who could trace their ancestry back to the beginning of Iceland´s history. Turns out, because the population is small (about 290,000) that almost everyone here can trace their family back to the roots. The geneologies are old and constant.
In the evening we went to Laugardalslaug and enjoyed the municipal outdoor geothermally heated pools. It was pretty cool. Yes. We were outside in our bathing suits in freezing cold weather yet once you entered that water, you were in good shape.
Today we´re taking a tour of part of the Ring Road. It should be exciting - full of beautiful volcanicly formed landscapes, waterfalls and geysers.
Jon and I finally made it to Reykjavik yesterday, 6 hours later than originally scheduled.
While we are so happy our flight wasn´t cancelled, due to snowy conditions at the airport, only one runway was open - meaning we idled on the runway for about 5 hours before taking off. There were so many planes waiting to land that we had to wait for them to land before we could leave. So, the planes were alternated - two or three would land and then two would take off.
But that´s okay. . .because our plane did leave and we arrived to mild weather. It´s not that cold here. As a matter of fact, I learned from one of the residents that it hasn´t snowed here in five years - except for the mountains.
The first thing we did was get something to eat because we were starving. We found a quaint vegetarian restaurant with three items on the menu - all good.
Then I took a nap while Jon went to the Icelandic tourist center to pick up our tourist cards. With those we have unlimited access to museum, the busses, the municipal pools. While I was napping Jon also visited the Culture House which houses the oldest manuscripts on Iceland and he spoke with someone who could trace their ancestry back to the beginning of Iceland´s history. Turns out, because the population is small (about 290,000) that almost everyone here can trace their family back to the roots. The geneologies are old and constant.
In the evening we went to Laugardalslaug and enjoyed the municipal outdoor geothermally heated pools. It was pretty cool. Yes. We were outside in our bathing suits in freezing cold weather yet once you entered that water, you were in good shape.
Today we´re taking a tour of part of the Ring Road. It should be exciting - full of beautiful volcanicly formed landscapes, waterfalls and geysers.
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