the one with idol videos

I have never in my life seen one person pass out as much as that one chick on Idol last night. Seriously? If her blood sugar was that low, she needed to drink the juice, Shelby. The judges blamed it on nerves, but I think she just forgot the lyrics to her song, and decided to pass out to take the attention off of her goof. Mistake. She still didn't make it past group round. For the most part, group round was horrible.

At this point in time, the producers need to introduce us to the good ones, not the contestants who forget the lyrics, then faint, then cry. We didn't see Kris Allen until the live shows...Also, if I was a contestant and was in a group with someone who has an overly opinionated stage mom, I would tell that girl to get lost (mom and daughter). She was out of line. Go sightseeing in Hollywood or play Temple Run in your room and let your "apple doesn't fall farm from the tree" daughter do her own thing.

Does Ryan have to be so enthusiastic about his hosting gig? He loves to say Welcome, this is Hollywood week and THIS is AMERICAN IDOL. Duh. Everyone who watches, knows what THIS is. There is no need to remind us Ryan. Perhaps it's for his own mind, because he does have like 16 jobs...

I usually pick a few contestants from audition week that I like and usually I like them until the end. Case in point--Lauren Alaina. My favorite person of the night was Reed Grim. He was definitely all over the place, but he was so good. I have liked him since his audition when he sang the theme song from Family Matters. Who can make that sound like he did? Here is a clip from his audition:



This is what furthered my liking his style:



My other favorites include Lauren Gray (from Arkansas), Phillip Phillips, and Creighton Fraker--he is the starving artist from Brooklyn (below)



I look forward to seeing all of these in the top 12..

until next time...

the one with friday's four (2.17.12)

Since I have become an "adult" I like to think I make very rational purchases. I still make impulsive purchases, but more in the form of impulsively realizing it's the 15th of the month and have to speed to the water department to make my bill cut-off time. But don't get me wrong, I still can't pass up something I think I can't live without. That being said, I bought a lot of products in the last few weeks, but these tend to be my absolute favorites that I know I have received my money's worth...So This week's Friday Four are about my best purchases as of late.

1. This cookbook. I use it frequently and its pretty awesome. I like to think I eat healthy foods and make good choices (during the week). This cookbook takes food shortcuts that are really good. Eat This Diet Now by Rocco Dispirito is worth the purchase, and you can buy it right here on Amazon. I think he is pretty awesome, and with a name like Rocco, it has to be good...

2. Dish Network. Need I say more? East Arkansas cable was horrible. There was never a clear picture, and I didn't get but about 40 channels. Now, I have HD and I can watch all of my recorded programs in my bed all day on Sunday if I want to. It's pretty amazing. The only downfall--I don't get Little Rock channels, so when the Razorbacks play, I have to listen on the radio if it's not on ESPN..

3. I am addicted to Laughing Cow cheese. I have a few favorites. I really like the french onion flavor, followed by garlic and herb, then tomato-basil mozzarella. I like to eat it with roasted garlic or olive oil and cracked black pepper triscuts. Wheat Thins give it a bad taste and saltines don't do right either.

4. Finally, these aren't purchases, but my favorite things from the web:

until next tine...

the one about fish tacos

I think if I really wanted my parents to be repulsed by one of the more horrible choices I have made in my life (according to them), I bet you would never guess it would be a choice of food. First of all, sushi is foreign to them, so they would never in a million years think it was something other than a “trendy food I eat to appear cool among my friends.” Truth is, I don’t get to eat it enough, as we are land-locked for hundreds of miles, but there are some decent places in Memphis; Sushi Café in Little Rock is the best sushi I have ever had around these parts. Being foreign to my family, they don’t seem as repulsed by it as they do another fishy favorite of mine—fish tacos. I think it’s because when they think tacos, they think hard-shelled corn tortillas, with ground beef, sour cream, and cheddar cheese—not filled with blackened tilapia. The only fish they prefer is fried catfish, well done. So the idea of wrapping fish in a tortilla is horrifying beyond measure. This is kind of like when I ordered lobster quesadillas this summer in Rosemary--lobster is not for a quesadillas--chicken is. Within my group of friends we always reserve a day in the summer, after a good summer rain when all the farmers are out of the field, to dedicate to fish taco day. They are always so good.

So last night I had an awesome Valentine’s date with my whole family. We decided to go to Half Shell in Memphis for dinner—always an excellent choice. After reviewing the menu, and trying to eliminate just one thing I didn’t want, I decided on my entrée. I bet you can guess what I chose. Fish Tacos. I didn’t get the usual curl of the nose that comes along with my even mentioning this dish, so I thought I may get them to try a bite. Then, I heard my Dad say “I am thinking about ordering that as well.” I about fell out of my chair. He didn’t order them (he went with the reliable filet) but told me he wanted to try a bite of mine. He did, and he really enjoyed it. Mom politely declined…I encourage you to try fish tacos if you have never given them a chance...

With our time together as a family, we also decided on a trip this summer. Last year we went to the beach at Rosemary (as a family) for the first time since we went to Disney World in 1995. I go places, Matthew goes places, Mom and Dad go places together, but we haven’t all four been together for a whole week since I was in the 5^th grade at Magic Kingdom. It was go great we decided to do it more often, so this year we are going to Santa Monica/LA/Hollywood. And you will never guess whose idea this was—I’ll give you a hint—not mine. It was Matthew’s idea. He said he has always wanted to go to LA. Who knew? (my vote was Hawaii, but I get to pick in 2014). So we decided to stay at the beach in an awesome house we found on VRBO (with the coolest owners), and do some day trips to LA/Hollywood. Fun times to be had. We have reserved our place to stay—I really wanted to stay in Malibu, but the drive from there to LA is not as quick and easy as it is from the Santa Monica/Marina Del Rey area. Mom liked Malibu because that is where Two and a Half Men live. I can’t wait for summer break…

until next time…

the one about the grammys

I watched the Grammys last night. They were just average to me, for more reasons than one. First of all they were way too long. No one wants to dedicate three and a half hours to an awards show. Secondly, I would have liked to have seen less of Paul McCartney pretending to know the words to Rhinestone Cowboy, and more (or any) of Beyonce, Jay-Z, Kanye, and The Band Perry. Don’t you know it must suck to hear you are getting to perform at the Grammys, only to find out you are doing a cover of someone else’s music?

I have a few favorites (and not so favorites) to discuss. The nicest moment of the night was LL Cool J leading the crowd in prayer for Whitney Houston. I think it is really great that he did that. I also think it was disrespectful for those who did not bow their heads. If you noticed, every country star had his or her head bowed. That says a lot about country music; not to belittle any other genres, because they participated also. I think it’s a reassuring thought that celebrities still put God first…

Other favorite moments: Adele. Duh. Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt singing Sunday Kind of Love. I think Bonnie Raitt is pretty awesome. I like that it seemed like more of an impromptu, casual performance rather than the much too soon tribute to Whitney. This is my thought on that. It was a bit startling to hear the voice of someone so close in tone to that of Whitney’s less than 24 hours after her passing. It was almost like she had come back from the dead. I found it very heartfelt and pure, but I was apprehensive.

My favorite performance was definitely Bruno Mars. I think he is so fly. He has something about him that is really captivating and real. I love that he told the audience to “Get off their rich asses..” It’s not like he is putting on an act like stupid Nicki Minaj. She is not even worth mentioning, and I am SO glad she didn’t win Best New Artist. The second best performance was Coldplay. They too are awesome. I think Apple will be blessed with much artistic ability.

I was a little bummed that The Band Perry did not win Best New Artist, but Bon Iver is seems pretty cool. I like that he called his win a “sweet hookup.”

Best Dressed—Rhianna. Worst Dressed—Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift.

What do you think Gaga is thinking in this picture of her and Miranda Lambert?

the one about a new find

I have found a true gem. I would not say that I have a hard time sleeping at night since it is one of my favorite things to do, so I think I am good at it. Sometimes, though, I have a hard time falling asleep (if I don't take Benadryl). I don't like to take things to make me go to sleep, because I have this horrible thought that I will become addicted. All natural sleep aids, like melatonin, exist, but you have probably read about my aversion to it in my 24 randoms post. I have nightmares every time. In steps a liquid version, my new found glory. I decided to give it a try. The instructions told me to take it twenty minutes before I am ready to go to sleep. Next time, I will take it while I am ready to put my head on the pillow, as I nearly fell smooth asleep while brushing my teeth. It is that good. I took about a teaspoon and slept like a little baby, without one single nightmare.

This morning I decided to make a crockpot meal to be ready for dinner this evening. It is so simple and so good. All it consists of is two boneless-skinless chicken breasts, a can each of 98% fat free cream of mushroom and cream of chicken, a can of rotel, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. Low and slow all day and serve over rotini smart taste penne pasta. The last time I attempted this I was so excited to come home to kitchen filled with that familiar smell, only to find raw chicken floating in grossness. I knew I tuned the crockpot on, but I forgot to plug the damn thing in the wall. Duh, Jake. Then I tried to pick it up to move it even remotely close to a plug in, and dropped the whole thing, shattered the inside, and had to ask for a new crockpot for Christmas. Let’s hope I plugged it in today…

Update on afterschool tutoring: It didn’t work out. I can’t blame the kids. If I was a ninth grader with below basic algebra scores, I would not come to after school tutoring if it did not benefit me in any way other than potentially raising my benchmark score to keep me out of a semester of remediation classes…Um, sike. Yes I would because I cared about my grades. I went to a tutor in Memphis twice a week for four weeks before the ACT to raise my score. It came up 5 whole points. By the way, I took the Math portion of the ACT not too terribly long ago, and I only missed 5 questions. Mind you, I did it over a few hours, with breaks. But that would be like scoring a 34. Toot toot. So I am not staying after school any more, which is sort of nice. I like my afternoons and I don’t care too much for students who think 2 goes into 10 fifty four times, or 6 times 8 is 4…

until next time…

the one about the weekend

What I learned this weekend was really good. I decided on Sunday I needed to start going to Sunday School again. I have just been lazy and not going. Bottom line. I forgot how much I missed it. It’s like Bible 101. I volunteered to read a scripture we were discussing and it really hit hard. It’s all about testing faith and what should be done if the situation arises. It’s one of my favorites—Matthew 4:1-11. Read it, it’s good.

I also learned I might have a tie for my favorite TV show. I always choose American Idol, but as of late, The Voice has really stepped it up. I think I like it so much because the judges are legit. Adam Levine is awesome. Cee Lo is 4th place as far as coolness, but he still makes it work. I have a hard time looking at him. Christina has one of the best voices, ever. And Blake Shelton is witty. Also, he did a pretty good job with his take on Prince’s Kiss. I think the show is more captivating from the beginning. Idol doesn’t get good until mid-Hollywood. It starts this week, so it should be good…

Tim Tebow may do Dancing With the Stars. Not sure that he will shake it if he won’t even take his jeans off for an underwear ad…Other rumored cast members include Kendall and/or Kylie Jenner (too young), Sherri Shepherd, PeeWee Herman, and one of the crazy Housewives from Beverly Hills. I would like to see a real star dance. They use that term loosely. Should beDancing with the “Has-Beens”

I know nothing more about the NFL than I did before the Super Bowl. I do know that Madonna still has it. And Kelly Clarkson’s hair doesn’t help the lesbian rumors.

Friday, I painted a bit, but decided it was the perfect day to cross something off of my 28 new dishes to cook this year. Real Italian Meatballs. I have always been a fan of anything Italian. I secretly think I could live off of pasta and garlic and bread. I use the term “real Italian” loosely, because the real ones have a mixture of ground meats, but I chose to use only ground beef. Mostly because the closest place that sells ground pork or veal is Fresh Market an hour away. It’s like a celebration to be had when our grocery store has fresh cilantro. It’s few and far between. So I made them like this:

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 cup parmesan, freshly grated

1 egg

½ cup panko bread crumbs

1 tbs. course ground mustard

1 tsp. prepared horseradish

½ onion, sautéed in buttah

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup tomato sauce

I combined all the ingredients and rolled into about 24 meat balls. In a cast iron dutch oven, I heated about ¼ cup vegetable oil, and cooked the meatballs in 3 batches. I placed them on a paper towel to drain. Then the magic happened when I deglazed the pan with about a cup of pinot noir (then I drank the rest of the bottleJ)I added a large can of crushed tomatoes, small can of diced tomatoes, and 2 cans of tomato sauce. Then I added the usual suspects: salt+pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and a bit of thyme. Added the meatballs to the sauce, and simmered about 40 minutes. So good over smart taste, high fiber penne.

Forgive my photo. It was night and there was no natural light..

a painting for mother and dad

until next time...

the one with friday's four (2.3.12)

Friday’s Four for this week are random. Once again, just as I am (without one pleat, but that thy blood was shed for me….)

1. Contrary to my Dad’s beliefs, I do watch the news. Rather, I read the news everyday. If something is really important, Yahoo! or MSN will inform me. Yesterday I rode to school with Mrs. Gruby, and we listened to the Forrest City radio program. The ABC news report informed us of sugar’s harmful repercussions. I completely agree with the government needing to have a hand in controlling the massive amounts of sugar uneducated Americans consume on a daily basis. Ultimately, everything has sugar, but there is no sense in consuming so much. Did you know a regular soda has 39 grams of sugar? That’s equivalent to nearly 4 tablespoons of sugar or ¼ cup. It might help the medicine go down, but the chance of having a leg amputated from diabetes go way up. I also am a firm believer in the government mandating a drug test prior to anyone receiving welfare or any other type of government aid. Don't get me started.

2. I am making my "real" Italian meatballs tonight...stay tuned for a review...

3. Do you all remember in high school when you had to read Macbeth and Julius Caesar and hated every second of it? I remember we did Caesar in Dr. Gist’s junior English class. We listened to it on a record player. Probably the very same record player she used to teach my Dad, 30 years earlier. I remember I got called out for laughing during the recording. One scene was just funny to me for some reason. We all questioned when it would ever be useful for us after our days at Lee Academy. Now, as a teacher myself, I am glad I learned about Shakespeare and his cast of characters. It all came screaming back to me when some of my seniors were assigned to write a paper on a theme most relevant to them from Macbeth. (Their AP English teacher is awesome!) I read some of their papers and they were amazing. I encouraged them to continue writing after high school, whether it be in a journal or blog or for an editorial, because it keeps their minds sharp.

4. I am not an NFL fan for the most part. I do, however, love the Superbowl. I have not followed either team this year, but I am rooting for the Giants. I don’t just pick a team to root for based on the team colors or the mascot. I like the Giants because Eli Manning is a former SEC boy—albeit, an Ole Miss boy…That’s how I made my completely rationale decision to support the Giants. And, let’s face it, NYC is one of my favorite places…

Until next time...

the one about tutoring.

Yesterday I started my after school tutoring. I was a little hesitant, because ultimately I am teaching an algebra class. Math has always been my strongest area. I can’t tell you one thing about (nor am I at all interested in anything that has to do with) science. I remember in high school, my chemistry teacher had us create a project with molecules and bonds and whatever else is chemistry related. She said it would be based on creativity. SOLD. I can make anything creative. I think she did that specifically for me because she knew I would fail had it been based on my knowledge and understanding of anything chemistry related (thanks Mrs. Glanita). Our biology teacher was in a league of his own. He was severely bipolar and quit in the middle of the year (probably because we didn’t know about his illness and tried so hard to make him quit—we won). So needless to say, I don’t know much about anything in the science field.

So luckily for me, I am not tutoring the science students. Algebra is something a student either gets, or doesn’t. There is not much in between. So yesterday, After teaching them how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide fractions, I passed out a worksheet for them to work on. After about 15 minutes, they were all complete. I asked if anyone had any questions. With no hands going in the air, I was happy to get to move along to the next lesson. Then I thought to myself, more than likely these kids don’t have this down, or they would not be in after school tutoring. So I had one go up to the board and work a problem. WRONG. Right off the bat, he didn’t even find the least common multiple to make his denominators the same. Same pattern from then on—no one got a problem correct. So we worked on fractions the majority of the time. (Except for the time spent teaching a kid that 2 did not go into 10 FIFTY FOUR times—really, where is Ashton because I was certain I was being punked.)

While they were working on a few problems, the lights started flickering. OK, no big deal this happens frequently…Then they completely went out, and the kids became uneasy, along with their teacher (mainly because I could not see my hand in front of my face—to find my cell phone). That is when my cell phone lit up with a text from my Dad: A tornado is in Poplar Grove (about 2 miles from my school), YOU NEED TO TAKE COVER. Inside I was freaking out. I have to keep my composure; I have 5 kids under my watch. We go to the restroom and wait for the storm to pass. So my blog about not being scared of storms proved to talk the talk, but clearly I am a 3^rd grade girl when I know there is a storm really close…We all ended up fine, but never again will I take storms lightly…

until next time…

the one with 24 random facts

The last time I did this, it was fun for me and for y’all, I hope…the last time I did this, I did 25 random facts about myself. Since I don’t like odd numbers, I will do 24 “interesting” facts about me. You can see the first one I did (way back in 2009) right here.

1. If I had to choose one place to vacation every singe year for the rest of my life, I would choose New York City. I have only been once, and say I live 50 more years, I would never run out of things to do. There it literally something new on every corner. Some may question why I wouldn’t choose a tropical location…but if I need a beach, a short drive to the Hamptons would allow me to spend time with the Graysons and Amanda Clark.

2. If I won the lottery, the first thing I would do is give ten percent to the church. This is another reason why I don’t understand why I don’t win. I have made a promise to the Man upstairs…The second thing I would buy is a Range Rover. Duh.

3. The very first movie I went to the theater to see was Home Alone. I still remember that night, and that movie is still one of my all-time favorites. Look what you did you little jerk…

4. I hate fish that live in the water. I like to eat fish, but if I catch one at my feet when I am in the lake, I will damn near walk on water.

5. If I had to give up one of my five senses, I would give up smell. I have the most sensitive sniffer. I know Tom Ford cologne smells best on me, and I don’t like many other scents, so that would be fine. Everything I (Miss Opal, rather) use as far as cleaning supplies is unscented. Free and clear detergent is the best. I can’t stand fruity, flowery smells on me.

6. I love to read John Grisham’s books. My favorite is The Firm, followed closely by The Last Juror, The Summons, and A Painted House. The new TV series is not nearly as good as it could be. He needs to make a trip back to Memphis…

7. If my house caught on fire, and I could only grab one thing, I would choose two things. My computer—it has every picture I have ever taken, every song I have ever purchased (or stolen from napster, limewire, or frostwire), and all of the other important things I have. I would also choose the bag of function tee’s I have from college. I bought every single one, and the take me back to the days Mom deposited money every week into my bank account, I ate out almost every meal, and I was young and wild and free.

8. If someone told me I could choose the last meal I was ever going to eat, I would cry because I would know I was about to die, but then I would choose my mama’s meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and Mexican cornbread. I have watched her make these things literally a hundred times, but mine NEVER tastes like hers. She even makes tea better than I make. Something about a Mama’s touch.

9. Say there is a movie in the works about my life. I know, notta. But just in case, I would have the following people cast as my characters: My mom would be Sally Field, my dad would be Harrison Ford, I would be Brad Pitt (obviously), my brother would be Matthew McConaughey, Ashley would be Snooki, Mendy would be Bonnie Hunt, Jay would be Alec Baldwin, Trent would be Danny Tanner or Bob Saget, and Marilyn would be Drew Barrymore, Bill would be Jack Black, and Shea would be Wendy from the Wonder Years.It would be an ensemble cast for a hilariously funny comedy. Not romantic comedy—like The Hangover comedy.

10. My name is just Jake. Not Jacob. That is one of my peeves when someone’s name is like Roberto Deigo Huntington, VI and he goes by Bob.

11. I have lots of pet peeves. My top three (currently) include, but are certainly not limited to, children rolling from one computer to another instead of standing up and walking; I can’t stand to hear someone use “the” when it's not necessary—example (THE sonic, Oh really, is there just one?; THE Facebook—I do remember long ago, when we had to type thefacebook.com); and lastly, hearing a story told more than once. I will most likely stop you mid-sentence to let you know I have infact heard this before, from you. It is different when it’s real funny…

12. I am not a morning person. It would not be too far fetched to say, I would be fine if I went all the way to lunch without talking to anyone. I don’t like the morning. But I am in bed by nine every night, so I guess I am not a night owl either. I just like sleep. A lot.

13. I am not superstitious. I think all things happen for a reason. I also don’t think much is coincidental or ironic. Not even ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife.

14. If I had to describe myself using only three words, they would be sarcastic—more often than not, I am very sarcastic, and so are most of my friends; loyal—I have your back if you are my friend; and easy going until you do something to change that. Usually, I am pretty laid back.

15. If there happened to be a camera in my shower, it would catch me singing my own songs. I make up a new song all the time, and it always is to the tune of the National Anthem or Vision of Love by Mariah Carey.

16. If I could choose one thing from which I could erase all of the calories, it would be a cheese coney from Sonic. I haven’t had one in forever, but I could eat them all the time (and I did in high school with a large Dr. Pepper) if they were fat and calorie free.

17. I can’t take Melatonin, the supposedly wonderful night time sleep aid, because all three times I have taken it in the past have resulted in my having nightmares. The last one I had, I was forced to line up everyone in my family and shoot them. I didn’t sleep for the rest of the night. You know how I feel about sleep. Refer to above…

18. If I could go back to any year in my life, I would choose to be 21 again. It was my junior year of college, my friends and I did so many fun things that I will remember for the rest of my life, and I wished it away. To have that one year back would be great.

19. I have recently given up diet coke. I thought I would go bat shit crazy, but it hasn’t been bad. I am currently on day 16. No carbonated beverages, only water, coffee, and G2.

20. My middle name is Chandler. Funny how that worked out, being Chandler is one of my favorite TV characters. This is a fun game to play: One weekend I spent at the lake with a bunch of friends that were new to most of us. Instead of trying to remember each other’s names, we made an "adult" game out of it. We had to choose our favorite character from our favorite TV show. Naturally, I picked Friends and Chandler it was. All weekend. We had a Monica and Rachel too. You should try it…

21. The most vivid childhood memory I have is one that is about my brother, Matthew (McConaughey). He always did everything I dared him to do (usually he will still do anything he is dared to do). I dared him to try to ride his bicycle up a tree. He got really far away from the tree and started peddling really fast. He rode about 2 feet up the tree and then flipped over backward and just lay on the concrete with his eyes closed. I legitimately freaked out. I thought he was dead. Then he came to after a few seconds and did not even cry. We took him to the doctor that told him he would have a goose egg for seven years, all because of my dare.

22. I thought everyone knew this about me, but apparently Mendy didn’t, so who else needs to know that my first vehicle was a 4Runner. Not the last one I had, I had another for a few months. I got it a few months before my 16^th birthday, and according to my parents I would go to jail and die if I drove one single day (by myself) before I turned 16. So in April, I was working at Double G Farms, and I needed something from my dad. He would not answer the radio or the phone. I went on a search for him. While I was looking, I noticed my phone was in the floor and I needed to call him once more. I reached for my phone and the next thing I remember, I was in the back seat with my blinker in my hand since that's apparently all I could hold on to. I flipped, twice. Therefore I am on 4Runner number 3.

23. Speaking of vehicle problems, one time when I lived in the Sigma Chi house, I high-centered my go cart car on a rock. After much pushing and pulling and burning all kinds of rubber, I had to call the towing company to get me unstuck. They knew my name, as I got towed about once a month.

24. Yet another vehicle situation--I am currently waiting on August to get here so I will have a clear driving record for the first time since I was able to drive. You see, in August of 2009 I was on my way home from Memphis when I got off the interstate at Lee-Hi to take the “old way” home. Being it was August, the produce stand was full of color. As I was deciphering a visit to the stand, I looked up and realized I was about to smash into the back of the car in front of me. Before I could get my feet back into my chacos, I was all tangled and I rear-ended the car in front of me. I hit them so hard, they hit the person on front of them. So I was double fined with wreckless driving and an accident.