I think that periodically, I’m gonna post here some of the most interesting articles that I’ve read recently. I may discuss them, & I may not. But usually when I read articles, really read them, they linger w/ me for a while. And eventually, I’ll want to re-read it. So, please feel free to read on the things that I find of interest here & there.
25 worst tech products of all time The LIWW found this & showed it to me. She says that I could probably contribute more to this particular article. I agree.
Something Borrowed from the New Yorker Archive I actually read this one a while ago, when the story broke about the Harvard chick that was accused of plagiarizing. I don’t just love it for the Beastie Boys reference though. It is a fascinating article.
Ok, so Yahoo! announced that the Top User Rated Animated Movies are (in this order):
1- The Incredibles 2- Finding Nemo 3- The Lion King 4- Shrek
Well, I did like Finding Nemo, but #2!?! I don’t think it deserves the # 2 spot! Madagascar was waaaay better than the Incredibles. And Lion King was way better than the Incredibles too! Who did they survey for this ranking?
So, I went to this site, & submitted my rankings. I gave the Incredibles a “D”, & Madagascar an “A+” in an effort to push it up. So, if you liked Madagascar, please go & do your part to bump it up (it was #34 when I went to the ranking).
Urban Cowgirl, if you’re reading this, please don’t go submit your rankings there, b/c I know how much you love the Incredibles. I’m so hoping that your job has blocked that site. But we know that no one blocks any sites here in C-town.
oooouuu, ominous! This pic was taken by Joshua Gunter for The Plain Dealer. This is what Cleveland looked like last night from Edgewater Park, as the storm came a rollin in. I just wanted to share cause the pic looks awesome. That’s the skyline of Cleveland there in the bottom right, & you can see the line of clear sky in the background as the storm clouds just engulf the city. What an incredible shot!! I would love to take pics like this.It looks like Armageddon or something. But no worries, it wasn’t really that bad of a storm. It’s one of those things; like a really mean lookin dog, who’s really sweet.
Ok, I’m not so good at these re-cap things, & so I usually don’t do them. Also, I’m lazy. BUT… There’s so much I have to say about American Idol, & I could only talk about it to one person today. The LIWW (Lady I work w/) isn’t in today, & the only other person here who watched it works in our mailroom. So, of course, I can’t really justify spending more than 30 mins talking to her about it. Esp. since she obviously was busy & had stuff to do. So, here I am.
The only word that fully sums up how I felt about American Idol last night was “excited”. There are so many other words I could use, but that one seems to fit best. So, are you ready to play? Take a drink everytime you read the word “excited”.
Ok, 1st off, how excited was I that Taylor won? How sweet was he?!?! Remember when Kelly won, & sang her single at the end of the finale the 1st year? And she was tearing up, & screeched out some of it b/c her voice couldn’t keep a note? When Taylor was singing off, he was getting the crowd hyped up. During this entire finale, he showed that he could work a crowd. And duringhis single to sign off the show, he told the crowd that he was livin the “American Dream”. I know that these kids get put through a pressure machine, but he made it through, & he’s stoked about it. And I’m really happy for him. Ok, enough about him. And did’ja guys see the last Coke commercial? I can’t find it, but when I do, I’ll post it here. But it was simply a red background, & flashed 3 sentences (paraphrased): “We’ll make this short” “Drink Coke” “Now tell us the winner, Seacrest!”
Now, on the rest of da show. About Katherine & Meatloaf:
1. What kind of name is “Meatloaf”? If I was a singer, & I went to pick a pseudonym or stagename, I would not pick Meatloaf. I would pick something more appealing. But maybe meatloaf is the most appealing thing he could think of at the time? Hmmm… I never thought of that. He was hopped up on a lot of drugs back in the 70s. Ok, I take it back, so Meatloaf can have his name. 2. What’s goin on w/ that red handkerchief he’s waving around like he’s Scarlett O’Hara? Is that were Steve Tyler & Shirley Manson got their handkerchief ideas from? Does anyone else still use the word handkerchief but me? You can take a drink for that too then.
Oh, & how excited (total understatement here, I completely lost my breath!) was I went Chris performed w/ LIVE!!! Those of you who went to school w/ me, do you remember how totally crazy I was about Ed Kowalczyk in college?! That was during Live’s height. I’ve seen them perform since then. The most recent time, I drove out to Pittsburgh to see them, & they are even better now than they ever were then. I’m totally not kidding. As a fan of music, & live shows, I really do think that Ed Kowalczyk & Live are probably the greatest performers I’ve seen live. No, I’m not kidding. I think it’s b/c they’re so relevant. He’ll do an old song (like from Mental Jewelry or something), & in the middle they’ll start jammin out & do lyrics from some recent hip-hop song to their music. He’s also so intelligent. I’ve seen a lot of bands, & most ppl would disagree w/ me about my thinking that “Live” is the best live performance I’ve seen. But don’t knock it til you try it. You won’t be sorry.
And is it wrong for me to say that I enjoyed Elliot’s performance w/ Mary better than her w/ U2? I mean, I love, love, love the U2 version of “One” (the live version better than the album). But the version that Mary does? ehh, not so much. It’s alright, but not as good as U2’s live version (or their album version). But, Elliot & Mary together? Loved it. And she looks better; she’s not dressing & doing her hair like an old matronly lady anymore. I swear, ever since she got married, you’d think she just turned 64 by the way she was presenting herself.
I did not really enjoy Taylor & Toni Braxton’s performance together. 1st, I couldn’t understand anything Toni was singing. And it seemed like she was trying so hard (too hard). I know there’s a huge audience (read: lots of disposable income candidates) watching, Toni, but I don’t think you sealed the deal there for yourself. I did like how comfortable Taylor looked doing a different genre of song though. He’s very versatile, that Taylor; a real Renaissance man!
And what was not exciting: the Clay-look-alike act. So, they invited the Clay-imposter to come onstage to do asong, & the real Clay comes out. Well, he’s a newer, trying not to be gayer, Clay. He’s got this spiffy new ‘do. And the fake-Clay just goes wild. I mean, he really loses it. So, now it’s just kinda pathetic, & I’m wondering to myself, if I was a gay man, I really don’t think I’d be attracted to Clay Aiken. I just don’t see it. Any gay men out there? Does anyone find Clay Aikenhot?!? Not just attractive, but drop-dead, like a “hot tamale”? You can say so as an anonymous person in the comments if you do. Oh, & jeez-Louise! Did I flip out when I saw Prince come out!!!! Apparently, I wasn’t the only one. I guess no one was really expecting him. But how exciting was that. Yes, I will admit I let out a squeal. But seriously, who knew?!?!
Speaking of losing it… The Idol judges have now officially lost it. Here’s proof. And I’ve also noticed that they’re really wrapped up in themselves. During Tuesday night’s sing-off, you could see the judges off-stage just talking to each other, ignoring the singers. Not “talking” either, Paula & Simon were arguing, & she was smacking him (big surprise). Aren’t they there to listen to the singers? I mean, it’s not supposed to be “party-time” for them. They’re not supposed to get drunk there. And lastly, the “Hoff” was there. One of my fave lines is “Don’t hassle the ‘Hoff”! Corny, yes. But please don’t tell me that you haven’t figured out by now that I’m super-corny. I’m kewl w/ it though. Anyway, the ‘Hoff lost it too; when Taylor was announced the winner, he cried! I couldn’t find a pic of that, but here’s another reaction shot. And for those of you who are questioning why the ‘Hoff is there, he was a guest judge on Australian Idol, & has been on American Idol before too.
UPDATE: I finally found video of it, so I’m replacing the pic w/ the video. Warning: I’ve never added video before, so I’m hoping this works. And it’s footage from Jay Leno. I am NOT (not, not, NOT) a fan of Jay, so I am in no way condoning his show. I am a hardcore Letterman-fan (not stalker-style, but…).
This actually happened on Monday, but now it’s starting to annoy me. I came back to my office from lunch on Monday, & am asked if I heard the latest on Barbaro.
Moi: “huh? Barbara who?” Lady I work w/ (LIWW): “No, Barbaro” Me: “Who’s Barbaro? Is he a musician?” (I’m wondering how I can forget a name like Barbaro, I know it couldn’t have been an American Idol thing, cause that’s Taylor. BTW, “GO TAYLOR!!”) LIWW: “No, Barbaro the horse” Me: “What horse? What are you talking about?” LIWW: “You know, the horse from the race, he had to go into surgery?” *Now, it dawns on me.* Me: “Oooh, thaaat horse. Yeah, I saw a picture of the bones, but I didn’t bother to read anything about it really”
That night, he was on World News Tonight (w/ Elizabeth Vargas, who my mom says is preggers). Yeah, you know what? I really don’t care. And to be frank wit cha, I didn’t realize all these other ppl cared so much for his well-being either.
Here’s the scenario, & you tell me if you see any inconsistencies in this train of thought. Let’s go out & create a ranch, hold animals that once roamed the Earth freely, & give them a strict structured life. We’ll keep them locked up in stables, “breed them” whenever (& w/ whomever) we see fit. They will be on a strict diet, have to “exercise” a certain amount everyday, have to run practice races (on a enclosed track), & basically not be able to just run around freely in a wide meadow/field w/ posies.
So, after all this, we’ll take them out for the public once a year. During that once-a-year public exhibition, they’ll run a race w/ some short guy weighing a-buck-ten on their back hitting them. If they win, we’ll give them a bunch of roses, which they probably don’t really care for. If they lose, they get to go out on a 2nd exhibition, where they are sold off to who-knows-who, who may or may not abuse the horse in order to get him to win the next race. Now, this particular horse (who has led a life similar to the one mentioned above) ends up getting injured, & now everyone & their mother all of a sudden cares!!! Who cared about the horse’s quality of life before all this? If the horse is lucky, he may not fully recover, & get to retire early. I mean, I don’t want him to die or anything drastic. But he’s more than paid his dues, let him chill out, maybe meet himself a lil filly, & grow old w/ her. This pic is the place he’s at now, recovering. I hope he gets to chill here for a while, it looks pretty tranquil. At least on American Idol, they chose to subject themselves to all public appearances & stuff. And they get to pick one of the three songs themselves. In closing, I’d like to say “GO TAYLOR!”.
Hey y’all! I’ve decided I want to make a pig gallery from ppl who visit this bl*g. So, here’s the easiest way to do it.
Go to the pig drawing site, & create your pig. Once you draw the pig & submit your drawing, it’ll give you a link to your pig. Just copy/paste the link in the comments section of this post. Oh, & if you want to add a comment about your pig, do it there too! I’ll take it from there!
Please, please, please do it! I never send out chain letters or memes or any craziness like that. So, you know I really want my own pig gallery when I post this. C’mon, you know you want to! If you do it, I’ll give you 5 points! Thanks!
Here’s what we’ve got in our pig gallery so far (click on each pic to enlarge):
I drew a pig. No, really I did. I went to this site, & drew a pig. Wanna see it? Here it is:
So, anyway, after drawing “mon oink-oink” (this is what I very affectionately refer to my lil piggy-wiggy as), they do a personality profile thing. Now, of course, I’m sure that this is, like, totally accurate! Here’s what it said about me. I emphasized my answers.
WAIT!!! Before you keep reading, if you are planning on doing this for the personality test aspect, STOP NOW, & go draw your own piggy 1st. I mean it! Otherwise, I’ll know you’re one of those ppl who cheat & look at the answers in the back of those Cosmo quizes while you’re taking the quiz & adjust your responses so you get the results you were after. Yes, I do know you better than you thought, huh?!?
You drew the pig: Toward the top of the paper, you are positive and optimistic. Toward the middle, you are a realist. Toward the bottom, you are pessimistic, and have a tendency to behave negatively.
Facing left, you believe in tradition, are friendly, and remember dates (birthdays, etc.) Facing right, you are innovative and active, but don’t have a strong sense of family, nor do you remember dates Facing front, you are direct, enjoy playing devil’s advocate and neither fear nor avoid discussions.
With many details, you are analytical, cautious, and distrustful. With few details, you are emotional and naive, they care little for details and are a risk-taker. This details one, I didn’t know if I added details or not. I mean, I didn’t put in a puddle ‘o mud or any grass, but I did define the ears, & put a certain swirl to the tail. Does that count as details or not? I want to think so, but I feel like a fraud saying so b/c deep down inside, I know that they’re not real details. I mean, have you ever seen a pig w/out ears or a swirly tail? Yeah, I didn’t think so. sigh.
With less than 4 legs, they are insecure or are living through a period of major change. With 4 legs showing, they are secure, stubborn, and stick to their ideals.
The size of the ears indicates how good a listener you are. The bigger the better. You drew medium sized ears, you are a good listener
The length of the tail indicates the quality of your sex life. And again more is better! You drew large tail, WOW! In reality, I just felt the tail wasn’t swirly enough, so I kept adding to it to make it swirlier.
One of the previous Pope’s closest friends was accused of child molestation; & Pope Benedict XVI laid the smack-down on him. The Vatican* told Father Marcial Maciel Degollado that he is not allowed any public appearances & cannot be present at Mass anymore. Father Marcial is the founder of the powerful Legionaires of Christ movement, & very conservative. He is was a big-shot, & for the Vatican to publicly take a stand against him & censure him so, says that they are dedicated to the fight against any pedophiles among them. This is probably the 1st time that I will ever say that I do applaud the Pope & the Vatican on their decision.
The pic is of Pope John Paul II giving his blessing to father Marcial in an old photo (dated 11/30/2004). Father Marcial was one of Pope John Paul’s (the previous Pope’s) favorite sons.
*The Vatican is such a beautiful city/state. A lot of it is not open to the public, like the gardens, but you can find pictures of them when they are allowed to be filmed. It is such a gorgeous & tranquil place. Interesting sidenote: it’s like 100 yards away from Rome, but since it’s a sovereign country, it has it’s own postal service. If you live in Rome, it’s worth it to cross the border & mail your stuff from the Vatican instead, cause it’ll get to its destination twice as fast.
I’m so fresh & so clean-clean! I feel like I’m borne again! It’s like spring cleaning.
I literally spent close to 7 hours yesterday working on this. No, it shouldn’t have taken quite that long. And yes, I am quite proud of what I’ve done.
I’m going to eventually add a little more color to the borders & try to make the header at the top not be aligned to the right. But, this’ll probably take me through the summer. I hope y’all likey. I do.
Oh, & for those who may care (you know who you are!), the pic at the top is a sunset in Bermuda. I had also put in on my last template, but it’s more clear here. haha, clear-here, that rhymes! haha. Old template:
