American Idol

Let's talk about it. I watch it. I've seen most of the episodes in its American history. And there's one thing during the course of each season that annoys me to no end.

We're coming up on a crucial show. The show where the top X (I think it's 24 this season) sing for America for the first time. Up until this point, America's been watching the idols, but the idols have been singing for the judges. And it's the judges that have put them in the top 24. And when you watch next week's episodes, something's going to happen.

Someone is gonna get up on that circular stage ... and they're going to suck. It's gonna be bad. It's just gonna be horrible. And then the judges are gonna say what I just said except in their own little way.

Randy: "I just wasn't feeling it, dawg. You didn't bring it."
Paula: "I think you have a great spirit and it just didn't seem to be there tonight."
Simon: "If I'm being honest, it was like a horrible 8-year old birthday karaoke party in a dive bar in Bangladesh in 1964."

Here's what I would say in response to this: "IT'S YOUR FAULT, JUDGES! YOU'RE the ones that CHOSE them to be in the TOP 24! WHY did you pick this person!? THEY SUCK! AND YOU PICKED THEM!"

Next Tuesday. FOX. It's going to happen. And when it does, know that I'll be in my house screaming at the TV.

P.S. Another prediction: my viewership on this particular season ends when/if Chris Sligh gets the boot.

The Whitest Boy Alive

So I already praised these guys quite a bit in my Top 12 of 2006 article. But amazingly I've grown to love this album even more since putting it in my top 4. There's nothing much more to say here other than, if you have the means, get your hands on this album.

The Whitest Boy Alive - Dreams

iTunes
Amazon

My history with this album
Click to zoom.

It's important to note that I don't dole out 5-star songs every day. In fact, I have 13,548 songs in my library and I have 65 5-star songs. That means that I've only deemed .48% of the songs I listen to as worthy of the 5-star rating. The Whitest Boy Alive recorded one of these songs.

Finally, here's the video for the 5-star song I mentioned.

Diagram of a Weekend

Looking back, I'm extremely satisfied with how I spent my weekend spanning from Friday, Feb 9 through Sunday, Feb 11, 2007.

Friday
-home at 4:30
-watch The Office
-5pm - run steve
-5:30 - gym: weights, stairmaster
-6:30 - more tivo
-7pm - pickup No Anchovies pizza with Dave
-7:30pm - watch Idiocracy

Saturday
-up early with Steve
-8am - dog park
-9am - breakfast burrito from Nico's
-10am - warcraft
-11am - shave face, head, self-procured manicure and pedicure
-12pm - run to the Apple store, pick up cables to connect my macbook to my Dell monitor
-1pm - watch Cats/Ducks with Dave, Lubs, hang up posters framed around Xmas
-3pm - watch Idiocracy again with Lubs
-5pm - taxes, very decent return
-7:45pm - Pan's Labyrinth with Dave

Sunday
-up early (but a little later) with Steve
-8:30am - dog park, listened to my LRP 2+ playlist on my pod, some good neglected songs
-9:30am - costco run, listened to the whitest boy alive album twice through while shopping
-->picked this up along with a crap load of food
-11am - watched Brick
-1pm - laundry, tax and document filing, general malaise
-5pm - run to the apple store, picked up this bad boy
-6pm - bulls/suns
-->finally learned how to use this service that everyone raves about: del.icio.us
-7pm - bulls/suns while flipping over to the grammys
-10pm - episode of the wire, season 2 and sleep

Weekends at home. I really like them.

Google ... So predictable

So I casually mentioned that this post (click here) will likely be ranked by Google soon.

Soon has arrived. Click here.

Informed consumers

Something you need to know in order to appreciate this story ... Subway offers up daily deals. With each day of the week, you can get a 6" sub combo meal (sub, chips/cookies/soup, soda) for $4.29. For example, Wednesday is turkey day so you can fork over $4.29 and get a 6" turkey sub, chips and a soda.

I do this basically every Wednesday.

Today is no different. I hit subway to get my crazy bargain. I notice the woman in front of me is also here to cash in on the deal. She's getting a 6" turkey sub. One problem, though. She gets to the cash register and the dude asks "Do you want to make this a meal?" She replies "Nope, just the sandwich and chips." I consider speaking up, but I don't. Dude rings her up for $5.04. She pays and leaves. I then pay $4.29 for the same thing she got, but I received a soda in addition to the sandwich and chips.

Here's another way of looking at it.

The woman in front of me paid 75 cents so that she didn't have to be bothered to receive a soda and then throw it in the trash. She paid Subway to keep one more soda in their inventory instead of giving it to her.

UPS

Tell me I'm not the only one that's noticed this irony:  the latest set of ads for UPS feature a song by a band called "The Postal Service".

That's irony, right?  Maybe not real irony, but Alanis irony.  Whatever the case, it's definitely funny and an awesome move by those ad geniuses.

Balls

this post may reduce my quality to quantity ratio ... i don't care. i think it's funny.

(3:45:59 PM) Luke: so i'm eating a fruit and nut medley
(3:46:15 PM) Luke: the dried pineapples are awesome
(3:46:24 PM) AndoUSC: dude, dried pineapples!?!
(3:46:26 PM) AndoUSC: INTO it!
(3:48:18 PM) Luke: as was made famous by curb your enthusiasm
(3:48:27 PM) Luke: this medley is heavy on the fruit, low on the nuts
(3:48:41 PM) Luke: it's also low on balls
(3:49:07 PM) AndoUSC: NICE
(3:49:22 PM) Luke: big lack in testacles while we're at it
(3:49:36 PM) Luke: and honestly, where is all the semen?
(3:50:10 PM) Luke: i'll say this, i think balls is one of the funniest words in the english language
(3:50:25 PM) Luke: just say it out loud by itself, i'm giggling
(3:51:36 PM) AndoUSC: semen?
(3:51:37 PM) AndoUSC: balls?
(3:51:39 PM) AndoUSC: testicles?
(3:51:43 PM) AndoUSC: all very funny
(3:51:50 PM) Luke: i'm gonna disagree
(3:51:54 PM) Luke: balls wins
(3:51:56 PM) Luke: by a long shot
(3:51:59 PM) Luke: BALLS
(3:52:58 PM) AndoUSC: laughing
(3:54:24 PM) Luke: see?
(3:54:26 PM) Luke: case closed