Mardi Gras Twenty-Oh-Nine

Not much to say this time.
Just some pretty pics to share...

Pre-Parade Madness. Bead Trees in Bloom.

The Scaffolding Gang...here to steal your beads from above

Amazing Lundi Gras Sunset

Flambeaus lit and ready to march

And here comes the parade

The Peacock & The Hawk
Pretty Frenchman Door Posing

Fat Tuesday Mayhem

Headed Home...at a sprint

Wish you were here!

The Curse of Me

It seems every season American Idol and I wage war against each other. I pick a favorite, vote like crazy for them, and they get eliminated. Let's take a stroll down memory lane and visit all my favorites from past seasons.

Season One: Here, I am going to admit that I didn't jump on the Idol train until season two. But I adore Kelly. So ducka, ducka, ducka...here she is. Tamyra was also awesome.


Season Two: See one Mr. Charles Grigsby. Voted off March 19th, 2003. With a voice like chocolate velvet. No good reason he was voted off other than I did not vote enough for him. Always loved Rueben, and Gay-ken, although I hated him at first, has now become one of my favorite people.


Season Three: Gotta love us some Hudson. Power-house vocals and who knew she could act like that? Voted off April 24th, 2004. Jokes on you, idol.



Season Four: Nikko Smith, son of baseball great, Ozzie; who promptly got eliminated in the most scandulous of ways. You remember, when there was a "problem" with the votes and they had to re-do it? Yeah. Greta=mad. "Voted" off April 6th, 2005. Oh, also can't forget to mention the ultimate creepazoid, Constantine. Props.


Season Five: Oh Elliott, how I miss thee. This pic is awful by the way. Elliott was voted off May 17th, 2006. His soulful melodic voice apparently not strange enough for the Michael McDonald rabid fans of Taylor Hicks strained vocal styling. What a weirdo.



Season Six: Not sure what was going on in my life in 2007 but I'll admit. I did not watch. If I had to pick a reason, I'd say that Taylor winning season five was weird enough for me to stop watching. And the 'Vote for the Worst" campaign was interesting, but defeating and ineffective. No favorite from season six.


Season Seven: I think Cook was always my favorite. His arrangements were unique and awesome. His performances were always interesting and quite frankly, everyone else just annoyed the crap out of me.


Season Eight: All that being said, now it's season eight. Here are my favorites from this year. Let's see how fast they get "voted" off now that I've named them.




Anoop Desai. A 21 year old from Chapel Hill.
Voice = a buttery bird.



Leneshe Young. An 18 year old songwriter from Cincinnati.
Voice = sassy and sweet.
First Victim to the curse. Eliminated last night.




Lil Rounds. A 23 year old from Memphis.
Voice= melodic and powerful.



Matt Giraud. 23 year old from Kalamazoo.
Voice = an unpolished Timberlake.



So Idol, bring your worst. I'll be ready.

The Pretty Pretty Princess Squad in motion

Sorry for the overload but I just had to put these here.
Look at my sister, the amazing gymnast extraordinaire.

Betcha can't do that!

or that

or that

or this

So there.

Glamazon camp is rigorous, I told you!

Thanks to Maggie for link to pics!

Encounters with Catholicism, vol. 1

Sunday, I dragged our butts out of bed and into church. That's right, church.
That's our pretty church above. Holy Name of Mary. It's two blocks away so we just walk. We sat through service and spoke briefly with the priest afterwards. I was struck by just how much of the service is tradition and rites. The priest only spoke for five minutes. About how jesus heals. Granted he was a visiting priest but the regular one was there in the back. More on that later, just wanted to record my feelings on that. I will say that Father Pat was curious as to why I had not been baptised. And he almost made me feel ashamed for not being so... Shocker.
Anyways, Father Pat told me to call him later in the week and he would give me some information. Does that sound counter-productive to anyone else? I'm here now, give me the stuff now. Also he said that the only way I could convert was to attend something called RCIA, which stands for something catholic and adults. Which takes place from September to Easter sunday and the Archbishop baptises everyone on Easter Sunday. I plan to ask him some questions about that...when we speak...again...later in the week. They either are going to make me work for it or something else was more important to Father Pat. We'll see, dear. We'll see.

Sounding off...

I've been listening to 99.5 WRNO Rush Radio.
GASP!
Shaddup. I don't agree with everything the so-called "Conservative Underground" says, but it's pretty much always interesting. Especially when liberals call up and berate Sean Hannity. Why can't they ever let an intelligent one get through? Anyways, I wanted to sound off on some things they've been discussing this past week so let's do it.




Michael Phelps - Got photographed smoking out of a water bong at a university party in South Carolina. Should his endorsers pull out?
Leave him alone. He's a kid. He works hard. Kids make mistakes, no matter how fast the swim. If you ask me, this should open up a whole new genre of endorsements for him. So who cares if the other ones drop him?

The Economic Stimulus Bill - While I agree that two million dollars or so for re-sodding the lawn on the National Mall is ludacris, there is also money in there for contraception which the conservatives are outraged at. But I beg to differ. In fact, I think I'd like to put more money in there for an entirely new program sterilizing a percent of the population. You know which one... Also, sterillize the CA woman who just can't get enough babies. Take back the abused uteruses!

Carlos Mencia is selected by the Krewe of Orpheus to be the Grand Marshall, then pulled off because of some rather nasty comments or jokes he made about the people of New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina victims.

Who cares? He's not that funny anyways. Pull him. Add me. or Christian Bale. Or both!

Jessica Simpson - Now you've got to wonder, what is she good for? I've always maintained that she should just stand there and look pretty. The minute she opens her mouth, whether to sing or talk, she ruins it. Now she can't even do that! I'm gonna stick up for her pants though. They aren't "mom jeans". They are high-waisted pants, remember? From the 70's? They just didn't do anything for her. Plus, it's winter! We all put a few pounds on in the winter! It's for keeping warm! Plus, do I really have to say this? WHO CARES?

Not related at all but this is hilarious. Have you seen the Miller High Life Superbowl Commerical? You may have, you just didn't know it. 30 second ad spaces during the superbowl cost $3 million dollars so Miller determined they were going to make a one second commercial. Short, sweet, and it didn't cost $3 million dollars. Watch.

and love.