Thursday, April 28, 2011

Summer...

My summer vacation is almost here. Which is nice. But I'm going to have entirely too much free time. So I'm looking at hiring myself out.

I know, the economy is crap. So I think I'll put my name out there for the cupcake business. And maybe get good enough at sewing to sell some crap.

Any input friends? Is there something I should do for extra income? Something YOU would buy?

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

American Idol - Top 6

Hulloooo. Top six. Wasn't thrilled when I read the theme of the night earlier today. Songs of Carole King. Okay, I know one song by her and that's "Alligators All Around." Because we sang it in Kindergarten. So I wasn't too pumped for tonight. But it was decent after all.

Jacob was first. For the first time this season (not the last if he sticks around next week) I skipped his performance entirely. Dun-zo with that boy.

Lauren was the first performance I watched. She chose "When You Lead." The Gilmore Girls song! haha At least, that's how it's known in this house. I liked her. She sounded good tonight. The judges liked her and were proud that she actually tried out some high notes they've been bugging her about.

Next was the first duet of the night. Yes, they paired up the remaining six for some duets. Because why bother cutting the show down to an hour and giving us some of our lives back? First duet was Casey and Haley. Which made me giddy for a moment. I lurve them together. And they are totes gettin' it on. *bow-chicka-wow-wow* (Is that how that would be spelled?) They sang "I Feel the Earth Move." PERFECT. They are adorable together. Steven commented on the performance by asking Weird Beard (a.k.a. Casey) how much in love he is with Haley. I laughed. But then he went into real comments and told them they were great. Agreed.

Scotty was the next solo with "You Got a Friend." No not the song from Toy Story. And he. Was. Amazing. He went into his higher register instead of starting way down low. And I loved it. The judges loved him too.

James was up next. He chose "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?" Love that song. And overall I enjoyed his performance. LOVED the beginning. LOVELOVELOVE. Not as big a fan by the time it got to the end. But the beginning sold it for me. The judges gushed and Jennifer called him the star of the night.

Duet time! Now we're listening to Scotty and Lauren (who are totes NOT gettin' it on). They sang "Up on the Roof." Good. Not outstanding. But they're pretty cute together.

Casey's turn. He picked "Hi-De-Ho." SO PERFECT FOR HIM. Totally jazzy, he owned it, he played off all the musicians... it was all his. The judges loved him and I did too.

Haley was the last solo performance. She sang "Beautiful." I liked when she slowed it down and got quiet, but the rest of the performance was only good for me. But slowing down... win in my book.

Aaaand the last duet. If you haven't figured it out yet, James and Jacob were put together. ODD. Dare I say even a little awkward? They just don't mesh well (quick, name the movie). They sang "I'm Into Something Good." It was decent, and they obviously had fun. But it wasn't great. Or worth hearing again. Ever. Poor James, he needed a partner more like him. :/ Steven Tyler pretty much felt the same about the quality of the performance.

Alrighty... so now we need a bottom three. Gotta throw Jacob under the bus, he should have been gone a long time ago. I'm also going to go with Haley. Because she tends to be popular in the danger spotlight. Aaaaand... eesh, this one's hard. I'm gonna have to say Casey. Because I have a feeling James, Scotty and Lauren have the biggest following. So there's my bottom three. I'm crossing fingers and toes that it's finally Jacob.

*Please be Jacob, please be Jacob, please be Jacob*

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Tuesday Coolness?

Umm... I've watched this a few (okay, five) times now. Been holding onto it since last week when Brian Wilson tweeted the link.





Several things to be said here:
  • OH how I wish I could take May 25th off and get one of those shirts. WANT. Very badly.
  • For those of you who don't spend too much time on the internet, the kid in the video is Keenan Cahill. He has Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome (click if you want more info) and has been killing it on YouTube making videos where he's lip-synching random songs. People love him.
  • Brian Wilson has crazy eyes... but he's still AWESOME.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Spring Break - Day 10

Good bye spring break. You were nice while you lasted...

Didn't do anything epic today. Slept in. Went to lunch with hubby. Went to a movie. Went to Costco... thrilling stuff.

And now I keep having these little realizations every ten minutes that I have to go to bed tonight because I have to wake up tomorrow. :/

But in the back of my head I know that I only have 25 1/2 days of school left. 5 more Fridays to look forward to. 4 more Mondays to face (and 2 more Tuesdays). Then my little ones will be off. 8 of them to be seen in my classroom again next year (I teach a combo class). And then it's weeks of sleeping in, getting and training a puppy, working out, working at church (possibly), camping, sunshine, reading for enjoyment and so much more.

It'll be here before I know it.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Spring Break - Day 9

Happy Easter my friends!

It was a nice, quiet day spent with my family.

Actually, this morning it was spent making these babies. (Forgive the gross picture about to attack you.)



That is possibly one of the best cupcakes I have ever made. It's a new vanilla bean recipe I tried out and it is AMAAAAZING! No I will not be sharing my recipe, I have a business to run (kind of).

Anywho, the cupcakes were made for this afternoon where I had good food and fun times with some family. Got to visit with my brother which feels rare lately. And giggle like a high schooler with my high school cousins. The talk about prom and boys and friends was funny. I felt a little like an old lady.

Hope y'all had a great day. Tomorrow is my last day of break (sads!). So I'd like to do something epic... which won't happen. But fun times will be had.

Spring Break - Day 8

Ha, I did it again didn't I?

That's okay, not much happened yesterday. It was more of a relaxing day after I took Tad home. I did get some good Tad moments for you though.

We went to the grocery store for a couple things and when we were in line he spotted the man in front of us... wearing socks with flip flops. He looked up and me and said, "Tia Ashley, he's wearing socks with his flip flops" in a tone of voice that showed he was dumbfounded an adult would do that. I have taught him well. That's one faux pas my baby won't be committing.

I took him to Bath and Body Works before I took him home because it was the last day of a pretty massive sale. When we walked in he wrinkled his nose and said, "NOT the perfume store!" I laughed at him and he whispered at me, "It smells in here!" The cashier caught his looks and laughed then said, "It's okay, my little brother still acts like that and he's sixteen."

Then on the way back to his house, we were in the car and he started clapping. Out of nowhere, for no apparent reason. So I asked him why he was clapping. "Because you're cute Tia Ashley."

Best. Child. Ever.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Spring Break - Day 7

Oops, forgot to post last night. I was sleepy again. :)

Yesterday was a day o' Tad. We woke up and vegged for a bit before I took him to get donuts (this kid can eat a lot of donuts). Then vegged some more, started gluing together a little cheapy airplane model, played the ukuleles a bit (I can now almost play three songs), then I got bored and decided we needed to go to the zoo.

Well, good idea except for how packed the park around the zoo was. But we had fun. A few of the animals that aren't usually out were actually out. By the time we got home from there I had to help him with a school project and then it was time to head to my mom's house. She got an iPad and he had so much fun with it. She has the Talking Tom app (this dumb cat who you can beat up, or talk to and he repeats what you say in a helium-sounding voice). Tad was cracking up. Mostly from the beatings he was giving the cat. I have a vicious child. They also picked some more apps to get while he was there.

And now I'm going to spend a few more hours with this kiddo before I have to take him home. Right now he's doing kung fu with my yardstick. Weirdo.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Spring Break - Day 6

Is my spring break really so close to over? That gives me the sads.

So I worked at church again today. Not as long as yesterday because I came home to see my Tad!!! He was here when I got home so hubby took us all to lunch then to run a couple errands. I got my ukulele. And I can already almost play the theme song for "Adventure Time."

Tonight was the rodeo! Well, the start of it. It was bull riding tonight so we took Tad for the first time. He had fun. And he looked adorable in his little cowboy hat. I'm far too tired to upload pics right now or I totes would.

And now I'm sitting here, procrastinating on washing my face and getting to bed. And buying digital downloads on Amazon. Have you heard this song? It's been bouncing around my head so I bought it.





And because I'm a Gleek, here's Puckleberry doing this song back in February. It was amazing. And I told hubby to learn it on guitar so we can do it.




I pink sparkly heart Puck.

American Idol - Top 7

I totes forgot to blog last night! I was all stoked that it was over at 9:30 because that would give me time to veg before writing... then I fell asleep on the couch by 10:30. Oops.

No worries, I have my notes and plenty of time before heading to church to fill you in on my thoughts.

It was music of the 21st century tonight which was nice in the sense that at least I knew the songs. It's no fun judging a song you aren't familiar with. They opened the night with the castoffs singing a Pink song that I love. And the girls sounded pretty good (gotta say I don't miss most of them). Then they made Paul sing it, which was just mean. The producers had to know that there was no way he would sound good on that song left the way it was. Jerks. In my notes I actually wrote, "No bueno."

Anyways... let's get to the actual competition.

Scotty was up first and chose "Swingin'." I was a little disappointed given all the choices out there. But he sounded good (of course). The judges liked him, but Jennifer wants him to start pushing past his comfort zone. I'm with her.

James was next with "Uprising" by Muse. LOVE that song. It's mandatory that the volume on my car stereo goes up when it's on. And he totes had me. The drummers, he wasn't overdoing it... then he started the chorus a second time. And he did his wailing/shrieking thing. He has control of it, but I just don't enjoy it. Other than that, loved him. The judges agreed.

Haley picked "Rolling in the Deep." Which I don't know (by choice). Let's just start with the fact that the backup singers were totes unnecessary. Distracting even. The show has been pretty awful about using the singers this season where it doesn't seem like they're needed. Hmmm... anyway I can see Haley putting that song on an album. The judges enjoyed her.

Jacob was next and I fought a light snooze on the couch while he sang "Dance With My Father." I'm bored by him. End of story. The judges liked him, but Randy said it didn't make him jump up and down. Ummm... he NEVER makes this household jump up and down.

Casey chose "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5. GREAT song. I love Maroon 5. And Casey made it a little bit more rock. Love Casey, love the song. LOVED the ending. And when he got up to the judges' table and pecked Jennifer on the cheek and she giggled??? I died. So adorable. Everyone loved him.

Stefano was up next with "Closer," one of the few hip-hop (is that what it would be considered?) songs that I like. And he killed. But he really is a one-trick pony right now. He needs to show some rock or something if he's back after tonight. Be edgy instead of making eyes at the camera (OH but those eyes at the camera... *swoon*). The judges enjoyed him and Jennifer told him it felt like a real performance.

Lauren got final spot of the night. She chose "Born to Fly." I don't love that song, but Lauren did a good job with it. It fit her voice. She was cute, everyone loved her. The end.

So it's harder to pick a bottom three now... eesh. I'm going to saaaaay... Stefano, Haley and Jacob. And cross my fingers that it's Jacob's week to go buh-bye. Because he's just boring me and wasting minutes of my life at this point.

Typhoid. Out.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Spring Break - Day 5

Is it sleepy time yet?

The mountains yesterday were fun. But as is typically the case when you shoot rifles for an extended period of time, my arms are a bit sore today. And I went to work at the church today. Prepping and painting. So there's a little back and leg soreness.

Then my brilliant self decided to go for a jog after church. Along with some lunges along the way. Ouch.

And I'm working again tomorrow!

So yeah, that was my day. Our work at church didn't exactly go as planned so I stayed later to help and moved the shopping trip to another day.

Now I have Idol. And Casey is outstanding. I'm going to go enjoy now. :)

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Spring Break - Day 4

 I am wiped. Out. Shootin' in the mountains for a few hours takes it out of ya. We had fun though!

 Greenlee came along for her first range trip. She didn't like it. We need to get this girl used to it.

 See that dark sky? Yeah, what was a warm day down here on the valley floor was a cool and cloudy day up in the hills. We even got a few raindrops on us. Nothin' to get us back in the cars though.

We took this little punk (the oldest nephew) with us. He was too chicken to actually try and shoot anything though. :/ So he was our brass monkey (we reload so we save our brass).

I got to shoot my new gun! It's the first one actually registered to me. And I love it!

Hubby also got to shoot his toy. He actually built it with me in mind, but I told him it's a little large (insert "That's what she said!" here).

I shot it anyway. And liked it. This is also a good shot of my t-shirt surgery I committed this morning.

Sissy came too. She hasn't been shooting in AGES so she had fun. Gotta love that the two of us have jobs that give us spring break off. :)


We actually had a small number of people with us. And the jokes of the day were "That's what she said!" (what can I say, we're a mature bunch) and "DUH! Winning!" Turns out there's a casino billboard on our drive that used Charlie Sheen's now-epic phrase. It pretty much set the tone for the day. :)

Tomorrow, working at church. And shopping with cousin!

Happy...

Happy anniversary to my hubby today!

Photo courtesy of my wonderful pal Steven

Today the hubby and I have been married for three years. Which actually doesn't seem like a long time because we dated for four years before he proposed, then we had sixteen months of being engaged (no hesitation on our part for either, just timing it around school for both of us).

I won't get crazy gushy, but I just have to say thanks to him here. Thanks for supporting me when I was in school. Thanks for supporting me when I couldn't find a job. Thanks for supporting me when I got my job and had a tough time for a few months. Thank you for being exactly who I need you to be every day. Thank you for being funny and weird. Thank you for being an amazing uncle that makes me excited to see the father you'll be. And thanks for loving me when I'm crazy, depressed, grumpy, and every other way I am.

Love you. :) 

Monday, April 18, 2011

Spring Break - Day 3

Whadduuuuup?

I love spring break. Slept until 9:00 today. Took Greenlee for a walk with hubby. Worked in the yard for a bit. Talked to sissy. Visited with our gardeners (well, the wife anyway, who I haven't seen since I started work). Started and almost finished a shirt. The night isn't over, I could totes finish tonight. Made brownies... from scratch. Went to the store where I bought myself some pretty flowers... just because I can. Then it was a tri-tip dinner.

And now, Adventure Time is over, on to Regular Show.

Big plans tomorrow. Anniversary, shootin' in the mountains... who knows what else. :)

**EDIT**
Totes finished the shirt I was sewing. It could probably stand to be taken in a little, but it fits! And it's cute! I actually accomplished something!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Spring Break - Day 2

I'm gettin' my mojito on at the moment. :) (The picture is actually from earlier this evening.)

Just finished watching Game of Thrones on HBO (pretty decent, already yelled at the screen). Now I'm waiting 12 minutes before I get me some Bruce Campbell in the form of the Sam Axe movie on USA.

Today was another day of vegging. I tanned. And read. And bought hubby his anniversary card. And made yet another flower for my hair (you can see the messy table in the left corner of the pic). I talked to mom, gushed about Wicked last week, and scheduled a shopping date with one of my cousins.

Hubby's home tomorrow. Which could mean we'll do stuff. Or not. We tend to get lazy when we have days off together. At the very least, we need to do some work in the yard. Thrilling stuff.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Spring Break - Day 1

 It wasn't an overly interesting day. Caught up on soaps. Got in a crafting mood so decided I needed to go to the fabric store. 99 cent patterns...

 So I bought this one. Meaning to use it for a lovely piece of mustard colored jersey I have. Ummm... I don't have enough. Sads. But I've already come up with another idea for the mustard. And I have grey that I can use for this vest. It looks pretty cute.

I also lucked out that jersey was on sale! Got a nice kiwi color, that super cute stripe, and grey. Because I can never have too much black or grey in my closet. No plans yet for the kiwi or the stripe. But I'll start thinking now... summer is on the way and I'll be in need of some easy to wear maxi dresses...

Made a little stop at the thrift store. Here are two of my purchases. I know, you're thinking, "Are you really going to wear Hawaiian shirts???" Not these. These will be turned into super cute skirts for summer time. Look at me and my mad creative skills. I also bought a shirt (with tags still on it) that will be perfect for work. And a Hawaiian shirt that WILL be worn as is. But more on that tomorrow...

This is the state of my kitchen table. Fabric scraps, buttons, ribbon (out of frame), glues... I've been crafting. Actually it's looked like this since Monday night. I made two hair accessories for myself last week. I'm hoping not to lose my urge to craft this week since I'll actually be HOME for it.

No huge plans for tomorrow. Just little ones. That will be amusing (to me at least). Although if my parents are home from Cancun by tomorrow maybe I'll pay them a visit.

What did y'all do today?

Spring Breeeeak!

And you thought spring break rocked when you were a student. Nope. I think this is the happiest I've been about it in a loooong time.

My wee ones were ready to check out a few days ago. I mentioned to a friend that it was like having empty little shells in the classroom. Do you know how hard it is to keep their attention when they have spring fever??

Depending on how interesting my spring break is (which looks... well, less than promising) I may blog daily about it. Or try to take pics and post them. I guess we'll have to see. Hope everyone out there who has their own spring break this week can enjoy it!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Well Then...

Okay, I'm a little better now. Not really better, but at least not hopping mad.

Just had to come back and share that the one positive about reading the news about my soaps today was that it made me think of my aunt. She passed in December, but we used to watch All My Children and discuss HEAVILY back in the day. Then I thought about how mad she would be if she were here today. She'd be fuming and calling me to tell me even though I was at work.

That thought made me smile.

So now I'm gonna raise hell for the both of us...

Dear ABC

Okay, I'm about to get a little... angry.

Dear ABC,

Suck it. Suck it hard and choke on it.

Sincerely,
Someone Who Will No Longer Watch Any of Your CRAP

**ABC went and showed what complete asshats they are and cancelled TWO soaps today. The two that I have watched for 15 years. The two that have been on for over 80 years combined. The two that don't totally suck.

I may or may not have screamed in my classroom.

I truly don't see myself watching ABC. Let them hurt. Let them crash and burn.

My Kids

I shared this on Facebook last night. And I had to share it here. Because I love my kids.

We were talking about the stomach in science yesterday and I was explaining the path that food takes from our stomach.

"We chew our food and our saliva mixes with it. It goes down our esophagus and into our stomach. Our stomach grinds it into tinier pieces and from there it goes to our small intestine. Our small intestine takes all the nutrients and vitamins that our body needs. When it's done, the leftover stuff that our body doesn't need goes to our large intestine."

Obviously I stopped here because I'm not about to open a discussion about poop with my small children. I ask if there are any questions and one hand goes up. I look at her and say, "Please tell me you aren't going to ask what I think you are." She is legitimately confused and asks, "But where does it go from the large intestine?"

Giggles from a couple students. One hand shoots up. More giggles.

I say, "Well... think about it. Think about where your intestine is... and what happens after we eat... and our body doesn't need it anymore..."

More giggles. And a look of comprehension then horror crosses my student's face. "Ohh... OOOOHHHHH."

More giggles. Outright laughter and "Ewwww" at this point from several kids.

That other hand is still in the air. "Mrs. Brincefield! I know where it goes! It turns into..."

I interrupted him. Because I'm not about to get into a poop discussion with my kids. Needless to say I lost them for a few minutes while they laughed at the whole conversation.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

American Idol - Top 8

We're shorter than two hours now!!!

Okay, so tonight was songs from the movies. And I was really hoping for great things. I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. Oh well.

Paul got the first spot. He picked "Old Time Rock and Roll." And I was disappointed. I drew a sad face in my notes. I also noted that he looked like a mariachi. Not in a cute way. But the judges loved it! Hubby wondered if they were watching the same performance.

Lauren followed with "The Climb." During the entirely too long segment with Jimmy Iovine and will.i.am I laughed at Mr. i.am and in my notes actually wrote, "WTF? lol" Dude is weird. So Lauren... so sounded fine. Nothing new or outstanding. Better than Miley, but who isn't? The judges of course loved her.

Stefano was up next and chose "End of the Road." Yea-yuh! I have a heart in my notes. If I had sparkles handy it would totes be sparkly. He made me sigh tonight. The judges loved him. Rightly so.

Scotty came up next and ended up doing "I Cross My Heart." Risky choice in my house. Hubby and I are ginormous fans of King George (George Strait for you non-country folk). But Scotty was pretty good! I liked him. Hubby gave him an "okay." Judges proceeded to gush.

After that was Casey. With some suspiciously short (almost non-existent) facial hair. He was about to do "In the Air Tonight" which made me squee (I saw Chris Daughtry cover it. Live. Amazing.). But then he went with "Nature Boy." Which was pretty decent. But not overly exciting or anything. I just love him with that standing bass. The judges gave him a standing ovation..

Haley followed up with "Call Me." Love me some Blondie. And I want her tall purple boots. They're very purpley (name the movie!). I liked it. I can see buying her album if she puts out a rock album. But the judges didn't have much love. Sads.

Up next was Jacob. And I don't seem to be the only person BORED OUT OF MY WITS BY HIM. It's the general consensus on my Facebook. Several age ranges agree. He needs to go. I was happy Jimmy scolded him for the preachy mirror comment last week. Jacob let Jimmy convince him to do "Bridge Over Troubled Water." Like the song. Boring. Don't enjoy. Snooooooze. Go home. The judges gushed. Are they drunk?

And James got the favorite spot. He did "Heavy Metal." I LAUGHED. Love that we have metal on the show this year. He did a pretty good job. And he had ZAKK WYLDE (used to play for Ozzy Osbourne) as his guitarist! He was fun tonight. I give him props.

Alright, sooooo my bottom three. I'm going Jacob (praying really), Paul, and Stefano. I didn't vote because honestly I wasn't feelin' it much tonight. But I'm seriously hoping Jacob just leaves already. I don't know who's keeping him.

Typhoid. Out.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Ummm... Tuesday Coolness

Yeah, I totes forgot to post yesterday. Busy weekends will do that to you. But I'm glad I didn't post, because last night I found this gem.




Um, seriously. That'll end up being my kids. They'll want the power that comes with the dark side. haha

Happy Tuesday.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Friday Photo

Do you want to hear something amazing?

I am SO lazy. When I got this new computer I made darn sure it had a slot for my camera card to go directly in. Easy photo uploading!

I still hate uploading photos. I can't tell you the last time I did it. I'm so lazy that I even skipped doing it for two days prior to this. Hence a webcam photo of my Tad last time he was here.


Funny story about this kid: hubby and I were at the movies Wednesday and my phone rings. It's his mom. I ignore once (I mean, we're in a movie). She calls again. So I worry a little and step out to answer. It's Tad. Telling me that his teacher gave him some flyer for day camp or something this summer and can he go. Yes, he asked ME for permission to do a camp this summer. Hey Tad, I love you and I would happily have you live with me, but you should probably ask your mom. Not me.

I'm still giggling. I love the kid to pieces.

So it's Friday and I'm looking at a busy weekend. Busy in a good way. Oh, except for the part where I have to do progress reports. I totes forgot that until now. Dang. Guess some mimosas are in order Sunday morning...

Happy Friday!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

American Idol - Elimination

So... wow.

I was 2 for 3 with my bottom three tonight. Didn't see Pia ending up in there. I was actually thinking she'd be there next week if she didn't start doing something attention-getting.

So, uh, for those of you out of the loop, Pia was sent packing.

Really surprising. Everyone looked like they were about to pass out. Jennifer was pissed and emotional. Pia held it together really well until after she sang. Then I almost cried when she sobbed right into Jacob's mic.

Honestly, the girl will get a contract with someone. And she'll have no shortage of fans. But that was still an elimination from out of nowhere.

So now we wait for next week, and I'll be getting my fingers ready to vote for my favorite boys. :)

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

American Idol - Top 9

Can we get to the point where the show is only an hour and I don't have to stay up late? Please?

So tonight was honoring the rock and roll hall of fame. Steven Tyler narrated the opening about the hall of fame. Love. Love. Love.

Jacob kicked things off with "Man in the Mirror." He kind of irked me when he said that if he ends up in the bottom it won't be because he didn't sing well, it's because "everyone wasn't ready to look at themselves in the mirror." Ummmm... no. It's cuz we don't like you. Again, I'm over him. He didn't wow me. The judges are seeing something I'm not. Next.

Haley picked "Piece of My Heart" by Janis Joplin. Good song. Good choice for her. The judges loved her and couldn't find anything wrong. So, little tangent here... anyone else hear that rumor that she and Casey are dating? Thoughts???

Speaking of Casey, he was up next (coincidence?). He picked "Have You Ever Seen the Rain." Great song. And I squealed when I saw that he busted out the standing bass. Love him. YES. The judges went nuts for him.

Lauren followed with "Natural Woman." I don't exactly love this song. But Lauren sounded good tonight. Some parts I would actually call great. The judges loved her.

*Interjection here: Will.i.am (or however he funked up his name) was guesting tonight. And when he was talking about James "wearing purple while everyone else is wearing blue" he TOTES sounded like RDJ in Tropic Thunder. If I could find a clip I would. Hubby and I laughed pretty hard about that one. We enjoyed that movie.

So James was next. He changed it up and went with "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." It was nice seeing him do something that didn't require the energy and craziness he's been offering us weekly. I didn't think it was perfect, but it was better than the screeching we're used to. I'm over the excessive screeching. The judges loved him of course.

Scotty surprised us by NOT going 100% country. He sang "That's Alright Mama." And he KILLED it. I loved him. He was fun, and he sounded amazing. But since he's so wonderful, I have to nitpick for a moment. Is anyone else bothered by the weird way he holds his mic? I am.

Pia chose "River Deep, Mountain High" to get away from ballads. Good choice on her part. And she did a great job. But we all know she's great now. Judges included. Steven Tyler shouted "Murderer!" at her and told her she killed the song.

Stefano followed with "When a Man Loves a Woman." Honestly, I love him, but I was only meh on the song choice. He did great, but I would have loved to hear him sing something with more rock in it. Randy liked it, but the other two judges loved him.

Paul got the sweet spot this evening and closed the show with "Folsom Prison Blues." I was a little scared. I watched hubby's face. And... I loved him! I shouldn't doubt him. Ever. He's adorable. He was fun, he interacts with the audience well, he interacts with his band members well... just love him. Perfect ending to the night.

Sooooo... I voted tonight. Not obsessively. But more than two times. Voted for Paul and Casey. Because they're my top 2. Always. We're getting to the point where it's harder to pick a bottom three, but here goes.

Jacob, Stefano, and Haley for the bottom. I was a toss-up between Haley and Lauren, but I'll go with Haley. If it's those three, I have no idea who will actually leave. We all know who I'd LIKE it to be, but I don't know if my luck is that good.

Typhoid. Out.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Let's Stir Up the Pot

Okay, actually it won't be a mess of pot stirring. But I had to throw in my two cents with this article I saw on Sunday morning.

California lawmakers (a.k.a. professional time-wasters) want to make some changes to textbooks used in public schools. Specifically, they want to "require state schools to teach about the contributions of gay, lesbian and transgender Americans."

Now I've spoken out before about my "stance" (I guess you would call it that) on homosexuality. But this just seems unnecessary. For plenty of reasons.

One, you know taxpayers are footing the bill for these "improved" textbooks if they happen. And that's fair to the people who are raised with completely opposite beliefs because... oh wait. It's not. A person with passionate beliefs against anything at all should NOT be forced to help fund the teaching of those beliefs to children. There's a reason you can't get a Christian education in public schools.

Two, this is just a waste of time and resources at the moment. California is in a stupid amount of budget trouble. A STUPID amount. Why don't we spend our time fixing something like that? Maybe teaching our lawmakers basic math? What you don't have you can't spend? I would much rather see that fixed than have more trouble stirred up for my fellow educators. Because let me just tell you that my friends in the public school systems have some serious STUFF to deal with already. If these "improved" texts happen, parents will blame principals and teachers because that's just how it happens.

Three, why does it even need to happen? Lawmakers are saying that it will help with the bullying problem we've seen as of late. That it will give teenagers with that lifestyle/identity positive role models. I call malarkey. Kids are punks. Reading that a particular politician/inventor/scientist is homosexual will not change that. At least half of these kids are too shallow to care. And the role model thing? Well... isn't that where families are supposed to help out? Maybe I'm outdated, but my parents and other grown family members WERE my role models. Or they at least provided me with positive ones. I'm aware that we have some less than stellar parenting skills out there today. But as a teacher right now, I can honestly tell you we have so much else we're required to do during the day that we should NOT have to list "positive influences" for your child because you can't do it. It's called being a parent, don't procreate if you can't follow through.

I'm extremely fortunate to be teaching at a private school. Blessed beyond words. I am thankful on a daily basis and more so when I come across articles about the state butting in with public schools. At this point, I would happily take the pay cut that comes with a private school for the foreseeable future (and YES, private school teachers tend to make far LESS money despite rumors and misconceptions) in order to avoid the state forcing other peoples' ideas on me and my class.

So, now that I've had my piece, what say you? Especially my friends with school-age children. Has California over-stepped their boundaries? Have they BEEN over-stepping? Gimme your two cents.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Monday Coolness

Monday. And a weekend full of glorious baseball. So enjoy an ESPN commercial with everyone's favorite closer, Brian Wilson.




Yes.

Happy Monday.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Comments

Made some changes to commenting today. Took out the "code" you have to enter and set it to my approval.

I'm not going to be a jerk about approving comments. If you have something relevant to say, I'll put it through. If you're spewing ignorant, hateful things, I probably won't. If you leave a comment in text talk like this...

"OMG, u r lik sooooo rite. AI is the bEsT!"

... yeeeeeah... I'm not posting that crap.

So the rules are simple: be a grown up and you get your comment posted. Have fun. Love y'all.