LOST: why i watch american idol

now that i'm back in boston and not watching LOST with my super LOST posse in chicago, i'm losing patience a lot faster than before. in fact, i might just hate LOST.

(here be spoilers. and lots of pent up rage)

why are we focusing on jack and his stupid tattoo that no one cares about? AND, why did kate and sawyer stop asking karl questions (they were on a roll, and then nothing...how about "what makes life with the others so much "better"? it kind of sucked for you, didn't it karl? why were you in that creepy room? why do you people live in one place and work in the other? how did you get here? who are your parents?" i mean, COME ON, kate, sawyer, he's right there, and you just saved his life, MILK IT FOR ALL ITS WORTH!)? AND, why did cindy look all shocked that jack was pissed and yelling at her? HELLO, cindy, jack's in a CAGE and you're being vague, why WOULDN'T he yell at you? I'M yelling at you! and i'm not in a cage, and i haven't been tortured (unless you count the torture of this show), and beaten up and only given grilled cheese to eat. AND, why do they keep bringing up new people, like this sheriff lady, when we haven't seen sayid or jin in weeks and locke and sun only barely? AND, i thought they were supposed to answer mysteries last night! i DON'T CARE why jack has tattoos and what they say (because, as he told the sheriff, she knows what it says, but that's not what it "means"). because even when you tell us, it brings up more questions (like, why did he get beat up by the people on the island, and what does it "mean"). so you're introducing more stupid mysteries and you don't even explain the OTHER mysteries that we've had for longer and care more about, like telling us why the stupid others take certain people and kids and hold executions and why the island killed eko and when charlie is dying and what happened to michael and walt and vincent and danielle! AND if i hear one more time that this will be worth it and the story about the others needed telling and just wait i swear i am going to hunt down whoever is in charge of this and grabuioshtiorsbxjobgosl! GAH.

whew! glad i got that out.

but i did like the kate and sawyer bit -- i felt bad for sawyer.

swap and sing: something for everyone.

OK, all you readers, check this out:

paperbackswap.com

you post 9 books and they give you 3 credits. for every credit, you get to search their database and find a book you want. you order it, and then it comes! for free! all you have to do is pay for shipping for the books of yours that someone wants. and then, for every book you send, you get ANOTHER credit. for another book!

now that i write it out, it sounds kind of like a library. but you can keep the books! and someone gets a book you don't want! i got rid of a random biography of Handel that i found, and some art book that someone got me for christmas, and i ordered "faith seeking understanding" -- a great theology book that i used last semester but didn't buy, and "autobiography of an ex-colored man" which someone just told me was a fascinating read.

so now i've gotten two books, and mailed two books, so i have three credits. any recommendations?

in other news, apparently women sing better than men. on american idol last night, the women had way better voices, but didn't have the same kind of personalities, at least the same kind of obvious personalities. also, they tell the women every year -- don't try to sing aretha, don't try to sing celine, don't try to sing whitney, unless you can REALLY do it (and it's the rare women that can REALLY do it). but we had 2 celine songs, 4 arethas...c'mon!


my two favorite women: the shy ladies who are nervous even though they're awesome. melinda, on the right, is a former background singer who should really be a front-ground singer, and lakeisha, on the left, is a single mom who works for a bank. she pulled out "and i am telling you," which made me roll my eyes, because it's kind of obvious, but she's sweet.





the two "hipster women": both of these ladies i want to like, because they're different and have their own style and are not really in the conventional pretty-idol-girl mold, but i was disappointed in both of them. gina, on the left, totally didn't hit the right note on the BIG note of the song and then tried to play like Simon was wrong and she did hit it and like she was proud of something that made me wince (the picture is of her NOT hitting the note). leslie has a rock-ska vibe, but she sang aretha, which seemed mismatched (but look at her dress! and the boots! LOVE.).


the other women are kind of forgettable with their wavy hair and skinny jeans. also of note: ryan seacrest is really short, or this is a particularly tall crop of women:

news, more news, and american idol

news: this was not in the plans, but sometimes God decides to answer prayers more quickly than scheduled, and i will most likely be moving into a studio apt mid-march. it's super cute, definitely not too small, and only 500 per month WITH utilities. um, yeah. pretty unheard in boston, at least from what i've been looking at.

more news: i don't have any more news, it just made the title flow better. i prefer sound over accuracy.

american idol: i love this show. is that bad? plus now my parents have TiVo so i won't miss it. even when i move out i'm TiVoing shows and coming over to watch them. what? i could do without all the filler but i really like hearing everyone sing. here are my favorites (and saying this will probably jinx them, so don't get used to them):

chris sligh: the token "i don't look like an idol" contestant. he sings AWESOMELY, and he's snarky, which is always good. last night he made a dig at Simon that was way better than the usual "well, blah blah i think i was awesome, blah blah wait to see what america says blah," proven by the fact that Simon was silenced and thereafter grumpier than usual.







blake lewis: the beatboxer. i just like it that he beatboxes. and so frickin' well. he can sing too, not as awesomely as chris, but not too shabby.













a.j. tablado: just fun. sang well without seeming nervous, and bounced around dancing without it looking forced. this is also his FIFTH time at Idol. so he's determined. and look at his little popped up collar!









sanjaya malakar: ok. i admit it. me liking him has very little to do with the fact that he can sing, although he can, and rivals chris with awesomeness. it has more to do with the fact that his smile takes up his whole face and when he found out he was put through and his sister (who he auditioned with) was cut he immediately went to go find her and gave her a huge hug and definitely had his moment dampened by the fact that his sister wouldn't be with him and he CRIED. and then i almost cried.





nick pedro: really nervous. didn't sound that great. and wearing a typical boy-in-a-bar-on-a-saturday-night outfit. but he's from taunton, MA! and he looks like...someone i know...can't think...oh!...lachey brother who's not nick! drew! i don't know why i knew that. but see for yourself-->. i'm not supporting him because he looks like drew lachey. more because he has a boston accent and he seems like he doesn't know what the heck happened to him and why he's on stage in front of a million people.






the rest of the guys i think are ok, but i checked my email which i was watching them. no one really hurt my ears (much). i do like that paul kim is such a strong singer, because i don't know if they've ever had an asian male in the top 24 (but i could be totally wrong), so the fact that he and sanjaya (who i think is east indian) are still in is cool to me. i don't get his barefootedness, though, or the fact that he did hip hop gestures to a George Michael song.

stay tuned for the assessment of the women tomorrow.

the fight for feminism, 3 year old style.

today my parents and i did some emergency babysitting for a family at our church, 2 boys, 10 and 9, and a girl, 3. i had the idea that we would all make monkey bread, which is a fun dessert to make, takes more time than a cake, tastes really good, and was always popular at the after school program i worked at.

the little girl was the only one that wanted to help make the monkey bread, mostly because the boys were in my dad's model train room, which i will admit is pretty cool, and she, at first, wasn't interested in that. so while we were making it we had this conversation.

LG [little girl]: the girls are cooking and the boys are playing.
me: [thinking] teachable moment! teachable moment! say something that makes her forget stereotypes forever!
LG: [after my prolonged anxiety ridden silence] girls cook and boys play.
me: well, not all the time. there are boys who like cooking too.
LG: and sometimes i play because i'm little.
me: that's right.
LG: but mostly girls cook.
me: well, sometimes, uh, there are, um, well, boys...
LG: i'm just kidding
me: you're just kidding?
LG: i can spell "on". O-N.

and that was it. but it made me think about how i will do things and what i will say when i become a mom. my parents didn't really do anything to debunk male-female stereotypes (but didn't go overboard to support them, either -- although i did get roses on my wallpaper when i asked for trucks) and yet, here i am, a feminist. i wonder if there are parents out there who did work to debunk the stereotypes who now have children who support them. food for thought.

i prefer captain blunder and the awkward silences.

let it be known: i disagree with this assessment. but i guess most of my answers (like, i don't seek revenge, i do care if my actions hurt innocent bystanders) don't really qualify me as a supervillian anyway.

Your results:
You are Mystique

Mystique 44% The Joker 40% Poison Ivy 39% Magneto 37% Apocalypse 33% Dr. Doom 31% Lex Luthor 31% Riddler 30% Dark Phoenix 28% Mr. Freeze 25% Catwoman 23% Venom 21% Green Goblin 12% Juggernaut 12% Two-Face 12% Kingpin 7%

Sometimes motherly, sometimes a beautiful companion, but most of the time a deceiving vixen.

Click here to take the "Which Super Villain are you?" quiz...

a word about love from dr. quinn medicine woman

I am reminded of a story. It seems a young frog was trying to win the heart of a porcupine. His father said to him, "My son, how can you fall in love with a porcupine?" The young frog replied, "The skunk would not have me."

happy valentine's day, playas.

don't call me july 21

that's right, it's pre-ordered.