Idol Recap

Ok, so Darren and I are slightly obsessed with American Idol. Therefore I find it only fitting that we start blogging our thoughts on the weekly performances. So here goes!

Rat Pack Night

We're really excited about this night considering it's one of our favorite genres of music. I'm just going to type as we go (Darren doesn't even know I'm putting his comments into words.)

Up first...
Kris Allen The Way You Look Tonight

H: Best dressed of the night. I think Kris is now my favorite contender. Can't believe what Jamie Foxx said though, a little much, I think. Perfect song! He finally hit a good last note!

D:I wish he would have had the Big Band back off. I like it though. I agree with Simon...he doesn't have enough to win it.


Allison Iraheta Someone to Watch Over Me

H: I like the softer side of Allison. I think she'll get a few more fans out of this performance. Still hate what her stylist is making her wear.

D: No comments, just a big thumbs up.

Matt Giraud My Funny Valentine

H: Not digging it. He's definitely going home tomorrow night. It just sounded like he couldn't sing on key so he did all the riffs to distract us from that fact.

D: His voice annoys me a little bit.

Danny Gokey Come Rain or Come Shine

H: Danny's sticking around. It's like he can do no wrong. This is so hard!

D: It's good. I thought he was going to break into that one "DreamGirls" song at one point though.......And you, no you, NO YOU! You're gonna looooovvvvveee mmmeeee

Adam Lambert Feelin' Good

H: Awesome! So theatrical. Not a big fan of his falsetto, but still overall an impactful performance. He missed some notes but, unlike Matt, you didn't even notice because his delivery was so good.

D: I'm not sure...I liked the way it started. But he usually works a song into a frenzy and he didn't this time. Still my favorite though. He's the star of this show.

Bottom Three

H: Kris, Allison, Matt- Matt going home

D: Matt, Kris, Allison- Matt going home

Thank you for being a friend....

It was a sad, sad weekend for many of us out here in TVLand...the legendary Bea Arthur passed away at the age of 86. I just wanted to take a moment to pay tribute to the women who made so many people laugh over the years.

The show was on the forefront of so many pressing issues of the time, many of which are still relevant now. In fact, I caught an episode the other day in which Sophia mentions government bailouts. (These, of course, were bailouts from the early '80s, but how funny to hear!)

It seems as though they just don't make sitcoms like they used to. So thank you to Bea and the rest of the cast for creating a show that can clog my DVR any day...and make the world a little more funny.

Wines for Thursday, Friday, and the Weekend...Frei Brothers Zinfandel

I just couldn't wait to post about the newest jammy jewel I've discovered. I'd heard about the 90 pt. Parker rating on the newly released Frei Brothers Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, but I'm usually cautious until I've tasted it for myself. (And yes, you could say I'm a little biased because this is a wine my husband distributes, but I've learned to separate family business from my tender taste buds.) So here it is folks- the Zinfandel Lover's Zinfandel. The wine is the color of thick pomagranate juice and is slightly reminiscient of the aroma as well. It's complexity consists of dark berry, stone fruit and sweet spice notes with a hint of what I like to call "the 6th sense," meaning you can close your eyes and just imagine where this bottle came from. (The rolling hills, the lush creek bed, the smell of dirt and fresh cut grass.) It should retail at a store near you for under $20!

Things that annoy me in the news....

This morning the news was all a-buzz with the controversial clip of the day, something I've termed "The Beauty Queen vs. The Blogger Queen."

If you didn't have the privilege of watching this year's "Miss USA" pageant or hearing any of the aftermath, let me fill you in. Judge Perez Hilton was chosen to ask contestant Carrie Prejean of California her final interview question on the show last night. What ensued was a cat-like battle of morals and words that has, in 24 hours, been broadcast around the world:

Perez:"Do you think that other states should follow Vermont, a state that recently passed legislation allowing gay marriage?"

Prejean: "No offense to anyone, but I believe marriage should be limited to the union of one man and one woman. This is just my belief and the way I was raised."


The camera shoots to Hilton's disgusted face and within hours he has video-blogged a tyrade in which he comments that the answer she gave was alienating to him and other gays and lesbians. (He also calls her a "dumb bitch" and posts other comments from people who back his opinion.)

I want to know who put Perez in charge? Why should his opinion be the only opinion that matters?!? It's true that Miss CA could have answered the question in a more strategic "middle of the road" way. But why should she be chastised for a giving an answer that she believes? I'm sure there are millions of people out there, gay and straight, who agree and disagree with Ms. Prejean. Shouldn't we all have the decency to respect other people's opinions?

SO annoying!

The End of the Season

I just wanted to post this picture of my cutie husband after his last football game playing for the Metro-Police Law Dawgs this year. What fun it has been going to watch their games on Saturday nights...eating concession stand food and sitting on cold bleachers just brings back so many good memories.

Even though they lost the championship game, I'm so proud of D for "getting back up on the horse" as they say. He had some awesome blocks last night and it was apparent how much he loves being on the line. (Kinda scary when you're watching your husband get the brunt force of a few guys running at full speed, but it sure was exciting!)

I'm sure he'll be back for next year!

Wine for the Weekend...Von Schleinitz Pinot Noir Rose

Seeing summer almost around the corner is exciting for all of us who live in a 'Four-Season' corner of the world. To add to the celebration of warm weather and being able to spend so much time outdoors, try this lovely Pinot Noir Rose from the Mosel Valley. Though red grapes were not allowed to be planted in this appellation until 1987, the crew at Von Schleinitz jumped at the chance to grow Pinot in the slate hills of the Northern Mosel. What results is a brilliant dry rose with a hint of minerality, beautiful peach and strawberry fruit, and a lack of tannin that really makes this rose standout from the masses.

5 Things I Love/Hate About Being Pregnant

Things I love...

1. Being able to eat whatever I want and get away with it.
2. Darren's spontaneous foot-rub offers.
   
3. Having the suspense build to find out the gender.
   
4. Not having to lift much at work.
5. Shopping for baby-things.

Things I hate...

1. Having a superhuman sense of smell.
2. Having the seams of my pants imprinted on my belly. (Time to get stretchy pants, I think)
3. The constant slathering of Cocoa Butter.
4. The constant appointments at the doctor.
5. Not being able to eat sushi. :(
   

Stuff I'm listening to....

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

This Vermont-based group released the album This Is Somewhere a little while ago, but it is still getting rapid replay in my 6 disc changer. If you think Scott McIntyre of American Idol fame is a genius musician with a visual disability, wait until you get a load of Grace. Yes, she's legally blind, but she can belt it out like a rockstar on tracks like "Ahh Mary" and "Big White Gate." The beautiful "Apologies" shows her off on the piano and she leads the group on electric guitar on most of the others tracks. (So move over Scott...she really CAN play.) The group altogether sounds like a modern female reincarnation of a seventies rock band. And if you have to try out just one song, I suggest the tender "Falling or Flying," a sweet rock-infused lullaby about hitchhiking across the country with truck-drivers. You had me at hello.

Things that annoy me in the news....

Oh where oh where is Obama going to church on Easter Sunday? What's the new pup of choice? Who gave it to them? What is Michelle wearing today? Is Obama "Leader-y" enough for a Portugese Water Dog? Why didn't they get a pound puppy? What if it chews on Abraham Lincoln's Presidential desk?????????????????


Our country is being flushed down the toilet and all that the media can focus on is the Presidential dog. It really pushes my buttons that the journalists that so supported Obama throughout his campaign have now turned their heads to the important news of the day. Here is a clip from a piece that FoxNews was reporting Sunday:

"Already some 38 percent of Americans do not pay income taxes, and Barack Obama wants to increase that percentage dramatically. How ironic that he and other Democrats pretend to be targeting their message to "working-class" people when many of their constituents aren't working. But such is class warfare that the upper-middle class and wealthy are demonized as not earning an honest living.

Do you suppose it has registered with class warfare-receptive Obama voters that Obama is deliberately turning the American dream on its head? Could it be any clearer that his message to the middle class is: Don't aspire to achievement, success and wealth because a) it is immoral to have more than others, b) the government will take your wealth away from you and give it to others, and c) why bother to bust your rear end to make more when you can vote yourselves money from the public trough?

Obama let slip his socialist proclivities to Joe the plumber when he denied he wanted to punish wealth and insisted he just wanted to spread the wealth around. Joe was justifiably repulsed by Obama's cavalier attitude toward the American dream.

Democratic commentator Bob Beckel was dismissive of the significance of Obama's outright nod to socialism, saying we've had a progressive tax system since the income tax was initiated. Yes, Bob, and we've had socialists in America since then, too.

But what Beckel did not explain is that at least in those days, the stated purpose of the income tax system was to fund government services, not to redistribute wealth."

-D.Limbaugh

I think that's a little more important than a pooch.

Wines for the Weekend

Trivento Torrontes- ($10-$12) Perfect for the springtime, this wine has a crispness that goes perfectly with that slight April breeze. Sweet in a subtle and fruity way, Torrontes is an alternative white that you should definitely explore. Pairs nicely with summer salads and fruit dishes, this wine is also perfectly suited as a post-spring cleaning patio-sipper.

Officially in Suburbia

So my New Year's Resolution is to try to do a better job of keeping up this blog, especially since I'm expecting to have a lot to blog about in the coming months. Seeing as it has taken me about 4 months to start my "Resolution '09" you can obviously see that a lot has been going on in in the 'burbs this year. The title of this update refers to the fact that Darren and I have now officially entered so far into Suburbia that I think there's no turning back. We're having a baby! In addition to the manicured lawn and two-car garage we will now be going through the process of turning Darren's "man-space" office into a nursery for IT in the next couple of months.

*Note I will be calling the baby "IT" until the sex is known (or until I lose the habit of calling it IT)*

He's not very happy about having a change in his workspace and we're still not sure exactly where all of his gear is going to end up. But I know one thing for sure! Slammerhead the Hammerhead is going far, far away. For those of you who have never met Slammerhead, he is the 10 ft Hammerhead shark that Darren caught off the coast in Ft. Lauderdale and has mounted on our office wall. I think it's hideous. Darren thinks it's the creme de la creme of ultimate man-decorating. At this point the whole issue resides in strategy on my part. Saving up all of those "Honey won't you go get me Taco Bell" and late-night Macaroni 'n' Cheese runs for my ultimate goal: getting rid of the Slam. I think in the end I can march through some righteous cravings as long as I keep my eye on the prize. (And also secretly hoping that IT is a girl so there's no excuse to sell the monster to the local Red Lobster)

P.S. That picture is the only one on record that shows the magnitude of Slam's ugliness...just imagine.