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  • American Idol Season 12: Cutting Down To 3

    Screen shot via American Idol's YouTube channel
    Screen shot via American Idol’s YouTube channel
    There wasn’t going to be any shenanigans this time.

    Last week, Ryno didn’t eliminate anyone. This week, someone would not only be eliminated, but the votes from the last two weeks would decide who went home. Thus, since Candice and Amber were in the bottom two at the end of last week’s show, they were already in a hole.

    After Wednesday night’s show, here’s how I ranked the remaining contestants:

    1. Candice
    2. Angie
    3. Amber
    4. Kree (Summer)

    But because Amber was already in the bottom two last week, I predicted that she would go home. I think Kree has one more week. Let’s see if I was right.

    But first…

    Who rocked the stage?

    Season 7 winner, David Cook performed his new single Laying Me Low. His performance was a bit uninspired, but it was good to see him.

    Will.I.Am. performed a song from The Great Gatsby soundrack, Bang Bang. I’m not quite sure what to think because it’s cheesy, but it’s also much better than his general fare. Take a look for yourself.

    Who were in the bottom two?

    Ryno first let us know who made it to next week. The selling point for next week is that they get to go home and get celebrated.

    The first person to make it through was Angie. I think it’s really her show to lose.

    The second person to make it through is the best singer of them all, Candice.

    That left Amber and Kree in the bottom two, which is how you would’ve predicted it.

    Who went home?

    As predicted, it was Amber who went home. In one of the more touching send-offs, Amber sang I Believe In You And Me and broke down at the end with her father right next to her. Definitely a tear-jerking moment.

    If Candice is sent home next week, we will have an interesting discussion. And maybe rage. Or Nicki may just combust.

    By Fierce Gifs

  • Flight songs

    Photo by Jenny
    Photo by Jenny

    In honor of my upcoming trip to Europe, here are a few flight songs…

    This Sunday night, my husband Bill and I will be boarding a flight to Venice, Italy. From there, we will travel to Rome by way of Florence. After a couple of nights in Rome, we will board SeaDream 1 and take a week long cruise on a luxury yacht, from which we will disembark in Athens, Greece. Then we will spend three nights in Athens and come home on May 21st. Naturally, I won’t be doing much, if any, writing during the next couple of weeks. I do hope to collect some experiences that will inspire me to write when I get back to the States, though.

    As much as I love to travel, I have grown to hate the experience of traveling by aircraft to my destination. This time, we’re flying “US Scareways”. Just kidding. In all honesty, I have no reason to dis US Airways. The last flight I took with them wasn’t bad at all. Most transatlantic flights in coach are pretty unpleasant, though, so I’ve invested in a new pair of Bose noise canceling headphones to help drown out some of the noise and maybe enjoy some tunes on my iPod as Bill and I journey across the pond. And while we’re flying, maybe I’ll listen to a few flight songs. Off the top of my head, the Steve Miller Band had two fitting ones…


    Ahh… “Fly Like An Eagle” is a nice chilled out song to coast along the clouds to. This song has nothing to do with airplanes, really, aside from the word “fly” in its title. But it would be good to be as relaxed on the plane as Steve Miller sounds when he sings this song.


    Perhaps more appropriate is “Jet Airliner”, which really is about leaving home on a jet airliner. And it’s nice and spunky, too.

    If Bill and I were feeling wistful or fearful about going to Italy, I might choose a song like Peter, Paul, and Mary’s “Leaving On A Jet Plane”…


    Maybe Bill was thinking of this song when he deployed to Iraq. As it stands, though, we’re happy about our trip. I look forward to seeing Bill freak out in Italy when we visit the Uffizi Gallery. He’s unusually sensitive to art and tends to get overwhelmed by masterpieces.

    We won’t be on a 737 when we fly to Italy, but Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Travelin’ Band” makes pretty good traveling music.


    The first time I heard this song, I was in fifth grade. The band teacher at my school had the sixth grade band students playing this. It wasn’t the most impressive rendition I’ve ever heard, but I give the teacher props for trying.

    Maybe after our trip is over, I’ll be eager to go home and Joe Cocker’s version of “The Letter” will be on the brain.


    Hopefully, we won’t be eager to get home because of an emergency, like we were when we took our last trip to Europe. Last November, we went to Scotland, proceeded to have a great time celebrating our tenth wedding anniversary, and came home to the news that one of our dogs was dying of a spinal tumor we didn’t know he had. I’m praying nothing like that happens this time.

    Mostly, I think we’re just ready to “Fly Away”, a la Lenny Kravitz.


    I’m a firm believer that people need to take vacations. I’m grateful that we’ve had the ability to travel as much as we have. I have a feeling that after this trip, our trips abroad will be sharply curtailed as my husband retires from the Army and becomes a civilian. But for now, we can have our fun…

    So let’s hear it for “Vacation” time!


    As of Sunday night, I will officially be on vacation for a little over two weeks. Hope you enjoy the next two weeks as much as I think I will.

    Ciao, y’all! See you in a couple of weeks!

  • #6 album of 2012 – Dream Seeds by Extra Life

    #6 album of 2012 – Dream Seeds by Extra Life

    Artist: Extra Life

    Album: Dream Seeds

    Musically, Extra Life spent their first two records inventing a style I’d wished would exist for years. On the one hand, the guitar and drums were fierce. In a measured way, heavy enough to make full-throttle speed impossible, just as Sherman tanks can’t outrace cheetahs. But that gives time enough to think, to feint, to surprise (if someone clever and ruthless is driving the tank, you might bet against the cheetah’s escape. The part of me that gives monthly to the World Wildlife Fund apologizes for the analogy). On the other hand,

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