iTunes Theme Night on Idol

OK, top nine and here's my rundown of the night. My thoughts are live as I'm watching.

Anoop - Sang an Usher song. Seemed a little off pitch in places to me. It was OK, didn't blow me away tonight.

Megan - Whew, started off rocky singing a Bob Marley tune. I think I just don't care for her style. Not liking it. Yuk. She needs to go home, soon--very soon.

Danny - Doing Rascal Flatts. Whoa. Simon thinks it's his best performance, yet. The judges were all blown away, but I wasn't. He'll be back next week.

Allison - Lovin her on the guitar. What a voice for a kid. She does need wardrobe help. Should be back next week. Maybe the guitar was a bit of a distraction for her this week.

Scott - new "do" tonight--not sure if I like it--kind of a Sheena Easton look from the 80's. Billy Joel, eh? Expecting the same ol' Scott. Yep, he'd do well at a Holiday Inn lounge. Paula is the most proud of him--interesting. What are the judges hearing? Randy thinks he's one of the best of the night.

Matt - I'm not feelin' it this week. Because he was in the bottom three last week and undeserving of being there, I think he'll be safe this week--maybe.

Lil - OK, here we go--Celine Dion. Whoa, watch that shot from the rear. I see David Spade in the audience. Sounded heavy. It was OK.

Adam - Singing Wild Cherry. I'm expecting great things. Wasn't expecting the combed back hair. You've got to admit the guy can entertain. Lots of energy. Hot ending. Yeah, Play that Funky Music White Boy!

Kris - Ain't No Sunshine, but you were shining tonight. Played the keyboard and we could hear it. Liked it.

Well, well, well. Bottom three. Tough choice. I'm just going to guess. Megan, Lil, Allison. Megan should go home tomorrow night.

Gokey's Glasses

I've noticed that on Idol, Danny Gokey dons a different pair of glasses every week. I've just been to the optical shop and let me tell you--they ain't cheap! My husband has a coronary every two years when I get new glasses. Then I saw this article in USA Today about Danny's specs. He has 18 pairs! Each pair of frames costs at least $230. How does a worship leader at church afford to own 18 pairs of glasses? Maybe I should look into the music business.

MSNBC Tells Idol Like It Is

I'm a fan of American Idol. I'm hooked on watching the shows every week. But what about those nasty rumors we hear about? Marc Hirsh, an MSNBC contributor, writes about American Idol lies and other quotes we've heard uttered from the judges mouths like, “This is a singing competition.” “This is the most talented group ever!” And, “You can’t touch Whitney/Celine/Aretha/etc.” Interesting reading and food for thought.

I Love Coke

I love Coke and it's only fitting that I live in Atlanta--the home of Coca-Cola. I used to have a Coke a day until I learned in Weight Watchers how many calories one can has. Then Coke introduced Coke Zero in 2007. They say it tastes like Coke, but without the calories. It doesn't taste exactly like Coke Classic, but it's pretty close. Close enough that I have one every morning. Nice and ice cold! Coke Zero Cherry is pretty tasty, too. If you're a Coke lover, but don't want the calories, try Coke Zero--in my opinion much better than Diet Coke. Some restaurants and movie theaters are starting to offer Coke Zero--which I think is fabulous. Thanks Coke!

If I Was Famous

If I was famous (not that I want to be) and people wanted my autograph, it would look like this. Don't laugh, I'm sure you've practiced your autograph. Come on, admit it. You see, your autograph is different from your legal signature. The autograph has flare and ambiguity and says, "I'm cool." Would you add a sentiment like "best wishes?" Or, simply add XOXO?

Motown - Idol Style

We're down to the top 10. Here's my rundown on the evening.

Matt Giraud - seemed very comfortable with the Motown sound. I think Paula has a crush on him. He'll be back next week.

Kris Allen - Good song choice tonight. He'll be back.



Scott MacIntyre - He's OK. Probably would make a good singer for commercials. I think Randy was right when he called it a "hotel kind of performance."

Megan Joy - weak, pitchy--looked good, nice makeup.



Anoop Desai - Good, better than Scott. He'll be back.

Michael Sarver - OK, kind of weird with singing notes all over the place.



Lil Rounds - Oh boy Lil, I had high hopes. Started out shaky--pitchy. Kind of yelled the song. Piano arrangement in some sections was same thing over and over. I hope she's back.

Adam Lambert - Oh my he looked Elvisesque or maybe even a little like Kurt Russell with black hair. Loved his interpretation. Very nice. Best of the night.



Danny Gokey - He's been my fav. Tonight he was a little choppy, but still excellent. He'll be back.

Allison Iraheta - Is this girl really 16? She's got the Motown sound. Couldn't understand some of the words, but who cares?

Bottom three this week: Scott, Michael, and Megan
Going tomorrow night: Megan, but I'd really like to see Scott go bye bye.

Turbo-Charged Mascara

I've been hearing Elizabeth Hurley on the radio advertising the new vibrating mascara from Estee Lauder. I was intrigued, so I checked out their Web site. I wasn't going to buy the stuff--it costs $32. As their product detail states, "It's the world's first turbo-charged motion mascara." "An innovation of design and engineering." "It's a beautiful machine." Hmmm, sounds more like a car than makeup. Maybe they should add: Generates 12 pound feet of torque and will go from 0-60 in 5.2 seconds. This beaut of a wand features a tight turning radius and will wisk you away to clump-free heaven.

Here's the ad in case you're curious.

See Bizkit Run!

My dog runs in her sleep, but nothing like this dog! Check it out.

Inside the New Facebook

Check this out. This guy, Julian, takes a tour of the new Facebook. It's funny. Something else I found interesting was seeing how their offices are laid out and decorated. It's fun to see how other creative types make their workspaces inspiring.

Miley Live in Studio

Miley Cyrus was in Atlanta recently and stopped by the radio station that I listen to in the morning--Q100. I'll admit it, we occasionally watch "Hannah Montana" and I like a few of Miley's (not Hannah's) songs. Yes, I'm an adult and I like Miley. In case you might be wondering if she can really sing. Listen to this performance of "The Climb" live at the radio station.

Leprechaun Sighting!

St. Paddy's day was this past week and people were celebrating--maybe a little too much. Here's a news story about a Leprechaun sighting in Alabama. I haven't heard if they found that pot of gold. Personally, I like the guy with the special Leprechaun flute.

Tea Time

I love tea--iced tea that is. I was raised on it. Instead of a cup of coffee in the morning, I've got to have my tea. People who work or have worked with me know that I bring in a mega large cup everyday. Back in my youth, it would be sweet tea. Now, several pounds later, I drink unsweet but sweetened with Splenda.

My recommendations for fast food tea are Chick-fil-a and McDonald's. McD's sells their large for only a $1. If you live around Alpharetta, Georgia, try the sweet tea at Alpha Soda--very good. Top recommendation for store bought brewed is Milo's. The Chick is great, but more expensive. Publix has good brewed tea, but Milo's is my favorite.

Milo's has great customer service. I e-mailed them about carrying their tea sweetened with Splenda at my local Super Target. They got right back to me and stocked the store. Now I'm a faithful customer.

The Snail

This is a really well shot and edited short video on a snail. Very cool.



SNAIL from bob lorrimer on Vimeo.

Rabbit Chasing a Snake

Check out this video of a rabbit chasing a snake. Crazy rabbit!

McNugget Emergency

So get this. A woman, Latreasa, down in Florida goes to a McDonald's and orders Chicken McNuggets. She pays. Then they inform her that they're out of nuggets. She's pretty ticked. She wants her money back. McDonald's says she can't have her money back, pick something else off the menu. Nope, she wants her nuggets. Want can a person do? She knows, she'll call 911. Not once, but three times. The audio from the actual 911 calls is below. It ended with an officer arriving at the McD's and arresting Latreasa for misusing 911. McDonald's later issued a formal apology and offered her a free Chicken McNugget meal. Latreasa is now getting advice from a lawyer.

Idol - March 17

Anoop dawg is back. Good job last night. I'm going to go with the bottom three being Michael Sarver, Scott MacIntyre, and Allison Iraheta. I predict Sarver will go home tonight.

Spring Pix

I was inspired by the setting sun this afternoon and snapped off a few pics.

BTW, Who Was St. Patrick, Anyway?

This one minute video explains who St. Patrick was and little of the history of St. Patrick's Day.

BTW, St. Patrick's color is actually blue. Green ended up being used because of the green of Ireland.

What Do You Think?

A friend of mine told me this and I wanted to share it and get other opinions. Here's what he said. At the church where he goes, they have a contemporary service where they have one main worship leader and four or five praise team singers and of course, the usual band--guitar, drums, keyboard. They dim the lights and pound out three praise songs. He noticed though that he could always hear the voice of the worship leader, but could never hear the praise team members singing. He thought that was a bit odd.

One day, he was talking with the guy that runs the audio board for the services and asked him why he couldn't hear the praise team singers. The audio guy said something along the lines of, "that's because only one or two of them can sing. I turn the other mics off. Or, they come unprepared and don't know the words to the songs and they're just moving their lips." Now, this is at a fair sized church. Probably 300-400 people in the worship service. My friend was kind of bothered by it, but his wife told him it was no big deal--the church probably has a hard time getting volunteer singers to show up every Sunday. But still, he has a hard time watching the "show" on Sunday mornings and just can't quite ignore it.

It seems that certainly they would have people in their church that could carry a tune and be willing to help lead in worship on Sundays. What do you think? Would you say anything to anyone? Would the fakeness of it all bother you?

Remodeling - Excuse the Mess

Hey, I'm working on "upgrading" the look of my blog. Excuse me while I experiment with different designs. It's going to be a work in progress since I don't really know what I'm doing!

I've got to say that when I first saw this Taco Bell commercial I laughed out loud and I still do. Maybe because I like the guy's idea of how to sneak in food to an expensive event. And, he has it neatly stored in the prego bubble on shelves! Nacho drag!

American Idol - Tuesday, March 10

American Idol in review for Tuesday, March 10. What's up with the new announcer dude? The judges strutting out on the stage was just plan weird. The judges looked so awkward, especially Paula. And speaking of Paula, what was up with her? Her face looked so puffy and when giving critiques of some performances it seemed as though she was going to burst out in tears.

I thought there were some really strong performances. My personal favorite is Danny. But if I had to guess who the bottom three will be tonight, I’d say: Anoop, Jorge, and Jasmine. I’m going to go with Anoop and Jasmine being eliminated tonight.


They also said that something new in the rules will be revealed tonight. My prediction is that the judges can over rule a vote by America. If they feel a contestant should not go home, they can have them stay in the competition for another week.

Daylight Saving Time & Spring Allergies Don't Mix

I dread springing ahead one hour. I know it's only one hour, but it takes me a good two weeks to adjust. I feel tired during the day and when I go to bed, I have a hard time falling asleep. My allergies also kick in when the trees start to bloom and that also makes me tired. I got tired just thinking about posting a note on this blog.

Apparently this whole idea of saving daylight began with Benjamin Franklin. If you care to read in detail about DST, just click here. I read that Daylight Saving Time (DST--notice there is no s at the end of Saving) began in the the U.S. during World War I in order to save energy for war production. I had heard that DST was started for the farmers so they would have more time to work their fields, but I couldn't confirm that. After WWI states could choose whether or not to observe DST. Today, all states except for Hawaii, Puerto Rico, American Somoa, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Arizona (except for some Indian Reservations) observe DST.

In 2007, DST was extended one month and begins for most of the United States at 2 a.m. on the Second Sunday in March and lasts until 2 a.m. on the First Sunday of November. The new start and stop dates were set in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

OK, that's it for the history lesson. But, if I had my choice, I'd stick with DST and not change!

What's a 3G Network?

I keep hearing commericals on the radio and seeing ads on TV for 3G mobile networks. I wondered what does "3G" mean? Turns out it's pretty simple. According to Wikepedia,
"3G is the third generation of tele standards and technology for mobile networking, superseding 2.5G. It is based on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) family of standards under the IMT-2000.

3G networks enable network operators to offer users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. Services include wide-area wireless voice telephony, video calls, and broadband wireless data, all in a mobile environment."

Now you know, too.

My Saturday in Pictures

It was a warm, sunny day in Atlanta. Here's my day in pictures.

Local Cedarville University gathering at Mellow Mushroom in Atlanta

Cool mushrooms hanging from the ceiling

Next stop, Alon's Bakery in Virginia Highlands for dessert

Cheese anyone?

How about a tart?

I went for a slice of apple pie. It was yum!

Windblown hair. It was a windows down day!

What day in Atlanta would be complete without traffic?

Spring Day Fun

Today was beautiful and warm in Atlanta. We had our neighbor's dog over for a "play date" with our dog. Here she is fetching the "flying squirrel." The quality is not that good because I took the video with my BlackBerry.

Door Decor

Aren't these little doors cute? They were on the bathroom wall on the first floor ladies' room. I wonder if they were specially made or if someone found these? There is actually a theme behind all this. Just outside the door at the end of the hall is a display called "The World at Our Doorstep." My compliments to the decorator! I wonder if the men's room has little doors, too?

Kitty Fun

I took this video with my BlackBerry, so the quality is not that good, but cat lovers will enjoy! This is what Kiki usually does when I'm in the bathroom. Anyone who has a cat knows exactly what this is all about. I love this cat.

More bathroom pretties

A friend at work informed me of the bathroom decor on the 4th floor. Pretty classy, huh? I wonder if they change with the seasons like the 2nd floor? I'm still on the hunt, so you never know what restroom will show up here next.