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March 30, 2008
Baby Stuff.
No, seriously. Baby stuff. I had no idea babies had so much stuff available for them: clothes, blankets, bedding (which is more than blankets), changing pads, wraps, carriers, car seats, nasal aspirators, humidifiers, wipes, wipe warmers, diapers...
It's all making my head spin. How did humans survive as a species for so long without all this stuff??!
Well, I know the answer... but undoubtedly, some of this stuff is helpful and some of it is utterly useless crap. If you have any stories of "must have" items that are time/sleep savers, please let me know. I'm trying to figure out as much of this stuff as I can now because with the bar exam over the summer, and the baby due in September, I have a feeling that I need to use my spare time now, while I still have it.
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March 18, 2008
Idle Idol...
Well, I was not going to blog about American Idol. My favorite part of the show is the schadenfreude of the "audition" portion of the show. Plus, last week I cringed as the dorks (for the most part) butchered some of the greatest music of all time.
So, imagine my shock and horror when I found out they were doing The Beatles again tonight! I just can't hold back...
Amanda Overmyer
Yes, the "Lafayette" she mentioned is in Indiana and happens to be my home town. But she is such a one-trick pony... last week she was barely tolerable, this week, I wanted her to do Helter Skelter... instead she butchered Back in the USSR.
Kristy Lee Cook
I decided last week, when she destroyed Eight Days a Week in some sort of Grand Ole Opry train wreck, that I hated her. This week, I still hate her. She murdered You've Got to Hide Your Love Away. She couldn't pick a key. She couldn't hit actual notes. Do not mess with The Beatles melodies. She simply cannot sing and is so boring. Please, go.
David Archuleta
It wasn't his greatest performance, but this kid is really likable... and he's much better doing thoughtful, slower songs. The Long and Winding Road isn't my favorite either, but he sang it well.
Michael Johns
A Day in the Life bastardized and chopped down into 1:30? Dude, who thought that would work???! An uninspired performance and a horrible arrangement. I appreciate that he dedicated it to his friend, but it was a pretty bad performance.
Brook White
Oh, poor George. He doesn't get the credit he deserves for writing some truly excellent songs. And worse, people do things like this... oh, what an abomination. And seriously, every time she opens her mouth, I like her less. Considering I didn't really like her to begin with, she should shut up. Bottom three? Fingers crossed!
David Cook
Clearly one of the most talented--even if is resorting to ripping off Whitesnake. Seriously, Whitesnake??? But he is consistently entertaining and did a pretty good job. The "Frampton" effect was super cheesy... and I just. don't. like. him. I couldn't put my finger on it until Simon called him "smug," and then I realized that's it... he comes off as a real smug guy... more full of himself than his performances so far warrant. He's clearly talented, but he just rubs me the wrong way. So I don't really want to see him go very far.
Carly Smithson
Great song, pretty well sung. It wasn't a "blow me away" performance, but it was solid.
Jason Castro
Well, I'm not going to give him much credit for being smart... but his rendition of Hallelujah was pretty great a few weeks ago, and he did a decent job on Michelle. He's the exact opposite of Cook--he's not smug at all--he's just plain goofy. And I'll take a reasonably talented goofball over a reasonably talented jerk anyday.
Syesha Mercado
Yawn. This girl is so cute... and so dull. What did she sing again? It was 30 seconds ago and I've already forgotten!! Oh, yeah, Yesterday... beautiful song, pretty girl, utterly forgetable performance.
Chickezie
Well, last week, he tore up She's a Woman. I mean, it was actually really awesome. This week, he tried the same formula, on I've Just Seen a Face (not a great Paul song to begin with) and it just didn't work as well. I still like the guy.
Ramiele Malubay
There's got to be one true karaoke performance per show. This was it... Bad. High school talent show bad. Karaoke bad. This should land her in the bottom three...
Update: So Amanda was booted... not too surprising. At least Kristy Lee Cook was in the bottom three again! Amanda was really a one-trick pony, so her time was short anyway, I doubt she'll be missed.
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Presidential Experience
I like McCain—I do give him credit for being an independent thinker (for the most part) and I don’t think all of his campaign platforms are unreasonable.
But in my mind, the choice for president is quite clear. On one hand, we have an eloquent speaker who is intelligent and experienced enough to understand and articulate the subtleties of racial relations in America—and who isn’t afraid to talk about the issue. While on the other hand, we have a career politician who—while on a trip designed to showcase his foreign policy experience—fails to grasp even the most rudimentary facts in a region that will dominate foreign policy issues for at least the next several presidential terms.
One is a politician—and maybe a decent one—but the other one is clearly a leader.
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March 13, 2008
Shake It Like a Polaroid What?
Update: Save Polaroid
Well, I knew it would happen eventually... last month, Polaroid announced they will no longer be manufacturing instant film. Many artists are mourning because Polaroid film had some pretty unique properties, which I don't think digital has managed to capture--yet.
I'm no luddite. I gave up 35mm film for my Canon EOS Digital SLR some time ago. And I used to shoot Super 16mm motion picture film, and traded that for HD video a long time ago, too. And in all honesty, I haven't shot with a Polaroid in many years, either.
But over the decades that I've dabbled in photography, Polaroid put out some cool stuff. Among my favorites were the instant slide film (yes, instant slide film... it was pretty damn cool stuff) and the beloved SX-70 (I own several), which is even today one of the coolest cameras ever made. Sadly, Polaroid hasn't made the SX-70/Time Zero stock for a couple of years now...
Things change, and digital cameras are capable of capturing truly amazing imagery. But for a camera nut like me, who was always attracted to photography partially because of the chemistry, equipment and science behind the craft, seeing the "old ways" go like this will always be just a touch melancholy.
Update: Save Polaroid is a group of artists and hobbyists who are trying to motivate some company to pick up where Polaroid is leaving off. If you love the medium, it's worth checking out...
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March 6, 2008
My Best Test Result Ever
Two test's confirmed it:
But it didn't seem real until the ultrasound images!
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