That's what Sanjaya must be doing - riding the wave of "popularity" brought on by Vote for the Worst and Howard Stern. He's got to know by now that he's not that great, and the things he's done the last few weeks have almost been like he's seeing just how bad he can be before he finally gets voted off. Last night's hair was hideous. I don't even remember what he sang, but I'm sure it wasn't any improvement over the last few weeks. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Second worse last night was Chris Sligh. I'll admit he was pretty bad, even though I still like him. He doesn't deserve to go home, but I think he may be the one tonight.

Who will join him in the bottom? Haley (boring) and maybe Chris Richardson (boy band).

I read a comment somewhere in the blogosphere that American Idol should change their judging to be more like that of Dancing with the Stars (which I don't have any interest in whatsoever). Apparently with that show, people get to vote but the judges have the final say in the matter. I totally agree that AI needs to change something. Maybe that, maybe something else. Something needs to be done, though. If Sanjaya ends up making it all the way through, the show will have become a joke (just as VFTW and Stern would like), and ratings will drop considerably.

What do you think? How should the voting be changed, or should it?

I so did not call it right this week. I'm glad Phil is still around, but I'm really going to miss Stephanie. She wasn't great, but she's definitely better than Gina (screechy), Haley (forgettable), Chris R. (nasally), and Sanjaya (boring). Of last night's bottom two, the wrong person went home.

Melinda Doolittle is by far the best performer in the bunch. She's my favorite. Even if she doesn't make it to the finals (which really won't surprise me), she'll get her record deal and be on the airwaves before the Idol winner is.

Lakisha Jones has a great voice, but she's just not Melinda's caliber. She's my second choice but she's losing ground, especially after Tuesday night's performance. It was boring, and I'm not a fan of James Bond movies or theme songs.

Jordin Sparks is quickly closing the ranks on Lakisha. She's almost taken the second choice spot. She has an amazingly powerful presence - and to be only 17! She keeps getting better and better each week.

Chris Sligh is the best male singer in the competition. Yes, he's had his not-so-great moments, but all the guys have. There's something about his personality that just makes him so likable.

Blake Lewis has a good voice, but I'm definitely not a fan of the beatboxing. I seriously doubt he'll drop that, though. It's his trademark. I think he'd be a good fit in a boy band. I can't believe I'm actually ranking him this high on my list.

Phil Stacy has a good voice, but I think he's very limited in what he can sing. This week was a good one; last week, not so much. I think he needs to keep things upbeat.

Gina Glocksen has a strong voice, but lately she's been screaming instead of singing. Maybe she's in the wrong competition. She should try out for "I Want to be a Rock Star" (or whatever it's called).

Haley Scarnato singing is pretty forgettable. She's more suited to Broadway. Or karaoke. The only reason she's this high on my list is because the last two are pretty much unbearable.

Chris Richardson sings through his nose, and I'm not a fan of the high notes he frequently hits. He's more boy band material. Just like the former boy band member they keep comparing him to.

Sanjaya Malakar went from ho-hum to horrifying in just one week. The judges kept telling him he was boring and he finally listened. I don't think they meant for him to jump around and scream, though. I think the crying girl was scared, not star-struck. I know I felt like crying. He so desperately needs to go home. And Howard Stern and Vote for the Worst are so desperately trying to keep him in. Sounds about right that they'd push for someone to "succeed" just to watch them turn right around and fall flat on their face. He's going to end up like last year's Idol winner. What's his name? Taylor something...? Does he even have anything out yet?

Speaking of last year's show, Chris Daughtry has done an amazing job with his debut CD, Daughtry. I have it and listen to it frequently. (Thanks, Lindsay!) I think it's funny that American Idol is using his hit song "Home" on the weekly results shows. Another one of his songs was used on a recent episode of As the World Turns. Oh, and I saw where Eliot Yamin has recently released his debut CD, too. I'll have to check it out. He was good and went home too early, too. I wonder if Mandisa has anything coming out soon. She was my favorite female contestant, and another one who went home too soon.

Even though our favorites depart before their time, they'll be the ones who come back bigger than ever. Yes, regardless of who "wins", the record producers know who has the real talent. Don't worry, you'll see them again soon.

I haven't had much time to blog lately, but I wanted to note my pick to leave tonight. While I still think Sanjaya should go home, I think there are enough preteen girls with texting cell phones out there to keep him in a little longer. Sad on so many levels.

I'm afraid tonight will be Phil's last night. He actually did better last night, and I would hope that would be enough to keep him around a while longer. I'm just not sure, though.

I think Gina may round out the bottom three this week. Her performances haven't been that great lately, and last night's was really bad.

I'm not wild about Haley, either, but I think her appearance is keeping her in longer than necessary. I'm referring again to last night...

Final call: Phil Stacey will go home, but Sanjaya and Gina will be in the bottom three with him.

Incidentally, I'm going to miss the results show tonight since I'll be at a director's training meeting. No, I'm not a director yet. I don't even have any recruits. But I'm hoping that will change. I had to put down a target date to recruit to director and I put August 31, with November 30 as a backup date. Now I just need 5 active qualified recruits.

Wow! I can't believe I called the bottom 3 of last night's American Idol so closely! I'm glad that Phil Stacy gets to stick around another week, but I wish it was Sanjaya who went home instead of Brandon.

WEC Week was good, but very tiring! I spent the first half of Friday's session helping corral the 4-year-olds. Jacob stuck to me like glue and wasn't happy when I left when my shift was over, but he stayed with his group and had a great time playing. Billy and I picked the boys up a little early so we could beat the crowd to the cafeteria. After enjoying some pizza, we went to the coffee shop on campus and got some frozen chocolate custard. That's some great stuff!

We had made plans to spend Saturday with Jay and Allison and their 10-month-old, Grant. (He's so adorable, and he's a really good baby, too!) After encountering several traffic jams on the way to their house, we finally got there - an hour and fifteen minutes later. (It usually only takes us about 40 minutes!) I stuck Paula Deen's corn casserole in the oven and played with the boys while Allison ran out to the grocery store to pick up a few last things. Jay and Billy were busy turning pens in the garage for an order Jay had. We took a lunch break for some delicious grilled Angus burgers, French fries, and corn casserole.

After lunch the guys got back to work, and Allison and I took the boys to a nearby park. The boys played on the playground for a little while, then we walked a leisurely 1.2 miles around the pond, watching for ducks and geese to feed. We tossed some kernels of corn out to some ducks in the pond a few times, but none of them were interested. The turtles weren't interested either. Finally we found some geese that were pretty hungry. Jacob showed no fear as he held out his few kernels of corn to one of the geese. It would've taken it right out of his hand if I hadn't told him to toss it. (Geese frighten me when they get close. They're aggressive, and I've seen them chase someone before.) Before long, that goose was right in front of Jacob, grabbing at his arm with its beak. He didn't freak out like I expected - or like I know Caleb would have. I wonder if Allison got a picture of that...

When we finished our stroll around the pond, the boys decided they wanted to ride in the paddle boats. We were all going to ride in one earlier, but they wouldn't let Grant in the boat since he's a baby. (Their rules said children had to be at least 30 inches tall and 30 lbs.) I'd never been in a paddle boat before, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Of course, I had to do all the work. Caleb couldn't quite reach the pedals. I had to take a break a few times, and Jacob always scolded me for it. I guess he thought if I wasn't pedaling, we would sink or something. During one of my breaks, Caleb took pity on me and said, "You rest, Mom. I'll pedal for a while." Then he leaned down, put his hands on the pedals, and tried his hardest to get us somewhere. He wasn't able to do that for long, but it was a really sweet gesture. He mostly steered us while I provided the power. Jacob gave orders. After about half of our allotted 30 minutes, I was nearly wiped out. We ended up being out for about 20 minutes. Exhausted, we made our way back to Allison and Grant and loaded up in their van to go back to their house. (Allison took a few pictures of us in our yellow duck boat. I'll post one later.)

Before we left that afternoon, we saw four hot air balloons floating across the sky behind their neighborhood. That's the second time we've seen hot air balloons from their back yard. I wonder how often they get to see them. I'd love to go up in one. Tethered, of course.

Birthday Boy

Yesterday was Caleb's 7th birthday! I can't believe he's already that old! It doesn't seem like that long ago...

We started out the day at LIFT, our homeschool co-op. I baked a double batch of brownies for him to share with all his friends. They sang "Happy Birthday" to him while he grinned and hung his head, a little embarassed from all the attention.

After LIFT and our group lunch, we headed to the library for our weekly trip. I had thought about going to the zoo for his birthday like we had done for Jacob's last month, but the skies were threatening rain and I was still exhausted from last week, the weekend, and playing tag for nearly an hour with the two P.E. groups earlier in the day. After staying in the library for an hour, we came on home. I cooked Caleb's favorite food for his birthday supper: fried rice. We also had stir-fried veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, red peppers, onions, and baby corn) and Billy and I each had an egg roll. We ate the leftover brownies for dessert.

Caleb opened two of his birthday gifts after dinner and dessert. First was a dice game called "Toss Up", which is a lot of fun. We all played a round of it after things settled down a little. He also got a 110-piece Magnetix set (to add to his many other Magnetix and GeoMag sets). Those are so much fun! We played with them after our dice game and ended up losing track of the time. He'll open his other gifts this weekend while Billy's parents are here.

It's been nice to have a stay-home-day today. I've been able to get my kitchen cleaned up and some laundry done. I can still think of several other things I should be doing instead of blogging right now, but I needed a break. I think we'll have an easy supper tonight - BLTs. I'll cook Tuscan chicken with angel hair pasta, salad, and garlic bread tomorrow night. Mmmm... I need to start posting my weekly menus again. No time like the present.

Monday night - frozen Totino's pizzas (I had a cooking show and got to snack on a few slices of Sun-Dried Tomato and Cheese Pizza and some Chocolate Trifle. Yum!)
Tuesday night - Caleb's birthday dinner: fried rice, stir-fried veggies, egg rolls
Wednesday night - BLTs
Thursday night - Tuscan chicken with angel hair pasta, salad, garlic bread
Friday night - leftovers or sandwiches
Saturday night - out
Sunday - sandwiches (standard for Sunday nights since we don't get back in from AWANA until around 7:00.)

Idol Chatter

Last night was the first night of competition for the final 12 contestants. The girls outperformed the guys by a wide margin. My top picks: Melinda Doolittle (who had Paula in tears), Lakisha Jones, and Jordin Sparks. I still like Chris Sligh, but his rendition of "Endless Love" was not good. He was the only consistently good guy until last night. I hope he's able to stick around, though. He's too good to go home yet. (Who am I to say? I don't even vote.)

Pick to go home: Sanjaya Malakar is by far the worst in the bunch, but I doubt he'll be the one going home tonight. I'd guess either Phil Stacy or Brandon Rogers. They're both okay, but just okay. They aren't standing out much, especially when their performances are sandwiched between the much better, much bolder ladies' performances.

We'll find out soon. At least AI isn't on Thursday nights anymore and I can get back to watching Survivor instead of flipping between the two shows.

My voice is back. It started coming back last Tuesday, and just over a week later, it's still not at 100%. Close, but not quite.

WEC Week

We've been really busy this week. DTS is having its annual World Evangelization Conference (WEC) this week, and the boys have their own Kids' Konference that they've been attending. They've been learning about missions in different countries each day. Tuesday was Canada; Wednesday, Greece; today, Australia. I can't remember what country they'll be "visiting" tomorrow.

While they've been playing, learning, crafting, and eating, I've been attending chapel services and a few 45-minute sessions on missions. Tuesday I went to a talk about "10 Myths about Missions" with my friend Jenny. Wednesday I attended "The Role of the Local Church in Missions". It was okay; there was some good information there, but it wasn't what I expected. Instead of going to one today, I sat out in the warm sunshine and worked on rough drafts of two book reviews I need to get turned in for my self-study program. It was fairly quick work; now I just need to polish them, type them, and email them to my faculty wife advisor. I saw her on campus today and was able to discuss substituting a few books that aren't on the list. I have one review left to write, then I'll finish reading What's So Amazing About Grace?. I've been reading a little on that book for over a year now. It's time to finish! It's a good book, but not one that I can just breeze through. It's a thinking book, and after a chapter or two, I have to put it down and...think. Then I forget that I'm reading it and I get involved in another book, and another book, and another book...

On the homefront, I've been too busy or too tired to get much done. Dishes are piling in the sink because I haven't unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher yet, and laundry is starting to pile up again. Maybe tomorrow I'll get some things done. Or Saturday morning.

Idol Chatter

American Idol isn't hooking me like it has in the past. The guys are pitiful for the most part. The only consistently good guy is Chris Sligh. I really liked Sundance and was sorry to see him go home tonight, even though he has struggled. He sounded better tonight during his farewell performance than he did Tuesday night, but nothing beats his "Mustang Sally" from the week before. He was awesome then, and I had hoped he was making a comeback. I can think of plenty of other guys who should've gone home tonight. Mainly Sanjaya. I think he's got a huge teeny-bopper fan base. (And he's the new pick of Vote for the Worst.) Poor guy. They're gonna push him through, then watch him fall flat on his face. Oh, Jarred was sent home tonight, too. I won't miss him.

As for the girls, I'm so glad that Antonella was sent home tonight. She was the only one of the four sent packing tonight who really deserved to go. Sabrina is good, and I don't understand why people voted for Haley (who?) instead of her. No surprise that Melinda and Lakisha made it to the top 12. They're the top two, respectively. They're the main reasons I'll be watching the rest of the season. When they're gone (if they're gone), I'm done for this season.

Disappointments

Is anyone else as disappointed in Survivor as I am? While I find myself rooting for the constantly losing tribe, I haven't really chosen anyone as a standout pick to pull for. Everyone on the winning team seems really haughty. There are definitely some I don't like, just none that I really do like.

The Amazing Race has let me down this season, too. I thought the all-star race would be a good idea, but I don't like many of the teams they chose. My favorite is Uchenna and Joyce, who won the million a few seasons back. I liked them then, too, but why do they need to compete for another million? If they're going to put previous winners in there, they should've included BJ and Tyler and the Cho brothers. They need to just let me pick my own all-stars... I can't stand Rob-n-Ambuh, mainly Rob. Most of the other teams get on my nerves, too.

Why are so many shows in reruns right now (CSI and CSI: New York), or not being aired (ER) so that something lame can air in its place (The Black Donnelly's)?

I guess this would be a good time to go to bed and get some extra sleep before my last day of WEC Week. I'm helping out with the 4-year-olds tomorrow during the first half of the morning, and I think I'm going to need my energy plus some...

Good night!

Tags: amazing race, american idol, family, survivor

Nod for yes; shake for no. I smile like an idiot as I bob my head one way or the other. I've lost my voice.

It started Thursday evening, feeling kind of dry and a little scratchy. I took an ibuprofen and some Robitussin before bed.

Friday morning, I was hoarse-sounding, but not too bad. I was hoping my voice would stick around since I had a show that night. I did okay until about halfway though the show, then my voice started cutting out on me. I apologized many times and followed it with a swig from my water bottle. I took another round of ibuprofen and Robitussin before bed.

Saturday morning, I could talk a little, but I sounded rough. By noon, it was mostly gone. By the time our small group from church arrived, it was totally gone. I smiled and nodded through dinner and dessert. I whispered a time or two, but everyone said, "Don't strain your voice." What voice?

I thought it would be back this morning, but the best I've been able to do all day is whisper. I've got a few shows that need to be closed out soon, so I'm hoping my hosts will check their email. I'd like to be able to call them tomorrow, but who knows?

This is so annoying!

Real Competition

The ladies' performances on American Idol were so much better than the guys'! In short, my favorites are Lakisha, Melinda, Jordin, Sabrina, Stephanie, and Gina. Antonella should've gone home last week, but she (along with Sundance) has been picked by Vote for the Worst as their top female pick. Their goal is to push through the worst singer to win the final and get the prized record deal. What's up with encouraging someone to fail? They're twisted, and I hope there are enough other votes to offset their attempts.

I don't like that the AI eliminations are on the same time as Survivor. It's no fun missing half of Survivor while finding out who's being sent home from AI. I could tape one and watch the other, but I don't ever think about it in time. This is one time a split screen TV would be good! This same thing happened last year, and I remember watching Survivor on the main TV while keeping an eye on AI on our pocket-size portable. I may have to find it again for this year.

The top 12 guys performed on American Idol last night. Some of them really impressed me and a few surprised me (both good and bad), but most of them were pretty generic. Here's my take...

Rudy Cardenas - "Free Ride" - His performance was pretty much like watching karaoke. I wasn't impressed with his singing or his clothing, an unflattering dark blue jacket over a target (not Target) shirt.

Brandon Rogers - "Rock with You" - I didn't like his song choice, but his voice is really good. He's in the top half of my list.

Sundance Head - "Nights in White Satin" - I've liked him since his first audition, but he needs to go back to his bluesy sound again. I like this song, but it was a boring performance. He's still near the top of my list; I just hope he'll be around a while.

Paul Kim - "Careless Whisper" - Okay, I'll admit it - I like this song. And I liked Wham! back in the day. And George Michael (in the early days). He seemed to be doing okay until he tried to go high. Uh, don't go there. I'm not wild about him right now.

Chris Richardson - "I Don't Want to Be" - I like the song, but his singing wasn't that good. I'm not sure how he made it this far. Being compared to Justin Timberlake doesn't make me like him much, either.

Nick Pedro - "Now and Forever" - Boring song. He's got a good voice (it reminds me a little of Rod Stewart), but it was another karaoke performance.

Blake Lewis - (I can't remember his song) - Wow! What a surprise! I was so sure he'd go in there and do his beatboxing thing again, which I find very annoying. He has a really good voice! He's actually moved up on my list.

Sanjaya Malakar - (some Stevie Wonder song, ugh!) - Boring performance and really bad song choice. Anything Stevie Wonder (or Michael Jackson) makes me cringe. I like him, but he needs to be more enthusiastic, more upbeat. He's probably going to go pretty far into the competition because of all the little girl votes.

Chris Sligh - (I don't know the song, but I really liked it!) - This guy was a nice surprise at his audition. He's got a great voice and really showed it last night. I think he needs to grow out his hair (can we say massive curls?!?) and wear it in a ponytail. He's near the top of my list.

Jared Cotter - (a Brian McKnight ballad that got old fast) - He was doing okay, then he hit some really bad notes. I cringed. He's generic.

A J Tabaldo - (missed his song, as I was on the phone) - I'm not impressed with him for some reason.

Phil Stacey - "I Could Not Ask for More" - He sang to his wife in the audience, and she just beamed. He missed the early birth of his daughter while auditioning, so I was really glad he's got a good voice and made it through to the top 24. He's near the top of my list, and hopefully last night's performance will keep him in.

I found a link to DialIdol where you can see the predictions from the previous night's votes. If I read the results right, it looks like Paul Kim and Nicholas Pedro are the bottom two; it shows Sundance Head in the lead...

Tonight the ladies perform. As of now, here's who I'm liking: Melinda Doolittle and Jordin Sparks. (I'm still surprised Antonella Barba made it to the top 24...) I'll know more after watching tonight's performances.

It's been a while since I posted, so I thought I'd drop in for a bit. Things have been really busy around here the last few weeks, and I thought they were going to slow down some this week, but no.

Survivor Finale
I was mistaken about the final voting in my last post. (Why didn't someone correct me?) The jury votes the day after the Final 2 are determined, then the votes are read live at the reunion show. (I told you I was fairly new at this...)

Once I saw what the final immunity challenge was, I didn't figure Terry would win it. He looked like he was struggling some on the first platform. I was surprised that Danielle won it, though. I thought Aras would because he's a yoga instructor - big on balance. (And he didn't get off the platform because Danielle nodded her head, either. He was already a goner!)

Then Danielle stabbed Terry in the back again and took Aras to the Final 2. For Danielle, it didn't matter who she took; she was going to lose either way. (I liked when Jeff Probst asked the jury who would've voted for Danielle if she had taken Terry to the finals and only two people raised a hand. Of course, it was Cirie and Bruce.)

And I gained a new respect for Shane when it was his turn to talk to Danielle and Aras before the vote. He came right out and said neither of them deserved to be there, that Terry deserved to win. He went on to call things like he saw them, and it was so close to the way I saw things! You go, Shane!

Now what will I do while I wait for Survivor: Cook Islands to get going in the fall? After this week, with the finale of The Amazing Race tomorrow night (I'm so glad MoJo is gone. Too bad the frat guys are still in the running.) and ER Thursday night, I won't have anything to watch! And no, I'm not going to watch the rest of this season's American Idol. (Actually I'm tempted to watch the opening of it tonight, just to see if they make any mention of Chris Daughtry's surprise exit...) Maybe I'll start watching more of Food Network so I can pick up some tips to use in my Pampered Chef shows.

Speaking of Pampered Chef...
I've got my first kitchen show scheduled for this Saturday evening! I'm really excited - and nervous! I'll be initiated into the ranks of true consultants by "edu-taining" some of my friends from my Bible study group. It'll be weird because in the group I'm usually quiet, and this time I'll be doing most of the talking. I'll be making a veggie pizza on my new large stone. (I've had the medium stone and the rectangle stone, along with several other stoneware pieces, for several years.)

I've been working on getting some other shows lined up, getting my show binder prepared, and using some of the new products that came with my kit. I've also been writing a script for my shows. Not one to follow verbatim or to read over while I'm presenting, but mainly to know in advance what I want to cover and how I want to say it. No, I'm not going to try to memorize it, either. That'll just doom me! Oh, and I've made a basic show outline to follow that I can slip in the back cover of my binder if I need some prompting with what comes next. I don't think I've taught anything since I quit teaching middle school 5 years ago, but I'm sure it'll all come back to me after I've done a few shows.

10 Things I Do Every Day
It's been a while since I participated in a meme, but today's Ten on Tuesday looked good. Here are 10 things I do every day:
1. Hit the snooze button on my alarm clock at least once. On Sundays I hit it multiple times.
2. Take a shower.
3. Brush my teeth. Twice. (But not twice in the morning.)
4. Make my bed. And Caleb's.
5. Check my email and visit my usual websites: my bloglist, The Sudoku Challenge, Set Daily Puzzle, Quiddler, and FlyLady.net.
6. Prepare meals for my family, whether I cook a meal or just fix sandwiches.
7. Keep my sink shining (a tip I learned from the FlyLady). I don't leave any dishes in my sink. I either put them directly into the dishwasher or wash them and set them aside to dry. I even unload the dishwasher the morning after I run it instead of leaving them in there for a day or two and taking out what I need. I've been doing this for over a month now!
8. Wash/dry/put away a load of laundry. If I let one day slip, I'm okay, but if I let it go for two days, I feel like I'm being buried in dirty clothes.
9. Play with the boys. Sometimes we play with the toys in their room, sometimes we play computer games together, sometimes we read books. Occasionally we go to the park or the zoo. Today we're going with our play group to Texas Discovery Gardens. We've never been there before, but it looks like it'll be a good science day for us. Depending on what we find there, we may make a few field trips there next year while Caleb is studying bugs and plants.
10. Watch TV. On weekdays it's my soaps and sometimes Jeopardy!. At night it's whatever my regular shows are, or whatever reruns are good. Many times we end up watching reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation, which Caleb loves. On weekends, it just depends. There's usually a good movie on somewhere. If not, we'll watch one of our own.

So, what are 10 things you do every day?

Her name was Mallory, and she wanted to play racquetball with me yesterday. I'm not sure why an Irish Setter was inside the fitness center, but there she was, leashed and standing behind the clear back wall of my racquetball court, barking at the little blue ball I was hitting around the room. When the ball went left, so did she; when it went right, she eagerly followed. Her excited barking caught the attention of some other club members, and before too long there was a crowd of 7 or 8 people watching Mallory "chase" my ball as I played. It was funny, but kind of embarrassing - having all those people watching my spastic attempts to hit that ball again and again. At least I didn't notice who was there. My safety goggles blur my vision more than not wearing my glasses, so nothing was really clearly visible. I am sure that Mallory was an Irish Setter, though. Those are one of my favorite types of dog.

Top Ten List
Speaking of Irish Setters, I feel like launching in to my own top ten list - Ten Favorite Dog Breeds. Want to play along?

1. Greyhound
2. Afghan (dog, not blanket)
3. Irish Setter
4. Golden Retriever
5. Boxer
6. Daschund
7. Sharpei (I love the wrinkles!)
8. Great Dane
9. Weimeraner (gorgeous blue eyes!)
10. Komondor (looks like a dog with dreadlocks!)

Notice there aren't too many small dogs on there? I like 'em big - and unique. If I could own the dog of my choice, it would be a greyhound. I'd love to be able to afford to rescue greyhounds that can no longer race. They're so beautiful and graceful, and I think they're supposed to have good dispositions.

Idol Chatter
So Paris has left us. I liked her singing voice, but she could get pretty annoying. I'm sure she's going to be making a record soon.

I'd like to see Taylor go next, but if things keep playing out like they have been, it'll be Elliot. Speaking of Elliot, I enjoyed his version of Michael Buble's "Home". "On Broadway", not so much. I was more impressed with Taylor's second song (a Beatles tune) than his first one. He's too spastic at times. He needs to entertain in Vegas or Branson. I think most people like him because of his "moves", but they're not going to be seeing them on the radio.

Katherine didn't do very well on either song, but she's usually good. She'll probably be in the top 2 against my all-time favorite, Chris. He did well on his first song, but the second one wasn't that great. Did he learn nothing from Andrea Bocelli? Maybe he should've practiced that one laying on the floor so he wouldn't have been singing from his throat and ending up cracking a little.

Next week is Elvis week, one I'm not particularly looking forward to. It'll probably be a good week for Taylor and a bad one for Elliot. By the way, does anyone know if each contestant will be singing two songs, or will they just sing one and have a 30-minute show?

The Other Two
I've recently become a big Survivor (my second season to watch), but I don't think I've written anything about it. Here's the short version: I miss Austin, Nick, and Sally. I was really hoping they'd be able to hold it together against the "other" tribe, but they were cast off one by one by one. Now we're down to the final four: Terry (my favorite), Cirie (my second favorite now), Danielle (the backstabbing user), and Aras (the jerk). The latter 3 have been too wise to Terry's game. He'd most likely win if he could've taken Courtney or Shane to the final two, but the other tribemates have sent them packing the last two weeks. Now he's up against some tougher competition for popularity. (I think he definitely scored big points with Shane on last night's episode, including him and his son on the overnight to a house and lots of food. He scored points with Cirie, too, letting her husband stay overnight at camp. Terry really made good choices.)

Let's talk strategy: Terry still has the immunity idol for next week, so technically he doesn't have to win the immunity challenge. But, if he does win the challenge, he can handpick one person to take to the final three. If he loses it, it could be anyone. I really see Terry making it to the final two, just because he's stronger than everyone else. The only real threat to that is Aras, but I think Terry can pull it out.

Then there's the final two. Let's say Terry does make it. Who does he take with him?
Cirie is probably more likeable than any of them; she may win over Terry, who has ruffled some feathers and frustrated other tribemates with his constant winning.
Danielle is not liked by everyone because her backstabbing is obvious. Terry may win over her.
Aras is liked by some; not by others. It's a hard call.

So what about the jury members:
Austin - a pretty sure vote for Terry; maybe for Cirie or Danielle; undecided about Aras
Sally - another pretty sure vote for Terry; possibly for Cirie or Danielle; probably not for Aras
Bruce - maybe a vote for Terry; more likely to vote for Aras or Danielle
Courtney - pretty certain she'd vote for Terry after being ridiculed by her "solid" tribemates, then stabbed in the back by them
Shane - he owes Terry for his night with his son, plus his "solid" tribemates stabbed him in the back

I think that's all of them. Of who's still remaining, I think Cirie would vote for Aras or Terry, but not Danielle. Danielle would probably vote for Aras or Cirie, but not Terry (even though she's ready to use him now to get to the final three). Aras would vote for anyone but Terry.

Another thing to consider: the final vote is live, after the shows have aired. All the contestants get to see all the episodes, the interviews, etc. Seeing some things may change their thinking in the end.

My vote, like it really even counts: Terry.

I'm a long-time fan of The Amazing Race, although I didn't enjoy watching the family edition last season. It wasn't that interesting since they stayed mostly in the U.S., all the teams I liked were eliminated early, and the team that won was one of my least favorites.

It took me a while to get into this season, but it has proven itself again. I had a hard time picking a team this go around, but I've settled on the hippies. They're fun, they're not mean-spirited, and they've really enjoyed all the places they've visited. They took the time to see things, not rush around with their sole focus being to win. Unfortunately the team I can't stand (and haven't liked from the beginning), the perverted frat boys, have been doing really well. (I haven't watched my tape of this week's episode, so please don't tell me what happened!) Of the teams left, I only like the hippies. At least Fran and Barry, the retired couple, made it to 5th place. I enjoy seeing the older, experienced teams go far in the race.

Hallelujah! Kellie Pickler is no longer in the running for the title of "American Idol"! And did anyone else notice that Ryan talked her out of time so she didn't get to leave in song? Think maybe "the powers that be" didn't want to hear her mangle "Unchained Melody" once more and planned it that way? She's the only contestant I've seen who has left without singing their farewell (even though this is only my second season to watch). Whatever happened with that, thank you!

Taylor Hicks has lost major points with me as well. Did you see his expression when it was announced that Katherine and Chris were the top 2 vote-getters? It was one of disgust and disbelief. I think he thought since he and Elliot were sent to the sidelines that they must have been the top. I rewound my tape and watched that part two more times just to be sure I saw what I thought I saw. Elliot was happy and smiling and clapping, but not Taylor.

I missed what next week's theme will be, but I know each contestant will be singing two songs. Now that we've got good voices remaining, it should be a treat to watch.

I signed my agreement to be a Pampered Chef consultant. I'm so excited! I've already met with my director and she went over the business and paperwork end of things with me. I received my consultant number this morning. I should be getting my product package in the next two weeks. My new consultant training will be in two weeks, and then I'm set to go! I've got a few things lined up for kitchen shows, but I have a few more contacts to make to get my first 6 shows off the ground. After those 6, I'll be a "qualified" consultant. (I think that's the term.)

I think one of the things I'll do soon is have an open house with a few recipes to try, products displayed, and a drawing for a gift or two. (I already have a lot of what comes in the product kit, so I can give a few things away to drum up some business.) Hey, Melissa and Lindsay, interested in having this sort of thing for your new house? You can earn free and discounted products for your new kitchen!

Idol Chatter
It was interesting seeing the contestants work with Andrea Bocelli (and that other guy whose name I can't recall) on last night's show. I did not realize Bocelli is blind. I loved it when he pegged Kellie Pickler for a blonde!

My picks: Top 3: Chris Daughtry (great job!), Elliot Yamin (great job!), and Taylor Hicks (pretty good). Bottom 3: Katherine McPhee (pretty good), Paris Bennett (okay), Kellie Pickler (absolutely horrible!). I really hope Kellie goes home this week. She so doesn't belong in this competition anymore, not with the caliber of contestants who are left. Thanks a lot, votefortheworst.

Cindy posted 6 weird things about herself and rather tagging others to do the same, she left an open invitation. It looked pretty fun, so I thought I'd do it too. And I won't tag anyone either. If you want to do it, do it. I'd love to read it!

1. I always read a magazine from the front to the back. There could be the most interesting article I've ever wanted to read smack-dab in the middle, but I'm going to start with the first page and read my way there. I do the same with my Sudoku, logic, and crossword puzzle magazines, too. I always begin at the beginning.

2. The clothes in my closet are arranged according to sleeve length and color. I've kept it this way since sometime during my college years. I think maybe I was bored one day... I get picked on a lot because of this, but I like my system.

3. When I'm eating, I always save something I like best for last. That's not so weird, but the way I do it is. When Taco Bell used to put black olives on their Mexican pizzas, I would eat around all the olives and save those bites for last. I eat the things I don't like first so I can be done with them, especially when I'm eating someone else's cooking. (I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.) The father of one of my middle school students mentioned to me at a basketball game once that he noticed I always ate my small French fries first and saved the big ones for last. I think I still do that. Maybe that's why I have trouble losing weight. If I go ahead and eat what I like first, maybe I won't be so tempted to finish it all. What a concept!

4. I work out problems in my sleep. When I was in college, if I had a math problem I couldn't figure out, I would look it over before bed and most of the time, when I woke the next morning, I would have figured out the answer in my sleep. It didn't work so well with memorizing lists for history, but it was great for things with a process. Even now, I can find solutions to problems in my sleep. I just think about it as I drift off and the answer comes to me sometime during the night. The most recent things I came up with were some unique scarf ideas (which ended up being more trouble than they were worth to make) and a few lines to a children's book I'm still working on.

5. I can tie a knot in a cherry stem using my teeth and my tongue. My mom and I have had contests to see who can do it faster. We are quite attractive while we're working on them, too. Those would be great blackmail photos.

6. I don't like pepperoni. I'll eat it on a pizza with lots of other stuff, but don't give me a slice with just pepperoni on it. I've always been turned off by the fact that they curl up and all the grease pools inside. That and I don't really like the flavor. I've been accused of not really being Italian because of that.

Do we share any of the same weird traits? It's your turn now. What are 6 weird things about you?

Idol Chatter
What?!? Chris was in the bottom 3 and Kellie wasn't?!? At least it was Ace who left. I told Billy that if Chris was the one to leave, I wouldn't watch the rest of this season. I'm glad he's still around. Not just because I like him, but because Andrea Bocelli will be assisting and singing next week and I really don't want to miss him! I don't have one of his CDs yet, but that may soon be remedied - especially after next week!

After only two days I'm back in the swing of things. I spent time yesterday and today catching up on paperwork for Caleb's schooling. My laundry is in good order. My apartment is fairly clean (thanks to assistance from FlyLady!). I'm back to cooking on a regular basis after a week of eating cereal or eating out. I'm back to exercising in the mornings and will resume racquetball later this week. Tomorrow night I'll be back at the ladies' exercise class at church for the first time in a month. It's good to be back in the routine!

Idol Chatter
Most of the American Idol contestants were in top form tonight. Chris Daughtry started things off with "Wonderful World" - quite a change for the rocker. He was awesome! Paris Bennett followed him with an Ella Fitzgerald classic and performed really well. It made me like her more again. Taylor Hicks did well with "You Send Me". He even got good remarks from Simon. Elliot Yamin was great. He made me think of Harry Connick, Jr. (He should've been the one helping the contestants this week, but Rod Stewart did great, too. I'm looking forward to seeing him perform tomorrow night on the results show.) And then came Kellie Pickler. And the night went downhill. She was awful - very nasal and flat on many notes. She even admitted that she butchered the song. But thanks to the lovely folks at Vote for the Worst, she'll probably be around another few weeks... Ace Young followed her and did nothing to improve things. His look was awful - wearing a suit and his hair slicked back into a tight ponytail. Not a good look for him at all. His singing wasn't that great, either. He and Kellie are tied for the worst. Katharine McPhee brought things back up again with her performance. She's got a great voice, and this week's style was perfect for her.

My predictions for the bottom 3: Kellie Pickler, Ace Young, and Elliot Yamin. (I don't think Elliot belongs there, but I think that's where he'll show up.)
My prediction to leave this week: Ace Young. (My dream will come true if it's Kellie.)

On the Menu
It's been a while since I posted about food. I made Chile Rellenos Chicken a few weeks ago, and it was pretty good. Billy said it reminded him of Mexican Chicken Casserole; once he said that, I could definitely taste it. The best thing we had that night was the Spanish rice that Billy's mom sent me the recipe for. It's going to be a standard on my menu from now on whenever I serve Mexican food. I'll post the recipe before long.

Last night I made Applesauce Meatloaf (minus the applesauce because I didn't know we were out), Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, and Stewed Squash. Mmm-mmm good! I made enough meatloaf so we can have meatloaf sandwiches tomorrow night. There was barely a serving of the potatoes left. Caleb loved them, which surprised me. I wasn't sure he would like the herby taste, even though it was subtle. I'll definitely make the potatoes that way again. Here's how I did them:

3 baking potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
olive oil
salt
pepper
fresh rosemary

(Don't ask me about measurements for the seasonings. I just sprinkled until it looked good.) Drizzle olive oil over potatoes and stir well to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; chop fresh rosemary and sprinkle over potatoes. Mix well to evenly distribute seasonings and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring potatoes occasionally.

Tonight I made a veggie pizza - zucchini, onion, fresh spinach, fresh mushrooms, and marinated artichoke hearts with Colby Jack cheese (I didn't realize I was out of mozzarella.) on a crust brushed with olive oil, Italian seasoning, and fresh garlic. Billy and I ate every bit.

Here's what follows for the rest of the week:
Wednesday - leftovers or sandwiches
Thursday - omelets (so I can finish using my fresh mushrooms and green onions)
Friday - BLTs

Considering...
I'm seriously considering becoming a Pampered Chef consultant. There are several reasons: I love to cook, I love Pampered Chef products and recipes, and I'd like to do a little something to make some extra money. I'll be making my decision in the next few days...

Q: Where have I been?
A: Busy. Two weeks ago I was taking care of registration details for a SWIM Retreat that weekend. I was registering late-comers, making name tags (drama!), and putting together welcome/registration packets. I was too busy to update, but I did have to jump in when I found out Mandisa was unvoted off on American Idol. Last week I was busy doing all the things I don't get to do when I have the boys. (They were with Billy's parents.) I spent some time leisurely looking at things that interested me at Hobby Lobby, Michael's, and Rock Barrell. I shopped for clothes and books. I slept in until 6:30 most mornings, except for the first day after the retreat, where I slept until 7:45! I got my hair trimmed, then I colored it. I went to the library without once venturing into the children's section. I did glance, however, to see if any of my friends were there with their kids. None were. Billy took me out to eat at The Cheesecake Factory. That was divine! The Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple Cheesecake was really good - and rich. And while I'm a major peanut butter fan, I'd have to say Billy's choice of Chocolate Coconut Cream Cheesecake was even better. Before dessert, we shared a grilled cheese sandwich, fries, and one of the best salads I've ever had in my life: Barbeque Ranch Chicken Salad. I was happily miserable when we left.

Q: from Josh: "Why isn't Kellie [Pickler] in your top 3 [of American Idol contestants]?
A: Because I don't like her. I liked her at first, during the auditions. I guess she sounded much better in the midst of all the worse voices. She had a good story, too. Now she's annoying, she has too much of a country twang, and her voice just isn't that great. I don't think she's as "naive" (read stupid in this case) as she appears to be, either.

Q: from Margaret Feinberg: "I wonder who will win this thing...any thoughts?"
A: Chris Daughtry. He is one of the few who have yet to be in the bottom 3 (and I hope I didn't just "jinx" that *wink*), he's got a great voice and a great stage presence, and he's got a great sound. I really don't think America will vote for another country idol (Kellie), but I may be wrong. Elliot Yamin has a good voice, but I don't see him as Idol material. Paris Bennett has a good voice, and I think she has a better chance than Elliot, but I still don't see her winning. Katharine McPhee is good, but she hasn't been doing so well lately. Taylor Hicks is fun, but I don't see him as Idol material, either. I still miss Mandisa!

Q: also from Josh: "How is The Da Vinci Code"?
A: Good in some ways, not so good in more ways. I'll write my thoughts on it soon, after I finish reading Breaking the Da Vinci Code and The Da Vinci Hoax.

Q: When will I get back to a regular posting schedule?
A: Hopefully this week. First I've got to get the boys - and myself - back into the routine of school, housework, etc. Hopefully it won't be too long, though.

I can't believe Mandisa was the latest to leave American Idol! Unfortunately I missed most of Tuesday night's performances, and I completely forgot about Wednesday night's results show. (I've been really busy with registration details for this weekend's SWIM retreat - registering late-comers, preparing retreat folders, printing name tags, etc.) I saw bits of Mandisa's performance, and it wasn't too bad. Not bad enough to be unvoted off. I don't know what happened, but I do know this: I'm going to miss her! I have a feeling she won't be away for long. She's got a great voice and a great stage presence. I predict we'll be hearing her on the radio soon. She's too good to let get away.

My new top 3: Chris Daughtry, Katherine McPhee, and Taylor Hicks.

The boys' dentist appointments went really well. Caleb did great and has beautiful teeth - no spots of any sort anywhere. His mouth is too small for the bite wing x-rays, though. Every time the dental assistant tried to put them in his mouth, he gagged. He loved getting his teeth polished. He said it tickled. I think he really liked having the water sucked out of his mouth with "Mr. Thirsty".

Jacob wasn't too sure about things, this being his first trip to the dentist. He didn't want to lay back in the chair, but once the dentist started talking with him and showing him his new toothbrush, he opened up. She was impressed with how clean his teeth are, too. He has two spots I need to work on in the back; they're just slightly "stained" she said. Other than that, everything was great. She didn't polish his, only brushed them. I didn't want to try x-rays with him because I was pretty sure he wouldn't cooperate with that.

They left happy and wondering why other kids there were crying...

Idol Update
Well, I guessed the bottom three almost completely wrong. Lisa was there, and the one to go. Ace surprised me since he's done better the last two weeks. Katharine completely shocked me. She's really good, except for last night. I was surprised Bucky didn't make it in the bottom, but I'm kind of glad he's sticking around.

So, next week's theme is country. No problem for Bucky and Kellie. I just want to know what Chris will sing. Maybe something from Travis Tritt? I don't know much country anymore so I'm not too sure which artists have a harder edge. It'll be interesting to watch.

What's Cooking
Last night's supper was really good: hamburger steaks with sauteed mushrooms and onions, seasoned potato logs, and green salad. Tomorrow night I'm cooking Chili Rellenos Chicken (from my Pampered Chef Stoneware Inspirations cookbook), Mexican rice (from a recipe Billy's mom gave me), and green salad. Friday night will be one of the boys' favorite meals: spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread, and Italian seasoned green beans. Well, the green beans, not so much.

Caleb has picked pancakes to be his special supper Monday night. That day we'll be celebrating his 100th day of math. Actually, it'll be more than that, but that's the day we will complete Lesson 100. He's excited to reach that milestone. Now I have to figure out what I'll be cooking the rest of the week. Any suggestions?

The boys are going to the dentist today! I finally got around to making appointments for them. This will be Jacob's first visit and Caleb's second; his first was almost 3 years ago. I know that sounds horrible... First we didn't have any insurance for it. Then we had insurance, but I couldn't find a pediatric dentist who accepted it. Now we have put that money into a general medical fund so I don't have to worry about either.

Last year at their annual well check-ups, their pediatrician asked if they had seen a dentist, and I was embarrassed to admit they hadn't. Dr. Sonnen gave me a few recommendations for pediatric dentists, and I'm just now getting around to taking them. After I secured the dental appointments, I called to schedule their well check-ups, which will be next Tuesday. Now I just have to make sure Caleb doesn't have any constipation issues before then because I also didn't get around to taking him to the pediatric gastroenterologist last year. It wasn't urgent, and we were busy with lots of different things. By the time things slowed down, Caleb system was starting to get straightened out, so I figured it wasn't necessary. He's still doing pretty well, but I think I'll load him up on pear juice over the next several days just to be sure.

I had an underhanded reason for scheduling their doctor visits for next Tuesday morning. It's right during the scheduled off-week activity for our Bible study group. It's on the calendar to go to the park, which I would've readily gone to, but one of the ladies in the group wants to have an Easter egg hunt at her house that day. After the Valentine's Party debacle last month, I don't want to risk all that again (Caleb's tantrums, my embarrassment, and Jacob's heartbreak at having to leave early). If it was just a regular party, Caleb would most likely do okay, but with it being an Easter egg hunt, I just don't want to deal with what will happen if he doesn't find all the eggs he thinks he should find. It's just easier to have an egg hunt with just him and Jacob right now. Jacob doesn't care how many eggs he finds; he thinks the whole thing's fun. If it were just a handful of kids, it'd probably be okay, too. But with 25+ kids running around looking for eggs and fighting over who found what first, things would most likely get ugly. That's something I don't want to deal with right now.

On the Shelf
Our Sunday school lesson/discussion last week was about The Da Vinci Code and how Christians should be aware of what the book (and movie) purports and how to respond in a positive manner. Out of the 60 or so people in our class, only 6 had actually read the book; our teacher wasn't surprised. Apparently most of us fall into the same category: Christians offended by the book's ideas, but with no real understanding of why. We hear what other people say about the book and parrot their opinions instead of reading the book ourselves to know what it's really about and to form our own opinions. I'm convinced. I'm going to read the book for myself. I placed a hold on it through my local library and came out 8th in line to read it. There are so many copies available that it's already in transit for my pick-up and I'm currently number 7 on the list! I think there's been a big resurgence of interest in the book since the movie is set for release in a few months (May 19).

I also have a few more books on hold from the library. One was recommended by at DTS professor during WEC Week: The Bookseller of Kabul. It's also in transit for me to pick up. The other book on hold is about Curious George creators H. A. and Margret Rey - The Journey that Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H. A. Rey. I'm number 2 on the waiting list, and it's not due back from the person ahead of me until mid-April. That'll give me time to get the other two read.

The SWIM advisor gave each of the board members copies of Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box. She said it's a good book, an easy read with lots of great information. We can read it at our leisure (as opposed to being a leadership development assignment for discussion), and we can count it as one of our books for our self-study program.

Speaking of self-study, I'm still reading my third book (of 16): What's so Amazing about Grace? It's a good book, but I'm just slow with it. Several people I've talked to have said it's not one you can just rush through. I agree: it's definitely a thinking book. However, I do need to do my thinking (and reading) a little faster than I have been.

My problem with "slow" reading is actually that I have too many other books on my "want-to-read" list and I end up putting the self-study books on the back burner. I'm going to have to prioritize my reading schedule somehow.

Idol Chatter
Here's my quick take on last night's American Idol:

Top 3: Chris Daughtry (who rocked again - no surprise), Mandisa (who sang an upbeat Christian song - as I had hoped), and Elliot Yamin (who finally stood out in the crowd - as I had hoped).

Middle: Taylor did a good job. Ace greatly improved from past weeks. Katharine McPhee didn't do as well as she usually does. Paris doesn't impress me much anymore.

Bottom 3: Kellie Pickler was the absolute worst last night. I'm ready for her to go, but I still think she's too much the "American Idol sweetheart" to be gone. Lisa Tucker isn't standing out like she did during the auditions and the earlier part of the competition. She may be the one to go this week, especially since she's shown up in the bottom 3 the last 2 weeks. Bucky Covington just doesn't belong in this competition, but he did better last night than he has the last few weeks. I sort of hope he sticks around a little bit longer.

Tonight will tell.

I'm really excited about going to workout this afternoon! Yesterday I stopped at Wal-Mart and bought me a can of racquetballs. Guess what I'm planning on doing today...? As soon as the boys are up and around and my noise won't wake them up prematurely, I'm going to make sure my gym bag is packed with the balls, my racket, my safety goggles, my glove, and my knee brace. And my water bottle. At least I'll have a few hours before I go so I can think of anything else I'll need...

The one part I'm dreading is trading my glasses for the safety goggles. Not only will I look stupid, but I'll feel stupid as well. Especially since I won't be able to see well while my eyes adjust. And who knows how many times I'll miss the ball altogether, not being able to see that well or judge distance... Yeah, it should make for some great fun for the people on the indoor track who can look right into the racquetball rooms as they make their laps. At least I'll be a point of interest (or ridicule) as they make their way around and around and around... I'll try really hard not to turn around and look out the plexiglass wall and see who's standing above me, pointing and laughing. At least I'll have fun looking like an idiot!

Idol Chatter
After Tuesday night's performances, I picked my bottom three: Kevin, Bucky, and Kellie. Last night, Lisa replaced Kellie in that line up. I'm so glad KermitKevin was the one to go. Bucky's not very good, but Kevin isn't good and was really getting annoying. I'm sure Bucky will be the one to go next week. He's out of his league with the other contestants.

As for my top picks from Tuesday night: Chris (as usual), Mandisa (as usual), and Paris. Elliot has a good voice, but he really needs to do something to stand out. Katharine has a great voice, and she did well, but it wasn't really memorable. Ace did better, but he's still not showing up as well as he did in the auditions. Taylor was fun, but he was just okay. I like him, though, and hope he'll turn it around next week. Lisa is good - and I've been really surprised that she's been in the bottom three for two weeks in a row. I wonder if she'll get a clue and stand out next week.

Next week's theme is 21st century music, so basically anything from the last 5 or so years. I predict Chris will rock, Bucky and Kellie will go country, and Ace will find something with some falsetto. If Kevin were still around, he'd probably do some Josh Groban. I want some surpises!

In the Mail
The book I won came in the mail Tuesday! Author Brad Geagley sent me an autographed copy of Year of the Hyenas, which I hope to begin reading soon. It's subtitled "A Novel of Murder in Ancient Egypt". History, mystery - sounds good to me! His second book in this series is Day of the False King; it's set in ancient Iraq. If I like the first one, you can bet I'll be reading the second one. I'll let you know if it's something you should read for yourself.

I haven't updated in a while because I've been recuperating from WEC Week and trying to catch up (to no avail) on the mountain of laundry that is threatening to bury me alive. Last week's busyness out of the house put me behind on my routine chores, and now I'm working double-time (or should be) to catch up. Mornings are good for me, but when the afternoon hits, I just don't want to do anymore of it. I guess I'm going to have to, though, if I want to get back on track.

Idol Chatter
I checked things out, and yes, Vote for the Worst is around again this year. And you guessed it (or rather I did) - Kevin Covais is their "winner". Kellie Pickler is second on their list. Regardless of what they do, or don't do, America does get to see who the best singers are - and producers aren't deaf, either. I fully expect to see Mandisa and Chris Daughtry putting music out into the mainstream whether they "win" American Idol or not.

After Tuesday night's performance, I thought Kevin, Kellie, Bucky Covington, and Melissa McGhee were the worst performers. Bucky seemed okay at first, but when they did the playback at the end, he didn't sound good at all. Therefore, according to VFTW's standards, he may make it into the top 6. My picks for the bottom 3 after Tuesday: Kevin, Bucky, Melissa. Needless to say, I was shocked when Ace Young was in the bottom 3 last night, especially since it was between him and Kevin. (The look on Ace's face showed he was apparently shocked as well. I think he'll try a little harder to impress next week since he squeaked through.) I was even more shocked when Lisa Tucker was put up there - against Bucky. She's really good! I wasn't surprised that Melissa was the one to go, and she obviously wasn't either.

Next week's theme is songs of the '50's. And Barry Manilow will be the special guest singer. I wonder if we'll see Bobby Bennett in the audience... I wonder if Barry will sing "Copacabana"...

My top 6 picks are, in order: Chris Daughtry, Mandisa, Katharine McPhee, Lisa Tucker, Taylor Hicks, and Paris Bennett. Elliot Yamin has a good voice, but he has yet to impress me. He may replace Paris on my list, though, if she gets any more annoying.

Okay, since VFTW is "running things" right now, I expect to see Kevin Covais, Kellie Pickler, and Bucky Covington make it to the top 6. Sad.