National song day

I hereby declare today national break out in song day. It is so cool when they do it on TV and the movies that I decided that we should all do it in real life, too. Don't worry if you can't sing a note because voice overs will magically be provided for you as soon as you open your mouth. The world will be so much more interesting this way. So, the next time you feel that a song would be more appropriate than the spoken word for your given situation, don't hold back, let it out! I bet you'll be surprised at how many around you join in and even know the exact choreography to go along with your song. Enjoy!

Support ribbons

I'm sure everyone has seen those "support our troops" types of magnetic ribbons that people have on the backs of their cars. Matt and I got sick of seeing them and got the urge to steal them all. Figuring that this was morally wrong, we decided to take it a step further and mock everyone by collecting them and having as many of them on our car as possible. I found a few websites online and bought about 30 different ones of all sizes and we have them all plastered on the back and sides of our car. I'm sure we get some interesting looks, but that was kind of the point.

How sweet! (literally)

It's the little surprises that can sometimes mean the most. Yesterday Matt surprised me with a bowl of Easter candy - marshmallow peeps, almond M&M's, peanut butter cup eggs, etc. He said he couldn't find a basket but it didn't matter to me, the thought was all that I needed. It may not seem like a big deal at all to anyone else but it was the sweetest thing in the world to me.

Miss Saigon

Last night Matt and I went to a local showing of Miss Saigon. We were both very impressed. I have wanted to see this musical since we played a few selections from it in high school orchestra. The cast did an incredible job. The vocals were outstanding and very true to the original soundtrack. The acting was very well done, too. The pit orchestra did a decent job with the score, which is very very tough to play.

One thing that was very interesting about this musical compared to others that I've seen is that every word in this one is sung. All other musicals that I've seen/heard have at least some spoken dialogue. I would imagine the actors need a bit to rest their vocal chords after they're done with this one.

Miss Saigon is a musical about a soldier during the Vietnam war who meets a Vietnamese woman and after one night falls in love. They get married, and the next day he is shipped home due to the fall of Saigon. She is left behind and has his child. The rest of the play is about her struggle in Vietnam and later Bangkok and how her hope that he will return and her love for her child keep her going.

Cool show

Last night Matt and I went to a concert - Sum 41. They are a punk band and were very good performers. It was energetic, loud, obnoxious, I got stepped on, sweat on, pushed around...yeah, it was great. Throughout the evening I noticed a phenomenon that I have seen at many other punk shows - the circle pit. For those of you not schooled in the ways of punk, this is when a large circle appears in the crowd and (mostly) boys begin to move within the circle. It gets very violent, people get knocked down and there is a lot of slamming into one another.

I remember a concert that Bret and I went to in Freeport, IL. We went to see Mest and it was the most insane crowd either of us have seen. It was in the upstairs of a building, and the crowd was jumping up and down, we could feel the floor giving way beneath our feet. Kids were hanging off the rafters. There really wasn't any security so it was totally out of control. I had been pushed a few rows in front of Bret, and all the sudden there was nobody around me. Instead of thinking, 'cool', I thought, 'uh oh' and then the pit started. I got pushed and shoved and couldn't really tell which way was which at that point. As fast as it started, Bret grabbed my arm and yanked me out of the pit. Yeah, it was great.

Part of what is so appealing about punk shows is how the energy builds and spreads. You begin to feel connected to everyone on the floor. I know that sounds cheesy but I guess you'd have to be there to understand what I mean. :)

This week's AI

I have seen both the guys and girls competition this week, and here is my analysis:

This is a guy's year. The only girl that I suspect could potentially be in the top 4 is Nadia, because she's got a certain flair as well as the voice to go with it. I could honestly care less if any of the other girls make it through or not.

The guys competition is a tough one. Constantine went from being one of my favorites to 'who cares?' because of his song choice. This week he tried to do Sting?!? Stick to the rock! I don't think it will really matter for him whether he gets into the top four or not because I sense a record deal in his future anyway.

Bo is the most solid singer in the competition in my opinion. I really liked Simon's comment this week about how he could have a hit record if he were to release his performance as a solo. I don't really like the song that he sang, but he definitely added his own twist to it and made it a little more interesting.

As for who's going, I think Travis picked a crappy song and he's probably gone. I liked what Scott sang, but I think it's between him and Constantine to be voted out as well. I really don't like Anthony Federov, but I am pretty sure he reminds most of the audience of Clay Aiken, which Simon keeps reminding us of, and he will probably make it through another week. I am sure that Tony voted for him a bunch this week since he sang a Marc Anthony song :P

TV on DVD

I am really bad at remembering which shows are on what night, so most of the time I simply don't watch TV (American Idol and Law & Order SVU are the exceptions, I record them.) So, I usually end up buying my favorite shows on DVD and watching an entire season in three or four sittings. I have quite a few on DVD - Quantum Leap (2 seasons), Dead Zone (2 seasons), That 70's Show, The Osbournes, Red Dwarf, Queer as Folk, Spongebob Squarepants, King of the Hill (2 seasons), Kids in the Hall, Family Guy (all three seasons), Mr. Bean, Mystery Science Theater 3000.

There is one show missing, however, and I am shocked that it is not on DVD yet. I consider Third Rock from the Sun to be one of the funniest TV shows. It isn't scheduled to come out on DVD until late July, but you can bet it will be added to my collection.

Whale watching

Yesterday we went on a whale watching cruise. Several whales were spotted, but Matt and I didn't really see much because we are both polite people and don't like to just step in front of someone. Apparently, we were the only on the cruise that are that way. Anyway, that is not what I am going to talk about.

My topic for today is steroids in professional sports. I read Sports Illustrated every week, and for the last few weeks, they've been going on and on about steroid use. I frankly don't care. If the athletes are willing to accept the potential dangers of using steroids, fine. I think it makes professional sports a little more entertaining, anyway. The reason I keep specifying that I don't care about it in professional sports is because pro sports are all about money. It's an entertainment venue, much more so than it is a show of athleticism.

The Olympics are a far different story in my book. The Olympics are supposed to be strictly about athleticism, and an insane amount of training as well. If I hear that an olympic athlete has been busted for using steroids, I am disappointed. However, if Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi, and the entire NFL use steroids, I really don't care.

Movie review - Be Cool

Matt and I wanted to go see a movie, but nothing really looked like a good movie to go pay to see. We still wanted to see a movie in the theater, however, so we picked Be Cool. This is an important part of this review, because I had absolutely no expectations going in.

I give this movie an 'A'. It has a star-packed cast and features cameos of many large names like Seth Green, Steven Tyler and Aerosmith, Danny Devito, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Cedric the Entertainer, Vince Vaughn (Old School guy), The Rock (he looks totally different), Harvey Keitel, the Outkast lead singer, and more that you'll recognize. The reviews that I have read online for this film have not been very good. I totally disagree. Every actor in this film acts the best I have seen them. Apparently, this movie is a follow-up to Get Shorty, which I have never seen but it didn't seem to matter at all.

Travolta is his usual character - an extremely confident and cool guy who won't break a sweat no matter how many guns he has pointed at him. This movie has it all - great music, excellent acting, comedy, and a plot to go with it all. I'm not sure I'd say that you have to see this in the theater, but I'd definitely get it when it comes out on DVD. :)

It's been a while

I was informed today that it has been a bit since I've updated my blog. There really hasn't been a whole lot to write about. Matt gets home every day by noon, which is really nice. Now that he's home my sleep pattern has returned to a more normal state.

I'm happy to see that Bo is still going strong in American Idol. I'm becoming less of a fan of Constantine, and I think it's due to his song choices. Ever since he sang the Seal song, I lost a little respect for him. I have no interest in the girls' competition other than seeing Michaela get voted off. I'm not voting because I usually end up watching the show quite a bit after it airs.

I'm trying to get us tickets to Miss Saigon, but the ticket office keeps really retarded hours. I have wanted to see that musical since we played snippets of it in orchestra in high school. It is a romantic story of a soldier in the vietnam war who falls in love with a vietnamese woman while he is in service there. Hopefully I will get the tickets ordered tomorrow.