Cloud of funk

So, my students and I are still walking a little funny after being raped by the judges on Tuesday. Yes, I said raped!

For those not in the know of the band world...we have these contests where we spend months preparing songs just to go get critiqued by some old guys in the back of an auditorium who talk into these handheld recorders (some of them have the things so close to their mouths, you can't even make out what they're saying.)

Usually, these judges are kind of like the original American Idol panel, where there is one that is nice, one that's hard, and then there's that one that is middle of the road.

Well, this year, we got 3 hard judges. When I say hard, I mean that out of roughly 40 bands, then only have out five superior ratings. That isn't the bad part, though.

Some of the best bands in the state are in this area, and they were coming away with IVs and Vs (the lowest ratings you can get). I don't need to tell you the effect that has on one's psyche. Knowing how it affected me to hear how hard they were judging, I didn't even think about telling my kids. They might have totally freaked!

Anyway, so we get there Tuesday and my kids give the best performance they've given ever. They were so excited. As a teacher, it really touches you to see all your hard work come together when it counts.

I was think we might have pulled off a miracle, but in the back of my head, I was contemplating that the judges were about to rip us a new one.

While waiting on the scores, my former students, who were the first to go that day, literally dog piled me as soon as they saw me, which also made my day. Good to know that I'm missed...even if I have no intention of going back to that hell hole of a school.

Anyway, I send the kids out to the bus while I wait...and wait...and wait...and wait, until finally I get the score. III on stage and I in sight reading.

As a director or student, I have yet to get anything less that superior in sight reading! woohoo!

III on stage, though...yikes! That was the highest rating of the day up to that point, and ended up being like the 5th highest score that day.

For those that don't know III= good or average. I dreaded walking out to the bus and telling the kids who thought for sure that at least had a II that we only got a III, but then one of the most respected directors in the area and state came up to me and shook may saying congratulations.

When someone of his caliber comes up to you and congratulates you on a III, and considering how hard these guys were judging, I say take it and move on.

Believe it or not, they were happy with the III, especially after I told them it was the highest rating all day up to that point, but not happy with what the judges had to say. I mean, they literally nitpicked, but I won't go into that. Let's just say they made us assume the position, shall we?

As for my former students...they got a V on stage and IV in sight reading. They e-mailed me like crazy asking/begging me to come back...lol

Anyway, so as we prepare for our trip to San Antonio at the end of April, we are in this slight bit of dead time this week. There is an obvious cloud of funk hanging over us all. Hopefully it'll be gone by next week, when the schedule returns to normal.

Thanks for reading

Musical Monday

Happy Musicval Monday, everyone! This week, I'm breaking from tradition and bringing you something a little more current. Please enjoy "Secrets" by OneRepublic.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Eye Candy 3/27

Female Hottie: Rebecca Romijn

From model to actress, Rebecca Romijn has been melting hearts for years now. Her most memorable role has to be Mystique from the X-Men movies, but she's had some pretty good ones. Too bad about Eastwick getting cancelled last year, though. She was really starting to come into her own. If she appears a bit heavier than we normally see her, its because she gave birth to twins in '08, and is no longer on the model diet (a corner of a leaf of lettuce every 3 days...lol). Personally, I think she looks better with a little meat on her bones, but then again, I don't think there is much that could make this woman look bad. What was John Stamos thinking?

Male Hottie: Johnny Galecki

This week's male hottie is actually from the states! *GASP* Seriously, this guy isn't exactly what one would call a more traditional hottie, but hey, even the nerds need love, too, right? Johnny is best known for his current role on The Big Bang Theory or as Darlene's boyfriend from Roseanna. He has also appeared in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Hancock, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Bean, Vanilla Sky, Hope & Faith, My Name Is Earl, and a few others here and there.

Random Hottie from a movie or TV show seen this week: Tamara Taylor

This week's random hottie comes to us from the TV show Bones. However, may may know Tamara from the show Firefly or its movie conclusion Serenity. She has also appeared on NCIS, Numb3rs, Lost, CSI: Miami, Without a Trace, Party of Five, and Dawson's Creek. Little bit of trivia...she is Neve Campbell's second cousin. Here's hoping we keep seeing this exotic beauty in the future.

MILF: Tiffani Thiessen

Who can forget the wholesome girl next door from Saved By the Bell, Kelly Kapowski? Like many boys in those days, I had the hugest crush on her. After Saved BY the Bell Tiffani went on to various other roles in shows such as Fastlane, Beverly Hills, 90210, What About Brian, and currently can be seen on White Collar. She also had a major role in The Ladies' Man. Last summer, she became a MILF with the birth of her daughter in June.

Classic/Retro Hottie: Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor is one of the most beautiful women to ever grace a movie screen. With 2 Oscars to her name and slew of ex-husbands (8), as well as those beautiful blue (lavender?) eyes, she is the gold standard when it comes to the "Hollywood lifestyle" of her time. This week she passed away at the age of 79, and we lost a true legend. She can be remembered through her films such as Cleopatra, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf?, Butterfield 8, Giant, and The Flintstones, just to name a few. Oh, and let us not forget that she gave Maggie Simpson her voice in a 1992 episode of The Simpsons. Liz did it all. She will be missed!

Quote of the week

What happened to sex, drugs, and rock and roll. All we have left now is AIDS, crack, and techno.

Scotch

just sharing another forward so you can all have a laugh

A lady goes to the bar on a cruise ship and orders a Scotch with two drops of water. As the bartender gives her the drink she says, 'I'm on this cruise to celebrate my 80th birthday and it's today..'

The bartender says, 'Well, since it's your birthday, I'll buy you a drink. In fact, this one is on me.'

As the woman finishes her drink, the woman to her right says, 'I would like to buy you a drink, too.'

The old woman says, 'Thank you. Bartender, I want a Scotch with two drops of water.'

'Coming up,' says the bartender

As she finishes that drink, the man to her left says, 'I would like to buy you one, too.'

The old woman says, 'Thank you. Bartender, I want another Scotch with two drops of water.'

'Coming right up,' the bartender says.

As he gives her the drink, he says, 'Ma'am, I'm dying of curiosity. Why the Scotch with only two drops of water?'

The old woman replies, 'Sonny, when you're my age, you've learned how to hold your liquor. Holding your water, however, is a whole other issue.'



'OLD' IS WHEN....
Your sweetie says, 'Let's go upstairs and make love,' and you answer,'Pick one; I can't do both!'

Your friends compliment you on your new alligator shoes and you're barefoot..

A sexy babe or hunk catches your fancy and your pacemaker opens the garage door.

Going braless pulls all the wrinkles out of your face.

You don't care where your spouse goes, just as long as you don't have to go along.

You are cautioned to slow down by the doctor instead of by the police.

'Getting a little action' means you don't need to take any fiber today.

'Getting lucky' means you find your car in the parking lot.

An 'all nighter' means not getting up to use the bathroom.

and...
You are not sure these are jokes?

Do you remember....

Retro Commercial Friday

Gas and how even those that don't drive know something needs to be done

I'm sure we're all feeling the pain at the pump. Down here, as of this morning, it was $3.34/gal! Last night, some guy was talking about that by then end of next year, if something isn't done to find more resources or alternative fuel, we'll be shelling out $5/gal!!!!

Theoretically, I could get up about 30-45 min earlier and walk/bike to work, but that's just work. The car still needs to be filled up, y'know?

Interesting enough, my students were talking about this when they came in today (even though they are still a few years from getting behind the wheel). Two things that they brought up were interesting to me.

The first was why is it we haven't found a way to make that Mr. Fusion thing from the Back to the Future movies a reality. I have to go back and look at it again, but I seem to remember that it took common stuff like trash and turned it into nuclear power. Now, obviously, the nuclear thing isn't going to work, but perhaps they can find a way to use the same idea and turn it into a way to run our vehicles. There's more than enough trash, don't you think?

The second thing they mentioned was why is it the government isn't doing anything about the price of gas. One of my other students responded and said that it was because the politicians are too busy riding around in their limos (complete with gas paid for with the people's taxes). Who says middle school band kids aren't smart? lol

I totally agree with her, but I'm not sure that is the reason. From what I know, there really isn't much thy can (read:want to) do, because it would take money out of their pockets, and as we all know, politicians...regardless of party...only care about fattening up their pockets and getting re-elected.

anyway, I'm curious to know what you think about these rising gas prices? Any ideas? Notions? Conspiracy theories? I'd love to hear them!

Musical Monday

Happy Musical Monday, everyone! Let's take a trip back to the 80s with this one, shall we? Please enjoy "Don't You Want Me" by The Human League.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.



PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Eye Candy 3/20

Female Hottie: Kelly Hu

Kelly Hu is an exotic beauty from the island of Hawaii where she held the titles of Miss Tenn USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii 1993. She may best be known for her roles in The Scorpion King, as Cassandra, or X2 as Lady Deathstrike. She can currently be seen on Hawaii 5-0. Personally, I could care less for this cop dramas, especially since it is a remake of a classic TV show, but it'll be worth it to tune in and see her!

Male Hottie: Dustin Clare

Fans of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena will recognize this week's male hottie, Dustin Clare. This Australian actor will be reprising his role in the second season of Spartacus: Blood and Sand next year. In the meantime, he will be appearing is various Australian movies and TV shows.

Random Hottie from a movie or TV show seen this week: Naya Rivera

One of the best things about Glee is this week's random hottie, Naya Rivera. Personally, I wish she and the Mercedes character would get more focus, instead of the constant focus on "Kurt is gay" thing, but that's a topic for another time. Earlier in her her career, Naya appeared in episodes of The Smart Guy, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Baywatch, 8 Simple Rules, The Bernie Mac Show and CSI: Miami. With a face and body like that, I'm sure we'll see plenty of her after Glee is done.

MILF: Liv Tyler

Can you believe this statuesque beauty is the daughter of Steven Tyler? (Yes, this is a younger picture of her). Liv is the mother of one son, and can be seen in movies such as Empire Records, Jersey Girl, Armageddon, The Incredible Hulk, The Strangers, and, of course, The Lord of the Rings trilogy. We'll be seeing more of her soon!

Classic/Retro Hottie: Mamie van Doren

Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, and Mamie Van Doren were the three biggest sex symbol actresses of their day. Van Doren never achieved the same success as her contemporaries, though, but did pretty well for herself. She has appeared in such films as Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women, Teacher's Pet, High School Confidential, among others. These days, at age 80, she's still alive and kicking.

Quote of the Week

If nature had intended for you to have a fur coat, you'd have been born with one. - William Frawley as Fred Mertz on I Love Lucy

Do you remember...

Retro Commercial Friday

Can't you wait?!?

Ugh!!!!!

I just got home and boy am I ready to lay a hurtin' on someone! --deep breath--

Ok...now, that I've calmed a bit.

I'm sure we've all been stuck in traffic, right? That in itself is a frustrating experience, but when people suddenly decide they need to drive on the shoulder just to move up, maybe 2 or 3 places, or take their exit, it frustrates me to no end!

First off, if it is your exit, you'll be there soon enough. You can wait, and if you can't, then you need to find a way of getting where you're going quicker than driving.

Second, driving on the shoulder, if I'm not mistaken, is illegal, not to mention just makes you look like an asshole (pardon my language). On top of that, if traffic is at an almost complete stop, will going around 2 or 3 people to get a "better spot" get you there any faster? No, so why would you even bother?

Ugh!

Coincidentally, of the 17...yes I counted...people that did this today, 15 were in pickups. Not sure what that means, I'm just saying.

It probably would have been more if not for an 18 wheeler that was in front of me pulling over onto the shoulder and blocking these people.

So, am I the only one that gets infuriated by this? Am I wrong for wanting to knock these people off the road for their bad driving habits? What do you think? I'm curious.

High Urinals

got this forwarded to me and thoguht I'd share

A group of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders, accompanied by two female teachers, went on a field trip to the local racetrack, Churchill Downs, to learn about thoroughbred horses.

When it was time to take the children to the bathroom, it was decided that the girls would go with one teacher and the boys would go with the other. The teacher assigned to the boys was waiting outside the men's room when one of the boys came out and told her that none of them could reach the urinal.

Having no choice, she went inside, helped the boys with their pants, and began hoisting the little boys up one by one, holding on to their 'wee-wees' to direct the flow away from their clothes.

As she lifted one, she couldn't help but notice that he was unusually well endowed. Trying not to show that she was staring the teacher said, 'You must be in the 5th grade.'

'No, ma'am', he replied. 'I'm riding Silver Arrow in the seventh race, but I appreciate your help.

Frustrations with downloads

For those of you that don't know, a few months back, the government ruled that Limewire, a music downloading service, had to shutdown because they deemed it illegal or something.

When that rule came down, I searched for a new downloading site, which resulted in limewire's sister program, Frostwire. Strangely enough, Frostwire was like going back in time with limewire. Seriously, everything that limewire had fixed in updates and whatnot since I started using it, frostwire hadn't gotten around to it yet.

I'm not sure whether it is just the fact that everyone is know downloading their music on Amazon or iTunes, or if they just don't use the service, but there were certainly a lot less songs to find, and when I did find them, it would take forever and a day to download. Even worse, some of the would be some random limewire announcement, rather than the song I thought I was downloaded.

Finally, I had enough, and searched for another program. There were plenty out there, but one that stood out for me, and I subsequently downloaded, was imesh.

This program seemed to have everything one would want. Hell, even the files downloaded would have the cover art.

All seems hunky-dory, right? Well, 3 big strikes came.

Strike 1:all the files were in wma format and couldn't be switched over to the ipod. i did try to convert them with a program, but there is some kind of block that won't let them change.

Strike 2:I was under the impression that the service was free, but it turns out that it was a free trial. this would be fine and dandy, except that it was never said that it was a trial. WTF?!?

Strike 3:now all the files that I downloaded seemed to have had their license expired and can't/won't play! Ugh! What makes matters worse is that some of these songs are about as hard to find as a needle in a haystack!

Oh well, I'm sure there is something that can be done...I hope. In the meantime, thanks for listening/reading to me rant about this!

Musical Monday

Happy Musical Monday, everyone! This week, I wanted to bring you a lesser known tune. Enjoy Idina Menzel's "A Hero Comes Home" (you may recognize it from the end credits of Beouwulf)

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.



PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Eye Candy 3/13

Female Hottie: Lucy Liu

I first became aware of Lucy Liu's hotness when she would appear on Ally McBeal. Since then, she has gotten even hotter, even starring (or voicing) some of my favorite set of films such as both Charlie's Angels, Kill Bill: Vol 1, Afro Samurai: Resurrection, as well as many other projects. Hot and talented...the definition of a hottie.She has quite a few projects due out in the next year, most notably Kung Fu Panda 2, so let's keep an eye (and ear) out for her.

Male Hottie: Rupert Grint

Another week, another British guy. As you can tell by the red hair and vacant expression, this week's guy is Ruper Grint. Best known as Ron Weasley from the
Harry Potter franchise, but he has also done other films, such as Wild Target with Emily Blunt and Bill Nighy.

Random Hottie from a movie or TV show seen this week: Laura Vandervoort

Laura is currently starring as Lisa, the daughter of the high commander on V. While still in the early stages of her career, she has also played Supergirl on as well as but parts in Nickelodeon shows Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark. I think its a safe bet that we will be seeing more of this gorgeous hottie in the future.

MILF: Penelope Cruz

I like to refer to Penelope Cruz as Salma Hayek-lite. She's not as, shall we say, "well-blessed" as Salma, and is thinner. All that aside, she's still hot and talented. This new mother of 1 will next be seen in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Classic/Retro Hottie: Vivian Vance

Vivian Vance has gone down in television history as one of the most beloved sidekicks. She is best known for starring alongside Lucille Ball on I Love Lucy. As a matter of fact, most of her career was spent starring alongside Lucy. Not a thing wrong with that. I'm sure there are more than a few actresses from that time that would have killed for that shot.

Quote of the Week

George of the Jungle is a cartoon. He's a guy who swings around on a vine all day. Are you not buying that? - Brendan Fraser

Do you remember...

Retro Commercial Friday

Life after Entrecard

I think almost all of you that read my random thoughts, rambling, and various other musings here found me through Entrecard (before it went to !#%@!#%), right?

Can you believe that it was around this time last year that I left that site? Sure, I still have my little drop card and everything, but I have been back since I made the decision to leave and, honestly,I think my blog is better for it.

simply put, when I was on EC, it seemed like a chore to have to get on there and drop on everyone's site who had dropped on mine. Without having to do that, I've been able to cultivate more of a close knit blogging "family" of faithful readers.

Sure, my traffic is way down, but I'm much more intersted in those that come here and actually read what I have to say (even if it doesn't make any sense), than empty viewers who come, look for the card, click it, and move along.

When I was on EC, I used to have a top droppers post. Can't do that anymore...well, I suppose I could if I actually went back and saw who actually still uses that thing to drop. However, I do want to thank all of you that comment on a regular basis. (I need to comment on your blogs more often, I know)

Laissez les bons temps rouler

Musical Monday

Happy Musical Monday, everyone! This week, I bring you a bit of disco. Please enjoy Donna Summer's hit, "Hot Stuff"

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.



PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Eye Candy 3/6

Female Hottie: Amanda Bynes

Amanda is a breath of fresh air in young Hollywood. You never hear about her out at some club late at night drinking. She's not flashing for the paparazzi or entering rehab everyday. She's a highly talented actress best known for her roles on The Amanda Show, What I Like About You, Hairspray, and last year's surprise hit Easy A. Hopefully she gets bigger and better things coming her way. She's definitely got the talent!

Male Hottie: Jude Law

Apparently, British men are the rage. Seems like almost every week, I bring you one of them. While it seems as if he has fallen off the map, it wasn't that long ago that it seemed that he was in every movie that came out. Last seen in the movie Repo Men, 2011 sets up to be a banner year for Jude. He has 3 or 4 movies coming out this year, most notably Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows.

Random Hottie from a movie or TV show seen this week: Kristanna Loken

This week's random hottie, Kristanna Loken, is best known to audiences as the T-X from Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. This leggy blonde has also had starring roles in lesser known TV shows such as Painkiller Jane, Mortal Kombat: Conquest and Pensacola: Wings of Gold. On the big screen she has starred in films such as BloodRayne, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale, and the forthcoming S.W.A.T.: Fire Fight. I don't think anyone is going to object to seeing more of her.

MILF: Tina Fey

Tina Fey first came to our attention when she stepped out fro her role as a writer on Saturday Night Live to the anchor chair on "Weekend Update". Since then she has had parts in movies, including Mean Girls,Baby Mama, Date Night, voicing a character in Megamind and starring in NBC's hit 30 Rock. Of course, who could forget her spot on impersonation of Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Personally, I think this mother of one is much hotter!

Classic/Retro Hottie: Lena Horne

It was truly a huge loss last year when this classic beauty passed away. As a jazz aficionado, I know Lena Horne's music very well, but I also know her from her appearances on The Cosby Show and the movie The Wiz. Lena was a true talent and beauty who left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry.

Oscar thoughts

For those intersted, head over to my other blog, and check out my post on what I thought of the Oscars.

Quote of the Week

"After Monday and a Tuesday, even a week says WTF" - Steven Tyler on this week's American Idol

Do you remember...

Retro Commercial Friday

Overshadowed

Earlier this week I posted how I was tired of all this Charlie Sheen coverage, as many of you are, as well.

A friend of mine brought this up at lunch today, and I had never actually given it much thought.

Sunday was the Oscars, and one would expect that come Monday morning, media outlets would be celebrating the winners, yet they were too busy shoving Charlie Sheen's rants down our throats.

The NFL is facing a work stoppage, yet even ESPN hasn't given that the full coverage because they've been touching on this Sheen this, as well.

Gas prices are spiraling out of control, and yet the only thing we hear about is more Charlie Sheen.

There is this whole situation going on in the middle east, and yet all we hear about is Charlie this, Charlie that.

Screen legend Jane Russell dies, and with the exception of a short article on yahoo, no one even acknowledged her. Why? Because apparently, if Charlie Sheen isn't being covered 24-7, the world will cease to exist.

Isn't this all so sad? The fact that one man has control over all the media outlets like this is insane. Especially since he's not really that popular of an actor. I mean, has this been someone like Brad Pitt, Hale Berry, Julia Roberts, etc., it would still be bad, but at least it would make sense!

Ugh! Someone shoot me now so I don't have to listen/watch anymore of it! lol

I hit 1000?!?

It seems that on my movie blog, I made my 1000th post, but didn't realize it until a week later. How messed up is that?

So, yeah, this is another shameless plug. Go check out my 1000th post on my movie blog.

Now that I think about it, I have to be nearing 1000 on this one, too. Hmm...

Just go away

So, am I the only one who is more than tired of hearing about Charlie Sheen?

Just when things seem to be going right...

It never fails! Just as it seemed as if things were going great! POP!

That pop was the sound of some random piece of metal getting lodged in my tire. It was in there pretty deep, too. Took it to the shop yesterday and they said it couldn't be repaired, so I had to buy a new tire. On top of that, there's at least $500 worth of work that needs to be done (so they say), that I had no idea about.

Oy!

If that wasn't bad enough, it used to cost me about $35 of gas to make it back and forth to work for the month (keeping in mind that it's only about a mile 1/2 away), but with gas now above $3 down here and inching ever so closer to 4, those days seem to be gone along with music on MTV and stars that were actual stars and not reality TV "stars).

Did I mention that the electricity bill is $150 more than normal. Granted, it was a cold month, and the heater ran a bit more than usual, but $150 more? Ugh!

Now, with all these things that are destined to bankrupt me if I'm not careful, one would think I'd go into a state of depression or madness. I refuse to do so.

The way I see it, things could be worse. At least I have a car to get a flat tire and put gas in, as well as a home with electricity. These are things to be grateful for. Sure, I'll bitch and moan about the cost of things, but I always remember that no matter how bad I think things are, they could always be worse, and that gets me through it all.

Thanks for listening to my ranting about the cost of things!