American Idol POST! (Haters gonna hate)

So I watched AI tonight and it finally really sunk in why all you people HATE Kara. I mean I didn't really care for her at the beginning, but oh my god is she obnoxious. UGH I wanted to actually toss my Coke in her face like Katy Perry threatened to do.

Speaking of KP, I wasn't expecting much from her or Avril Lavigne as guest judges. I couldn't see what they'd actually bring to the table because Avril really sucks, and KP is more known for her outfits than her music.

I didn't like Avril. She really looked like she couldn't be bothered to be there and her stupid cat ear hoodie drove me crazy. I could see where she was coming from by telling that one contestant that he shouldn't be in the competition because leaving his family and going on the road isn't the best thing for them. To be fair, she is divorcing her own husband because they are incompatible and I'm assuming that time spent on the road for both of them was a problem (she was married to Deryck Whibley of Sum 41, who sounds like a douche just for the spelling of his first name, let alone the band he's attached to).

Katy Perry on the other hand, I was surprised by. She up front said she wasn't gonna take any shit and she didn't. She told everyone exactly what she was feeling and no amount of pressure from Kara ("GIRL POWER!" Uh, Kara -- you realize Victoria Beckham's no longer the guest judge, right? Also your BFF, Kristin Chenowith? Not here.) I loved that KP had no problem turning down people, not sugarcoating it like Kara or Randy did. I loved that she had a genuine reaction of dismay to the contestants ("They frisk them down before they let them in here, right?" She demanded of Simon). And I loved her seeing right through the BS that is the fluff pieces. "This is not a Lifetime movie," she told one contestant after Kara said that his story was so compelling and that was why she said yes. And I agreed with her and Simon. I wasn't blown away by the kid with the 25 foster homes. Jonah what'shisname that lived in his car in Nashville was more interesting (Season 7). Between her and Shania Twain, I very much enjoyed their guest shots.

Movies!

On livejournal they have a "Writer's Block" question every day.
What is the worst movie you've ever seen? Did you sit through it or walk out? What made it so dreadful?

LOL, I actually saw Gigli. I worked as an usher/counter for the free movies we had on campus and this was one of the ones we showed for some inexplicable reason. And since I was getting paid I said, ok, I'll watch it. I almost didn't but Tim talked me into it. I should have realized he had faulty logic when he said, "you know, this movie and Glitter weren't that bad!"

Whoops.

Excepting the scene where Christopher Walken blows some guys brains out into a fishtank this movie was excruciatingly long and had no point. "I WANNA SEE THE BAYWATCH!" It was two hours plus of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez looking at each other with something short of disdain. As we got the main plot wrapped up the subplot kept going, and I swear in some dimension I am still watching the movie.

It's easy to say what the worst movie you've ever seen is. Tell me what the best film you've ever seen was.

TV survey (in which I reveal how much freaking TV I watch)

Name a TV show series in which you have seen every episode at least twice:
Firefly. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Star Trek: The Next Generation. Gee, I wonder what my preferred genre is.

Name a (current) show you can't miss:
American Idol. SHUT UP.

Name an actor that would make you more inclined to watch a show:
Nathan Fillion (why I watch Castle); Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell. I watched the first three episodes of the ill-fated Bionic Woman purely for Katee Sackhoff and suffered through two or three episodes of Nip/Tuck for the same reason.
I'm less likely to follow actors than show creators, although I must admit I never did watch Dollhouse. I'm strictly a JJ Abrams kind of girl.

Name an actor who would make you less likely to watch a show:
Kelsey Grammer. He will never be anyone else but Frasier Crane. And Sideshow Bob. ALso I find Zach Braff extremely annoying even though I like Scrubs.

Name a show you can, and do, quote from:
Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, NCIS, Pinky & the Brain, many cartoons from when I was a kid.

Name a show you like that no one else enjoys:
Border Wars on National Geographic.

Name a TV show which you've been known to sing the theme song:
I sing Captain Planet, Pinky & the Brain, and if it gets stuck in my brain the Theme to Enterprise. (I got faiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiith of the heart)

Name a show you would recommend everyone to watch:
Battlestar Galactica. I can't get over how amazing this show is and how relevant it is to our lives today. It hit a few rough notes, but I lived and died by that show more than I have anything I have ever watched or read, save for The Count of Monte Cristo.

Name a TV series you own:
The only complete series I own is Firefly. I almost have the complete series for Battlestar Galactica.

What is your favourite episode of your favourite series?
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: In the Pale Moonlight. One of the best episodes of TV ever. This is another show that (if you skip to season 4) hit its stride and is completely relevant to today's society, despite ending in 1999.
Battlestar Galactica: the Miniseries is amazing, and 33 is the best launch to any series ever.

A show you mean to watch, but you just haven't gotten around to yet:
Pretty much anything that Kristen watches: Burn Notice, Dexter, The Wire (that's Laurie's pick), White Collar, Supernatural (I guess, if I have to)

Ever quit watching a show because it was so bad?
I TRIED TO QUIT LOST AND IT WOULDN'T LET ME. JERKS. NOW I'M ATTACHED.

Name a show you aren't interested in watching, not in the least:
Modern Family, Community (I tried one episode, I am SO SORRY JOEL MCHALE), Dollhouse, 24

Name a show that's made you cry multiple times:
Battlestar Galactica. I shed buckets for this show. WATCH IT NOW.

Oldest TV show you like?
I loved Get Smart! and Hogan's Heroes; I lived on reruns of I Dream of Jeannie. I wish there was a channel that showed all these shows and not the shows *I* grew up with.

Newest TV show you like?
Border Wars. Again, if you get NatGeo, watch it! It's so compelling.

What do you eat when you watch TV?
Dinner. Whatever I made that evening. Dinnertime=my TV time.

How often do you watch TV?
3h a night, but not every night. So maybe 12hr/wk.

Do you have a favorite talk show?
I love The Soup, and I think Craig Ferguson is HILARIOUS.

What's the last TV show you watched?
I watched American Idol.

What's your favourite/preferred genre of TV?
It's a tie between police procedurals and sci-fi.

What's your least favourite genre of TV?
Reality TV. Excepting AI.

What was the first TV show you were obsessed with?
I remember being very excited for Next Generation. That was my first TV show.

What TV show do you wish you never watched?
I'd like that one hour I watched Grey's Anatomy back.

What's the weirdest show you enjoyed?
The Nanny?

What TV show scared you the most?
X-Files. Goddamn they had the creepiest shit on that show.

What is the funniest TV show you have ever watched?
This will sound stupid but The George Lopez Show. I used to try to have it on while I fell asleep and I couldn't cause I was laughing so hard.

Which do you think is the best TV series ever made?
I really really really really really think that it's Battlestar Galactica.

food and exercise.

So I randomly stumbled across HundredPushups.com one day and I checked it out. It looked awesome, but due to space limitations in my room I can't do it yet. But also linked on that page was Two Hundred Situps.com. These sites advertise exactly what they say. So I started the situps. I did miserably on the test and ended up in the first column for the weekly runs. I was very skeptical, but even while doing the first sets of them I could feel it working. I just finished week one, and I'm looking forward to doing week two to see what it brings.

I mentioned that I was doing this to Dr Tiffany (I call her that because she's in school for occupational therapy and studies stuff like this), and she said to me, "Amanda, you know you have to add cardio to that." I told her sure, ok, but now I don't know what to add for cardio. I'm not a runner because of my lungs. Googling says I could do jumping jacks, but I live on the 2nd floor and I don't want to be a bother to my neighbours. So kids, what other suggestions have ye?

In other news, I was tormenting Derek with the thought of a garbage plate, which is a Rochesterian delicacy. Wikihopping led me to this epic and classic article on a Long Island separatism movement: despite being two years old, is chock full of hilarity.
Also now, I really want michigans. I'd ask my mom for the recipe but no one makes 'em as well as she does.

My house is deathtrap

So I told you guys about how the wiring in this place sucks donkey balls. And how the roof leaks. Well, they fixed the roof (apparently they told Kayla they were coming but she was not here so I got woken up by roofers). But I think mold set in. Kayla found a leak in her closet and there is definitely mold up in that piece. Tonight she got really nauseated and only felt better when she opened the door to her room. Now it could be coincidence, but like Leroy Jethro Gibbs I don't believe in Coincidence. The handyman is coming tomorrow to look at it.

Segue (I'm not creative and I just took my valerian. Sue me)

There was a shooting the other night just down the street from my house. Two people injured, not life threatening, but I really miss my house over on Allen St. It was a far safer neighbourhood despite the fact that all the signs in this area say "SAFE CORRIDOR." I don't believe you, St. Rose and SUNY, I just don't.

Segue

So again my ass is being kicked into gear into finding a place to volunteer during the week when I have days off. I asked Ashley and Amanda, two girls I know do a lot of volunteer work and they gave me a couple of suggestions, but I would like some more ideas. Anyone in the Albany area got any thoughts?

Why I love this show. (SHUT UP)

This is the video making the rounds of the internet tonight. And ys, I'm not gonna lie I loved it.

I love it even more now after reading this article that I stole from OhNoTheyDidn't.

A genuine American hero, who truly deserves the attention he garnered tonight. I don't have more to say than that; how can you turn this guy down? If I'm the AI producer I don't either.

this is a television-heavy post

I now am officially stocked up with television shows to follow. My list is the following:

-American Idol - I'm a junkie. I'll admit it. I need the Idol like a crackhead needs a hit. It's terrible and I can't help it. Although to be fair the bad auditions make me cringe. And I get annoyed because I end up wanting to cry from the sob stories. But it's people! Singing! Also, I just gotta say that we have a possible North Country Idol in the making, so I'm down with that. Need more details to make sure he's North Country, but he did go to Crane, teaches at Cumberland Head, and may be the same guy who worked with Katie at Old Navy. The screen said he was from Rome though, which is CNY but I will claim him if it pans out. Sorry.

-NCIS. I'm behind three episodes but I will catch up eventually -- holidays ate up all my time. Still love this show and I'm glad I discovered it. Makes up a smidgeon for losing Battlestar.

-Castle I am very far behind on, since I recorded the entire season and had only seen three episodes. But I watched two tonight and I fell in love with Nathan Fillion again. (The reason I have a twitter)

-Chuck. I watched most of season 1, and I know all that happened in season 2, so I feel that I can start S3 and watch the old episodes later on by borrowing my brother's DVDs. I taped the premiere and I'll sit and watch it later in the week.

-Psych comes back in a couple of weeks. I always forget how good this show is. It's not about the crimes, it's about Shawn and Gus. I would watch them read the phone book for the lulz. I'm not even kidding. Dulé Hill and James Roday are the best buddy team on TV today bar none.

-Lost! My last big show. I've gone through such heartache and anger and irritation and various other emotions with this show, and yet I can't quit it. And now I really can't because it's the final season. I know there will be a huge Lost-shaped hole in my TV heart next year, but I can't even really comprehend what it means right now. Like Battlestar, this show kept me going through a lot of crap in my life. As lame and cliché as that sounds.

And finally my newest show is Border Wars, on National Geographic. This is such a compelling series. If you get a chance to watch it I suggest that you do. It's shot in Nogales AZ, and details the ICE and CBP work day and night along the Mexican border. Incredibly real, compelling stories and I hate to say characters cause they're real people. The enthusiasm they have when they make a drug bust is contagious; the comprehension and the compassion they have for the illegal immigrants they pick up is intense. Like they understand, but they have a job to do. It's just so good. Everyone go and watch it.

I'm sticking it to the History Channel cause all they have on now is Apocalyptic Shit and Pawn Stars ripoffs. And I didn't even LIKE Pawn Stars. Ugh.

So tell me, is your television schedule too heavy? What are you watching?

Generic title goes here

I forgot to update yesterday and I think I broke my streak of posting once a day this year. Sad :(

Thursday I had to say goodbye to a friend of mine. She's getting married and moving to Springfield MA, which isn't too far away but it's far enough. Her last shift was 6am-12pm on Thursday, so I got there at 11:30. Turns out that they sent her home at 9! Whoops. So I hung around Colonie Center til she came back. I already miss her.

Friday I did laundry. Metric fuckton of laundry. And I still have more to do! Argh. That's what tomorrow is for. I went to put my $20 in the change machine but it wouldn't take it cause it was ripped, so I had to go next door to the dry cleaner that owns the laundromat to change it in. Mission accomplished. So I did laundry.

Thursday night I found THROWBACK DR PEPPER, which is made with REAL SUGAR instead of high fructose corn syrup. HUZZAY! So I bought it. Try the Colonie Chopper on Central for it, if you don't find it in your own shops (if you don't live in Albany, I'm sorry).

I purchased valerian capsules and a daily multivitamin. I'm looking forward to seeing if valerian helps my sleep any, so I'm testing it out tonight. I think it might be working cause I'm kind of already sleepy and I just took it like 10 minutes ago. Might be a placebo effect though. We'll see.

Borders continues to separate me and my money. I had a 33% off coupon and I didn't intend to use it. They stuck a rack of a brand new book in my face (well right in the entrance to the store on my way to the bus. Jerks). It's called A Reliable Wife and the description grabbed me from the second I read it. I got all the way to the escalator when I turned around and went back for it. I hope it is as good as it sounds. I have such a freaking big pile of books to read, I love it. I just need to get back to Walmart and get their $20 bookshelves.

Tomorrow I'm working on watching football and laundry. Must make sure the Patriots win. That's how it goes.

Things I just do

I was wandering through Barnes & Noble, while waiting for my friend Amanda to meet me at the mall when I spotted an endcap of books about writing. I've been thinking about getting one, because I'm so paranoid that I'm not as good a writer as I think I am, and I'd like some reinforcement in one direction or the other. (Ash, I did promise to upload my novel for you to read and I will tonight.) I want to publish it but I'm worried that no one will take me or my little story seriously.

I'm not banking my whole life on getting published, nor will I stop writing (you'd have to chop off both my hands and possibly my feet to make me do that and even then I might just learn how to hold a pen in my teeth). But I would like my stories to be read by someone who isn't me.

I've been seeing a lot of resolution talk going around the internet, and I just want to say I've made my own set of resolutions. I do it every year, but I actually intend to go through with them and make it so, as Sir Patrick Stewart used to say. SO here's my small list:

-Get a place to volunteer in Albany a few days a week. Ideally I'd like to tutor children, but I don't have any certifications or anything like that. I also wouldn't mind working in a setting helping people who are underpriveleged; someplace like the Social Justice Center on Central Ave. I dunno. This I want done by the end of the month, so I need to get a move-on on it. Anyone in Albany got any ideas on how to find a place to volunteer at?

-Get my student loans in order. This is going to be pretty tough, since I have them from three different schools and probably they are all over the place. I want to at least know and speak to all of them by April 1, so I can try to pull them out of default, and maybe get them into some sort of deferment.

-Get a doctor and a health checkup. Lately I've been feeling under the weather and with my newly earned health insurance I should be taking advantage of its opportunities. This means I have to go and call the stupid health insurance company because its website locked me out, not recognizing that I actually do know the answer to my security question, which is the city where I was born. I'm pretty sure I know that, and if I didn't I have my birth certificate. Assholes. This is going to be done by the end of the month. Tomorrow I'm calling to get the lock picked.

-Get my Peace Corps application done. This will be done slowly because there are a lot of parts to it. ANd I believe that someone on my flist found out that you need at least six months of volunteering time in before they'd look at your application. So if we do the math, this needs to be done at the earliest in July or August.

-Grow a spine. Sometimes I'm too flexible and let people walk over me. I just need to say what I'm feeling and damn the consequences.

-Incorporate other exercises along with my walks. I'm going to learn how to do sit-ups and push-ups. My endurance is severely curtailed by my asthma and this current respiratory illness. When I was home at Thanksgiving, my dad had me try breathing on one of those machines that tests your lung capacity. Mine is severely diminished. If I don't get it up to par, I am fairly certain the Peace Corps won't want me in some remote village in the tropics with an impaired lung system.

-Put all but the most essential of money into my savings account after paying off my sister and my credit card. Yes, I need money for food and essentials.

-Eat as few things with High Fructose Corn Syrup as possible. Coke and Dr Pepper are exempted from this list, because they are the nectars of life. Right, Candice? ;)

I wish you all the best of luck with your new year's resolutions if you made them, and I hope for nothing but good tidings for all of you.

Warning: Profanity-laden rant ahoy.

Ok, assholes of the world -- let's get one thing straight. In this state, I as a pedestrian have the right of way in a crosswalk, unless it's a red light.

So if I am crossing a rarely-used side street, no lights in sight, you can wait the bloody fucking thirty seconds it takes me to fucking walk across the ten feet of the street to the other side.

So hold your goddamned horses and don't fucking honk at me cause I'm in your fucking precious way. Those thirty seconds you spend waiting for me won't matter when you're home three minutes later. All you do is make me fucking pissed off and more likely to walk slower, asshole.

I've got fucking long legs and a brisk pace, especially if the mp3 player's got a fast song on, which it usually does. SO I'm not inconveniencing you all that fucking much. Bloody sit the fuck down in your fucking giant ass SUV and wait. It won't bloody kill you. Pretty sure you're not the one freezing your extremities off in a half mile walk home from your bus stop. You and your most likely heated car can just sit there and take it. It's THIRTY BLOODY SECONDS.

And yes, I did flip you off as you drove by. I dunno if you could see it cause it's FUCKING DARK OUT and I wear black gloves. So go to hell.

caught a light sneeze

Developing a small cold again, which is supremely annoying. Mainly cause I hate being sick. I can deal with being injured* but I am miserable when sick. But life goes on and shit.

Today I went with my friend Wendy to see Wicked at Proctor's which I thought was in Troy but really is in Schenectady. Schenectady has the misfortune of being the crappiest of the three cities. Also, it was colder in Sch'dy than in Troy or Albany because of the goddamned wind. I hate wind. I hate it more than I hate hot weather, and you all know how I hate the hot weather.

Ok, so Wicked was very very very awesome. I first read the book years earlier (I was trying to find the post I made about it, but I can't find it now, alas and alack). As soon as I found out there was a musical I made sure not to spoil myself for the soundtrack by listening to it ahead of time, and I was grateful for that. The music is pretty darned good, and Marcie Dodd has quite the voice.

I liked what they did with the musical as opposed to what the book had**, but I feel that it was lacking something by having a white dude play Fiyero. Don't get me wrong, he did a wonderful job, but in my head, Fiyero is distinctively non-white, and the book made a point of making that clear as well. It goes more with the musical's theme than the book though to have him be white.
I also didn't care for the ending, but it made sense again for the musical's story than it did the book's ending.

Overall, I did love the show. I'd definitely see it again***. I downloaded the soundtrack when I got home and I enjoyed listening to Kristen Chenowith as Glinda; but after hearing Marcie Dodd, I was kind of underwhelmed with Idina Menzel, whom I know the Internet has a thing for. But I didn't mind her!

So I decided that instead of tackling the giant stack of books that I haven't read yet I'm going to re-read Wicked. Because I can.

*Except my left arm. I can't function without my left arm.
**The book has a lot more uh shall we say adult situations, and is SLIGHTLY pessimistic.
and by slightly I mean a lot
***and again and again and again. NO AND THEN.

I suspect a conspiracy's afoot! (It's not mein feet, I just washed them!)

I was in the middle of a book I wasn't entirely thrilled with, but it had a hook that I wanted to see through to the end. Well, more to see whether the book actually had a point to it or not.

I started it last week, I think the 27th, and now I can't find the damned thing. I think it might be in Genevieve's car, cause she gave me a ride home one night, and I couldn't find it after that. It's just weird, because I'm better with books than most of my other possessions.

I moved onto another book, because life is short like that, and so is the next book I'm reading. My goal this year is to actually keep track of how many books I've read this year. So the next batch of reviews won't be numbered except for the book that I did read this year -- the one I started today to replace the one that disappeared.

Another thing I'm going to do is to list all my books somewhere, either here or on blogspot or both to show off keep track of all the books I have, and possibly share with you guys if you're interested in any titles.

Now I'm going to bed, working on edits of my novel, and going to see Wicked tomorrow. That's correct, sir.

PS: I do not understand why I actually enjoy the Lady Gaga/Journey Mashup. I may need professional help.