American Idol Wrap-Up

Admittedly, I did not watch ANY of the last two days. I just found with the advent of TiVO, blogs, web news, etc , that spending 4 hours of my life in front of a TV would not be productive. (Better to spend those 4 hours in front of a computer.)

First off, congrats to ALL of the participants. They are ALL WINNERS. I hope that they all make a good chunk of change and INVEST INVEST INVEST.

Congrats to Taylor for being the last Survivor.

My favorite AI blogger from PhillyBurbs.com has a great "Best of/Worst of" wrap up of AI. Check it out: American Idol Finale: The Best and Worst (phillyburbs.com 05252006)

My personal favorite:

Best jaded moment: Katharine McPhee, who didn't appear excited at all when Ryan Seacrest handed her keys to a brand new car.

FOR SALE: Brown Suede Microfiber Sleeper Sofa

I'm going through a feng shui re-engineering of my home office. The couch needs to go. Anyone interested?

I've posted it on Craigslist.

Check it out: Cocoa Microfiber Suede Sleeper Loveseat Sofa - $600/OBO

Happy Hump Day -- Today's News of the Weird

And in this morning's news...

You know, it sucks that the Gulf Coast hasn't even recovered from last year's disaster... which doesn't give much of a vote of confidence for this upcoming hurricane season. Shall we start placing bets on the mass destruction for this coming summer.....?

Read on: Hurricane drill in Louisiana canceled (AP 05242006)
(p.s. Hurricane Season officially starts June 1!)
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I received lots of great commentary re. luggage yesterday. And on that note, I've included a nice vignette on "what-not-to-do" on an airplane. Read on:

Man Jailed For Allegedly Urinating In Airplane Aisle, Lighting Cigarette (AP 05232006)

I mean, really... if you're going to pull a stunt on an airplane, don't do it on one that is inbound for WASHINGTON DC.
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A special nod to our friends overseas... Ever heard of the Eurovision contest? Of course not. We're too focused on Taylor vs. Katherine these days, so its a completely forgivable offense. I suppose one could think of it as the European predecessor to all things "Idol", and has been running for over 50 years now. Anywhoie, congrats to FINLAND's entry, Lordi, for winning this year. And I quote:

A Finnish "horror rock" group who dress in monster costumes have pulled off a surprise win at the 51st Eurovision Song Contest in Athens.

Read on: Finnish monsters rock Eurovision (BBC 05212006) (yes, slightly dated, but news travels slowly across the Big Pond...)

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Besides trans-fats and other not-so-healthy things for your body, yet another reason to not eat McDonalds. (Though I do admit that I do have an occasional Quarter Pounder as a cheat).

Read on: Here's your grenade -- you want fries with that? (Reuters 05222006)

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Sometimes I wonder, what does it take to be an AP reporter? I mean, can I just find any random piece of news and submit it for a paycheck?

Anywhoie, here is a prime example of news reporting at its absolute nadir (well, I can't say its the "nadir", as I've read more pointless reporting...) I suppose that all young reporters have to start somewhere.

Read on: Husband, Wife, Child Share Same Birthday (AP 05232006)

I'd expect this kind of stuff from The Onion.

This Week's Anti-Climactic American Idol Finale

How could I ever forget to post something as crucial as my take on this year's AI?

Well, for me, it was over after Chris Daughtry was eliminated (hope he can still provide for those kids of his...). After that, I could give a rat's a**.

Anywhoie, I dug around for some interesting crap on tonight's AI and found out that Katherine and Taylor are re-doing songs from earlier in the season, and then two new songs. (yawn) Oh, and Katherine will sing first tonight.

Check it out: Expect retreads on American Idol finale (PhillyBurbs.com 05232006)

Katherine reminds me of Posh Spice with baby fat, and Taylor just reminds me of fat. He has the weirdest contorted looks on his face... as if he's been constipated for many weeks.

My guess is that Taylor will win, and he will join the forgotten ranks of Ruben, Clay, Justin Guarini, and Diana DeGarmo. I'm sure that once he's signed away his life to Simon Cowell's management company that he'll spend a lot more time on the treadmill (fingers crossed!)

Katherine will be singing at her new job at Busch Gardens just in time for season opening on Memorial Day (with shows at 1:15, 3:15, and 5:30 behind the seal aquarium.)

I really hope that Goat Boy Elliot will get his teeth fixed and his jaw re-set.

Good luck to tonight's finalists!

YodaBeesh Musings on Luggage

This morning I've been having a very interesting discussion with a Swiss friend re. a very important topic: luggage.

As many of you know, I buy things.

Anything.

I go through these random phases where I will obsess over something (cellphones, PDA, computers, laptops, TVs) for many months. Finally the "act" reaches a climax once I complete the perfect purchase.

So this summer, its all about luggage.

MaddyBeesh and I returned from Gran Canaria in April, and I knew, even before vacation, that we absolutely needed a new luggage set. I had one piece, MB had another piece... it was a mish-mash of non-matching luggage and collapsible duffel bags. I felt very unsettled after that experience.

What better way to resolve the situation than by getting NEW LUGGAGE.

I've been drooling over a set of Victorinox luggage that I'd like to get over the summer. You know... a piece here, a piece there.

My dear friend, SwissMiss, is a big proponent of a brand called Rimowa, which I had never heard of til this morning. He trash-talked Victorinox, but I concede that he may have some valid insight into this since he is from the Land of Chocolates and Watches. At first I was kind of turned-off by Rimowa because it had such an "industrial" look to it, but I could understand his attraction to it as he's a "road warrior." (I'm more of a recreational international jet-setter-type.) Plus, there's another manufacturer, Zero Halliburton that makes similarly styled cases... and needless to say, I hate Halliburton for obvious reasons.

I have another friend, JTK, who is a huge fan of TUMI, but I have mixed feelings abt that.

Anyways, since the news is pretty f**king lame these days, I thought that this would make a more enlightening subject matter for discussion.

I'd like to hear your insights and thoughts on luggage. I guess I'm also looking for validation that I'm not a complete brand-whore (though I do believe that Victorinox makes good sh*t.) Plus, I'm open-minded to other brands.

Morning Musings: My Life as a Cartoon

So, here I sit at my desk,... f**king FREEZING this morning (what's up with that?)

Last night was KMK's 40th bday dinner, so we went out for a very posh (and well-deserved) dinner at Capital Grille in honor of KMK. (Special shout-out to KMK... happy 40th!)

Anyways, I'm sitting among friends and loved ones... all in the business of being "billable", exchanging stories, and so on. RB made a curious remark to me and said, "You truly are Dilbert," in reference to my very interesting work-life balance. (I get that quite a lot, actually)

I woke up this morning thinking abt what RB said, and decided I'm actually not like Dilbert. The problem with Dilbert is that he allows himself to be victimized. Whether it be by the Pointy-Haired Boss, Dogbert, Catbert, the Garbage Man... whomever.

Don't get me wrong, I love Dilbert.

I feel that I transcend him and have learned many lessons from the poor suffering soul. The top lesson I've learned from Dilbert: Don't allow yourself to become the victim.

That tends to be my first words of advice to young, spry, eager professionals who've just come out of school. They never understand until its too late (as did I...)

If anything, I probably resonate more with DOGBERT (except he does make more office appearances than I do...)

Coincidentally, I did write a nice letter to Scott Adams a few weeks ago to pitch the idea of a book to him. No response (yet.) He may be busy with his burrito business.