Surprises

I must admit that I was surprised, perhaps even shocked, at this week's eliminations on American Idol and Make Me a Supermodel.

After Ellie Mae Clampett's Hillbilly Hootenanny (performed by Kristy Lee Cook), I thought the viewers would surely send her home. That performance was a hot tranny mess!

But instead, cutie David Hernandez got sent home, and I was really surprised. I think David has one of the better voices this year, and I can think of at least 3 others whom I feel should have been sent home before David.

I was equally surprised, if not shocked, that Ben escaped elimination on Make Me a Supermodel. After his poor attitude with the judges and his being asked by the Bloomie's lady not to participant in the Bloomingdale's brand ambassadors challenge, I would have bet my paycheck that the viewers would send him home. But they didn't, and instead they sent Casey home.

With only 5 models left, they no longer has the "bottom 3" each week; its now the "bottom 2". The judges felt that Ben really did a great job this week so he was not in the bottom for a change. Instead, Ronnie and Shannon are 'up for the vote', which means one of them will go home. This is shocking to me because Shannon has never been in the bottom before - even once - yet she may go home on Thurs. And if Shannon doesn't go home, that means it will be gorgeous gayboy Ronnie going home, which would be a real shame. It seems the judges just can't say anything else about Ronnie except "he's too pretty for high fashion".

I think I'm ready to make a prediction: I believe Holly will win Make Me a Supermodel.

And speaking of supermodels, enjoy today's supermodel Crush.

Crush du Jour: J.P. Calderon

Water

We all know we should drink water. Its good for you. Beverages made from water like coffee, tea, and soda are not the same. The molecular make-up of water is changed when other ingredients are added to it. We all know this.

But the other day I heard some very interesting information about the affects of not drinking enough water, so I did a little research and was amazed.

We all know that drinking an insufficient amount of water can easily lead to dehydration, but did you know that dehydration can adversely affect your body in hundreds of ways? Dehydration can lead to or aggravate:

• Depression
• Loss of sex drive
• Tiredness
• Sleepiness
• Fatigue
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Adult-onset diabetes
• Migraines
• Back pain
• Heartburn
• Arthritis

All of these things can be brought on or worsened by dehydration. And the simple 'cure' to dehydration is drinking more water. That's not to say that all of these symptoms are only a result of dehydration. Simply drinking water will not make all arthritis go away, but it will likely reduce the severity.

Feeling a little tired and blue? Have a big glass of water!

I guess I always thought of people fainting or passing out when they get dehydrated, but there are different levels of dehydration. One can be dehydrated without "falling out".

So the next time you sit down for a meal at a restaurant, order yourself a glass of water instead of a soda. It will help you combat dehydration, and save you a few bucks. And the next time you reach into the fridge for a beer, have a glass of water instead.

Crush du Jour: Jesse Archer

Anti-climactic

I found last night's American Idol show to be anti-climactic, which isn't good because nobody's happy when there's no climax, am I right?

Maybe it was because the singers were still coming down from the thrill of making the top 12. Maybe they didn't have the energy or drive they had when securing themselves a place in the touring group, now that they've already done that.

Or maybe they had trouble relating to the music, since it was Beatles night, and none of the singers was even born when the songs were released. I know I had trouble identifying with the music as I have never been a Beatles fan.

Most of the performances were just okay, but nothing stood out as terrific to me. But there were 2 performances that stood out as terrible to me: Kristy Lee Cook and Jason Castro.
Since Kristy Lee has an obvious country vibe and had been encouraged by the judges to embrace it, she decided to go 'whole hog' and turned her Beatles song into a hot Hootenanny mess! There were fiddles and moonshine jugs and, I swear, I even heard somebody scratching on an old washboard. Needless to say, the judges did not like it either. I believe she could have given the song a country sensibility to compliment her voice and it might have turned out a lot better. But that hillbilly hoedown was tragic.

Jason Castro wheezed through yet another soft ballad, accompanying himself on guitar. I swear, if the girls and the gays (excluding me) didn't find him so cute, he'd be kicked off in a hot minute.

His voice has a nice tone to it most of the time, but he has no support behind it. When he stretches to hit high and low notes he loses all the quality of sound. I can't believe the judges haven't called this to his attention yet.

My recommendation: take some singing lessons (they'll really help) and audition again next year.

The variation among the judge's feedback must be worse for the singers than no feedback at all. Randy and Paula loved it, Simon hated it. Randy and Simon hated it, Paula loved it. Take a risk. Don't go overboard. Be yourself. Tone it down. Its no wonder 1/2 of them are hysterical and crying during the elimination.

And if I have to hear Randy and Paula self-congratulating this entire season, I don't know WHAT I'll do. "I had the pleasure of producing their first album, dawg..." or "I love that group. I had so much fun choreographing their music video..." News flash: nobody's watching this show for you, Randy and Paula. We're watching for the singers!

I predict Ellie Mae Clampett (aka: Kristy Lee Cook) will be sent home tonight.

When AI ended at 10:00, almost by instinct I switched over to Bravo, expecting my weekly installment of fierceness. Then I remembered: Project Runway is over. This realization was like pouring the proverbial salt into the wound created by that evening's lack-luster AI show. Thank god for that hilarious SNL spoof on Christian Siriano a friend sent me. It was the only thing that kept me from throwing myself from the 3rd story window.

That would NOT be fierce.


Crush du Jor: Tom Ford

Changes

I've made some changes to my blog, although most of them aren't real obvious. I hope you like them!

I've changed the comment format to open in a pop-up window, allowing the commenter to see the original post as they comment. I like this feature on several of the blogs I read and hadn't realized it was a simple option to select.

I've removed the 'word verification', thanks to the encouragement of J*O*E and Java. I had no idea that some people would actually not comment if they had trouble with the word verification, as I often did. Now that I've made it so easy for you all, I expect lots more commenting! (Lo, I've revealed my wretched need for validation.)

I've updated my blogroll, removing some links to blogs that don't exist or aren't updated anymore, and adding some links to new blogs I'm enjoying. I should do this more often. If anyone wishes to add me to their links, just go ahead - no need to ask for my permission, as I haven't asked for anyone's.

Guess that's it. Just thought I'd let you know, 'cuz I'm considerate like that.

Crush du Jour: Phillip Olivier

Weekend

Fri night we had dinner at the Miltonian with 'the usual suspects', then came home and started watching TV. It had been pouring down rain for a few hours and the wind really picked up. At about 10:40 the electricity went out. As far as we could see from our 'treehouse view' on the 3rd floor of our house, everything was dark. We waited for about 15 or 20 minutes to see if the electricity would come back on, but it didn't so we went to bed. Of course, about 10 minutes after falling asleep the electricity came back on. I turned out the bedside lamp and went back to sleep.

Spouse & I started our Sat by going to the grocery store and running a few errands. We had ‘brunch’ at home, and then it was all about the housecleaning! We had not done a good job of keeping up with our housecleaning over the last 2 weeks, and anyone with a dog and a cat can attest to the need to vacuum frequently. We didn’t have dust bunnies, we had dust elephants. So the two of us each spent about 2 hours cleaning. It felt good to get the entire house cleaned. It always gives me such a feeling of accomplishment, even though I’d rather not do it.
After showers and a snack, we began preparations for hosting the “bonus” movie group. We actually belong to 2 movie groups. The original movie group was started by a tired old control freak who insists on all kind of rules for the films the group views. It meets on the 1st Sat of each month, and Spouse & I only go to it if we have nothing else planned. From that group came the “bonus” movie group, consisting of 12 of the 16 members of the original movie group. (The 4 members of the original movie group who are not in the “bonus” movie group do not know the “bonus” group exists.) The “bonus” movie group meets on the 2nd Sat of each month, and is very relaxed, laid-back, and fun. We make a point of attending this group.

So we put the snacks, plates, napkins, drinks, glasses, and ice on the kitchen table and did a little furniture rearranging in the upstairs TV room. When everyone arrived we snacked, drank, and chatted for a little while then headed upstairs to watch our movie.

Spouse picked “East Side Story” and I agreed it was a great choice for this group. Spouse & I saw this film last year during a special “Another Take” screening offered by the Rehoboth Beach Film Society, of which I am a member, and we really liked it. Since it was not available on DVD until a few months ago, we figured most likely none of the guys in the group had seen it, and we were right.

It’s the story of Diego, a frustrated culinary academy graduate who works in his family’s Mexican restaurant in East LA. He longs to move to Phoenix where he can start a new life and a new restaurant. Not only is Diego frustrated from the inability to cook nouveau food at the restaurant, he’s also frustrated because his year-long boyfriend Pablo just wants to hook-up now and then, and doesn’t want a relationship. Meanwhile, a Caucasian gay couple Wesley and Jonathan move into the house across the street from Diego and fix it up. Other white gay couples are doing the same. Wesley invites Diego to their housewarming party and it soon becomes clear to Jonathan that there’s something between Diego and Wesley.

The film mixes some new and old themes cleverly, while throwing in a healthy dash of hot men, including former Crush du Jour Steve Callahan and current Crush du Jour Rene Alvarado. Falling in love with someone who’s not available, interracial romance, family loyalties, gentrification of historically ethnic neighborhoods by gays, Latino prejudice against Caucasians, Caucasian prejudice against Latinos – the old and the new coalesce and we get to explore important human issues but with a great sense of humor.

After the film we discussed it for awhile, and all the guys said they really enjoyed it. Then we headed back down to the kitchen for more snacks, drinks and chatting. Everyone left at about 10:00.

Sun we had a relaxing day. At 12:30 Kerry & Hugh called to say they were leaving their relatives and would like to go to lunch with us if we were available. We were so we did. We had a great lunch at the new Irish Eyes on the canal in Lewes. The old one burned to the ground last year but was replaced by this great, new restaurant.

After returning to the house we chatted some more with our friends until they had to go. Spouse & I went for a drive around Rehoboth and Lewes, stopping for a very short walk on the beach. It was still too windy and cold for a regular walk. Then we spent some time getting the last of our tax stuff together so we can send it off to the accountant this week. We had an easy dinner at home and then watched John Waters' one-man show "This Filthy World", from Netflix. It was okay. Not nearly as good as his movies, but interesting 'behind the scenes' details though.

Crush du Jour: Rene Alvarado

AI & MMaS update

This week's episode of American Idol was rather predictable. I thought most of the singers were good; this is definitely the most talented crop of crooners. But I say it was predictable because I correctly predicted 3 out of the 4 who got voted off on Thurs.
Asiah'h's voice doesn't have the needed clarity to be a pop star. Her voice is better suited to old standards and torch songs, although we never got to hear her sing any.

Maybe I was being optimistic, but I didn't think it was Danny Noriega's time just yet. I had no delusions that he'd win, but I thought Chekezie (aka: Parchesi) was going home last night instead of Danny. His Luther-wannabe performance was dull and lacked energy. Plus I was also hoping uber-femme Danny would stay around awhile, just to piss off all those redneck, right-wing neanderthals out there.

Kady is a decent singer, but in this competition decent just ain't enough. You've got to be able to 'bring it' to every performance, and Wed night she appeared to have 'left it at home'.

Luke is another decent singer with an usually high range, but his voice is too thin. It sounds like he sucks on helium balloons just before singing. But he's SO good looking that I was sort of sorry he had to go. It would have been nice to 'see him' a few more weeks.

I'm sticking with my original prediction that David Archuleta will win.

I was really happy AND really disappointed with the results from last night's Make Me a Supermodel.

The episode started off great with Frankie being sent home. Hurray! Now we don't have to listen to him say "Man", "you know", and "like" all in the same sentence every 5 seconds. Maybe now that he has so much extra time on his hands he can learn how to speak English!

I love it how every model on MMaS and every designer on Project Runway that gets sent home feels the need to tell the judges and audience "This isn't the last time you're going to see me!" Frankie joined those ranks last night. I thought "Oh yeah? Maybe I will see you again, if I ever go to a McDonald's drive-thru in Miami." Whatever.

The remaining models' assignment was to walk around a luncheon at Bloomingdales and 'sell' the clothing they were modeling to the 'ladies who lunch'. Now, they weren't swiping credit cards or handing over bags of merchandise, the 'selling' they were asked to do was very similar to the way you 'sell' an idea to someone in order to persuade them.

Ben was not comfortable with the concept of 'selling' at all. He was so stiff and unapproachable that the Bloomie's lady suggested he not participate. Bad, bad move, Ben! He secured himself a spot in the bottom 3 last night, and I predict he will go home next Thurs.

Now, here comes the really disappointing part. Ronnie and Casey were also placed into the bottom 3 last night. This makes no sense to me. While all the models except Ben did a fine job in the assignment, the Bloomie's lady commented on Ronnie's amazing eye contact. Then she actually told Perry he was being "too animated", which is code speak for "Settle the hell down! These are sophisticated women who do not want to see you acting life a cocky frat boy."

Yet, despite this reproof Perry managed to escape being in the bottom 3. I started wondering how does Perry do it? Then I wondered who Perry might be doing it to in order to escape the bottom 3 again! Is it Nikki? Or maybe Corey? Let's face it: he's just not THAT good looking or THAT good of a walker.

My prediction is that Ben will get sent home. If Ronnie goes home I'll stop watching the show.

Crush du Jour: Benjamin Godfre

Project Runway Finale

Last night was the finale of Project Runway. We got to see Christian, Rami, and Jillian cast their models, fit the clothes to them, and sew up all the last minute loose ends. Then it was on to Bryant Park for Fashion Week.

I must say that I believe Jillian and Rami really stepped it up. I thought both of them showed real progress and maturity in their designs. However, in both collections there were things I liked and things I didn't like. Christian, as always, amazed me with this style, vision, and maturity despite being just 21.

Unfortunately the photos below do not do justice to the amazing garments these talented designers made, but I'll share with you some of my favorites. Click to enlarge the photos.

Jillian
This is my favorite outfit designed by Jillian. I thought the fabric and design were a great match.
I also liked this look because of the gold piping along the sweater ruffle that tied into the gold pant. This is the first time knits were seen in a Project Runway designer's line at Fashion Week.
I liked this dress because it was a pretty color and a flattering, feminine shape.
Rami
This is my favorite of Rami's designs. The bodice of this gown is constructed of woven strips of fabric and the skirt portion of the dress appears to flow out of the weaving. Beautiful!

I thought this gown was quite pretty. It looks like it took a lot of work.

Christian

As if you haven't already heard, Christian was named the winner of Project Runway! I'm happy he won, as I predicted he would. His design outlook is fresh and innovative. He proved to be the most talented of the group at the age of 21. Can you imagine what he'll be like in 5 years?

Here's Christian introducing this collection on the runway.

Unfortunately these photos just don't show all the texture and detail of the actual garments.

This is my very favorite of Christian's collection. The colors, textures, feathers, everything!

It was an exciting show to watch. My only complaint was with Bravo's editing. As the models were walking down the runway the camera kept cutting away to people in the audience, like the judges and the designers' families. I found myself yelling to the cameraman in frustration "We don't care what the judges or families look like. We want to see the clothes!"

I'll miss my Wed night fashion fix.

Crush du Jour: Jonny Lee Miller

Little things

Here are a few little things I've been thinking about that are too small for their very own entry:

Verification words
You know, many blogs (like this one) have verification words (which really aren't words at all, but rather, random letters and numbers) a commenter must type to prove that he/she is a real person and not a spammer. These verification words used to be 4 or 5 characters long, but lately I've noticed them getting much, much longer. The other day I counted 12 characters in a verification word. I think that's excessive. Plus, they distort the characters in an attempt to weed out mechanical commenters, but do so to the point that even real, live people like me can't tell what the characters are supposed to be. Frankly, its getting annoying. Who can I call at Blogger about this?

Celebrities in Ohio
A friend sent me the funniest thing the other day: "What Celebrities Would Look Like if they Lived in Ohio". Someone with amazing Photoshop prowess took celebrity faces and pasted them onto the bodies of actual people, simulating what that celebrity would look like if they weren't a celebrity, but rather, a person living in Ohio. It is hilarious! I tried everything I could think of to try and get it into blogger, but because its in Adobe I couldn't upload it nor could I copy the photos. You'll just have to take my word for how totally hilarious it was.

Primaries
Trust me, I am as sick of the whole overblown 'Hillary vs. Obama' mega-coverage as the rest of you, but in case you haven't heard yet, Hillary won Texas, Ohio, and Vermont yesterday. This proves yet again that "if ain't over 'til the fat lady sings".

Perfect
I am SO tired of everyone's over-use of the word perfect. While flipping around the channels a while back I came across an old episode of Martha Stewart where she was giving instructions on how to make the perfect omelette. Its an omelette, Martha. Whipped eggs with a little bit of milk in them. Why does it need to be 'perfect'? And then there's that bottle blond Sandra Lee. I will admit to watching her show because the whole premise is sound: making tasty meals from 70% prepared ingredients and 30% fresh ingredients. That really saves a lot of work and time. But dear Sandra is always over-using the word 'perfect', probably 50 times in a 30 minute show, and she has this annoying way of stretching out the word: "perrrrrrrrfect". What I want to know is why the constant pressure for perfection? Can we not be satisfied with a 'great' omelette or a 'terrific' peanut dipping sauce? Must we have perfection? What is to become of all that is not 'perfect'?

Crush du Jour: Chris Carmack

Not exciting but enjoyable weekend

The weekend started with our regular Fri night dinner with the 'usual suspects' at the Dirty Finger restaurant. Its not actually called that, but that's our nickname for it after a friend reported that he was served by a former waitress with dirty fingernails. We've eaten there many times since and all the wait staff's fingers appear clean!

Sat morning we went to a fundraiser/question and answer session with Jack Markell, held at the home of some friends of ours. Jack is the current Treasurer and is running for the Governor's position in the fall.
He seems very down-to-earth, and I liked his slogan "You talk; I'll listen." He's got some smart ideas on his website, and is VERY up to speed on GLBT rights. We enjoyed the time with Jack, as well as the informal brunch after Jack left for his next meeting.

Spouse & I went grocery shopping in the afternoon, and then went to Steve & Paul's house for Movie Night. Once a month we get together with a group of guys to watch a film picked by the hosts. We saw "The Country Girl", starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and William Holden. It was good.

Sun Spouse & I ran a few errands, had lunch, and then I worked on gathering our tax information for the accountant for 4 hours while Spouse took a nap and watched TV. Does anyone else see anything wrong with this?

After dinner I helped Spouse reformat his resume and construct a cover letter for another job for which he wants to apply. (He found out he didn't get the one for which he interviewed in Feb.) Then we watched "Notes on a Scandal". While I'd give the overall film 4 out of 5 stars, I thought Judi Dench's performance was spectacular. He subtle nuances and facial expressions were right on point for her character. At times I forgot I was watching an actress.

It wasn't an exciting weekend, but it was an enjoyable one.

Crush du Jour: Dwayne Johnson (aka: The Rock)

AI & Bravo update

Well, it was a good week for my (current) 3 favorite TV shows: 'American Idol', 'Project Runway', and 'Make Me a Supermodel'!

American Idol

Last week I accidentally missed the guys, so this week I was really blown away by David Archuleto. Wow, what a voice! And he's cute, too. In my opinion they can just give him the win and send all the rest of the singers home at once, but I guess Fox wouldn't make a bazillion dollars from all the advertisers over the next several weeks now, would it?

There are a lot of really talented singers on the show this year. AI seems to raise the talent bar every year. Anyway, mark my words: David Archuleto is the next idol.

Project Runway

This week was the tie breaker for Rami and Chris. Both of them (and Christian and Jillian) had several months to design 12 looks for Fashion Week, and Rami and Chris were told to select their 3 strongest to show to the judges. The winner would be the 3rd designer to present their entire collection at Fashion Week along with Christian and Jillian.

I was glad to see Rami do something other than draped dresses, although the draping still showed up in different forms. I thought his 3 looks were good, but I thought Chris' were better. Chris' looks had more drama and detail. Michael Kohrs said his clothes were a little too costume-y, while Nina Garcia noted that lots of great fashion designers start out as costume designers.

The at-home audience voted to send Chris to Fashion Week over Rami. But the judges picked Rami over Chris, so Chris was sent home.

Make Me a Supermodel

Perry, Ben, and Jackie were up for the vote and I predicted Jackie would be sent home, and she was. There are now 5 guys and 2 girls remaining.

I was glad to see that Frankie did not do well in the photo shoot or the catwalk assignments, and ended up in the bottom 3! I hope he gets sent home next. Holly was this week's winner, granting her immunity next week. This week in the bottom 3 with Frankie are Ben and Casey.

Oddly, during the photo shoot Ben kept making all kinds of anti-gay "jokes" (read: slurs) towards Ronnie, who's supposed to be Ben's best friend in the house, and Casey, who is straight. It was really surprising, but it makes me think that Ben has just been using Ronnie this whole time. I think Ben feels like if he can distract Ronnie enough then he might possibly be able to win. Ronnie had a talk with Ben about it later in the day and Ben acted as if he had no idea his comments were offensive. He claimed he was "joking" and "didn't mean it like that". I don't buy it, but unfortunately Ronnie did. Hopefully Ronnie is smart enough not to get sidetracked or distracted with Ben and will concentrate on being the best model.

I was glad that the judges all-but-apologized to Ronnie last night for their earlier comments about his being "too pretty" to be a high-fashion runway model. Remember, Ronnie doesn't get to choose the clothing and make-up, so its not his fault if he sometimes appears "too pretty". But last night Ronnie's clothing, minimal make-up and hair styling, and his walk made the judges change their mind. Go Ronnie!

Crush du Jour: Chris Rockaway

What's up with that?

Okay, this has been rattling around inside my head for long enough. I've got to ask: What's up with guys shaving their pits?I'm familiar with professional bodybuilders removing all their body hair for competitions, to better show off their musculature. But lately I've been noticing guys who are NOT bodybuilders shaving their under arms. What's up with that?

I understand that some men benefit from a little 'manscaping' to keep from looking too 'wild' or unkempt, but I'm afraid I have to draw the line at pit shaving. I think it looks feminine, even if the guy has a hot, muscular body. I think men should leave their under arms 'natural', the way God and bear lovers intended. And if you've got chest hair, don't be embarrassed. Embrace your manliness! Lots of people find chest hair attractive and sexy.

Crush du Jour: Stink Fisher

So...

I recently discovered that I occasionally do something that I'm pretty sure I would find annoying if done by someone else: I sometimes end sentences with the word "so". Here are some examples:

"That will be better because I'll be home by then, so..."

"You never said you were in a hurry, so..."

"I like this one better, but that one is a better buy, so..."

I don't know when I started doing this or why. Its not like me to end a sentence with a preposition or a misplaced modifier, so why am I now ending sentences with a connector? It may sound like a small thing, but it makes no sense at all!

What makes this seem even worse is that I'm quite sure I'd notice it if someone else was ending their sentences with "so...", and it would drive me nuts. So in the interest of fairness I am going to try to refrain from ending my sentences in that way.

Crush du Jour: Jon McLaughlin

Crash!

As we were pulling up to Spouse's mother's house Sat morning, we noticed that her next door neighbor Charlotte's car, parked in her driveway, had obviously been in an accident.

"Look, Charlotte's been in yet another accident. How many is it now, 3 within the last 2 years?" I asked.

I recalled them for Spouse, in case he'd forgotten. "There was the time she mistook the gas for the break when she was pulling into her driveway, and subsequently plowed through her own fence."

"Then there was the time she swung too wide when making a right turn and began driving on the wrong side of the median. Oncoming cars were blowing their horns and flashing their lights at her until she decided to drive OVER the median, tearing up the underside of her car. I wonder what happened this time."

We needn't wait long to find out. As soon as we got in the door, and before we could get our coats off, Spouse's mother attacked us with the sad but simultaneously funny story of Charlotte's latest adventure.

Charlotte is 77 years old, which is usually not too old for driving 2-3 miles to the grocery store, hairdresser, and doctor's office which are the only places Charlotte drives. But after hearing what happened, I'm convinced the police did the right thing by confiscating her license.


Apparently Charlotte backed out of her driveway, then started up the street but somehow got confused as to where she was supposed to drive. Barely 50 feet from her own driveway, she drove up onto the sidewalk across the street and hit a neighbor's parked car - not on the street side, but on the curb side! Rather than stop, get out, and do what normal thinking people would do, Charlotte decided to keep on driving! A neighbor saw what happened and called the police.

Remember, she wasn't on the street, she was up on the sidewalk, so when she continued in the same direction she drove right through another neighbor's front yard, running over their trashcan. That didn't stop her either, unfortunately. As she got to the corner of the block she got back onto the street and turned left, then hit another parked car! Apparently on a mission, Charlotte continued down the street and hit a 3rd parked car before making another left and hitting 2 more parked cars on that street! In case you've lost count, she hit 5 parked cars and a trashcan. That's the funny part.

Charlotte made another left turn, effectively circling the block, and pulled back into her driveway. 4 police cars and an ambulance were waiting for her, and the officers escorted her inside her house to talk.

When asked why she didn't stop after hitting the 1st car Charlotte replied that she had to go to the store to get some chicken for the dog. The officer asked her 'what are you supposed to do if you hit someone's car' and she said she didn't know. That's the sad part.

So the officer took away her drivers license and told her if she wanted to get it back she would have to pass a driving test. Most likely her insurance company will drop her after repairing all 6 damaged vehicles.

Charlotte has decided she will not drive anymore. Her son and daughter-in-law live on the same street so they can take her to the grocery store and doctor's office. When her car is fixed her son will sell it for her.

I believe Charlotte is experiencing signs of dementia or Alzheimer's. Hitting 1 parked car is understandable; accidents happen. But continuing to drive after hitting a parked car, and then hitting 4 more parked cars tells me she was not thinking clearly. Hopefully her son and daughter-in-law will see to it that she gets to the doctor for an exam. I'm sure we'll hear about it from Spouse's mother the next time we visit.

So that's the sad but funny story.

Crush du Jour: Thomas Jane

Ella

Fri night we had dinner at the Miltonian with the 'usual suspects', then came home and watched "I Love You Baby", at Netflix DVD that was cute.

We left at 8:15 Sat morning for VA, and arrived at 10:45. We visited with Spouse's mom and sister and her kids for a while and then we all went out to lunch. Afterward we sat around the house for a while, talking, watching TV, and when Mary & her kids left Spouse took a nap.

At 6:00 we met up with Bugs & Roger at Urban Thai in Crystal City for dinner. We'd never eaten there, but they had and recommended it. The food was really tasty and the service was good too. Spouse & I had our favorite Thai dishes: Pad Thai and Panang Chicken Curry. After dinner we walked to the temporary home of Arena stage in Crystal City. (The original Arena stage in DC is being remodeled or rebuilt - I'm not sure which.) We went to see "Ella".

"Ella" is a musical based on the life of jazz legend and "The First Lady of Song" Ella Fitzgerald, and we loved it! The format was unusual in the sense that its practically a 1-woman show. There's a 5-piece band on stage with her and they occasionally recite lines to simulate Ella having a conversation, but mostly its like listening and watching Ella talk to herself and sing.

The singer playing Ella was Tina Fabrique, who actually looked more like Ella Fitzgerald than I expected. She has a wonderful voice and a great ability to express the unique song styling of Ella, while not sounding like an impersonator.

The musical starts with Ella recalling her difficult childhood. Her father and mother died when she was in her early teens, although her mother remarried before her death. Her stepfather was physically inappropriate with Ella, and she ran away to NY at the age of 15. The story progresses to the periods when she meets Chick Webb and others who helped build her career, and also chronicles the death of her beloved 1/2 sister Francis and her almost constant fear of rejection. All through story appropriate songs are woven in to showcase her amazing talent.

I thought Tina Fabrique did a wonderful job singing the complex, intricate runs and jumps in 'Ella fashion'. But being the huge Ella Fitzgerald fan that I am, and also being a singer, I probably noticed more than the average person that this did not come easily or effortlessly to her as it did the real Ella Fitzgerald.

When Ella sang a ballad, she caressed it, she saturated it with emotion, then wrung it out for you until the very last drop had been exposed. Tina Fabrique infused her performance with much emotion, but not like Ella. When Ella sang big band or scat, her voice floated quickly through the notes like a butterfly fluttering about on a spring day. It just sounded effortless! Ms. Fabrique is to be commended for replicating some of Ella's vocal runs, but I could tell this was due to lots and lots of rehearsal. It didn't have that effortless sound or feel. But really, who could compare to Ella? It was a real treat to see this show.

Sun morning we met back up with Bugs & Roger and the Newlyweds for breakfast at the City Diner. Although we'd seen both couples within the last month, it was great to get together and catch up on the latest happenings.

After more time visiting with Spouse's mother, his brother Louis and his wife Karen came over and the 5 of us went to lunch. We had a nice time, and when we returned to the house, Spouse's sister and her kids were there. We talked briefly but then gathered our things and prepared to leave. It was almost 3:00 and we needed to get back to DE.

I've mentioned before that it seems like every time we spend the weekend at Spouse's mother's house our dog Jordan gives us some kind of drama, and this weekend was no exception. When we returned from breakfast Sun morning Evelyn announced that Jordan had thrown up near the sliding glass doors. Not long after cleaning it up the 3 of us were watching TV and Jordan threw up again, right in front of the sofa. We feel like we do everything we can to keep her out of trouble, from moving Evelyn's dog's and cat's food out of Jordan's reach, to putting Jordan outside frequently, but she still managed to get sick and make a mess. I'm guessing she probably ate something while out in the yard. Its very frustrating.

And speaking of frustrating, Evelyn had the heat turned up so high it felt like an oven. We close the heat vent in our room and keep the door closed all the time so that no heat comes into the room. That's the only way we can sleep there. But when we're not in that bedroom, its so darn hot that it dries my nose and eyes out and is generally uncomfortable to us. We like to come and visit, but its not easy for us.

Although we were only in VA for about 28 hours, we managed to eat 4 meals out at restaurants, which we are not used to doing so frequently, and felt liked stuffed pigs on the drive back home. No dinner for us Sun night! We were glad to be able to visit with so many friends and family during our visit though.

Sun night we went to an Oscars party at our friends Paul & Steve's house. There were about 12 of us there. Ironically we had not seen any of the films nominated for best picture, but it was fun to watch the Oscars with friends. In addition to the giant TV in their movie theatre room, they had ballots, decorations, props, and all kinds of stuff in the awards show theme, and we had a good time. We climbed into bed at about 12:30 and I fell asleep almost immediately.

Crush du Jour: Jean Claude Van Damme

This week's Bravo recap

Project Runway
This week there were no designs shown. Instead, all of the eliminated designers rejoined the remaining designers to talk about their experiences on the show. It was pretty entertaining, especially the video collages they did of Chris March's laughing and Christian's over-use of the word 'fierce'.

I used to not like Heidi Klum. That silly accent, and the fact that she just seemed plastic. But this season it appears the editors of the show have kept some of her real personality in the show, so now I like her.

Make Me a Supermodel
I breathed a huge sigh of relief when Stephanie was sent home and NOT gorgeous gayboy Ronnie (pictured above)! After 2 weeks in a row of being up for the vote (in the bottom 3) Ronnie must have decided to forget about trying to help inexperienced Ben and concentrate on himself. And boy did it pay off! Ronnie was the winner of this week's episode, which prevents him from being in the bottom 3 next week. One of the judges told him "You're unstoppable."

I was hoping Frankie was going to be eliminated instead of Stephanie because I really can't stand him. That ridiculous accent, the way he says the words "man" and "you know" all the time, and that Fabio wannabe hair. But this week the stylists came in to give all the models a touch-up, which usually means trimming off split ends or generally freshening up their haircuts. But one of the judges told Frankie he had to cut off that Fabio hair, which made Frankie think they were kidding. But they weren't, so he eventually agreed. I hate, hate, HATE to say it, but the haircut looks fantastic on him. It really changes his look for the better.

This week Perry (aka: Mr. Confident) did not do well at all. He received a stern talking to by the judges who explained that "there's a fine line between confidence and cockiness, and we think that sometimes you cross that line". Perry ended up in the bottom 3 this week for the 1st time!

The temperature has warmed up a little and it began raining during the night. That means it is a royal slushy mess outside. Normally I wouldn't care, since I commute down the hall to work. Just my luck, this morning I have to go to the hospital next door for some blood work, in preparation for next week's physical. Since its so close I was planning to walk there, but with the rain falling and the slushy mess on the ground I'm now tempted to drive.

Crush du Jour: Eric Bana

Snow

Yesterday it snowed for a little while mid day but didn't stick to anything. By the time Spouse got home it had stopped.

I decided to go with Spouse to the gym so I could do some cardio etc. while he had his personal trainer appointment. I did 10 minutes on the elyptical machine, 15 minutes on the treadmill, and threw in 3 sets of 10 bicep curls with heavier weight than usual. I'm trying to get some nice, bulky biceps before beachtime. Spouse suggested I quit my job and do nothing but work out between now and beachtime in order to meet that goal. He's a real sweetheart, eh?

By the time we finished with our respective work outs we found the ground and car blanketed in white! It was still snowing on the drive home, so when there were no cars coming toward us (the gym is in the woods) I put the high-beams on, which made it look like a million asteroids were headed straight toward us! It reminded me of when my dad did this when I was a kid. I smiled for a moment, then I thought how sad it is that I can't tell him of this pleasant childhood memory. The streets were wet but not snow-covered and Spouse cautioned me several times about slowing down and driving extra carefully.

This morning everything was clean and white. The sun shined brightly on the snow. I bundled up before taking Jordan for her morning walk because it was really cold. It doesn't appear that we will get above 32 degrees today, so the inch (or less) of snow hasn't melted. I don't mind.

Crush du Jour: Blake Harper

Church sign generator

My buddy Stephen over at http://stephenrader.blogspot.com/ turned me onto the Church Sign Generator and I haven't been the same since!

This crazy website allows you to input text that will appear on any 1 of 5 different church signs. Its such a hoot that I had to try a few. Hope you like them.



Oh, the endless possibilities! Go ahead, try a few of your own! http://www.churchsigngenerator.com/

Crush du Jour: Vin Diesel